JPH0616158B2 - Film unit with lens - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a film packaging container (hereinafter referred to as a lens-fitted film unit) equipped with a taking lens, a shutter, and the like.

[Conventional technology]

To take a picture, a camera and a photo film are necessary, but it is troublesome to carry the camera at all times. Therefore, it would be convenient if a lens-fitted photo film unit having a photographing function and a built-in photo film could be purchased as easily as purchasing a normal photo film.
From this background, a lens-fitted film unit using a 110 film cartridge as a film is commercially available from the applicant. This lens-fitted film unit allows the user to take a picture without using a conventional camera. Moreover, the film unit with the lens is loaded with the film,
Since the back lid that can be opened and closed freely for taking out, the film rewinding mechanism, and the complicated exposure control mechanism are not used, it is provided at a very low cost,
There is a big advantage that you can enjoy taking pictures easily.

After all the frames of the film stored in the lens-fitted film unit have been shot, they are submitted to the development store as they are. The used unit main body collected through the developing dealer takes out the exposed 110 film cartridge at the developing place. The 110 film cartridge thus taken out is subjected to the conventional developing and printing processes, and the negative and print photographs are given to the user.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

As described above, when the exposed film is taken out from the film unit with a lens that has been photographed in the photo lab, if the back cover that can be opened and closed as used in a camera is used, the manufacturing cost of the unit body increases. Further, since the film can be exchanged, the user may put a new film in again and reuse it. However, the lens-fitted film unit needs to be manufactured at a low cost and provided to the user at a low cost. For this reason, since accuracy is not guaranteed for repeated use, unexpected trouble may occur. For this purpose, if the back cover cannot be opened and closed, the unit will be destroyed when the film is taken out, and this makes it impossible to reuse the unit. However, if the unit is roughly destroyed, the film that has already been photographed will be damaged, which is not preferable. Further, when a large amount of film is processed, a simple breaking method is desired.

The present invention has been made to solve the above drawbacks of the conventional lens-fitted film unit, and makes it possible to easily take out the photographed film from the used film unit main body, and An object of the present invention is to provide a lens-fitted film unit that prevents the unit body from becoming reused.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention allows the opening for taking out the film container from the film unit to be easily formed, so that a part of the film unit can be broken by a simple operation from the outside. The feasible portion is formed. For example, when the film unit is made of plastic, the breakable portion can be formed as a groove cut into the inner wall of the film unit along the opening.

In addition, as the film unit with a lens of the present invention,
In addition to the above-mentioned one using a 110 film containing a cartridge, for example, an international standard (ISO: 1007
Alternatively, a 135 film and a film cartridge standardized in 179) may be used.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention using a 135 film and a patrone accommodating the same will be described with reference to the drawings.

〔Example〕

Third view showing the appearance of the lens-fitted film unit of the present invention
In the figure, a unit main body 1 is composed of a main body base 2 made by molding plastic, and a back plate 3 that closes the rear side opening of the main body base 1 in a light-tight manner. The main body base 2 is provided with a taking lens 4, a finder window 5, and a release button 6, and a photographing mechanism such as a shutter and a film winding mechanism is incorporated inside. The back plate 3 is fixed to the main body base 2 by ultrasonic welding or the like so that it cannot be removed by the user.

As will be described later in detail, the unit main body 1 is loaded with a film roll of 135 type which is pulled out from the cartridge and formed into a roll, and a cartridge for winding the film roll. A photograph can be taken by operating the release button 6. The exposed film is wound into the cartridge by operating the winding knob 8 (see FIG. 1) each time a picture is taken. Then, after all the frames have been shot, they are submitted to the photofinishing shop as they are. At the developing station, the cartridge is taken out from the unit main body 1, the conventional developing and printing processes are performed, and the negative and the print photograph are returned to the user. Therefore, the main body 1 of the ranged film unit is a disposable type and is not returned to the user.

In FIG. 1 showing a state before attaching the back plate 3 to the main body base 2, an opening 2 extending from the back surface to the bottom surface is formed in the main body base 2.
a is formed, and the shape of the back plate 3 is determined so as to shield the opening 2a in a light-tight manner. The main body base 2 is provided with a film roll chamber 11 and a cartridge chamber 12 so as to sandwich the exposure frame 10. On the upper wall of the cartridge chamber 12, a fork 14 for film winding, which rotates in the clockwise direction in the figure in association with the operation of the winding knob 8, projects. Further, the film supporting surface 15 on which the exposure frame 10 is formed is raised toward the back plate 3 side as shown in the drawing, and a sprocket 16 is exposed above the film.

In the main body 1 of the film unit, a film cartridge 20 for a 135 film and a film 21 pulled out from the film cartridge 20 are loaded in the film roll chamber 11 and the cartridge chamber 12 in advance at the time of assembly. At the time of this loading operation, a loading jig as shown by the chain double-dashed line in the figure is used. That is, the Patrone 20
The unexposed film 21 pulled out from the film is wound around a winding shaft 22 to form a film roll 23. On the other hand, the cartridge 20 is held by the grip arm 25, and the spread portion 26 between the cartridge 20 and the film roll 23 is
It is supported by the support plate 27 so as to be curved slightly upward. Of course, these loading jigs can be configured as one loading device in which each loading jig is connected.

By moving the loading jig in the axial direction of the cartridge 20, the cartridge 20 and the film roll 23 held by the loading jig are loaded in predetermined positions on the main body base 2 through the respective openings 11a and 12a. As a result, the film is provided rotatably on the cartridge 20 and the film 2
Patrone shaft 28 having one end fastened (see FIG. 2)
Engages the fork 14. Further, since the spread portion 26 of the film is lifted up by the support plate 27, the upper edge of the spread portion 26 is not caught by the sprocket 16 when the film is loaded.

After inserting the film roll 23 and the cartridge 20 into the film roll chamber 11 and the cartridge chamber 12, respectively, the holding of the grip arm 25 is released, and the winding shaft 22 is bent at the slit 22a, for example, to have a small diameter. Thereby, each of the loading jigs can be retracted in the axial direction. As a result, the cartridge 20 is left in the cartridge chamber 12, and the film roll 23 is placed in the film roll chamber 11. At this time, the film roll 23 tends to be unwound due to its own curling habit, but the outermost periphery thereof is regulated by the wall surface defining the film roll chamber 11, and the film roll 23 becomes stable with a predetermined diameter.

After that, the back plate 3 is covered so as to shield the opening 2a, and is fixed to the main body base 2 by ultrasonic welding. On the inner surface of the back plate 3, there is formed a film regulating surface 30 which is curved similarly to the film supporting surface 15 on the main body base 2 side. Therefore, the back plate 3 is put on the main body base 2 so as to press the film 21 from above, and by fixing the back plate 3 to the main body base 2, the spread portion 26 of the film curved upward
Is pressed against the film supporting surface 15 as shown in FIG. 2, and is positioned at a predetermined exposure position without the film surface rising or waviness. At this time, the sprocket 16 comes into mesh with the perforation. Of course, on a part of the film regulation surface 30,
An opening for allowing the protruding portion of the sprocket 16 to float is provided.

A groove 37 is formed in one bottom portion of the back plate 3, that is, a portion serving as the bottom of the cartridge chamber 12, so as to have a substantially circular contour, as shown in detail in FIG. The groove 37 is for forming a thin portion for partially weakening the strength of the back plate 3. A part 40 of the back plate 3 surrounded by the groove 37 has a larger diameter than the outer diameter of the cartridge 20. A protrusion 38 is integrally formed on the part 40, and a recess 41 is formed adjacent to the protrusion 38. The recess 41 is for making it easier to put a finger on the protrusion 38, as described later.
A step 3 is formed on the bottom of the film roll chamber 11.
2 is formed, and the bottom surface of the film roll chamber 11 side is higher than that of the cartridge chamber 12. This is because it is necessary to support the lower edge of the film roll 23 itself in the film roll chamber 11, and the step 32 keeps the posture of the film 21 horizontal.

When the release button 6 is operated, the shutter 35 opens and closes,
The exposed portion 26 of the film located in the exposure frame 10 is exposed. After that, when the winding knob 8 is rotated, the cartridge shaft 28 is rotated via the fork 14, so that the exposed film is wound into the cartridge 20. At the same time, the next film frame is supplied from the film roll 23 to the position of the exposure frame 10, and the sprocket 16 is rotated by the supply of the film. Then, when one frame fixed length feed is detected by the rotation of the sprocket 16, the winding knob 8 is locked and the preparation for the next photographing is completed.

By repeating the photographing in this manner, the exposed film is sequentially caught in the cartridge 20. Then, after the photographing is completed, the entire film is caught in the cartridge 20 and is sent to the developing station as it is. At the developing station, first, an operation of taking out the cartridge 20 from the used unit main body 1 is performed. When this work is performed, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the projection 38 is hooked with a finger, or a simple tool is used to pull it. As a result, the groove 37
A part 40 of the back plate 3 is torn along with, and an opening 45 is formed in the bottom of the back plate 3. Since the inner diameter of the opening 45 is larger than the outer diameter of the cartridge 20, the cartridge 20 in which the photographed film is wound and stored can be easily taken out from the opening 45 in the axial direction thereof. . Moreover, in this way, a part 4 of the back plate 3
By breaking 0, the unit body 1 cannot be reused.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention. Backboard 3
A substantially circular groove 47 having a V-shaped cross section is formed on the inner wall of the bottom of the cartridge, that is, the bottom of the cartridge chamber 12. The groove 47 forms a thin portion for partially weakening the strength of the back plate 3. A part of the back plate surrounded by the groove 47 has a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the cartridge 20. An outward substantially L-shaped projection 48 is formed integrally with the back plate 3 on the outer wall of the portion 40 of the back plate 3.

As described in the first embodiment, when filming is completed, the film unit is
The cartridge 20 is sent to the developing station as it is, or the user removes the cartridge 20 by himself. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, this patrone removal work uses a simple tool to cut the portion 40 of the back plate 3 into the groove 47.
Fracture along. For example, the user himself is a Patrone 2
When trying to take out the 0, a familiar tool having a bottle opener 50 as shown in FIG. 7 or other fork-shaped parts can be used. When the portion 40 of the back plate 3 is broken by the bottle opener 50, the edge 51 on the proximal side of the opening formed in the bottle opener 50 is hooked on the L-shaped projection 48 and pulled in the arrow direction. As a result, the portion 40 of the back plate 3 is fractured along the groove 47 formed in the inner wall, so that the back plate 3 has a circular opening 49. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 46 indicates a fracture surface. This opening 4
Since 9 has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the cartridge 20, the cartridge 20 can be easily taken out from the opening 49 along the axial direction thereof.

In this way, the cartridge 20 taken out by the user himself / herself is put out to the developing shop as in the conventional case. On the other hand, the unit body 1 after taking out the cartridge 20 is discarded.

When the user himself / herself submits the unit main body 1 to a developing shop without taking out the film cartridge 20 from the film unit that has been photographed, a bifurcated cartridge destroyer used when taking out the film from the film cartridge at the developing station. The part 40 of the back plate can be broken and removed by removing the cap of the cartridge that is fitted (in the axial direction of the cartridge) so that the film can be taken out. Of course, in this case, the back plate 3 is provided with a protrusion that can be hooked by the cartridge destroyer.

Further, as described above, when using the bottle opener or the cartridge destroyer, a strong force can be applied to the breaking point,
Even if the thin portion is thick, the taken-out portion of the cartridge can be broken, so the thin portion is not always necessary.

After taking out the cartridge 20 in this way, the film development and print processing can be performed by the same method as the conventional one. It should be noted that a breaking point for taking out the cartridge 20 may be provided on the back surface of the unit main body 1 facing the cartridge 20.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, with the lens-fitted film unit of the present invention, it is possible to easily take out the film container containing the photographed film without using a special tool, etc. The efficiency of can be greatly improved. Further, since the film container can be easily taken out from the unit main body even at a developing shop, it is possible to send only the film container to the developing station, which is effective in reducing the transportation cost in a remote place. Then, since the unit body is broken when the film container is taken out, it is possible to prevent the unit body from being reused without accuracy guarantee when it is repeatedly used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an essential part of a lens-fitted film unit using the present invention. FIG. 3 is an external view of a film unit with a lens using the present invention. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an essential part showing a state before a part of the back plate is broken. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an essential part showing a state in which a part of the back plate is broken. FIG. 6 is an external perspective view in which a part of a back plate according to another embodiment of the present invention is cut away. FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a bottle opener used for taking out a cartridge. FIG. 8 is a sectional view of an essential part showing a state before a part of the back plate is broken. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing a state in which a part of the back plate is broken. 1 ... Unit main body 2 ... Main body base 3 ... Back plate 11 ... Film roll chamber 12 ... Patrone chamber 20 ... Patrone 21 ... Film 23 ... Film roll 37 ... Groove 38 ... Protrusion 46 ... Fracture surface 48 ... Protrusion.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP 62-245248 (JP, A) JP 54-67421 (JP, A) Jpn 52-43303 (JP, Y2) Jpn 3- 6910 (JP, Y2)

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A lens-equipped film unit having a film container, a photographing lens, and a photographing mechanism built-in in advance, for forming an opening larger than at least the outline of the film container on the outside of the film unit facing the film container. A rupturable portion that can be ruptured from the outside is formed, and the film container can be taken out of the film unit through an opening obtained when a part of the film unit is removed along the rupturable portion. A film unit with a lens. 2. The lens-fitted film unit according to claim 1, wherein a projection is integrally formed on a part of the film unit which is removed along the breaking portion. 3. The lens-fitted film unit according to claim 1, wherein the breaking portion is a groove for thinning the film unit along the opening. 4. The lens-fitted film unit according to claim 2, wherein the opening is an opening for taking out the film container in the axial direction. 5. The lens-fitted film unit according to claim 1, wherein the back cover is fixedly coupled to the main body of the film unit containing the film by ultrasonic waves.