Dear Sundialers, Thanks to a number of you good folks inputs on methods of retreiving patents, here is a tinyurl address for the first page of Russell Porter's patent on the Reflecting Telescope. http://tinyurl.com/23w6gy If you do not see the first page of the patent with it's drawing you will need to install a tiff viewing plugin for your browser. Clicking on the small red help will take you to a page you can download it from. Again, I prefer Alternatiff as it is free, has been recommended by the patent office the longest, works very quickly, clicks and drags to magnify and works with all three of my most used browsers. I also prefer using it over downloading pdf files for most purposes as I can look at the first page of many patents and thus make sure I have the ones I'm seeking, then download them as pdf's if I want to keep them. Doing extensive patent searches is much easier ( for me ) this way. Your experience may differ.
Also, in looking up references through Google books from around the time this garden telescope was being sold, I ran into many oblique statements and quotes that indicated that it's use was like a garden sundial, but only in it's ornamental purpose, not functionally as a sundial. Being addicted to sundials, my first thought when I see something is "how would that work as a sundial?" I apologize for getting carried away! Enjoy the Light! Edley McKnight > Hello Friends, > > The Summer 2007 issue of Vermont Life magazine contains a nice > article on Stellafane, a convention of amateur telescope makers which > convenes each summer in Vermont, USA. > > Prominent among its founders was Russell W. Porter, architect, > artist, mechanical genius, Arctic explorer, telescope maker, and > dialist. > > A sidebar features Porter's Garden Telescope, described as an elegant > combination of a sundial and a reflecting telescope. A replica is > being produced by Fred and Russ Schleipman of Norwich, Vermont. Point > your browser at: > > http://www.gardentelescopes.com/ > > (be sure to read the "History" and "About Us" pages) > > > Porter designed and produced several different cast bronze sundials. > Some may be owned by members of this List. > > My question is, how, exactly, does the elegant device pictured in the > magazine (and on the website) function as a sundial? > > Best wishes, > > Mac Oglesby > > (Who, 60+ years ago, was walking round and round the barrel, trying to > make a reflecting telescope mirror.) > > > > > > > > > --------------------------------------------------- > https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial >
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