Photography – Disposable or recyclable camera
Patent
1993-01-12
1997-05-13
Metjahic, Safet
Photography
Disposable or recyclable camera
396317, G03B 1724
Patent
active
056301774
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data print units that print data such as the year, month and day on photographic film, and more particularly it relates to simple, inexpensive, compact data print units applicable to simple non-removable-film cameras generally referred to as throw-away cameras or one-time-use cameras.
2. Related Art
Non-removable-film cameras, comprise one roll of film already loaded in the case, a simple manual film advance mechanism, a simple manual shutter mechanism and a photo lens and do not have a film exchange mechanism that can be easily operated by the user himself. Therefore, their configuration allows only the prescribed number of photographs for the photographic film and does not allow the user himself to replace the photographic film. These non-removable-film cameras can be purchased inexpensively for a price only slightly higher than the single-unit price of the photographic film. For this reason, they can be referred to as "lens-equipped film." This makes them easy to use when you do not have your own camera on trips or at events. Some of these non-removable-film cameras are equipped with a flash device as in regular cameras, but there are none with a data print device that prints data such as the year, month and day on the film. There is a limit to the number of pictures a non-removable-film camera can take, and the period during which they can be used is also limited, but there is a strong demand to be able to leave data on each photograph to facilitate their arrangement.
There are many cameras such as 35 mm twin lens reflex and single lens reflex cameras that are equipped with a data print device (camera module). This data print device is mounted behind a photographic film 2 inside a back cover 1 of the camera as shown in FIG. 36, for example, and it exposes the year-month-day data number string on the back of photographic film 2. The data print device comprises a resin case that is approximately 3 cm square and 3 mm thick, a photodiode or tungsten lamp housed inside the resin case as a light source 3a, a reflecting mirror 3b that reflects the light beam, which is emitted from light source 3a and travels along the surface of the case, at a right angle so that it is deflected in the direction of the thickness of the case, a transmission type liquid crystal display element 3c illuminated by the reflected light, and a shielding plate 3d that restricts the illumination on the display element, whereby the transmitted light formed in the shape of a data number string by the transmission type liquid crystal display element 3c is projected on the rear surface of photographic film 2 as parallel beams of light. The print data number string is formed by freely changing the multiple-digit number for the year-month-day displayed on the transmission type liquid crystal display element 3c by changing the data signal of the liquid crystal driver by an external operation, and therefore there is no restriction on the year-month-day data that is printed.
It is possible to apply such a data print device (unit module) for cameras to non-removable-film cameras, but the high cost of the transmission type liquid crystal element 3c, driver IC and other electronic parts would nullify the cost advantages of non-removable-film cameras. Therefore, a data print device that can be practically used with non-removable-film cameras must be simple and inexpensive. Since the function of transmission type liquid crystal display element 3c is to shape the illumination light into the form of data light and project it, the inventors realized that a print data plate with translucent year-month-day data sections, for example, could be used instead of this transmission type liquid crystal display element and proposed a configuration in which the appropriate print data number could be selected by manually turning the data plate.
In this case, the restricted surface area naturally limits the amount of data in the data sections (year-month-day) that can be display
REFERENCES:
patent: 4181416 (1980-01-01), Ohtaki et al.
patent: 4265526 (1981-05-01), Ueda et al.
patent: 4954858 (1990-09-01), Ohmura et al.
patent: 5436685 (1995-07-01), Yamashina
Kobayashi Hiroshi
Ozawa Masaki
Tanaka Seiji
Yamada Haruyoshi
Han J. K.
Johnson W. Glen
Metjahic Safet
Seiko Epson Corporation
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