Film cartridge for preventing the end of a filmstrip from entering a cartridge chamber

Claim 2

A film cartridge for holding filmstrip having a leading end and a trailing end, said cartridge comprising: a supply compartment for holding unexposed filmstrip for transport to an exposure station; a take-up compartment for receiving exposed filmstrip from an exposure station, said take-up compartment including a take-up chamber for holding exposed filmstrip and a passageway leading to said chamber; and means disposed within one of said compartments for seizing said filmstrip to prevent the trailing end of the filmstrip from entering said take-up chamber, whereby not only will the filmstrip serve as a lightlock within said passageway, but also the filmstrip will assure that the trailing end thereof can be gripped to withdraw the exposed filmstrip from the take-up chamber.

Claim 3

A film cartridge according to claim 1 for use with a filmstrip having an engageable perforation near the trailing end of the filmstrip, wherein said means disposed within one of said compartments comprises a tooth for engaging the filmstrip perforation to prevent transport of the filmstrip into the take-up chamber.

Claim 4

A film cartridge for holding for transport past an exposure station photographic filmstrip, the filmstrip having a leading end, a trailing end, and an engageable discontinuity near the trailing end, said cartridge comprising: a supply compartment for containing unexposed filmstrip, said supply compartment including a filmstrip supply chamber having a filmstrip engaging surface, a longitudinal axis, and a passageway leading from said chamber; a take-up compartment for receiving exposed filmstrip in convolute form, said take-up compartment including a filmstrip take-up chamber having a filmstrip engaging surface, a longitudinal axis, and a passageway leading to said chamber, said supply and take-up compartments being in opposed, parallel relationship; a wall parallel to said axes and connecting said supply and take-up compartments, said wall defining a filmstrip engaging surface extending between said passageways; and means on said take-up compartment filmstrip engaging surface for engaging the discontinuity in the filmstrip to prevent the transport of the filmstrip to said take-up compartment after said engagement.

Claim 5

A film cartridge for holding for transport past an exposure station photographic filmstrip, the filmstrip having a leading end, a trailing end, and an engageable discontinuity near the trailing end, said cartridge comprising: a supply compartment for containing unexposed filmstrip, said supply compartment including a filmstrip supply chamber having a filmstrip engaging surface, a longitudinal axis, and a passageway leading from said chamber; a take-up compartment for receiving exposed filmstrip in convolute form, said take-up compartment including a filmstrip take-up chamber having a filmstrip engaging surface, a longitudinal axis, and a passageway leading to said chamber, said supply and take-up compartments being in opposed, parallel relationship; a wall parallel to said axes and connecting said supply and take-up compartments, said wall defining a filmstrip engaging surface extending between said passageways; and means on said take-up compartment filmstrip engaging surface for engaging the discontinuity in the filmstrip to prevent the transport of the filmstrip to said take-up compartment after said engagement.

Claim 6

A film cartridge according to claim 3 for use with a filmstrip in which the discontinuity is a perforation, wherein: said discontinuity engaging means is a tooth extending from said take-up compartment filmstrip engaging surface; and said tooth is positioned to engage said perforation to prevent the further transport of the filmstrip towards said take-up compartment.

Claim 7

A film cartridge according to claim 4 for use with a filmstrip bounded by opposed lateral edges with said engageable perforation adjacent one of said edges, wherein said tooth is located for engagement with the perforation prior to the transport of the trailing end of the filmstrip past said tooth.

Claim 8

A film cartridge according to claim 5 adapted to transport the filmstrip in a direction from said supply compartment to said take-up compartment, wherein said tooth is a ramp defined by an abutment surface extending generally perpendicular to said take-up compartment filmstrip engaging surface from a first lower location flush with said take-up compartment filmstrip engaging surface to a raised location, and by an inclined surface opposite said abutment surface and extending in the direction of film transport from said raised location to a second lower section flush with said take-up compartment filmstrip engaging surface, said abutment surface being engageable with the filmstrip perforation for preventing the further transport of the filmstrip to said take-up chamber after said engagement.

Claim 9

A film cartridge according to claim 5 wherein the filmstrip engaging surface of said take-up chamber has a portion adjacent said take-up chamber passageway, and said tooth is located on said portion.

Claim 10

The combination comprising: a. a film cartridge including: a supply compartment having a filmstrip engaging surface at least partially defining both a supply chamber and a passageway leading from said supply chamber; a take-up compartment having a filmstrip engaging surface at least partially defining both a take-up chamber and a passageway leading to said take-up chamber, said compartments and said passageways being in opposed parallel relationship; a wall interconnecting said supply and take-up chambers and having a filmstrip engaging surface defining a film path between said passageways; and means extending from said take-up compartment filmstrip engaging surface for blocking the displacement in at least one direction of filmstrip in the cartridge; and b. filmstrip loaded in said cartridge, said filmstrip having a leading end portion and a trailing end portion, and comprising an elongate web of photographic material initially wound in convolute form in said supply chamber and being transportable through said supply compartment passageway across said wall, through said take-up compartment passageway, and wound in convolute form in said take-up chamber; said filmstrip having a clockspringing tendency in response to being wound in said supply chamber, said clockspringing tendency imparting to the web a force urging said trailing end portion towards the portion of said filmstrip engaging surface from which said blocking means extends and into engagement with said blocking means; and said filmstrip defining a discontinuity in said trailing end portion engageable by said blocking means for precluding the displacement of said trailing end into said take-up chamber.

Claim 11

The combination comprising: a. a film cartridge including: a supply compartment having a filmstrip engaging surface at least partially defining both a supply chamber and a passageway leading from said supply chamber; a take-up compartment having a filmstrip engaging surface at least partially defining both a take-up chamber and a passageway leading to said take-up chamber, said compartments and said passageways being in opposed parallel relationship; a wall interconnecting said supply and take-up chambers and having a filmstrip engaging surface defining a film path between said passageways; and means extending from said take-up compartment filmstrip engaging surface for blocking the displacement in at least one direction of filmstrip in the cartridge; and b. filmstrip loaded in said cartridge, said filmstrip having a leading end portion and a trailing end portion, and comprising an elongate web of photographic material initially wound in convolute form in said supply chamber and being transportable through said supply compartment passageway across said wall, through said take-up compartment passageway, and wound in convolute form in said take-up chamber; said filmstrip having a clockspringing tendency in response to being wound in said supply chamber, said clockspringing tendency imparting to the web a force urging said trailing end portion towards the portion of said filmstrip engaging surface from which said blocking means extends and into engagement with said blocking means; and said filmstrip defining a discontinuity in said trailing end portion engageable by said blocking means for precluding the displacement of said trailing end into said take-up chamber.

Claim 12

The invention according to claim 8 wherein said blocking means is a tooth extending from said take-up compartment filmstrip engaging surface, and said discontinuity is a perforation in said filmstrip, said perforation being dimensioned to receive said tooth therein for precluding the further displacement of said filmstrip towards said take-up chamber.

Claim 13

The invention according to claim 9 wherein said filmstrip comprises photographic film and radiation impervious backing paper, and said backing paper contains a perforation superimposed upon said filmstrip perforation and operable to receive said tooth therewithin.

Claim 14

The invention according to claim 9 wherein: said perforation is displaced from the trailing end of said filmstrip by a distance greater than the distance by which said tooth is displaced from said take-up chamber passageway, so that the trailing end is accessible after said tooth engages the perforation whereby the trailing end portion of said filmstrip can be grasped and pulled to remove said filmstrip from said take-up chamber.

Claim 15

A film cartridge for holding for transport past an exposure station photographic filmstrip bounded by opposed lateral edges, the filmstrip having a leading end, a trailing end, and a perforation adjacent one of said edges and near the trailing end, said cartridge comprising: a supply compartment for containing unexposed filmstrip, said supply compartment including a filmstrip supply chamber having a filmstrip engaging surface, a longitudinal axis, and a passageway leading from said chamber; a take-up compartment for receiving exposed filmstrip in convolute form, said take-up compartment including a filmstrip take-up chamber having a filmstrip engaging surface, a longitudinal axis, and a passageway leading to said chamber, said suppLy and take-up compartments being in opposed, parallel relationship; a wall parallel to said axes and connecting said supply and take-up compartments, said wall defining a filmstrip engaging surface which extends between said passageways and along which filmstrip may be transported from said supply compartment to said take-up compartment; and a tooth for engaging said perforation prior to the transport of said trailing end of said filmstrip past said tooth, said tooth including a ramp defined by an abutment surface extending generally perpendicular to a filmstrip engaging surface from a first lower location flush with said filmstrip engaging surface to a raised location, and by an inclined surface opposite said abutment surface and extending in the direction of film transport from said raised location to a second lower section flush with said filmstrip engaging surface, said abutment surface being engageable with the filmstrip perforation for preventing the further transport of the filmstrip towards said take-up chamber after said engagement.

Claim 16

A film cartridge for holding for transport past an exposure station photographic filmstrip bounded by opposed lateral edges, the filmstrip having a leading end, a trailing end, and a perforation adjacent one of said edges and near the trailing end, said cartridge comprising: a supply compartment for containing unexposed filmstrip, said supply compartment including a filmstrip supply chamber having a filmstrip engaging surface, a longitudinal axis, and a passageway leading from said chamber; a take-up compartment for receiving exposed filmstrip in convolute form, said take-up compartment including a filmstrip take-up chamber having a filmstrip engaging surface, a longitudinal axis, and a passageway leading to said chamber, said suppLy and take-up compartments being in opposed, parallel relationship; a wall parallel to said axes and connecting said supply and take-up compartments, said wall defining a filmstrip engaging surface which extends between said passageways and along which filmstrip may be transported from said supply compartment to said take-up compartment; and a tooth for engaging said perforation prior to the transport of said trailing end of said filmstrip past said tooth, said tooth including a ramp defined by an abutment surface extending generally perpendicular to a filmstrip engaging surface from a first lower location flush with said filmstrip engaging surface to a raised location, and by an inclined surface opposite said abutment surface and extending in the direction of film transport from said raised location to a second lower section flush with said filmstrip engaging surface, said abutment surface being engageable with the filmstrip perforation for preventing the further transport of the filmstrip towards said take-up chamber after said engagement.