Agfa-gevaert Ag

Alfred Winkler

Dieter Engelsmann

Rolf Schroder

Dieter Maas

Peter Lermann

Eduard Wagensonner

Otto Stemme

Karl Wagner

Gunter Fauth

Volkmar Stenzenberger

Herbert Wilsch

Friedrich Winkler

Albert Eggering

A miniature still camera wherein a brick-shaped main section of the housing supports and guides an L-shaped second section the longer leg of which is parallel to and located in front of the elongated front side of the main section and the shorter leg of which is parallel to a shorter second side of the main section. The second section is reciprocable between a first position in which its longer leg conceals a picture taking lens which is recessed into the front side of the main section and the shorter leg conceals a view finder in the main section, and a second position in which the lens and the view finder are exposed and the camera is ready to take pictures. The second section cocks the shutter and/or actuates the film transporting mechanism during movement between its first and second positions and is biased to its second position by a helical spring which reacts against a lug of the main section and bears against an eyelet of the second section. The lug and eyelet surround an elongated guide rod which is mounted in the second section adjacent to and in parallelism with the longer leg. The shorter leg of the second section has a tongue which extends into and is guided by a groove in the rear wall of the main section.

Miniature still camera with expansible housing

A motion-picture camera has a housing provided with a chamber having a film compartment. A plate-shaped carrier is detachably mountable in this chamber and can carry one or two film cassettes, so that one cassette is located within and the other cassette is located without the film compartment. A movable cover closes an open side of the chamber.

Motion-picture camera for cassette-loaded film

A still camera has a housing adapted to hold a roll of film having a succession of frames. An openable shutter is provided on the housing alignable with the film and a takeup wheel in the housing is connectable to the roll of film and rotatable to wind the film up and displace the frames one-by-one past the shutter. A film-advance slide is displaceable on the housing between a pulled-out position projecting from the housing and a pushed-in position fitting snugly with the housing. A transmission and a one-way coupling are provided in the housing between the slide and the take-up wheel so that the take-up wheel is rotated to wind up the film only on displacement of the slide from the pushed-in position to the pulled-out position. Furthermore, a frame-sensing mechanism in the camera arrests displacement of the slide or a portion of the slide in the direction toward the pulled-out position when a fresh frame is properly aligned with the shutter.

Film advance mechanism for still cameras

A still camera wherein two sections of the camera body are connected to each other by hinges so that one section can be pivoted between a first position in which the two sections are disposed end-to-end and the camera body resembles a small elongated brick which can be readily stored in a pocket or purse, and a second position in which the one section overlies the other section and its picture taking lens is in register with a light-admitting opening of the other section. Permanent magnets are used to releasably hold the one section in the first or second position. An auxiliary shutter is used to prevent entry of light into a film chamber of the other section when the one section is held in the first position; such auxiliary shutter opens in automatic response to actuation of the camera release and remains open during the making of an exposure.

Still camera

Pressing of the camera release button causes start of the film transport and automatic setting of the diaphragm for a normal exposure. When fade-over switch is closed, a forward-reverse counter is started. When the count on the counter reaches 31, a first AND-gate switches a first JK flip-flop to a second state wherein an additional resistor is inserted in the normally balanced diaphragm control circuit thereby unbalancing same and causing the closing of the diaphragm to commence. When the count on the counter reaches 63, another AND-gate switches additional JK flip-flops for reversing both the film transport and the counting direction of the counter. When the counter has counted down to a predetermined number, further logic circuits cause a stoppage of the film transport and stopping and resetting of the counter so that reactivation of the release button automatically starts the fade-in.

Fade-over apparatus for a motion picture camera

A miniature still camera wherein a cover of the housing is reciprocable with respect to the lens-containing section of the housing and the cover contains a socket for indexible or non-indexible sources of artificial illumination. The camera is ready to make an exposure when the cover is moved to an extended position to increase the length of the housing; the source of artificial light is then sufficiently remote from the lens to insure satisfactory exposures of color film to artificial light even though the source of artificial light is not connected to the socket by an extender. An indexible socket can be rotated in response to movement of the cover with respect to the lens-containing section, and the cover can contain a mechanism which fires percussively ignitable flash lamps in response to actuation of the camera release. When the length of the housing is reduced, the socket is received in the space between the objective and the eyepiece of the viewfinder in the lens-containing section of the housing.

Means for supporting sources of artificial light-in photographic

Pulses are furnished which each indicate transport of a frame. The pulses are counted on a BCD counter. Selected outputs of the counter are connected to the inputs of coupling stages, each including a JK flip-flop. Each flip-flop changes state for a predetermined count on the counter. When each flip-flop changes state, a corresponding indicator lights up, thereby furnishing an indication to the photographer of how many frames have been transported.

Motion picture camera with improved frame count indicator

A round tray for photographic transparencies has a bottom wall, a ring-shaped inner wall and radially extending partitions which are rigid with the two walls and define an annulus of compartments for transparencies. At least a portion of each partition resembles a wedge or sector whose width increases radially outwardly so that the parts of compartments between such portions have a constant width to thus prevent excessive changes in orientation of inserted transparencies. The transparencies may be yieldably held in the respective compartments by discrete leaf springs which are secured to a cover overlying the bottom wall and separably attached to the inner wall, or by bifurcated elastic parts of the partitions. The elastic parts may have wedge-like protuberances engaging the transparencies in the adjacent compartments with a force which suffices to prevent unintentional ejection or misalignment of transparencies but is too weak to prevent a slide changer from expelling a transparency from, or from returning a transparency into, the respective compartment.

Circular magazine for photographic transparencies

A still camera for use with roll film having a row of perforations, one for each film frame, wherein the film is transported lengthwise by a mechanism including a planetary transmission and the transport of film is terminated in response to disengagement of a pivotable control lever from the teeth of a gear forming part of the film transporting mechanism. The control lever is disengaged from the gear by a spring-biased displacing lever which is normally held against pivotal movement into engagement with the control lever by a blocking lever. The latter can be disengaged from the displacing lever by a feeler which bears against the film and penetrates into an oncoming perforation to disengage the blocking lever from the displacing lever in response to further transport of the film. The displacing lever then pivots the control lever and bears against the feeler while the film is at a standstill. The feeler is retracted from the perforation after the displacing lever is disengaged from the control lever during opening of the shutter whereby the blocking lever is free to return into a position in which it prevents the displacing lever from disengaging the control lever from the gear. The blocking lever then also prevents the displacing lever from bearing against the feeler.

Film advance and metering mechanism for cameras

The shutter of a photographic camera is released in response to deformation of a diaphragm which thereby closes a microswitch to energize an electromagnet which effects release of the shutter. Alternatively, deformation of the diaphragm brings about pivotal movement of a lever which releases the shutter. The diaphragm can act directly against a movable contact of the microswitch or against one arm of the lever, or it transmits motion by way of a metallic platelike back support which protects it against excessive deformation.

Operating means for photographic cameras

A still camera wherein the main section or body of the housing guides a reciprocable cover member of the housing. The cover member is movable between an extended position and a concealing position and is permanently biased to the extended position by a helical spring. When moved by hand to the concealing position, the cover member overlies the view finder and the picture taking lens in the body and can also block the actuation of camera release. The cover member can be locked in such concealing position by a detent mechanism which includes a tooth on the cover member and a complementary tooth which is mounted in the body and can be moved by a knob into or from engagement with the tooth of the cover member. The latter can transport the film, cock the shutter, advance the exposure counter and/or perform other functions during movement from extended to concealing position or vice versa.

Photographic apparatus with expansible housing

A still camera wherein the main section of the housing contains a shutter, a pivotable shutter cocking member, a normally open switch which must be closed to terminate an exposure, and a release for opening the shutter and for closing the switch. A second section of the housing is reciprocable with respect to the main section between an extended position in which the camera is ready to make an exposure and a depressed position in which the second section conceals the picture taking lens and the view finder in the main section. When the second section is moved to its depressed position, it directly or indirectly prevents the movement of release from a starting position and/or from closing of the switch. The shutter is cocked and the film is transported by the length of a frame in response to movement of the second section to its depressed position. A first spring biases the second section to its extended position and a second spring tends to close the switch but is prevented from establishing an electrical connection between two fixed contacts of the switch as long as the second section remains in the depressed position.

Shutter cocking and release means for photographic apparatus with

A flat still camera wherein a hollow section of the housing is reciprocable relative to the main section to thereby actuate the shutter and/or the film transporting mechanism. When the hollow section is moved to an extended position in which it exposes the lens and the view finder, the two sections define a slot into which a careless user is likely to introduce a finger, an eyelash or an eyelid while holding the camera in front of his eye and while moving the two sections with respect to each other. The rear end of the slot is closed by a portion of a door which is pivotably mounted on the main section and can be opened to afford access to the film chamber. Alternatively, the slot can be overlapped by a panel which is rigid with the main section or with the hollow section of the housing.

Growing community of inventors

Munich, Germany

Alfred Winkler