Film cartridge with film-exposed visual indicator

A film cartridge comprising a rotatable film spool, an indicator window, an annular indicator wheel rotatable behind the indicator window to move a film-exposed indication on the indicator wheel to the indicator window, and an annular drive wheel rotatably coupled with the film spool for rotating the indicator wheel to move the film-exposed indication to the indicator window, is characterized in that the indicator wheel is resilient and a flex-inducing protuberance is located to distort successive portions of the indicator wheel towards the indicator window as the indicator wheel is rotated, to position the film-exposed indication in the indicator window.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
Reference is made to commonly assigned copending applications Ser. No. 
08/629,699, entitled FILM CARTRIDGE WITH VISUAL FILM MOTION INDICATOR FOR 
VERIFYING FILM LOADING IN CAMERA and filed Apr. 9, 1996 in the names of 
Joseph A. Manico, Richard S. Keirsblick, John A. Agostinelli and Edgar G. 
Earnhart, Ser. No. 08/586,520 entitled FILM CARTRIDGE WITH VISUAL 
INDICATOR FOR VERIFYING FILM LOADING IN CAMERA and filed Jan. 16, 1996 in 
the names of Madhav Mehra and Joseph A. Manico, Ser. No. 08/584,583, 
entitled FILM CARTRIDGE WITH VISUAL INDICATOR FOR VERIFYING FILM LOADING 
IN CAMERA and filed Jan. 11, 1996 in the names of Madhav Mehra and Joseph 
A. Manico, Ser. No. 08/584,480, entitled FILM CARTRIDGE WITH VISUAL 
INDICATOR FOR VERIFYING FILM LOADING IN CAMERA and filed Jan. 11, 1996 in 
the names of Joseph A. Manico and Dwight J. Petruchik, and Ser. No. 
08/449,032, entitled FILM SPOOL WITH BUILT-IN AUDIBLE INDICATOR FOR 
VERIFYING FILM LOADING IN CAMERA and filed May 24, 1995 in the name of 
Joseph A. Manico. 
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates generally to the field of photography, and in 
particular to a film cartridge with a film exposed visual indicator 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
It is known for a film cartridge to have a film exposure status indicator 
for providing a visual indication that a filmstrip inside the cartridge 
housing has been exposed. 
For example, prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,600, issued Jan. 11, 1994, 
discloses a film cartridge comprising a film spool rotatable inside the 
cartridge housing, an indicator window in an end cap of the cartridge 
housing, an annular indicator wheel rotatable inside the cartridge housing 
behind the indicator window to move a film-exposed indication on the 
indicator wheel to the indication window, and an annular drive wheel 
rotatably linked with the film spool for rotating the indicator wheel to 
move the film-exposed indication to the indication window. A pin and 
receiver clutch device transmits movement of the drive wheel to the 
indicator wheel when the film spool is rotated in a film unwinding 
direction, and leaves the indicator wheel and the drive wheel disconnected 
when the film spool is rotated in a film winding direction. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A film cartridge comprising a rotatable film spool, an indicator window, an 
annular indicator wheel rotatable behind the indicator window to move a 
film-exposed indication on the indicator wheel to the indicator window, 
and an annular drive wheel rotatably coupled with the film spool for 
rotating the indicator wheel to move the film-exposed indication to the 
indicator window, is characterized in that: 
the indicator wheel is resilient; and 
a flex-inducing protuberance is located to distort successive portions of 
the indicator wheel towards the indicator window as the indicator wheel is 
rotated, to position the film-exposed indication in the indicator window. 
Preferably, the film-exposed indicator is on one side of the indicator 
wheel and a driven member is on an opposite side of the indicator wheel 
proximate the film-exposed indicator. The drive wheel includes a drive 
member engageable with the driven member for rotating the indicator wheel. 
And the flex-inducing protuberance separates the driven member from the 
drive member to hold the driven member out of the way of the drive member 
when the film-exposed indication is positioned in the indicator window.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is disclosed as being embodied preferably in a film 
cartridge. Because the features of a film cartridge 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. 1-3 show a film cartridge 10. The film 
cartridge 10 as is typical includes a cartridge housing 12 having a film 
egress/ingress slit 14 which is lined with a light-trapping plush 16. A 
film spool 18 is rotatably supported inside the cartridge housing 12 for 
rotation in film unwinding and film winding directions 20 and 22. A film 
roll, not shown, having a film leader 24 originally protruding from the 
slit 14 is coiled about the film spool 18. 
A cover cap 26 has three identical, evenly spaced, snap latches 28, 28 and 
28 that are engaged with an annular crimped edge 30 of an end cap 32 of 
the cartridge housing 12 to secure the cover cap to the end cap. See FIGS. 
1-5. The cover cap 26 has a center hole 34 through which a protruding end 
portion 36 of the film spool 18 extends, and it has an indicator window or 
opening 38 which is open to the center hole. The diameter of the center 
hole 34 is slightly greater than the diameter of the protruding end 
portion 36 of the film spool 18 to permit the protruding end portion to 
freely rotate within the center hole. 
An annular drive wheel 40 is located between the cover cap 26 and the end 
cap 32, within the three snap latches 28 of the cover cap and the annular 
crimped edge 30 of the end cap. The drive wheel 40 has a center hole 42 
with a multi-toothed rim 44 locked in engagement with a castellated 
periphery 46 of the protruding end portion 36 of the film spool 18, to 
rotatably couple the drive wheel and the film spool. Thus, rotation of the 
film spool 18 in the film winding and unwinding directions 20 and 22 will 
similarly rotate the drive wheel 40. 
A resilient annular indicator wheel 48 is located between the drive wheel 
40 and the cover cap 26, within the three snap latches 28 of the cover cap 
and the annular crimped edge 30 of the end cap. The indicator wheel 48 has 
a center hole 50 whose diameter is greater than the diameter of the 
protruding end portion 36 of the film spool 18. This permits the 
castellated periphery 46 of the protruding end portion 36 to extend 
through the center hole 50 without touching the indicator wheel 48. 
An indicator block 52 having a film-exposed indication 54 is on a top side 
56 of the indicator wheel 48. See FIGS. 1-5. A driven member 58 is on a 
bottom side 60 of the indicator wheel 48 proximate or beneath the 
indicator block 52. A drive member 62 is on a top side 64 of the drive 
wheel 40. The driven member 58 and the drive member 62 have mutually 
inclined faces 66 and 68 which allow the drive member to be rotated 
without engaging the driven member when the drive wheel 40 is rotated with 
the film spool 18 in the film unwinding direction 20, and they have 
respective substantially vertical faces 70 and 72 which engage when the 
drive wheel is rotated with the film spool in the film winding direction 
22. Thus, rotation of the drive wheel 40 in the film unwinding direction 
20 will not forcibly rotate the indicator wheel 48 in the same direction. 
Nevertheless, a fixed stop 74 is located on the underside 76 of the cover 
cap 26 in the way of the indicator block 52, for preventing the indicator 
wheel 48 from rotating in the film unwinding direction 20 to move the 
indicator block to beneath the indicator window 38 in the cover cap when 
the drive wheel 40 is rotated in the film unwinding direction. See FIG. 2. 
Conversely, rotation of the drive wheel 40 in the film winding direction 
22 will forcibly rotate the indicator wheel 48 in the same direction to 
move the indicator block 52 to beneath the indicator window 38 in the 
cover cap 26. 
A flex-inducing protuberance 78 projects radially inward, beneath the 
indicator window 38, from an inner side wall of the cover cap 26. The 
flex-inducing protuberance 78 distorts successive portions of the 
indicator wheel 48 towards the indicator window 38 as the indicator wheel 
is forcibly rotated in the film winding direction 22, when the drive wheel 
40 is rotated in the same direction. When the particular portion of the 
indicator wheel 48 that carries the indicator block 52 is distorted 
towards the indicator window 38, the indicator block is raised into the 
indicator window as shown in FIG. 5. Simultaneously, the driven member 58 
is raised from the drive member 62 to separate the substantially vertical 
face 70 of the driven member from the substantially vertical face 72 of 
the drive member. When the indicator block 52 is in the indicator window 
38, further rotation of the indicator wheel 48 is prevented and the driven 
member 58 is held out of the way of the drive member 62. Thus, the drive 
wheel 40 can continue to be rotated with the film spool 18 in the film 
winding direction 22 without having to similarly rotate the indicator 
window 38. 
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. 
TS LIST 
10. film cartridge 
12. cartridge housing 
14. film egress/ingress slit 
16. light-trapping plush 
18. film spool 
20. film unwinding direction 
22. film winding direction 
24. protruding film leader 
26. cover cap 
28. snap latches (3) 
30. annular crimped edge 
32. end cap 
34. center hole 
36. protruding spool end portion 
38. indicator window 
40. drive wheel 
42. center hole 
44. multi-toothed rim 
46. castellated periphery 
48. indicator wheel 
50. center hole 
52. indicator block 
54. film-exposed indication 
56. top side 
58. driven member 
60. bottom side 
62. drive member 
64. top side 
66. inclined face 
68. inclined face 
70. substantially vertical face 
72. substantially vertical face 
74. fixed stop 
76. underside 
78. flex-inducing protuberance