Shutter setting and film advancing mechanism for an electrically operated camera

Claim 2

For a photographic camera having a film transport mechanism and an exposure controlling mechanism including a shutter, the improvement in a drive control system comprising: drive motor means; power supply means for energizing said motor means; circuit means coupled to said power supply means for selectively energizing said motor means; drive plate means cyclically drivable by said motor means; film transport means operatively coupled to said drive plate means for actuation during part of the operative cycle of said drive plate means; shutter setting drive means operatively coupled to said drive plate means for action during another part of the cycle of said drive plate means; said film transport means and said shutter setting drive means being actuated independently during the parts of said cycle whereby said motor means drives only one of said means at a time.

Claim 3

The improvement in the drive control system of claim 1 wherein said drive plate means is reciprocably cycled by said motor means; and said film transport means is driven during reciprocation of said drive plate means in one direction, and said shutter setting drive means is driven during reciprocation of said drive plate means in the other direction.

Claim 4

The improvement in the drive control system of claim 1 wherein said motor means powers said drive plate means by a yoke mechanism and an eccentric drive coupling causing said drive plate means to be reciprocably cycled.

Claim 5

The improvement in the drive control system of claim 1 wherein the film is supplied to the camera in a cartridge having a take-up and a take-up gear and said film transport means includes a drivable gear with which the take-up drive gear meshes when the cartridge is seated in the camera; and said drive plate means includes uni-directionally operable driver means for powering said drivable gear.

Claim 6

The improvement in the drive control system of claim 4 wherein the operabLe driver means is pivoted to said drive plate means, and is continuously biased toward engagement with said drivable gear.

Claim 7

The improvement in the drive control system of claim 1 wherein the shutter setting drive means includes a shutter setting plate displaceable from a fired position to a set position and means driven by said drive plate means to intermittently displace said shutter setting plate from said fired position toward and to said set position.

Claim 8

The improvement in the drive control system of claim 6 wherein said shutter setting plate drive means driven by said drive plate means is a reciprocably actuated pusher means biased toward engagement with said shutter setting plate means, and said shutter setting plate means includes engageable surfaces by which said plate means is displaced a predetermined amount.

Claim 9

The improvement in the drive control system of claim 1 wherein the camera includes an actuator means for actuating said exposure controlling mechanism, the improvement comprising: means releasable by said actuator means to preclude re-actuation of said actuator means during a predetermined camera operation sequence; and means driven by said drive control system to reset said releasable means to permit another actuation of said actuator means.

Claim 10

The improvement in the drive control system of claim 8 wherein said releasable means is a lock-out member, and said shutter setting drive means includes a shutter setting plate for resetting said lock-out member for actuation of said actuator means.

Claim 11

The improvement in the drive control system of claim 9 wherein said actuator means includes an actuator control and a link member positionable in an actuator control operative condition and an actuator control non-operative condition, and said lock-out member when released restraining said link member in said actuator control non-operative condition until reset.

Claim 12

The improvement in the drive control system of claim 9 wherein said shutter setting plate is displaceable between a fired position and a set position and said lock-out member is engaged by said setting plate when said setting plate is displaced to said fired condition to move said lock-out member to an actuator means reset condition.

Claim 13

The improvement in the drive control system of claim 1 wherein the exposure controlling mechanism of the camera includes a shutter control plate for driving the shutter and a shutter setting plate for resetting said shutter control plate responsive to intermittent engagement by said plate means when cycled by said motor means.

Claim 14

The improvement in the drive control system of claim 12, the camera including shutter release means permitting movement of said shutter control plate from a set condition to a fired condition, the improvement including means operative after release of said shutter release means for preventing another actuation of said shutter release means until said shutter resetting means is re-conditioned for another camera operating sequence.

Claim 15

The improvement in the drive control system of claim 13 wherein said actuation preventing means includes a lock-out member movable between a first orientation and a second orientation, and includes means biasing said lock-out member from said first orientation to said second orientation, and means responsive to displacement of said shutter setting plate means for displacing said lock-out member back to said first orientation against the action of said biasing means.

Claim 16

For a photographic camera having a mechanism for winding a length of film and a mechanism for setting a shutter means following exposure of a film frame, the improvement in a drive assembly for powering the mechanism comprising: an electric drive motor; circuit means including a power source for selectively energizing said drive motor; reciprocable drive plate means cyclically drivable by said drive motor; first operating means on said drive plate means to drive said film winding mechanisM during reciprocation of said drive plate means in a first direction; and second operating means on said drive plate means to actuate said shutter setting mechanism during reciprocation of said drive plate means in a direction opposite said first direction whereby said film winding mechanism and said shutter setting mechanism are actuated independently during each cycle of said drive plate means.

Claim 17

For a photographic camera having a mechanism for winding a length of film and a mechanism for setting a shutter means following exposure of a film frame, the improvement in a drive assembly for powering the mechanism comprising: an electric drive motor; circuit means including a power source for selectively energizing said drive motor; reciprocable drive plate means cyclically drivable by said drive motor; first operating means on said drive plate means to drive said film winding mechanisM during reciprocation of said drive plate means in a first direction; and second operating means on said drive plate means to actuate said shutter setting mechanism during reciprocation of said drive plate means in a direction opposite said first direction whereby said film winding mechanism and said shutter setting mechanism are actuated independently during each cycle of said drive plate means.

Claim 18

The improvement in a drive assembly as in claim 15 wherein the film is supplied to the camera in a cartridge having a take-up and a drivable take-up drive gear is arranged in said camera to be enmeshed with said take-up when the cartridge is seated in the camera, said first operating means cooperating with said drivable gear for intermittently driving same.

Claim 19

The improvement in a drive assembly as in claim 15 wherein the shutter means includes a shutter setting plate and said second operating means includes a pusher member engageable with said shutter setting plate for intermittently displacing said plate from a fired position to a set position.

Claim 20

For a photographic camera having a shutter means and a mechanism for setting the shutter means following an actuation, the improvement comprising: first means for displacing said shutter means to an open condition; second means positively displacing said first means for orienting said shutter means to a closed condition; means restaining said first means in orientation with said shutter means in the open condition; and means sequencing said second means through at least two cycles for conditioning to again displace said first means for orienting said shutter means to a closed condition.

Claim 21

For a photographic camera having a shutter means and a mechanism for setting the shutter means following an actuation, the improvement comprising: first means for displacing said shutter means to an open condition; second means positively displacing said first means for orienting said shutter means to a closed condition; means restaining said first means in orientation with said shutter means in the open condition; and means sequencing said second means through at least two cycles for conditioning to again displace said first means for orienting said shutter means to a closed condition.

Claim 22

The improvement as in claim 18 wherein said first means is a shutter control plate coupled to said shutter means for driving same responsive to displacement of said plate.

Claim 23

The improvement as in claim 19 wherein said second means is a shutter setting plate including means engageable with said shutter control plate for displacing said control plate from a shutter open condition to a shutter closed condition.

Claim 24

The improvement as in claim 20 wherein said shutter setting plate is incrementally movable from the orientation at which said shutter control plate is in said shutter closed condition to an orientation permitting said shutter control plate to move to said shutter open condition.

Claim 25

The improvement as in claim 20 including spring means urging said shutter control plate toward said shutter open condition.

Claim 26

The improvement as in claim 20 including spring means biasing said shutter setting plate for movement of said shutter control plate to said shutter closed condition.

Claim 27

The improvement as in claim 23 including means releasably restraining said shutter setting plate against movement by said biasing spring means.

Claim 28

The improvement as in claim 18 including spring means biasing said second means for movement in a first direction, and wherein said sequencing means includes a selectively energizeable motor operably coupled to said second means to displace said second means in a second direction against the biasing of said spring means.

Claim 29

For a photographic camera having a shutter means and a mechanism for setting the shutter means following an actuation, the improvement comprising: shutter control means coupled to said shutter means for displacing said shutter means to and from an open condition and a closed condition; shutter setting means for positively displacing said shutter control means to said shutter closed condition; means releasing said shutter control means for movement to said shutter open condition; means actuatable simultaneously with said releasing means for restraining said shutter setting means in orientation with said shutter control means in said shutter open condition, and releasing said shutter setting means; and spring means for driving said shutter setting means to move said shutter control means to said shutter closed conDition; and means for sequencing said shutter setting means through at least two cycles for conditioning said setting means to a set condition for again displacing said shutter control means to said shutter closed condition and conditioning said spring means.

Claim 30

For a photographic camera having a shutter means and a mechanism for setting the shutter means following an actuation, the improvement comprising: shutter control means coupled to said shutter means for displacing said shutter means to and from an open condition and a closed condition; shutter setting means for positively displacing said shutter control means to said shutter closed condition; means releasing said shutter control means for movement to said shutter open condition; means actuatable simultaneously with said releasing means for restraining said shutter setting means in orientation with said shutter control means in said shutter open condition, and releasing said shutter setting means; and spring means for driving said shutter setting means to move said shutter control means to said shutter closed conDition; and means for sequencing said shutter setting means through at least two cycles for conditioning said setting means to a set condition for again displacing said shutter control means to said shutter closed condition and conditioning said spring means.

Claim 31

The improvement of claim 26 including spring means coupling said shutter control means to said shutter setting means for driving said shutter control means to said shutter open condition when tensioned, said spring means being tensioned when said sequencing means displaces said shutter setting plate to said set condition.

Claim 32

The improvement of claim 26 including means holding said shutter control plate in said shutter closed condition while said sequencing means displaces said shutter setting means to said set condition.

Claim 33

The improvement of claim 26 including tongue means locking said shutter setting means in a displaced position following each of said operating cycles of said sequencing means.

Claim 34

The improvement of claim 29 wherein said sequencing means is functional but inoperative when said shutter setting means is in said set condition.