Abstract: A film cassette is disclosed wherein a film roll whose outermost convolution comprises a film leader is coiled about a spool rotatable within the cassette shell, a pair of flexible flanges are coaxially arranged on the spool to radially confine the film leader within respective skirted peripheries of the flanges to prevent the leader from substantially contacting an interior wall of the cassette shell, and a film stripper projecting from the interior wall is received between a leading end of the film leader and the next-inward convolution of the film roll to free successive sections of the leader from the flanges by inducing the leader to flex the flanges away from one another at their skirted peripheries responsive to rotation of the spool in a film unwinding direction.

Abstract: A simple inexpensive camera to be used with a film cassette having a film-exposure status indicator movable from an unexposed position for providing a visible indication that a filmstrip within the cassette is generally unexposed, to a partly exposed position for providing a visible indication that the filmstrip is only partly exposed, and to an exposed position for providing a visible indication that exposure of the filmstrip is completed, is adapted to move the status indicator from its unexposed position to its exposed position, without stopping at its partly exposed position, substantially when film drive means of the camera changes the state of the filmstrip relative to the cassette. The change of state of the filmstrip relative to the cassette may be accomplished in the camera either by advancing the filmstrip from the cassette to expose the filmstrip or by returning the filmstrip to the cassette to safeguard the filmstrip.

Abstract: A camera is adapted for use with a film cassette in which a film spool is rotatable to unwind a filmstrip off the spool to automatically thrust a non-protruding leader portion of the filmstrip from the cassette to enable the leader portion to be propelled in the camera over an exposure opening and to a film take-up means. The filmstrip including the leader portion has a natural tendency to curve crosswise. In the camera, a pressure plate is resiliently biased to an operative position for pressing the filmstrip flat at the exposure opening. A restraining device is operated to hold the pressure plate in a retracted position sufficiently removed from the exposure opening. This permits the filmstrip to assume its natural cross-curvature in order to significantly increase the longitudinal strength of the leader portion to facilitate its being propelled over the exposure opening and to the film take-up means responsive to unwinding rotation of the film spool.

Abstract: A take-up spool in a camera comprises a cylindrically-shaped major core portion having an outer peripheral surface for supporting a filmstrip, a minor core portion arranged coaxially with respect to the major core portion and having an outer peripheral surface located radially inward of the outer peripheral surface of the major core portion, and a plurality of film catching members projecting from the outer peripheral surface of the minor core portion. A series of film guiding surfaces equal in number to the number of film catching members extend radially between the respective peripheral surfaces of the major and minor core portions. Each of the film guiding surfaces is inclined at substantially the same angle as a tapered leading end of the filmstrip to guide the filmstrip toward one of the film catching members.

Abstract: A film cassette is disclosed wherein a filmstrip in roll form is stored within the cassette shell and has a leader that projects from an exterior end of a film passage slit in the cassette shell to permit the filmstrip to be drawn out of the shell. According to the invention, the leader has a forward edge portion that is folded back onto a successive portion of the leader to prevent the leader from being moved completely through the exterior end of the film passage slit into the cassette shell. Preferably, the forward edge portion of the leader is secured to the successive portion of the leader to form a looped portion of the leader between the forward edge and successive portions which may be engaged in a camera, for example, to draw the filmstrip out of the cassette shell.

Abstract: A photographic camera is disclosed for use with a film cassette in which a filmstrip has a row of metering perforations in its imaging portion, adjacent a longitudinal film edge, for engagement with a metering pawl of the camera, and a row of take-up perforations in its leader portion, adjacent the same film edge, for engagement with a take-up spool of the camera, and a film spool is rotatable to unwind the film strip off the spool to thrust the leader portion from the cassette. The camera includes a film sensing member for normally maintaining the metering pawl removed from a film advance path between the cassette and the take-up spool to prevent the pawl from erroneously engaging the leader portion at one of its take-up perforations.

Abstract: A film cassette is disclosed wherein a filmstrip in roll form is stored within the cassette shell and has a leader portion that projects from an exterior end of a film passage slit in the cassette shell to permit the filmstrip to be drawn out of the shell. According to the invention, a tow bar is secured to the leader portion. The tow bar normally is positioned in covering relation with the exterior end of the film passage slit to prevent the leader portion from being moved into the cassette shell and includes an engageable portion which may be engaged in a camera, for example, to separate the tow bar from the cassette shell to draw the filmstrip out of the shell for exposure purposes.

Abstract: In a photographic camera having a built-in electronic flash, a flash charging indicator, such as an LED, is illuminated whenever the flash capacitor is being charged. If the capacitor is charged for a relatively long time, e.g. 30 seconds, the photographer is alerted by the illuminated indicator of a weak battery condition. According to the invention, the flash charging indicator is additionally used to indicate that the battery source voltage is too low to adequately power a particular camera operation, such as autofocusing. This indication of a weak battery condition is provided at least as long as the particular camera operation is attempted, and it is not dependent on the flash capacitor being charged as in the prior art.

Abstract: A film cassette is disclosed wherein a filmstrip beginning with a relatively short non-protruding leader portion can be advanced automatically to the exterior of the cassette responsive to rotation of a film spool in a film unwinding direction. The filmstrip has one metering perforation per film frame in a relatively long imaging portion and several much closer spaced take-up perforations in its leader portion. Preferably, the take-up perforations are located along a different longitudinal edge of the filmstrip than the metering perforations are located, to positively prevent the possiblity of mistaking one of the take-up perforations for one of the metering perforations in a camera.

Abstract: A disposable single-use camera is generally of the type wherein an inner camera part is pre-loaded with film and includes a taking lens, and an outer sealed pack contains the camera part and has an opening for the taking lens. The inner camera part has flash synchronization access ports and the outer sealed pack is constructed of a perforable material which overlays the access ports. An accessory re-usable electronic flash unit intended for use with the disposable camera includes electrically conductive flash synchronization pins shaped to perforate the outer sealed pack to enter the access ports in order to connect the flash unit to the disposable camera. The flash synchronization pins are supported on a folding arm which is foldable to a storage position to make the flash unit compact and to conceal the pins when the flash unit is not connected to the disposable camera.

Abstract: In a photographic camera, apparatus is provided for determining when, in a film cassette, a reduced-width trailing end portion of the filmstrip has fallen off a film support which normally positions the filmstrip within range of a tooth for engaging the film leader prior to initial film advance from the cassette shell or following midroll film return to the shell. During a film loading sequence of the photographic camera, the determination that the film leader is positioned out of range of the tooth automatically prevents operation of the film transport or other means, whereby one is alerted not to use the filmstrip.

Abstract: An expose-on rewind type camera is used with a film cassette having a film spool which can be rotated to unwind a filmstrip off the spool to thrust a non-protruding film leader to the exterior of the cassette, to enable the filmstrip to be prewound continuously onto a take-up spool in the camera, and alternatively to rewind the filmstrip into the cassette a single frame increment following each exposure in the camera. During the prewind mode of the camera, a metering pawl is retained out of the way of the filmstrip to prevent the pawl from engaging the filmstrip at any of its metering perforations. The metering pawl is allowed to contact the filmstrip in response to change-over from the prewind mode to the rewind mode of the camera, to permit the pawl to meter the filmstrip a single frame increment preparatory to each exposure.

Abstract: A film cassette is disclosed wherein a film spool is rotatable within the cassette shell in film unwinding and rewinding directions, a convoluted film roll whose outermost convolution is a film leader is coiled about the spool, a pair of film constraining flanges are coaxially arrnaged on the spool to radially confine the film leader to prevent the leader from substantially contacting an interior wall of the cassette shell, and a film stripper-guide is received between the leading end of the film leader and the next-inward convolution of the film roll succeeding the leader to remove the leader from the flanges and guide it through a film passageway to the exterior of the cassette shell responsive to rotation of the spool in the flim unwinding direction.

Abstract: In a disposable single-use camera comprising an inner camera shell pre-loaded with film and an outer paper pack which substantially encloses the camera shell, a lens shade connected to the shell overlies the paper pack at the perimeter of an opening in the pack for the taking lens. Thus, the paper pack is secured flatly in place between the camera shell and the lens shade to prevent the pack from shifting into the field of view of the taking lens or bowing away from the shell.

Abstract: In a single lens reflex camera, a mirror can be positioned in an upright light-reflecting position between the rear of the taking lens and the film to reflect the light rays that come through the lens on to a focusing screen of the viewfinder, and it can be positioned in an inverted non-reflecting position out of the way of the light rays to allow them to expose the film. The mirror is supported to pivot about two axes, forward toward the rear of the lens and downward to at least partially underneath the film, from its light-reflecting position to its non-reflecting position. According to a unique construction, the mirror is constrained to pivot first only about one of the axes and then only about the other axis to swing successively along respective arcs. This arrangement advantageously allows the back focus of the lens required to clear the mirror for movement from its light-reflecting position to its non-reflecting position to be reduced.

Abstract: When an unexposed filmstrip is advanced several frame widths in a camera to position the first available frame for exposure, a frame counter is changed from an original empty setting to a "1" setting. According to the invention, a visible indication is provided in response to the frame counter being changed to its "1" setting which confirms that the first frame is positioned for exposure. This is done to reassure the photographer that proper film winding and film initialization have occurred.

Abstract: In a film cassette, an "exposure-completed" indicator is positioned within a film passage slit to the outside of the cassette shell to be normally covered by the filmstrip. The indicator is uncovered by the filmstrip only when a leader section of the filmstrip is wound through the film passage slit further into the cassette shell, after the filmstrip is completely exposed in a camera. A window is provided in the cassette shell to view the indicator whenever it is uncovered by the filmstrip. This feature is useful to prevent double exposure of the filmstrip, by informing the photographer that the filmstrip should not be re-used in the camera.