Container For Film Magazine

Abstract

A film magazine container is composed of a single hollow member having opposed open ends and a slidable member inserted thereinto having opposed end plates fixed at the opposite ends thereof for serving as end covers of the hollow member. The slidable member is provided with an opening at the intermediate portion thereof and an abutment projection at an end thereof.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a container for retaining a film magazine, and more specifically to a container which serves as a package as well as retains a cylindrical film magazine for a roll film.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The conventional film magazines for a 35 mm roll film have been retained in a plastic or metallic container and further packaged in a proper packaging box. Accordingly, both hands had to be used to unpack the package. It has been inconvenient, therefore, to unpack the film package of commercially available type particularly when the photographer carries a camera or any other baggage with a hand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disposition of the conventional film package, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a container for retaining and packaging a film magazine which can be unpacked with only one hand.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a film magazine container which also serves as the outermost package for the same.

In order to accomplish the above objects of the invention, the film magazine container in accordance with the present invention is composed of a single hollow member having opposite open ends and a slidable member inserted in the hollow member having opposed end plates serving as end covers of the hollow member. The slidable member is provided with an opening or cut-away portion for insertion of a finger to push the film magazine thereout. Further, the slidable member is provided with at least an abutment projection at an end thereof so that a relative movement may not be caused between the magazine body and the shaft thereof projected at an end thereof out of the body.

The construction of the container of this invention will be fully understood from the detail description of the preferred embodiments thereof described hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the slidable member of the first embodiment of the film container in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the hollow member of the first embodiment of the film container in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the first embodiment of the film magazine container with the slidable member thereof closed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the slidable member of the second embodiment of the film magazine container in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the hollow member of the second embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the slidable member of the third embodiment of the film magazine container in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring first to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a film magazine container in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is composed of a slidable member 1 and a cylindrical hollow member 2 into which the slidable member 1 is inserted. The slidable member 1 comprises a pair of opposed end plates 10A and 10B integrally secured to an intermediate portion 11 at the opposite ends thereof. The intermediate portion 11 is provided with an opening 12 for insertion of a finger to push the film magazine thereout. The cylindrical hollow member 2 is preferably provided with at least one annular groove 20 in the vicinity of the open end thereof so that at least one of the peripheral edges 10a and 10b of the end plates 10A and 10B may be engaged therewith. The slidable member 1 is thus prevented from loosely slipping out of the hollow member 2 when inserted thereinto in position.

The distance between the inner faces of the opposite end plates 10A and 10B is made slightly longer than the length of the shaft 30 (FIG. 2) of the spool in the film magazine 3. The slidable member 1 is provided at an end thereof at least one abutment projection 13, which is preferred to be integrally fixed thereto. The projection 13 is positioned out of the central portion where the shaft 30 of the spool occupies when the film magazine is loaded in the container.

The axial length or height of the projection 13 is made slightly longer than the length of the projected part of the shaft 30 of the film magazine 3. The distance between the inner face of the end plate 10A and the face of the projection 13 faced to the end plate 10A is made slightly longer than the axial length of the film magazine 3. Therefore, even if the container should be accidentally slipped off and dropped on the floor, there is no fear of disengagement of a magazine cap from the magazine body caused by an excessive relative movement between the spool shaft and the body. Furthermore, by the tight engagement between the slidable member 1 and the hollow member 2 at the grooves 20, the film in the container can be protected against moisture.

FIG. 2 shows how the film magazine 3 (shown at a broken line) is retained in the container when the slidable member 1 is inserted in position in the hollow member 2.

The outer surface of the hollow member 2 may be printed with a trade name of the film and other letters and designs so that the container may be displayed in the shop-window.

It will be readily understood that the shape of the container may not necessarily be cylindrical. One of the examples of the different shapes is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the container is of quadrangular shape, in which the portions or elements thereof equivalent to those shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B are all indicated at the same reference numerals.

Further, it will also be understood that the opening 12 may be a cut-away portion 12a as shown in FIG. 4. Further, each of the whole construction of the slidable member 1 and the hollow member 2 can be made integral by molding.

When using the film or unpacking the container, the container in accordance with the present invention can be easily unpacked with a hand even with a gloove. First, an end plate 10A and 10B is pushed inward lengthwise with a finger to push the slidable member 1 out of the hollow member 2 and the film magazine 3 is pushed aside with a finger through the opening 12 or cut-away portion 12a (herein referred to simply as "an opening"). These unpacking operation can all be done with only one hand.

Claims

I claim:

1. A container for a film magazine having a shaft with a spool carried thereon, comprising a hollow member having opposite open ends, a second member adapted to be receivably inserted into said hollow member from either open end thereof, said second member being composed of two end plates and an intermediate portion extending between and connected to the respective end plates along only a portion of the facing surfaces thereof, said intermediate portion having a shape corresponding to the shape of the inner wall surface of said hollow member, said hollow member having an annular groove disposed adjacent at least one of the open ends and opening inwardly of said hollow member said second member having, on each of said end plates, an annular outwardly directed protrusion adapted to snap-fit in an associated annular groove in said hollow member when said second member is received therein, said intermediate portion having, adjacent one of said end plates, a pair of spaced apart abutment means for receiving therebetween an end portion of the film magazine shaft projecting from the spool so as to position the spool between said abutment means and the other of said end plates, and means defining an opening in said intermediate portion and said opening is located between said abutment means and the other of said end plates.

2. A container for a film magazine as defined in claim 1 wherein said abutment members have an axial length longer than the end portion of the shaft projecting from the spool.

3. A container for a film magazine as defined in claim 1 wherein said hollow member is of cylindrical shape.

4. A container for a film magazine as defined in claim 1 wherein said hollow member is of quadrangular shape.