Camera

Details Camera Camera

2001-02-22

2003-04-08

Adams, Russell (Department: 2851)

Photography

Camera detail

Body structure or housing

C396S538000, C396S539000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06546209

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera. More particularly, the present invention relates to a camera of which a horizontal size is reduced and which can be manufactured at a low cost.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
A camera includes a camera body part as a base part for disposition of a photographing mechanism or shutter mechanism. The camera body part has an exposure aperture formed to open in the rear to define a frame region of photo film. The camera body part also includes a cassette holder chamber, a take-up chamber and an exposure chamber, which is disposed between the cassette holder chamber and take-up chamber and extends rearwards to the exposure aperture. The cassette holder chamber contains a photo film cassette. The take-up chamber takes up the photo film drawn from the photo film cassette. The exposure chamber constitutes a light-shielding tunnel, and receives a lens barrel in a slidable manner. The camera body part should have sufficient rigidity. To reduce the size of the camera, it is necessary to consider positions in which various parts are disposed on the camera body part.
JP-A 06-035047 discloses an example of the camera in which parts are so disposed as to reduce the space. A main capacitor in a flash unit with a relatively great size is disposed between the exposure chamber and cassette holder chamber in an orientation extending vertically.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,876 (corresponding to JP-A 08-262559) discloses the camera in which high rigidity of the camera body part is ensured. The camera body part is formed from plastic material including glass fiber. Also in this document, a guide member guides the photo film from the photo film cassette along a feeding path, and formed as a single piece separate from the camera body part. The guide member is formed from plastic material without including the glass fiber, so as to prevent occurrence of scratches of the photo film.
The frame region in the photo film defined by the exposure aperture receives light including components, such as a component from the taking lens directly to the frame region of the photo film, and a component reflected by the inside of the exposure chamber toward the frame region. The latter component is harmful light to cause flare in an object image to lower the quality of the print. In the above known camera, the exposure aperture is provided with portions projecting toward the optical axis. So a surface of an inside of the exposure chamber is farther from the optical axis than the portions of the exposure aperture. This prevents occurrence of flare by reducing the harmful light.
However, the camera of JP-A 06-035047 has a problem in the horizontal size of the camera is considerably long, because a distance between the exposure chamber and cassette holder chamber is very high.
If this disposition is combined with the camera disposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,876 (corresponding to JP-A 08-262559), there remains a problem in difficulties in a molding process. A front portion of an inner surface of the exposure chamber projects toward the optical axis. The exposure aperture projects in the position behind the inner surface, so as to complicate the inner shape of the exposure chamber to cause the difficulties. Thus, the number of steps in the manufacturing process increases considerably. The manufacturing cost of the camera increases seriously.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a camera in which a horizontal size is reduced.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a camera of which a manufacturing cost is reduced.
In order to achieve the above and other objects and advantages of this invention, a camera includes a cassette holder chamber for receiving insertion of a photo film cassette. A take-up chamber takes up photo film drawn from the photo film cassette. An exposure chamber is disposed between the cassette holder chamber and the take-up chamber, for introducing object light to the photo film to provide an exposure. A part holder chamber is disposed between the cassette holder chamber and the exposure chamber. A first part has a tubular shape, and is contained in the part holder chamber. A through opening is formed between the cassette holder chamber and the part holder chamber, for internally connecting the cassette holder chamber and the part holder chamber to one another.
In a preferred embodiment, the through opening allows the first part partially to enter the cassette holder chamber, or allows the photo film cassette partially to enter the part holder chamber.
Furthermore, a light-shielding sheet is secured to the through opening, for preventing light from entry into the cassette holder chamber through the part holder chamber.
The first part is a main capacitor for flash emission.
Furthermore, a taking lens focuses the object light on the photo film. A lens barrel is contained in the exposure chamber movably forwards and backwards, for containing the taking lens.
According to another aspect of the invention, an exposure aperture is formed behind the exposure chamber. A support member is disposed behind the part holder chamber, for contacting and supporting the photo film fed between the exposure aperture and the cassette holder chamber.
Furthermore, a body part has the cassette holder chamber, the take-up chamber, the exposure chamber and the part holder chamber, includes upper and lower side lines and a first lateral side line of the exposure aperture, and is formed from first material including glass fiber. The support member is secured to the body part, includes a second lateral side line of the exposure aperture, and is formed from second material.
The exposure chamber has an optical axis at a center along which the object light is introduced. Furthermore, a part holder chamber is disposed between the cassette holder chamber and the exposure chamber, for containing a first part having a tubular shape, the part holder chamber having at least one portion disposed closer to the optical axis than the second lateral side line.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5585876 (1996-12-01), Kobayashi
patent: 5884112 (1999-03-01), Funahashi et al.
patent: 6-035047 (1994-02-01), None
patent: A 2000-19603 (2000-01-01), None

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