Year: 1888

page_text: I EDMUND PHIPPS of 11 Breeze Hill Bootle in the county of Lancaster Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates to cameras commonly known as reflecting cameras in which
the image is for focussing purposes reflected by a mirror onto a screen.
The objects
are to adapt such cameras for instantaneous work; and to enable the operator to
regulate the time of exposure of different portions of the sensitive film..
The invention consists.
First. In the combination of a dark chamber having lense attachments at one side,
and appliances for holding a sensitive film opposite thereto, with a hinged mirror
fitted with hanging curtains or screens and so arranged as to reflect the rays of light
passing through the lense onto a screen attached to the dark chamber or to allow the
said rays to impinge on the sensitive film. A convenient form of camera under my
invention consists of a rectangular box having a lense opening on one side and a
sensitive film holder on the opposite side, a ground glass screen at the top and
a mirror hinged in the angle of the chamber above the sensitive plate. The said
mirror is fitted with hanging curtains or screens and is capable of being turned to an
angle which will shut off all light from the sensitive film and reflect the light on to a
focusing screen, it may also be turned so as to allow the rays of light to pass through
an opening in the front hanging screen directly to the sensitive film. The mirror can
be arranged to operate a sliding or other shutter fitted to the dark chamber or lense
holder. A spring may be used to give rapid motion to the mirror in one direction
and it is moved in the other direction by means of a projecting piece passing outside
the chamber.
Second. To enable the length of time various parts of the sensitive film are subjected
to the action of the focused image to be varied in cameras under my invention, I
employ in combination with the shutter means such as a thin strip of metal for varying
the dimensions and shape of the exposive aperture of the shutter.
1000
J. T. KING,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: I, EDMUND PHIPPS, of 11 Breeze Hill, Bootle in the County of Lancaster Gentleman,
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 :-
The invention relates to cameras commonly known as reflecting cameras in which
the image is for focussing purposes reflected by a mirror onto a screen. The objects.
are to adapt such cameras for instantaneous work and to enable the operator to
repulate the time of exposure of different portions of the sensitive film.
The first part of my invention comprises certain adaptations to the well known form
of camera in which the image for the purposes of arrangement and focussing is thrown
upon a horizontal translucent screen placed on the top of the camera rendering same
well adapted for instantaneous work and particularly applicable where the camera is
of the kind known commonly as a "Detective Camera." For this purpose a Box
Camera is usually employed but the camera may be partly of the box form with the
necessary arrangements for extension whether by bellows or otherwise.
At the front of the camera is placed the lens and at the back the usual receptacle
for the sensitive film. Hinged at the top of the back or by preference to a sliding
inner frame at the back of the camera is a frame or board carrying a plane mirror.
The mirror must be arranged so that when placed in position for arranging and
focussing the reflecting surface (whether glass or metal) inakes an angle of 45° with
both the ground surface of the focussing screen and the sensitive film. The base of
the mirror may conveniently be permitted to rest on a vertical projection at the
bottom of the camera. Attached to the front of the mirror frame and of suitable
width is a hanging flexible or partly flexible and partly rigid screen or curtain of
some opaque material. I find black cloth or velvet answers every purpose.
this screen is cut an aperture in such a position that when the frame and mirror is.
moved from its position of 45° towards a horizontal position the aperture will pass
vertically behind the lens so allowing the cone of rays proceeding from the lens to
fall for a greater or less length of time upon the sensitive film, the lower portion of
the opaque screen by the same upward motion acting as a shutter cutting off the
rays of light when the exposure is effected.
In
It will be found advantageous to attach a small plate of some solid substance to the
hanging flexible shutter and let the aperture referred to be cut in this plate. The
flexible shutter either with or without the plate referred to must be so arranged as to
always hang vertically from the swinging mirror frame. The vertical dimension of
the aperture will be governed by the rapidity of the lens and sensitive film employed.
If a plate (as above described) is employed a diaphragm allowing the dimensions or
shape of the aperture to be altered at the will of the operator as hereinafter described
may be employed.

page_text: It may be found advantageous in some cases to use a perforated plate as a diaphragm
sliding vertically behind the lens aperture in grooves attached to the woodwork of the
camera; in such case the sliding plate may be furnished with a projection so arranged
as to be caught by the mirror frame in its upward motion as shewn in fig. 4 or by
some mechanical contrivance whereby the plate with the necessary aperture will
by the movement of the mirror be carried upwards in a strictly vertical direction
immediately behind the lens aperture and so effect the exposure, the lower portion of
the plate or a flexible attachment thereto acting as a screen shutting of the rays of
light after the exposure is made.
To exclude any diffused light which may enter between the sides of the camera and
the mirror frame I avoid the use of solid sides to the mirror frame as being apt to
produce vibration during exposure and I adopt hanging screens or curtains of some
Alexible opaque material or being partly flexible and partly rigid attached to the sides
of the mirror frame by preference attached to the under side diagonally and parallel
to the path of the cone of rays passing from the lens or the screen may be in the form
of fan shaped bellows.
The upward movement of the framed mirror carrying the exposure diaphragm may
be effected by hand or if a rapid motion is required may be forced up by a piece of
ordinary clock spring fastened to some internal portion of the camera and acting
against the under part of the mirror frame, or may be drawn up by an elastic band
attached to the end of the mirror frame and at the top of the cainera or by a weight
attached to the mirror frame working over a pulley. I attach a small spindle at one
side of the mirror frame towards the front as shewn in fig. 2 allowing it to pass
through one of the sides of the camera; a slot forming the arc of a circle being cut in
the camera to allow of its passage upwards see fig. 1. By this method it is open to
the operator by the pressure of a finger on the projecting spindle to cause the mirror
to move at a slower rate at any period of its upward course, thus by allowing the
shutter to move upwards for about one half the distance at a rapid rate and by then
gradually slowing its motion, the exposure given to the foreground of the picture will
be greatly in excess of that given to the sky. When the framed mirror rests at 45°
the projecting spindle is retained in position by a hook or like mechanical contrivance
placed externally on the camera and so fixed as to be readily released in the so called
Detective cameras which are usually held in the hand during exposure and where
a varying exposure is not deemed necessary, the hook or other like contrivance for
holding the spindle may be advantageously placed inside the camera (the curved slot
in the side of the camera in such case being dispensed with) the hook being fitted with
an arm projecting through the bottom of the camera enabling the operator to release
the mirror.
"
Another part of my invention consists in the means whereby I can alter the
shape and dimensions of the exposure aperture (in the diaphragm passing behind
the lens).
To the plate referred to I attach on either side of the aperture a band of metal so
arranged as to allow of the insertion of a thin strip of some opaque material between
the bands and the diaphragm plate thus enabling the operator to diminish the size of
the aperture, generally to permit it to diminish gradually to one or other of the sides
thus if the exposure aperture is a square in parallelogram and the strip is placed
diagonally the exposure aperture will assume the shape of a right angled triangle and
accordingly one side of the plate will receive an exposure considerably in excess of
that received by the other.
+
In the accompanying drawing fig. 1 is a perspective view of the camera showing
the curved slot in the side, the dotted line indicating the position of the reflecting
mirror when set for focussing. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the mirror when in a
horizontal position and shewing the hanging screens the front screen is shewn as
partly flexible and partly rigid. Fig. 3 is a front view of the sliding diaphragm plate
and Fig. 4 is a side view of the same shewing the projecting arm which is caught by
the mirror in its upward course,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
First. In a photographic camera a hanging flexible or partly flexible and partly
rigid curtains or screens attached to a swinging mirror or its frame substantially in
the manner and for the purpose setforth.
Second. In a photographic camera the several means hereinbefore described whereby
the diaphragm containing the exposure aperture is caused to pass vertically behind
the lens by the upward motion of the swinging mirror.
Third. The combination with a photographic camera of a spindle attached to a
mirror or its frame projecting through one of the sides of the camera and working in
a curved slot substantially in the manner and for the purpose setforth.
Fourth. In a photographic camera the combination of an adjustable plate working
on the face of a diaphragm with a swinging mirror substantially in the manner and
for the purposes set forth.