Photography – Camera detail – Detachable or removable film holder unit
Reexamination Certificate
1997-03-05
2001-09-11
Gray, David M. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Camera detail
Detachable or removable film holder unit
Reexamination Certificate
active
06287022
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an indicated state changing pin and a method of bending indicating pieces, in which the indicating pieces are provided on a cartridge and indicate the undeveloped state of a photographic film accommodated within the cartridge.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, after pictures are photographed, a negative film, which is one type of a photographic film, is taken to a processing laboratory in a state in which the negative film is taken up onto a case such as a cartridge. At the processing laboratory, the negative film, which has been taken up onto the cartridge, is withdrawn therefrom and developed. Thereafter, the negative film is loaded into a film carrier which is provided at a photographic printer such as a printer processor. Then, a print processing is effected so that images recorded on the negative film are printed onto a photographic printing paper. Accordingly, photographic prints are produced.
The developed negative film is cut every predetermined image frames (e.g., every six frames) so as to form a piece negative which can be accommodated within a negative sheet. The negative film is returned to a customer together with the photographic prints.
In recent years, in order to facilitate processings at the second print processing and the like, it has been considered that the developed negative film is returned to the customer in a state in which the negative film is taken up onto the cartridge without being cut.
In this way, when the negative film is returned in a state in which it is taken up onto the cartridge, indicating pieces which indicate the existence of a developed negative film within the cartridge may be provided on the cartridge. Since the cartridge itself is generally formed by a resin, the indicating pieces are formed integrally with the cartridge by the resin.
As a result, when the indicating pieces are pressed by a linearly-formed straight pin to a necessary depth and deformed so that the indicating pieces are bent, the indicating pieces, which are formed integrally with the cartridge by the resin, are separated from the cartridge and may become trash.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the aforementioned in view, an object of the present invention is to provide an indicated state changing pin and a method of bending indicating pieces, in which, even if the indicating pieces are formed by a material having low strength such as a resin material, the indicating pieces are reliably bent to a necessary depth and in which separation of the indicating pieces from a cartridge is prevented.
The indicated state changing pin according to a first aspect of the present invention is an indicated state changing pin which abuts indicating pieces of a cartridge, which indicate the state of a photographic film accommodated within the cartridge, and bends the indicating pieces, wherein a proximal end portion of the indicated state changing pin is formed larger than a distal end portion of the indicated state changing pin.
The operation of the indicated state changing pin according to the first aspect will be explained.
The indicated state changing pin abuts the indicating pieces of the cartridge, which indicate the state of the photographic film accommodated within the cartridge, and bends the indicating pieces. Further, the indicated state changing pin is formed so that the proximal end portion of the indicated state changing pin is larger than the distal end portion thereof.
Because the indicating pieces are bent while abutting the side surface of the indicated state changing pin, which is between the proximal end portion and the distal end portion, even if the moving speed of the indicated state changing pin is constant, the indicating pieces are bent slower than the case of using a linearly-formed straight pin. Accordingly, the speed at which the indicating pieces are deformed is reduced so that the indicating pieces are bent slowly. As a result, separation of the indicating pieces from the cartridge is prevented, and the indicating pieces are reliably bent to the necessary depth.
The indicated state changing pin according to a second aspect is an indicated state changing pin which abuts indicating pieces of a cartridge, which indicate the state of a photographic film accommodated within the cartridge, and bends the indicating pieces, wherein the indicated state changing pin is truncated in which the proximal end portion is larger than the distal end portion.
The operation of the indicated state changing pin according to the second aspect will be explained.
The indicated state changing pin abuts the indicating pieces of the cartridge, which indicate the state of the photographic film accommodated within the cartridge, and bends the indicating pieces. Further, the indicated state changing pin is truncated so that the proximal end portion of the indicated state changing pin is larger than the distal end portion thereof.
Similarly to the above-described first aspect, because the indicating pieces are bent while abutting the side surface of the indicated state changing pin, which is between the proximal end portion and the distal end portion, the speed at which the indicating pieces are deformed is reduced so that the indicating pieces are bent slowly. Consequently, separation of the indicating pieces from the cartridge is prevented, and the indicating pieces are reliably bent to the necessary depth.
The indicated state changing pin according to a third aspect is an indicated state changing pin which abuts indicating pieces of a cartridge, which indicate the state of a photographic film accommodated within the cartridge, and bends the indicating pieces, wherein the distal end portion of the indicated state changing pin is formed in the shape of an arc.
The operation of the indicated state changing pin according to the third aspect will be explained.
The indicated state changing pin abuts the indicating pieces of the cartridge, which indicate the state of the photographic film accommodated within the cartridge, and bends the indicating pieces. The indicated state changing pin is formed in the shape of an arc.
Because the indicating pieces are bent while abutting the arc-shaped surface of the indicated state changing pin, similarly to the first aspect, even if the moving speed of the indicated state changing pin is constant, the indicating pieces are bent slower than the case of using a linearly-formed straight pin. As a result, the speed at which the indicating pieces are deformed is reduced so that the indicating pieces are bent slowly. Thus, separation of the indicating pieces from the cartridge is prevented, and the indicating pieces are reliably bent to the necessary depth.
The method of bending the indicating pieces according to a fourth aspect is a method of bending indicating pieces of a cartridge which indicate the state of a photographic film accommodated within the cartridge, comprising the steps of: moving relatively the indicating pieces and an indicated state changing pin, which can change the indicated states of the indicating pieces, so that the indicated state changing pin abuts the indicating pieces; and reducing the speed of relative movement after the indicated state changing pin abuts the indicating pieces with respect to the speed before the abutment, and bending the indicating pieces.
The operation of the method of bending the indicating pieces according to the fourth aspect will be explained.
The indicating pieces and the indicated state changing pin relatively move so that the indicated state changing pin abuts the indicating pieces of the cartridge, which indicate the state of the photographic film accommodated within the cartridge. Further, the speed of relative movement after the indicated state changing pin abuts the indicating pieces is reduced with respect to the speed before the abutment, such that the indicated state changing pin bends the indicating pieces. Thus, the indicated states of the indicating pieces are changed.
Since the speed of relati
Matsumoto Nobuo
Seto Izumi
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Gray David M.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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