Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to photography, and,
more particularly, to cameras having provisions for recording
data adjacent ~o or superimposed on the frames.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVF,NTION
It is often desired to record data on photographic
film, the data being arranged so that it is adjacent to or
superimposed on individual frames on the film to which the
data relates. For example, one may wish to record the time
at which the exposure was made, the aperture and shutter
setting, and the film speed. Alternatively, one may wish to
identify the subject photographed on a particular frame by
coded indicia. In aerial photography, one may wish to
record the precise latitude and longitude at which a photo-
qraph is taken along with the time of day.
Conventionally, data is recorded by providing an
electronically controlled solid state illuminated display
arranged to project an image onto the emulsion side of the
film or onto the back of the film. The display itself may
be positioned within the body of the camera and driven by
an external signal source. The incorporation of a digital
display within a previously designed camera is often
difficult task because there is typically very little room
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available within a camera body. This is particularly true
in the case of the well designed high quality cameras that
it is most often desired to equip with such a display.
It is a principle objective of the present
invention to provide an arrangement for incorporating an
illuminated information display for recording data in a
camera in which very little space is available for the
installation of this equipment. Another objective of the
invention is to provide such an arrangement that is capable
of recording data either on the frames or in spaces between
the ~rames, as desired by,the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A camera in which the invention resides has a
camera lens for recording a primary image, a film supply
spool, a film take-up spool, and a pair of film guide rollers.
An illuminated display device is positioned within a space
defined by the back of the film to provide a data image to
be recorded through the back of the film.
One of the rollers is divided into two roller
sections with a gap between them. The data image is pro-
jected onto the film within the gap.
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Preferably, the image is projected by a folded optical
system including a plurality of reflection surfaces. An odd
nul~er of reflection surfaces should be used to provide a non-
inverted image. Alternatively, the display device itself can be
positioned within the gap, close enough to the film that no
projection system is required.
According to another aspect of the invention, the position
of the data image with respect to the frames of the film can be
varied by removing a mirror unit that includes two reflection
surfaces and substituting a prism. The light transmissive
material of the prism has a different index of refraction when
compared to the air between the mirrors. It is, therefore,
possible to focus the image from a data lens at a different loca-
tion on the film.
Thus in a broad as~ect the present inVention provides a
photographic camera compri~ing:
a camera lens for recording a primary image;
a film supply spool;
a film take-up spool;
a pair of film guide rollers so disposed that when said camera
is loaded with film the back of said film defines a space behind
said camera lens, a frame of said film being held between said
rollers to be exposed through said camera lens, one of said rollers
being divided into two axially separated roller sections with a
gap therebetween; and
display means within said space for providing an illuminated
data image to be recorded through the back of said film within
said gap.
In another aspect the invention provides a photographic
30 camera comprising:
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a body including a box-like magazine section having a top, a
bottom, a pair of sides, a back and an open front;
a pair of film guide rollers disposed along opposite edges of
~aid open front, one of said rollers being divided into axially
separated roller sections with a gap therebetween;
a supply cartridge and a take-up cartridge positioned so that
film can extehd from said supply cartridge to one of said film
guide rollers, across said open front to the other of said film
guide rollers, and to said take-up cartridge, a space being sub-
stantially enclosed by said film guide rollers, said take-up
cartridge, said supply cartridge, said film and said sides;
display means within said space for providing a variable,
illuminated, alpha-numeric data image in response to an electronic
input; and
projection means for projecting said data image through said
gap and through the back of said film to photographically record
~aid information.
Other features and advantages of the present invention
will become apparent from the following detailed description,
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which
illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the
invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING_
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a camera in
which the present invention is incorporated, all portions of
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the camera except the magazine being shown in phantom
lines;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the magazine
:taken substantially along the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1, a diagrama-
tic represe~ntation of the camera lens being added and some
of the mirror supporting structure being.omitted;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view
showing the mirror supporting structure omitted in PIG.
2;
. PIGS. 4 and 5 are fragmentary views taken as
indicated by the arrows 4 and 5, respectively in PIG.
3;
FIG. 6 is another fragmentary cross-sectional view
showing the substitution of an interchangable prism for two
- of the mirrors shown in PIGS. 2 and 3;
FIGS. 7 and 8 are fragmentary views of the
developed film showing the positions of the recorded data on
the film;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion of the
film of YIG. 7 showing the area indicated by the arrow
9;
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FIG. 10 is a diagramatic illustration of a second
embodiment of the invention; and
FIG 11 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view,
similar to FIG. 6, showing a third embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PP~EFEP~RED EMBODIMENTS
A camera 10 constructed in accordance with the
present invention, best shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompany-
ing drawings, ls a modificat~on of a commerclally available
Hasselblad*model 500C/M. It is a single lens reflex camera
that uses 2 1/4~ X 2 1/4~ ilm. While the invention is
explained with reEerence to this particular camera 10, it
will b!e understood that the principles set forth here can be
applied to other cameras of generally similar construction.
Since the modifications of the camera 10 pertain
only to a detachable magazine 12, the remainder of the
camera is shown only in phantom lines in Fig. 1. The
magazine 12 is a box-like structure with an open front
13 that, when attached, forms the rear part of the camera
body.
At the back of the magazine 12 are a supply
cartridge 14 and a take-up cartridge 16 containing supply
and take-up spools 18 and 20, respectively. Parallel to the
*Trademark
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spools 18 and 20 are an upper film guide roller 22 and a
lower film guide roller 24 positioned aIong the top and bottom
edges of the open front 13. A film 26 extends forwardly
from the supply spool 18 and out of the supply cartridge 14,
over the bottom of the lower film guide roller 24, upwardly
across the open front 13 of the magazine 12, around the
upper film guide roller 22, into the take-up cartridge
16, and around the take-up spool 20. A single frame 26A is
thus held flat by the rollers 22 and 24 and behind the
camera lens 27 that forms a primary image on the emulsion
side of the film 26.
Located between the film guide rollers 22 and 24,
where it does interfere with the film 26, is a U-shaped wall
28, opening toward the front 13 of the magazine 12. This
wall 28 extends transversely between a pair of magazine side
walls 30 for increased strength and rigidity. It is enclosed
within a space roughly defined by the roller 22 and 24 and
the spools 14 and 16.
It is desired to provide the camera 10 with the
capability to photographically record alpha-numeric data 32
on the film 26. So that this data image will not interfere
with the primary image recorded through the camera lens 27,
it should be placed adjacent to the edge of the frame 26A,
as shown in Fig. 7, or else it should be placed in a narrow
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space 36 between successive frames 26A and 26B, as shown in
Fig. 8. However, in an unmodified camera similar to the
camera lO, this portion of the film 26 is not readily
accessible because it is blocked by the film guide rollers
22 and 24. Moreover, the camera lO is built to be as
compact as possible and very little space is available for
additional components.
According to the invention, a solid state illuminat-
ed display device 90 is positioned transversely within the
U-shaped wall 28, supported by the top of the wall so that
it faces downwardly parallel the open front 13 of the
magazine 12. In this preferred embodiment, the display 40
~ncludes twenty-eight elements 42, each of which is an LE~
matrix capable of representing a letter or digit. Most of
these elements 42 are arranged in rows extending transversely
with respect to the film 26 to provide the data image format
32 shown in ~ig. 9.
The display 40 itself can be any of a variety of
commercially available electronic components and its
internal construction and operation do not form part of the
present invention. It should be understood, however, that
the display 40 is responsive to an external input and can
be connected to a wide variety of electronic devices,
depending upon the nature of the data to be recorded.
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It is also possible to use a different type of
data display, such as a liquid crystal device with external
illumination. If desired, all or part of the display could
be in the form of a replaceable printed card that would
present the same data image to each successive frame.
In the display device 40 of the preferred embodi-
ment, the elements 42 project an illuminated display downwardly,
parallel to frame of the film 26A, to a first mirror 46 that
extends across the bottom of the U-shaped wall 28. This
first mirror 46 is disposed at a forty-five degreé angle to
the vertical so that it projects the data image horizontally
into the magazine 12, perpendicular to the frame 26A that is
ready for exposure. The data image is then reflected
by second mirror 48 upwardly and slighty toward the open
front 13 of the U-shaped wall 28. A third mirror 50 that
reflects the data image forwardly is mounted on top of the
U-shaped wall 28 just beneath the film 26 extending from the
take-up cartridge 16 to the upper film guide roller 22.
From the third mirror 50, the data image is
projected horizontally, perpendicular to the frame 26A,
through a display lens 51 that focuses the image on the film
26. After passing through the display lens 51, the image is
reflected upwardly a short distance by a fourth mirror 52
and it is projected horizontally again onto the film 26, at
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the desired location, by a fifth mirror 54. The data image
thus passes directly through the back of the film 26 to
create a.photographic record.
. The ~irrors 46, 48, 50, 52 and 54 and the display
lens Sl orm a folded optical system that projects the data
image onto the film 26. As the image travels toward
the film 26, each successive mirror can be smaller. Thus,
the display 40 requires most of the width of the magazine 12
but the last mirror 54 requires only a small portion of that
width.
Proper positioning of the last two mirrors 52 and
54 to locate the data image on the desired portion of the
film 26, is possible because of the unique construction of
the upper.film guide roller 22 (see Figs. 3, 4 and 5). This
roller 22 is divided into two roller sections 56 axially
separated by a center gap 58. An axle 60 extends across the
gap 58 to join the two sections 56.
~ ithin the gap 58, the last mirror 54 is at a
forty-five degree angle, being in front of and extending
slightly below the axle 60. The next-to-last mirror 52 is
directly below the last mirror 54, just within the outer
circumference of the adjacent roller sections 56.
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The divided roller 22 is capable of guiding the
film 26 in substantially the same manner as a conventional
undivided roller. The film 26 has little if any, tendency
to crease or buckle at that point because it is curved by
the roller 22 and is pulled fairly tight. It is preferable
that the roller 22 nearest the take-up spool 20 be divided
rather than the roller 24 nearest the supply spool 18
since the film has greater strength after it has been
exposed.
The first two mirrors 46 and 48 are precisely
posit~oned by inverted, generally trapezoidal, side plates
62, one at each end, fastened to the bottom of the U-shaped
wall 28. The last three mirro s 50, 52 and 54 are positioned
by a small hausing 64 mounted atop the U-shaped wall 28,
covering the aperture. In Fig. 2, the side plates 62 and
the housing 64 are omitted to show the mirrors 46 and 48
more clearly.
When the arrangement of Fig. 2 is used, the data
image is projected onto the upper edge of the frame 26A that
is in position to be exposed (Fig. 7). If, however, it is
desired to record the data image between two successive
frames 26A and 26B (Fig. 8), the last two mirrors 52 and
54, which are joined by a mirror holder 66, are removed ~s a
unit 68. In place of this mirror unit 68, a parallelogram
shaped prism 70 is inserted having two parallel reflection
surfaces 72 and 74 that are substituted for the mirrors 52
and 54 (see Fig. 6). The distance between the reflection
surfaces 72 and 74 of the prism 70 is greater than the
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distance between the mirrors 52 and 54, with the result that
the data image is displaced upwardly off the frame 26A into
the area 36 between frames, as shown in Fig.8. In both
arrangements, however, the data image is produced within the
bounds of the gap 58.
Substitution of the prism 70 for the mirror
unit 68 has the effect of lengthening the optical light path
from the display lens 5l to the film 26. Thus, if the data
image is in focus when the mirror unit 68 is used (Fig. 3),
lt would be expected to be out of focus when the prism 70
is used (Fig 6). Proper focus is maintained, however,
because the lndex of refraction of transparent glass or
plastlc that forms the prism 70 is different from that
of the air separating the mirrors 52 and 54, compensating
for the change in the length of the optical light path.
It will be noted that mirrors have been used to
define the optical light path in the embodiment of Fig.
3 and part of the optical light path in Fiq. 6. However,
prisms could be substituted to provide any or all of the
necessary reflection surfaces. Thè number of reflection
surfaces used in the apparatus described above is five,
but this number may be varied. For instance, an arrangement
of three reflection surfaces, shown diagramatically in Fig.
10, is suitable if slightly more space is available within
the magazine 12 (similar reference numbers being used
for similar components).
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In this arrangement, the display 40 is positioned
farl:her from the frame 26A and the data image is projected
downwardly and slightly forwardly toward the frame 26A ready
to be exposed. A first mirror 80 reflects the image forward-
ly and slightly upwardly at a ninety degree angle, after
which a second mirror 82 reflects the image at a ninety
degree angle, upwardly and slightly to t~e rear. A third
mirror 84 reflects it forwardly and slightly upwardly. The
image then passes through a display lens 86 and strikes the
frame 26A at a slightly oblique angle. This arrangement has
the advantage of reducing the number of components required.
An odd number of reflection surfaces should be
used to produce a non-inverted image projected through the
back of the film 26, assuming that the display 40 produces a
non-inverted image. A non-inverted image would also be
produced if no reflection surfaces were used. The reflection
surfaces could be eliminated entirely by the use of fiber
optics.
Alternatively, the illuminated display can be
produced in contact with the film 26, with no projection
system, if the display device 40 is disposed within the gap
58 in the divided roller 22, as shown in Fig. 11. A larger
camera lO or a smaller display 40 is required. In all of
the arrangements described above, the data image is projec-
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ted onto the back, i.e., non-emulsion side, of the film 26.
The dlsplay 40 and its associated optical system are position-
ed within a space defined by and substantially enclosed by a
ilm envelope extending around the rollers 22 and 24.
It will be apparent from the description above
that the present invention provides for the recording of
data within a camera that allows very little room for added
components and severely limits access to the film. It
accomplishes this objective without adding to the external
size of the camera and without interfering with the other
functions of the camera.
While particular forms of the invention have been
illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various
modifications can be made without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention.
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