Photographic film cassette, and apparatus and method of loading and removing photographic film in association with the cassette

A method of removing exposed photographic film from a cassette, said cassette including a spool provided with a retaining structure for retaining a trailer of said photographic film and a cassette shell having a spool chamber defined therein for containing said spool in a rotatable manner and a photographic film passage port extending between said spool chamber and an outside of said cassette shell, said photographic film removing method comprising:

• drawing said photographic film until said photographic film is substantially unwound so that one convolution of said film or less remains wound on said spool;
• passing a separator jig through said passage port into said cassette shell up to said spool, said separator jig being arcuate and rotatable about a point, rotation of said separator jig about said point causes said separator jig to move through said passage port;
• releasing said trailer from retention on said retaining structure by use of said separator jig;
• and
• drawing out said photographic film so as to separate said photographic film from said spool.

An apparatus for removing exposed photographic film from a cassette, said cassette including a spool provided with a retaining structure for retaining a trailer of said photographic film and a cassette shell having a spool chamber defined therein for containing said spool in a rotatable manner and a photographic film passage port extending between said spool chamber and an outside of said cassette, said photographic film removing apparatus comprising:

• holding means for holding said cassette shell in a predetermined orientation so as to position said passage port in a predetermined direction;
• drawing means for drawing said photographic film out of said cassette shell until said photographic film is substantially unwound so that one convolution of said film or less remains wound on said spool;
• a separator member for separating said trailer from said spool, said separator member being moveable through a path between an inserting position, where said separator member passes through said passage port and is close to said spool, and a standby position, where said separator member is removed from said passage port;
• means for moving said separator member to said inserting position after stopping of said drawing means and releasing said trailer from retention on said retaining structure while leaving said spool in said cassette shell;
• wherein said separator member is arcuate and moves rotationally on a center of an arcuate shape of said separator member.