Device for Instantaneously Changing Slides for Magic and other View or Picture Projecting Lanterns.
Year: 1897

page_text: Device for Instantaneously Changing Slides for Magic and other View
or Picture Projecting Lanterns.
ALFRED SUMMERS, Marlowes, Kilmainham, Dublin, Ireland, Cycle Trade, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to lantern apparatus used or which may be used for pro-
jecting views, diagrams, or other pictures on screens or their equivalent; and it
provides means as hereinafter substantially described-by which the slide last
shewn is caused to disappear and the succeeding one to appear instantaneously.
The accessory apparatus necessary to effect the object of my invention may be
made in a variety of modified forms, some of them permitting the lecturer to operate
the "quick change" from a distance: others requiring local manipulation.
In carrying out my invention, I preferably employ a vertical grooved guide of
sufficient, height to accommodate three lantern slides one above another, the guide
being so fitted to the lantern that the middle slide of the three is in focus with the
lens. Before placing a slide in the vertical guide, the former may first be put into
a grooved frame, each frame being so shaped as to permit it to drop without lantern
movement into position in the grooved guide. The vertical guide is fitted with a
spring catch, the tounge of which normally projects inward and in such a manner
that it prevents any slide passing the middle or focus position until the catch is
operated, when by the withdrawal of the tounge-the frame carrying the slide
last exposed falls by its own weight into the space below, which has previously
been cleared. Each grooved frame or slide carrier is made somewhat less in width
at the top end, this difference permitting the tounge of the spring catch to engage
with the lower part of each slide carrier as they fall respectively into the focus
position and thus to be retained until the spring catch is operated, when the slide
last exposed will instantaneously dissappear and that above it in the guide as
quickly take its place.
The slides may be fed into the hopper-like guide either by the operator at the
lantern one by one, or a magazine may contain the remainder of a series of slides
and the latter be fed in rotation either by hand or mechanical means.
The spring catch may be manipulated by the operator at the lantern, or it may
be actuated from a distance by means of electrical, pneumatic, or other suitable
mechanical devices applicable to such a purpose.
The slides after being shown and dropped out of focus to bottom of guide, may

page_text: be removed, one by one, by operator at lantern, or removed by suitable mechanical
means.
Or I may employ a horizontal grooved guide and move slides by suitable
mechanical means, such as an endless band, the same tounge or catch being used
as described above to control the actual changing. The slides may also be fed in,
and taken out in a similar manner to other guide described above.
as
Or again I may employ a circular carrier. This is formed in wheel; shape and
will be free to revolve by means of a central bearing. Clips, frames, or holders
will be placed round the circumference, to hold any number of slides, according
to size of such carrier. It will be placed in lantern front in such a position
will allow of one slide being in focus at a time. When it is required to change
slide the holders being fed by operator or magazine at the lantern-the carrier
will simply require to be turned the correct distance to allow the next holder and
slide to come into focus: the same movement passing the previous holder & slide
out of focus. This carrier will be made to turn by means of the weight of the
slides in one are of its circle or by electrical, pneumatic or other suitable mechanical
means. This carrier will also be fitted with a spring catch which can be actuated
by hand at the lantern, or by means of any of the devices specified above. The
object of such catch & devices being to enable the actual changing of slides to be
controlled at any distance from the lantern.
I may utilise the weight of the slide dropping down out of position, in these or
other forms of guides or carriers, to re-place the spring catch, so that it will stop
the next slide in the correct position.
Dated this Thirteenth day of December 1897.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Device for Instantaneously Changing Slides for Magic and other View
or Picture Projecting Lanterns.
I, ALFRED SUMMERS, of Marlows, Kilmainham, Dublin, Ireland, Gentleman, 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:
My invention relates to lantern apparatus used or which may be used for pro-
jecting views, diagrams or other pictures on screens or their equivalent; and it
provides means as hereinafter substantially described by which the slide last shown.
is caused to disappear and the succeeding one to appear instantaneously. The
accessory apparatus necessary to effect the object of my invention may be made
in a variety of modified forms some of them permitting the lecturer to operate the
"quick change" from a distance; others requiring local manipulation..
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practice I have appended hereunto two sheets of drawings upon which
Figure 1 is an elevation of the slide device.
Figure 2 is an elevation of a modification in which the slides are changed by
a rotating device.
Figures 3 and 4 are vertical sections through carrier shewing a magazine for
slides.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 are elevations of carriers shewing horizontal guides.

page_text: In carrying out my invention I preferably employ a vertical grooved guide B of
sufficient height to accomodate three or more lantern slides one above another,
the guide being so fitted to the lantern that the middle slide E of the three is in
focus with the lens. Before placing a slide in the vertical guide the former is
first put into a grooved frame e¹ each frame being so shaped as to permit it to
drop without any manipulation at the lantern into the required position in the
grooved guide B. The vertical guide is fitted with a spring or other catch A the
tongue a of which normally projects inward, and in such a manner that it pre-
vents any slide passing the middle or focus position until the said catch is operated,
when by the withdrawal of the tongue a¹ the frame carrying the slide last exposed
falls by its own weight into the space F below which has been previously cleared.
Each grooved frame or slide carrier is made somewhat less in width at the top
end as shewn on the slide G at g¹ this difference permitting the tongue of the
spring catch a to engage with the lower part of each slide carrier as it falls into
the focus position, and thus to be retained until the catch is operated when the slide
last exposed will instantaneously dissapear into the space and that above it in
the guide as quickly take its place. Upon the catch A being released the slide E as
it falls strikes the lever a³ thereby bringing the catch a¹ into position for engaging
with the next slide G.
7. J
The slides may be fed into the hopper like guide either by the operator at the
lantern one by one or a magazine may contain the remainder of a series of slides and
the latter be fed in rotation either by hand or by mechanical means, as for instance
the grooved guide B may be made of a length sufficient to carry any number of
slides resting one on top of another, or
may place a holder containing the
remainder of the series of slides as shewn by Figure 3 in which the slides would
be placed one behind another as shewn at L the spring M being provided, behind
to move them forward to mouth of guide, or the bottom of the holder may be
inclined at such an angle as will make the slides have a tendency to move towards
the mouth of the grooved guide B, or again the holder may be fitted with a. lever
or catch which when operated releases or brings forward a slide. This lever or
catch may be either operated by hand or by the weight of the slides falling after they
have left the holder, or again to overcome the difficulty of slides stopping at the
mouth of grooved guide and not dropping down through the pressure of slides
behind I may employ an endless band V at each end with projections d' working
in the groove of the guide and parallel to it. The projections d' would be placed
at such distances as would allow the carriers with slides or the slides to rest between
them, Figure 4 shews one of the grooves fitted with an endless band running over
pulleys X and X¹. A slide rests on the projection d' and another on the projection
above, by means of the spring M. a slide is pressed forward to mouth of the grooved
guide Band rests on the projection d¹ below it. When the catch A is withdrawn
the bottom slides cannot fall without carrying the top slide with them. Thus..it
has the weight of several slides instead of one to overcome the resistance at mouth
of grooved guide while each bottom slide falls out at U into a receptacle placed
beneath to receive it; or an aperture may be provided in the vertical slide carrier
from which the slide may be removed by hand or mechanically by an endless band
as shewn by dotted lines D in Figure 1. The catch A may be manipulated by the
operator at the lantern by the button a² or it may be actuated at a distance by
means of electrical pneumatic or other suitable mechanical devices applicable to
such a purpose as for illustration by means of the electro magnets H the soft iron a
on the catch A is attracted by a current passing through the magnets and the catch
is withdrawn.
Or I may employ a horizontal grooved guide and remove slides by suitable
mechanical means such as an endless band the same tongue or catch: being used
as described above to control the actual changing.
By a horizontal guide I mean a similar one to the vertical guide above described
but constructed to change slides across the lantern front in a horizontal direction

page_text: as this form would be more readily adapted to the view projecting lanterns at
present in use. In my vertical pattern the slides require no power to move them
in the guide as they fall by means of their own weight but when the guide is
placed in a horizontal position gravity no longer acts in the direction in which
it is required to move slides, I have therefore to apply power to give them the
required tendency to move using a similar means of controlling the actual change
This can be done in a variety of ways by mechanical means several of which I here
describe.
Figure 5 shews elevation of horizontal carrier with circle shewing position of
lantern front; S is correct position for shewing slide; Y is where next slide is to be
inserted, and o space for each slide to be moved to when changed ' is a catch which
"normally rests in its present position and when withdrawn by means of pneumatic
or other power in the direction indicated by the arrow tends to return again to this
position as the spring or elastic attached to it as shewn at m¹ pulls it back in the
opposite direction to that in which it has been drawn out as shewn by Figure 6.
Instead of a spring or elastic substance being used to draw back this catch a weight
may be used to work the carrier. The catch his withdrawn, a slide is inserted
at and the catch made to fasten on to it or be placed so that it cannot return
without bringing the slide with it. The slide S and Y will now have the tendency
to move across in the direction of o, and will do so when the catch f¹ is withdrawn.
The slide S is then taken out or allowed to drop at o and tlie next of the series put
in at either by hand or from a magazine such as shewn to the vertical guides
which would in this case be placed in front of the guide.
Or I may employ an endless band or bands with projections as in the vertical
guide and make same have a tendency to move always in the one direction by
mechanical means such as a wound up spring, or again I may use a long band with
projections running along the bottom groove and hanging down over the ends
of the guide and attach a weight W to the end at that side of the guide towards
which I require slides to move as shewn at Figure 7 the same kind of catch f³
being used as described above to control the actual changing of slides.
The slides in this case may also be fed in and taken out in a similar manner to
the other guide before described; or I may employ a circular carrier which is is
'formed in wheel shape as shewn by Figure 2 and is free to revolve on the central
bearing K and clips, frames or holders are placed round the circumference to hold
any number of slides according to the size of such carrier. This carrier M is placed
in lantern front in such a position as will allow of one slide E being in focus of
the lens N at one time. For changing the slide, the slide G and holder is simply
fed in at l' by the operator or magazine at the lantern, and the carrier turned the
correct distance to allow the next holder and slide to come into focus, the same
movement passing the previous holder and slide T out of focus. This carrier
turns by means of the weight of the slides being in one arc of its circle or it may
be turned by electrical pneumatic or other suitable mechanical means,
and is also fitted with the spring catch R which can either be actuated
by hand at the lantern, or by means of the electro magnet H¹ or
any of the devices hereinbefore specified. The object of such catch and devices
being to enable the actual changing of slides to be controlled from the platform or at
any distance from the lantern. It will be obvious that the catch may be
operated the same from a distance by pneumatic means or by the use of a flexible
cord and pulley.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1st. The device for controlling from a distance the instantaneous changing of
slides for magic and other view or picture projecting lanterns substantially as and
for the purpose herein set forth and illustrated.
2nd. In devices for the instantaneous changing of slides for magic and other view
or picture projecting lanterns. the vertical slide B in combination with the catch A

page_text: or its equivalent substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth and illus-
trated.
3rd. The circular slide carrier whether operated at the lantern or from a distance
substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth and illustrated.
4th. Mechanically supplying and emptying the lantern slides to and from the
carriers substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this 14th day of Sontember 1908
LEWIS WM. GOOLD,
Agent for Applicant, 5, Corporation Street, Birmingham.