Eastman-kodak Company

Mark D Fraser

Jeffrey Charles Robertson

Christopher P McCormick

John J Niedospial, Jr

Michael T Wolf

Daniel M Pagano

Clark E Harris

Joseph E Yokajty

David B Kemp

John J Breen

David R Linne

John J Neidospial, Jr

A film cassette having perforated film for permitting automated extension of the film, the film cassette comprises a core having the film convolutedly wound on the core. A rotatable drum receives the core, and includes a recessed slot and a projection which engages a perforation of the film for permitting motion of the film as the drum is rotated. A shell receives the drum, and includes an opening and a finger that matingly engages the recessed slot of the drum for forcing the film through the opening of the shell and, consequently, out of the film cassette.

Film cassette

A film cartridge comprising a rotatable film spool, an indicator window, an annular indicator wheel rotatable behind the indicator window to move a film-exposed indication on the indicator wheel to the indicator window, and an annular drive wheel rotatably coupled with the film spool for rotating the indicator wheel to move the film-exposed indication to the indicator window, is characterized in that the indicator wheel is resilient and a flex-inducing protuberance is located to distort successive portions of the indicator wheel towards the indicator window as the indicator wheel is rotated, to position the film-exposed indication in the indicator window.

Film cartridge with film-exposed visual indicator

A single-piece protective package is intended for a film cassette provided with a substantially cylindrical housing having an extending pair of lips slightly spaced apart to define a film egress/ingress mouth and with a rotatable film spool for a coiled filmstrip inside the housing having a protruding end that protrudes at least to an outside end face of the housing to permit its engagement to rotate the film spool. The package comprises a mouth cap configured to fit over the extending pair of lips of the housing including the film egress/ingress mouth to seal the film egress/ingress mouth, but not to fit over a cylindrical portion of the housing to leave the cylindrical portion visible, and spool locking means integrally formed with the mouth cap for engaging the protruding end of the film spool to prevent rotation of the film spool when the mouth cap is fit over the extending pair of lips of the housing.

Single-piece protective package for a film cassette

In a film cassette, a spool is supported for rotation in an unwinding direction inside a cassette shell, a filmstrip is coiled about the spool to form a film roll with an outermost convolution having a leading end, a pair of flanges are coaxially arranged along the spool with respective peripheral annular lips overlapping the outermost convolution adjacent opposite longitudinal edges of the outermost convolution to radially confine the film roll, respective notches are cut in the longitudinal edges at individual locations nearby the leading end which receive sections of the annular lips to allow sections of the longitudinal edges between the notches and the leading end to overlap the annular lips to hold the leading end spaced from a next-inward convolution of the film roll, and a stripper is positioned closer to one of the longitudinal edges than to the other for receipt between the leading end and the next-inward convolution to divert the leading end into a passageway out of the shell when the spool is rotated in the unwinding direction. According to the invention, the notch in the longitudinal edge that is farther from the stripper is sufficiently shallow to cause the section of the annular lip in that notch to bottom out in it to prevent the section of the annular lip in the notch in the longitudinal edge that is closer to the stripper from separating from that notch.

Film cassette with notched film leader

In a film cassette, a film spool comprises a spool core supported for rotation in an unwinding direction to thrust a leader section of a film roll coiled about the spool core to the exterior of the cassette, a pair of flanges radially confining the film roll and loosely coupled coaxially with the spool core normally to permit the spool core to be rotated relative to the flanges in the unwinding direction, and engagement means rotatably fixed to the spool core for rotation with the spool core relative to the flanges in the unwinding direction to move into engagement with one of the flanges to make the one flange rotate in unity with the spool core in the unwinding direction. According to the invention, the one flange is resiliently flexible, and biasing means distorts the one flange for urging the one flange firmly against the engagement means to ensure the engagement means will engage the one flange when the spool core is rotated relative to the flanges in the unwinding direction.

In a film cassette, a spool is supported for rotation in an unwinding direction inside a cassette shell, a convoluted film roll whose outermost convolution is a film leader is coiled in the unwinding direction about the spool, and a film stripper is located substantially adjacent a passageway to the exterior of the shell to be received between a leading edge portion of the film leader and a next-inward convolution of the film roll responsive to rotation of the spool in the unwinding direction to divert the leading edge portion to between a pair of light-trapping pads spaced opposite each other in the passageway. According to the invention, one of the light-trapping pads is located substantially in abutment with the stripper and the other of the pads is spaced from the stripper to generally ensure the leading edge portion of the film leader will be advanced over the one pad before the leading edge portion can be advanced over the other pad when the spool is rotated in the unwinding direction.

Film cassette with cooperating stripper and light-lock

A film cassette comprises a spool rotatable in unwinding and winding directions to thrust a leader section of a film roll coiled about the spool from the cassette and to return the leader to the cassette; a pair of flanges coaxially arranged along the spool to normally permit each of the flanges to be independently rotated relative to the spool in the two directions and to radially confine the film roll within skirted peripheries of the flanges; and a film stripper received between the leader and the next-inward convolution of the film roll to free the leader from the flanges by inducing the leader to flex the flanges away from one another at their skirted peripheries responsive to rotation of the spool in the unwinding direction. According to the invention, the spool has a pair of integral disks located within the skirted peripheries of the flanges to include the film roll between the disks. At least one of the flanges can be fixed to at least one of the disks to make the fixed flange rotate in unity with the spool when the spool is rotated in the unwinding direction, to improve the ability of the spool to thrust the leader from the cassette. Conversely, the fixed flange can be released from the disk to permit it to be independently rotated relative to the spool when the spool is rotated in the winding direction, to generally ensure the leader will be rewound within the skirted periphery of the flange.

Film-thrusting cassette

A film cassette is disclosed wherein a pair of annular constraining flanges are coaxially spaced on a film spool. The flanges radially confine the outermost convolution of a film roll wound on the spool to prevent the film roll from clock-springing against the cassette shell and thereby hindering film movement. A pair of internal cam members are rotatable from outside of the cassette shell to open a light lock by slightly separating opposite throat portions of the shell. Another pair of internal cam members are rotated with the first pair to flex a limited section of the flanges apart an axial distance sufficient to radially free a corresponding section of the outermost convolution. Then, rotation of the film spool will cause successive sections of the flanges to be momentarily flexed apart, and each freed section of the outermost convolution will be advanced automatically to the outside of the cassette shell.

A film cassette is disclosed wherein a film spool having a film roll coiled about it is rotated in an unwinding direction to advance a leading section of the film roll into and through a film passage slit to the outside of the cassette shell. The film spool includes a pair of annular constraining lips coaxially disposed on the spool core to space the outermost convolution of the film roll from an interior curved wall of the cassette shell. The leading section of the film roll is tapered asymetrically and is relatively short to allow it to protrude from between the constraining lips and into slight contact with the shell wall. When the film spool is initially rotated in the unwinding direction, the spool core is rotated relative to the constraining lips until there results a firm non-slipping relation between the outermost convolution and the lips, to thus cause the lips to be rotated thereafter with the spool core. The non-slipping relation imparts a beam strength to the leading section of the film roll which, when the film spool is rotated in the unwinding direction, combines with the asymetric design of the leading section to increase the likelihood that the leading section will feed into the film passage slit.

In a film cassette, a film spool is rotatable independently of a pair of coaxially spaced rotatable disks. The two disks have respective circumferential lips which prevent the outermost leader convolution of a film roll wound on the spool from clock-springing into contact with the cassette shell. When the spool is initially rotated, the disks may remain substantially stationary and the film roll, since its inner end is secured to the spool, tends to expand radially to ensure a non-slipping relation between the outermost leader convolution and the lips. Then, rotation of the spool must rotate the disks and stationary internal spreaders will deflect successive sections of the disks to an axial dimension exceeding the film width, thereby allowing corresponding sections of the outermost leader convolution to exit from the radial confinement of the lips. Stationary internal guides direct the freed end of the outermost leader convolution to the cassette opening. Sufficient film thrust is provided by the spool as it is rotated, to thread the film leader along a predetermined path from the cassette opening, particularly because the outermost leader convolution is kept out of contact with the cassette shell.

Growing community of inventors

Hamlin, NY, United States of America

Mark D Fraser