Film cartridge with IC memory and apparatus that uses it and method of using it
AssigneeFuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
InventorMakoto Nakazawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus using a film cartridge having an IC memory unit. The IC memory unit is arranged beneath a side of a cartridge shell of the film cartridge, and a positioning hole is formed on the side of the cartridge shell. In order to read/write information from/to the IC memory unit, an arm of a contact unit is rotated towards the cartridge shell, so that a positioning pin provided at the arm end engages the positioning hole to position the cartridge shell, and contact pins provided at the arm end are brought into contact with terminals of the IC memory unit.
Claims26
An apparatus using a film cartridge, comprising:
- a cartridge loading chamber for containing the film cartridge, said cartridge loading chamber having, at the rear end thereof, a spool drive shaft and a door driver respectively engaging a spool having a continuous photographic film wound thereon, and a light-shielding door opening and closing hole of said film cartridge;
- a chamber door for opening and closing said cartridge loading chamber, said chamber door being provided with at least one guide shaft, said at least one guide shaft respectively engaging said spool and said light-shielding door opening and closing hole of the film cartridge when said chamber door is closed;
- a positioning mechanism including at least one positioning member engaging at least one positioning hole or at least one positioning notch located on a cartridge shell of the film cartridge, said positioning mechanism positioning said cartridge shell at a predetermined position in said cartridge loading chamber by engaging said positioning member with said at least one positioning hole or said at least one positioning notch;
- a contact mechanism including at least one contact member coming into contact with at least one terminal of an IC memory unit provided on the film cartridge, said contact mechanism presenting said at least one contact member against said at least one terminal when said positioning mechanism positions said cartridge shell;
- an information reading device for reading information from said IC memory unit and writing information to said IC memory unit via said at least one contact member in said contact mechanism;
- and
- wherein said spool drive shaft, said door driver and said at least one guide shaft pivotally support said spool and said light-shielding door opening and closing hole of the film cartridge, said cartridge shell being able to float at least while a film is being transported therein, said positioning mechanism positions said cartridge shell at the predetermined position in said cartridge loading chamber when information is read from and written to said IC memory unit.
An apparatus using a film cartridge including a cartridge shell containing a continuous photographic film, an inside of said cartridge shell being substantially cylindrical, said cartridge shall having an opening through which said continuous photographic film protrudes, a light-shielding door arranged on said opening, a light-shielding door opening and closing hole for opening and closing said light-shielding door, an IC memory unit, at least one terminal of said IC memory unit being exposed on a surface of said cartridge shell, and a spool rotatably arranged in said cartridge shell with a predetermined play, one end of said film in longitudinal direction thereof being fixed to said spool, said continuous photographic film being wound about said spool, comprising:
- a cartridge loading chamber for containing the film cartridge, said cartridge loading chamber having, at the rear end thereof, a spool drive shaft and a door driver respectively engaging said spool and said light-shielding door opening and closing hole on said film cartridge;
- a chamber door for opening and closing said cartridge loading chamber, said chamber door being provided with at least one guide shaft respectively engaging said spool and said light-shielding door opening and closing hole of said film cartridge;
- a positioning mechanism including at least one positioning member coming into contact with at least two positions on the outer periphery of said cartridge shell, said positioning mechanism positioning said cartridge shell at a predetermined position in said cartridge loading chamber by bringing said positioning member into contact with the outer periphery of said cartridge shell;
- a contact mechanism including at least one contact member coming into contact with said at least one terminal of said IC memory unit, said contact mechanism bringing said at least one contact member into contact with said at least one terminal only when said positioning mechanism positions said cartridge shell;
- an information reading device for reading information from said IC memory unit and writing information to said IC memory unit via said at least one contact member in said contact mechanism;
- and
- wherein said spool drive shaft, said door driver and said at least one guide shaft pivotally support said spool and said light-shielding door opening and closing hole of said film cartridge, said cartridge shell being able to float at least while said continuous photographic film is being transported therein, said positioning mechanism positions said cartridge shell at the predetermined position in said cartridge loading chamber when the information is read from and written to said IC memory unit.
An apparatus using a film cartridge including a cartridge shell containing a continuous photographic film, an inside of said cartridge shell being substantially cylindrical, said cartridge shall having an opening through which said continuous photographic film protrudes, a light-shielding door arranged on said opening, a light-shielding door opening and closing hole for opening and closing said light-shielding door, an IC memory unit, at least one terminals of said IC memory unit being exposed on a surface of said cartridge shell, and a spool rotatably arranged in said cartridge shell with a predetermined play, one end of said continuous photographic film in longitudinal direction thereof being fixed to said spool, said continuous photographic film being wound about said spool, comprising:
- a cartridge loading chamber for containing the film cartridge, said cartridge loading chamber having, at the rear end thereof, a spool drive shaft and a door driver respectively engaging said spool and said light-shielding door opening and closing hole on said film cartridge;
- a chamber door for opening and closing said cartridge loading chamber, said chamber door being provided with at least one guide shaft respectively engaging said spool and said light-shielding door opening and closing hole of said film cartridge;
- a positioning mechanism including at least one positioning member coming into contact with at least two positions on the outer periphery of said cartridge shell, said positioning mechanism positioning said cartridge shell at a predetermined position in said cartridge loading chamber by bringing said positioning member into contact with the outer periphery of said cartridge shell;
- a contact mechanism including at least one contact member coming into contact with said at least one terminal of said IC memory unit, said contact mechanism bringing said at least one contact member into contact with said at least one terminal and retreating said at least one contact member from said at least one terminal;
- an information reading device for reading information from said IC memory unit and writing information to said IC memory unit via said at least one contact member in said contact mechanism;
- and
- wherein said contact mechanism moves said at least one contact member on the surface of said at least one terminal so as to clean the surface of said at least one terminals.
A method of using a film cartridge, comprising the steps of:
- bringing at least one contact member of a contact mechanism provided in a cartridge loading chamber into contact with at least one terminal of an IC memory unit provided with a cartridge shell containing a continuous photographic film, after said film cartridge is loaded in said cartridge loading chamber and a chamber door of said cartridge loading chamber is closed;
- reading information from said IC memory unit via said at least one contact member, before pulling out said continuous photographic film from said film cartridge;
- retreating said at least one contact member from said at least one terminal to enable said cartridge shell to float, after reading the information from said IC memory unit and before removing said continuous photographic film from said film cartridge;
- transporting said continuous photographic film in a state wherein said cartridge shell is allowed to float, and processing said continuous photographic film as required;
- replacing said continuous photographic film into said film cartridge after completion of the processing;
- bringing said at least one contact member into contact with said at least one terminal under pressure and writing information to said IC memory unit after the continuous photographic film is replaced;
- and
- opening said chamber door to allow said film cartridge to be unloaded from said cartridge loading chamber after writing the information to said IC memory unit.
A photographic film cartridge loading bay capable of accessing data stored on a film cartridge, wherein the film cartridge may be positioned and may not float within said photographic film cartridge loading bay, comprising:
- a photographic film cartridge loading bay door provided with at least one guide shaft engaging a light-shielding access door located on the film cartridge;
- and
- a contact mechanism including at least one contact member contacting at least one terminal located on a memory unit of the film cartridge, wherein said at least one contact member contacts said at least one terminal when a positioning mechanism positions the film cartridge within said photographic film cartridge loading bay so that the film cartridge does not float.
A contact mechanism arranged in a photographic film cartridge loading bay for establishing a data transfer connection between the photographic film cartridge loading bay and a memory unit of a loaded film cartridge, comprising:
- a contact unit having at least one film cartridge positioning member, being pivotally supported about a pivot axis and having at least one data transfer contact, located on at least one end of said contact unit, for transferring data,
- wherein said contact unit pivots towards the loaded film cartridge until the at least one film cartridge positioning member engages at least one positioning hole or at least one positioning notch arranged on a cartridge shell of the loaded film cartridge, thereby establishing the data transfer connection between the photographic film cartridge loading bay and the memory unit of the loaded film cartridge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.