...that the x-ray was discovered purely by accident? When German physicist Wilhelm Konrad von Roentgen was experimenting with cathode rays in 1895, he put an activated Crookes tube in a book and went out to lunch. When he returned, he discovered that a key that had also been placed in the book showed up as an image on the developed film!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 6752550 | Holding mechanism for replacement ink ribbon A holding mechanism 10 for holding an ink ribbon 20 includes a transparent shell 11 and a board 12. The transparent shell 11 of the ink ribbon 20 is provided with wind slack preventive portions 11a to 11... | 06/22/2004 |
| 6480675 | One-time-use camera with cartridge retainer to ensure film-on-sprocket retention during camera assembly A partially assembled one-time-use camera includes a film section that longitudinally extends from a rotatable film winding spool in a film cartridge and that is engaged with a rotatable metering sprocket, and a separate rear cover part that is to be plac... | 11/12/2002 |
| 6447177 | Spool lock member and photo film cassette having the same A photo film cassette includes a spool lock member, which prevents a spool from rotating when a rotatable cassette shutter for a photo film passageway is in a closed position. The spool lock member includes a base portion. A first arm extends from the bas... | 09/10/2002 |
| 6447176 | Film canister device for use in a film package assembly and a method for loading a camera therewith and a camera loadable thereby Provided is a film package assembly to be used within a camera such that conventional winding and rewinding components are eliminated. Provided is a film package assembly which includes a new light-tight film canister device, a roll of film and a film tak... | 09/10/2002 |
| 6220770 | Camera adapted to use a film cartridge having a movable light shield door A camera or apparatus adapted to use an image recording medium cartridge having a cover for allowing an image recording medium to exit from or withdraw into the image recording medium cartridge, or a device adapted in the camera or apparatus, includes inh... | 04/24/2001 |
| 6183143 | Photosensitive medium cassette and method of use A cassette and method of use, which cassette can receive and rotatably mount a roll of photosensitive medium web. The cassette includes a housing having a first section and a second section with respective, mating margins extending in a transverse directi... | 02/06/2001 |
| 6179494 | Camera The display of the state of use of film provided on a film cartridge is prevented from becoming a wrong display during the insertion of the film cartridge into a camera or during the removal of the film cartridge from the camera. Rotation restraint releas... | 01/30/2001 |
| 6089486 | Film cartridge with pawl and ratchet A film cartridge having a housing, a spool rotatable in film winding and unwinding directions within the housing, a film roll wound onto the spool and having a clock-springing tendency to urge the spool in the film unwinding direction, and an anti-backup ... | 07/18/2000 |
| 6074107 | Camera system A camera system has a film cartridge provided with a first shaft around which an unexposed film is wound, a second shaft for taking up an exposed film and a movable third shaft which causes a portion of the film which has been sent out from the first shaf... | 06/13/2000 |
| 5971312 | Photo film cassette and cassette containing case for the same A photo film cassette has a spool about which photo film is wound in a roll form. A cassette shell contains the spool in a rotatable manner, and has first and second plastic shell halves joined together via a joining line. A first extended portion is disp... | 10/26/1999 |
| 5893000 | Camera capable of reading/writing information of photo film cassette A camera is used with a photo film cassette of a predetermined type. The photo film cassette includes a spool about which photo film is wound. A cassette shell contains the spool in a rotatable manner. A data disk with a bar code is disposed on the spool ... | 04/06/1999 |
| 5828916 | Camera In a camera of the kind setting information when a film cartridge is stowed in the camera by reading a pattern from a data disk disposed on the film cartridge, an information reading action on the pattern of the data disk is allowed to begin when a predet... | 10/27/1998 |
| 5815754 | Closing light lock of film cassette turns off film-wind-into-cassette motor, in one-time-use camera A camera for use with a film cassette having a spool rotatable to wind an exposed filmstrip including a trailing film end portion into the cassette and a light lock movable to be closed after the trailing film end portion is wound into the cassette, compr... | 09/29/1998 |
| 5740977 | Photo film cassette having assembly characteristics A photo film cassette has photo film (12) contained in a roll form. The photo film is advanced to an outside of a cassette shell (11) when a spool core (26) is rotated in an unwinding direction. Two flexible flanges (27, 28) are secured to the spool core,... | 04/21/1998 |
| 5740487 | Photographic film cassette A photographic film cassette has a rotatable spool on which photographic film is wound. A leader of the photographic film is advanced outward through a passage port by rotation of the spool in an unwinding direction. A shutter rod is arranged in the passa... | 04/14/1998 |
| 5732897 | Photo film cassette having regulating portion for preventing inclination of spool look device A photo film cassette has a cassette shell including first and second shell halves. A spool is rotatable between the shell halves. A trailer of the photo film is retained to the spool. The photo film is wound thereabout in a roll form. A photo film passag... | 03/31/1998 |
| 5717971 | Photographic system film door locking mechanism and method A locking mechanism and method are provided for use in any photographic system which uses film cartridges. One embodiment includes a drive lever and an actuator which prevent movement of a slider door release, thus preventing unlocking of a film door when... | 02/10/1998 |
| 5646712 | Method and apparatus for opening a camera Apparatus (90) is disclosed for opening a camera of a type including a front cover part (12) and a back cover part (14), each of the front cover part and the back cover part having a top wall (34, 42) and a bottom wall (36, 44) and first and second opposi... | 07/08/1997 |
| 5625855 | Photographic film cassette with lock biasing light shield closed A photographic film cassette comprises a locking member pivotally movable into engagement with a spool to inhibit rotation of the spool. The locking member is moved by a light-shielding door member through a cam. A cam follower surface of the locking memb... | 04/29/1997 |
| 5608485 | Photographic film cassette having a spool locking device and camera for use with the same A photographic film cassette has photographic film wound on a spool and rotatably contained in a cassette shell. A leader of the photographic film is caused by rotation of the spool to advance outward from a passage mouth thereof. Two positioning holes ar... | 03/04/1997 |
| 5603067 | Camera A camera is of a type using the 120 size of roll film or the 220 size of roll film, which is so arranged that the height of a pressure plate on a back lid is changed over depending upon a type of a used film. A reflection-type photosensor is provided in t... | 02/11/1997 |
| 5572272 | Film cassette with spool lock and light-shielding door A film cassette comprises a light-shielding door for preventing ambient light from entering the cassette interior, a film spool supported for rotation in film unwinding and film winding directions, and a locking device supported for movement into engageme... | 11/05/1996 |
| 5565951 | Camera A camera of this invention is provided with: a housing cover for covering an opening of a patrone housing chamber, a lever movable between a position to lock the housing cover and a position to unlock the housing cover, a movable roller for deciding wheth... | 10/15/1996 |
| 5530498 | Camera with bar code reading apparatus and spool locking mechanism A camera for reading film information expressed with a bar code, which is provided on a bar code plate being rotatable with a spool of a film cartridge, through a window of the film cartridge. The camera includes: a driver for rotating the spool; an optic... | 06/25/1996 |
| 5495310 | Lens-fitted photo film unit A lens-fitted photo film unit has a pre-loaded cassette. A roll of unexposed photo film is drawn out of the cassette. After photography, an exposed portion of the photo film is wound into a cassette shell around a spool. A stopper level, inside the casset... | 02/27/1996 |
| 5435499 | Photographic film cassette A cassette shell of a photographic film cassette has a film passageway through which negative film is fed. A light-shielding member is disposed across the film passageway, and is elastic and rectangular. A side of the light-shielding member parallel to a ... | 07/25/1995 |
| 5435500 | Photographic film cassette A photo film cassette contains a spool rotatably, on which photo film is wound as a roll with a leading end wound on the outside. A cassette shell has a passage port, through which the photo film is passed. A single separating claw is disposed in an inner... | 07/25/1995 |
| 5432575 | Mechanism for locking cartridge compartment cover of camera A camera includes a camera body, the camera body including a cartridge compartment, the cartridge compartment having a cover, the cover being movable between an open and a closed position. The camera includes a lock mechanism, the lock mechanism having a ... | 07/11/1995 |
| 5416548 | Photographic film strip, photographic film cassette containing the same, and camera for use therewith A photographic film strip has a leader and a trailer, and is to be contained in a cassette having a rotatable spool. A first group of anchoring holes is formed in the trailer along a distal edge thereof, to be anchored on the spool. A second group of anch... | 05/16/1995 |
| 5389992 | Reloadable canister with replaceable film spool A reloadable single reel film canister has a housing with first and second parts. The parts are movable, relative to one another, from a closed condition to an open condition. When in the open condition, a roll of film can be placed in the housing. When l... | 02/14/1995 |
| 5384613 | Single-use camera with weakened area to access film cassette A single-use camera comprises a light-tight film casing and a film cassette located inside the casing. The film cassette includes a rotatable film spool with an end portion engageable to rotate the spool, and an active light lock with an end portion engag... | 01/24/1995 |
| 5363167 | Photographic film cassette having a locking spool A photographic film cassette has photographic film wound on a spool and rotatably contained in a cassette shell. A leader of the photographic film is advanced outward from a passage mouth when the spool is rotated in the unwinding direction. The spool has... | 11/08/1994 |
| 5308009 | Photographic film cassette and light-trapping method for the same A photographic film cassette has a spool with photographic film wound thereon. A pair of velvet ribbons is attached to inside faces of a passageway of the cassette shell so as to prevent light from entering the cassette shell through the passageway. Rotat... | 05/03/1994 |
| 5296886 | Film cassette with spool lock A film cassette adapted to be opened and closed comprises a film spool supported for rotation, and a lock for inhibiting rotation of the film spool when the cassette is closed and allowing the film spool to rotate when the cassette is opened. According to... | 03/22/1994 |
| 5280327 | Cassette re-load prevention apparatus Load prevention apparatus is to be used with a film cassette which has a frangible exterior label covering a trap-like cavity in the cassette. The apparatus comprises a loading chamber configured to receive the cassette, blocking means arranged in the cha... | 01/18/1994 |
| 5274412 | Film cassette with frangible spool lock and cam A film cassette has frangible means that initially operates as a spool lock and as a cam for moving a blocking device in a camera out of the way of the cassette when the cassette is first loaded into the camera but which when broken by a fracturing device... | 12/28/1993 |
| 5271576 | Photographic film cassette with dust collecting ridges A plurality of grooves are formed on upper and lower inside surfaces of a film passageway of a cassette shell. The grooves receive dust tending to adhere to the photographic film, and prevent the dust from entering a film chamber of the cassette shell in ... | 12/21/1993 |
| 5265820 | Photographic film cassette A cassette shell consists of two shell halves, and rotatably contains a spool core on which a photographic film is wound. A pair of spool flanges are loosely fitted on the spool core. Rotation of the spool core causes a film leader to advance through a fi... | 11/30/1993 |
| 5265821 | Photographic film cassette A photographic film cassette has first and second molded spool pieces respectively molded integrally. The first spool piece includes a first core, a first flange, a circumferential lip and cam grooves, whereas the second spool piece includes a second core... | 11/30/1993 |
| 5251838 | Film cassette with removable end cap A film cassette comprises a cassette shell and a film spool rotatably supported inside the shell. The spool has one end accessible from outside the shell for engagement to rotate the spool. An end cap is sized and shaped to cover the one end of the spool ... | 10/12/1993 |