IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING PHOTOGRAPH CAMERAS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Adams Whipple, of Boston, in the State of
Massachusetts and United States of America, for the Invention of
-Sealed the 26th February 1864, and dated the 12th September 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Adams Whipple
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 12th September 1863.
I, JOHN ADAMS WHIPPLE, .of Boston, in the State of Massachusetts and
United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING PHOTOGRAPH CAMERAS," to be
as follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists in a novel manner of sustaining a
photograph camera by means of spring mechanism; in the employment of
three supporting pillars, to each of which said spring mechanism may be
applied; and in the use of india-rubber rollers or castors, the circumference of
which is covered with india-rubber or other similar material. The supporting
pillars-employed are constructed hollow; when only two are used they are
fixed on a base plate to give the required steadiness to the apparatus. In these
pillars two rods, to the upper ends of which the camera is attached, slide
vertically. These rods are connected at their lower ends by means of a cross
bar which works in grooves cut on the inner side of the supporting pillars.

page_text: These pillars are also connected at or near their upper ends by a cross bar.
From each end of the latter depend two bearing plates for the-shafts of one or
two conical drums or fusee pulleys; upon either side cords, one end of which
is fastened to the cross bar connecting the sliding rods, run in a spiral grooves
made in those pulleys; springs, one end of which is fastened to the shaft of
the pulleys and the other to the bearing plates, are employed. The action of
the cords, pulleys, and springs is similar to that of the fusee and chain of a
watch, depressing the cross bar connecting the sliding rods, unwinds the cords,
coils the spring, and lowers the camera. These springs are generally con-
structed sufficiently strong to overcome the weight of the camera:
To arrest
the upward movement of the camera a spring is placed on the upper cross
bar, said spring being connected to the adjacent ends of two toggle arms.
These arms are situated below the said cross bar. The opposite ends of the
toggle arms work in the grooves cut on the inner side of the supporting pillars,
and are made to impinge the sliding camera rods by the action of the spring.
When it is required to adjust the camera the toggle arms are withdrawn from
the sliding rods by means of a hand lever operating against this spring. When
three supporting pillars or posts are employed, similar mechanism to that
above described is applied to each. The pillars, for convenience, are con-
structed hollow, and the camera is placed either directly upon these pillars or
upon intermediate sliding rods. To avoid noise and the jarring of the appa-
ratus the base plate or pillars are mounted on rollers or castors constructed of
or bound with india-rubber or other similar material.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed.
by the said John Adams Whipple in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th March 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ADAMS WHIPPLE, of Boston, in the State of Massachusetts and United States
of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twefth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Adams Whipple, Her special licence that I, the said John
Adams Whipple, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Adams Whipple, executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING PHOTOGRAPH CAMERAS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Adams Whipple, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was .to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Adams Whipple, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The nature of the Invention consists in a novel mode of sustaining and
adjusting a photograph camera by means of spring mechanism in the employ-
ment of three supporting pillars arranged in the form of a triangle for the
support of the camera, to each or all of which the spring mechanism may be
applied, and in the use of elastic rollers or castors for the stand to move
upon.
The object of these peculiarities of construction is to obtain, particularly in
that class of photograph cameras used for making pictures of single persons.
and of persons in "groups," an easy and quick adaptability of adjustment, and
noiseless movement, so as to make the least possible jarring, and so as to
readily catch the proper time of expression or pose of the subject. The larger
cameras used by photographers, and the stands which support them, are gene-
rally very heavy and cumbersome, and it is consequently difficult to move
them about, or to raise and lower or adjust the camera to the proper height
or position. Moreover, the jarring movement of such an apparatus over a floor
is often troublesome to an operator or operators who may be taking pictures
on other parts of the same floor or building.
.
:
My improvements may be understood by reference to the accompanying
Drawings, Figure 1 of which shows an elevation of the camera stand, and
Figure 2a horizontal section of the pillars of the stand taken on the line a, a,
of Figure 1.
a, a, denote a horizontal T-formed base, upon which are erected three
vertical tubular pillars b. b. b To each of these pillars and so as to slide un

page_text: and down therein, is applied a sliding pillar or tube c, the camera d, or a platform.
or table e, upon which the camera is placed, being mounted on the top of this
series c of sliding tubes. A plate f extends across the upper ends of the lower:
pillars b. To the under side of this plate I apply any suitable number of fusce
drums or cones and springs, the springs s of which uncoil as the cords h are
drawn off the barrels or cones i, and the tension of the springs winding the
cord upon the barrel, the spring barrel and cord operating together precisely
as the main spring and chain of a watch fusee co-operate. The lower ends of
the cords h are fastened to a triangular and movable frame k, the sides of
which run from pillar to pillar, as seen in Figure 2. Each pillar b has a long
vertical slot extending through its inner side, and through this slot a pin m
inserted in or projecting from the lower end of each sliding tube c extends,
the end of the pin projecting over the movable frame k. The weight of the
sliding pillars and camera is thereby sustained upon this frame k, while the
frame is suspended upon the fusee cords and is held up by the action of the
springs. To the bottom of a centre pin n the inner ends of a series of toggle
levers or arms o is jointed, the outer end of each of these arms extending
through a slot or hole in one of the pillars b, and so as to abut against the
sliding tube c, there being one of these toggle arms to each pillar or post
b.
The top of the pin n is fastened to a long plate spring p, the ends of which
bear against the top surface of the plate, and so as to draw up and tend to
straighten the arms o, and thereby cause them to impinge tightly against the
sliding tubes c with pressure sufficient to overcome the lifting tendency of 'the
fusee springs and hold the camera stationary. The relation of the power of
the fusee springs to the weight of the camera and sliding tubes is such that if
the spring p is slightly. depressed, releasing the sliding tubes from pressure of
the arms o, the camera will gradually ascend by regular and easy progressive
movement, and the number of fusee springs and barrels can be regulated to
suit the weight of the camera employed.
The operation of the stand to adjust the camera to the proper height is as
follows: The camera being first brought below the required plane, the
operator depresses the spring p by means of a lever or other proper device, or
by the hand applied thereto. The camera now ascends, while the operator is
viewing through it the person to be photographed, and as the camera reaches
the proper height the spring p is released and the toggle arms secure the
camera in position. The weight of the camera so nearly counterbalances the
force of the fusee springs that it requires but a gentle pressure of the hand
to depress the camera when desirable; and the springs may be arranged to
exactly counterbalance the weight of the camera, so as to move the camera

page_text: either way by hand. The castors or rollers r upon which the camera stand
moves are made of or covered with elastic material, so as to render the move-
ments of the instrument comparatively noiseless and free from the jarring
effects incident to the movement of heavy stands or tables mounted on common
metallic castors over floors. Thus it will be seen that the general purpose of
my improvement is to render the camera easy of adjustment, of comparative
lightness, and noiseless in its movement. By the employment of the three
pillars triangularly arranged liability of the instrument to tip over as the stand
is being moved is prevented. The spring mechanism for operating the camera
not only permits the camera to be very easily and quickly adjusted, but thus
enables the use of counterbalancing weights to be dispensed with, such weights,
by their tendency to sway and to alter the position of the centre of gravity
of the stand, rendering it very troublesome to manage or adjust.
Various modifications in the construction of this stand may be made without
departing from the spirit of my Invention, and the different features of the
improvements may be applied to stands not embracing the whole Invention,
as, for instance, the springs may be applied to sustain a camera mounted upon
one or two pillars instead of upon three, or the stand may be used without the
elastic rollers or castors. I claim the employment of the devices specified for
sustaining, adjusting, and moving photograph cameras.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Adams Whipple, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of February, A.D. 1864.
JOHN ADAMS WHIPPLE. (LS.)