Method and apparatus for improving the flatness of roll film in a camera exposure aperture

Claim 2

In a cartridge for roll film, said cartridge comprising a first surface defining a film supply chamber for holding said film in a roll and for defining the curvature of an outer convolution of said roll and a second surface tangent to said first surface defining a film guide path for guiding said film from said chamber to an edge of an exposure gate, the improvement wherein: said path has a constant curvature less than said curvature of said outer convolution and a length substantially equal to the length of one exposure frame of said roll film.

Claim 3

In a film cartridge comprising a film supply compartment including an internal chamber provided with wall means for rotatably supporting and laterally confining a generally cylindrical roll of film comprising the coiled end of an elongate strip of film and with means defining an opening through which the other end of said strip of film extends beyond said compartment, the improvement comprising; film guide means within said cartridge adapted to locate the portion of said strip of film between said roll and said opening along a unidirectionally curved path merging tangentially at one end with said roll of film and spiraling outwardly therefrom, said path having adjacent its opposite end a curvature equivalent to that of a corresponding arc defined by a radius at least three times as long as the maximum radius of said generally cylindrical roll of film.

Claim 4

In a film cartridge comprising a film supply compartment including an internal chamber provided with wall means for rotatably supporting and laterally confining a generally cylindrical roll of film comprising the coiled end of an elongate strip of film and with means defining an opening through which the other end of said strip of film extends beyond said compartment, the improvement comprising; film guide means within said cartridge adapted to locate the portion of said strip of film between said roll and said opening along a unidirectionally curved path merging tangentially at one end with said roll of film and spiraling outwardly therefrom, said path having adjacent its opposite end a curvature equivalent to that of a corresponding arc defined by a radius at least three times as long as the maximum radius of said generally cylindrical roll of film.

Claim 5

The invention defined by claim 2 in which said path of said portion of said strip of film defines a spiral curve of progressively decreasing curvature between said one end thereof and said other end thereof.

Claim 6

The invention defined by claim 2 in which said film guide means comprises a curvilinear internal wall surface within said chamber engageable by said portion of said strip of film to support said portion of said strip of film along said curved path.

Claim 7

In a film magazine comprising a film supply compartment including an internal chamber provided with wall means for rotatably supporting and laterally confining a generally cylindrical roll of film comprising the coiled end of an elongate strip of film and with means defining an opening through which the other end of said strip of film extends beyond said compartment, the improvement comprising: film guide means for improving the flatness of film leaving the supply compartment, said guide means being disposed within said housing and shaped to locate the portion of said strip of film between said wall means and said opening along a unidirectionally curved path merging tangentially at one end with said wall means and spiraling outwardly therefrom along a curve definable by a plurality of consecutive arcuate increments of progressively greater radii.

Claim 8

In a film magazine comprising a film supply compartment including an internal chamber provided with wall means for rotatably supporting and laterally confining a generally cylindrical roll of film comprising the coiled end of an elongate strip of film and with means defining an opening through which the other end of said strip of film extends beyond said compartment, the improvement comprising: film guide means for improving the flatness of film leaving the supply compartment, said guide means being disposed within said housing and shaped to locate the portion of said strip of film between said wall means and said opening along a unidirectionally curved path merging tangentially at one end with said wall means and spiraling outwardly therefrom along a curve definable by a plurality of consecutive arcuate increments of progressively greater radii.

Claim 9

In a cartridge for roll film including means defining a film supply chamber for holding film in a roll having an outer convolution, means for supporting said film in flat condition in an exposure plane and means defining a film guide path for guiding film from the outer convolution of said roll to said means for supporting said film in a flat condition, the improvement wherein, said defining means defines a path which is tangent at one end to said outer convolution, which is tangent at the other end to the exposure plane and which is in the shape of a smooth curve of progressively decreasing curvature from said outer convolution to said exposure plane, said defining means increasing the flatness of film leaving said supply chamber.

Claim 10

In a cartridge for roll film including means defining a film supply chamber for holding film in a roll having an outer convolution, means for supporting said film in flat condition in an exposure plane and means defining a film guide path for guiding film from the outer convolution of said roll to said means for supporting said film in a flat condition, the improvement wherein, said defining means defines a path which is tangent at one end to said outer convolution, which is tangent at the other end to the exposure plane and which is in the shape of a smooth curve of progressively decreasing curvature from said outer convolution to said exposure plane, said defining means increasing the flatness of film leaving said supply chamber.

Claim 11

A film magazine comprising: a film supply compartment for housing a roll of filmstrip, a film takeup compartment for receiving said filmstrip from said supply compartment, an intermediate wall member including means for supporting said filmstrip in an exposure plane between said supply compartment and said takeup compartment, and film guide means between said supply compartment and said support means for locating a portion of said filmstrip along a curved path from said roll to said support means, said curved path being in the shape of a spiral curving from said roll to said support means without increase in curvature.

Claim 12

A film magazine comprising: a film supply compartment for housing a roll of filmstrip, a film takeup compartment for receiving said filmstrip from said supply compartment, an intermediate wall member including means for supporting said filmstrip in an exposure plane between said supply compartment and said takeup compartment, and film guide means between said supply compartment and said support means for locating a portion of said filmstrip along a curved path from said roll to said support means, said curved path being in the shape of a spiral curving from said roll to said support means without increase in curvature.

Claim 13

In a film magazine comprising: a film supply compartment including an interior chamber adapted to rotatably hoUse a roll of film comprising one end of an elongate filmstrip, a film takeup compartment spaced from said film supply compartment and adapted to receive the opposite end of said filmstrip, and an intermediate wall member including a flat surface engageable by a segment of said filmstrip between said roll and said opposite end of said strip received by said takeup compartment to define a straight intermediate film path along said flat surface, the improvement comprising; film guide means defined by said film supply compartment and engageable by at least part of the portion of said filmstrip between said roll and said straight intermediate film path to locate said portion of said filmstrip along a unidirectionally curved film supply path tangential at its respective opposite ends with said roll and said straight intermediate film path and having adjacent said straight intermediate film path a curvature substantially equivalent to that of a corresponding arc defined by an axis located beyond said supply compartment, said axis of said arc equivalent to said curvature being located along an imaginary line extending between said compartments in perpendicular relation to said flat surface from the region of tangential transition between said curved supply path and said straight intermediate film path.

Claim 14

In a film magazine comprising: a film supply compartment including an interior chamber adapted to rotatably hoUse a roll of film comprising one end of an elongate filmstrip, a film takeup compartment spaced from said film supply compartment and adapted to receive the opposite end of said filmstrip, and an intermediate wall member including a flat surface engageable by a segment of said filmstrip between said roll and said opposite end of said strip received by said takeup compartment to define a straight intermediate film path along said flat surface, the improvement comprising; film guide means defined by said film supply compartment and engageable by at least part of the portion of said filmstrip between said roll and said straight intermediate film path to locate said portion of said filmstrip along a unidirectionally curved film supply path tangential at its respective opposite ends with said roll and said straight intermediate film path and having adjacent said straight intermediate film path a curvature substantially equivalent to that of a corresponding arc defined by an axis located beyond said supply compartment, said axis of said arc equivalent to said curvature being located along an imaginary line extending between said compartments in perpendicular relation to said flat surface from the region of tangential transition between said curved supply path and said straight intermediate film path.