Method of making light-trapping members for photographic film cassette

• US 5,341,188 A
• Filed: 04/21/1993
• Issued: 08/23/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawasaki, Hidetoshi, Sugiyama, Nobuo, Mizuno, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Gray, David M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAN, JANG K
• Application Number:
  US08/050,567
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 354/275, 354/277, 242/71.1, 242/71.7, 242/71.8, 28/159, 28/162, 26/106, 264/103, 264/280, 425/319, 425/322, 428/92
• US Class Current: 396/518
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 53/14 Twisting for textile fibres D01H
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 67/0044 for shaping edges or extremities B29C57/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/712 Containers; Packaging elements or accessories, Packages closures therefor B29L2031/56; ink or toner cartridges B29L2031/7678; squeeze tubes B29L2023/20; suitcases B29L2031/7418
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/764 Photographic equipment or accessories memory cards B29L2017/006
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/765 Articles provided with piles, e g. nap on cloth
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/30 Locating spools or other rotatable holders of coiled film
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/265 Details of light-proofing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/23957 Particular shape or structure of pile

Abstract

Light-trapping members are cut out of a ribbon consisting of a base fabric and piles. The piles of the ribbon are pressed against the peripheral surface of a thermal drum to be inclined in the width direction after the ribbon is passed through and twisted by a twister disposed close to the thermal drum. The light-trapping members with inclined piles are attached to a film passage mouth of a self-advancing-type photographic film cassette with the inclination of the piles directed to the outside of the film passage mouth, so that the leading end of a photographic film can be advanced smoothly by rotation of a spool through the light-trapping members to the outside of the cassette.

Claims

1. A method of making a pair of light-trapping members from a ribbon having a base fabric and piles, said light-trapping members being used for a photographic film cassette having a cassette shell for rotatably containing a spool with a photographic film wound thereon, a leading end of said photographic film being advanced out of said cassette shell through a film passage mouth formed in said cassette shell by rotation of said spool, said light-trapping members being attached to respective upper and lower inside surfaces of said film passage mouth so as to prevent light from entering in the inside of said cassette shell, said method comprising the steps of:

twisting said ribbon relative to a ribbon feeding direction;

contacting said piles of said ribbon with a first thermal drum, which extends transverse to said film feeding direction, so as to incline said piles in a width direction of said ribbon at a predetermined inclination angle; and

cutting said ribbon at a predetermined length to obtain said light-trapping members.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the moisture content of said ribbon is 50 (w/w)% or more.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein a box-shaped twister having a rectangular passage, through which said ribbon is advanced and twisted, is disposed upstream from said first thermal drum, said inclination angle of said piles being varied by changing an angle defined between said passage of said twister and a surface of said first thermal drum which is in contact with said ribbon.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein said twister is inclined, with respect to an axis of said first thermal drum, at an angle of 60°

to 180°

.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein, in said contacting step, said first thermal drum is rotated so that a peripheral speed of said first thermal drum coincides with a speed for feeding said ribbon so as to incline said piles of said ribbon in said ribbon width direction.

6. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein, in said contacting step, said first thermal drum is rotated so that a peripheral speed of said first thermal drum differs from a speed for feeding said ribbon by a predetermined amount so as to incline said piles of said ribbon in a longitudinal direction of said ribbon.

7. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising the step of contacting said ribbon with a second thermal drum provided downstream from said first thermal drum to make the inclination of said piles of said ribbon uniform.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, further comprising the step of adjusting the tension of said ribbon with two tension rollers disposed respectively downstream said first and second thermal drums so as to adjust tension of said ribbon to control pressing forces of said ribbon against peripheral surfaces of said first and second drums.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising raising said piles of said ribbon before the step of contacting said piles of said ribbon with said first thermal drum.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein said raising step is performed by contacting said ribbon with a pair of raising rollers, one of which is rotated in the ribbon feeding direction while the other is rotated in an opposite direction to the ribbon feeding direction.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the inclination angle of said piles is in a range of 30°

to 80°

.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein said ribbon is formed of synthetic fibers of thermoplastic resin.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein said piles are 100 denier nylon and have a length of mm or more and less than the width of said ribbon.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein at least one of an anti-static compound and a conductive substance is added to the thermoplastic resin for destaticization.

15. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein said light-trapping members are attached to said film passage mouth by one of adhesive and ultrasonic welding.

16. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein, in said twisting step, said ribbon is at first twisted and then the twist of said ribbon is gradually released while said ribbon is moving in contact with said first thermal drum.