INSTANT FILM PACK AND DEVICE USING THE SAME

• US 20190361336A1
• Filed: 08/08/2019
• Published: 11/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: NAKAI, Yuki
• Granted Patent: US 10,788,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/50 with both developing and finishing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/52 of the Land type
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/26 Holders for containing light-sensitive material and adapted to be inserted within the camera
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 3/00 Packages of films for inserting into cameras, e.g. roll-films, film-packs; Wrapping materials for light-sensitive plates, films or papers, e.g. materials characterised by the use of special dyes, printing inks, adhesives wrapping materials in general B65D
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 8/42 Structural details

Abstract

A film cover covers an exposure surface of a film unit to lighttightly block an exposure opening and is ejected from a discharge port. A bending guide groove is formed on the outside of an accompanying prevention rib in a width direction of a cover member along the accompanying prevention rib. The bending guide groove tilts a side edge portion, which is a distal end portion of the film cover, and the portion outside the accompanying prevention rib, in a protruding direction of the accompanying prevention rib. Since the side edge portion is bent by the bending guide groove, the both side edges portions do not engage with the discharge port, and the film cover can be ejected smoothly from the discharge port.

Claims

1. An instant film pack comprising:

a plurality of film units each having a developer pod which contains a developer;

a case having an exposure opening and a slit-shaped discharge port, and laminating and accommodating the plurality of film units;

a film cover covering an exposure surface of the film unit to lighttightly block the exposure opening and being ejected from the discharge port;

an accompanying prevention rib formed at a distal end portion on a front surface of the film cover facing the exposure opening so as to protrude from both side edge portions with a height equal to a gap of the discharge port, and preventing the film unit positioned in the topmost layer from being ejected; and

a bending guide portion tilting an outer portion of the accompanying prevention rib of the film cover in a protruding direction of the accompanying prevention rib.

2. The instant film pack according to claim 1,

wherein the film cover is a synthetic resin molded item having light shielding properties, and

wherein the bending guide portion is a groove formed on the outer portion along the accompanying prevention rib on the outside of the accompanying prevention rib in a width direction of the film cover.

3. The instant film pack according to claim 1,

wherein the accompanying prevention rib has a tilt surface whose protruding height gradually decreases toward the distal end of the film cover.

4. A developer spreading device comprising:

the instant film pack according to claim 1 which accommodates the film unit including a mask sheet, a photosensitive sheet which is pasted onto the mask sheet, a cover sheet which is pasted onto the photosensitive sheet and includes a front surface as the exposure surface, and the developer pod which is formed at a distal end portion in a transport direction perpendicular to a width direction of the exposure surface and contains the developer;

a transport roller pair which transports the film unit discharged through the discharge port while pinching the film unit;

a spreading roller pair which is arranged on a downstream side of the transport roller pair in the transport direction, and spreads the developer between the photosensitive sheet and the cover sheet by crushing the developer pod while pinching the film unit;

a control member which is formed to extend in the width direction of the exposure surface between the transport roller pair and the spreading roller pair, and a distal end of which is in contact with the film unit to control a distribution of the developer spread by crushing of the developer pod; and

an ejection guide which is formed on an outlet side of the spreading roller pair from which the film cover is ejected, in a state in which the film cover passes through the spreading roller pair, and guides the outer portion of the accompanying prevention rib bent by the bending guide portion to the outlet.

5. The developer spreading device according to claim 4,

wherein the ejection guide includes a guide passage that guides the distal end portion of the film cover delivered from the spreading roller pair towards a film ejection port,

wherein the guide passage has a tilt surface that is provided to be tilted with respect to a proximal end surface, and

wherein a tilt angle of the tilt surface with respect to the proximal end surface is 15°

or more and 55°

or less.

6. A printer comprising:

the developer spreading device according to claim 4; and

an exposure head that is provided on an upstream side of the developer spreading device in the transport direction, and irradiates the exposure surface of the film unit transported by the transport roller pair with line-shaped print light parallel to the width direction of the exposure surface.

7. The printer according to claim 6,

wherein the printer is integrally provided with a digital camera which comprises an imaging unit that includes an imaging optical system, captures a subject image, and outputs image data to the printer.