Improvements in or connected with Photographic Shutters.
Year: 1898

page_text: Reprinted as amended in accordance with the decision of the. Chief Examiner.
Improvements in or connected with Photographic Shutters.
I, HENRY BATE, of 59, New Bridge Street, Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, Cycle Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
--
The object of my invention is to provide an adjustable time regulating means or
device which can be fitted or applied to any existing or other pneumatically-acting
photographic shutter, without interfering in any way with the construction of the
shutter itself, or with its operating mechanism, and whereby the exposure to be
given by such shutter can be definitely regulated and limited to some pre-determined
period of time, and so that after the lapse of that period, 'the 'shutter' will be
automatically closed.
With this object in view and according to my invention, I fit between the air
pressure ball, and the flexible tube, or at some point in the length of the tube, an
air escape valve capable of being set by an index or dial, so that at the termination'
of a périod of time, which the index has been previously set for, sufficient air will
have escaped to allow the shutter to close. By fitting the time regulating device
between the flexible tube and the air pressure ball, or in the length of the tube
itself, I am able to apply an automatically acting time closing device to any
pneumatically acting shutter without in any way interfering with the existing
arrangement of same.
:
I will describe by way of example, constructions of my device, although, the mere
construction can be varied with great ease and without departing from my said
invention.
At the end of the flexible tube to which the ball is usually attached, I 'fit one end
of a cylindrical tubular piece, the opposite end thereof being fitted to the usual
flexible ball, and so that the air pressed up the tube, on pressure being applied to
the ball, passes through the said tubular piece."
Laterally near one end of the tubular piece I make a small escape hole which
forms a passage between the interior of the tubular piece and the outer air, and I
provide exteriorally of the tubular piece, a sleeve screwing thereon by which the
escape passage may be more or less closed, or closed altogether.
Upon one of the relatively movable parts of the device there is an index mark,
and upon the other part, I form a graduated scale, so that if the exposure, is to
occupy say I second, the mark on the scale indicating one second is by revolving the
movable part, set opposite the index mark, the ball is pressed, the shutter opens,

page_text: and the air escapes by the regulated bye passage, so that at the lapse of 1 second the
shutter will be closed.
In some cases, and as I have found preferable, the device may be made in two
parts, one secured to the ball and the other to the tube, and one part screws into
the other part. In this arrangement I make the cylindrical end of one part to
exactly fit into the other part, and such cylindrical end can be slotted longitudinally,
so that the closer the parts are screwed together, so the area of the uncovered part
of the slot by which the air can escape will be lessened, and finally closed
altogether.
Sometimes the device can be made in one piece, with a part laterally drilled out
and tapped to receive the adjustable air escape plug, which can then be arranged
without interfering with or twisting either the ball or the tube, and can be fitted
with a dial and pointer.
201
1000
Improvements in or connected with Photographic Shutters.
I, HENRY BATE, of 59 New Bridge Street, Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, Cycle 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 :-
Photographic shutters are commonly provided with pneumatically operated
mechanism, whereby they are caused to open and close; in many pneumatically
operated shutters as now commonly made, an elastic ball containing air, is connected
with a tube, which communicates with an expansible cushion or equivalent, the
⚫ office of the cushion being to operate, by its expansion or contraction, a spring
lever which latter controls the movement of a shutter, the said shutter deriving
motive power from suitable means, such for example as springs.
The action of such arrangements is usually as follows: When the elastic ball is
compressed, the cushion is expanded, and the lever is moved away from its normal
position when the lever is in this position the shutter has been released and
allowed to open, and is retained open, until the lever has returned to its normal
position, whereupon the shutter is freed and closes. The lever returns to its normal
position when the air from the expansible cushion has returned to the ball or
escaped..
The object of my invention is to provide an adjustable time-regulating means or
device, which can be readily fitted or applied to existing pneumatically acting
photographic shutters, such as above described, without interfering in any way with
the construction of the shutter itself, or with its operating mechanism, and whereby
the exposure to be given by such shutter can be definitely regulated and limited to
some predetermined period of time, and so that after the lapse of that period, the
shutter will automatically close.
With this object in view and according to my invention, I fit between the air
pressure ball and the flexible tube communicating with the expansible cushion, or
at some point in the length of the tube, a regulating device which forms part of the
air passage from the ball to the shutter mechanism, the said device consisting of
two parts, one capable of being moved with a rotary motion relatively to the other;

page_text: an air escape aperture is formed in one part of the device, which aperture is
gradually closed or opened by relative movement of the other part. A scale is
provided upon one part and an index upon the other part by which the said two
parts can be relatively set in a desired position, to cause air pressure to be reduced,
and the shutter closed, after the lapse of a predetermined time, and mechanical
means are provided to temporarily hold the two parts in the same relative position
when so set.
By this arrangement I am able to apply my automatically acting time closing
device to any pneumatically acting shutters such as above described, without in any
way interfering with the existing arrangement of the said shutters.
I will now describe several constructions of time regulating devices, constructed
according to my invention, and their application to pneumatically acting shutters,
Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively sectional and side elevation of a time regulating
device drawn to a large scale for the sake of clearness.
Figs. 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8, are respectively similar views to Figs. 1 and 2,
of devices differing in construction and arrangement.
Figs. 9 and 10 are respectively side elevation and cross section of a modification.
Fig. 11 shews another modification, and
Fig. 12 illustrates the application of my invention to a photographic shutter.
Referring generally to the figures of the drawings, A is the flexible tube to the
end of which the air pressure ball B is usually attached, and my time regulating
device, composed of the two relatively movable parts C, C₁, is shewn as fitted
between the ball B and the tube A, or intermediately in the length of the tube
itself.
The air passage from the ball to the shutter mechanism passes through the
device, and the part C of the latter has the air escape aperture D formed therein,
which aperture can be opened or closed by rotary movement of the part C. E is
the index carried by one part, generally the part C', and F is the scale carried by
or formed on the other part C; means are provided, as before stated, to temporarily
hold the one part C in position, relatively to the other part C', as hereafter
described.
Upon pressure being applied to the pressure ball B, the air is pressed up the
tube A as usual, and passes through the said tubular piece C, thence to the expan-
sible cushion such as is for example shewn at A2 Fig. 12, or its equivalent.
Referring particularly to the construction at Figs. 1 and 2, the device is composed
of two parts, viz: the exterior part C to which the flexible tube A is connected, and
the interior part C¹ connected to the pressure ball B; the part C has formed there-
in an air escape hole D, which forms a passage between the interior of the tubular
piece C, and the outer air. The end of the part C¹ fits interiorally the surrounding
cylindrical part of C, the upper end of the part C¹ is screw threaded and screws
into the part C.
Upon screwing the part C into or out of the part C, the end of the part C¹ is
brought over or removed from the aperture D, thereby closing or opening, or
partially closing or opening the passage D, which latter is in communication with
the central air channel or passage A¹. Secured exteriorally to the part C¹ is a
spring index finger E, which is arranged so as to bear upon the periphery of the
part C, and the finger E passes over a scale F indicating the time which the air
after having been compressed from the pressure ball B, into the cushion A2, takes
to escape back through the escape hole D, or in other words indicates the time of
exposure. The scale F upon the periphery of the part C forms a helical path corre-
sponding in pitch to the pitch of the screw thread upon the upper end of the part C',
the indicating marks F being in the form of indentations into which a projection on
the end of the index finger E takes, and tends to temporarily hold the two
parts CC in the same relative position, after having once been set.
In Figs. 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8, 9 and 10, the tubular part C is so formed in
one piece that the pressure ball B is connected to one end and the flexible tube A
at the opposite end.

page_text: Referring particularly to Figs. 3 and 4, a projection is formed upon the part C,
having a central air escape aperture or channel D, communicating with the air
passage A¹. The air escape aperture through the projection on the part C is bored
out to have a shoulder upon which bears the shoulder of a rod C2 formed with the
part C¹. The part C₁ is screwed internally and screws upon the tubular projection
of the part C, whereby the distance between the shoulder in the aperture D and the
shoulder on the part C¹ can be regulated, and the size of the air escape aperture is
_thus controlled; an air escape aperture D¹ is formed in the top of the part C¹.
disc F is fitted to the part C and an index finger E connected to the part C¹ the
latter finger E bearing upon the disc F and passing over a scale cut upon the disc
indicating the time of exposure.
A
At Figs. 5 and 6 a conical pin C² on the part C¹ takes into the parallel channel D,
the part C¹ and pin C² being made in one piece, an aperture Di being formed in
the head of the part C. An index finger E is secured to the part C, and a scale F
is cut upon the part C to indicate the time of exposure, the index E in all cases
throughout the figures, forming a means to locate the two parts in that relative
position which it is required they should be caused to assume according to the time
of exposure required.
The construction, illustrated at Figs. 7 and 8, consists of the employment of a
conical pin C2 taking into the conical end of the channel D, a disc F being
employed, upon which a scale is cut, over which the index finger E secured to the
part C¹ passes, when adjusting the aperture by which the air escapes.
At Figs. 9 and 10 the tubular projection on the part C is formed with a plain
The exit of the
periphery, an air escape hole D being formed laterally therein.
hole D is controlled by the part C¹, the edges of the part C¹ being cut helically so
that upon turning the part C¹ the hole D will be partially or wholly open, accord-
ing to the position the part C¹, is turned to.
A scale indicating the length of exposure may be cut upon the part C₁ and an
index cut upon the periphery of the projection of the part C. In this instance the
friction between the parts C¹ and the projection of part C upon which it fits, forms.
the means by which the parts are maintained in relative position when set.
At Fig. 11 is illustrated an arrangement adapted to be located between two tubes,
one from the pressure ball B and one from the expansible cushion A2 (Fig. 12) or
its equivalent. In this construction the plug of the part C is of tubular formation
the end fitting into a hollow cylindrical recess bored out in the part C, and a slot C³,
as indicated, is cut out in the end of the plug of the part C. By screwing the plug
of part C¹ into or out of the part C, the air escape hole formed by the slot C³,
decreases or increases accordingly. The air from the central channel A¹ escapes
by way of the said slot and thence through the aperture D in the centre of the plug
of part C¹ to the open air.
In operation, upon pressing the ball B, air is forced through the channel A¹ and
tube A, into the expansible cushion A² or equivalent Fig. 12, the ball B is held by
the operator in its compressed state until the air in the cushion A2 has escaped to
such an extent, by way of the air escape hole, that the cushion has assumed its
normal condition. I wish it to be understood that I do not claim broudly regulating
the closing of the shutter by permitting the air to escape through a small aperture the
size of which can be altered.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. In photographic shutters which are caused to open upon air being compressed
within a ball, and the shutter being allowed to close upon the air so compressed
or devices (located
regaining its normal pressure, combining therewith means
between the pressure ball and the expansible cushion, or at the outer end of the
pressure ball, or connected with, or adjacent to, the expansible cushion) constructed
of two parts, one part forming the passage for the air and provided with air escupe
aperture, and the other part connected to the first part and capable of being rotated

page_text: relatively thereto to close or open the escape aperture to any desired degree to regulate
the escape of compressed air, and an index finger and scale by which the time of
exposure is indicated subst intially as described.
2. In photographic shutters, which are opened by air being compressed within an
elastic ball, and allowed to close, when the air so compressed has regained its
normal pressure; a time exposure regulating and indicating device located between
the shutter mechanism and the elastic air ball, in communication with the latter,
the said device being composed of two parts one capable of being rotated relatively
to the other in order to open or partially open or close an aperture by which the
compressed air may escape, together with an index finger and engagement scale by
which the accidental relative movement of the two parts of the device is prevented
and the time of exposure is indicated upon the scale, substantially as set forth.
3. In a time exposure regulating and indicating device as claimed by Claim 2,
forming the two parts of the device, one fitting over or into the other, and con-
nected to one another by screw threads formed in the parts, or by any other
convenient method, so that upon rotating one of the parts relatively to the other,
a portion of one of the parts which is adapted to cover the air escape aperture, is
drawn away from the air aperture to a greater or less degree, according to the
amount of rotation given to the parts, substantially as set forth.
4. In photographic shutters which are opened by air being compressed within an
elastic ball, and allowed to close when the air so compressed has regained its normal
pressure; a time exposure regulating and indicating device located between the
elastic ball and the shutter mechanism substantially as described and illustrated
with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
5. In photographic shutters which are opened by air being compressed within an
elastic ball, and allowed to close when the air, so compressed, has regained its
normal pressure; a time exposure regulating and indicating device, located between
the elastic ball and the shutter mechanism, substantially as described and illustrated,
with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
6. In photographic shutters which are opened by air being compressed within an
elastic ball, and allowed to close when the air, so compressed, has regained its
normal pressure; a time exposure regulating and indicating device, located between
the elastic ball and the shutter mechanism, substantially as described and illustrated,
with reference to Figs. 5 & 6 of the accompanying drawings.
7. In photographic shutters, which are opened by air being compressed with an
elastic ball, and allowed to close when the air, so compressed, has regained its
normal pressure; a time exposure regulating and indicating device, located between
the elastic ball and the shutter mechanism, substantially as described and illustrated,
with reference to Figs. 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
8. In photographic shutters which are opened by air being compressed within an
elastic ball, and allowed to close when the air, so compressed, has regained its
normal pressure, a time exposure regulating and indicating device, located between
the elastic ball and the shutter mechanism, substantially as described and illustrated,
with reference to Figs. 9 and 10 of the accompanying drawings.
9. In photographic shutters which are opened by air being compressed within an
elastic ball, and allowed to close when the air, so compressed, has regained its
normal pressure; a time exposure, regulating, and indicating device, located between
the elastic ball and the shutter mechanism, substantially as described and illustrated,
with reference to Fig. 11 of the accompanying drawings.
Did this what
of station 1000
BREWER & SON.
London & Leeds. Agents for the Applicant.