Photographic film container

Claim 2

A container for receiving and supporting photographic materials including a plurality of film units comprising: a forward wall, a pair of side walls, and a rear wall operatively associated with one another to form a container section, each of said forward, side, and rear walls including a leading end and a trailing end; a leading end wall adapted to be ultrasonically bonded to said leading ends of said side and rear walls forming said container section in position to cooperate with said forward wall to define a withdrawal aperture for a film unit; stop means integrally formed with said leading end wall and adapted to be accurately spaced from said forward wall to prevent more than one film unit at a time from passing through said withdrawal aperture; energy concentrating means for concentrating ultrasonic energy in the area of the bond to be formed between said leading end wall and said leading ends of said side and rear walls, said energy concentrating means including at least one tapered section integrally formed with either said leading ends of said side and rear walls or with an interior surface of sAid leading end wall; and positioning means selectively engageable with portions of said energy concentrating means for positioning said leading end wall to accurately space said stop means from said forward wall during an ultrasonic bonding cycle, said positioning means being integrally formed with the other of said leading ends of said side and rear walls and said leading end wall and being adapted to be in alignment with said at least one tapered section when said leading end wall is positioned to be bonded to said leading ends of said side and rear walls.

Claim 3

A container as defined in claim 1 wherein the portions of said energy concentrating means adapted to be selectively engaged by said positioning means during an ultrasonic bonding cycle are mechanically interlocked with said positioning means upon completion of the ultrasonic bonding cycle.

Claim 4

A container as defined in claim 2 wherein the mechanically interlocked portions of said energy concentrating means and said positioning means form a labyrinth to insure that the interface therebetween is lighttight.

Claim 5

A container as defined in claim 1 wherein said stop means is resilient.

Claim 6

A container as defined in claim 4 wherein said stop means extend part of the way across said withdrawal aperture to limit the effective opening of said withdrawal aperture at least near one lateral margin of a film unit positioned against an interior surface of said forward wall.

Claim 7

A container as defined in claim 4 wherein said stop means extend part of the way across said withdrawal aperture to limit the effective opening of said withdrawal aperture near both lateral margins of film unit located against an interior surface of said forward wall.

Claim 8

A container as defined in claim 4 wherein said stop means includes an upper edge of said leading end wall positioned to limit the effective opening of the withdrawal aperture in an area between lateral margins of a film unit positioned against an interior surface of said forward wall.

Claim 9

The film container of claim 1 wherein said energy concentrating means is integrally formed with said leading ends of said side and rear walls and said positioning means is integrally formed with said leading end wall.

Claim 10

A container as defined in claim 1 wherein said energy concentrating means is integrally formed with said leading end wall and said positioning means is integrally formed with said leading ends of said side and rear walls.

Claim 11

A container for receiving and supporting photographic materials including a plurality of film units, said container comprising: a forward wall having a light-transmission section therein, a pair of side walls, and a rear wall, each of said forward, side, and rear walls having a leading end and trailing end, said forward, side, and rear walls being operably associated with one another to form a container section including a leading end and a trailing end and having an opening at said leading end defined by said leading ends of said forward, side, and rear walls; a leading end wall, including an interior surface, adapted to be ultrasonically bonded to said leading ends of said side and rear walls, subsequent to insertion of the photographic materials into said container section through said opening, for partially closing said opening and for cooperating with said leading end of said forward wall to define a withdrawal aperture at said leading end of said container through which a film unit may be withdrawn subsequent to exposure through said light-transmission section in said forward wall; stop means integrally formed with said leading end wall and adapted to be accurately spaced from said forward wall to prevent more than one film unit at a time from passing through said withdrawal aperture; energy concentrating means for concentrating ultrasonic energy in the area of the bond to be formed between said leading end wall and said leading ends of said side and rear walls, said energy concentrating means including a plurality of tapered sections inTegrally formed with said leading ends of said side and rear walls and adapted to be placed in abutment with said interior surface of said leading end wall to establish paths for ultrasonic energy transmission therebetween; and positioning means selectively engageable with portions of said energy concentrating means for positioning said leading end wall to accurately space said stop means from said forward wall during an ultrasonic bonding cycle, said positioning means including a series of spaced elongated recesses integrally formed in said interior surface of said leading end wall and adapted to be in alignment with at least one of said tapered sections associated with said rear wall when said leading end wall is positioned to be bonded to said side and rear walls.

Claim 12

A container for receiving and supporting photographic materials including a plurality of film units, said container comprising: a forward wall having a light-transmission section therein, a pair of side walls, and a rear wall, each of said forward, side, and rear walls having a leading end and trailing end, said forward, side, and rear walls being operably associated with one another to form a container section including a leading end and a trailing end and having an opening at said leading end defined by said leading ends of said forward, side, and rear walls; a leading end wall, including an interior surface, adapted to be ultrasonically bonded to said leading ends of said side and rear walls, subsequent to insertion of the photographic materials into said container section through said opening, for partially closing said opening and for cooperating with said leading end of said forward wall to define a withdrawal aperture at said leading end of said container through which a film unit may be withdrawn subsequent to exposure through said light-transmission section in said forward wall; stop means integrally formed with said leading end wall and adapted to be accurately spaced from said forward wall to prevent more than one film unit at a time from passing through said withdrawal aperture; energy concentrating means for concentrating ultrasonic energy in the area of the bond to be formed between said leading end wall and said leading ends of said side and rear walls, said energy concentrating means including a plurality of tapered sections inTegrally formed with said leading ends of said side and rear walls and adapted to be placed in abutment with said interior surface of said leading end wall to establish paths for ultrasonic energy transmission therebetween; and positioning means selectively engageable with portions of said energy concentrating means for positioning said leading end wall to accurately space said stop means from said forward wall during an ultrasonic bonding cycle, said positioning means including a series of spaced elongated recesses integrally formed in said interior surface of said leading end wall and adapted to be in alignment with at least one of said tapered sections associated with said rear wall when said leading end wall is positioned to be bonded to said side and rear walls.

Claim 13

A container as defined in claim 10 wherein said plurality of tapered sections are configured to reduce in cross section to an apex forming leading edges of said side and rear walls and portions of said rear wall leading edge are adapted to contact said interior surface of said leading end wall adjacent lateral ends of said recesses causing portions of said rear wall tapered section to deform during an ultrasonic bonding cycle and form portions of the bond while portion of said rear wall tapered section therebetween extend into said recesses to engage interior surfaces of said recesses.

Claim 14

A container as defined in claim 11 wherein said recesses have tapered cross sections conforming in shape to that of said rear wall tapered section, said conforming shapes causing said interior surfaces of said recesses and portions of said rear wall tapered section extending therein to mechanically interlock to prevent movement of said leading end wall with respect to said forward wall thereby insuring accurate spacing of said stop means from said forward wall.

Claim 15

A container as defined in claim 12 wherein said interlocked interior surfaces of said recesses and portions of said rear wall tapered section form a labyrinth to insure that the interface between said leading end wall and said rear wall is lighttight.

Claim 16

A container as defined in claim 10 further including locating means for locating said leading end wall and said stop means with respect to said forward wall of said container prior to initiation of an ultrasonic bonding cycle, said locating means being integrally formed with said side walls.

Claim 17

A container as defined in claim 14 wherein said locating means includes locating surfaces adapted to overlie an upper edge of said leading end wall when said leading end wall is positioned to be bonded to said side and rear walls, said locating surfaces being adapted to limit motion of said leading end wall toward said forward wall prior to initiation of an ultrasonic bonding cycle.

Claim 18

A container as defined in claim 15 wherein said leading end wall is coupled to said rear wall by means of integrally formed flexible hinges.

Claim 19

A photographic film assemblage comprising, in combination: a forward wall, a pair of side walls, and a rear wall operatively associated with one another to form a container section, each of said forward, side, and rear walls having a leading end and a trailing end; a plurality of film units arranged in stacked relation within said container section such that one of said film units is located against an interior surface of said forward wall; a leading end wall adapted to be ultrasonically bonded to said leading ends of said side and rear walls forming said container section in position to cooperate with said forward wall to define a withdrawal aperture for a film unit; stop means integrally formed with said leading end wall and adapted to be accurately spaced from said forward wall to prevent more than one film unit at a time from passing through said withdrawal aperture; energy concentrating means for concentrating ultrasonic energy in the area of the bond to be formed between said leading end wall and said leading ends of said side and rear walls, said energy conceNtrating means including at least one tapered section being integrally formed with either said leading ends of said side and rear walls or with an interior surface of said leading end wall; and positioning means selectively engageable with portions of said energy concentrating means for positioning said leading end wall to accurately space said stop means from said forward wall during an ultrasonic bonding cycle, said positioning means being integrally formed with the other of said leading ends of said side and rear walls and said leading end wall and being adapted to be in alignment with said at least one tapered section when said leading end wall is positioned to be bonded to said leading ends of said side and rear walls.

Claim 20

A photographic film assemblage comprising, in combination: a forward wall, a pair of side walls, and a rear wall operatively associated with one another to form a container section, each of said forward, side, and rear walls having a leading end and a trailing end; a plurality of film units arranged in stacked relation within said container section such that one of said film units is located against an interior surface of said forward wall; a leading end wall adapted to be ultrasonically bonded to said leading ends of said side and rear walls forming said container section in position to cooperate with said forward wall to define a withdrawal aperture for a film unit; stop means integrally formed with said leading end wall and adapted to be accurately spaced from said forward wall to prevent more than one film unit at a time from passing through said withdrawal aperture; energy concentrating means for concentrating ultrasonic energy in the area of the bond to be formed between said leading end wall and said leading ends of said side and rear walls, said energy conceNtrating means including at least one tapered section being integrally formed with either said leading ends of said side and rear walls or with an interior surface of said leading end wall; and positioning means selectively engageable with portions of said energy concentrating means for positioning said leading end wall to accurately space said stop means from said forward wall during an ultrasonic bonding cycle, said positioning means being integrally formed with the other of said leading ends of said side and rear walls and said leading end wall and being adapted to be in alignment with said at least one tapered section when said leading end wall is positioned to be bonded to said leading ends of said side and rear walls.

Claim 21

A container for receiving and supporting photographic materials including a plurality of film units, said container comprising: a first container section; a second container section adapted to be placed in contact with said first section and to be bonded thereto by applying ultrasonic energy to at least one of said first and second sections; means integrally formed with said first section and disposed thereon to contact said second section when said first and second sections are in position to be bonded together for concentrating and directing the ultrasonic energy to the area of contact between said first and second sections, said energy concentrating and directing means being configured to deform where contact is made to said second section to effect said bond; and positioning means integrally formed with said second section for selectively contacting predetermined portions of said energy concentrating and directing means when said first and second sections are in position to be bonded together for causing the predetermined portions to deform and the remaining portions of said energy concentrating and directing means to remain undeformed during an ultrasonic bonding cycle and for receiving and interlocking with the undeformed portions of said energy concentrating and directing means to accurately position said first and second sections with respect to one another during the ultrasonic bonding cycle.

Claim 22

A container for receiving and supporting photographic materials including a plurality of film units, said container comprising: a first container section; a second container section adapted to be placed in contact with said first section and to be bonded thereto by applying ultrasonic energy to at least one of said first and second sections; means integrally formed with said first section and disposed thereon to contact said second section when said first and second sections are in position to be bonded together for concentrating and directing the ultrasonic energy to the area of contact between said first and second sections, said energy concentrating and directing means being configured to deform where contact is made to said second section to effect said bond; and positioning means integrally formed with said second section for selectively contacting predetermined portions of said energy concentrating and directing means when said first and second sections are in position to be bonded together for causing the predetermined portions to deform and the remaining portions of said energy concentrating and directing means to remain undeformed during an ultrasonic bonding cycle and for receiving and interlocking with the undeformed portions of said energy concentrating and directing means to accurately position said first and second sections with respect to one another during the ultrasonic bonding cycle.

Claim 23

A container as defined in claim 18 wherein said first container section is configured to receive and support the photographic materials and has an opening at one end thereof through which the materials are adapted to be inserted into said first section and said second section includes an end wall adapted to be bonded to the one end of said first section to partially close said opening and thereby define a withdrawal aperture for a film unit.

Claim 24

A container as defined in claim 18 wherein said energy concentrating means includes at least one tapered section formed of a heat deformable material and said positioning means includes a surface having a series of spaced recesses therein disposed to be in alignment with said at least one tapered section when said first and second sections are in position to be bonded such that portions of said surface between and to the sides of said recesses contact the predetermined portions of said at least one tapered section and said recesses provide areas of non-contact with said at least one tapered section to provide selective deformation and nondeformation of said at least one tapered section during an ultrasonic bonding cycle, said recesses also serving to receive and interlock with the undeformed portions to accurately position said first and second sections with respect to one another during the ultrasonic bonding cycle.

Claim 25

The container of claim 18 wherein said first container section is coupled to said second container section by means of integrally formed flexible hinges.

Claim 26

A photographic film assemblage comprising: a first film container section including a forward wall having an exposure aperture therein and an opening at one end of said first container section; a plurality of film units insertable through said opening and arranged in stacked relation within said first containEr section such that the forwardmost film unit in the stack is adjacent an interior surface of said forward wall and in alignment with said exposure aperture; a second film container section including an end wall adapted to be placed in contact with the one end of said first container section in position to partially close said opening and in cooperation with said forward wall define a withdrawal aperture for the forwardmost film unit, said end wall being adapted to be bonded to the one end by applying ultrasonic energy to at least one of said first and second sections; stop means integrally formed with said end wall and adapted to be accurately spaced from said forward wall to prevent more than one film unit at a time from passing through said withdrawal aperture; means integrally formed with said one end of said first container section for concentrating and directing ultrasonic energy to the area of contact between said first and second sections and for deforming during the bonding cycle to effect the bond; means integrally formed with said end wall for selectively engaging said energy concentrating and directing means to cause selective deformation thereof during the bonding cycle and to form, in situ, therefrom at least one projection; and means integrally formed with said second container section for receiving and interlocking with said at least one projection thereby causing said second container section to be accurately positioned with respect to said first section to accurately space said stop means from said forward wall.

Claim 27

A photographic film assemblage comprising: a first film container section including a forward wall having an exposure aperture therein and an opening at one end of said first container section; a plurality of film units insertable through said opening and arranged in stacked relation within said first containEr section such that the forwardmost film unit in the stack is adjacent an interior surface of said forward wall and in alignment with said exposure aperture; a second film container section including an end wall adapted to be placed in contact with the one end of said first container section in position to partially close said opening and in cooperation with said forward wall define a withdrawal aperture for the forwardmost film unit, said end wall being adapted to be bonded to the one end by applying ultrasonic energy to at least one of said first and second sections; stop means integrally formed with said end wall and adapted to be accurately spaced from said forward wall to prevent more than one film unit at a time from passing through said withdrawal aperture; means integrally formed with said one end of said first container section for concentrating and directing ultrasonic energy to the area of contact between said first and second sections and for deforming during the bonding cycle to effect the bond; means integrally formed with said end wall for selectively engaging said energy concentrating and directing means to cause selective deformation thereof during the bonding cycle and to form, in situ, therefrom at least one projection; and means integrally formed with said second container section for receiving and interlocking with said at least one projection thereby causing said second container section to be accurately positioned with respect to said first section to accurately space said stop means from said forward wall.