Improvements in Folding Photographic Cameras.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 4th May, 1897-Accepted, 5th June, 1897
PROVISIONAL SIMULTICATION
Improvements in Folding Photographic Cameras.
I, WILLIAM WALLACE BEASLEY of 63 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The invention consists in the hereindescribed improvements in photographic folding
cameras whereby the camera is so constructed that it may be folded up into a small
compass, be easily and quickly set up for working, and also be very firm and rigid
when set up.
In describing this invention I will speak of the body or back of the camera,
meaning to be understood that portion of the camera which contains the dark slide or
change-box; of the lense-front, meaning that portion which contains the lense,
shutter, &c.; and of the bellows or opaque flexible hood of tapering form which
constitutes a light-tight chamber extending from the lense-front to the camera body
or back.
The other features consist of the mechanism or means whereby the camera is
extended for working, and whereby also the camera is enabled to be closed or folded
up in a particular manner; and this arrangement or mechanism will be understood by
reference to the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. I. is a side elevation of the camera extended and set up for working.
Fig. II. is a side elevation of the same when closed and folded up.
Fig. III. is a perspective view of said camera extended, but with bellows removed.
Fig. IV. is a perspective view of the same when partially closed.
The letters of reference are the same in all cases.
A is the camera body or back.
B the lense-front with lense.
K the flexible light-tight bellows or hood of tapering form, the front end of which
is attached to the lense-front B, and the after end to the camera body A.
D&E are supports, constituting the method of extension, by means of which the
lense-front is held firmly in position when the camera is set up for working.
In order to make my description clear I will speak of X as being the top of the
camera and Y the bottom; but it is to be understood that it is immaterial whether
the camera is arranged to fold up vertically to the end, as shewn in the drawings, or
horizontally to the side; the same arrangement holds good in both cases.
The lower support D may consist of a light board, or framework if preferred, the
one edge of which is attached to the lower margin of the camera body by the hinges
at L, and the other edge to the lense front B by the hinges as shewn at N.
It will be seen that the hinges are so arranged as to enable the board or support D
to close up parallel with the camera body A when required, as shewn in Fig. II, but
the ends of the said board are of such a form as to abut, when the camera is extended,
against the lower margin of the camera body in the one instance, and against the lense
front in the other instance, thus allowing the camera to be opened to the required
distance but not farther.
It is now held firmly in this position by the second support E, which acts after the
manner of a stretcher, and is hinged to the lense-front at the point M.
This support or stretcher may also consist of a board or frame, and it will be

page_text: observed that one end of the said stretcher instead of being hinged is left free to
engage with the notch P when the camera is extended for working. Moreover, in
order to fold the camera up it is only necessary to remove the end of the stretcher
from the notch P, and the whole arrangement can then be folded up as shewn in
Fig. Il and Fig. IV; the lense thereby occupying the position shewn, viz., with the
direction of its axis vertical & parallel with the direction of the camera body or
back, A, and the flexible hood collapsing so as to lie enclosed between the support D,
the lense front B, and the camera body or back A.
Also, if preferred, the body or back of the camera may be dispensed with, and the
supports, hood.&c. attached to the changing-box or dark-slide direct.
Dated this 4th day of August 1896.
WILLIAM WALLACE BEASLEY.
ameras.
WILLIAM WALLACE BEASLEY, of 63 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, S. W. in the
County of Middlesex, 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 :-
The invention consists in the hereindescribed improvements in folding photographic
cameras, whereby the camera is so constructed that it may be folded up into a small
compass, be easily and quickly set up for working, and also be very firm and rigid
when set up.
In describing this invention I will speak of the body or back of the camera,
meaning to be understood that portion of the camera which contains the dark-slide or
change-box; of the lense-front, meaning that portion which carries the lense,
shutter &c.; and of the bellows or opaque flexible hood of tapering form which
constitutes a light-tight chamber extending from the lense-front to the camera body
or back.
The other features consist of the mechanism or means whereby the camera is
extended for working, and whereby also the camera is enabled to be closed and folded
up in a particular manner; and this arrangement or mechanism will be understood by
reference to the accompanying drawings, which are those filed with my Provisional
Specification; and which I desire to be adopted for the Complete.
Fig I. is a side elevation of the camera extended and set up for working;
Fig. 1. is a side elevation of same when closed and folded up;
Fig. III. is a perspective view of said camera extended, but with bellows removed;
Fig. IV. is a perspective view of same when partially closed.
The letters of reference are the same in all cases.
A is the camera body or back;
B the lense-front with lense;
K the flexible light-tight bellows or hood of tapering form, the front end of which
is attached to the lense-front B and the after end to the camera body A.
D and E are supports constituting the method of extension, and by means of which
the lense-front is held firmly in position when the camera is set up for working.
In order to make my description clear I will speak of X as being the top of the
camera and Y the bottom; but it is to be understood that it is immaterial whether
the camera is arranged to fold up vertically to the end, as shewn in the drawings, or
horizontally to the side; the same arrangement holds good in both cases.
The camera body or back A may be constructed of any suitable form for holding
the dark-slides or change-box; it may be in the form of a box open at one end

page_text: for the insertion of the said dark-slides or change-box, or it may be in the form of a.
framework with suitable arrangements for holding the focussing-screen, dark-slides,
&c. in position; or, on the other hand, it may be constructed so as to constitute.
a change-box in itself, a suitable bag or similar appendage attached thereto being.
used to exclude light when the changing is taking place. My invention, however,.
does not deal with any particular form of dark-slide or change-box, but refers to a
special method of supporting and holding the lense-front extended, and also of
enabling the camera to be folded up in a certain way, as I shall proceed to describe :-
The lense-front B, that is to say the part of the camera to which the lense is
directly attached is held out in position, when the camera is set up for working, by
means of two supports, D and E.
The lower support, D, consists of a light board (this board may or may not, as
preferred, be hollowed out in the centre thus presenting the appearance of a frame.
work) and the one edge of this board is attached to the face of the camera body-
at its lower margin by means of a hinge or hinges; a hinge such as is termed a
strip-hinge extending right across the face of the camera body and attached
thereto answers this purpose very well. The point where it is attached
is shewn at L.
the camera
The other edge of the support, D, is attached by means of a similar hinge to the.
lense-front B, as shewn at the point N.
These hinges are so arranged and attached as to enable the support, D, to close
up against and parallel with the camera body A when required as shewn in Fig. II;.
but the two edges of the support, D, are cut and fashioned at such an angle, and
the hinges are so attached, that when the camera is opened and extended into
working position the said edges are caused to bear up against and come to a stop
against the face of the margin of the camera body A in the one instance and
against the lense-front B in the other instance, thus allowing the camera to be opened.
to the required distance but not farther.
It will be observed that the board or support D is not immovably and rigidly
fixed to the lense front B, but is hinged thereto, otherwise the camera could not
be folded up into its proper symmetrical position, and the lense-front and lense
would be caused to stand at an inconvenient angle when the camera is closed.
The body, lense-front, and support, D, are now held firmly and fixedly in the extended
position described by means of a second support E, also consisting of a board or-
frame, which acts after the manner of a stretcher, and one end of this second
support E is binged to the lense front, by means of a similar hinge to that already.
described, as shewn at the point M.
The other end, however, is not hinged to anything, but is left free to engage with
a notch, P, with which the face of the upper margin of the camera body is provided.
The space between the lense-front B and the camera body A is covered in by means.
of a light-tight hood of tapering form and composed of flexible material, the front end
of which is attached to the lense front and the after end to the face of the camera
body A.
In order to fold up the camera it is only necessary to remove the end of the.
stretcher from the notch P, and the whole construction can then be folded up, the
lense front and lense being caused thereby to occupy the position shewn in Fig. II of
the accompanying drawings, namely, at one end or side of the camera body or
change-box, and in such a position that a line drawn through the axis of the lense.
would pass perpendicularly through X and Y. The hood K being collapsible will
then lie enclosed between the camera body or change-box A, the support D, and the.
lense-front B.
The lense-front B may be provided with an instantaneous shutter, or the shutter
may be arranged in any other position, as desired. It is, however, to be understood
that this invention does not include or deal with any special form or arrangement of
shutter, or of finder, or of lense, excepting in so much as the latter item, the lense,.
sball, when the camera is closed, be enabled to occupy the position illustrated in Fig. II
of the accompanying drawings.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
I. In a folding photographic camera the combination with the lense-front, B, the
camera body or change-box, A, and the flexible light-tight collapsible hood, K, of a
board or frame, D, one end of which is hinged to the face of the margin of the
camera body and the other end hinged to the lense-front, thereby acting as a support
to hold the same extended and in position for working; the whole construction
being also adapted and arranged to fold up in such a manner that. the lense shall
occupy the position illustrated in Fig. II of the accompanying drawings, namely at
one end or side of the camera body or change-box and with its axial direction as
shewn; substantially as herein set forth.
II. In a folding photographic camera the combination with the lense-front B, the
camera body or change-box A, the flexible light-tight collapsible hood K, and the board
or support D, of a second board or frame, E, acting as a stretcher to keep the foregoing
parts in position when the camera is extended and set up for working, one end of
which second board or frame, E, is hinged to the lense front and the other end left
free to engage with a notch or projection with which the face of the camera body is
provided, the whole construction being so adapted and arranged that when folded up
the said board or frame E shall occupy the position shewn in Fig. II of the accom-
panying drawings, namely at the back of the camera-body or change-box, and also
that the lense shall occupy the position illustrated in Fig. II, namely, at one end or
side of the camera body or change-box and with its axial direction as shewn ;
substantially as herein set forth.
III. The method of causing the various parts to be held in a fixed position when
the camera is extended and set up for working, namely, by causing one end of the
board, D, to bear up against and come to a stop against the face of the camera
body or change-box and the other end against the lense-front, the whole construction
being adapted and arranged to fold up in such a manner that the lense shall occupy
the position illustrated in Fig. II of the accompanying drawings, namely at one end
or side of the camera body or change-box and with its axial direction as shewn ;
substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this 4th den of Max 1807
WILLIAM WALLACE BEASLEY.