Eastman-kodak Company

Randy E Horning

James G Rydelek

William T Matthias

Maureen E Churan-King

Douglas W Constable

Dennis James O'Dea

Ronald W Grant, Jr

James C Crosley

David C Smart

David A Cipolla

Peter A Newman

Ralph M Lyon

Mark A Lamphron

Roger A Fields

John H Alligood

Richard J Backus

Steven F Entz

Yonathan Preiss

David Thomas Braid

A one-time-use camera comprising a filmstrip, a concave-shaped flash reflector having a front open end, a flash illumination-producing flash tube inside the flash reflector, and a light-transmitting flash cover-lens over the front open end of the flash reflector, is characterized in that the flash cover-lens has film identifying indicia to identify the filmstrip which are light-transmitting to the same extent as the flash cover-lens in order to transmit flash illumination produced by the flash tube in concert with the flash cover-lens.

One-time-use camera with electronic flash having film identifying indicia

An opaque rear cover part for a one-time-use camera comprising a door cover portion and a remaining cover portion arranged to permit the door cover portion to be pivoted open relative to the remaining cover portion about a pivot axis, and a fracture line of weakness formed between the door cover portion and the remaining cover portion to create a break along the fracture line of weakness which permits the door cover portion to be separated from the remaining cover portion when the door cover portion is pivoted open, is characterized in that the fracture line of weakness is entirely not coincident with the pivot axis and is angled with respect to the pivot axis in order to effect a shearing stress in addition to a bending stress at the fracture line of weakness which causes the door cover portion to separate from the remaining cover portion when the door cover portion is pivoted open.

One-time-use camera with fracture line of weakness non-coincident to

A one-time-use camera provided with a taking lens, and a front cover part that includes a lens surround having a lens opening for the taking lens, is characterized in that an outer cover part is positioned over the front cover part and includes a lens surround shaped distinctively different than the lens surround of the front cover part, has an open-air lens opening, and is fitted over the lens surround of the front cover part in a way that the lens opening in the lens surround of the outer cover part is optically aligned with the lens opening in the lens surround of the front cover part, in order to recase the one-time-use camera.

Recase one-time-use camera with lens surround change of shape

An opaque rear cover part for a one-time-use camera comprising a door cover portion and a remaining cover portion arranged to permit the door cover portion to be pivoted open relative to the remaining cover portion about a pivot axis, and a fracture line of weakness formed between the door cover portion and the remaining cover portion to create a break along the fracture line of weakness which permits the door cover portion to be separated from the remaining cover portion when the door cover portion is pivoted open, is characterized in that the fracture line of weakness is not coincident with the pivot axis in order to effect a shearing stress in addition to a bending stress at the fracture line of weakness, which causes the door cover portion to separate from the remaining cover portion when the door cover portion is pivoted open.

A one-time-use camera comprising a main body part, a cover part that can be separated at least partially from the main body part, and a viewfinder having a pair of front and rear viewing lenses optically aligned for viewing a subject to be photographed, is characterized in that the cover part is connected to one of the front and rear viewing lenses to move the one viewing lens out of optical alignment with the other viewing lens when the cover part is separated at least partially from the main body part, whereby the one viewing lens can be readily identified to prevent the viewfinder from being erroneously reused. Preferably, the one viewing lens is connected to the main body part in addition to being connected to the cover part in order to hold the cover part to the main body part. A fracture line of weakness exists between the one viewing lens and the main body part which is broken when the one viewing lens is moved out of optical alignment with the other viewing lens.

One-time-use camera with viewfinder incapacitated when rear cover part

A method of recycling a spent one-time-use camera that originally includes a pair of front and rear cover parts and a main body part having a chamber for a film cartridge, and which has had corresponding bottom portions of the front and rear cover parts and the main body part cut off to provide an opening for removing the film cartridge from the chamber, comprises the steps:

Method of recycling one-time-use camera

A method of unloading a film cartridge with exposed film from a spent one-time-use camera that has a main body part with a chamber for the film cartridge and a pair of front and rear cover parts which house the main body part between them, comprises the steps:

Method of unloading film cartridge from one-time-use camera

A method of disengaging an anti-backup pawl from a film winding thumbwheel to permit an unexposed filmstrip to be prewound from a film cartridge during original manufacture or recycling of a one-time-use camera has the steps of: depressing a movable free end of the anti-backup pawl to pivot the anti-backup pawl at a fulcrum support between the free end and a movable opposite end of the anti-backup pawl that engages the film winding thumbwheel, in order to disengage the opposite end from the film winding thumbwheel; and holding the free end depressed to maintain the opposite end disengaged from the film winding thumbwheel, in order to permit the film winding thumbwheel to be rotated in engagement with a film spool in the film cartridge when the unexposed filmstrip is prewound from the film cartridge.

Method of disengaging anti-backup pawl from film winder to permit

A camera comprising a viewfinder for defining a field of view provided with a given aspect ratio, and a pair of front and rear masks insertable in the field of view to position respective larger and smaller openings of the front and rear masks in the field of view to change the aspect ratio of the field of view, is characterized in that a differential gear mechanism connects the front and rear masks for moving the front mask a greater extent than the rear mask is moved, to position the larger and smaller openings in the field of view.

Differential viewfinder masks

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 camera assembly comprises a plurality of encodement-on-film recording means adapted to receive electrical energy to provide various film encodements, an encodement-on-film selector movable to various selection positions to select one or more of the recording means to provide the film encodements, a flash charge storage capacitor, and a shutter-flash synch contact connected to the flash capacitor to enable the flash capacitor to supply electrical energy when a shutter blade impacts the synch contact. Respective ones of the recording means are coupled via the synch contact to the flash capacitor to receive electrical energy from the flash capacitor. The synch contact supports the selector for movement to its selection positions and is coupled to the selector to permit the selector to select one or more of the recording means to receive electrical energy from the flash capacitor. This arrangement provides a savings of parts desirable in a low cost camera.

Encodement-on-film recording apparatus utilizes flash components in a

Optical film encoding apparatus comprising an LED with a pair of wire leads, and means for supporting the LED including its wire leads to precisely position the LED opposite a filmstrip to be optically encoded, is characterized in that the supporting means supports each one of the wire leads suitably bent at multiple angles to prevent stray ambient light from following the wire leads towards the filmstrip. Preferably, the supporting means includes a lead spreader which supports the wire leads bent at an initial one of the multiple angles closest to the LED in opposite directions to dynamically balance the deformation forces applied to the wire leads due to their being bent. This is done to prevent the deformation forces from otherwise tending to shift the LED from being precisely positioned relative to the filmstrip.

Optical film encoding apparatus

An apparatus for coupling which includes first and second shafts, each having an axis. The axes are disposed in generally coaxial relationship. The apparatus includes coupling having first and second members for coupling the first shaft to the second shaft to allow transmission of rotational movement from one of said shafts to the other of said shafts upon rotation of the one shaft. The first and second members have a configuration which allows transmission of rotational movement from one shaft to the other shaft in a first direction of rotational movement and not allowing transmission of rotational movement from one shaft to another shaft in a second direction of rotational movement. The first member is mounted on the first shaft so as to allow movement on the first shaft in a direction that is perpendicular to the axis of the first shaft.

Ratcheting, compliant magazine drive coupling

A gimballed roller automatically positions itself with regards to a moving web of material to minimize misalignment forces on the web material and additionally incorporates a feature of being quickly adjusted by an operator to accommodate different widths of web material.

Gimballed roller for web material

A zoom lens includes a lens group mounted in a cam barrel mechanism which includes a fixed barrel with a cam barrel rotationally mounted thereon. The lens group has a pin which projects through an axially extending clearance slot in the fixed barrel and a compliant feature on the pin removes the clearance between the pin and the slanted cam slot in the cam barrel so that as the cam barrel is rotated the lens group translates axially within the fixed barrel. The fixed barrel has an endcap with array of centering orifices mounted thereon and a beveled surface which is engaged by an outboard edge of the cam barrel. The cam barrel is urged against the endcap by a wave washer disposed between the cam barrel and a base. Radially disposed with respect to the cam barrel are a pair of spaced lugs and a bowed sheet spring which engages the cam barrel to urge the cam barrel against the lugs. The wave washer and bowed sheet spring positively locate the cam barrel with zero clearance. As long as the spring forces of the wave washer and bowed sheet spring are not exceeded, the cam barrel is limited only to rotational motion with respect to the fixed barrel.

Growing community of inventors

LeRoy, NY, United States of America

Randy E Horning