Lens-fitted photographic film unit with picture frame size changing device

A picture frame size changing device for a lens-fitted photographic film unit has a pair of exposure aperture masking plates which are pivotally mounted in a light-shielding box disposed in front of an exposure aperture. The masking plates define a picture frame size which has a different aspect ratio from that of the exposure aperture. A finder mask is mounted on a front cover of the film unit, which is manually operable to be inserted in front of an objective window of a viewfinder. A lever mechanism for interconnecting the finder mask with one of the mask plates is mounted on the outside of the light-shielding box. The light-shielding box is incorporated into a photograph-taking unit having an exposure mechanism and a viewfinder optical system mounted thereon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a device for changing the size of picture 
frames to be formed on photographic film by changing exposure aperture 
size, and also relates to a lens-fitted photographic film unit having such 
a device. 
2. Related Art 
Compact cameras having a picture frame size changing device are known, 
wherein either full size photography or panoramic photography may be 
practiced, and the field of view of the viewfinder is also changed to 
correspond to either the full size or the panoramic size photographic 
field. 
In one of the known compact cameras having such a picture frame size 
changing device and an Albada-type inverted Galilean viewfinder, a 
reticule lens for displaying a panoramic field of view is provided in 
addition to a reticule lens for displaying a standard field of view having 
an aspect ratio for full size, and the panoramic reticule lens is 
removably insertable into the optical system of the viewfinder. 
The conventional picture frame size changing devices mostly change the size 
of the exposure aperture between a full size of, for example, 24 mm 
.times.36 mm (aspect ratio 1.5) and a panoramic size of, for example, 13 
mm .times.36 mm (aspect ratio 2.8) by using upper and lower masking 
plates. 
On the other hand, lens-fitted photographic film units (hereinafter 
referred to as film units) are widely used, each of which has a simple 
exposure mechanism and contains a film cassette so that anyone may enjoy 
photographing with ease at low cost. 
Because the film unit cannot be repeatedly loaded with film, after the 
exposure of all available frames of the contained film, the whole film 
unit is forwarded to a photofinisher. After the exposed film is removed to 
be processed for photo-printing, the empty housing of the film unit is 
returned to the manufacturer. The manufacturer disassembles and sorts out 
reusable parts of the film unit for recycling. It is desirable to reuse as 
many parts as possible without reprocessing, and to reassembled them into 
new film units. Also an exposure aperture size changing mechanism should 
be suitable for reuse, that is, it should be easy to assemble and 
disassembled, and should be suitable for automatic disassembly, inspection 
and reassembly. 
These film units are also required to be as compact as possible. Therefore, 
the exposure aperture size change mechanism for a film unit should not 
much increase the size of the film unit. 
In addition to this problem, the exposure aperture size change mechanism 
for a film unit should be inexpensive and easy to assemble, in keeping 
with the inexpensive nature of the film units. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide 
a picture frame size changing device, which can be incorporated into a 
film unit or a compact camera having an inverted Galilean viewfinder at a 
low cost in a compact fashion, and which makes it possible to easily and 
reliably change over the size of the exposure aperture in correspondence 
with the size of the field of view of the viewfinder. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a film unit having a 
picture frame size changing device which can be easily and reliably 
assembled and disassembled. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
To achieve the above and other objects, the present invention provides a 
finder mask member movable into a position in front of the objective 
window of the inverted Galilean viewfinder to provide a field of view 
which corresponds to the size of the picture frame which is defined by a 
pair of exposure aperture size masking plates which are movable into a 
position in front of an exposure aperture, and an interconnecting 
mechanism between the finder mask member and the exposure aperture size 
masking plate. An operating member for selectively setting the exposure 
aperture masking plate in one of two different picture frame size 
positions is integrally formed with the finder mask member. 
The exposure aperture masking plates are movably mounted in a light-shield 
box, and a mechanism base is provided for mounting an exposure mechanism. 
The viewfinder and the interconnecting mechanism are integrally formed 
with the light-shielding box to form a unit which is attached to the front 
of the exposure aperture. The interconnecting mechanism is disposed along 
the outside of the light-shielding box in a space between the 
light-shielding box and a film supply chamber. A printed circuit board of 
a flash unit may be disposed in front of the interconnecting mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
In the film unit shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a taking lens 5 and exposure 
mechanisms 6 such as a shutter mechanism are incorporated in a 
photograph-taking unit 8 which has an exposure chamber or a 
light-shielding box 7 formed integrally therewith. The photograph-taking 
unit 8 is removably attached to the front of a main body section 10 of the 
film unit. The rear side of the main body section 10 is light-tightly 
closed by a rear cover 11 which is removably attached to the main body 
section 10. An L-shaped mechanism base portion 13 is integrally formed 
with the photograph-taking unit 8 in the front and top sides of the 
light-shielding box 7. On the mechanism base portion 13, the exposure 
mechanisms 6, a viewfinder optical system 12 and an exposure aperture size 
changing mechanism are mounted as shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5. A 
flash unit 14 is also removably attached to the front of the main body 10 
beside the photograph-taking unit 8. A front cover 16 is removably 
attached to the main body section 10 to cover these units 8 and 14. 
An exposure aperture 18 is formed integrally with the main body section 10, 
so as to be coaxial with the taking lens 5 when the photograph-taking unit 
8 is removably attached to the front of the exposure aperture 18 by 
claw-hole engagement or the like. A cassette chamber 19 and a film roll 
chamber 20 are disposed on opposite sides of the exposure aperture 18, 
although the exposure aperture 18 is disposed closer to the film cassette 
chamber 19. An ISO 135-type film cassette 21 (ISO: 1007-1979)is loaded in 
the film unit, such that a roll of photographic film 21a which has been 
pulled out from a cassette housing 21b and wound in a roll is held in the 
film roll chamber 20, while the empty cassette housing 21b having a spool 
21c secured to an end of the photographic film 21a is held in the cassette 
chamber 19. The photographic film 21a is shielded from ambient light by 
the rear cover 11. 
The exposure aperture 18 has a size corresponding to a full size picture 
frame of ISO 135-type film (aspect ratio 1.5). A film supporting surface 
22 formed on the rear side of the main body section 10 surrounding the 
exposure aperture has a curvature so as to curve the photographic film 21a 
forwardly concave relative to the film advancing direction. A film 
confining surface 23 of the rear cover 11 is also curved complementarily 
to the curvature of the film supporting surface 22 in a portion behind the 
exposure aperture 18. 
A film advancing wheel 24 mounted on the top of the cassette chamber 19 
engages with the spool 21c of the film cassette 21, thereby to rewind the 
photographic film 21a into the cassette housing 21b one frame after each 
exposure. A frame counter disk 25 is mounted on the photograph-taking unit 
8, whose markings can be seen through a frame number window 26 formed in 
the top wall portion of the front cover 16. 
An inverted Galilean viewfinder 12 consisting of an objective lens 12a and 
an eyepiece 12b is removably mounted on an upper portion of the mechanism 
base portion 13, and is held by a finder lens holding plate 27 on the 
mechanism base portion 13. An objective window 29 and an eyepiece window 
30 are respectively formed in the front cover 16 and the rear cover 11, 
coaxially with the optical axis 28 of the viewfinder 12. The objective 
window 29 limits the field of view of the viewfinder 12 in correspondence 
with the photographic field for the full size picture frame. 
The flash unit 14 has a light emitting portion 14a, a printed circuit board 
14b, a capacitor 33, a pair of contacts 34, and a charge end lamp 35. The 
capacitor 33 begins to be charged by a battery 36 upon depression of a 
metal contact plate 37 through a resilient charge switch portion 38 which 
is formed integrally with the front cover 16. The metal contact plate 37 
is mounted con the outer surface of the film roll chamber 20 of the main 
body 10. When the capacitor 33 is fully charged, the charge end lamp 35 
lights intermittently, and this can be seen through a window 39 formed in 
the top of the front cover 16. The light emitting portion 14a having a 
flash tube and a reflector behind a diffusion plate projects light through 
a flash window 40 formed in the front cover 16 in response to a trigger 
signal applied through the contacts 34. The printed circuit board 14b is 
mounted on the front of the main body section 10 between the film roll 
chamber 20 and the light shielding box 7, such that electric elements 
mounted on the back of the printed circuit board 14b are accommodated in a 
space between the film roll chamber 20 and the light shielding box 7. The 
battery 36 is disposed horizontally below the light shielding box 7. This 
arrangement contributes to compactness of the film unit. 
The front cover 16 is constituted of a front cover basic body 16a having 
the finder objective window 29, the flash window 40, a shutter button 41, 
a taking lens aperture 42 and other elements which are integrally formed 
therewith, and a panoramic finder mask 43 and a cover panel 44 attached to 
the cover body 16a. The finder mask 43 has a panoramic window 45 which 
limits the field of view to the same aspect ratio as a panoramic size 
frame. The finder mask 43 also has a knob 46 which is used for operating 
the finder mask 43 and changing the exposure aperture size, as will be set 
forth later. An opening 47 corresponding to the objective window 29 is 
formed through the cover panel 44, and has margins defining the full size 
field of view for standard photography in combination with the objective 
window 29. The cover panel 44 also has a slot 48 in which the knob 46 is 
engaged. Of course, the field of view for standard photography can be 
defined by the opening 47, while the objective window 29 is sized to 
correspond to that field. 
The finder mask 43 is slidable on a recessed portion 56 formed around the 
objective window 29 of the front cover basic body 16a so as to be slidable 
in the film transporting direction between a panoramic position and a 
standard position. In the standard position, the panoramic window 45 is 
retracted from the field of the viewfinder 12 in a direction perpendicular 
to the optical axis 28 thereof. In the standard position, notches 49 and 
50 formed in the bottom edge of the finder mask 43 at the left and right 
ends of FIG. 2 are fitted on clicks 51 and 52 formed at the bottom corners 
of the recessed portion 56, in the standard and the panoramic positions, 
respectively. The finder mask 43 also has a pair of projections 53 and 54 
disposed side by side on the top edge thereof and projecting rearward, 
through which the movement of the finder mask 43 is transmitted to the 
exposure aperture size changing mechanism shown in FIG. 4. The right edge 
55 of the finder mask 43 is cut off so as to minimize the stroke of the 
finder mask 43 without interfering with the field of view in the standard 
position. 
FIG. 4 shows the exposure aperture size changing mechanism, which is mainly 
comprised by a switching lever 58, a slide plate 59, a crank lever 62, a 
toggle spring 63, and upper and lower aperture masking plates 64 and 65. 
The upper and lower aperture masking plates 64 and 65 are each formed as 
one body from a resilient material. The switching lever 58 has a pin 58a 
on one end thereof, which is disposed in the path of the projections 53 
and 54. Thereby, the pin 58a may be pushed by either of the projections 53 
and 54 to cause the switching lever 58 to rotate about an axle 27a formed 
on the top wall of the finder lens holding plate 27, when the finder mask 
43 moves. 
The slide plate 59 has a pair of ridges 59a, in which a pin 58b formed on 
the other end of the switching lever 58 is fitted. The slide plate 59 
slides on the finder lens holding plate 27 in the direction of the optical 
axes 17 and 28 in cooperation with the switching lever 58. The slide plate 
59 is coupled to the crank lever 62 through engagement between a fork 59b 
of the slide plate 59 and a pin 62a formed on an upper end of the crank 
lever 62. The crank lever 62 also has a bearing portion 62b on its lower 
end. The crank lever 62 is disposed behind the printed circuit board 14b 
along the side wall of the light shielding box 7 so as not to interfere 
with the electric elements of the flash circuit. A toggle spring 63 is 
fitted on the pin 62a of the crank lever 62, while the other end of the 
toggle spring 63 is fitted on a stationary pin 13a formed on the mechanism 
base portion 13 of the photograph taking unit 8. The bearing portion 62b 
of the crank lever 62 is coupled to the upper aperture masking plate 64 by 
a screw 66 or the like inserted in a bearing hole 7a of the 
light-shielding box 7. A coupling peg 62c is formed integrally with the 
crank lever 62 on the opposite side of the screw 66. 
The bottom wall of the light-shielding box 7 is curved complementarily to 
the contour of the cylindrical battery 36 disposed therebelow, and has 
front and rear openings 7b and 7c for the passage of the exposure light. 
The rear opening 7c is aligned with the exposure aperture 18. A second 
bearing hole 7d for bearing the upper aperture masking plate 64 is formed 
on the side of the light-shielding box 7 opposite the bearing hole 7a so 
as to allow pivoting of the upper aperture masking plate 64 about an axis 
extending in the film transporting direction near the front opening 7b. 
Another pair of bearing holes 7e and 7f are formed correspondingly below 
the bearing holes 7a and 7d, for bearing the lower aperture masking plate 
65. Two pairs of stops 7g and 7h; 7i and 7j are formed integrally on the 
inside of the side walls of the light-shielding box 7 so as to position 
the plates 64 and 65 in the panoramic position. 
The upper aperture masking plate 64 has a pair of pivots 64a and 64b on 
opposite horizontal sides of its front end portion. A rear edge 64c of the 
upper aperture masking plate 64 has a curve which is complementary to the 
curvature of the film supporting surface 22. A gap 64d is formed between 
the pivots 64a and 64b, so that the pivots 64a and 64b can be snapped in 
the bearing holes 7a and 7d by resiliently inwardly deforming the upper 
aperture masking plate 64. When snapping the first pivot 64a into the 
bearing hole 7a, a pin 64h of the pivot 64a is engaged with a positioning 
member 7k formed near the bearing hole 7a, thereby to facilitate 
positioning of the upper aperture masking plate 64 inside the 
light-shielding box 7. A blocking wall 64e for blocking light entering 
through the gap 64d is formed along the film transporting direction 
between the gaps 64d and the rear edge 64c. 
The pivot 64a has a slot 64f in which the coupling peg 62c of the crank 
lever 62 is engaged. Thereby, the upper aperture masking plate 64 is 
caused by the crank lever 62 to move pivotally between a standard position 
shown in FIG. 5A and a panoramic position shown in FIG. 5B, in cooperation 
with the slide plate 59 and the finder mask 43. The upper masking plate 64 
is precisely positioned in the panoramic position, because a pair of lugs 
64g formed on opposite horizontal sides of the plate 64 contact the stops 
7g and 7h under the force of the toggle spring 63. In the standard 
position, the toggle spring 63 urges the upper masking plate 64 to contact 
the top wall of the light-shielding box 7. An arm 64i is integrally formed 
below the first pivot 64a, and a pin 64j is formed at a distal end of the 
arm 64i . 
The pin 64j is engaged in a slot 65a formed in an arm 65b of the lower 
aperture masking plate 65. A pivot 65c is disposed at the junction of the 
arm 65b with a main plate portion 65d of the lower plate 65. Another pivot 
65e is formed on the horizontal side of the lower plate 65 opposite the 
pivot 65c. A cut-off 65f is formed inside each of the pivots 65c and 65e 
so as to permit snapping the same into the respective bearing holes 7e and 
7f. In this way, the lower plate 65 can pivot between the standard 
position and the panoramic position in cooperation with the upper plate 
64. The lower plate 65 is precisely positioned in the panoramic position 
because a pair of lugs 65g formed on side edges of the main plate portion 
65d contact the stops 7i and 7j under the force of the toggle spring 63. 
In the standard position, the toggle spring 63 urges the lower masking 
plate 65 to contact the bottom wall of the light-shielding box 7. 
The main plate portion 65d of the lower aperture masking plate 65 is curved 
correspondingly to the bottom wall of the box 7 and has a flange 65h which 
extends along a rear edge perpendicularly upwardly from the main plate 
portion 65d. Because of the curvature of the main plate portion 65d, the 
inner surface of the lower plate 65 can be displaced farther from the 
optical path of the exposure light, and reflection of the exposure light 
on the inside surface is reduced, and hence the occurrence of flares is 
prevented. Also the flange 65h is curved correspondingly to the film 
supporting surface 22 so as to form a substantially rectangular panoramic 
picture frame on the photographic film 21a. Blocking walls 65i are formed 
to cover the cut-outs 65f for blocking light entering through the cut-outs 
65f. It is to be noted that the exposure mechanisms 6 are omitted from 
FIG. 4, for clarity. 
When the knob 46 is set in the standard position, the panoramic window 45 
of the finder mask 43 is retracted from the optical path of the viewfinder 
12, so that the full size field of view defined by the objective window 29 
can be seen through the eyepiece window 30. Upon depression of the shutter 
button 41, the exposure mechanism 6 is activated to expose the film 21a to 
the exposure light within the exposure aperture 18. Because the upper and 
lower aperture masking plates 64 and 65 are retracted from the path of the 
exposure light in the standard position shown in FIGS. 5A and 6A, the 
whole portion of the film 21a bounded by the exposure aperture 18 is 
exposed. Thereby, a full size picture frame is recorded on the film 21a. 
For panoramic photography, the knob 46 is slid along the slot 48 of the 
cover panel 44 in the direction shown by an arrow A in FIG. 4, thereby 
moving the finder mask 43 in this direction A until the notch 50 is caught 
on the click 52. By virtue of the toggle spring 63, the knob 46 can be 
slid more smoothly during the last half of this sliding movement. The 
photographer is informed by the click that the film unit is switched to 
the panoramic position. Simultaneously, the panoramic window 45 is placed 
in front of the objective window 29 coaxially with the finder optical axis 
28. 
The movement of the finder mask 43 in the direction A causes the switching 
lever 58 to rotate about the axle 27a in the direction shown by an arrow B 
in FIG. 4, and the slide plate 59 slides in the direction shown by an 
arrow C in cooperation with that rotation of the switching lever 58. 
Thereby, the crank lever 62 is rotated in the direction shown by an arrow 
D, placing the upper and lower aperture masking plates 64 and 65 in the 
panoramic position shown in FIGS. 5B and 6B. Because the field of view is 
defined by the panoramic window 45 at that time, the photographer can 
frame the photographic field in the panoramic size. 
When the shutter button 41 is depressed in this position, the upper and 
lower aperture masking plates 64 and 65 cut off upper and lower parts of 
the light entering through the taking lens 5, so that only the remaining 
part of the light exposes the film 21a. As a result, a panoramic size 
picture frame is recorded on the film 21a. Since the upper and lower 
aperture masking plates 64 and 65 have edges 64c and 65h which are curved 
correspondingly to the film supporting surface 22 in the panoramic 
position, the horizontal, that is, the top and bottom margins of the 
panoramic size picture frame are straight and parallel to each other. 
Furthermore, because the pivotal axes of the masking plates 64 and 65 are 
disposed farther away from the photographic film 21a than the edges 64c 
and 65h, the edges 64c and 65h can be disposed as close as possible to the 
photographic film 21a, that is, not more than 2 mm, preferably about 1 mm 
from the film surface. Thereby, diffraction of exposure light is 
minimized, and hence the panoramic size picture frames have sharp 
horizontal margins. 
Photographing continues thereafter by setting the knob 46 to either the 
standard photograph position or the panoramic photography position. After 
all frames have been photographed, the film unit containing the exposed 
photographic film is forwarded to a photofinishing laboratory. At the 
laboratory, the photographic film cassette 21 is removed from the film 
unit. If a depiction is printed on the cassette housing 21b indicating 
that the photographic film 21a includes both full size frames and 
panoramic size frames, this cassette housing can be easily grouped with 
others that similarly require special attention. 
After this grouping, the photographic film 21a is pulled out of the 
cassette housing 21b, and is developed and inspected. At the time of this 
film inspection, a mark is added to each panoramic size frame in order to 
discriminate between full size and panoramic size frames. Because the 
panoramic size picture frames are of predetermined rectangular shape, they 
are easy to detect. After the film inspection, only full size frames are 
first printed. Next, after changing the print magnification factor of the 
printing lens and the size of the film mask and paper mask, only panoramic 
size frames are printed. The magnification factor for the full size frame 
is about 3.5, and that for the panoramic size frame is about 7. After such 
a printing process, the user is given the developed photographic film and 
its photoprints. The empty film unit is not given to the user but is 
returned to the factory to recycle reusable components. 
Although the finder mask 43 and thus the knob 46 are slidable between the 
standard and the panoramic positions in the above-described embodiment, it 
is possible to move the finder mask in other ways to change over the 
picture frame size upon changing the size of the field of view of the 
viewfinder 12, as is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. In the embodiment shown in 
FIGS. 7 and 8, a finder mask 72 having a panoramic window 73 is formed as 
an L-shaped member having top and front walls which contact the top and 
front of the front cover 16, respectively, in the panoramic position, as 
is indicated by solid lines in FIG. 7. Pivots 72a and 72b are integrally 
formed on the rear end of the top wall of the L-shaped finder mask 72, 
which are hingedly received between the front and rear covers 16 and 11, 
so that the L-shaped finder mask 72 may pivot to a standard photography 
position wherein the panoramic window 73 is retracted from the field of 
view of the viewfinder 12, as is shown by phantom lines in FIG. 7. The 
panoramic window 73 formed in the front wall of the L-shaped finder mask 
72 is placed coaxially with the finder optical axis 28 in the panoramic 
position. 
A lever 72c is integrally formed with the L-shaped finder mask 72, so as to 
engage with an upper end 62a of a crank lever 62 and transmit pivotal 
movement of the L-shaped finder mask 72 to the crank lever 62 to move 
exposure aperture masking plates 64 and 65 correspondingly. Other 
constructions may be equivalent to those of the above-described 
embodiment. Therefore, a description thereof is omitted for brevity, while 
designating corresponding elements by the same reference numerals as 
above. 
FIG. 9 shows exposure aperture masking plates 74 and 75 according to 
another embodiment of the invention, which cooperate with each other 
through engagement between gears formed integrally with those masking 
plates 74 and 75. A toggle spring 76 urges the masking plates 74 and 75 
toward one of the standard and the panoramic photography positions. The 
construction of the exposure aperture masking plates 74 and 75 is 
preferable for use with the pivoting L-shaped finder mask 72 shown in 
FIGS. 7 and 8. 
The exposure aperture masking plates 64 and 65 or 74 and 75 should be 
coupled to each other prior to their assembly into a film unit. This is 
because it is necessary to insert the pin 64j of the upper masking plate 
64 into the slot 65a of the lower masking plate 65, or to hang the toggle 
spring 76 on the masking plates 74 and 75. Furthermore, the toggle spring 
63 requires a large space for its movement, as is shown in FIGS. 6A and 
6B. An embodiment shown in FIG. 10 solves these problems, wherein 
equivalent elements are designed by the same reference numerals as used in 
FIG. 4, so that the description of these equivalent elements can be 
omitted. 
An upper masking plate 80 is mounted on a light-shielding box 7' through a 
pair of pivots 80a and 80b. The upper masking plate 80 has a pin 80c at a 
lower portion of an arm 80d extending downward from the picot 80a, as 
shown in detail in FIGS. 11A and 11B. A lower masking plate 81 has an arm 
81a extending upward from one of a pair of pivots 81b and 81c which is to 
be disposed below the pivot 80a of the upper masking plate 80. The pivots 
80a, 80b, 81b and 81c are snapped into bearing holes 7a, 7d, 7e and 7f of 
the light-shielding box 7' in the same way as in the above-described 
embodiment. A bearing portion 82b of a crank lever 82 is fitted over the 
pivot 80a through the bearing hole 7a of the box 7'. The pivot 80a and the 
bearing portion 82b are secured to each other by a force fit pin 83 
coaxially fitted through these elements. When the crank lever 82 is 
rotated to the panoramic position as shown by an arrow in FIG. 11B, the 
pin 80c pushes a rear side of the arm 81a to transmit the rotational 
movement of the crank lever 82 and thus the rotational movement of the 
upper masking plate 80 to the lower masking plate 81. A slot 81d is formed 
through the arm 81a of the lower masking plate 81 so as to receive 
pressure transmitted from the pin 80c to the arm 81a. 
According to this embodiment, the pin 80c is positioned properly on the 
rear side of the arm 81a merely by mounting the upper masking plate 80 
from the rear side of the light-shielding box 7' after mounting the lower 
masking plate 81 also from the rear side into the light-shielding box 7'. 
A coil spring 84 is suspended between the upper and lower masking plates 
80 and 81 to urge the masking plates 80 and 81 to swing away from each 
other, toward the standard photography position. The spring 84 also urges 
the arm 81a toward the pin 80c. Pins 80e and 81e for suspending the spring 
84 are respectively formed in the vicinity of the pivots 80a and 81b of 
the upper and lower masking plates 80 and 81. The pins 80e and 81e 
protrude inwardly in the light-shielding box 7' so that the spring 84 can 
be suspended after the masking plates 80 and 81 are mounted on the 
light-shielding box 7'. 
If the arm 81a of the lower masking plate 81 is designed to resiliently 
accept the pressure from the pin 80c, looseness between the arm 81a and 
the pin 80c may be absorbed without using the spring 86. Other 
constructions of the upper and lower masking plates 80 and 81 may be 
equivalent to those of the upper and lower masking plates 64 and 65, 
respectively. 
The crank lever 82 cooperates with a switching lever 85 such that a pin 82a 
formed on the upper end of the rank lever 82 is in the path of an arm 85a 
of the switching lever 85 and is pushed by the arm 85a in the direction 
shown by an arrow in FIG. 11b. A channel-shape finder lens frame 86 for 
accepting objective lens 12a and eyepiece 12b of an inverted Galilean 
viewfinder 12 from above is integrally formed on an upper portion of a 
mechanism base portion 13' which is formed integrally with the 
light-shielding box 7'. A finder lens holding plate 87 is removably 
mounted on the top of the finder lens frame 86 to hold the lenses 12a and 
12b. An axle 87a for pivoting the switching lever 85 is formed integrally 
with the finder lens holding plate 87. 
A finder mask 88 (see FIG. 10) corresponds to the finder mask 43 of the 
above-described embodiment, but has a cam projection 88a projecting 
rearward and contacting a projection 85b of the switching lever 85. The 
switching lever 85 and thus the finder mask 88 are urged by a spring 89 
toward the standard photography position. The switching lever 85 is 
pivotally secured to the axle 87a by a force fit pin 90. According to this 
construction, when the finder mask 88 is slid from the standard 
photography position to the panoramic position, the switching lever 85 is 
swung against the force of the spring 89 to move the upper mask plate 80 
from the standard photography position shown in FIG. 11A to the panoramic 
position shown in FIG. 11B through the crank lever 82, thereby moving the 
lower mask plate 81 from the standard photography position to the 
panoramic position. The finder mask 88 may be held in the panoramic 
position against the force of the springs 84 and 89 because a notch 50 of 
the finder mask 88 receives a click 52 (see FIG. 16) in the panoramic 
position. 
If the finder mask 88 is not sufficiently moved to the panoramic position, 
the finder mask 88 and the exposure aperture masking plates 80 and 81 are 
returned to the standard photography position under the force of the 
springs 84 and 89. Even if the exposure aperture size changing mechanism 
is out of order, the exposure aperture size would be set to the full size 
which generally is used more frequently than the panoramic size. 
Therefore, the degree of inconvenience caused by such an accident is 
reduced. This embodiment does not need the space for the movement of the 
toggle spring 63, and the coiled spring 84 is easy to assemble compared 
with the toggle spring 63. 
A light-shielding frame 91 for preventing flare effect in the standard 
photography is mounted on the light-shielding box 7' such that a pin 92 
formed on a not-shown stepped portion of the light shielding box 7' guides 
the frame 91 to be positioned properly in the box 7' and thereafter the 
pin 92 is caulked. 
FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of the photograph-taking unit 8' shown 
in FIG. 10. On the top of the base portion 13', a bearing sleeve 93 and 
two axles 94 and 95 are integrally formed therewith. A coiled spring 97 
and an arresting lever 98 are rotatably fitted on the axle 94, and a snap 
ring 99 secures the spring 97 and the arresting lever 98 to the axle 94. A 
cam 100 is inserted in the bearing sleeve 93. A shutter actuating lever 
101 and a frame counter disk 102 are rotatably fitted on the axle 95, and 
a snap ring 103 retains them on the axle 95. A one-tooth gear 100a is 
integrally formed on an upper portion of the cam 100, to mesh with teeth 
102a formed around the periphery of the frame counter disk 102. As shown 
in FIG. 13, the cam 100 is engaged with the arresting lever 98 and the 
shutter actuating lever 101, and is coupled at its lower end with a 
sprocket wheel 104. 
Upon rotating the film advancing wheel 24, the spool 21c of the film 
cassette 21 is rotated to advance the photographic film 21a. Because teeth 
of the sprocket wheel 104 are engaged in perforations of the photographic 
film 21a, the sprocket wheel 104 is rotated by the advance of the 
photographic film 21a, thereby rotating the cam 100. As a result, the 
shutter actuating lever 101 is moved into a cocked position through the 
arresting lever 98. Upon one revolution of the sprocket wheel 104, that 
corresponds to a one-frame advance of the photographic film 21a, an end of 
the arresting lever 98 is brought into engagement with one of the grooves 
formed around the periphery of the film advancing wheel 24, to prevent 
further rotation of the film advancing wheel 24. Also a frame counter disk 
102 is rotated to advance the markings thereof by one. 
Upon depression of the shutter button 41, the shutter actuating lever 101 
starts swinging counterclockwise under the force of the spring 97. When 
the shutter actuating lever 101 has swung through a predetermined angle, a 
distal end 101a of the shutter actuating lever 101 strikes a shutter blade 
107. The shutter blade 107 having a crank shape is pivotally mounted on an 
axle 106 formed on the front of the mechanism base portion 13' for 
swinging movement about an axis parallel to the optical axis 17 of a 
taking lens 5. The shutter blade 107 is urged by a spring 108 to a closed 
position to close the opening 7b formed coaxially with the optical axis 17 
in the light-shielding box 7', and is swung to an open position to open 
the opening 7b when struck by the shutter actuating lever 101. 
A shutter cover 110 is mounted in front of the shutter blade 107 to prevent 
the shutter blade 107 from fluttering in the direction of the optical axis 
17. The shutter cover 110 has a stop aperture 110a, and a lens barrel 110b 
around the stop aperture 110a which are integrally formed as one body. 
After the taking lens 5 consisting of rear and front lens elements 111 and 
112 and a spacer 113 inserted between these lens elements 111 and 112 is 
inserted in the lens barrel 110b, a lens cover 114 is fitted on the lens 
barrel 110b. 
The photograph-taking unit 8' constructed as above may be removably 
attached to the front of the exposure aperture 18 of a film unit in the 
same way as the photograph-taking unit 8 shown in FIG. 1. Because other 
parts of the film unit may be equivalent to those shown in FIG. 1, 
illustrations of these parts are omitted. It is to be noted that the 
exposure mechanism shown in FIG. 12 has been disclosed in more detail, for 
example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/062,185, and is used in a 
film unit which has been marketed in Japan under the trademark "Fuji Color 
Utsurun-desu Supr 800". Therefore, the possibility to reuse the parts of 
the film unit is increased, and the cost of the photograph-taking unit 8' 
is therefore less than conventional film units. 
The rear lens 111 is preferably a biconvex spherical plastic lens, and the 
front lens 112 is preferably a convex meniscus plastic lens having an 
aspherical front surface. Although a conventional panoramic film unit 
produced by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. has a taking lens whose focal length 
is designed to be 25 mm especially for a wide angle panoramic photographic 
field, the taking lens 5 of the film unit of the present invention is 
designed to have a focal length of 32 mm and an f-number of 10.5, because 
the film unit of the present invention is changeable between standard and 
panoramic size photography. Thereby, a wide angle effect is achieved in 
the panoramic size photography, while a standard view is provided in the 
standard size photography. 
The reason why the taking lens 5 should have such a large f-number is to 
make the taking lens 5 pan-focus without the need for focusing. The focal 
length F of the taking lens for a film unit whose exposure aperture size 
is changeable between the panoramic size and the full size is preferably 
not less than 2 mm and not more than 33 mm. It is possible to constitute 
the taking lens of a single lens element, wherein the single lens element 
is an aspherical lens having aspherical opposite surfaces. 
The finder lens holding plate 87 is made of a transparent plastic material, 
and has a hole 87b, an arched wall 87c, a convex lens portion 87d and a 
rib 87e integrally formed therewith. The hole 87b accepts the axle 95 and 
the arched wall 87c contacts a periphery of the cam 100 so as to rotatably 
support the cam 100. Thereby, the axle 95 and the cam 100 are maintained 
spaced a predetermined distance from each other. The convex lens portion 
87d is disposed above one of a plurality of frame number markings provided 
on the top surface of the frame counter disk 102, so as to enlarge the 
marking to be seen through a frame number window 26 (see FIG. 16). The 
convex lens portion 87d is surrounded by an upwardly protruding frame 
which is also formed integrally with the finder lens holding plate 87. The 
frame is tightly fitted in the frame number window 26 to protect the 
interior of the film unit from dust or the like which may enter through 
the window 26. 
The rib 87e extends over a charge lamp 35 of a flash unit 14, and a 
circular upward protrusion 87f is formed integrally on the rib 87e in a 
position just above the charge lamp 35 (see FIG. 14). The protrusion 87f 
is tightly fitted in a charge lamp window 39 (see FIG. 16), to protect the 
flash unit 14 from dust, water or the like which might otherwise enter 
through the charge lamp window 39, so as to prevent the short-circuiting 
of the flash unit 14. 
Because the photograph-taking unit 8' is constructed as a unit which is 
removably attached to a main body section of the film unit without the 
danger of loss of any elements thereof, the unit 8' is easy to handle, and 
makes it possible to check the performance of the mechanisms and the 
lenses independently in each unit 8'. Because the photograph-taking unit 
8' may be easily and reliably disassembled, most elements thereof are 
reusable. 
The sequence of assembling the film unit of the present invention will be 
described with reference to FIG. 15. The assembling operations can be 
completely automated. A mechanism base portion 13' of the 
photograph-taking unit 8' having the light-shielding box 7' as a unitary 
body is seriatim placed on each of a plurality of pallets which are 
successively conveyed on a conveyor. The pallets are transiently stopped 
at each assembling station along the path of the conveyor. Robots 
allocated to the respective stations handle predetermined elements to 
assemble them into the photograph-taking unit 8'. The elements are fed to 
each station in a properly aligned state by hoppers and aligning devices. 
In the first station, the light-shielding frame 91 is inserted in the 
light-shielding box 7', and thereafter, the pin 92 is caulked. In the 
second station, the lower exposure aperture masking plate 81 is mounted in 
the box 7' by snap-in engagement while resiliently bending the pivots 81a 
and 81b of the masking plate 81. In the third station, the upper exposure 
aperture masking plate 80 is mounted in the box 7' by snap-in engagement 
of the pivots 80a and 80b in the same way as for the lower masking plate 
81. In the fourth station, the crank lever 82 is mounted by fitting the 
bearing portion 82b into the bearing hole 7a of the box 7'. In the fifth 
station, the force fit pin 83 is fitted to couple the crank lever 82 and 
the upper masking plate 80. In the sixth station, the spring 84 is hung 
between the upper and lower masking plates 80 and 81. The assembling 
operations as described so far are carried out from the rear and right 
side of the mechanism base portion 13' with respect to its orientation in 
the film unit. 
In the seventh station, the sprocket wheel 104 is mounted. In the eight 
station, the cam 100 is inserted in the bearing sleeve 93 to engage with 
the sprocket 104. In the ninth station, the shutter actuating lever 101 is 
rotatably fitted on the axle 95. In the tenth and eleventh stations, the 
spring 97 and the arresting lever 98 are rotatably fitted on the axle 94. 
In the twelfth station, the snap ring 99 is added. In the thirteenth 
station, the frame counter disk 102 is mounted on the axle 95, and the 
snap ring 103 is fitted thereon in the fourteen station. Since the 
exposure mechanism may be the same as those used in the known film unit as 
is described above, assembly stations for the exposure mechanism of the 
known film unit may be utilized as the seventh to fourteenth stations of 
the film unit of the present invention. This contributes to improving 
efficiency of assembly. 
Next, the mechanism base portion 13' having been connected with the 
exposure mechanism is transported to the fifteenth station. The snap rings 
99 and 103 prevent the arresting lever 98, the shutter actuating lever 101 
and the frame counter disk 102 from dropping out during this 
transportation. 
In the 15th and 16th stations, the objective lens 12a and the eyepiece 12b 
are respectively forced into the finder lens frame 86. In the 17th 
station, the finder lens holding plate 87 is mounted on the finder lens 
frame 86. In the 18th and 19th stations, the spring 89 and the switching 
lever 85 are respectively mounted on the axle 87a. In the 20th station, 
the force fit pin 90 is forced into the axle 87a. The assembling 
operations in the 7th to 20th stations are carried out from the rear and 
top side of the mechanism base portion 13'. 
In the 21st and 22nd stations, the shutter blade 107 is mounted on the axle 
106 and the spring 108 is hung thereon. In the 23rd station, the shutter 
cover 110 is attached. In the 24th, 25th and 26th stations, the rear lens 
111, the spacer 113 and the front lens 112 are respectively inserted in 
the lens barrel 110b. Finally, the lens cover 114 is attached to the 27th 
station to complete the photograph-taking unit 8'. The assembling 
operations in the 21st to 27th stations are carried out from the front of 
the mechanism base portion 13'. 
The photograph-taking unit 8' is transported to an assembling line of the 
film unit, along which the photograph-taking unit 8', the flash unit 14 
and other elements are mounted on a main body section 10, in the same way 
as described with reference to FIG. 1. Thereafter, a front cover such as 
shown in FIG. 16 is attached to the main body section to cover these 
units. Then, a photographic film cassette is loaded into the main body 
section, which is then closed light-tightly by a rear cover 11 in a 
darkroom. The rear cover 11 is secured to the main body section 10 by 
ultrasonic welding. To avoid welding the upper or lower exposure aperture 
masking plate 80 or 81 onto the light-shielding box 7', which might be 
caused by ultrasonic waves for the welding of the rear cover 11, the 
masking plates 80 and 81 are made from silicone mixed with polystyrene, 
while the light-shielding box 7' is simply made from polystyrene. 
It is to be noted also that the flash unit 14 and the rear cover 11 may be 
conventional. In this way, the assembly of the film unit is still further 
improved as to efficiency and cost. 
FIG. 16 shows a front cover for use with the photograph-taking unit 8', 
shown in FIG. 10, wherein the finder mask 88 having the cam projection 88a 
is slidably held between a front cover basic body 119 and a front panel 
120. The front panel 120 has a lens hood portion 120a beside an opening 47 
for a finder objective window 29 and a slot 48 for sliding a knob 46 of 
the finder mask 88. An opening 42 for exposing the taking lens 5 is formed 
through the lens hood portion 120a. The lens hood portion 120a has a 
semi-circular bottom edge having a small semi-circular protrusion 
protruding radially from the lens hood portion 120a. 
After the front cover shown in FIG. 16 is assembled into a film unit with 
the photograph-taking unit 8', the film is encased in an outer case 122 
having cut-outs for exposing the front panel 120, a shutter button 41, a 
film advancing wheel 24, a light emitting portion 14a of the flash unit 
14, and so forth, as shown in FIG. 17. 
The lens hood portion 120a is shaped in accordance with protrusions of the 
photograph-taking unit 8' to make the film unit as slender as possible. 
Forth is reason, a small protrusion 120b is formed to provide space for 
the shutter blade 107 to allow a sufficient movement thereof, while 
minimizing the lens hood portion 120a and thus the cut-out of the outer 
case 122 for the front panel 120. The shape of the lens hood portion 120a 
and that of the protrusion 120b are preferably determined as follows: 
EQU r/R.ltoreq.0.26 
EQU .DELTA.R/R.ltoreq.0.04 
wherein "R" is the radius of the semi-circular edge of the lens hood 
portion 120a with respect to the optical axis 17 of the taking lens 5, "r" 
is the radius of the protrusion 120b, .DELTA.R is the amount of protrusion 
of the distal end of the protrusion 120b relative to the semicircular edge 
of the lens hood portion 120a, as indicated in FIG. 18. 
Although the finder mask 43 or 88 is retained in either the panoramic or 
the standard photography position by click engagement in the 
above-described embodiment, it is possible to urge a slidable finder mask 
124 to one of the two photographic positions by a toggle spring 125 which 
is suspended between the finder mask 124 and a front cover basic body 126, 
as is shown in FIG. 19. In this embodiment, it is preferable to position 
the finder mask 124 by contacting it against one of the side walls 127a 
and 127b of a sliding recess 127 of the front cover basic body 126. 
FIGS. 20 and 21 show another embodiment of the invention, wherein a pair of 
exposure aperture masking plates 80 and 81 are mounted in a 
light-shielding box 130 which is integrally formed with a main body 
section 131 between a cassette chamber 132 and a film roll chamber 133. 
Therefore, bearing holes 130a are formed in the light-shielding box 130, 
for snapping pivots 80a, 80b, 81b and 81c of the masking plates 80 and 81 
therein. Thereafter, a crank lever 82 and a photograph-taking unit 134 
having no light-shielding box are attached to the light-shielding box 130. 
The photograph-taking unit 134 has an L-shaped mechanism base portion 134a 
which covers the front and top of the box 130 when attached thereto. By 
attaching a front cover such as shown in FIG. 16 to the main body section 
131, a film unit changeable between panoramic and standard photography is 
provided. 
Although the above-described embodiments of the invention all relate to 
exposure aperture size changeable film units whose exposure aperture size 
is changeable between panoramic size and full size, it is of course 
possible to make it changeable between a Hi-vision size (aspect ratio 
1.46) and panoramic size, or between full size and Hi-vision size, or 
another combination of picture frame sizes. 
Although the present invention has been described with reference to 
preferred embodiments shown in the drawings, the present invention is not 
limited by the embodiments but, on the contrary, various modifications of 
the present invention can be effected without departing from the scope and 
spirit of the appended claims.