Abstract:
A camera for recording images of subjects on a light-sensitive substance, including an output source for producing a particular output that provides blank areas without image content in the recorded images to make write-on spaces available on prints corresponding to the recorded images, is characterized in that the output source is able to have its actual output varied in order to vary the blank areas from one recorded image to another and provide similar varied write-on spaces on prints corresponding to the recorded images, and a multi-position selector is coupled with the output source for movement to respective positions to vary the actual output of the output source.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to the field of photography, and in articular to cameras. More specifically, the invention relates to apparatus for providing varied length and/or varied location fogged write-on borders on film frames exposed in a camera. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is desirable to place written information on the face rather than on the back of photographic prints. Written information on the back of photographic prints is not visible when the prints are mounted in an album. 
     It has been proposed to provide a narrow white write-on border along the bottom edge portion of a photographic print. This allows written information to be placed on the face of the photographic print. 
     To obtain a write-on border for the photographic print, a camera for exposing latent images of subjects on a light-sensitive filmstrip includes a light source that is activated to fog respective bottom edge portions of the latent images during film movement in the camera. As a result, the bottom edge portions of the latent images are rendered indistinct or blank, i.e. without any image content, through exposure to light. This is further described in prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,705 issued Dec. 24, 1991. The size and the location of the fogged portions of the latent images and, thus, the size and location of the blank write-on portions for the photographic prints are always the same. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A camera for recording images of subjects on a light-sensitive substance, including an output source for producing a particular output that provides blank areas without image content in the recorded images to make write-on spaces available on prints corresponding to the recorded images, is characterized in that: 
     the output source is able to have its actual output varied in order to vary the blank areas from one recorded image to another and provide similar varied write-on spaces on prints corresponding to the recorded images; and 
     a multi-position selector is coupled with the output source for movement to respective positions to vary the actual output of the output source. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a rear elevation view of a opened camera according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an elevation view of a film cartridge and filmstrip to be used in the camera; 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic view of several components in the camera; 
     FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting operation of the camera; 
     FIG. 5 is a time-line diagram depicting operation of the camera; 
     and 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a longitudinal section of the filmstrip shown in FIG. 2; 
     FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are elevation views of successive film frames of the filmstrip, each having a different blank area without image content. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is disclosed as being embodied preferably in a camera. Because the features of a camera are generally known, the description which follows is directed in particular only to those elements forming part of or cooperating directly with the disclosed embodiment. It is to be understood, however, that other elements may take various forms known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
     Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a camera 10 comprising a cartridge receiving chamber 12 for receiving a known film cartridge 14, a backframe opening 16 at which successive film frames, e.g. 18 and 20, of a filmstrip 22 from the film cartridge are exposed when a shutter 24 is momentarily removed from behind a taking lens (not shown), and an exposed film take-up chamber 26 in which the filmstrip is incrementally wound in a roll following each film exposure. FIG. 2 shows the film frames 18 and 20 with exposed latent images 28 and 30 as they would be oriented (upside down) in the camera 10. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 6, the camera 10 further includes a known light emitter 32 and light detector 34 for sensing successive identical-pitch perforations 36 in the filmstrip 22 and inputting each perforation sensing to a known microprocessor 38, a motor 40 controlled via the microprocessor for advancing the filmstrip successive frame increments from the film cartridge 14 to the exposed film take-up chamber 26 following each exposure, a film edge-exposing light-emitting diode (LED) 42 turned &#34;On&#34; and &#34;Off&#34; via the microprocessor , and a multi-position manual selector 44 that inputs the selected position to the microprocessor. 
     As is conventional, the filmstrip 22 has eight perforations 36 per film frame. In FIG. 6, eight perforations for the film frame 20 are indicated as 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, 20-5, 20-6, 20-7 and 20-8. If, as shown in FIG. 4, the motor 40 is &#34;On&#34; to advance the filmstrip 22 one frame increment, it will be turned &#34;Off&#34; when the light detector 34 inputs eight perforation sensings to the microprocessor 38. Thus, in FIG. 2, the film frame 20 will be positioned for exposure in the backframe opening 16 after the light detector 34 inputs the eight perforation 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, 20-5, 20-6, 20-7 and 20-8 sensings to the microprocessor 38. 
     As shown in FIG. 6, the interframe width dimension 46, i.e. the distance between successive film frames, is less than the pitch dimension 48 of the film frames. The width of the LED 42+the interframe width dimension 46=the pitch dimension 48. 
     Operation 
     As shown in FIGS. 1-7, when the multi-position manual selector 44 is in a &#34;Full&#34; selection-position, it inputs that selected position to the microprocessor 38. If the motor 40 is turned &#34;On&#34; to advance the filmstrip 22 a single frame increment, i.e. eight perforations 36, and the light detector 34 inputs a perforation count of &#34;1&#34; to the microprocessor 38, the LED 42 is turned &#34;On&#34;. When the light detector 34 inputs a perforation count of &#34;8&#34; to the microprocessor 38, the motor 40 and the LED 42 are turned &#34;Off&#34;. While the motor 40 and the LED 42 are &#34;On&#34;, the LED fogs an edge portion of the latent image in the film frame that is being moved out of the backframe opening 16. In FIGS. 2 and 7, the LED 42 has fogged an edge portion 50 of the latent image 30 in the film frame 18 as the film frame is moved out of the backframe opening 16. The fogged portion 50 is used to make a blank write-on border available on a print corresponding to the latent image 28, as described in prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,705 issued Dec. 24, 1991. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1-5 and 8, when the multi-position manual selector 44 is in a &#34;Right&#34; selection-position, it inputs that selected position to the microprocessor 38. If the motor 40 is turned &#34;On&#34; to advance the filmstrip 22 a single frame increment, i.e. eight perforations 36, and the light detector 34 inputs a perforation count of &#34;5&#34; to the microprocessor 38, the LED 42 is turned &#34;On&#34;. When the light detector 34 inputs a perforation count of &#34;8&#34; to the microprocessor 38, the motor 40 and the LED 42 are turned &#34;Off&#34;. While the motor 40 and the LED 42 are &#34;On&#34;, the LED fogs an edge portion of the latent image in the film frame that is being moved out of the backframe opening 16. In FIGS. 2 and 8, the LED 42 has fogged an edge portion 52 of the latent image 30 in the film frame 20 as the film frame is moved out of the backframe opening 16. The fogged portion 52 is used to make a blank write-on border available on a print corresponding to the latent image 30, as described in prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,705 issued Dec. 24, 1991. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1, 3-5 and 9, when the multi-position manual selector 44 is in a &#34;Center&#34; selection-position, it inputs that selected position to the microprocessor 38. If the motor 40 is turned &#34;On&#34; to advance the filmstrip 22 a single frame increment, i.e. eight perforations 36, and the light detector 34 inputs a perforation count of &#34;3&#34; to the microprocessor 38, the LED 42 is turned &#34;On&#34;. When the light detector 34 inputs a perforation count of &#34;6&#34; to the microprocessor 38, the LED 42 is turned &#34;Off&#34;. The motor 40 continues &#34;On&#34; until the light detector 34 inputs a perforation count of &#34;8&#34; to the microprocessor 38. While the motor 40 and the LED 42 are &#34;On&#34;, the LED fogs an edge portion of the latent image in the film frame that is being moved out of the backframe opening 16. In FIG. 9, the LED 42 has fogged an edge portion 54 of a latent image 56 in a film frame 58 as the film frame is moved out of the backframe opening 16. The fogged portion 54 is used to make a blank write-on border available on a print corresponding to the latent image 56, as described in prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,705 issued Dec. 24, 1991. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1, 3-5 and 10, when the multi-position manual selector 44 is in a &#34;Left&#34; selection-position, it inputs that selected position to the microprocessor 38. If the motor 40 is turned &#34;On&#34; to advance the filmstrip 22 a single frame increment, i.e. eight perforations 36, and the light detector 34 inputs a perforation count of &#34;1&#34; to the microprocessor 38, the LED 42 is turned &#34;On&#34;. When the light detector 34 inputs a perforation count of &#34;4&#34; to the microprocessor 38, the LED 42 is turned &#34;Off&#34;. The motor 40 continues &#34;On&#34; until the light detector 34 inputs a perforation count of &#34;8&#34; to the microprocessor 38. While the motor 40 and the LED 42 are &#34;On&#34;, the LED fogs an edge portion of the latent image in the film frame that is being moved out of the backframe opening 16. In FIG. 10, the LED 42 has fogged an edge portion 60 of a latent image 62 in a film frame 64 as the film frame is moved out of the backframe opening 16. The fogged portion 60 is used to make a blank write-on border available on a print corresponding to the latent image 62, as described in prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,705 issued Dec. 24, 1991. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3-5, when the multi-position manual selector 44 is in a &#34;Off&#34; selection-position, it inputs that selected position to the microprocessor 38. If the motor 40 is turned &#34;On&#34; to advance the filmstrip 22 a single frame increment, i.e. eight perforations 36, the LED 42 is prevented from being turned &#34;On&#34;. When the light detector 34 inputs a perforation count of &#34;8&#34; to the microprocessor 38, the motor 40 is turned &#34;Off&#34;. Since the LED 42 is never &#34;On&#34;, there is no fogging of an edge portion of the latent image in the film frame that is being moved out of the backframe opening 16. 
     The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications can be effected by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the instead of the camera exposing latent images of subjects on a light-sensitive filmstrip, the camera can expose electronic images on a CCD. 
     PARTS LIST 
     10. camera 
     12. cartridge receiving chamber 
     14. film cartridge 
     16. backframe opening 
     18. film frame 
     20. film frame 
     20-1. first perforation for the film frame 20 
     20-2. second perforation for the film frame 20 
     20-3. third perforation for the film frame 20 
     20-4. fourth perforation for the film frame 20 
     20-5. fifth perforation for the film frame 20 
     20-6. sixth perforation for the film frame 20 
     20-7. seventh perforation for the film frame 20 
     20-8. eighth perforation for the film frame 20 
     22. filmstrip 
     24. shutter 
     26. exposed film take-up chamber 
     28. latent image 
     30. latent image 
     32. light emitter 
     34. light detector 
     36. film perforations 
     38. microprocessor 
     40. motor 
     42. LED 
     44. multi-position selector 
     46. interframe width dimension 
     48. pitch dimension 
     50. fogged edge portion 
     52. fogged edge portion 
     54. fogged edge portion 
     56. latent image 
     58. film frame 
     60. fogged edge portion 
     62. latent image 
     64. film frame