Claims
- 1. A film canister for storing a roll of photographic film, said film canister adapted for placement within a camera, said canister comprising:
an inner sleeve having a body which includes a closed end and an open end, and an elongated slot extending along said body, the film being contained within said inner sleeve, such that the roll of film is unsupported by a spool; and an outer sleeve having a body which includes a closed end and an open end, and an elongated slot extending along said body, said inner sleeve being disposed within said outer sleeve, such that said open end of said inner sleeve is adjacent to said closed end of said outer sleeve and said open end of said outer sleeve is adjacent to said closed end of said inner sleeve to form a substantially light-tight canister when said slot of said inner sleeve and said slot of said outer sleeve are not aligned, and such that when said film canister is placed within a camera, a film canister chamber of the camera receives said outer sleeve so that said outer sleeve is in a substantially stationary position, and said inner sleeve is rotatable relative to said outer sleeve so that said slot of said inner sleeve is alignable with said slot of said outer sleeve, thereby permitting film from the roll of film to pass therethrough during operation of the camera.
- 2. A film canister for storing a quantity of a photographic film, said film canister adapted for placement within a camera, said canister comprising:
a body having a closed end, an open end, and an elongated slot which extends along said body, said slot being adaptable for movement between a substantially closed position and an open position; and an end cap connectable to said body to close said open end, said end cap being movable between a locked position which pinches said slot together so as to substantially close said slot and so that the film cannot pass therethrough, and an unlocked position which allows said slot to be opened so that film can pass therethrough when said canister is placed within a camera.
- 3. A film package assembly for use in a camera, said film package assembly comprising:
a film canister for holding a roll of unexposed photographic film which is unsupported by a spool, said film canister including
an inner sleeve having a body which includes a closed end and an open end, and an elongated slot extending along said body, the roll of unexposed film housed within said inner sleeve; and an outer sleeve having a body which includes a closed end and an open end, and an elongated slot extending along said body, said inner sleeve being disposed within said outer sleeve, such that said open end of said inner sleeve is adjacent to said closed end of said outer sleeve and said open end of said outer sleeve is adjacent to said closed end of said inner sleeve to form a substantially light-tight film canister when said slot of said inner sleeve and said slot of said outer sleeve are not aligned; and a film cartridge in which an end of the roll of film is securely positioned without which said film cartridge would not be connected to said film canister, said film package assembly being capable of being loaded into a camera under a lighted environment without substantially adversely affecting the roll of film, such that when said film canister is placed within a camera, a film cartridge chamber of the camera receives said film cartridge, a film canister chamber of the camera receives said outer sleeve, and said inner sleeve is rotatable relative to said outer sleeve so that said slot of said inner sleeve is alignable with said slot of said outer sleeve, thereby permitting film from the roll of film to pass out of said film canister and into said film cartridge during operation of the camera.
- 4. A film package assembly according to claim 3, wherein said inner sleeve includes a lip which extends around said closed end of said inner sleeve and which protrudes outward form said body of said inner sleeve, and wherein a portion of said body of said outer sleeve which defines said open end of said outer sleeve abuts against said lip.
- 5. A film package assembly according to claim 3, wherein said inner sleeve includes a pair of film engaging members which extend into said slot of said inner sleeve, said film engaging members are spaced apart a distance equal to a length between perforation tracks of the film, said film engaging members engaging respective film perforation tracks to assist in preventing undesirable advancement of the film stored within said film canister.
- 6. A film package assembly according to claim 3, wherein said inner sleeve includes a protuberant column which extends outward with respect to said closed end of said inner sleeve, said protuberant column being rotatable when said film package assembly is disposed within the camera so that said inner sleeve can be rotated with respect to said outer sleeve, thereby allowing proper positioning of said slot of said inner sleeve with respect to said slot of said outer sleeve.
- 7. A film package assembly according to claim 3, wherein said film canister further includes a closing device which substantially closes said slot of said outer sleeve to substantially prevent undesirable light from entering said film canister through said slot of said outer sleeve and which is capable of being opened so that when said film package assembly is disposed within the camera, the film can be advanced out of said film canister and into said film cartridge.
- 8. A film package assembly according to claim 7, wherein said slot of said outer sleeve is defined by a pair of spaced apart engagement surfaces which extend outward from said body of said outer sleeve, such that said closing device engages said engagement surfaces to substantially pinch said slot of said outer sleeve shut.
- 9. A film package assembly according to claim 8, wherein said closing device is coupled to said closed end of said inner sleeve, and wherein said closing device includes a pair of spaced apart fingers, such that one finger engages one engagement surface of said outer sleeve and the other finger engages the other engagement surface of said outer sleeve, and such that said closing device is removed from said film canister when it is desirable to allow the film to be advanced.
- 10. A film package assembly according to claim 3, wherein said film canister is made of an injected molded opaque plastic.
- 11. A film package assembly according to claim 10, wherein said film cartridge is a conventional 35 mm film cartridge.
- 12. A camera assembly comprising:
a main camera body having a top portion, a bottom portion, a front portion, a back portion and opposite sides, said bottom portion including a notch; an exposure frame disposed within said main camera body; a film canister receiving chamber disposed within said main camera body and positioned on one side of said exposure frame; a film cartridge receiving chamber disposed within said main camera body and positioned on an opposite side of said exposure frame; a back cover; and a film package assembly including
a film canister device for holding a roll of an unexposed film, said film canister device being positionable within said film canister receiving chamber, said film canister device including
an inner sleeve having a substantially cylindrical body which has an inner surface and an outer surface, an open end and an opposite closed end, said closed end is substantially circular and sized to extend beyond said outer surface thereby defining a lip which extends around said body, a protuberant column extends outward from said closed end, said inner sleeve further having an elongated slot which extends substantially along said body; an outer sleeve having a substantially cylindrical body which has an inner surface, an outer surface, an open end and an opposite closed end, said outer sleeve further having an elongated film discharge opening which extends substantially along said body, an end of said film discharge opening is closed and an opposite end of said film discharge opening is openable, said film discharge opening being defined by a pair of spaced apart, substantially parallel edges which extend outward from said outer surface, each edge including a film facing side and an outer engagement surface, said outer sleeve configured to receive said inner sleeve; and a closing device coupled to said closed end of said inner sleeve, said closing device having a locking member having a pair of spaced apart, substantially parallel fingers which extend along at least a portion of said outer surface of said inner sleeve without coming into contact with said outer surface of said inner sleeve, thereby creating a space between said fingers and said outer surface of said inner sleeve; and a film cartridge in which one end of the roll of film is securely positionable, said film cartridge being positionable within said film cartridge receiving chamber; wherein when said inner sleeve housing the unexposed roll of film is received by said outer sleeve, a portion of said body of said outer sleeve which defines said open end of said outer sleeve abuts against said lip of said inner sleeve and a portion of said body of said outer sleeve extends into said space between said closing device fingers and said outer surface of said inner sleeve, one closing device finger engages one engagement surface of said outer sleeve and the other closing device finger engages the other engagement surface of said outer sleeve so as to substantially pinch said film discharge opening of said outer sleeve shut, and said slot of said inner sleeve and said film discharge opening of said outer sleeve are offset, such that when so assembled, said film canister device is substantially light-tight, and wherein when said film package assembly is placed within said main camera body, a filmstrip extends from said film canister across said exposure frame to said film cartridge wherein an end of the film is securely positioned, said protuberant column of said film canister is received by said notch of said main camera body such that at least a portion of said protuberant column is accessible from outside said main camera body, said closing device is disengaged from said outer sleeve, said back cover is closed to provide a substantially light-tight container, and said protuberant column of said film canister is caused to rotate such that said inner sleeve rotates within said outer sleeve until said slot of said inner sleeve and said film discharge opening of said outer sleeve are substantially aligned so that the unexposed film housed within said inner sleeve can advance out of said film canister and the exposed film can be wound into said film cartridge during operation of the camera, and such that when the exposed film is housed with said film cartridge, said film cartridge can be removed from the camera for further processing of the film.
- 13. A camera according to claim 12, wherein said inner sleeve includes a portion that is adapted to come into contact with a portion of the camera when said protuberant column is caused to rotate, such that when said portion of said inner sleeve contacts the portion of the camera, said protuberant column is prevented from being rotated any farther and said slot of said inner sleeve is properly aligned with said film discharge opening of said outer sleeve so that the camera is ready for operation.
- 14. A camera according to claim 12, wherein said inner sleeve includes a pair of film engaging members which extend into said slot of said inner sleeve, said film engaging members are spaced apart a distance equal to a length between perforation tracks of the film, said film engaging members engaging respective film perforation tracks to assist in preventing undesirable advancement of the film before the camera is ready for operation.
- 15. A camera according to claim 12, wherein said protuberant column of said inner sleeve includes a star-shaped recess which is adapted to cooperate with a star-shaped rotating tool.
- 16. A camera according to claim 12, wherein said film canister is made of an injected molded opaque plastic, and wherein said film cartridge is a conventional 35 mm film cartridge.
- 17. A camera according to claim 12, wherein when said film canister device is positioned within said film canister receiving chamber, said outer sleeve is substantially prevented from being rotated.
- 18. A film package for use in a camera, said film package comprising:
a film canister for holding a roll of unexposed photographic film, said film canister including
an inner sleeve having a body which includes an inner surface and an outer surface, both of which extend between a closed end and an open end, an elongated slot extending along said body, and a protrusion member extending from said outer surface, the roll of unexposed film being housed within said inner sleeve; and an outer sleeve having a body which includes an inner surface and an outer surface, both of which extend between a closed end and an open end, and an elongated slot extending along said body, said slot being defined by a pair of spaced apart surfaces which extend outward from said body, said inner sleeve being disposed within said outer sleeve, such that said open end of said inner sleeve is adjacent to said closed end of said outer sleeve and said open end of said outer sleeve is adjacent to said closed end of said inner sleeve, wherein said film canister forms a substantially light-tight film canister when said slot of said inner sleeve and said slot of said outer sleeve are not aligned, and wherein to permit film from the roll of film to pass out of said film canister during operation of a camera, said slot of said inner sleeve is aligned with said slot of said outer sleeve such that said protrusion member on said outer surface of said inner sleeve engages said inner surface of said outer sleeve to further separate said spaced apart surfaces to allow the film to pass therethrough without substantially scratching or otherwise damaging the film.
- 19. A film package according to claim 18, wherein said protrusion member on said outer surface of said inner sleeve is located adjacent to said slot and said closed end of said inner sleeve.
- 20. A film package according to claim 18, wherein one end of said slot of said inner sleeve is separated by a wall extending from said closed end of said inner sleeve, said wall providing a light trap when said inner sleeve is disposed within said outer sleeve.
- 21. A film package according to claim 18, wherein said slot of said outer sleeve is closed at one end and opened at an opposite end, and wherein said closed end of said inner sleeve includes a nipple to close said open end of said slot of said outer sleeve when said inner sleeve is disposed within said outer sleeve and said film canister is substantially light-fight.
- 22. A film package according to claim 18, wherein said slot of said inner sleeve is wider than said slot of said outer sleeve.
- 23. A film package according to claim 18, wherein said inner sleeve includes a lip which extends around said closed end of said inner sleeve and which protrudes outward form said body of said inner sleeve, and wherein a portion of said body of said outer sleeve which defines said open end of said outer sleeve abuts against said lip.
- 24. A film package according to claim 18, wherein said film canister further includes a closing device which that engages said surfaces of said outer sleeve to substantially close said slot of said outer sleeve to substantially prevent undesirable light from entering said film canister through said slot of said outer sleeve and which is capable of being opened so that when said film package assembly is disposed within the camera, the film can be advanced out of said film canister.
- 25. A film package according to claim 18, wherein said inner sleeve includes a pair of film engaging members which extend into said slot of said inner sleeve, said film engaging members being spaced apart a distance equal to a length between perforation tracks of the film, said film engaging members engaging respective film perforation tracks to assist in preventing undesirable advancement of the film stored within said film canister.
- 26. A film package according to claim 18, wherein said inner sleeve includes a protuberant column which extends outward with respect to said closed end of said inner sleeve, said protuberant column being rotatable when said film canister is disposed within the camera so that said inner sleeve can be rotated with respect to said outer sleeve, thereby allowing proper positioning of said slot of said inner sleeve with respect to said slot of said outer sleeve.
- 27. A film package according to claim 18, wherein said film canister further includes a closing device which substantially closes said slot of said outer sleeve to substantially prevent undesirable light from entering said film canister through said slot of said outer sleeve and which is capable of being opened so that when said film package assembly is disposed within the camera, the film can be advanced out of said film canister.
- 28. A film package according to claim 27, wherein said closing device engages said surfaces defining said slot of said outer sleeve to substantially pinch said slot of said outer sleeve shut.
- 29. A film package according to claim 28, wherein said closing device is coupled to said closed end of said inner sleeve, and wherein said closing device includes a pair of spaced apart fingers, such that one finger engages one surface of said outer sleeve which partially defines said slot of said outer sleeve and the other finger engages the other surface of said outer sleeve which partially defines said slot of said outer sleeve, and such that said closing device is removed from said film canister when it is desirable to allow the film to pass out of said film canister.
- 30. A film package according to claim 18, further comprising:
a film cartridge in which an end of the roll of film is securely positioned said film package being capable of being loaded into a camera under a lighted environment without substantially adversely affecting the roll of film, such that when said film canister is placed within a camera, a film cartridge chamber of the camera receives said film cartridge, a film canister chamber of the camera receives said outer sleeve, and said inner sleeve is rotatable relative to the outer sleeve so that said slot of said inner sleeve is alignable with said slot of said outer sleeve, thereby permitting film from the roll of film to pass out of said film canister and into said film cartridge during operation of the camera.
- 31. A film package according to claim 30, wherein said film canister is made of an injected molded opaque plastic, and said film cartridge is a conventional 35 mm film cartridge.
- 32. A method of loading a film package assembly into a camera so that the camera is thereafter ready for use, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) winding a predetermined length of unexposed photographic film into a roll of film having a pair of opposed first and second ends; (b) positioning the roll of unexposed film including the first end of the roll of film within a film canister, wherein said winding step and said positioning step are performed under a darkroom like environment, wherein said canister includes an elongated slot defined by a pair of spaced apart engagement surfaces, and wherein a portion of the roll of film including the second end of the roll of film extends out of said slot; (c) closing said slot of said canister by pinching said engagement surfaces together so as to make said canister a light-tight canister; (d) creating said film package assembly by ensuring that the first end of the roll of unexposed film is positioned within said canister and ensuring the second end of the roll of film is securely positioned within a light-tight film take-up cartridge; (e) loading said film package assembly into the camera under conditions which do not necessarily have to be darkroom like conditions, such that after said film package assembly is loaded into the camera, the camera is caused to be a light-tight container; and (f) opening said slot of said canister after the camera is caused to be light-tight by causing said engagement surfaces of said canister to slightly move apart, so that the film can be advanced from said canister into said cartridge during operation of the camera.
- 33. The method according to claim 32, wherein step (a) includes removing the film from a conventional 35 mm film cartridge.
- 34. A method of creating a film package assembly for use within a camera, said method comprising the acts of:
unwinding a predetermined length of unexposed photographic film from a bulk roll of film, and winding the unwound film into a roll of film; positioning the roll of unexposed film into a light-tight film canister, such that one end of the roll of film is positioned within said light-tight film canister, and an opposite end of the roll of film extends out of said light-tight film canister; and securing the end of the roll of film extending out of said light-tight film canister within a film take-up cartridge, such that during operation of a camera, the film is advanceable from said film canister to said film take-up cartridge.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/519,044, filed Mar. 3, 2000, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/122,908, filed Mar. 5, 1999.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60122908 |
Mar 1999 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09519044 |
Mar 2000 |
US |
Child |
09877524 |
Jun 2001 |
US |