Photography – Studio structure – Photo booth
Reexamination Certificate
1994-11-22
2001-10-02
Gray, David M. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Studio structure
Photo booth
C345S215000, C348S061000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06298197
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a machine, particularly a coin (or token) operated machine, for automatic picture taking.
BACKGROUND ART
Automatic coin operated machines are known for taking pictures of persons for passport or visa photographs or for portrait or other purposes. These known machines comprise a booth containing an adjustable seat positioned in front of a box structure containing a camera concealed behind a reflective glass panel. After actuating the machine by insertion of a coin into a coin mechanism one or more photographs are automatically taken of a person sitting on the seat. The photographs are developed and printed by equipment within the box structure and prints are delivered through a slot in an outer wall of the booth.
With this arrangement, due to the use of a photographic camera and a chemical developing and printing process, limitations are imposed, in practice, on the versatility of the machine and the speed with which prints of pictures taken can be delivered to the user.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved automatic picture taking machine with which it is possible to achieve considerable versatility and fast picture delivery.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention therefore there is provided an automatic picture taking system comprising a housing containing a camera and an automatic apparatus which when actuated causes the camera to take at least one picture of a subject located in a zone near to the housing and to provide a print-producing output, and a printer arranged to be operated by said output to produce a print of such picture, characterised in that the camera comprises an electronic imaging camera which produces an image output in the form of storable electronic data, said automatic apparatus includes a control system for storing and processing said data, and said printer is adapted to produce a print corresponding to said stored and processed electronic data.
With this arrangement, due to the use of the electronic imaging camera and the printer, prints can be produced quickly, and there is much scope for versatility arising from the ability to process the electronic image data prior to production of the prints therefrom.
The printer may be mounted within the housing and produced prints may be supplied at an outlet in the housing. Other arrangements are possible and, for example, the printer may be separate from the housing and may be connected remotely to the control system via a lead or other data-transfer link (e.g. a telephone link or radiation link). Further, the control system may supply the print-producing output as data stored on a suitable medium such as a magnetic card or disc or tape or solid state memory or other device, such data being transferred to, the printer (which may be remote from the housing) by physical transport of the data storage medium from e.g. an outlet slot in the housing to an input data reader associated with the printer.
With regard to the housing this may take any suitable form.
In one embodiment, the housing has an upstanding box structure containing some or all of the camera, automatic apparatus and printer, with the camera arranged to take the picture of the subject in said picture taking zone in front of a front wall or other outer wall of the box structure which is formed to permit taking of a picture therethrough. This outer wall may consist of or include a mirrored glass or other transparent panel or aperture through which the camera is directed at the zone.
Conveniently the housing may be in the form of a booth with said zone bounded by said outer wall of the upstanding box structure and by one or more further walls defining therewith a partial or complete enclosure. However, the booth configuration is not essential and the box structure may stand alone with the said picture taking zone unbounded and not enclosed.
Where the intended subject is a person, the housing may include a seat mounted in said picture taking zone and this may be height adjustable whereby, for example, the person can align himself with the camera, for example, by aligning his eyes with indications on the aforesaid outer wall of the box structure. It is, however, not essential to provide a height adjustable seat, nor even to provide a seat. In the latter respect, the machine may be intended for use by a person standing in front of the machine. Thus, the housing may be in the form of a console or booth with an adjacent floor area above which is located the picture taking zone, said floor area being a standing area whereby the system is adapted for the taking of a picture of a standing person.
Especially (but not necessarily exclusively) in the case where there is a seat which is not height adjustable, or where no seat is provided, provision may be made for height adjustment of the alignment of the camera (e.g. by mounting the camera and/or an interposed mirror on a drive device). Thus, in one embodiment height adjustment is effected with a movable mirror, and in this case the arrangement may be such that the camera is directed upwardly and the movable mirror is pivotable about an angled position above the camera. Alternatively or additionally the camera may be mounted so that it is movable up and down (e.g. with a motor and worm drive) and/or drivably pivotable. Where a movable camera is used this may be directed generally horizontally directly at the picture-taking zone or indirectly via interposed mirrors.
Other arrangements are also possible and thus the camera may be directed downwardly or in any other disposition.
With regard to the camera this may be of any suitable kind and conveniently may be a scanning video camera of conventional form operating on any desired system. The camera may incorporate an appropriate optical system giving sharp focusing over a suitable range within the intended picture taking zone. The optical alignment of the camera with the subject in the zone may be direct or if desired angular via one or more interposed mirrors.
With regard to the printer this is preferably a printer capable of producing color prints. A suitable printer is of the thermal dye transfer kind where thermally heated ‘points’ defined by pins or small discrete zones on a surface are activated to transfer dots of color from a substrate to print material. Alternatively other digital data-controllable printers such as an ink jet-printer, a laser printer or the like capable of operating in monochrome or multicolour may be used. If desired two or more printers may be provided to minimise printing delays and/or to minimise ‘down time’ whilst a supply of printing material is being replenished. Thus, the arrangement may be such that one printer operates first and operation is switched to a second printer when the first printer needs refilling with print material. The arrangement may also be such that the printers are operated at the same time e.g. to speed up production of duplicates. The printers may be provided at the same location or at different locations as desired.
The said automatic apparatus preferably includes a coin or token (or similar) mechanism, that is a mechanism which has to be actuated by insertion of one or more coins (or equivalent credit means such as a coin-type token, or a note or a credit card or the like) before pictures can be taken.
The control system may comprise any suitable computer system with appropriate data storage. Most preferably, the control system further includes a visual display device on which there can be displayed to the user a representation of an image of the subject as obtained with the camera. This facility may be used to assist the user in deciding whether or not the image is satisfactory and is to be printed, and/or for selection of an image from a plurality of images. Alternatively or additionally the facility may be used to enable the image to be modified prior to printing as, for example, by changing the background or foreground, adjusting scale (e.g. reduce, pan or zoom), moving the position of the image relative to a background or fo
Fry Richard Layton
Marchini Barry Allen
Wain John Laurence
Gray David M.
Hollander Law Firm, P.L.C.
Photostar Limited
LandOfFree
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