Developer spreading device, printer, and digital camera with printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10114273-B2
Application number	US-201815892021-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2018
Priority date	Feb 10, 2017
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

A case that accommodates a film unit and a film cover includes a pair of light shielding grooves formed in both sides of an exposure opening and an inner wall surface facing the film cover. The film cover includes outer light shielding ribs as a pair of light shielding ribs inserted into a pair of light shielding grooves. A transport roller pair that transports the film unit or the film cover discharged from the case includes a capstan roller including a pair of roller members and a rotational shaft which holds the roller members. A first distance which is a space between inner edges of the pair of roller members is greater than a second distance which is a space between outer edges of the pair of outer light shielding ribs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A developer spreading device comprising:
a film pack room into which an instant film pack is loaded, the instant film pack including a plurality of film units each having a developer pod containing a developer, a case which includes an exposure opening and a slit-shaped discharge port and accommodates the plurality of film units laminated on top of each other, and a film cover which lighttightly blocks the exposure opening by covering an exposure surface of the film unit and is ejected through the discharge port;
a transport roller pair that transports the film unit or the film cover discharged through the discharge port while pinching both side edge portions of the film unit or the film cover; and
a spreading roller pair that is disposed on a downstream side of the transport roller pair in a transport direction perpendicular to a width direction of the exposure surface, and spreads the developer into the film unit by crushing the developer pod,
wherein the case includes a pair of light shielding grooves formed in both sides of the exposure opening and an inner wall surface facing the film cover,
the film cover includes a pair of light shielding ribs which is inserted into the pair of light shielding grooves and extends in a discharge direction in a case where the film cover is discharged through the discharge port, and
the transport roller pair includes a capstan roller that includes a pair of roller members and a rotational shaft which holds the roller members, and a first distance which is a space between inner edges of the pair of roller members is greater than a second distance which is a space between outer edges of the pair of light shielding ribs.

2. The developer spreading device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first distance is greater than a width of the exposure surface.

3. The developer spreading device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the roller members pinch both the side edge portions of the film cover in the width direction of the exposure surface by 0.5 mm or more.

4. The developer spreading device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the pair of roller members pinches portions of both the side edge portions of the film unit which are positioned outside the developer pod in the width direction of the exposure surface.

5. The developer spreading device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a plurality of protrusions is formed on a circumferential surface of the roller member.

6. A printer comprising:
the developer spreading device according to claim 1 ; and
an exposure head that is disposed on an upstream side of the developer spreading device in the transport direction, and irradiates the exposure surface of the film unit transported by the transport roller pair with line-shaped print light parallel to the width direction of the exposure surface.

7. A digital camera with a printer comprising:
the printer according to claim 6 ; and
an imaging unit that includes an imaging optical system, captures a subject image, and outputs image data to the printer.

Assignees

• Fujifilm Corp

Inventors

• Nakai Yuki
• Sugiyama Kenji
• Kobayashi Kenji

Classifications

• G03B27/32

  Projection printing apparatus, e.g. enlarger, copying camera · CPC title

• G03D9/00

  Diffusion development apparatus · CPC title

• G03D3/08

  having progressive mechanical movement of exposed material · CPC title

• G03B17/53 Primary

  for automatically delivering a finished picture after a signal causing exposure has been given, e.g. by pushing a button, by inserting a coin · CPC title

• G03C8/44

  Integral units, i.e. the image-forming section not being separated from the image-receiving section · CPC title