Multipurpose film cassette having balanced force process mode switch
AssigneePolaroid Corporation
InventorSheldon D. Powers
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multipurpose film handling cassette of the type in which a photographic film strip is exposed, processed and projected without removal of the film from the cassette is provided with a two-piece "balanced force" arrangement for signaling to the apparatus with which it is to be used the unprocessed or processed condition of the film within the cassette. By "balanced force" it is meant that the indicating elements do not rely on any inherent deformation or internal resiliency to move the elements from an unprocessed mode to the processed mode. Further, no external force is required to act upon the terminals to hold them in a desired position.
Claims5
A photographic film cassette for use with other apparatus, said cassette configured for depositing a coating of processing fluid on a moving run of a cassette-retained photographic film strip to develop viewable images thereon, said cassette comprising:
- a cassette housing;
- means responsive to a drive arrangement of the other apparatus for advancing the film along a given path within said housing;
- means actuatable responsive to film strip advancement in a given direction for depositing processing fluid on the advancing film strip;
- means for indicating to the other apparatus the processed or unprocessed condition of the film strip, said indicating means comprising a pair of spaced apart conductive elements fixedly mounted within said cassette, each of said conductive elements having a first conductive terminal, each of said first conductive terminals being non-resilient, and being rigidly supported in spaced apart relationship with respect to the other of said first conductive terminals at a location in the interior of said cassette and in a plane which is parallel to the plane of the advancing film strip, and each of said pair of spaced apart conductive elements having a second conductive terminal positioned at a location adjacent a wall of said cassette housing;
- and
- a contact element slidably mounted in said cassette for movement, responsive to film advancement in said given direction, from a first position wherein a conductive portion of said element is in electrical connection between said non-resilient, rigidly supported first conductive terminals and a second position wherein said conductive element is not in electrical connection between said first conductive terminals so as to alter the conductive condition across said conductive elements between a closed and an open condition in accordance with displacement of said slidably mounted contact element, thereby indicating said process condition to said other apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.