Photographic film cassette

Photographic film apparatus comprising:

• opaque means for defining a film chamber of substantially shallow depth, said chamber defining means including a first wall having a light transmitting section and a second wall spaced from said first wall by a distance establishing said shallow depth;
• a plurality of substantially flat unexposed film units disposed in a stacked array within said chamber and stacked depthwise of said shallow chamber in alignment with said light transmitting section to facilitate the sequential exposure of said film units to actinic radiation entering said chamber through said light transmitting section, said chamber defining means further including means for defining an opening through which said film units may be sequentially advanced from said chamber following their exposure;
• means for at least initially light sealing said opening, said opening light sealing means being displaceably mounted with respect to said opening to facilitate the advancement of said film units from said chamber through said opening;
• displaceably mounted means for at least initially light sealing said light transmitting section, said chamber defining means, said opening light sealing means and said light transmitting section light sealing means being arranged to initially in combination preclude actinic radiation from impinging upon said stacked array of unexposed film units disposed within said chamber;
• and
• means for positioning a flat battery having a thickness substantially less than the shortest distance between said first and second wall and having two major surfaces each of which major surface is dimensioned to be disposed within the confines of the peripheral dimensions of said second wall and one of which major surfaces includes a pair of terminals, on the opposite side of said second wall from said stacked array of film units with the other of the battery's two major surfaces facing said second wall, said positioning means being structured and arranged to expose said battery terminals exteriorly of said apparatus when said battery is located on the opposite side of said second wall from said stacked array of film units by said positioning means and further structured and arranged to facilitate the ready manual replacement of the flat battery with another similar flat battery.

A photographic film assemblage comprising:

• a substantially flat housing including means for defining a flat chamber and a second chamber separated from said first chamber by an opaque wall, each said chamber being relatively thin and one of said chambers extending adjacent at least a section of said other chamber so that the depth of both said chambers in combination substantially defines the depth of said substantially flat housing where said chambers extend adjacent one another;
• a plurality of substantially flat unexposed film units disposed in a stacked array within said first chamber, said unexposed film units in said first chamber being stacked depthwise of said housing, said first chamber having a light transmitting section aligned with said stacked array of film units through which said film units may be sequentially exposed to actinic radiation and an opening through which said film units may be sequentially advanced from said housing following their exposure, said second chamber having means for defining an access through which a substantially flat battery having terminals may be selectively inserted into said second chamber, to be positioned substantially parallel to each said film unit and in alignment with said stacked array of film units, and subsequently removed therefrom, said second chamber being configured such that the battery terminals are electrically accessible externally of said housing when the battery is positioned within said second chamber;
• means of at least initially light sealing said opening of said first chamber, said opening light sealing means being displaceably mounted with respect to said opening to facilitate the advancement of said film units through said opening;
• and
• displaceably mounted means for at least initially light sealing said light transmitting section of said first chamber to preclude premature exposure of said film units.

A photographic film assemblage comprising:

• a substantially flat housing having means defining a chamber within said housing, a film exit slot, and a battery access aperture;
• means positioned within said chamber for partitioning said chamber into a first compartment for receiving film units and a second compartment, light sealed from said first compartment, for receiving a substantially flat battery having terminals, said partitioning means and said housing being further configured to receive the battery through said battery access aperture and position it in said second compartment so that its terminals are externally accessible for electrical connection outside of said housing;
• a plurality of substantially flat unexposed film units disposed in a stacked array within said first compartment and positioned therein to be aligned with said film exit slot so that said film units may be sequentially advanced from said first compartment through said film exit slot of said housing;
• and
• means for at least initially light sealing said film exit slot, said film exit slot light sealing means being displaceably mounted with respect to said film exit slot to facilitate the advancement of said film units through said exit slot,
• said second compartment being configured so that the battery may be selectively inserted therein to be positioned substantially parallel to each said film unit and in alignment with said stacked array of film units and subsequently removed therefrom, said film exit slot light sealing means and said partitioning means serving to initially light seal said unexposed film units from ambient light so that the battery may be inserted into or removed from said second compartment without exposing said film units.

A photographic film assemblage comprising:

• a substantially flat housing formed by a plurality of wall sections interconnected along their peripheral edges to define a chamber within said housing, said chamber having a film exit slot, said wall sections including a front wall section having a light transmitting section and an opposing rear wall section having a battery access aperture, said rear wall section being spaced away from said front wall section to substantially define the depth of said housing;
• a platen positioned within said chamber between said front and rear wall sections and overlying said real wall section to partition said chamber depthwise into a first compartment for receiving film units and a second compartment, extending adjacent at least a section of said first compartment and light sealed therefrom, for receiving therein a substantially flat battery having terminals, said platen and said rear wall section being configured so that the battery may be positioned in said second compartment through said battery access aperture such that the battery terminals are exposed through said access aperture;
• a plurality of substantially flat unexposed film units disposed in a stacked array depthwise of said first compartment and positioned therein to be aligned with said light transmitting section of said front wall section and said film exit slot so that said film units may be sequentially exposed to actinic radiation through said light transmitting section and subsequently advanced from first compartment through said film exit slot following their exposure;
• means positioned inside said chamber between said stacked array of film units and said platen for continuously urging said stacked array of film units toward said light transmitting section and for continuously urging said platen toward said rear wall section;
• means for at least initially light sealing said exit slot of said housing, said exit slot light sealing means being displaceably mounted with respect to said exit slot to facilitate the advancement of said film units through said exit slot;
• and
• displaceably mounted means for at least initially light sealing said light transmitting section of said front wall section of said housing to preclude premature exposure of said film units;
• said second compartment being configured to have the battery selectively inserted therein to be positioned substantially parallel to each film unit and in alignment with said stacked array of film units and subsequently removed therefrom, said platen and said rear wall section of said housing being configured to align the battery in said second compartment such that its terminals are externally accessible for electrical connection through said battery access aperture, all of said aforementioned light sealing means and said platen cooperating to initially protect said unexposed film units so that the battery may be inserted into or removed from said second compartment without prematurely exposing said film units.

A film assemblage for holding film for use in a photographic camera, said cassette comprising:

• a housing forming a chamber adapted to receive at least one film unit, said housing having a substantially rectangular parallelopiped geometry and including:
• opposing front and rear wall sections having planar dimensions L and W which respectively define the major and minor dimensions of said wall sections, said front wall section including means forming a substantially rectangular light transmitting section therein;
• opposing side wall sections each connecting said front and rear wall sections along their major lateral edges;
• opposing trailing and leading wall sections connecting said front, rear and side wall sections along their respective edges;
• first means in said housing for forming a first opening therein to allow passage of a film unit therethrough, said first opening being an elongated slot located adjacent a lateral edge of said leading wall section;
• light seal means to prevent light from entering said housing through said first opening therein at least prior to the placement of said cassette into a camera;
• and
• second means for releasably attaching an energy source to said housing, said second means being located exterior to said chamber and including a support member extending parallel to said rear wall section and toward said trailing wall section, said support member being spaced from the exterior surface of said rear wall section to form a gap therewith such that the energy source may be inserted into or removed from said gap.

A film assemblage for holding an array of stacked, substantially flat film units for use in a photographic camera, said cassette comprising:

• a housing forming a chamber adapted to receive the array of film units;
• first means in said housing for forming a first opening therein through which the film units may be sequentially advanced from said housing;
• light seal means to prevent light from entering said chamber through said first opening in said housing at least prior to the placement of said cassette into a camera;
• and
• second means for manually attaching and removing an energy source to said housing, said second mens being located exterior to said chamber and including a support member extending substantially parallel to the array of film units when disposed in said chamber, said support member being spaced away from the exterior surface of said housing to form a gap therewith such that the energy source may be inserted into or removed from said gap.

A photographic film assemblage for use in a camera, said assemblage comprising:

• a plurality of film units;
• a housing having an interior chamber for receiving said film units and adapted to facilitate the successive exposure of said film units, said housing having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped geometry and including:
• opposing front and rear wall sections having planar dimensions L and W which respectively define the major and minor dimensions of said wall sections, said front wall section including means for forming a substantially rectangular light transmitting section therein;
• opposing side wall sections each connecting said front and rear wall sections along their major lateral edges;
• opposing trailing and leading wall sections connecting said front, rear and side wall sections along their respective edges;
• first means in said housing for forming a first opening therein to allow passage of a film unit therethrough, said first opening being an elongated slot located adjacent a lateral edge of said leading wall section;
• light seal means to prevent light from entering said chamber of said housing through said first opening therein at least prior to the placement of said cassette into a camera;
• second means for releasably attaching an energy source to said housing, said second means being located exterior to said chamber and including a support member extending parallel to said rear wall section and toward said trailing wall section, said support member being spaced from the exterior surface of said rear wall section to form a gap therewith such that the energy source may be inserted into or removed from said gap;
• and
• an energy source in the form of an electric storage battery adapted to cooperate with said second means for purposes of attaching and removing it from said housing and having means for making suitable electrical contact with a camera to provide the electrical power requirements for the operation of the camera.

A photographic film assemblage comprising:

• a flat housing having means for defining a chamber interior of said housing and means defining an opening through which a film unit may be advanced to the exterior of said chamber;
• a plurality of substantially flat unexposed film units disposed in a stacked array within said chamber;
• means for initially light sealing said opening of said housing, said opening light sealing means being displaceably mounted with respect to said opening to facilitate the advancement of said film units through said opening;
• and
• means located exterior of said chamber for selectively releasably attaching a substantially flat battery having terminals to said housing, said attaching means being configured to position the battery substantially parallel to each said film unit and in alignment with said stacked array of film units when it is attached to said housing so that its terminals are accessible for electrical connection.

A photographic film assemblage comprising:

• a flat housing formed by a plurality of thin wall sections interconnected along their peripheral edges to define a chamber interior of said housing, said wall sections including a front wall section having a light transmitting section therein through which a film unit may be exposed and a rear wall section oppositely spaced away from said front wall section to substantially define the depth of said housing, said housing further including means defining an opening through which a film unit may be advanced from said chamber;
• a plurality of substantially flat unexposed film units disposed in a stacked array within said chamber, said unexposed film units being stacked depthwise of said chamber and extending from a position adjacent said front wall section toward said rear wall section such that said stacked array of film units may be sequentially exposed to actinic radiation passing through said light transmitting section and then sequentially advanced from said chamber following exposure via said opening;
• means positioned inside said chamber intermediate said stacked array of film units and said rear wall section for continuously urging said film units towards said light transmitting section;
• means for at least initially light sealing said opening of said housing, said opening light sealing means being displaceably mounted with respect to said opening to facilitate the advancement of said film units through said opening;
• displaceably mounted means for at least initially light sealing said light transmitting section of said forward wall section of said housing to preclude premature exposure of said film units;
• and
• means located exterior of said chamber for selectively releasably attaching a substantially flat battery having terminals to said rear wall section of said housing, said attaching means being configured to position the battery substantially parallel to said rear wall section and in alignment with said array of film units when it is attached to said housing so that its terminals are accessible for electrical connection.

A photographic film assemblage comprising:

• a substantially flat housing including means for defining a chamber interior of said housing and means for defining a depression in said housing, said depression being configured to selectively receive a substantially flat battery having terminals, said depression extending into said chamber,
• said housing further having an opening through which film units may be sequentially advanced from said chamber;
• a plurality of substantially flat unexposed film units disposed in a stacked array within said chamber so that when the battery is disposed within said depression it is positioned substantially parallel to said stacked array of film units;
• means for initially light sealing said opening of said housing, said opening light sealing means being displaceably mounted with respect to said opening to facilitate the advancement of said film units through said opening;
• and
• means for releasably retaining the battery within said depression so that its terminals are accessible for electrical connection;
• said battery retaining means and said depression thus cooperating to provide for the manual attachment or removal of the battery from said housing without prematurely exposing said film units.

A photographic film assemblage comprising:

• a substantially flat housing formed of a plurality of thin wall sections interconnected along their peripheral edges to define a chamber interior of said housing, said wall sections including a front wall section having a light transmitting section therein through which a film unit may be exposed and a rear wall section oppositely spaced from said front wall section to substantially define the depth of said housing, said rear wall section having means for defining a depression therein that extends into said chamber toward said front wall section, said housing further including means for defining an opening through which said film units may be advanced from said chamber following their exposure;
• a plurality of substantially flat unexposed film units disposed in a stacked array within said chamber, said unexposed film units being stacked depthwise of said chamber and extending from a position adjacent said front wall section toward said rear wall section;
• means attached to said rear wall section for partially covering said depression to, in cooperation therewith, form a cavity for selectively releasably receiving a substantially flat battery having terminals so that the terminals are exposed for electrical connection;
• means positioned inside said chamber between said stacked array of film units and said rear wall section for continuously urging said stacked array of film units toward said light transmitting section;
• means for at least initially light sealing said opening of said housing, said opening light sealing means being displaceably mounted with respect to said opening to facilitate the advancement of said film units through said opening;
• and
• displaceably mounted means for at least initially light sealing said light transmitting section of said front wall section of said housing to preclude premature exposure of said film units.

A photographic film assemblage comprising:

• a substantially flat integrally molded housing including means for defining a chamber within said housing, said housing including a front wall having a light transmitting section and an opposing rear wall substantially parallel to and spaced away from said front wall to define the depth of said housing, said rear wall having at least one access aperture therein, said housing further including means for partitioning said chamber into a first compartment for receiving film units and a second compartment for releasably receiving a flat battery having terminals, said second compartment extending adjacent at least a section of said first compartment and light sealed therefrom, said first compartment having a film exit slot and said second compartment having an opening through which the battery may be inserted into and removed from said second compartment such that when positioned therein its terminals are accessible for electrical connection through said at least one access aperture of said rear wall;
• a plurality of substantially flat unexposed film units disposed in a stacked array within said first compartment and positioned therein to be aligned with said light transmitting section of said front wall and said film exit slot so that said film units may be sequentially exposed to actinic radiation through said light transmitting section and subsequently advanced from said first compartment through said film exit slot;
• means positioned inside said housing chamber between said partitioning means and said stacked array of film units for continuously urging said film units toward said light transmitting section;
• means for at least initially light sealing said film exit slot of said first compartment, said exit slot light sealing means being displaceably mounted with respect to said exit slot to facilitate the advancement of said film units through said exit slot;
• and
• displaceably mounted means for at least initially light sealing said light transmitting section of said front wall section of said housing to preclude premature exposure of said film units.

A film assemblage for use in a photographic camera, said film assemblage comprising:

• a housing forming a chamber adapted to receive at least one film unit, said housing having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped geometry and including opposing front and rear wall sections having planar dimensions L and W which respectively define the major and minor dimensions of said wall sections, opposing side wall sections each connecting said front and rear wall sections along their major lateral edges, opposing trailing and leading wall sections connecting said front, rear, and side wall sections along their respective edges, said housing having a first opening therein in the form of an elongated slot defined by an edge of said leading wall section and an edge of said front wall section to allow passage of a film unit therethrough, said front wall section including means for forming a substantially rectangular light transmitting section therein, said rear wall section having means for defining a second opening in said housing for providing access to said chamber for purposes of inserting and removing an energy source therefrom;
• a first light seal means to prevent light from entering said housing through said first opening therein at least prior to the placement of said film assemblage into a camera;
• and
• a second light seal means for preventing light from entering said chamber through said second opening and thereby exposing film located within said chamber, said second light seal means in cooperation with said housing forming a cavity adapted to receive the energy source and temporarily retain it in position for use, said energy source cavity being accessible through said second opening of said housing, said second light seal means being a platen-like member located inside said chamber in overlying relation to said rear wall section and having a central portion extending above its lateral edges in a direction toward said front wall section, said central extending portion, in part, defining said energy source cavity.

A film assemblage for use in a photographic camera, said film assemblage comprising:

• a housing forming a chamber adapted to receive at least one film unit, said housing having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped geometry and including opposing front and rear wall sections having planar dimensions L and W which respectively define the major and minor dimensions of said wall sections, opposing side wall sections each connecting said front and rear wall sections along their major lateral edges, opposing trailing and leading wall sections connecting said front, rear, and side wall sections along their respective edges, said housing having a first opening therein in the form of an elongated slot defined by an edge of said leading wall section and an edge of said front wall section to allow passage of a film unit therethrough, said front wall section including means for forming a substantially rectangular light transmitting section therein, said housing having a second opening for providing access to said chamber for purposes of inserting and removing an energy source therefrom, said second opening being an elongated rectangular slot located adjacent an edge of said rear wall section and an edge of said trailing wall section;
• a first light seal means to prevent light from entering said housing through said first opening therein at least prior to the placement of said film assemblage into a camera;
• and
• a second light seal means for preventing light from entering said chamber through said second opening and thereby exposing film located within said chamber, said second light seal means in cooperation with said housing forming a cavity adapted to receive the energy source and temporarily retain it in position for use, said energy source cavity being accessible through said second opening of said housing, said second light seal means being a platen like member located inside said chamber in overlying relation to said rear wall section, said platen member, in part, defining said energy source cavity.

A photographic film assemblage for use in a camera, said film assemblage comprising:

• a plurality of film units;
• a housing forming a chamber adapted to receive said film units, said housing having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped geometry and including opposing front and rear wall sections having planar dimensions L and W which respectively define the major and minor dimensions of said wall sections, opposing side wall sections each connecting said front and rear wall sections along their major lateral edges, opposing trailing and leading wall sections connecting said front, rear, and side wall sections along their respective edges, said housing having a first opening therein in the form of an elongated slot defined by an edge of said leading wall section and an edge of said front wall section to allow passage of a film unit therethrough, said front wall section including means for forming a substantially rectangular light transmitting section therein, said rear wall section having means for defining a second opening in said housing for providing access to said chamber for purposes of inserting and removing an energy source therefrom;
• a first light seal means to prevent light from entering said housing through said first opening therein at least prior to the placement of said film assemblage into a camera;
• a second light seal means for preventing light from entering said chamber through said second opening and thereby exposing film located within said chamber, said second light seal means in cooperation with said housing forming a cavity adapted to receive the energy source and temporarily retain it in position for use, said energy source cavity being accessible through said second opening of said housing, said second light seal means being a platen-like member located inside said chamber in overlying relation to said rear wall section and having a central portion extending above its lateral edges in a direction toward said front wall section, said central extending portion, in part, defining said energy source cavity;
• and
• an electric storage battery adapted for insertion and removal from said energy source cavity and having means for making electrical contact with a camera to provide the electrical power requirements for the operation of the camera.

A photographic film assemblage for use in a camera, said film assemblage comprising:

• a plurality of film units;
• a housing forming a chamber adapted to receive said film units, said housing having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped geometry and including opposing front and rear wall sections having planar dimensions L and W which respectively define the major and minor dimensions of said wall sections, opposing side wall sections each connecting said front and rear wall sections along their major lateral edges, opposing trailing and leading wall sections connecting said front, rear, and side wall sections along their respective edges, said housing having a first opening therein in the form of an elongated slot located adjacent a lateral edge of said front wall section to allow passage of a film unit therethrough, said front wall section including means for forming a substantially rectangular light transmitting section therein, said housing having a second opening for providing access to said chamber for purposes of inserting and removing an energy source therefrom, said second opening being an elongated slot located adjacent a lateral edge connecting said rear wall section and said trailing wall section;
• a first light seal means to prevent light from entering said housing through said first opening therein at least prior to the placement of said film assemblage into a camera;
• a second light seal means for preventing light from entering said chamber through said second opening and thereby exposing film located within said chamber, said second light seal means in cooperation with said housing forming a cavity adapted to receive the energy source and temporarily retain it in position for use, said energy source cavity being accessible through said second opening of said housing, said second light seal means being a platen-like member located inside said chamber in overlying relation to said rear wall section, said platen-like member, in part, defining said energy source cavity;
• and
• an electric storage battery adapted for insertion and removal from said energy source cavity and having means for making electrical contact with a camera to provide the electrical power requirements for the operation of the camera.