The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 16, 1991
Filed:
Jan. 12, 1990
Michael T Wolf, Rochester, NY (US);
Joseph E Yokajty, Rochester, NY (US);
Mark D Fraser, Brockport, NY (US);
Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY (US);
Abstract
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.