Photography – Camera detail – Body structure or housing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-30
2001-10-09
Perkey, W. B. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Camera detail
Body structure or housing
C206S703000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06301448
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a battery holding structure adapted for use in, for instance, a camera.
In a camera using a battery as a power source, it is unavoidable to change a battery accommodated therein with a new one when a currently loaded battery is used up. During battery exchange, however, there is a possibility that chattering occurs between a battery and terminals of a camera. Chattering is a phenomenon in which violent voltage fluctuation is seen at the contacts of a battery and terminals accompanying the rapid alteration of continuity and discontinuity of current having a period of &mgr; sec order. This may cause in a camera employing a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for controlling its operation, a CPU to run away due to chatterings to cause electric malfunctions such as improper initializations of a CPU.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a battery holding structure adapted for use in, for instance, a camera, capable of preventing occurrence of electric malfunction due to chatterings during battery exchange.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a battery holding structure for exchangeably accommodating a battery therein which comprises:
a battery container for exchangeably accommodating a battery therein, the container being provided with an opening through which a battery is to be taken in and out;
a container cap detacheably coupled to the battery container to close the opening of the container; and
a switching mechanism including a stationary contact member and a movable contact member both disposed on the battery container, the movable contact member being arranged to be actuated in response to the relative movement of the container cap with respect to the container.
With the above constituted container, the switching mechanism is operated when battery exchange is carried out as the container cap is moved relative to the container.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the container cap comprises a screw-type container cap to be threaded to the battery container.
In one embodiment of the invention, the battery container comprises a fitting member fixed in front of the opening, the fitting member being formed with a center hole corresponding to the opening and provided with an inner thread on the inner circumferential surface of the center hole; and the container cap is provided with a center boss having an external thread on the outer circumferential surface thereof to be screwed to the inner thread of the fitting member.
Further, the container is provided with a sleeve member to be slidably accommodated in the battery container, the sleeve member being detacheably coupled to the container cap at one end thereof to accomodate a battery therein with the upper portion of the battery being protruded from the other end of the sleeve member; and the battery container comprises an inner wall member in which a battery is accommodated together with the sleeve member.
On the inner wall member, a through-hole is formed at the position where the other end of the sleeve member reaches when the sleeve member is fully introduced into the container; and the stationary contact member is fixed on the outer surface of the inner wall member, while the movable contact member is provided with a free end portion which is biased to go beyond the inner wall member via the through-hole. The free end of the movable contact member is pressed against the biasing force by the outer surface of the sleeve member when the sleeve member is fully introduced into the container.
Preferably, the movable contact member is made of an elastic material and is normally forced to contact the stationary member by its elasticity, and is detached from the stationary member when the free end is pressed outwardly by the sleeve member.
In other embodiment of the present invention, the stationary contact member is fixed on the inner surface of said fitting member, while the movable contact member is provided with a free end portion which is arranged to contact the stationary contact member, the free end portion being formed to be pressed by the container cap when the container cap is screwed to the fitting member.
Preferably, the movable contact member is made of an elastic material and is normally forced to contact the stationary member by its elasticity, and is detached from the stationary member when the free end portion is pressed by the container cap.
In other aspect of the present invention, a battery holding structure is applied to a camera employing a battery as a power source for electronically operating a control system of the camera, wherein the operation of the control system is suspended during exchange of battery as the switching mechanism is correspondingly operated. For instance, the switching mechanism is connected to a reset terminal of the control system to keep the control system at its reset state during exchange of battery.
Preferably, the control system is kept at its reset state while the movable contact member is being detached from the stationary contact member.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4712898 (1987-12-01), Haraguchi
patent: 6-88048 (1994-12-01), None
Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Perkey W. B.
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