Patent ID: 6217237
Filing Date: 2001-04-17
Classification: G03B

Abstract:
A spool case unit for a camera having a lens barrel and using a long and narrow film, which is located adjacent to the lens barrel of the camera, and which houses a spool shaft for winding up the long and narrow film, said spool case unit comprising:a pair of end walls respectively arranged at end sides of the film located in a width direction of the film wound onto the spool shaft, so as to face each other in a direction along a center line of rotation of the spool shaft, each of said pair of end walls having an engagement recess in each surface of said end walls, each of the engagement recesses being situated on an outer side of a maximum outer diameter of the wound film and extending along an outer circumferential surface of the wound film;a connecting member integrated with a part of each of said pair of end walls, the part being situated on an outer side of the maximum outer diameter of the film wound onto the spool shaft, extending between the parts of said pair of end walls, and connecting the parts of said pair of end walls to each other; andan elastic thin plate having a light shielding property and an elasticity, which constitutes a curved surface having a radius smaller than that of the engagement recess in a free state with respect to a center line of rotation of the spool shaft, and both ends of which in its width direction orthogonal to a circumferential direction of the curved surface are engaged with the engagement recesses while both ends of said elastic thin plate applies an elastic force to the engagement recesses from outside in the radial direction with respect to the center line of rotation of the spool shaft, as said pair of end walls are moved away from each other and said curved surface being elastically deformed to increase its diameter, thereby constituting a side wall surrounding a circumferential surface of the spool shaft by cooperating with said connecting member except for a film path for loading/unloading the film between said pair of end walls, thus defining a spool chamber for housing the spool shaft within the side wall.