Eastman-kodak Company

Verbatim Corporation

Literal Corporation

David L Rowden

Thomas C Merle

Patrick J Champagne

James R Carey

Dale W Ryan

Philip R Ashe

Walter C Slater

Dennis F Tianello

Gerald F Sherman, Jr

Alfonso Ianni

Michael J Chapman

Gary R Clauson

A film re-shaping device for orienting and re-shaping the end of a filmstrip in a desired configuration having, a base, an alignment post mounted on the base, an elongated metal lower die plate with an guide hole for positioning the die plate over the alignment post, formed in the desired end-of-filmstrip configuration, a film guide mounted on the die plate for aligning an edge of the filmstrip, a film edge spring for keeping the filmstrip against the film guide, a spring loaded roller attached to the base for bearing on the filmstrip and flattening the filmstrip against the die plate surface, and an elongated metal upper punch plate having an guide hole for positioning the punch plate over the alignment post and aligning the plates accurately with each other, formed at the film re-shaping end in the desired end-of-filmstrip configuration, whereby the filmstrip is captured between the upper and lower plates, is described. The device has a raised rib formed along the bottom of an outer edge of the end of the punch plate for shearing the filmstrip, removing the damaged portion of the filmstrip and re-shaping the undamaged portion of the filmstrip in the desired end-of-filmstrip configuration. A method of re-shaping the end of a filmstrip using the device is also described.

Film re-shaping device

A head to film interface for photofinishing equipment, includes: a pair of spaced apart film guides for establishing a film plane; a pair of magnetic heads located between the film guides above the film plane at the edges of the film; and a pair of compliant edge rollers extending into the film plane for urging the edges of the film into contact with the magnetic heads, the compliant edge milers being mounted for independent rotation.

Head to film interface for photofinishing equipment

A ball carrier mounting assembly for limiting the angular movement of a film follower device having, a pair of upper ball cages, each upper ball cage further having a lug for engaging a notch, a tube extending through the thickness of the cage and protruding below the lower surface, and a plurality of ball pockets, an asymmetrically shaped, mounting plate located underneath the pair of upper ball cages having a body and first and second end tabs, for attaching the assembly to a fixed support, wherein each end tab of the mounting plate has a different configuration for orienting the apparatus, the body having in addition a pair of apertures spaced from the tab ends for accommodating the tubes, and a pair of lower ball cages located below the mounting plate, each lower ball cage further having a lug protruding downwards for engaging a notch, an aperture extending through the thickness of the lower cage for receiving the tube therein, and a plurality of ball pockets, is described. A magnetic head-to-media apparatus for recording information on a magnetic film media containing the ball carrier mounting assembly of the invention is also described.

Self aligning magnetic media follower device

A magnetic head-to-media backer assembly for urging a magnetic media into contact with a magnetic head having, a magnetic head mounting backer plate with first and second locating pins and a plate mounting hole extending through the plate for accommodating a mounting screw, a magnetic head-to media backer device mounted on the backer plate having a frame with a cavity therein and a spring member partially contained within the cavity, said frame further comprising first and second locating holes extending there through for receiving the first and second locating pins and a frame mounting hole extending through the frame for accommodating the mounting screw there through, and an asymmetrically shaped film guide cover plate mounted over said backer device having a tapped hole there through for fastening with the mounting screw, whereby the cover plate is removably fastened to the backer plate and the backer device is captured between the backer and cover plates, is described.

Magnetic head-to-media backer assembly

A magnetic head-to-media backer device for holding a spring member, the spring member being adapted to urge a flexible magnetic media into contact with a magnetic head, is described, in which the device has a frame for holding the spring member therein, the frame having a cavity defined at least by a pair of opposite generally convex shaped side walls for bending the spring member into an arc with two opposite leg portions and a center portion, the center portion of the spring member protruding from an opening to the cavity to permit it to be depressed at least part way into the opening to conform the leg portions substantially against the surface of the side walls.

Magnetic head-to-media backer device

An apparatus for making a bubble spring assembly includes a base member having a side surface and a head assembly. A track way extends along one side surface of the base toward the head assembly. The track way is employed for guiding a respective spring blank into the head assembly. A push block is provided for moving the spring blank along the track way and into the head assembly. A shaping mechanism is provided within the head assembly for receiving the respective spring blank from the track way and for shaping the spring into a predetermined form having a predictable stress strain history along the length of the shaped spring blank. A retaining gate is located proximate the shaping mechanism for positioning a respective cavity block adjacent the shaping mechanism. A transfer rod is provided within the head assembly for moving a shaped spring blank from the shaping mechanism into the cavity block in the absence of further deformation to the shaped spring blank.

Method and apparatus for making a bubble spring assembly

A tool for attaching or detaching a filmstrip to a cartridge. The tool includes a blade and a base section having an upper end and a lower end. The blade is integrally secured to the upper end of the base section. The tool is made by first providing the blade with a predetermined configuration and placing the blade in a mold and introducing a resin material so as to form the base section of the tool and integrally securing the section to the base section.

Tool for filmstrip attachment or detachment

A recovery tool for receiving film cartridges and for storing the cartridges in a predetermined sequence and a method of using same. The recovery tool comprising a generally tubular member having a receiving chamber designed to hold a plurality of film cartridges in a single column, one cartridge above the other. The chamber has an upper end and a lower end, and an inlet/outlet opening is provided at the upper end of the tubular member for allowing film cartridges to be inserted into or removed from the chamber. A movable member is provided for limiting the number of film cartridges that can be placed into the receiving chamber. A removal port is provided for allowing a film cartridge to be removed from the receiving chamber at a predetermined location.

Film cartridge recovery tool

A tool for detaching a trailing end portion of a filmstrip from at least one hook atop a ramp on a film spool inside a film cartridge. This detachment occurs when the tool is inserted inwardly through a film ingress/egress slot in the cartridge. The tool includes a flexible element having a leading first portion followed by a wider second portion each configured to be successively inserted inwardly through the slot of the cartridge beneath a film section in the slot such that when the wider second portion is forced to slide up the ramp on the spool the leading first portion will push the trailing end portion of the filmstrip off the hook atop the ramp.

Tool and method for detaching a trailing end portion of a filmstrip from

In an information disk drive system, a pivoted shutter opening lever is positioned in a cartridge receiving guide in the same plane as the disk in the cartridge. The lever is mounted on a movable pivot with a shutter engaging member positioned to begin opening the cartridge shutter to expose a segment of disk recording tracks only after the segment is inside the disk drive and to complete opening of the shutter at an intermediate stage of cartridge insertion to allow nesting of disk access components within the disk access opening in the cartridge prior to the cartridge reaching its final operating position. Interference between the opening lever and the fully opened shutter during final travel of the cartridge is avoided by a mechanism which moves the lever pivot by a sufficient amount to allow the shutter engaging member to translate in a straight line parallel to the insertion path of the cartridge during final insertion motion of the cartridge. Two embodiments of the pivot moving mechanism are shown.

Shutter opening apparatus for an information storage disk drive system

A disk drive spindle and spindle motor assembly is mounted on a support platform which is translated reciprocally toward and away from a stationary disk cartridge by a pair of rotationally driven cranks positioned along opposite sides of the platform. The cranks are coupled to the platform by eccentrically mounted support rods loosely captured in the span between dual sets of parallel, compliant leaf springs attached to side edges of the platform. The rotational cranks are provided with a degree of overtravel to forcefully urge the platform, when in the operational position, against precision stops formed on the underside of a mount plate located between the platform and disk cartridge. The spatial relationship of a disk engaging surface on the drive spindle relative to the precision stops is such as to precisely position the rotating disk in parallel with the tracking axis of the read/write head of the system. A pair of holes in the platform mate in sliding relationship with a pair of locator pins depending from the mount plate to maintain correct x-y positioning of the platform during its reciprocal translation.

Load mechanism for a beam addressable information storage disk drive

Apparatus for centering and clamping a disk on a spindle-drive is disclosed. A bistable magnetic clamp normally held in an axially offset position from the plane of the disk is preferentially drawn to a coupler washer on the spindle-drive when the spindle-drive and clamping device are relatively moved toward each other after the disk is inserted into the drive. To accommodate significant initial misalignment of the disk, as might typically occur with a cartridge mounted disk, in a very short throw clamping motion, a multi-frustrum centering member is used. The frustrum surface nearest the disk has a gradual slope assuring meshing of the centering member with the central aperture of the disk over a wide range of initial misalignment. Once the disk is coarsely centered, precision centering is achieved during the final clamping stage by the second frustrum surface which is at steep slope relative to the plane of the disk.

Disk clamp and centering apparatus for a beam addressable disk drive

Disk cartridge

A cartridge comprises a rigid peripheral wall sandwiched between a pair of similarly rigid major surfaces, to form a compartment containing a disk arranged for rotation about a central axis. The cartridge obviates the need to have relative axial movement between the disk and a record/playback transducer head as the cartridge is loaded into a drive mechanism. To that end, a brake mechanism latches the disk axially, as well as radially, in its operative plane as the cartridge is loaded; additionally, the cartridge exposes the disk sufficiently to provide interference-free access to it by the transducer head. For that purpose, at least one of the major surfaces has a head-access opening extending to the peripheral wall, which, in turn, defines a relatively narrow bridge-like member, comparable in width to the operative plane of the disk, extending laterally, in the disk plane, from one side to the other side of the head-access opening. The bridge-like member, in addition to simplifying loading movement, maintains cartridge rigidity across the 'throat' of the head-access opening.

Structurally rigid disk cartridge adaptable to eliminating relative

A write protect mechanism is disclosed for a cartridge of the type having top and bottom plates and an information recording medium interposed therebetween. The write protect mechanism comprises a button visible through an aperture in one of the plates and slideably moveable in the aperture between a write protect position and a write enabled position. In the write protect position, an interfacing recording device is actuated to prevent recording so that information previously recorded on the disk will not be inadvertently erased. In the write enabled position, the recording device is actuated to record information on the disk. The button further has a flag adapted to extend into a gap in a rear peripheral wall joining the top and bottom plates to visibly indicate that the button is in the write protect position and that information can not be recorded on the medium. When the flag is retracted, this visibly indicates that recording, if not prevented, could inadvertently erase previously recorded information.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

David L Rowden