Apparatus for Facilitating the Drawing of Objects in Space.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Jan., 1895-Accepted, 30th Mar., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Facilitating the Drawing of Objects in Space.
I, JEAN VICTOR GANE, of 73 Boulevard Voltaire, Paris, France, Engineer, 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 relates to an apparatus for facilitating the drawing of objects in
space in correct perspective and to a definite size or to a definite scale.
The apparatus is composed of four parts; (1) the support which holds the
apparatus; (2) the observing instrument; (3) the divided frame and its articulated
connections, and (4) the bar which connects together the three first parts.
I will describe the said apparatus with reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which
Figure 1 shews an elevation of the apparatus to a small scale;
Figure 2 shews a front view and Figure a vertical section of the divided frame
to an enlarged scale, and consisting of an articulated grating which is fixed upon a
post carried by a tripod.
The grating is composed of an open frame A having two sets of ears a a, b b,
which support two parallelograms, and serve as pivots at the middle of their
opposite sides.
One of the parallelograms has two sides B B and C C which are always vertical,
the other sides B C being provided with notches at equal distances apart which
serve to fix threads ff. The other parallelogram is of similar construction but
with the threads placed horizontally. There is thus obtained a set of squares,
the lines of which serve as guide for producing the desired drawing of an object.
The open frame A is fixed by means of a pinching screw D upon a bracket OE
through an opening of which passes the bar F, and which has in addition a pivot G
carried in the ball and socket joint H of the tripod post J.
A small plumb-line K serves to insure the vertical position of the frames.
The observing device consists of a socket M fixed at the end of the bar F
perpendicularly thereto, and parallel to the two side faces thereof, a small flat
rod K being made to slide with slight friction in a slot of socket, and held therein
in any position by a setting-screw a. To the upper end of the rod K' is pivoted,
so as to turn with slight friction, an arm N the pivoted end of which is pierced
with a small hole through the pivot for sighting with one eye, as shewn at Figure 4,
while the other end is at such a distance as to constitute a screen for the left or
right eye, according as it is turned over to the left or to the right.
For placing the apparatus in positiou, the legs U of the tripod are freed from
the ring which secures them to the central rod J and are fixed apart on the
ground. The central rod is then slid upward until the head thereof is situated at
the height of the operator's chin. The rod J. is tubular and contains a sliding
rod J having a pointed lower end which is inserted into the ground, so as to
increase the stability of the apparatus. The support OE is then fixed on the
frame A and the articulated grating frame is opened out as wide as possible so
that its opening is similar in form to the frame or sheet on which the drawing is
to be made. The largest size to which the frame can be expanded would be of a
rectangular form. If the drawing is to be of greater width than height the
parallelogram with vertical sides B B, C C, will be of rectangular form while that
in which these sides are horizontal will be adjusted to a smaller width. The
reverse will be the case when the height is to be the greater dimension. The sheet

page_text: to be drawn upon is placed upon a board V which is secured between two lower
points d d on sockets that can be adjusted on the legs U, and an upper point e on a
socket adjustable ou J.
A transverse line is drawn upon the sheet, and in the direction of the longer
dimension is drawn a line equal in length to the clear space between the sides of
the rectangular parallelogram.
On a line drawn at right angles to this line is measured the distance equal to the
clear space between the sides of the other parallelogram.
It will be readily understood that the opening of the frame will have a configura-
tion similar to that of the sheet on which the drawing is to be made. On this
sheet are then drawn squares equal in size and number to those formed by the
threads of the two frames. For facilitating this a caoutchouc band g may be laid
round the board V. such as shewn separate at Figure 8, on this band are marked
divisions which can be enlarged by stretching the band.
The bottom pivot G of the frame is then inserted into the ball and socket
joint H of the tripod, and the bar F with the sighting rod is then inserted into
the opening of E, the sighting bar K¹ being adjusted in height so that the sight
hole and arm N are on a level with the centre of the frame.
For facilitating this, suitable marks are made on the sighting bar. The arm N
is turned to the right or left according as the operator prefers to observe with the
right or the left eye.
The apparatus is then ready for operating; the frames are set vertical by means
of the plumb line, for which purpose notches Z Z are formed in B B. The object
to be drawn is observed through the sight bole, which is moved nearer to or farther
from the frame until the desired extent of the landscape or other object is included
in the opening of the latter. The operator then draws on each square of his
paper the portion of the object contained within the corresponding square of the
frame.
The apparatus may be made with only one of the grating frames adjustable in
width, in which case the frames must be so mounted upon the support that the
larger side of the drawing corresponds with the fixed divisions, while the other side
corresponds with the adjustable frame. If both the sets of division lines are fixed
and unalterable, the drawing is necessarily a similar rectangle, there being no
adjustment, but otherwise the operation is as above described.
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 shew an apparatus applicable for military purposes. Fig. 5
shews a front view, Fig. 6 a plan and Fig. 7 a side view. This apparatus consists
of a frame P with fixed divisions formed by horizontal and vertical threads, the
rectangular openings of which are in the proportion of 1 to 2.
Each side of the rectangle is divided into 10 equal parts. To the vertical sides
of the frame are fixed by means of hinges Q two cheeks R which can be folded
one over the other upon the frame P.
The free ends of these cheeks are connected together so as to form together with
the frame Pan isosceles triangle, the edges of the cheeks being notched at S so as
to fit on to each other, and secured by a caoutchouc band or the like. An opening T
Fig. 7, formed by half round holes in each edge, at a height corresponding to the
centre of the frame, constitutes a sight hole, situated at a vertical distance from
the surface of frame P equal to the width of the opening of the latter.
In this apparatus the divisions of the frame as also the sight hole are fixed.
In consequence of the arrangement and size of the parts, assuming the width of
the frame to be double the height, then if for example a vertical surface were
sighted through the hole T, which was distant say 10 yards from the point of sight,
the observer would see an extent of that surface measuring 10 yards in width and
5 yards in height, and the surface would be divided into parts measuring 1 yard in
width and 1 ft. 6 in. in height.
If this surface were placed at a distance of 10 yards or 1000 yards a surface
would be observed measuring 100 yards by 50 yards or 1000 yards by 500 yards,
and the divisions would be 10 ft. by 5 ft. or 100 ft. by 50 ft.

page_text: If now, on
having drawn a landscape as seen through the frame, the apparatus
be advanced a certain distance which may be determined by simply counting the
steps, and the apparatus be set up in a position at right angles to the former one
(which is easily done by placing the plane of the frame in the exact direction
towards the point of the original observation), then a view will be obtained in the
frame of the same objects previously drawn, but in a plane at right angles to the
plane of that drawing, and the position and distances in that direction of such
points can then be geometrically drawn. Thus an object that appeared at the edge
of the first drawing and in the middle of the second would be at a distance from
the second point of observation that could be readily calculated, and this distance
being ascertained, the height of the object could also be calculated by counting the
number of the divisions of the frame covered thereby in a vertical direction, as
each of these divisions would have a height equal to one half of the tenth part of
that distance, as before explained.
With this apparatus, as the divisions of the frame are unalterable, the drawing
sheets can always be prepared with the corresponding divisions beforehand.
The whole apparatus folded together, with sketching board and paper can be
conveniently arranged in a portable portfolio.
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 :-
:-
1. In apparatus for facilitating drawing from objects in space, the combination
of two frames, each being formed with four articulated sides so as to be able to be
expanded and contracted in size, the one in a vertical and the other in a horizontal
direction, and the space within each frame being divided by threads running
horizontally in the one frame and vertically in the other, so as to form together
rectangular divisions, which enable the object viewed through the frame to be
accurately sketched substantially as described.
2. The combination with the frames referred to in the first claim of a sight
hole arranged at an adjustable distance centrally in front of the frame, which sight
hole is provided with a pivotted arm serving as a screen for covering the one eye
of the observer so that he need not close it while he is using his other eye,
substantially as described.
3. Apparatus for facilitating drawing from objects in space combined and
operating substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4 of the
accompanying drawings.
4. Apparatus for facilitating drawing from objects in space combined and
operating substantially as described with reference to Figs. 5 to 7 of the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 31st day of January 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for Applicant.