Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Fuji Film Co., Ltd.

Hisashi Tasaka

Nobuyuki Kameyama

Kazuo Kamata

Takashi Kubo

Hidefumi Obo

Makoto Isozaki

Kazumi Koike

Shozo Kondo

Yuji Mikami

Kazuo Okoyama

Junichi Takagi

Manabu Tobise

Katsuji Muramatsu

Mitsuhiro Moriya

Hirokazu Yokoo

Mitsuyoshi Mochida

Kazuhito Iwase

Masanori Ishiguro

Takaji Kono

A lens element, that is guided along a tapered wall of a lens holder and slipped into the lens holder, is fixedly held on a lens support collar at a bottom of the lens holder by thermally deforming fixing claws of the lens holder so as to grasp the outer periphery of the lens element. The fixing claws are arranged in diametrically symmetrical positions with respect to a center axis of the lens holder so as to align the optical axis of the lens element and the center axis of the lens holder.

Lens holding method and lens holder

A lens-fitted photo film unit is pre-loaded with photo film. First and second taking lenses are arranged in an arranging direction crosswise to a photographic optical axis, and have focal lengths different from each other. A rotatable lens holder supports the first and second taking lenses. An externally operable button member is operable by external operation, rotates the lens holder in the arranging direction, and sets the first and second taking lenses selectively on the photographic optical axis. A viewfinder optical system is settable at first and second viewfinder magnifications, and adapted to observation of a photographic field. A magnification changer mechanism including a lever is shifted in response to rotation of the lens holder, and sets the viewfinder optical system at the first and second viewfinder magnifications respectively when the first and second taking lenses are set on the photographic optical axis.

Lens-fitted photo film unit and assembling method for the same

A lens-fitted photo film unit is provided with a data recording device, wherein a plastic light guide member has a flash light entering portion that is opposed to a front portion of a flash projector of a built-in flash device, and a light projection terminal facing an LCD panel of a data display module. The light guide member also has an external light entering surface that is exposed to a front portion of the film unit, to collect external light and conduct it to the light projection terminal. The light projected from the light projection terminal toward the LCD panel is used for recording data displayed on the LCD panel onto a filmstrip contained in the film unit. When the film unit is used in a dark place, the flash device is activated to project a flash light from the flash projector. So the flash light partly enters through the flash light entering portion, and is added to the external light entering through the external light entering surface.

Lens-fitted photo film unit with data recording device

A frame counter device includes a rotatable counter disk. A train of plural numbers are arranged on one face of the counter disk in an arc shape, and have an outermost point and an innermost point. The outermost point is the farthest from a rotational center of the counter disk and distant from the rotational center by a radius Ro. The innermost point is the nearest to the rotational center and distant from the rotational center by a radius Ri. The radius Ri is 60% or less of the radius Ro.

Frame counter device

Flash built-in and flashless types of lens-fitted photo film units respectively include first and second front covers. The first front cover includes a first front wall and a first cover wall formed in an erect orientation relative to the first front wall. The second front cover includes a second front wall shaped partially equally to the first front wall. A second cover wall is formed in an erect orientation relative to the second front wall and shaped at least partially equally to the first cover wall. In molding operation for the front covers, the first or second cover wall is formed between a main cavity mold and a main core mold, which are confronted with each other. The main core mold is movable relative to the main cavity mold in a direction according to the erect orientation of the first and second cover walls. The first or second front wall is formed between the main core mold and a selected one of first and second auxiliary molds. The first and second auxiliary molds are selectively fitted in a portion of the main cavity mold, confronted with the main core mold, and shaped differently from each other at least partially. The main cavity mold and the main core mold are allowed to be used commonly between the first and second front covers.

Part molding method for manufacture of lens-fitted photo film unit

A lens-fitted film unit has a date recording module which is disposed between an exposure unit and a front cover to project a calendar date onto the front emulsion layer of a film. The front cover is formed with an elevated platform which spatially encircle at least a taking lens, a lighting window and the date recording module as viewed from the front side of the film unit. The date recording module has a module base plate, a transmission type of liquid crystal display is mounted on the module base plate so as to position behind the lighting window formed in the front cover, and a battery attached to the back of the module base plate so as to position within a shadow of the module base plate. A single shutter blade is adapted to control light passage for both image formation and data recordation. Alternatively, two shutter blades are used which interact in a controlled manner.

Lens-fitted film unit having a shutter mechanism adapted for data

A lens-fitted photo film unit has photo film pre-contained in a photo film containing section (14, 70). An exposure is taken on the photo film via a photographic light path (20). An electronic flash device (16) is secured in front of the photo film containing section. The electronic flash device includes a circuit board (27, 69) having a flash circuit, a flash-emitting section, and a charge switch for charging the flash circuit. The charge switch includes two contact points (32a, 32b, 69a, 69b) and a movable switch segment (33, 68a) for contact with the contact point to switch on charging of the flash circuit. A front cover (18, 60, 91) is secured to cover a front of the circuit board. The switch segment is depressible for coming in contact with the contact point. An operable lever (12, 63, 94) is associated with the front cover in rotatable fashion between an erected position and a folded position relative to the front cover. The switch segment is kept depressed when the operable lever has the erected position.

Lens-fitted photo film unit

A lens-fitted photographic film unit is provided with a motor for rotating a spool to wind up photographic film one frame after each exposure. The motor is supplied with a single cell which may be commonly used for charging a flash unit. The rotational movement of the motor is transmitted to the spool through a speed-reduction gear mechanism which reduces the rotational speed at ratios between 100:1 and 280:1. The motor and the gear mechanism are removably mounted in a frame as a motor unit, and the motor unit is removably attached to a main body of the film unit beside a take-up chamber. Forwardly convex contacting portions are exposed to a front portion of the motor unit. The cell is mounted between contact plates having forwardly convex contacting portions. A motor drive switch for controlling start and stop of the motor also has forwardly convex contacting portions exposed to a front side thereof. These contacting portions are pressed against conductive layers formed on the inner surface of a front cover of the film unit so as to provide a film winding circuit.

Lens-fitted photographic film unit with film winding motor

A lens-fitted photographic film unit whose film surface disposed behind an exposure aperture is forwardly concave along the longitudinal direction of the film strip so as to correct distortion by the taking lens. The unit has an exposure aperture size changing device constituted of a manually actuated photography mode changing member for selecting either a standard photography mode for forming a standard size picture frame, or a special photography mode in which a special size picture frame smaller than the standard size picture frame may be formed. A pair of aperture masking plates is movable into margins of the exposure aperture, for masking out parts of the exposure aperture. The masking plates have such shapes that, if images of the aperture masking plates are projected onto a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the taking lens in the masking position, the images have concave top and bottom margins, so that the special size picture frame has a rectangular shape when the images of the masking plates are projected on that concave film surface instead of on that perpendicular plane.

Lens-fitted photographic flim unit and exposure aperture size changing

A lens-fitted photographic film unit has a flash device for emitting a flash of light. A charge switch is adapted to bring the flash device into an on-state, either by rotation of a film advancing wheel, or when a shutter device is cocked. When the flash device is in the on-state, a main capacitor is charged so as to allow emission of a flash of light. In a preferred embodiment, the charge switch is initially turned on so as to keep the flash device in the on-state. In another preferred embodiment, the flash device is in the on-state while the charge switch is on, and is in the off-state while the charge switch is off, in response to the shutter device. When the lens-fitted photographic film unit is contained in a wrapper, an insulating tape is inserted between a positive electrode of the battery and a contact segment. Upon the wrapper being torn off the lens-fitted photographic film unit, the insulating tape is pulled out of the lens-fitted photographic film unit, so as to bring the flash device into the on-state.

Lens-fitted photographic film unit with flash device

Lens-fitted photographic film unit with flash device and

A waterproof casing contains a lens-fitted photographic film unit in a watertight manner so as to take underwater photograph. The waterproof casing is provided with an air flow opening. An air-permeable waterproof sheet is attached to the air flow opening form the inside so that air can pass through the sheet freely so as to regulate the internal pressure of the waterproof casing but water will not enter the waterproof casing. In a preferred embodiment, the waterproof casing consists of a transparent main body with a bottom opening and a bottom lid. The air flow opening is formed os as to be covered by a film winding knob of the waterproof casing. Structure to be fitted in the bottom opening is formed with another air flow opening to which the air-permeable waterproof sheet is attached. Outside this structure is disposed a waterproof sheet having an opening at a position facing the air flow opening of this structure. The waterproof sheet is covered by the bottom lid.

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Saitama, Japan

Hisashi Tasaka