Improvements in Tripod and like Stands for Photographic and other Apparatus.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 2nd May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tripod and like Stands for Photographic and
other Apparatus.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of 23 Southampton Buildings, in the
County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
a communication to me from Claudius Chorretier, of 2 Rue Bodin, Lyons, in the
Republic of France, Manufacturer of Photographic Apparatus, and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The improvements which form the subject of the present application are
applicable to tubular telescopic legs constructed to carry photographic, levelling
and other apparatus.
The accompanying drawing shows at Figure 1 an elevation of a tripod stand
constructed according to the invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view of one
of the legs thereof.
Each leg is preferably composed of five tubes A. B. C. D. E. entering one within
another, there may be more or less according to requirements.
The upper tube A of each leg is hinged at a upon a head F, the form of which
may vary according to the use for which the stand is intended. The other
tubes B. C. D. E. are provided at their upper ends with an exterior ferrule which
limits their extension by butting against the contracted lower end of the tube next
above, their position is fixed at this point by spring stops or pins b. c. d. e, which
project below the next upper tube.
With the arrangements already known, it is necessary in order to contract the
stand to push in each tube one after the other, by pressing each time the spring
stop or pin which holds it; this operation repeated twelve times, fatigues and
sometimes wounds the finger which operates it.
With the present improvements by disengaging only the lower stop or pin e,
each leg may be completely closed, without touching the other stops or pins d, c, b.
For this purpose, the springs, which carry these last mentioned stops or pins, are
prolonged in a downward direction by parts f'g'h' inclined towards the interior
in such a way that the edge of the adjacent tube on arriving at the end of its travel,
acts upon this inclined part to draw the stop or pin inwards. The thickness of the
tubes towards the edge which acts upon the spring, is sufficiently strengthened or
thickened so that the stop or pin is drawn completely within the surface of its
carrying tube.
Thus after having disengaged the lower stop or pin e, see Figure 2, and pushed in
the tube E to its end, the thickened edge of this tube will pass between the inclined
plane of the spring and the tube D; and, by pressing this spring inwards it will
disengage the stop or pin d; by continuing the pressure the tube D may in its
turn be telescoped which latter will act in the same manner upon the inclined
plane g and disengage the stop or pin c which will enable the tube C to be
telescoped in its turn, which will likewise disengage the stop or pin b and finally
complete the closing or telescoping. Whatever may be the number of tubes, they
may all be closed or telescoped by a single movement.
The inclined planes figh¹ may have other arrangements than that shown in
the drawing, providing that they be actuated by an equivalent arrangement on the
end of the preceding tube.

page_text: In order to diminish as much as possible the size of the stand, the upper tube A
is strengthened on the exterior at Ġ to form the hinge which is articulated to the
head F.
The interior diameter of the tube remains the same at this part, which permits
the first following tube B to enter it up to its contact with the screw a which forms
the axis of the hinge, see Fig. 2. This arrangement shortens the leg when closed
to the height of the upper section thereof.
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 tubular telescopic legs for tripod and other stands fixed in their open
position by spring stops, an arrangement of the said stops permitting their
automatic disengagement by the complete entry of the preceding tube, the end of
which acts for this purpose upon an inclined plane connected with the stop or upon
other similar acting apparatus, substantially as herein shown and described.
2. The improvements in legs for tripod and other stands, substantially as herein
shown and described.
Dated March 19th 1906
By HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.
By HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.