Patent ID: 6055375
Filing Date: 2000-04-25
Classification: G03B

Abstract:
A photographic apparatus for use with self-developing film; said apparatus comprising:a light-tight housing assembly having a film unit exit for allowing the film units to exit said housing assembly;an exposure control assembly in said housing assembly for effecting an exposure cycle for exposing successive ones of a plurality of the film units stacked in said housing assembly;said exposure control assembly includes a shutter button;a spread roller assembly including a spread roller member for defining an nip through which each one of the film units passes for spreading the processing fluid in the film units;said spread roller member being rotatable for advancing and processing individual film units through the nip towards said exit;a manually operable drive mechanism is mounted in said housing assembly for bidirectional linear movement and carries a film pick at a proximal end thereof for engaging and advancing a topmost film unit of the film stack into the nip, and for rotatably driving said spread roller member in response to pulling of said drive mechanism by an operator to process the film unit and eject the same from said exit; and,an interlocking assembly cooperates with said shutter button and said drive mechanism to prevent said drive mechanism from moving until said shutter button is actuated, and preventing said drive mechanism from being reinserted into said housing assembly until said drive mechanism has been pulled sufficiently so that a film unit has been processed by said spread roller member and exits said housing assembly;said exposure control assembly includes a biased carriage assembly movable between ambient, strobe and strobe charge positions in response to manual displacement thereof.