Camera

Details Camera Camera

2002-02-13

2004-03-30

Mahoney, Christopher (Department: 2851)

Photography

Folding or collapsible camera

Having axially moving lens

Reexamination Certificate

active

06712531

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera provided with a main body portion and a lens camera cone freely sunk and reeled out by a manual operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in order to make the camera thin, there has been popular a technique of sinking a lens camera cone, and this technique is employed in a so-called instant camera which photographs on a film sheet corresponding to a self-development processing type photosensitive material and discharges the film sheet while expanding a developing solution on the film sheet.
However, a photograph screen on the film sheet used in the instant camera mentioned above is generally larger than a photograph screen of a photographic film used in a normal camera photographing on a long photographic film one scene by one scene, whereby it is necessary to increase a focal distance, so that the lens camera cone of the instant camera tends to be larger than that of the normal camera.
Accordingly, if it is desired to sink or reel out the lens camera cone in accordance with an electric power, a motor generating a great driving force and a complex driving mechanism are required, whereby a cost increase is generated.
Accordingly, in order to restrict the cost increase, there can be considered that the lens camera cone is manually sunk or reeled out.
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-31852, there is described a camera sinking and reeling out a lens camera cone in accordance with a manual operation, and an energizing means for energizing the lens camera cone existing at a reel-out position toward a sinking position is provided in the camera for the purpose of assisting the sinking operation. Further, in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-50503, there is described a camera sinking or reeling out a lens camera cone in accordance with a manual operation, and in the camera described in this publication, in addition to an energizing means for energizing the lens camera cone existing at a reel-out position toward a sinking position, an energizing means for energizing the lens camera cone existing at the sinking position toward the reel-out position is provided for the purpose of assisting the reel-out operation.
However, explaining the camera described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-50503 as an example, in the camera described in this publication, there is a problem that an energizing force is applied in a direction opposite to an operating direction at a time of reeling out the lens camera cone to a portion near a predetermined reel-out position or sinking to a portion near a predetermined sinking position, whereby an operability is deteriorated.
Even if the energizing means described in the publication mentioned above is applied to various types of cameras which sink or reel out the lens camera cone in accordance with a manual operation, in addition to the instant camera, the same problem as that mentioned above is generated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made by taking the above matters into consideration, and an object of the present invention is to provide a camera in which an operability of manually reeling out and manually sinking a lens camera cone.
In order to achieve the object mentioned above, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a camera having a main body portion, and a lens camera cone freely sunk and reeled out in accordance with a manual operation, comprising:
a positioning means for positioning the lens camera cone at a predetermined reel-out position at a time when the lens camera cone is reeled out and positioning the lens camera cone at a predetermined sinking position at a time when the lens camera cone is sunk; and
an energizing means for energizing the lens camera cone toward the reel-out position at a time when the lens camera cone exists in a portion near the reel-out position, and energizing the lens camera cone toward the sinking position at a time when the lens camera cone exists in a portion near the sinking position.
In the camera in accordance with the present invention, on the sake of the energizing means, since the energizing force in the operating direction is applied at a time of reeling out the lens camera cone to the portion near the predetermined reel-out position or sinking the lens camera cone to the portion near the predetermined sinking position, an operability is improved. Further, since the positioning means is provided, it is possible to reel out the lens camera cone to the reel-out position or sink the lens camera cone to the sinking position, whoever manually operates.
Further, in the camera in accordance with the present invention, it is preferable that the energizing means energizes the lens camera cone at each of a plurality of angular positions obtained at a time of separating all the periphery of the lens camera cone into a plurality of sections having a uniform angle.
As mentioned above, since the energizing means energizes the lens camera cone at the angular positions, it is possible to prevent the lens camera cone from being inclined or caught on in the sinking operation or the reel-out operation in accordance with the manual operation, so that an operability is improved.
Further, in the camera in accordance with the present invention, the energizing means may be a toggle spring arranged at each angular position.
Further, in the camera in accordance with the present invention, it is preferable that a bellows for shielding light, connecting the main body portion with the lens camera cone is provided, and the bellows carries out a part of the energizing means so as to establish an operation of energizing the lens camera cone toward the reel-out position at a time when the lens camera cone exists in the portion near the reel-out position.
Since the bellows mentioned above is provided, it is easy to execute the manual reel-out operation so as to improve the operability, and it is possible to obtain a nice photograph.
Further, in the camera in accordance with the present invention, it is preferable that the lens camera cone is provided with a finger-engage portion with which a finger of an operator is engaged at a time of manually reeling out the lens camera cone, in a front end portion thereof.
The finger-engage portion referred here is provided for the purpose that a user can easily reel out the lens camera cone in the reel-out operation of the lens camera cone manually applied from the sinking position, for example, may protrude out in a radial direction of the lens camera cone all around the periphery of the lens camera cone, or may partly protrude, or maybe recessed all around the periphery in a reversed manner, or may be formed as a recess aligned with a finger part of a palm, or may be formed Ad by increasing a frictional resistance. By providing with the finger-engage portion mentioned above, the manual reel-out operation becomes easily executed and the operability is improved.
Further, in the camera in accordance with the present invention, it is preferable that the structure further comprises:
a lens barrier arranged on a front surface of the lens camera cone, opening in correspondence to a reel-out operation of the lens camera cone and closing in correspondence to a sinking operation of the lens camera cone;
a shutter mechanically connected to the main body portion at a time when the lens camera cone is at the reel-out position, connected to the main body portion via a connecting mechanism in which the connection to the main body portion is removed at a time when the lens camera cone is at the sinking position, executing an opening and closing operation on the basis of a drive force transmitted via the connecting mechanism in correspondence to a release operation at a time when the lens camera cone is at the reel-out position, and getting freedom from the transmission of the drive force applied via the connecting mechanism at a time when the lens camera cone is at the sinking position, the shutter being provided in an inner portion of the lens c

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