IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SHOWING COMBINATIONS OF COLORS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hermann Hirsch, of 65, Bridge Road, Lambeth,
in the County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR SHOWING COMBINATIONS OF COLORS."
Sealed the 20th March 1868, and dated the 29th September 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hermann Hirsch at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
September 1862.
I, HERMANN HIRSCH, of 65, Bridge Road, Lambeth, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SHOWING COMBINATIONS OF COLORS," to be as follows:-
My improvements apply to apparatus for showing combinations of dif-
ferent colors by the rapid rotation of bodies variously tinted. I prepare discs
or plates of paper, card, wood, metal, or other suitable material, the surface
of each of which I color with various tints, and I bore two small holes through
each of these discs or plates near to its centre, and I pass through these holes
two threads, strings, or cords of convenient length, so that their ends being
tied to rings or other suitable bodies for holding in the fingers can be held
in the hands of the operator at some distance apart. By moving or swinging
the hands so to give the discs or plates a revolving motion, the threads,
strings, or cords are twisted round each other, and then by alternately slack-
ening and tightening them by moving the hands near together or further
apart, the threads, strings or cords are alternately twisted and untwisted, and

page_text: give to the discs or plates rapid rotary motion alternately in opposite directions,
so that the colors thereon appear appear to be blended into various tints or
shades of combined color.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Hermann Hirsch in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th March 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HERMANN
HIRSCH, of 65, Bridge Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS ПTer most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Пerself, Ier heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Hermann Hirsch, Her special licence that I, the said Hermann
ПTirsch, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Hermann Hirsch, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for " IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SHEWING COMBINATIONS OF COLORS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Hermann Hirsch, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the samo was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Hermann Hirsch do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
Figure 1 represents a front view, and Figure 2, a section of my apparatus
constructed in the manner which I find most convenient for shewing com-
binations of colors. a is a pin, with two small holes bored longitudinally through
it, and with a screw thread cut on the middle portion of it, the pin is slightly

page_text: tapered from the thread to a collar at each end; b, b, are two nuts, which are
screwed to fit the pin; and c, are numerous discs of colored paper, card, or
other suitable material, which have holes in their centres, and which being
placed upon the pin a, are secured thereon between the nuts b, b. I find it
convenient to make each of the discs c with a slit cut in it radially from the
centre hole to the circumference in a manner which has already been adopted
in such instruments, and which is well known and understood, so that the
edge of the slitted part of one of the discs may be passed through the slit of
another, and then by turning the one or the other round the central pin a, a
greater or less sector of the one may be made to cover a greater or less portion
of the other. By this arrangement several sectors of various colors can be
presented on the face of the apparatus, and the proportion of these sectors
may be varied at pleasure. I pass a thread or cord through one of the holes
in the pin a, and double it back through the other hole, tying both ends to a
holder & on one side of the discs c, and I arrange another thread or cord in
the same manner, and attach it to another holder d' on the other side of the
dises. An operator taking one of the holders d, d', in each hand, and giving
the discs a swinging motion so as to twist the threads or cords, can then by
alternately tightening and slackening them cause the discs to rotate rapidly in
the one direction and the other alternately. This rapid rotation produces on
the
eye of an observer the effect of blending the several colors presented on
the face of the disc as is well known and understood. In order to cause theso
blended tints to be varied by shading or otherwise, I place on the tapered
portion of the central pin a other variously shaped and colored discs c, which
have holes in their centres fitting loosely on the pin a, so that they are made
to rotate at various velocities relatively to that of the discs c, and thus to
present many variations of color or pattern.
Figures 3, 4, and 5, represent an arrangement which I find convenient for
the discs when in addition to variations of color I wish to produce varia-
tions of pattern. I take a piece of colored card f, Figure 3, which is repie-
sented as square, but may be of any other convenient form, I make a hole in
the centre to pass easily on to the pin a, and either draw upon it any desired
pattern, or perforate it with holes variously shaped and arranged, I then slit
it from the angles towards the centre as marked by the lines g, h, and fold up
the angular pieces along the lines h, i, so as to make them stand perpen-
dicularly to the surface; Figure 4, represents an edge view; and Figure 5
a face view of the piece so prepared. When it is placed on the pin a, and
the instrument is caused to rotate rapidly as already described, the turned up
angle pieces of the disc fencountering resistance from the air cause its rota-

page_text: tion to be retarded, and to be accompanied by a rapid vibratory motion, which
has the effect of varying the colors and forms of the patterns produced by it
in combination with the discs c.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details of the same as herein described and
represented in the Drawing, nor do I claim as my Invention the production
of combinations of colors by giving colored surfaces rapid rotation, as this is
already well known, but I do claim,―
First, the mode of producing the rotation for this purpose by the twisted 1
strings as herein described.
And, secondly, the mode of causing the rotation of discs or other figures
with various colors, patterns, or perforations, to be retarded and accompanied
by vibratory motion by means of portions turned up so as to be resisted by
the air.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hermann Hirsch, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
HERMANN HIRSCH. (..)