Cartridge stripper

Claim 2

Apparatus for withdrawing from a chamber of a cartridge a strip of film interwound with a strip of backing material, said apparatus comprising film guide track means, means for holding said cartridge adjacent one end of said track means, film guide means for residing between said cartridge and said one end of said track means, and means, including a pivotable member operable to engage said backing material, for so positioning said backing material with respect to said film guide means and to said one track means end that said film may be withdrawn from said cartridge and guided to said track means in response to a tensile force applied to said backing material.

Claim 3

The invention according to claim 1 wherein said pivotable member is movable between a position adjacent said film guide means and said one end of said track means and a position remote therefrom.

Claim 4

Apparatus for withdrawing from a chamber of a cartridge a strip of film interwound with a strip of backing material, said apparatus comprising film guide track means, means for holding said cartridge adjacent one end of said track means, film guide means for residing between said cartridge and said one end of said track means and comprising a roller with a portion of the periphery thereof disposed substantially tangentially of said one end of said track means, and means for so positioning said backing material with respect to said film guide means and to said one track means end that said film may be withdrawn from said cartridge and guided to said track means in response to the application of a tensile force to said backing material.

Claim 5

Apparatus for withdrawing from a chamber of a cartridge a strip of film interwound with a strip of backing material, said apparatus comprising film guide track means, means for holding said cartridge adjacent one end of said track means, film guide means for residing between said cartridge and said one end of said track means and comprising a roller with a portion of the periphery thereof disposed substantially tangentially of said one end of said track means, and means for so positioning said backing material with respect to said film guide means and to said one track means end that said film may be withdrawn from said cartridge and guided to said track means in response to the application of a tensile force to said backing material.

Claim 6

The invention according to claim 3 wherein said cartridge is held in said apparatus adjacent the periphery of said roller.

Claim 7

The invention according to claim 2 wherein said pivotable member, when in said adjacent position, is operable to so engage said cartridge as to resist movement of said cartridge away from said film guide means.

Claim 8

The invention according to claim 3, wherein a portion of the peripheral surface of said roller is recessed radially with respect to the axis of rotation of said roller.

Claim 9

The invention according to claim 6 wherein said film guide track means includes means arranged to be received within said recessed portion to direct said film from said roller to said guide track means.

Claim 10

The invention according to claim 7 including means for releasably holding a film receiving reel in alignment with a second end of said track means.

Claim 11

The invention of claim 3 wherein said cartridge chamber includes an access passageway defined in part by a lip member positioned to engage film disposed within said passageway, and wherein said cartridge holding means is further adapted to so position said cartridge with respect to said roller that film being withdrawn from said chamber via said passageway will be supported by said roller and out of contact with said lip member.

Claim 12

A photographic film cartridge stripper arranged to remove exposed photographic film from a cartridge having a supply chamber and a takeup chamber disposed at opposite ends of an exposure aperture and connected by a back member which extends across the rear of the exposure aperture, said cartridge aperture having an unobstructed opening wider than the width of said film and said back member having a window opening therethrough, said supply and takeup chambers each having a web opening therefrom adjacent said back member into said aperture, said cartridge having a film backing paper interwound with said exposed film in the takeup chamber with only the backing paper extending across said aperture opening to said supply chamber, said cartridge stripper comprising a plate-like frame member, a film guide track having a first and a second end and having a width substantially equal to the width of said film mounted on said frame member, a cartridge holding nest arranged to accept a cartridge with the aperture thereof disposed across the first end of said film guide track, a film guide roller rotatably mounted on said plate-like frame member with a first portion of the periphery of the roller disposed substantially tangentially to the first end of said film guide track, a paper release arm pivotally mounted on said frame member for movement parallel to said frame member and having a curved finger member disposed at the end opposite from said pivotal mounting, said release arm being movable from a first position remote from said first end of said film guide track to a second position with said curved finger disposed across the first end of said film guide track wih the surface of said finger member adjacent said guide roller being spaced therefrom a distance substantially equal to the combined thickness of said film and said backing paper, said paper release arm arranged, after a film cartridge is disposed in said cartridge holding nest, to be moved from the first position to the second position with said finger member passing through said window opening in the back member of the cartridge and engaging the backing paper extending across the aperture opening, said finger member upon movement through said window opening withdrawing the end of the backing paper from said supply chamber and moving the backing paper around the film guide roller with the end of said backing paper disposed below the lower portion of said film guide track, whereupon a tensile force on the end of said backing paper causes the interwound film in said takeup chamber to be pulled therefrom around said film guide roller into said film guide track.

Claim 13

A photographic film cartridge stripper arranged to remove exposed photographic film from a cartridge having a supply chamber and a takeup chamber disposed at opposite ends of an exposure aperture and connected by a back member which extends across the rear of the exposure aperture, said cartridge aperture having an unobstructed opening wider than the width of said film and said back member having a window opening therethrough, said supply and takeup chambers each having a web opening therefrom adjacent said back member into said aperture, said cartridge having a film backing paper interwound with said exposed film in the takeup chamber with only the backing paper extending across said aperture opening to said supply chamber, said cartridge stripper comprising a plate-like frame member, a film guide track having a first and a second end and having a width substantially equal to the width of said film mounted on said frame member, a cartridge holding nest arranged to accept a cartridge with the aperture thereof disposed across the first end of said film guide track, a film guide roller rotatably mounted on said plate-like frame member with a first portion of the periphery of the roller disposed substantially tangentially to the first end of said film guide track, a paper release arm pivotally mounted on said frame member for movement parallel to said frame member and having a curved finger member disposed at the end opposite from said pivotal mounting, said release arm being movable from a first position remote from said first end of said film guide track to a second position with said curved finger disposed across the first end of said film guide track wih the surface of said finger member adjacent said guide roller being spaced therefrom a distance substantially equal to the combined thickness of said film and said backing paper, said paper release arm arranged, after a film cartridge is disposed in said cartridge holding nest, to be moved from the first position to the second position with said finger member passing through said window opening in the back member of the cartridge and engaging the backing paper extending across the aperture opening, said finger member upon movement through said window opening withdrawing the end of the backing paper from said supply chamber and moving the backing paper around the film guide roller with the end of said backing paper disposed below the lower portion of said film guide track, whereupon a tensile force on the end of said backing paper causes the interwound film in said takeup chamber to be pulled therefrom around said film guide roller into said film guide track.

Claim 14

The invention according to claim 10 wherein said cartridge holding nest is arranged to accept the supply chamber of a cartridge.

Claim 15

The invention according to claim 10 wherein a second portion of the periphery of said film guide roller is disposed in the exposure aperture of a cartridge in said cartridge holding nest.

Claim 16

The invention according to claim 12 wherein said roller is disposed adjacent the web opening in the cartridge takeup chamber.

Claim 17

The invention according to claim 13 wherein said first and second portions of the roller periphery are substantially diametrically opposite.

Claim 18

The invention according to claim 10 wherein said film guide roller has an axially centrally disposed peripheral recess.

Claim 19

The invention according to claim 15 wherein the upper portion of the first end of said film guide track has a curved portion extending into the peripheral recess in said film guide roller.

Claim 20

The invention according to claim 10 wherein the lateral edges of the first end of the lower portion of the film guide track are arranged to extend beyond said finger member when said paper release arm is in the second position whereby the distance between the lateral edges at the finger member is less than the width of the film.

Claim 21

The invention according to claim 10 including means mounted on said frame membdr for releasably holding a film-receiving reel in alignment with the second end of said film guide track.

Claim 22

A photographic film cartridge stripper and reel loader arranged to remove exposed photographic film from a cartridge having a supply chamber and a takeup chamber disposed at opposite ends of an exposure aperture and connected by a back member which extends across the rear of the exposure aperture, said cartridge aperture having an unobstructed opening wider than the width of said film and saiD back member having a window opening therethrough, said supply and tekeup chambers each having a web opening therefrom adjacent said back member into said aperture, said cartridge having a film backing paper interwound with said exposed film in the takeup chamber with only the backing paper extending across said aperture opening to said supply chamber, said cartridge stripper comprising a plate-like frame member having a hand grip at one extremity thereof, said frame member having a portion extending substantially perpendicular to the plate-like portion to form the upper portion of a film guide track having a first and a second end and having a width substantially equal to the width of said film, a second member cooperating with said extending portion of said frame member to form the lower portion of said film guide track, a cartridge holding nest arranged to accept the supply chamber of said cartridge with the takeup chamber supported by the upper portion of said film guide track and the cartridge aperture disposed across the first end of said film guide track, a film guide roller rotatably mounted on a shaft extending perpendicular to said plate-like frame member with a first portion of the periphery of the roller disposed substantially tangentially to the first end of said film guide track and a second portion of the periphery substantially opposite from said first portion disposed in said exposure aperture adjacent said web opening in a takeup chamber of a cartridge in said cartridge holding nest, said film guide roller having an axially centrally disposed peripheral recess, said upper portion of the first end of said film guide track having a curved portion extending into the peripheral recess in said film guide roller, a paper release arm pivotally mounted on said frame member for movement parallel to said frame member and having a curved finger member disposed at the end opposite from said pivotal mounting, said release arm being movable from a first position remote from said first end of said film guide track to a second position with said curved finger disposed across the first end of said film guide track with the surface of said finger member adjacent said guide roller being spaced therefrom a distance substantially equal to the combined thickness of said film and said backing paper, spring means arranged to hold said paper release arm in either of said first and second positions, the lateral edges of said first end of the lower portion of said film guide track arranged to extend beyond said finger member when said paper release arm is in the second position whereby the distance between the lateral edges at said adjacent surface of said finger member is less than the width of said film, and means mounted on said frame member arranged to releasably hold a film-receiving reel in alignment with the second end of said film guide track, the second end of the lower portion of said guide track arranged to guide film passing through said guide track into said reel, said paper release arm arranged, after a film cartridge is disposed in said cartridge holding nest, to be moved from the first position to the second position with said finger member passing through said window opening in the back member of the cartridge and engaging the backing paper extending across the aperture opening, said finger member upon movement through said window opening withdrawing the end of the backing paper from said supply chamber and moving the backing paper around the film guide roller with the end of said backing paper disposed below the lower portion of said film guide track, said paper release arm arranged in said second position to retain a film cartridge in said cartridge nest, whereupon a tensile force on the end of said backing paper causes the interwound film in said takeup chamber to be pulled therefrom around said film guide roller into said film guide track and then into said film-receiving reel.

Claim 23

A photographic film cartridge stripper and reel loader arranged to remove exposed photographic film from a cartridge having a supply chamber and a takeup chamber disposed at opposite ends of an exposure aperture and connected by a back member which extends across the rear of the exposure aperture, said cartridge aperture having an unobstructed opening wider than the width of said film and saiD back member having a window opening therethrough, said supply and tekeup chambers each having a web opening therefrom adjacent said back member into said aperture, said cartridge having a film backing paper interwound with said exposed film in the takeup chamber with only the backing paper extending across said aperture opening to said supply chamber, said cartridge stripper comprising a plate-like frame member having a hand grip at one extremity thereof, said frame member having a portion extending substantially perpendicular to the plate-like portion to form the upper portion of a film guide track having a first and a second end and having a width substantially equal to the width of said film, a second member cooperating with said extending portion of said frame member to form the lower portion of said film guide track, a cartridge holding nest arranged to accept the supply chamber of said cartridge with the takeup chamber supported by the upper portion of said film guide track and the cartridge aperture disposed across the first end of said film guide track, a film guide roller rotatably mounted on a shaft extending perpendicular to said plate-like frame member with a first portion of the periphery of the roller disposed substantially tangentially to the first end of said film guide track and a second portion of the periphery substantially opposite from said first portion disposed in said exposure aperture adjacent said web opening in a takeup chamber of a cartridge in said cartridge holding nest, said film guide roller having an axially centrally disposed peripheral recess, said upper portion of the first end of said film guide track having a curved portion extending into the peripheral recess in said film guide roller, a paper release arm pivotally mounted on said frame member for movement parallel to said frame member and having a curved finger member disposed at the end opposite from said pivotal mounting, said release arm being movable from a first position remote from said first end of said film guide track to a second position with said curved finger disposed across the first end of said film guide track with the surface of said finger member adjacent said guide roller being spaced therefrom a distance substantially equal to the combined thickness of said film and said backing paper, spring means arranged to hold said paper release arm in either of said first and second positions, the lateral edges of said first end of the lower portion of said film guide track arranged to extend beyond said finger member when said paper release arm is in the second position whereby the distance between the lateral edges at said adjacent surface of said finger member is less than the width of said film, and means mounted on said frame member arranged to releasably hold a film-receiving reel in alignment with the second end of said film guide track, the second end of the lower portion of said guide track arranged to guide film passing through said guide track into said reel, said paper release arm arranged, after a film cartridge is disposed in said cartridge holding nest, to be moved from the first position to the second position with said finger member passing through said window opening in the back member of the cartridge and engaging the backing paper extending across the aperture opening, said finger member upon movement through said window opening withdrawing the end of the backing paper from said supply chamber and moving the backing paper around the film guide roller with the end of said backing paper disposed below the lower portion of said film guide track, said paper release arm arranged in said second position to retain a film cartridge in said cartridge nest, whereupon a tensile force on the end of said backing paper causes the interwound film in said takeup chamber to be pulled therefrom around said film guide roller into said film guide track and then into said film-receiving reel.