Improvements in or connected with Detective and such like Cameras.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 11th May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 10th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 16th Feb., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Detective and such like
Cameras.
I, JAMES JOSEPH HICKS, of 8 Hatton Garden in the County of London,
Meteorological Instrument Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :—
The invention relates to that class of photographic cameras which are provided
with a "view finder" and with a level.
Heretofore the "view finder" and the level have been two separate and distinct
instruments fixed at different parts of the camera; this arrangement requires the
eye of the operator to look first at one instrument and then at the other thereby
involving the liability of faulty pictures as when after having found the view
in the focussing screen the operator has to see to the level of the camera or
vice versa and he will, probably, after having adjusted the camera by the oue
instrument, disarrange such adjustment when adjusting it by the other instrument.
According to my invention I obviate this inconvenience by so combining the two
instruments that the proper line of sight for the one is also that for the other
instrument thereby enabling the adjustment of the camera by both instruments to
be effected by a single line of sight.
For this purpose instead of constructing the "view finder" with the ordinary
focussing screen I use in lieu of the latter a circular level having a transparent
glass bottom and a plano-concave glass top or cover occupying the place of the
ordinary focussing screen and having its under or concave side ground; thus when
the operator looks at the level he is enabled to adjust the camera by means of the
air bubble and by means of the top or cover serving as the focussing screen, without
removing his eyes from one part of the instrument to the other thereby greatly
facilitating and expediting his work.
In constructing such combined level and focussing screen a metal body may be
employed having a clear glass bottom and a plano-concave glass top or cover,
serving as the focussing screen cemented in position therein; or the chamber of
the level may be made entirely of glass, the bottom portion of which is of dish
form and has its rim ground true whilst the top or cover is cemented to the rim ;
or the dish formed bottom part may have a slightly conical mouth or seat to
receive a suitably shaped top or cover ground to fit therein or thereon and
cemented in position.
The level may be connected either with the body of the view finder or with the
camera in proper position to act as above described.
Other shaped levels may be employed so long as the air bubble serves to
indicate a horizontal plane and the top or cover thereof serves as the "view
finder."
The "view finder" is otherwise constructed in any ordinary manner.

page_text: Improvements in or connected with Detective and such like
Cameras.
I, JAMES JOSEPH HICKS of Hatton Garden, in the County of London,
Meteorological Instrument Manufacturer, 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 :-
The invention relates to that class of photographic cameras which are provided
with a "view-finder" and with a level.
Heretofore the "view-finder" and the level have been two separate and distinct
instruments fixed at different parts of the camera; this arrangement requires the
eye of the operator to look first at one instrument and then at the other thereby
involving the liability of faulty pictures as after having found the view in the
focussing screen the operator has to see to the level of the camera or vice versa and
he will, probably, after having adjusted the camera by the one instrument,
disarrange such adjustment when adjusting it by the other instrument.
According to my invention 1 obviate this inconvenience by so combining the two
instruments that the proper line of sight for the one is also that for the other
instrument thereby enabling the adjustment of the camera by both instruments to
be effected by a single line of sight.
For this purpose instead of constructing the "view-finder" with the ordinary
focussing screen I use in lieu of the latter a circular or other shaped level having
a transparent glass bottom and a plano-concave glass top or cover occupying the
place of the ordinary focussing screen and having its under or concave side ground;
thus when the operator looks at the level he is enabled to adjust the camera by
means of the air bubble and by means of the top or cover serving as the focussing
screen, without removing his eyes from one part of the instrument to the other,
thereby greatly facilitating and expediting his work.
The level may be connected either with the body of the "view-finder" or with
the camera in proper position to act as above described.
Other shaped levels may be employed so long as the air bubble serves to
indicate a horizontal plane and the top or cover thereof serves as the screen of the
"view finder."
The "view finder" is otherwise constructed in any ordinary manner.
My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a side elevation
Fig. 2 is a vertical section and
Fig. 3 is a plan of a combined view-finder and level for a camera.
Fig. 4 is a section of one corner of a camera showing fixed in position therein a
combined view-finder and level of the construction shown at Figs. 1, 2, 3.
Fig. 5 is a similar view to Fig. 4 except that the view-finder and level consist of
two separate parts fixed to the camera in proper relation with each other, and
Figs. 6 and 7 are cross-sections showing modified constructions of the screen and
level.
a is the body of the camera, is the view-finder lens and c is the reflector both
of which are in common use. d is the view-finder screen and e is a screen or cover
for excluding interfering lights from the screen d.
Instead however of the view finder screen d consisting as heretofore of a simple
piece of ground glass fixed at or over the upper end of the view-finder body A
according to my present invention construct it to form the upper part of a level,
preferably circular, whose body d' is according to the arrangements shown at
Figs. 1 to 5 of metal and whose bottom d² is of transparent flat glass. The

page_text: $6
view-finder screen d is ground slightly concave on the under side to facilitate
the motion of the air bubble and it has also a ground" or unpolished under
surface to receive the view. The parts d d are cemented in position in seats
formed in the body d¹.
In the arrangement shown at Figs. 1 to 4 the view-finder and level are both
fitted to the body A and can be handled as a single instrument but in the arrange-
ment shown at Fig. 5 the view finder lens b and reflector care fitted to the body A
whilst the level and view-finder screen are combined in a body B to which
the light screen e is also attached; the bodies A and B are so fixed to the
camera a as to bring the level and view-finder screen immediately over the
reflector in the position ordinarily occupied by the reflector and screen of an
ordinary view-fiuder.
Instead of making the level and view finder screen as above shown and described
partly of metal and partly of glass they may be made wholly of glass as shown at
Figs. 6 and 7 in both of which examples the bottom portion is of dish form and as
shown at Fig. 6 has a slightly conical mouth d³, or as shown at Fig. 7 it has a
seat d* to receive a suitably shaped plano-concave top or cover d forming the view-
finder screen ground to fit therein or thereon and cemented in position.
As a modification the bottom part of the level may have its rim ground true and
flat in which case the cover d is flat around its edge and is cemented in position
thereon.
In the arrangements above described the level and view-finder screen are
supposed to be of circular form but if desired they may be of rectangular form.
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 detective or such like cameras the combination with the body a, of a view-
finder lens b, a reflector c and a transparent level the top d of which forms the
screen of the view-finder substantially as herein shown and described and for the
purpose stated.
2. In detective and such like cameras, the combination with the body of the
camera of a combined view-finder and level constructed and arranged substantially
as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
3. In detective and such like cameras, the combination with the body a of a
view-finder whose screen d forms the top of a transparent level substantially as
herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
Dated this 9th day of January 1895.
By HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.