Patents by Inventor Douglas Joseph Pfaff

Douglas Joseph Pfaff 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: 5730378
    Abstract: A take-up chamber for receiving an elongated filmstrip having a predetermined width between the longitudinal edges thereof and an image area less than the width. The take-up chamber has a chamber housing for accommodating the filmstrip within the chamber. The housing has first and second side walls spaced apart to accommodate the width of the filmstrip, a lateral wall extending between the first and second side walls, and a slit extending through the lateral wall and between the first and second side walls through which the filmstrip may be introduced or withdrawn from the chamber. Two parallel laterally spaced generally circular guides extend the inside of said chamber from adjacent one side of the slit to the other side of the slit. Each guide has a substantially continuous inner surface, to contact only respective longitudinal edges of a filmstrip and cause the filmstrip to wind into a roll within the chamber as the filmstrip is advanced through the slit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Douglas Joseph Pfaff, Robert S. Jones
  • Patent number: 5685502
    Abstract: Filmstrip receiving apparatus for receiving an elongated filmstrip, comprising:a) a housing defining a stationary exit chamber to receive the filmstrip therein, the housing having: two opposed side walls spaced apart to accommodate the width of the filmstrip; a transverse wall extending between the side walls from an upper front end of the chamber to a lower rear end of the chamber; and an upper opening and a rear opening;b) a deflector mounted to reciprocate between forward and backward positions within the upper opening to define between said deflector and a front end of the upper opening, a filmstrip passage of variable length through which a filmstrip can lengthwise pass downwardly into the exit chamber.A scanner apparatus for scanning image frames of a filmstrip advanced into a scanning station is also provided. Such a scanner has a scanner in the scanning station to scan the image frames of the filmstrip and derive image data related to the scanned image frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Robert S. Jones, Douglas Joseph Pfaff