Camera apparatus

Claim 1

A MINIATURE CAMERA FOPR USE WITH FILM UNITS OF A TYPE INCLUDING A PHOTOSENSITIVE AREA, A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID SLIDE MOUNT SURROUNDING SAID AREA, A PROCESSING LIQUID RELEASABLY CONTAINED NEXT TO SAID AREA, AND A LEADER FOR MANUALLY ADVANCING EACH FILM UNIT LINEARLY TO A LOCATION OUTSIDE OF SAID CAMERA, SAID CAMERA BEING ADAPTED TO PRODUCE A FINISHED TRANSPARENCY, READY-MOUNTED FOR PROJECTION, AND CONSISTING OF HOUSING MEANS CONSTITUTING A FIRST CHAMBER FOR SUPPLYING AND EXPOSING AT A FOCAL PLANE A PLURALITY OF SAID FILM UNITS IN SUCCESSION, MEANS FORMING A NARROW EXIT PASSAGE AT ONE END OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER OF A WIDTH ADAPTED TO PERMIT THE INDIVIDUAL REMOVAL OF EXPOSED FILM UNITS FROM SAID CHAMBER, HOUSING MEANS CONSTITUTING A SECOND CHAMBER IN WHICH EACH OF SAID FILM UNITS IS PROCESSED WHEN DRAWN THEREINTO THROUGH SAID PASSAGE FROM SAID FIRST CHAMBER, SAID LAST-NAMED HOUSING MEANS BEING OF REDUCED FRONT-TO-REAR DIMENSIONS RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST-NAMED HOUSING MEANS SO AS TO PROVIDE THEREBY A READILY-HELD GRIP FOR PICTURE-TAKING PURPOSES, MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING SAID FIRST- AND LAST-NAMED HOUSING MEANS, A PAIR OF COMPRESSIVE MEMBERS MOUNTED IN SAID SECOND CHAMBER IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO SAID PASSAGE FROM SAID FIRST CHAMBER BETWEEN THE ADJACENT SURFACES OF WHICH EACH FILM UNIT IS DRAWN SO AS TO BE COMPRESSED FOR RELEASING AND SPREADING SAID PROCESSING LIQUID THEREWITHIN, PLATFORM AND GUIDE MEANS IN SAID SECOND CHAMBER FOR SUPPORTING AND GUIDING SAID LEADERS AND FILM UNITS, AND MEANS FORMING AN EXIT APERTURE FOR SAID FILM UNITS, AND EXTERIORLY OF THE CAMERA IN SAID SECOND CHAMBER AT AN END OPPOSITE TO THAT OF SAID PASSAGE, SAID FOCAL PLANE, PASSAGE, ADJACNET SURFACES OF SAID COMPRESSIVE MEANS, PLATFORM MEANS, AND EXIT APERTURE LYING SUBSTANTIALLY IN A SINGLE PLANE SO AS TO AVOID DEFORMATION OF SAID SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID SLIDE MOUNT AND DISPLACEMENT OF FILM MATERIAL MOUNTED THEREIN.