Improvements in Photographic Cameras.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 17th May, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 17th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Photographic Cameras.
I, MARSHALL ARTHUR WIER, of Elm Bank Place, Kingston-on-Thames, in
the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the means and apparatus employed for
transferring the sensitized films or plates from the front to the back of a photo-
In hand
graphic camera, or of a change box used in connection with such camera.
or detective cameras a suitable inner box containing the films or plates is arranged
to turn or oscillate inside the case or body of the camera. This inner box is
provided with a pressure board and spring to press the films or plates forward
against suitable projecting ledges and against a hooked spring-piece of suitable
shape. The hooked spring-piece may be fixed to the top of the inner box and be
so placed that when the box is turned by a handle or otherwise from the exterior
of the camera, a projecting piece carrying one or more inclined planes passes under
the hooked spring-piece so as to lift it sufficiently to allow the film or plate next
to it to be pushed forward. When the hooked spring-piece returns to its normal
position, the hooks will pass to the rear of the top of the first film or plate. The
inner box being turned, say half a revolution, the film or plate will fall away or
slide from between the remaining films or plates, and the projections and be freed
from the inner box. On returning the inner box to its normal position the film. or
plate is forced further towards the rear of the case or body of the camera by a
suitable projection on the outside of the inner box, and two catches serve to hold
the film or plate in the position into which it has been pushed.
In applying my invention to a change box for ordinary cameras the inner box is
made to turn or oscillate a short distance only, sufficient to let the film or plate
drop into a suitable receiver, or into a bag, at the rear of the change box, when
the film or plate contained within the receiver or bag can be lifted by hand, and
placed at the rear of the other films or plates. The hooked spring-piece is in
this case placed on the lower end of the inner box. The spring and pressure board
may also be dispensed with, as the act of replacing the bag will serve to press the
films or plates forward.
The films or plates may be provided with sheaths, or they may be backed by
paper bent over one edge, the paper being held to the plate by a suitable clip or
clips. It may be necessary in some cases to employ means for pushing the film or
plate from the projections instead of relying upon its own weight for its release.
For this purpose I use a fixed wedge shaped piece against which the lower edge of
the film or plate presses when the inner box is turned over, or one or more short
hinged levers may be attached to the box, so that they may, by pressing against
suitable projections, dislodge the film or plate.
Dated this 17th day of May 1895.

page_text: I, MARSHALL ARTHUR WIER, of Elm Bank Place, Kingston-on-Thames in
the County of Surrey, 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 improvements in the means and apparatus employed
for transferring the sensitized films or plates from the front to the back of a
photographic camera or of a change box used in connection with such camera.
And in order that the said invention may be fully understood I will now
proceed to describe the same with the aid of the accompanying sheet of drawings,
in which
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a hand or detective camera and
change box constructed in accordance with my invention,
Figure 2 a sectional elevation of a modified arrangement of the change box,
Figure 3 a sectional elevation of same taken on line X-X of Figure 2 but with
the box D in a vertical position, and
Figure 4 detail views of certain parts of the mechanism.
Referring to Figure 1, A is the case or body of the camera, B the opening for
the lens, and C a door through which the sensitive plates can be inserted and
removed. D is an inner box containing the films or plates E, and arranged to be
turned or oscillated on an axis F by means of a handle G external to the body of
the camera. This inner box D is provided with a pressure board H, and a
spring I, to press the films or plates E forward against a projecting ledge D1 at the
front of the bottom D2 of the box D, and against the back edge of a board J
pivotted at J, and extending more or less completely across from side to side of
the body of the camera and also, as hereinafter described, against the hooked part
of a spring piece K fixed to the top of the inner box D.
The board J rests normally on stops J 2 fixed to the sides of the camera body,
and has fixed to it a piece J3 provided with an inclined plane J 4.
The hooked spring piece K is so placed that when the said box is turned, in the
direction of the arrow, after a film or plate has been deposited at the back of the
box, the projecting parts K' of the hooked piece K ride over the end parts of
the inclined plane J 4 (see also Figure 4) and is thereby lifted sufficiently to allow
the film or plate next to it to be pushed forward by the spring I, clear of the said
hook, into the position shown at E¹ against the ledge D' and the edge of the
board J. When the parts K¹ of the hooked piece K have passed beyond the
inclined plane J 4 the said hooked piece falls into its normal position, and enters
between the upper edge of the first film or plate E¹ and that of the film or plate
next behind. When the film or plate E' has been exposed, and is to be removed
from the front to the back, the box D is turned half a revolution on its axis F, in
a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow, reversing the position of the
film or plate El, and leaving it free to fall or slide away from the rest of the films
or plates into the space bebind the box D; and on turning the box D back again,
in the direction of the arrow, into its normal position, projectious L on the outside
of the box D force the said film or plate further back towards the rear of the
body of the camera, and past retaining hooks M on springs M' placed one at each
side of the camera case; and by tilting the camera up in front the films or plates,
so brought to the rear, may be caused to rest against the back of the camera as
shown. The board J is pivotied at J¹ to permit of its rear part yielding to allow
the hooked spring piece K to pass under the inclined plane J 4, and the lower

page_text: edge D¹ of the box D to pass the back edge of the board J itself, when the box D
is turned backwards in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow.
In applying my invention to a change box for an ordinary camera I employ the
arrangement shown in Figures 2 and 3 in which the inner box D is caused to turn.
or oscillate on its axis F a short distance only, sufficient to let the front film or
plate E' drop into a suitable receiver, or into a bag N at the rear of the change-
box P, when the film or plate contained within the receiver or bag can be lifted.
by hand and placed in the box D, at the rear of the other films or plates. The
hooked spring piece K, which is similar to that describe in reference to Figures 1
and 4, is in this case placed at the bottom of the box D, and preferably at about.
the middle of its length; and the corresponding piece J 3, with its inclined
plane J4, is placed at the bottom of the change box P, and may be hinged
thereto as shown, being held up in a suitable position to act upon the parts K' of
the hooked spring piece K, by means of a spring Q. In the arrangement shown
in Figures 2 and 3, R represents the dark slide of the change box P, and S is a
door which can be closed up behind the said change box when the inner box D.
is in the vertical position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, and the bag N has.
been properly bestowed in the space behind it. T are curved pieces fixed.
at the bottom of the change box P for supporting the front film or plate E
until the inner box D is turned into the oblique position shown in full lines in.
Figure 2.
The action of the arrangement shown in Figures 2 and 3 is as follows
Assuming that the inner box D is standing vertically in the position shown by
dotted lines in Figure 2, with its front film or plate El resting on the curved.
pieces T, that the said film or plate E¹ has been exposed, and that it is desired
to remove the same from the front to the back of the box D, the latter is moved
by its handle G into the oblique position shown in Figure 2, in which the film or
plate E', being no longer supported by the pieces T, falls down into the bag N.
Then on returning the box D into the vertical position the parts K' of the hooked
spring piece K pass under the inclined planes J 4 on the piece J 3, which latter is
prevented from rising beyond a certain height by any suitable stop; the hooked
end of the spring piece K is thereby drawn and held down free of the next film or
plate, and the latter can then be pushed forward into the position previously
occupied by the film or plate E' which has just been deposited in the bag N. This.
pushing forward of the film or plate is effected by the operator taking hold of the
film or plate E1 by applying the hand thereto outside of the bag N, and placing.
the said film or plate at the back of the box D, behind the other films or plates E,
with its lower edge in front of the ledge D 3, and then pressing the entire packet
of films or plates E forward, the upper edge of the rearmost film or plate being.
prevented from falling backwards by means of a suitable spring, not shown in
the drawings. The foremost film or plate is thus brought to rest on the supporting.
pieces T until the box D is again being moved out into the oblique position, and
when during this movement, the parts K¹ of the hooked spring piece K are clear
of the inclined plane J 4, the hooked end of the spring piece K springs up and.
enters between the lower edge of the foremost film or plate and that of the film or
plate next behind; thus leaving the foremost film or plate free to fall out, or to
be drawn out into the bag N ; but preventing the film or plate next behind from
being pressed forward, and released, until the box D is again returned into the
vertical position.
The films or plates may be provided with sheaths or carriers, or they may be
backed by paper bent over one or more of the edges and held to the film or plate
by any suitable adhesive material or by a clip or clips in any of the well known
ways. The object of the sheaths, carriers, or backings are firstly, to prevent as
usual, the passage of light through the front film or plate to those behind, and,
secondly, when films are employed, to impart weight and stiffness thereto to
facilitate their falling into the bag N, or their movement otherwise from front to
back of the box or camera.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. In a photographic camera, the means or apparatus for transferring the
sensitized films or plates from the front or exposure position to the back of the
camera or dark chamber, which consists of an inner box D containing the films or
plates, and adapted to be rotated or oscillated within the camera case or body on
an axis F, a back plate H and spring I, a hooked spring piece K, an inclined
plane J 4 and a yielding plate or board J, combined and operating substantially
as described with reference to Figures 1 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Second. In a photographic camera, the means or apparatus for transferring the
sensitized films or plates from the front or exposure position to the back of the
change box, which consists of an inner box D containing the films or plates,
and adapted to be partly rotated or oscillated within the change box P on an
axis F, a hooked spring piece K, an inclined plane J4 and an opaque bag N,
combined and operating substantially as described with reference to Figures 2, 3
and 4 of the drawings.
Third. In photographic cameras, means or apparatus for transferring the
sensitized films or plates from the front or exposure position to the back of the
camera or dark chamber, or to the back of the change box, consisting of the parts
constructed, arranged and operating substantially as described.
Dated this 17th day of February 1896.
Dated this 17th day of February 1896.
M. A. WIER,
Per W. H. Beck,
115 Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.