Device in a camera for imparting pictures on a photographic film with a top-and-bottom indication

A transparent liquid container half-filled with opaque liquid is provided in front of a film in a camera body to cover a small portion of the area of a single frame. The shadow of the opaque liquid is recorded on the film when a focal plane shutter is opened to expose the film to take a picture. Alternatively, an arrow shaped rotatable member having a weighted tail end is provided in front of the film. The shadow of the opaque liquid or that of the arrow shaped member indicates the top and bottom of the picture recorded on the film.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a device for recording on a photographic film 
marks which indicate the top and bottom of pictures photographed thereon, 
and more particularly to a device provided in a camera body for recording 
on a photographic film loaded therein a mark which indicates the top and 
bottom of the picture photographed thereon when the picture is taken by 
the camera. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
It is sometimes desired that the top and bottom of pictures carried on a 
photographic film be indicated. For example, in a color printer in which 
color pictures are printed on a number of color papers from a color film 
which carries a number of negative images of color pictures, various kinds 
of correction are made to obtain color photographs of balanced color. Some 
corrections of color balance are made automatically when the top and 
bottom of the picture is known. In case of special scientific photos such 
as microscopic photos and photos of strata or the like, it is very 
difficult to discern the top and bottom of the pictures. Further, in case 
of transparencies for a slide projector, it if often desired that the top 
and bottom be indicated so that the transparencies will easily be oriented 
in the right position in the slide projector when they are projected. 
In view of the correction conducted in the color printer, the marks which 
indicate the top and bottom of the pictures should preferably be provided 
on the film in such a manner that the marks can be automatically detected 
in a color printer. For this reason, the marks should preferably be 
detectable by electro-optical detecting means. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a 
device for recording on a film marks, which indicate the top and bottom of 
the pictures photographed thereon, when the pictures are photographed 
thereon. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for 
recording on a film marks which indicate the top and bottom of the 
pictures photographed thereon and can be detected by electro-optical 
detecting means. 
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device for 
recording on a film marks which indicate that a picture is photographed in 
a horizontal position, namely, that the picture is photographed with the 
optical axis of the taking lens of the camera oriented vertically, as well 
as marks which indicate the top and bottom of the pictures. 
The above objects are accomplished by providing in a camera body a means 
which indicates the direction of gravitation. The means which indicates 
the direction of gravitation comprises, for instance, a transparent 
container half filled with an opaque liquid or an arrow one end of which 
is weighted. The half-filled liquid container is always filled with the 
opaque liquid in the lower half portion thereof, thereby indicating the 
top and bottom by the position of the liquid. The arrow which has a weight 
fixed at its tail end always indicates the direction of the top with its 
arrow head. 
The indicating means is provided in front of the film loaded in the camera 
and the shadow thereof is recorded on the film by use of light incident 
through the taking lens or a light introducing window of the camera or a 
light source particularly provided within the camera body. The shadow of 
the indicating means is recorded on the film in response to opening of the 
shutter or to turning on of the light source within the camera body. Thus, 
the mark which indicate the top and bottom of the picture is recorded on 
the film simultaneously with the taking of the picture. The marks may be 
recorded at the corner of picture frames or outside the picture frames. 
The number of the marks per frame need not be limited to one, but may be 
more than one.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
A first embodiment of the mark recording device in accordance with the 
present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 1, a 
rectangularly shaped frame made of square cross-sectioned transparent pipe 
constitutes a liquid container 10 which is half filled with opaque liquid 
12. The liquid container 10 has a flange 10a on the outer face thereof as 
shown in FIG. 2, which is fixed to an aperture frame 11 of a camera. Thus, 
the half filled liquid container 10 is mounted on the interior of an 
aperture frame 11. The liquid container 10 is located between a shutter 13 
and a film 14 as shown in FIG. 2 so that the shadow of the opaque liquid 
12 in the liquid container 10 may be recorded on the film 14 when the 
shutter 13 is opened. As shown in FIG. 1, the opaque liquid 12 occupies 
the lower half of the rectangularly shaped transparent liquid container 
10, and accordingly, is in the form of an angular U. Since the liquid 
container 10 is in the form of an endless pipe and the liquid 12 contained 
therein freely flows therethrough, the liquid 12 always occupies the lower 
half of the container 10. Therefore, from the position of the image of the 
opaque liquid 12 recorded on the film 14, it is possible to know the top 
and bottom of the image. Namely, the angular U shaped image of the opaque 
liquid 12 indicates the bottom of the picture photographed on the film 14. 
When the camera is in the position where the aperture frame 11, and 
accordingly the film 14 too, is on a horizontal plane, the liquid 
container 10 is horizontally oriented and accordingly the opaque liquid 12 
spreads over the entire area of the container 12. Thus, a rectangular 
image of the opaque liquid 12 is recorded on the film 14, which indicates 
that the photo was taken with the film oriented horizontally. 
Further, in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention 
hereinabove described, when the photo is taken with the camera body 
inclined forward at an angle, the length of the U-shaped shadow of the 
opaque liquid 12 increases. Therefore, the angle of the camera can be 
known from the length of the U-shaped mark recorded on the film 14. By 
providing scales on the transparent liquid container 10, it is possible to 
record the angle of inclination of the camera. 
FIGS. 3 to 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention which 
employs a cylindrical transparent liquid container 15 half filled with 
opaque liquid 16. The cylindrical transparent liquid container 15 is 
comprised of a cylindrical liquid receptacle portion having an open end 
and a cover 17 which closes said open end, and is positioned with the axis 
of the cylindrical portion oriented normal to the film plane as shown in 
FIG. 4. The container 15 has a foot 18 and is fixed thereby to a corner of 
the aperture of an aperture frame 11 located in front of a shutter 13 and 
a film 14 so that the shadow of the opaque liquid 16 in the transparent 
container 15 may be recorded in a corner of a picture photographed on the 
film 14. The opaque liquid 16 in the cylindrical container 15 is in the 
form of semi-circle which has its arc under its chord, the chord 
indicating a horizontal line. Therefore, by the shape of the semi-circle 
recorded on a film, the top and bottom of the picture are indicated. When 
the camera is positioned with its film plane oriented in a horizontal 
plane when a picture is taken, a circular mark is recorded on the film 14. 
In this embodiment, a plurality of cylindrical containers may be provided 
along the margin of the aperture of the aperture frame 11. By providing a 
plurality of cylindrical containers at different positions along the 
margin of the aperture, the chance of the mark being superimposed with a 
black portion of the picture and becoming nonrecognizable is greatly 
reduced. 
FIGS. 5 and 6 show alternative locations of the liquid container 15. In the 
alternative shown in FIG. 5, a rectangular cut-away portion 19 is formed 
at a corner of the aperture of the aperture frame 11. In the latter 
alternative shown in FIG. 6, a rectangular window 20 is provided in the 
aperture frame 11. In these alternatives, the mark is recorded on the film 
outside the picture frame thereof, and accordingly there is no fear of 
superimposition of the mark with a black portion of the picture. 
In the above described embodiments, the shadow of the opaque liquid 
contained in the transparent liquid container is recorded on the film when 
the shutter is opened by use of light incident through a taking lens of 
the camera. The light used for recording the mark on the film may be 
guided through a light introducing window particularly provided within the 
camera. Further, the light outside the camera can be introduced to the 
mark recording means by use of a light guide means such as a light guide 
of optical fibers. Alternatively, a light source may be provided within 
the camera body to record the mark on the film separately from the 
picture. In this case also, the shutter, if of focal plane type, used for 
photographing can be used to record the mark on the film. The light source 
may be a lamp or other electrically energized one. In this case, it is 
possible to record the mark on the film without using the shutter by 
electrically energizing the light source in synchronization with the 
release of the normal shutter. By providing the light source, it becomes 
possible to selectively record the mark on the film. In other words, when 
it is not necessary to record the mark in a corner of the picture, the 
light source is not energized. 
Further, it is also possible to use a non-electric light source which emits 
light without being supplied with electric power. An example of such a 
light source is a luminescent material which emits luminescence. FIG. 7 
illustrates an embodiment which employs the luminescent material as a 
light source. Referring to FIG. 7, a cylindrical liquid container 15 
half-filled with opaque liquid 16 is provided in front of a shutter 13 and 
a film 14. The front face 15a of the container 15 is provided thereon with 
a layer of luminescent material 21. Further, a coating of a light 
shielding material is applied over the luminescent material coating layer 
21 and the cylindrical container 15. Only the back face 15b of the 
container 15 is not provided with a coating to pass therethrough the light 
emitted from the luminescent layer 21 toward the film 14. When the shutter 
13 is opened, the shadow of the opaque liquid 16 is recorded on the film 
14 in the similar manner as that employed in the foregoing embodiment as 
shown in FIGS. 3 to 6. 
FIG. 8 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention which employs a 
spherical liquid container 23 half filled with opaque liquid 24. In 
accordance with this embodiment, the shape of the shadow of the opaque 
liquid 24 recorded on the film indicates the angle of the camera body. 
FIG. 9 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention which employs a 
mechanical gravitation indicating means. A weight 25 is fixed to the tail 
end of an arrow shaped member 26 which is rotatably mounted on a bracket 
28 by means of a universal bearing 27. The bracket 28 is fixed to a corner 
of the aperture of an aperture frame 11. Since the weight 25 tends to be 
at the lowest position, the arrow head 26a of the arrow shaped member 26 
always indicates the direction of the top of the picture photographed. The 
shadow of the arrow shaped member 26 is recorded on the film in a similar 
manner to that employed in the foregoing embodiments. When the picture is 
taken with the camera oriented horizontally, the shadow of the arrow 
shaped member 26 is superimposed with the shadow of the weight 25, which 
indicates that the picture was taken in the horizontal position. 
FIG. 10 shows another example of a mechanical gravity indicating means 
which can be employed in the present invention instead of the arrow shaped 
member 26. An isosceles triangular member, i.e. an arrow head shaped 
member, 29 has a hole 29a for pivotal mount thereof to a support. The 
position of the hole 29a is not at the center of gravitation so that the 
isosceles triangular member 29 may always indicate the direction of 
gravitation, i.e. the top and bottom. Namely, the hole 29a is positioned 
biased from the center of gravity toward the most acute apex of the 
isosceles triangle so that the apex will always indicate the direction of 
the top.