Eastman-kodak Company

Dennis E Baxter

David C Smart

Leonard R Richiuso

Jeffrey R Stoneham

Anthony Dirisio

John K McBride

Peter A Newman

Thomas S Albrecht

James Vergil Leavy

Shannon A Young

A camera and method for controlling operation of the camera. The camera includes a film path for receiving a filmstrip and a transport mechanism for advancing the filmstrip along the film path. A motor connected to the transport mechanism is provided for advancing the filmstrip along the film path. A switch is provided for simultaneously turning off the motor and applying a braking force such that coasting of the motor is substantially eliminated

Control apparatus for film advance drive motor in a camera

Camera autofocus apparatus and method employing an autoranging device to determine a lens destination focus position in terms of a target number of signal pulses from a lens motion sensor photo-interrupter. A lens drive motor is initially driven at maximum speed by a 100% pulse width modulated drive signal. At a fixed number of signal pulses in advance of the target, the average motor speed is calculated and a reduced pulse with modulated drive signal, determined based on the calculated motor speed, is applied to the drive motor to cause the lens to arrive at a uniform speed at a near destination focus position that is suitable for application of a standard motor stopping routine. During the motor stopping routine, the motor is initially 'plugged' (reverse polarity drive signal) and the signal pulse period is monitored until a predetermined period is reached. At this point, the plug is removed and an electrical brake (short circuit) is applied to the motor to bring the lens to a rest at the destination focus position.

Method and apparatus for automatic deployment of camera lens

A compact camera having a retractable objective lens carrier that is associated with a flip open flash unit and lens cover to move from a retracted, parked position to an extended, home position on initial movement of the lens cover to an open, unfolded position, to move to and from an in-focus picture taking position prior to and following taking a picture, and to move back to the parked position from the home position as the lens cover is moved to a closed or folded position. The lens carrier is guided for movement along a guide assembly and urged toward the parked position by a retraction spring bias force. Movement between the parked and home positions is effected by a lens deployment lever interconnecting the lens carrier and the lens door operating in opposition to or with the bias force on opening or closing the lens cover, respectively. An auto-focus drive mechanism is selectively operable by the user on depression of the shutter release button prior to taking a picture for making engagement with the lens carrier and moving it on the guide assembly to an in-focus position determined by the camera range finding system. After a picture is taken or the shutter button is otherwise released, the auto-focus drive mechanism is reversed to return the lens carrier to the home position and to disengage the auto-focus drive mechanism from the lens carrier.

Lens deployment mechanism for compact camera

A camera is provided with alternative mounting structures, one for an extensible flash and another for a fixed flash. One of the mounting structures is used for securing and aligning a selected alternative extensible or fixed flash device. The other is covered by a camera casing. The casing defines first and second apertures aligned with the first and second mounting structures, respectively. The first aperture provides access through the casing for mounting the extensible flash assembly on the first mounting structure and the second aperture permits passage through the casing of illumination from the fixed flash assembly. A method of assembling a photographic camera also is provided including the steps of assembling alternative extensible and fixed flash assemblies; forming a core including alternative flash mounting structures corresponding to and adapted to receive the respective flash assemblies; coupling a selected one of the flash assemblies to the corresponding mounting structure; and covering the core with a camera casing.

Convertible flash camera and method

A photographic camera comprises a camera body, a lens carrier for an objective lens supported for movement outwardly and inwardly of the camera body between respective picture-taking and storage positions, and a lens cover supported for movement relative to the camera body between a covering position in front of the objective lens when the lens carrier is in its storage position and a non-covering position removed from the objective lens when the lens carrier is in its picture-taking position. According to the invention, the lens cover includes an elastic sheet-like piece located to deform over the objective lens when the lens carrier is in its storage position and the lens cover is in its covering position, whereby the lens cover is prevented from abrading the objective lens.

Compact camera with elastic lens cover to prevent abrasion of taking lens

In a photographic camera, a cassette carrier having a chamber for receiving a film cassette is movable outwardly from the camera body to permit one to insert and remove the film cassette. A drive spindle for the film cassette and a coaxial gear are rotatably mounted on a spring-urged slider supported on the carrier. Datum projections extend from the camera body to enter the chamber when the carrier is moved to return the chamber to inside the camera body, to shift the cassette from a centered position in engagement with the drive spindle to a datum position in the chamber. Simultaneously, a datum stop located in the camera body abuts the slider to shift the slider with the cassette and to limit the extent to which the coaxial gear will mesh with a driving gear rotatably supported in the camera body.

Film cassette loading apparatus in a photographic camera

A film cassette comprises a spool rotatable to thrust a filmstrip coiled about the spool out of the cassette shell, and an exposure status indicator rotatable from an unexposed position to an exposed position for providing respective indications that the filmstrip is unexposed or is exposed. According to the invention, a shroud substantially surrounds a circumferential edge of the status indicator to prevent one from manually grasping the edge in order to rotate the indicator from its unexposed position to its exposed position. However, the shroud allows a top face of the status indicator to be accessed by an actuating mechanism in a camera, for example, to rotate the indicator from the unexposed position to the exposed position. The shell and the status indicator include respective engagement means that lock responsivee to a force applied downwardly to the top face of the indicator to prevent one from rotating the indicator from its unexposed position to its exposed position by pressing against the top face and attempting to rotate the indicator. Normally, the engagement means are unlocked to allow the status indicator to be rotated from the unexposed position to the exposed position by the actuating mechanism.

Film cassette with film exposure status indicator

A film cassette comprises a spool rotatable about an axis to thrust a filmstrip coiled about the spool out of the cassette shell, and an exposure status indicator rotatable about the axis from an unexposed position to an exposed position for providing respective indications that the filmstrip is unexposed or is exposed. According to the invention, the shell and the status indicator include respective engagable means at least one of which is supported for movement relative to the other substantially radially of the axis in opposite directions for engagement to secure the status indicator in its unexposed and exposed positions and for disengagement to permit rotation of the status indicator from the unexposed to the exposed position.

Film cassette with exposure status indicator

A photographic camera is intended for use with a film cassette having a film-exposure status indicator movable from an unexposed position for providing a visible indication that a filmstrip within the cassette is generally unexposed, to a partly exposed position for providing a visible indication that the filmstrip is only partly exposed, and to an exposed position for providing a visible indication that exposure of the filmstrip is complete. The camera is capable of returning the filmstrip to the cassette prematurely when the filmstrip is only partly exposed and of advancing the filmstrip from the cassette subsequently to complete its exposure, and includes control means that operates drive means to move the status indicator from its unexposed position to its partly exposed position in the event the filmstrip returned to the cassette is partly exposed and to move the status indicator from either its unexposed or partly exposed position to its exposed position in the event the filmstrip returned to the cassette is substantially exposed.

Camera for use with film cassette having film-exposure status indicator

A simple inexpensive camera to be used with a film cassette having a film-exposure status indicator movable from an unexposed position for providing a visible indication that a filmstrip within the cassette is generally unexposed, to a partly exposed position for providing a visible indication that the filmstrip is only partly exposed, and to an exposed position for providing a visible indication that exposure of the filmstrip is completed, is adapted to move the status indicator from its unexposed position to its exposed position, without stopping at its partly exposed position, substantially when film drive means of the camera changes the state of the filmstrip relative to the cassette. The change of state of the filmstrip relative to the cassette may be accomplished in the camera either by advancing the filmstrip from the cassette to expose the filmstrip or by returning the filmstrip to the cassette to safeguard the filmstrip.

Growing community of inventors

East Rochester, NY, United States of America

Dennis E Baxter