Camera with safety-lock mechanism

Details Camera with safety-lock mechanism Camera with safety-lock mechanism

2002-04-01

2004-03-02

Mahoney, Christopher (Department: 2851)

Photography

Camera detail

Body structure or housing

C396S538000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06701083

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera with a safety-lock mechanism that locks a lid of a cartridge chamber in a closed position so long as a photo filmstrip is located outside a film cartridge as loaded in the cartridge chamber.
2. Background Arts
A camera with a safety-lock mechanism has been suggested in Japanese Patent Application No. 11-280317 (corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/671,798 filed on Sep. 28, 2000), wherein the safety-lock mechanism comprises a winding lock member for locking the lid of the cartridge chamber in the closed position while the filmstrip is wound up onto a take-up spool, and a rewinding lock member for locking the lid of the cartridge chamber in the closed position while the filmstrip is rewound into a cartridge shell.
These two lock members are driven by a feed motor that also drives a spool of the cartridge shell and the take-up spool. The winding lock member moves to its lock position as the feed motor rotates in a forward direction to drive the take-up spool to wind up the filmstrip. The winding lock member moves to its unlock position as the feed motor rotates in a reverse direction to drive the spool of the cartridge shell to rewind the filmstrip. On the contrary, the rewinding lock member moves to its lock position as the feed motor rotates in the reverse direction to rewind the filmstrip, and moves to its unlock position as the feed motor rotates in the forward direction to wind up the filmstrip onto the take-up spool. In this way, the lid of the cartridge chamber is prevented from opening during the film winding and the film rewinding as well.
However, because of the two lock members, this safety-lock mechanism is complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a camera with a simple and stable safety-lock mechanism.
A camera according to the present invention comprises: a lid open-close mechanism that moves to a latching position to latch a lid of a cartridge chamber when the lid is closed, and moves to an unlatching position to unlatch the lid in response to an opening operation thereon; a film transport mechanism driven by a feed motor to wind a photo filmstrip of a photo film cartridge as loaded in the cartridge chamber around a take-up spool and rewind the photo filmstrip into a cartridge shell; and a safety-lock mechanism comprising a lock member that is movable between first and second lock positions for locking the lid open-close mechanism in the latching position, and an unlock position for allowing the lid open-close mechanism to unlatch the lid of the cartridge chamber, wherein the lock member moves from the unlock position to the first lock position as the film transport mechanism starts winding the photo filmstrip, and moves from the first lock position to the second lock position as the film transport mechanism starts rewinding the photo filmstrip.
Since the single lock member has the first and second lock positions for locking the lid open-close mechanism in the latching position after the photo filmstrip starts being wound around the take-up spool, as well as while the filmstrip is being rewound into the cartridge shell, the safety-lock mechanism of the camera of the present invention is very simple in construction.
It is preferable to locate the unlock position of the lock member between the first lock position and the second lock position, and urges the lock member by a spring to move from the first lock position or the second lock position to the unlock position. Thereby, the lock member rapidly returns to the unlock position when it is required.


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