IMPROVEMENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERAS
Year: 1884

page_text: We CHARLES SANDS and JOHN JAMES HUNTER both of 20 Cranbourn Street
Leicester Square, in the county of Middlesex Manufacturers of Photographic
Apparatus do hereby declare the nature of our said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERAS" to be as follows:-
Our improvements in photographic cameras relate first in a compound rack
motion which affords a greater range of motion and a more rapid adjustment than
the ordinary simple rack motion and enables the adjustment for focussing either
for a long or a short focus lens to be quickly performed without change of gear and
without an undue projection of the tail board when the front and back of the
camera are brought close together for a very short focus lens.
It relates secondly to the mode of folding the camera for transport.
According to the first improvement the motion for focussing is divided between
the front and back of the camera these two parts being moved equal distances in
opposite directions so that with pinions of the ordinary size the adjustment may be
effected in half the time usually required and twice the ordinary range of motion
is obtained so to comprise within the scope of the same gear the adjustment
necessary when changing a long for a short focus lens or vice versa. For this
purpose the back portion of the camera body is carried by a slide or pair of slides
and the front by another slide or pair of slides the slide or slides of the one
extending within or past the slides or slide of the other and both working in corre-
sponding guides in the base board. The two sets of slides are furnished with racks
which constantly gear with the same pinion either directly, in which case the one
rack or set of racks would be inverted and the pinion would work between the two
sets of racks and slides so as to move them in opposite directions or the pinion
would gear with the one rack or set of racks through an intermediate pinion.
The second improvement has for its object to enable the camera to be compactly
folded without the necessity of dismounting the lens. For this purpose the front
and back portions of the body are made to fold down separately the one on the
other. The bellows is made detachable from the front of the camera and the rigid
portion of the body together with the bellows is made to fold down on the base

page_text: board. The body which is preferably mounted on a cradle, whereby a swinging
adjustment may be obtained on a vertical axis or on both a vertical and horizontal
axis, may be laid down on the base board either with the focussing screen upwards
or downwards. In the one case, the body is hinged near the bottom to the said
cradle or to any other suitable support carried by the slides before mentioned and in
the other case it is pivoted near the middle of its height to a pair of radius links
at the sides which are pivoted at their lower ends to the said support, these links
being provided with suitable fastenings to hold the body rigidly in position when
in use, and permitting when unfastened of the lower part of the body being swung
forwards and the whole laid focussing screen downwards upon the base board.
We CHARLES SAND'S and JOHN JAMES HUNTER, both of 20 Cranbourn Street,
Leicester Square, in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturers of Photographic
Apparatus do hereby declare the nature of our said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERAS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
Our improvements in photographic cameras relate first to a compound rack
motion which affords a greater range of motion and a more rapid adjustment than
the ordinary simple rack motion and enables the adjustment for focussing either
for a long or a short focus lens to be quickly performed without change of gear and
without an undue projection of the tail board, when the front and back of the
camera are brought close together for a very short focus lens.
It relates secondly to the mode of folding the camera for transport.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings formning part of this
Specification wherein figure 1 is a side elevation of a camera partly racked forward
into the extended position, as for a long focus lens ; figure 2 is a side elevation of
the camera racked back or compressed, as for a short focus lens. Figure 3 is a plan
of the base board and slides, the camera body being removed. Figure 4 shows the
camera folded for transport Figure is an end view of the base board, showing
the slides. Figure 6 is a part sectional rear elevation. Figures 7, 8 and 9 are
detail views on a enlarged scale, of the pivot fastenings connecting the body to

page_text: its swing cradle. Figure 10 shows a modified arrangement of the rack and pinion
gear.
The same letters of reference indicate similar parts in all the figures.
'
According to the first improvement, the motion for focussing is divided between
the front and back of the camera, these two parts being.moved in opposite direc-
tions, so that with pinions of the ordinary size, the adjustinent may be effected in
half the time usually required, and twice the ordinary range of motion is obtained,
so to comprise within the scope of the same gear, the adjustment necessary when
changing a long for a short fucus lens or vice versa. For this purpose the body A.
is carried by a pair of slides B, B and the front G by another slide C extending
within or past the slides B, the two sets of slides being side by side and working
in corresponding guides b. b. c. c. in the base board D. The two sets of slides are
furnished with racks b*, bx, c* which are all constantly in gear with the saine
pinion E, the said pinion gearing directly with the pair of racks b*, b*, and with
the rack c*, through an intermediate pinion F.
The pinion E extends completely across the base board and is journalled at
points e, e, e, e, in suitable bearings, in or attached to the base board D, and it gears
as above mentioned directly with. the racks b* fixed longitudinally to the underside
of the slides B. Its teeth are turned off at the centre e¹, so as to clear the rack c*.
The portion of the pinion at either side of the centre gears with the intermediate
pinion F journaled in bearings f also attached to the base board said pinion
gearing with the rack c* fixed longitudinally to the underside of the slide C.
Thus arranged, by turning the pinion E, the body A and front G will be moved
simultaneously in opposite directions, the slides B and C projecting at opposite ends
of the base board, as shown in two positions figures 1 and 2.
It will be understood that the relative positions of the slides and racks might be
reversed, that is to say, the back part of the body might be carried by the slide C
and the front by the slides B, but the arrangement shown is preferred.
The second improvement has for its object to enable the camera to be compactly
folded without the necessity of dismounting the lens. For this purpose the front G
and body A are made to fold down separately the one on the other.
The body A is preferably mounted on a cradle H, whereby a swinging adjust-
ment may be obtained on a vertical axis h, and likewise on a horizontal axis i, and
it may be laid down on the base board with the focussing screen K downwards as
shown in figure 4. To enable this to be done, the body A is pivoted at i to the
said cradle, which is carried by the slides B, B, before described, the pivot pins i
being journaled removably on the cradle in the following way, shown in figures 7.
8 and 9. The gudgeons i fixed to the back A, drop into bearings formed by
V notches in the cheek plates h' of the cradle and in discs screwed to the inner
faces of said cheek plates. L is a knob which turns as on a centre upon a disc Z
screwed to it, said disc having undercut or bevelled edges and turning within a
correspondingly bevelled circular socket in the cheek plate. The disc and knob L
have also a V notch which may be made to coincide with the notch in the cheek
plate to permit of the gudgeon i being inserted in or removed from its bearing.
By turning the knob L partly round, as in figures 7. 8 and 9 so that the notches no
longer coincide, the gudgeon is locked in its bearings.
The body is fixed in the desired position by a pair of links M at the sides, which
are pivoted at their lower ends to the cheek plates of the cradle, these links being
connected to the body at about the middle of its height by binding screws passing
through the slotted upper ends of the links, to permit the forward or backward
swing of the body. By releasing the gudgeons i from their bearings, the lower
part of the body may be swung forwards on the links M and laid with the focussing
screen K downwards upon the base board D, the front G then folding down on the
body as shown in figure 4.
In this way the focussing screen is protected from injury and the camera is
sownaatly folded

page_text: In the modification shown in figure 10, the two sets of slides B and C lie in
different planes, and with their racks b* and c* pass above and below the pinion E,
which is mounted on the base board as before.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
1. A photographic camera wherein the body and front are both mounted on
slides working past one another and are moved in opposite directions at the same
time by the focussing motion substantially as specified.
2. A photographic camera wherein the body and front are mounted on separate
sets of slides working past one another side by side in the base board and moved
in opposite directions at once by rack and pinion gear, combined and arranged sub-
stantially as herein described and represented in the drawings.
3. A photographic camera, wherein the body is pivoted removably in its cradle
or other support as herein described and is arranged to swing on radius links and
fold down on the base board with the focussing screen downwards, substantially as
herein described and represented in the drawings.