Photographic apparatus including improved aperture plate

Photographic apparatus for use with a photographic film handling cassette having a housing configured for retaining a strip of photographic film and an opening in an edge wall of such cassette housing configured to present an incremental section of such film strip for cooperation with means of said apparatus for providing a photographic program with such film strip, said apparatus comprising an apparatus housing, means for receiving such film cassette in an operative location in said apparatus housing and for supporting such incremental section in a predetermined focal position, said supporting means including an aperture plate configured to engage at least a portion of such presented section of such film strip so as to support such incremental portion in such predetermined focal position when such cassette is operatively positioned within said receiving means, said receiving means being configured for translation of such presented incremental section laterally across said aperture plate as such cassette is operatively located in said receiving means, said aperture plate including a longitudinal channel laterally bounded by spaced film margin engaging surfaces for supporting the margins of such film strip when such film strip is operatively located on said aperture plate, and said aperture plate including a ramp-like portion extending substantially from within said channel to at least close to one of said margin engaging surfaces so as to urge such incremental section out of said channel and to said one margin engaging surface when such incremental section of such film strip is translated laterally across said aperture plate towards said one margin engaging surfaces during the operative location of such film on said aperture plate.

A photographic system comprising:

• a cassette comprising a cassette housing for retaining a strip of photographic film material, an opening in an edge wall of said cassette housing configured to present a length of such film strip for cooperation with other apparatus for providing a photographic program with an incremental section of such presented length, and a pressure plate member located in said cassette housing behind such presented length, said pressure plate including a longitudinal pressure plate channel formed by a pair of laterally spaced members, said spaced members configured for engaging and supporting only the margins of one side of such film strip;
• an apparatus comprising an apparatus housing, an aperture plate, means for receiving said film cassette in an operative location in said apparatus housing when said cassette is inserted in said receiving means such that such presented length of such film strip is translated laterally across said aperture plate and to a seated position thereon, said aperture plate including means for contacting a portion of the opposite side of such presented length of such film strip intermediate the margins thereof so as to urge such intermediate portion towards said pressure plate and into a predetermined focal position partially within said pressure plate channel and between said spaced members of said pressure plate, said apparatus including means for cooperating with such incremental section of such film strip so as to provide such photographic program therewith when such incremental section is located in said predetermined focal position, said aperture plate including a longitudinal aperture plate channel laterally bounded by spaced apart film margin engaging surfaces configured for supporting the margins of such film strip when such film strip is operatively located on said aperture plate, and said apparatus further including a ramp-like portion extending substantially from the bottom of said aperture plate channel to one of said film margin engaging surfaces so as to urge said film out of said aperture plate channel and to said one margin engaging surface when such film strip is translated laterally across said aperture plate towards said one margin engaging surface during the operative location of said cassette within said receiving means.

Photographic apparatus for use with a photographic film cassette for providing a photographic operation with progressive incremental sections of a cassette retained photographic film strip, the cassette including a housing configured for retaining the film strip, the film strip including on one side thereof an emulsion layer configured for providing recorded images in a usable portion intermediate the film margins, the cassette housing having an opening in an edge wall thereof configured for presenting a length of the film strip for the photographic operation, means for guiding the film strip across the cassette housing opening with said one side of the film strip facing inwardly of the cassette housing, the guiding means including a pressure plate located within the cassette housing and configured for supporting the margins of the presented length of the film strip at the housing opening, the pressure plate including an elongated channel substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the presented length of the film strip, the channel being laterally bounded by a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extended members, each member respectively having a film margin engaging surface configured for providing contact solely with the margins of the one side of the film strip, said apparatus comprising:

• an apparatus housing;
• means for receiving the film cassette in an operative location in said apparatus housing;
• means configured for cooperating with the cassette pressure plate when the cassette is operatively positioned in said receiving means so as to urge the portion intermediate the margins of the presented length of the film strip towards the pressure plate and partially into the channel thereof so as to laterally bow the film strip into a precise curved focal location without contact to the usable portion of the emulsion layer, said cooperating means including an elongated aperture plate having an aperture therein configured for passing light rays to or from an incremental section of the film strip, said aperture plate including means for defining a substantially flat film margin reference plane configured to engage at least the margins of the film strip and at least one pad located along the longitudinal axis of said aperture plate and extending out of said reference plane towards the pressure plate so as to engage and urge the intermediate portion of the presented length of the film strip slightly above the reference plane and into the pressure plate channel, and said apparatus includes means for spacing the pressure plate and aperture plate such that said margin engaging surfaces of the pressure plate members are spaced from said aperture plate reference plane a distance slightly exceeding the thickness of the film strip margins so as to define a gap therebetween for loosely confining the film margins while preventing extension of the bow of the film to the bottom of the pressure plate channel.

A photographic system comprising:

• a photographic film cassette comprising:
• a cassette housing having an opening in an edge wall thereof;
• a photographic film strip retained within said cassette housing, said film strip including on one side thereof an emulsion layer configured for providing recorded images in a usable portion intermediate the film margins;
• means for guiding the film strip across said cassette housing opening with said one side of the film strip facing inwardly of said cassette housing so as to present a length of said film strip for cooperation with photographic apparatus for providing a photographic operation with an incremental section said said presented length of said film strip, said guiding means including a pressure plate located within said cassette housing and configured for supporting the margins of said presented length of said film strip at said housing opening, said pressure plate including an elongated channel substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of said presented length of said film strip, said channel being laterally bounded by a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extended members, each member respectively having a film margin engaging surface configured for providing contact solely with the margins of said one side of said film strip;
• said apparatus comprising:
• an apparatus housing;
• means for receiving the film cassette in an operative location in said apparatus housing;
• means configured for cooperating with said pressure plate when said cassette is operatively positioned in said receiving means so as to urge a portion intermediate the margins of the presented length of the film strip towards said pressure plate and partially into the channel thereof so as to laterally bow said film strip into a precise curved focal location without contact to the usable portion of the emulsion layer, said cooperating means including an elongated aperture plate having an aperture therein configured for passing light rays to or from an incremental section of said film strip, said aperture plate including means for defining a substantially flat film margin reference plane configured to engage at least the margins of said film strip, at least one pad located along the longitudinal axis of said aperture plate and extending out of said reference plane towards said pressure plate so as to engage and urge the intermediate portion of said presented length of said film strip slightly above the reference plane and into said pressure plate channel, and means for spacing said pressure plate and aperture plate such that said margin engaging surfaces of said pressure plate members are spaced from said aperture plate reference plane a distance slightly exceeding the thickness of said film strip margins so as to define a gap therebetween for loosely confining said film margins while preventing extension of the bow of said film strip to the bottom of said pressure plate channel.

Photographic apparatus for use with a film cassette having a cassette housing configured for retaining a strip of photographic film material, an opening in an edge wall of such cassette housing configured to present a length of such film strip for cooperation with said apparatus for providing a photographic program with an incremental section of such presented length, and a pressure plate member located in such cassette housing behind such presented length and configured for supporting at least a portion of one side thereof, said apparatus comprising an apparatus housing, an aperture plate, means for receiving such film cassette in an operative location in said apparatus housing when such cassette is inserted in said receiving means such that such presented length of such film strip is translated laterally across said aperture plate and to a seated position thereon, said apparatus including means for cooperating with such incremental section of such film strip so as to provide such photographic program therewith when such incremental section is located in a predetermined focal position on said aperture plate, said aperture plate including a longitudinal aperture plate channel laterally bounded by spaced apart film margin engaging surfaces configured for supporting the margins of such film strip when such film strip is operatively located on said aperture plate and a ramp-like portion extending substantially from the bottom of said aperture plate channel to one of said film margin engaging surfaces so as to urge such presented length of such film strip out of said aperture plate channel and to said one margin engaging surface when such film strip is translated laterally across said aperture plate towards said one margin engaging surface during the operative location of such cassette within said receiving means.

A photographic system for use with a strip of photographic film for providing a photographic operation with progressive incremental sections of the photographic film strip, the film strip including on one side thereof an emulsion layer configured for providing recorded images in a usable portion intermediate the film margins, said system comprising a pressure plate configured for supporting the margins of a predetermined length of the one side of the film strip, said pressure plate including an elongated channel substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the predetermined length of the film strip, said channel being laterally bounded by a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extended members, each member respectively having a film margin engaging surface configured for providing contact solely with the margins of the one side of the film strip, and means configured for cooperating with said pressure plate so as to urge the portion intermediate the margins of the predetermined length of the film strip towards said pressure plate and partially into said channel to longitudinally bow the predetermined length of the film strip into a precise curved focal location without contact to the usable portion of the emulsion layer, said cooperating means including an elongated aperture plate having an aperture therein configured for passing light rays to or from an incremental section of the predetermined length of the film strip, said aperture plate including means for defining a substantially flat film margin reference plane configured to engage at least the margins of the film strip and at least one pad located along the longitudinal axis of said aperture plate and extending out of said reference plane towards said pressure plate so as to engage and urge the intermediate portion of the presented length of the film strip slightly above said reference plane and into said pressure plate channel, and means for spacing the pressure plate and aperture plate such that said margin engaging surfaces of said pressure plate members are spaced from said aperture plate reference plane a distance slightly exceeding the thickness of the film strip margins so as to define a gap therebetween the loosely confining the film margins while preventing extension of the bow of the film to the bottom of said pressure plate channel.

Photographic apparatus for use with a film handling cassette having a housing configured for retaining a strip of photographic film, such cassette housing including an elongated opening in an edge wall thereof configured to present a length of such film for exposure operations, an elongated pressure plate of given lateral width, such lateral width being defined by first and second spaced apart edges of such pressure plate, such pressure plate being located in said cassette housing behind and in substantially longitudinal alignment with such presented length of such film strip so as to support at least a portion of such presented length of such film strip for cooperation with said apparatus, such cassette housing including a pair of opposed side walls whose inner surfaces define the laterally spaced edges of such elongated opening, such pressure plate being loosely mounted between such side walls and configured for location of such first edge of such pressure plate against the inner surface of one of such cassette side walls responsive to external means, said apparatus comprising:

• an apparatus housing;
• means for receiving such film cassette in an operative location in said apparatus housing, and an elongated aperture plate located in operative relation to said receiving means, said aperture plate including means for engaging such film strip and for cooperating with such pressure plate, when such film cassette is in its operative location in said apparatus housing, to position such film in a predetermined position, and said aperture plate including first means for engaging such inner surface of such one cassette side wall and second means, laterally spaced from said first means, for positively engaging such pressure plate, and said receiving means including means for urging such inner surface of such one side wall into engagement with said first means such that such pressure plate is held between such inner surface of such one side wall and said second means thereby fixedly locating such pressure plate over said aperture plate.