Improvements in Photographic Cameras.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 25th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 24th Mar., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION:
Improvements in Photographic Cameras.
I, GEORGE PERCIVAL SPOONER, of Bron-y-garth, Portmadoc, North Wales,
Civil and Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to effect improvements in the construction of
photographic cameras.
I construct my improved apparatus in two compartments, preferably one above
the other. The upper compartment contains the lens, bellows, focussing screen of
ground glass, swing back, shutter and other fittings; and the lower compartment
contains the plates, previous to and after exposure.
The plates are held in sheaths, and the sheaths are placed in a drawer fitted
with grooves on cach side (hereinafter called the " plate drawer). The sides of
the plate drawer, between the grooves, are slotted to permit the plate lifter to pass
up and down.
The plate drawer is placed in a case, (hereinafter called the "plate box") so as
to be capable of sliding in and out of the same, as in the case of an ordinary
drawer.
The plate drawer is closed and locked so as to exclude the light, or it may be
opened in a dark room, or within the camera, by suitable methods.
The plates are raised from the plate drawer by lifting bars, consisting of a pair
of curved levers, with suitable appliances attached thereto. The lifting bars have
The
toothed racks, and engage toothed quadrants on each side of the camera.
quadrants are fast on an axle, and are actuated by a suitable crank or lever outside
the case; which crank or lever is fixed to a cam wheel herein after described.
The sheath is lifted by turning the crank until the sheath is in the position
previously occupied by the focussing screen in the camera compartment.
Previously to the passage of the sheath from the plate drawer to the upper
compartment, the lens shutter and dark door are closed; a slide between the plate
box case and the upper compartment is opened, and the focussing screen is moved
back to admit of the sheath taking its place. The sheath then passes into the
upper compartment, and the slide is closed; the slide sustaining the sheath. The
plate is then in position for exposure, and, after exposure, it can be returned to
the plate drawer by a reversed movement of the crank.
When the sheath has been returned to the plate drawer, the focussing screen
takes the place of the sheath, and the plate drawer is moved on ready for the next
operation.
The several shutters and other doors are actuated by a cam wheel, with separate
cam grooves for the several motions.
The focussing screen is held in position preferably by four bell crank levers, two
on each side.
An opening is formed in the back of the upper compartment, so as to enable the
picture to be properly focussed on the screen. This opening is closed by a shutter
or door during exposure.
The camera is also fitted with screws, nuts, clips, and other means for adjusting,
fixing and arranging the several parts of the apparatus.
The cam or cams may be driven by a connecting rod attached to a coiled spring,
previously wound up; a rack being formed on the connecting rod, driving a pinion
on the cam. An escapement lever, with suitable attachments, is used to cause half

page_text: a revolution or thereabouts, of the coiled spring, to lift the plate, and the other
half revolution to lower it.
Dated Outh Manch 1901
GEO.
DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Photographic Cameras
I, GEORGE PERCIVAL SPOONER, of Bron-y-garth, Portmadoc, North Wales,
Civil and Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to effect improvements in the construction of
photographic cameras.
And in order that my said invention may be particularly described and ascertained,
reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters
and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation, partly in section, of my improved camera.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section, on the line 1-2 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, on the lines 3-4 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of the lower back end of Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a part sectional plan view, showing an arrangement for fastening the
plate box to the plate box case.
Fig. 6 is a front view of the cam.
Fig. 7 is a back view of the cam.
Fig. 8 is a section on the line 5-6 of Fig. 6.
Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the swing back.
Fig. 10 is a back view of the swing back, and
Fig. 1 shows an alternative arrangement for lifting the plates from the plate
drawer to the camera.
My improved apparatus consists of a case a, the sides of which are enclosed by
metallic covers j. "The case a is divided internally into two compartments a¹ and b,
by horizontal partitions. In the upper compartment c is the lens, d the bellows,
e the ground glass focussing screen, f the swing back, and other portions of the
mechanism.
In the lower compartment b, m is the plate box, h the plate drawer.
The plate
drawer is fitted with guides h¹ at each side, to guide the plates. The plates are
fitted in sheaths. Slots i are formed in the plate drawer h, for the passage of the
plate lifter k, in lifting and lowering the plates to and from the upper coin-
partment a¹.
A slot is also formed through each side of the lower part of the casing a for
the passage of the lifter k, which is raised and lowered by means of the rack n and
quadrant o meshing thereinto. The lever carrying the quadrant o is pivoted to the
outer casing a at o
s is a double faced cam, fast on the axle o², by which it is operated; the axle o³
being fitted with a handle for that purpose; or it may be operated by means of a
coiled or other suitable spring, controlled by an escapement wheel, as shown by
dotted lines in Fig. 1, wherein 1 is an escapement wheel, 2 is a bar for controlling
the motion of the escapement wheel, 3 is a crank to which the connecting rod 4 is
.fitted, 5 is a toothed rack formed in one with the rod 4 and meshing with a pinion 6
fast on the axle o². The wheel 1 is held stationary by the bar 2 engaging one of
its teeth until the bar 2 is pressed by the finger, which pressure liberates the
escapement wheel 1, and allows it to rotate to the extent of 180°, thus actuating
the cams in one direction. A contrary operation of the bar 2 again releases the

page_text: escapement wheel and returns the cam s in an opposite direction to its former
position.
The outer face of the cams is shown in Fig. 6, having a groove s¹ formed there-
upon. The inner face of the same cam is shown in Fig. 7, having grooves s² ²
formed thereupon.
When
wo is a lever, pivoted at 7. One end of this lever carries a pin s³ which works
in the slot s. This lever o actuates the lens shutter by means of the connecting
rod and lever w, as herein after described, and receives its motion for that
purpose from the pin 3. The lens shutter g is actuated by its connections with the
grooves s² in the cam wheels (Figs. 7 and 8). The position of the pins in Figs. 1
and 7 corresponds with the lens shutter being open. On the cams being rotated
in the direction of the arrow, the pins follows the path of the groove s².
the pins arrives at the positions, where it is stopped by the shape of the cam
groove; it is, by means of a suitable trigger or button, moved from sto s, thereby
opening and closing the shutter. The motion of the cam s being then reversed, for
the purpose of returning the plate from the upper compartment a to the drawer h.
The pin s returns by the inner groove s² to its normal position, passing the spring
switch st.
The lens is fixed on a swing and rising front, and is traversed in and out by a
rack and pinion, for focussing purposes, in a similar manner to that used in ordinary
tripod cameras.
The lens may be fixed by a suitable stop on the rack, to a fixed focus over or
above any certain distance, the swing back being also fixed vertically by a suitable
The lever w
stop for the purpose of using the same as an ordinary hand camera.
is pivoted on a spindle formed with a longitudinal feather or key w², capable of
sliding in the boss of the lever w; the lever w being thereby capable of rotating
the spindle at any position of the focus. On one end of the spindle w' is a
crank w³, which is connected by a rod and rack w to a slotted disc-shutter g', to
open or close the lens to the light. The spindle and lever are placed in suitable
bearings so as to take up the angularity of the front.
is a lever pivoted at 4. 2 is a connecting rod from u³ to the crank u' carried
by the axle u. The lever is actuated by the pin 8 working in the groove s¹ in
the cams (see also Fig. 6). The pin 8 also connects the rod k³ with the lever k⭑
pivoted at 9. The lever may be pivoted at 10 or in any other suitable position
for regulating the throw of the slotted lever k³, which is actuated thereby. The
lever is pivoted at 6 and is fitted with a pawl 11 for driving the ratchet wheel ³
in one direction.
On each side of the case a a toothed quadrant o is fitted, meshing with vertical
toothed racks n n, to the lower ends of which racks the lifters kk are fitted.
The toothed quadrants o o are fast on an axle o extending across the case.
The quadrants o o are actuated by the connecting rod o³ pivoted to the cam s at so,
whereby a reciprocating motion is imparted thereto for lifting and lowering the
plates.
The crank u', operated by the lever ³ and connecting rod u², governs the position
of the dark door p, which lies nearly in a horizontal position, as shown in Figs. 1
and 3, when open, and is shut by raising it to a vertical position by the action of
the crank u.
The focussing screen e is held in position by four bell-crank levers f¹, two on
The
each side, as shown, attached to the sides of the grooved swing back f
focussing screen is moved backwards and forwards, as required, by the rod t, one
end of which is attached by a pin t' in a line with the centre 22 on which the
swing back pivots, when the ground glass e is in its focussing position. The
two bell cranks f¹, on each side of the focussing screen e, are connected by rods f²,
so that when the screen e is moved by the rod t, the motion is imparted to the upper
part through the coupled bell crank levers ". In Fig. 9 the focussing screen e is.
shown partly swung back to allow the plate to be placed in position. The screen e

page_text: can also be arranged to swing out of the way in a similar manner to that of the
dark door p.
The axle 15
vis a lever pivoted at 12, and actuated by a pin 13 working in the slot s¹ of the
cam s. 14 is a connecting rod, linking the lever v with the crank r.
carries a segmental cam 16 connected by a metallic band with the slide r.
By the
action of the cam s, lever e, and segmental cam 16 the slider is moved away at
the proper time to permit a plate to ascend, which plate is then sustained by the
slide returning to the position shown in Fig. 1.
The plate drawer his fitted with two horizontal toothed racks k². Below this,
on an axle two pinions k³ are fitted, meshing with the racks 2. The axle also
carries the ratchet wheel (Fig. 1). To simplify the drawing the ratchet
wheel is shown with only 12 teeth, but it is usually constructed with 24 teeth,
whether used for 12 or 24 plates. When working with 12 plates only, each
alternate tooth is slipped over. The pinions, rack, ratchet wheel, and
levers * and k³ are so arranged that the plate drawer h is moved forward in the
case a distance equal to the pitch of one plate with each complete operation of the
mechanism.
A ratchet wheel with its teeth in an opposite direction to those of ', is also
fitted to the axle k the pawl 10 engaging the teeth of for the purpose of retaining
the plate drawer in any required position until the wheel 8 is released by lowering
the rack n which depresses the spring pawl 10, a suitable projection being formed
on the rack n for that purpose.
The back of the plate drawer is fitted with a fixed flanged cylinder h³, having a
groove 18 formed in its circumference. This groove runs partly parallel, or square
to the axis, for a certain distance, and partly helical. m' is a cylinder formed with
two flanges m² which retain it in position in the back end of the plate box m. A
handle 17 is also fitted to the cylinder m' for partially rotating the same.
or other internal projection is provided in the cylinder m', meshing in the
groove in h².
A stud
When, by the action of the pinion and rack k*, the drawer h has been brought
to the position shown in Fig. 4. the handle 17 is turned, whereby the plate drawer h
is advanced until it reaches the stop hook k', whereby the end slot i is placed in
line with the slot 1, in which position the drawer is held by the stud 19 entering the
parallel groove in the cylinder h². When the plate has been returned to its place
in the drawer h, the handle 17 is turned back again to replace and lock the drawer
in the position shown in Fig. 4.
1 2
The cylinder m¹ is sometimes fitted as shown in Fig. 5, in which m³ is an eccentric
groove cut in the cylinder m', and m¹ is a metallic bolt, which is caused to enter the
opening by the action of the eccentric portion of m¹, for locking the plate box to
its position in the case. The bolt m is afterwards withdrawn by the spring 20
when released by the eccentric.
Another method of lifting the plates from the plate drawer to the camera, is
shown in Fig. 11. is the toothed rack. is a lever pivoted at 21 to the toothed
rack. is a spring which presses the lever a inwards. The upper end of the
lever x is formed with an eye which engages with a suitable projection y fitted to
the plate sheaths y', whereby the latter with the plates are lifted. The lever
also provided with a tail piece al, which comes in contact with a projection 6' when
the rack n has nearly reached its lowest position, the lever a being thereby forced
into a recess in the casing, and thus offering no obstruction to the withdrawal of
the plate box m from the casing.
is
When using the arrangement for lifting the plates, shown in Fig. 11, the side
of the swing back is cut away between the curved fences so as to allow the
passage of the lifting lever x,
A suitable indicator is fitted to the axle to indicate the number of plates
taken; and an indicator is fixed to the swing back to indicate its position.
When necessary a lens with shutter and stops g¹ complete, can be attached to the

page_text: front, as shown, at c', Fig. 3, or by other suitable means, the axle of the lens
shutter being suitably formed so as to automatically engage the axle of the
shutter g.
When using my improved camera (without the use of the spring motor) the
operation is as follows:-The plate drawer being filled with sensitive plates and
placed in the plate box m, the cylinder m² is turned by the handle 17, thus bringing
a plate opposite or in a line with the slot 1. The cams is then turned half a
revolution, the several levers and connections therewith shuts the door p, swing
back the ground glass e and raises the plate i to the upper compartment a', and the
shutter is operated in the manner herein before described.
The movement of the cam s is then reversed, thus returning the plate to the
plate drawer h, and the ground glass e to its normal position, and opening the
door p for re-focussing. On again reversing the motion of the cams the plate
box m is moved forward the distance of one plate, by means of the fork k³,
ratchet k, pawl 11, and rack k³, as herein before described, ready for the next
operation.
It will be ready understood that similar movements may be effected by means of
the spring motor as also hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a photographic camera the combination and arrangement of parts whereby
the camera may be used as a detective camera and as an ordinary camera sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
2. In a photographic camera the method of giving the necessary motions to the
mechanism by means of a suitably grooved cam wheels operating substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
3. In a photographic camera of the description aforesaid the use and application
of a swing back focussing screen, rising and swing front, adjustable focus and lens,
severally operated substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
drawings.
4. In a photographic camera of the description aforesaid the methods of operating
and locking the plate drawer substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawings.
5. In a hand camera the construction and arrangement of the "front" and
shutter g whereby the lens can be changed at will, without interfering with the
mechanism of the camera substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by
the drawings.
6. The general construction combination and arrangement of the several and
respective parts together constituting my improvements in photographic cameras
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated 22-1 T
1000
GEO.
DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent.