Active light locking camera closure and camera

A camera includes an closure having a frame with a pair of opposed tracks. The frame defines a passage for the cartridge and placements for open and closed active light lock states. The closure has a door with a pair of opposed margins in slideable engagement with the tracks. The door is slideable along the tracks from a closed position, to a locking position, and then to an open position. The closure has a driver having an active light lock key. The driver is movable relative to the frame from a first position in which the key is in a placement for the open state and a second position wherein the key is in a placement for the closed state. The sliding of the door from the closed position to the locking position moves the driver from the first position to the second position. Sliding of the door from the locking position to the open position retains the driver in the second position.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to photography and more particularly relates to 
active light lock mechanisms and cameras and components including such 
mechanisms. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
APS film cartridges have an active light lock that closes the film entrance 
of the cartridge. With an unexposed film cartridge, the active light lock 
can only be opened in the dark, since the film cartridge is not light 
tight with the active light lock open. The active light lock once opened 
will remain in that state. This is problematic in one-time use cameras, 
since the active light lock must be closed both before the cartridge 
chamber is opened and light is allowed to enter. 
It would thus be desirable to provide a camera and an improved camera 
closure which closes the active light lock when the closure is opened. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is defined by the claims. The invention, in its broader 
aspects, provides an improved camera and improved camera closure which, 
during opening, first closes the active light lock, then admits light. 
It is an advantageous effect of embodiments of the invention that a camera 
and closure are provided in which a frame has a pair of opposed tracks. 
The frame defines a passage for the cartridge and placements for open and 
closed active light lock states. The closure has a door with a pair of 
opposed margins in slideable engagement with the tracks. The door is 
slideable along the tracks from a closed position, to an locking position, 
and then to an open position. The closure has a driver having an active 
light lock key. The driver is movable relative to the frame from a first 
position in which the key is in a placement for the open state and a 
second position wherein the key is in a placement for the closed state. 
The sliding of the door from the closed position to the locking position 
moves the driver from the first position to the second position. Sliding 
of the door from the locking position to the open position retains the 
driver in the second position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The camera 10 of the invention has a body 12 that has a film cartridge 
chamber 14. Other camera 10 features such as the exposure system 16, 
viewfinder 18, and flash unit 20 shown in FIG. 1 are well known in the art 
and can be varied as desired. The camera 10 can be one-time use or 
reusable. One-time use is preferred, since the driver 54, discussed in 
detail below, is most easily provided as a separate part, which would make 
user film loading cumbersome. As is the case with other one-time use 
cameras, it is preferred that the film be prewound from the cartridge 22 
prior to use, to simplify film transport. 
The film cartridge 22 that the camera 10 uses has an active light lock 24. 
APS.TM. film is currently preferred. The active light lock 24 is movable 
from an open state to a closed state. In an APS cartridge 22, the light 
lock 24 is rotated for opening and closing. Other types of movement, for 
appropriate film cartridges, are within the scope of the invention. 
The camera 10 has a closure 26 that includes a frame 28 that adjoins the 
film cartridge chamber 14. The frame 28 can be a separate unit or can be 
continuous with the rest of the camera body 12. The frame 28 defines a 
passage 30 for the cartridge 22 into the chamber 14 and defines rotational 
positions of the active light lock 24 in the open and closed states. The 
frame 28 has an outer rim 32 and an inner rim 34. The inner rim 34 adjoins 
the passage 30. The frame 28 is roughly rectangular and has a pair of 
opposed tracks 36 on two of the sides of the frame 28. In the embodiment 
shown in the figures, the two rims 32,34 are close to together on those 
two sides. On a third side, the outer rim 32 is recessed and a curb 
portion 38 of the inner rim 34 is shaped to provide a first portion 39 of 
an end light lock 40. On the fourth side, the two rims 32,34 are spaced 
apart by a light-blocking bulkhead 42. 
The closure 26 has a door 44 that has about the same dimensions as the 
outer rim 32 of the track 36. The door 44 has a flat panel 46 and a pair 
of opposed margins 48 that are in slideable engagement with the tracks 36 
when the door 44 is in the frame 28. The door 44 has a brim 50, shown in 
FIG. 12, on an end that extends between the tracks 36. On the bottom of 
the door 44, spaced apart from the edges of the door 44 is an engagement 
member 52. The brim 50 is shaped to fit against the third side of the 
frame 28 and provide the other portion 41 of the end light-lock 40. The 
door 44 is slideable along the tracks 36 from a closed position, to an 
locking position, and then to an open position. In all of the positions, 
the margins 48 and tracks 36, where engaged, provide a light lock. When 
the door 44 is in the closed position, the curb portion 38 and brim 50 
form a light lock on the third side and the door panel 46, outer rim 32, 
and bulkhead 42 form a light lock on the fourth side. In the locking 
position, the curb portion 38 and door panel 46 form a light lock on the 
third side and the door panel 46 and bulkhead 42 provide a light lock on 
the fourth side. 
The closure 26 includes the driver 54 that has an active light lock key 56 
that meshes with and is releaseably held by the active light lock 24 of 
the cartridge 22. The driver 54 is shown in the figures as a loose part, 
but can be attached to the camera 10 by a flexible stay (not shown) or the 
like. The driver 54 has a pivot member 58 that extends outward from the 
key 56. In the embodiments shown in the figures, the pivot member 58 is 
recurvate and is roughly U-shaped with a first arm 60 that joins the key 
56 and a second arm 61 that has a contact portion 64 that touches the 
engagement member 52. The driver 54 is movable relative to the frame 28 
between a first position in which the active light lock 24 and key 56 are 
in the open state and a second position in which the active light lock 24 
and key 56 are in the closed state. In the embodiment shown in the 
figures, the movement of the driver 54 is a rotation about an axis of 
rotation of the active light lock 24, but movement of the driver 54 could 
be linear or some combination of movements depending upon the 
configuration of the active light lock 24 of the film cartridge 22. 
The pivot member 58 and engagement member 52 mechanically engage the door 
44 and the driver 54 during door 44 opening and closing. A variety of 
mechanism can be used for this purpose. The embodiments shown in the 
figures provide mechanical engagement by reciprocal teeth 66,67 on the 
engagement member 52 and pivot member 58, respectively. In the embodiment 
shown in FIGS. 1-10 and 12, the engagement member 52 and pivot member 58 
each have a single tooth 66,67. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the 
engagement member 52 is a toothed rack 68 and the pivot member 58 is a 
reciprocally toothed sector 70. Referring to FIGS. 3-7, the engagement 
member 52 and driver 54 coact to move the driver 54, in the direction of 
arrow "A", from a first position, shown in FIG. 3, to a second position, 
shown in FIG. 5, when the door 44 is slid from the closed position to the 
locking position. The active light lock 24 is in the open state when the 
driver 54 is in the first position. The active light lock 24 is in the 
closed state when the driver 54 is in the second position. Referring to 
FIGS. 5-6, the driver 54 remains in the second position when the door 44 
is moved, in the direction of arrow "A", from the locking position to the 
open position. The driver 54 also disengages from the engagement member 52 
when the door 44 is moved from the locking position to the open position. 
Free play is provided to allow the engagement member 52 to move past the 
driver 54. In the embodiments shown in the figures, the free play results 
from resilience of the driver 54, which allows the contact portion 64 to 
be bent aside to release the door 44, as shown in FIG. 6. Referring to 
FIGS. 8-10, the door 44 is reinserted and moved in the direction of arrow 
"B". The engagement member 52 moves the driver 54 into the first position, 
if necessary, and then retains the driver 54 in the first position until 
the door 44 reaches the closed position, as shown in FIG. 10. The contact 
portion 64 is resiliently bent toward the key 56 during this process, to 
allow the engagement member 52 to clear. The invention has been described 
in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments 
thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can 
be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.