Abstract: A photoprint mounting platen facilitates presentation of a photoprint to an imaging station of photoprint imaging scanner, in a secure protected condition. The configuration of the platen is such that it allows a plurality of photoprint platens to be arranged in a stacked configuration and fed one at the time to a platen imaging station, and then fed from the platen imaging station to a take up location. In a first embodiment the platen has a generally flat mounting surface upon which a photoprint is attachable, and first and second end edges and first and second side edges. One or more regions are located adjacent to the mounting surface area for storing machine readable photoprint parameter information. The platen further includes a plurality of side rail elements extending above the first surface by a height greater than the thickness of a photoprint, so that multiple platens may be stacked together without a photoprint contacting an adjacent platen.

Abstract: A dual image station photoprint scanner comprises a cabinet having an upper, album imaging station and a lower, magazine-fed, platen imaging station. The upper imaging station includes a translatable unit having a glass plate upon which a photoprint is placed in a face- down position. Adjacent to the top plate, the translatable cabinet has a sloped support surface, to accommodate a photo album. A lower portion of the cabinet contains a platen feed mechanism, which translates a photographic print support platen from a supply magazine to a platen imaging station, and then feeds the platen to a storage magazine. A high resolution CCD image sensor is supported at an image projection plane of a multidirectional image projection mechanism. A digital imagery data recording mechanism is coupled to the image sensor and is operative to record, on a digital data storage medium, a digitized image that has been projected on the image sensor.

Abstract: In a single lens reflex camera, a mirror can be positioned at an angle 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 out of the way to expose the film. The mirror is supported to swing forward toward the rear of the lens and downward to at least partially below the film, simultaneously, from its light-reflecting position to a non-reflecting inverted position substantially facing the bottom of the camera. This advantageously permits the back focus of the lens required to clear the mirror for movement from its light-reflecting position to out of the way to expose the film, to be reduced.