Photography – Disposable or recyclable camera
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-05
2001-05-15
Mathews, Alan A. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Disposable or recyclable camera
C396S538000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233401
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a camera, and in particular to a camera of the single-use type, and to an improved method of loading of film into such cameras.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, cameras of the type known as disposable or single-use cameras have grown in popularity. These cameras consist of a roll of film preloaded into a simple, inexpensive camera housing having an exposure window and a film cassette-receiving chamber on one side of the exposure window, and a film-receiving chamber on the other. The film is typically loaded such that the camera is ready for immediate use by a purchaser. Once all of the film in the camera has been exposed, the entire camera may be sent by the user to a film processing company which removes the film from the camera and develops the pictures.
Disposable cameras are available which utilize a variety of film formats, including conventional 35 mm films. A “roll” of such film consists of a length of film prewound in a generally cylindrical housing or film cartridge or cassette. During the assembly of disposable cameras, the free end or tail of the film ordinarily is pulled from the film cartridge and connected to a winding spool, and the winding spool and film cartridge are assembled in the film-receiving chambers on opposite sides of the exposure window in a front portion of the camera housing. A rear housing portion is then assembled to the front housing portion to enclose the film therein. Once the housing has been assembled to prevent light from exposing the film, the winding spool may be rotated to wind the film from the cartridge onto the spool to place the camera in condition for use. As pictures are taken, the film is rewound frame-by-frame from the winding spool back into the film cartridge.
There are problems associated with the use of a winding spool in the disposable cameras described above. Most notably, since the tail of the film is connected to the winding spool, advancing the film after the exposure of a frame causes the winding spool to turn, and this creates a resistance to the film movement. To overcome this resistance, more force is required to operate the film advancement mechanism after frame exposure.
One proposed solution is to use a substantially cylindrical spoolless film-receiving cartridge. The film supply cartridge and film-receiving cartridge are then loaded into the film-receiving chambers on opposite sides of the exposure window in the front portion of the camera housing, and a rear cover is assembled thereto. While this arrangement eliminates the winding spool and thus the resistance it creates to the advancement of the film, the need for a film-receiving cartridge adds weight to the camera and increases its manufacturing cost. Furthermore, since the film is wound from the supply cartridge to the receiving cartridge outside of the camera, this procedure must be performed under darkroom conditions, slowing production and adding to manufacturing costs.
It is also known to use a separate winding tool to which the leading end of the film is attached which is placed into the film-receiving chamber and rotated to unwind the film from the cassette. After winding, the tool is removed and the back of the camera fitted onto the camera body. This technique also requires darkroom conditions, slowing production and increasing costs.
There therefore exists a need for a disposable or single-use camera which not only overcomes the problems associated with the use of a winding spool in these cameras, but allows daylight loading and which does so without increasing the weight of the camera or its manufacturing costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a camera comprising a main body defining a chamber for receiving, in use, a film-containing cassette, and a film-receiving chamber for receiving, in use, a roll of film unwound from said cassette, the film extending between said chambers over an exposure window, an aperture defined adjacent said film-receiving chamber for insertion of the film-winding tool, a movably mounted shutter movable between an open position where said aperture is unobscured, and a closed position where said aperture is closed, and resilient means to urge said shutter into the closed position.
The shutter ensures that after the film winding tool is withdrawn from the film-receiving chamber, no light enters film-receiving chamber.
In the preferred embodiment the aperture is defined in a separate access member which at least partly closes one end of the film-receiving chamber. The access member comprises a pair of parallel spaced plates including an inner plate facing into the film-receiving chamber and an outer plate, the plates defining coincident apertures, and the movable shutter part is mounted so to be movable in a plane parallel to said spaced plates between a closed position where the cover part lies between said apertures, and an open position wherein said apertures are unobscured. The shutter part is pivotably mounted on the access member. The resilient means may be a leg spring but other springs such as a leaf spring or coil spring can equally be used.
The access member may be provided with releasable locking means to releasably secure the member to the main body. The locking means may comprise at least one depending leg having a claw portion extending from the end thereof for engagement in a corresponding aperture or recess defined in the main body. The periphery of the access member may be provided with a groove defined between the periphery of the pair of spaced plates, with the main body having, adjacent the end of the film-receiving chamber, an inwardly-directed flange which engages the groove of the access member.
Although the access member is preferably a separate member for ease of assembly, it can alternatively be formed at least partly unitarily with the main body of the camera at the end of the film-receiving chamber.
The access member may be provided with a removable plug having a portion dimensioned to fit into said aperture thereof. The axial extent of said portion of the plug receivable in the aperture is sufficient to extend beyond said movable shutter when fitted adjacent the inner plate, to allow the cover part to be held in an open position when the plug is inserted therein.
In alternative arrangements the movable shutter can be slidably mounted on the camera, or alternatively, pivotably mounted so as to pivot about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the aperture. In a further alternative, the shutter may be constructed in more than one piece for example comprising a pair of separate elements which together co-operate to close the aperture.
In a further aspect the invention resides in a method of loading film into a camera which comprises a main body defining a chamber for receiving a film-containing cassette, and a film-receiving chamber arranged on the opposite side of an exposure opening for receiving unexposed film, and defining at one end of the film-receiving chamber an aperture having a movably mounted shutter movable between an open position where said aperture is unobscured and a closed position in which said aperture is closed, and having resilient means to urge the shutter into the closed position, the method comprising the steps of: a) moving said shutter against the action of said resilient means to an open position, and inserting an end portion of an elongate film winding tool through said aperture and into said film-receiving chamber; b) withdrawing a free end of the film from the film cassette; c) with a rear cover of the camera removed, attaching the free end of the film to the film tool; d) securing said rear cover of the camera to the camera main body; e) rotating said winding tool to unwind the film from the cassette into the film-receiving chamber; and f) withdrawing the film winding tool from the film-receiving chamber and from said aperture, and allowing the shutter to close said aperture.
At step a) the movable shutter is preferably manually opened by engagin
Foster Assets Corporation
Mathews Alan A.
Samuels Gauthier & Stevens
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