Identifying cassettes loaded in cameras

• US 4,311,377 A
• Filed: 07/08/1980
• Issued: 01/19/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Matteson, Lawrence J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Donald A.
• Application Number:
  US06/166,928
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 354/275, 354/289, 354/21, 354/217, 354/218, 355/41, 352/172
• US Class Current: 396/390
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/36 Counting number of exposures of film strips G03B1/66

Abstract

A photographic camera recognizes when a partially used film cassette is reloaded into the camera. Following the loading of such a cassette the camera drives the film to position an unexposed film frame for exposure.

Claims

1. In a photographic camera for receiving a removable filmstrip with associated indicia that identify such filmstrip, and including means for decoding such indicia and for producing signals corresponding to the indicia, and means for exposing seriatim a plurality of frames on such filmstrip, the improvement comprising:

(a) means for storing said signals when such a film having at least one unexposed frame is removed from the camera; and

(b) means effective after loading a filmstrip in the camera for comparing the signals associated with such loaded filmstrip with said stored signals to identify receipt in the camera of a filmstrip having at least one unexposed frame at the time of its last removal from the camera.

2. In a photographic camera for receiving a filmstrip having a predetermined number of unexposed film frames and indicia indentifying such filmstrip, said camera including means for advancing seriatim a filmstrip to present film frames to an exposure position and means for decoding such indicia for producing signals corresponding to the indicia, the improvment comprising:

(a) means for storing said signals that identify a particular filmstrip that has been removed from the camera and has at least one unexposed film frame;

(b) means for comparing the identifying signals of subsequently received filmstrips with said stored signal for producing a comparison signal when the particular filmstrip is again received by said camera; and

(c) means responsive to said comparison signal for conditioning said camera to advance said film strip to a position where an unexposed film frame is presented to said exposure position.

3. In a photographic still camera for receiving film cassettes containing a filmstrip having a predetermined number of unexposed film frames and indicia for idenfitying respective cassettes, said camera including means effective after a cassette is received in the camera for decoding said indicia and for producing cassette identifying signals, means effective when actuated for advancing a filmstrip from its cassette to locate film frames seriatim at an exposure position, and means for exposing such film frames when in said exposure position, the improvement comprising:

(a) means for producing signals representing the position on the filmstrip of the unexposed film frames in the received cassette;

(b) means for storing the cassette identifying signals and the signals representing the positions of unexposed film frames when a cassette having an unexposed film frame is removed from said camera;

(c) means for comparing cassette identifying signals of subsequently received cassettes with said stored identifying signals to produce a comparison signal when a film cassette is reloaded in said camera; and

(d) means coupled to said comparing means and responsive to said comparison signal and to the signals representing the positions of unexposed film frames for actuating said advancing means to position an unexposed film frame at said exposure position.