Improvements in Flash Lighting Apparatus for Use in Photography.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Flash Lighting Apparatus for Use in Photography.
I, PAUL BOYER, Knight of the Legion of Honour, of 35, Boulevard des
Capucines, Paris, in the Republic of France, Photographer, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention to be as follows;
My invention relates to an improved apparatus for obtaining flash lighting
automatically and continuously and is more especially adapted for use in taking
instantaneous photographs by artificial illumination.
According to my invention I provide an upper plate or disc made of wood
ebony or the like nonconducting material adapted to be rotated by clockwork
on a lower plate or disc (I will refer to them as plates) made of a like material.
On the lower plate which is provided on its underside with insulating supports
the clockwork mechanism is mounted which may consist for example of a spring
contained in a cylinder or barrel which may be conveniently wound up by a
key from the underside of the plate. To the revolving part on the lower plate
vertical screw-threaded rods are secured which can fit into corresponding holes
formed in the upper plate, so that the said upper plate may be passed down over
the rods and firmly clamped to the aforesaid revolving lower part and both
rotated together, the lower plate itself remaining stationary. The lower plate, is
formed with a projecting side piece or arm on which is mounted an electro-
magnet or coils connected to a source of electricity and adapted to operate a pawl
or catch on the armature of the magnet against the action of a spring. An inner
and outer set or series of stops or abutment pieces are disposed alternately in con-
centric circles round the under side of the upper plate so that the aforesaid pawl
or catch will come against a stop or abutment piece of one set when attracted by
the magnet and against a stop of the ather set when retained by the spring. On
the top side of the upper plate the cups or receivers containing the magnesium
or the like material for obtaining the flash light are arranged, preferably in a
circle or alternately in two concentric circles being held in place by spring catches
or clips.
Any suitable means may be provided for igniting the magnesium or the like
contained in the cups but I prefer to employ one of the following arrange-
ments. For example I provide spring contacts on the lower plate connected to a
source of electricity which are caused to complete a circuit by coming into con-
tact in turn with the aforesaid clips holding the cups, which clips are passed
through the upper plate for this purpose and each cup or receiver is provided
at its base with coils so that on the passage of the electric current a sparking
takes place between these coils which ignites the magnesium or the like in the
Or instead of employing coils I may use a thin copper wire or like readily
fusible material or material capable of being rendered incandescent which is
passed through the cups so as to come into contact with the said spring catches
cups.

page_text: or clips. Or I may dispense with the electrical means and employ in the cups
or receivers a fulminating cap or explosive or the like which may be ignited by
percussion, for example by a spring hammer arranged on the fixed part of the
apparatus operated by a cam or projection on the revolving part, or by friction
by casing a strip of phosphorus or the like to be drawn over a rough surface;
or the magnesium or the like may be ignited by causing water to drop on any
material or compound which can be exploded or ignited by this means.
When the apparatus is in use a current of electricity is passed through the
electro-magnet so as to withdraw the pawl from a stop of one set, the upper
plate being released is then caused to rotate by the clockwork until a stop of the
other set comes in contact with the pawl in its new position, at the same time
the rotation of the upper plate completes the circuit for causing the ignition of
the magnesium or the like in one of the cups of the series, or otherwise effects the
ignition of the magnesium in a cup by the means already described. When the
electric current is cut off from the magnet the pawl returns to its original posi-
tion under the influence of the spring and the upper plate being released again
commences to revolve, until the next stop on the first set or series comes in con-
tact with the pawl. Flash lights can thus be readily obtained in quick succes-
sion by the rotation of the disc, which can be operated from any desired distance.
Dated this 13th day of May 1898.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
16.
QUALIUMIN DIF EVITICATION.
Improvements in Flash Lighting Apparatus for Use in Photography.
I, PAUL BOYER, Knight of the Legion of Honour, of 35, Boulevard des
Capucines, Paris, in the Republic of France, Photographer, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
1
My invention relates to an improved apparatus for obtaining flash lighting
automatically and continuously and is more especially adapted for use in taking
instantaneous photographs by artificial illumination.
I will describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings pre-
mising that my invention is not limited to the precise details shewn.
Figure 1 shews in perspective an apparatus constructed according to this in-
vention. Figure 2 shews in plan the upper side of the lower plate or disc and
Figure 3 is a plan view of the underside of the same. Figure 4 shews in plan
the upper side of the top plate or disc and Figure 5 is a plan view of the under-
side of the same.
According to my invention I provide an upper plate or disc A made of wood,
ebony or the like nonconducting material adapted to be rotated by clockwork on
a lower plate or disc B made of a like material." On the lower plate B which is
provided with insulating supports b¹ the clockwork mechanism C is mounted
which is wound up by a key c¹ on the underside of the plate. To the revolving
part of the clockwork C on the plate B vertical screw threaded rods
secured which can fit into corresponding holes a formed in the upper plate A
so that the said upper plate may be passed down over the rols and firmly
clamped to the aforesaid revolving part by screw nuts so that the two plates
are

page_text: are in the relative, positions indicated in Figure 1 and both can then be rotated
together, the lower plate B itself remaining stationary. The lower plate is
formed with a projecting side piece 62 on which are mounted on the underside
coils 1) connected to a source of electricity by conductors y. is a pawl or
catch forming a part of the armature and is a spring tend-
ing to keep the armature from the coils when there is no current
passing through them. On the underside of the plate A. I provide an inner and
outer set or series of abutments or stops a² and a respectively so that the pawl
or catch d¹ will come against one of the series of stops a when the armature is
attracted by the coils D and against one of the other series of stops a³ when
repelled from the coils by the spring. On the top side of the plate A the
cups or receivers E formed with porcelain or the like lining e containing the
magnesium or the like material for obtaining the flash light, are arranged pre-
ferably in concentric circles as shewn in the drawings and held in place by
spring catches el and clips which may pass through holes formed near the
base of the said cups as shewn in Figure, 1. Any suitable means may be
employed for igniting the magnesium or the like contained in the cups but I
prefer to employ one of the following arrangements in combination with the
upper plate rotated on the lower plate as already described. In the arrangement
shewn in the drawings I provide spring contacts 6364 Fig. 2 on the upper side
of the lower plate B connected to a source of electricity by conductors cyl which
are caused to complete a circuit by coming into contact in turn with the aforesaid
catchies and clips which are passed through to the underside of the plate A
for this purpose, and each cup or receiver A may be provided at its base with
coils so that on the passage of the electric current a sparking takes place
between these coils in the cup situated over the spring contacts which
ignites the magnesium or the like contained therein. Or in place of the coils
may use a thin copper wire or other material capable of being rendered incan-
descent which is passed through the holes at the bases of the cups so as to come
into contact with the spring catches and clips.
In place of using electrical means for igniting the magnesium or the like in
my apparatus I may employ in the cups or receivers a fulminating cap or ex-
plosive or the like which may be ignited by percussion, for example by a spring
hammer arranged on the fixed part of the apparatus operated by a cam or pro-
jection on the revolving part or I may cause the ignition by friction by causing
a strip of phosphorus or the like in contact with the magnesium to be drawn.
over a rough surface, or the magnesium or the like may be ignited by causing
water to drop on any material or compound which can be exploded or ignited by
this means.
When the apparatus is to be used the clockwork is wound up and a current
of electricity is passed through the coils so as to withdraw the pawl from the
stop of one set which keeps the plate with the cups from rotating the upper
plate being released commences to rotate until a stop on the other set comes
against the pawl in its new position when this movement takes place the mag-
nesium in the cup which is now brought over the spring contacts is ignited
for example by a current of electricity passing from the conductors a¹ y¹ to the
spring contacts and clips and the coils or wire at the bottom of the cup which
are in electrical contact with the same. Or the ignition may be effected by the
mechanical means described or any other suitable means which will cause the
ignition of the magnesium in a cup for every partial revolution of the plate.
When the electric current is cut off from the magnet the pawl returns to its
original position under the influence of the spring and the upper plate being
released again commences to revolve until the next adjacent stop on the first
set or series comes in contact with the pawl. Flash lights can thus be readily
obtained in quick succession by the rotation of the upper plate or disc which
can be operated from any desired distance.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
:-
1. In apparatus for obtaining flash lights automatically and in quick succes-
sion for use in photography an upper plate carrying receivers or the like rotated
by clockwork on a lower stationary plate in combination with means for inter-
mittently stopping the rotation of the said upper plate substantially as described.
2. In flash light apparatus for use in photography an upper plate carrying
receivers containing magnesium or the like rotatable intermittently on a lower
stationary plate in combination with means for obtaining ignition of the magne
sium or the like at every partial rotation of the upper plate substantially as
hereinbefore described.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the improvements in
flash lighting apparatus for use in photography substantially as herein before
described.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.