IMPROVEMENTS IN TELESCOPES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Henry Elliott and Charles Alfred
Elliott, of the Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Opticians,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELESCOPES."-A communi-
cation from abroad by Pierre Gabriel Bardou and Denis Albert
Bardou, both of Paris, France.
Sealed the 11th September 1868, and dated the 16th March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Henry Elliott
and Charles Alfred Elliott at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 16th March 1868.
We, FREDERICK HENRY ELLIOTT and CHARLES ALFRED ELLIOTT, of
the Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Opticians, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELESCOPES," to
be as follows:-
This Invention relates to providing telescopes with means of ascer-
taining and indicating the distance of an object, and it consists in an
arrangement for moving a wire up and down, and in indexes or
scales, as hereafter explained. In addition to the movable wire there
is a fixed wire parallel thereto, and by bringing the two wires so

page_text: that the distance between them just takes in the object looked at the
distance of the object can be ascertained by referring to a scale or
index on the telescope itself calculated in reference to the particular
object. Thus for telescopes for military purposes, for example, two
scales or indexes may be provided, one for cavalry calculated at 8 feet
10 inches in height, and the other for infantry calculated at 5 feet
11 inches. One of these scales may be marked on the face and the
other on the periphery of a ring free to move on its axis with the
tube, in which the eye glass is fitted. The movable wire is carried
by a slide which is free to be moved up and down in a slot. The
ring is internally of cycloidal form, and as it is moved on its axis
its acts upon a pin connected to the slide and thereby moves the slide
and the movable wire. The figures on the scale which are opposite
a fixed bar or piece when the wires just take in the object looked
at show the distance of such object. Instead of the ring being
cycloidal internally the slide may be moved up and down by means
of a cam-shaped groove or slot and a pin in connection with the ring.
If desired both wires may be made to move.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Henry Elliott and Charles Alfred
Elliott in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th September
1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
HENRY ELLIOTT and CHARLES ALFRED ELLIOTT, of the Strand, in the
County of Middlesex, Opticians, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Frederick Henry Elliott and Charles Alfred
Elliott, Her special licence that we, the said Frederick Henry Elliott
and Charles Alfred Elliott, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Frederick Henry Elliott and Charles
Alfred Elliott, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELESCOPES," (communicated to us from
abroad by Pierre Gabriel Bardou and Denis Albert Bardou, both of
Paris, France,) upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Frederick Henry Elliott and Charles Alfred Elliott, or one of us, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or
one of our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same 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 we, the said Frederick Henry Elliott and
Charles Alfred Elliott, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that
is to say:
means of ascer-
This Invention relates to providing telescopes with
taining and indicating the distance of an object, ant consists in an
arrangement for moving a wire or wires up and down, and in indexes or
scales, as hereafter explained. By bringing the wires so that the distanco
between them just takes in the object looked at the distance of the
object can be ascertained by referring to a scale or index on the telescope
itself calculated in reference to the particular object. Thus for telescopes
for military purposes, for example, two scales or indexes may be pro-
vided, one for cavalry calculated at 8 feet 10 inches in height, and
the other for infantry calculated at 5 feet 11 inches. One of these
scales may be marked on the face and the other on the periphery
of a ring free to move on its axis with the tube in which the eye
glass is fitted. The movable wires are carried by slides which are
free to be moved up and down in a slot. As the ring is moved on
its axis it acts through gearing upon threaded pins connected to tho
slides and thereby moves the slides and wires. The figures on the
scale which are opposite a fixed bar or piece when the wires just take
in the object looked at show the distance of such object.

page_text: The accompanying Drawings
according to this Invention.
represent a telescope constructed
Figure 1 is an exterior view, and Figure 2 a longitudinal section
of the telescope; Figure 3 is a view of the rear face, and Figure 4
a view of the front face of the tube or piece in which the eye glass
is fitted; Figure 5 is a view of the rear face of the mechanism for
moving the wires.
a is the tube or piece in which the eye glass is fitted; this tube
has near its front end a broad flange b, which is marked with a scale,
as shown, calculated at 5 feet 11 inches for infantry; c is a circular
frame fitting on the front end of the tube a, and carrying at back
a tube d which takes into the tube e of the telescope, and is secured
thereto by pins or screws. Over the circular frame c a ring fis fitted,
which is secured by pins or screws to the flange 6 of the ring a; this
ring is marked on its periphery with a scale, as shown, calculated
at 8 feet 10 inches for cavalry. The front face of the flange 6 of
the tube a is formed with teeth g, Figure 4, which take into pinions h, h,
Figure 5, on the ends of threaded pins i, i, passing into female threads
in slides k, k; these slides are free to move up and down in a slot or
guide in the circular frame c; they carry wires or hairs m, m, and are
kept parallel and steady by springs n, n. o is a bar forming an index;
it is fixed to the tube e; p is a friction plate or ring between the circular
frame c and the ring f. When the eye piece a and ring fare
turned in one direction or the other the teeth g cause the pinions h
and pins i to rotate, whereby the slides k with the wires m, m, are
moved to or from cach other, as the case may be. Thus to use the
telescope for ascertaining the distance of an object place the two wires
in contact by turning the ring f from left to right; the edge of the
fixed index o should then be at zero; focus the telescope to the person
or object under observation until seen distinctly; then turn the ring f
until the object is seen or taken in exactly between the two wires.
The distance of the object will then be ascertained by referring to one
of the scales, the scale on the flange or face b showing the distance
in yards if the object be infantry or any other object of similar height,
and the periphery of the ring f showing the distance in yards if the
object be cavalry or any other object of similar height. We do not
limit ourselves to the particular mechanism described for moving the
wires or hairs to or from each other, as other mechanism could readily

page_text: be adapted for the purpose; and in some cases it may be desirable
to have one wire a fixture, the other being made to move to or from
it as required.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim,
providing telescopes with means for ascertaining and indicating the
distance of an object, such means consisting of wires or hairs which
can be moved to or from each other, and of one or more scales or
indexes, all substantially as herein-before described and represented in
the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Alfred Elliott, on behalf
of myself and of the said Frederick Henry Elliott, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of September, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
CHARLES ALFRED ELLIOTT. (L.S.)