Eastman-kodak Company

John H Alligood

Joel S Lawther

Dennis R Zander

David C Smart

Dwight John Petruchik

David A Cipolla

Mark A Lamphron

Randy E Horning

John H Minnick

David A Castor

James M Spires

A camera includes a film compartment, and a cover for closing the film compartment which is configured to hold a battery. The cover has a main portion for the battery and a fold-over portion that folds against the main portion to hold the battery between the main portion and the fold-over portion. Preferably, the film compartment is configured to receive a film cartridge having an end opening, and the fold-over portion has a support post that is arranged to fit into the end opening in the film cartridge when the fold-over portion is folded against the main portion.

Camera with battery holder cover for film compartment

A one-time-use camera comprising a main body part having a viewfinder chamber with opposite front and rear open ends, and a pair of front and rear viewfinder lens elements that are positioned at the front and rear open ends of the chamber in a spaced optically aligned relation, is characterized in that the front and rear viewfinder lens elements have respective integral extensions that together with the front and rear viewfinder lens elements constitute separate individual L-shaped one-piece lens components which connect to one another to form a rigid rectangular-shaped unit that can be inserted into the chamber through at least one of the front and rear open ends of the chamber to position the front and rear viewfinder lens elements at the front and rear open ends.

Viewfinder lens assembly

A camera comprising a rear cover part having a rear opening, a rotatable film advance thumbwheel protruding from the rear opening to permit the thumbwheel to be manually rotated in a film winding direction and having a continuous alternating series of teeth and spaces, and a flexible beam projecting from the rear cover part and having an anti-backup pawl to be received in anyone of the spaces to prevent reverse rotation of the thumbwheel but being pushed out of anyone of the spaces to make the beam flex away from the thumbwheel when the thumbwheel is rotated in the film winding direction, is characterized in that the beam has a pair of opposite ends fixed to the rear cover part and said pawl is located between the fixed opposite ends, to make the beam be flexed intermediate its fixed opposite ends when the pawl is pushed out of anyone of the spaces because of manual rotation of the thumbwheel in the film winding direction, whereby the natural frequency of vibration of the beam can be raised to make the noise of the pawl contacting successive ones of the teeth when the thumbwheel is rotated in the film winding direction less noticeable.

Quietly operating anti-backup pawl for manual film advance thumbwheel in

A film drive gear has a thumbwheel that is rotated by a camera user and also has a shutter cam surface that rotates with the thumbwheel to reset a shutter mechanism and has a film metering cam surface that rotates with the thumbwheel to release a film metering mechanism. The shutter cam surface and the film metering cam surface are axially separated along a shaft of the film drive gear that extends outwardly from the thumbwheel. The drive gear can include a toothed sprocket that actuates a film transport mechanism such that revolution of the thumbwheel rotates the toothed sprocket and moves the photographic film a predetermined distance. The thumbwheel also can be provided with an outer circumferential surface that is coupled to an exposure counter wheel having frame index numbers such that a predetermined number of revolutions of the thumbwheel moves the exposure counter wheel by one frame index number relative to the thumbwheel.

Combination metering cam and film transport thumbwheel

A water-resistant camera comprising a main body part having a rear back frame opening across which successive sections of a filmstrip are moved to be exposed, a rear cover part lighttightly covering the backframe opening, and a water-resistant casing part spaced opposite the rear cover part, is characterized in that the main body part has spacer projections separate from the backframe opening for abutting one side of the rear cover part which faces the backframe opening, to maintain a film clearance space between the backframe opening and the one cover part side for movement of successive sections of the filmstrip across the backframe opening, and the rear cover part has support projections aligned with the spacer projections, on another side of the rear cover part which faces the water-resistant casing part, whereby when water pressure tends to press the water-resistant casing part inwardly toward the rear cover part the support projections will cooperate with the spacer projections to prevent the water-resistant casing part from pushing the rear cover part substantially into the film clearance space.

Water-resistant camera

A viewfinder for a camera includes a front masking portion and a movable rear masking portion for providing multiple frame-defining formats in a viewing area. According to the invention, the front masking portion includes a pair of independently movable masking plates which are separately attached to the rear masking portion by a pair of cam follower levers which allow one of the front masking plates to move into the field of view of the viewfinder when the rear masking portion is moved a first increment and to move the other front masking plate into the viewfinder field of view when the rear masking portion is moved a second increment. An overcenter spring assists in effecting each of the format defining positions.

Variable format viewfinder

A viewfinder masking assembly having three different aspect ratio masks comprises a single piece three-mask unit with the respective masks connected via living hinges. A mask selector has a camming device for folding one mask behind another in various ways to place a selected mask in a viewing field.

Folding variable format viewfinder for camera

A a photographic camera capable of taking various size exposures comprises a back frame opening for making a full size exposure on a film in the camera, and respective masking blades supported for pivotal movement between a masking position for masking corresponding portions of the back frame opening to allow only a reduced size exposure to be made on the film and a non-masking position not masking the corresponding portions of the back frame opening to allow a full size exposure to be made on the film. The masking blades are connected via a rigid connecting ink having overcenter spring means, located substantially midway between the masking blades to divide the connecting ink into two similar length rigid ink segments, for applying respective forces in opposite directions to the link segments to pivot the masking blades to their masking and non-masking positions. Preferably, the masking blades and the connecting ink including is overcenter spring means are integral to be unitary or one-piece.

Photographic camera for various size exposures using one-piece masking

A film transporting apparatus comprises a bi-directional motor adapted to rotate in a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction; a driving gear connected to the bi-directional motor and adapted to rotate in a first direction and a second direction in response to rotation of the bi-directional motor in its first direction and its second direction, respectively; a first gear; a displaceable gear coupled to the driving gear and adapted to rotate around the driving gear along a predetermined path between a first position disengaged from the first gear and a second position engaged with the first gear in response to the driving gear rotating in its first direction and its second direction, respectively; and a mechanism for controlling the rotation of the displaceable gear between the engaged and disengaged positions. The film transport apparatus is characterized in that the controlling mechanism includes a device for creating a frictional force along the predetermined path to control the rotation of the displaceable gear around the driving gear along the predetermined path and to hold the displaceable gear in its engaged and disengaged positions.

Apparatus for transporting photographic film

A single electromagnet and a single permanent magnet to actuate a shutter blade and a plurality of aperture blades, that form a plurality of aperture openings. A magnet is coupled to an electormagnet and an aperture adjustment mechanism. The magnet rotates in one direction to set the aperture opening and then rotates in the opposite direction to actuate a shutter blade.

Multi-aperture electromagnetic camera shutter

A photographic camera wherein a film metering sprocket undergoes respective cylces of rotation in each of two opposite directions when a filmstrip is advanced substantially a frame increment in reverse directions over the metering sprocket, and an operating element is actuated to perform a camera function when the metering sprocket is rotated a cycle in one of the opposite directions but is not actuated for such purpose when the metering sprocket is rotated a cycle in the other direction, is characterized in that the metering sprocket and the operating element are disposed in a coaxial relation and include one-way motion transmitting means which when the metering sprocket is rotated a cycle in the one direction engages to compel the metering sprocket to rotate the operating element continuously in the same direction but which when the metering sprocket is rotated a cycle in the other direction does not engage in order to permit the metering sprocket to rotate independently of the operating element.

Camera having film-driven motion transmitting mechanism

In a single lens reflex camera, a mirror can be positioned in an upright light-reflecting position between the rear of the taking lens and the film to reflect the light rays that come through the lens on to a focusing screen of the viewfinder, and it can be positioned in an inverted non-reflecting position out of the way of the light rays to allow them to expose the film. The mirror is supported to pivot about two axes, forward toward the rear of the lens and downward to at least partially underneath the film, from its light-reflecting position to its non-reflecting position. According to a unique construction, the mirror is constrained to pivot first only about one of the axes and then only about the other axis to swing successively along respective arcs. This arrangement advantageously allows the back focus of the lens required to clear the mirror for movement from its light-reflecting position to its non-reflecting position to be reduced.

Mirror system for a single lens reflex camera

A compact camera is of the type wherein a built-in flash unit is movable between a storage or folded position and an erect position. According to the invention, the flash unit includes a flash light emission window that is arranged to face generally toward a subject to be photographed when the flash unit is in its erect position, to provide direct illumination of the subject, and to face substantially upward with respect to the subject when the flash unit is in its storage position, to provide indirect bounce illumination of the subject.

Compact camera providing direct and indirect flash

A compact camera is of the type wherein a built-in flash unit is movable between a storage or folded position in which the flash unit is located relatively close to the camera objective lens and an erect position in which the distance between the flash unit and the objection lens is increased to reduce the possibility of red-eye when using the flash unit to take a picture. According to the invention, the flash unit is supported for movement from its storage position to its erect position generally along an arc extending diagonally of an upper surface of the camera body. The upper surface is longitudinally disposed between opposite ends of the camera body. Owing to this arrangement, the distance between the flash unit and the objective lens can be made greater (as compared to prior art devices) when the flash unit is in its erect position.

Growing community of inventors

Penfield, NY, United States of America

John H Alligood