Patent Application
20060104630
Reference is made to commonly assigned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, [Attorney Docket No. 86824RLW], entitled: CAMERA WITH IMAGE FRAME DEMARCATION, filed Nov. 15, 2004, in the name(s) of James D. Boyd, Michael P. Cramer, David J. Cornell, David C. Smart, Joel S. Lawther.
The invention relates to film cameras and photography methods and more particularly relates to camera assemblies and method relating to a photographic film notching scanner correction.
Most cameras that use Type 135 (“35 mm”) photographic film capture images in full “film frames”, units of film of a standard size of 24 mm by 36 mm. Some cameras that use 35 mm film capture what are referred to as “half-frame” images, which have a standard size of 18 mm by 24 mm. In both cases, the locations of images on the exposed film are standardized, in a crosswise or lateral direction (the smaller film dimension). In most 35 mm cameras, the gap between images, sometimes referred to as an “interspace”, also has a standardized length in a longitudinal direction. In some 35 mm cameras, the interspace length varies. Typically, this is due to use of a film metering procedure, in which the length of a film frame-interspace segment is determined by the length of film taken up by rotating a spool through a predetermined range of rotation. This approach, sometimes referred to as “convolution winding”, results in an interspace longitudinal dimension that varies with the diameter of the spool plus the roll of film previously wound onto the spool.
Image locations are not standardized in a longitudinal direction. As a result, the length of a leader and/or trailer of a 35 mm filmstrip varies from camera type to camera type and, with some cameras, from user to user, depending upon how film is manually loaded. The number of images on a filmstrip of standard length can also vary. For these reason, procedures have been developed in film photofinishing to identify the longitudinal locations of images so as to permit automated printing of images from developed negatives. Those procedures typically place detectible marks, such as notches on filmstrips to indicate image positions. (The marks are detectable, but otherwise can take a variety of forms, such as cutouts, markings on the film, and computer entries. For convenience, all such marks are referred to herein as notches.) Filmstrips are spliced together into a large roll, which is then printed in a continuous operation using the notches.
In some current photofinishing, “film notch” scanners scan developed filmstrips, detect full size images, and then notch the filmstrips to indicate the locations of the images and the leader and trailer of each filmstrip. Examples of film notch scanners are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,787,701 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,019. In at least some film notch scanners, a full size image is detected when image content is present both in a laterally central area of the image frame and over the full length of the image frame. Failure to detect a full frame size image is interpreted as the presence on a filmstrip of a partial image. This can occur when a user attempts to capture an image on a film frame that partially overlaps a previously exposed film leader.
Film notch scanners can be used with cameras that expose half-frame images. The scanners can be modified to accommodate a frame length equal to that of a half-frame. This can be done, but then different equipment is needed for full and half-frame filmstrips, or each scanner must, on the fly, identify frame length and modify operation, as needed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,541,690 discloses a partial solution. Film is transported such that two half-frame images are captured in the same space as a single full frame image. The two images can neatly meet, or, as a more practical measure, can overlap slightly, with the overlapped area being removed before printing. Each half-frame pair, that is, each pair of contiguous half-frame images, is separated by an ordinary unexposed interspace. This approach allows notching with a standard film notch scanner, since each half-frame pair, that is, pair of contiguous half-frame images, is treated by the film notch scanner as if it were a full frame image. After notching, the half-frame pair is scanned, at higher resolution, by a digital printer scanner, the two half-frame images are separated, any overlap area is removed, and both images are printed.
There is a remaining problem. If a filmstrip has an unpaired half-frame image at the end of the filmstrip, that image is not treated as a full frame image. An unmodified film notch scanner does not identify the half-frame image as being printable.
It would thus be desirable to provide cameras and photography methods, which can be used with the above-described film notch scanners without misidentification of half-fame images at the end of filmstrips as being unprintable.
The invention is defined by the claims. The invention, in broader aspects, provides a film camera assembly has a taking lens and an aligned baffle. A film metering mechanism is actuable to transport the photographic film in a longitudinal direction past the baffle. A film support is aligned with the baffle and defines a pair of film stations separated by a light-blocking interspace mask. The first film station has an exposure opening and a pair of lateral edges adjoining the exposure opening. The second film station has a light-blocking image mask and an elongate demarcation opening adjoining the image mask in a second direction perpendicular to the direction of film transport. The exposure opening and demarcation opening are equal in length. The demarcation opening is aligned with one of the lateral edges.
It is an advantageous effect of the invention that an improved cameras and photography methods are provided, which can be used with the above-described film notch scanners without misidentification of half-fame images at the end of filmstrips as being unprintable.
The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures wherein:
It has been determined, in at least some film notch scanners, that the requirement of a full size image, image content in a laterally central area of the image frame and image content over the full length of the image frame can be met by different features. The laterally central image content does not have to extend over the entire length of the image frame for the film notch scanner to recognize a full frame image. The cameras described herein utilize these features to ensure that all of the half-frame images captured by a user are notched for printing.
Referring now to
The main member 22 includes first and second film chambers 23, 24, and a film support 28 located between the chambers 23, 24. A baffle 26 extends forward from the film support 28. At the front of the baffle 26, is a shutter mount, which has an aperture 25. The film support 28, chambers 23,24, and baffle 26 can be made in a single piece or in multiple pieces attached together.
The canister 29 of a film unit 30 rests in the second chamber 24. A spool 31 in the canister 29 holds an end of the filmstrip. The filmstrip 16 extends along the film support 28, between the chambers 23, 24 and is coiled in the first chamber 23.
The exposure system includes a taking lens 32, an operating mechanism 36, a viewfinder 34, and a flash unit 33. Most features of the exposure system are only briefly discussed here, since such components are well known to those of skill in the art.
The taking lens 32 is held in alignment with the film support 28, by the main member 22. The taking lens 32 directs light through the aperture 25 and then, as a light cone, through baffle 26 to the film support 28. The taking lens 32 includes one or more lens elements, which define an optical axis 38. The viewfinder 34 is disposed in the body 12 and is aligned with the taking lens 32 to show substantially the same scene image. The viewfinder 34 extends through the main member 22 and can include front and rear viewfinder lenses (not separately illustrated).
The filmstrip 16 is advanced through the film support 28 sequentially, for each image capture. In the one-time-use camera 10 shown, the filmstrip 16 is prewound out of the film canister 29 into the film roll during camera assembly. The operating mechanism 36 includes a shutter 35, a shutter release 40, and a film metering mechanism (indicated by box 46 in
The filmstrip 16 is advanced and the shutter 35 is charged by the film metering mechanism 46. The shutter release 40 is tripped by the user to release the shutter 35 for image exposure. A currently preferred embodiment of the camera uses the metering mechanism disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,541,690, to Petruchik, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. This mechanism has an impact shutter operated by a high-energy lever that is charged as film is metered by a film metering feature during rotation of a thumbwheel to advance the filmstrip. The length of filmstrip advanced alternates between the length of a half-frame and the length of a half-frame plus an interspace. As a result, a sequence of captured images is in the form of half-frame pairs, each having two contiguous half-frame images, separated by interspaces.
The film support 28 has a rectangular exposure opening 48 and a pair of demarcation openings 56. The film support 28 has an opaque interspace mask 49 located between the exposure opening 48 and the demarcation openings 56.
A single demarcation opening 56 can be used, but a pair of demarcation openings 56 are preferred to provide redundancy to reduce the chance of scanner error. For convenience, the following discussion is limited to an embodiment having a pair of demarcation openings. Like considerations apply to an embodiment having a single demarcation opening.
The baffle 26, which is disposed between the taking lens 32 and the film support 28, directs the light image along a light cone 54 from the taking lens 32 to the film support 28. The light image is propagated through the exposure opening 48 to the filmstrip 16 exposing the image frame 42. The filmstrip 16 is pressed closely against the film support 28 by the back cover 20 or another feature of the camera body 12.
Light is propagated through the demarcation openings 56 concurrent with image capture. That light can be supplied by the light cone 54, but this is not preferred, since this light source is undependable to provide a full exposure. It is preferred that the light propagated through the demarcation openings 56 is supplied by a lamp 64 within the camera that is actuated for each image exposure. The lamp 64 can be mounted in or directly behind the demarcation openings 56, as shown in
Alternatively, the body 12 can have an auxiliary light path 58 that extends between the demarcation openings 56 and lamp 64. The auxiliary light path 58 diverts light from the lamp 64 to the demarcation openings 56 and through the demarcation openings 56 to the filmstrip 16. The auxiliary light path 58 and the light cone propagated through the baffle 26 are fully isolated from each other. In a particular embodiment, shown in
The lamp 64 is actuable to direct a beam of illumination through the demarcation openings 56 to the film. The lamp 64 can be the flash unit 33 of the camera 10. In the camera 10 shown in
It is highly preferred that the lamp 64 is illuminated for each capture event. It is preferred that a uniform exposure be provided through the demarcation openings 56 for each capture event. Circuits that fire a flash unit at every exposure are very well known to those of skill in the art. Such circuits can also be readily modified to light a light emitting diode (LED) at the same time or instead of the flash unit. In a simple case, the LED or other lamp 64 can be provided as part of the flash unit 33 of the camera 10 and the flash unit 33 and lamp 64 are fired with every exposure. A lamp that is independent of the flash unit can also be operated by synch contacts (not shown) like those used for flash units. Such synch contacts are well known to those of skill in the art. Lighting duration can be the same for each exposure and, if necessary, can be determined by a timer circuit or can be provided as a clock function of a camera microprocessor or other computing device of a camera control system (not shown).
The film support 28 has a pair of longitudinally extending edges 50,52 that define the lateral boundaries, i.e., the top and bottom, of the exposure opening 48. The demarcation openings 56 extend longitudinally and are each aligned with a respective edge 50 or 52 of the film support. The demarcation openings 56 are spaced from the exposure opening 48 by the interspace mask 49. The demarcation openings 56 are elongate and equal in length to the longitudinal dimension of the exposure opening.
The demarcation openings 56 each have a pair of opposed inner and outer long edges 60,62. The demarcation openings 56 are laterally aligned with respective lateral edges 50,52 of the exposure opening 48. The demarcation openings 56 can be located such that either the outer long edges 62 are located in alignment with respective lateral edges 50,52 or inner long edges 60 are located in alignment with respective lateral edges 50,52 or outer long edges 62 are located laterally outboard of respective lateral edges 50,52 and inner long edges 60 are located laterally inboard of respective lateral edges 50,52. Resulting demarcation bars 70 exposed on the film 16 fully overlap an adjoining captured image 71 or are contiguous without overlap or partially overlap. In any case, the demarcation bars 70 and images 71 are all located inboard of film perforations 72, within the portion of the filmstrip 16 reserved for image capture. The demarcation bars 70 can extend farther outward in a lateral direction, but such extension is surplusage and is not preferred.
The width of the demarcation openings 56 can vary, but narrow demarcation openings 56 are preferred, in that increased width of the demarcation openings 56 reduces the area of film available for image capture. Excessively large demarcation openings also increase the risk of image degradation due to light scattering. It is therefore preferable that the demarcation openings 56 have a width in a direction perpendicular to the direction of film transport between 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm. The direction of film transport is indicated by arrow 59, in
In use, the film support 28 supports a segment of film that includes two half-frames 73. One of the half-frames 73 is in position for picture taking. The other half-frame 73 is in position for marking. When an image 71 is captured on a half-frame 73 of film 16, a pair of demarcation bars 56 on the next half-frame 73 are exposed concurrently. (The captured image and exposed demarcation bar are latent images corresponding, in a particular embodiment, to the difference between
The demarcation openings 56 are through-slots or, alternatively, the demarcation openings 56 are made of a material that is sufficiently transparent or translucent that light passes through without excessive absorption. The amount of absorption is excessive, if the demarcation bar 70 can no longer be distinguished by the film notch scanner.
Referring to an embodiment shown in
The scanning unit 80 has an illuminator 82 that directs light through a full frame length segment of the filmstrip to a scanner head 84. The scanner head 84 has an image sensor such as a charge-coupled device (CCD). The resultant analog electronic image provided by the image sensor is converted into digital form and amplified as necessary by an analog to digital (“A/D”) converter (not shown) and sent to a control unit 86. The control unit 86 is a programmable computer or the like, which controls the operation of a notching unit.
Referring to
After notching, the filmstrip can be printed using optical printing as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,541,690 or can be printed using digital photofinishing equipment. In the latter case, the images are rescanned at higher resolution, digitally processed and send to an output device, such as a printer. The control unit of the film notch scanner can be a dedicated device or part of the digital photofinishing equipment. In the latter case, the central processing unit can be part of a control system sometimes referred to as an image data manager (IDM). The computer system or IDM includes memory and can include a display and user controls allowing for supervision and intervention by an operator. The photofinishing unit can be like that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,945 issued Jun. 16, 1998.
With the half-frame pairs of
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.
