1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photographic film package for a lens-fitted photographic camera, and more particularly to a photographic film package with a reloadable film container holding chamber for holding a film container therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lens-fitted photographic film packages or cassettes are now on the market. These prior art photographic film packages are single-use and low-cost camera preloaded with photographic film therein. These film packages make it possible to take pictures whenever desired without buying or carrying an expensive and heavy camera. Examples of such prior art photographic film packages are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,408,288, 4,954,857, 5,436,685, 4,972,649, 4,884,087, 5,063,400, and 4,855,774.
For example, the photographic film package as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,087 has a film housing of which a front cover and a rear cover are secured to a main assembly, in which assembly an optical lens, a film wind-up wheel, a shutter mechanism and a wind-up stopping mechanism are incorporated.
The structure of the prior art film package includes a film supplying chamber and a film take-up chamber formed on opposite horizontal sides of the optical lens. The unexposed film is wound in a roll and contained in the film supplying chamber. A user who has purchased the film unit winds up the film frame by frame at each exposure on a spool in a cassette contained in the film take-up chamber. The film unit in its entirety is forwarded to a photo laboratory when the whole strip of the film is exposed. The film package needs to be unloaded in a dark room and the film package after processing will be destroyed and discarded as waste. It is noted that the destroyed film package will cause damage to the environment, so that it is desirable to be able to recycle the film package after processing and reload a new film container therein.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds