JP3562856B2 - Photographic film cartridge and film unit with lens using the same - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial applications]
The present invention relates to a photo film cartridge having a function of displaying the status of a photo film, and a film unit with a lens using the photo film cartridge.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Currently, various photo films are used, but for general photography, a photo film in which a spool is rotatably provided inside the patrone main body, and the end portion of the band-shaped photo film is fixed and wound around the spool. Patrone is widely used. Recently, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,306 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-267932 by the present applicant, the patrone body is assembled with a resin molded product, and all of the photographic film is used when not in use. 2. Description of the Related Art A photographic film patrone having a function of storing the photographic film in a patrone main body and sending the photographic film out of the patrone main body by rotating a spool is known. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-179341 proposes to use a cartridge having the above functions as a storage container for a developed photo film as it is in order to simplify storage and storage of the developed photo film. .
[0003]
However, in such a photo film patrone, since the leading edge of the photographic film is entangled in the patrone body, it is determined from the appearance whether or not the photo film has been exposed and whether or not it has been developed. Can not do it. For this reason, a display function is added to the patrone body as known in U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,985, JP-A-3-177835, JP-A-4-119353, and JP-A-5-281667. In addition, there has been proposed a photographic film cartridge in which the stored photographic film can be easily identified from the appearance as to whether the photographic film is unused, exposed, or developed.
[0004]
Various methods have been proposed for the status display method of the photo film, but basically, a movable display member is provided inside the patrone main body, and a plurality of display openings are formed on the wall surface of the patrone main body, The display members are exposed from the display openings corresponding to the unexposed, exposed, and developed situations.
[0005]
For example, in the photo film patrone 1 shown in FIG. 6, a fan-shaped display plate 4 which rotates integrally with the spool 3 is provided inside the patrone main body 2. Further, four display openings 5, 6, 7, and 8 corresponding to the unexposed display position, the partially exposed display position, the exposed display position, and the developed display position are formed on the side wall of the cartridge body 2. Have been. Then, the display plate 4 is exposed from one of the display openings 5 to 8, and the state of the photographic film (not shown) can be identified based on the exposed position.
[0006]
On the other hand, a film unit with a lens in which a non-exposed photographic film is incorporated in advance in a unit body having a simple photographing mechanism so that the user can easily enjoy photographing at any time is manufactured and sold by the present applicant. Such a film unit with a lens is generally widely used because it is easy to take a photograph immediately at the place of purchase, and it is easy to take the photograph directly to a developing dealer after the photographing.
[0007]
When a photographic film cartridge having the above-described display function is incorporated in such a film unit with a lens, the photographic film cartridge does not come into contact with the user's eyes until after the development processing is performed. Therefore, when incorporating the photographic film cartridge into the film unit with the lens, the display position of the display member may be any display opening, and the display member is switched to the developed display position when it is subjected to development processing and returned to the user. That would be good.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-mentioned photographic film patrone, since the display member is provided so as to be exposed from the display opening, there is a risk that the exposure position may be erroneously changed by the handling of the user. For this reason, an unused photo film or an undeveloped photo film after shooting may be accidentally pulled out of the cartridge, or a photo film that has been shot or processed may be mistaken for an unphotographed one and loaded again into the camera. There is a risk of accidents and mistakes such as using the product.
[0009]
Also, the photographic film used for the lens-fitted film unit is subjected to special processing, and is often different from the photographic film of general specifications. However, the patrone body for storing this photo film is of the general specification as it is, and it is not possible to distinguish from the appearance whether the stored photo film is a special specification or a general specification. . For this reason, there is a possibility that a photographic film cartridge of a general specification is mixed in the assembling process of the film unit with a lens, and a defective product is manufactured and sold.
[0010]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a photographic film cartridge capable of being distinguished from a general specification product with a simple configuration and preventing erroneous display, and a film with a lens using the same. The purpose is to provide a unit.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the photographic film patrone of the present invention has an external shape that can be loaded into a general photographic camera, and among the four openings formed in the patrone main body, the opening at the developed display position is provided. A plate member of a color different from that of the patrone main body is fitted into the patrone body to display a developed image in advance.
[0012]
The photographic film cartridge according to claim 2 has an outer shape that can be loaded into a general photographic camera, embeds an opening at a developed display position, and performs printing of a color different from that of the patrone body on the surface thereof. Thus, the developed display is performed in advance.
[0013]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a portion exposed from the opening of the display member is cut off so that the display member is not exposed through any of the openings.
[0014]
Further, in the photographic film patrone according to the fourth aspect, the display member is formed of a resin of the same color as that of the patrone main body, thereby reducing the discernability of the display member.
[0015]
Further, in the film unit with the lens according to the fifth aspect, the display member of the patrone main body is cut off, and the projection which enters the opening of the unexposed display position formed in the patrone main body is formed on the inner wall of the lid closing the bottom surface of the patrone chamber. It is provided.
[0016]
【Example】
FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the photographic film cartridge of the present invention. The photo film cartridge 10 is configured such that a spool 13 around which a photo film 12 is wound is rotatably housed inside a cartridge body 11, and a cartridge label 14 is attached to the outer periphery of the cartridge 11. The patrone main body 11 is composed of an upper case 15 and a lower case 16 made of a resin integrally molded product, and is fitted by engaging claws 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d provided on the lower case 16. Further, the patrone main body 11 and the spool 13 are formed of black resin in order to enhance the light shielding property in the patrone main body 11.
[0017]
A film feed port 17 for feeding out the photographic film 12 is formed at the joint between the upper and lower cases 15 and 16 on the front side. A cover member 18 is provided at the film feed port 17 to prevent light from entering therethrough, and a separation claw 19 for separating the leading end of the photographic film 12 is formed behind the cover member 18. Key grooves 18a and 18b are formed at both ends of the lid member 18, respectively, and are exposed from both side surfaces of the patrone main body 11. The key grooves 18a and 18b are rotated by a camera-side opening / closing drive shaft, whereby the cover member 18 rotates between a closed position where the film member 17 closes the film feed port 17 and an open position where the photographic film 12 can enter and exit. Move.
[0018]
The spool 13 has a configuration in which a pair of lip flanges 21 and 22 are attached to both ends of a spool shaft 20, a data disk 23 is attached outside one flange 21, and a use indicating member 25 is attached outside the other flange 22. It has become. The flanges 21 and 22, the data disk 23, and the use display member 25 are attached so as to rotate integrally with the spool shaft 20. Key grooves 20a and 20b are formed at both ends of the spool shaft 20, respectively, and are exposed on both side surfaces of the cartridge body 11. A drive shaft on the camera side rotated by a motor is engaged with the key grooves 20a and 20b, and the spool 13 is rotated by the rotation of the drive shaft.
[0019]
The pair of flanges 21 and 22 are attached to the spool shaft 20 such that the cup-shaped opening edges 21a and 22a face each other. Both ends of the outermost periphery of the photo film 12 are wrapped between the opening edges 21a and 22a to transmit the rotation of the spool 13 to the outermost periphery of the photo film 12 and prevent the photo film 12 from being loosely wound.
[0020]
A bar code label 24 similar in shape to the data disk 23 is attached to the data disk 23. The barcode label 24 is printed with various information, for example, a barcode 24a indicating the type of the photographic film 12 to be stored. This information is read by a reading sensor provided on the camera side through a reading opening 26 formed on the side surface of the upper case 15 when the spool 13 is rotated in the film feeding direction, and is used to calculate an exposure value. It is used for counting the number of exposures of the stored photographic film.
[0021]
The used display member 25 has a gear 27 and a display plate 28 integrally formed. As shown in FIG. 1, the display plate 28 has a fan-shaped display portion 28b cut off, leaving only a ring-shaped support portion 28a. ing. The unexposed display opening 31, partially exposed display opening 32, exposed display opening 33, and developed display are provided on the side surface of the patrone main body 11 on the side covering the used display member 25 within the rotation range of the display unit 28b. An opening 34 is formed. A plate member 35 is fitted into the developed display opening 34. The plate member 35 is formed in a color different from the surface color of the patrone main body 11, for example, an auxiliary color white in which a color difference from the black patrone main body 11 can be most easily distinguished. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 36 denotes a tab for automatically detecting whether or not the photographic film 12 has been developed by a camera or a film processor, and the tab 36 is cut off. Indicates that the stored photographic film 12 has been developed.
[0022]
In FIG. 2, a spool lock 37 is housed inside the patrone main body 11 so as to mesh with a gear 27 provided on the use indicating member 25. The spool lock 37 engages with the gear 27 when the lid member 18 is in the closed position to lock the rotation of the spool 13 and prevent the photograph film 12 from being inadvertently fed. On the other hand, when the cover member 18 is at the open position, the engagement with the gear 27 is released, and the rotation of the spool 13 in the film feeding direction is permitted.
[0023]
FIG. 3 shows the appearance of a film unit with a lens provided with the photographic film cartridge 10 of the present invention. The unit body 41 is mainly formed of plastic, and is entirely covered with an exterior body 42. The exterior body 42 is used to clean the appearance of the film unit 40 with a lens, and a paper box or the like having a printed surface is used. Openings for exposing a photographing lens 43, a finder objective window 44, a strobe light emitting unit 45, a strobe charging switch 46, a winding knob 47, a shutter button 48, a counter window 49, and the like to the outside are provided in required portions of the exterior body 42. The photographing operation can be performed while the exterior body 42 is placed on the unit main body 41.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 4, the unit main body 41 includes a main body base 51, a front cover 52 that covers the upper surface, the front surface, and the left and right side surfaces, and a rear cover that covers the rear surface of the main body base 51. 53. In the main body base portion 51, a patrone chamber 54 for accommodating the patrone main body 11 and a film roll chamber 55 for accommodating the unexposed photographic film 12 drawn out from the patrone main body 11 in a roll form are integrally formed. . Further, a finder objective window 44, a flash charging switch 46, and a shutter button 48 are integrally formed on the front cover 52. An exposure unit 56 in which a photographing lens 43, a finder optical system, a film winding mechanism, a shutter mechanism, and the like are assembled is mounted on the front surface of the main body base 51, and a strobe device 57 is mounted on the upper side. It is clamped by the cover 53.
[0025]
On the bottom side of the rear cover 53, pull-top lids 58 and 59 are provided to cover the bottoms of the patrone chamber 54 and the film roll chamber 55, respectively. The lid 58 serves as a take-out lid for taking out the patrone main body 11 in which the exposed photographic film 12 is rolled out from the patrone chamber 54. As shown in FIG. 5, a projection 60 is provided on the inner wall of the lid 58 to enter the unexposed display opening 31 of the patrone main body 11.
[0026]
In the assembling process of the lens-fitted film unit 40, first, the exposure unit 56 and the strobe device 57 assembled in advance are attached to the front surface of the resin-molded main body base 51, and the front cover 52 is further covered.
[0027]
Next, the unused photo film cartridge 10 is stored in the main body base 51. The photographic film cartridge 10 is incorporated with the photographic film 12 completely pulled out from the patrone main body 11, and the patrone main body 11 is housed in the patrone room 54, and the photographic film 12 is wound into a roll and housed in the film roll room 55, respectively. You. At this time, since the white plate member 35 is fitted into the developed display opening 34 and the developed display has already been performed, the patrone main body 11 can be easily distinguished from the general-purpose photographic film patrone which has been subjected to the unexposed display. be able to. This prevents general specification products from being mixed in the assembly process of the lens-fitted film unit.
[0028]
Thereafter, the rear cover 53 is put on the back of the main body base 51, and the lids 58 and 59 of the patrone chamber 54 and the film roll chamber 55 are closed. At this time, the lid 58 that closes the patrone chamber 54 is closed with the protrusion 60 provided on the inner wall thereof entering the unexposed display opening 31 of the patrone main body 11. Here, when a photographic film patrone of a general specification is loaded in the patrone chamber 54, since the display plate is located behind the unexposed display opening, the projection 60 comes into contact with the display plate and the cover is closed. 58 cannot be closed. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the photographic film cartridge of the general specification from being loaded into the film unit 40 with the lens. Then, the exterior body 42 is put on the unit main body 41 assembled in this manner, and the film unit with lens 40 is completed.
[0029]
When the user shoots all frames of the photo film 12 using the film unit with lens 40 and turns the winding knob 47, the entire photo film 12 is rolled into the cartridge body 11. Then, when the user brings the used film unit 40 with the lens to a developing dealer and requests a DPE, the film unit 40 with the lens is further collected at the developing laboratory. At the developing station, the film taking-out lid 58 provided at the bottom of the film unit 40 with the lens is opened, and the cartridge body 11 in which the photographed photographic film 12 is wound is taken out, and the film is developed and printed. Thereafter, the developed photographic film 12 is rolled into the cartridge body 11 again, and the tab 36 is cut off. Then, the print photo and the photo film cartridge 10 containing the developed photo film 12 are returned to the user via the development dealer.
[0030]
In the photographic film cartridge 10 returned to the user, a white plate member 35 is fitted into the developed display opening 34 to display a developed display. Further, since the display portion 28b of the display plate 28 is cut off, the unexposed display opening 31 and the partially exposed display opening of the photographic film cartridge 10 are removed even if the user accidentally rotates the spool 13. The display plate 28 is not exposed from any of the display 32 and the exposed display opening 33, and the state in which the developed display is performed is maintained. As a result, it is possible to prevent an accident such that the photographic film cartridge 10 is mistakenly recognized as an unphotographed one and is reloaded into the camera for use.
[0031]
In the above-described embodiment, a description will be given of an example in which a projection that enters the unexposed display opening is provided on a lid that closes the bottom of the patrone chamber of the film unit with a lens, so that the patrone body of general specifications cannot be structurally loaded. However, if the photographic film cartridge of the present invention in which the developed display is fixed is used, the appearance can be sufficiently distinguished from the general specification product, so that even a film unit with a lens having a conventional configuration can be used. It is possible to prevent misloading of the photo film cartridge.
[0032]
Further, in the above embodiment, the example in which the plate member is fitted into the developed display opening of the patrone main body to fix the developed display is described, but the patrone main body without the developed display opening is formed, and the developed surface is formed on this surface. You may make it print with the same shape as a display opening.
[0033]
In addition, in order to invalidate all displays other than the developed display, an example has been described in which the display portion is cut off so that the display plate is not exposed from any display opening, but the display plate has the same color as the patrone body. It may be made of a resin material. According to this embodiment, even if the display panel is exposed from the display opening, it is not noticeable, so that the user can recognize only the developed display. Further, since there is no need to provide a cutting step for the display unit, the assembling step of the photographic film cartridge can be further simplified. Further, if the used display member is formed integrally with the spool shaft, the display plate can be formed in the same color as the patrone main body, and the number of components of the patrone main body can be reduced, thereby facilitating member management. It can contribute to improvement of manufacturability.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the photographic film cartridge of the present invention, since the developed display is fixed in advance, it can be easily distinguished from the general specification photographic film cartridge which is not exposed. In addition, since each display of the unexposed display, the partially exposed display, and the exposed display is configured not to be recognized, only the developed display is recognized, and this display is not changed. Moreover, since most of the components are the same as the patrone main body of the general specification, there is no need to provide a special manufacturing process.
[0035]
Also, if a projection that enters the unexposed display opening is provided on the lid that closes the patrone chamber of the film unit with a lens, the general-purpose photographic film patrone with the display plate located behind the unexposed display opening is loaded. The lid will not close. This reliably prevents the different types of photographic film cartridges from being loaded into the lens-fitted film unit.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a photographic film cartridge of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the photographic film cartridge shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is an external view of a film unit with a lens.
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the unit main body shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a main part of the unit main body shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a side view of a conventional photographic film cartridge.
[Explanation of symbols]
1,10 Photo film cartridge 2,11 Patrone body 3,13 Spool 4,28 Display plate 5,31 Unexposed display opening 8,34 Developed display opening 12 Photo film 28b Display unit 35 Plate member 40 Film unit with lens 41 unit Main body 54 Patrone chamber 55 Film roll chamber 53 Rear covers 58, 59 Lid 60 Projection

Claims (5)

Openings are formed on the wall of the patrone body at four different positions, ie, an unexposed display position, a partially exposed display position, an exposed display position, and a developed display position, and are movable to the four positions. A photo film cartridge having a display member and having an outer shape that can be loaded into a general photo camera , wherein a plate member of a color different from that of the cartridge body is fitted into an opening of the developed display position. Photo film patrone. Openings are formed on the wall of the patrone body at four different positions, ie, an unexposed display position, a partially exposed display position, an exposed display position, and a developed display position, and are movable to the four positions. A photographic film patrone having a display member and having an external shape that can be loaded into a general photographic camera , wherein the opening of the developed display position is buried, and the surface is printed with a color different from that of the patrone body. Photo film patrone characterized by that. 3. The photographic film cartridge according to claim 1, wherein portions of the display member exposed from the four openings are cut off. The photographic film patrone according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display member is formed of a resin of the same color as the patrone main body. A patrone chamber for storing the patrone main body and a film roll chamber for storing the photographic film drawn from the patrone main body are integrally formed, and a lid for closing the bottom surfaces of the patrone chamber and the film roll chamber. In the unit main body provided with each, openings are formed at four different positions of an unexposed display position, a partially exposed display position, an exposed display position, and a developed display position on the side surface of the patrone main body. In a film unit with a lens, a photographic film patrone having a display member movable at the four positions is incorporated so that a formation surface of the four openings faces the lid.
A film unit with a lens, wherein a display member of the patrone main body is cut off, and a projection that enters the opening of the unexposed display position is provided on an inner wall of a lid that closes a bottom surface of the patrone chamber.

Images