Pinch spools one-time use cameras apparatus and methods

A spool-media unit comprising:

• a pinch spool including:
• a sheath rotatable about a longitudinal axis, said sheath having a longitudinal slot narrowing to a throat, a margin bounding said slot, and an inner face defining a core space, said inner face having a grip surface interior to said margin, said grip surface being spaced from said core space and aligned with a chord of said core space;
• a core mounted coaxially within said sheath, said core having a recess sector and a chock sector adjoining said recess sector, said chock sector having a greater radial dimension than said recess sector, said sectors each being longitudinally aligned with said grip surface, said core being disposed in an intermediate angular orientation relative to said sheath and radially aligned with said grip surface, said core being pivotable about said axis relative to said sheath from said intermediate angular orientation relative to said sheath to a first angular orientation relative to said sheath, said chock sector being radially aligned with said margin at said first angular orientation, and
• a support rim fixed to one of said core and said sheath, said support rim being spaced from said slot;
• and
• a media strip having an end gripped between said grip surface and said chock sector, said media strip being freely removable when said core is in said first angular orientation.

A one-time use camera comprising:

• a body;
• an exposure system held by said body;
• a pinch spool held by said body, said pinch spool including:
• a core rotatable about a longitudinal axis, said core having a recess sector and a chock sector adjoining said recess sector,.said chock sector having a greater radial dimension than said recess sector;
• a sheath mounted coaxially over said core, said sheath being rotatable with said core about said axis, said sheath having an outer face, an inner face, and a longitudinal slot extending between said faces, said slot narrowing to a throat at said inner face, said inner face including a grip surface spaced apart from said throat, grip surface being longitudinally aligned with said sectors, said sheath being pivotable about said axis between first and second angular orientations relative to said core, said slot being radially aligned with said chock sector at said first angular orientation, said grip surface being radially aligned with said chock sector at an intermediate angular orientation relative to said core, said intermediate angular orientation being between said first and second angular orientations;
• and
• a support rim fixed to one of said core and said sheath, said support rim being spaced from said slot;
• and
• a filmstrip disposed in said body in operative relation to said exposure system, said filmstrip having an end freely separable from said pinch spool.

A pinch spool comprising:

• a sheath rotatable about a longitudinal axis, said sheath having a longitudinal slot, a margin bounding said slot, and an inner wall interior to said margin, said inner wall having a support surface defining a cylindrical core space, said inner wall haning a grip surface radially spaced from said core space;
• a core disposed within said core space, said core having a recess sector and a chock sector adjoining said recess sector, said chock sector having a greater radial dimension than said recess sector, said core being pivotable about said axis relative to said sheath between a first angular orientation and a second angular orientation, said recess sector and said grip surface defining a gap aligned with said slot in said first angular orientation, said chock sector closely adjoining said sheath in said second angular orientation;
• and
• a support rim fixed to one of said core and said sheath;
• wherein said recess sector has a flat face.

A pinch spool comprising:

• a sheath rotatable about a longitudinal axis, said sheath having a longitudinal slot, a margin bounding said slot, and an inner wall interior to said margin, said inner wall having a support surface defining a cylindrical core space, said inner wall having a grip surface radially spaced from said core space;
• a core disposed within said core space, said core having a recess sector and a chock sector adjoining said recess sector, said chock sector having a greater radial dimension than said recess sector, said core being pivotable about said axis relative to said sheath between a first angular orientation and a second angular orientation, said recess sector and said grip surface defining a gap aligned with said slot in said first angular orientation, said chock sector closely adjoining said sheath in said second angular orientation;
• a support rim fixed to one of said core and said sheath;
• and
• a pair of opposed stops obstructing said sheath from pivoting in a first direction at said first angular orientation and from pivoting in a second direction, opposite said first direction, at said second angular orientation.

A pinch spool comprising:

• a sheath rotatable about a longitudinal axis, said sheath having a longitudinal slot, a margin bounding said slot, and an inner wall interior to said margin, said inner wall having a support surface defining a cylindrical core space, said inner wall having a grip surface radially spaced from said core space;
• a core disposed within said core space, said core having a recess sector and a chock sector adjoining said recess sector, said chock sector having a greater radial dimension than said recess sector, said core being pivotable about said axis relative to said sheath between a first angular orientation and a second angular orientation, said recess sector and said grip surface defining a gap aligned with said slot in said first angular orientation, said chock sector closely adjoining said sheath in said second angular orientation;
• a support rim fixed to one of said core and said sheath;
• and
• a coupling having a first part fixed to said sheath and a second part fixed to said core, said parts being obstructed from pivoting in a first direction at said first angular orientation and from pivoting in a second direction, opposite said first direction, at said second angular orientation.

A one-time use camera comprising:

• a body;
• an exposure system held by said body;
• a pinch spool held by said body, said pinch spool including:
• a core rotatable about a longitudinal axis, said core having a recess sector and a chock sector adjoining said recess sector, said chock sector having a greater radial dimension than said recess sector,
• a sheath mounted coaxially over said core, said sheath being rotatable with said core about said axis, said sheath having an outer face, an inner face, and a longitudinal slot extending between said faces, said slot narrowing to a throat at said inner face, said inner face including a grip surface spaced apart from said throat, grip surface being longitudinally aligned with said sectors, said sheath being pivotable about said axis between first and second angular orientations relative to said core, said slot being radially aligned with said chock sector at said first angular orientation, said grip surface being radially aligned with said chock sector at an intermediate angular orientation relative to said core, said intermediate angular orientation being between said first and second fangular orientations;
• and
• a support rim fixed to one of said core and said sheath, said support rim being spaced from said slot;
• and
• a filmstrip coiled about said spool, said filmstrip having an end disposed within said coil, said end being free from said pinch spool.