Photography – Disposable or recyclable camera
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-01
2002-09-10
Gray, David M. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Disposable or recyclable camera
C396S073000, C396S379000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06449430
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens-fitted photo film unit and an assembling method for the same, and more particularly, relates to a lens-fitted photo film unit having plural taking lenses selectively set on a photographic optical axis according to each of plural modes, and a viewfinder with which a photographic object can be checked differently between the modes, and an assembling method for the same.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
A lens-fitted photo film unit is known as a single-use camera having a simple structure for taking an exposure and pre-loaded with a photo film cassette. The lens-fitted photo film unit includes a housing and an outer belt or casing. The housing accommodates the photo film cassette. The outer belt covers the housing at least partially, and provided with information and decorative patterns. The housing accommodates a taking lens, shutter mechanism, photo film winder mechanism and the like.
There is a type of the lens-fitted photo film unit having two taking lenses disposed in a lens holder. The taking lenses have different focal lengths. A selected one of the taking lenses is set in a photographic light path by rotating the lens holder according to intention of a user. Thus, one of standard photography and a photography of a specialized mode can be selected.
JP-B 2657104 discloses the lens-fitted photo film unit of an example having a macro lens included in the taking lenses for the close-up photography, and a normal lens included in the taking lenses for the standard photography. When an externally operable member is operated, the lens holder is rotated to set either one of the macro lens and the normal lens in the photographic light path. It is possible to select one of the standard photography and the close-up photography to take an exposure.
JP-A 07-134370 discloses the lens-fitted photo film unit of an example including a first of the taking lenses for the standard photography and a second of the taking lenses having a smaller focal length for panoramic photography. When the externally operable member is operated, the lens holder is rotated to set either one of the taking lenses in the photographic light path. It is possible to select one of the standard photography and the panoramic photography to take an exposure.
In the lens-fitted photo film unit, a viewfinder has a light path positioned differently from the photographic light path. When the taking lenses are changed over, a viewfinder field region must be changed over at the same time according to an angle of frame.
In JP-B 2657104, the viewfinder field region is determined according to a photographing region of the normal lens. There is a target mark, printed on a movable member, and inserted into the viewfinder field region upon setting of the macro lens, for compensating for the parallax.
In JP-A 07-134370, a frame mark for the viewfinder field region is printed according to the photographing region of the taking lens for the standard photography. At the time of the panoramic photography, the panoramic frame mark is inserted in the light path of the viewfinder in response to rotation of the lens holder. The viewfinder field region of the viewfinder is limited panoramically.
However, the target mark and the field region mark have shortcomings in that errors are likely to occur because their visible position are shifted if a user's eye shifts. Furthermore in the field frame mark, there is no change in the size of an object image viewed through the viewfinder even though the size of the object image to be recorded in the photo film is changed by a change of the focal length of the selected taking lens. It is impossible to check the size of the object image visually before an exposure.
It is possible to conceive the lens-fitted photo film unit changeable between the standard photography and telephotography by combining the taking lens having a long focal length. However, the taking lens having the long focal length must be in a position offset forwards from the taking lens having a short focal length. To obtain a space for shifting the taking lens with the long focal length, a lens barrel should have a shape projecting forwards. Alternatively, a projecting portion should be formed with a part of a front cover including the lens barrel.
In
FIG. 11
, a known lens-fitted photo film unit
140
is changeable between two taking lenses having respective focal lengths. A housing
141
of the lens-fitted photo film unit
140
includes a photo film cassette, a shutter mechanism, and the like. An outer belt
143
is wound about the housing
141
and attached to its front. A front cover
142
is one of outer covers included in the housing
141
, and provided with a projecting portion
144
, in which a space is kept for accommodating the two taking lenses. The projecting portion
144
has a surface curved in a manner of a quadratic curved surface. The outer belt
143
is wound about the center of the housing
141
in covering the front of the projecting portion
144
.
However, a projecting amount of the projecting portion
144
increases according to an increase in the focal length of the taking lens. This results in enlarging the whole size of the lens-fitted photo film unit.
If a front surface of the projecting portion
144
is formed as a cubic curved surface for a design, looseness occurs in the outer belt, which cannot be attached neatly. There is no further variety in modifying the front surface of the projecting portion
144
than quadratic curved surfaces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a lens-fitted photo film unit having plural taking lenses selectively set on a photographic optical axis according to each of plural modes, and a viewfinder with which a photographic object can be checked differently between the modes, and an assembling method for the same.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lens-fitted photo film unit in which one of plural taking lenses have a long focal length and can be accommodated even in a compact space in an projecting portion of a body, and an assembling method for the same.
In order to achieve the above and other objects and advantages of this invention, a lens-fitted photo film unit is pre-loaded with photo film, and includes first and second taking lenses arranged in an arranging direction crosswise to a photographic optical axis, and having focal lengths different from each other. A movable lens holder supports the first and second taking lenses. An externally operable member is operable by external operation, for moving the lens holder in the arranging direction, to set the first and second taking lenses selectively on the photographic optical axis. A viewfinder optical system is settable at first and second viewfinder magnifications, and adapted to observation of a photographic field. A magnification changer mechanism is shifted in response to movement of the lens holder, for setting the viewfinder optical system at the first and second viewfinder magnifications respectively when the first and second taking lenses are set on the photographic optical axis.
The viewfinder optical system includes an objective lens, an eyepiece lens and a movable lens disposed therebetween. The magnification changer mechanism moves the movable lens along a viewfinder optical axis.
Furthermore, a front cover covers a front of the lens holder. A slot is formed in the front cover. The externally operable member is movable through the slot by external operation.
The lens holder, when in the first position, sets the first taking lens on the photographic optical axis, and when in the second position, sets the second taking lens on the photographic optical axis. Furthermore, a holder stopper mechanism prevents the lens holder from moving out of an orbit between the first and second positions.
The lens holder is rotatable about a rotational center thereof, the rotational center is disposed under the photographic optical ax
Kameyama Nobuyuki
Kondo Shozo
Tasaka Hisashi
Blackman Rochelle
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Gray David M.
Young & Thompson
LandOfFree
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