Year: 1886

page_text: 'I
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention comprises a longitudinally extensible folding bed or track for the
support of those, cameras which are usually mounted upon tripods, said extensible
folding bed or track being provided with a vertical spindle or pintle that turns
readily in the tripod-head, so as to permit the entire apparatus being swung
around in a horizontal plane. Said bed or track is further provided with suitable
boxes or equivalent bearings for the back or focussing-section of the camera, which
bearings enable said section to be inclined and retained at any desired angle to a
perpendicular position. This extensible bed carries a longitudinally-shiftable
pivot-bar that supports the front or lens-section of the camera, said bar being
provided with adjusting devices wherewith this lens-section can be turned
latterally on its pivot and independently of the swinging of said frame on the
main spindle, as hereinafter more fully described.
My invention also comprises other, but minor features of construction the details
of which will be herein-after more fully described.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my longitudinally-extensible bed or track, the
pivot bar being shown detached therefrom.
.
Figure 2 is a side elevation showing an ordinary "bellows camera" mounted on
the track and the latter applied to a tripod head.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the aforesaid camera in its closed condition.
Figure 4 is a front elevation of this closed camera.
Figure 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the track and tripod-head, the
latter being sectioned.
Figure 6 is a side elevation of the lower portion of a camera mounted on a
modified form of the extensible track.
[Posine di

page_text: Figure 7 is a side elevation of the invention applied to a camera having a cone
bellows, the camera being closed.
- Figure 8 is a front elevation of a portion of said camera.
Figure 9 is a modification, in which the extensible track is fitted within the
frame of the camera.
Figure 10 is a plan thereof.
Figure 11 is an enlarged view of one of the shiftable keepers to which the pivot
bar is attached, the supporting track being sectioned.
*Figure 12. is a plan of the adjusting devices at the end of said pivot-bar.
Figure 13 is a plan showing two modifications of these adjusting devices.
Figure 14 is a longitudinal-section of a portion of the extensible track.
Figure 15 is a modification of said frame.
Referring to Figure 1 A represents the end bar, and A' A" the side bars of
what may be called the stationary section of the extensible track, which members A,
A, A, may be either solid or tubular. Depending rigidly from this end-bar A,
and at or near the mid-length of the same is a spindle or pintle a, adapted to
engage with the tripod head, as will presently appear. Furthermore, said end-bar
is surrounded by a pair of boxes or other bearings B B¹, for the focussing or
"back section G¹ of the camera, each box having a set screw b, 61, for retaining said
section at any desired angle.
The longitudinal extension of the supporting frame is preferably obtained by
means of a shiftable tubular-section consisting of an end-piece C and a pair of side
pieces CC, said pieces C¹ C¹ being adapted to slide freely along the side bars A¹
A, of the stationary section of said frame. Either or both of these side
pieces CC, may have small pinions coll, operated by suitable knobs or thumb
wheels c, and adapted to engage with racks a¹, a¹¹, formed on or applied to the
under edges of the side bars A¹ A¹¹ one of said racks being more clearly shown in
Figure 4.
D, D' are arched keepers capable of being shifted along the side pieces "0"
'and clamped thereto by means of set screws d d'.
These keepers have rigidly attached to them the opposite ends of the pivot bar E,
previously alluded to, a perforation e, being made near the mid-length of said
bar to admit a bolt, screw, or pin F, wherewith the front or lens-section G of the
camera G G¹, g is loosely coupled to said bar. Furthermore one end of this bar
has journalled in it a small pinion H, operated by a knob, crank, or thumb wheel h,
(and arranged to gear with a rack I, the latter being immovably attached to the
lens-section G, that carries the tube J.
G₁ represents the back or focussing section of the camera, said section being
supported upon the boxes B B¹, and being connected to the front section G, by an
ordinary "bellows" g. K is the head of any approved form of tripod, said head
being furnished with a tubular neck k, for the reception of the spindle or pintle a
of the stationary section of the track as seen in Figure 5.
L is a set screw that prevents the spindle turning within said neck, after the
. instrument has been properly adjusted.
To unfold and mount my camera, the set screws 6 61 are loosened, the bellows g,
opened and the folding track is brought over G, a slanting movement of G enabling
the track to be passed over the projecting keepers D D'. The spindle a is inserted
in the neck k, of the tripod-head, and the keepers D D' are adjusted on the side
bars CC by which means the lens section G is held in perpendicular position.
The instrument is adjusted by turning the frame around upon the tripod head K
until the lens tube J is brought in line with the object to be photographed, the
screw L is then tightened, so as to retain said frame in the desired position.
The adjustment of the camera to the tripod head, as aforesaid, entirely obviates
the difficulties attendant upon the adjustment of the thumb screw passing vertically
through the tripod head into the cameras now in use. Its rigid position, when
adjusted, avoids the insecurity of the plan of the camera now used, standing, as it
1

page_text: does, upon a set screw as an axis, and held in place wholly by a stoppage on its
own revolution.
The pinions c¹, c¹¹ are then turned for the purpose of advancing or retracting the
front section G, and thereby obtaining the correct focus, the set screws d d being
tightened against the tubular side pieces C1 C", to prevent longitudinal shifting of
said section. But if it should be desired to turn said section at an angle to C² C¹¹,
the knob is manipulated thereby causing the pinion H to act on the rack J and
thus producing the desired lateral swing of this section G, as seen in Figure 12.
If any inclination of the back section G¹ is desired, the set screws b b¹, are first
slackened, and the top of said section can then be pitched rearwardly, as indicated
by the dotted lines in Figure 2. Or the top of said section can be pitched toward
the front of the instrument, as suggested by the dotted lines in Figure 6, and after
the desired angular adjustment has been obtained, the set screws b b¹, are again
tightened, thus preventing any accidental shifting of the rear portion of the camera.
From the above description it is apparent that my instrument is susceptible of
no less than four distinct and independent adjustments, to wit-the swinging of
the frame around the tripod-head, the longitudinal extension of said frame, the
lateral turning of the lens section, and the inclination of the back section, which
adjustments render the camera useful for any possible kind of work..
For transportation or stowage, the screws bb' and d d are first slackened, and
the section G is retracted far enough and turned around until sufficient clearance
is afforded to permit the frame being swung up over the top of the camera. The
two sections G Gare then brought in contact with each other, and the frame is
contracted until its end piece C rests upon the top of section G³, as seen in
Figures 3 and 4, the spindle a now occupying a horizontal position under said
closed sections.
It is evident, however, that the details of construction may be modified to suit
special cameras or the requirements of the operator as for example, the spindle may
project from the end pieco of the tubular section of the extensible track, as seen in
Figure 6 in which case the lens section would remain stationary, and the focussing
section would extend toward the operator. Or a camera having a cone bellows
may be mounted upon the track, in which event, the instrument, would close up in
the manner seen in Figures 7 and 8, the track as thus telescoped occupying a
space between the larger and smaller sections G¹ G, and the lower margin of the
former being notched at g¹ as shewn in Figure 8 to admit the side bar A¹ of said
frame.
Furthermore, Figure 7 shews that the boxes B¹, must be set up quite close to the
front edge of the section G, to permit a snug closure of the camera and the folding,
extensible track. In Figures 9 and 10 the extensible track is fitted within the
camera, the spindle. a, projecting through a central slot M, of the same, while
inclined grooves N N¹, are provided to receive the side pieces of said frame when
the top of section G¹ is pitched rearwardly. But when said track is contracted and
turned up to an erect position within said section, the spindle a passes through the
central slot M and folds up within the frame of the camera."
In Figure 13 is seen two modifications of the devices for effecting the lateral
swing of the lens section, O being a slotted plate attached thereto, and P being a
thumb or lever Lut engaged with a screw that projects upwardly from the pivot
bar E and traverses the slot of said plate. R, in the same illustration represents a .
slot made in a horizontal extension of the lens section, through which slot passes a
screw projecting from the keeper D₁ a thumb nut S being engaged with the screw.
This modification dispenses with the pivot bar E. Another modification is seen
in Figure 15, where the spindle a terminates with a head T, that affords a journal
bearing for the end bar A of the frame, by which arrangement said bar can be
rocked within said head. U is a set screw that retains this bar to any specific
angular adjustment, either above or below the line of the horizon.
In case the camera is provided with a very short focus only, the tubular
portion C C C of the track could be omitted and the keepers ride upon the side

page_text: bars AA as indicated by the dotted lines D" in Figure 6. Finally it is preferred
to make the entire track of metal, although the invention is not limited to any
special material.
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
First The combination, in a camera track, of an end piece terminating with a
pair of side bars said end piece being provided with a spindle and rocking bearings
for the purpose herein described.
Second: A camera track consisting of an end piece terminating with a pair of
side bars, in combination with a longitudinally sliding section applied to said side
bars said end piece being provided with a spindle and rocking bearings, for the
purpose described.
Third: The combination, in a camera track of an end piece provided with a
spindle and terminating with a pair of side bars, a longitudinally sliding section
applied to said bars, and a bellows camera mounted upon a pivot bar of the afore-
Baid sliding section for the purpose described.
Fourth The combination, in a camera track of an end piece provided with a
spindle and terminating with a pair of side bars, a longitudinally-sliding section
applied to said side-bars, and a bellows camera mounted upon a pivot bar of the
aforesaid sliding section which pivot bar is furnished with devices for the lateral
adjustment of the lens section, as herein described.
Fifth-The combination of end piece A, side-bars.A¹ A", spindle a, rocking
bearings B b, B₁ 61 longitudinally-sliding section C C C rack a¹ pinion c¹
keepers D d D¹ d', bar E e, pivot F, bellows camera G G¹ g, pinion H, and rack I,
for the purpose described.
Sixth-A tripod head K, having a neck k, and set screw L, in combination with
the camera track A A¹ A" provided with a spindle a that traverses said neck for
the purpose described.
Seventh: A camera track consisting of an end piece provided with a spindle
and a pair of side bars, suitable bearings being applied to said track for supporting
the instrument substantially as herein described.
fT1100C
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.