US942941A - Flash-light apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

..J. 'A. SMITH. FLASH LIGHT APPARATUS. unannourILnn inne. moo,

n* Patented Dec. 14. 1909.

1m amor; ,J %am'a Wfheses M v To all fit may conce-m:

JAY LEER SMITH, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FLASH-LIGHT AP'EARATUS.

Be i known that I, Jar Ateniir Saii'in. a citA fen of the United States, residing at Chie v. o, in the county of Cook and State of illinois, hare ini-ented certain new and useful Improvements in Flash-Light Apparatas. of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanyii'ie drawings, forming a part of this specifiminion. in which coi-responding numerals of reference in the different figures indicate like parts. Y

lily invei'ition relates to that class of flashlight apparatus which is provided with a receptacle in which to make the flash in order to prevent the dispersion of smoke and dust in "the surrounding atmosphere. Heretofore various makeshift expedients, such, for eX- ainple, as removing and emptying the receptacle after each tiash, have been resorted to for this purpose, but I am not aware thatl any device has been made whereby a succession of lashes may be made within the re- .fceptacle while preventing the escape of smoke. A. further ditliculty has been found in providing satisfactory means for simultaneously operating a camera shutter and "exploding a percussion cap to ignite a flashcl'iarge through the medium of a pneumatic bulb. Xot only does the force thus exerted vary so as to render it unreliable, but that which would insure the movement of the shutter would be wholly insuflicientI for the other purpose.

The object of my invention is to overcome. both of these ditliculties by providing a flash-light. iiect-ptacleV which shall be so arranged and @instructed in conibination with 'a movable closure, a flash-pan and igniting api'nnatus, as to enable a succession of tla'lies to be. made within the receptacle a allowing the pan to he removed withia'nitting the esci pe ofsniolte.

i'ther object is to provide means for j a uniform blow to cause the exploa fiilniinate or permission cap as a ran to connect with and simultaneously actuaie a camera shutter and to control said blow exerting means,

llo thc-se ends my invention consists in the con'ibina tion of elements hereinafter more particularly described and definitely claimed. i ln the f li'awings, Figure i, is an elevation showing a rear' ard view of a dash-light receptacle and its supporting frame, to the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led February G. 19139.

t' the action of'a pneumatic bulb ari Patented Dec. 14, 1909f sei-iai no. 476,577.

former of which my improvement is applied, Fig. Q is an enlarged view of the closure at the rear of the receptacle as it would appear with the slide in its normal position, .l `ig. l is a plan view of the slide mechanism and a portion of the removable flash-pan arranged to indicate the manner of detacliably connecting it with the permanent slide, the wall of the receptacle' being shown in section, Fig. -i is an enlarged elevation of the flash-pan, the permanent slide and a portion of the 1eceptacle,-tlie slide being displaced by the Hash-pan, which latter is in position for use, Fig. 5 is a vvertical sectional View taken upon the line 'i3-5, Fig. 2, and Fig. G is a like view taken upon the line 6-6, Fig. -i.

referring to the drawings, l represents gene ally a telescoping standard or support of well known construction having an adjustable .arm 2 jointedly secured to its upper end at 3, by means of the usual clan'iping nut. Suspended' from the arm 2, by means of rings l, or otherwise, is a flash-light receptacle preferably formed from inuslin or other similar fabric adapted to permit the passage of light, said fabric being held in the desired forni by means of any .suitable skeleton frame oi' other appliance for wholly or partially distending it. The receptacle is normally closed so as to retain therein the sinolie and other products of combustion resulting from the ignition of the flash light material. y

Formed in the rear wall of the receptacle is an oblong opening (3, which is covered b v a plate or frame 7, permanently attached to the fabric by means of rivets S. Said plate is preferably formed from sheet metal and has an oblong opening therein adapted to be normally closed by means of a sheet metal slide t), fitted to be moved longitudinally in grooves formed by means of two parallel flanges itl. attached to the plate 7. The

slide i) hasan outwardly bent liange il, upon,

engagement-therewith of acounterpart flange in the grooves 'formed by th'e/lianges ,1`0.

lhef part formi-ng the"`iiashpan is projected rearwardly, as shown at 16, so as to'form a y. horizontal ledge 17 therein for'thepurpose of vholding the. flash-powder, while the up, wardly and fdrwaiidly inclined wall of the pan 'abojve the.' ledge, vserves tov deiect the flash forwardly at an angle away from the' rear wall of the receptacle, thereby protecting. the. latter iagainstI possible ignition. An

opening 18, Fig. 4, is formed 'n .the bottom 17 of th pan, above which is projected an anvil 19, iigs. 4 and 6, thevbody of which is rigidly attached to thepan.v A spring 20, has one end attached at 21 beneath the bottom 17, while near the free endl thereof is attached a hamr'ner 22 adapted.,- when the .spring isreleased, to pass through the opening 18 and strike against a prcussion cap 23 placed upon the bottom of the pan over said opening beneath the anvil 19. The cap is made of thin paper arrangedto inelose a fulminate and is lintended to, be wholly or partially covered by. th'e flash-light powder, which is 'prevented thereby from falling through 'the opening. A trigger 24, Figs. and 6,' is pivoted at 25 tov'a bracket 26, which Ais rigidly attached to'I the flash-pan. vSaid trigger is in the form of a bent lever, inthe shortv arm 'of which is formed a notch 2 6 adapted to engage the end of the. spring 20 and hold it under tension away from the anvil. The long arm of the'lever is adapted to rest by gravity upon 'the upper end of a 'metal tube 27,-rigidly attached to the bracket 26. Said tube is open at the top and is vprovided with a loose plunger 2S, which rests upon a suitable ledge at the lower end, said plunger being made, as shown, cdnsiderably shorter than and of suilicient weight so that when actuated, it may -acquire a considerable speed and momentum before striking the trigger. Thel tube 27 is connected by'means of a iexible tube 29 with a ,pneumatic bulb 80,'Fig. 1, which inturn is connected in the usual way by Vmeansof a like tube 31 with the auto-I matic shutter ofa camera 32. D

Having thus described my `1nvent1on, 1

ill now explain its operation: The percus sioncap being placed upon the bot-torn 17 of the pan over light-powder thereunder,- the pan frame is retained in a vertical position while the hook portion 13, is connected with the corresponding part 12 of the slide 9 in vthe manner indicated in Fig. 3. I The plate 14 of the flashpan is than pushed interthe g. ooves 1n which the tube in which it is placed the opening 18 with the flashy i notch 26a.

Iin 'the grooves.

the sneed is:

:li re, as'showni covering the oper.A posite said open pan being some ,9, a portion of t,

the spring 20 is Fig. 4, until it trigger sutlicien yf spring to pass be The bu. thereby causing the A jected upwardly so as tf. ,1 blow upon the arm 24 ei t e trigger, ,i by releasing-the'spring and causing the' hamlmer to` strike the cap against the anvil with sufficient force tinsurean explosion and ignite the {iash-pow'der in the pan.. The same compression vof the bulbcauses the camera shutter vto be simultaneously actuated to expose the plate. Then the expo-v "sure is made the operator grasps the handle 34 upon t-he flash-pan and 'moves itto the yright until itis withdrawn from'the grooves. The result'of this action is to return -theslide 9 to its normal position over the opening when the hook upon the end of the plate 14 may.beidisconnectedv and the operation repeated yw1thout--permitting an escape of/ smoke. .Y

l It is obvious that only a -slight'- force is necessary-to actuate the trigger and release the spring- 20,/ and as this is alccbmplished by means of aquir blow from the plunger, its release is assured. `Moreover, the hammer stroke from the spring being uniform,

the explosionv of the cap .is-re dered certain.

. Having thus deseribed m invcntion, I

claim 1 1. A flash-light apparatusin which is combined a normally closed' receptacle for containing a hash-lamp,` saidreceptacle having an.operiinginxone of its walls, a'slide for .closing said opening a slidab'le Hash-pan arranged to move in the pathway of said slide to displace 'the same without uncovering saidopening, said flash-pan being provided with a rearwardly projecting horizontal ledge for the reception of flash-light material with a forwardly inclined wall extending upwardlygtherefrom for deflectingthe iiash away from the rear wall of the receptacle. and means for igniting flash-light material upon said-ledge when saidiiash-pan is in position to cover the opening in said receptacle.

2. A flash-light apparatus, in which is combined a normally closed receptacle for containing ariiash-lamp, said receptacle having' byv moving in the pathway thereof whileconnected therewith withoutuncovering said opening, and means connected with said pan from without for lgmtmg flashlight material t-herein.

3. A flash-light a paratus, in which is combined a normally ed receptacle for containing a flashlamp"said receptacle having an opening in one of itswalls, a slide for closing said opening, a flash-pan arranged to move in the pathway of said slide to dis'- place it without uncovering said' opening, an anvil within said pan opposite to an openino', a spring-controlled hammer outside of said pan in position to strike said anvil through said opening, a trigger for holding the hammer-controlling spring flexed, a pneumatic bulb, and means actuatedthereby for releasing said trigger.

4f. In a flash-light apparatus, the combination with a flash-pan having an anvil upon one of its walls opposite to an opening, of a hammerl upon-the oppositeside of said wall in 4position to strike said anvil through said opening, a spring for actuating said hammer` a trigger for holding the spring flexed, said trigger having an arm extending across the open upper end of a stationary vertical tube, a disconnected plunger loosely fitted therein, said plunger-being of lesser length than that of the tubeto enable it to acquire momentum and velocity before .striking the trigger, and a pneumatic bulb in connection withsaid tube, whereby a quick forceful blow as distinguished from a yielding pneumatic pressure, may be delivered against said trigger toinsure its release.

5. In a flash-light apparatus, the combination with a flash-pan having a horizontal. ledge for the reception of flash-light material for ignition, said flash-pan having'a forwardly inclined wall extending upwardly from the rear .of said ledge to deflect the flash away fromA the rear wall of the receptacle, an anvil above said ledge opposite to an opening therein, a spring actuated hammer beneath said led e in position to strike said anvil, a trigger or releasing said hammer, a tube having anv open end in operative proximity to said trigger, a pneumatic bulb in connection with said-"tube, and a loose plunger within and of shorter length than the tube, whereby the compression of the bulb may cause the plunger to be shot against the trigger with sufiicient force and velocity to insure its release.

G fln a4 flashlight apparatus, the combination with a flash-pan having an anvil upon one of its walls opposite to an opening therein, of a hammer upon the opposite side of said wall in position to strike said anvil through `said opening, a spring for actuating'said hammer. a gravity trigger' consisting of a pivoted bent lever ha vingone arm arranged to rest upon an open ended tube while the other is notched to engage said spring when flexed, an open ended tube having a loose plunger therein. a camera shutter, an air conduit for connecting said shutter with said open ended tube, and a pneumatic bulb interposed in the air conduit.

In' testimony whereof', I have signed this specification in thepresenee of' two ibs-cribing witnesses, this fourth da)v of Felauarv JAYl ALBERT SM I'l` l l.

Yitnesses D. H. FLETCHER, J'. B. LANDON.

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