April 11, 1950
2,503,734
K. A. HENDEL
BENDABLE FILM SPOOL SIGNAL
Filed Jan. 8, 1947
FIG. I.
'
0
M"
- Z S
IME
3
I I.
FIG. 2.
- KENNETH A. HENDEL
INVENTOR
Wm
Bywzzm
.‘ITTORNEYS
‘2,503,734
Patented Apr. 11, 1.950
UNITED STATES
OFFICE
BENDABLE 'rjfllvi?sglfoor "SIGNAL
Kenneth .A. Handel, Rochester; .N..,.Y.;, assignor ‘to »
Eastman Kodak Cmnpan’y, Rochester, N. Y” a
corporation of New Jersey
Application January '8, 194'7, vSieriialll-lNo. ‘720,797
1 Claim. (Cl. 2242-709
1
,2
This invention relates to photography and more
particularly to a means preferably integrallzwith
.
refterence-characters denote like parts through
ou :
‘
fig. 1 is a ‘fragmentary sectional view show
the spool for indicating to .the operator when
ing :a :portion of :a camera .and a, ?lm-supporting
?lm .on :a .spool has been-exposed. One object of
shaft carrying .a spool constructed in accordance
my invention is to provide a simple signaling de
with and embodying a preierred form .of my in.
vice .incorporated in the spool which will indi
vention, the spool being shown in section in lop
cate :to .an eperator the condition of ?lm wound
erative position on :the supporting shaft and the
thereon. Another object .of my invention is to
beingiomitted aior clearness;
provide .a spool with a simple type .of indicating
means which is automatically operable by plac 10 Fig. 2:is a top plan viewiof the‘?lrn spool shown '
in Fig. 1;
ing the spool ‘in a camera. A further object 131‘.
Fig. .‘3 is a ‘view similar :to ‘Fig. 2 ‘but showing
my invention is to provide a device of the class
a slightly {different embodiment of-my invention;
described which does :not increase ‘the .cost of the
and
?lm spool. .Other objects will appear from the
following speci?cation, the novel features being 15 Fig.4 illustrates a typical‘camera including a
?lm “supporting shaft which ;my improved form
particularly .pomted out in the claims at the end
thereof.
»
'
of ?lmspool may :be used.
‘
‘My invention broadly consists “in providing a
,In certain types of ?lm acameras utilizing
signal forming a part of one of the ?lm spool
35-:mm. ?lm, .for instance, ?lm is supplied in .a
casing, or retort, which ‘is loaded into the camera, 20 ?anges, this signalibeing arranged so that -.it may
be readily ‘bent from a position in ‘which it in.
the ?lm being then attached to a take-pup hub.
dioaites‘ the ?lm has not ibeen exposed :to a posi
The ?lm is wound onto this .hub mtermittentl-y
men ‘in which it indicates the ?lm has :been ex
as exposures are being made and then is ‘usually
posed‘. My invention includes providing .a sup:
returned, or rewound, on the original spool and
porting post for the ?l-m gspool which will sup.
completely into the retort. Since the :?lm ‘pro
port the spool and which will also automatically
jects from theretort when the ‘?lm package ‘goes
bend thesignal when the spool'is ‘loaded onto the
to a customer and since it ‘is ‘totally enclosed in
a retort when rewoundno special type .of signal
post.
is ‘required. However, it has been proposed to
provide‘cameras in which ?lm is wound from and
then back onto a supply spool where the ?lm is
spodbmay mcludea tubular ilrubzmember ll which
may ‘be aiiixed lto z?anges ‘>2 and ;3 .as "by spot
‘More speci?cally, as indicated in ‘Fig. 1, my
wél‘ding,.isoldering, or the ‘like. The upper flange
2, as indicated in Fig. '2, ‘is :provided- with a gen~
signal is necessary to indicate to an operator
erallly ‘round iopening it to vreceive ‘the rounded
when film on the spool has been exposed. This
idea is not broadly new, nor is the camera for 35 end 55 \of .a filmesll-pporting post and the metal of
wound {directly on a spool so that some form of
the ‘flange 32 is provided with two inwardly-ex.
tending ?ngers 26' which proiect ‘at 1least part-way
2,236,278, Film winding apparatus, Mihalyi,
into‘ the .central opening :4‘ for supporting v‘the
granted December 7, 1943.
shaft and which are preferably for-med ‘by male.
2,367,514, Exposure indicating spool, Mihalyi, 40 ingrs'lots "ll iln the metal 2 so that pthe ?ngers may
granted January 16, 1945.
be readily bent.
using it, as evidenced by the following patents:
The lower ?ange 3 is provided with a generally
However, in the ?lm spool signal referred to in
rectangular opening 8, in the present instance
the patent, the signal is a separate member
this rectangular opening being of a size to re
which must be properly assembled in the hub of
45 ceive a rectangular end 9 on the supporting shaft
the spool as the spool is made, or, as the ?lm
which may be turned through a shaft Ill passing
package is prepared, so this not only adds an item
through the camera wall II by means of a
of additional expense but it requires a separate
knurled knob [2. In loading the ?lm spool into
part which must be separately assembled. In
the camera, the squared opening 8 is ?rst in
accordance with my improved form of ?lm spool, 50 serted over the shaft 5 and the spool is moved
I provide an integral signal which requires no
downwardly until the ?ngers 6 strike the rounded
extra parts which must be assembled when the
end 5 of the shaft, so that further movement of
the spool bends the signal ?ngers upwardly from
?lm spool is assembled and which is both inex
a position in which they lie flush with the major
pensive to manufacture and assemble.
Coming now to the drawings wherein like 65 plane of the ?ange 2. Thus, if the ?ngers 6 pro
2,503,734
3
ject only slightly into the rounded cut-out 4,
they may be bent up at only a slight angle, as
the usual lens and shutter 40, the shutter having '
a trigger 4| for making exposures in the normal
indicated in Fig. 1, by the loading operation.
manner.
The ?ange of the ?lm spool must, of course, be
made of a non-springy, relatively-soft metal, so
It will be noticed that by utilizing readily
bendable ?ngers formed directly of the metal
that these ?ngers will readily bend into the posi
tion shown.
The camera wall l2 may be hinged at l3 to the
camera body I4 so that this wall and an end
of the ?lm spool ?ange that no additional parts
are required, and that these ?ngers serve to indi
In accordance with Fig. 3, the ?lm spool ?ange
20 is provided with three inwardly-projecting
spool ?anges engaging the shaft, said ?lm spool
?rst embodiment, project partially into a rounded
opening 23 to receive the end of the camera
shaft 5. Thus, when the spoolis thrust on the
shaft, these ?ngers will be bent permanently ;~
outwardly, thereby notifying an operator when
opening complementary in shape to the round
end of the shaft, the ?ange having the round
cate that a ?lm spool has not been used in a
camera when the ?ngers lie ?at, or ?ush, with
wall [5 may be swung outwardly and upwardly 10 the ?ange. However, as soon as the spool is in
to open the camera when a latch member I6 is I serted on the ?lm-supporting post these ?ngers
will have to be bent outwardly and when the
operated. When in the open position, the ?lm
spool is removed from the camera, the user will
spool can be inserted axially over the camera
know that the spool has been used in a camera
supporting shaft and when the hinged door- [2
is closed, the spool may be held in an operative 15 and that the ?lm is therefore probably exposed.
Of course, it is possible to insert a spool in a
position by means of a ring H which lies close
camera and immediately remove it without expos
to the ?ange 2 when the ?lm spool is in an opera
ing ?lm so this cannot be considered a com
tive position. If not properly positioned on the
pletely foolproof signal“ but, nevertheless, this
camera shaft, the door may not be closed. This
insures that the operator will insert the spool 20 possibility is so remote that it need not be con
.sirdered.
the required distance on the supporting shaft.
The formation of the bendable signals,‘ or
A ?lm spool and signal for use in a camera
?ngers, 6, may, of course, take different forms
7 having a ?lm support comprising a shaft polyg
and although the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2
onal at one end and round at the other end on
is a preferred form, the arrangement of Fig. 3,
which the ?lm spool may be mounted with the
or other arrangements, may be used, if desired.
comprising a hub encircling the shaft ?anges at
?ngers 2! which are quite narrow and relatively
tached to the hub, ongz‘?ange having a polygonal
long since they are formed by slotting the ?ange 30 opening complementary in shape to the polygonal
'20, as indicated at 22. These ?ngers, as in the
end of the shaft, the other ?ange having a round
the spool has been removed that it has once been
placed in the camera and that the ?lm should
be exposed.
While the camera itself forms no part of my
present invention and may be along the lines of
the Mihalyi camera, shown in the Patent 2,336,278
opening being made of a soft bendable metal
and normally lying in a plane at right angles
to the hub, an inwardly extending signal ?nger
extending into the round opening and having
lateral edges extending rearwardly into the ?ange
and separated ‘therefrom by slots, said signal
?nger normally lying in the plane of the ?ange
whereby the ?nger may be bent away from the
plane of the ?ange and into a noticeable signal
lingposition by placing the spool on the camera
above referred to, such a camera is diagrammati
cally shown in Fig. 4 as consisting of a camera
supporting shaft, thereby causing said shaft to
body 30 having an upper wall l4 supporting a 45 move the signal ?ngers from the plane of the
hinged wall [2, the end wall of which 15 may have
?ange as the round end of the shaft passes
a latch [6 by which it is held in a closed posi
through the round opening in the ?ange, said
tion. Inside of these walls there is a spool cham
signalling ?nger retaining its bent outwardly ex
ber 3'! into which my improved form of ?lm
spool, designated broadly as “S,” may be loaded =
on a ?lm spool supporting shaft 5. By turning
the knurled knob l2, ?1m"‘F” may be propelled
from the spool between a guide roll 33 and a. guide
plate 34 which are suitably shaped into an ex
posure position behind the exposure frame 35. :.~
The usual type of presser member 36 holds the
?lm ?at on the exposure frame and the ?lm may
be wound into a loose coil at 38 after being pro
pelled into this coil which lies in a take-up cham
ber 31. The front wall 39 of the camera may have 60
tending position from the plane of the ?ange be
cause of the soft bendable material of which the
?ange is made.
KENNETH A. I-IENDEL.
REFERENCES CITED
The following references are of record in the
?le of this ‘patent:
UNITED STATES PATENTS
Number
2,099,646
Name
Date
Busch ___________ __ Nov. 16, 1937