IMPROVEMENTS IN CAMERAS
Year: 1859

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Arthur James Melhuish at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th December 1859.
I, ARTHUR JAMES MELHUISH, of Holborn Bars, and also of Bowater Place,
Blackheath, Optician, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CAMERAS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in cameras. For these
purposes in order better to construct cameras of thin sheet metal and so as at
the same time to obtain compactness and lightness with the requisite degree of
strength and stiffness, I, in constructing the body of a camera and the dark
slides use thin sheet metal which I strengthen on one or both sides with ribs
of flattened wire or rods, or strips of sheet metal which are soldered or fixed
by rivets or screws to the thin sheet metal of which the top, bottom, sides,
and other parts are composed, and in some cases I turn up the edges of the
thin sheet metal, and at other times I corrugate the thin sheet metal, by which
greater stiffness is obtained. In folding cameras where the joints butt or come
together I apply in each case a strip of metal or other opaque material
soldered or fixed to one of the two parts, so that when in use such steps
overlap and cover the joint formed between the folding parts of a camera, thus
preventing the light passing through; and I sometimes apply thin metal tubes
to give strength and stiffness to various parts of metal cameras. Where the
front and other parts of sheet metal cameras slide together, in place of having

page_text: grooves formed in or grooved out of the substance of the material used, I
apply ribs or guiding pieces of sheet metal or flattened wire or rods by
soldering or by fixing the same by rivets or screws to the sheet metal of which
the other parts are composed; and in some cases the sheet metal front of a
camera is hinged to and is caused to fold into the interior of a camera, and
velvet or cloth (by preference black) is applied to parts where they come or
butt together, in order to shut out the light from the interior of a camera.
In order to do away with the need of having a flange or piece attached to the
top of the dark slide to shoulder on the top of the camera, and thus keep the
fitting the more light-tight, I make a recess in the frame of the camera which
receives the dark slide, and I place springs so that when the dark slide is
placed in the camera they shall press it into the recess. As the thin sheet
metal cannot be framed together like wood, I, in joining two sides together,
turn up one of the sides and lap it over the other sides, and secure it by
solder and rivets or screws. When one part of the body of a camera slides
into the other part, I apply cloth or padding to the end of the inner sliding
body in order to keep out the light. I sometimes cut into the greater part of
the sheet metal of the body of the camera, leaving only an open frame of the
metal, and I fill in or cover such open frame with opaque material.
times make a frame to receive the dark slide distinct from the body of the
camera, but hinged to the bottom of it, so that it will fold down on to the
bottom of the body of the camera to allow of it, the said body, folding down
upon it.
When the said frame is lifted up for use it serves as a support for
the body of the camera in like manner as does the front part when that is
hinged to fold down, and I fix them in their places by means of spring bolts or
catches. I apply spring handles of thin sheet metal to the shutters of the
dark slides in such manner that when pressed on they will be flat and be
out of the way, and I bend over the edge of the shutter over the edge of the
door when only one shutter is used, thus keeping out the light.