One-time-use camera in which lens removed with cover part during camera disassembly

A one-time-use camera capable of being disassembled and comprising a main body part, a lens secured releasably to the main body part to permit the lens to be released from the main body part during camera disassembly, and a cover part separable from the main body part during camera disassembly, is characterized in that the lens is connected with the cover part to cause the lens to be released from the main body part when the cover part is separated from the main body part during camera disassembly. This facilitates camera disassembly.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates generally to the field of photography, and in 
articular to one-time-use cameras. More specifically, the invention 
relates to a ne-time-use camera in which at least one of its lenses is 
automatically removed ith one of its cover parts during camera 
disassembly. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Film and cameras that are all in one, commonly referred to as single-use or 
one-time-use cameras, have become well known. The one-time-use camera is a 
simple point-and-shoot type comprising an opaque plastic main body part 
that supports a conventional film cartridge in a cartridge receiving 
chamber, an unexposed film roll prewound from the film cartridge onto a 
film supply spool in a film supply chamber, a fixed-focus taking lens, a 
film metering mechanism with a rotatably supported metering sprocket that 
engages the filmstrip, a manually rotatable film winding thumbwheel 
rotatably engaged with a film take-up spool inside the film cartridge, a 
single-blade shutter, a manually depressible shutter release button, a 
rotatable frame counter for indicating the number of exposures remaining 
to be made on the filmstrip, a direct see-through viewfinder having front 
and rear viewfinder lenses, and in some models an electronic flash. A pair 
of opaque plastic front and rear cover parts house the main body part 
between them to complete the camera unit. The rear cover part connects to 
the main body part and/or to the front cover part to make the main body 
part light-tight. A decorative cardboard outer box or label at least 
partially covers the camera unit and has respective openings for the 
taking lens, etc. 
After each picture is taken with the one-time-use camera, the photographer 
manually rotates the thumbwheel in a film winding direction to similarly 
rotate the film take-up spool inside the film cartridge. This winds an 
exposed frame of the filmstrip into the film cartridge. The rewinding 
movement of the filmstrip the equivalent of slightly more than one frame 
width rotates the metering sprocket in engagement with the filmstrip to 
decrement the frame counter to its next lower-numbered setting and to 
pivot a metering lever into engagement with the thumbwheel in order to 
prevent further manual rotation of the thumbwheel. Manually depressing the 
shutter release button to take another picture pivots the metering lever 
out of engagement with the thumbwheel to permit renewed rotation of the 
thumbwheel. When the maximum number of exposures available on the 
filmstrip have been made, and the filmstrip is completely wound into the 
film cartridge, the one-time-use camera is given to a photofinisher who 
tears the outer box off the camera unit, separates the rear cover part 
from the main body part, and removes the film cartridge with the exposed 
filmstrip from the cartridge receiving chamber. Then, he removes the 
exposed filmstrip from the film cartridge to develop the latent images and 
make prints for the customer. 
It is the practice that the entire camera is disassembled, in order that at 
least some of the used camera parts may be recycled, i.e. reused. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to one aspect of the invention, a one-time-use camera capable of 
being disassembled and comprising a main body part, a lens secured 
releasably to the main body part to permit the lens to be released from 
the main body part during camera disassembly, and a cover part separable 
from the main body part during camera disassembly, is characterized in 
that: 
the lens is connected with the cover part to cause the lens to be released 
from the main body part when the cover part is separated from the main 
body part during camera disassembly. This facilitates camera disassembly. 
According to another aspect of the invention, a method of disassembling a 
one-time-use camera including a lens secured releasably to a main body 
part to permit the lens to be released from the main body part during 
camera disassembly, and a cover part separable from the main body part 
during camera disassembly, comprises the steps: 
separating the cover part from the main body part; and 
maintaining a connection between the cover part and the lens when the cover 
part is separated from the main body part to cause the lens to be released 
from the main body part.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is disclosed as being embodied preferably in a onetime-use 
camera. Because the features of a one-time-use 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. 1-6 show a one-time-use camera 10. The 
one-time-use camera 10 includes a plastic opaque main body part 12, a 
plastic opaque front cover part 14, and a plastic opaque rear cover part 
16. The front cover part 14 and the rear cover part 16 house the main body 
part 12 between them and are connected releasably to one another via two 
pairs of end hooks 18, 18, 18, 18 on the front cover part and 
corresponding pairs of mating end holes 20, 20, 20, 20 in the rear cover 
part. See FIGS. 1 and 3. The front cover part 14 is connected releasably 
to the main body part 12 via two end hooks 22 (only one shown) on the 
front cover part and corresponding mating end cavities 24 (only one shown) 
in the main body part. See FIGS. 1 and 3. The respective connections 
releasably between the front and rear cover parts 14 and 16, and 
releasably between the front cover part and the main body part 12, are 
known connections. 
The main body part 12 has a rearwardly open cartridge receiving chamber 26 
for a conventional 35mm film cartridge 28 and a rearwardly open film 
supply chamber 30 that contains a rotatably supported film supply spool 
(not shown). See FIG. 1. During manufacture, a filmstrip 32 is prewound 
from the film cartridge 28 into an unexposed film roll 34 on the film 
supply spool. A rearwardly open backframe opening (not shown) is located 
between the cartridge receiving chamber 26 and the film supply chamber 30 
for exposing successive frames of the filmstrip 32 when ambient light is 
received through a front aperture 36 in the main body part 12. See FIG. 3. 
A film winding thumbwheel 38, rotatably supported on the main body part 12, 
protrudes outwardly from a slot 40 in the rear cover part 16 and has a 
depending coaxial stem (not shown) in coaxial engagement with an exposed 
top end (not shown) of a film take-up spool inside the film cartridge 28. 
See FIG. 1. Manual winding rotation of the film winding thumbwheel 38, 
counter-clockwise in FIG. 1, similarly rotates the film take-up spool 
inside the film cartridge 28 to wind each exposed frame of the filmstrip 
32 into the film cartridge and to move a fresh frame of the filmstrip from 
the unexposed film roll 34 on the film supply spool to the backframe 
opening. 
A front viewfinder lens 42 has a first set of flexible hook-shaped 
projections (snap-hooks) 44 and 46 that are received in corresponding 
mating holes 48 and 50 in the main body part 12 to engage (interlock) the 
front viewfinder lens releasably with the main body part. See FIGS. 1-5. 
The front view finder lens 42 has a second set of rigid hook-shaped 
projections 52 and 54 that engage corresponding complementarily-shaped 
projections 56 and 58 on the front cover part 14. See FIG. 5. The 
complementarily-shaped projections 56 and 58 are at a lens opening 60 for 
the front viewfinder lens 42 in the front cover part 14. The first set of 
hook-shaped projections 44 and 46 extend parallel to the second set of 
hook-shaped projections 52 and 54 and are longer than the first set of 
hook-shaped projections. The terms "parallel" and "longer" refer to 
extension of the first and second sets of hook-shaped projections 44 and 
46 and 58 and 58 horizontally in FIG. 5. 
A flash cover lens 62 for a known electronic flash 64 on the main body part 
12 has a set of flexible hook-shaped projections (snap-hooks) 66 and 68 
that are received in corresponding mating holes 70 (only one shown) in a 
flash circuit board 72 to engage (interlock) the flash cover lens 
releasably with the flash circuit board. See FIGS. 1-4. 
A taking lens 76 has a set of rigid radial projections 76, 78 and 80 that 
engage releasably with corresponding mating projections 82, 84 and 86 
within a nest 88 on the main body part 12. 
A rear viewfinder lens 90 has a set of flexible hook-shaped projections 
(snap-hooks) 94 and 96 that are received in corresponding mating holes 94 
and 96 in the main body part 12 to engage (interlock) the rear viewfinder 
lens releasably with the main body part. See FIGS. 1-4. 
When the maximum number of exposures available on the filmstrip 32 have 
been made, and the filmstrip is completely wound into the film cartridge 
28, the one-time-use camera 10 must be opened to remove the film cartridge 
with the exposed filmstrip from the cartridge receiving chamber 26. Then, 
the one-time-use camera 10 is disassembled to recycle at least some of the 
camera parts. 
A method of disassembling the one-time-use camera 10 includes the following 
steps. Disconnecting the two pairs of end hooks 18, 18, 18, 18 on the 
front cover part 14 from the respective pairs of end holes 20, 20, 20, 20 
in the rear cover part 16, and disconnecting the two end hooks 22 (only 
one shown) on the front cover part from the respective end cavities 24 
(only one shown) in the main body part 12. Separating (pulling away) the 
front cover part 14 from the main body part 12 as shown in FIG. 6. When 
the front cover part 14 is pulled away from the main body part 12 as shown 
in FIG. 6, the first set of flexible hook-shaped projections (snap-hooks) 
44 and 46 on the front viewfinder lens 42 are automatically pulled out of 
the respective mating holes 48 and 50 in the main body part 12, owing to 
the remaining connection of the rigid hook-shaped projections 52 and 54 on 
the front viewfinder lens with the complementarily-shaped projections 56 
and 58 on the front cover part. Thus, the front viewfinder lens 42 is 
automatically released from the main body part 12 when the front cover 
part 14 is separated from the main body part as shown in FIG. 6. 
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, in addition to (or alternatively 
in place of) disconnecting the front viewfinder lens 42 from the main body 
part 12 when the front cover part 14 is pulled away from the main body 
part as shown in FIG. 6, the flash cover lens 62 and/or the taking lens 74 
can be connected to the front cover part similar to the way the front 
viewfinder lens is connected to the front cover part, in order to 
disconnect the flash cover lens from the flash circuit board 72 and/or to 
disconnect the taking lens from the main body part when the front cover 
part is pulled away from the main body part. Also, the rear viewfinder 
lens 90 can connected to the rear cover part 16 similar to the way the 
front viewfinder lens 42 is connected to the front cover part 14, in order 
to disconnect the rear viewfinder lens from the main body part 12 when the 
rear cover part is separated from the main body part. 
TS LIST 
10. one-time-use camera 
12. main body part 
14. front cover part 
16. rear cover part 
18. end hooks 
20. mating end holes 
22. end hooks 
24. mating end cavities 
26. cartridge receiving chamber 
28. film cartridge 
30. film supply chamber 
32. filmstrip 
34. unexposed film roll 
36. front aperture 
38. film winding thumbwheel 
40. slot 
42. front viewfinder lens 
44. hook-shaped projection 
46. hook-shaped projection 
48. mating hole 
50. mating hole 
52. hook-sha ped projection 
54. hook-shaped projection 
56. complementarily-shaped projection 
58. complementarily-shaped projection 
60. lens opening 
62. flash cover lens 
64. electronic flash 
66. hook-shaped projection 
68. hook-shaped projection 
70. mating holes 
72. flash circuit board 
74. taking lens 
76. radial projection 
78. radial projection 
80. radial projection 
82. mating projection 
84. mating projection 
86. mating projection 
88. nest 
90. rear viewfinder lens 
92. hook-shaped projection 
94. hook-shaped projection 
96. mating hole 
98. mating hole