Film unit with waterproof lens and waterproof ring

• US 6,597,865 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2001
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Katsura, Hirofumi, Negishi, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): MAHONEY, CHRISTOPHER E
• Application Number:
  US09/856,777
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 396/25, 396/27, 396/29, 396/543, 396/6, 277/626, 277/644, 277/647
• US Class Current: 396/25
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/08 Waterproof bodies or housings
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2219/045 adapted for unloading the film in the processing laboratory, e.g. disposable, reusable or recyclable cameras

Abstract

By pushing down a shutter release operation member (9), that is mounted on a front of a waterproof case of a waterproof type lens-fitted photo film unit, a release lever (70) is caused to rotate through a rotary shaft (71) that is put through a front wall of the waterproof case. Thereby, the release lever directly pushes an arresting member (59) through an opening (19c) provided on a front side of a unit body (3), releasing a shutter drive member (51) as having been arrested in a cocked position by the arresting member (59), and thus causing a shutter blade (45) to make an open-close movement. The waterproof case consists of a pair of case members that are put on the unit body from its front and rear sides, and are joined to each other by engagement. An elastic waterproof ring is force-fitted in a gap of the joint between the case members. The waterproof ring has a substantially semicircular sectional contour, and is provided with a ridge on a flat surface portion on the opposite side from a curved surface portion.

Claims

1. A waterproof lens-fitted photo film unit comprising:

a unit body containing a photo film and photographic mechanisms, said photographic mechanisms comprising;

a shutter blade,

a rotatable shutter driving member for causing said shutter blade to make an open-close movement, and

a rotatable arresting member positioned to make contact with and arrest said shutter driving member at a cocked position;

a waterproof case that covers said unit body in a watertight fashion;

an opening formed through said unit body;

an operation member mounted on and put through said waterproof case such that said operation member may be operated from outside of said waterproof case; and

a releasing member mounted to said operation member inside said waterproof case, wherein a tip of said releasing member is inserted into said unit body through said opening, and is in direct contact with said arresting member inside said unit body when said operation member is operated, thereby to release said shutter driving member from arrestment of said arresting member, and cause said shutter blade to make said open-close movement.

2. A waterproof lens-fitted photo film unit as recited in claim 1, wherein said opening is formed through a front side of said unit body, and said operation member is provided on the front side of said waterproof case.

3. A waterproof lens-fitted photo film unit as recited in claim 2, wherein said operation member is affixed to an end of a rotary shaft that is inserted in a hole formed through a front wall of said waterproof case, and said releasing member is affixed to the other end of said rotary shaft.

4. A waterproof lens-fitted photo film unit as recited in claim 3, wherein said rotary shaft is formed integrally with said operation member from plastics, and has a portion on said other end that is constituted of a pair of arms extending in parallel to an axial direction, each of said arms having an engaging claw protruding radially outward from a peripheral surface of said arm, wherein said arms are inserted from the front side into said hole formed through said front wall, while being bent toward each other, thereby to bring said engaging claws into engagement with inside surface of said front wall of said waterproof case by virtue of resiliency of said arms, and fasten said rotary shaft to said front wall in a rotatable fashion, and said releasing member is thereafter affixed to tips of said arms.

5. A waterproof lens-fitted photo film unit comprising:

a unit body containing a photo film and photographic mechanisms;

a waterproof case that covers said unit body in a watertight fashion, said waterproof case consisting of a pair of case members which are joined to each other after being put over said unit body; and

a waterproof ring formed from an elastic material disposed between said case members, the ring having first and second contact faces in contact with the respective case members, the first and second contact faces being arranged directly opposite one another, the first contact face having an arcuate shape in cross-section, the second contact face having a center arcuate section with an immediately adjacent flat section on either side in cross-section section.

6. The waterproof lens-fitted photo film unit of claim 5, wherein the immediately adjacent flat sections of the second contact face are coplanar.

7. The waterproof lens-fitted photo film unit of claim 5, wherein the arcuate cross-sectional shape of the first contact face has a radial center point that lies on a surface of the center arcuate section of the second contact face.

8. A waterproof lens-fitted photo film unit as recited in claim 5, further comprising a waterproof cover that covers said case members at least partly.

9. A waterproof lens-fitted photo film unit comprising:

a unit body containing a photo film and photographic mechanisms;

a waterproof case that covers said unit body in a watertight fashion, said waterproof case consisting of a pair of case members which are joined to each other after being put over said unit body; and

a waterproof ring formed from an elastic material disposed between said case members, the ring having first and second contact faces in contact with the respective case members, the first and second contact faces being arranged directly opposite one another, the first contact face having an arcuate shape in cross-section, the arcuate cross-sectional shape of the first contact face having a radial center point that lies on a surface of the second contact face.

10. The waterproof lens-fitted photo film unit of claim 9, wherein the second contact face has an arcuate shape in cross-section.

11. The waterproof lens-fitted photo film unit of claim 10, wherein the arcuate second contact face has an immediately adjacent flat section on either side.

12. The waterproof lens-fitted photo film unit of claim 9, wherein a second contact face comprises in cross-section two flat sections arranged at an oblique angle with respect to one another, the radial center point of the first contact face corresponding to a vertex of the two flat sections.