Shutter apparatus

Claim 1

A SHUTTER MECHANISM FOR A CAMERA HAVING A EXPOSURE APERTURE FOR PHOTOGRAPHING A SCENE COMPRISING: (A) A HOUSING; (B) ELECTROMAGNET MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING AND HAVING A MAGNETIZABLE CORE ASSOCIATED WITH A SOLENOID; (C) A SHUTTER BLADE MOVABLE ON SAID HOUSING BETWEEN ONE TERMINAL POSITION UNBLOCKING SAID APERTURE AND ANOTHER TERMINAL POSITION BLOCKING SAID APERTURE FOR CONTROLLING THE PASSAGE OF INCIDENT LIGHT THERETHROUGH; (D) SPRING MEANS URGING SAID SHUTTER BLADE TOWARD THE THE OTHER TERMINAL POSITION WHEN SAID BLADE IS IN SAID ONE TERMINAL POSITION; (E) MAGNETIC KEEPER MEANS HAVING A ROUNDED CYLINDRICAL SURFACE MOUNTED ON SAID SHUTTER BLADE FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID MAGNETIZABLE CORE; (F) SAID ELECTROMAGNET MEANS AND SAID SHUTTER BLADE BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED ON SAID HOUSING SO THAT MOVEMENT OF SAID SHUTTER BLADE TO SAID ONE TERMINAL POSITION MOVES THE ROUNDED CYLINDRICAL PORTION OF SAID KEEPER MEANS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CORE, AND MOVEMENT OF SAID SHUTTER BLADE OUT OF SAID ONE TERMINAL POSITION TOWARD SAID OTHER TERMINAL POSITION MOVES SAID ROUNDED CYLINDRICAL PORTION OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CORE; (G) MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID SOLENOID AFTER SAID SHUTTER BLADE IS IN SAID ONE TERMINAL POSITION; AND (H) MEANS FOR DEENERGIZING SAID SOLENOID AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME DEPENDING ON THE LEVEL OF SCENE BRIGHTNESS, WHEREBY SAID MAGNETIC KEEPER MEANS IS FIRMLY HELD BY SAID ELECTROMAGNET MEANS AGAINST THE URGING OF SAID SPRING MEANS DURING ENERGIZATION OF SAID SOLENOID AND IS QUICKLY RELEASED BY SAID ELECTROMAGNET MEANS UPON DEENERGIZATION OF SAID SOLENOID.