A photographic film cassette

Abstract: A film cassette (11) is provided with a film passage mouth (17) which is attached with pile fabrics (18a,18b) for trapping light. Pile threads of the pile fabrics are flexibly inclined in the film advancement direction to reduce the resistance against film advancement. The leader of the film (12) is formed in the triangular shape such that the film leader end passes the pile fabrics while gradually increasing the contact area with the fabric, thereby reducing the resistance against film advancement.

Description: The present invention relates to a self-advancing photographic film cassette. Presently, a photographic film cassette containing a roll of photographic film strip (hereinafter called a film) of 135 type (35 mm in width) is used most widely. This film cassette is constituted by a light-tight cylindrical cassette housing provided with a film passage mouth, a spool rotatably contained in the cassette housing, and a film coiled on the spool. When loading the film cassette into a camera, the film leader is brought into engagement with a threading member of the camera. By driving the threading member, the film is shifted out of the cassette and fed to a film take-up chamber so as to be wound onto a take-up spool in this chamber. A light trap fabric (commonly called a plush) is attached inside the film passage mouth in order to trap light which enters through the film passage mouth into the cassette housing. As this light trap fabric, there are known a woven fabric with pile threads as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No.37-21388, a knitted fabric with pile threads woven therein as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No.61-34526, a fabric made by inlaying pile threads directly in a film passage mouth as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No.37-4453, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publications Nos.53-105222 and 57-190947, a nonwoven fabric as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No.51-127737. If a pile fabric having pile threads is used as a light trap fabric, the directions of pile threads become disorganized during processes such as dying process and brushing process. In some cases, pile threads are inclined in the film rewinding direction, i.e. the inside of the cassette housing. In this case, the light trap fabric gives a large resistance against the force of film advancement, so that the film cannot be advanced smoothly or the surface thereof may be scratched. As described in US-A-4,832,275, US-A-4,834,306, US-A-4,848,693, and US-A-4,846,418, and Japanese Patent Laid-open Publications Nos.1-306844, and 1-306845, there has been proposed a self-advancing film cassette in which the film is fully contained within the cassette, and the film leader is advanced to the film passage mouth upon rotation of the spool. With the film cassette of this type whose film leader is initially positioned within the cassette, if there is a large resistance against film advancement as described above, the film may be bent within the cassette. US-A-4 887 112 describes a film cassette with a coiled film roll, the leading section of which is shaped in a triangular, asymmetrical form and is shorter than it is wide. The shape of the leader section of the film is adapted to allow it to protrude from between containing lips disposed on the film spool and into slide contact with the cassette wall. US-A-4 880 179 discloses a film cassette containing a coiled film strip the leader portion of which is provided with at least one hole. This at least one hole is adapted to receive a number of fibres arranged in the film passage strip of the film cassette so that the leader portion is engaged for preventing a rearward motion into the film passage slit. US-A-4 860 037 describes a self-advancing cassette for receiving a film strip having a triangular film leader which is shown in the drawings to be shorter than it is wide. A specific dimensioning or any rule for calculating the dimension or shape of the film leader is not disclosed. It is the object of the invention to provide a photographic film cassette with a film in a coiled state having a small resistance of a light trap fabric against film advancement and being capable of reliably advancing the film leader. This object is solved by a film cassette with the features of Claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the present film cassette are defined in the dependent claims. Advantages of this invention are achieved by inclining pile threads of at least one of the two light trap fabrics attached on the upper and lower walls of a film passage mouth, in the direction of film advancement. A woven fabric or a knitted fabric is used as the light trap fabric ground. In the case of a warp pile knitted fabric which uses warp threads as pile threads, pile threads are inlaid into the chain threads of the ground fabric in the direction the same as the chain threads so that pile threads can be inclined in a predetermined direction relative to the ground. For the woven fabric, the base portion of each pile thread perpendicular to the ground fabric is arranged to have a length of 0.5 mm or less, each pile thread being inclined, starting from the vertical thread portion, in a predetermined direction relative to the ground fabric. If a woven fabric is used as the light trap fabric, each pile thread intersects with each weft thread and is in contact with all warp threads. It is preferable that the weft thread inlaying density be 50 to 100 lines per 2.54 cm (1 inch), or that the number of warp lines be 50 to 100 lines or less per 2.54 cm (1 inch). According to this invention, a film leader end is cut obliquely in substantially a triangle form. In the film leader end triangle, the length of the side in the film longitudinal direction is set longer than the side in the film widthwise direction, and shorter than the length of the perimeter of the outermost turn of the film roll. This configuration is effective in that the resistance of the film leader imparted by the film passage mouth can be reduced without deteriorating the light trap function. According to the present invention, pile threads are inclined in the film advancement direction so that it is effective in that the resistance imparted to the film during advancement can be reduced and the film can be pulled out smoothly. Furthermore, the vertical portion of the pile thread at the base thereof is arranged to have a length of 0.5 mm or less and the pile thread is inclined in a predetermined direction relative to the ground fabric. Therefore, for a self-advancing type film cassette, the film leader can be advanced via the film passage mouth with a small torque. Furthermore, each pile thread intersects with each weft thread and is in contact with all warp threads, and the weft thread inlaying density is set to 50 to 100 lines per 2,54 cm (1 inch) or the warp thread inlaying density is set to 50 to 100 lines per 2,54 cm (1 inch). Therefore, the film leader can be stopped reliably at the film passage mouth when the film is rewound within the cassette housing, while obtaining a reliable light trap function. The above objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to the person skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig.1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a photographic film cassette; Fig.2 is a partial front view of the film cassette shown in Fig.1, illustrating the inclined pile threads; Fig.3 is a side view of the film cassette shown in Fig.1, illustrating the inclined pile threads; Fig.4 shows the structure of the light trap fabric shown in Fig.1; Fig.5 is a plan view showing the knitted structure of the light trap fabric shown in Fig.1; Fig.6 is a cross section taken along line VI-VI of Fig.5; Fig.7 shows the structure of another embodiment of light trap fabric; Fig.8 is a perspective view, partially broken, of a self-advancing film cassette; Figs.9 to 11 are cross sections of other embodiments of a self-advancing film cassette; Fig.12 is a cross section of another embodiment of a self-advancing film cassette with one of the flanges separated from the film roll; Fig.13 is a cross section of the embodiment shown in Fig.12 wherein two flanges clamp the film roll; Fig.14 is a perspective view of a self-advancing film cassette containing a film whose leader is formed with engaging holes; Fig.15 is a cross section of the film cassette shown in Fig.14; Fig.16 shows another embodiment of a light trap fabric; Fig.17 is a graph showing the relationship between the length H of the base of a pile thread and the advancing torque; Fig.18 is a graph showing the relationship between the length H of the base of a pile thread and the film leader retaining force; Fig.19 is a graph showing the relationship between the length H of the base of a pile thread and the spacing between ground fabric threads; Figs.20 and 21 illustrate a weaving method of light trap fabrics according to other embodiments; Fig.22 illustrates a weaving method for a Comparison Example fabric; Fig.23 is a perspective broken view of the embodiment of a self-advancing film cassette of this invention; Fig.24 shows the relationship between the film leader and the light trap fabric shown in Fig.23; Fig.25 is a graph showing the relationship between the film leader end resistance and the length of the leader end in contact with the light trap fabric; and Fig.26 is a graph showing the relationship between the angle of the leader end and the length of the leader end in contact with the light trap fabric. Referring to Fig.1, a photographic film cassette 10 is constructed of a cassette 11 and a film 12 contained within the cassette 11. This cassette 11 is constituted by a cylindrical cassette housing 13, a pair of side caps 14 and 15 fitted on opposite sides of the cassette housing 13, and a spool 16 rotatably supported by the side caps 14 and 15. The cassette housing 13 is formed with a film passage mouth 17 through which the film 12 is passed. As shown in Figs.2 and 3, attached to the upper surface 17a and lower surface 17b of the film passage mouth 17 are light trap fabrics 18a and 18b which trap light before beind propagated into the cassette housing 13. The film 12 is of 135 type having a width 35 mm. When the film cassette 10 is not still used, the leader of the film 12 protrudes out of the film passage mouth 17, and the film 12 is wound on the spool shaft with the the trailing end thereof being fixed to the spool 16. The film cassette 10 of this type is difficult for the film 12 to be advanced out of the film passage mouth 17 even if the spool 16 is rotated. Fig.4 shows an embodiment of a light trap fabric constituting the essential part of this invention. A pile woven fabric is used for the light trap fabrics 18a and 18b. Using a double weaving method, upper and lower pile fabrics can be obtained easily at the same time. For example, a ground fabric is formed using warp threads 20 of 75 denier rayon and a weft thread 21 of 150 denier rayon. One denier is defined as weight per 9000 m of thread is grams. Pile warp threads 22 of 75 denier nylon are woven into the ground fabric. Upper and lower pile woven fabrics woven at the same time in the above manner are coupled with common pile threads 22. By cutting the pile threads 22, webs are formed having fluff cut ends of the pile threads 22. Although only one warp thread may be used, a plurality of warp threads are used in practice to improve production. The warp thread 20, weft thread 21, and pile thread 22 may use a polyamide fiber such as various types of nylon, a polyacrylonitrile fiber, a polyester fiber such as polyetylene terephthalate, vinylon fiber, polyvinyl chloride fiber, polyvinylidene chloride fiber, a polyolefine fiber such as polyethylene-polypropylene, a synthetic fiber such as polyethylene-polycarbonate, and a natural and regenerated fiber such as rayon, cupra, acetate, cotton, silk, and wool. The web is dyed in black and brushed to make it fluff. In general, a brushing roll is disposed in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of a web. The brushing roll is rotated in the direction opposite to the web transportation direction to make pile threads 22 rise while brushing them in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the web is brushed such that the pile threads 22 are inclined toward the web widthwise direction by a predetermined angle relative to the longitudinal direction. Specifically, while the web is dried with a tenter type dryer, it is brushed with a wire brush roll (density 200 wires / cm 2 ) inclined by 45 degrees relative to the web transportation direction and rotated in the direction opposite thereto. As the web is brushed while drying it with the tenter type dryer, pile threads 22 of thermoplastic fiber are thermally deformed so that the directions of the pile threads become about 45 degrees relative to the web transportation direction and are inclined relative to the ground fabric. After the brushing process, the web is slit into a plurality of strips. The strip is next cut to obtain the light trap fabrics 18a and 18b having the length same as the lateral length of the film passage mouth 17. As shown in Figs.3 and 4, the light trap fabrics 18a and 18b are attached to the upper and lower surfaces 17a and 17b of the film passage mouth 17 with adhesive agent 23, with the directions of the pile threads 22 being directed in the film advancement direction. In Figs.2 and 3, pile threads 22 are shown less dense than is actual, in order to make clear the directions of the pile threads. For the above-described attachment, a mat agent is coated on the lower surface of the light trap fabrics 18a and 18b, and then a hot melt is coated over the mat agent. Then, the light trap fabrics 18a and 18b are placed on the positions at which they are to be attached, for the thermal bonding by heat, ultrasonics, or high frequency. An adhesive agent containing a mat agent or a double-sided adhesive tape may be used. If the cassette housing 13 is made of plastic, the fabrics may be attached by means of spot welding. Since the upper surface 17a has a longer depth, the width of the light trap fabric 18a is 11.5 mm and that of the light trap fabric 18b is 9.5 mm. One of the light trap fabrics 18a and 18b may use the fabric of this invention with inclined pile threads, and the other may use a conventional fabric. Figs.5 and 6 show an embodiment using a pile knitted fabric as the light trap fabric. Two pile knitted fabrics are knitted at the same time using a 22-gauge double raschel machine. Pile threads 25 are inlaid, while they are knitted with chain yarns 26, into the ground fabric in the ground widthwise direction, and picked up in the same direction. The pile threads 25 are thus erected in a predetermined direction. After the knitting process, similar to the above embodiment, the dying, brushing, slitting, and cutting processes are carried out to obtain a light trap fabric. Similar to the above-described embodiment, this light trap fabric is attached to the film passage mouth 17 such that the pile threads 25 are directed to the end of the film passage mouth 17. Although only one inlaid thread is shown in Fig.5, four inlaid threads are inlaid in actual. Reference numeral 28 represent adhesive agent. Fig.7 shows another embodiment of a light trap fabric. Although the light trap fabric of this embodiment is made by a different pile thread inlaying method, the pile knitted fabric knitted with a 22 gauge double raschel machine similar to the embodiment shown in Figs.5 and 6 is used. In Fig.7, like elements to those of the embodiment shown in Figs.5 and 6 are represented by using identical reference numerals. As the warp chain yarns 26 and the weft inlaid threads 27, a 30 denier polyester fiber is used, and as the pile threads 30 a 50 denier polyester fiber is used. The pile threads 30 are knitted in parallel with the chain yarns 26a at the surface where adhesive agent 28 is coated, to thereby form loops with the chain yarns 26 at the needle loop side 31 and erect the pile threads 30 from the knitted fabric at the sinker loop side 32. In this manner, the pile threads 30 are erect with an inclination from the knit starting direction to the knit ending direction. Two pile knitted fabrics knitted facing on each other are separated by cutting the pile threads 30 coupling the two fabrics. Pile threads 30 are erected by a wire brush while the pile knitted fabric is dried with a tenter type dryer, to thereby work into a light-tight fabric. The cassette shown in Figs.1 to 3 is of 135 type already used widely. A self-advancing film cassette which advances the film leader to the film passage mouth upon rotation of the spool, may have considerable advantages if the light trap fabrics described above are used, while also ensuring the light trap function. This is because the resistance of the light trap fabrics of a self-advancing film cassette is required to be made as small as possible so that the film leader can be projected out of the film passage mouth. Figs.8 to 13 show embodiments of a self-advancing film cassette whose film passage mouth is attached with the light trap fabrics constituting the essential part of this invention. Substantially the same elements shown in Figs.8 to 13 are represented by using identical reference numerals. In the self-advancing film cassette shown in Fig.8, a film roll is received by a pair of ring ridges formed on the inner wall of the cassette so that the spool rotation can be reliably transmitted to the film roll. The film cassette 35 is constructed of a cassette 36 and a film 37 contained in a coiled shape within the cassette 36. The cassette 36 is constructed of two cassette shell halves 38 and 39, and a spool 40 rotatably mounted within the two cassette shell halves 38 and 39. The two cassette shell halves 38 and 39 are made of plastics and joined together with the spool having a coiled film being contained therein. A pair of ridges 41 and 42 is formed on the inner wall of the cassette shell halves 38 and 39 along the circumferential direction thereof. The ridges 41 and 42 become in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the film 37 to prevent the film roll from being loosened. Formed on the ridges 41 and 42 are separation claws 43 and 44 for separating the leader end 37a of the film 37 from the film roll surface. As the spool 40 of this film-advancing cassette 35 is rotated in the unwinding direction, the film roll rotates together with the spool 40. The film leader end 37a is separated from the film roll surface by the separation claws 43 and 44, and advanced via the film passage mouth 45 out of the cassette 36. The light trap fabrics attached to the film passage mouth 45 are not shown in Fig.8. Fig.9 shows the embodiment of a self-advancing film cassette 46 wherein a film roll is nipped with a pair of flanges of the spool so that spool rotation can be reliably transmitted to the film roll. Two ridges 47 and 48 of circular shape are integrally formed on the two side walls of a cassette shell half 38. The ridges 47 and 48 are in contact with the flanges 49 and 50 of the spool 40 to push them inwardly. The inwardly pushed flanges 47 and 48 clamp the film 37 at opposite sides of the outermost peripheral portion of the roll of film 37. Therefore, the rotation of the spool 40 is directly transmitted to the film roll so that the film leader end can be protruded out of the cassette. Fig.10 shows an embodiment of a self-advancing film cassette 51 preventing the film roll from being loosened by means of two rings. A pair of grooves 52 and 53 is formed in the inner walls of cassette shell halves 38 and 39, the grooves extending obliquely along the circumference of the inner wall. Rings 54 and 55 are rotatably fitted within the pair of grooves 52 and 53. The rings 54 and 55 are in contact with the outer circumference of the film roll to push it so as not to become loose. As the spool 40 rotates and the film leader end comes upward as viewed in Fig.10, the film leader end becomes free from the restriction of the rings 54 and 55 because the distance between the rings 54 and 55 is longer than the width of the film 37. As a result, the film leader end is peeled off from the outer circumferential surface of the film roll by the separation claws 43 and 44, and protruded outside the film passage mouth. In a self-advancing film cassette 56 shown in Fig.11, rims 57 and 58 are formed on the outer circumference of a pair of flanges 49 and 50. The rims 57 and 58 receive the film 37 at opposite sides of its outer circumference so as not to allow loosening the film roll. The rims 57 and 58 come in contact with the side walls of separation claws 43 and 44 and are partially extended outwardly. Therefore, the film roll becomes free from the rims 57 and 58 at the position facing the film passage mouth. Thus, the film leader is peeled off from the film roll surface by the separation claws 43 and 44 and becomes free from the restrictions of the rims 57 and 58 so that the film leader is smoothly advanced out of the film passage mouth. In a self-advancing film cassette 62 shown in Figs.12 and 13, flanges nip the film roll while it advances, whereas one of them becomes apart from the film roll while it is rewound. A spool 63 is constituted by two spool pieces 64 and 65. The shaft 64a of the spool piece 64 is formed with a hole at the end thereof, the shaft 65a of the other spool piece 65 being slidably fitted within the hole. The shaft 64a is formed with a projection 66 at the outer circumference thereof, the projection 66 being rotatably fitted within a groove formed in the bearing aperture wall of the cassette shell halves 38 and 39. The end face of the hole of the shaft 54a is made a slanted surface 67. To achieve a tight contact with this slanted surface 67, the end of the shaft 65a of the spool piece 65 is also made slanted. Flanges 64b and 65b are integrally formed with the spool pieces 64 and 65, respectively, and nip opposite sides of the film roll while it is advanced. Similar to the embodiment shown in Fig.8, ridges 41 and 42 are formed on the cassette shell halves 38 and 39 to receive the outer circumference of the film roll so as to reliably prevent the roll film from being loosened. When the spool piece 64 rotates in the unwinding direction, a cam mechanism (not shown) for coupling the spool pieces 64 and 65 immediately operates to move the spool piece 65 toward the spool piece 64, so that, as shown in Fig.13, the film roll is nipped with the pair of flanges 64b and 65b. Then, both the spool pieces 64 and 65 rotate together and hence the film roll rotates without being loosened. Thus, the film leader is reliably advanced out of the cassette via the film passage mouth. When the spool 64 rotates for rewinding the film, the cam mechanism causes the spool piece 65 to become apart from the spool piece 64, so that the distance between the pair of flanges 64b and 65b becomes wider than the film width, thus enabling a smooth rewinding of the film 37 on the shaft 64a. The film advancing force was measured for the cases using light trap fabrics of this invention and conventional light trap fabrics. Those available in the market were used as the conventional light trap fabrics, which are woven by a similar method as of the embodiment shown in Fig.2 and whose pile threads were erected substantially vertically. As test samples, film cassettes of 135 type shown in Fig.1 were used. Films were firmly wound on spools, and the ends of the spools were fixed by means of tapes to the cassette housings so as to prevent the films from being rewound by their elasticity. They were kept at 50 degrees centigrade over one night, and thereafter left at a room temperature to remove the tapes. Then, using an Instron tension tester, the advancing forces of these films were measured. The measurement results were as follows: The advancing force for the film cassette using conventional light-tight fabrics was 1,77 N (180 g). The force for the light-tight fabrics shown in Fig.4 was 1,18 N (120 g). The force for the light-tight fabrics shown in Figs.5 and 6 was 0,8 N (85 g). The force for the light-tight fabrics shown in Fig.7 was 0,78 N (80 g). As seen from the measurement results, the embodiments of this invention have considerably reduced advancing forces as compared with the conventional one, for the reason that pile threads 22, 25, and 30 are inclined toward the outlet of the film passage mouth 17. Figs.14 and 15 show another embodiment of a self-advancing film cassette. The film cassette 70 is constructed of a cassette 71 and a film 72 contained within the cassette 71 in a rolled shape. The cassette 71 is constructed of cassette shell halves 73 and 74, and a spool 75. Similar to the embodiment shown in Fig.8 or Fig.11, ridges 76 and 77 having a width 0.5 mm and a height 0.6 mm are formed on the cassette shell halves 73 and 74 for preventing the film roll from being loosened. Engaging holes, for example two engaging holes 81 and 82, are formed in the leader 80 of a film 72. The engaging holes 81 and 82 of the film leading end are in engagement with pile threads of the light trap fabric 86. This can omit separation claws for a film advance. Upon rotating the spool in the winding direction after exposures, the end 80a of a film leader 80 is stopped by the pile threads within the film passage mouth 83. This construction is advantageous in that the cassette does not need breaking even for taking out the exposed film for development. Reference numeral 87 represents a pressure member having a light trap function for giving a supplementary engagement of pile threads with the engaging holes 81 and 82 by pushing the leader end 80a against the light trap fabric 86. Fig.16 shows a pile woven fabric 90 used as the light trap fabric 86. Reference numeral 91 represents pile threads, 92 warp threads, and 93 weft threads. The base portion of the pile thread 91 goes below the weft threads 93 and then rises slantwise at the angle , so that the base portion are substantially vertical. This vertical portion cannot be bent even the pile threads 91 are pushed down. The length H of the vertical portion influences greatly the advancing torque for advancing the film leader 80 out of the film passage mouth 83, and the retaining force for retaining the film leader 80 within the film passage mouth 83 as the film 72 is rewound. Specifically, as seen from Fig.17, the shorter the length H is, the more reliably the film leader 80 will be stopped within the film passage mouth 83. This length H changes with the thread spacing between weft threads 93 as shown in Fig.19, and poor light-tightness will occur when the weft thread spacing becomes in excess of 0.51 mm (weft thread inlaying density is 50 lines per 2,54 cm (inch) or less). It is therefore preferable that the length H be 0.5 mm or less and the weft thread inlaying density be from 50 to 100 lines per 2,54 cm (1 inch), and more preferably, from 60 to 90 lines per 2,54 cm. While keeping the above fact in mind, a pile woven fabric for Example I was woven in the following manner. The ground fabric was made by warp threads of rayon of 120 deniers / 30 filaments and weft threads of rayon of 150 deniers / 25 filaments, and pile threads of 66 nylon of 100 deniers / 48 filaments were inlaid into the ground fabric, respectively by using a shuttle weaving machine, thereby obtaining the velvet having the structure shown in Fig.20. The weft thread inlaying density was determined to be 64 lines per 2,54 cm (1 inch). In Fig.20, reference W represents a warp thread, F represents a weft thread, P represents a pile thread, a hatching portion represents the area where the warp thread is above the weft thread, and an X portion represents the area where the pile thread is above the weft thread. By shearing the X portion, pile threads 91a and 91b shown in Fig.16 can be obtained. The length of the pile thread extending from the ground fabric is about 1.6 mm for a conventional light trap fabric. This length is preferably set to 1.8 mm or longer so that a slanted pile thread leans over an adjacent pile thread, and the film leader retaining force when the film is rewound on the spool can be improved. However, if this length is set too long, the total thickness of the light trap fabric becomes too thick, thereby necessitating a larger inner side dimension of the film passage mouth. In view of the above circumstances, pile threads 91 were cut at 2.0 mm length by a shearing machine, and dyed into a deep color by a wince dying machine through one-bath/two-step dying by using black direct dye and black acid dye. After dying, the fabric was subjected to sufficient soaping, and was picked up from the wince dying machine to undergo centrifugal extraction. Pile threads of the fabric were then inclined using a drum dryer equipped with a brushing roller, under the conditions of the thermal drum temperature of 170 degrees centigrade, the tensions before and after the thermal drum of 10 Kg per width of 10 cm, and the transportation speed of 4 m/min. More in particular, pile threads of the pile fabric were inclined in the warp thread direction by the brushing roller slightly before the pile fabric was put in the drum dryer, the rotation speed of the thermal drum was set slower than the transportation speed of the pile fabric, the pile threads were inclined toward the inlet of the dryer, and the surface from which pile threads extend out was brought in contact with the thermal drum. The pile fabric was coated with an acrylic mat agent at the bottom surface thereof to make the light trap fabric. The pile thread inlaying density of the light trap fabrics thus formed was 28000 lines per cm 2 , and the pile thread layer thickness was 1.65 mm. A pile woven fabric of Example II was made by the weaving method illustrated in Fig.21. As pile threads, cupra of 100 deniers / 40 filaments was used. The pile woven fabric was dyed into a deep color with black direct dye and the thermal drum temperature was set to 90 degrees centigrade. The other conditions were the same as Example I shown in Fig.20. The pile inlaying density of this teremp was 26000 lines per cm 2 , and the pile thread layer thickness was 1.60 mm. A pile woven fabric of Example III was made in the following manner. Prior to putting the pile woven fabric into the thermal drum for inclining pile threads as in Example I, the brushing roller was mounted at a 45 degree position relative to the transportation direction, and rotated in the direction opposite to the transportation, with the rotation speed being set about 1.5 times as fast as the transportation speed. In this case, the rotation speed of the thermal drum was set so that its circumferential speed becomes equal to the transportation speed of the teremp. The other process conditions were the same as Example I. A pile woven fabric of Example IV was made by inclining pile threads of the pile woven fabric of Example II by the same method as Example III. A pile woven fabric of Comparison Example having the structure shown in Fig.22 was made for the comparison with Examples I to IV. This Comparison Example was made at the weft thread inlaying density of 120 lines per 2,54 cm (1 inch) and at the length of sheared piles of 1.6 mm. The other conditions were the same as Example I. The pile fabrics made in the above manner were punched out to obtain light trap fabrics having a dimension of 5 mm in width and 40 mm in length, with Example I and II and Comparison Example punched lengthwise in the weft direction, and Examples III and IV punched lengthwise in the warp direction. These light trap fabrics were attached with acrylic adhesive agent having 1.5 mm thickness to each film passage mouth 83 of the cassette 71 shown in Figs.14 and 15. The outlet height of the film passage mouth 83 was set to 2.0 mm, and Fuji Color Super HG400 films (merchandise name of films manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd) were used as the film 72, and the film leader ends were cut obliquely at 60 degrees. For the self-advancing film cassettes using the light trap fabrics of Examples I to IV and Comparison Example, the torques necessary for film advancement were measured by an advancing torque meter. The measured value used was a maximum value of measured values obtained from starting the spool rotating to extending the film leader end 80a extends out of the outlet of the film passage mouth 83. The film leader end headed ratio used herein is a ratio of the number of film cassettes whose film end surely protruded out of the outlet of the film passage mouth upon spool rotation, to the total number of film cassettes used for the measurement (in this case, 50 film cassettes). The width of the engaging holes 81 and 82 was set to 10 mm to measure the torque (engaging torque) while the film leader 80 is pulled in within the film passage mouth. These measurement results are shown in Table 1. Example I Example II Example III Example IV Comparison Example Fig. 22 Advancing Torque (g·cm) x 9,81 Nm 265 230 280 240 850 Leader End Headed Ratio (%) 100 100 100 100 75 Engaging Torque 1200 1050 1230 1100 540 (g·cm) x 9,81 Nm As seen from Table 1, Examples I to IV of this invention all have a small advancing torque, a leader end headed ratio of 100 % ensuring reliable film advancement, and an engaging torque in excess of 9810 Nm (1000 g·cm) ensuring reliable engagement of the film leader end. If a lubricant or the like is applied to the pile thread layer of the light trap fabric, the advancing torque can be further reduced. Fig.23 shows a self-advancing film cassette 100 according to the invention, having substantially the same structure as of Fig.8 and a film 101 whose leader end is cut obliquely. The film 101 is wound on a spool 102 provided with flanges 102a and 102b, to thereby form a film roll 104. The spool 102 is rotatably contained within cassette shell halves 105 and 106 which are integrally formed with port portions 105a and 106a to make a film passage mouth 107. To the inner walls of the port portions 105a and 106a, light trap fabrics 108 and 109 made of velvet for example are attached. Reference numerals 112 and 113 represent ridges formed on the cassette shell halves 105 and 106, and reference numeral 114 represents a separation claw connected to the ridge 112. These ridges 112 and 113 are in contact with the outermost circumference of the film roll 104 at the position slightly inside the perforations. The end 117a of the film leader 117 is cut obliquely such that the distal end thereof corresponds in position to the separation claw 114 as shown in Fig.23. In Fig. 24, if the length L, along the film transportation direction, between the distal end A of the leader end 117a and the proximal end B, were to be longer than the perimeter of the outermost turn of the film roll 104, the second outermost turn of the film roll 104 would face on the film passage mouth 107 so that, if light enters from the mouth, the range of the film 101 exposed to light would include the two outermost turn of the film roll 104. On the contrary, if the length L were to be shorter than the width D (e.g., 2 to 7 mm) of the light trap fabrics 108 and 109, the resistance imparted to the film leader 117 while it moves on the light trap fabrics 108 and 109 would become large, thereby increasing the torque necessary for advancing the film leader 117. If the length L were extremely short, it might sometimes be stopped at the midway of the film passage mouth. Accordingly, it can be understood that the length L must be longer than the width D and shorter than the perimeter of the outermost turn of the film roll 104. If the spool 102 having the film leader fully wound within the cassette is rotated in the unwinding direction, the film roll 104 rotates with the spool 102 because the film roll 104 is in contact with the ridges 112 and 113 at the outer circumference thereof and is prevented from loosening. When the film leader 117 rotates to the position of the separation claw 114, the distal end A is peeled off from the outer circumference of the film roll 104 by the separation claw 114, and advanced via the film passage mouth 107 to the outside of the cassette. As the spool 103 continues to rotate, the film leader end 117 is partially placed on the port portion 106a and advances between the light trap fabrics 108 and 109. The length X, in the film widthwise direction, of the portion of the leader edge 117a which contacts the light trap fabrics 108 and 109 is given by D / tan 1, where 1 is an inclination angle of the leader edge 117a. The resistance imparted by the light trap fabrics 108 and 109 to the film leader 117 changes corresponding to the length X as shown in Fig.25. The imparted resistance within the cassette is in the range from 0,98 N to 1,96 N (100 to 200 gf). In order to make the film leader 117 go smoothly out of the cassette, it is necessary to set the spool rotation resistance at 4,9 N (500 gf) or lower at the maximum and, therefore, it is preferable to set the resistance imparted by the light trap fabrics 108 and 109 at 2,94 N (300 gf) or lower. In this case, it is understood from the graph of Fig.25 that the length X is 20 mm or less. In particular, if the width D is 2 mm, it is preferable that the inclination angle 1 is about 5.7° or more, and if the width D is 7 mm, it is preferable that the inclination angle 1 is about 20° or more. If the inner circumferential diameter (corresponding to the outer circumferential diameter of the film roll 104) determined by the inner circumference of the ridges 112 and 113 is 20 mm for example, the length of the perimeter of the outermost turn of the film roll 104 is virtually about 60 mm. In such a case, if the length L is longer than 60 mm, the second outermost turn of the film roll 104 faces on the film passage mouth 107 so that, if light enters into the mouth, the damage of the film roll 104 caused by incident light becomes large. In order to minimize the damage (only the outermost turn), it is necessary to set the length L to 60 mm or shorter. The film 101 is 35 mm in width, so that tan 1 = 60/35, and 1 is about 60 degrees. Referring to Fig.26 showing the relationship between 1 and length X, it is preferable that 5.7° ≦ 1≦ 60° for the width D of 2 mm, and 20° ≦ 1≦ 60° for the width D of 7 mm. The embodiment with the obliquely cut film leader end may be applied not only to the cassette shown in Fig.23, but also to the cassettes shown in Figs.9 to 15. The ground fabric of the pile fabric of this invention may use either a woven fabric with pile threads or a knitted fabric with pile threads. Thus, in addition to the above-described velvet woven fabric and double raschel knitted fabric, other fabrics such as tricot knitted fabric may also be used. The pile fabric of this invention is applicable not only to a film cassette for a photographic camera, but also to a casing for containing various types of strip photosensitive materials such as color photographic paper, computerized phototypesetting film, light-sensitive resin film, and microfilm. While the invention has been described in detail above with reference to preferred embodiments, various changes and modifications within the scope and spirit of the invention will be apparent to people of working skill in this technological field. Thus, it should be construed that the invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims: A self-advancing film cassette comprising a cassette housing (13,36,46,62,71,100), a film strip (12,37,72,101) and a spool (16,40,63,75,102) rotatably contained in said cassette housing and having said film strip in a coiled state, said cassette housing being formed with a film passage mouth (17,45,83,107) for passing said film strip, black light trap fabrics (18a,18b,108,109) attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the film passage mouth, each of said light trap fabrics having pile threads (22,25,30,91); said film strip having a substantially triangular film leader (80,117) obliquely cut to form a leading edge (117a) extending under an inclination angle Θ 1 with respect to the width of said film strip, the leader (80,117) being advanced via said film passage mouth out of said cassette when said spool is rotated in an unwinding direction, characterised in that: said angle  1 is adapted to the width D of said light trap fabric in the film strip advancing direction and to the perimeter of the outermost turn of said coiled filmstrip such that a contact width (X) given by D/tan  1 perpendicular to the advancing direction between said film leading edge (80a,117a) and said light trap fabric is 20 mm or less, and the length (L) of said triangular leader in said advancing direction of said film strip is greater than said width D of said light trap fabric and less than the length of the perimeter of the outermost turn of the coiled film strip, and said light trap fabric is woven or knitted with said pile threads inlaid into a ground fabric wherein said pile threads of at least one of said light trap fabrics are inclined with respect to the ground fabric (23,28) in said film strip advanceming direction, wherein in the case of woven fabric, each weft threads (21) of said woven fabric intersects with pile threads, and each of said pile threads (22,91) is in contact with an adjacent one of said warp threads (20,92), with the weft or warp thread inlaying density being from 50 to 100 lines per 2.54 cm (1 inch) and a substantially vertical portion (H) of said pile threads (22,91) in said ground fabric being no longer than 0.5 mm, or wherein, in the case of knitted fabric, the ground fabric is a warp knitted fabric knitted in double raschel machine, said warp knitted fabric having warp chain yarns (26) and weft inlaid threads (27) wherein said pile threads (25,30) are knitted with said warp chain yarns (26) to be inclined along a direction from a needle loop toward a sinker loop of said ground fabric, so that said self-advancing film cassette provides a spool rotation resistance of 5 N (500gf) or lower when the film leader passes the black light trap fabrics. A film cassette according to claim 1, wherein said pile threads (22,25,30,91) are inclined by approximately 45 degrees relative to said film advancing direction. A film cassette according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the length (L) of said substantially triangular film leader (80,117) in the advancing direction of said film is longer than the side of said triangular film leader in the widthwise direction of said film. A film cassette according to claim 3, wherein tangent of an inclination angle  1 of said film leader (80,117) is in the range from D/W to Y/W, wherein D is width of light trapping fabric, W is width of the film, and Y is perimeter of outermost turn of coiled film. A film cassette according to claim 4, wherein tan  1 is in the range from 2 D/W to Y/2W.

Inventors: KATAOKA HIDEAKI, MIZUNO KAZUNORI, KATAOKA, HIDEAKI, MIZUNO, KAZUNORI, KATAOKA, HIDEAKI, C/O FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD., MIZUNO, KAZUNORI, C/O FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD.
Applicants: FUJI PHOTO FILM CO LTD, FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: G03C3
IPC codes: G03B17