Improvements in Coin-freed Displaying Apparatus.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 28th May, 1894-Accepted, 4th Aug., 1894
Improvements in Coin-freed Displaying Apparatus.
A communication from THE SOCIÉTÉ I. LEVY & Co., of Paris, in the Republic
of France.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for displaying
automatically stereoscopic or the like views by means of a coin-freed clockwork
movement.
The apparatus comprises a clockwork mechanism fixed to the back of the front
plate of the apparatus or casing in which the sight holes for the stereoscope are
made. The mechanism has two plates on which are mounted the gear wheels two
flys and a drum provided with a pin which strikes against the curved arm of a lever
which on being lifted by the pin moves the obturator or shutter through the
medium of a connecting rod away from the sight holes.
After the views have passed in front of the sight holes the pin presses against
the spring which keeps the lever and through it the obturator in the open position,
so as to disengage the said lever and to allow the obturator to cover the sight
holes.
The drum or barrel is provided with two peripheral grooves in each of which is
mounted a cord. A counterweight fixed to one of the cords provides the motive
power. The second cord is attached inversely to the direction of the first cord to
the drum and passes round a pulley to be connected to a bar which can be pulled
from the outside so as to raise the weight. The bar is also provided with a cord
and weight so as to bring the said bar always back to its initial position.
The drum is provided with peripheral teeth and gears with a pinion the shaft of
which is fixed to the main arbor the latter being made of a square section the sides
of which correspond exactly to the length of the links of the chains for supporting
the frames of the stereoscopic views. It is clear that at each quarter of a revolu-
tion of the main arbor a new photograph will be exhibited and only a single arbor
is required for operating the views, a second arbor at the lower part of the chain
causing only greater resistance so that an ordinary clock-work cannot be used.
The pinion is in gear with a toothed wheel regulated by a fly which causes a
finger to turn round and strike against pins on another wheel so as to drive through
the latter two other wheels the speed of the last three wheels being moderated by
the fly.
The obturator is caused to swing by the movement of the lever as stated herein-
before. An arm serves to stop the balance lever carrying the money bucket into
which the inserted coin drops causing the bucket to occupy alternately the
positions 1, 2 and 3 which shall be further explained hereafter.
When the
apparatus is not in use the lever occupies the position No. 1 and is then engaged
in a slot in the bar in such a manner as to lock the latter and prevent it from being
pulled out.
The operation of the apparatus is easily understood from the following: The
coin having been inserted in the slot falls through the shoot into the bucket which
is in its uppermost position No. 1. The weight of the coin causes the bucket to
fall and occupy position No. 2 when the lever arm leaves the slot in the bar the

page_text: bucket being prevented from falling lower on account of the pin being in contact
with the arm.
The bar is now pulled out by taking hold of the knob outside the case which
causes the weight to be raised when at the same time the pin is brought into
contact with the curved lever arm. The lever is thereby caused to change its
position and the obturator falls and opens the sight holes.
The obturator in falling sets a pin free in consequence of which the bucket falls
immediately into the position No. 3 when the coin drops into a box below and
allows then the counterweight to bring the lever into position No. 1.
The bar having been released by the operator is drawn in by its weight while the
other weight turns the drum causing the arbor to rotate at the same time and to
exhibit successively the various views to the sight of the spectator. During the
same time the finger turns round and strikes against one of the pins of the wheel
and thereby forces the other wheels round, the speed being moderated by the fly.
While the finger is pressing against the pin the views pass slowly before the sight
holes but as soon as it escapes from the said pin a pin of the drum pushes against
the spring so as to allow the lever to fall by its own weight and thereby bring the
obturator in front of the sight holes.
The apparatus is then ready to receive a new coin so as to show again the
stereoscopic or other views to the spectator.
It is obvious that the obturator, instead of being placed in front of the sight
holes, may be placed just as well in front of the views so as to cover the light.
which may be either natural or artificial.
Moreover the apparatus can be made to serve a number of spectators at one and
the same time.
Dated this 10th day of August 1893.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coin-freed Displaying Apparatus.
A communication from LA SOCIÉTÉ I. LEVY & Co., LTD., of 42, Boulevard
Bonne Nouvelle, Paris, in the Republic of France, Manufacturers of Photo-
graphic Apparatus.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be az
follows:-
The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for automatically
displaying stereoscopic or like views by means of a coin-freed clockwork movement.
In the accompanying drawings:
:-
Figure 1 is a side view of the mechanism under the control of a coin-freed device,
one of the plates or walls of the apparatus having been removed for the purpose of
shewing the constituent parts.
Figure 2 is a rear-elevation of the above mechanism.
Figure 3 is a section on the line -y of Figure 1 shewing a rear view of the
coin-freed device and of the obturator or shutter of the sight-holes.
Figure 4 is a cross section through the main shaft which supports the chain.
The apparatus comprises a clockwork mechanism fixed to the back of the front
plate A in which the sight holes for the stereoscope are made. The mechanism
has two plates which support the gear wheels two flys V and v and a drum B,
provided with a pin b which strikes against the curved arm C¹ of a lever C which
on being lifted by the pin 6 moves the obturator or shutter D through the medium
of a connecting rod d away from the sight holes O.

page_text: After the views have passed in front of the sight holes the pin 6 presses against
the spring c which keeps the lever C and through it the obturator D in the open
position, so as to disengage the said lever C and allow the obturator D to cover
the sight holes O.
The drum or barrel B is provided with two peripheral grooves in each of which
is mounted a cord. A counterweight E fixed to the cord E¹ provides the motive
power. The second cord F¹ is attached inversely to the direction of the cord E¹
to the drum and passes round a pulley f to be connected to a bar F which can be
pulled from the outside so as to raise the weight E. The bar F is also provided
with a cord and a weight F¹¹ so as to bring the said bar always back to its initial
position.
The drum B is provided with peripheral teeth and gears with a pinion g the shaft
of which is fixed to the main arbor Ġ the latter being made of a square section the
sides of which correspond to the length of the links of the chains H and H' for
supporting the frames of the stereoscopic views. It is clear that at each quarter
of a revolution of the main arbor G a new photograph will be exhibited and only
a single arbor is required for operating the views; a second arbor at the lower part
of the chain would cause greater resistance so that an ordinary clockwork could
not be used.
The pinion g through other wheels gears with a toothed wheel g¹ regulated by a
fly V which latter wheel causes a finger J to turn round and strike against the
pins on the wheels I so as to drive, through the latter, two other wheels II" the
speed of the last three wheels being controlled or moderated by the fly v.
The obturator D pivotted at D₁ is caused to swing by the movement of the
lever C as hereinbefore stated. An arm D" serves to stop the balance lever M'
carrying the money bucket M into which the inserted coin drops causing the bucket
to occupy alternately the positions 1, 2, and 3 (Figure 3) hereinafter further
explained. When the apparatus is not in use the lever M¹ occupies the position
No. 1 and is then engaged in a slot or recess in the bar F in such a manner as to
lock the latter and prevent it from being pulled out.
The operation of the apparatus will be easily understood from the following
description. The coin having been inserted in the slot falls through the shoot L into
the bucket M which is then in its uppermost position No. 1. The weight of the coin
causes the bucket to fall and occupy position No. 2 when the lever arm M¹ leaves
the slot in the bar F the bucket being then prevented from falling lower on account
of the pin m being in contact with the arm D" as shown in Figure 3.
The bar F is now pulled out by taking hold of the knob outside the case which
causes the weight E to be raised when at the same time the pin b is brought into
contact with the curved lever arm C. The lever C is thereby caused to occupy
the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 and the obturator D falls and opens
the sight-holes O.
The obturator in falling, through the arm D" sets the pin m free as shown in
dotted lines in Figure 3 in consequence of which the bucket M immediately falls
into the position No. 3 when the coin drops into a box below and allows then the
counterweight to return the lever M' to position No. 1.
The bar F having been released by the operator is drawn in by its weight Fl
while the other weight E turns the drum B in the direction of the dotted arrow in
Figure 1 causing the arbor G against the resisting influence of the fly V to rotate
at the same time, and to exhibit successively the various views to the sight of the
spectator. During this operation the finger J in its rotation strikes against one of
the pins of the wheel I and thereby forces the wheels I 1' 1" round, so that the
speed of rotation may then be reduced by the influence of the fly v as well as of
that of the fly V. While the finger J is pressing against the pin i the views under
the resisting influence of the flies V and v pass slowly before the sight holes, but
as soon as it escapes from the said pin i and the fly v thereby rendered inoperative
they, under the resisting influence of the fly V pass quicker until the finger J
engages the next pin i when the same retardation of speed takes place and so on

page_text: at each engagement of J with one of the pins i until eventually the pin b of the
drum B, turning in the direction of the dotted arrow, Figure 1 pushes against the
spring c so as to release the lever C and allow it to fall by its own weight and
thereby bring the obturator D in front of the sight holes O.
The finger J is adapted to engage with one of the pins i whenever a picture is
presented to the sight holes O any desired number of such engagements taking
place between the opening and closing of the sight holes.
The apparatus is then ready to receive a new coin so as to show again the
stereoscopic or other views to the spectator.
It is obvious that the obturator, instead of being placed in front of or adjacent
to the sight holes, may be placed just as well in front of the views so as to cover
the light which may be either natural or artificial.
Moreover the apparatus can be arranged with a number of sight holes and chains
so as to serve a number of spectators at one and the same time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The use in an apparatus for the automatic display of stereoscopic or other
views or prints of a square or similar spindle such as G carrying a loose chain on
which are fixed the frames intended to hold the said views and changing the view
at each quarter of a revolution of the spindle G without the said chain which
presses on the spindle only by its own weight having any other spindle either for
tension or guidance substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
2. In apparatus such as described the combination with a clockwork-movement
operated by weights or springs whether continuously or intermittently of a finger
which encounters one of a series of pins such as i of a wheel I which serves as
brake-device for the said wheel as well as for other wheels II and of the
regulating fly V this arrangement permitting the view to remain before the
spectator as long as may be deemed desirable and the change taking place auto-
matically at the predetermined time by the escape of the said finger from contact
with the pin however many views there may be for display substantially as described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. A. stop or obturator for the eye-pieces or sight holes of stereoscopic apparatus
operated by a lever such as C of the clockwork movement the said obturator being
provided with an arm D" serving to arrest the money-bucket lever M' which acts
as a bolt for the rod F capable of being actuated from without to set the apparatus
in motion when the coin has dropped into the bucket of and depressed the lever M'
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete coin-
freed displaying apparatus substantially as described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings."
Dated this 28th day of Max 1801
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
London, Nottingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.