US745324A

US745324A - Vignetter.

Info

Publication number: US745324A
Application number: US15136803A
Authority: US
Inventors: Mason V Carter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1903-04-06
Filing date: 1903-04-06
Publication date: 1903-12-01
Anticipated expiration: 1920-12-01

Description

PATBNTED DEG. 1,- 1903.

M. V. CARTER.

VIGNETTER.

AMLIOATION FILED un. s, 190s.

FO MODEL.

ivo. 745,324.

UNITED STATES 'atented December 1, 19035 PATENT OEEICE.

VIGNETTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,324, dated December 1, 1903. Application iiled April 6, 1903. Serial No. 151,368. (No model.)

To all whom, it ntay concern:

Beit known that 1, MASON V. CARTER, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Jefferson, in the county of Jefferson and State of lVisconsin, have invented a new and useful Vignetter, of which the following is a specification.

rllhis invention relates to vignetters, and has for its object to provide a support for a vignetting-card by means of which the height and angle of inclination of the card may be adjusted by the photographer without leaving his station behind the camera.

A further object of the invention is to improve the construction and operation of vignettes, so that the adjustments thereof may be effected with less difficulty and in less time than in vignetters as heretofore constructed.

A further object of the invention is to simplify the construction of vignetters and to so form and arrange the parts as to present a neat and attractive appearance at all times and to be readily foldable, so as to occupy but little space when not in use.

iVith the obj eet above stated and others in view, which will appear when the invention is more fully disclosed, the same consists, generally stated, in a supp0rting-arm pivotally connected with the forward end of a camera stand, a card-holder mounted .on the free end of said pivoted arm, and means operable by the photographer from his position behind the camera for raising and lowering said supporting-arm and adjusting the position of the card-holder thereon.

In describing` the invention reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which corresponding parts are designated by the same characters of reference throughout the various views in which they appear, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, proportions, and exact mode of assemblage of the elements exhibited without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing and of its advantages.

1n' the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in per speetive of a camera-stand with my improved vignetter attached thereto, the parts of the vignetter being disposed in operative position. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the vignetter and the top of a camera-stand. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a camera stand with the vignetter in inoperative position. Figs. i and 5 are detail views showing the construction of the extensible ad justing-rod and the means for locking the operating-rods in position.

A Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a eamerastand of ordinary type having attached thereto at the forward end by means of screw-eyes 2 the main shaft 3 of the vignetter. The main shaft il has projecting in alinement with the median line of the camerastand an arm A1, composed of telescopic members 5 and C, which are adjustable in position by means of a clamping-collar 7 and which forms the main supporting-arm of the vignetter. 'The section 5 is rigidly secured to the main shaft 3 in any desired manner. Section G has at its forward end a rounded head 8, provided with a transversely-disposed opening for the insertion of a pivot 0, upon which is mounted an arm 10, preferably formed of sheet metal and having a U-shaped cross-section, as shown. The arm 10 is provided at its upper end with a clip 11 for supporting a vignetting-eard 12 of the usual type. As the arm 10 supports the clip 11, it will hereinafter be referred to as the clip-arm7 or clip-supporting arm.

The main shaft 3 has inserted into one side thereof a pair of screw-eyes 13, which afford journals for the crank-shaft 1l, at each end of which there is a curved terminal lying in a plane substantially at right angles to the main portion of the crankshaft. One of said terminals lies immediately adjacent to the arm 4:, and the curvature thereof is directed forward. The other terminal of the crankshaft is adjacent to the end of the main shaft 3 and is directed rearward. Pivotally attached to the first-named terminal is a connectingrod 15, composed of two half-round members 1G and 17, connected by means of a clampingcollar 1S. The member 1G has its end connected with one terminal of the crankshaft 14 and is downwardly curved, as shown. The member 17 has its end connected with the clipsupporting arm 11 and is upwardly curved, as is also shown in the drawings. At the right end of main shaft 3, which is adjacent to one end of the crank-shaft 11i, there is rigidly mounted a curved arm 1i), having substantially the same curvature as the adjacent terminal of crank-shaft 1li. The curved arm lil and the adjacent termimtl oi.' crank-shaft 'l-lare connected by means el. curved links 2U and 2l with operating-

rods

22 and 23, pret'- erably ol.- the forni shown, each having' at its Verward end an upwardly-bent portion, designated -land and terminating at the rear in eyes 2b' and 27. The operating-rods and L pass rearward through guide-loops 28 and 21), and in order to hold them in any desired position the operating-rods are provided on their under surfaces with notches BO, which are adapted to be brought into engagement by the resiliency ot' the nutterial of which the rods are composed with a lug 3l, formed by bending upward the rear end ot' the base ot' the guide 2f).

The clip l l, in which the vignette-card l2 is supported, nniy be ot" any suitable construction, but the preferred ilorm is that illustrated, and consists ol' a rod il?, having a central horizontal portion 33 and upturned ends Zit, and the spring clamping member 235, the ends olf which are coiled around the horizontal portion 32 ot' rod Il and lock against the upturned ends 231), thus causing the spring to engage normally with the upturned ends ot the rod, as shown.

ln use the lengths oli' supporting-arm -i and coniiecting-rijiifl ,l5 are adjusted by means otl the ciampiiig-collars provided thereon to suit the focal length olf the lens Ot' the camera with which the vignetter is used. The vignette-card l2 is mounted in the clip ill in the usual way, and the device is set in position by means olf the operating-iods 22 and 225. lto( 2:. is connected with link 20, which is in. turn connected with arm l?. Rod is connected with link 2l, which is pivotally connected with the terminal ot" crank-shaft l-i, so that a pull upon the rod 22 will cause the elevation oil the arm land a pull upon

rod

2,13 will turn the crank-shaft l-.t in its bearings and through the connecting-rod l5 will swing the clip-supporting arm .1.0 toward the camera. The notches on the under suriliaee ot' each of the operating-rods are so t'ormed that the .rods may be drawn backward freely over the lug 3l without obst-ruction therei'rom; but when the rods are released the notches will be engaged by the upturned lug on the base of guide member 2t), thus preventing the rods from moving torward. ln order to lower the vignettor when it is desired to iold it and get vit ont ot' the way, the rear ends oi' the operating-rods must be raised before they can be moved forward to lower the sections of the vignette. As it is desirable when the vignetter is out of use to have the clip ,ll held in as nearly vertical position as possible to keep the card out ol. the way, the operating-rod 23, by means of which the position et the vignetter is adjusted, will be normallyT held in retracted position, with the terminals ot the crank-shaft1.4 disposed upward, so that the vignetter will be held. in the position shown in Fig.

As the ends ot' the operating-arnis and 23 lie near the rear portion of the camerastand and as they alone iorm the means [for controlling the movementoli' the vignettecard after the length of the suppin'ting-arm -i has been adjusted to the local. length oli' the camera-lens, it is clear that the photographer will not be obliged to lea've his position behind the camera in order to adi ust the vignetter-card to the desired position, but the desired adjustment may be accoml'ilished as well from the position behind the camera by means of the operating-rods as it could be done by hand if he were in front of the eamera. Indeed, aside from the gain ihn time resulting from the photographer not having to leave his position behind the camera there is an additional gain, because the adjustments may be ei'iected wh ile the photographer is watching` the ei'tect ot' the vignetter as seen upon the ground glass et the camera and is thus enabled to tell at once when the desired adjustment is obtained. \Vhen a vignetter is adjusted from the i'iont oli' a camera, it is necessary at'ter making each al'iproximate adjustment to return to the rear ol. the camera to observe Pjust what the el't'ect is, and consequently it is only at'ter a succession ol attempts to set the vignetter in proper position that it can be accomplished. By the device hereinbeiore described it is possible to set the vignette in almost exactly proper position at the Iirst attempt, as the height oi' the vignette card is controlled by the lever, which may be set Very accurately at the first eilort, and the inclination ot' the vignette card, which will not materially all'ect the height oi' the upper edge thereof, is accomplished by another lever, so that only one lever need be operated at a time and the photographei"s attention maybe directed solely to the ellect oi the vignetter and not to the means ol.' adjusting it.

Having thus described the construction and operation oi my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent7 is` l. rlhe combination in a vignetter of a supporting-arm adapted to be pivotallyeonnected with the forward end ol a camera-stand and to hang normally downward, a clip-arm at the l'ree end ol said supporting-arm, and means operable from the rear of the camerastand for raising and securing said supporting-arm in position.

i?. The combination in a vignetter ot' a supporting-arm adapted to be pivotallyconnected with the front end of a camera-stand and to hang normally downward, a clip-arm pivotally connected with the l'ree end of said supporting-a rm, operating means connected with said supporting-arm and operable from the rear ot' the camera-stand, and means also operable from the rear of a camera-stand for folding said clip-arm against said supportingarm..

3. The combination in a vignetter, ot' a sha-ft, bearings for said shaft on the front eli' IOC IIO

ISO

the camera-stand, a supporting-arm `rigidly secured to said shaft, a clip-arm 'pivotally mounted at the front end of said supportingarm, a crank-shaft supported in bearings provided on the first-mentioned shaft, connections between said crank-shaft and said cliparm, and separate operating means operable from the rear of the camera-stand for the shaft carrying the supporting-arm and the crank-shaft mounted thereon.

4. The combination in a yignetter of a shaft,a supporting-arm rigidly secured to said shaft, bearings for said shaft on the front end of a camera-stand, an arm rigidly attached to one end of said shaft, an operating-rod mounted in guides on said camera-stand, a link conv necting said operating-rod and said arm, and

means for engaging said operating-rod to hold said supporting-arm in any position.

5. The combination in a Vignetter of a shaft pivotally mounted on the front end of a camera-stand, a supporting-aim rigidly attached to said shaft, a clip-arm pivotally connected with the free end of said supportingarm, a crank-shaft mounted in bearings on said first-mentioned shaft, a connecting-rod attached at one end to a terminal of said crank-shaft and at the other end to said cliparm, and devices operable from the rear of the camera-stand for adjusting the position of the first-mentioned shaft and adjusting the position of said crank-shaft.

G. The combination in a vignetter of a shaft pivotally attached to the front end of a camera-stand, an extensible supporting-arm rigidly mounted on said shaft, a lever-arm secured also to said shaft, a crank-shaft pivotally mounted on said first-mentioned shaft, a clip-arm pivotally mounted on the free end of said supporting-arm, an extensible connection between said crank-shaft and said cliparm, operating-rods forthe rst mentioned shaft and the crank-shaft slidably mounted on the camera-stand, links connecting said operating-rods with a lever-arm on said firstmentioned shaft, and a terminal on the crankshaft, and means provided on the camerastand for engaging said operafin g-rods to hold them in any desired position.

7. The combination in a Vignetter of a su pportingnrm pivofally attached to the forward end of a camera-stand, a clip-arm pivotally attached to the free end of said sup porting-arm, means for adjusting the position of said clip-arm on said supporting-arm, and means for raising and lowering the said supporting-arm comprising an operating-rod associated with said supporting-arm, guideways for said rod mounted on said camerastand, a series of notches on the under snrface of said rod, and a lug on said stand adapted to engage Withsaid notches.

ln testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own l have hereto affixed my sign ature in the presence of two witnesses.

MASON V. CARTER.

Witnesses ADAM G. Fncns, W. A. Muon.