IMPROVEMENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERAS
Year: 1885

page_text: SAMUEL WHITE ROUCH Manufacturer of Photographic Apparatus & Materials
No. 180 Strand London do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERAS to be as follows:-
My invention consists in an improved portable Photographic Camera by means
of which while retaining the compactress & portability of the instrument when
packed for travelling a wide range & extension is secured, The improvements
consist first in a base board of special construction & second in an arrangement by
which the front & back portions of the Camera body are made reversible & inter-
changeable.
The extending body of the Camera consists of the ordinary gusset of leather or
other flexible material, The first portion of my invention refers to the base board
which is attached by hinges to the lower & posterior side of the Camera frame
& which acts substantially as in the Patent No. 1448 granted to me on the
11th day of April 1878, it is divided into three parts sliding within and upon one
another & by means of which the necessary focussing extension is obtained The
centre one of these parts or frames forms the basis by which the Camera is attached
to the tripod when in use, To the anterior or inner frame are attached the front
portion of the Camera body & also the rack & pinion or other mechanical arrange-
ment for adjusting the focus The back portion of the Camera is permanently
hinged & by drawing out the frame any desired extension of focus can be obtained
The frame being secured by tightening the binding screw which attaches the
Camera to the tripod, The second portion of my invention relates to the method
of reversing or interchanging the back & front of the Camera body by which means
lenses of the shortest focus & including the widest angle may be employed without
danger of the base board intercepting any portion of the field of view & without
tilting the Camera or otherwise resorting to troublesome expedients, For this
purpose I construct at either end of the Camera body a sunk well or rebate of
similar dimensions into which can be fitted interchangeable frames, one of which is
provided with grooves in which the focussing glass & dark slide travel, while the
other is fitted with the ordinary horizontal & vertical sliding front to carry the lens,
a sliding front of unusual length may be used, or by means of a suitably arranged
flexible sliding front any degree of motion may be secured, These frames are
attached to the Camera body substantially in manner usually adopted in square
Cameras with reversing backs.

page_text: SAMUEL WHITE ROUCH Manufacturer of Photographic Apparatus 180, Strand
London W.C. 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 consists in an improved portable photographic camera by means of
which while retaining the compactness and portability of the instrument when
packed for travelling a wide range of extension is secured enabling lenses of the
longest or the shortest foci to be employed.
The improvements consist first, in a base-board of special construction & second,
in an arrangement by which the front & back portions of the camera body are
made reversible & interchangeable.
The extending body of the camera consists of the ordinary gusset of leather or
other flexible material.
The first portion of my patent relates to the baseboard A A which is attached by
hinges to the lower & posterior side of the camera frame B & which acts sub-
stantially as in the Patent N° 1448 granted to me on the 11th day of April 1878,
it is divided into three parts a, b, c, sliding within & upon one another & by means
of which the necessary focussing extension is obtained. The centre one of these
parts or frames b forms the basis by which the camera is attached to the tripod
when in use. To the anterior or inner frame c are attached the front portion of
the camera body D & also the rack & pinnion, screw, or other mechanical arrange-
ment by which the focus is adjusted. To the posterior or outer frame a the back
portion of the camera body B, is permanently hinged as before set forth & by
drawing out this frame any desired extension of focus can be obtained the frame
being secured in position by tightening the binding screw by which the camera is
attached to the tripod. There is a slot in the portion of the base board a & the
binding screw may be brought beneath the centre of gravity of the camera at all
stages of its extension.
The second portion of my patent relates to the method of reversing or inter-
changing the back & front of the camera body by which means lenses of the
shortest focus & including the widest angle may be employed without danger of
the base board intercepting any portion of the field of view. For this purpose
I construct at either end of the camera bodies B & D a sunk well or rebate of
similar dimensions into which can be fitted interchangeable frames one of which
carries the focussing screen and is provided with grooves in which the dark slide
travels, while the other is fitted with the ordinary horizontal & vertical sliding
front to carry the lens, the said frames being attached to the camera body
substantially in the manner usually adopted in square cameras with reversing
backs.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
First, in connection with the hinged baseboard secured to me by my patent of

page_text: Second, the method of reversing or interchanging the back & front of the
Camera, by which means the camera can be employed with lenses of the very
shortest focus without danger of the base board interfering with the field of view
& without tilting the camera or otherwise resorting to troublesome expedients
also when lenses of long focus are employed, especially with cameras of large size,
by reversing the front & back the focussing arrangement is brought within easy
reach of the operator.
Lastly, the improvements herein before set forth do not in any way interfere
with the adjustments & attachments of my portable camera which are protected
by my previous patent of the 11th April 1878.