Improvements in or in connection with Photographic Roll Holders or Roll Holder Cameras.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd May, 1894-Accepted, 21st July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or in connection with Photographic Roll Holders
or Roll Holder Cameras.
We, HENRY Cooк, M.D., F.R.C.P. Lond., J.P. etc., Priors Mesne, Lydney in
the County of Gloucester, Surgeon-General Retired, Her Majesty's Indian Army,
and HENRY REX COOK of Fort Elizabeth, Cork, Ireland, Captain Royal
Artillery, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to photographic apparatus of the character known as roll
holders or roll holder cameras or the like wherein the sensitive film or the like is
wound off a roller or spool and exposed in successive lengths and thereafter wound
on to a receiving roller or spool and our present improvements are. designed to
provide means for dividing or cutting off successively the lengths immediately or
soou after exposure so that each exposed length will be cut off at the right point
and can be readily removed from the holder or case when required without having
to wait till the whole length of the roll has been exposed or (in the alternative as
at present) unrolling the length or lengths exposed and cutting off same to remove
for development-thus causing considerable trouble and waste of the film in again
attaching the end of the film to the winding roller or spool whereas according to
this invention the lengths will be cut off without winding on to a receiving roll or
if desired a receiving roll may be arranged and mounted in combination with our
improvements so that when it is not desired to cut off the lengths after each
exposure instead thereof the film can be wound on to a receiving roll or spool as at
present.
Our present invention is as follows:-
In a suitable case, holder or camera the roll of sensitive film to be exposed is
arranged and mounted in any suitable manner and the end thereof is drawn over
or across the position for exposure and then passes round a roller or other guide at
the edge and thence the film is led between two (or more) drawing-off rollers (or
the film may pass direct to these two rollers, without any intermediate rollers)
between which the said film is pressed and gripped and when these rollers (or one
of them) are revolved by means of a key or milled head or other suitable device
attached thereto or in connection therewith on the exterior of the case or holder
the grip between these rollers must be sufficient to draw off each successive length
of film for exposure and thereafter maintain sufficient hold on the film to keep
same tightly stretched for the next exposure. For this purpose this pair of
drawing-off rollers may be formed of any suitable material or covered with any
suitable frictional material and mounted sufficiently close together (and if desired
mounted in such a manner as to be capable of adjustment towards one another) to
give the required amount of grip and hold on the film and also thereby allows of
the more easy adjustment of film within the guiding surfaces.
The free end of this film coming through this said pair (or more) of drawing-off
rollers is now led to a cutting block, guillotine, or knife edge or edges in more or
less close proximity to said rollers and then the knife is drawn along or otherwise
actuated or caused to set transversely upon the film and the exact length required
for each exposure is thereby cut off and curls up and drops in the receptacle or
space provided.
This knife or cutter may be of any suitable form and may be made to give a
running cut across the film and for this purpose is made to travel across the path
3

page_text: of the length of the film in any suitable manner; or the cutting edge may be
fixed and extend right across the path of the film and the film forced onto such
edge by a roller or other device caused to travel across from side to side.
Or the knife may be contained inside one of the drawing off or other roller,
and may be forced out at the right moment or when desired, so as to cut the film
or the knife or cutting device may be otherwise arranged constructed and mounted
so as to act in any other equivalent or suitable manner.
For instance the cutting movement or actuating of the knife or cutting edge
may be imparted by hand by a separate movement by the operator of a knob
projection or handle on a slide or lever or other mechanism controlling the knife or
cutting device or if desired the actuation of the cutting device may be automatic
that is may be caused by mechanism in connection with the aforesaid winding
rollers so that at any moment during the operation of winding off each successive
length or when the same is completed, thereupon the cutting device is mechanically
caused to act and a length of film thus cut off and thus the operator winds off and
cuts off a length of film at one operation.
For the sake of example we will now describe one way of carrying out our
invention with an automatic cutting device.
One of the two rollers forming the pair of drawing-off rollers is made of such
a size that the circumference thereof is about equal to the length of film used at
each exposure and this roll has the actuating key or handle attached or connected
thereto also this same roll has affixed at one end thereof a toothed disc or wheel-a
small part of the circumference of which is mutilated or cut away-the teeth of
this toothed wheel gearing into and driving a second and non-mutilated gear wheel
or toothed disc.
This second or driven toothed wheel has affixed thereto or actuates a drum or
pulley to which one end of a cord chain or the like is fastened the other end of
this cord etc. being fastened to a cutting device such as a knife carried on a slide
or traveller moving in a guideway (such as grooves, rails or dovetail channels) so
that on this said second disc and connected drum being revolved the said cord etc.
will thereby be wound up and thus draw the knife or cutting device across the
path of the film but out of contact therewith at the same time winding or straining
a spring or springs the re-action of which tends to pull back the cutting device
and the parts are so arranged that-at the moment when the required length of
film has been drawn off-the cutting device has crossed clear of the path of the
film and at the same moment the mutilated or recessed part of the first toothed
wheel comes round and coincides with the second toothed wheel and thereby the
latter is left free and upon such release the aforesaid spring will smartly draw
back the cutting device across the film and in cutting contact therewith and thereby
the exact required length is automatically measured and cut off at the same time.
Any suitable means may be adapted to keep the cutting device out of cutting
contact in one direction and put same in cutting contact in the opposite direction―
for instance a knife pivotted to the slide and having the actuating cords attached
to said pivotted blade so that the pull in one direction will move the blade on the
pivot out of contact while the pull in the other direction will force the blade into
position to cut as it travels.
By arranging and mounting also an ordinary winding or receiving spool with a
measuring roll as usual when desired the film can be withdrawn from the cutting
mechanism and attached to said spool and wound off in the usual way while the
cutting mechanism would then simply remain idle or may be thrown out of gear by
a suitable device as by pressing up the aforementioned disc attached drum so that
it may not engage with the actuating toothed disc.
Dated this 22nd day of August 1893.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or in connection with Photographic Roll Holders
or Roll Holder Cameras.
We, HENRY Cooк, M.D., F.R.C.P. Lond., J.P., etc., Priors Mesne, Lydney
in the County of Gloucester, Surgeon-General Retired, Her Majesty's Indian
Army, and HENRY REX COOK of Fort Elizabeth, Cork, Ireland, Captain Royal
Artillery, 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 :-
This invention relates to photographic apparatus of the character known as roll
holders or roll holder cameras or the like wherein the sensitive film or the like is
wound off a roller or spool and exposed in successive lengths and thereafter wound
onto a receiving roller or spool and our present improvements are designed to
provide means for dividing or cutting off successively the lengths immediately or
soon after exposure so that each exposed length will be cut off at the right point
and can be readily removed from the holder or case when required without having
to wait till the whole length of the roll has been exposed or (in the alternative as
at present) unrolling the length or lengths exposed and cutting off same to remove
for development-thus causing considerable trouble and waste of the film in again
attaching the end of the film to the winding roller or spool whereas according to
this invention the lengths will be cut off without winding on to a receiving roll or
if desired a receiving roll may be arranged and mounted in combination with our
improvements so that when it is not desired to cut off the lengths after each
exposure instead thereof the film can be wound on to a receiving roll or spool as
at present.
Our present invention is as follows:-
In a suitable case holder or camera the roll of sensitive film to be exposed is
arranged and mounted in any suitable manner and the end thereof is drawn over or
across the position for exposure and then passes round a roller or other guide at
the edge and thence the film is led between two (or more) drawing-off rollers
(or the film may pass direct to these two rollers without any intermediate rollers)
between which the said film is pressed and gripped and when these rollers (or one
of them) is revolved by means of a key or milled head or other suitable device
attached thereto or in connection therewith on the exterior of the case or holder
the grip between these rollers must be sufficient to draw off each successive length
of film for exposure and thereafter maintain sufficient hold on the film to keep same
tightly stretched for the next exposure. For this purpose this pair of drawing-off
rollers may be formed of any suitable material or covered with any suitable
frictional material and mounted sufficiently close together (and if desired in such
manner as to be capable of adjustment towards one another-and caused to act
simultaneously by gearing with each other) to give the required amount of grip
and hold on the film and also thereby to allow of the more easy adjustment of film
within the guiding surfaces. The free end of this film coming through this said
pair (or more) of drawing-off rollers is now led to a cutting block guillotine or
knife edge or edges in more or less close proximity to said rollers and then the
knife is drawn along or otherwise actuated or caused to set transversely upon the
film and the exact length required for each exposure is thereby cut off and curls up
and drops into the receptacle or space provided.
This knife or cutter may be of any suitable form and may be made to give a
running cut across the film and for this purpose is made to travel across the path
of the length of the film in any suitable manner; or the cutting edge may be fixed
and extend right across the path of the film and the film forced onto such edge
by a roller or other device caused to travel across from side to side.
Or the knife may be contained inside one of the drawing off or other roller and

page_text: may be forced out at the right moment or when desired so as to cut the film or
the knife or cutting device may be otherwise arranged constructed and mounted
so as to act in any other equivalent or suitable manner.
For instance the cutting movement or actuating of the knife or cutting edge
may be imparted by hand by a separate movement by the operator of a knob
projection or handle on a slide or lever or other mechanism controlling the knife
or cutting device or if desired the actuation of the cutting device may be automatic
that is may be caused by mechanism in connection with the aforesaid winding
rollers so that at any moment during the operation of winding off each successive
length or when the same is completed thereupon the cutting device is mechanically
caused to act and a length of film thus cut off and thus the operator winds off and
cuts off a length of film at one operation.
For the sake of example we will now describe one way of carrying out our
invention with an automatic cutting device.
One of the two rollers forming the pair of drawing-off rollers is made of such
a size that the circumference thereof is either equal or having definite relative
proportion to the length of film used at each exposure and this roll has the actuating
key or handle attached or connected thereto also this same roller has affixed at one
end thereof a toothed disc or wheel-a small part of the circumference of which
is mutilated or cut away the teeth of this toothed wheel gearing into and driving
a second and non-mutilated gear wheel or toothed disc.
This second or driven toothed wheel has affixed thereto or actuates a drum or
pulley to which one end of a cord chain or the like is fastened the other end of this
cord etc. being fastened to a cutting device such as a knife carried on a slide or
traveller moving in a guideway (such as grooves, rails or dovetail channels) so that
on this said second disc and connected drum being revolved the said cord etc. will
thereby be wound up and thus draw the knife or cutting device across the path of
the film but out of contact therewith at the same time winding or straining a
spring or springs the re-action of which tends to pull back the cutting device and
the parts are so arranged that-at the moment when the required length of film
has been drawn off-the cutting device has crossed clear of the path of the film
and at the same moment the mutilated or recessed part of the first toothed wheel
comes round and coincides with the second toothed wheel and thereby the latter is
left free and upon such release the aforesaid spring will smartly draw back the
cutting device across the film and in cutting contact therewith and thereby the
exact required length is automatically measured and cut off at the same time.
Any suitable means may be adapted to keep the cutting device out of cut-
ting contact in one direction and put same in cutting contact in the opposite
direction for instance a knife pivotted to the slide and having the actuating cords
attached to said pivotted blade so that the pull in one direction will move the blade
on the pivot out of contact while the pull in the other direction will force the
blade into position to cut as it travels.
By arranging and mounting also an ordinary winding or receiving spool with a
measuring roll as usual when desired the film can be withdrawn from the cutting
mechanism and attached to said spool and wound off in the usual way while the
cutting mechanism would then simply remain idle or may be thrown out of gear by
a suitable device as by pressing up the aforementioned disc attached drum so that
it may not engage with the actuating toothed disc.
And in order that our present invention may be easily understood and readily
carried into practice we will now proceed to further describe same with reference
to the drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: D is winding off cylinder.
E is wood frame (covered with black velvet or otherwise) over which the film is
stretched from roller B¹ to roller B².
F is block fixed to wood frame with slot for knife bevelled on right side to allow
of roller being placed almost in contact.
G is block (advantageously having thin sheet of aluminium on surface) forming
one side of slit through which film passes.
His casing of knife box fixed to block G.
I is knife box containing knife or cutter J.
J is knife in cross section.
K is spool of film in position.
L is spiral spring attached below to base of casing and above to cord passing
over pulley W Fig. 3 and fastened to top of knife box.
M is film leaving spool and passing over rollers and frame and through slit into
cavity C of roll holder.
N is division shutting off cavity of holder from space in which toothed discs
are placed.
O is flat metal bar or bearing into which upper end of axle of toothed disc Q
works.
P is toothed disc fixed to bottom of winding cylinder D-mutilated to allow of
disc working free when such mutilated part reaches the toothed wheel Q.
Qis toothed disc attached at base-or otherwise rigidly fixed-to a drum or
pulley T (shown in Fig. 3) and also gearing with the mutilated wheel P.
Ris wood or metal box containing brake action of spool.
S is hinged support to which is fixed a projecting pawl (not shown) working in
a channel in wood core of film. One side of hinge is fixed to casing A.
T is drum to which is attached lower cord from knife the winding of which will
move the knife box along.
U is toothed disc fixed to top of cylinder D gearing with spring V.
V is metal spring gearing with Ŭ to prevent backward action of cylinder D
when winding off film.
W small pulley over which cord affixed to top of knife box passes to attach to
the spiral spring L.
X is cord connecting spiral spring with knife box I.
Y handle or key of winding cylinder.
In Fig. 4-the only addition is a cylinder Z placed behind the winding off
cylinder and to which (i.e. to Z) the film is attached instead of passing it through
the slit between parts F and G.
The film now passes around winding cylinder D and is affixed to Z as shown by
dotted lines and is wound thereon by revolving same by means of a handle thereon
instead of on the cylinder D.
In Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 :-
In Fig. 5-the knife is actuated by spring c (shown in dotted lines) pressing it
forward.
b is pulley (Figs. 5, 6 and 7) over which the cord e attached to knife J passes.
c is spring attached to back of knife box and pressing on the back of the knife
in the arrangement shown in Fig. 5.
ee are cords attached the one to the knife J and the other to the box I in the
arrangement shown in Fig. 5.
Figs. 6 and 7 show alternative arrangement in which the knife is actuated by
pull of strings or cords e e the one cord being attached by its end to the drum T
which when revolved and drawing on the cord pulls up the knife-concealing it to
allow of the film passing under it at the same time drawing the knife box also
(across the film and out of contact therewith) against the action of the spring L
attached to the other cord; when the drum is released by the action of the
mutilated disc P this second cord e pulls back the knife by means of its attachment
to the spiral spring L above described and at the same time causes the knife to

page_text: descend into the film as it travels across same and so cuts off the length of film
automatically after each exposure.
Fig. 8 is section of knife box and knife.
The operation of the apparatus shown in Sheet 1 and also the modification
shown in Sheet 2 of the drawings hereunto annexed has been fully described and
is so obvious that it is not now necessary to further describe same.
We should here remark that we do not in any way wish to confine ourselves
to the precise details arrangement or construction of the various parts of the roll
holder independent of the knife or film cutting device as such parts may he
considerably varied without departing from the nature of our present invention
which relates mainly to the cutting mechanism store reservoir and parts in connection
therewith.
Furthermore we would remark that we are aware that it has been proposed (in
an invention of prior date to ours) to cut off the length of film after each exposure
by a kind of guillotine action but not in any way by the means or in the manner
invented by us as herein described and pointed out in the claims. We therefore
make no claim broadly to cutting off the length of film in the camera or roll holder
immediately after each exposure since this is not novel per se.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a photographic apparatus of the character described-the combination
therewith of a knife or cutter adapted to be drawn or moved across the film to cut
off each length after exposure substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. In photographic apparatus of the character described-the combination with
a pair of rollers for drawing off the film by friction of a draw rod carrying a knife
or cutter thereon one end of which rod passing through the case terminates in a
knob on the exterior of said case and adapted to be pulled out so as to draw the
knife across the film and thus cut off a length of same substantially as hereinbefore
described.
3. In photographic apparatus of the character described-the combination with
a pair of rollers for drawing off the film of a traversing knife carrier adapted to
reciprocally travel crosswise of the length of film a knife or cutting blade mounted
on said carrier adapted to be held out of contact with said film while travelling
across same in one direction and to come in contact with the film and cut off a
length of same while travelling in the other direction and means to actuate said
carrier either by hand direct or by suitable connections with some working part of
the roll holder mechanism substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
4. In a photographic apparatus of the character described-the combination with
a cutting device adapted to reciprocally travel across the length of film or sensitive
surface so as to cut off each length after exposure of an open chamber or receptacle
into which such cut off lengths can freely fall substantially as hereinbefore set
forth.
5. The improved photographic roll-holders or roll-holder camera arranged
constructed combined and acting substantially in the manner and for the purposes
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1894.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.