CA1099555A

CA1099555A - Camera using film cartridges of disk-shaped film

Info

Publication number: CA1099555A
Application number: CA298,272A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Donald M. Harvey
Original assignee: Eastman Kodak Co
Current assignee: Eastman Kodak Co
Priority date: 1977-03-07
Filing date: 1978-03-06
Publication date: 1981-04-21
Also published as: FR2383458A1; FR2383458B1; IT7820971A0; BR7801358A; JPS55146438A; CH628155A5; JPS55146437A; JPS53113526A; JPS6161369B2

Abstract

CAMERA USING FILM CARTRIDGES OF DISK-SHAPED FILM

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The disclosure relates to photographic cameras adapted to receive film cartridge assemblies enclosing rotatable film disks. Disclosed novel features include compact camera formats, means for advancing the film disk for effecting successive exposures, means for supporting the film in a predetermined film plane, means for preventing accidental exposure of the film to ambient light, and means by which various of these and other features are automatically coordinated.

Description

~C~9~555 , PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERAS

Description of the Prior Art Most cameras capable of producing a plurali-ty of ex-posures on a single piece o~ film use an elongate strip of roll film that is incrementally advanced lengthwise through an expo-sure gate to expose successive longitudinally spaced exposure areas. Alternatively, it has been known for many years to pro-duce multiple exposures on a disk of film that is incrementally rotated in a camera to expose successive circumferentially spaced exposure areas on the film disk. Such a film disk has several advantages over roll film, two particularly significant considerations being the relative ease with which the film can be supported in flat condition in the exposure gate and the relative simplicity of the camera mechanism required to index the film disk for successive exposures.
A typical example of an early film disk camera is disclosed in U.S. Patents 509,841 and 517,539, issued respec-tively on November 28, 18g3 and April 3, 1894. The camera disclosed by these patents resembles a pocket watch and was sold for many years under the trademark "Photoret". In this camera, a disk of ~ilm is clamped about its periphery to the flat internal face of a cup shaped member that forms the rear casing oE the camera. The lens and shutter assembly is attached to the front cover lid of the camera, whereby incremental rota-tion of the back casing relative to the front cover lid causes successive segments of the film to move into alignment with the lens. The shutter mechanism limits the rotational movement of the back casing after each successive exposure to provide uni~
form spacing of the exposure images. Each successive increment-al rotation of the cover also serves to cock the shutter, thereby ~ ~ 2 preventing the same film area from being e~posed twice in im-mediate succession. No means were provided, however, ~or pre-venting the film disk from being rotated through more than one complete revolution, which could result in double exposures.
U.S. Patent 1,773,106 discloses another camera adapted to use a film disk, which in this case is clamped to an incre-mentally rotatable spindle that extends through a central hole in the disk. A flat pressure plate bears against a portion of the film that is being exposed to hold it against a flat support plate provided with an exposure aperture. The incremental rota-tion of the film disk is achieved by means of a ratchet wheel on the rotatable film disk spindle. The spindle indexing means cooperates with the shutter cocking mechanism to prevent a second operation of the shutter before the disk has been indexed and an interlock device is controlled by the film compartment door to prevent the shutter from being operated after the disk has made a complete revolution until the door has been opened to change disks.
A significant disadvantage of the types of cameras described above is that the film disk must be loaded into the camera in total darkness, whereas the use of backing paper or light tight film containers has for many years allowed roll film cameras to be loaded in daylight. To overcome this pro-blem, it has also been known in the past to enclose a film disk in a light tight film container provided with an exposure window that is closed by a so-called cover slide whenever the cartridge is removed from the camera. Various terms including cartridge, magazine, pack and cassette have been applied to such film containers, which, when loaded with film, are herein referred to as film cartridge assemblies.
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Examples of prior art film cartridge assemblies and associated camera structures are shown in U.S. Patent Nos.

2,446,200 issued on August 3, 1948 and 2,531,651, 2,531,652 and 2,531,653, all issued on November 28, 1950. A camera in-corporating various features disclosed in these patents was sold under the trademark "Foto Disc". In general this type of film cartridge assembly resembles the previously mentioned "Photoret" camera in that the fllm disk is rotatable by means of an externally accessible riny surrounding the cartridge assembly while the Eront wall of the cartridge assembly supports ~he camera's lens and shutter. A co~er slide incorporated in the cartridge assembly is operated by the attachment of the lens and shutter structure to the cartridge assembly and detent means are provided within the cartridge assembly for establish-ing uniform film indexing positions and for preventing more than one revolution of the film disk. These patent references disclose both single film disk cartridge assemblies and cart-ridge assemblies that employ two film disks in back to back relation to each other, the latter being provided on both faces with cover slide means and with means for attachment of the lens and shùtter assembly, thereby doubling the number of available e~posures. Because of the relatively complicated sheet metal construction employed in these various caxtridge assembly embodiments, they were intended to be opened and reloaded by the film processor.
Another camera using disk film cartridge assemblies was produced in Japan under the trademark "Petal", beginning about 1949. This was a sub-miniature camera that uses a metal cartridge assembly about the size of a quarter. The cup shaped rear casing of the cartridge assembly, to which the film disk is peripherally clamped, is received within and keyed to a rotatable externally accessible portion of the camera housing and the front wall of the cartridge assembly includes an aper-ture 1q~9~5S

covered by a pivotal spring loaded cover slide. The initial rotation o~ the camera housing opens the cover slide and sub-sequent incremental rotations of the housing~ indexed by a det-ent device, bring successi~e exposure areas into alignment with the camera's lens. No means are provided for preventing double exposures and the cartridge assembly was apparently intended to be returned to the film processor for reloading.
Still another sub-miniature camera of this same general type was sold under the trademark "Steineck" and is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,625,087 i~sued on January 13, 1953. This camera is in the shape of a wrist watch and uses a film cartridge assembly intended to be reloaded by the film processor. The cartridge assembly includes two superimposed closure plates, each of which is proviaed with an exposure window and with an arcuate transport tooth window. One of the closure plates is stationary with respect to the cartridge assembly housing and the other one is rotatably movable. Whenever the cartridge assembly is removed from the camera, the windows in these two plates are out of alignment with each other to prevent acci-dental exposure of the film. Installation of the cartridge assembly into the camera causes the movable plate to rotate so that the two exposure windows are aligned with the camera's objective lens and shutter, and so that a transport tooth carried by the camera can enter into the interior of the cartridge assembly through the aligned transport tooth windows.
A rotatably supported hollow bushing within the cartridge assembly carries a transport disk that is located i~mediately behind the closure plates and provided with spaced exposure apertures and with corresponding peripheral transport notches.
Stacked on the busing behind the transport disk are ~9~iSS

the film disk, a film positioning ~isk, a tension disk and a counter disk, each of which is provided with an edge notch engaged with a pin on the transport disk -to keep all of these disks in fixed rotational relation to each other. Each operation of the shutter operating lever causes the shutter to open momentarily and then actuates the movement of -the transport finger, which engages the next transport notch in the transport disk and rota-tes the la-t-ter to thereby angularly move all of the disks in unison so that -the nex-t exposure area is brought into exposure position. The counter disk is provided with a circular row of numbers corresponding to the film exposures and a window in the back of -the cartridge assembly allows the photographer to see the counter disk number indicative of the number of exposures remaining to be made.
Removal of the cartridge assembly from the camera automatically closes the exposure and transport finger windows and, if not all of the available exposures have been used, the cartridge assembly can later be reinstalled to expose the remaining exposure areas. The same transport disk pin that prevents relative rotation between -the various disks also cooperates with a stationary plate behind the counter disk to limit the rotation of the rotatable disks to 360 degrees, thereby preventing reexposure of the film in a previously exposed cartridge assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to cameras adapted to use non-reloadable disk type film cartrldge assemblies of the type described in my co-pending Canadian Patent Applica-tion Serial No. 298,242, filed March 6, 1978, entitled DISK-SHAPED
FILM UNIT AND HU~ CARTRIDGE ASSEMBLY. Priefly, such a cartridge assembly comprises a casing that remains stationary within a camera. A film disk enclosed within the ~99~5~

casing is permanently attached to a central hub that extends through the front wall member of the casin~ so that it is a~cessible from the exterior of the casing. A cover slide attached to the hub within the casing covers an exposure win-, dow and is rotatable with th~ film disk so that the window is open except when the hub is rotated to its initial position.
A lock member incorporated in the hub assumes a first condition that`initially locks the hub with the exposure window closed by the cover slide and that is released when the car-tridge assembly is loaded into the camera. After the hub has been rotated and again returns to this position, it is again blocked by the lock member, but in a different way so that it cannot again be released if that same cartridge assembly ls subse-quently reloaded into a camera. Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a camera with a simple and reliable mechanism for operating such a locking device; an-other related object of the invention being to ensure that the camera cannot be opened to permit removal of the cartridge assembly unless the hub has first been returned to its initial position to close the exposure window.
To facilitate the exposure of the film disk in a camera and various automatic printi,ng or projection operations performed after the film disk is developed, an external por-tion of the cartridge assembly hub includes index surfaces that are in predetermined accurate relation to the location of the image areas exposed by the camera. Another object of the invention is to provide a camera adapted to use such a film disk cartridge assemblies with simple but nevertheless highly accurate means for supporting the film disk hub and for indexing it accurately with reference to those index surfaces, both in manual and automatic advance versions of such a camera.

~9S~:i Another object of the invention is to facilitate smooth rotation of the film disk and to minimize the possibil-ity of a~rading its image areas, while at the same time insur-ing that the emulsion sur~ace of the film area to be exposed is supportea very accurately in a predetermined exposure plane. These objectives are accomplished in accordance with the invention through cooperation between the cartridge as-sembly and various novel pressure pad and film gate features contemplated by the invention.
Another object of the invention is to provide a very compact and aesthetically pleasing horizontal format camera configuration that exploits the shape of the film disk cartridge assembly by locating the axis of the objective lens paralleI to the cartridge assembly in intersecting rela-tion to a mirror or prism by which the film disk is exposed through the exposure window. In addition to its compactness and aesthetic appeal, this camera configuration lends itself admirably to the use of simple and straightforward mechanism onstructions and also provides a high degree of versatility in facilitating the use of interchangeable components through~
out a series of camera mo~els having various degrees of sophistication such as single lens reflex viewfinders, fully automatic film advancing and shutter cocking features, etc.
Various means for practicing the invention and other advantages and novel features thereof will be apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative preferred embodiments of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals denote like eIements.
In the Drawings:

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~ ig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a disk rilm cartridge assembly of a form usable in a camera embodying the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the obverse face, i.e.
the face at which exposure is made, of the film cartridge assembly shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the reverse face of the film cartridge assembly;
Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged cross sectional view of the film cartridge assembly taken along line 4-4 o~
Fig. 2;
Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged view corresponding to a portion of Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 4;
Fig. 7 is a fragmentary cross sectional view as though taken along line 7-7 of Fig. 4 but shows the film cartridge assembly in cooperation with a hub unlocking device incorporated in a camera;
Fîg. 8 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along lines 8-8 of Fig. 4;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a carnera according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, suitable ~or loading with a film disk cartridge assembly of the form shown in the preceding figures;
Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the camera shown in Fig. 8 illustrating that camera inverted and pointed in the opposite direction and with its cover door open to receive a film disk cartridge assembly;

Fig. 11 is a plan view of mechanism incorporated in the camera shown in Fig. 10, depicting the respective _g_ 5;5i5 positions of the illustrated m2chanism components when a film cartridge assembl~ has been loaaed into the camera but be~ore the film disk hub has been moved from its initial position;
Fig. 12 corresponds to Fig. 11 but depicts the il-lustrated mechanism in the process of engaging the film disk hub to effect the initial rotational movement thereof;
Fig. 13 corresponds to Figs. 11 and 12 and illust-rates the respecti~e positions of the mechanism components ater completion of the first indexiny operation which removes the cover slide from the exposure window and locates the ~irst exposure area in position for exposure;
Fig. 14 is a fragmentary enlarged cross sectional view taken along line 14-14 of Fig. 11;
Fig. 15 is a fragmentary perspective view of a film support frame member incorporated in the camera;
Fig. 16 is a somewhat schematic cross sectional view of a gate structure and optical elements associated therewith, included in the camera illustrated in Figs. 9 to 15;
Fig. 17 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 13 illustrating the advancing pawl tooth and the indexing pawl tooth;
Fig. 18 i5 an enlarged partially cross sectional view taken along line 18-18 of Fig. 11;
Fig. 19 is a plan view corresponding to Figs. 11-13 but depicting the components of the camera located below the mechanism plate illustrated in those figures;
Fig. 20 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the shutter release mechanism illustrated in Fig.
19;
Fig. 21 is an enlarged exploded view of the cover latching mechanism of the camera illustrated in Figs. 9-20;

Fig. 22 is a somewhat schematic plan view of a second . ~.

embodiment of the invention in the form of a very simple manual film advancing mechanism;
Fig. 23 iS an enlarged fragmentary view of the advanc-ing and positioning ~eeth employed in the mechanism shown in Fig. 22, and illustrates the respective posi-tions of those teeth when the film disk is positioned for exposure;
Fig. 24 corresponds to Fig. 23 and shows the respec-tive positions of the advancing and positioning teeth after the film disk hub has completed its rotation to return the cover slide to the cartridge assembly's exposure window;
Fig. 25 is a somewhat schematic plan view of a third embodiment of the invention comprising an automa~ic film advanc-ing mechanism, showing the depicted components of that mechanism in their respective positions during the camera loading opera-tion;
Fig. 26 illustrates the door latch device incorporat-ed in the mechanism depicted in Fig. 25, showing that device in its latching condition;
Fig. 27 corresponds to Fig. 25 and shows the door 2U latch device in its released condition;
Fig. 28 corresponds to Fig. 25 and shows the respec-tive positions assumed by the various illustrated components as the film disk is advanced and exposed, Fig. 29 illustrates a modification of the film unit advancing and indexing mechanism shown in Figs. 25 and 28;
Fig. 30 depicts another modification of the mechanism shown in Figs. 25 and 28, with the illustrated components shown in the positions that they assume after completion of a film indexing operation; and Fig. 31 corresponds to Fig. 30 but shows the depicted components in their respective posi-tions during a film advanc-ing operation.

, ~ - 1 1 -DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
-sec~use photographic cameras adapted to be loaded with cartridge assemblies are well known, the present descrip-tion will be~directed in particular to camera and cartridge assembly elements forming part of or cooperating directly - lla -with camera elements to which the present invention is specifically directed. It is to be understood that camera and cartridge assembly elements not specifically shown or described may take various forms well known to those skilled in the art.
The disk film cartridge assembly 41 shown in Figs. 1 through 8 is the subject oF the previously identified Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 298,242, and reference is directed to the specification of that application for more details than are given herein.
As is best shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, the film cartridge assembly 41 comprises a molded plastic hub 42 provided with a plurality of radial index ears 43. The number of index ears 43 is equal to the number of exposures intended to be provided by the car-tridge assembly.
For illustrative purposes, hub 42 is shown as having ten ears 43 spaced 30 apart and thereby leaving a 90 arc which is free of ears and is radially aligned with coupling hole 44 adjacent the hub's central spindle hole 45. As shown in Figs.
4 and 5, the hub includes a stepped ring s-tructure 46 that projects through a rotatable cover slide 47, a baffle sheet 48 and a film disk 49. The cover slide 47 and the baffle sheet 4 are made of thin opaque sheet material, preferably paper or plastic, and the film disk 49 comprises a relatively stiff piece of fla-t photographic film with its emulsion side facing the index ears 43 of hub 42. The cover slide 47 and the filrn disk 49 are keyed to the hub 42 to maintain a cut-out notch 51 of truncated sector shape in -the film disk 49 in alignment with a sector shape leaf portion 52 of the cover slide 47 and with the go arc por-tion of the hub which lacks ears 43. The hub 42, the cover slide 47 and the film disk 49 are rotatable in unison relative to the baffle sheet 48, which is sandwiched between the cover slide 47 and the film disk 49. As shown at numeral 53 in Fig. 5, -12- .

a peripheral rim of the plastic hub material is swaged into g~ipping engagement with the ~ilm disk 49 around the boundary o~ the disk's central aperture by a thermal or ultrasonic process, in order to permanently clamp the disk to the hu~.
Prererably, the film disk 49 includes a plurality of exposure areas as sh~wn at number 54 in ~ig. 2, which are bordered by previously exposed areas of the film emulsion.
Each of these exposure areas 54 bears the same predetermined relation to its corresponding index ear 43 as each Or the other exposure areas 54 bears to its corresponding index ear 43 and this same relationship is maintained in all similar film cartrdige assemblies.
The casing member 55 of the film cartridge assembly 41, best shown in Fig. 1, comprises a piece o~ ~lexible opaque sheet material formed with a square center section 56 slightly larger than the baffle sheet 48 and with four lateral flaps 57a through 57d. An upstanding cylindrical rib 58 of a molded plastic hub support plate 59 projects through an opening 60 in the square center section 56 o~ the casing member and a peripheral flange 61 of the plate 59 is permanently sealed to the shell member by an appropriate adhesive material. The plate 59 is keyed to the casing member 55 by a key 56a and keyway 59a.
A plùrality of teeth, one of which is shown at numeral 62 in Fig. 5, extend inwardly from the ring structure 46 of the hub 42 and are intended to snap into a circumferential groove 63 about the upstanding cylindrical rib 58 of the hub support plate 59 to retain the hub and the support plate together whilst allowing rotation of the hub 42 relative to the hub support plate 59. As is best shown in Fig. 5, a labyrinth light barrier is provided between the periphery of the rib 58 and the conrronting surfaces of the ring structure 46 by the cooperation Or a circurnferential male shoulder 64a on the plate 59 with an opposed female shoulder 64b in the latter. After the film unit assembly cornprising the hub 42, ss the cover slide 47, the bar~le sheet 48 and the fllm disk 49 ~`~ has been snapped into enga~ement with ~he hub support plate 59 attached to the casing member 55, the flaps 57a and 57b and then flaps 57c and 57d are folded over and adhesively secured together in envelope fashion~ The semi-circular openings 65a through 65d in the casing member flaps 57a through 57d, respectively, closely surround the periphery of the hub 42, but these openings 65a-65d need not be in light tight engagement with the hub because of the light barrier provided by the cooperation between the cover slide 47, the bafrle sheet 48 and the stepped configuration of the hub ring structure 46. ~he corners o~ the casing member are folded over and glued to the flaps 57c, 57d as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to provide the cartridge with diagonal corners 66a-66d, with one of the corner flaps 66d being longer than the other three to provide an asy~netrical configuration to the completed film cartridge assembly 41. The exposure window 67 in the casing member, which is formed by the cooperation of aperture 68 in the flap 57d and edge cutouts 69a and 69b in the respective flaps 57a and 57b, is ali.gned with the window 70 in the ba~fle sheet 48, but light entering the exposure window 67 cannot reach the photosensitive film disk 49 because the sector-shaped portion 52 of the cover slide 47 is located between and in overlapping relation to the casing window 67 and the baffle sheet window 70. Thus, it will be apparent that the film disk 49 is completely protected rrom accidental exposure to light as long as the hub remains in its initial position with the sector-shape portion 52 of the cover ælide 47 aligned with exposure window 67.
To prevent accidental rotation Or the cover slide 47 out of alignment with the exposure window 67 except when the cartridge assembly 41 is installed in a camera, the cartridge asseMbly is provided with a hub locking device best illustrated in Figs. 4~ 6 and 7, which i5 described ,~,'' more fully in copending Canadian Patent Application Serial No.
298,242. As best shown in Fig. 4, th;s locking device comprises a cantilevered locking bar 71 molded integrally with, and suppor-ted at one end by, the hub support plate 59. A
dinedral locking boss 72, shown in Figs. 4 and 6 is molded integrally with an internal cylindrical wall 73 of the hub 42 and initially receives the unsupported end of the locking bar 71 within primary locking notch 74, as shown at numeral 71a in Fig. 6; thereby preventing relative rotation be-tween the hub 42 and the hub support plate 59. When -the film cartridge assembly 41 is installed in a camera, a coupling pin 75, shown in Fig.
7, passes through -the coupling hole 44 in the hub 42 and engages a roof-shaped projection 76 on the locking bar 71 to flex the latter slightly and thereby move its unsupported end out of the locking notch 74 to the position shown at numeral 71b in Fig. 6. ~s described hereina-Fter, the coupling pin 75 is carried by an element of the camera that is rotatable with the film disk's hub 42. When the film disk's hub 42 is rotated relative to the hub support plate 59 by the camera's film advancing mechanism, in the direction shown by arrow 77 in Fig.
6, the lower ramp face 78 of winy 79 of the boss 72 cams the unsupported end of the locking bar 71 partially into a slot 8û
in -the hub support plate 59 as the locking boss 72 moves beyond engagement with the locking bar 71. Because the hub support plate 59 remains s-tationary during this rotational movemen-t of the hub 42, the pin 75 moves out of engagement with the roof-shaped projection 76 of`-the locking bar 71, whereupon the unsupported end of the locking bar 71 again assumes the same position that it occupied when it was trapped in the notch 74 in the locking boss 72 and no longer has any re-tarding influence on the rotation o-F the hub 42. When the hub 42 has approached completion of a 360 rotation, the unsupported end of the locking bar 71 engages upper ramp sur-f`ace 81 of wing 82 of the locking boss 72, as shown at 71c in Fig. 6 and is thereby cammed upwardly so that it enters upper locking notch 83 of the boss 72, as shown at 71d, to again lock the hub 42 in fixed relation to the suppor-t plate 59. During this final rotational movement, the projection 76 of the bar 71 again engages the pin 75, but the pin 75 cannot perform its previous function of releasing the locking cooperation between the bar 71 and the boss 72. If the hub 42 is rotated less than a complete revolution and then is rotated in the opposi-te direction back to its initial position 9 the -Free end of the locking bar 71 engages upper ramp surface 84 of the wing 79 of the locking boss 72 and is -thereby cammed upwardly and into the locking notch 83 in the same manner.
Accordingly, it will be seen that the locking engagement between the hub 42 and the hub support plate 59 is released when the film cartridge assembly 41 is initially installed in a camera but cannot again be released by a second installation of the cartridge assembly into a camera after the film disk 49 has been rotated and -then returned to its initial position.
Alternatively, as described in copending Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 298,242, the locking bar 71 can be released by the central support spindle -tha-t extends through the spindle hole 45.
The lower face of the locking bar 71 is visible through the slot 80 in the hub support plate 59 and, as just described, its unsuppor-ted end is located below septum 85 of ~
the locking boss 72 prior to installa-tion of the film car-tridge in a camera and above that septum 85 after the hub 42 has been returned to its initial position. Accordingly, by either painting the tip of the locking bar 71 with an easily visible color or by similarly painting the lower surface of the septum 85, a used film cartridge assembly can be visually distinguished from an unused one by observing whether such a marking is visible through the slot 80.

9~SSS
As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, ~he hub support pl~te 59 of the film cartridge assembly is provided with a plurality of holes 86 aligned with the corresponding indexing ears 43 on the hub 42 when the hub 42 is in its initial position. A
shoe 87, shown in Figs. 4 and 8, is coated on its lower face with an easily visible material. When the hub 42 is rotated to bring the first exposure area into exposure position, the shoe 87 is visible through the hole associated with the numeral 1, and each successive indexing movement o~ the hub 42 brings the shoe 87 into alignment with the next successively numbered hole 85, thus providing a convenient means for identifying the particular exposure area that has been brought into position for exposure.
A preferred embodiment of the inventio~ is illustrated in Figs. 9 through 21 and may be called a manual film advance camera, which refers to the ract that the energy required to accomplish each successive indexing movement of the film disk is derived from a corresponding manual movement of a film advancing member.
Fig. 9 depicts the camera 101 in its operative position and shows the front wall 102 of the camera provided with an objective lens 103, a viewfinder lens 104 and a window 105 associated with a photosensitive element of an automatic exposure control device. A rectangular shutter operating button 106 is located in the top wall 107 of the camera housing 108 and is substantially flush with the top wall 107. Fig. 10 shows the camera 101 inverted from the position shown in Fig. 9 and turned end for end so that its back end wall 109 is visible. A cover door 111, which is shown in its open position in Fig. 10, is attached to the camera housing by hinges 112. When closed, the door 111 is in light-tight cooperation with the camera housing and is `~ retained in that position by a latching device that is releasable by a slidable latch release button 113 adjacent -17~

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the rear viewfinder lens 114 in the back wall 109. Operating - ear 115 of a pivotally movable f~ lm advancing lever is partially visible in Fig. 10, and is substantially flush with the camera housing except during a film advancing operation. From these two figures, 9 and 10, it will be apparent that the camera is very compact and streamlined and is notably ~ree of protruding elements which mi~ht inter~ere with conveniently carrying it in a shirt pocket or the like.
Because Figs. 9 through 21 all ~llustrate camera mechanisms in the same inverted orientation ~hown in Fig.
10, relative positional terms, such as above and below, used in describing those figures will be understood to relate to that inverted mode of orientation. For example, in referring to Fig. 10, film cartridge assembly 41 would be described as being above the camera 101.
As best shown in Fig. 10, the interior of the camera housing 108 defines a shallow internal pocket 116 of the same asymmetrical peripheral shape as the casing of the film cartridge assembly and with a central circular cavity 20 117 intended to receive the film disk's hub 42. The camera housing 108 forms lateral walls 118 and 119 and end wall 121 of the pocket 116 and its remaining end wall 122 and diagonal `
corner wàlls 123-126 are formed by a cover plate 127 which is held in place by screws 128. A circular central opening 129 in the cover plate 127 exposes a rotatable circular driving disk 131 that is pivotally supported by a stationary hub spindle 132. The driving disk 131, in turn, carries a coupling pin 133, corresponding to the pin 75 shown in Fig.
7. A rectangular opening 134 in the cover plate 127 accommodates 30 a rectangular film support frame 135, which extends slightly above the adjacent flat face of the cover plate 127. When the cartridge assembly is installed in the pocket 116, a) the spindle hole 45 in the hub 42 receives the end Or spindle 132, b) the drivlng pin 133 enters the coupllng hole 44 in the hub; and c) the ~ilm support frame enters the cartridge -lB-~ ~99~5:~
- assembly's rectangular ~ilm exposure window 67. Because o~
the asymmetry of the cartridge assembly and the c~rresponding configuration of the pocket 116, the cartridge assembly cannot be inserted into the pocket 116 except in this proper orientation. When the cover door 111 is closed following installation of the film cartridge assembly, a transparent cover door window 136 bears against the hub support plate 59 of the cartridge assembly and maintains the hub 42 in contact with the driving disk 131. A circular window rim 0 137, integral with the camera's cover door 111, surrounds the hub support plate 59 of the cartridge assembly for light locking purposes.
A rectangular pressure platen 138 is attached to the cover door by a pair o~ resilient spring arms 139 which bias it away ~rom the door. When the door is closed, the platen 138 is aligned with the film support frame 135~ but is held out of clamping engagement with the film cartridge assembly by the engagement of an ear 140 on the pressure platen 138 with a pressure relieving ringer 141, which 0 projects through an opening 142 in the cover plate 127 adjacent the film support frame 135.
A mechanism plate 143, preferably made of relatively heavy sheet metal, is best shown in Figs. 11 through 13.
This plate i5 rigidly supported within the camera housing below t.he cover plate 127, which is spaced slightly above the mechanism plate 143 by spacer means, not shown. For example, screws 128 can extend through the cover plate 127, through spacer washers, through holes in the mechanism plate 143, one o~ which is at numeral 144, and into threaded bosses molded into the carnera housing 108. The mechanism plate 143 supports the principal operative mechanical and optical camera components as a unitary subassernbly, thereby facilitating assembly and servicing of the camera and ensuring permanent stability in the relation of those components to one another.
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~9~S~5 `~ The hub spindle 132, shown in detail in Fig. 14 3 is permanently staked ~o the mechanism plate 143 by its riveted lip 145 and rotatably supports the circular driving disk 131 and a film advancing lever 146. The upper end of the spindle 132 fits accurately into the spindle hole 45 in the hub 42 of the film cartridge assembly and thereby precisely defines the axis of rotation of the film disk 49.
When the cartridge assembly is received in the camera with its hub 42 in engagement with the spindle 132, the film 0 support frame 135 extends through the exposure window 67 of the cartridge assembly casing and engages the face of the sector-shape portion 52 of the cover slide 47. Rotation of the cover slide portion 52 out of alignment with casing window 67 allows the window 70 in the baffle sheet 48 to pass around the frame 135 whereby the frame engages and supports the emulsion surface of the film disk 49 just outside the periphery of the film exposure area.
The film support frame 135 is an integral part of a gate member 147, best shown in Figs. 15 and 16, which is O immovably attached to the mechanism plate 143 by screws 148 with the frame extending upwardly through the opening 134 in the cover plate 127. The frame 135 is cantilevered from ~he remainder oI' the gate member to provide a slot 14g between the frame 135 and the mechanism plate 143 to accommodate blades 151 and 152 of the camera's shutter. A rectangular opening 153 in the frame is aligned with a slmilarily shaped opening 154 in the mechanism plate 143, such openings 153 and 154 being slightly larger than the pre-de~ined exposure areas of the film disk 49. To prevent deflection or bending O of the frame 135, a support post 155 is located at the otherwise unsupported end of the frame 135 outside the movement path of the shutter blades 151 and 152 and bears against an ear 156 of the mechanism plate 143. Below the openings 153 and 154, a prism 157 is rigidly supported to the mechanism plate 143 by a bracket 158 in optical alignment ~9~;~S
with the camera's objective lens 103, which is also preferably supported either to the gate member 147 or the mechanism plate 143. The axis of the obJective lens 103 is substantially parallel to the plane of the film cartridge. The prism 157, or an equivalent mirror, bends the optical path through a 90 angle so that the focal plane of the lens 103 is coincident with the predetermined flat film plane de~ned by the ~lat upper film engaging face 159 of the film support frame 135.
During each exposure o~ the film disk 49, the pressure platen 138 resiliently bears against the flexible casing of the ~ilm cartridge assembly and thereby presses the corresponding region o~ the ~ilm disk 49 against the face 159 of the film support frame 135 to positlon the film exposure area accurately in coincidence with the plane defined by that ~ace 159.
Alternatively, the window 70 in the baffle sheet 48 could be smaller than the window 67 in the casing and the face 159 of the film support frame 135 could engage the region of the baffle sheet 48 surrounding its window 70, in which case the thickness of the baf~le sheet 48 would be compensated for in 0 establishing coincidence between the film plane and the focal plane of the objective lens.
The single reflecting surface in the optical path produces a reversed image, but this reversal can be corrected for projection or printing purposes, either by inverting the ~eveloped film disk in the projector or printer or by incorporating another single reflecting element in the projection path of such an apparatus. Fig. 19 shows the various lenses constituting the viewfinder except for its rront lens 104, all of such lenses being located along an axis 161 located below the 0 mechanism plate 143 and substantially parallel to the axis of the objective lens 103. To provide a single lens reflex type of camera construction, the reflective surface of prism 157 can be partially light transmissive and aligned with the axis of appropriate viewrinder elements, or a movable mirror can be substituted ror that prism, as is well known in the prior art.

~9~5XS
As best illustrated in Figs. 11 and 14, the circular driving disk 131 is provided on its lower face with a pinion gear 162 meshed with gear teeth 163 of a sector plate 164 that is pivotally supported to the mechanism plate 143 by a stud 165 for arcuate movement between two stationary stop pins 166 and 167. A relatively strong hairpin spring 168 biases the sector plate 164 in a counterclockwise direction.
Whenever the camera is in an unloaded condition, the spring 168 holds the sector plate 164 against pin 166, as shown in Fig. 11. Accordingly, the coupling pin 133 on the driving disk 131 is positioned to be received in the cartridge hub coupl.ing hole 44 of a film cartridge assembly being loaded into the camera. An arcuate ratchet tooth segment 16~ of the sector plate 164 is engageable by a releasable ratchet pawl 171 under the influence OI a spring 172 to limit rotation of the film disk's hub 42 to a counterclockwise direction.
The ~ilm advancing lever 146 includes an arm 173 that extends through a slot 174 in lateral wall 119 of the camera housing 108. An ear 176 extends downwardly from arm 173 through an arcuate slot 177 in the mechanism plate 143 and is attached to a relatively strong spring 178 that biases the lever 146 in a counterclockwise directlon toward the position shown in Fig. 11, in which arm 173 is in abutment with end 179 of slot 174. By means of the operating ear 115 at the end of arm 173, the photographer can manually rotate lever 146 through an angle of somewhat more than 45 degrees to the position shown in Fig. 12, which movement is limited by the abutment of the arm 173 against the opposite end 181 of slot 174.
An advancing pawl 182 is pivotally mounted to the advancing lever 146 by a stud 183 extending through an elongate slot 184 in the pawl 182. A coil spring 185 connects the advancing pawl 182 to the film advanc~ng lever 146 to resiliently bias the pawl 182 toward the position shown in Fig. 11. In this position the pawl 182 bears against pirl 1~6 on leve~ 146 with the end Or slot 184 which is located about midway along the arcuate length ~f the pawl 182, ln contact with stud 183. When the a~vancing lever 146 is positioned as shown in Fig. 11~ an advancing tooth 187 of the advancing pawl 182 is located adjacent the film support frame 1~5 near the center of the 90 arc of the ~ilm disk's ~ub which lacks index ears 43, which is shown in phantom lines in Figs. 11, 12, and 13. ~s the photographer moves lever 146 from the position shown ln Fig. 11 to the position shown in Fig. 12, the advancing tooth 187 moves along an arcuate path coincident with the movement path of the hub index ears 43. When this movement brings the sloped face 188 o~ the tooth 187 into contact with the hub index ear 43(a), corresponding to the first available exposure area on the ~ilm disk, the engagement of the ratchet pawl 171 with the sector plate 164 prevents the tooth 187 ~rom rotating the hub 42 in a clockwise direction. The tooth 187 therefore cams past the index ear 43a by overcoming the biasing force Or spring 185 and moves to the position in which it is shown ~O in Fig. 12.
A positioning pawl 189 is pivotally mounted to the mechanism plate 143 by an eccentric pivot stud 191 and is biased in a counterclockwise direction by a spring 192. A
leg 193 of the positioning pawl 189 carries a positioning tooth 194 that is located adJacent the advancing tooth 187 when the advancing pawl is positioned as shown in Figs. 11 and 13. As best shown in Fig. 17, the positioning tooth 194 lies below the advancing tooth 187 and an upwardly turned ear 195 on the positioning pawl 189 engages the ad~acent 0 edge of the ad~Jancing pawl 182 to establish the location of the positioning pawl 189 when thè film advancing lever 146 is in the position shown in Figs. 11, 13 and 1'7. A second leg 196 of pawl 189 has a cam surface 197 engageable by a cam pin 198 on the film advancing lever 146. When the lever 146 is in its initial position, shown in Fig. 11, the pin o23 198 is out o~ engagement with the cam surrace 197 and the positioning tooth 194 is positioned to intercept the index ear 43a o~ the cartridge hub 42 as the latter is rotated.
Whenever the advancing lever 146 is displaced by more than approximately 10~ ~rom its initial position, however, the cooperation between the cam sur~ace 197 and the cam pin 198 pivots the pawl 189 to the position shown in Fig. 12g thereby moving the positioning tooth 194 beyond the movement path of the hub's index ears 43.
0 As the advancing lever 146 is returned by the spring 178 from the position ~hown in Fig. 12 to the pos~tion shown in Fig. 11, the radial face 199 of the advancing tooth 187 engages the index ear 43a and thereby rotates the film disk's hub 42 and the driving disk 131 in a clockwise direction in opposition to the spring 168. During the final portion of the return movement of the lever 146 toward its initial position, the cam pin 198 disengages from the cam surface 197 Or the positioning pawl 189 and the spring 192 causes the positioning tooth 194 to move back into the path of movement of the index ear 43a, which then abuts against that tooth 194. As shown in Fig. 13, this abutment between the index ear 43a and the positioning tooth 194 occurs slightly before the spring 178 has returned the arm 173 o~
the lever 146 into contact with the end face 179 of slot 174. Because the spring 178 is stronger than the spring 185, the pawl 182 is displaced slightly endwise relative to lever 1463 in opposition to the spring 185; whereby the advancing tooth 187 resiliently clamps index ear 43a against radial face 201 of the positioning tooth 194. The indexing ) accuracy with which the film exposure area is located in exposure position is thus determined solely by the accuracy with which the central spindle hole 45 in the hub 42 fits the spindle 132 and by the location of the positioning tooth 194. To simplify the manufacture of the camera, the eccentric pivot stud 191, best shown in Fig. 18, is riveted to the ~IL~;i~i -24_ mechanism plate 143 as shown at numeral 202 but can nevertheless be rotated by means of screwdriver slot 203. The cylindrical bearing surface 204 of the stud 191 that extends through a spacer washer 205 and through a mating hole 206 in the pawl 189 is slightly eccentric relative to the axis of the stud shank 207, thereby allowing a factory adjustment of the position Or the positioning tooth 194. Once this adjus~ment has been made, the accuracy Or the mechanism is preserved by the fact that the spindle 132, stud 191, the gate member 147 and the optical elements 103 and 157 are all rigidly affixed to the one-piece mechanism plate 143. ¦
After the first exposure area has been exposed, as described later, a second reciprocative movement of the lever 146 causes the advancing tooth 187 to engage the hub's index ear 43b and to rotate the hub 42 to bring that ear 43b into engagement with the positioning tooth 194. As previously described, the cooperation between the cam surface 197 and the cam pin 198 causes the positioning tooth 194 to disengage from the index ear 43a before the pawl 182 initiates the counterclockwise rotation of the hub 42, and to return the positioning tooth 194 to its operative location before the next index ear 43 arrives at its indexed position. After the operation of ~ndexlng the film disk 49 has been repeated ten times and the final exposure area has been brought into exposure position, the 90~ ear-free arc of the hub 42 is located in the clockwise direction from the advancing tooth 187, whereby the arcuate travel of that tooth 187 is insufficient to re-engage it with the index ear 43a. Accordingly~
further reciprocation of lever 146 has no effect on the position of the film disk 49, which is additionally prevented from moving further in a counterclockwise direction by the abutment of the sector plate 164 against the stop pin 167.
If, during the previously described indexing operations, the film disk 49 should jam within the cartridge assembly casing, the spring biased stud 183 and slot 184 ~ ~9 9 connection between the pawl 182 and film advancing lever 146 prevents the photographer from damaging the camera mechanism by attempting to force the lever 146 back to its initial position.
Because of the spacing ~f the hub's index ears 43, the first indexing operation requires the film advancing lever 146 to be reciprocated through an angle of slightly more than 45 degrees, but subsequent indexing operations require the lever 146 to be moved through an angle Or only 0 slightly more than 30 degrees. However, as explained below, the shutter cocking operation requires that the lever 146 be reciprocated through its maximum angular movement each time the ~ilm disk 49 is advanced. To ensure such maximum movement of the lever 1~, an anti-short-stroke dog 20~, shown in Figs. 12 and 13, is pivotally carried by the stud 165 below the sector plate 164 and is resilientl~ biased to its depicted central position by a wire spring 209 which is staked into a slot in dog 208 and extends rreely between pins 211. During the movement of the lever 146 rrom the 0 position shown in Fig. 11 to the position shown in Fig. 12, arcuately disposed teeth 212 along the adjacent edge Or the lever 146 engage a finger 213 Or the dog 20~ and rotate the dog in a countèrclockwise direction as those teeth 212 move past the dog finger 213 in ratchet fashion. Consequently3 once the clockwise movement o~ the lever 146 is initiated, that lever cannot rotate in the opposite direction until it has reached the position shown in Fig. 12 at which an arcuate notch 214 in the lever 146 is aligned with the dog tooth 213 and allows the dog 208 to reassume its depicted central 0 position. During the subsequent return movement o~ the lever 146, the dog 208 perrorms in the same manner as the teeth 212 displace it in a clockwise direction. When the lever 146 arrives at its initial position, an arcuate notch 215 is aligned with the dog 208, which therefore again assumes lts central position.

~99S5~i The shutter mechanism, which ls best depicted ln Fig. 19 comprises an opening member 216 and a closing member 217, both of which are made o~ thin sheet steel. These two members 216, 217 are pivotally supported below the mechanism plate 143 between washers 218 by the lower end shank 219 of the spindle 132, as shown in Fig. 14, and are retained ~n that shank by a snap ring 221. ~wo springs, represented at numerals 222 and 223 in Fig. 19, bias the respective opening and closing shutter members 216 and 217 in a counterclockwise direction. The shutter members 216 and 217 have legs 224 and 225, respectively, which include respective upwardly bent portions 226 and 227 that extend through corresponding arcuate openings 228 and 229 in the mechanism plate 143, shown in Figs. 11-13. Opening and closing shutter blades 151 and 152, carried by the respective s-hutter member legs 224 and 225, are parallel to the mechanism plate 143 and are alignment with the shutter blade slot 149 below the film support frame 135.
Fig. 11 depicts the camera with its shutter in released condition, in which the opening shutter blade 151 slightly overlaps the closing shutter blade 152, with the latter blade obscuring the rectangular opening 153 o~ the rilm support ~rame 135. In this condition, the position of the opening member 216 is established by the engagement o~
its upwardly bent portion 226 with the adjacent end Or the mechanism plate opening 228 and the position of the closing member 217 ls established by the abutment o~ its leg 225 with a downwardly bent ear 233 of the opening member 216, shown in Fig. 19. As the film advancing lever 146 is rotated in a clockwise direction, an edge 234 of that lever 146 engages the upwardly bent portion 226 o~ the opening member 216 and moves the two b:L~des 152, 153 in unison in a clockwise direction.
When the clockwise movement of the shutter members 216~ 217 has brought the opening blade 151 into ali~nment with the ~ilm support frame ~pening 153, as shown in s~l~d lines in Fig. 19, a latch tooth 235 on ~he opening shutter member 216 iS engaged by a primary latch member 236, which is pivotally mounted to the mechanism plate 143 by a pin 237 and is biased in a clockwise direction by a hairpin spring 238. A secondary latch member 239~ pivotally mounted to the mechanism plate 143 by a pin 241 and biased in a clockwise direction by a haripin spring 242, similarly engages a latch tooth 243 on the closing shutter member 217. Acc~rdingly, the two shutter members 216, 217 are held in their respective cocked posi~ions as the advancing lever 146 returns to its lnitial position to complete the film indexing and shutter cocking operation.
As also shown in Fig. 19, an ear 244 on the leg J
225 of the closing shutter member 217 is in engagement with the adjacent end face of an electromagnet 245 when the shutter is in its cocked condition. This electromagnet 245 is carried by a support member 246 that is pivotally supported to the mechanism plate 143 by a rivet 247 and is biased in a counterclockwise direction by a spring 248 for movement through a narrow arcuate path limited by a stationary pin 249 extending into a slot 251 in the support member 246.
This movable mounting of the electrornagnet 245 allows it to enga6e the ear 244 of the closing shutter member 217 when the latter is in its cocked position, while allowing that member 217 to be moved slightly beyond its cocked position by the film advancing lever 146 during the film indexing and shutter cocking operation.
When the primary latch member 236 is released from the latch tooth 235 of the opening shutter member 216, as described below, the opening shutter member 216 rotates rapidly in a counterclockwise direction; thereby removing the opening blade 151 rrom alignment with the film support frame opening 153 to initiate the exposure of the film area supported by the film support rrame 135. As the opening 5~5 - 2~_ shutter member 216 approaches its released position shown in Fig, 11, a cam ~ose 252 on ~he opening shutter member 216 engages the rounded tip of the secondary latch member 239 engaged with the latch t~oth 243 on the closing shutter rnember 217 and pivots that latch member 239 out of engagement with the closing shutter member 217. If the ca~era's exposure control circuit has not energized the electromagnet 245, the release of the secondary latch member 239 causes the closing shutter member 217 to immediately pivot in a counterclockwise direction so that its blade 152 covers the opening 153 in the film support frame 135, thus providing a mechanically predetermined exposure duration. ~oweYer, if the automatic exposure control system requires a-longer exposure duration, the electromagnet 245 retains the closing shutter member 217 in its cocked position until the electromagnet is de-energized, whereupon the shutter closes. Because this general type of automatic exposure control system is well known in the prior art, details of the electronic circuitry associated with controlling the energization of the electromagnet 0 have been omitted.
Shutter release rocker 253 3 shown in Figs. 19 and 20, is supported for rocking movement below the mechanism plate 143 by rivets 254 and 255 extending through ears 256 and 257 of the rocker 253 and through respective tongues 258 and 259 bent downwardly from the mechanism plate 143. The rectangular shutter operating button 106 is attached to the lower face o~ the rocker 253, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 19~ and extends through an opening in the carnera housing 108. A hairpin spring 260 is coiled around the head 0 of the rivet 254 with one of its legs engaging a finger 261 of the rocker 253 and with its other leg bearing against the mechanism plate 143, thereby urging the release button 106 downwardly towards its extended position, At its forward end, the rocker 253 is provided with the finger 141, which -2g_ 1~9~SS~
pro~ects upwardly ~hrough the mechanism and cover plates 143 ~nd 127 and abuts against the ear 140 on the pressure platen 138 when the camera's cover door 111 is closed. The spring 261 is strong enough to overcome the tension of the spring arms 139 supporting the pressure platen 138, whereby the latter is retained out of clamping engagement with the ~ilm cartridge assembly as long as the shutter operating button 105 remains in its extended position.
A release slide 262, shown in Figs. 19 and 20, is slidably mounted to the lower face of the mechanism plate 143 by a stationary rivet 263 extending through a slot 264 and is biased toward the right and also in a counterclockwise direction by a spring 265. When the slide 262 is in its cocked position shown in solid lines in Fig. 19, its latch tooth 266 is engaged with a finger 267 of a latching tab ~68~ which extends upwardly from the rocker 253, as best ~ ustrated in Fig. 20. When the shutter operating button 1~6 is depressed, the corresponding upward movement o~ the finger 267 causes it to disengage from the latch tooth 266, whereupon the spring 265 moves the slide 262 to the right to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 19, which is defined by the abutment of the left end of the slot 264 with the rivet 263. During this movement, a releasing ear 271 on the slide 262 engages a lower ~inger 272 of the primary latch member 236 and releases the latch member 236 from engagement with the opening shutter member latch tooth 235 to initiate the operation of the shutter. As previously mentioned, prior to releasing the shutter, the movement of the finger 141 causes the pressure plate 138 to squeeze the exposure area of the film disk 49 into engagement with the film support frame 135 to ensure that the film exposure area is securely held in flat condition during its exposure.

As shown at numeral 273 in Figs. 11, 12, 13 and 19, a cocking pin projects downwardly from the film advancing lever 146 through an arcuate slot 274 in the mechanism plate ~30_ 5~5 143. This pin 273 is adapted to engage tongue 275 on ~elease slide 262, shown in Figs. 19 and 20, to restore that slide 262 to its cocked condition shown in Fig. 19 when lever 146 is again moved to the position shown in Fig. 12.
During this recocking movement of the slide 262, ~t pivots slightly in a clockwise direction out of contact with a guide pin 276 as the latch tooth 266 cams past the finger 267 of the latching tab 268.
A stop pin 277, extending upwardly from the shutter 1 release rocker 253, pro~ects through the end of slot 274 in the mechanism plate 143 beyond the movement path of the pin 273 and is flush with the lower face of the lever 146 when the shutter operating button 106 is at its extended position. -When the film advancing lever 146 is in the position shown in Figs. 11 and 13~ an edge slot 278 in that lever is aligned with the end of the stop pin 277 so that the film advancing lever does not interfere with depression of the release button 106. Whenever the advancing lever 146 is moved away from its initial position, however, the shutter operating button 106 cannot be depressed because of the abutment of the pin 277 with the lower face of that lever 146. Similarly, as long as the shlltter operating button remains depressed, the pin 277 prevents the lever 146 from being moved out of its initial position. Conse~uently, the film disk 49 cannot be rotated unless the shutter operating button 106 has first been released to retract pressure platen 138 out of clamping engagement with the film cartridge assembly.
A blocking slide 279, shown in Fig~ 19 is slidably and rotatably mounted to the lower face of the mechanism plate 143 by a rivet 281 extending through an elongate slot 282 in the slide 279 and is biased both rearwardly and in a clockwise direction by a spring 283. After the completion of each film advancing and shutter cocking operation, the slide 279 assumes the position shown in solid lines in Fig.
1~, in which an edge-surface 284 of the slide 279 is in ~L~399~iSS
`" abutment with a stationary pin 285 and in which the ear 176 of the film advancing lever 146 is trapped behind a blocking tooth 286 of the slide 279 to prevent the lever 146 ~r~m being moved out of its initial position. As previously explained, depression of the shutter operating button 106 causes the release slide 262 to move to the right to the position shown in broken lines, in Fig. 19, to initiate the shutter operation. This movement of the slide 262 causes its ear 287 to engage the rearward end Or the blocking slide 0 279 and to rotate the latter in a counterclockwise direction about the rivet 281 in opposition to the spring 283, thereby moving the edge surface 284 out of engagement with the pin 285. Thereupon, the spring 283 moves the slide 279 rearwardly to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. l9, in which pin 285 is engaged with an edge 288 of the blocking slide to locate the tooth 286 beyond blocking engagement with ear 176 of the film advancing lever 146. Accordingly, that lever 146 can again be operated to advance the film disk 49 and to recock the shutter. As the film advancing lever 146 approaches 0 the position shown in Fig. 12 during this subsequent film advancing and shutter cocking operationg lts ear 176 engages a tongue 289 of the slide 279 and moves the latter forwardly so that it can again assume the position shown in solid lines. During the return movement of the lever 146 to its initial position~ its ear 176 encounters the sloped face 291 of the blocking tooth 286 and momentarily cams the latter aside to allow the ear 176 to return to its blocked position. This camming action momentarily displaces the blocking slide 279 slightly in a counterclockwise direction, 0 but not far enough to disengage the edge surface 284 from the pin 285. Accordingly, as soon as the ear 176 has moved rearwardly beyong the blocking tooth 286, the blocking slide 279 reassumes the posikion shown in solid lines and prevents further reciprocation of the film advancing lever 146 until after the shutter has been operated again. Thus, the blocking slide 279 ensures that each exposure area is exposed befoxe the ~ilm disk 49 is again indexed to bring the next available e-xposure area into exposure position.
The door latch mechanism, best shown ln Fig. 21, includes a latch slide 292 slidably mounted above the mech-anism plate 143 on pins 166 and 293 anchored to that plate 143 and extending through respective slots 294 and 295 in the latch plate and a release slide 296 slidably mounted below the mechanism plate 143 by the opposite ends of the same pins 166 and 293 extending through slots 297 and 298 in the release slide. An ear 299 projects upwardly through an open-ing 301 in the mechanism plate 143 and is adapted to engage the right edge 302 of a projection 303 on the latch slide 292 The release slide 296 is biased toward the right by a spring 304 attached to a pin 305 on the mechanism plate 143, stronger spring 306 connects the release slide 296 to finger 307 of the latch slide 292. The finger 307 extends downwardly through the mechanism plate opening 301, and thereby resil-iently biases the edge 302 of the slide 292 against the ear 299 of the slides 296. These t~o springs 304, 306 -thus co-operate to normally retain the two slides 292, 296 in their respective positions shown in Fig. 21, with pins 166 and 293 engaging the left ends of the slots 294 and 295 in the latch slide 292 and passing through the centers of the slots 297 and 298 in the release slide 296. When the latch slide 292 is in this position, and assuming that the camera cover door 111 is closed, a latch tooth 308 of the latch slide 292 is engageable with a latch tooth 309 on the door 111 to re-tain the door 111 in its closed condition.
When the latch release slide 296 is moved to the left, by means of its externally accessible latch release but~

ton 113, the ear 299 of that slide moves the latch slide 292 in the same direction and thereby moves the latch slide tooth 308 out o~ engagement with the door~s tooth 309 to permit the door 111 to be openea. However, as best shown in Fig. 13 the sector plate 164 is located immediately above the latch slide 292 and obstructs such le~tward movement of the ear 299 of the latch release slide 296 except when a notch 311 of the sector plate 164 is aligned with that ear 299, which occurs only when the driving disk 131 is in its initial position shown in Figs.
10, 11, and 12.
As previously explained, the counterclockwise indexing movement imparted to the film unit hub 42 by the advancing pawl 182 drives the sector plate 164 in a clockwise direction in op-position to the spring 168 and the engagement of the ratchet pawl 171 with the teeth of the ratchet tooth segment 169 on the sector plate 164 prevents the lattex from rotating in the opposite direction. Consequently, whenever the film disk 49 is rotated to an exposure position, the latch release button 113 cannot be moved to the left to open the camera until the driving disk 131 has first been returned to its initial position to relocate the cover slide 47 over the exposure window 67 of the cartridge assembly casing. The face of the support frame 135 is so rounded as to facilitate sliding movement of the cover slide 47 into its position covering the exposure window 67.
To open the camera door after one or more film exposures have been made, the photographer first moves the button 113 to the right in opposition to spring 306, thereby causinq the release slide ear 299 to engage a finger 312 on the ratchet pawl 171 and to withdraw the latter f~om engagement with the sector teeth 169.
At its opposite end, the release slide 296 is provided with a finyer 313 extenaing upwardly through a hole 134 in the mechanism plate 143. When the latch release slide 296 is moved to the right to disengage the ratchet pawl 171 from the ratchet tooth ; - 34 -segment 169, this finger 3I3 simultaneously engages and displaces the adjacent end of advancing pawl 182 (see Fig. ll), thereby pivoting the latter in a counterclockwise direction about the stud 183, which simultaneously rotates the positioning pawl 189 in a clockwise direction about the stud 191 because - 34a -of the engagement of the advancing tooth end Or the pawl 182 with the positioning pawl ear 195, best shown in Fig. 17.
Accordingly, the advancing tooth 187 and the positioning tooth 194 are both moved beyond the path Or movement of the hub index ears 43 to allow the spring 168 to rotate the driving disk 131 back to its initial position, thus repositioning the cover slide portion 52 over the film unit's exposure window 67 and allowing the latch release slide 296 to now be moved to its extreme left position to release the cover door 111 .
If a malfunction were to prevent spring 168 from returning the ~ilm disk hub 42 to its initial position, ~or example because of jamming of a faulty magazine assembly, the interlock s~stem ~ust described would prevent the camera from being opened and would thereby make it impossible to correct the malfunction. Therefore, provision is also made for allowing ~he cover door to be opened under extraordinary circumstances regardless of the orientation of the sector plate 164. This is accomplished by inserting a pin or similar tool through a hole 315 in the camera casing in alignment with an end face 316 of the latch sli.de 292 and thereby forcing the latch slide 292 to its unlatching position in opposition to spring 306.
Figs. 22 through 24 illustrate, somewhat schematica.lly, an even simpler form of a manually operated film disk indexing mechanism that can readily be incorporated with other features of the camera previously described and which likewise ensures that the camera cannot be opened until the rotatable cover slide 47 of the film cartridge assembly is returned to a ) position at which it closes the exposure window 67.
For use with this particular indexing mechanism, the film disk hub 351~ shown in broken lines, is similar to the preYiously described film disk hub 42, but additionally includes a notch 352 located somewhat off center in the 90 degrees ear-free arc of the hub 351. While such a notch 352 S~
~35-would serve no purpose in cooperatlon with the previously ~described indexing mechanism, a hub with this feature is completely compatible with that type of mechanism.
When the film-cartridge assembly is installed in the camera9 the central spindle hole 353 receives a stationary hub spindle 354 that also pivotally supports a ~ilm advancing lever 355. This lever 355 carries a film advancing pawl 356, which is attached to the lever by a pin 357 and a spring 358 in the same manner previously described with O reference to Figs. 11-13. A positioning pawl 359 is pivotally supported by an eccentric adjustment screw 361 and is biased in a counterclockwise direction toward a stop pin 362 by a weak spr:ing 363. When the cartridge assembly is initially loaded into the camera, the advancing tooth 364 of the film advancing pawl 356 is received in the notch 352 and the positioning tooth 365 of the pawl 359 is retained beyond engagement with the adjacent peripheral hub surface 366 by the pin 362. Flexible pawl springs 367 and 368 are adapted to engage the adjacent index ears 43 on the hub 351 to O prevent the latter from rotating in a clockwise direction beyond a position at which the film advancing pawl can ;
engage the next index ear 43 during each ~ilm indexing operation.
As ~ilm advancing lever 355 is rotated in a clockwise direction, the advancing tooth 364 of the pawl 35 rides over the ~irst index tooth 43a and a cam surface 369 on the advancing pawl 356 engages a pin 371 on the positioning pawl 359 and raises the positioning tooth 365 to a position beyond the movement path o~ the hub's index ears 43. As O shown in broken lines in Fig. 22, the clockwise movement of the lever 355 is limited by a stop pin 372 so that the advancing pawl tooth 364 moves only far enough to ensure its engagement with the hub index ear 42a associated with the next available exposure area. As the lever 355 is returned in a counterclockwise direction back to its initial position ~ -36~

S5~ii by a spring 373~ the pawl tooth 364 adva~ces the film disk 49 and brings the index ear 42a into abutment with the positioning tooth 365, which has returned to its operative position during the final return movement of the lever 355.
As shown in Fig. 23, the index ear 43a is thus resiliently squeezed against the positioning tooth 365 by the advancing pawl tooth 364 in the same manner previously described. By repeating this operation, the photographer can bring each successive exposure area into exposure position. Additionally, each film advancing movement of the lever 355 can also serve to cock the shutter and to perform other camera functions, as previously described.
After the last exposure area has been brought to exposure position, the next reciprocative movement of lever 355 causes the advancing pawl tooth 364 to engage a face 374 o~ the hub notch 352 and to thereby rotate the hub through an angle sufficient to close the exposure window 70 with the cover slide 47 without quite completing a 360 degree rotation of the hub. A cartridge assembly provided with such a notched hub is also modified by widening the upper notch in its dihedral locking boss so that the hub is locked against further rotation by this ~inal indexing movement. As best illustrated in Fig. 24, because of the off-center position Or notch face 374 between index ears 43a and 43J, which results in the slightly less than 360 degree rotation Or the hub 351~ the index ear 43a is now beyond the position at which it can be engaged by the advancing pawl tooth 364, which is shown in its extreme clockwise position in broken lines, thereby avoiding reexposure of the first exposure area.
The door latching device is schematically represented in Fig. 22 by a slidable latch member 375, which is movable to the left in opposition to a spring 376 by a slide button 377 to disengage a latch tooth 378 from a cooperating latch member carried by the camera door A pin 379 on the latch member 375 engages a cam sur~ace 381 of a pivotally-mounked blocking member 382 and pivots the latter in a counterclockwise "direction about its pivot pin 383 when the latch rnember is moved to the left to release the door. A locking arm 384 is pivotally mounted by a stud 385 and includes a nose 386 urged into contact with the cam surface 369 of the film advancing pawl 356 by a spring 387. When the advancing tooth 364 of the pawl 3~6 is received within the hub notch 352, the locking arm assumes the position shown in solid !0 lines in Fig. 22, in which its shoe 388 is positioned bey~nd the movement path of a finger 389 on the blocking member 382, thereby allowing the blocking member 382 to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction by the door releasing movement of the slidable latch member 37~. When the hub 351 is in any other rotational position, however, the resulting forward displacement of the nose 386 causes the locking arm 384 to be rotated in a clockwise direction from its illustrated position as shown in broken lines in Fig. 22, whereby the shoe 388 blocks counterclockwise rotation of the blocking ~0' member 382 and thereby prevents the latch member 375 from being moved to the position at which the door is released.
Consequently, the door cannot be opened unless the hub 351 is at a position at which the cover slide closes the exposure window Or the cartridge assembly casing.
Figures 25 through 28 schematically depict a third camera mechamism, which may be called an automatic film advance mechanism, because the energy required to accomplish ~11 of the successive indexing movements of the film disk is imparted to the mechanism during the operation of loading ~o the camera.
As in the previously described embodiments of the invention, this camera mechanism comprises a stationary hub support spindle 401, intended to be received in the central hole of the film disk hub, shown in broken lines at numeral 42. A driving disk 402, similar to the previously described disk 131, is rotatably supported by the spindle 401 and -38~ 5 5 5 ~L~9~a5S~
includes a plnion 403 and a plurality o~ peripheral teeth 404 spaced at 30 degree intervals to correspond to the spacing between adjacen~ index ears 43 of the hub 42. A
drive sector 405, in meshing engagement with the pinion 403, is pivotally mounted on stud 406 an~ is biased in a clockwise direction by a relatively strong hairpin spring 407. When the sector 405 is in the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 25, the driving disk 402 is oriented with its coupling pin 408 aligned between the spindle 401 and the rectangular .0 exposure opening 409 o~ the camera's film support ~rame structure, thereby allowing a film cartridge assembly to be installed in the camera in mating engagement w~th the drivin~ disk 402.
A lever 411 is also pivotally mounted on the stud 406 and includes an ear 412 engageable with an edge 413 of the drive sector 405. To open the camera, the lever 411 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction ~rom the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 25 and in solid lines in Fig.
28 to the position shown in solid lines in ~ig. 25, thereby 0 causing the drive sector 405 and the driv~ng disk 402 to assume the respective positions in which they are depicted in solid lines in Fig. 25.
A latch slide 414, best illustrated in Figs. 27 and 28, is slidably mounted to the camera housing, not shown, by rivet pins 415 and 416 extendin~ through an L-shaped slot 417 in the slide 414. A spring 418 biases the slide 414 both to the left and also in a clockwise direction about the pin 416. The camera's cover door3 partially depicted at numeral 419, is shown in Fig. 26 in its closed 0 position and in Fig. 27 in a partially open position. Wher.
the door 419 is closed, the slide 414 assumes the position shown in Fig. 26 with the pins 415 and 416 both received in the horizontal leg 421 of the slot 417 and with slide tooth 422 in engagement with latch tooth 423 on the cover door 419 to retain the latter in its closed condition. As the lever 411 arrives at the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 253 it engages a sh~ulder 424 of the latch slide 414 and displaces the latter to the right in opposltion to the spring 418 to lisengage the slide tooth 422 ~rom the latch tooth 423 on the cover door 419. Just be~ore the teeth 422 and 423 are disengaged from one another~ however, vertical leg 425 of the slot 417 moves into alignment with ~he pin 415~ whereupon the spring 418 rotates the slide 414 in a clockwise direction about the pin 416 to move slide ear 426 to a position to the left Or the lever 411. After the photographer has completed the counterclockwise movement of the lever and has at least partially opened the door 419, the ear 426 retains the lever 411 in the position shown in solid lines in Figs. 25 and 27, t~ereby maintaining the sector 405 in the position shown in Fig. 25 as long as the cover door 419 remains open. When the cover door 419 is subsequently pressed to a closed position, edge 427 of the door 419 engages the upper edge of the slide tooth 422 and urges the latter downwardly so that the pin 415 is again aligned with the horizontal leg 421 of the slot 417; whereupon the spring 418 returns the slide 414 to its latched position shown in Fig. 26 and thereby releases the arm 411, which is returned by spring 428 to its position shown in solid lines in Figs. 28 and in broken lines in ~ig.
25.
After the camera door 419 has been closed, the lever 411 no longer opposes the clockwise rotation of the sector 405 by the spring 407. Accordingly, the sector 405 now imparts counterclockwise rotation to the driving disk 402 and thereby to the film disk hub 42. As the latter rotates in a counterclockwise direction, its index ear 43a~
aligned with the ~ilm disk's rirst available exposure area, rotates into abutment with positioning tooth 429 Or pivotally supported positioning lever 430. Accordingly~ the rotatable cover slide 47 is removed ~rom alignment with the exposure window 67 of the cartridge assembly casing and the first available exposure area is aligned with the exposure opening 409 in the film support frame.

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The shutter structure c~mprises an ~pening shutter `lade 431 arld a closing shutter blade 432~ which are located in superimposed relation to each other and supported for sliding movement by suitable support means, not shown. The shutter blades 431, 432 are shown in Fig. 25 in their respective cocked positions, in whlch an aperture 433 ln the closing shutter blade 432 is aligned with the exposure opening 409 and in which an aperture 434 in the opening shutter blade 431 is l~ca~ed t~ the right of the opening 409. The engagement of the opening shutter blade pin 435 with tooth 436 of pivotally mounted latch lever 437 retains t,he opening blade 431 in its cocked position in opposition to a spring 438 and the engagement of tooth 439 on the closing shutter blade with tooth 441 of pivotally supported latch arm 442 similarly retains the closing blade 432 in its cocked position in opposition to a spring 443.
A shutter release member 444 is schematically depicted as being slidably supported by pins 445 extending through an enlongate slot 446 and is biased forwardly to its inoperative position shown in Fig. 25 by a spring 447 attached to a pivotally supported lever 448. It should be understood that this representation of the shutter release member is merely illustrative, and that such a member prefereably would be located as illustrated in Fig. 9 and connected with the shutter by appropriate linkage means.
As the shutter release member 444 is moved rearwardly to effect an exposure, its initial movement pivotally displaces the lever 448 to move its finger 449 out of supporting engagement with pressure plate ear 451. The finger 449 and the ear 451 correspond respectively to the finger 141 and the pressure plate ear 140, which were described previously with reference to ~igs. 9-21. This initlal movement of the shutter release member 444 causes the camera's pressure plate to squeeze the filrn against the rilm support frame.
The continuing rearward movement of the mernber 444 then , "

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~ringS its ear 452 into c~n~act with the latch lever 437 and ots the latter in a clockwise direction about its pivot stud 453 to the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 28.
This movement Or the lever 437 disengages its tooth 436 from the p~n 435 on opening shutter blade 431 and positions its tooth 454 in alignment with pin 455 on that same blade 431.
Accordingly, exposure of the film is initiated as the spring 438 moves the opening shutter blade 431 to its intermediate ~ r position, shown in solid lines in Fig. 28, in which the pin 455 on that blade 431 is engaged by the tooth 454 of the latch lever 437 and in which the opening blade aperture 434 is aligned with the opening 409 of the film support frame and with the aperture 433 of the closing shutter blade 432.
As the opening shutter blade 431 arrives at its intermediate position, its lobe 456 engages lobe 457 on ~he latch arm 442 and disengages the latch arm 442 from tooth 439 on the closing shutter blade 432, thereby allowing the spring 443 to move the closing shutter blade 432 to its intermediate position 3 defined by the abutment of its tab 458 with the O ad;acent edge of the opening shutter blade 431. This movement of the closing shutter blade 432 terminates the film exposure by moving the closing shutter blade aperture 433 beyond the film support frame opening 409. Thus, the shutter mechanism provides a mechanically predetermined exposure interval, which obviously could be increased by the incorporation of an electromagnet for retarding the motion of the closing shutter blade 432 in the same manner described in connection with Figs. 11 through 21.
As the shutter release member is returned to its 3Q initial position by the spring 447, the lever 448 causes the finger 449 to retract the pressure plate from operative engagement with the film cartridge assembly, whereupon ear 459 of the member 444 engages the latch lever 437 and returns it to its original position. This movement of the latch lever 437 disengages its tooth 454 from the pin 455 of the ~9555 opening shutter blade 431 and thereby allows both shutter blades 431, 432 to move slightly rurther to the le~t to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 28. During this ~inal movement o~ the two shutter blades, edge 461 of the blade 431 engages nose 462 of positioning lever 430 and rotates the latter about its eccentric pivot pin 463 to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 28, in which the positioning tooth 429 is disengaged from the hub index ear 43a. Consequently, the sector 405 now drives the driving disk 402 and the hub 42 in a counterclockwise direction, which causes the driving disk tooth 404a adjacent finger 464 of cocking member 465 to engage that finger and to displace the member 465 in a clockwise direction about its pivot stud 466.
A cocking arm 467 is also pivotally mounted to the stud 466 below the cocking member 465 and is biased in a counterclockwise direction against stop pin 468 by spring 469. A weak hairpin spring 471 biases the cocking member 465 in a clockwise direction relative to the cocking arm 467 to urge edge 472 of the cocking member 465 against tab 473 of the cocking arm 467. As the tooth 404a of the driving disk 402 engages and moves past the ~inger 464 of the cocking member 465, the resulting clockwise rotation of the cocking member 465 is imparted to the cocking arm 467 through lts tab 473~ thus causing that arm 467 to move momentarily to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 25 and then to return to its initial position. During this movement of the arm 467, its head 474 engages ringer 475 on the opening shutter blade 431 and returns both blades 431, 432 to their initial cocked positions. As the arm 467 initially moves the shutter blades 431, 432 back to their respective cocked conditions, the edge 461 of the opening shutter blade 431 moves out of engagement with the nose 462 of the positioning lever 430 and allows spring 476 to return ~9~5i5 the positioning lever 430 t~ ~ts ~perative posit~on shown in ~ig. 25~ whereby the rotation of the drlving disk 402 and the film hub is again arrested when ~he ~ext index tooth 43b engages the positioning tooth 429. Accordingly, the next available exposure area is now positioned for exposure and the shutter mechanism is recocked and restored to its initial condition. After the repetition of this operation has exposed all Or the available film exposure areas, the sector 405 moves into abutment with stop pin 477, thus preventing further counterclockwise rotation of the film disk.
Because the latch slide 414 holds the loading lever 411 in the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 2~ as long as the camera's cover door 419 is open, the film disk in a film cartridge assebmly loaded into the camera cannot be rotated until the co~er door has been closed, thereby preventing the film disk from being exposed inadvertently to ambient light. If desired, this feature could also be incorporated in the camera shown in Figs. 9-21 by providing that camera with a simple latch device for locking the film advancing lever 146 in the position shown in Fig. 11 whenever the camera door is open.
To remove the film cartridge assembly, after either all or only some of the available exposure areas have been used~ the photographer opens the camera door 419 by moving the lever ~11 to the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 25~ thereby rotating the hub 42 in a clockwise direction back to its initial position in which the rotatable cover slide again closes the exposure window of the cartridge assembly casing and in which the hub is now locked against further rotation. During this clockwise rotation of the driving disk 402, the film hub index ears 43 engage the sloped face 478 of positioning tooth 429 and cam tooth 429 aside in opposition to the spring 476. ~he teeth 404 of the driving disk 402 similarly bypass the finger 464 of the cocking member 465 by rotating the f~nger 464 in a counterclockwise _ J~

direction in opposition to the spring 471. A~though Fig. 25 shows the shutter in a cocked condition during the camera oading operation, t~is situation would exist only if the preceeding cartridge assembly were removed prior ~o exposure of all the available exposure areas. If the preceeding cartridge assembly had been fully exposed, the shutter would remain uncocked~ but would be recocked by the initial rotation of the driving disk 402 by which the first available exposure area is brought into exposure position.

3 Fig. 29 shows a modification of the mechanism depicted in Figs. 25-28 for use in a camera in which the shutter is cocked other than by the film advancing mechanism, for example, by the final return movement of the shutter release member a~ter that movement has caused the pressure plate to disengage from the film cartridge assembly. Because such a previously known shutter cocking mechanism, not shown, eliminates the need for the cocking arm 467 and its as30ciated structure, those elements are ornitted and the positioning lever 430 is provided with an escapement tooth 481 to provide an escapement mechanism. When the final movement of the shutter blades 431, 432 rotates the lever 430 to the position shown in bro~en lines and thereby disengages the indexing tooth 429 from a hub index ear, the escapement tooth 481 simultaneously moves into the movement path of the adjacent driving disk tooth 404. Accordingly, the film disk is advanced only part way to the next exposure position berore the tooth 481 temporarily arrests further counterclockwise rotation of the driving disk 402. When the shutter is recocked by the final return movement of the shutter releasing member, the spring 476 ~eturns the latch lever 430 to its position shown in solid lines ~nd withdraws its tooth 481 from engagement with the driving disk tooth 404, whereupon the film disk completes its indexing rnovement to the position established by the engagement of its next index ear with the positioning tooth 429.
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Figs. 30 and 31 show another embodiment Or an ?scapement mechanism ~unctionally similar to the one shown in Fi~. 29 but in which both the positioning tooth 483 and the escapement tooth 484 cooperate directly with the hub index ears 43 to provide incremental indexlng movements of the film disk hub 42 as it is biased in a counterclockwise direction by the driving disk 485. The positioning tooth 483 is carried by a positioning lever 486, pivotally supported by eccentric pivot stud 487, and is urged toward its operative position shown in Fig. 30 by a spring 488. In this position, which is defined by the abutment of the lever 486 against the pin 489, the tooth 483 is engaged with the hub index ear 43a to arrest the counterclockwise rotation of the ~ilm disk hub and to locate the corresponding ~ilm exposure area in exposure position. The escapement tooth 484 is carried by an escapement lever 491, which is pivotally supported by pivot stud 492 and provided with a cam ~ace 493 adjacent pin 494 of the opening shutter blade 431 when the latter is in its intermediate position as shown in Fig. 30. An ear 495 on the positioning lever 486 engages flnger 496 of the escapement lever 491 where~y the counterclockwise rorce supplied to the lever ~86 by the spring 488 biases the lever 491 in a clockwise direction against pin 497.
When the shutter blade 1l31 moves to its final uncocked position, as shown in Fig. 31, its pin 494 cams the escapement lever 491 in a counterclockwise direction, whereby its ~inger 496 moves the positioning lever 486 in a clockwise direction in opposition to the spring 488.
Accordingly, the positioning tooth 483 is now released from the index ear 43a, allowing the ~ilm disk hub 42 to rotate to the position shown in ~ig. 31, in which that index ear 43a is engaged with the escapement tooth 484. As the shutter is recocked, the spring 488 ret~rns both levers 486, 491 to their respective positions shown in ~i.go 30, thereby releasing t.he tooth 484 from the ear 43a and causing the tooth 483 to -~6-intercept the index ear 43b to complete the film disk indexing operation.
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific illustrative embodiments, lt should be understood that various components and features of those embodiments could be used in di~erent combinations and subcombinations with each other and with other camera mechanisms, for example, with electrical drive means, means for energizing flash illumination devices, mirror actuating means in single lens reflex camera applications, etc.
The invention has been described in detail with particular re~erence to illustrative preferred embodiments thereo~, but it will be understood that variations and modifications ~an be efrected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinabove and as derined in the appended claims.

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Claims

I claim: -

1. A camera including film exposure means, said camera being adapted to receive a film cartridge assembly, said film cartridge assembly including a casing provided with an exposure window and a rotatable film unit including a film disk enclosed within said casing and a hub member accessible from the exterior of said casing for imparting rotational movement to the film unit assembly, said film unit also including means defining a plurality of exposure areas on said film disk and a corresponding plurality of circumferentially spaced index surfaces, each one of such index surfaces bearing the same predetermined spatial relation to its corresponding exposure area as each of the other of such index surfaces bears to its corresponding exposure area, said camera comprising:
(a) a driving member engageable with the hub member of a film cartridge assembly received by said camera for imparting rotational movement to the film unit during successive film advancing cycles;
(b) an index member engageable with successive ones of the index surfaces of the received film cartridge assembly to locate the film unit at successive index positions at which corresponding exposure areas of the film disc are aligned with the exposure window; and (c) resilient means for resiliently imparting a force to said driving member to thereby rotationally bias the film unit for maintaining the index surface that corresponds to the exposure area aligned with the exposure window in resilient engagement with said index member during exposure of that exposure area.

2. A camera adapted to receive a film cartridge assembly, said film cartridge assembly including a casing provided with an exposure window and a rotatable film unit including a film disk enclosed with said casing and a hub member accessible from the exterior of said casing for imparting rotational movement to the film unit assembly, said film unit including means defining a plurality of exposure areas on said film disk and a corresponding plurality of circumferentially spaced index surfaces, each one of such index surfaces bearing the same predetermined spatial relation to its corresponding exposure area as each of the other of such index surfaces bears to its corresponding exposure area, said camera comprising:
(a) a driving member engageable with the hub member of a film cartridge assembly received by said camera for imparting rotational movement to the film unit during successive film advancing cycles;
(b) an index member engageable with successive ones of the index surfaces of the received film cartridge assembly to locate the film unit at successive index positions at which corresponding exposure areas of the film disk are aligned with the exposure window; and (c) driving member actuating means including an advancing member and resilient means connecting the advancing member to the driving member whereby movement of the advancing member is transmitted to the driving member through the resilient means, said advancing member being movable at the completion of each successive film advancing cycle to a biasing position at which said resilient means is stressed to cause said driving member to impart rotational force resiliently to said hub member to thereby maintain the index surface of the film unit corresponding to the exposure area aligned with the exposure window in resilient engagement with said index member.

3. A camera adapted to receive a film cartridge assembly, said film cartridge assembly including a casing provided with an exposure window and a rotatable film unit including a film disk enclosed within said casing and a hub member accessible from the exterior of said casing for imparting rotational movement to the film unit assembly, said film unit also including means defining a plurality of exposure areas on said film disk and a corresponding plurality of circumferentially spaced index surfaces, each one of such index surfaces bearing the same predetermined spatial relation to its corresponding exposure area as each of the other of such index surfaces bears to its corresponding exposure area, said camera comprising:
(a) a driving member engageable with the hub member of a film cartridge assembly received by said camera for imparting rotational movement to the film unit during successive film advancing cycles;
(b) an index member engageable with successive ones of the index surfaces of the received film cartridge assembly to locate the film unit at successive index positions at which corresponding exposure areas of the film disk are aligned with the exposure window;
(c) shutter means operable for exposing the film unit exposure area aligned with the exposure window of the received film cartridge assembly;
(d) resilient means for resiliently imparting a force to said driving member to thereby rotationally bias the film unit for maintaining the index surface that correspondings to the exposure area aligned with the exposure window in resilient engagement with said index member; and (e) interlocking means operatively connecting said shutter means with said resilient means to prevent operation of said shutter means except while said index member is resiliently engaged by the corresponding index surface under the influence of said resilient means.