STEREOSCOPIC GLASSES FOR SINGLE PICtures
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Wharton Jones, of 35, George Street,
Hanover Square, in the County of Middlesex, Esquire, for the Invention
STEREOSCOPIC GLASSES FOR SINGLE PICtures."
Sealed the 22nd November 1859, and dated the 16th June 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Wharton Jones
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th June 1859.
I, THOMAS WHARTON JONES, of 35, George Street, Hanover Square, in
5 the County of Middlesex, Esquire, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "STEREOSCOPIC GLASSES FOR SINGLE PICTURES," to be as follows:-
Optical glasses, giving a stereoscopic effect to single pictures of any kind,
viewed through them with both eyes.
)
DESCRIPTION OF THE GLASSES.
A, fundamental form of the glasses.-The glasses which I intend to call
moniconostereocopic glasses, have a plane surface on one side; on the other
side the surface is concave, with a curvature such as would be formed by a
straight line, which moves parallel to itself, guided by a parabolical curve.
B, superaddition to the glasses as now described, of a convex or concave
5 power, according as the person using them is far-sighted or near-sighted.

page_text: The glasses, as above described, are mounted either in ordinary spectacle
frames or in double eye-glass frames, and may be used by a person who is
rather near-sighted than far-sighted; but for a far-sighted or a near-sighted
person the superaddition of ordinary convex or concave glasses is necessary.
In suiting different sights, the commodious plan, however, is to make the
glasses in one piece, having the concave cylindro-parabolical curvature on one
side, and the required spherical convexity or concavity on the other.
Other forms of glasses, besides those above described, may be made to
produce the desired effect along with a convergent or a divergent power, but
the forms above described are to be preferred for their simplicity and
uniformity with the fundamental form. C, the glasses mounted in the eye-
pieces of a binocular opera glass. In the binocular opera glass arrangement,
glasses of the fundamental form above described (A) are fitted in the eye-
pieces about an inch in front of the concave eye glasses; or, instead of this,
the concave cylindro-parabolical curvature is given to one of the surfaces of
the concave eye glasses themselves. The convex object glasses of the opera
glass are of the ordinary kind.
In whatever way mounted, whether as ordinary spectacles or as double eye-
glasses, or in the eye-pieces of binocular opera glasses, it is essential that the
glasses be so set in the frame, that the straight line which, by moving parallel
to itself, forms the cylindro-parabolical surface, be perfectly vertical when the
glasses are held before the eyes. It is also essential that the glasses be so set
in the frame, that their similar portions, as regards the concavity, be towards
and from each other.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Wharton Jones in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 29th November 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS.
WHARTON JONES, of 35, George Street, Hanover Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One.
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,.
the said Thomas Wharton Jones, Her special licence that I, the said
Thomas Wharton Jones, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such

page_text: optical action. The rays of light which diverge vertically from an object, in
passing through a glass of the form just described, and held in the position
referred to, are made more divergent in an equal degree above and below:
The rays which diverge horizontally from an object are, on the contrary,
rendered greatly more divergent only in passing through that portion of the
glass which presents the deep concavity. If, therefore, holding such a glass
in the position referred to, we view a picture, through it with one eye, the
picture will appear somewhat narrowed to one side, the side namely, the rays
of light diverging from which horizontally pass on their way to the eye
through that portion of the glass which, in the horizontal section, presents the
deep concavity. Thus, if the picture looked at be a truncated four-sided
pyramid, as in Figure 3, and if the glass be held before the right eye with
that portion of it next the nose, referred to as presenting the deep concavity,
and rendering greatly more divergent the horizontal rays which pass through
it, the picture will appear somewhat as represented in Figure A of Diagram
(No. 4.) If, on the contrary, the glass be held before the left eye, with that
portion of it next the nose, which presents the deep concavity, and renders greatly
more divergent the horizontal rays passing through it, the picture will appear
somewhat as in Figure B of the Diagram No. 4. These dissimilar per-
spectives of the picture appear at the same time as if slightly displaced when
seen by the right eye towards the right, and when seen by the left eye towards
the left.
If now we view the picture with a glass before each eye, simultaneously
held in the manner above explained, a dissimilar 'perspective of the picture
will be thrown on each retina, and the result is in accordance with the con-
ditions for stereoscopic vision, the perception by the observer of a stereoscopic
effect or appearance of relief in the picture. The position of the glasses may
be reversed, the deep concave sides being next the temples C. Superaddition
to the glasses of the fundamental form now described, of a convex or concave
power, according as the person using them is far-sighted or near-sighted.
The glasses of the fundamental form, as now described, are mounted either
in ordinary spectacle frames or in double eye-glass frames, and may be used
by a person who is somewhat short-sighted; but for a far-sighted or a nearer-
sighted person the superaddition of ordinary convex or concave glasses is
necessary. In suiting different sights, the commodious plan, however, is to
make the glasses in one piece, having the before-described concavity on one
side, and the required spherical convexity or concavity on the other. D, other
forms of glasses besides that above described, capable of producing a
stereoscopic effect.

page_text: Glasses plain on one side and convex on the other, the curvatures of the
convexity being the counterpart of those of the concavity of the above described
fundamental form of glass, produce (when properly held one before each eye)
the stereoscopic effect to somewhat far-sighted eyes, and would also serve as a
fundamental form, though not equally well. The desired effect is also
produced by the two following forms, the one with concave and the other with
convex surfaces on each side.
Form with concave surfaces.-On the one side the curvature of the con-
cavity in a horizontal direction is such as would be formed by a straight line
which moves parallel to itself guided by a curve exactly like that presented
by the horizontal section of the above-described fundamental form of glass (A).
On the other side the curvature of the concavity, which is cylindrical or cylin
droidal with the axis horizontal, is exactly like that presented by the vertical
section of the above-described fundamental form of glass (A).
Form with convex surfaces.-This form is simply the convex counterpart
of the preceding.
As in these two forms of glasses, both sides are concerned in producing
the effect, the only way of making them suit different sights is to vary
in due proportion the degree of concavity or convexity of the two sides.
Glasses having on one side a cylindro-cycloidoidal surface similar to that
which either of the two preceding forms presents on one side; but instead of
the cylindrical or cylindro-parabolical concavity or convexity (axis horizontal)
on the other surface, having a spherical concavity or convexity to suit different
sights produce the stereoscopic effect, only the picture as a whole appears
somewhat narrowed or broadened according as the surface with the peculiar
curve is concave or convex. E, the glasses mounted in the eye-pieces of
binocular opera glasses or field glasses.
In the binocular opera or field glass arrangement, glasses of the fundamental
form, above described (A), are fitted in the eye pieces a little in front of the
concave eye glasses. Or, instead of this, the fundamental form is given to one
of the surfaces of the concave eye glasses themselves. Glasses having the
superaddition to the fundamental form of a convexity or concavity on the
opposite surface may also be used in the opera or field glass arrangement a
little in front of the concave eye glasses; but in this case the power of the
object glass or eye glass requires to be modified accordingly. With glasses
having the superaddition to the fundamental form of a spherical convexity, the
radius of which equals that of the concave curve presented by the vertical
section of the fundamental form on the opposite surface, such modification is
not necessary.

page_text: The convex object glasses of the opera or field glass are of the ordinary
kind. G, the glasses mounted as common spectacles for reading, sewing, &c.
When used for common spectacles, the glasses have the fundamental form,
only of less power on one side, and on the other side the spherical convexity
or concavity which the eyes of the person in each particular case may
require.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Wharton Jones, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
T. WHARTON JONES. (L.S.)