Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~C~9~555
,
PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERAS
Description of the Prior Art
Most cameras capable of producing a plurali-ty of ex-
posures on a single piece o~ film use an elongate strip of roll
film that is incrementally advanced lengthwise through an expo-
sure gate to expose successive longitudinally spaced exposure
areas. Alternatively, it has been known for many years to pro-
duce multiple exposures on a disk of film that is incrementally
rotated in a camera to expose successive circumferentially
spaced exposure areas on the film disk. Such a film disk has
several advantages over roll film, two particularly significant
considerations being the relative ease with which the film can
be supported in flat condition in the exposure gate and the
relative simplicity of the camera mechanism required to index
the film disk for successive exposures.
A typical example of an early film disk camera is
disclosed in U.S. Patents 509,841 and 517,539, issued respec-
tively on November 28, 18g3 and April 3, 1894. The camera
disclosed by these patents resembles a pocket watch and was
sold for many years under the trademark "Photoret". In this
camera, a disk of ~ilm is clamped about its periphery to the
flat internal face of a cup shaped member that forms the rear
casing oE the camera. The lens and shutter assembly is attached
to the front cover lid of the camera, whereby incremental rota-
tion of the back casing relative to the front cover lid causes
successive segments of the film to move into alignment with the
lens. The shutter mechanism limits the rotational movement of
the back casing after each successive exposure to provide uni~
form spacing of the exposure images. Each successive increment-
al rotation of the cover also serves to cock the shutter, thereby
~ ~ 2
preventing the same film area from being e~posed twice in im-
mediate succession. No means were provided, however, ~or pre-
venting the film disk from being rotated through more than one
complete revolution, which could result in double exposures.
U.S. Patent 1,773,106 discloses another camera adapted
to use a film disk, which in this case is clamped to an incre-
mentally rotatable spindle that extends through a central hole
in the disk. A flat pressure plate bears against a portion of
the film that is being exposed to hold it against a flat support
plate provided with an exposure aperture. The incremental rota-
tion of the film disk is achieved by means of a ratchet wheel
on the rotatable film disk spindle. The spindle indexing means
cooperates with the shutter cocking mechanism to prevent a
second operation of the shutter before the disk has been indexed
and an interlock device is controlled by the film compartment
door to prevent the shutter from being operated after the disk
has made a complete revolution until the door has been opened
to change disks.
A significant disadvantage of the types of cameras
described above is that the film disk must be loaded into the
camera in total darkness, whereas the use of backing paper or
light tight film containers has for many years allowed roll
film cameras to be loaded in daylight. To overcome this pro-
blem, it has also been known in the past to enclose a film
disk in a light tight film container provided with an exposure
window that is closed by a so-called cover slide whenever the
cartridge is removed from the camera. Various terms including
cartridge, magazine, pack and cassette have been applied to
such film containers, which, when loaded with film, are herein
referred to as film cartridge assemblies.
!
;5S
Examples of prior art film cartridge assemblies
and associated camera structures are shown in U.S. Patent Nos.
2,446,200 issued on August 3, 1948 and 2,531,651, 2,531,652
and 2,531,653, all issued on November 28, 1950. A camera in-
corporating various features disclosed in these patents was
sold under the trademark "Foto Disc". In general this type of
film cartridge assembly resembles the previously mentioned
"Photoret" camera in that the fllm disk is rotatable by means
of an externally accessible riny surrounding the cartridge
assembly while the Eront wall of the cartridge assembly supports
~he camera's lens and shutter. A co~er slide incorporated in
the cartridge assembly is operated by the attachment of the
lens and shutter structure to the cartridge assembly and detent
means are provided within the cartridge assembly for establish-
ing uniform film indexing positions and for preventing more
than one revolution of the film disk. These patent references
disclose both single film disk cartridge assemblies and cart-
ridge assemblies that employ two film disks in back to back
relation to each other, the latter being provided on both faces
with cover slide means and with means for attachment of the
lens and shùtter assembly, thereby doubling the number of
available e~posures. Because of the relatively complicated
sheet metal construction employed in these various caxtridge
assembly embodiments, they were intended to be opened and
reloaded by the film processor.
Another camera using disk film cartridge assemblies
was produced in Japan under the trademark "Petal", beginning
about 1949. This was a sub-miniature camera that uses a metal
cartridge assembly about the size of a quarter. The cup shaped
rear casing of the cartridge assembly, to which the film disk
is peripherally clamped, is received within and keyed to a
rotatable externally accessible portion of the camera housing
and the front wall of the cartridge assembly includes an aper-ture
-- 4
1q~9~5S
covered by a pivotal spring loaded cover slide. The initial
rotation o~ the camera housing opens the cover slide and sub-
sequent incremental rotations of the housing~ indexed by a det-
ent device, bring successi~e exposure areas into alignment with
the camera's lens. No means are provided for preventing double
exposures and the cartridge assembly was apparently intended to
be returned to the film processor for reloading.
Still another sub-miniature camera of this same general
type was sold under the trademark "Steineck" and is disclosed in
U.S. Patent No. 2,625,087 i~sued on January 13, 1953. This
camera is in the shape of a wrist watch and uses a film cartridge
assembly intended to be reloaded by the film processor. The
cartridge assembly includes two superimposed closure plates,
each of which is proviaed with an exposure window and with an
arcuate transport tooth window. One of the closure plates is
stationary with respect to the cartridge assembly housing and
the other one is rotatably movable. Whenever the cartridge
assembly is removed from the camera, the windows in these two
plates are out of alignment with each other to prevent acci-
dental exposure of the film. Installation of the cartridge
assembly into the camera causes the movable plate to rotate
so that the two exposure windows are aligned with the camera's
objective lens and shutter, and so that a transport tooth
carried by the camera can enter into the interior of the
cartridge assembly through the aligned transport tooth windows.
A rotatably supported hollow bushing within the cartridge
assembly carries a transport disk that is located i~mediately
behind the closure plates and provided with spaced exposure
apertures and with corresponding peripheral transport notches.
Stacked on the busing behind the transport disk are
~9~iSS
the film disk, a film positioning ~isk, a tension disk and a
counter disk, each of which is provided with an edge notch
engaged with a pin on the transport disk -to keep all of these
disks in fixed rotational relation to each other. Each
operation of the shutter operating lever causes the shutter to
open momentarily and then actuates the movement of -the
transport finger, which engages the next transport notch in the
transport disk and rota-tes the la-t-ter to thereby angularly move
all of the disks in unison so that -the nex-t exposure area is
brought into exposure position. The counter disk is provided
with a circular row of numbers corresponding to the film
exposures and a window in the back of -the cartridge assembly
allows the photographer to see the counter disk number
indicative of the number of exposures remaining to be made.
Removal of the cartridge assembly from the camera automatically
closes the exposure and transport finger windows and, if not
all of the available exposures have been used, the cartridge
assembly can later be reinstalled to expose the remaining
exposure areas. The same transport disk pin that prevents
relative rotation between -the various disks also cooperates
with a stationary plate behind the counter disk to limit the
rotation of the rotatable disks to 360 degrees, thereby
preventing reexposure of the film in a previously exposed
cartridge assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to cameras adapted to
use non-reloadable disk type film cartrldge assemblies of the
type described in my co-pending Canadian Patent Applica-tion
Serial No. 298,242, filed March 6, 1978, entitled DISK-SHAPED
FILM UNIT AND HU~ CARTRIDGE ASSEMBLY. Priefly, such a
cartridge assembly comprises a casing that remains stationary
within a camera. A film disk enclosed within the
~99~5~
casing is permanently attached to a central hub that extends
through the front wall member of the casin~ so that it is
a~cessible from the exterior of the casing. A cover slide
attached to the hub within the casing covers an exposure win-,
dow and is rotatable with th~ film disk so that the window is
open except when the hub is rotated to its initial position.
A lock member incorporated in the hub assumes a first condition
that`initially locks the hub with the exposure window closed
by the cover slide and that is released when the car-tridge
assembly is loaded into the camera. After the hub has been
rotated and again returns to this position, it is again blocked
by the lock member, but in a different way so that it cannot
again be released if that same cartridge assembly ls subse-
quently reloaded into a camera. Accordingly, one object of
the present invention is to provide a camera with a simple and
reliable mechanism for operating such a locking device; an-
other related object of the invention being to ensure that the
camera cannot be opened to permit removal of the cartridge
assembly unless the hub has first been returned to its initial
position to close the exposure window.
To facilitate the exposure of the film disk in a
camera and various automatic printi,ng or projection operations
performed after the film disk is developed, an external por-
tion of the cartridge assembly hub includes index surfaces
that are in predetermined accurate relation to the location
of the image areas exposed by the camera. Another object of
the invention is to provide a camera adapted to use such a
film disk cartridge assemblies with simple but nevertheless
highly accurate means for supporting the film disk hub and for
indexing it accurately with reference to those index surfaces,
both in manual and automatic advance versions of such a camera.
~9S~:i
Another object of the invention is to facilitate
smooth rotation of the film disk and to minimize the possibil-
ity of a~rading its image areas, while at the same time insur-
ing that the emulsion sur~ace of the film area to be exposed
is supportea very accurately in a predetermined exposure
plane. These objectives are accomplished in accordance with
the invention through cooperation between the cartridge as-
sembly and various novel pressure pad and film gate features
contemplated by the invention.
Another object of the invention is to provide a
very compact and aesthetically pleasing horizontal format
camera configuration that exploits the shape of the film disk
cartridge assembly by locating the axis of the objective
lens paralleI to the cartridge assembly in intersecting rela-
tion to a mirror or prism by which the film disk is exposed
through the exposure window. In addition to its compactness
and aesthetic appeal, this camera configuration lends itself
admirably to the use of simple and straightforward mechanism
onstructions and also provides a high degree of versatility
in facilitating the use of interchangeable components through~
out a series of camera mo~els having various degrees of
sophistication such as single lens reflex viewfinders, fully
automatic film advancing and shutter cocking features, etc.
Various means for practicing the invention and
other advantages and novel features thereof will be apparent
from the following detailed description of illustrative
preferred embodiments of the invention, reference being made
to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals
denote like eIements.
In the Drawings:
-- 8
~ ~ .
:1~9~5SS
.
~ ig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a disk
rilm cartridge assembly of a form usable in a camera embodying
the present invention,
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the obverse face, i.e.
the face at which exposure is made, of the film cartridge
assembly shown in Fig. 1,
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the reverse face of the
film cartridge assembly;
Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged cross sectional
view of the film cartridge assembly taken along line 4-4 o~
Fig. 2;
Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged view corresponding
to a portion of Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken
along line 6-6 of Fig. 4;
Fig. 7 is a fragmentary cross sectional view as
though taken along line 7-7 of Fig. 4 but shows the film
cartridge assembly in cooperation with a hub unlocking
device incorporated in a camera;
Fîg. 8 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken
along lines 8-8 of Fig. 4;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a carnera according
to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, suitable
~or loading with a film disk cartridge assembly of the form
shown in the preceding figures;
Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the camera shown
in Fig. 8 illustrating that camera inverted and pointed in
the opposite direction and with its cover door open to
receive a film disk cartridge assembly;
Fig. 11 is a plan view of mechanism incorporated
in the camera shown in Fig. 10, depicting the respective
_g_
5;5i5
positions of the illustrated m2chanism components when a film
cartridge assembl~ has been loaaed into the camera but be~ore
the film disk hub has been moved from its initial position;
Fig. 12 corresponds to Fig. 11 but depicts the il-
lustrated mechanism in the process of engaging the film disk
hub to effect the initial rotational movement thereof;
Fig. 13 corresponds to Figs. 11 and 12 and illust-
rates the respecti~e positions of the mechanism components
ater completion of the first indexiny operation which removes
the cover slide from the exposure window and locates the
~irst exposure area in position for exposure;
Fig. 14 is a fragmentary enlarged cross sectional
view taken along line 14-14 of Fig. 11;
Fig. 15 is a fragmentary perspective view of a film
support frame member incorporated in the camera;
Fig. 16 is a somewhat schematic cross sectional view
of a gate structure and optical elements associated therewith,
included in the camera illustrated in Figs. 9 to 15;
Fig. 17 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 13
illustrating the advancing pawl tooth and the indexing pawl
tooth;
Fig. 18 i5 an enlarged partially cross sectional view
taken along line 18-18 of Fig. 11;
Fig. 19 is a plan view corresponding to Figs. 11-13
but depicting the components of the camera located below the
mechanism plate illustrated in those figures;
Fig. 20 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of
a portion of the shutter release mechanism illustrated in Fig.
19;
Fig. 21 is an enlarged exploded view of the cover
latching mechanism of the camera illustrated in Figs. 9-20;
Fig. 22 is a somewhat schematic plan view of a second
. ~.
-- 10 --
555
embodiment of the invention in the form of a very simple manual
film advancing mechanism;
Fig. 23 iS an enlarged fragmentary view of the advanc-
ing and positioning ~eeth employed in the mechanism shown in
Fig. 22, and illustrates the respective posi-tions of those teeth
when the film disk is positioned for exposure;
Fig. 24 corresponds to Fig. 23 and shows the respec-
tive positions of the advancing and positioning teeth after the
film disk hub has completed its rotation to return the cover
slide to the cartridge assembly's exposure window;
Fig. 25 is a somewhat schematic plan view of a third
embodiment of the invention comprising an automa~ic film advanc-
ing mechanism, showing the depicted components of that mechanism
in their respective positions during the camera loading opera-
tion;
Fig. 26 illustrates the door latch device incorporat-
ed in the mechanism depicted in Fig. 25, showing that device in
its latching condition;
Fig. 27 corresponds to Fig. 25 and shows the door
2U latch device in its released condition;
Fig. 28 corresponds to Fig. 25 and shows the respec-
tive positions assumed by the various illustrated components as
the film disk is advanced and exposed,
Fig. 29 illustrates a modification of the film unit
advancing and indexing mechanism shown in Figs. 25 and 28;
Fig. 30 depicts another modification of the mechanism
shown in Figs. 25 and 28, with the illustrated components shown
in the positions that they assume after completion of a film
indexing operation; and
Fig. 31 corresponds to Fig. 30 but shows the depicted
components in their respective posi-tions during a film advanc-
ing operation.
, ~ - 1 1 -
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
-
sec~use photographic cameras adapted to be loaded
with cartridge assemblies are well known, the present descrip-
tion will be~directed in particular to camera and cartridge
assembly elements forming part of or cooperating directly
- lla -
with camera elements to which the present invention is
specifically directed. It is to be understood that camera and
cartridge assembly elements not specifically shown or described
may take various forms well known to those skilled in the art.
The disk film cartridge assembly 41 shown in Figs. 1
through 8 is the subject oF the previously identified Canadian
Patent Application Serial No. 298,242, and reference is
directed to the specification of that application for more
details than are given herein.
As is best shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying
drawings, the film cartridge assembly 41 comprises a molded
plastic hub 42 provided with a plurality of radial index ears
43. The number of index ears 43 is equal to the number of
exposures intended to be provided by the car-tridge assembly.
For illustrative purposes, hub 42 is shown as having ten ears
43 spaced 30 apart and thereby leaving a 90 arc which is
free of ears and is radially aligned with coupling hole 44
adjacent the hub's central spindle hole 45. As shown in Figs.
4 and 5, the hub includes a stepped ring s-tructure 46 that
projects through a rotatable cover slide 47, a baffle sheet 48
and a film disk 49. The cover slide 47 and the baffle sheet 4
are made of thin opaque sheet material, preferably paper or
plastic, and the film disk 49 comprises a relatively stiff
piece of fla-t photographic film with its emulsion side facing
the index ears 43 of hub 42. The cover slide 47 and the filrn
disk 49 are keyed to the hub 42 to maintain a cut-out notch 51
of truncated sector shape in -the film disk 49 in alignment with
a sector shape leaf portion 52 of the cover slide 47 and with
the go arc por-tion of the hub which lacks ears 43. The hub
42, the cover slide 47 and the film disk 49 are rotatable in
unison relative to the baffle sheet 48, which is sandwiched
between the cover slide 47 and the film disk 49. As shown at
numeral 53 in Fig. 5,
-12- .
a peripheral rim of the plastic hub material is swaged into
g~ipping engagement with the ~ilm disk 49 around the boundary
o~ the disk's central aperture by a thermal or ultrasonic
process, in order to permanently clamp the disk to the hu~.
Prererably, the film disk 49 includes a plurality of
exposure areas as sh~wn at number 54 in ~ig. 2, which are
bordered by previously exposed areas of the film emulsion.
Each of these exposure areas 54 bears the same predetermined
relation to its corresponding index ear 43 as each Or the
other exposure areas 54 bears to its corresponding index ear
43 and this same relationship is maintained in all similar
film cartrdige assemblies.
The casing member 55 of the film cartridge assembly
41, best shown in Fig. 1, comprises a piece o~ ~lexible
opaque sheet material formed with a square center section 56
slightly larger than the baffle sheet 48 and with four
lateral flaps 57a through 57d. An upstanding cylindrical
rib 58 of a molded plastic hub support plate 59 projects
through an opening 60 in the square center section 56 o~ the
casing member and a peripheral flange 61 of the plate 59 is
permanently sealed to the shell member by an appropriate
adhesive material. The plate 59 is keyed to the casing
member 55 by a key 56a and keyway 59a.
A plùrality of teeth, one of which is shown at
numeral 62 in Fig. 5, extend inwardly from the ring structure
46 of the hub 42 and are intended to snap into a circumferential
groove 63 about the upstanding cylindrical rib 58 of the hub
support plate 59 to retain the hub and the support plate
together whilst allowing rotation of the hub 42 relative to
the hub support plate 59. As is best shown in Fig. 5, a
labyrinth light barrier is provided between the periphery of
the rib 58 and the conrronting surfaces of the ring structure
46 by the cooperation Or a circurnferential male shoulder 64a
on the plate 59 with an opposed female shoulder 64b in the
latter. After the film unit assembly cornprising the hub 42,
ss
the cover slide 47, the bar~le sheet 48 and the fllm disk 49
~`~ has been snapped into enga~ement with ~he hub support plate
59 attached to the casing member 55, the flaps 57a and 57b
and then flaps 57c and 57d are folded over and adhesively
secured together in envelope fashion~ The semi-circular
openings 65a through 65d in the casing member flaps 57a
through 57d, respectively, closely surround the periphery of
the hub 42, but these openings 65a-65d need not be in light
tight engagement with the hub because of the light barrier
provided by the cooperation between the cover slide 47, the
bafrle sheet 48 and the stepped configuration of the hub
ring structure 46. ~he corners o~ the casing member are
folded over and glued to the flaps 57c, 57d as shown in
Figs. 2 and 3 to provide the cartridge with diagonal corners
66a-66d, with one of the corner flaps 66d being longer than
the other three to provide an asy~netrical configuration to
the completed film cartridge assembly 41. The exposure
window 67 in the casing member, which is formed by the
cooperation of aperture 68 in the flap 57d and edge cutouts
69a and 69b in the respective flaps 57a and 57b, is ali.gned
with the window 70 in the ba~fle sheet 48, but light entering
the exposure window 67 cannot reach the photosensitive film
disk 49 because the sector-shaped portion 52 of the cover
slide 47 is located between and in overlapping relation to
the casing window 67 and the baffle sheet window 70. Thus,
it will be apparent that the film disk 49 is completely
protected rrom accidental exposure to light as long as the
hub remains in its initial position with the sector-shape
portion 52 of the cover ælide 47 aligned with exposure
window 67.
To prevent accidental rotation Or the cover slide
47 out of alignment with the exposure window 67 except when
the cartridge assembly 41 is installed in a camera, the
cartridge asseMbly is provided with a hub locking device
best illustrated in Figs. 4~ 6 and 7, which i5 described
,~,''
-14
5SS
more fully in copending Canadian Patent Application Serial No.
298,242. As best shown in Fig. 4, th;s locking device
comprises a cantilevered locking bar 71 molded integrally with,
and suppor-ted at one end by, the hub support plate 59. A
dinedral locking boss 72, shown in Figs. 4 and 6 is molded
integrally with an internal cylindrical wall 73 of the hub 42
and initially receives the unsupported end of the locking bar
71 within primary locking notch 74, as shown at numeral 71a in
Fig. 6; thereby preventing relative rotation be-tween the hub 42
and the hub support plate 59. When -the film cartridge assembly
41 is installed in a camera, a coupling pin 75, shown in Fig.
7, passes through -the coupling hole 44 in the hub 42 and
engages a roof-shaped projection 76 on the locking bar 71 to
flex the latter slightly and thereby move its unsupported end
out of the locking notch 74 to the position shown at numeral
71b in Fig. 6. ~s described hereina-Fter, the coupling pin 75
is carried by an element of the camera that is rotatable with
the film disk's hub 42. When the film disk's hub 42 is rotated
relative to the hub support plate 59 by the camera's film
advancing mechanism, in the direction shown by arrow 77 in Fig.
6, the lower ramp face 78 of winy 79 of the boss 72 cams the
unsupported end of the locking bar 71 partially into a slot 8û
in -the hub support plate 59 as the locking boss 72 moves beyond
engagement with the locking bar 71. Because the hub support
plate 59 remains s-tationary during this rotational movemen-t of
the hub 42, the pin 75 moves out of engagement with the
roof-shaped projection 76 of`-the locking bar 71, whereupon the
unsupported end of the locking bar 71 again assumes the same
position that it occupied when it was trapped in the notch 74
in the locking boss 72 and no longer has any re-tarding
influence on the rotation o-F the hub 42. When the hub 42 has
approached completion of a 360 rotation, the unsupported end
of the locking bar 71 engages upper ramp sur-f`ace 81 of wing 82
of the locking boss 72, as
-15-
shown at 71c in Fig. 6 and is thereby cammed upwardly so that
it enters upper locking notch 83 of the boss 72, as shown at
71d, to again lock the hub 42 in fixed relation to the suppor-t
plate 59. During this final rotational movement, the
projection 76 of the bar 71 again engages the pin 75, but the
pin 75 cannot perform its previous function of releasing the
locking cooperation between the bar 71 and the boss 72. If the
hub 42 is rotated less than a complete revolution and then is
rotated in the opposi-te direction back to its initial position 9
the -Free end of the locking bar 71 engages upper ramp surface
84 of the wing 79 of the locking boss 72 and is -thereby cammed
upwardly and into the locking notch 83 in the same manner.
Accordingly, it will be seen that the locking engagement
between the hub 42 and the hub support plate 59 is released
when the film cartridge assembly 41 is initially installed in a
camera but cannot again be released by a second installation of
the cartridge assembly into a camera after the film disk 49 has
been rotated and -then returned to its initial position.
Alternatively, as described in copending Canadian Patent
Application Serial No. 298,242, the locking bar 71 can be
released by the central support spindle -tha-t extends through
the spindle hole 45.
The lower face of the locking bar 71 is visible
through the slot 80 in the hub support plate 59 and, as just
described, its unsuppor-ted end is located below septum 85 of ~
the locking boss 72 prior to installa-tion of the film car-tridge
in a camera and above that septum 85 after the hub 42 has been
returned to its initial position. Accordingly, by either
painting the tip of the locking bar 71 with an easily visible
color or by similarly painting the lower surface of the septum
85, a used film cartridge assembly can be visually
distinguished from an unused one by observing whether such a
marking is visible through the slot 80.
-16-
9~SSS
As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, ~he hub support pl~te
59 of the film cartridge assembly is provided with a plurality
of holes 86 aligned with the corresponding indexing ears 43
on the hub 42 when the hub 42 is in its initial position. A
shoe 87, shown in Figs. 4 and 8, is coated on its lower face
with an easily visible material. When the hub 42 is rotated
to bring the first exposure area into exposure position, the
shoe 87 is visible through the hole associated with the
numeral 1, and each successive indexing movement o~ the hub
42 brings the shoe 87 into alignment with the next successively
numbered hole 85, thus providing a convenient means for
identifying the particular exposure area that has been
brought into position for exposure.
A preferred embodiment of the inventio~ is illustrated
in Figs. 9 through 21 and may be called a manual film advance
camera, which refers to the ract that the energy required to
accomplish each successive indexing movement of the film
disk is derived from a corresponding manual movement of a
film advancing member.
Fig. 9 depicts the camera 101 in its operative
position and shows the front wall 102 of the camera provided
with an objective lens 103, a viewfinder lens 104 and a
window 105 associated with a photosensitive element of an
automatic exposure control device. A rectangular shutter
operating button 106 is located in the top wall 107 of the
camera housing 108 and is substantially flush with the top
wall 107. Fig. 10 shows the camera 101 inverted from the
position shown in Fig. 9 and turned end for end so that its
back end wall 109 is visible. A cover door 111, which is
shown in its open position in Fig. 10, is attached to the
camera housing by hinges 112. When closed, the door 111 is
in light-tight cooperation with the camera housing and is
`~ retained in that position by a latching device that is
releasable by a slidable latch release button 113 adjacent
-17~
~39~S~;
the rear viewfinder lens 114 in the back wall 109. Operating
- ear 115 of a pivotally movable f~ lm advancing lever is
partially visible in Fig. 10, and is substantially flush
with the camera housing except during a film advancing
operation. From these two figures, 9 and 10, it will be
apparent that the camera is very compact and streamlined and
is notably ~ree of protruding elements which mi~ht inter~ere
with conveniently carrying it in a shirt pocket or the like.
Because Figs. 9 through 21 all ~llustrate camera
mechanisms in the same inverted orientation ~hown in Fig.
10, relative positional terms, such as above and below, used
in describing those figures will be understood to relate to
that inverted mode of orientation. For example, in referring
to Fig. 10, film cartridge assembly 41 would be described as
being above the camera 101.
As best shown in Fig. 10, the interior of the
camera housing 108 defines a shallow internal pocket 116 of
the same asymmetrical peripheral shape as the casing of the
film cartridge assembly and with a central circular cavity
20 117 intended to receive the film disk's hub 42. The camera
housing 108 forms lateral walls 118 and 119 and end wall 121
of the pocket 116 and its remaining end wall 122 and diagonal `
corner wàlls 123-126 are formed by a cover plate 127 which
is held in place by screws 128. A circular central opening
129 in the cover plate 127 exposes a rotatable circular
driving disk 131 that is pivotally supported by a stationary
hub spindle 132. The driving disk 131, in turn, carries a
coupling pin 133, corresponding to the pin 75 shown in Fig.
7. A rectangular opening 134 in the cover plate 127 accommodates
30 a rectangular film support frame 135, which extends slightly
above the adjacent flat face of the cover plate 127. When
the cartridge assembly is installed in the pocket 116, a)
the spindle hole 45 in the hub 42 receives the end Or spindle
132, b) the drivlng pin 133 enters the coupllng hole 44 in
the hub; and c) the ~ilm support frame enters the cartridge
-lB-
~ ~99~5:~
- assembly's rectangular ~ilm exposure window 67. Because o~
the asymmetry of the cartridge assembly and the c~rresponding
configuration of the pocket 116, the cartridge assembly
cannot be inserted into the pocket 116 except in this proper
orientation. When the cover door 111 is closed following
installation of the film cartridge assembly, a transparent
cover door window 136 bears against the hub support plate 59
of the cartridge assembly and maintains the hub 42 in
contact with the driving disk 131. A circular window rim
0 137, integral with the camera's cover door 111, surrounds
the hub support plate 59 of the cartridge assembly for light
locking purposes.
A rectangular pressure platen 138 is attached to
the cover door by a pair o~ resilient spring arms 139 which
bias it away ~rom the door. When the door is closed, the
platen 138 is aligned with the film support frame 135~ but
is held out of clamping engagement with the film cartridge
assembly by the engagement of an ear 140 on the pressure
platen 138 with a pressure relieving ringer 141, which
0 projects through an opening 142 in the cover plate 127
adjacent the film support frame 135.
A mechanism plate 143, preferably made of relatively
heavy sheet metal, is best shown in Figs. 11 through 13.
This plate i5 rigidly supported within the camera housing
below t.he cover plate 127, which is spaced slightly above
the mechanism plate 143 by spacer means, not shown. For
example, screws 128 can extend through the cover plate 127,
through spacer washers, through holes in the mechanism plate
143, one o~ which is at numeral 144, and into threaded
bosses molded into the carnera housing 108. The mechanism
plate 143 supports the principal operative mechanical and
optical camera components as a unitary subassernbly, thereby
facilitating assembly and servicing of the camera and
ensuring permanent stability in the relation of those
components to one another.
,;
~9~S~5
`~ The hub spindle 132, shown in detail in Fig. 14 3
is permanently staked ~o the mechanism plate 143 by its
riveted lip 145 and rotatably supports the circular driving
disk 131 and a film advancing lever 146. The upper end of
the spindle 132 fits accurately into the spindle hole 45 in
the hub 42 of the film cartridge assembly and thereby
precisely defines the axis of rotation of the film disk 49.
When the cartridge assembly is received in the camera with
its hub 42 in engagement with the spindle 132, the film
0 support frame 135 extends through the exposure window 67 of
the cartridge assembly casing and engages the face of the
sector-shape portion 52 of the cover slide 47. Rotation of
the cover slide portion 52 out of alignment with casing
window 67 allows the window 70 in the baffle sheet 48 to
pass around the frame 135 whereby the frame engages and
supports the emulsion surface of the film disk 49 just
outside the periphery of the film exposure area.
The film support frame 135 is an integral part of
a gate member 147, best shown in Figs. 15 and 16, which is
O immovably attached to the mechanism plate 143 by screws 148
with the frame extending upwardly through the opening 134 in
the cover plate 127. The frame 135 is cantilevered from ~he
remainder oI' the gate member to provide a slot 14g between
the frame 135 and the mechanism plate 143 to accommodate
blades 151 and 152 of the camera's shutter. A rectangular
opening 153 in the frame is aligned with a slmilarily shaped
opening 154 in the mechanism plate 143, such openings 153
and 154 being slightly larger than the pre-de~ined exposure
areas of the film disk 49. To prevent deflection or bending
O of the frame 135, a support post 155 is located at the
otherwise unsupported end of the frame 135 outside the
movement path of the shutter blades 151 and 152 and bears
against an ear 156 of the mechanism plate 143. Below the
openings 153 and 154, a prism 157 is rigidly supported to
the mechanism plate 143 by a bracket 158 in optical alignment
~9~;~S
with the camera's objective lens 103, which is also preferably
supported either to the gate member 147 or the mechanism
plate 143. The axis of the obJective lens 103 is substantially
parallel to the plane of the film cartridge. The prism 157,
or an equivalent mirror, bends the optical path through a
90 angle so that the focal plane of the lens 103 is coincident
with the predetermined flat film plane de~ned by the ~lat
upper film engaging face 159 of the film support frame 135.
During each exposure o~ the film disk 49, the pressure
platen 138 resiliently bears against the flexible casing of
the ~ilm cartridge assembly and thereby presses the corresponding
region o~ the ~ilm disk 49 against the face 159 of the film
support frame 135 to positlon the film exposure area accurately
in coincidence with the plane defined by that ~ace 159.
Alternatively, the window 70 in the baffle sheet 48 could be
smaller than the window 67 in the casing and the face 159 of
the film support frame 135 could engage the region of the
baffle sheet 48 surrounding its window 70, in which case the
thickness of the baf~le sheet 48 would be compensated for in
0 establishing coincidence between the film plane and the
focal plane of the objective lens.
The single reflecting surface in the optical path
produces a reversed image, but this reversal can be corrected
for projection or printing purposes, either by inverting the
~eveloped film disk in the projector or printer or by incorporating
another single reflecting element in the projection path of
such an apparatus. Fig. 19 shows the various lenses constituting
the viewfinder except for its rront lens 104, all of such
lenses being located along an axis 161 located below the
0 mechanism plate 143 and substantially parallel to the axis
of the objective lens 103. To provide a single lens reflex
type of camera construction, the reflective surface of prism
157 can be partially light transmissive and aligned with
the axis of appropriate viewrinder elements, or a movable
mirror can be substituted ror that prism, as is well known
in the prior art.
~9~5XS
As best illustrated in Figs. 11 and 14, the circular
driving disk 131 is provided on its lower face with a pinion
gear 162 meshed with gear teeth 163 of a sector plate 164
that is pivotally supported to the mechanism plate 143 by a
stud 165 for arcuate movement between two stationary stop
pins 166 and 167. A relatively strong hairpin spring 168
biases the sector plate 164 in a counterclockwise direction.
Whenever the camera is in an unloaded condition, the spring
168 holds the sector plate 164 against pin 166, as shown in
Fig. 11. Accordingly, the coupling pin 133 on the driving
disk 131 is positioned to be received in the cartridge hub
coupl.ing hole 44 of a film cartridge assembly being loaded
into the camera. An arcuate ratchet tooth segment 16~ of
the sector plate 164 is engageable by a releasable ratchet
pawl 171 under the influence OI a spring 172 to limit rotation
of the film disk's hub 42 to a counterclockwise direction.
The ~ilm advancing lever 146 includes an arm 173
that extends through a slot 174 in lateral wall 119 of the
camera housing 108. An ear 176 extends downwardly from arm
173 through an arcuate slot 177 in the mechanism plate 143
and is attached to a relatively strong spring 178 that
biases the lever 146 in a counterclockwise directlon toward
the position shown in Fig. 11, in which arm 173 is in
abutment with end 179 of slot 174. By means of the operating
ear 115 at the end of arm 173, the photographer can manually
rotate lever 146 through an angle of somewhat more than 45
degrees to the position shown in Fig. 12, which movement is
limited by the abutment of the arm 173 against the opposite
end 181 of slot 174.
An advancing pawl 182 is pivotally mounted to the
advancing lever 146 by a stud 183 extending through an
elongate slot 184 in the pawl 182. A coil spring 185 connects
the advancing pawl 182 to the film advanc~ng lever 146 to
resiliently bias the pawl 182 toward the position shown in
Fig. 11. In this position the pawl 182 bears against pirl
1~6 on leve~ 146 with the end Or slot 184 which is located
about midway along the arcuate length ~f the pawl 182, ln
contact with stud 183. When the a~vancing lever 146 is
positioned as shown in Fig. 11~ an advancing tooth 187 of
the advancing pawl 182 is located adjacent the film support
frame 1~5 near the center of the 90 arc of the ~ilm disk's
~ub which lacks index ears 43, which is shown in phantom
lines in Figs. 11, 12, and 13. ~s the photographer moves
lever 146 from the position shown ln Fig. 11 to the position
shown in Fig. 12, the advancing tooth 187 moves along an
arcuate path coincident with the movement path of the hub
index ears 43. When this movement brings the sloped face
188 o~ the tooth 187 into contact with the hub index ear
43(a), corresponding to the first available exposure area on
the ~ilm disk, the engagement of the ratchet pawl 171 with
the sector plate 164 prevents the tooth 187 ~rom rotating
the hub 42 in a clockwise direction. The tooth 187 therefore
cams past the index ear 43a by overcoming the biasing force
Or spring 185 and moves to the position in which it is shown
~O in Fig. 12.
A positioning pawl 189 is pivotally mounted to the
mechanism plate 143 by an eccentric pivot stud 191 and is
biased in a counterclockwise direction by a spring 192. A
leg 193 of the positioning pawl 189 carries a positioning
tooth 194 that is located adJacent the advancing tooth 187
when the advancing pawl is positioned as shown in Figs. 11
and 13. As best shown in Fig. 17, the positioning tooth 194
lies below the advancing tooth 187 and an upwardly turned
ear 195 on the positioning pawl 189 engages the ad~acent
0 edge of the ad~Jancing pawl 182 to establish the location of
the positioning pawl 189 when thè film advancing lever 146
is in the position shown in Figs. 11, 13 and 1'7. A second
leg 196 of pawl 189 has a cam surface 197 engageable by a
cam pin 198 on the film advancing lever 146. When the lever
146 is in its initial position, shown in Fig. 11, the pin
o23
198 is out o~ engagement with the cam surrace 197 and the
positioning tooth 194 is positioned to intercept the index
ear 43a o~ the cartridge hub 42 as the latter is rotated.
Whenever the advancing lever 146 is displaced by more than
approximately 10~ ~rom its initial position, however, the
cooperation between the cam sur~ace 197 and the cam pin 198
pivots the pawl 189 to the position shown in Fig. 12g
thereby moving the positioning tooth 194 beyond the movement
path of the hub's index ears 43.
0 As the advancing lever 146 is returned by the
spring 178 from the position ~hown in Fig. 12 to the pos~tion
shown in Fig. 11, the radial face 199 of the advancing tooth
187 engages the index ear 43a and thereby rotates the film
disk's hub 42 and the driving disk 131 in a clockwise direction
in opposition to the spring 168. During the final portion
of the return movement of the lever 146 toward its initial
position, the cam pin 198 disengages from the cam surface
197 Or the positioning pawl 189 and the spring 192 causes
the positioning tooth 194 to move back into the path of
movement of the index ear 43a, which then abuts against
that tooth 194. As shown in Fig. 13, this abutment between
the index ear 43a and the positioning tooth 194 occurs
slightly before the spring 178 has returned the arm 173 o~
the lever 146 into contact with the end face 179 of slot
174. Because the spring 178 is stronger than the spring
185, the pawl 182 is displaced slightly endwise relative to
lever 1463 in opposition to the spring 185; whereby the
advancing tooth 187 resiliently clamps index ear 43a against
radial face 201 of the positioning tooth 194. The indexing
) accuracy with which the film exposure area is located in
exposure position is thus determined solely by the accuracy
with which the central spindle hole 45 in the hub 42 fits
the spindle 132 and by the location of the positioning tooth
194. To simplify the manufacture of the camera, the eccentric
pivot stud 191, best shown in Fig. 18, is riveted to the
~IL~;i~i
-24_
mechanism plate 143 as shown at numeral 202 but can nevertheless
be rotated by means of screwdriver slot 203. The cylindrical
bearing surface 204 of the stud 191 that extends through a
spacer washer 205 and through a mating hole 206 in the pawl
189 is slightly eccentric relative to the axis of the stud
shank 207, thereby allowing a factory adjustment of the
position Or the positioning tooth 194. Once this adjus~ment
has been made, the accuracy Or the mechanism is preserved by
the fact that the spindle 132, stud 191, the gate member 147
and the optical elements 103 and 157 are all rigidly affixed
to the one-piece mechanism plate 143. ¦
After the first exposure area has been exposed, as
described later, a second reciprocative movement of the
lever 146 causes the advancing tooth 187 to engage the hub's
index ear 43b and to rotate the hub 42 to bring that ear 43b
into engagement with the positioning tooth 194. As previously
described, the cooperation between the cam surface 197 and
the cam pin 198 causes the positioning tooth 194 to disengage
from the index ear 43a before the pawl 182 initiates the
counterclockwise rotation of the hub 42, and to return the
positioning tooth 194 to its operative location before the
next index ear 43 arrives at its indexed position. After
the operation of ~ndexlng the film disk 49 has been repeated
ten times and the final exposure area has been brought into
exposure position, the 90~ ear-free arc of the hub 42 is
located in the clockwise direction from the advancing tooth
187, whereby the arcuate travel of that tooth 187 is insufficient
to re-engage it with the index ear 43a. Accordingly~
further reciprocation of lever 146 has no effect on the
position of the film disk 49, which is additionally prevented
from moving further in a counterclockwise direction by the
abutment of the sector plate 164 against the stop pin 167.
If, during the previously described indexing
operations, the film disk 49 should jam within the cartridge
assembly casing, the spring biased stud 183 and slot 184
~ ~9 9
-25-
connection between the pawl 182 and film advancing lever 146
prevents the photographer from damaging the camera mechanism
by attempting to force the lever 146 back to its initial
position.
Because of the spacing ~f the hub's index ears 43,
the first indexing operation requires the film advancing
lever 146 to be reciprocated through an angle of slightly
more than 45 degrees, but subsequent indexing operations
require the lever 146 to be moved through an angle Or only
0 slightly more than 30 degrees. However, as explained below,
the shutter cocking operation requires that the lever 146 be
reciprocated through its maximum angular movement each time
the ~ilm disk 49 is advanced. To ensure such maximum
movement of the lever 1~, an anti-short-stroke dog 20~,
shown in Figs. 12 and 13, is pivotally carried by the stud
165 below the sector plate 164 and is resilientl~ biased to
its depicted central position by a wire spring 209 which is
staked into a slot in dog 208 and extends rreely between
pins 211. During the movement of the lever 146 rrom the
0 position shown in Fig. 11 to the position shown in Fig. 12,
arcuately disposed teeth 212 along the adjacent edge Or the
lever 146 engage a finger 213 Or the dog 20~ and rotate the
dog in a countèrclockwise direction as those teeth 212 move
past the dog finger 213 in ratchet fashion. Consequently3
once the clockwise movement o~ the lever 146 is initiated,
that lever cannot rotate in the opposite direction until it
has reached the position shown in Fig. 12 at which an arcuate
notch 214 in the lever 146 is aligned with the dog tooth 213
and allows the dog 208 to reassume its depicted central
0 position. During the subsequent return movement o~ the
lever 146, the dog 208 perrorms in the same manner as the
teeth 212 displace it in a clockwise direction. When the
lever 146 arrives at its initial position, an arcuate notch
215 is aligned with the dog 208, which therefore again
assumes lts central position.
~99S5~i
The shutter mechanism, which ls best depicted ln
Fig. 19 comprises an opening member 216 and a closing member
217, both of which are made o~ thin sheet steel. These two
members 216, 217 are pivotally supported below the mechanism
plate 143 between washers 218 by the lower end shank 219 of
the spindle 132, as shown in Fig. 14, and are retained ~n
that shank by a snap ring 221. ~wo springs, represented at
numerals 222 and 223 in Fig. 19, bias the respective opening
and closing shutter members 216 and 217 in a counterclockwise
direction. The shutter members 216 and 217 have legs 224
and 225, respectively, which include respective upwardly
bent portions 226 and 227 that extend through corresponding
arcuate openings 228 and 229 in the mechanism plate 143,
shown in Figs. 11-13. Opening and closing shutter blades
151 and 152, carried by the respective s-hutter member legs
224 and 225, are parallel to the mechanism plate 143 and are
alignment with the shutter blade slot 149 below the film
support frame 135.
Fig. 11 depicts the camera with its shutter in
released condition, in which the opening shutter blade 151
slightly overlaps the closing shutter blade 152, with the
latter blade obscuring the rectangular opening 153 o~ the
rilm support ~rame 135. In this condition, the position of
the opening member 216 is established by the engagement o~
its upwardly bent portion 226 with the adjacent end Or the
mechanism plate opening 228 and the position of the closing
member 217 ls established by the abutment o~ its leg 225
with a downwardly bent ear 233 of the opening member 216,
shown in Fig. 19. As the film advancing lever 146 is
rotated in a clockwise direction, an edge 234 of that lever
146 engages the upwardly bent portion 226 o~ the opening
member 216 and moves the two b:L~des 152, 153 in unison in a
clockwise direction.
When the clockwise movement of the shutter members
216~ 217 has brought the opening blade 151 into ali~nment
-27-
with the ~ilm support frame ~pening 153, as shown in s~l~d
lines in Fig. 19, a latch tooth 235 on ~he opening shutter
member 216 iS engaged by a primary latch member 236, which
is pivotally mounted to the mechanism plate 143 by a pin 237
and is biased in a clockwise direction by a hairpin spring
238. A secondary latch member 239~ pivotally mounted to the
mechanism plate 143 by a pin 241 and biased in a clockwise
direction by a haripin spring 242, similarly engages a latch
tooth 243 on the closing shutter member 217. Acc~rdingly,
the two shutter members 216, 217 are held in their respective
cocked posi~ions as the advancing lever 146 returns to its
lnitial position to complete the film indexing and shutter
cocking operation.
As also shown in Fig. 19, an ear 244 on the leg J
225 of the closing shutter member 217 is in engagement with
the adjacent end face of an electromagnet 245 when the
shutter is in its cocked condition. This electromagnet 245
is carried by a support member 246 that is pivotally supported
to the mechanism plate 143 by a rivet 247 and is biased in a
counterclockwise direction by a spring 248 for movement
through a narrow arcuate path limited by a stationary pin
249 extending into a slot 251 in the support member 246.
This movable mounting of the electrornagnet 245 allows it to
enga6e the ear 244 of the closing shutter member 217 when
the latter is in its cocked position, while allowing that
member 217 to be moved slightly beyond its cocked position
by the film advancing lever 146 during the film indexing and
shutter cocking operation.
When the primary latch member 236 is released from
the latch tooth 235 of the opening shutter member 216, as
described below, the opening shutter member 216 rotates
rapidly in a counterclockwise direction; thereby removing
the opening blade 151 rrom alignment with the film support
frame opening 153 to initiate the exposure of the film area
supported by the film support rrame 135. As the opening
5~5
- 2~_
shutter member 216 approaches its released position shown in
Fig, 11, a cam ~ose 252 on ~he opening shutter member 216
engages the rounded tip of the secondary latch member 239
engaged with the latch t~oth 243 on the closing shutter
rnember 217 and pivots that latch member 239 out of engagement
with the closing shutter member 217. If the ca~era's
exposure control circuit has not energized the electromagnet
245, the release of the secondary latch member 239 causes
the closing shutter member 217 to immediately pivot in a
counterclockwise direction so that its blade 152 covers the
opening 153 in the film support frame 135, thus providing a
mechanically predetermined exposure duration. ~oweYer, if
the automatic exposure control system requires a-longer
exposure duration, the electromagnet 245 retains the closing
shutter member 217 in its cocked position until the electromagnet
is de-energized, whereupon the shutter closes. Because this
general type of automatic exposure control system is well
known in the prior art, details of the electronic circuitry
associated with controlling the energization of the electromagnet
0 have been omitted.
Shutter release rocker 253 3 shown in Figs. 19 and
20, is supported for rocking movement below the mechanism
plate 143 by rivets 254 and 255 extending through ears 256
and 257 of the rocker 253 and through respective tongues 258
and 259 bent downwardly from the mechanism plate 143. The
rectangular shutter operating button 106 is attached to the
lower face o~ the rocker 253, as shown in broken lines in
Fig. 19~ and extends through an opening in the carnera
housing 108. A hairpin spring 260 is coiled around the head
0 of the rivet 254 with one of its legs engaging a finger 261
of the rocker 253 and with its other leg bearing against the
mechanism plate 143, thereby urging the release button 106
downwardly towards its extended position, At its forward
end, the rocker 253 is provided with the finger 141, which
-2g_
1~9~SS~
pro~ects upwardly ~hrough the mechanism and cover plates 143
~nd 127 and abuts against the ear 140 on the pressure platen
138 when the camera's cover door 111 is closed. The spring
261 is strong enough to overcome the tension of the spring
arms 139 supporting the pressure platen 138, whereby the
latter is retained out of clamping engagement with the ~ilm
cartridge assembly as long as the shutter operating button
105 remains in its extended position.
A release slide 262, shown in Figs. 19 and 20, is
slidably mounted to the lower face of the mechanism plate
143 by a stationary rivet 263 extending through a slot 264
and is biased toward the right and also in a counterclockwise
direction by a spring 265. When the slide 262 is in its
cocked position shown in solid lines in Fig. 19, its latch
tooth 266 is engaged with a finger 267 of a latching tab
~68~ which extends upwardly from the rocker 253, as best
~ ustrated in Fig. 20. When the shutter operating button
1~6 is depressed, the corresponding upward movement o~ the
finger 267 causes it to disengage from the latch tooth 266,
whereupon the spring 265 moves the slide 262 to the right to
the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 19, which is
defined by the abutment of the left end of the slot 264 with
the rivet 263. During this movement, a releasing ear 271 on
the slide 262 engages a lower ~inger 272 of the primary
latch member 236 and releases the latch member 236 from
engagement with the opening shutter member latch tooth 235
to initiate the operation of the shutter. As previously
mentioned, prior to releasing the shutter, the movement of
the finger 141 causes the pressure plate 138 to squeeze the
exposure area of the film disk 49 into engagement with the
film support frame 135 to ensure that the film exposure area
is securely held in flat condition during its exposure.
As shown at numeral 273 in Figs. 11, 12, 13 and
19, a cocking pin projects downwardly from the film advancing
lever 146 through an arcuate slot 274 in the mechanism plate
~30_
5~5
143. This pin 273 is adapted to engage tongue 275 on
~elease slide 262, shown in Figs. 19 and 20, to restore that
slide 262 to its cocked condition shown in Fig. 19 when
lever 146 is again moved to the position shown in Fig. 12.
During this recocking movement of the slide 262, ~t pivots
slightly in a clockwise direction out of contact with a
guide pin 276 as the latch tooth 266 cams past the finger
267 of the latching tab 268.
A stop pin 277, extending upwardly from the shutter
1 release rocker 253, pro~ects through the end of slot 274 in
the mechanism plate 143 beyond the movement path of the pin
273 and is flush with the lower face of the lever 146 when
the shutter operating button 106 is at its extended position. -
When the film advancing lever 146 is in the position shown
in Figs. 11 and 13~ an edge slot 278 in that lever is
aligned with the end of the stop pin 277 so that the film
advancing lever does not interfere with depression of the
release button 106. Whenever the advancing lever 146 is
moved away from its initial position, however, the shutter
operating button 106 cannot be depressed because of the
abutment of the pin 277 with the lower face of that lever
146. Similarly, as long as the shlltter operating button
remains depressed, the pin 277 prevents the lever 146 from
being moved out of its initial position. Conse~uently, the
film disk 49 cannot be rotated unless the shutter operating
button 106 has first been released to retract pressure
platen 138 out of clamping engagement with the film cartridge
assembly.
A blocking slide 279, shown in Fig~ 19 is slidably
and rotatably mounted to the lower face of the mechanism
plate 143 by a rivet 281 extending through an elongate slot
282 in the slide 279 and is biased both rearwardly and in a
clockwise direction by a spring 283. After the completion
of each film advancing and shutter cocking operation, the
slide 279 assumes the position shown in solid lines in Fig.
1~, in which an edge-surface 284 of the slide 279 is in
~L~399~iSS
`" abutment with a stationary pin 285 and in which the ear 176
of the film advancing lever 146 is trapped behind a blocking
tooth 286 of the slide 279 to prevent the lever 146 ~r~m
being moved out of its initial position. As previously
explained, depression of the shutter operating button 106
causes the release slide 262 to move to the right to the
position shown in broken lines, in Fig. 19, to initiate the
shutter operation. This movement of the slide 262 causes
its ear 287 to engage the rearward end Or the blocking slide
0 279 and to rotate the latter in a counterclockwise direction
about the rivet 281 in opposition to the spring 283, thereby
moving the edge surface 284 out of engagement with the pin
285. Thereupon, the spring 283 moves the slide 279 rearwardly
to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. l9, in which
pin 285 is engaged with an edge 288 of the blocking slide to
locate the tooth 286 beyond blocking engagement with ear 176
of the film advancing lever 146. Accordingly, that lever
146 can again be operated to advance the film disk 49 and to
recock the shutter. As the film advancing lever 146 approaches
0 the position shown in Fig. 12 during this subsequent film
advancing and shutter cocking operationg lts ear 176 engages
a tongue 289 of the slide 279 and moves the latter forwardly
so that it can again assume the position shown in solid
lines. During the return movement of the lever 146 to
its initial position~ its ear 176 encounters the sloped face
291 of the blocking tooth 286 and momentarily cams the
latter aside to allow the ear 176 to return to its blocked
position. This camming action momentarily displaces the
blocking slide 279 slightly in a counterclockwise direction,
0 but not far enough to disengage the edge surface 284 from
the pin 285. Accordingly, as soon as the ear 176 has moved
rearwardly beyong the blocking tooth 286, the blocking slide
279 reassumes the posikion shown in solid lines and prevents
further reciprocation of the film advancing lever 146 until
after the shutter has been operated again. Thus, the
-32-
blocking slide 279 ensures that each exposure area is exposed
befoxe the ~ilm disk 49 is again indexed to bring the next
available e-xposure area into exposure position.
The door latch mechanism, best shown ln Fig. 21,
includes a latch slide 292 slidably mounted above the mech-
anism plate 143 on pins 166 and 293 anchored to that plate
143 and extending through respective slots 294 and 295 in the
latch plate and a release slide 296 slidably mounted below
the mechanism plate 143 by the opposite ends of the same pins
166 and 293 extending through slots 297 and 298 in the
release slide. An ear 299 projects upwardly through an open-
ing 301 in the mechanism plate 143 and is adapted to engage
the right edge 302 of a projection 303 on the latch slide 292
The release slide 296 is biased toward the right by a spring
304 attached to a pin 305 on the mechanism plate 143,
stronger spring 306 connects the release slide 296 to finger
307 of the latch slide 292. The finger 307 extends downwardly
through the mechanism plate opening 301, and thereby resil-
iently biases the edge 302 of the slide 292 against the ear
299 of the slides 296. These t~o springs 304, 306 -thus co-
operate to normally retain the two slides 292, 296 in their
respective positions shown in Fig. 21, with pins 166 and 293
engaging the left ends of the slots 294 and 295 in the latch
slide 292 and passing through the centers of the slots 297
and 298 in the release slide 296. When the latch slide 292
is in this position, and assuming that the camera cover door
111 is closed, a latch tooth 308 of the latch slide 292 is
engageable with a latch tooth 309 on the door 111 to re-tain
the door 111 in its closed condition.
When the latch release slide 296 is moved to the
left, by means of its externally accessible latch release but~
ton 113, the ear 299 of that slide moves the latch slide 292
- 33 -
5SS
in the same direction and thereby moves the latch slide tooth
308 out o~ engagement with the door~s tooth 309 to permit the
door 111 to be openea. However, as best shown in Fig. 13 the
sector plate 164 is located immediately above the latch slide
292 and obstructs such le~tward movement of the ear 299 of the
latch release slide 296 except when a notch 311 of the sector
plate 164 is aligned with that ear 299, which occurs only when
the driving disk 131 is in its initial position shown in Figs.
10, 11, and 12.
As previously explained, the counterclockwise indexing
movement imparted to the film unit hub 42 by the advancing pawl
182 drives the sector plate 164 in a clockwise direction in op-
position to the spring 168 and the engagement of the ratchet pawl
171 with the teeth of the ratchet tooth segment 169 on the sector
plate 164 prevents the lattex from rotating in the opposite
direction. Consequently, whenever the film disk 49 is rotated to
an exposure position, the latch release button 113 cannot be
moved to the left to open the camera until the driving disk 131
has first been returned to its initial position to relocate the
cover slide 47 over the exposure window 67 of the cartridge
assembly casing. The face of the support frame 135 is so rounded
as to facilitate sliding movement of the cover slide 47 into its
position covering the exposure window 67.
To open the camera door after one or more film exposures
have been made, the photographer first moves the button 113 to
the right in opposition to spring 306, thereby causinq the release
slide ear 299 to engage a finger 312 on the ratchet pawl 171 and
to withdraw the latter f~om engagement with the sector teeth 169.
At its opposite end, the release slide 296 is provided with a
finyer 313 extenaing upwardly through a hole 134 in the mechanism
plate 143. When the latch release slide 296 is moved to the
right to disengage the ratchet pawl 171 from the ratchet tooth
; - 34 -
9SSS
segment 169, this finger 3I3 simultaneously engages and displaces
the adjacent end of advancing pawl 182 (see Fig. ll), thereby
pivoting the latter in a counterclockwise direction about the
stud 183, which simultaneously rotates the positioning pawl 189
in a clockwise direction about the stud 191 because
- 34a -
of the engagement of the advancing tooth end Or the pawl 182
with the positioning pawl ear 195, best shown in Fig. 17.
Accordingly, the advancing tooth 187 and the positioning
tooth 194 are both moved beyond the path Or movement of the
hub index ears 43 to allow the spring 168 to rotate the
driving disk 131 back to its initial position, thus repositioning
the cover slide portion 52 over the film unit's exposure
window 67 and allowing the latch release slide 296 to now be
moved to its extreme left position to release the cover door
111 .
If a malfunction were to prevent spring 168 from
returning the ~ilm disk hub 42 to its initial position, ~or
example because of jamming of a faulty magazine assembly,
the interlock s~stem ~ust described would prevent the camera
from being opened and would thereby make it impossible to
correct the malfunction. Therefore, provision is also made
for allowing ~he cover door to be opened under extraordinary
circumstances regardless of the orientation of the sector
plate 164. This is accomplished by inserting a pin or
similar tool through a hole 315 in the camera casing in
alignment with an end face 316 of the latch sli.de 292 and
thereby forcing the latch slide 292 to its unlatching
position in opposition to spring 306.
Figs. 22 through 24 illustrate, somewhat schematica.lly,
an even simpler form of a manually operated film disk indexing
mechanism that can readily be incorporated with other features
of the camera previously described and which likewise ensures
that the camera cannot be opened until the rotatable cover
slide 47 of the film cartridge assembly is returned to a
) position at which it closes the exposure window 67.
For use with this particular indexing mechanism,
the film disk hub 351~ shown in broken lines, is similar to
the preYiously described film disk hub 42, but additionally
includes a notch 352 located somewhat off center in the 90
degrees ear-free arc of the hub 351. While such a notch 352
S~
~35-
39SS5
would serve no purpose in cooperatlon with the previously
~described indexing mechanism, a hub with this feature is
completely compatible with that type of mechanism.
When the film-cartridge assembly is installed in
the camera9 the central spindle hole 353 receives a stationary
hub spindle 354 that also pivotally supports a ~ilm advancing
lever 355. This lever 355 carries a film advancing pawl
356, which is attached to the lever by a pin 357 and a
spring 358 in the same manner previously described with
O reference to Figs. 11-13. A positioning pawl 359 is pivotally
supported by an eccentric adjustment screw 361 and is biased
in a counterclockwise direction toward a stop pin 362 by a
weak spr:ing 363. When the cartridge assembly is initially
loaded into the camera, the advancing tooth 364 of the film
advancing pawl 356 is received in the notch 352 and the
positioning tooth 365 of the pawl 359 is retained beyond
engagement with the adjacent peripheral hub surface 366 by
the pin 362. Flexible pawl springs 367 and 368 are adapted
to engage the adjacent index ears 43 on the hub 351 to
O prevent the latter from rotating in a clockwise direction
beyond a position at which the film advancing pawl can ;
engage the next index ear 43 during each ~ilm indexing
operation.
As ~ilm advancing lever 355 is rotated in a
clockwise direction, the advancing tooth 364 of the pawl 35
rides over the ~irst index tooth 43a and a cam surface 369
on the advancing pawl 356 engages a pin 371 on the positioning
pawl 359 and raises the positioning tooth 365 to a position
beyond the movement path o~ the hub's index ears 43. As
O shown in broken lines in Fig. 22, the clockwise movement of
the lever 355 is limited by a stop pin 372 so that the
advancing pawl tooth 364 moves only far enough to ensure its
engagement with the hub index ear 42a associated with the
next available exposure area. As the lever 355 is returned
in a counterclockwise direction back to its initial position
~ -36~
S5~ii
by a spring 373~ the pawl tooth 364 adva~ces the film disk
49 and brings the index ear 42a into abutment with the
positioning tooth 365, which has returned to its operative
position during the final return movement of the lever 355.
As shown in Fig. 23, the index ear 43a is thus resiliently
squeezed against the positioning tooth 365 by the advancing
pawl tooth 364 in the same manner previously described. By
repeating this operation, the photographer can bring each
successive exposure area into exposure position. Additionally,
each film advancing movement of the lever 355 can also serve
to cock the shutter and to perform other camera functions,
as previously described.
After the last exposure area has been brought to
exposure position, the next reciprocative movement of lever
355 causes the advancing pawl tooth 364 to engage a face 374
o~ the hub notch 352 and to thereby rotate the hub through
an angle sufficient to close the exposure window 70 with the
cover slide 47 without quite completing a 360 degree rotation
of the hub. A cartridge assembly provided with such a
notched hub is also modified by widening the upper notch in
its dihedral locking boss so that the hub is locked against
further rotation by this ~inal indexing movement. As best
illustrated in Fig. 24, because of the off-center position
Or notch face 374 between index ears 43a and 43J, which
results in the slightly less than 360 degree rotation Or the
hub 351~ the index ear 43a is now beyond the position at
which it can be engaged by the advancing pawl tooth 364,
which is shown in its extreme clockwise position in broken
lines, thereby avoiding reexposure of the first exposure
area.
The door latching device is schematically represented
in Fig. 22 by a slidable latch member 375, which is movable
to the left in opposition to a spring 376 by a slide button
377 to disengage a latch tooth 378 from a cooperating latch
member carried by the camera door A pin 379 on the latch
-37-
member 375 engages a cam sur~ace 381 of a pivotally-mounked
blocking member 382 and pivots the latter in a counterclockwise
"direction about its pivot pin 383 when the latch rnember is
moved to the left to release the door. A locking arm 384 is
pivotally mounted by a stud 385 and includes a nose 386
urged into contact with the cam surface 369 of the film
advancing pawl 356 by a spring 387. When the advancing
tooth 364 of the pawl 3~6 is received within the hub notch
352, the locking arm assumes the position shown in solid
!0 lines in Fig. 22, in which its shoe 388 is positioned bey~nd
the movement path of a finger 389 on the blocking member
382, thereby allowing the blocking member 382 to be rotated
in a counterclockwise direction by the door releasing
movement of the slidable latch member 37~. When the hub 351
is in any other rotational position, however, the resulting
forward displacement of the nose 386 causes the locking arm
384 to be rotated in a clockwise direction from its illustrated
position as shown in broken lines in Fig. 22, whereby the
shoe 388 blocks counterclockwise rotation of the blocking
~0' member 382 and thereby prevents the latch member 375 from
being moved to the position at which the door is released.
Consequently, the door cannot be opened unless the hub 351
is at a position at which the cover slide closes the exposure
window Or the cartridge assembly casing.
Figures 25 through 28 schematically depict a third
camera mechamism, which may be called an automatic film
advance mechanism, because the energy required to accomplish
~11 of the successive indexing movements of the film disk is
imparted to the mechanism during the operation of loading
~o the camera.
As in the previously described embodiments of the
invention, this camera mechanism comprises a stationary hub
support spindle 401, intended to be received in the central
hole of the film disk hub, shown in broken lines at numeral
42. A driving disk 402, similar to the previously described
disk 131, is rotatably supported by the spindle 401 and
-38~ 5 5 5
~L~9~a5S~
includes a plnion 403 and a plurality o~ peripheral teeth
404 spaced at 30 degree intervals to correspond to the
spacing between adjacen~ index ears 43 of the hub 42. A
drive sector 405, in meshing engagement with the pinion 403,
is pivotally mounted on stud 406 an~ is biased in a clockwise
direction by a relatively strong hairpin spring 407. When
the sector 405 is in the position shown in solid lines in
Fig. 25, the driving disk 402 is oriented with its coupling
pin 408 aligned between the spindle 401 and the rectangular
.0 exposure opening 409 o~ the camera's film support ~rame
structure, thereby allowing a film cartridge assembly to be
installed in the camera in mating engagement w~th the
drivin~ disk 402.
A lever 411 is also pivotally mounted on the stud 406
and includes an ear 412 engageable with an edge 413 of the
drive sector 405. To open the camera, the lever 411 is
rotated in a counterclockwise direction ~rom the position
shown in broken lines in Fig. 25 and in solid lines in Fig.
28 to the position shown in solid lines in ~ig. 25, thereby
0 causing the drive sector 405 and the driv~ng disk 402 to
assume the respective positions in which they are depicted
in solid lines in Fig. 25.
A latch slide 414, best illustrated in Figs. 27
and 28, is slidably mounted to the camera housing, not
shown, by rivet pins 415 and 416 extendin~ through an L-
shaped slot 417 in the slide 414. A spring 418 biases the
slide 414 both to the left and also in a clockwise direction
about the pin 416. The camera's cover door3 partially
depicted at numeral 419, is shown in Fig. 26 in its closed
0 position and in Fig. 27 in a partially open position. Wher.
the door 419 is closed, the slide 414 assumes the position
shown in Fig. 26 with the pins 415 and 416 both received in
the horizontal leg 421 of the slot 417 and with slide tooth
422 in engagement with latch tooth 423 on the cover door 419
to retain the latter in its closed condition. As the lever
411 arrives at the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 253
-39-
it engages a sh~ulder 424 of the latch slide 414 and displaces
the latter to the right in opposltion to the spring 418 to
lisengage the slide tooth 422 ~rom the latch tooth 423 on
the cover door 419. Just be~ore the teeth 422 and 423 are
disengaged from one another~ however, vertical leg 425 of
the slot 417 moves into alignment with ~he pin 415~ whereupon
the spring 418 rotates the slide 414 in a clockwise direction
about the pin 416 to move slide ear 426 to a position to the
left Or the lever 411. After the photographer has completed
the counterclockwise movement of the lever and has at least
partially opened the door 419, the ear 426 retains the lever
411 in the position shown in solid lines in Figs. 25 and 27,
t~ereby maintaining the sector 405 in the position shown in
Fig. 25 as long as the cover door 419 remains open. When
the cover door 419 is subsequently pressed to a closed
position, edge 427 of the door 419 engages the upper edge of
the slide tooth 422 and urges the latter downwardly so that
the pin 415 is again aligned with the horizontal leg 421 of
the slot 417; whereupon the spring 418 returns the slide 414
to its latched position shown in Fig. 26 and thereby releases
the arm 411, which is returned by spring 428 to its position
shown in solid lines in Figs. 28 and in broken lines in ~ig.
25.
After the camera door 419 has been closed, the
lever 411 no longer opposes the clockwise rotation of the
sector 405 by the spring 407. Accordingly, the sector 405
now imparts counterclockwise rotation to the driving disk
402 and thereby to the film disk hub 42. As the latter
rotates in a counterclockwise direction, its index ear 43a~
aligned with the ~ilm disk's rirst available exposure area,
rotates into abutment with positioning tooth 429 Or pivotally
supported positioning lever 430. Accordingly~ the rotatable
cover slide 47 is removed ~rom alignment with the exposure
window 67 of the cartridge assembly casing and the first
available exposure area is aligned with the exposure opening
409 in the film support frame.
5S5
, ~o
g55:~;
The shutter structure c~mprises an ~pening shutter
`lade 431 arld a closing shutter blade 432~ which are located
in superimposed relation to each other and supported for
sliding movement by suitable support means, not shown. The
shutter blades 431, 432 are shown in Fig. 25 in their
respective cocked positions, in whlch an aperture 433 ln the
closing shutter blade 432 is aligned with the exposure
opening 409 and in which an aperture 434 in the opening
shutter blade 431 is l~ca~ed t~ the right of the opening
409. The engagement of the opening shutter blade pin 435
with tooth 436 of pivotally mounted latch lever 437 retains
t,he opening blade 431 in its cocked position in opposition
to a spring 438 and the engagement of tooth 439 on the
closing shutter blade with tooth 441 of pivotally supported
latch arm 442 similarly retains the closing blade 432 in its
cocked position in opposition to a spring 443.
A shutter release member 444 is schematically
depicted as being slidably supported by pins 445 extending
through an enlongate slot 446 and is biased forwardly to its
inoperative position shown in Fig. 25 by a spring 447 attached
to a pivotally supported lever 448. It should be understood
that this representation of the shutter release member is
merely illustrative, and that such a member prefereably
would be located as illustrated in Fig. 9 and connected with
the shutter by appropriate linkage means.
As the shutter release member 444 is moved rearwardly
to effect an exposure, its initial movement pivotally displaces
the lever 448 to move its finger 449 out of supporting
engagement with pressure plate ear 451. The finger 449 and
the ear 451 correspond respectively to the finger 141 and
the pressure plate ear 140, which were described previously
with reference to ~igs. 9-21. This initlal movement of the
shutter release member 444 causes the camera's pressure
plate to squeeze the filrn against the rilm support frame.
The continuing rearward movement of the mernber 444 then
, "
-41-
. .
. . .
~9915~S
~ringS its ear 452 into c~n~act with the latch lever 437 and
ots the latter in a clockwise direction about its pivot
stud 453 to the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 28.
This movement Or the lever 437 disengages its tooth 436 from
the p~n 435 on opening shutter blade 431 and positions its
tooth 454 in alignment with pin 455 on that same blade 431.
Accordingly, exposure of the film is initiated as the spring
438 moves the opening shutter blade 431 to its intermediate ~ r
position, shown in solid lines in Fig. 28, in which the pin
455 on that blade 431 is engaged by the tooth 454 of the
latch lever 437 and in which the opening blade aperture 434
is aligned with the opening 409 of the film support frame
and with the aperture 433 of the closing shutter blade 432.
As the opening shutter blade 431 arrives at its intermediate
position, its lobe 456 engages lobe 457 on ~he latch arm 442
and disengages the latch arm 442 from tooth 439 on the
closing shutter blade 432, thereby allowing the spring 443
to move the closing shutter blade 432 to its intermediate
position 3 defined by the abutment of its tab 458 with the
O ad;acent edge of the opening shutter blade 431. This
movement of the closing shutter blade 432 terminates the
film exposure by moving the closing shutter blade aperture
433 beyond the film support frame opening 409. Thus, the
shutter mechanism provides a mechanically predetermined
exposure interval, which obviously could be increased by the
incorporation of an electromagnet for retarding the motion
of the closing shutter blade 432 in the same manner described
in connection with Figs. 11 through 21.
As the shutter release member is returned to its
3Q initial position by the spring 447, the lever 448 causes the
finger 449 to retract the pressure plate from operative
engagement with the film cartridge assembly, whereupon ear
459 of the member 444 engages the latch lever 437 and returns
it to its original position. This movement of the latch
lever 437 disengages its tooth 454 from the pin 455 of the
-42-
~9555
opening shutter blade 431 and thereby allows both shutter
blades 431, 432 to move slightly rurther to the le~t to the
position shown in broken lines in Fig. 28. During this
~inal movement o~ the two shutter blades, edge 461 of the
blade 431 engages nose 462 of positioning lever 430 and
rotates the latter about its eccentric pivot pin 463 to the
position shown in broken lines in Fig. 28, in which the
positioning tooth 429 is disengaged from the hub index ear
43a. Consequently, the sector 405 now drives the driving
disk 402 and the hub 42 in a counterclockwise direction,
which causes the driving disk tooth 404a adjacent finger 464
of cocking member 465 to engage that finger and to displace
the member 465 in a clockwise direction about its pivot stud
466.
A cocking arm 467 is also pivotally mounted to the
stud 466 below the cocking member 465 and is biased in a
counterclockwise direction against stop pin 468 by spring
469. A weak hairpin spring 471 biases the cocking member
465 in a clockwise direction relative to the cocking arm 467
to urge edge 472 of the cocking member 465 against tab 473
of the cocking arm 467. As the tooth 404a of the driving
disk 402 engages and moves past the ~inger 464 of the
cocking member 465, the resulting clockwise rotation of the
cocking member 465 is imparted to the cocking arm 467
through lts tab 473~ thus causing that arm 467 to move
momentarily to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 25
and then to return to its initial position. During this
movement of the arm 467, its head 474 engages ringer 475 on
the opening shutter blade 431 and returns both blades 431,
432 to their initial cocked positions. As the arm 467
initially moves the shutter blades 431, 432 back to their
respective cocked conditions, the edge 461 of the opening
shutter blade 431 moves out of engagement with the nose 462
of the positioning lever 430 and allows spring 476 to return
-43-
~9~5i5
the positioning lever 430 t~ ~ts ~perative posit~on shown in
~ig. 25~ whereby the rotation of the drlving disk 402 and
the film hub is again arrested when ~he ~ext index tooth 43b
engages the positioning tooth 429. Accordingly, the next
available exposure area is now positioned for exposure and
the shutter mechanism is recocked and restored to its
initial condition. After the repetition of this operation
has exposed all Or the available film exposure areas, the
sector 405 moves into abutment with stop pin 477, thus
preventing further counterclockwise rotation of the film
disk.
Because the latch slide 414 holds the loading
lever 411 in the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 2~ as
long as the camera's cover door 419 is open, the film disk
in a film cartridge assebmly loaded into the camera cannot
be rotated until the co~er door has been closed, thereby
preventing the film disk from being exposed inadvertently to
ambient light. If desired, this feature could also be
incorporated in the camera shown in Figs. 9-21 by providing
that camera with a simple latch device for locking the film
advancing lever 146 in the position shown in Fig. 11 whenever
the camera door is open.
To remove the film cartridge assembly, after
either all or only some of the available exposure areas have
been used~ the photographer opens the camera door 419 by
moving the lever ~11 to the position shown in solid lines in
Fig. 25~ thereby rotating the hub 42 in a clockwise direction
back to its initial position in which the rotatable cover
slide again closes the exposure window of the cartridge
assembly casing and in which the hub is now locked against
further rotation. During this clockwise rotation of the
driving disk 402, the film hub index ears 43 engage the
sloped face 478 of positioning tooth 429 and cam tooth 429
aside in opposition to the spring 476. ~he teeth 404 of the
driving disk 402 similarly bypass the finger 464 of the
cocking member 465 by rotating the f~nger 464 in a counterclockwise
_ J~
direction in opposition to the spring 471. A~though Fig. 25
shows the shutter in a cocked condition during the camera
oading operation, t~is situation would exist only if the
preceeding cartridge assembly were removed prior ~o exposure
of all the available exposure areas. If the preceeding
cartridge assembly had been fully exposed, the shutter would
remain uncocked~ but would be recocked by the initial rotation
of the driving disk 402 by which the first available exposure
area is brought into exposure position.
3 Fig. 29 shows a modification of the mechanism
depicted in Figs. 25-28 for use in a camera in which the
shutter is cocked other than by the film advancing mechanism,
for example, by the final return movement of the shutter
release member a~ter that movement has caused the pressure
plate to disengage from the film cartridge assembly. Because
such a previously known shutter cocking mechanism, not
shown, eliminates the need for the cocking arm 467 and its
as30ciated structure, those elements are ornitted and the
positioning lever 430 is provided with an escapement tooth
481 to provide an escapement mechanism. When the final
movement of the shutter blades 431, 432 rotates the lever
430 to the position shown in bro~en lines and thereby
disengages the indexing tooth 429 from a hub index ear, the
escapement tooth 481 simultaneously moves into the movement
path of the adjacent driving disk tooth 404. Accordingly,
the film disk is advanced only part way to the next exposure
position berore the tooth 481 temporarily arrests further
counterclockwise rotation of the driving disk 402. When the
shutter is recocked by the final return movement of the
shutter releasing member, the spring 476 ~eturns the latch
lever 430 to its position shown in solid lines ~nd withdraws
its tooth 481 from engagement with the driving disk tooth
404, whereupon the film disk completes its indexing rnovement
to the position established by the engagement of its next
index ear with the positioning tooth 429.
-45~
,
5$S
Figs. 30 and 31 show another embodiment Or an
?scapement mechanism ~unctionally similar to the one shown
in Fi~. 29 but in which both the positioning tooth 483 and
the escapement tooth 484 cooperate directly with the hub
index ears 43 to provide incremental indexlng movements of
the film disk hub 42 as it is biased in a counterclockwise
direction by the driving disk 485. The positioning tooth
483 is carried by a positioning lever 486, pivotally supported
by eccentric pivot stud 487, and is urged toward its operative
position shown in Fig. 30 by a spring 488. In this position,
which is defined by the abutment of the lever 486 against
the pin 489, the tooth 483 is engaged with the hub index ear
43a to arrest the counterclockwise rotation of the ~ilm disk
hub and to locate the corresponding ~ilm exposure area in
exposure position. The escapement tooth 484 is carried by
an escapement lever 491, which is pivotally supported by
pivot stud 492 and provided with a cam ~ace 493 adjacent pin
494 of the opening shutter blade 431 when the latter is in
its intermediate position as shown in Fig. 30. An ear 495
on the positioning lever 486 engages flnger 496 of the
escapement lever 491 where~y the counterclockwise rorce
supplied to the lever ~86 by the spring 488 biases the lever
491 in a clockwise direction against pin 497.
When the shutter blade 1l31 moves to its final
uncocked position, as shown in Fig. 31, its pin 494 cams the
escapement lever 491 in a counterclockwise direction,
whereby its ~inger 496 moves the positioning lever 486 in a
clockwise direction in opposition to the spring 488.
Accordingly, the positioning tooth 483 is now released from
the index ear 43a, allowing the ~ilm disk hub 42 to rotate
to the position shown in ~ig. 31, in which that index ear
43a is engaged with the escapement tooth 484. As the shutter
is recocked, the spring 488 ret~rns both levers 486, 491 to
their respective positions shown in ~i.go 30, thereby releasing
t.he tooth 484 from the ear 43a and causing the tooth 483 to
-~6-
intercept the index ear 43b to complete the film disk
indexing operation.
Although the invention has been described with
reference to specific illustrative embodiments, lt should be
understood that various components and features of those
embodiments could be used in di~erent combinations and
subcombinations with each other and with other camera
mechanisms, for example, with electrical drive means, means
for energizing flash illumination devices, mirror actuating
means in single lens reflex camera applications, etc.
The invention has been described in detail with
particular re~erence to illustrative preferred embodiments
thereo~, but it will be understood that variations and
modifications ~an be efrected within the spirit and scope of
the invention as described hereinabove and as derined in the
appended claims.
~9~5~
- 4 7 -
