Electric Coin-freed Apparatus for Exhibiting Views, Photographs, and the like.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 7th July, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 5th Apr., 1889-Accepted, 29th June, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Electric Coin-freed Apparatus for Exhibiting Views, Photographs,
and the like.
I GEORGE HUGHES of 38 Chancery Lane London Middlesex Patent Agent, com-
municated by Victor Bonnet, Hippolyte Lissagaray, Armand Richard, Alfred
Richard, and Nephtali Grumbach of Paris in the Republic of France Merchants, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in producing alternately and in succession a Series of
Photographs, pictures, views or other subjects to the Spectator or Spectators, which
is permitted or caused by placing or inserting a coin or piece of money into a
receptacle provided for the purpose in a Cabinet or box, wherein it is guided and
permitted in its descent to act as a lever upon levers and connections and produces
"See-saw" movement which acts upon a balance attachment, before it falls into
a
the receiver.
"
By the said " see-saw movement thus obtained in the first instance, creating the
disturbance or displacement of the balance provided in connection with the lever
action which act upon a spindle or spindles and spring or springs which are caused to
create "Contact" and bring the Electric current into action by means of wire con-
nections and suitable attachments from a "pile" or battery or batteries provided and
the force or resulting power given off is transmitted to a suitable arrangement of
Clock work gear or other like or suitable mechanism regulated to act as desired and
to produce rotary power to a wheel or drum (or wheels or drums) having a spindle
or spindles and studs fixed thereto working in bearings, and giving motion to
eccentrics, cams or otherwise thereon.
The said Wheel or Drum (or Drums) may be formed hexagonal, octagonal or of
other form or shape to receive the views, photographs, pictures or other subjects to
be exhibited or presented to view for a regulated space of time intermittingly and in
succession, regulated by the mechanism set in action, and after a certain number of
revolutions is created the Electric current becomes disconnected or broken, until
"Contact" is again made by the insertion of another coin.
In front of the Cabinet or Case and of the rotating drum or wheel a glass prism
or magnifier is provided at suitable height for the spectator to view through and an
Electric Lamp provided just above same, having a deflector to concentrate the light
upon the Photographs, pictures or views to be exhibited. The said Electric Light or
Lamp would be brought into action for a certain space of time for the viewer to
inspect same by means of the Electric battery or piles", provided, at the same
instant as
"Contact" is made by the action of the levers and balance referred to (or
by other suitable mechanical means) likewise the drum or wheels acted upon by the
money or coin inserted, by means of the electric current and motive power created
and transmitted thereto.
·
In place of one Wheel or Drum two or more may be provided having hexagonal,
octagonal or other form of face or side around same, and be connected together by
means of a band or otherwise so as to be slowly and intermittingly caused to present
a succession of views in like or similar manner to that referred to.
Dotad thin 6th d... of T1 1000
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: 4
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Electric Coin Freed Apparatus for Exhibiting Views, Photographs,
and the like.
I GEORGE HUGHES of 38 Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent, communicated
by Victor Bonnet, Hippolyte Lissagaray, Armand Richard, Alfred Richard, and
Nephtali Grumbach of Paris in the Republic of France, Merchants 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 :-
This Invention consists in producing alternately and in succession a series of
Photographs, pictures, views or other subjects to the Spectator or Spectators, which is
permitted or caused by placing or inserting a coin or piece of money into a receptacle
provided for the purpose in a Cabinet or box, wherein it is guided and permitted in
its descent to act as a lever or counterweight upon levers, and connections, and
produces a see-saw movement which is transferred to a balance attachment before it
falls into the receiver.
By the said see-saw movement thus obtained the balance provided is tripped
causing a lever to act upon a spindle or spindles and spring or springs so as to form
an electric Contact." The electric current is thus brought into action through
wire connections, and suitable attachments as it proceeds from any suitable Battery
or Batteries, its power being transmitted to a suitable arrangement of clock work
gear, or other like or suitable Mechanism regulated to act as desired, and to produce
rotary motion in a wheel or drum (or wheels or drums) having a spindle or spindles
and studs fixed thereto working in bearings and giving Motion to eccentrics, cams, or,
otherwise thereon.
The said wheel or drum (or drums) may be formed hexagonal, octagonal, or of
other form or shape to receive the views, photographs, pictures or other subjects to be
exhibited or presented to view for a regulated space of time intermittingly and in
succession regulated by the mechanism set in action and after a certain number of
revolutions has taken place the Electric current becomes disconnected or broken
until contact is again made by the insertion of another coin.
In front of the cabinet or case, and of the rotary drum or wheel a glass prism or
magnifier is provided at suitable height for the Spectator to view through and an
Electric Lamp provided just above same having a reflector to concentrate the light
upon the photographs, pictures or views to be exhibited. The said Electric Light or
Lamp is brought into action for a certain space of time, for the viewer to inspect
same, by means of the Electric Battery provided at the same instant as Contact
is made by the levers and balance above referred to under the action of the coin
inserted.
"
"
In place of one wheel or drum, two or more may be provided, with hexagonal, octogonal,
or other section, and be connected together by means of a band or otherwise so as to be
slowly and intermittingly caused to present a succession of views in like or similar
manner to that referred to.
In the accompanying Drawings:-Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of the
apparatus.
Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical sections of the apparatus, showing the interior mechanism
from the front and the side.
The outer casing a of the apparatus is of wood or any other suitable material, it
may be of any size or form and may be ornamented in any suitable manner. In the
inside it carries and supports the following mechanism :-
On a horizontal spindle 6 in the upper part of the apparatus is fixed a prism c
having four sides or more or less. One end of the spindle b carries a star wheel d
having four arms, which is actuated by a projection of a disc f mounted on the
intermediate spindle e. This spindle carries another gear wheel 9 gearing with the
pinion of the spindle h' which carries a wheel 2 actuated by the pinion m' of a

page_text: small electric motor. m. On a second intermediate spindle k is fixed a cam o which
receives its movement from the electric motor by means of the gearing and pinions g, i,
and j.
The motor m is placed on a bracket fixed to the frame work n which supports
the wheel work. With the cam o communicates a long rod p, which is at its lower
end pivotted to a balance beam q pivotted at q1 to a support q². The balance
provided with a counter weight q³ which holds it in a predetermined position.
is
The front end of this balance is provided with a tray r which is at the lower end
of a shoot the upper end of which reaches a suitable point of the casing which is
here formed with a slot corresponding with the coin to be introduced, which is
required for the starting of the mechanism. When the coin is introduced it depresses
the balance and falls into a suitable receptacle underneath. This movement of the
balance also actuates a little counting mechanism which automatically registers the
successive use of the apparatus. The same movement of the balance q has also lifted
the rod which comes now in contact with the cam o and closes by means of a contact
springs the Electric current emanating from a battery P and passing through the
terminals P1 P2 to the motor m and the lamp L arranged in the upper part of the
case to light up the objects to be exposed to the view of the Spectator.
These objects which we will suppose to be photographs are hinged suitably together
so as to form an endless band y y which is hung round the prism c and is stretched by
a loose drum c' placed inside the endless band.
The working of the apparatus is as follows:-The spectator standing in front of
the objective a¹ which is in front of the prism e, introduces a coin in the slot ; this
falls down the shoot into the balance q which closes the Electric current, the lamp
is lit and the motor m started.
The motor m communicates its movement to the prism c which thus changes the
photographs in front of the objective. During this time the cam o turns and one
revolution of the cam corresponds to one revolution of the prism c. At the end of
this revolution the cam o has returned or depressed the rod p into its original position,
the current will be broken, the lamp extinguished and the motor stopped until another
coin is introduced to start the mechanism again. Meanwhile the counter v has
registered one action of the mechanism.
Fig. 4 represents how the photographs, telegrams, pictures or the like may be
mounted on frames or shutters V instead of forming an endless band. These frames
or shutters are mounted on spindles V₁ round which they turn and when tripped by a
suitably fixed pin V2, assume a vertical position by gravity, as clearly shown.
The photographs, pictures and the like can also be replaced by subjects in relief;
the interior of the apparatus has then the appearance of a panorama. To obtain the
changes, four pivotted frames are fixed to the cylinder c, which frames are placed
successively in front of the spectator.
The subjects in relief are suitably fixed in these frames and the whole actuated as
above by the disc f.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. We claim the Invention and exclusive working of the above described automatic
apparatus substantially as and for the purpose specified in the accompanying
Drawings.
2. The above described automatic Electric Mechanism comprising the cylinder,
prism or drum c destined to place photographs, pictures and the like or subjects in
relief before the objective a', and set in motion by the introduction of a predetermined
coin in the apparatus or the pressing of a button or any other manipulation which
would serve to actuate the balance beam q which, closing an Electric circuit sets the
Electric motor m in motion thus actuating the cylinder, prism or drum c and lighting
the lamp L, substantially as and for the purpose specified,

page_text: 3. We claim further the application of the above described apparatus in combina-
tion with panoramas by using the Electric Mechanism which forms the principal
feature of the present invention for changing the different subjects placed before the
spectator.
1
Tad thi KAL
10 A
1000
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, W.C., Agents.