Improvements in or relating to the Arrangement and Construction of Folding or Collapsible Photographic Cameras.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Jan., 1897
Complete Specification Loft 13th Oct 1897 Accepted 13th Nov. 1897
Improvements in or relating to the Arrangement and Construction
of Folding or Collapsible Photographic Cameras.
I, CHARLES OLIVER, of 77, Wimpole Street, London, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
"
66
This invention relates to folding or collapsible photographic cameras and more
or
hand cameras
detective
particularly to that class of camera known as
cameras but my present improvements may be used for any type of camera to
which same may be applicable.
"
My present invention is as follows:--
The body of the camera is advantageously a long shallow case or box that is to
say the length is advantageously several times the thickness or depth of said box
or case.
One such long side I will term the "back" of the camera and the opposite long
side I will term the "front" of the camera.
"
56
This "front or part thereof is hinged at one end to the box or case while the
other end thereof is adapted to be swung outwards from such body or case to an
angle of 45° or thereabouts and to the underside of this swinging front I secure
bellows of any suitable character but advantageously of a sector-like shape and
advantageously interpose gussets" or fixed side pieces to the underside of the
swinging front and between the latter and said bellows while a wooden or other
suitable mount for the lens is fixed at an acute angle to the underside of said
swinging front or fixed across the outer ends of said gussets or fixed to both
gussets and swinging front or otherwise suitably arranged at such an angle and
in such position that when said swinging front has been swung or moved out to
the aforesaid angle of 45° (or thereabouts) with the plane of the front of the
camera case thereby the lens in said mount will be brought into position for
taking a photograph for instance either exactly at right angles with the plane of
the sensitive surface to be exposed in said camera or any desired angle thereto
and said front is held rigidly in said suitable position ready for giving exposure
by any suitable means which either automatically come into position to hold same
rigidly or such means may be fixed by hand for instance spring struts or jointed
arms or any other suitable arrangement.
Or the outward movement of the aforesaid swinging front may be limited by
the bellows the closing of the said front being alone prevented by any suitable
means as aforesaid but for the sake of rigidity and so as to ensure the exact
position of the lens in either case independently of the bellows I find it
advantageous to provide suitable means of holding the said swinging front in
the desired position so as to prevent its movement in either direction by such
special means independent of the bellows.
The sensitive surface may be arranged and mounted and removed or changed
and a fresh sensitive surface brought into position for exposure in my improved
mia in any suitable manner

page_text: I will first describe my present invention carried out with a roller slide or as a
rcller-holder camera as follows:-
Towards one end of the camera case or body aforesaid I arrange a swinging
framé pivotted to the inside of said case or box in which is suitably mounted the
roll of film to be drawn off for exposure and said frame is then swung into
position in the case and any suitable brake or pressure applied thereto to put
sufficient brake or tension on the film.
The other end of the film is secured in any suitable manner to a shaft or wind-
ing roller mounted in another swinging frame at the opposite end of said camera
case said shaft or winding roller being operated from the exterior of the camera
case by a knob or other suitable handle or winding device any well-known or
suitable mechanism being provided as desired for (1) indicating when the desired
length of film has been drawn off for each exposure (2) any suitable means to
prevent back winding (3) any suitable counting mechanism to show the total
number of exposures made (4) any suitable means to prick or mark the film
showing where same is to be cut or divided when developing said exposed films.
Or if desired an aperture may be provided in the
back of the case with
coloured glass through which any desired marks, numbers, etc., can be seen on
the back of the film to thus indicate not only the correct position of the film for
exposure but also to show the number of exposures made.
"
By this arrangement when the camera is folded or closed the bellows together
with the lens and lens front will be folded down and lie within the space between
the two said rolls i.e. in the space between the roll of unexposed film and the
winding roll the lens when the camera is thus closed lying in an oblique or
diagonal direction across such space. Thus a very compact camera is produced.
Or instead of the roll holder arrangement as aforesaid the "back"
may be
removed and a ground glass focussing screen provided if desired and the back
of the camera arranged and adapted to receive therein a dark slide or a changing
box capable of being attached thereto or detached therefrom and adapted to
permit the changing of the plates or cut films therein to be effected either while
in position on the back of this camera or. when removed therefrom as desired.
Or instead of the foregoing I may arrange this camera as a "magazine
camera .or storage camera i.e. construct same as or with a changing box at
the back with a magazine adapted to hold any suitable number of cut films or
plates mounted or arranged in any suitable manner and provided with any of
the present well-known or other suitable means of or for removing each sensitive
surface after exposure or bringing a fresh sensitive surface into position ready for
exposure.
"
"
Improvements in or relating to the Arrangement and Construction
of Folding or Collapsible Photographic Cameras.
I, CHARLES OLIVER, of 77 Wimpole Street, London, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to folding or collapsible photographic cameras and
particularly to that class of camera known as "hand cameras or "detective

page_text: cameras but
my present improvements may be used for any other type of camera
to which same may be applicable.
And in order that my present invention may be easily understood and readily
carried into practice I will proceed to fully describe same with reference to the
drawings hereunto annexed, in which:-
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the camera extended i.e. on the
line 1-1 Fig. 2.
Fig. 2 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow 2 Fig. 1 i.e., with the
back removed so as to show the interior of the camera.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the camera folded.
a a are the two ends, bb the two sides, c the movable or hinged part and e* the
fixed part of the top or front, and d is the back adapted to be slid on and off tne
comera case or box.
The body of the camera is advantageously a long shallow case or box that is
to say the length is advantageously several times the thickness or depth of said
box or case as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.
"
The movable "front or movable portion of said fronte is hinged at c' and at
its other end has rigidly fixed thereto the lens e obliquely as shown in Figs. 1
and 3-the hinged front c being cut away at so as to form a semi-circular recess
or other suitable clearance space so as not to interfere with the lens e when the
camera is set up and the lens is to be used.
To the underside of this swinging front c I affix gusset-like pieces f on each side
and to these and to the mount e carrying the lens e I attach light-tight bellows g
of any suitable character but advantageously of a sector-like shape such bellows
serving if desired to limit the outward movement of the aforesaid swinging front c
the closing of the said front being alone prevented by any suitable means which
either automatically come into position to hold same rigidly or such means may
be fixed by hand for instance spring struts or jointed arms or any other suitable
arrangement may be used.
In the arrangement illustrated are two rigid. metal plates hinged to one
another at the plate h being rigidly hinged to the inside of the camera case
at while the plate h¹ is hinged at h*** to the lens carrier e¹-one of these
plates viz: having a strong spring mounted thereon which rides over and
presses against a fixed extension on the other plate h so that on the outward move-
ment of the swinging front.c thereby the spring hs on the plate ¹ forces the
extension on the plate h into and through a recess provided for same in the
plate h¹ and thus these two plates h h¹ are held rigidly and so as to resist vertical
or endwise strain or strains put on same and thus hold the swinging front c and
with it the lens e rigid in the exact position required for taking a photograph for
instance either exactly at right angles with the plane of the sensitive surface to
be exposed in said camera or at any desired angle thereto; in the case illustrated
a roll holder arrangement is shown with endless. film and the lens e fixed and
held at right angles thereto see Fig. 1.
The sensitive surface used may be arranged and mounted or removed and
changed and a fresh sensitive surface brought into position for exposure in my
improved camera in any suitable manner for instance the usual or any suitable
dark slides may be used or cut films or plates or other sensitive surfaces used as a
pack and changed in any suitable manner. but for the sake of example I have
illustrated and will now describe my present invention carried out with a roller
slide or as a roll holder camera as follows:
Towards one end of the camera case or body aforesaid I arrange a swinging
frame consisting of the two arms i and j pivotted at and j' to the inside walls
cf the sides, 6 of the camera the outer ends of these arms respectively bearing
pins or axes on which latter the roll ¹ of unexposed film is adapted to rotate.
One of the two arms (i or ) is hinged crosswise about midway. between the
centres (or) and k so as thus to permit the hinged end carrying the centre k
to be moved outwards that is away from the opposite pink (when the two arms i

page_text: and have been swung on their centres so as to bring out the roll ¹ clear of the
camera case) and thereby permit the removal of the roll or the introduction of
.a fresh roll of film on the centres kk.
m is a strong spring fixed to the interior of the camera case with the two
ends m m pressing firmly against the discs or flanges nn to which latter the
roll ¹ of unexposed film is rigidly fixed whereby said springs act as a brake or
drag on the revolution of said roll and consequently put a drag or tension on
the film stretched between the roll and the winding roll w.
Or other suitable brake or means may be used to produce the required tension
on the film as desired.
y is a shield to protect the roll of unexposed film from the light.
z z are two small guide rolls over which the film is stretched as same is wound
off on to the winding roller w by means of a winding key such as w¹ said roller w
being provided with the usual ratchet and spring pawl arrangement to keep
the film stretched and prevent back winding etc.
Or the other end of the film is secured in any suitable manner to any other
shaft or winding roller the latter being operated from the exterior of the camera
case by a knob or other suitable handle or winding device and any well-known or
suitable mechanism being provided as desired for (1) indicating when the desired
length of film has been drawn off for each exposure or (2) preventing back wind-
ing, and any suitable counting mechanism may be used to show the total number
of exposures made, also any suitable means may be employed to prick or mark
the film showing where same is to be cut or divided when developing said exposed
films.
Or if desired an aperture may be provided in the "back" of the case with
coloured glass through which any desired marks, numbers, etc., can be seen on
the back of the film to thus indicate not only the correct position of the film for
exposure but also to show the number of exposures made.
By this arrangement when the camera is folded or closed the bellows together
with the lens e and lens front el will be folded down and lie within the spaco
between the two said rolls i.e. in the space between the roll of unexposed film a¹
and the winding roll -the lens e when the camera is thus closed lying in an
oblique or diagonal direction across such space see Fig. 3. Thus a very compact
camera is produced.
Or instead of the roll-holder arrangement as aforesaid the "back" d may be
removed and a ground glass fooussing screen provided if desired and the back
frame of the camera arranged and adapted to receive therein a dark slide or a
changing Box capable of being attached thereto or detached therefrom and
adapted to permit the changing of the plates or cut films therein to be effected
either while in position on the back of this camera or when removed therefrom as
desired.
Or instead of the foregoing I may arrange this camera as a magazine
camera or "storage camera i.e. construct same as or with a changing box at
the back with a magazine adapted to hold any suitable number of cut films or
plates mounted or arranged in any suitable manner and provided with any of
the present well-known or other suitable means of or for removing each sensitive
surface after exposure or bringing a fresh sensitive surface into position ready
for exposure.
Any suitable shutter may be used in conjunction with the foregoing camera.
•
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a folding or collapsible photographic camera the combination with the
case of a hinged front such as c carrying the lens on the underside thereof and
arranged obliquely to the plane of said front and a light-tight bellows attached
to said front c and to the lens carrier and to the interior of the camera case and

page_text: means to support and fix said front at the desired angle when the camera is set
up for use and to readily permit same to be folded when desired substantially in
the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
2. The improved arrangement and construction of folding or collapsible
photographic cameras combined and arranged to act substantially in the manner
and for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawin's
hereunto annexed.
Dated the 191 1
1000
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.