Photography – Disposable or recyclable camera
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-22
2004-03-09
Gray, David M. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Disposable or recyclable camera
C396S284000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06704499
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to cameras such as so-called single-use or one-time-use cameras, and in particular to a camera with a frame counter for providing a visible frame count.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
General
Film and cameras that are all in one, commonly referred to as disposable single-use or one-time-use cameras, have become well known. The one-time-use camera is a simple point-and-shoot type camera comprising a conventional film cartridge within a cartridge receiving chamber in a main body part, an unexposed film roll prewound from the film cartridge onto a film supply spool within a film supply chamber in the main body part, a film-exposing backframe opening between the cartridge receiving and film supply chambers in the main body part, a fixed-focus taking lens, a manually rotatable film winding thumbwheel coaxially engaged with a film winding spool inside the film cartridge, a single-blade shutter, a manually depressible shutter release button, a frame counter wheel that has a single numerical scale of frame count indicia arranged in one column and is incrementally rotated to successively view the frame count indicia, an anti-backup pawl that engages the frame counter wheel to prevent its reverse rotation, a direct see-through viewfinder having front and rear viewfinder lenses, and in some models an electronic flash. A pair of separate front and rear cover parts house the main body part between them to complete the camera. The rear cover part connects to the main body part and/or to the front cover part to make the main body part light-tight. A decorative cardboard outer box or label at least partially covers the front and rear cover parts and has respective openings for the taking lens, etc.
To take a picture, the shutter release button is manually depressed. This causes a spring-urged high-energy lever to be released to strike the shutter blade, which then pivots open to uncover an exposure aperture. A return spring connected to the shutter blade pivots the shutter blade closed to re-cover the exposure aperture. Also, a metering lever is pivoted out of spring-biased. engagement with the thumbwheel in order to permit manual rotation of the thumbwheel in the film winding direction after the picture is taken. When the thumbwheel is rotated in a film winding direction, it similarly rotates the film winding spool inside the film cartridge to wind an exposed frame of the filmstrip from the backframe opening into the film cartridge and advance an unexposed frame of the filmstrip from the unexposed film roll to the backframe opening. The rewinding movement of the filmstrip the equivalent of slightly more than one frame width rotates a metering sprocket in engagement with successive perforations in the filmstrip, to in turn incrementally rotate the frame counter wheel to view its next lower-numbered indicia. Also, the high energy lever is re-cocked or re-set and the metering lever is pivoted into re-engagement with the thumbwheel. When the metering lever re-engages the thumbwheel, further manual rotation of the thumbwheel in the film winding direction is prevented and the camera is ready to take another picture.
When the maximum number of frames available on the filmstrip have been exposed and the filmstrip is completely wound into the film cartridge, the one-time-use camera is given to a photofinisher who breaks away a cover door portion of the rear cover part from the main body part and removes the film cartridge with the exposed filmstrip from the cartridge receiving chamber. Then, he removes the exposed filmstrip from the film cartridge to develop the latent images and make prints for the customer.
Prior Art Problem Regarding Frame Counter
A one-time-use camera should be compact enough to fit in one's pocket. However, the frame counter wheel must be large enough so that its number scale of frame count indicia can be readily viewed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Generally speaking, a camera with a frame counter having a single numerical scale of frame count indicia capable of being successively viewed after each picture is taken, is characterized in that:
the frame count indicia are arranged in multiple columns to permit one of the indicia to be viewed after another when switching from one column to another after each picture is taken; and
an indicia viewing change-over is movable from one column to another after each picture is taken, to view one of said frame count indicia after another.
More specifically, a camera with a frame counter having a single numerical scale of frame count indicia capable of being successively viewed after each picture is taken, is characterized in that:
the frame count indicia are arranged in one column in which the indicia are only odd numbers and are arranged in another column in which the indicia are only even numbers; and
an indicia viewing change-over is movable from one column to another after each picture is taken, to alternately view an odd number in one column or an even number in another column.
Since the frame count indicia are arranged in at least two columns, the frame counter, e.g. when a wheel, can be relatively small, or conversely can have a large number of frame count indicia
REFERENCES:
patent: 2522387 (1950-09-01), Livens
patent: 3073229 (1963-01-01), Mädge
patent: 3678834 (1972-07-01), Melillo
patent: 3722386 (1973-03-01), Furuta
patent: 4918485 (1990-04-01), Ishii et al.
patent: 5541690 (1996-07-01), Petruchik
Cornell David J.
DiRisio Anthony
Eastman Kodak Company
Fields Roger A.
Gray David M.
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