IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR HOLDING AND EXHIBITING PHOTOGRAPHS, CARDS, PICTURES, AND SIMILAR OBJECTS." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Mounstephen Rogers, of Kingsland, in the County
of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND
CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR HOLDING AND EXHIBITING PHOTOGRAPHS,
CARDS, PICTURES, AND SIMILAR OBJECTS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Mounstephen Rogers
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th March 1880.
JAMES MOUNSTEPHEN ROGERS, of Kingsland, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR
HOLDING AND EXHIBITING PHOTOGRAPHS, CARDS, PICTURES, AND SIMILAR OBJECTS."
My Invention relates to certain improvements in the arrangement and con-
struction of apparatus for holding and exhibiting photographs, cards, pictures, and
similar objects.
It consists of a base of wood or metal, on one side of which is a standard of
suitable height. To the lower end of the standard I fix a lever, and attached to or
near to the fore end of this lever is a line, cord, or fine chain, which passes over and
is fixed at one point in a grooved pulley attached to the standard near the top.
The line or chain thence passes downwards, and is attached to the end of a spiral
or other suitable spring fixed to the base aforesaid.
To the inner side of the pulley I attach a click (pressed to its bearing by a
spring) which works upon the edge of a slotted wheel with two notches, one half of
which is ratcheted. This slotted wheel is locked in its motion by a locking-arm
attached to the standard. A lever with two arms is fixed to this slotted wheel,
and inside on the same pivot is a small pinion which takes into an intermediate
toothed wheel, which latter takes into and actuates a second toothed wheel, which
is the principal and centre toothed wheel, which actuates the other portion of my
apparatus. This wheel works on a centre, from which projects a square pin which
forms the bearing on one side for a drum.
Below this centre wheel is another intermediate wheel which takes into a pinion
on the axis of an escapement wheel.

page_text: To the other side of the base above mentioned I fix a second standard which
carries a suitable bearing for the other end of the drum aforesaid.
The drum is composed of two circular plates, one at each end of a bolt. Round
each of these plates is a number of holes. Through each hole of each plate passes
a strong wire which is bent at right angles on the outsides of each plate, and is
continued a suitable distance, when it is again bent at right angles, so that each
end forms a pivot bearing, one pivot being flattened on each side.
A block carrying a projecting pin is fixed on one end of each wire.
The pivot bearings carry a frame containing on each surface one or more
photographs, cards, pictures, or other objects of a similar kind which it may be
desired to exhibit.
Each frame holds two springs which press against the flattened pivot bearing,
so that it may be held in position while revolving. To work my apparatus, and so
exhibit each photograph, card, picture, or other object in succession, I press the
lever aforesaid which draws down the line attached to the pulley which sets in
motion the wheel acting upon the ratchet, and releases the locking-arm fixed to the
standard. The double lever arm is thus set in motion, and raises the projecting
pins aforesaid on the drum wires or "carriers." These carriers being turned over
are held from falling or returning by a catch fixed to the top of the standard, and
the projecting pins take into the escapement wheel above-mentioned in their
revolution.
In order to make the apparatus ornamental, I cover it with a fancy frame with
an open or glass front, as may be suitable, against which the frames carrying the
photographs, cards, pictures, or other objects press, and are thus brought into a
position for view.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent and of
an order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by the said James Mounstephen Rogers
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th September 1880.
JAMES MOUNSTEPHEN ROGERS, of Kingsland, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR
HOLDING AND EXHIBITING PHOTOGRAPHS, CARDS, PICTURES, AND SIMILAR OBJECTS."
My Invention relates to certain improvements in the arrangement and con-
struction of apparatus for holding and exhibiting photographs, cards, pictures, and
similar objects.
It consists of a base of wood or metal, on one side of which is a standard of
suitable height. To the lower end of the standard I fix a lever, and attached to or
near to the fore end of this lever is a line, cord, or fine chain which passes over and
is fixed at one point in a grooved pulley attached to the standard near the top.
The line or chain thence passes downwards, and is attached to the end of a spiral
or other suitable spring fixed to the base aforesaid.
To the inner side of the pulley I attach a click (pressed to its bearing by a
spring) which works upon the edge of a slotted wheel with two notches, one half of
which is ratcheted. This slotted wheel is locked in its motion by a locking arm
attached to the standard. A lever with two arms is fixed to this slotted wheel,
and inside on the same pivot is a small pinion which takes into an intermediate
toothed wheel, which latter takes into and actuates a second toothed wheel, which is
the principal and centre toothed wheel which actuates the other portion of my
apparatus. This wheel works on a centre, from which projects a square pin which
forms the bearing on one side for a drum. Below this centre wheel is another
intermediate wheel which takes into a pinion on the axis of an escapement wheel.
To the other side of the base above mentioned I fix a second standard which carries
a suitable bearing for the other end of the drum aforesaid.
The drum is composed of two circular plates, one at each end of a bolt. Round
each of these plates is a number of holes. Through each hole of each plate passes a
strong wire which is bent at right angles on the outsides of each plate, and is
continued a suitable distance, when it is again bent at right angles, so that each end
forms a pivot bearing, one pivot being flattened on each side.
A block carrying a projecting pin is fixed on one end of each wire.
The pivot bearings carry a frame containing on each surface one or more
photographs, cards, pictures, or other objects of a similar kind which it may be
desired to exhibit.
Each frame holds two springs which press against the flattened pivot bearing, so
that it may be held in position while revolving.
To work my apparatus, and so exhibit each photograph, card, picture, or other
object in succession, I press the lever aforesaid which draws down the line attached
to the pulley, which sets in motion the wheel acting upon the ratchet, and releases
the locking arm fixed to the standard. The double lever arm is thus set in motion,
carriers." These
and raises the projecting pins aforesaid on the drum wires or
carriers being turned over are held from falling or returning by a catch fixed to
the top of the standard, and the projecting pins take into the escapement wheel
above mentioned in their revolution.
In order to make the apparatus ornamental, I cover it with a fancy frame with
an open or glass front, as may be suitable, against which the frames carrying the

page_text: indicate their nature.
Fig. 1 is a front view of my "cabinet album."
Fig. 2 a side view of same.
Fig. 3 a side view of the mechanism.
Fig: 4 an elevation of the drum and one of the frames or picture holders.
Fig. 5 an enlarged side view of same.
Fig. 6 an enlarged side view of the eccentric hereafter referred to.
Fig. 7 a section through X, Y, of Fig. 11.
Figa. 8, 9, and 10, details of the cams, and
Fig. 11 a side view of the gearing, the drum being removed.
In place of actuating my apparatus by a lever operating an alternately tight and
Black cord or chain, as mentioned in the Provisional Specification, I prefer to turn
it directly by a thumb nut or handle, and instead of constructing the device for
raising the holders in the form of a two armed lever, I construct it in the form of a
peculiar double cam, or rather one cam having a sliding motion on the face of the
other, in addition to the rotary motion of both. I am thus enabled to dispense
with the spring, pawl, or locking arm and catch before referred to, as also to easily
operate the apparatus in both directions. The rest of my apparatus is substantially
as before described.
Figs. 1 and 2 show the form of case I prefer to use, constructed of wood, metal,
or other substance. The apertures of the case, usually covered with glass, are
shown at A, A. I prefer to hinge the face of the case and secure it by a lock, as
shown at B, Fig. 2. Fig. 3 shows a side view of the mechanism, one of the holders
being shown lifted by the slots in the cams (corresponding to the two-armed lever
before described). Two of the holders are seen resting against this, and maintaining
it in the inclined position, thus dispensing with the catch before described. The
rest of the holders are shown by chain dots, so as not to complicate the Drawing.
Figs. 3 and 4 show the drum before referred to. It consists of two discs C, C,
perforated with as many holes as it is desired to have holders or frames. They are
joined by a central shaft D, as shown. The shaft has a bearing at one end in the
standard E, a spring keeping it in place, as shown, the other end fitting into the
boss of a wheel M, as hereafter described.
The wires F are threaded through the discs, and bent, as shown. They pass 4
through the blocks G, and are bent so as to project, as at H. The ends of the wires
are flattened and made thin at I. These flat ends form pivots for the holders J,
which are grooved (as shown in dotted lines) to hold the photograph or other
object. The frames can be partitioned to hold two or more pictures if desired.
Springs K, preferably formed of spring wire, as shown, are fixed to each frame, so 4
that when the frame is being raised by the cams against the inclined face of the
case or cabinet to bring a picture into view, the spring is distended by the broad
part I of the wire F, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5; but as the drum revolves further,
the thin part of the wire is gradually turned round in the hole in the frame, when
the two sides of the spring are released and approach each other, placing the frame 5
shown in the position of Fig. 4. The end of the shaft D is made square, and fits
into the boss of the toothed wheel M, so as to be revolved. This wheel gears into
the toothed wheel N, which gears into the pinion S on the shaft of the escapement
wheel O, as before described. The wheel M is actuated from the toothed wheel P,

page_text: driven by the pinion Q on the shaft of the lifting mechanism, which shaft is turned
by a thumb-nut or handle R, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
a, a.
On the standard Y I place a fixed eccentric T (Fig. 6). This operates the
sliding cam U. On the face of this cam there is an aperture V, as shown, and over
this a yoke W of the shape shown in Fig. 8. Two slots, as shown, are formed at
Slots c, c, in both cams serve to operate the pins H of the holders. The
other cam (alternate sides of which are shown in Figs. 9 and 10) carries on one
face short projecting pins b, b, to enter the slots a, a, and the operating shaft and
pinion are fixed to it. As shown in Fig. 7, the pinion passes through the
The pins of
aperture V of the cam U, the yoke of which fits over the eccentric R.
the cam X traverse the slots a, a, in the cam U, so that when the cam X is turned
by its shaft, the cam U (in addition to its rotary motion) slides by means of the
yoke over the eccentric, and thus lifts the projecting part H of the wires F of each
frame or holder, as shown in Fig. 3. As the cams continue to revolve, the faces of
the slots in the cams come flush, releasing the wires and frames which turn over as
at Z, Z, Fig. 3. Again as the cams revolve further another pin H enters the slots,
and the cam U sliding it is raised as before.
The blocks G on the wires F rest on the cams, and serve to guide the frames, as
in Fig. 3. The projecting ends of the wires I as they pass the cams, are alternately
grasped and released by the escapement wheel O, so that only one holder can be
raised at once. The double cam permits of any picture being turned back and
again viewed. The standard and frame Y carry the gearing.
In place of arranging my apparatus as described, I may place the drum in a
vertically inclined direction.
The apparatus could also be used as a means of displaying advertisements, the
driving gear being rotated by a mechanical device, such as a water or electric
motor, or by clockwork, instead of rotating it by hand. By placing adjustable
lenses over the apertures in and altering the case, the apparatus can be used as a
stereoscope.
It is obvious that the details of my Invention can be modified without departing
from the principle thereof.
Having thus described my Invention of improvements in the arrangement and
construction of apparatus for holding and exhibiting photographs, cards, pictures,
and similar objects, and the best mode known to me of performing the same, I
5 would have it understood that what I believe to be novel and original, and
therefore claim is,-
Firstly. The arrangement and construction of apparatus for holding and
exhibiting photographs, pictures, and the like, in which the holders or frames
carried by wires or their equivalent from a revolving drum, frame, or its equivalent,
are raised, brought into view, and others substituted successively, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
Secondly. The drum having the wires F flattened at the ends, and with projecting
parts (such as H) fitted with blocks (such as G), or their equivalent, for the
purposes hereinbefore described.
Thirdly. The springs K fitted to the holders, for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
Fourthly. The arrangements for raising and operating the holders or frames,
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
Fifthly. The combination of cams U, X, or their equivalent, for raising the holders
0 or frames and gearing with the escapement O, substantially as and for the
purposes hereinbefore described.
Sixthly. The case with the inclined face forming a guide for the travel of the
holders or frames when being raised, substantially as and for the purposes herein.
before described.

page_text: Seventhly. The general arrangement of apparatus for holding and exhibiting
photographs, pictures, and the like, substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Mounstephen Rogers, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
JAMES MOUNSTEPHEN ROGERS. (L.S.)
Witness,
F. DES VEUX,
of the Firm of Des Voeux & Colton,
Patent Office,
32, Southampton Bdgs.,
London.