Bellows for folding camera

A folding bellows for light shielding the exposure optical path in a folding camera of the type including a base housing section having a film plane therein, a lens housing section mounting an objective lens and being pivotally coupled to the base section, adjacent one end of the film plane, for movement between an upstanding operative erected position and a storage position folded back over the base section so as to overlie at least a portion of the film plane, and a mirror assembly including a mirror pivotally coupled to the base section, adjacent an opposite end of the film plane, for coordinated movement with the lens housing section between an erected position for reflecting image forming light rays transmitted by the lens onto the film plane to expose a film unit thereat and a folded storage position overlying at least a portion of the film plane with at least a portion of the mirror located between the film plane and the lens housing section located in its folded position, said bellows being formed of a thin, flexible, light opaque material and comprising:

• a bottom section attached to the base housing section in surrounding relation to the film plane;
• a forward wall joined to a leading end of said bottom section and being attached to a rear wall of the lens housing section, said forward wall having an opening therein aligned with said lens through which image forming light rays are transmitted into the interior of said bellows;
• a rear wall joined to a trailing end of said bottom section and configured to overlie a back side of the mirror when said bellows and mirror are erected, said rear wall including lower section thereof that is attached to a facing portion of the mirror, and an upper section thereof that is not attached to that portion of the mirror facing said upper section;
• a pair of oppositely spaced side walls, each of said side walls extending between a corresponding side portion of said bottom section and adjacent ends of said forward and rear walls;
• an extensible top wall joining adjacent upper ends of said forward, rear and side walls, said top wall being movable between retracted and extended positions;
• said bellows being movable in response to corresponding movement of the lens housing section and mirror assembly between an erected position, wherein said upper and lower sections of said rear wall are in substantially coplanar relation overlying the back side of the erected mirror, said top wall is in its said retracted position and said bellows forms at least a portion of an ambient light excluding exposure chamber surrounding the exposure optical path extending between the lens, mirror and film plane, and a substantially flat folded storage position overlying at least a portion of the film plane wherein said upper section of said rear wall is folded back over its lower section and said top wall is in its said extended position.