An Improved Mechanical Appliance for easily Attaching and securely Holding Photographic Films flat to rigid supports
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Sept., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 10th May, 1897-Accepted, 28th Aug., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Mechanical Appliance for easily Attaching and securely
Holding Photographic Films flat to rigid supports.
I, WILLIAM KIDSTON, Solicitor, number fifty West Regent Street, Glasgow do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Moveable clips or hooks are fastened to elastic or other extensible substance
attached or unattached to the support. The clips or hooks can be withdrawn
independently when the film has been put upon the support, and when allowed to
return to their position, the hooks or clips grasp both the film and the support,
and the film is then easily and simply adjusted and held firm and flat to the support.
The supports may be either single or double, to hold one film single or two films
back to back.
WILLIAM KIDSTON.
An Improved Mechanical Appliance for easily Attaching and securely
Holding Photographic Films flat to rigid supports.
I, WILLIAM KIDSTON, Solicitor, number fifty West Regent Street, Glasgow 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 :-
--
Hitherto supports or carriers for photographic films, when not of the adhesive
kind, have, so far as known to me, always been fitted with fixed flanges, which
cause difficulty in fixing and adjustment, and very often detrimental buckling of
the films. After various experiments I devised a method by which these films can
be easily attached and adjusted and securely held flat to the rigid supports or
carriers.
Moveable clips or hooks are fastened to elastic or other extensible substance,
which substances may be attached or unattached to the support or carrier, but
when in position are placed at the back with the short ends of the hooks or clips
coming over the support to the front. The clips or hooks can be withdrawn
independently, either before or after the film has been put in position on the
support, and when returned to their position, the hooks or clips grasp both the film
and the support. This enables the operator to easily and simply adjust the film
which is then firmly held flat to the support.

page_text: Instead of being fastened to elastic or other extensible substance, the clips or
hooks may be attached to the back of the support by a rivet through an arm or
shoulder at the back of the clips or hooks, made and fitted in such a way that,
when the hooks or clips are pulled back, they come clear of the support, and, when
returned to position, they are parallel to the support and grasp both it and the film,
in the same manner as a well known form of clasp holds together the two sides of
the frame at the opening in a handbag or purse, and comes clear of them when
pulled up.
The supports or carriers may be either single to hold one film, or double to hold
two films back to back.
The clips or hooks can be fitted with a small pad made of indiarubber, or of a
spring within the bend, so that when the clips or hooks are pressed against the
support from behind, they leave sufficient space for insertion of the film between
the front of the support or carrier, and the turned over portion of the clips forming
the hook proper which confines the film at the front. When the pressure is
released, the front portion of the hook grasps the film more firmly, and fits the
apparatus for holding the films on thin roller celluloid or on paper, keeping them
wholly flat and in "register."
When the clips or books are fastened to india rubber, these pads can most
conveniently be made by carrying the india rubber forward inside the clips or hooks
to the place where the bend begins.
The carriers may be used in dark slides, change boxes or magazine cameras or
for holding the film during development.
In order that my Invention may be properly understood and readily carried into
effect I have hereunto appended one sheet of drawings of which,
Figure 1 is a back view and Figure 2 a cross section of one form of carrier.
A is the flat support and B are the clips or hooks for holding the film securely to
the flat support. The clips are attached to a flat elastic band C which may be
secured to the support. The clips or hooks can thus be withdrawn from the support
and when the film has been put in they can be returned to their position and will
then hold the film firmly against the flat support.
Instead of being fastened to elastic or other extensible substance the clips or
hooks may be pivoted to the support as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The clips or
hooks can be fitted with a small pad of india-rubber as shown at a Figure 4 or the
clips or hooks may be formed with a slight bend inwards as shown in Figures 5 and 6
so that when the clips or hooks are pressed against the support from behind there
will be sufficient space for insertion of the film and when the pressure is released
the clips or books will press the film firmly against the flat back of the carrier.
In large sizes, clips or hooks may be placed at the ends as well as at the sides.
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
The improved mechanical appliance for easily adjusting and attaching and
securely holding photographic films to rigid supports or carriers by means of
moveable clips or hooks substantially as above specified.
.
1005
WILLIAM KIDSTON.