Camera with movable film pack and rotatable lens for sequential exposures and photo identification system

Claim 2

A camera for producing multiple, sequential generally equisized images on a film element comprising: a front support plate having multiple apertures therein; a lens turret assembly rotatab1y mounted on a front wall of said front support plate and having a single lens sequentially rotatable into selective registry with said front support plate apertures; a back support plate; a film support plate; means for mounting and bidirectionally moving said film support plate transversely across the rear of said back support plate; a plurality of apertures formed through said back support plate, said front and back plate apertures being aligned whereby images may be transferred from said lens through selected aligned pairs of said front and back plate apertures to said film support plate; means defining a plurality of apertures through said film plate, said film plate apertures having dimensions approximately the same as said back plate apertures; means for mounting a film pack cartridge on the rear of said film plate, over said film plate apertures; and shutter actuated means mounted adjacent said front plate apertures; whereby upon predetermined, sequential rotation of said lens turret or transverse movement of said film plate, selected ones of said film plate apertures are brought into unobstructed registry with said lens for exposure of an image through a selected back plate aperture from said single lens.

Claim 3

The camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein both of said front and back plate apertures are four in number and said film plate apertures are six in number, said lens turret being rotatable in a predetermined sequence and said film plate being bidirectionally moved also in a predetermined sequence, thus to selectively expose each of said film plate apertures in a patterned manner to complete an exposure cycle.

Claim 4

The camera as claimed in claim 2, wherein said front and back plate apertures are arranged in two rows of two apertures, one row directly above the other, and said film plate apertures are arranged in two horizontal rows of three apertures, one row of three apertures being directly above the other row of three apertures, whereby rotation of said lens turrent and bidirectional movement of said film support plate in a predetermined fashion brings each of said film support plate apertures into registry with said lens during a six step exposure cycle.

Claim 5

The camera as recited in claim 1 further comprising switch and circuit means, means for connecting said switch and circuit means to a source of electrical current, a plurality of visually perceived camera status indication means mounted on said camera, a plurality of light signaling means associated with said status indication means, a control switch in said circuit means for operating a shutter in said camera and for energizing each of said light signalling means in a predetermined sequence, first motor means for stepwise rotation of said lens means, and second motor means for transversely moving said film support plate across the rear of said back support plate, the operation of both said motor means being governed from said control switch and controlled through said circuit means, whereby upon actuation of said control switch, only one of said motor means are actuated to bring each of said film support plate apertures into unobstructed registry with said single lens in a predetermined sequentia1 manner.

Claim 6

The camera as recited in claim 3, further comprising switch and circuit means, means for connecting said switch and circuit means to a source of electrical current, a plurality of visually perceived, camera status indication means mounted on said camera, a plurality of light signalling means associated with said status indication means, a control switch in said circuit means for operating a shutter in said camera and for energizing each of said light signalling means in a predetermined sequence, first motor means for stepwise rotation of said lens means, and second motor means for transversely moving said film support plate across the rear of back support plate, the operation of both said motor means being governed from said control switch and further controlled through said circuit means, whereby upon actuation of said control switch, only one of said motor means are actuated to bring each of said film support plate apertures into unobstructed registry with said single lens in a predetermined sequential manner.

Claim 7

The camera as recited in claim 5 wherein said lens, when viewed from the front of the camera, is positionable at approximate 1:30 o'clock, 10:30 o'clock, 7:30 o'clock and 4:30 o'clock positions and said film support plate, when viewed from the rear of the camera, has its four lefthand film support plate apertures aligned with said four back plate apertures or its four righthand apertures aligned with said four back plate apertures, said control circuitry being arranged such that, with said lens in said 1:30 o'clock position and in unobstructed alignment with the uppermost lefthand one of said film support plate apertures, actuation of said control switch causes a first picture to be taken and said lens motor to rotate said lens into said 10:30 o'clock position in unobstructed alignment with the uppermost center of said film support plate apertures, a second actuation of said control switch causing a second picture to be taken and said film support plate motor to move the uppermost righthand film support plate aperture into unobstructed alignment with said lens, a third actuation of said control switch causing a third picture to be taken and said lens motor to rotate said lens to a 7:30 o'clock position into unobstructed alignment with the lower most righthand of said film support plate apertures, a fourth actuation of said control switch causing a fourth picture to be taken and said lens motor to rotate said lens to a 4:30 o'clock position into unobstructed alignment with the lowermost center of said film support plate apertures, a fifth actuation of said control switch causing a fifth picture to be taken and said film support plate motor to move the lowermost lefthand one of said film support plate apertures into unobstructed alignment of said lens, and a sixth actuation of said control switch causing a sixth picture to be taken and said lens motor to rotate said lens to said 1:30 o'clock position in unobstructed alignment with the uppermost lefthand one of said film support plate apertures, whereupon the fully exposed sheet of film may be replaced with an unexposed sheet of film, the camera being in condition to initiate another sequence of six pictures.

Claim 8

The camera as claimed in claim 6, said circuit means further including means for preventing double exposure of any individual area of a sheet of film supported on said film support plate.

Claim 9

The camera as recited in claim 6, wherein said plurality of visually perceived camera status indication means comprise a row of numbers from 1 to 6, the light signalling means associated with each number being sequentially lit to indicate to a camera operator that the camera is ready for taking the picture particularly denoted, by depressing of said control switch.

Claim 10

The camera as recited in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of cards, each card having indicia thereon which may be marked to be associated by a camera operator with said status indication means whereby each individual picture taken by said camera may be later affixed to an individual card with which it belongs.

Claim 11

The camera as recited in claim 1 further comprising aiming light means which produce a pencil beam of light aimed at a subject which is to be photographed, whereby a camera operator may properly align said camera and lens with a subject to be photographed.

Claim 12

The camera as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for manually rotating said lens turret, means for manually bidirectionally moving said film support plate transversely of said camera, circuit means, means for connecting said circuit means to a source of electric current, a plurality of visually perceived direction means mounted on said camera, a plurality of light signalling means associated with said direction means, and a control switch in said circuit with said direction means, and a control switch in said circuit means for operating a shutter in said camera and for energizing each of said light signalling means in a predetermined sequence, whereby upon actuation of said control switch, one of said signalling means is energized, thus to direct the operator of the camera to take a picture, rotate said lens turret or transversely move said film support plate.

Claim 13

The camera as recited in claim 3 further comprising means for manually rotating said lens turret, means for manually bi-directionally moving said film support plate transversely of said camera, circuit means, means for connecting such circuit means to a source of electric current, a plurality of visually perceived direction means mounted on said camera, a plurality of light signalling means associated with said direction means, and a control switch in said circuit means for operating a shutter in said camera and for energizing each of said light signalling means in a predetermined sequence, whereby on actuation of said control switch, one of said signaling means is energized, thus to direct the operator of the camera to take a picture, rotate said lens turret, or transversely move said film support plate.

Claim 14

The camera as recited in claim 12 wherein said lens, when viewed from the front of the camera, is positionable at approximate 1:30 o'clock, 10:30 o'clock, 7:30 o'clock and 4:30 o'clock and said film support plate when viewed from the rear of the camera, has its four lefthand apertures aligned with said four back plate apertures or its four righthand apertures aligned with said four back plate apertures, said direction and light signalling means including "ready" indicia and a first light, indicating that a picture may be taken, "move back" indicia and a second light indicating that the film support plate is to be moved transversely across the rear of the camera and "move lens" indicia and a third light, indicating that the lens is to be rotated 90° to a new position, said circuitry means arranged such that, with said lens in 1:30 o'clock position and in unobstructed alignment with uppermost lefthand one of said film support plate apertures and said first light being lit, actuation of said control switch causes a first picture to be taken, said first light to turn off and said second light to be lit, whereby after manual movement of said film support plate to align the uppermost center of said film support plate apertures with said lens, said second light is turned off and said first light is lit, a second actuation of said control switch causing a second picture to be taken, said first light to turn off and said third light to be lit whereby after manual rotation of said lens to said 1:30 o'clock position to align the uppermost righthand one of said film support plate apertures with said lens, said third light is turned off and said first light is lit, a third actuation of said control switch causing a third picture to be taken, said first light to turn off and said third light to be lit, whereby after manual rotation of said lens to said 4:30 o'clock to align the lowermost righthand one of said film support plate apertures with said lens, said third light is turned off and said first light is lit, a fourth actuation of said control switch causing a fourth picture to be taken, said first light to turn off and said third light to be lit whereby after manual rotation of said lens to 4:30 o'clock position to align the lowermost center of said film support plate apertures with said lens, said third light is turned off and said first light is lit, a fifth actuation of said control switch causing a fifth picture to be taken, said first light to turn off and said second light to be lit whereby after manual movement of said film support plate to align the lowermost lefthand of said film support plate apertures, said second light is turned off and said first light is lit, a sixth actuation of said control switch causing a sixth picture to be taken, said first light to be turned off and said third light to be lit, whereby upon rotation of said lens to said 1:30 o'clock position, a fully exposed sheet of film may be replaced with an unexposed sheet of film, the camera being in condition to initiate another sequence of six pictures.

Claim 15

The camera as recited in claim 13 wherein said direction and light signalling means further include "pull film" indicia and a fourth light, said circuitry being further arranged such that, upon said sixth actuation of said control switch, said fourth light is lit, thus indicating to a camera operator to remove the fully exposed sheet of film.

Claim 16

The camera as recited in claim 13 further comprising means in said circuit means for preventing the double exposure of film through any one of said film support plate apertures, after actuation of said control means and prior to undertaking the step mandated by said direction and light signalling means.

Claim 17

The camera as recited in claim 11 further comprising a plurality of cards, each card having indicia thereon which may be marked to be associated by a camera operator with the sheet of film being exposed through said film support plate aperture means whereby each individual picture taken by said camera may be later affixed to an individual card with which it belongs.

Claim 18

The camera as recited in claim 11 further comprising an aiming light which produces a pencil beam of light aimed at a subject which is to be photographed, for proper alignment of said camera and lens with a subject.