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. 17, 2001
Filed:
Jan. 27, 1997
Yoshiyuki Inoue, Izumi, JP;
Yoshiharu Tanaka, Sakai, JP;
Ryuichi Yasuhara, Sakai, JP;
Akira Ogino, Osaka, JP;
Minolta Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
In a cartridge chamber of a camera is disposed a photoreflector to read a bar code formed on a disk attached to an end of a film spool. When a cartridge is loaded, the film spool is rotated more than one round in the direction to rewind the film. The photoreflector starts to read the bar code when supply of a driving force to rotate the spool is started. The leading part and the trailing part of the output signals of the photoreflector are compared in the reverse direction to find a point where signals corresponding to the constant rotation of the disk begin. The signals preceding the point are discarded and the initial position of the disk before it is rotated is determined based on the length of the signals truly representative of the bar code while the disk is rotating at the constant speed. Use condition of the film, unexposed, fully exposed, partly exposed or already developed, is judged from the initial position of the disk.