Photography – With film drive – Mechanical detail
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-06
2002-10-08
Gray, David M. (Department: 2851)
Photography
With film drive
Mechanical detail
C396S440000, C396S538000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06461060
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera, and more particularly to a camera providing a rear cover molded from plastics.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
Several kinds of cameras are recently supplied in the market. The cameras have a main body integrally formed with an exposure aperture and guide rails for guiding a photo film behind the exposure aperture, which causes a complex structure of the main body. The guide rails must be formed exactly, as they are planed, in order to make a precise regulation of the position of the photo film. However, the change of the molding temperature often has an influence on the main body. For example, a change of the temperature easily extends or shrinks materials such that the main body may have a deformed shape. Accordingly, the guide rails are hardly molded from plastics with high precision.
In order to solve the problem, the Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. H6-43638 proposes a camera in which an exposure aperture and guide rails are integrated with a rear cover, and the rear cover is attached to a main body. In this camera, the influences during molding, for example deformation of the guide rails, become smaller, and the guide rails can be formed more precisely.
In the main body, a cassette chamber, a take-up chamber, a battery room and the like are formed. The main body is formed by molding plastic with a plurality of metallic molds having complex shapes. After molding the main body, the molds are retracted in several directions. The main body cannot have its parts in a region in which the metallic molds are retracted. Accordingly, there are some parts which cannot be integrally formed with the main body. Such parts are separately molded from plastics, and then fixed to the main body or the rear cover with screws and the like, which causes a complex process for production of the camera and increases the cost. Further, it is necessary to keep spaces for attachment of the parts. Accordingly, the camera hardly becomes smaller.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A main object of the present invention is to provide a camera which can be produced at a low cost.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a camera whose size is smaller.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a camera in which some members are integrated with a rear cover.
In order to achieve the above objects, in a camera of the present invention, a rear cover is attached to a main body, and a cassette chamber and a take-up chamber are provided in respective both sides of the main body. The rear cover includes an outer cover section and a frame section. In the frame section, an exposure aperture and guide rails are formed. The exposure aperture determines an exposure area on the photo film, and the guide rails are disposed on both sides of the exposure aperture for guiding the photo film. A light-shielding segment is provided on the frame section to form a partition wall between the take-up chamber and a battery room.
Further, a guide plate is formed on the frame section for guiding an end of the photo film fed in the take-up chamber toward a periphery of a spool which is provided in the take-up chamber. Furthermore, a rear cover is attached to the main body with a hinge. In order to hold a shaft member of the hinge, a protrusion is formed on the outer cover section of the rear cover.
According to the invention, a light-shielding property of the take-up chamber is increased and the cost for producing the camera becomes lower. Further, as the partition wall and the like are integrated with the rear cover, the size of the camera becomes smaller.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5984535 (1999-11-01), Fukuda et al.
patent: 6078749 (2000-06-01), Rydelek et al.
patent: 6249646 (2001-06-01), Chen
patent: 6328486 (2001-12-01), Honda
patent: 6-43638 (1994-06-01), None
Arnold Bruce Y.
Arnold International
Fuji Photo Optical Co., LTD
Gray David M.
Nguyen Michelle
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