Film registration apparatus

A camera for use with a photographic element having a plurality of the exposure frames each having a registration perforation arranged in a predetermined relationship one with each frame. The camera is provided with an improved registration or metering means which includes a fixed element extending into the film plane and disposed in the camera adjacent the exposure aperture in a similar predetermined relationship therewith as the registration perforations are to the exposure frames of the photographic element or film. A movable element adjacent the fixed element is arranged to engage the photographic element to move the photographic element out of the predetermined plane to disengage the registration perforation from the fixed element whereby the film moving means of the camera can move the next frame of the film to the exposure aperture where it is engaged at least by the fixed element.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to film registration apparatus for a camera 
which is intended for use with film having a plurality of exposure regions 
and corresponding metering notches or perforations arranged in a 
predetermined relationship, one with each frame. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Film and camera systems are known wherein the film is provided with a 
plurality of uniformly spaced exposure regions, some of which are defined 
by previously exposed frames surrounding the exposure region. Each of the 
exposure regions is associated with a corresponding adjacent metering 
notch or perforation which is arranged in a predetermined relationship, 
one with each exposure region. Cameras for use with such films are 
provided with a metering pin or pawl which is arranged to engage the 
metering notch to precisely locate the exposure region with respect to the 
exposure aperture of the camera. Examples of such film and camera systems 
include 110 film and cameras, as well as disk film and cameras. These film 
and camera systems have typically used a reciprocating pin, or pawl, which 
is movable perpendicular to the plane of the film and is arranged to 
extend into that plane to engage the perforation or notch in the film to 
accurately locate the exposure region with respect to the camera lens. The 
reciprocating pin must be sufficiently strong to engage and hold the film, 
which may be moving at the time the pin engages the perforation. The pin 
must also be movable into and out of the film plane and yet be accurately 
located with respect to the camera exposure axis so as to accurately 
position the film exposure frame. Still further, it has been found that 
the movement of the pin must be relatively fast to engage each successive 
perforation as the film is advanced, sometimes by motorized camera drives, 
to avoid skipping frames of the film. 
In other film and camera systems, e.g. 35 mm, the image areas of the film 
are not pre-exposed. Nevertheless, accurate registration of the image 
areas or exposure frames is necessary to prevent overlapping exposures if 
they are too close, or a waste of film if they are too far apart. 
It has been found that the strength and accuracy necessary for the metering 
pins or devices in such cameras increases the cost and complexity of the 
cameras. This can be reduced by the improved metering pin construction of 
the present invention. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, the present invention provides a camera for use with a 
photographic element having a plurality of the exposure frames each having 
a registration perforation arranged in a predetermined relationship one 
with each frame. The camera is provided with a registration or metering 
means which is both simpler and more accurate than those provided with 
prior art cameras. 
According to one aspect of the present invention, a camera is provided 
having an exposure aperture for exposing a photographic element of the 
type above-described. The camera has means for moving each frame of the 
photographic element to the exposure aperture, means for registering each 
frame of the photographic element at the exposure aperture, and means for 
holding the photographic element in a predetermined plane at the exposure 
aperture. The improvement in the frame registering means includes a fixed 
element disposed in the camera adjacent the exposure aperture and in a 
similar predetermined relationship therewith as the registration 
perforations are to the exposure frames of the photographic element or 
film. The fixed element is arranged to extend into the predetermined plane 
of the film and to engage the registration perforation to hold the frame 
in registration with the exposure aperture of the camera. A movable 
element adjacent the fixed element is arranged to engage the photographic 
element to move the photographic element out of the predetermined plane to 
disengage the registration perforation from the fixed element whereby the 
film moving means of the camera can move the next frame of the film to the 
exposure aperture where it is engaged at least by the fixed element. 
According to another aspect of the present invention the camera is provided 
with means for normally biasing the movable element out of the plane of 
the film and to move the movable element to move the film out of the 
predetermined plane after the frame is exposed and before the next frame 
of the film is moved to the exposure aperture. 
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the movable element is 
normally biased into the plane of the film and the means for moving the 
movable element is arranged to move it out of the plane before the frame 
is exposed and to return it into the plane to move the film out of the 
predetermined plane after the frame is exposed and before the next frame 
of the film is moved to the exposure aperture. 
Various means for practicing the invention and other features and 
advantages thereof will be apparent from the following detailed 
description of the illustrative preferred embodiments of the invention, 
reference being made to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Although the present invention is applicable to various kinds of cameras, 
for example, disc cameras and 110 cameras, the illustrative embodiment is 
directed to a disc camera of the type disclosed in copending U.S. patent 
application Ser. No. 748,533, entitled A MOTOR DRIVEN DISC CAMERA which 
was filed on June 24, 1985 in the names of Cloutier et al. The disk film 
cartridge used in such cameras is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,096, 
entitled FILM CARTRIDGE ASSEMBLY WITH PRESSURE PLATE which issued in the 
name of G. S. Sethi. 
Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is 
shown a rear perspective view of a camera 10, along with a film cartridge 
12 which is useable therein. In FIG. 1 the rear loading door 24 of the 
camera is illustrated in its open position with the film cartridge 12 
disposed above a cartridge chamber 14, in which the front wall of the 
cartridge lies adjacent the rear surface of an intermediate camera wall 
16, located rearwardly of the major components of the camera mechanism. 
According to the teachings of the foregoing Sethi patent, the film 
cartridge comprises a generally flat light-tight plastic housing enclosing 
a rotatable disk of film (not shown) which is provided with a central hub 
17 that is accessible from the exterior of the housing. As taught in the 
Sethi patent, the film disk is provided with a plurality of uniformly 
spaced exposure regions defined by previously exposing the surrounding 
portion of the film. Each of the exposure regions is associated with a 
corresponding adjacent metering notch located along the edge of the film 
disk in a clockwise direction from the respective exposure region. An 
exposure window is provided in the front wall of the cartridge housing, 
and the rear wall of the cartridge includes a pressure plate member in 
alignment with the exposure window in the front wall. When the cartridge 
is loaded into the receiving chamber of the camera, a film support frame 
member 18 is received in the exposure window of the cartridge. A camera 
drive hub member 20 engages the hub of the film disk, and a slide 
operating pin 22 engages the cover slide in the front surface of the 
cartridge. Closing the camera door 24 causes spring members thereon to 
seat the cartridge against the intermediate wall 16 and brings a pressure 
applying member into alignment with the cartridge pressure plate member. 
Latching the door causes the slide operating pin 22 to move the cover 
slide out of alignment with the exposure window so that an exposure region 
of the film disk can be supported against the film support frame member 
18. When the cover slide is open, a metering pawl tooth 26 extends through 
the exposure window of the cartridge to engage the metering notch in the 
periphery of the film disk when each exposure region is properly aligned 
with the lens of the camera to control the incremental rotation of the 
disk. 
Referring now to the front view of the camera mechanism in FIG. 2, the 
front surface of the intermediate camera wall 16 provides the main 
mounting surface for the camera mechanism components. As disclosed in the 
above-identified Cloutier et al. application, the lens assembly 28 and the 
film support frame member 18 (FIGS. 1 and 3) are constructed so as to 
assure the requisite film-to-lens location and are mounted through an 
opening in the intermediate camera wall 16. The camera hub or film drive 
member 20 extends through an opening in the intermediate camera wall and 
is provided with a forwardly extending coaxial shaft 30. A mechanism 
driving member 32 is mounted on the shaft 30 of the film drive hub and is 
arranged for reciprocating pivotal motion in opposite first and second 
directions thereabout. The driving member is driven by a motor 34 through 
a pinion 36 and gear 38 which is provided with a cam 40 which drives a 
first end of a reciprocating lever member 42, the second end of which 
engages a boss 44 on driving member 32 to provide the reciprocating motion 
thereto. As disclosed in the copending Cloutier et al. application, the 
driving member 32 provides a plurality of camera operating functions, only 
one of which, the demetering function, is relevant to the present 
invention. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, wherein an enlarged view of the film support frame 
member 18 is illustrated, it will be seen that the metering pawl 26 
comprises a stationary or fixed element or tooth portion 46 and a movable 
element or tooth portion 48 disposed in the same relationship to the 
exposure aperture of the camera as the relationship of the notch in the 
film disk bears to the exposure frame of the film. In the preferred 
embodiment, the combined cross-sectional area of the stationary and the 
movable tooth portions are less than the area of each of the metering 
notches in the film disk. 
The movable element or tooth portion 48 is driven by the driving member 32 
via demetering lever 50 which is connected at one end to the driving 
member 32. The opposite end of demetering lever 50 is bifurcated into a 
cam leg 52 and a guide leg 54. The guide leg 54 extends in sliding 
engagement through a locating clip 56 on the intermediate camera wall 16 
to assure the linear motion of the demetering lever during operation of 
the driving member. The cam leg 52 is flexible to permit lateral motion 
thereof and is provided at its end with a cam member 58. The metering pawl 
26 is disposed along the lower edge of the lens assembly 28 and is 
pivotally supported by an axel 62 at one end thereof. The movable tooth 
portion of the metering pawl 26 is carried at the opposite end of the 
metering pawl. The metering pawl and the movable tooth portion are 
spring-loaded in the film-engaging position by a spring, not shown. 
Referring to FIG. 4, the cam member 58 is provided with a pair of cam 
surfaces that cooperate with a lifting cam 64 at the tooth end of the 
metering pawl 26. The first cam surface 66 engages the side wall 68 of the 
lifting cam 64 and deflects the cam member 58 around the lifting cam 
during initial movement of the demetering lever, to the right in FIG. 2. 
After the cam member 58 of the demetering lever has passed to the right of 
the lifting cam 64, the flexible nature of the cam leg causes the cam 
member to snap into alignment with the lifting cam 64. The second cam 
surface 70 of the cam member 58 is arranged, as the demetering lever 52 is 
moved to the left, to slide under the lifting cam 64 and to lift it over 
cam member 58 and, in the process, remove the movable tooth portion 48 
attached to the metering pawl 26, from engagement with the metering notch 
in the periphery of the film disk, preparatory to the film disk being 
advanced by the film drive hub. 
Referring now to FIGS. 5-7, the metering system of the present invention is 
illustrated. In FIG. 5 the film disk 72, having a metering notch 74 in the 
periphery thereof, is engaged by both the stationary tooth portion 46 and 
the movable tooth portion 48 during the exposure of the respective 
exposure region of the film. After the completion of the exposure the 
camera drive motor 34 is actuated moving the driving member first in the 
counterclockwise direction, moving the cam member 58 to the right in FIGS. 
2 and 4 until it passes around the end of lifting cam 64 on the metering 
pawl 26. As the motor continues to rotate, the cam 40 and lever 42 permit 
the driving member 32 to be returned in the clockwise direction under the 
influence of a spring, not shown, pulling the cam member 58 under the 
lifting cam 64 to remove the movable tooth portion 48 from the film notch. 
At the same time a driving force is imparted to the film drive hub 20 
causing the edge of the film notch 74 to move into engagement with the 
surface of the stationary tooth portion 46, as illustrated in FIG. 6. As 
the cam member 58 is pulled beyond the lifting cam 64 the metering pawl 26 
is released and, under the influence of the spring, not shown, the movable 
tooth portion 48 is again moved into the film plane, lifting the film 
above the end of the stationary tooth portion 46 for continued movement to 
the next metering notch, not shown, registering the next succeeding film 
exposure plane with the camera exposure aperture. 
It will be appreciated that with the metering arrangement of the present 
invention that the accuracy of the location of the metering pin is 
simplified because the stationary tooth portion 46 may be molded 
integrally with the film support frame member 18 which also is accurately 
aligned with the camera lens assembly 28. Moreover, since the accurately 
aligned stationary tooth portion 46 need not be moved for the functioning 
of the metering operation, it may be strengthened beyond that possible 
with totally movable metering pins of the prior art. Still further since 
the stationary tooth portion 46 is always within the plane of the film 
disk and regardless of whether the movable tooth portion is in or out of 
the plane of the film disk, a portion of the metering pawl will always be 
within the plane of the film disk to catch the next succeeding metering 
notch, thereby reducing the possiblity of skipping frames of the film 
during advancement. Inasmuch as the movable tooth portion 48 is engaged 
with the film notch 74 during exposure, the thickness of the movable tooth 
portion 48 must be accurately controlled so that, in combination with the 
dimensions of the stationary tooth portion 46, the movable and stationary 
tooth portions satisfactorily register the film exposure region with 
respect to the camera exposure aperture. 
ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
With a minor variation in the camera operating mechanism the metering 
device of the present invention can be modified to eliminate the 
requirement of any precision in the movable tooth portion 48 by arranging 
the mechanism to normally bias the movable tooth portion out of the plane 
of the photographic element. Thus, the operational sequence is that the 
film metering notch 74 is in contact with the stationary tooth element 46 
during exposure, as illustrated in FIG. 6. After exposure the movable 
tooth member is momentarily moved into the plane of the film, long enough 
to disengage the notch 74 from the stationary tooth portion 46 and is 
thereafter moved to the position illustrated in FIG. 6. 
In yet another alternative embodiment the demetering mechanism can be 
arranged so that the movable tooth portion 48 is removed from the notch 74 
just prior to the exposure of the film, permitting the edge of the notch 
to engage the stationary tooth portion 46 during exposure. Thereafter the 
movable portion 48 is moved into the film plane to disengage the film 
notch from the stationary tooth 46 for advancement. The movable tooth 
portion remains in the plane of the film until the next notch is engaged 
and until just prior to the next film exposure. 
In each of these last alternative embodiments it is possible to provide a 
metering structure whereby the critical dimensions need be formed only in 
the stationary tooth portion when the film support frame member is 
manufactured, substantially reducing the cost and complexity of the 
metering mechanism. 
Still further, although the present invention has been described 
specifically with respect to a disk film and camera system, it is equally 
applicable to other film and camera systems utilizing a metering notch or 
perforation located in a predetermined relationship to a film exposure 
plane. 
It will be appreciated that, while the preferred embodiment has been 
described with respect to a film having a pre-flashed exposure frame and a 
single metering perforation associated with each exposure frame, the 
invention can be used equally satisfactorily with cameras and film which 
do not use preflashed exposure frames, e.g. 35 mm systems. With such 
systems the metering operating mechanism would be modified to take into 
account the fact that several perforations in the film are associated with 
each exposure frame. The metering pawl operating mechanism would have to 
"count" perforations to assure that the right perforation were engaged for 
registration purposes. The "correct" perforation for metering in a 
camera/film system using a plurality of perforations along a single 
exposure frame would depend upon the position in the camera chosen to 
locate the metering pawl with respect to the exposure aperture of the 
camera and would lend itself to camera design flexibility. 
The invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments and 
variations, but it should be apparent that other modifications and 
variations can be made within the spirit and scope of the invention, which 
is defined by the following claims.