Photography – Having operator controlled data entry into camera – Manual manipulators on camera body unit
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-10
2003-11-18
Perkey, W. B. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Having operator controlled data entry into camera
Manual manipulators on camera body unit
C396S535000, C396S543000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06650835
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a photographing device, recording medium, program, camera and camera production method.
An operation button arranged on a photographing device such as a silver halide camera, or digital camera is made to fixedly correspond to a control sequence by which a predetermined function of the photographing device is conducted, and when a certain button is pressed down, the photographing device conducts a predetermined function according to the corresponding control sequence. For example, in the photographing device
1
shown in
FIG. 1
, an operation button S
1
is a power button, operation button S
2
is a release button, operation button S
3
is a zoom button on a tele side, operation button S
4
is a zoom button on a wide side, and when the operation button S
4
is pressed down, the camera conducts the zooming to the wide side.
Conventionally, for the operation button, the function corresponding to the operation of the operation button is fixedly set by the internal structure and program of the photographing device. Therefore, for example, in the photographing device shown in
FIG. 1
, when a type of a camera in which the operation button S
1
is the tele side zoom button, operation button S
2
is the wide side release button, operation button S
3
is the power button, and operation button S
4
is the release button, is produced, the internal structure and program are individually designed and produced corresponding to that.
Further, there is a kind of a camera in the photographing device in which, when a predetermined operation button is pressed down, the power source is turned on/off, or a kind of camera in which, by the opening/closing of a slide type lens barrier, the power source is turned on/off, however, even in a case where these photographing devices are produced, respectively proper internal structure and program are designed and produced.
However, in the case where a plurality of kinds of cameras are produced by changing the function which is conducted when a certain operation button is operated, or the power source switching method, when the internal structure and program are newly designed for each kind of camera and the production process is provided separately, there are problems that the cost is increased, and the production process or inventory control becomes complex. Further, in order to satisfy the diversification of the user needs and decrease of the cost, the various developments are made conventionally.
In order to provide the lineup of the various products at low cost, a method of common using of the parts among many kinds of products is used. In the method of commonly using the parts, the parts of the range which can commonly use among products, are commonly used, and in order to make the difference in the function, by producing only parts which can not be commonly used, for each product, the part cost and assembling cost can be reduced.
However, there is a limit in the cost reduction depending on such the common using of the parts.
That is, for the part which can not be commonly used, it is necessary that the metallic die is made for each part, and further, the assembling process is necessary for each different part, and the increase of cost is inevitable. Further, it is necessary that a different control section is provided for each function, and it results in a factor to hinder the cost reduction.
Further, the diversification of the user needs advances, and there is a tendency that the variation of the individual level is requested, and there is a tendency that the quick response to the changing needs is requested. When the different parts for each need are newly used and respond to such the needs, it is not only necessary that the metallic die is newly produced for each need, but it is also necessary that the production process is made different for each need, and there are many cases that the quick response is difficult, and the cost is increased.
The first object of the present invention is, in the photographing device, that the function of the operation button or the power source switching method can be set without changing the internal structure and program.
The second object of the present invention is to provide a camera and a production method of the camera, wherein both of the low cost and quick response are satisfied to the diversification of the needs of the consumer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Structures of the present invention to solve the above problems are:
(1). A photographing device comprising: an operation member to be operated by an external operation; a memory device for memorizing a plurality of control sequences to be conducted according to an operation of the operation member; a setting device for setting a requested control sequence among the plurality of control sequences by correlating the requested control sequence with the control sequence to be controlled by the operation of the operation member; and a control sequence execution device for executing the requested control sequence set by the setting means, according to the operation of the operation member.
(5). A computer program product, comprising a program to realize the following functions by a computer to control a photographing apparatus having an operation member to be operated by an external operation: a function to memorize, in a memory device, plural control sequences to be conducted according to an operation of the operation member; a function to set a requested control sequence in the plural control sequences by correlating the requested control sequences with a control sequence to be controlled by the operation of the operation member; and a function to execute the requested control sequence according to the operation of the operation member.
According to the photographing device of (1) and the program described in (5), a plurality of the control sequences to be conducted according to the operation of the operation member are stored in the memory device, and a predetermined control sequence in the stored plurality of control sequences is set by correlating with the control sequence to be controlled by the operation of the operation member, and when the predetermined operation member is operated, the set control sequence is conducted. Accordingly, without changing the internal structure or program, the control sequence to be conducted corresponding to the operation of the operation member can be easily set. As the result, in the production process, by using the common internal structure or program, plural kinds of photographing devices whose operability is different, can be easily produced, and the simplification of the production process and the inventory control, and the reduction of the cost due to the mass production effect can be realized.
The structure of (
2
) further has a renewal means for renewing the content of setting in the setting device of the structure (
1
).
According to (
2
), the setting of the control sequence controlled by the operation of the operation member can be renewed. Accordingly, the specification change according to the function of the operation member can be easily conducted in the photogrgaphing device.
The structure (
3
) is the photographing device of the structure of (
1
) or (
2
), wherein the operation member comprises an operation button or a mechanical element being able to change a state by a predetermined operation; the memory device memorizes a first control sequence to detect an operation of the operation button, and the second control sequence to detect a state change of the mechanical element by the predetermined operation; the setting device effectively sets any one of the first control sequence or the second control sequence; the control sequence execution device executes the effectively set control sequence in the first control sequence or the second control sequence; and the photographing apparatus switches ON/OFF of a power source for the photographing apparatus according to a detection of the operation of the operation button or a detection of the state
Horiuchi Hiroyuki
Katagiri Yoshito
Uesaka Takeshi
Yamauchi Nobuhiro
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Konica Corporation
Perkey W. B.
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