Abstract: During manufacture each frame of a film strip has one portion masked while the frame is exposed to light. Said light impinges on a second portion of the frame to form a latent image. The film strip is mounted within a camera where the previously unexposed portion of the frame is exposed to a second image bearing light while the pre-exposed portion of the frame is masked from said second light, the strip of film is removed from the camera to develop the two latent images as a single photograph.

Abstract: A camera having a flash for illuminating an object to be photographed includes a film cassette inside the camera housing. A template is located within the film cassette to overlie a stack of film units during their sequential exposure. The template includes an opaque section with transparent portions to cause an identifying indicia to be produced on any resulting photograph. A reflector is mounted on the camera outside of the field of view of its objective lens and intermediate the flash and the object to be photographed, to reflect a portion of the light from the flash back through the camera lens to impinge on the template. The result, in the developed film unit, is increased contrast in the section of the photograph underlying the template between the opaque and transparent portions.

Abstract: An image bearing template especially adapted for use with a film assemblage including a cassette containing instant type film units. Several embodiments are shown each of which includes means for preventing relative movement of the template relative to an exposure aperture in the cassette. Some of the template embodiments may be coupled with the cassette by the photographer while other embodiments of the template must be packaged with cassette and film units by the manufacturer.

Abstract: During manufacture a film unit has one portion masked while it is exposed to light in a second portion to form a latent image of indicia on the mask. A pod of liquid developer is attached to the pre-exposed film unit and together they are mounted within a cassette. The cassete is inserted into a camera where the previously unexposed portion of the film unit is exposed to image bearing light while the pre-exposed portion of the film unit is masked from said light. The pod of developer liquid is passed through a pair of rollers to rupture the pod, spread the developer liquid between the layers of the film unit, and develop the two latent images as a single photograph.

Abstract: A foldable camera having a reflex mirror for redirecting image bearing light rays from the camera's lens to a film unit located in a cassette. An upper and lower housing interconnected by a flexible bellows are pivotally connected to one another for movement between a folded inoperative position and an erected operable position. When the upper housing is erected, the reflex mirror is simultaneously pivoted about an axis which is neither perpendicular to or parallel with the optical axis of the lens so as to dispose the mirror in an erected position permitting the camera to assume a low profile in the fully erected operable position.

Abstract: The assembly of a support and a slide carried by the support for translational movement relative thereto in which the support defines a slide opening having opposed end edges and opposed side edges, the side edges diverging from each other proceeding from one of said end edges toward the other of said end edges and defining guide means also so diverging, the slide having a pair of side edge formations complementing the guide formations and being of a length less than the distance between the end edges of the slide opening so that upon movement away from the one end edge of the slide opening, a sliding clearance develops between the edge formations of the slide and the guide formations in the opening.

Abstract: An instant type camera having first and second film engaging means for moving an exposed film unit from a film cassette to a film storage chamber. The second film engaging means is mounted for movement from a position on the entry side of a pair of spread rollers to a position on an exit side of the spread rollers. During such movement, the second film engaging means engages a trailing edge of an exposed film unit as it emerges from between the spread rollers and moves it into the storage chamber.

Abstract: A camera including a plurality of housings pivotally coupled to each other for movement from a collapsed compact position in which a subject may be framed in a viewfinder of the camera, to an erected position during which an exposure of the subject may be made, and then returned to their original collapsed position. The movement of the housings from the collapsed to the erected and then back to the collapsed position is in response to the actuation of the camera's shutter release.

Abstract: A camera for use with instant film includes a spread roller assembly including superposed rollers for spreading a processing liquid between predetermined layers of an exposed film unit to initiate the formation of a visible image therein while simultaneously advancing the film unit to the exterior of the camera. The spread roller assembly is pivotally coupled to a housing of the camera for movement between its operative spreading position and an inoperative position wherein the spread rollers are more easily accessible for maintenance procedures, the movement being in response to the manual movement of a light shield into an inoperative position.

Abstract: A instant camera of the type which receives film assemblages having stacked film units of the self-developing type. The camera is provided with a pair of spread rollers which engage an exposed film unit to spread a processing liquid between layers of the film unit while simultaneously moving it into a storage chamber having a viewing window. An opaque shade for the window is located adjacent the exit side of the spread rollers. The shade is adapted to be moved into covering relationship to the window and/or the exposed film unit for a predetermined period of time after it exits from the bite of a pair of spread rollers and then returned to its noncovering position. This time is sufficient to allow a treated portion of the film unit to remain in the dark unit its length reaches a predetermined value.

Abstract: A folding camera of the self-developing type having a housing containing a film cassette, the housing being movable into and out of an erected picture taking position in which an end of the film cassette is exposed to ambient light. A shade having a laterally extending opening therein dimensioned to permit the passage therethrough of a film unit is mounted on the housing for movement between a first position, wherein the opening is in alignment with a film exit slot in the film cassette when the housing is in a collapsed position, and a second position wherein the shade prevents entry of ambient light into the film cassette via its slot when the housing is moving into and out of an erected position.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus in which a plurality of flash lamps mounted at approximately symmetrical positions are alternately lit for exposure of an original to obtain a copied image on a light sensitive film, distribution of exposures effected by the lamps disposed at the positions is made asymmetrical such that the total amount of exposure at a portion of the original undergone the most intensive exposure by the lamp lit first is minimum, while the total amount of exposure at a portion of the original undergone the least intensive exposure by the lamp lit first is maximum.

Abstract: A film assemblage includes a film cassette having opposed forward and rear walls and a spring platen which resiliently engages a stack of film units to urge them toward the forward wall. A coupling is provided for coupling the spring platen to the rear wall such that the two remain coupled to each other during the period that the spring platen is in an unstressed or non-compressed state.

Abstract: Dual camera photography is effected using two conventional cameras of the same or diverse models with, for example, one camera carrying instant film and the other camera housing negative film. Actuation of each of the cameras is controlled by the present synchronizing device so that the shutter of each camera is open when the strobe or flash unit of one of the cameras or one or more remote strobe or flash units controlled by one of the camera's fires. The present synchronizing device assures that both shutters are open when the flash fires by, first measuring the difference in the time lag between camera actuation and the flash sync pulse of each camera, and, second, delaying actuation of one camera relative to the other so that the sync pulse of the strobe firing camera follows the sync pulse of the non-strobe firing camera by a sufficient time interval to allow the shutter of the non-strobe firing camera to open before the flash fires.

Abstract: For obtaining a required amount of exposure on a light sensitive film in an image forming apparatus in which a plurality of flash lamps disposed in opposition to the original are lit for exposure of the original to form a copied image on a light sensitive film, the individual flash lamps are alternately lit a plurality of times, respectively, even when the requisite quantity of light can be obtained by lighting alternately only once each of the flash lamps, to thereby prevent nonuniformity of exposure of the film due to the reciprocity law failure.

Abstract: The assembly of a support and a slide carried by the support for translational movement relative thereto in which the support defines a slide opening having opposed end edges and opposed side edges, the side edges diverging from each other proceeding from one of said end edges toward the other of said end edges and defining guide means also so diverging, the slide having a pair of side edge formations complementing the guide formations and being of a length less than the distance between the end edges of the slide opening so that upon movement away from the one end edge of the slide opening, a sliding clearance develops between the edge formations of the slide and the guide formations in the opening.

Abstract: A rapid access processing method for processing and delivering successive image frames on a continuous carrier web in a manner so that processing liquid spread over the area of each image frame on the carrier web is confined essentially to the image frame to leave areas of the carrier web uncovered by the image frame free of processing liquid. The carrier web also supports a pod of processing liquid along a leading edge of each image frame as well as a trap along a trailing edge of each image frame. The spent pods and wet traps are transferred from the carrier web, after processing, to an image bearing web from which image media was transferred to the image frames during processing.