Abstract: A camera frame assembly or other apparatus has a flash unit having a self-oscillating charging circuit. The camera frame assembly is used with a filmstrip and a battery. The camera frame assembly has a film scrolling chamber and a battery compartment joined to the film scrolling chamber. The flash unit is joined to the chamber, in the camera frame assembly. The flash unit has near and far battery contacts coupled to the circuit. The contacts define an active battery station within the compartment configured to receive the battery in electrical series with the circuit via the contacts. At least one of the battery contacts is biased inwardly to restrain the battery within the active battery station. A battery grip is disposed in the compartment exterior to the near battery contact. The battery grip defines a standby battery station that is spaced from the near contact sufficiently to isolate the standby battery station from the circuit.

Abstract: In a method for loading a camera frame assembly having an flash circuit powered by a battery, a battery is placed in a battery compartment of a camera frame assembly. Film is scrolled in the camera frame assembly. The scrolling generates a static charge on the camera frame assembly. The static charge is dissipated. During the scrolling and dissipating, the battery is retained within the battery compartment, but is isolated from the flash circuit. Following the dissipating, electrically conductive contact is established between the battery and the flash circuit.

Abstract: A camera housing includes a front cover part and a rear cover part which have two adjacent end portions provided with respective concavities that similarly extend inward to define adjacent concave surfaces of the two end portions. The two end portions continue over the concavities to form adjacent ribs spaced from the concave surfaces to permit an accessory for the camera housing to fit between the ribs and the concave surfaces. The accessory has at least one fastener that fits between the ribs and the concave surfaces and engages the ribs to hold the ribs together in order to prevent the front and rear cover parts from separating at the two end portions.

Abstract: A camera housing comprising a front cover part and a rear cover part, is characterized in that the front cover part and the rear cover part have respective similar ends that are uniformly curved to be contoured in similar non-varying curves and have respective concavities that extend inward at the similar ends to define a concave surface common to the ends, and the end of at least one of the front and rear cover parts continues over the concavity at that end, in contour with the non-varying curves, to form a carry strap retainer which, with the single concave surface, defines a pass-through opening for an elongate carry strap.

Abstract: A single use camera that has flexure of a front cover constrained by and exposed-film door. The camera has a frame and a back cover attached to the frame. The frame and back cover together define a film path and an exposed-film removal opening communicating with the film path. The front cover is mounted over the frame opposite the back cover. The door is attached to the frame. The door is discrete from the covers and frame. The door light-tightly closes the opening independent of the front cover. The door is reversibly removable from the frame. The door constrains flexure of the front cover in a direction outward from the frame.

Abstract: A camera comprising a main body part having a chamber for holding an exposed filmstrip wound into a exposed film roll, and a film winding thumbwheel for winding the exposed filmstrip into the exposed film roll, is characterized in that the main body part has a film egress opening at one end of the chamber which is dimensioned to allow the exposed film roll to be unloaded from the chamber through the film egress opening, and the film winding thumbwheel light-tightly seals the chamber at the film egress opening and is removable to permit the exposed film roll to be unloaded from the chamber.

Abstract: A camera comprising a main body part having a backframe opening for exposing successive sections of a filmstrip, a metering sprocket rotatably supported on the main body part proximate the backframe opening and having respective teeth that can project through individual perforations in the filmstrip to engage successive sections of the filmstrip at the backframe opening, and a rear cover part having a plurality of parallel film guide ribs longitudinally extending to guide successive sections of the filmstrip over the backframe opening, is characterized in that one of the film guide ribs includes an integral portion configured to at least partially surround the teeth of the metering sprocket one at a time, in a predetermined location at which each tooth projects from one of the perforations in the filmstrip, to retain a film section at the backframe opening in engagement with the tooth.

Abstract: A camera for use with a film cartridge having a spool rotatable in a film winding direction to wind an exposed filmstrip into the cartridge and a light lock movable to be closed after the exposed filmstrip has been wound into the cartridge, comprising a film winder rotatable in engagement with the spool in the film winding direction to rotate the spool in the same direction, and a closing actuator rotatable in engagement with the light lock to close the light lock and including a film sensor for sensing the presence and absence of the exposed filmstrip to determine whether the exposed filmstrip has been wound into the cartridge, is characterized in that the film winder and the closing actuator are mutually coupled when the film sensor senses the presence of the exposed filmstrip, to prevent the film sensor substantially from applying any pressure against the exposed filmstrip, and when the film sensor senses the absence of the exposed filmstrip, to rotate the closing actuator to close the light lock when the

Abstract: A one-time-use camera provided with an opaque cover part comprising a door portion and a remaining portion, a line of weakness between the door portion and the remaining portion that allows the door portion to be pivoted along the line of weakness to open the door portion, and a pair of lead-in slots between the door portion and the remaining portion each having an open lead-in end and an opposite end that is closed at the line of weakness to facilitate pivoting the door portion to be opened, is characterized in that the slots are partially filled between their open and closed ends with opaque tear substances that are thin enough to be readily ripped, from the open ends of the slots to the closed ends of the slots, when the door portion is pivoted along the line of weakness to be opened.

Abstract: A camera mechanism comprising a manually depressible shutter release button, a resilient cantilevered support for the shutter release button which is moved when the shutter release button is manually depressed, and a rotatable sprocket for engaging a filmstrip, is characterized in that the sprocket has a spindle that rotates with the sprocket, and the cantilevered support has a bearing hole in which spindle is rotated, to allow the cantilevered support to be moved firmly against the spindle to brake the film sprocket when the shutter release button is manually depressed.

Abstract: A photographic camera, including a moveable exposure initiation member, is provided with a film brake that is applied by movement of the member to initiate an exposure. The brake engages an element of the film advancing mechanism and thereby arrests film movement during the exposure. The brake is released after the exposure when the member returns to its original position.A method of assembling a camera also is provided using certain parts reassembled and reused from a single-use camera with a film brake as noted above.

Abstract: To prevent photographs from being blurred by film creep, a camera having a spring-loaded shutter driver member that is movable from a cocked position to an uncooked position to operate the camera shutter and then to deactivate a film metering mechanism, is provided with a blocking member that is movable temporarily into the path of the shutter driver to stop the driver at an intermediate position after it has operated the shutter but before it deactivates the metering mechanism.