Separable film spool and method of loading film cassette therewith
AssigneePolaroid Corporation
InventorDonald E. Moodie
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A two-piece spool is disclosed for winding of a flexible strip and includes a pair of interconnected members having flanges. One of the two members has a tongue extending from the flange thereof and the other has means for slidably receiving the tongue. The receiving means includes structure responsive to sliding engagement with the tongue for forcing the tongue into a flexed condition from an initial condition to retain the members in their interconnected arrangement. A method is also disclosed for allowing manual loading of unexposed film wound on a spool in a film cassette by using separable spool members including a separable cover.
Claims11
A two-piece spool for winding of a flexible strip, said spool having a pair of interconnected members, each of said members having a flange portion, at least one of said members carrying a hub section defining the rotational axis of the assembled spool and configured for supporting said strip in a convolutely wound condition, a first of said members having at least one deflectable tongue extending from the flange of said first member in a generally parallel relation to said axis and being constructed and dimensioned to be deflected in a direction generally transverse to its longitudinal axis to facilitate releasable frictional engagement thereof, and a second of said members having means for slidably receiving and deflecting said tongue so as to interconnect said members, said receiving means including means responsive to sliding engagement with said tongue for deflecting said tongue along an axis generally transverse to its longitudinal axis into a flexed and deflected condition from an initial undeflected condition to a deformed and deflected condition so that when deflected a tight and releasable frictional engagement results with said receiving means to retain said members in their interconnected arrangement.
In a separable two-piece film spool adapted to be rotatably mounted on a film cassette support and upon which a photographic film strip may be wound, the improvement wherein said spool comprises:
- a first member including a flange portion and having a hub section extending away from the flange portion, said hub section dimensioned and configured for having the film strip convolutely wrapped thereabout and for having the hub section rotatably mounted on the cassette support, said hub section having at least a tongue flexing and deflecting member and being spaced circumferentially intermediate a pair of circumferentially spaced tongue retaining members;
- and
- a second member having a flange portion spaced from said first member flange portion which accommodates the film strip, and at least one deflectable tongue member extending longitudinally outwardly from the flange portion of the second member in a generally parallel relation to an axis of said hub and being made of a deflectable flexible material which is deflectable in a direction generally transverse to its longitudinal axis to facilitate releasable frictional engagement thereof, said deflectable tongue member being dimensioned and configured to be flexibly deflected by said tongue deflecting member so that a tight but releasable frictional engagement axis therebetween and at least longitudinal marginal portions of said tongue member are in tight but releasable frictional engagement with said tongue retaining members, thereby offsetting tolerance variations of said tongue member and said tongue deflecting and retaining members which might otherwise cause a loose fit therebetween.
In a film cassette containing a two-piece film spool rotatably mounted on a support in said cassette and upon which a photographic film strip may be wound, the improvement wherein said spool comprises:
- a pair of interconnected members, each of said members having a flange portion, at least one of said members carrying a hub section defining the rotational axis of the assembled spool and configured for supporting said strip in a convolutely wound condition, a first of said members having at least one deflectable tongue extending from the flange of said first member in a generally parallel relation to said axis and being constructed and dimensioned to be deflected in a direction generally transverse to its longitudinal axis to facilitate releasable frictional engagement thereof, and a second of said members having means for slidably receiving said tongue so as to interconnect said members, said receiving means including means responsive to sliding engagement with said tongue for deflecting said tongue along an axis generally transverse the longitudinal axis of said tongue into a flexed and deflected condition from an initial undeflected condition to a deformed and deflected condition that when deflected a tight and releasable frictional engagement results with said receiving means to retain said members in their interconnected arrangement.
A two-piece spool for winding of a flexible strip, said spool having a pair of interconnected members, each of said members having a flange portion, at least one of said members carrying a hub section defining the rotational axis of the assembled spool and configured for supporting said strip in a convolutely wound condition, said hub section defining a given diameter for winding of said strip, each of said members having retaining means extending from the flange of their respective member for cooperating with each other to retain said members in an assembled condition with said flanges spaced for accommodating the width of said strip, said retaining means being located on their respective members within said hub diameter such that said strip may be wound on said one member prior to spool assembly and said other member subsequently united to said one member without substantially interfering with the strip winding.
In a separable two-piece film spool adapted to be rotatably mounted on a film cassette support and upon which a photographic film strip may be wound, the improvement wherein said spool comprises:
- a first member including a flange portion and having a hub section extending away from the flange portion, said hub section dimensioned and configured for having the film strip convolutely wrapped thereabout and for having the hub section rotatably mounted on the cassette support, said hub section having at least a tongue flexing member and being spaced circumferentially intermediate a pair of circumferentially spaced tongue retaining members;
- and
- a second member having a flange portion spaced from said first member flange portion which accommodates the film strip, and at least one tongue member extending longitudinally outwardly from the flange portion of the second member and being made of a flexible material, said tongue member being dimensioned and configured to be flexed by said tongue deflecting member so that a tight but releasable frictional engagement exists therebetween and at least longitudinal marginal portions of said tongue member are in tight but releasable frictional engagement with said tongue retaining members, thereby offsetting tolerance variations of said tongue members and said tongue deflecting and retaining members which might otherwise cause a loose fit therebetween, said deflecting member engages an inner periphery of said arcuate tongue member and said retaining members engage the outer periphery of said arcuate tongue member.
In a separable two-piece film spool adapted to be rotatably mounted on a film cassette support and upon which a photographic film strip may be wound, the improvement wherein said spool comprises:
- a first member including a flange portion and having a hub section extending away from the flange portion, said hub section dimensioned and configured for having the film strip convolutely wrapped thereabout and for having the hub section rotatably mounted on the cassette support, said hub section having at least a tongue flexing member and being spaced circumferentially intermediate a pair of circumferentially spaced tongue retaining members;
- and
- a second member having a flange portion spaced from said first member flange portion which accommodates the film strip, and at least one tongue member extending longitudinally outwardly from the flange portion of the second member and being made of a flexible material, said tongue member being dimensioned and configured to be flexed by said tongue deflecting member so that a tight but releasable frictional engagement exists therebetween and at least longitudinal marginal portions of said tongue member are in tight but releasable frictional engagement with said tongue retaining members, thereby offsetting tolerance variations of said tongue member and said tongue deflecting and retaining members which might otherwise cause a loose fit therebetween, said second member has a rim extending from and about the periphery of the flange and being dimensioned and constructed to substantially encapsulate the film between said flanges and said rim and having a slot therethrough allowing passage of the film strip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.