Camera

Details Camera Camera

1998-11-16

2002-02-19

Mahoney, Christopher E. (Department: 2851)

Photography

Camera detail

Body structure or housing

C396S539000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06349179

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement on the layout of internal structural arrangement of a camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
The layout of internal structural arrangement of conventional cameras has been either as shown in
FIG. 14
or in FIGS.
15
(
a
) and
15
(
b
).
FIG. 14
shows a case where a battery
201
is stowed below an aperture part
209
between a spool chamber
205
and a film cartridge chamber
204
. FIGS.
15
(
a
) and
15
(
b
) show another case where the battery
201
and the main capacitor
206
of a flash device are stowed in a grip part of the camera.
However, the layout of the camera having the battery
201
stowed below the aperture part
209
as shown in
FIG. 14
necessitates not only a contact piece
203
and a movable contact piece
202
for contact with electrodes of the battery
201
but also arranging the length A of the opening of a battery chamber to be sufficiently longer than the length C of the battery
201
to facilitate taking out the battery
201
. A distance B necessary for these requirements thus increases to a considerable extent. As a result, the width X of the whole camera inevitably increases. Further, since a dimension Y from a photo-taking optical axis to the bottom surface of the camera is determined by the sum of the diameter of the battery
201
and the opening dimension of the aperture part
209
, not only the height of the camera increases but also an unnecessary space increases. As a result, the size of the camera unnecessarily becomes larger.
Further, in the case of the layout as shown in FIGS.
15
(
a
) and
15
(
b
), since the battery
201
and the main capacitor
206
are stowed further on the outer side than the film cartridge chamber
204
, the width E of the camera much increases although its height H decreases. As a result, the camera would inconveniently run out in part from a pocket or the like when carrying the camera.
Besides, the height D of the camera becomes too small for keeping a firm hold of the camera in a picture-taking posture because of a space left between the palm of the hand and the camera body, while the width E of the camera is long to make a distance between a photo-taking lens
207
and a release button
208
also long. Therefore, when the release button
208
is operated, the camera tends to turn a little on its grip part to increase a camera shake.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one aspect of this invention to provide a camera which can be arranged in a compact apposite shape without bringing about any unnecessary space. To attain this aspect, the camera according to this invention comprises a cartridge chamber, a spool chamber, and a battery chamber located on the side of at least one of the cartridge chamber and the spool chamber with respect to an optical axis of a photo-taking optical unit disposed between the cartridge chamber and the spool chamber, and at least one of above and below at least one of the cartridge chamber and the spool chamber.
The above and other aspects and features of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2295071 (1942-09-01), Ansley
patent: 2989906 (1961-06-01), Rentschler
patent: 3049611 (1962-08-01), Kluge
patent: 4148573 (1979-04-01), Yamanaka
patent: 4455074 (1984-06-01), Wong et al.
patent: 4519687 (1985-05-01), Kuge
patent: 4557574 (1985-12-01), Kohno et al.
patent: 4601562 (1986-07-01), Yoneyama et al.
patent: 4733265 (1988-03-01), Haraguchi et al.
patent: 5001505 (1991-03-01), Tosaka et al.
patent: 5555052 (1996-09-01), Pearson
patent: 5615394 (1997-03-01), Albrecht
patent: 5659803 (1997-08-01), Takagi et al.
patent: 5669027 (1997-09-01), Katano et al.
patent: 5752119 (1998-05-01), Miyamoto et al.
patent: 5870645 (1999-02-01), Tanbara et al.
patent: 6061531 (2000-05-01), Yamaguchi
patent: 6081666 (2000-06-01), Zawodny et al.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Camera does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Camera, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Camera will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2950733