Patents by Inventor Syunji Kumamoto

Syunji Kumamoto has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6385838
    Abstract: To manufacture a film unit, a filmstrip is advanced out of a cartridge shell by rotating a spool of the cartridge shell through a spool drive shaft. The spool drive shaft stops when the filmstrip is advanced a predetermined length out of the cartridge shell. A rotational position of the spool at the stop of the spool drive shaft is detected based on a rotational position of the spool drive shaft. The cartridge shell is disengaged from the spool drive shaft while the rotational position of the spool and the advanced length of the filmstrip are maintained unchanged. The spool of the cartridge shell is engaged with a film supply shaft, after adjusting a rotational position of the film supply shaft to the rotational position of the spool, while the leading end of the filmstrip is secured to a winding shaft. The filmstrip is wound into a roll by rotating the winding shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2002
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Yamazaki, Syunji Kumamoto, Fumio Yuito
  • Patent number: 6195506
    Abstract: A take-up shaft is adapted to taking up photo film from a photo film cassette having the photo film, and particularly used in a lens-fitted photo film unit. The photo film cassette includes a cassette spool on which the photo film is wound in a roll form. A cassette shell contains the cassette spool in rotatable fashion. The take-up shaft has a shaft body (46, 53, 72, 81) having a substantially cylindrical shape. A nip device (47, 52, 73) is disposed inside the shaft body, and nips a leader (26b) in removable fashion. The shaft body is rotated with the leader, to wind the photo film in a roll form (26a). At least one curved face (46c, 53c, 57b, 62b, 64c, 72a, 81a) is formed between the inside of the shaft body and a cylindrical face of the shaft body and at a radius of curvature 0.4-0.85 time as long as a radius of the shaft body, and prevents the leader secured to the shaft body from being sharply bent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Yamazaki, Syunji Kumamoto, Fumio Noji
  • Patent number: 6035520
    Abstract: To manufacture a film unit, a filmstrip is advanced out of a cartridge shell by rotating a spool of the cartridge shell through a spool drive shaft. The spool drive shaft stops when the filmstrip is advanced a predetermined length out of the cartridge shell. A rotational position of the spool at the stop of the spool drive shaft is detected based on a rotational position of the spool drive shaft. The cartridge shell is disengaged from the spool drive shaft while the rotational position of the spool and the advanced length of the filmstrip are maintained unchanged. The spool of the cartridge shell is engaged with a film supply shaft, after adjusting a rotational position of the film supply shaft to the rotational position of the spool, while the leading end of the filmstrip is secured to a winding shaft. The filmstrip is wound into a roll by rotating the winding shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2000
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Yamazaki, Syunji Kumamoto, Fumio Yuito
  • Patent number: 5838998
    Abstract: A take-up shaft is adapted to taking up photo film from a photo film cassette having the photo film, and particularly used in a lens-fitted photo film unit. The photo film cassette includes a cassette spool on which the photo film is wound in a roll form. A cassette shell contains the cassette spool in rotatable fashion. The take-up shaft has a shaft body (46, 53, 72, 81) having a substantially cylindrical shape. A nip device (47, 52, 73) is disposed inside the shaft body, and nips a leader (26b) in removable fashion. The shaft body is rotated with the leader, to wind the photo film in a roll form (26a). At least one curved face (46c, 53c, 57b, 62b, 64c, 72a, 81a) is formed between the inside of the shaft body and a cylindrical face of the shaft body and at a radius of curvature 0.4-0.85 time as long as a radius of the shaft body, and prevents the leader secured to the shaft body from being sharply bent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Yamazaki, Syunji Kumamoto, Fumio Noji