Photography – Self-developing camera – Including means to treat superimposed material
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-07
2004-08-17
Gray, David M. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Self-developing camera
Including means to treat superimposed material
C396S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06778765
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera that feeds a photographed photosensitized material out thereof by sandwiching it between a pair of rollers, and a transport apparatus that transports a sheet-like or web-like transported material by sandwiching it between a pair of rollers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Instant cameras have been known into which stacked sheet-like instant photograph films are loaded and which takes a photograph on the loaded instant photograph film and feeds the photographed instant photograph film out of the camera by sandwiching the film between a pair of revolving rollers.
FIG. 1
is a diagram showing a part of a vertical section of such an instant camera.
FIG. 1
shows a camera enclosure
11
of an instant camera
1
, an instant film pack
14
that allows a plurality of stacked unexposed instant photograph films
12
to be loaded inside the instant camera
1
, a film discharge port
15
through which a photographed instant photograph film is discharged out of the instant camera, and a pair of revolving rollers
3
and
13
driven to feed an exposed instant photograph film to the film discharge port
15
.
In
FIG. 1
, the right surface of each unexposed instant photograph film
12
in the instant film pack is an exposed surface, whereas the left surface thereof is an image formed surface on which an image appears. A developer pod
12
a
in which developer is sealed is disposed at a position of each unexposed instant photograph film
12
which corresponds to the upper side of
FIG. 1. A
trap
12
b
in which excess developer is collected is disposed at a position of each unexposed instant photograph film
12
which corresponds to the lower side of FIG.
1
.
FIG. 2
is a diagram showing a rotation mechanism for the pair of revolving rollers shown in FIG.
1
.
FIG. 2
shows a pair of revolving rollers
3
and
13
, gears
31
and
131
each coaxially fixed to a corresponding one of the pair of revolving rollers and meshing with each other, and a reduction gear
20
meshing with a gear
131
coaxially fixed to the revolving roller
13
.
The gear
131
meshes not only with the reduction gear
20
but also with the gear
31
, so that drive force of a motor (not shown) is transmitted to the gear
131
via the reduction gear
20
to rotate the revolving roller
13
(shown closer to the reader in FIG.
2
), to which the gear
131
is fixed. The drive force is also transmitted to the gear
31
, which meshes with the gear
131
, to rotate the revolving roller
3
(shown further from the reader in FIG.
2
), to which the gear
31
is fixed. The revolving roller
3
, shown further from the reader in
FIG. 2
, is forced by a spring (not shown) in a direction in which it is pressed against the revolving roller
13
, shown closer to the reader in
FIG. 2. A
photographed instant photograph film is fed out of the camera against the force.
When a photograph is taken using the instant camera
1
, photographing light from the right of
FIG. 1
impinges on the exposed surface of the instant photograph film. The photographed instant photograph film is drawn up from the instant film pack
14
using a claw (not shown). The drawn-up film is fed out of the camera by sandwiching it between the revolving rollers. In this case, the developer pod
12
a
, provided for the instant photograph film
12
, is pressed by the revolving rollers and torn and opened. The photographed instant photographic film is developed by developer flowing out from the torn and opened developer pod
12
a
. Further, the previously described trap
12
b
contains an absorbent (not shown) that absorbs excess developer and that is difficult to crush. Thus, the trap
12
b
constitutes a thicker part of the instant photograph film.
In order to meet the recent demand for a reduction in size of portable equipment, it is contemplated that the size of the camera main body is reduced by reducing the diameter of the revolving rollers to omit the resulting unwanted space.
However, when the diameter of the revolving rollers is reduced, the interval between the axes of the revolving rollers decreases. This forces a reduction in diameter of the gears coaxially fixed to the respective revolving rollers and meshing with each other. Accordingly, the height of the gear teeth must be reduced owing to their durability and the like, causing the gears to mesh with each other shallowly. Then, if a thicker part of the instant photograph film such as the trap thereof is fed out of the camera and the interval between the revolving rollers is increased compared to the case where another part of the film is fed out, the gears meshing with the respective revolving rollers may be unmeshed to cause the film to be unstably fed out. The above described phenomenon may occur even if the transported material, transported while being sandwiched between the pair of rollers, is not a instant photograph film, provided that the transported material does not have a fixed thickness.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of these circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a camera which restrains a photosensitized material from being unstably discharged, while allowing a reduction in diameter of a pair of rollers that feed the photosensitized material out of the camera as well as a transport apparatus which restrains a transported material from being unstably discharged, while allowing a reduction in diameter of a pair of rollers that feed the transported material out of the camera.
To attain the above object, the present invention provides a camera into which photosensitized materials are loaded therein and which takes a photograph on the loaded photosensitized material and feeds the photographed photosensitized material out of the camera, the camera being characterized by comprising:
a pair of rollers that feeds the photographed photosensitized material out of the camera by sandwiching the photosensitized material therebetween, one of the rollers being forced in a direction in which the roller comes into contact with the other;
a drive source that exerts drive force on the pair of rollers;
two roller gears each coaxially fixed to a corresponding one of two rollers constituting the pair of rollers;
two roller driving gears each of which meshes with a corresponding one of the two roller gears and which mesh with each other, each of the roller driving gears transmitting the drive force of the drive source to the roller gear meshing therewith; and
a drive force transmitting gear that meshes with one of the two roller driving gears to transmit the drive force of the drive source to the roller driving gear meshing therewith.
According to the camera of the present invention, the above configuration suppresses an increase in interval between each of the roller gears, fixed to the corresponding one of the pair of rollers, and the corresponding one of the roller driving gears, which mesh with the respective roller gears, compared to an increase in interval between the roller gears, the increases caused by the passage of a thicker part of the photosensitized material. This increases the possibility of transmitting drive force of the drive source to each of the pair of rollers compared to the prior art. Therefore, according to the camera of the present invention, the photosensitized material is restrained from being unstably discharged, while allowing the diameter of the pair of rollers to be reduced.
In this case, the photosensitized material may be a sheet-like instant photograph film, and the camera may be an instant camera into which stacked sheet-like instant photograph films are loaded and which takes a photograph on the loaded photosensitized material and feeds the photographed photosensitized material out of the camera by sandwiching the photosensitized material between the pair of rollers.
When the camera of the present invention is an instant camera, a part of the instant photographic film called a “trap” can be effectively transported outward from the camera, the trap abs
Gray David M.
Young & Thompson
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