Butler, Ernest J. (Rochester, NY)
Gade, John N. (Rush, NY)
Herberger, Robert J. (Rochester, NY)
Mackay, James D. (Webster, NY)
Weber, Larry W. (Caledonia, NY)

05/222831

07/03/1973

02/02/1972

Download PDF 3742586       PDF help

Click for automatic bibliography generation

Eastman Kodak Company (Rochester, NY)

29/430

53/381.400, 29/806, 53/468

G03C3/00; B65B43/00; B23P19/04; B65B25/00

53/37,266,281,381A 29/2R,2D,2J,2P,429,430,431

Spruill, Robert L.

We claim

1. The method of loading a wound photographic element scroll into a film cartridge of the type having body member means for defining a major portion of a generally cylindrical supply compartment having a central axis and cover member means for defining an end wall of said compartment, said method comprising the steps of:

2. Apparatus for use in loading a wound photographic element scroll into a film cartridge of the type having body member means for defining a major portion of a generally cylindrical supply compartment having a central axis and cover member means for defining an end wall of said compartment, said apparatus comprising:

3. means for separating said member means including means for displacing one of said member means in a direction generally parallel to said axis and for relatively moving said cover member means away from said axis to clear the opening to said supply compartment;

4. means for positioning said body member means at said scroll loading station; and

5. The invention of claim 2 wherein said body member means further defines a takeup compartment for housing a movable takeup core and said apparatus includes means for retaining said core in said takeup compartment during said separating of said member means.

6. The invention of claim 3 wherein said cover member means further defines a takeup compartment end wall having an aperture alignable with said takeup core and said retaining means comprises means for directing a flow of fluid through said aperture and against said takeup core.

7. Apparatus for use in loading a wound photographic element scroll into a film cartridge of the type comprising body member means for defining a major portion of a generally cylindrical supply compartment having a central axis and including a first supply compartment end wall and cover member means for defining a second supply compartment end wall, said apparatus comprising:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The subject invention relates to a method and apparatus for use in the loading of photographic filmstrip into a film cartridge of the type having spaced filmstrip supply and take-up chambers formed by two cartridge halves. More particularly, the invention provides an improved method and means for presenting a film cartridge to a succession of work stations and for disassembling and manipulating such cartridge so as to facilitate film loading and cartridge reassembly.

2. Description Relative to the Prior Art

In the spooling of double-chambered roll film cartridges as heretofore practiced, preassembled film cartridges have been presented to spooling apparatus for subsequent disassembly, loading and reassembly. In such prior art devices, manipulation of the several cartridge components has been carried out by means of various complex devices which engaged and positioned such components with a degree of precision which may not be suitable for all cartridges of the double-chambered type. For example, vacuum heads have been employed to remove a cartridge cover from a cartridge body carried by an indexable nest and to subsequently replace the cover following insertion of a film scroll into the body. Such an arrangement may, because of the erratic motion associated with incremental advance of the cartridge from station to station, result in misalignment of the cartridge components and cause malfunctioning of the apparatus during reassembly of the cartridge. Where the respective cartridge components are carried by separate fixtures, misalignment is apt to result also from wearing of the mechanical linkage employed to separate and reunite the cartridge halves. Furthermore, the indexable nests heretofore employed to transport the cartridge embraced the end walls of the cartridge supply chamber. In the case of a double-chambered cartridge that is so constructed as to permit removal of at least one of such end walls for scroll insertion purposes, such prior art devices are incompatible with a more efficient method of scroll insertion-- as will appear later-- which such cartridges permit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has been found that by engaging the separable halves of a double-chambered film cartridge by respective manipulable members which form part of, and are locked to, a common, indexable cartridge carrier, the cartridge halves will be accurately maintained in predetermined spaced relationship with respect to each other, thereby to facilitate reassembly of the cartridge . . . which occurs after film loading, and during the time that the cartridge moves along the cartridge assembly line. The invention works best with cartridges which are of the type having a double-L construction, (to be described in greater detail below), one such L-member serving as the cover for the other and vice versa. By cradling one L-member, while maintaining the other L-member out of axial alignment with the cradled member, the preferred practice of axial insertion of a scroll into the "supply" part of the cradled member may be implemented.

In accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, an assembled-but-unsealed double-chambered cartridge is fed to an indexable cartridge carrier fixture having separable clamping members, each of which firmly clamps one of a pair of parallel side rails carried by, respectively, a cartridge body member (first L-member) and a cartridge cover member (second L-member). The clamping members are then separated to remove the cartridge cover from the body member, thereby exposing the open ends of the cartridge supply and takeup chambers. During advancement of the fixture to a loading station, the cartridge body member (and its clamping member) is elevated so that the supply chamber will, at one point, be coaxially aligned with a preformed scroll of interwound filmstrip and backing paper to permit insertion of the scroll into the chamber. At a subsequent station the cartridge body is, by means of the fixture, accurately reunited with the cartridge cover to produce a loaded film cartridge which may then be further advanced by the fixture to subsequent stations for sealing, labelling and like operations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 (A through E) depicts diagrammatically a sequence of steps performed in the loading of a film cartridge in accordance with the subject invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cartridge-holding fixture for use in performing the operations implicit in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the fixture of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates apparatus employing a plurality of the fixtures of FIG. 2 for use in continuously performing the steps of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As seen in FIG. 1 (A through E), a cartridge 10 is comprised of two halves; namely, a body 11 (first L-member) and a cover 13 (second L-member) which combine to form a filmstrip supply compartment 15 from which filmstrip may be advanced into a takeup compartment 17 by means of a rotatable takeup core 19. At one end of the body 11 is a generally cylindrical wall 21 defining a major portion of the periphery of the supply compartment 15 and the central axis A thereof. A similar wall 23 at the opposite end of body 11 forms a major portion of the periphery of the takeup compartment 17. A first side wall disposed generally perpendicular to the central axis of the compartment 15 and connected to walls 21 and 23 defines a first supply compartment end wall portion 25, a first takeup compartment end wall portion 27 and a first rail member 29 extending therebetween. A lip 30 extends along the upper edge of the first side wall to provide, in an assembled cartridge, a light lock. The cover 13 includes a back wall 31 which is curved at its opposite ends so as to form the remaining portions of the peripheral walls of the supply and takeup compartments. Connected to the back wall 31 is a second sidewall which is adapted (in an assembled cartridge) to oppose the first side wall and thereby define a second supply compartment end wall portion 35, a second takeup compartment end wall portion 37, and a second rail member 39 disposed therebetween. Upon assembly of a cartridge, the body 11 and cover 13 combine to form interconnected supply and takeup compartments which are enclosed except in the areas of ledges 41 and 43 where narrow filmstrip passageways are formed.

The takeup compartment 17 is adapted to receive a take-up core 19 which is rotatably mounted on, but not positively secured to, a mounting spindle 20 (shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1A) carried by the first takeup compartment end wall 27. A core drive gear 22 connected to the core end is received within a protruding gear cover 24 carried by the side wall 37.

Reference should now be had to FIG. 2: a fixture 45, of special design, supports and conveys the cartridge to various work stations. The fixture 45 comprises, basically, a base plate 47 carrying first and second clamping members 49 and 51 which are adapted to engage and manipulate, respectively, the cartridge body 11 and the cover 13. The first clamping member 49 resides generally above the base plate 47 and is movable vertically by means of a follower rod 53 which cooperates with a cam track 55. The second clamping member 51 generally opposes the member 49 and is affixed to a horizontal guide rod 57 which is slidably mounted on base 47. By means of a suitable mechanism-- such as, for example, an actuator 59 and control 61-- the guide rod 57 may be selectively advanced and returned to horizontally displace the member 51 with respect to the member 49.

The clamping member 51 includes a cradle plate 63 and a backup plate 65. Between these plates is sandwiched a movable clamping plate 67 which is mounted on a guide rod 71 slidably carried by plate 65. The clamping plate 67 includes a bevelled portion 83 adjacent its upper edge and a shoulder 81 that is so spaced from the upper edge as to support thereon the lower edge of a cartridge rail 39 when the rail is clamped between the plates 63 and 67. A compression spring 69 is employed to urge the plate 67 toward the plate 63 to produce the required rail clamping engagement. The elements and mode of operation of the clamping member 49 are substantially similar to those of the member 51 as described; the member 49 being comprised of a cradle plate 63', a backup plate 65' and a clamping plate 67' and being operable to clamp the rail 29 of the cartridge body 11.

In operation, a series of fixtures 45 are conveyed incrementally in base plate (47) abutting relationship along a linear slideway 73; (see FIG. 3) to various work stations at which appropriate operations are performed in a continuous sequence as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 4. At the upstream-most station, an empty fixture is positioned beneath a loading chute 75 containing a series of preassembled core-containing cartridges 10.

A single such cartridge is discharged onto the positioned fixture so that the cartridge side rails 29 and 39 are in vertical alignment for clamping by, respectively, the clamping members 49 and 51. An indexing ram 77 is then actuated by suitable means, such as control 78, to advance the instant fixture (thus also advancing all downstream fixtures) to a cartridge opening station depicted in FIG. 1A. En route to the cartridge opening station suitable means, such as cam 79, forces the cartridge rails down into clamping engagement with the respective clamping members 49 and 51. Entrance of the rail members into such engagement is facilitated by the wedging action provided by the beveled edges of the spring-loaded clamping plates 67 and 67'.

Upon arrival at the above-mentioned cartridge opening station, the actuator 59 is operated to separate the clamping member 51 from the member 49, thereby separating the cover 13 from the body 11 by movement in a direction generally parallel to the central axis A of the supply chamber 15. During the initial phase of such separation, the core 19 is retained on the spindle 20 by the provision of a jet of air from a nozzle 60 directed through an aperture 58 in the cover 24 and against the drive gear 22. After the cover 13 has cleared the body 11, suitable means such as a moveable plate (not shown) may be brought into contact with the gear 22 to provide continued core support at least until the backing paper leader is attached to the core.

During advancement of the fixture to the next succeeding station (See FIG. 1B) the cam track 55 raises the cartridge body 11 to an elevated position with respect to the cartridge cover 13. By so elevating the cartridge body, access is provided for insertion, at the next succeeding station (see FIG. 1C), of a pre-formed scroll 79 of interwound backing paper and film. The scroll 79 is wound about a cylindrical winding mandrel 81 which, in a preferred manner, is axially alignable with the cartridge supply compartment 15 so that, by means of a scroll advance 83, the scroll may be inserted into the open end of the compartment 15. Upon such insertion the scroll may be permitted to clockspring into contact with the curved wall 21 of the compartment 15, whereby the scroll is held within such confines, thus facilitating the securing of the scroll end to the takeup core 19. In this regard, an air jet 85 directs a blast of air against the backing paper leader 87 to position the free end thereof against the core 19, whereupon such end may be heat sealed to the core by means of a moveable heating head (not shown).

The loaded cartridge is then advanced to a reassembly station shown in FIG. 1D. During such advancement, the cartridge body 11 is lowered into axial alignment with the cover 13. And, as will be evident from the above, it is the integral nature of the fixture of the invention which permits both cartridge halves to be accurately locked into spaced relationship with respect to each other, whereby their disassembly, loading, and reassembly may be facilitated. In this regard, an appropriate signal from the control 61 causes the actuator 59 to retract so as to urge the cover 13 toward the body 11. As the cover 13 is repositioned it passes over the backing paper leader 87-- which now extends between the supply 15 and takeup 17 compartments-- and beneath the light lock lip 30 of the body 11. Concurrently, gear cover 24 is similarly accurately aligned to receive therein the takeup drive gear 22.

Following such reassembly, the fixtures are advanced to additional stations (not shown) where sealing, labelling, testing and operations of like nature may be performed.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.