Photographic film cassette and camera apparatus and method

A photographic film cassette comprising:

• a generally cylindrical cassette housing having a central axis;
• a rotatable disc axially mounted at one end of the cassette housing;
• optically readable bar code indicia disposed in a circumferential path on an exterior surface of the disc, said bar code having a predetermined format of alternating elements of bars and spaces in which the angular dimension of each of said elements along the circumferential code path corresponds to a predetermined multiple of a predetermined angular segment of the disc;
• film usage condition indicator positions angularly spaced about the axis of the cassette, each position being indicative of a discrete possible usage condition of film in the cassette;
• and a selector position, said selector position and condition indicator positions being rotatable relative to each other, one of either said selector position or said condition indicator positions being rotatable with said disc and the other being stationary relative to said cassette housing, whereby stoppage of rotation of said disc at a predetermined angular position of the disc relative to the cassette housing, as determined by measurement of the bar code elements during film rewind, aligns said selector position with one of said film indicator positions thereby visually indicating a respective one of said usage conditions of the film in the cassette.

Camera apparatus adapted to receive a film cassette having a rotatable disc axially mounted at one end thereof, the disc having optically readable radial bar code indicia disposed in a circumferential path on an exterior surface of the disc, said bar code having a predetermined format including a start code segment and a data code segment comprised of alternating elements of bars and spaces in which the angular dimension of each of said elements along the circumferential code path corresponds to a predetermined multiple of a predetermined angular segment of the disc, the cassette further having first and second visual indicators rotatable relative to each other and adapted to be aligned at one of a plurality of angular positions of said disc following rewind of film in the cassette, the camera apparatus comprising:

• means for rotationally driving said disc at least during rewind of film into the cassette;
• stationary optical reader means having a photosensor positioned over the path of the bar code for reading the bar code and providing an output representative thereof as the disc rotates;
• means for providing a signal representative of a particular film usage condition;
• and controller means for calculating from the bar code output a stopping position for the bar coded disc at a predetermined angular position of the disc relative to the start code segment which visually indicates said particular film usage condition and for causing said rotational driving means to stop rotation of the disc at said predetermined angular position to indicate said particular film usage condition after the film is rewound into the cassette.

A method of positioning visual indicators on a film cassette in a camera comprising:

• providing in a cassette receiving cavity in a camera a film cassette having a rotatable disc axially mounted at one end thereof, the disc having optically readable radial bar code indicia disposed in a circumferential path on an exterior surface of the disc, said bar code having a predetermined format including a start code segment and a data code segment comprised of alternating elements of bars and spaces in which the angular dimension of each of said elements along the circumferential code path corresponds to an integral multiple of a predetermined angular segment of the disc, the cassette further having first and second visual indicators rotatable relative to each other and adapted to be aligned at one of a plurality of angular positions of said disc following rewind of film in the cassette, the method comprising:
• reading the disc bar code at least during rewind of the film into the cassette to produce a bar code output signal;
• calculating from the bar code output signal a predetermined angular position at which the disc is to be stopped for a desired alignment of the relatively rotatable visual indicators;
• sensing the start code segment of the bar code;
• thereafter reading the bar code to sense when the disc has reached said predetermined angular position following the start code segment and stopping the relative rotation of the visual indicators when said predetermined angular position of the disc is reached.