US1296156A - Finder. - Google Patents

Description

J. BECKER.

FINDER.

APPLICATION 'FILED-Aucas. 191s.

1 ,296, 1 56. Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

JZ /M/ UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

JOSEPH BECKER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT F COLUMBIA, ASSIG-NOR TO EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, OIF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

FINDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

Original application filed February 17, 1905, Serial No. 246,169. Divided and this application led August 3,

1 918. y Serial No. 248,185.

T 0 all whom 'may concern Be itknown that I, JOSEPH BECKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia,-

have invented a new and useful Improvement in Finders, of which the following is a specification.

The present patent application, identified for convenience of reference as Case Ba or Div. 6 of J, is Division 6 of my prior application Case J, Serial No. 246,169, filed February 17, 1905, now Patent 1,210,136, issued December 26, 1916; and it relates to certain features of the said Case J which are separately patentable under the head of Finders.

The'present specification will hereinafter refer more or less specifically to vmy related applications or patents as follows:`Case C, filed June 4, 1901, now Patent 1,178,476; Case G, Serial No. 110,299, tiled J uney 5, 1902, temporarily abandoned, but now represecuted as the below identified Case Az or G; the above referred to parent Case J, tiled February 17 1905, now Patent 1,210,136; my Case Ah or Division of C, now Patent 1,210,134; my Case Ao or Division 1 of J, now Patent 1,210,137 my Case Ap or Division 2 of J, Serial No. 133,162, filed November 24, 1916; my Case Aq or Division 3 of J, Serial No. 136,293, led December l1, 1916; my Case Ar or Division 4 of J, Serial No. 136,428, filed December 12, 1916; my Case As or Division 5 of J, Serial No. 136,684, led December 13, 1916; my Case Az or G, Serial No. 236,659, tiled May 25, 1918. v

The subject-matter of the present application, Case Ba or Division 6 of J, was first presented for patent in' 1905 as a constituent part of my said Case J; it was again filed as a constituent part of my said Case Aq or Division 3 of J; and it is now a third time presented for patent as a separably patentable part of my said Case Aq, really constituting Division 6 of my said Case J.

The present invention relates to finders of the divergent lens type specially adapted for use in combination with cameras of the collapsible'or folding type, and its main objects are (l) to secure compactness of arrangement so as to avo`d projecting parts; (2) to bring the center of the finder field as close as possible to the center of the camera field.

My invention comprises a divergent lens fixed to the forward or lens supporting part of the camera, and a rear sight on the rear part of the camera, with all elements arranged and proportioned so that the group of finder rays that proceeds from the camera vfield through the finder lens, to the observer-s eye, shall pass grazingly over the said rear part of the camera.

This grazing e'ect was first disclosed by me in Figs. 4 and 5 of my said Case G, and

is .now reproduced in Figs. 4 and 5 of my said Case Az or G.

In this Case-G form of the invention, however, the inder'lens is' centric, so that it must project when the camera parts are assembled in their compact relative position of non-use.

My present invention, therefore, in its preferred form comprises, in addition to the grazing feature of the said Case G, the eccentric lens feature of my said other cases.

The rear sight, in its present preferred form, consists in a short depressed stra-ight edge formed by recessing the rear part of the camera, so that said straight edge shall contract transversely with, and project equally beyond the sides of, the lower flat triangular face of the rectangular pyramid formed by the group of rays proceeding from the finder lens to the observers eye.

In 'the accompanying drawings two different embodiments of the invention are shown.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a foldin pocket camera of a type which was made an sold in great numbers, prior to 1904, by the Eastman Kodak Company, of Rochester, N. Y., and which is here shown provided with a form of my eccentric lens finder that comprises a straight-edge rear sight, 115, 116. v

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, with winding key 101 omitted for clearness, and with parts broken away so as to show the eccentric finder lens, as well as the rear sight which coperates with it, both in vertical section.

Fig. 3 is an inside isometric perspective view of the metallic front part of the same camera, as modified to provide a suitable housing for the finder lens.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing a modified larger form of lens'housing.

yes

Fig. 5 is a face view of the same modified form with the finder lens in place.

Camera of Figs. 1 to 3.

Figsjl, 2 and 3 show my present invention-as applied to a type of foldingcamera which was made and sold in great numbers, prior to 1904, by the Eastman Kodak Company, of Rochester, N. 'Y., and which in the present embodiment is of the special size required for making a negative whose dimensions are 2 and i by 3 and inches.

The camera is well known and need not. be described, except in general terms. It comprises a film holding part 100 in which a rolled film is adapted to be unwound for exposure and rewound by means of a key 101.

Within the part 100 is mounted a peculiar system of linkages 102 carrying at its outer end the objective and shutter holding frame 103, 104, which is thus adapted to be pushed 'back into arecess of the film holding part 100, or to be easily pulled out into its position of use shown in Fig. 2. The front elevation, Fig. 1, of the camera is the same when the camera is folded as when it is opened up; in Fig. 1, however, the camera is supposed to be opened up, and for this reason the operators eye E is also shown reduced within the finder, at A, which is identical with point A of Figs. 2 and 3 -in my said Case Aq, where I have therefore, called the said point A the virtual eye.

The part 103 of the objective holding frame is made of metal and is directly connected vwith and really forms part of the system of linkages, being guided by it to move in and out of part 100, with verynearly parallel motion. The edges 105 of this part 103 are turned in, to form a recess into which the part 104 is adapted to fit snugly. Parts104 and 103 are fastened together by means of two screws 106. The part 104 has mounted in it the shutter; also the camera objective, whose center is indicated at S.

The part 103, as seen in Fig. 3, is made just as in the original camera, with the exception that the upper left-hand corner is modified to form a box-like housing 108, the lower side of which is entirely open. An eccentric lens 127 is trimmed to be easily introduced into housing 108 through this lower open side thereof, and it is firmly held in place by assembling parts 103 and 104, the latter being cut away, as seen in Fig. 2, to accurately close the lower open side of the lens housing. The lens need not be very firmly held. A little looseness and play, especially in the thickness, is not objectlonable, and, therefore, a certain roughness of finish is permissible. However, should 1t be desired to finish roughly and to prevent should then be trued to secure the proper degree of eccentricity.

The front wall and the rear wall of the housing have rectangular openings, the dimensions of which correspond to those of the camera. plate or film 123, to properly limit and define the finder field so it shall be the same as the camera field. These two openings may be cut, as in my said Case Ap, so

that the rear opening shall apparently be concentric with the front openingfor the operator when he has his eye in *the proper slghting position.

The line of' sight is,however, more easily and preferably determined in accordance with the present invention, that is to say, by forming a depressed straight-edge rear sight 115, 116 on the edge of part 100 and by making the lens of the proper eccentricity as explained in my said prior Case Aq, so Vthat the pyramid alpha (a), which incloses all the rays that proceed from'the finder- 127 to the eye at E, shall just rest on the straight edge 115, 116. This rear sight 115, 116 is easily formed by cutting a rectangular recess in the leather covering, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The camera as heretofore made was provided with two finders, one to be used with the long edges of the film in horizontal position, the other to be used when the camera is turned so that the long edges are held vertically, and in either case the camera, when used, had to be held at about the height of the Waist.

With my improved finder, one finder answers for the two positions just mentioned, and for any intermediate position, as well. Moreover, the camera in use is held just a little lower than the operators eye, that is, just about where it ought to be to show in the camera. the same picture as one sees naturally. Cameras adapted to be used waist high give undesirable perspectives and are difficult to use in a throng of people.

Camera of Figs. 4 wml 5.

On examining Fig. 5, it will be seen that there is ample room at the right-of the finder and 'below it for a larger finder. A

- stead, its inside vertical wall left open for the insertion of the finder lens. The part (not shown) corresponding to the block 104 of the rst form is trimmed to close the in the combination o 'lower part of the side opening and block the entrance of the housing so as to lock the v 2 (1, 2, 3) shows very clearly, but very meagerly describes, as partof a Breton hand camera, a finder which. seems to comprise a f divergent lens Vv mounted'on the lens sup-- vporting part of the camera, and a-rear. sight nountedv on the plate holding part of the camera. This Breton rear sight, however,

does projectl to a certain extent, and it is, moreover, concaved circularly,'as if intended for the lower half of a small circularly apertured pee sight. According to my invention, allo the finder .rays that proceedfrom.

'the' rectangular finder window to the observers eye are comprisedwithin vthe four flat triangular faces of a pyramid whose cross section is rectangular so thatv any rear l peep aperture located as mine is (about midway between the eye and the finderlens) should, if complete, be a relatively large rectangular window aboutone-ha'lf as large as the finder window itself; and such aperture would, furthermore, be so located with reference to the camera frame that the pyramidal group`of rays would beV made toLre'st flat upon the straight edge bottom of a rectangular recess cut into the body of the camera frame.

NOTE 2.'-This LaNatwre article of'Note l was reproduced in the Scientz'c American Supplement, New York, 1889, but the text relatingto the finder V is even less com-J.

plete than in the original French.

NOTE 3ra-Breton very likely had French patents, but they do not seem to have been published. s

NOTE 4.--The precise rules given in my said Case Ao for determining the best shape of the lens evidently apply in the present Case Ba. J

What I\ claim as my invention-and desire to secure by Letters vPatent is:

- 1.4 The combination'with -a photographic camera of the collapsible or folding type comprising: a forward part adapted to support, more or less directly, the photographic lens; a rear part adapted to receive and support, more or less directly, lthe sensitized v plate or lm; and means for holding said v two'camera parts in a separated relative po- "sition of usefor making exposures; of a" simple or compound diver ent lens fixed to the said forward part of t e camera; anda v coperating rear sight or mark for said divergent lens, on the said rear part of the camera; all elements being proportioned, ar-

^ranged, land held so that the4 group of finder rays that proceeds from the camera field through the finder lens, to the observers eye, shall pass grazngly over the said rear part ofthe camera. f

2. The combination with a photographic camera of the collapsible or folding type comprising: a forward part .adapted to support, more or lessdirectly, the photographlcl lens; a rear part adapted toreceive and support, more or less directly, the'sensitized Y platee-or' lm; and means for holding said' two camera parts in a separated relative position of use formaking exposures; of, a simple or compound divergentlens fixed `to the said forward part of the camera; and a coperating rear sight or mark for .said 'di-" vergent lens,- on the said rear part of the camera; all elements being proportioned, ar-

ranged, and held so that the group of finder rays that .proceeds from the camera eld through the finder lens, to the observers eye, shall pass grazin'gly over the said* rear part of the camera, said finder lens being, moreso i over, eccentric to such vdegree that it will be 1 non-projecting'when the said two camera parts are'compactly assembled in .their relative positions of vnon-use.l

In testimony whereof, I 'have signed my name to this specification JOSEPH BECKER;

Witness MARYv E. COWELL.

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