Abstract: A flexible magnetic disk is rotated at a relatively high speed to cause the disk to revolve substantially in a plane. A pair of elongate guides for the disk are mounted in a converging relation, which permits the guides to reside substantially along respective radii of the rotated disk. The guides penetrate the plane of the rotated disk substantially along the two radii, and therefore will deflect successive radial sectors of the disk from the plane as each of the sectors is rotated across a radially tapered space between the guides. A magnetic record and/or playback head is positioned to urge at least a portion of a radial sector of the disk, deflected from the plane, towards the tapered space to effect a reverse deflection of the portion in the vicinity of the head. Thus the reverse-deflected portion is substantially conformed with the radially directed forces along the rotated disk, thereby assuring an intimate and stable head-to-disk relation.

Abstract: In a photographic camera adapted to receive a film cartridge containing a rotatable film disk, a film advance hub is rotated in engagement with the film disk to move successive frame areas of the disk into an exposure position for picture-taking. A plurality of frame number identifiers corresponding respectively to the frame areas of the film disk are arranged on a rear cover of the camera substantially about an opening in the rear cover. A free end portion of the film advance hub is disposed in the opening to enable a pointer element on the free end portion to indicate the frame number identifier corresponding to a frame area of the film disk in the exposure position.

Abstract: In an indexing mechanism for advancing a transducer with respect to a rotated disk to record and/or play back information on the disk, the transducer is mounted on a cylindrical carrier having a flat surface along one of its sides. A fixed guide supports the carrier for longitudinal movement along a reference axis defining the direction of travel of the carrier relative to the rotated disk. The carrier is moved by a stepper motor which rotates a lead screw in threading engagement with the carrier. A pair of flat support surfaces of the guide contact the flat surface of the carrier along respective parallel lines arranged parallel to the reference axis. Another flat support surface of the guide contacts the cylindrical portion of the carrier along a line arranged parallel to the first two lines. Thus a three-point support is provided for the carrier which prevents it from being rolled about the reference axis as the lead screw is rotated to move the carrier along the axis.

Abstract: A photographic camera enables pseudo telephoto prints to be obtained from normal exposures, coded to identify a selected telephoto field. In the camera, an objective lens is adjustable to change its angular field of view within a field range having a moderate telephoto limit. A viewfinder has a finder lens which is adjustable to change its angular field of view to a plurality of telephoto fields narrower than the possible fields of the objective lens. The objective lens and the finder lens are coupled to adjust the finder lens selectively to the narrower telephoto fields when the objective lens is at its telephoto limit. Code means, responsive to adjustment of the finder lens to a selected telephoto field, encodes an exposure taken with the objective lens at its telephoto limit with indicia represeentative of the selected telephoto field. Thus the portion of the exposure covered by the selected telephoto field can be identified for enlargement to produce a pseudo telephoto print.

Abstract: A photographic camera is adapted to receive a conventional film cartridge for taking exposures for use in producing normal prints and a special film cartridge for taking exposures for use in producing pseudo telephoto or pseudo panoramic prints made by enlarging a selected portion of a negative. The special cartridge is distinguishable physically or otherwise from a conventional cartridge to permit the special cartridge to be routed at the photofinisher to corresponding equipment for producing the pseudo format prints. The camera is capable of distinguishing between the special cartridge and a conventional one to prevent the camera from operating in a pseudo format mode (though permitting it to operate in a regular format mode) whenever a conventional cartridge is received in the camera.

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. A plug is supported in the coaxial hole in the spool for movement along the hole from a predetermined location relatively close to the open end of the spool to another location further into the hole. When the cartridge is loaded in the camera, a plunger member of the camera is received in the coaxial hole to move the plug from the predetermined location to the other location. This will provide an indication to the photofinisher that the cartridge was used in the camera.

Abstract: In a bottom loading camera, a loading chamber receives a film cartridge in an axial direction substantially at the same time a film leader projecting from the cartridge is transversely received in a feed path between the loading chamber and a take-up chamber. By mounting a back door for pivoting proximate an end of the camera body closest to the loading chamber, a cartridge positioning member on the door can axially depress the cartridge in the chamber to properly position the cartridge as the door is initially closed. Then, with continued closure of the back door, cooperating means on the door and adjacent the feed path can transversely position the film leader to straighten it along the path in the event the leader is skewed. Next, a film guide on the door can urge the forward end of the film leader against a take-up spool in the take-up chamber to enable the spool to engage the leader end. Thus, the leader end will have benefited from any previous correction to the film cartridge or the film leader.

Abstract: A photographic camera enables pseudo telephoto and pseudo panoramic prints to be produced from exposed film frames by coding the film frame to identify the selected pseudo format. In the camera, a manually operated member is movable to a position corresponding to the actual field of view of the objective lens and to respective positions corresponding to pseudo telephoto or pseudo panoramic fields of view reduced from the actual field of view. Code means, responsive to movement of the manually operated member to a position corresponding to a pseudo telephoto or pseudo panoramic field of view, encodes a film frame with indicia representative of the selected pseudo field of view to identify the portion of the film frame covered by the pseudo field of view. The identified portion of the film frame can then be enlarged to produce a pseudo telephoto or pseudo panoramic print.

Abstract: In a camera or other photographic apparatus employing a movable lens, motion imparting means, such as a cam, has respective positions corresponding to infinity, close-up, and intermediate focus positions of the lens. The motion imparting means is rotatable uni-directionally about the optical axis of the lens from one of its corresponding positions successively to the other corresponding positions and back to the first position, for moving the lens bi-directionally along such axis between the infinity and close-up positions. Electromagnetically operated indexing means, such as a pawl and ratchet, is actuatable about the optical axis to rotate the motion imparting means in one direction only. The electromagnetic actuator for the indexing means is movable in opposite directions about the optical axis in accordance with the direction of current flow to the actuator, to actuate the indexing means and to reset itself. The resulting focusing mechanism is a relatively compact, simple unit.

Abstract: In a head-to-disk stabilizing unit of a recording and/or reproducing apparatus, a flat air bearing surface surrounds an elongate opening to a negative pressure cavity. A record and/or playback head is arranged in the cavity with its transducer means (e.g., a magnetic gap) disposed at the opening in substantially coplanar relation with the air bearing surface. If a flexible magnetic disk is rotated at a relatively high speed to move successive portions of the disk over the air bearing surface, the surface will stabilize each portion of the rotated disk by damping out any flutter before a negative pressure formed in the cavity pulls the disk portion substantially into contact with the transducer means, thereby ensuring a constant and intimate transducer-to-disk magnetic coupling.

Abstract: A multi-format camera is provided for taking pictures in several different sizes, such as 21/4.times.15/8 ins. and 21/4.times.23/4 ins., on separate rolls of similar length film. A plurality of roll film holders for the different picture sizes have respective frames for carrying the similar length rolls and respective metering assemblies for advancing the film over the frames in different length increments corresponding to the different picture sizes. Each of the metering assemblies has at least one gear member situated at the same location on the film holders. The camera includes a single drive gear positioned for engagement with the gear member of the metering assembly on a film holder received in the camera, and manual or automatic means for rotating the drive gear between exposures to advance roll film in the particular length increments determined by such metering assembly.

Abstract: In a magnetic recording and/or reproducing apparatus, a flexible storage disk is rotated within a disk cartridge to move successive radial portions of the disk over an opening in the cartridge. The opening is disposed to provide limited radial access to the disk. A head-to-disk stabilizing assembly seals the opening, preferably at the exterior of the cartridge, to cause the formation of a Bernoulli pull down force on successive radial portions of the disk as each portion is rotated over the opening. Such pull down force momentarily deflects each portion of the rotated disk toward the opening, causing a deflected portion of the disk to remain substantially in contact with a magnetic recording or reproducing head movable along the opening, and thereby ensuring a stable head-to-disk relation.

Abstract: A film cartridge having a light-trapped slit from which a film leader protrudes is positioned in a photographic camera with the leader pointing towards a film take-up chamber in the camera. Enough of the leader is drawn out of the cartridge to reach a film take-up spool rotatably supported in the take-up chamber. Then, a leading end portion of the leader is placed in the take-up chamber in contact with the take-up spool to enable automatic engagement with the spool. If the leading end portion of the leader reaches beyond the take-up chamber, either because too much of the leader was drawn out of the cartridge or because the leader was too long originally, closing movement of the camera back causes a positioning member mounted on the back to insert the leading end portion into the take-up chamber and to press such end portion against the take-up spool.

Abstract: A camera is adapted to receive a filmstrip having a leader portion narrower than the remainder of the filmstrip. A rotary take-up spool in the camera includes a plurality of engaging members for engaging the leader to wind the filmstrip onto the spool. At least one of the engaging members is disposed at a location on the spool to engage a leader properly positioned in relation to the spool, to provide proper winding of the filmstrip onto the spool. The other engaging members are disposed at respective locations on the spool to engage the leader in various improper positions the leader may be located, which prevent proper winding of the filmstrip onto the spool. Each of the other engaging members is supported for movement in engagement with a leader in an improper position to situate the leader in the proper position.

Abstract: A multi-format camera is provided for taking pictures in several different sizes, such as 21/4.times.15/8 ins. and 21/4.times.23/4 ins., on separate rolls of similar length film. A plurality of roll film holders for the different picture sizes have respective coded means representative of the different picture sizes and respective metering assemblies for metering the roll film over the film holders in different length increments corresponding to the different picture sizes. Each of the metering assemblies has at least one gear member situated at the same location on the film holders. The camera includes code responsive means for determining the effective size of a variable size exposure area in accordance with the picture size coded on a film holder received in the camera.

Abstract: A plurality of roll film holders are individually coded to indicate respective negative sizes, such as 21/4.times.15/8 ins. and 21/4.times.23/4 ins., on separate rolls of similar type film. A multi-format camera for taking pictures in the different sizes is adapted to receive the film holders. The camera includes a variable size exposure area and code responsive means for determining the effective size of the exposure area in accordance with the negative size coded on a film holder received in the camera.

Abstract: A viewfinder for a camera includes a near-subject frame visible in the finder field to frame subjects closer to the camera than a predetermined distance, e.g., four feet, and a normal frame visible in the finder field to frame subjects beyond that distance. The near-subject frame defines a subject-field that is offset from the subject-field defined by the normal frame to correct for the parallax error at close distances. A focus-setting device for the camera lens has a near-subject setting for close-up subjects and a distant-subject setting for other subjects. When the focus-setting device is set to its distant-subject setting, for use with the normal frame, the near-subject frame is not visible. This prevents the near-subject frame from being confused with the normal frame. The near-subject frame is only made visible in response to the focus-setting device being set to its near-subject setting. Making the near-subject frame visible alerts the photographer to use that frame instead of the normal frame.

Abstract: In a magnetic disk cartridge, a dial member is rotatable relative to the cartridge housing to a plurality of positions for indicating the number of tracks recorded on a disk surface. A resilient locking finger is connected to the dial member for engaging respective engagable means on the housing, which correspond to the various track number positions. Whenever the cartridge is removed from a recording and/or playback apparatus, the locking finger engages one of the engagable means to prevent the dial member from rotating out of the last position to which it was rotated. An access opening is provided in the housing to receive a rotational driver of the apparatus for rotating the dial member to its track number positions. The locking finger is supported for movement by the rotational driver to separate from any one of the engagable means as the driver is received through the access opening, thereby freeing the dial member for rotation by the driver.