Improvements in or relating to Collapsible Dark Rooms for Photographic Purposes.
Year: 1899

page_text: -Date of Application, 7th Mar., 1899
Complete Specification l'eft 7th Dec. 1899_Accented 20th Tan 1000
Improvements in or relating to Collapsible Dark Rooms for
Photographic Purposes.
We, ANTON EDWIN ANDERSON, Works Manager, and THE "X" CHAIR PATENTS
COMPANY LIMITED, of 4, Berry Street, Clerkenwell Road, in the County of London,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows;-
This invention relates to collapsible photographic dark rooms such as may be
carried about for use out of doors.
"
The cover may be of any suitable material say for example black cloth or
calico which may be water-proofed if necessary, and lined with preferably orange
fabric, and having if necessary one or more windows or equivalent protected
by some material which will not allow the passage of the actinic rays of light.
The cover may be divided in one or more places and the meeting or overlapping
edges closed and secured together in any convenient manner.
The framework comprises a number of rods, tubes or bars of any suitable material
say for example wood pivotted preferably at or about the centre of their length
in pairs and some of them connected at their lower ends by angle plates to which
each leg is pivotted. In the case of a square tent four of the legs may be con-
nected by two right angle plates, but these may vary according to the circum-
stances of the case and the shape of the tent.
The top of the tent is formed of two cross bars or equivalent pivotted at the
centre and provided with hooks or equivalent by which the ends may be secured
to the upper ends of the vertical bars; this accomplishes two purposes (1) to
support the top and (2) to maintain the side frames in their proper positions.
Two of the ends of the top frame which we may call the back ends are preferably
connected by hinges, loops or equivalent flexible connections which will prevent
the loss or mis-laying of the top when the tent is folded.
One or more shelves or other attachments may be connected to the side frames,
and are preferably slotted to fit over the bars and while the shelf etc. is thus
supported it also serves to prevent the collapsing or folding together of the side
frames. The bottoms of the frames may be left plain to rest upon the ground
or may be pointed to enter it or may be connected to or arranged to fit into or
upon any suitable bottom framing or flooring should such be required; generally
a single frame across the front to maintain the two front legs is sufficient.
Internal or external guy ropes may be employed if desired.
Instead of a single joint to each bar of the side framings more than one such
joint may be employed and the parts may be adapted to fold in shorter lengths
than would otherwise be the case.
A cloth water-proof or other case may be used to contain this apparatus and
the case may be flexible or rigid.
.
Dated this 1st day of March 1899.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Collapsible Dark Rooms for
Photographic Purposes.
We, ANTON EDWIN ANDERSON, Works Manager, and THE " X" CHAIR PATENTS
COMPANY LIMITED, of 4, Berry Street, Clerkenwell Road, in the County of London,
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:―
This invention relates to collapsible photographic dark rooms such as may be
carried about for use out of doors.
A dark room constructed according to this invention comprises a flexible
cover of such a character as to prevent the passage of actinic rays of light, the
cover being carried by a frame made to collapse after the manner of a collapsible
lattice work or lazy-tongs. The various parts of the frame are preferably all
secured permanently to one another and the whole may be supported if desired
by guy ropes.
Detachable brackets or carriers may be provided so that they may be readily
applied to any convenient part of the frame in such a manner that they may serve
as shelves whilst at the same time acting as struts to the collapsible frame.
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one method of carrying out
this invention.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the complete dark room,
Figure 2 is a similar view with the outer cover removed, and
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a detail.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
The outer cover A may be made of any convenient flexible material made up
into the form the dark room is desired to take and is provided with a window B
also of flexible material. The cover, with its window B, may be made after any
well-known method to prevent the penetration of the actinic rays of light, and
if desired may be waterproofed. The sides of the frame by which the cover is
supported comprise in this instance three pairs of members CCC², respectively.
These members may be of any suitable material such as wood, and of any con-
venient cross-section, and are made to cross each other preferably at their centres
where they are secured together by a rivet D. Each pair of members is free
to turn about its pivot D and the ends of the members Û are secured to the ends
of the members by brackets E and at the other side to the ends of the
members by brackets El. The members are preferably rivetted to the
brackets E E and are free to pivot about the rivets as described with reference
to the rivets D. The members thus arranged form three collapsible walls for
a four-walled room, and a top is provided comprising another pair of cross mem-
bers rivetted together at G and hinged on one side by loops H to the upper
brackets E E¹ of the members C. The ends of the members F, remote from those
secured to the members C, are provided with hooks or claws J adapted to fall
into loops or catches K at the ends of the members C1 C2 and remote from the
brackets E E¹.
It will be seen that so long as the hooks J are not in engagement with the
catches K on the members C1 C2 the members F may be swung down upon the
hinges H so as to hang approximately parallel to the members C and the whole
frame collapsed by bringing the bottom ends of each side together. When,
however, the hooks J are in engagement with the catches K on the members C C¹
the upper ends of the members forming the walls or sides of the frame are pre-
vented from coming together and a suitable covering may be placed over the
whole.

page_text: As placing a separate covering over these members might be found inconvenient
the cover A is preferably secured at its corners to the tops of the members CC' C³,
and when the frame is collapsed remains attached to and folded over the collapsed
members.
Detachable brackets or carriers may be arranged within the dark room and
may be made either in two parts hinged together or in one piece. A shelf or
carrier L is shown in Figures 2 and 3, which may be folded about its centre
at L. The shelf L is provided with a projection L2 somewhat resembling a
cleat, that end of the projection remote from the shelf being of greater length
than that part by which it is secured to the shelf. This formation of the part L³
permits the shelf to be placed over the members C, for instance, above the point
where they cross one another, so that the extended portion of the projection comes
behind the members C and the members are engaged in the recesses formed
between the extended portions of the projection and the shelf; the neck of the
projection thus becomes wedged between the two members C and serves as an
additional support or strut which keeps these members from collapsing. The
forward part L of the shelf, connected by the hinge L', may be provided with
hooks or other devices L formed to engage the members C¹ C. In the arrange-
ment shown in Figure 2 this is effected by lowering the forward part L3 of the
shelf down upon the members CC so that the hooks or catches L embrace the
members upon which they fall; the forward end of the shelf is by this means
supported and the shelf made to serve as a tie between the members C and C' C².
It is obvious that the hooks or catches L' may be arranged to drop into loops
secured to the members C1 C2 instead of embracing the members as described.
When only a small shelf or bracket is required, the hinged portion L³ may be
dispensed with and the bracket supported only by the part L², as shown in
Figure 1.
Guy ropes may be used secured to pegs in the ground, or weights, to prevent
the dark room from being overturned by wind or other cause.
It will be observed that the covering at the side corners of the dark room
is not supported by any part of the frame but hangs from the top of the frame.
These may, however, be supported if desired by a flexible connection such as a
cord or elastic band connecting the tops and bottoms of the members at each
corner of the framework; if elastic is used the whole may be closed up without
detaching these ties, but if some non-elastic material is used each piece must
be secured at one end by some means easily detachable.
The bottom ends of the members C C C may either rest direct upon the
ground or be provided with spikes to enter the ground, or they may rest upon
or be secured to horizontal members serving as struts to give greater stability
to the whole structure. As a rule, however, it is not found necessary to use struts
in this manner except, in some cases, one at the front end connecting the mem-
bers CC on that side where the dark room has no framework. This side serves
as the entrance to the dark room, and the one side of the cover A is made to
lap over the other a sufficient distance to exclude all light. Any well-known
form of fasteners may be provided to prevent this part of the cover from being
displaced whilst using the dark room.
Instead of a single joint to each member of the side framings more than one
such joint may be employed so that the parts may be adapted to fold in shorter
lengths than would otherwise be the case.
A cloth, waterproof, or other case may be used to envelope the whole appa
ratus when collapsed, such case being either flexible or rigid.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A portable dark room for photographic purposes having collapsible walls
and frame-work substantially as described.

page_text: 2. A portable dark room for photographic purposes having a collapsible frame
the principal members of which are permanently connected; substantially as
described.
3: A portable dark room comprising a flexible covering to shut out the actinic
rays of light and a frame having sides formed of crossed pivotted members sub-
stantially as described.
4. In a portable dark room of the kind described a detachable carrier or shelf
such as L adapted to serve also as a strut or tie for part of the frame substantially
as described.
"
5. The complete portable dark room substantially as described or illustrated
in Figures 1 & 2 of the accompanying drawings.
6. The frame supporting shelf substantially as described and illustrated in
Figure 1, or in Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 5th day of December 1899.
THE "X" CHAIR PATENTS CO. LD.,
L. PEARSON,
Director,
A. E. ANDERSON,
Secretary,
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicants,