US548279A - von kilanyi - Google Patents

Description

3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

"E. VON K ILANYI. APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING TABLEAUX VIVANTS. Patented Oct. 22

(No Model.)

ANDREW BJERMMM PHOTO'UD'IQWASNINGTUNI C (No Model.) B VON KI LANYI' 3 Sheets-Sheena APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING TABLBAUX VIVANTS. No. 548,279. Patented 001;. 22, 1 95.

human nunmndroummmsmnmnnc.

. also in horizontal section.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. Y

EDUARD VON KILANYI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERT BIAL, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR'EXHIBITING TABLEAUX VIVANTS.

:EPEGI ICA'II'DN forming part of Letters Fatent No. 548,279, dated October 22, 1895.

- Application filed April 3,1895. Serial No. 544,248. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDUARD VON KILANYI, a citizen of Austria-Hungary, and a resident of the city of New York, in'the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Apparatus for Exhibiting Tableaux Vivants, of which the following is a specification.

. This invention relates to a new and improved apparatus fordisplaying and exhibiting tableaux vivants, or living pictures.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus of this kind, which is so constructed that the persons or groups of persons and the necessary stage properties forming the tableaux or pictures can be moved at a greater or less speed across the frame-opening in the proscenium or ourtain through which the audience views the pictures, and which apparatus is so constructed that it can be built up for use or taken apart for transportation or storage very readily and rapidly, and when not in use can be stored in a comparatively small space, and which apparatus can readily be used for large or small framed openings in the proscenium or curtain.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the views, Figure 1 is a front View of the frame in the proscenium or curtain-opening and a tableaux vivant in said frame, parts of the apparatus being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a plan view 'of one end part of my improved apparatus for displaying tableaux vivant, parts being in horizontal section and others brokenout. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on the line 3 3*, Fig. 3. Fig. a is a plan view of the other end of the apparatus, parts being Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4, parts being in section.

The several persons or groups of persons and stage properties forming the tableaux vivant are arranged and grouped on a series of flat cars A, the floors of which gently incline upwardfrom'the front edge at to the rear edge a for'the purpose of producing the necessary perspective effect. Each car is provided at one end with a wide-rim flanged wheel B at each side and at the other end with a narrow-rim flanged wheel B, the flanges of the wheels being on the inner faces and the flanges of the wide and narrow rim wheels being in the same longitudinal planes, as shown, so that the flanges of the wide-rim wheels, as well as those of the narrow rimwheels, run along the inner edges of the trackrails O and S, on which the wheels run. The top track-rails O are supported on a series of rectangular frames 0', which are suitably braced andv stifiened and are placed in line, one'next to the other, directly behind the frame D,'placed in the proscenium of the stage or a greater distance back from the proscenium, suitable scenery D or curtains extending from the sides of said frame to the wings in the usual and well-known manner. A greater or less number of supporting-frames O are used, according to the size of the opening of the frame D.

A blade E projects longitudinally and centrally from the under side of each car A and has one end a short distance back from one end of the car'to which it is attached and the other end projecting a short distance beyond the other end of the car, as shown in Fig. 3. At that end of said blade E, a 'short distance inward or back from the end of the car, a notch is provided in the bottom edge of the blade to form a hook E, for a purpose that will appear hereinafter. A hook E projects downward from the under side of each car a greater or less distance to one side of the longitudinal central line and slightly in advance of the hook E, as shown in Fig. 3.

. A beveled guide-block G is arranged adjacent to each wheel of each car, as shown in Figs. 4: and 5, for a purpose that will be set forth hereinafter.

At the starting end of the apparatus two frames H and H are placed end to end, the frame H resting against one of the end supporting-frames C, as shown in Figs. 3'and 4.

At the top of the frame H and inner end of the same the transverse driving-shaft'J is mounted, which is provided .with the crank driving-wheel J at one'end, and which shaft carries the worm J engaging the worm-wheel I on the lower end of short shaft I, mounted in the frame H and carrying at its upper end the horizontal friction-disk 1 having its rim covered with leather or rubber and in contact with a second friction-wheel I mounted on a shaft I, also mounted in the frame II.

The blades E of the cars pass between the two friction-disks, and when said disks are turned they move the blade E and the car to which it is attached lengthwise evenly and smoothly and without any jars or shocks that might disturb the persons posing as pictures, statuary, &c., on the cars.

Inclined track-rails K, of sufficient width to receive the narrow-rim wheels B of the cars only, extend from the lower inner corner of the frameI-I to the upper outer corner of the frame 1-1, and track-rails K, adapted to receive the wide-rim wheels 13, extendfrom the lower inner corner of the frame H tothe upper inner corner of the frame H, as shown, the track-rails K being arranged outside of the track-rails K, as shown in the detail'sectional view, Fig. 3.

At the upper endsof the track-rails-K and K recesses L and L. are formed in the trackrails 0 and upwardly swinging switchtongues M and M, as shownin Figs. 2 and 3, are pivoted to the track-rails G so as to cover the recesses L and L when said switchtongues M and M are in lowered position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3.

An endless chain N passes over a sprocketwheel 0 on a crank-shaft O, mounted in the upper outer corner of the'frame H, and over a sprocket-wheel 0 on a transverse shaft 0 mounted in the lower inner corner of the frame H, as shown in Fig. 3, andsaidchain N is provided with a series of lugs II-from which pins P project laterally, which pins can engage the hooksE projecting'fromthe under side of the cars A. At the opposite end of the apparatus two frames Q and Q are arranged end to end and adjacent to the end supporting-frame O, asshownin Figs. 4 and'5. Inclined track-rails R are provided in said frames Q and Q, and are inclined from the lower inner corner of frameQ to the upper outer corner of the frame Q and lead to the bottomlongitudinal track-rails S on the supporting-frames (J. The top rails C of the frame Q are provided at their inner ends and inner edges with recesses T, extending through the entirethickness of said rails,-but only of such depth that the narrow-rimwheelsB can pass through them,.but not the .widerim wheels B. Inclined guide-bars U,-having recesses U at their lower ends, extendtfromthe recesses T to the inclined track-rails R.

The top track-rails C of the frame Q are provided at their ends with the recesses V, through which the wide-rim wheels Bean pass upon the upper .ends of the inclined track-rails R'inthe frames Q and Q.

An endless chain W, having lugs W with laterally-projecting pins W, is passed over the sprocket-wheel O on the shaft '0 and the wheels Bontne tracks K.

over the sprocket-wheel X on the shaft X, mounted in the bottom part of the frame Q.

A curtain Z, on which the background is painted, is attached to two vertical rollers Y and Y, behind the framesO of which the roller Y is driven by the chain d from the sprocket-wheel e on the shaft 1 and the roller Y driven from the roller Y by means of the endlesschain cl.

The operation is as follows: The first of the series of groups or persons for the tableaux vivaut are properly posed and placed on. a car resting on the frames H and H, and

said car is then pushed forward until its blade E is between the friction-disks 1 so that said car will be moved in the direction of itslength when the disksare turned. The successive groups or persons arethen successively posed and'arranged on the following cars, which are pushed forward filizlhBPI'OIJGl time, so that the several groups or persons constituting the tableaux successively appear in and slowly move across the opening in the framejI), the background Z being unwoundwith the same speed from one rollerY and wound on the other roller Y. -For example,,the first persons or groups may represent works of Grecian art, as shown, then followgroups representing subjects of the early Christian era,-then groupsrepresenting art of the middle ages, then of the Renaissance period, then of the Rococo period, then the art inthe early part of the present century, then the schools of the various nations, and, finally, groups representing the art of the present day, 850'. In a like manner groups may be slowly passed across the opening in the frame D representing scenes from a popular novel-for example, Trilby-or scenes from the life of celebrated men-for example, George :Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon I. The movements of the cars should be so asto be hardly perceptible,but nevertheless the cars must be constantlyin motion. When the ears arrive at the frame Q',.the.persons on the sameinstantly dismount and the cars drop upon the inclinedtrack R, the nar row rear wheel B passing through the re cesses T and thewider front wheels 13, which passed over the recesses T, passing through the recesses V. To prevent the cars from bumping toomuch and descendingtoo rapidly, the guide-blocks G have been provided, whichslide 0E :the'inelined sides of the recesses T and'V and on theinclined guides U. The cars run down the inclined tracks R upon the'bottomtracksSof the framesO and their hooks-.Eareengaged bythe pins W on the lugs \V of the endless chain W, and thereby thecarsare drawn back to the frames 11 and H, where theirhooks E are engaged by the pins P of the endless chain N'and the cars are pulled up theinclined tracks K and K, the wheels B running .upthe tracks K and The ends of theascendingcar lift the switch-tongues M and :M and the cars then run upon the tracks 0 of the frame H and areready for receiving persons or groups and to be again moved across the opening in the frame D, and so on.

A limited number of cars thus suffices for exhibiting a number of persons or groups successively, as each .car is automatically returned to the initial position to be used again.

The entire apparatus cab can be built up for use and taken down in a very short time and can easily be transported.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a frame of a set of tracks on the top of the same, a second set of tracks directly below the top tracks and parallel therewith, and inclined tracks extending upward and outward from the bottom tracks to the top tracks at both ends of the tracks, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination with a supporting frame, having top and bottom tracks, of cars mounted to run on said tracks, inclined tracks at the end of said frame for guiding the cars to and from said upper tracks and switch tongues at the upper ends of the inclined tracks, at one end of the frame, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination with a supporting frame having top and bottom tracks, of cars mounted to run on said tracks and having wide rim wheels at one end and narrow rim wheels at the opposite end and of inclined tracks at the ends of the frame for guiding the cars to and from the upper tracks, substantially as herein shown and described.

4. The combination with a frame having parallel top and bottom tracks, of cars mounted to run on the same, inclined tracks at the ends of said frame for guiding the cars to'and from the upper tracks, a longitudinal blade on the under side of each car, which blade has a hook on its end, friction wheels mounted in the frame for moving said blades and the cars to which they are attached, lengthwise and a sprocket chain having lugs for engaging the hooks on the blades, substantially as herein shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention Ihave signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 16th day of March,

EDUARD VON KILANYI. Witnesses:

OSCAR A. GUNZ, D. PETRI-PALMEDO.

Images