Film extraction apparatus and method utilizing a bi-stable film stripper mechanism

Apparatus for extracting photographic film from a film cartridge comprising:

• a) a film cartridge nest for holding the mouth of the film cartridge in a fixed position
• b) a film extractor mechanism including (i) an elongated flexible extractor blade having a friction material along at least one flank of a film-facing surface of the extractor blade and (ii) a film channel for receiving and translating film as it is extracted from the cartridge:
• c) a film stripper mechanism including
• (i) a flexible film stripper blade having an elongated tongue that, in an unstressed condition, is flat in its transverse dimension thereof, the tongue, in said unstressed condition, having a curved portion that extends the tongue downwardly in the longitudinal direction of the tongue;
• ii) a stripper blade support structure;
• iii) an actuator mechanism coupled to the stripper blade which when actuated, is operative in cooperation with the support structure, to induce a stressed condition in the stripper blade in which the tongue is curved slightly in its transverse dimension causing the tongue to straighten and stiffen in its longitudinal direction;
• and
• iv) a drive mechanism for reciprocally translating the film stripper blade toward and away from the cartridge nest;
• and
• d) a controller operatively coupled
• (i) to the actuator mechanism for causing said actuator to induce said stressed condition in the stripper blade prior to insertion of the tongue into the film cartridge and for removing said stressed condition in the stripper blade after insertion of the tongue into the cartridge;
• (ii) to the drive mechanism for translating the stripper blade forwardly to insert the straightened tongue into the cartridge and for stopping the forward translation with the unstressed tongue in the cartridge with its forward portion downwardly curved, and for subsequently translating the stripper blade rearwardly at the conclusion of film extraction to remove the tongue from the cartridge, and
• (iii) to the film extractor mechanism for inserting and removing the extractor blade from the cartridge so as to extract film from the cartridge while the tongue is in the cartridge.