Film information exchange system using dedicated magnetic tracks on film

A method for recording data in an elongate photographic film strip characterized by successive frames and a virtually transparent magnetic layer, said method comprising:

• dedicating respective ones of a plurality of predetermined longitudinal parallel track locations in said magnetic layer to respective predetermined information categories such that information categories relating to particular transactions are grouped together in said track locations;
• assigning said data to one of said predetermined information categories;
• magnetically recording said data in a magnetic track in the corresponding one of said plurality of predetermined longitudinal parallel track locations;
• and
• wherein said predetermined information categories comprise:
• information recorded by the manufacturer of said photographic film strip;
• information recorded by a camera in which said film strip is exposed to successive scenes;
• information recorded by an order entry station;
• and
• information recorded by a photofinisher.

A method for recording data in an elongate photographic film strip characterized by successive frames and a magnetic layer, said method comprising:

• dedicating respective ones of a plurality of predetermined longitudinal parallel track locations in said magnetic layer to respective predetermined information categories such that information categories relating to particular transactions are grouped together in said track locations;
• assigning said data to one of said predetermined information categories;
• magnetically recording said data in a magnetic track in the corresponding one of said plurality of predetermined longitudinal parallel track locations;
• and
• recording different information within one of said predetermined information categories in different self-identifying data fields in the corresponding one of said tracks.

An elongate photographic film strip characterized by successive frames and a plurality of perforations in said strip located sufficiently near one longitudinal edge thereof so as to be outside of image areas of said successive frames, the improvement comprising:

• a virtually transparent magnetic layer;
• a plurality of longitudinal peripheral tracks magnetically recorded in said magnetic layer and located sufficiently near one of the longitudinal edges of said film strip so as to be outside of image areas of said successive frames, different ones of said peripheral tracks containing magnetically recorded data relating to different data categories to which respective ones of said tracks have been dedicated;
• and
• a plurality of longitudinal interior tracks magnetically recorded in said magnetic layer, whereby each of said interior tracks is contained within an image area of a corresponding one of said frames, different ones of said interior tracks containing magnetically recorded data relating to different data categories to which respective ones of said tracks have been dedicated.

In an elongate photographic film strip characterized by successive frames and a plurality of perforations located along at least one longitudinal edge of said film strip, the location of said perforations being characterized in that an image area of each of said successive frames is adjacent a longitudinal imperforate peripheral area along said one longitudinal film strip edge, said film strip being suitable for use in a camera having a magnetic writing system and in a photofinishing system having a magnetic reading and writing system, the improvement comprising:

• a virtually transparent magnetic layer;
• longitudinal parallel camera-dedicated magnetic tracks recorded by said camera magnetic writing system in said magnetic layer within said longitudinal imperforate peripheral area;
• and
• longitudinal parallel photofinisher-dedicated tracks recorded by said magnetic reading and writing system of said photofinishing system in said magnetic layer within each of said frames.

In a film information exchange system in which information is magnetically read and written in a virtually transparent magnetic layer of a film strip during different stages of film strip use and processing, the improvement comprising an information organizational method in which magnetic reading and writing of information is restricted to certain dedicated tracks extending longitudinally along the film strip, the choice of track being determined in accordance with the type of information being recorded and a predetermined arrangement in which individual ones of said tracks are dedicated to recording certain corresponding groups of related types of information relevant to individual ones of different transactions associated with the use or processing of the film strip, said different transactions being associated with the use and processing of the film strip in still photography, said different transactions comprising at least one of the following:

• recording of customer identification data,
• recording of image or camera related information with each exposure by a still camera,
• recording of print order information, and
• recording of photofinishing process control information for a given frame of the film strip;
• and
• said transactions being implemented by one or more of the following stages:
• a still camera, a dealer order entry station, a photofinisher order entry station, a classifier, a printer, an inspection station, an enveloper-sorter station, and a film to video player.

A method of recording data of different data types in a magnetic layer of an elongate photographic film strip, comprising the steps of:

• assigning a different identification code to each of said different data types;
• determining the data type of particular data to be recorded;
• and
• recording the assigned identification code for the determined data type along with the particular data in the magnetic layer.

A photofinisher magnetic writing and reading system for use in a photofinishing system in which an elongate film strip having a magnetic layer and successive frames, is developed and printed after exposure of said film strip by a camera, comprising:

• means for sensing whether data has previously been recorded in said magnetic layer, and for reading such data;
• means for storing instructions specifying a universal symbol dictionary of allowed characters representative of data and further specifying a universal dictionary of ID codes, each ID code uniquely defining a particular information type;
• and
• means for writing and reading data in said magnetic layer so as to create one or more longitudinal photofinisher-dedicated tracks in such a manner that each of said photofinisher-dedicated tracks is confined within a corresponding one of said frames with a predefined start sentinel character and a stop sentinel character recorded in said track at respective beginning and end points of said track, each track being divided into individual fields and each field being preceded by one of said ID codes corresponding to the type of data recorded in said field.