Photography – Disposable or recyclable camera
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-26
2001-11-06
Mahoney, Christopher E. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Disposable or recyclable camera
C396S155000, C396S284000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314239
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates a lens-fitted photo film unit with a flash device, and more particularly to a security device for the flash device, that makes the flash device unusable unless a restore signal is applied to the security device, thereby preventing unauthorized reuse of the flash device.
2. Background Arts
A variety of lens-fitted photo film units have been widely sold in the markets. The lens-fitted photo film unit, hereinafter called simply film unit, contains a roll of unexposed photo filmstrip and a cartridge shell, and has simple photographic mechanisms for exposing the filmstrip. Many kinds of film units are also provided with a built-in flash device. After being used up, the film units are recovered by their manufacturers for reusing some parts in new film units and recycling other parts as row materials.
However, there are some traders who collect used-up and emptied film units, and load unexposed photo film cartridges in the emptied film units for unauthorized sale. Since those traders do not make sufficient inspections on the recycled film units, nor repair inadequate part s of the film units, these unauthorized recycled film units may be of lesser quality than those recycled by authorized manufacturers. As the troubles with the recycled film units can smirch reputation of the film units in general, the film unit manufacturers have been trying to prevent the informal recycling of the film units by other traders.
In order to prevent that informal recycling, some film units are so designed that a functionally essential member has to be broken for disassembling the film unit. For instance, parts of unit housing are joined together by ultrasonic welding or the like, so these parts would be broken if they are forcibly separated. In other kinds of film units, a hook is formed with a part such that the hook pulls and breaks a functional member on another part when these parts are separated from each other.
As a preventive measure for that informal recycling, it is known in the art to electrically disable a photographic function of the film unit when all available frames have been photographed on the filmstrip or when the photo film cartridge is removed from the film unit. An exemplary of this type is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No.8-240884 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,265), wherein an IC with a counter is mounted in the film unit, for counting the number of frames. When the last available exposure is performed, an electric photographic device such as the flash device is disabled. In order to reuse the flash device, the manufacturer reads out an identification code from a memory of the IC through a specific external device, and inputs a reset code that corresponds to the identification code in the IC. Then the reset code is compared to an enablement code in the IC, and if the reset code and the enablement code are identical, the counter is initialized, and the photographic functions are recovered. Thus, the flash device comes to be reusable.
There are also those film units which contain a new type photo film cartridge called IX240 type. Because the photo film cartridge of this type uses a plastic shell, if ultrasonic welding is used for securing the parts of the unit body to each other, the plastic shell can be unexpectedly joined to the unit body. Therefore, it is hard to use ultrasonic welding for this type of film units. Concerning the second method of breaking a functional member by a hook, if the hook is not accurately formed, it can break the function part at the assembling, or cannot provide a sufficient effect. Beside these disadvantages, since a functional member of the film unit is broken, the manufacturer itself cannot reuse that member, so it is necessary to substitute a new one for that member in reassembling the film unit.
On the other hand, the method of electrically preventing the film unit from being informally reused is preferable in view of the fact that there is no need for breaking a functional of the film unit, and thus any functional member may be reused if its function has no problem. However, in order to make it hard for other traders to recover the function of the disabled film unit, the identification code or the enablement code must be a cipher code. In that case, it is necessary to provide a memory for storing the cipher codes, a data exchange circuit for exchanging the identification code and the reset code, a microprocessor and a memory for checking coincidence of the enablement code and the reset code. Therefore, a large scale circuit must be mounted in the film unit, so the cost of manufacture is increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a security device for preventing unauthorized reuse of a film unit, that may be manufactured at a low cost, but securely prevents the film unit from being reused by anyone except the manufacturer of the film unit.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a film unit with a flash device comprises a security device for the flash device, and the security device is characterized by comprising:
first means for outputting a restore signal when a pulse signal having a predetermined number of pulses and a voltage signal having a predetermined voltage level are concurrently inputted from an external device; and
second means for switching a switching element connected to the flash device, such that the second means switches the switching element to a disabling position for disabling charging capability of the flash device when a particular part of the film unit is removed or when completed use of the film unit is detected or when voltage of the battery goes below a lower limit, and that the second means switches the switching element to an enabling position for enabling the flash device to work in response to the restore signal.
According to a preferred embodiment, the first means outputs the restore signal only when entrance of the pulse signal to the restoring circuit is completed within a predetermined time from an initial input of the predetermined voltage level to the restoring circuit.
It is also possible to configure a first means to output the restore signal when a digital code signal representative of a binary code and having a predetermined voltage level is inputted serially to the first means in synchronism with a clock signal having a predetermined number of pulses.
According to another aspect of the invention, a lens-fitted photo film unit with a flash device is characterized by comprising:
a device for disconnecting the battery from the charging circuit in cooperation with removal of a particular part of the film unit;
a clear circuit for outputting a clear signal at each start of power supply from the battery to the charging circuit;
a restoring circuit for outputting a restore signal in response to a predetermined cancel signal that is applied from an external device; and
a switching circuit connected to the charging circuit, the switching circuit being switched to a disabling position for disabling the charging circuit in response to the clear signal from the clear circuit or when power supply voltage from the battery goes below a particular lower limit, or alternatively to an enabling position for enabling the charging circuit to work in response to the restore signal from the restoring circuit.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5418585 (1995-05-01), Petruchik et al.
patent: 5502529 (1996-03-01), Zander
patent: 5517265 (1996-05-01), Zander et al.
patent: 5574337 (1996-11-01), Dunsmore
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Mahoney Christopher E.
Young & Thompson
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