Eastman-kodak Company

Christopher P McCormick

John J Niedospial, Jr

Mark D Fraser

Russell J Butler

Christopher T Mattson

David B Kemp

Douglas M Csaszar

Edward H Dowling

John J Neidospial, Jr

When a film cassette having a light shield that can be rotated open to permit film movement out of and into the cassette interior is loaded into a camera, a torsionally-compliant driver device of the camera for rotating the light shield open and closed is twisted, responsive to initial engagement with the light shield, to oppositely bias the light shield closed.

Driver device for opening light shield of film cassette biases light

A film cassette comprises a cassette shell, a spool core supported inside the cassette shell for rotation in an unwinding direction to advance a filmstrip coiled about the spool core out of the cassette shell and in a winding direction to draw the filmstrip into the cassette shell, at least one flange coaxially coupled with the spool core to prevent the filmstrip from uncoiling about the spool core and to permit the flange and the spool core to be rotated relative to each other in the unwinding and winding directions, and cooperating means located on the spool core and the flange for fixing the flange and the spool core to each other to make the flange rotate with the spool core in the unwinding direction but releasing the flange to permit it and the spool core to be rotated relative to each other in the winding direction. According to the invention, stop means are connected to the cassette shell, and the flange has engageable means for being engaged by the stop means when the flange is rotated with the spool core in the winding direction to prevent the flange from further rotating in that direction, whereby the flange will impose a frictional drag on the filmstrip as the filmstrip is wound onto the spool core to cause the filmstrip to be wound tightly to the spool core.

Film cassette

A single-piece protective package is intended for a film cassette provided with a substantially cylindrical housing having an extending pair of lips slightly spaced apart to define a film egress/ingress mouth and with a rotatable film spool for a coiled filmstrip inside the housing having a protruding end that protrudes at least to an outside end face of the housing to permit its engagement to rotate the film spool. The package comprises a mouth cap configured to fit over the extending pair of lips of the housing including the film egress/ingress mouth to seal the film egress/ingress mouth, but not to fit over a cylindrical portion of the housing to leave the cylindrical portion visible, and spool locking means integrally formed with the mouth cap for engaging the protruding end of the film spool to prevent rotation of the film spool when the mouth cap is fit over the extending pair of lips of the housing.

Single-piece protective package for a film cassette

A spool to film attachment comprises a filmstrip having an engagement hole formed in a rear end of the filmstrip proximate a rearmost film edge and a spool having an engagement projection adapted to be received in the film hole. The projection has a pointed side oriented to face the rearmost film edge from within the film hole, when the projection is received in the film hole, to be able to tear at a predetermined point through a relatively narrow section of the filmstrip between the film hole and the rearmost film edge in response to pulling the rear end of the filmstrip away from the projection.

Spool to film attachment

In a film cassette, a film spool comprises a spool core supported for rotation in an unwinding direction to thrust a leader section of a film roll coiled about the spool core to the exterior of the cassette, a pair of flanges radially confining the film roll and loosely coupled coaxially with the spool core normally to permit the spool core to be rotated relative to the flanges in the unwinding direction, and engagement means rotatably fixed to the spool core for rotation with the spool core relative to the flanges in the unwinding direction to move into engagement with one of the flanges to make the one flange rotate in unity with the spool core in the unwinding direction. According to the invention, the one flange is resiliently flexible, and biasing means distorts the one flange for urging the one flange firmly against the engagement means to ensure the engagement means will engage the one flange when the spool core is rotated relative to the flanges in the unwinding direction.

In a film cassette, a spool is supported for rotation in an unwinding direction inside a cassette shell, a convoluted film roll whose outermost convolution is a film leader is coiled in the unwinding direction about the spool, and a film stripper is located substantially adjacent a passageway to the exterior of the shell to be received between a leading edge portion of the film leader and a next-inward convolution of the film roll responsive to rotation of the spool in the unwinding direction to divert the leading edge portion to between a pair of light-trapping pads spaced opposite each other in the passageway. According to the invention, one of the light-trapping pads is located substantially in abutment with the stripper and the other of the pads is spaced from the stripper to generally ensure the leading edge portion of the film leader will be advanced over the one pad before the leading edge portion can be advanced over the other pad when the spool is rotated in the unwinding direction.

Film cassette with cooperating stripper and light-lock

In a film cassette, a spool core is supported for rotation in an unwinding direction to thrust a leader section of a filmstrip coiled about the spool core through a film passageway to the exterior of the cassette. A pair of flanges are arranged in spaced relation along the spool core to overlie opposite longitudinal edges of the filmstrip to radially confine the filmstrip. The flanges are adapted to permit the longitudinal film edges to force the flanges farther apart to allow the filmstrip to escape the confinement of the flanges to permit the leader section to the thrust outside the cassette. According to the invention, the leader section is relieved to permit its forward edge to be thrust clear of a light-trapping means in the film passageway before the longitudinal film edges begin to force the flanges apart, whereby when the spool core is rotated in the unwinding direction any resistance the light-trapping means and the flanges present to film movement is more easily overcome.

In a film cassette, a film spool comprises a spool core supported for rotation in an unwinding direction to thrust a leader section of a film roll coiled about the spool core to the exterior of the cassette and in a winding direction to return the leader to the interior of the cassette, and a pair of flanges positioned along the spool core to overlie opposite sides of the film roll to radially confine the film roll within skirted peripheries of the flanges. The flanges have respective central openings through which the spool core coaxially extends to normally permit the flanges and the spool core to be independently rotated in the two directions. According to the invention, engagement hooks are rotatably fixed to the spool core for initial rotation with the spool core relative to the flanges in the unwinding direction, for movement into engagement with at least one of the flanges to make the flange rotate in unity with the spool core when the spool core is rotated further in the unwinding direction, to improve the ability of the film spool to thrust the leader from the cassette, and in the film winding direction, for movement out of engagement with the flange to permit the flange to be independently rotated when the spool core is rotated further in the winding direction, to substantially ensure the leader can be rewound within the skirted periphery of the flange.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Christopher P McCormick