Abstract:
A compact camera comprises a flash unit and a viewfinder airspace. The flash unit and viewfinder airspace are relatively sized to fit the flash unit into the viewfinder airspace for storage purposes.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION 
     Reference is made to commonly assigned copending application Ser. No. 07/637855, entitled PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA WITH COLLAPSIBLE OPTICAL DEVICE, and filed Jan. 7, 1991 in the name of Samuel F. Swayze. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates generally to the field of photography, and in particular to photographic cameras. More specifically, the invention relates to a compact camera with a deployable or extendable flash unit. 
     Description of the Art 
     Nowadays it is an important objective in designing cameras to provide one that is relatively compact or miniaturized. Toward this end there has been designed various cameras with one or more collapsible or foldable functional components. For example, U.S. Pats. No. 4,589,747, issued May 20, 1986, and 4,299,465, issued Nov. 10, 1981, each disclose a compact camera having an electronic flash unit that is supported for movement between a storage or non-firing position integrated substantially with the camera body and an operative or firing position extended substantially from the camera body. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,414, issued Aug. 22, 1972, discloses a compact camera having a viewfinder sleeve that is supported for movement between a storage or retracted position encasing one end portion of the camera body and an operative or viewing position extended from that end portion of the camera body. 
     PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION 
     To-date, many camera designs continue to leave room for improvement with respect to compactness. For example, the typical camera viewfinder usually occupies a significant amount of volume within the camera body. However, the volume is mostly empty; that is, it serves as the viewfinder airspace. 
     THE CROSS-REFERENCED APPLICATION 
     The cross-referenced application discloses a compact camera wherein a viewfinder module can be collapsed into an IR receiver module by interspersing spaced optical elements of the first module between spaced optical elements of the second module. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the invention, a compact camera comprising a flash unit, conveyance means supporting the flash unit for movement to separate storage and operative positions, and a viewfinder airspace, is characterized in that: 
     said flash unit and said viewfinder airspace are relatively sized to fit the flash unit into the viewfinder airspace; and 
     said conveyance means is adapted to support the flash unit for movement into the viewfinder airspace to locate the flash unit in its storage position and for movement out of the viewfinder airspace to locate the flash unit in its operative position. More specifically, the conveyance means is adapted to support a viewfinder window for movement to an operative position in alignment with the viewfinder airspace as the flash unit is moved to its operative position and to a storage position out of alignment with the viewfinder airspace as the flash unit is moved to its storage position. 
     This arrangement has been found to provide a camera design with improved compactness as compared to prior art cameras. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front exploded perspective view of a compact camera according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the compact camera shown with a flash unit and a viewfinder window in respective operative positions; 
     FIG. 3 is an end view of the compact camera as shown in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the compact camera shown with the flash unit and the viewfinder window in respective storage positions; and 
     FIG. 5 is an end view of the compact camera as shown in FIG. 4. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The invention is disclosed as being embodied preferably in a compact 35 mm still camera. Because the features of this type of camera are well known, the description which follows is directed in particular to those elements forming part of or cooperating directly with the preferred embodiment. It is to be understood, however, that other elements not shown or described may take various forms known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. 
     Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-5 illustrate a compact camera 1 having a camera body or housing 3. The camera body 3 includes a front face 5 having a front cut-out 7 and a lens opening 9 holding a conventional taking lens 11, a rear face 13 having a rear cut-out 15 similar in shape to the front cut-out, a top face 17, and a tunnel-like viewfinder airspace 19 having an ingress/egress (access) opening 21 that opens to the top face. Conveyance means in the form of a sleeve 23 includes a front face 25 having an integral lens cover 26 for the taking lens 11 and the lens opening 9, a front viewfinder window 27 holding a front viewfinder lens 29 and a flash emission window 31 for a conventional electronic flash unit 33 comprising a flash tube 35, a flash reflector 37, and flash electronics 39, a rear face 41 similar in shape to the front face and having a rear viewfinder window 43 holding a rear viewfinder lens 45, and a top face 47. The front and rear viewfinder windows 27 and 43 need not include the front and rear viewfinder lenses 29 and 45. As can be appreciated by looking at FIG. 1, the front and rear faces 25 and 41 of the sleeve 23 reside in the front and rear cut-outs 7 and 15 in the front and rear faces 5 and 13 of the camera body 3 to permit up and down movement in FIGS. 2,3 and 4,5 of the sleeve relative to the camera body. Specifically, the sleeve 23 supports the flash unit 33 and the front and rear viewfinder windows 27 and 43 for coordinated movement of the flash unit into the viewfinder airspace 19 through the ingress/egress opening 21 to locate the flash unit in a storage position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and of the front and rear viewfinder windows out of alignment with the viewfinder airspace to locate the viewfinder windows in a storage position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and for coordinated movement of the flash unit out of the viewfinder airspace through the ingress/egress opening to locate the flash unit in an operative position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and of the viewfinder windows into alignment with the viewfinder airspace to locate the viewfinder windows in an operative position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. When the flash unit 33 and the front and rear viewfinder windows 27 and 43 are in their respective storage positions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the top face 47 of the sleeve 23 is located in conformity with the top face 17 of the camera body 3 to integrate the flash unit substantially with the camera body, and the lens cover 26 is located in covering relationship with the lens opening 9 and the taking lens 11. Conversely, when the flash unit 33 and the front and rear viewfinder windows 27 and 43 are in their respective operative positions shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the flash emission window 31 is elevated above the top face 17 of the camera body 3 and the lens cover 26 is removed from covering relationship with the lens opening 9 and the taking lens 11. 
     A first pair of locking projections 49 are formed on the front face 5 of the camera body 3 within the front cut-out 7 to be received in a corresponding pair of cavities 51 formed in the reverse side of the front face 25 of the sleeve 23 to releasably lock the sleeve with the flash unit 33 and the front and rear viewfinder windows 27 and 43 in their respective operative positions shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. A second pair of locking projections 53 are formed on the front face 5 of the camera body 3 within the front cut-out 7 to be received in a corresponding pair of cavities 55 formed in the reverse side of the front face 25 of the sleeve 23 to releasably lock the sleeve with the flash unit 33 and the front and rear viewfinder windows 27 and 43 in their respective storage positions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Similar pairs of projections and cavities may be located at the rear face 13 of the camera body 3 within the rear cut-out 15 and at the reverse side of the rear face 41 of the sleeve 23. 
     The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, it will be appreciated that various modifications can be effected within the ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.