Improvements in and connected with Photographic Cameras.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 29th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 1st Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Photographic Cameras.
I, GEORGE PECK, of 226, Amstel, Amsterdam in the Kingdom of Holland,
Machinery and Hardware Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to stands or mountings for photographic cameras, and
comprises the improvements hereinafter described.
According to my invention I dispense with the usual base-board and use instead
a tube or rod which may be made extensible, the extension being effected by means
of a screw, a rack and pinion or any other suitable device acting upon an inner
tube or rod, the said base-tube or rod being fixed by any universal joint on a
turning-disc or turn-table upon a tripod head, a clamp, a screw or other carrying
device.
The plate carrying part of the camera is pivotally mounted by means of a screw
or other joint (or combination of joints) on the base-tube or rod or its extension,
thus dispensing with horizontal and vertical swings. The lens also is either
supported directly, or by the lens board, on a tube or rod fixed to any part of the
extension rod or tube or of the tube or rod proper, thus doing away with sliding
lens-supports.
The lens supporting rod or tube can be stowed away in the inner tube when
the tripod is folded up and the base-tube or rod with the inner tube and lens-
support can be put back between the three legs. The plate carrying part of the
camera is advantageously provided with an inner metal frame preferably of thin
steel tube, on which frame are soldered studs for joining the universal joint to
the base-tube or rod, thus giving the greatest possible rigidity with the least
possible weight.
The lens can be fixed by a bayonet joint, and the lens ring provided with a
freely turning inner-ring to allow of taking vertical or horizontal pictures without
undoing the lens.
Dated the 27th dow of January 1894
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Photographic Cameras.
I, GEORGE PECK, of 226, Amstel, Amsterdam, in the Kingdom of Holland,
Machinery and Hardware Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
aud ascertained in and by the following statement :—
My invention relates to stands or mountings for photographic cameras, and
comprises the improvements hereinafter described.
According to my invention I dispense with the usual base-board and use instead
a tube which may be made extensible, the extension being effected by means of a
screw, a rack and pinion or any other suitable device acting upon an inner tube,
the said base-tube being fixed by any universal joint on a turning-disc or turn-table
upon a tripod head, a clamp, a screw or other carrying device.

page_text: The plate carrying part of the camera is pivotally mounted by means of a screw
or other joint (or combination of joints) on the base-tube or its extension, thus
dispensing with horizontal and vertical swings. The lens also is either supported
directly, or by the lens board, on a tube or rod fixed to any part of the extension
tube or of the tube proper, thus doing away with sliding lens supports.
The lens supporting rod or tube can be stowed away in the inner tube when the
tripod is folded up and the base-tube with the inner tube and lens support can be
put back between the three legs.
The lens can be fixed by a bayonet joint, and the lens ring provided with a
freely turning inner ring to allow of taking vertical or horizontal pictures without
undoing the lens.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :—
Figure 1 is a perspective view shewing a camera mounted on a stand or support
constructed according to my invention:
Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the stand proper drawn to a larger scale
than Figure 1:
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation representing the attachment for supporting the
focussing end of the camera, the section being taken on the line 3-3, Figure 2:
Figure 4 shews in elevation the attachment for supporting the lens end of the
camera:
Figure 5 is a plan view of the tripod head provided with a turn-table which
directly carries the stand proper:
Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6, Figure 2:
Figure 6 is a section on the line 6º-6ª, Figure 6.
Figure 7 is a front elevation of the lower part of the attachment for the lens
part of the camera:
Figure 8 is a sectional view shewing the arrangement for permitting the movement
of the lens relatively with the camera body.
This
a is the tripod head to which legs b, b are attached in the usual manner, the
said head being provided with a disc c or turn-table adapted to rotate and held
in position by means of a plate d the rabbetted edge of which engages over a
flange on the edge of the disc, as shewn most clearly in Figures 2 and 6.
disc c carries a lug or bracket c' through a hole in which is passed the screw-
threaded shank e of a ring or socket e', a wing-nut e² being screwed onto the
said shanke for the purpose hereinafter described. is the base-tube which slides
within an ebonite lining in the socket e', and g is a jamming piece placed between
the lug c and the tube, the said jamming piece being in the form of a stirrup
which embraces the ebonite ring and bears against the tube f, as shewn in
Figure 6. 9' is a washer placed between the wing-nut and the lug c'.
With this
arrangement it will be understood that when the nut e is tightened the socket e¹
with the base-tube f will be drawn against the ends of the stirrup g and so firmly
clipped. Also by loosening the nut e, the said base-tube may be placed at any
desired angle by turning the socket upon the axis of the shank e, and the base-tube
may also be rotated in the said socket, the plate e and the tripod head a being cut
away as shewn at h, Figure 5, in order to permit of the said base-tube being turned
to a vertical position if desired.
i is a tube telescoping within the base-tube f, the said tube or rod having formed
along it a series of rack teeth ¹ with which a pinion 2, rotating in a bearing upon
one end of the tube f, engages for permitting of extending or contracting the
length of the base support. The tube i is provided with a slot along one side
into which screws or pins on the tube f engage to prevent the said tube from
rotating relatively with the said base-tube.
is the attachment which serves to support the focussing end of the camera,
and the attachment which supports the lens end thereof. The attachment j
consists of a lip ¹ adapted to slide on the tube f and to engage with a feather or
spline thereon in order that the said clip shall be prevented from rotating

page_text: relatively with the tube. This clip is clamped upon the base tube f by means of a
pin / having at one end a lug or projection designed when the pin is rotated by
means of a handle to ride up an inclined surface formed on one of the lugs of
the clip, as shewn most clearly in Figure 2. The position of the tightening pin in
Figure 2 is that which it occupies when the clip is loose to enable the latter to
slide upon the basc-tube.
Upon the clip is formed an arm m having a seat thereon for holding a bifurcated
clamp m² in which is carried a rod m³ which directly supports the focussing end of
the camera. The rod m² is held in position in this clamp and the clamp itself is
held against its seat on the arm m by means of an eye-bolt n through the eye of
which the rod m³ passes, a screw or pin n' being passed through the eye-bolt into a
grooven in the rod for the purpose of preventing the said rod from moving
longitudinally and from turning in the clamp. o is the nut for drawing up the
eye-bolt to tighten the clamp, and o¹ is a washer between the said nut and the
arm m.
The connection between the attachment j and the frame of the camera is effected
by means of a union nut p engaging with a stud p₁ on the focussing frame. As
shewn in Figure 3, this stud is represented as being attached (for instance, by
brazing) to a tubular frame p² forming part of the focussing frame. To ensure:
that the stud shall always be in the proper position relatively with the rod m² to
hold the focussing end of the camera square with the base rod, the said rod m² has
on its upper end a rib p³ which is designed to enter a corresponding groove in the
stud pl.
The construction of the attachment & for supporting the lens is as follows.-On
the end of the extensible tube i is a socket y provided with a plate q₁ as shewn in
Figures 2 and 7. In the said plate is formed a recess adapted to receive part of a
ball r, and to an arm r' on the plate q' is hinged a clamping plate having formed in
it a recess adapted to fit onto the ball r, the said clamping plate 2 being adjusted
to grip or release the ball by means of a nut on a screw-stud fixed to the
socket q. In the ball r is formed a hole or aperture through which a rods which
directly supports the lens is designed to slide in order to raise and lower the lens
relatively with the base tube, the said hole in the ball being formed in such a
position that when the nut is tightened the said rod will be pressed into close
contact with the plate 21, the recess in the plate gl being large enough to admit of
this. A flat surface is formed along the back of the rod s, as shewn in section in
Figure 24, to provide a good bearing surface between the said rod and the plate gl
and to ensure the axis of the lens always being parallel with the base-tube. To
prevent the rods from turning axially in the ball and from dropping out of this
ball, the said rod is grooved longitudinally, except for a short distance near the
end, as shewn at s° Figures 2 and 7, and a screws is passed through the ball into
the said groove, as shewn most clearly also in Figure 7.
With this arrangement
it will be understood that the rods can be revolved around the axis of the base-
tube to a limited extent in order to permit of adjusting the camera. In order,
however, to normally maintain the said rod s in the same plane as the rod m³ of
the attachment j, I hinge to an extension on the top of the plate q a bifurcated
locking-plate which, when turned to the position shewn in Figure 2 and in
Figure 7, embraces the said rod 8, but which when the rod s is to be turned into a
different plane from that of the rod m³ is thrown back out of the way.
The connection between the lens and the attachment & is effected by means of a
union nut in a similar manner to that in which the attachment j is connected to the
focussing end of the camera, the parts being similarly lettered.
The lens, instead of being screwed into the front in the usual manner, is mounted
in a ring t, as shewn in Figure 8, so that it is at all times free to turn therein, the
said ring being connected to the camera front either by a bayonet joint as at u,
Figure 4, or by screw-threads in the usual manner. The object of thus mounting
the lens is that, when the rod is moved laterally upon the axis of the base-tube,
the lens shall be free to assume any desired position to allow of such adjustment.

page_text: It will be understood that a camera mounted upon a support of the kind herein-
before described is capable of being adjusted to practically any position between
the vertical and the horizontal, either on the axis of the base-tube or on the axis
of the shank of the clip supporting the base-tube. The camera can also be moved
horizontally through an angle of 360 degrees on the turn-table c.
My improved camera stand is also extremely portable as none of the parts are
bulky and by being made tubular some of these may be fitted within the others for
instance, the rod s may be inserted within the extensible tube f.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is
1. A stand or mounting for a photographic camera comprising a base-tube (with
or without means for extending the same) carried upon a universal joint and
attachments mounted directly or indirectly upon the said base-tube for carrying the
camera, substantially as described.
2. A stand or mounting for a photographic camera comprising an extensible
base-tube mounted upon a turn-table and capable of being rotated upon its own
axis and the axis of the clip carrying it, the said base tube having upon it supports
or attachments for the camera and lens, substantially as described.
3. In a stand or mounting for a photographic camera, the combination of a base-
tube formed of two parts and adapted to be extended and contracted, a clamp
carried upon a turn-table and supporting the base-tube in such a manner that it
may be adjusted upon its own axis or upon the axis of the clamp, an attachment
sliding upon one part of the base-tube for supporting the focussing frame of the
camera and another attachment upon the other part for supporting the lens, the
said attachment being adjustable longitudinally and also towards and from
the base-tube, substantially as described.
4. The manufacture and use of a stand or mounting for a photographic camera
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 20th day of Octahan 1904
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.