AN IMPROVEMENT IN PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERAS
Year: 1884

page_text: I THOMAS SAMUELS of Monken Hadley in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERAS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to an improvement in photographic cameras having for its
object to supersede the use of the ordinary slides for effecting the horizontal and
vertical adjustment of the lens, and likewise the employment of a double swing
back for adjusting the plate at an angle to the optical axis of the lens.
My Invention consists in such a construction of support for the lens as to enable
the lens to swing both on a horizontal and a vertical axis, and to have likewise
vertical and horizontal adjustments whereby the same results are attained as by
the combined use of the sliding fronts and swing backs now employed.
My support is used in combination with a bellows body (preferably of the usual
Kinnear form) in which the front of the body is only of the necessary dimensions
to carry the lens mount and is not in connection with the base board otherwise
than by the support of my Invention.
A convenient form for this support consists of a U shaped standard between the
arms of which the lens mount is pivoted by means of clamping screws received in
slots to permit of a rising motion of the lens and likewise a swinging motion on a
horizontal axis, and this frame is connected to the focussing slide on the base
board by a single clamping screw passing through a slot which permits of a
lateral adjustment of the lens and likewise of a swinging motion on a vertical
axis.

page_text: I THOMAS SAMUELS of Monken Hadley in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN PHOTO-
GRAPHIC CAMERAS 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 an improvement in photographic cameras and it has for
its object to supersede the employment both of the double swing back for varying
the angle of the sensitive plate relatively to the optical axis of the lens, and of the
ordinary sliding front for effecting the horizontal and vertical adjustments of the
lens.
As applied to existing cameras already provided with sliding fronts, my Inven-
tion may have for its object to supersede the double swing back only.
1
My Invention consists in so supporting the lens as to enable it to oscillate or.
swing on two axes at right angles to one another, for instance, both on a horizontal
axis and a vertical axis, and to have likewise vertical and horizontal adjustments
whereby the same results may be attained as by the combined use of the swing
back and sliding front now employed. As the adjustment between the plate and
the optical axis of the lens is only relative, it matters not whether the plate or the
lens be adjusted, and I take advantage of this to combine the two adjustments,
viz-that necessary to vary the angle at which the optical axis meets the plate,
and that required to bring the point at which the said axis meets the plate as near
the centre of the latter as possible.
The support of my Invention is used preferably in combination with a bellows
body (preferably of the pyramidal form known as the "Kinnear" camera) the
front of the body being only of the necessary dimensions to carry the lens flange
or mount. The front of the camera (instead of being connected rigidly with a base
board) is so supported that the lens mounted thereon may be oscillated both ọn a
horizontal and a vertical axis (i.e. a universal adjustment) so as to cause the
optical axis of the lens to meet the plane of the sensitive plate at any desired.
angle, and may also be raised or lowered or moved towards either side in any
direction required to bring the optical axis back to the centre of the plate after
such oscillating adjustment, the bellows body of the camera lending itself readily
to these various adjustments. The universal oscillating adjustment of the lens may
be used alone in applying the Invention to existing rigid bodied cameras provided
with sliding fronts which it is desired to retain, or the double adjustment may be
applied to a rigid bodied camera in either case by applying a bellows or other
flexible adapter thereto.
J
In order that my Invention may be readily understood, I have illustrated it in
the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and will proceed to
describe it with reference thereto.
Figure 1 is an elevation in perspective of a bellows bodied camera with the lens
support whereby the double universal adjustment of my Invention is obtained;
Figure 2 is a side elevation; Figure 3 a plan, and Figure 4 a front elevation of the
same. Figures 5. 6 and 7 are respectively a front, edge, and plan view of the

page_text: U shaped frame forming part of the lens support drawn to a larger scale. Figure 8
illustrates a modification in the lens mount whereby the camera may be readily
turned on its side when required without affecting the adjustment of the lens.<.
Figure 9 illustrates the Invention as applied to an ordinary rigid bodied camera
having the usual sliding front.
A convenient arrangement consists of a U shaped frame a a¹, between the
standards or arms a¹ of which the lens mount b is pivoted by means of clamping
screws c screwing into holes tapped in ears d at diametrically opposite sides of the
lens mount, the said screws (if the double universal adjustment is required) passing
through slots e in the arms a¹ to permit of a rising motion of the lens as well as a
swinging motion on the said screws c as a horizontal axis.. This frame a is con-
nected to the slide f of the focussing rack motion f g by a single clamping screw h
passing through the cross bar a of said frame, the screw passing through a slot i if,.
in addition to a swinging motion on the said screw has a vertical axis, a lateral
adjustment of the lens is required.
3
;
To prevent loss of the screws c and h, I prefer to make them with a neck, as
shown in figure 5º, and at one end of the slot I tap a hole and cut the slot of a
width to receive the neck of the screw. Or instead of tapping a hole, the slot
may open out at the edge of the frame to admit of the insertion of the screw.
In figure 1 the lens is represented as raised and tilted upwards whereby the same
effect is obtained as when a "swing back" is used to hold the sensitive plate and
it is tilted forward. In Figures 2 and 3 the dot and dash lines indicate the various
directions which the optical axis of the lens may take in a vertical and a horizontal
plane respectively, the combination of these two motions enabling any desired
adjustment to be given to the lens.
For convenience of transport the focussing rack motion fg is made detachable
from the wooden part of the camera body and is connected thereto by its tail end
fitting between gibs g¹ (figure 8) on the inside of the part k and secured by the
same thumb screw by which the camera body is fixed directly upon the top
board m of the tripod stand without any tailboard.
To enable an oblong camera to be turned on its side when required without
altering the position of the focussing rack or the U support, the part k has at one
side a second pair of gibs g² to receive the rack motion g and a hole for the
screw and the lens mount has two pairs of ears d d and d¹ d' at right angles to
each other to receive the screws c, or preferably the arrangement shown in figure 8
is employed whereby the alteration in position of the camera may be made without
unscrewing the screws c. In this arrangement the ears d are carried by a loose
ring which is connected to the flange of the lens mount or to the camera front by
a binding screw p and stud q passing through quadrant slots r which, when the
binding screw is loosened, admit of turning the camera body a quarter round.
In tigure 9 the support a is mounted on an arın carried by the slide 8 of the
ordinary sliding front and the binding screws hcc pass through round holes
instead of slots as in the former arrangement. The inner end of the lens tube is
connected to the slide 8 by a bellows or sleeve like adapter t of cloth or flexible
light-tight material suitably clamped around the end of the tube and around an
opening in slide 8 of sufficiently larger dimensions than the lens tube to permit the
desired oscillation of the latter, the other of the two slides having of course a
correspondingly large aperture in it. The adapter t is so cut or constructed as to
afford the necessary freedom of motion of the lens tube within the opening,
I have described the use of clamping screws passing through slots which are the
simplest means of accomplishing the desired result, but it will be evident that
equivalent devices might be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
1st Mounting the lens of a photographic camera so that it may receive an
oscillating adjustinent on two axes at right angles to one another, substantially as
and for the purpose specified.

page_text: '
2nd A mount for the lens of a photographic camera whereby the lens is enabled
to receive both an oscillating adjustment op two axes at right angles to one
another, and likewise a lateral and vertical adjustment, substantially as described...
3rd A mount for the lens of a photographic camera consisting of a Ushaped
frame having slots in its vertical and horizontal members and clamping screws
forming horizontal and vertical axes for the universal oscillating adjustment of the
lens and for permitting the vertical and lateral adjustment of the lens, substantially
as described and shown.
4th The combination with the movable front of a flexible bodied camera, of a
slotted U frame having clamping screws forming axes for the universal oscillating
adjustment of the lens, and of a focussing slide supporting the U frame detach-
ably connected to the rigid body of the camera, substantially as described and
shown.
I