Abstract: A film rewind button and a door release button are located on the body of a camera. The rewind button is manually movable from an original position to a rewind position to initiate automatic rewinding of an exposed filmstrip back into a light-tight cartridge in the camera. The release button is manually movable from a latch position for securing a rear door of the camera closed to a release position for releasing the door to permit it to be opened in order to remove the cartridge from the camera. As a safeguard against the door being mistakenly opened before rewinding of an exposed filmstrip is initiated, there is provided protective means for preventing the release button from being manually moved from its latch position to its release position unless the rewind button is first manually moved from its release position to its rewind position.

Abstract: A camera is provided wherein accidental manual rotation of a thumbwheel to advance film in the camera is prevented whenever the shutter is opened to take a picture. According to the invention, when a trigger button is manually depressed, a high energy member in a cocked position is unlatched to permit the high energy member to travel a first increment to momentarily open the shutter. The film advance thumbwheel remains locked by a locking member to prevent any rotation of the thumbwheel. When the trigger button is manually released to return to its original position, the trigger button disengages from the high energy member, permitting the high energy member to travel a second increment. During its second increment of travel, the high energy member moves the locking member out of locking relation with the thumbwheel. Thus the thumbwheel cannot be operated to advance film until picture-taking is completed.

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. In addition, a visible indication is provided in response to the 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: When a toggle-like latch is pivoted to release a shutter opening blade for movement from its cocked position to open the camera shutter, a resiliently flexible member of the latch engages a shutter closing blade to retain the closing blade in its cocked position. A camming surface is arranged on the opening blade to bend the flexible member out of engagement with the closing blade to release the closing blade for movement to close the camera shutter. The camming surface bends the flexible member to release the closing blade as the opening blade is moved to at least partially open the camera shutter.

Abstract: In a photographic camera, a film speed setting member is manually movable to a plurality of film speed related positions corresponding to various speed films to be used in the camera. When a rear door of the camera is opened to load a selected speed film in the camera, the setting member is automatically moved to a non-film speed related position in which it at least partially blocks a window of the viewfinder in the camera. This serves to remind the photographer to move the setting member to the film speed related position corresponding to the speed of the loaded film before taking the first picture.

Abstract: In a roller transport assembly of a film processor, respective cross-over rollers for transferring the exposed film from one tank of processing solution to an adjacent tank of processing solution are positioned above the free surfaces of the solutions during normal operation. However, the cross-over rollers are immersed in the solutions during non-operation of the processor to prevent the residue of solution on the roller surfaces from oxidizing to form a viscous or solid deposit.

Abstract: In a photographic camera, a film-on-spool sensor enables a frame counter in response to sensing the presence of film on a take-up spool and disables the counter in response to sensing the absence of film on the spool. An initializing device resets the frame counter to an original empty setting whenever the counter is disabled. If a rear door of the camera is accidentally or inadvertently opened with the film in midroll, the film-on-spool sensor sensing the presence of film on the take-up spool prevents the frame counter from being disabled and, therefore, prevents the counter from being reset by the initializing device. This allows the frame counter to continue its frame count after the door is re-closed should the photographer wish to use any unexposed frames remaining on the film.

Abstract: A particular type camera requiring the exposed film to receive special handling at the photofinisher is adapted for use with a film cartridge which includes a film spool having an elongate coaxial hole open at one end of the spool and a readily fracturable element located within the coaxial hole. When the cartridge is loaded in the camera, a shaft member of the camera is received in the coaxial hole to fracture the fracturable element and thereby provide an indication to the photofinisher that the cartridge was used in the camera. Preferably, the shaft member is keyed to engage an integral rib of the film spool to rewind the exposed film into the cartridge.

Abstract: A photographic camera has a motorized film transport mechanism which is operable in a load mode after a light-tight cartridge containing an unexposed filmstrip is loaded into the camera and is operable in an expose mode for picture-taking. In the load mode, the transport mechanism first prewinds substantially the entire length of the filmstrip from the cartridge onto a take-up spool without exposing any of the frames on the filmstrip and then rewinds a predetermined length of the filmstrip off the take-up spool to position the first frame for exposure. In the expose mode, the transport mechanism rewinds the filmstrip one frame at a time back into the cartridge after each exposure is completed.

Abstract: A particular type camera requiring the exposed film to receive special handling at the photofinisher has a loading chamber for receiving a conventional film cartridge in an axial direction. A back door of the camera is supported for closing movement to cover a film cartridge received in the loading chamber and for opening movement to permit the received cartridge to be removed in an axial direction from the chamber. An encoding means mounted on the back door has a finite range of influence within which the received cartridge is encoded with a detectable code mark to identify the cartridge to the photofinisher as one that was used in the particular type camera. Preferably, the encoding means is a magnet for magnetizing a macroscopic region of the received cartridge to encode the cartridge with a macroscopic magnetic field having a predetermined orientation.

Abstract: A film cartridge has indicator means arranged within a dedicated area on an exterior surface of the cartridge. The indicator means may be physically altered to provide a visible indication that the cartridge was used in a particular type camera requiring the exposed film to receive special handling at the photofinisher. An altering member is mounted on a back door of the camera to contact the indicator means of the cartridge, to physically alter the indicator means, in response to closing movement of the back door. Thus, the cartridge can be readily identified by the photofinisher as one that was used in the camera.Preferably, the indicator means of the cartridge is constructed of a light-reflecting material which when disfigured by the altering member in the camera will reflect light diffusely.

Abstract: A photographic camera has a motorized film transport mechanism which is operable to continuously prewind substantially the entire length of a filmstrip from a light-tight cartridge onto a take-up spool without exposing any of the frames on the filmstrip and to intermittently rewind the filmstrip one frame at a time back into the cartridge after each exposure is completed. A frame counter is incremented during prewinding of the filmstrip onto the take-up spool to provide a count of the maximum number of frames to be exposed and is decremented during rewinding of the filmstrip back into the cartridge to provide a count of the remaining number of frames to be exposed. If a rear door of the camera is accidentally or inadvertently opened before the filmstrip is completely wound off the take-up spool, the frame counter is initialized to an original setting.

Abstract: A photographic camera has a motorized film transport mechanism which is operable normally to prewind substantially the entire length of a filmstrip from a light-tight cartridge onto a take-up spool without exposing any of the frames on the filmstrip and to rewind the filmstrip one frame at a time back into the cartridge after each exposure is completed. If a rear door of the camera is accidentally or inadvertently opened before the filmstrip is completely wound off the take-up spool, the exposed frames within the cartridge are protected from stray light. However, the film remaining on the take-up spool may be ruined. Therefore, a door-open sensor and a film-on-spool sensor are provided which cooperate with a control circuit, when the rear door is opened, to operate the motorized film transport mechanism to continuously rewind the film on the take-up spool into the cartridge.

Abstract: In a photographic shutter, an opening blade and a closing blade are settable in respective tensioned positions from which the blades can be released to first uncover and then recover an exposure opening. A cam device is mounted for unidirectional rotation to release the blades from their tensioned positions and to reset the blades to such positions. The cam device has an arcuate camming surface which extends spirally about the axis of the cam device from an area of minimum radius to an area of maximum radius as the cam device is rotated. A step-like surface of the cam device connects the areas of maximum and minimum radii to cause an abrupt drop from the maximum radius area to the minimum radius area. Respective springs urge the opening and closing blades against the camming surface.

Abstract: A photographic camera having a built-in flash unit is improved by providing integral apparatus which prevents operation of the flash unit in the event the camera is oriented vertically with the flash unit below the taking lens. This is done to prevent the subject being photographed from taking on an unnatural upward shadow as a result of flash illumination of the subject with the flash unit below the taking lens. Preferably, the apparatus prevents operation of the flash unit by disabling a shutter release, and includes an indicator visible in a viewfinder window to alert the user that the camera is improperly oriented for taking a vertical flash exposure.

Abstract: An electrical switch assembly has a pair of conducting resilient domes which snap inwardly to produce corresponding switching functions when downward pressure is applied at their respective centers and snap outwardly to produce opposite switching functions when the applied pressure is removed. The pair of domes are supported one within the other in spaced relation with their respective centers substantially in alignment. Pressure applying means, such as a push button, is mounted for movement in line with the aligned centers of the outer and inner domes to a first predetermined position to snap the outer dome inwardly and to a second predetermined position to snap the inner dome inwardly. The successive snapping actions of the two domes to produce corresponding switching functions provide respective stages of tactile feedback through the push button to the operator.

Abstract: In a photographic camera, a manual wind member for rotating a take-up spool to wind a filmstrip into the spool is locked each time a fresh film frame is advanced to an exposure position and is unlocked automatically after the picture is taken. If however the filmstrip cannot be advanced in the camera because the film leader has failed to be wound onto the take-up spool, the manual wind member will not be locked, and therefore it can be actuated continuously to alert the photographer of such failure.

Abstract: A photographic camera is adapted for use with a film cartridge having a tongue portion from which a curled film leader projects. The projecting leader comprises a relatively short full width section adjacent the tongue portion and a relatively long reduced width section separated from the tongue portion by the full width section. Integral means is provided in a loading chamber of the camera body for supporting the cartridge at its throat portion to locate the full width section of the leader away from the camera body during axial insertion of the cartridge initially into the loading chamber. This will prevent the forward longitudinal edge of the full width section of the leader from jamming against the camera body to interfere with film loading. A straightening member along the camera body contacts the forward longitudinal edge of the reduced width section of the leader to uncurl that section in response to continued axial insertion of the cartridge into the loading chamber.

Abstract: In a photographic camera, a frame counter operates during movement of a filmstrip from a film cartridge onto a take-up spool or back into the cartridge to count exposed or unexposed frames on the filmstrip. An initializing mechanism responsive to the opening of a rear door to remove the cartridge from the camera initializes the counter to an empty setting. If however the door is accidentally or inadvertently opened with the filmstrip in midroll, a film-on-spool sensor sensing the presence of the filmstrip on the take-up spool prevents the initializing mechanism from initializing the counter. This allows the counter to continue its frame count after the door is re-closed should the photographer wish to salvage any unexposed frames.