Camera adaptor kit

A camera having a flash for illuminating an object to be photographed includes a film cassette inside the camera housing. A template is located within the film cassette to overlie a stack of film units during their sequential exposure. The template includes an opaque section with transparent portions to cause an identifying indicia to be produced on any resulting photograph. A reflector is mounted on the camera outside of the field of view of its objective lens and intermediate the flash and the object to be photographed, to reflect a portion of the light from the flash back through the camera lens to impinge on the template. The result, in the developed film unit, is increased contrast in the section of the photograph underlying the template between the opaque and transparent portions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a kit for use with a camera to imprint indicia on 
a film unit when it is exposed. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
For various reasons it is often desirable for the owner to be able to 
identify the source of photographs. The "source" in this context may mean 
the location where the photograph was taken, the person taking the 
photograph, the owner, or the commercial entity supplying the photograph. 
A specific example of why a photograph might be labeled with the indica of 
the supplier is in commercial real estate. A potential buyer or lessee may 
be working with a plurality of real estate personnel from diverse real 
estate agencies. The customer might have a plurality of photographs of 
suitable locations from each of the various realtors. However, after a 
period of time the customer may forget which realtor supplied him with a 
given photograph. This could create problems for both the real estate 
agent and the customer in formalizing a final arrangement. Where the 
source is identified on the photograph the problem will not exist. 
Numerous other problems of this kind are apparent to any casual observer of 
commercial or artistic representations made by photographs. Accordingly, 
there is a need to label the individual photographs with names or other 
indicia at the time the photographs are presented for consideration. 
Obviously, this can be done by stick-on labels, writing on the back of the 
photograph or other means, but these are time consuming, inconvenient and 
often forgotten. 
The need is to have an automatic identification logo printed directly on 
the face of the photograph at the time the film unit is exposed and that 
has been done. An example is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,930 which 
discloses mounting a template to overlie the dark slide of a film pack 
inside a camera. The only internal change in structure is the overlying 
template. The template itself is transparent with opaque indicia. Thereby 
it screens one part of the underlying film unit from light entering the 
lens while exposing the remainder of the film unit. The patent discloses 
an additional structural unit, external of the camera, which is mounted in 
front of a source of artificial illumination and channels light in a 
particular way into the camera. Its purpose is to modify the background 
portion of the photograph surrounding the object to be photographed. 
Another manner for providing a film edge logo, copyright notice, or other 
desired indicia is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,493 which provides a 
template overlying the film unit and a light path which directs light 
around a conventional dark slide before it impinges on the template. The 
template itself is a slide which is secured to a film holder and the 
ambient light bypasses the dark slide to expose a specific area along one 
edge of the film unit. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,176 discloses a kit comprised of a template for 
imprinting indicia on an instant film unit and a reflector mounted in the 
field of view of the camera's lens for directing a portion of the light 
from a flash unit back into the camera's lens. 
A problem which exists with a structure using an indicia bearing template 
is that the opaque portion of the template blocks a part of the underlying 
film unit and that creates a dark or unexposed section in the resulting 
photograph. In order for the indicia to be visible within this dark 
section it is necessary to expose (or overexpose) that portion of the film 
unit by using light passing through the lens at the time of the opening of 
the shutter. Where the portion of the film unit recording the reflected 
light from the subject being photographed is from an area which is itself 
dark, e.g., black street pavement, the intensity of the image light which 
penetrates the transparent indicia of the template may be too low. As a 
result, the indicia in the photograph may not contrast well with the 
surrounding background and may be unintelligible. 
What is needed is a mechanism for insuring that adequate light passes 
through the lens to properly expose the template area and insure that the 
indicia is recorded on the film unit with sufficient contrast vis-a-vis 
the non-exposed area of the film unit. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention discloses an improved and superior apparatus for providing 
the improved indicia on each successive film unit. To accomplish this 
result, a template is located in superposition with a film unit in a film 
cassette and a light reflector is mounted on the front of the camera. 
The template for this invention is manually positioned in the film cassette 
prior to its insertion into a camera and the film units themselves will be 
separated from the template by a conventional dark slide, which dark slide 
is removed only after the film pack is in operative position within a 
lighttight camera housing. 
The camera involved with this invention is a conventional self-developing 
or instant camera and it includes a shutter, a lens, a source of 
artificial light, and a film loading door. 
A light reflector is mounted on the camera forward of both the lens and the 
source of artificial light and between the lens and the object to be 
photographed. The reflector is mounted on the front of the camera at a 
location outside the field of view of the objective lens, but within the 
field illuminated by the source of artificial light, and the reflector is 
so located and configured as to reflect some of the light from the source 
of artificial illumination to the lens. Thus, the light from the 
reflector, in addition to the light from the scene, causes exposure of 
portions of the film unit underlying the transparent portions of the 
template defining the logo or indicia even though the area in question, in 
the lens viewing field, may be dark. 
An object of the invention is to provide a kit for adapting a camera for 
use in producing a film unit having indicia at a lower end of the image 
therein, which indicia is clearly discernible against its background. 
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part 
appear hereinafter. 
The invention comprises the apparatus possessing the construction, 
combination of elements and arrangement of parts which are exemplified in 
the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the application of 
which will be indicated in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Observing particularly FIGS. 1 and 2, a camera 10 includes a lighttight 
housing 12 having an eye piece 14 to the rear and an objective lens 16 on 
the front. 
A conventional source of artificial light is shown mounted on the top of 
the camera, in this case a replaceable flash bar 18. A conventional strobe 
light could be substituted for the flash bar 18 if desired without 
departing from the inventive concept. 
The lighttight housing 12 includes a forwardly extending apron 20 
projecting below and beyond the forward edge of the lens 16. A film 
cassette loading door 22 includes a pair of laterally spaced hinges (not 
shown) for pivotally coupling it at 17 (FIG. 2) to the housing 12 for 
clockwise movement from its closed position (shown in FIG. 2) to a loading 
position. The loading door 22 carries a pair of superposed rollers 19 
which are adapted to rupture a container of processing liquid located on 
an end of an exposed film unit and spread its contents between layers of 
the film unit to initiate the formation of a visible image therein while 
simultaneously advancing the film unit to the exterior of the camera 10. 
The camera 10 is of the type formerly manufactured by the Polaroid 
Corporation and sold under the trademark "Pronto!" 
The internal parts of the camera within the housing are conventional and 
they are not shown. They will include a shutter which may be activated by 
an external trigger or button (not shown) on one side of the external 
surface of the housing. Activation of the camera in conventional manner by 
pressing the shutter button causes the source of artificial light 18 to 
flash and the shutter to open for a predetermined period of time. Light 
from the artificial source 18 travels to the object 26 to be photographed 
and light is reflected back from the object 26 through the objective lens 
16 to a reflex mirror inside the camera housing and then onto the surface 
of a film unit. 
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a conventional film cassette 28 including a 
generally rectangular frame having a trailing end wall 30, a leading end 
wall 32, side walls 34 and 36, and forward and rear walls 33 and 35, 
respectively. The forward wall 33, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, includes an 
upwardly extending flange or rib 37 which substantially defines four sides 
of an exposure aperture 38. The film cassette 28 includes a resilient 
platen which supports a stack of film units 40 in position to receive the 
reflected light from the mirror within the camera housing. 
A slot 42 in the leading end wall 32 of the film cassette allows the 
uppermost film unit 40 to be ejected from the film cassette 28 by a pick 
(not shown) which may move longitudinally through a gap 44 in the trailing 
end wall 30 and the forward wall 33 and into engagement with a trailing 
edge of the exposed film unit. The pick is conventional and is initially 
used to remove a dark slide at the top of the stack of film units when the 
cassette is initially inserted into the camera housing and the loading 
door 22 closed. After the dark slide is removed, the uppermost film unit 
40 is properly oriented in position within the cassette 28 to receive 
light via the exposure aperture 38. 
In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3, the film cassette 28 is 
adapted to receive a template 46 along one edge of the exposure aperture 
38. The template 46 is of a dark or opaque construction and includes a 
transparent or cutout portion 48, in this case an indicia reading ACE-70. 
The indicia 48 may be any particular designation including the name of the 
photographer, a trademark logo, a copyright notice or any other 
identifying mark. The particular indicia shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is for 
illustrative purposes only. 
Note, that the template in FIG. 3 is a single narrow strip which is to be 
mounted along one edge of the exposure aperture 38, while the same strip 
is shown in FIG. 4 as being attached to or formed integrally with a 
transparent sheet to define a larger template 50 which is dimensioned to 
fit within the exposure aperture 38 but out of alignment with the gap 44. 
The particular means for mounting the templates 46 and 50 within the film 
cassette 28 is not critical to this invention and any desirable means may 
be employed. For example, the template 46 may have a length substantially 
equal to, or slightly less than, the width of the exposure aperture 38, as 
measured between the sides 34 and 36 of the cassette 28. Longitudinal 
movement of the template 46 toward the cassette's leading end wall 32 as a 
result of any underlying element, e.g., a dark slide or film unit, being 
moved out of the cassette 28 via the slot 42 is precluded by the 
engagement between a leading edge 39 of the template and an adjacent edge 
41 of the exposure aperture 38. When the template 46 is properly located 
within the exposure aperture 38, engagement between the ends of the 
template 46 and the adjacent vertical surfaces of the rib 37 will deter 
lateral movement of the template 46. As regard the template 50 in FIG. 4, 
its width is the same as the length of the previously described template 
46 shown in FIG. 3. The longitudinal dimension of the template 50, as 
measured between its leading and trailing edges 39 and 43 is substantially 
equal to or slightly less than the corresponding distance between the 
laterally extending portion 41 of the rib 37 and the internal surface of 
the portion 47 of the rib 37, thus preventing relative longitudinal 
movement. The template 50 may also include a cutout 45 for providing 
additional clearance for the camera's pick or film advancing means. 
Looking again to FIGS. 1 and 2, a reflector 52 of generally L-shaped 
configuration is mounted on the camera sandwiched between the loading door 
22 and the apron 20. That is, a horizontal leg 54 of the reflector 52 
includes a hook 56 on its free end which slides into place below a shelf 
58 on the film pack loading door 22. Thereby, the reflector 52 will be 
locked into operative position with its vertically extending leg 60 
extending upwardly generally perpendicular to axis 62 of the field of view 
64 of the lens 16, but outside of said field of view. It will be noted 
that the field of illumination 66 of the source of artificial light 18 
defines a much larger angle than the field of view 64 of the lens 16 and 
thus, some of the light from the flash 18 will impinge on and be reflected 
from the reflector 52 to the objective lens 16, as indicated generally by 
a line 68 illustrating one path for such light. 
Experiments have been conducted both where the reflector 52 is located 
within the field of view 64 as in the aforementioned '176 patent and where 
it is outside the field of view 64. Superior results have been achieved 
when the reflector 52 is located outside the field of view 64. The reasons 
for the result are not fully understood. 
Reflector 52 is coated with a finish which will diffuse any of the 
artificial light incident thereon during exposure. White gloss enamel 
paint has been found to provide adequate diffusion of the artificial 
light. It has been discovered that excellent results are obtained with 
white glass enamel paint but disappointing results are obtained with 
surfaces which provide for specular reflection rather than a diffused 
reflection. 
In operation, the film cassette 28 is inserted into the camera housing 12 
through door 22 in conventional fashion and the dark slide (not shown) 
covering the first film unit 40 is automatically removed in conventional 
fashion upon the loading door 22 being closed. At such time as it is 
desirable to photograph an object 26, the object is viewed through the eye 
piece 14 and the shutter actuation button is depressed to trigger the 
opening of the shutter and to activate the flash unit 18. Light from the 
source of artificial light 18 and any natural light is reflected from the 
object 26 through the objective lens 16 to a mirror within the housing 12 
and then to the film unit 40. Simultaneously, some of the artificial light 
from source 18 travels along, e.g., the path 68, to the reflector 52 and 
is reflected backwardly through the objective lens 16 to the top area of 
the mirror and then to the bottom end of the film unit 40 (left end as 
viewed in FIG. 3), thereby insuring that adequate illumination passes to 
the template 46 and through the indicia 48 to properly expose the film 
unit 40 underlying the template 46 such that the contrast with adjacent 
portions beneath the opaque portions of the template allows one to read 
the indicia as developed on the film unit 40. Note, this superposed 
indicia will appear at the bottom of the scene in the photograph when the 
camera 10 is held as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5. Since this portion of the 
scene generally is the darkest insofar as it is usually the ground, the 
additional reflected light provided by the reflector 52 enhances the 
contrast between the indicia and the surrounding scene. 
Looking now to FIG. 5, an alternative embodiment of an L-shaped reflector 
52' is mounted on the apron 29 of the camera housing 12 by a different 
mechanism. The L-shaped reflector of the FIG. 5 embodiment includes the 
same horizontal leg 54 (although it may have a slight upward tilt to 
accommodate the angled apron) and the same vertical leg 60. However, it is 
attached to the camera housing by having depending flanges 70 
spring-biased inwardly to grip the sides 72 of the apron. This particular 
embodiment allows the reflector unit 52' to be mounted on the camera 
housing without the necessity of opening the loading door 22. The flanges 
70 merely provide a frictional grip for the reflector 52' on the sides of 
the apron and may be mounted or demounted by a simple hand operation. 
In the embodiments illustrated, rays of light 68 from the reflector 52' 
enter the lens 16 at a location near the lens' top. Accordingly, the rays 
of light reflected from the internal mirror impinge with greatest 
intensity on the film unit 40 covered by the template 46 which, in the 
illustrated embodiments, is the lower part of the field of view 64 from 
the lens 16. 
Since certain changes may be made in the above described apparatus without 
departing from the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended 
that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the 
accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a 
limiting sense.