Improvements in Tripod Stands for Photographic Cameras and other purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 30th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 30th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 5th May, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tripod Stands for Photographic Cameras and other
purposes.
LÉON AUGUSTE MARION HENRI GUIBOUT GEORGE BISHOP FRANK
BISHOP JOHN PATTINSON KIRK Manufacturers, 22 and 23 Soho Square
London W. do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our improvements consist in fixing together three rods, or legs of wood, metal
or other suitable material, with a universal joint at a convenient distance from
the top.
At the top of each leg is a double-hinged piece all of which can be brought
together and clamped by means of a screw to the article to be supported, thus
forming a table or "head." The legs can be made either rigid, sliding or jointed,
and of any suitable length.
A very convenient method of making it the " rigid" way is to take a circular
piece of wood and divide it into exactly three sections of 120 degrees each, and
connect them in the manner described.
The "sliding" form can be very simply made of six or more tubes, half of the
number sliding into the other half, and fixed at the required height by clamping
screws, or other suitable device; the universal joint and hinged pieces being
attached as described.
Our invention has for its object a simple form of tripod stand the legs of which
may be fixed perfectly by clamping together the pieces forming the head.
Tuna 1902
L. A. MARION.
HENRI GUIBOUT.
GEO. BISHOP.
FRANK BISHOP.
JNO. P. KIRK.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tripod Stands for Photographic Cameras and other
purposes.
We LÉON AUGUSTE MARION, HENRI GUIBOUT, GEORGE BISHOP, FRANK
BISHOP and JOHN PATTINSON KIRK, all of 22 Soho Square London W. Manu-
facturers of Photographic Materials &c. 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 :-
My invention relates to an Improved Tripod Stand for Photographic Cameras
and other purposes, and it has for its object to provide a tripod which is strong and
rigid when erected and which is very compact and easily portable when dismounted.
The three legs of the tripod stand are connected so as to swivel obliquely across
each other about a common point in their length, and their upper ends are braced
together by links, crossing each other and united at a common point, so as to brace
These links are
the legs and form a tripod head and support for the camera.
jointed to the upper ends of the tripod legs by hinges and pivots so arranged as to
be each capable of moving about three centres in planes at right angles to one
another so that they may adapt themselves to the varying obliquities of the tripod
D21

page_text: legs with regard to each other.
The tripod legs are preferably made of tele-
scopically sliding sections adjustably secured for length by screw-clips. They may
however be of single lengths, in which case they may be solid and of segmental
form in cross-section, so that when the tripod is collapsed they would collectively
form a plain cylindrical staff.
In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification, I have
illustrated the invention as applied to a telescopic tripod,
Figure 1 being a perspective view of the upper part of the tripod as erected
for use,
Figure 2 a plan of the bracing links forming the tripod head and camera
support,
Figure 3 a sectional elevation, on a larger scale, of the upper part of one leg and
its bracing link, and Figures 4 and 5 a corresponding elevation and plan.
Figure 6 is a cross-section of the tripod at the crossing point of the legs, and
Figure 7 a cross-section at a lower point.
The same letters of reference denote like parts in all the figures.
The legs A are preferably pivoted to a block B common to all, by screws or
other studs a radiating at 120° to each other, so that the legs may be brought
parallel to each other or assume oblique positions to each other, their upper and
lower ends diverging as shewn in Figure 1. The pivoting of the legs may, however,
be otherwise arranged, the motion being similar. Each leg is provided at its upper
end with a bracing link C C₁ or C2 which works on a hinge D so that it may be
folded down alongside the leg (as shewn in dotted lines in Figure 3, the leg being
recessed at this part to afford room for it) or raised to a horizontal position, as
shewn in Figure 1. The hinge D is not formed on the link, but, to allow the
latter to accommodate itself to the varying obliquities and relative positions of the
legs A, the one leaf of the hinge is connected to the link by a pivot d whilst
the other leaf of the hinge is connected to the leg of the tripod by another pivot d³,
both these pivots dd' being at right angles to the axis of the hinge D, so as to
form a sort of universal joint permitting motion of the link in three planes. The
legs of the tripod are braced by the three links crossing each other, as shewn in
Figures 1 and 2, and being firmly united by a thumb-screw E, passing through all
the links and screwing into a nut in the base of the camera itself or other
instrument to be supported, so that no loose tripod bead is required. The legs
being thus pivoted together and firmly braced, perfect rigidity of the tripod is
ensured even on a tiled floor as it is impossible for one of the legs to slip whilst
liability of overturning the tripod by the accidental displacement of a leg is
entirely avoided.
To allow of the variable divergence of the legs A the links are longitudinally
slotted for the passage of the screw, and, to afford a steady platform for the camera,
the links are so formed that the outer ends c are on a level for the camera to rest
on, whilst the slotted portions of the undermost links C'C' are downwardly
cranked, as at c', to allow for the thickness of the superposed link or links. f is a
turnbutton to hold the link C in its recess in the leg when the tripod is folded.
The telescopic construction of the tripod and the means of adjustably securing
the sections by means of screw-collars screwing on to the threaded split lower
ends of the several sections is well known, and therefore needs no description or
illustration.
In order to utilize the screw E and hold the tripod in its collapsed position, I
provide, upon two of the legs, ears g through which the screw is passed and upon
the third leg a screw socket in which it is screwed as shown in Figure 7.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. In a tripod stand whereof the legs swivel obliquely across each other so
that both their upper and lower ends diverge, as described, the combination, with

page_text: the legs, of bracing links jointed to the legs so as to be adapted to fold alongside
the same or to be extended horizontally across each other and be connected by a
binding screw, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2nd. A tripod stand whereof the legs are pivoted together at a common point so
as to swivel obliquely as described, and whereof the variably divergent upper
ends are braced by links universally jointed to them, as described, the links being
united to one another and to the camera so as to form a tripod head and camera
support as specified.
Dated this 50th day of March 1894.
L. A. MARION,
H. GUIBOUT,
G. BISHOP,
F. BISHOP,
J. P. KIRK,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.