Eastman-kodak Company

David Barclay

James G Rydelek

Albert E Rieger

Steven S Chapman

Michael Reibl

Andreas Schweizer

Heinz-Andreas Kellner

James D Boyd

Jeffrey A Solomon

Lee D Oldfield

A single use camera that has flexure of a front cover constrained by and exposed-film door. The camera has a frame and a back cover attached to the frame. The frame and back cover together define a film path and an exposed-film removal opening communicating with the film path. The front cover is mounted over the frame opposite the back cover. The door is attached to the frame. The door is discrete from the covers and frame. The door light-tightly closes the opening independent of the front cover. The door is reversibly removable from the frame. The door constrains flexure of the front cover in a direction outward from the frame.

Single use camera having flexure of a front cover constrained by an

A watertight photographic single-use camera having a first and a second body shell that join together. The body shells comprise rigid polymer material and are adapted to receive a film transport device, a lens, a flash unit and a viewfinder. The first body shell forms the camera front section and the second body shell forms the camera rear section. A sealing means comprising an elastic polymer material is attached to an edge of at least one body shell that forms a joint and to at least one edge that forms a body opening. The elastic polymer material is attached by a multiple-component injection molding process and is connected to the body shell by chain looping (molecular entanglement) of the polymer material. As a result, the camera is dependably sealed against water and yet is inexpensive and simple to produce. For simple recyclability, the body shells can be crushed using known devices without separation of the polymer materials, with the resultant material mix being usable as a feedstock for the manufacture of new camera components.

Watertight photographic single-use camera having elastic polymer seal

A watertight body for accommodating a photographic camera. The body has a first and a second body shell of rigid polymer material that can be joined together for accommodating a photographic camera. The body has sealing means comprising elastic polymer material provided by a multiple-component injection molding process on an edge of at least one body shell that forms the joint and on surface areas of the body shells. The elastic polymer material is connected to the body shell by chain looping (molecular entanglement) of the polymer materials. The result is that the body is reliably sealed against water and is nevertheless inexpensive and simple to manufacture. For a simple and correspondingly inexpensive recyclability of the body, the body shells can be crushed without separation of the polymer materials using known devices, with the resultant material mix being usable as an admixture for the manufacture of new camera components.

Watertight body for accommodating a photographic camera

A camera comprising a taking lens, and a carry-strap and associated lens cap attached to the camera. The carry-strap is configured to be looped around the camera in order to position the lens cap over the taking lens and, alternatively, to be extended as a loop from the camera in order to serve as a wrist or neck strap. Engageable means secures the carry-strap looped around the camera and as a loop extended from the camera.

Alternative camera carry-strap and lens cap

A camera casing provided with a flexible carry-strap which is secured to the camera casing to permit the carry-strap to extend as loop from the camera casing, is characterized in that an exterior elasticized overlay is arranged on the camera casing to serve as a ready hand grip for the camera casing and is integral with the carry-strap to make the carry strap similarly elasticized.

Camera casing integrated with carry-strap

A method of assembling a one-time-use camera comprising the steps of placing one of a longitudinal series of edge perforations in a film leader of a filmstrip to be exposed in the camera onto one of an annular series of peripheral teeth of a metering sprocket rotatably supported on a main body part of the camera, and fitting a rear cover part of the camera to the main body part to make the camera light-tight, is characterized in that the rear cover part is fitted initially to the main body part with some separation between the two, and with a center portion of the rear cover part bowed in close proximity to the one tooth to prevent the metering sprocket from substantially rotating, and the rear cover part is fitted finally to the main body part with no separation between the two to make the main body part light-tight, and with the center portion of the rear cover part retracted from the one tooth to permit the metering sprocket to rotate.

Method of assembling one-time-use camera

Each time an actuator is rotated in engagement with respective teeth of a frame counter in a disposable camera, the counter is rotated the equivalent of one frame to its next setting. To initialize the counter from a random setting during factory prewinding of an unexposed filmstrip onto a take-up spool, the counter includes an elongate rise located between two of its teeth. When the counter is rotated sufficiently in a prewinding direction to locate the elongate rise immediately ahead of the actuator, the counter is initialized. Since the actuator cannot surmount the elongate rise, continued rotation of the actuator in a prewinding direction will not rotate the counter to another setting. Thus as the filmstrip continues to be factory prewound onto the take-up spool the counter remains initialized.

Apparatus for initializing a frame counter from a random setting

A frame counter in a disposable single-use camera is initialized to a preliminary setting from a random setting, rather than from a predetermined setting as in prior art counters. According to the disclosed method, an actuator is rotated in engagement with successive teeth of the frame counter during factory prewinding of an unexposed filmstrip onto a take-up spool to rotate the counter to its preliminary setting from any other setting. After the counter is initialized to the preliminary setting, the actuator continues to rotate in the same direction during continued prewinding of the filmstrip, but it is rotated substantially within a space between two of the teeth of the counter to prevent it from engaging anyone of the teeth to rotate the counter out of the preliminary setting. Thus the counter remains initialized.

Growing community of inventors

Bergen, NY, United States of America

David Barclay