Eastman-kodak Company

Heinz-Andreas Kellner

James G Rydelek

Steven S Chapman

Michael Reibl

David Barclay

Andreas Schweizer

Albert E Rieger

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

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Stuttgart, Germany

Heinz-Andreas Kellner