Photography – With film drive – Having significant electronic circuit detail
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-03
2003-12-16
Mathews, Alan A. (Department: 2851)
Photography
With film drive
Having significant electronic circuit detail
C396S406000, C396S415000, C396S418000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06665493
ABSTRACT:
This application claims benefit of Japanese Application No. 2000-314356 filed Oct. 13, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated by this reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a camera film feed device and film feed method, and in particular, to a camera film feed device which automatically feeds the roll-shape film housed within a film magazine loaded into the camera, and a film feed method in this film feed device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, when using a device for taking a photograph or a picture (hereafter called a “camera”) to take photographs or similar, a film magazine in the interior of which is housed roll-shape film for photographing, in a wound state, must be loaded in advance into a prescribed position inside the camera.
After performing the operation of loading the film magazine into the camera, the film housed within this film magazine must be drawn outside the film magazine, wound by a takeup spool provided within the camera, and the roll-shape film must be placed in a prescribed position within the camera. Only after this series of operations (called film loading operations) is the camera in a state of preparation for taking photographs.
However, in the prior art there are cases in which, for example, the above-described series of film loading operations fails, and without noticing this, the user begins a series of photographing operations. In such cases, the camera user may for example notice that the film is not reliably wound by the takeup spool within the camera due to a phenomenon such as the absence of an operation to indicate the end of the film even when the prescribed number of image frames of the film has been exceeded.
In such cases, the photographing operations performed before failure of the film loading operations was noticed are all useless, and for the camera user, this represents the loss of rare photography opportunities.
The series of film loading operations for a conventional camera is, for general users, troublesome and difficult. Hence in the past, some experience has been required in order to reliably perform the operations to load a film magazine into a camera.
Conventional compact cameras and similar using roll-shape film employed in general use comprise a so-called auto-loading device, which is a film automatic feed device which, when the film magazine is loaded into the prescribed position within the camera, moves the film housed within the film magazine such that the film is at a prescribed photographing position within the camera.
However, even when using a camera comprising a conventional film automatic feed device, there are various problems due to which it may not always be possible to reliably load film.
General film automatic feed devices in conventional cameras are automated to some degree, but when loading the magazine at a prescribed position within the camera, there exists a procedure which the user must perform. This may be concretely explained as follows.
After opening the rear cover of the camera, the user loads the film magazine at a prescribed position in the camera interior, that is, in the magazine chamber. At this time, the user must place the tip area of the film tip vicinity (called the film leader, or simply the leader) within a prescribed range in the camera interior. If the leader is not positioned within this prescribed range, the film loading operations may fail.
Hence even in a conventional camera comprising a film automatic feed device, the problem that, depending on the user, film loading operations may result in failure, has not been completely resolved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first object of this invention is to provide a camera film feed device enabling the reliable placing of the roll-shape film housed within the film magazine in a prescribed position within the camera, using only more simple operations than in the prior art.
A second object of this invention is to provide a camera film feed device which alleviates the troublesomeness of film loading operations, and affords a satisfactory in use.
A third object of this invention is to provide a film feed method, in a camera film feed device, enabling the reliable placing of the roll-shape film housed within the film magazine in a prescribed position within the camera, using only more simple operations than in the prior art.
A fourth object of this invention is to provide a film feed method, in a camera film feed device, which alleviates the troublesomeness of film loading operations, and affords a satisfactory in use.
Briefly explained, the first invention is a camera film feed device enabling the freely loadable placement of a film magazine, having a takeup shaft on which is wound film and in which the film leader protrudes from a film feeding opening, and characterized in further comprising a magazine chamber in which to load the above film magazine; a fork joined to mate with the above takeup shaft of the above film magazine loaded into this magazine chamber; a takeup spool to take up the above film that is on the other side of the aperture for photographing opposite the above magazine chamber; a sprocket, positioned between the above magazine chamber and the above takeup spool; and a control circuit which controls the operation of the above fork, the above takeup spool, and the above sprocket; and wherein, when the above film magazine is loaded into the above magazine chamber, this control circuit starts operation to rewind the above film into the above film magazine by means of the above fork, and when the above film is rewound to a prescribed position stops the above rewind operation, and then starts operation to feed the above film to the above takeup spool by means of the above sprocket.
The second invention is a camera film feed device enabling the freely loadable placement of a film magazine, having a takeup shaft on which is wound film and in which the film leader protrudes from a film feeding opening, and characterized in further comprising a magazine chamber in which to load the above film magazine; rewinding means which joins to mate with the takeup shaft of the above film magazine and rewinds the film; takeup means, placed in an area on the other side of the aperture for photographing opposite the above magazine chamber, to take up film; feeding means, positioned between the above magazine chamber and the above takeup means, which feeds film from the above magazine chamber side to the above takeup means side; detection means which, when film is rewound by the above rewinding means, detects whether the film tip has reached a prescribed position; and control means which starts rewind driving of the above film through the above rewind means in response to loading of the above film magazine, stops film rewind driving by the above rewind means when the above film tip is detected by the above detection means, and then starts feeding driving by the above feeding means.
The third invention is a camera film feed device enabling the freely loadable placement of a film magazine, having a takeup shaft on which is wound film and in which the film leader protrudes from a film feeding opening, and characterized in further comprising rewinding means to rewind the film to a prescribed position in response to loading of the above film magazine; feeding means to feed the film toward the takeup spool after the end of the rewind operation by the rewinding means; takeup means to take up the film by means of the above takeup spool; and detection means to detect failure of a film feeding operation by the above feeding means, or failure of the film takeup operation by the above takeup means; and wherein, when failure is detected by the above detection means, the film is rewound again to the above prescribed position.
The fourth invention is a camera film feed device enabling the freely loadable placement of a film magazine, having a takeup shaft on which is wound film and in which the film leader protrudes from a film feeding opening, and characterized in further comprising rewind
Miyazaki Satoshi
Mori Ikko
Sakurai Kazuki
Frishauf Holtz Goodman & Chick P.C.
Mathews Alan A.
Olympus Optical Co,. Ltd.
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