Improvements in connection with Projecting Lanterns.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in connection with Projecting Lanterns.
1, WILLIAM CHARLES HUGHES of Brewster House, Mortimer Road,
Kingsland, in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturing Optician, 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 present invention for improvements in connection with projecting lanterns
for dissolving view entertainments, relates to an apparatus capable of being placed
in the slide carrier after the manner of an ordinary slide, and consists of a wood
or other frame having two preferably circular openings or apertures, for the
passage of the light from the lantern on to the screen, and covering one of said
apertures or openings, I slide within the frame, a piece of glass coated, upon one
side with some dark and opaque substance easily removed therefrom by a sharp
edged or pointed tool, and covering the second opening or aperture I fix a piece of
plain, colored or ground glass, preferably the latter, upon which has previously
been etched, engraved or burnt in by acid, the outline of some subject, person, or
other matter suitable for the entertainment on hand, and by the aid of a novel
mechanical contrivance, somewhat resembling a pantograph, mounted upon the said
frame, and provided with a sharp point upon each end, I am enabled by placing.
one of the said points upon the etching or engraving upon the one glass, and
following the design or other matter thereon therewith, to produce upon the opaque
glass, in reverse order, by reason of the second point scratching or removing the
opaque surface therefrom, an exact reproduction of the matter upon the first glass,
and project this upon the screen.
It will be understood by those versed in such matters, that if the light from a
lantern, without a slide, be projected upon a screen, a white circle only would be
seen thereon, and that if a slide, having one of its faces painted or coated with
some black and opaque substance, be now passed through the slide carrier in front
of the lens, the screen would become perfectly dark, and the white circle disappear,
and that if scratches or marks be now made upon the opaque surface, within the
radius of the lens, that by reason of the light passing therethrough white marks
corresponding therewith, and resembling chalk inarks upon a slate, would appear
upon the screen, and it follows that the said marks or scratches may take the form
of some well known subject, or the outline of the features of some well known
person, and to produce this effect upon the screen at the desire of the audience,
neatly, cleanly and by unseen means, and so add to the success and enjoyment of
the entertainment, is the object and purpose of my invention.
In order that my said invention and the manner of using the same may be
clearly understood I have hereunto appended a sheet of drawings, in which,
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the entire apparatus forming the subject of my
invention.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same as viewed from the opposite side to that shewn
by Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a section of same taken upon the line A B of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a diagram to be hereinafter explained.
I carry my invention into effect by constructing of any suitable material,
preferably wood, a rectangular frame or carrier A, in which I provide two circular
or other shaped openings B and B'. To the upper and lower surfaces of one face
of A, I attach or form therewith, projecting or extending ridges C and C¹, one end
of these being cut away so as to form in conjunction with A, grooves a a¹³, and so

page_text: arranged, that when a piece of glass D, (shewn by dotted outline in Fig. 1) is slid
therein, one face of this would be in rubbing contact or close against A. In the
opposite ends of C C₁-I form recesses 6 61 for the reception of a piece of glass E,
(shewn by dotted outline in Fig. 1) which would be therein retained by clips c cl
or any suitable and convenient equivalent therefor. Upon the frame A, centrally
between B and B₁or thereabouts, and upon the same side as the projections C C₁,
I fix a pyramidal or other shaped centrally raised piece F, and upon this I
pivotally mount the copying device which I have hereinbefore likened unto a
pantograph, although the details of its construction differs materially therefrom,
and constitutes an important item in the novelty of my invention. Upon the
raised piece F 1 pivotally mount a bar G, and upon the ends of this I pivot,
centrally of their length, a pair of bars H and H, and to one end of these I
pivotally connect an arm J, and to the opposite end an arm J, in such a manner,
that whatever position these may be caused to assume relatively to each other, the
bars H and H would always remain parallel to each other. The arm J is bent or
curved at its free end into a sharp point d, in a direction away from the opening B,
and capable of touching the glass E, and in like manner the free end of the arm Ji
has a sharp pointed curved end d', which extends therefrom towards the opening B',
and always in rubbing contact with the glass D, when the point d is in like contact
with the glass E. The arm J is provided with a handle or finger hold e extending
therefrom through the opening B, and by means. of this the pointer d may be
moved to any part of the glass E, within the radius of the opening B, and as this.
was moved about B, the pointer d' would be correspondingly moved about B', but
in reverse order, that is to say, if d be moved towards the top of B, the pointer d¹
...would be in exactly the same position at the bottom of B', or if d be moved to
the right of B, d¹ would be moved to the left of B¹, and so on, and in order that
the pointer may not graze upon the glass D, when it becomes necessary to
move the pointer d from one extreme portion of B to another, the arm G would
be mounted upon the raised piece F in such a manner, that as the pointer d recedes
from the glass E, the pointer d' would recede a like distance from the glass D, as
illustrated by the diagram Fig. 4.
!
1
In order that the bars H H may not collide with the projections C C¹, openings f
and are provided in these for that purpose.
The operator would be supplied with any number of glasses E, which may be
either plain, colored or ground, and upon each of these some subject would be
etched, which may be effected either by the means of fluoric acid, sand blast, or a
lapidarys wheel, the object to be attained being that the said subjects must be cut
or indented in the one face of the glasses E. The operator would also be supplied
with a like number of glasses D, one side of each of which would be coated with
some opaque substance (preferably black) that could be easily removed by the
pointer d'. The manner of operation is as follows.
The frame A, and its copying device would be placed in the slide carrier of the
lantern with the aperture B₁ in the line of focus, aud therein fixed if desired, and
presuming that the stock of glasses E, contain the profiles of eminent men, or well
known public persons, the operator would appeal to the audience to name what
well known person they would like to have drawn upon the screen, and he or she
having been named, the operator would select the glass E having the profile of that
: person engraved thereon, which. he would place in the apertures 6 b¹ with its
engraved side next himself and the pointer d, and having fixed this by the clips
or their equivalents cc, be would raise or withdraw the pointer d clear of E, and
slip into grooves a a¹ one of the blackened glasses D, with its blackened surface
towards the pointer d', and this as before stated would place the screen in darkness.
He would then by means of the handle e cause the pointer d to enter a pre-
determined part of the engraving upon E, and by following the said engraved line
with d the point of d' would traverse the blackened surface of the glass D, and
remove therefrom the counterpart of the profile on E, and by reason of the light
passing through the thus cleared portion of D, the outline or profile would

page_text: gradually unfold itself upon the screen, and appear as if some unseen hand was
drawing upon a black board with a piece of chalk, to the intense delight of the
audience. The operation as described will be clearly understood by reference to
the drawings, particularly Fig. 2.
The same apparatus may be usefully employed by scientific geometrical,.
academical and other lecturers, for rendering more clearly to their audience the
subject they wish to be understood.
Having now particularly described and 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,
1st. In combination with a projecting lantern, for producing upon a screen, the
growing outline of any desired scene, features, map or other subject, the construction
and use of the apparatus herein described, connected combined and operating.
substantially as herein set forth and shewn by the accompanying drawings.
2nd. In combination with a projecting lantern, the construction and use of a
frame A, with apertures B B', and extensions C C', with openings f and f¹,.
and grooves a a¹ for receiving a blackened or otherwise opaque glass D, and
apertures bb for receiving a plain, colored or ground glass E, having engraved
thereon any desired subject or outline, and retained in position by clips or their
equivalents c c¹. The manner of reproducing upon D, the counterpart of the
matter contained on the matrix E, by means of the reproducing apparatus, consisting.
of an arm G, pivotted upon a raised piece F, and to bars HH', pivotally connected
to arms J, J, the former provided with a handle or finger hold e and pointer d for
following the matter engraved upon E, the latter with a pointer d' for removing.
the blackened surface of D, in obedience to the movements of d, the whole
connected combined and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein
described and shewn by the accompanying drawings.
3rd. The pantographic reproducing apparatus substantially as described and.
shewn.
This I
1000
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
4, Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant..