USRE34168E - Lens-fitted photographic film package - Google Patents

Abstract

A lens-fitted photographic film package has at least an unexposed rolled film, a taking lens, a film transportiong mechanism, an exposure mechanism and an electronic flash as a whole contained in a light-tight case. The light-tight case comprises a main case section formed with a chamber containing therein light-tightly the unexposed rolled film and a front cover section attached to the main case section, the front cover section being formed with at least one opening for partially receiving therein a member of at least one of the mechanisms mounted on the main case section projecting beyond a plane defined by surfaces of the main case section in contact with an inner surface of the front cover section when the front cover section is securely attached to the main case section. The electronic flash unit is short-circuited to maintain the condenser of the flash unit discharged until the rolled film has been loaded in the light-tight case, so as to prevent accidental flashing that would expose the film. The lens-fitted photographic film package is enclosed in an external container having a weakened openable portion capable of being broken away from the external container to expose the contained rolled film for removal after exposure.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a lens-fitted photographic film package, and more particularly to a photographic film package which has a photographic film, a taking lens, a film transporting means, an exposure means and their associated elements incorporated in a light-tight film case as an integral whole.

A lens-fitted photographic film package can provide many chances to enjoy oneself by easily taking pictures even without a camera. This lens-fitted photographic film package comprises a light-tight film case with a taking lens fitted thereto, a simple exposure mechanism which includes a film transporting mechanism and a shutter mechanism with their associated elements incorporated in the film case, and a 110-size cartridge film or a 35 mm full size film previously contained in the light-tight film case, which can be sold wherever photographic film is sold. The lens-fitted photographic film package, after the exposure of all frames of a roll of film, is forwarded to a photo shop or photo laboratory without removing the film. There, the exposed film is removed by breaking open the lens-fitted photographic film package and is developed to make prints therefrom while the empty lens-fitted photographic film package is scrapped. The prints together with the developed film are returned to the customer. The lens-fitted single-use photographic film package makes it easy to take pictures because of no need for film loading and unloading.

For economy, the film case that incorporates a roll of film and the necessary elements all in one is made of plastic materials and configured as simply as possible. The lens-fitted photographic film package is generally divided into three sections, a main body section which is formed with a film patrone-receiving chamber and a film take-up chamber and has mounted thereon a taking lens and a shutter charging mechanism and a film transporting mechanism; a front cover section attached to the main body section to help support the taking lens and to cover various elements attached to or mounted on the main body section, and a back cover section attached to the back side of the main body section to cover light-tightly the patrone-receiving and film take-up chambers. The lens-fitted photographic film package as sold is enclosed in a thin cardboard or plastic external case with an ornamental pattern printed thereon.

A commercial requirement of such a lens-fitted photographic film package is that it be thin and compact. For example, it is preferably pocket size so that it can be easily carried in a pocket or purse.

A recent tendency is to incorporate electronic flash units in such lens-fitted photographic film packages. Incorporating an electronic flash unit can greatly increase the usage of such lens-fitted photographic film packages.

In manufacturing such lens-fitted photographic film packages with electronic flash units incorporated therein, it is necessary to perform a test discharge of the electronic flash unit in advance of loading a roll of film in the lens-fitted photographic film package. Because the electronic flash unit is charged again after the test discharge, the condenser can be accidentally discharged and expose the film during loading of a roll of film in the lens-fitted photographic film package, particularly if the package is of the type in which the unexposed film is not in a film patrone when assembly is completed. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the condenser of the electronic flash unit discharged during assembly.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a lens-fitted photographic film package which is thin and compact for convenience of carrying.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a lens-fitted photographic film package which enables removing a film from the lens-fitted photographic film package without taking the film out of an external case.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a lens-fitted photographic film package which has an electronic flash unit incorporated therein.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lens-fitted photographic film package in which a condenser of the electronic flash unit can be maintained discharged during assembly of the lens-fitted photographic film package.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To accomplish the above and other objects, the lens-fitted photographic film package according to the present invention has at least a roll of photographic film, taking lens means, film transporting means and exposure means as an integral whole. These are contained in a light-tight case. The case comprises a main case section mounting the taking lens means and exposure means and film transporting means and containing light-tightly the roll of unexposed photographic film; and a front cover section which is attached to the main case section to cover most of the exposure means and film transporting means and associated elements, the front cover section being formed with at least one opening for partially receiving therein a member of at least one of the means and elements mounted on the main case section projecting beyond a spatial datum plane defined by surfaces of the main case section which are in contact with an inner surface of the front cover section when the front cover section is securely attached to the main case section.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the openings formed in the front cover section receive therein a film transporting knob of the film transporting means and a member covering a part of the shutter mechanism, such as a shutter biasing spring, of the exposure means.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lens-fitted photographic film package has electronic flash means contained in the main case section, a pair of terminals mounted on the main case section and electronically connected to electrodes of a condenser of the electronic flash means, and short circuiting means removably disposed in said case to electrically connect the pair of terminals so as to short-circuit the condenser to discharge it until the roll of photographic film has been loaded in the main case section.

According to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lens-fitted photographic film package is enclosed in an external case formed with an openable portion defined by perforated lines which is located in correspondence with a part of the film-receiving chamber. The openable portion of the external case is broken or torn off to form an opening in the external case, through which the exposed film can be removed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like parts are designated by like numerals throughout the views of the drawings and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a conventional lens-fitted photographic film package;

FIG. 2 is a top view showing the lens-fitted photographic film package of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a lens-fitted photographic film package according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front view, similar to FIG. 1, showing a front case section of the lens-fitted photographic film package shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front view showing the lens-fitted photographic film package shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a top view, similar to FIG. 2, showing the lens-fitted photographic film package shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the structure of an electronic flash unit incorporated in the lens-fitted photographic film package shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an external container in which the lens-fitted photographic film package of FIG. 3 is to be enclosed;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the lens-fitted photographic film package enclosed in the external container with the bottom cover open;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an external container of another preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a lens-fitted photographic film package with a bottom cover open which is enclosed in the external container shown in FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Before describing the present invention in detail, reference is made to FIGS. 1 and 2 for the purpose of providing a brief background that will enhance an understanding of the novel structural features of the lens-fitted photographic film package described later. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional lens-fitted photographic film package has a front cover 1 of which thefront wall 2 is formed with several openings such as a lens opening 21 for exposing a taking lens,semi-circular slots 2b enclosing thelens opening 2a for rendering the region offront wall 2 surrounding the lens opening 2a relatively elastic,small openings 2c which are engaged with lugs of a main body section to retain the front cover 1 attached to the main body section, and some holes used for molding the front cover 1. The front cover 1 further has atop wall 3 formed with openings such as an opening 3a for receiving a shutter button 4 and acounter window 3b through which a front counter is viewed.

As is shown in FIG. 2, the main body section has on its front wall alens holder 5 and a chamber 6 for containing a shutter biasing or charging spring, and on its top wall a film transporting knob 7 which partly protrudes from the case. Indicated by areference 1a is the inner surface of thefront wall 2 of the front cover 1. Thelens holder 5 and the spring chamber 6 project from the front wall of the main body section.

As is apparent, the thickness of the package is defined between the external surface of thefront wall 2 and the external surface of a rear cover. Because of the provision of thelens holder 5 and the spring chamber 6, the conventional lens-fitted photographic film package is relatively thick.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 to 6, shown therein is a lens-fitted photographic film package (which is hereinafter referred to as a film package for simplicity) of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. The film package of the present invention comprises amain body section 11, afront cover section 12 and aback cover section 13 which are made of plastic materials and fitted or welded in a well known manner, such as by ultrasonic welding, to form a light-tight box-shaped film container.

Themain body section 11 is formed with a film patrone-receivingchamber 14 on the left side and an unexposed film-receivingchamber 15 on the right side. The patrone-receivingchamber 14 receives therein a film patrone orcartridge 16 adapted to contain a roll of photographic film and theunexposed film chamber 15 receives the unexposed photographic film withdrawn from thefilm patrone 16 and wound up in a roll inchamber 15. The film package of this embodiment has been pre-wound in one direction (left to right in FIG. 3) so that the full length of unexposed film has been wound up into the film take-upchamber 15 before making a first exposure and is rewound by the user from the take-up chamber 15 back into thefilm patrone 16 in the film patrone-receivingchamber 14 by one frame every exposure.

Themain body section 11 is provided with afilm rewinding knob 18 rotatably mounted thereon above the film patrone-receivingchamber 14. Thefilm rewinding knob 18 has a film rewinding shaft with a forked end extending into the film patrone-receivingchamber 14 and engaging an external end of aspool 16a of thefilm patrone 16. Thefilm rewinding knob 18 is formed with teeth on the periphery thereof which are engaged with aratchet 19 mounted on themain body section 11 for the prevention of rotation thereof in the wrong direction.

Anexposure chamber 20 is provided between the film patrone-receiving chamber 14 and the film take-up chamber 15 and is formed with an exposure opening 12 in the front wall thereof. Alens holder plate 30 with alens mount 31 is attached to the front wall of theexposure chamber 20. A taking lens orlens assembly 32 having a fixed focal length is held by thelens mount 31. Thelens holder plate 30 is integrally formed with a rectangular projectingcap 33 forming therebehind a space for receiving therein aspring 23. Thelens holder plate 30 is attached to section by engaginghooks 34 engageable with detects 28 formed integrally with themain body section 11.

Between the front wall of theexposure chamber 20 and thelens holder plate 30, there is ashutter blade 22 mounted on the front wall of theexposure chamber 20 for rotation about an axis parallel to the optical axis of the takinglens 32. Theshutter blade 22 is biased by thespring 23 to turn in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1 so as to close theexposure opening 21. Theshutter blade 22 is formed with an upstanding projection. Ashutter charge lever 24 can move to push this projection of theshutter blade 22 so as to turn theshutter blade 22 to open theexposure opening 21 and to charge the biasingspring 23.

A sprocket wheel (not shown) with sprocket teeth, which is well known in the art, is provided behind and close to the film take-upchamber 15 to engage inperforations 17a offilm 17 so as to be rotated by the advance offilm 17. A one-frame metering cam (not shown) is driven by that sprocket wheel to swing theshutter charge lever 24. Upon such movement of theshutter charge lever 24, ahook lever 25 is turned and is brought into engagement with thefilm rewinding knob 18, stopping the rotation of thefilm rewinding knob 18. Such a mechanism is well known in the photographic art as a self-cocking mechanism, and therefore a more detailed description need not be given herein. The sprocket wheel has ashaft 26 with an axially extending V-shaped groove which is engageable with teeth formed on the periphery of a frame orexposure counter disk 27. Through this engagement, theexposure counter disk 27 is advanced by theshaft 26 by one pitch every revolution of the shaft to decrease the displayed count of remaining film frames by one every exposure.

Thefront cover section 12 is formed with afinder window 36 and alens hole 37 in itsfront wall 12a. Thelens hole 37 is defined by acircular boss 37a. Thisboss 37a covers thelens mount 31 and the margin of the takinglens 32. The outer periphery of the takinglens 32 is pressed rearwardly by the inner surface of theboss 37a of thefront wall 12a of thefront cover section 12 attached to themain body 11. In such a way, the takinglens 32 is fixed between thefront cover section 12 and themain body section 11. Due to the provision of theboss 37a for receiving therein the takinglens 32, it is possible to provide the necessary back focal distance while keeping the film package thin.

Thefront cover section 12 is formed in itsfront wall 12a with a vertically extendingrectangular opening 38 in which the rectangular projectingcap 33 is received and a horizontally extendingrectangular opening 39 in which thefilm rewinding knob 18 is received. Thefront cover section 12 is further formed in itstop wall 12b with acounter opening 41 through which theexposure counter disk 27 can be viewed.

Thefront cover section 12 is further provided with ashutter release member 40 connected totop wall 12b by an integralelastic bridge 40a. Theshutter release member 40 thus formed can be resiliently depressed when pressed with a finger and return upon removing the finger. Theshutter release member 40 is provided with an integrally formedshutter release lever 40b extending downwardly therefrom. The lower end of theshutter release lever 40b is engaged by thehook lever 25.

Thefront cover section 12 is further formed in itsfront wall 12a with anopening 42 through which a mold for molding theshutter release lever 40b is withdrawn andopenings 43 through which molds for molding hooks on the back surface of thefront wall 12a are withdrawn. Engagingopenings 44 formed in thefront wall 12a of thefront cover section 12 are engaged byhooks 13b formed integrally with a cover of theback cover section 13 which will be described in detail hereafter. Formed in thefront wall 12a of thefront cover section 12 are a pair ofopenings 48a and 48b through which ashort circuit rod 58 having electricallyintegral contact points 58a and 58b is inserted for test discharging of theelectronic flash unit 50 that will be described in detail later. Designated bynumeral 59 is a flash discharge button for triggering a flash.

Theback cover section 13 is attached to themain body section 11 to close light-tightly the film patrone-receivingchamber 14 and the film take-upchamber 15, and theexposure chamber 20. For securely shielding the film from light, theback cover section 13 is welded to themain body section 11 by ultrasonic welding or a special attaching mechanism so as not to be detached by users. Theback cover section 13 is formed at the bottom with anintegral bottom cover 13a flexibly hinged to the bottom edge thereof. Thebottom cover 13a is formed with thehooks 13b along its front edge which are received in and engaged by the engagingopenings 44 of thefront cover section 12 to close the bottom opening of the film patrone-receivingchamber 14. Theback cover section 13 is formed in its back wall with a horizontally extendingnarrow opening 46 in which thefilm rewinding knob 18 is received. Thefilm rewinding knob 18 partly extends outside the film package to be operated with fingers. The back cover section is further formed in its back wall with afinder opening 47 in alignment with the front finder opening 36 formed in thefront cover section 12.

The film package is assembled by attaching thefront cover section 12 to themain body section 11 through the engagement of thedetents 28 of themain body section 11 with hooks (not shown) of thefront cover section 12 and then ultrasonically welding theback cover section 13 to themain body section 11, and thereafter engaging thehooks 13b of thebottom cover 13a of theback cover section 13 with the engagingopenings 44 of thefront cover section 12. The assembled film package is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

As shown in FIG. 5, the assembled film package contains the periphery of thefilm rewinding knob 18, and theratchet 19 in mesh with the peripheral teeth of thefilm rewinding knob 18 is disposed in the horizontally extendingrectangular opening 39 formed in thefront wall 12a of thefront cover section 12. The vertically extending projectingcap 33 of thelens holder plate 30 is disposed in the vertically extendingrectangular opening 38. Thus, as is shown in FIG. 6, the top forward portion of the periphery of thefilm rewinding knob 18 and the front surface of the vertically extending projectingcap 33 are slightly behind the front surface of thefront wall 12a of thefront cover section 12. Therefore, the thickness of the film package has been reduced to the sum of the diameter of thefilm rewinding knob 18 and the thickness of thefront wall 12a of thefront cover section 12, less the distance by which thefilm rewinding knob 18 overlaps the thickness of thefront wall 12a.

As seen in FIG. 5, the top of theboss 37a is cut away horizontally. The cut-away portion of theboss 37a provides enough space between thelens opening 37 and thefront finder window 36 to allow that part of the external cardboard or plastic container between the openings of the external container that expose the taking lens and the front finder window to be formed desirably wide. Such wide bridging parts between openings help prevent breakage of the external container.

It is to be noted that the front cover section may be formed with other openings which receive therein parts, if permissible, projecting in an axial forward direction from themain body section 11 and that the back cover section can be formed with openings which receive therein parts projecting in an axially rearward direction from themain body section 11.

As is shown in FIG. 7, theelectronic flash unit 50 attached to themain body section 11 comprises areflector 51 having a parabolic reflective surface disposed behind thediffusion glass 50a, adischarge tube 52 disposed along the horizontal axis of the parabolic reflective surface of thereflector 51, and a flash power source (not shown). Acylindrical condenser 53 is vertically disposed behind and to the right of thereflector 51.

Acircuit board 55 on which a flash control circuit is printed is disposed in front of the film take-upchamber 15. Thecondenser 53 is connected to the flash control circuit as well as to short-circuit terminals 56a and 56b disposed on thecircuit board 55 correspondingly to theopenings 48a and 48b of thefront cover section 12a, respectively. The short-circuit terminals 56a and 56b on thecircuit board 55 can be electrically connected by means of the short-circuit rod 58 of whichcontact arms 58a and 58b are inserted through theaccess openings 48a and 48b to short circuit thecondenser 53.

Themain body section 11 on which theelectronic flash unit 50 is installed is attached to and covered by thefront cover section 12. Then, before loading a film, theelectronic flash unit 50 is subjected to a test discharge. For this, the short-circuit rod 58 is used. If thedischarge tube 52 properly flashed when short-circuiting thecondenser 53 with the short-circuit rod 58, the short-circuit rod 58 is kept inserted in theaccess openings 48a and 48b to maintain thecondenser 53 fully discharged until a film patrone and a rolled unexposed film are loaded and theback cover section 13 is attached to close light-tightly the film patrone-receivingchamber 14 and the film take-upchamber 15.

After having completely assembled the film package but before inserting it into an external container, the short-circuit rod 58 is removed.

Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown anexternal container 61 made of a printable cardboard or printable plastic material for receiving therein the film package shown in FIGS. 3 to 6. As shown, theexternal container 61 is formed withopenings 63a, 63b and 63c in itsfront wall 62a for exposing theboss 37a that receives and encloses the takinglens 32 therebehind, thefront finder window 36 and thediffusion glass 50a of theelectronic flash unit 50, respectively. Theexternal container 61 is further formed with anopenable portion 67 defined by threeperforated lens 69 in thebottom wall 62b. Theopenable portion 67 is so located as to overlie thebottom cover 13a of theback cover section 13 when the film package is encased and is formed similar to but sightly larger than the outline of thebottom cover 13a of theback cover section 13. Atab 68 is defined by a semi-circular perforated line in one of the threeperforated lines 69. Thetab 68 is partly separated from thebottom wall 62b of theexternal case 61 for being easily picked up and peeled off with the fingers.

Theexternal container 61 has anend flap 62c which is closed and adhesively secured thereto after inserting the film package thereinto so as to form an end wall of theexternal container 61.

After the use of the film package, as is shown in FIG. 9, theopenable portion 67 ofexternal container 61 is broken or torn off along theperforated lines 69 by pulling on thetab 68 with the fingers to expose thebottom cover 13a of theback cover section 13. Then, thebottom cover 13a is opened by disengaging thehooks 13b from the engagingopenings 44 of thefront wall 12a of thefront cover section 12. Thereupon, thepatrone 16 can be easily removed axially. The removedfilm patron 16 containing the exposed film is then handled in the same manner as conventional film patrones, while the film package is scrapped.

Referring now to FIG. 10, there is shown anotherexternal container 61 made of a printable cardboard or printable plastic material for receiving therein a film package shown in FIG. 11. In FIG. 11, parts and elements which are identical in structure and operation to those of the film package shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 are designated by similar reference characters, and therefore need not be described in detail herein. The film package shown in FIG. 11 is generally similar in construction to the film package shown in FIGS. 3 to 6. The only difference of the film package shown in FIG. 11 is that a power source of theelectronic flash unit 50 such as abattery 80 is received in an open-bottom battery chamber 81 formed adjacent the bottom opening of the film patrone-receivingchamber 14 in the film package. Thebattery 80 in the open-bottom battery chamber 81 is held in place by asection 13c integrally formed with thebottom cover 13a when thebottom cover 13a of theback cover section 13 is closed to close the film patrone-receiving chamber light-tightly, whereby thebattery 80 is prevented from leaving the film package.

As shown in FIG. 10, theexternal container 72 is formed withopenings 63a, 73b and 73c in itsfront wall 72a for exposing theboss 37a receiving and enclosing the takinglens 32 therebehind, thefront finder window 36 and thediffusion glass 50a of theelectronic flash unit 50, respectively. Theexternal container 72 is further formed with a generally L-shapedopenable portion 77 defined byperforated lines 79 in thebottom wall 72b of theexternal container 72. Theopenable portion 77 is so located as to overlap thebottom cover 13a and the openbottom battery chamber 81 of the film package when the film package is encased, and is formed similar to but slightly larger than the outline of thebottom cover 13a and the open-bottom battery chamber 81 of the film package. In more detail, the L-shapedopenable portion 77 comprises astem portion 77a and anarm section 77b for covering the open-bottom battery chamber 81 and thebottom cover 13a, respectively.

Atab 78 is defined by a semi-circular perforated line in one of the threeperforated lines 79. Thetab 78 is partly separated from thebottom wall 72b of theexternal case 72 for being easily picked up and peeled off with fingers.

After the use of the film package, theopenable portion 77 of theexternal case 72 is broken or torn off along theperforated lines 79 by pulling on thetab 78 with the fingers to expose thebottom cover 13a and thebattery chamber 81 of the film package. Then, thebottom cover 13a is opened by disengaging thehooks 13b from the engagingopenings 44 of thefront wall 12a of thefront cover section 12. Thereupon, thepatrone 16 and thebattery 80 can be easily removed. Thefilm patrone 16 taken out is then handled in the same manner as conventional film patrones while the film package and the battery are scrapped separately.

In any embodiment described above, it is to be noted that theexternal container 61 or 72 may be provided with an opening through which a finger can be inserted, in place of thetab 67 or 78 and that, instead of forming the cover section and the perforated line for defining the openable portion in the bottom wall of the main case section and the external container, respectively, the bottom cover may be formed either in the back cover section or in an end wall of the front case section, and hence the perforated line may be correspondingly formed either in the back wall or in an end wall of the external container, respectively. It is also to be noted that the roll of photographic film can be used without being advanced frame by frame into a patrone or cartridge.

Furthermore, though in the above-described embodiments theopenings 48a and 48b are formed in the front wall of thefront cover section 12, theopenings 48a and 48b may be defined in any other wall, for example in an end wall. That is, the position of theopenings 48a and 48b may be located according to the position of thecircuit board 55. Instead of the pair ofopenings 48a and 48b, one opening may be formed if the short-circuit rod 58 can be inserted through the opening. Thecondenser 53 and flash power source may be disposed in another position instead of behind thereflector 51.

Although the present invention has been fully described by way of preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, unless otherwise such changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, they should be construed as included therein.

Claims (21)

What is claimed is:

1. A lens-fitted photographic film package having at least a roll of unexposed photographic film, a taking lens, shutter means and film transporting means, said lens-fitted photographic film package comprising:

a main case section which is open at its front, said main case section mounting at least said shutter means and said film transporting means and containing light-tightly said roll of unexposed photographic film;

a front cover section which is attached to said main case section and closes said open front of said main case section to cover the majority of said taking lens and said shutter means and said film transporting means, said front cover section being formed with at least one opening for partly receiving therein a member of one of said means, which member projects forwardly beyond surfaces of said main case section which are in contact with an inner surface of said front cover section which said front cover section is securely attached to said main case section.

2. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 1, in which said projecting member received by said opening protrudes no farther than an outer surface of said front cover section.

3. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 2, wherein said member received in said opening extends within said opening in a direction parallel to the optical axis of said taking lens means.

4. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 1, wherein said member is a film transporting knob of said film transporting means.

5. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 1, wherein said member is a forwardly projecting cap covering a biasing spring for biasing said shutter.

6. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 1, wherein said roll of unexposed photographic film is previously fully withdrawn from a film cartridge and is rewound into said cartridge upon exposure, by one frame every exposure.

7. A lens-fitted photographic film package having at least a roll of unexposed photographic film, a taking lens, and electronic flash means, as a whole contained in a case, said lens-fitted photographic film package comprising:

a main case section of said case, mounting said taking lens and said electronic flash means and containing light-tightly said roll of photographic film;

a pair of terminals mounted on said main case and electrically connected to electrodes of a condenser of said electronic flash means;

a front case section of said case, securely attached to said main case section to cover said main case section; and

at least one opening provided in said .[.front.]. case .[.section.]. so as to allow a short-circuit means access to said pair of terminals through said at least one opening for discharging said condenser.

8. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 7, wherein said pair of terminals are provided on a circuit board on which an electronic flash control circuit is provided.

9. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 7, wherein said at least one opening is two openings and said two openings are formed in said front case section.

10. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 7, further comprising short-circuiting means in the form of an electrically conductive U-shaped clip short-circuiting said condenser.

11. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 10, said U-shaped clip having legs that extend through said at least one opening in said front case section and contact said terminals.

12. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 7, wherein said roll of unexposed photographic film is previously fully withdrawn from a film cartridge and is rewound into said cartridge upon exposure, by one frame every exposure.

13. A lens-fitted photographic film package having at least a roll of unexposed photographic film and taking lens means, comprising:

a parallelepipedal light-tight case mounting said taking lens means and containing said roll of unexposed photographic film in a chamber formed therein, said chamber being closed by an openable cover; and

a parallelepipedal external container in which said light-tight film case is shape-matingly enclosed having a weakened openable portion directly overlying said openable cover and which can be opened only by being broken away from said external container to expose said openable cover.

14. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 13, wherein said openable portion is defined by a perforation.

15. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 13, further comprising electronic flash means contained in said light-tight case and a battery for charging said electronic flash means, said battery being located at the bottom of said light-tight case adjacent to said chamber.

16. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 15, wherein said openable cover covers said chamber and partly covers said battery.

17. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 16, wherein said battery is disposed in an externally opening recess in said light-tight case, said cover having a portion that closes only part of said recess and that overlies only part of said battery.

18. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 13, wherein said roll of unexposed photographic film is previously fully withdrawn from a film cartridge and is rewound into said cartridge upon exposure, by one frame every exposure.

19. A lens-fitted photographic film package which is elongated in a horizontal direction and has a bottom wall and is preloaded with a film contained in a cartridge in a film cartridge receiving chamber in said package, said package having exposure means for said film and a flash device actuated to flash by electrical energy from a battery, comprising:

a first opening formed in said bottom wall for removing said film cartridge from said film cartridge receiving chamber;

a second opening for removing said battery, said second opening extending in the longitudinal direction of said package near said film cartridge receiving chamber and connecting with said first opening; and

a cover member openably fitted over said first opening for covering said first opening, said cover member covering at least partially said second opening for preventing the removal of said battery when said cover member is closed.

20. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 19, wherein said second opening is disposed in said bottom wall.

21. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 20, wherein said second opening is in longitudinal prolongation of said first opening lengthwise of said package. .Iadd.22. A lens-fitted photographic film package as defined in claim 7, wherein said at least one opening is provided in said front case section. .Iaddend.

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