Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US5337105?dq=patent:6161142
Timestamp: 2015-01-28 07:06:52
Document Index: 7722772

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 9', 'art 11', 'art 9', 'art 9', 'art 11', 'art 9', 'art 11', 'art 9', 'art 11', 'art 9', 'art 11', 'art 9']

Patent US5337105 - Compact camera with automatically extending flip-up flash unit - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsIn a compact camera having a flash unit that is flipped up from the camera box for use and is flipped down towards the camera box for storage, the flash head is automatically extended from the taking lens to substantially avoid "red-eye" when the flash unit is flipped up and is automatically retracted...http://www.google.com/patents/US5337105?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US5337105 - Compact camera with automatically extending flip-up flash unitAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS5337105 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 08/003,032Publication dateAug 9, 1994Filing dateJan 13, 1993Priority dateJan 13, 1993Fee statusLapsedAlso published asEP0606624A1Publication number003032, 08003032, US 5337105 A, US 5337105A, US-A-5337105, US5337105 A, US5337105AInventorsMikhail VaynshteynOriginal AssigneeEastman Kodak CompanyExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (4), Referenced by (6), Classifications (5), Legal Events (5) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetCompact camera with automatically extending flip-up flash unitUS 5337105 AAbstract In a compact camera having a flash unit that is flipped up from the camera box for use and is flipped down towards the camera box for storage, the flash head is automatically extended from the taking lens to substantially avoid "red-eye" when the flash unit is flipped up and is automatically retracted to decrease the size of the flash unit when the flash unit is flipped down.
I claim: 1. A compact camera comprising a camera body, a taking lens, and a pivotally supported electronic flash unit adapted to be flipped up from said camera body to distance said flash unit from said taking lens for flash photography and to be flipped down towards the camera body for storage, is characterized by:means, responsive to said flash unit being flipped up from said camera body, for automatically extending the flash unit from the camera body to distance the flash unit from said taking lens farther than it is distanced from the taking lens when the flash unit is flipped up from the camera body, and, responsive to the flash unit being flipped down towards the camera body, for automatically retracting the flash unit towards the camera body the same amount it was automatically extended. 2. A compact camera as recited in claim 1, wherein said flash unit includes a neck part pivotally connected to said camera body for swinging movement relative to the camera body to flip the flash unit up and down and a flash-emitting head part slidably connected to said neck part for extending and retracting movement relative to the neck part to extend and retract the flash unit when the flash unit is flipped up and down.
3. A compact camera as recited in claim 2, wherein said automatically extending and retracting means includes a spring arranged to urge said head part to extend relative to said neck part and constraining means connected to said camera body and said head part for limiting the amount said spring can urge the head part to extend when said neck part is swung to flip said flash unit up and for retracting the head part said amount when said neck part is swung to flip said flash unit down.
4. A compact camera as recited in claim 3, wherein said constraining means includes a fixed pulley and a flexible wire anchored at one end to said camera body and at another end to said head part for winding at least partly over said pulley to retract the head part when said neck part is swung to flip said flash unit down and for unwinding from over the pulley to allow said spring to urge the head part to extend when the neck part is swung to flip the flash unit up.
5. A compact camera as recited in claim 4, wherein said flexible wire is electrically conductive and is connected to contacts for a battery power supply in order to provide electrical power to said head part for flash photography.
The invention relates generally to the field of photography, and in particular to a compact camera with a pivotally folding flash unit. More specifically, the invention relates to a compact camera having a flash unit that is flipped up from the camera body for use and is flipped down towards the camera body for storage.
Red-eye may be substantially avoided by increasing the separation between the flash unit and the taking lens. As a result, the light emitted from the flash unit will reach the eyes of a person being photographed at too great an angle to be reflected by his or her retinas into the taking lens. In this connection, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,999, issued Jan. 8, 1991, discloses a compact camera having a flash unit that is flipped up from the camera body to distance the flash unit from the taking lens for flash photography and is flipped down against the camera body for storage. The flash unit comprises a neck or supporting part that is pivotally connected to the camera body and an integral flash-emitting head part. When the neck and head parts are flipped up, they are elevated above the top of the camera body. When the neck and head parts are flipped down, .they become integrated with the front of the camera body.
Problem to be Solved by the Invention In prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,999, when the flash unit is flipped up, the distance between the flash-emitting head part of the flash unit and the taking lens is limited by the particular length of the neck part of the flash unit. Also, the combined length of the neck and head parts cannot be greater than the height of the camera body in order to integrate the flash unit with the camera body when the flash unit is flipped down. If the camera body is relatively small, then, when the flash unit is flipped up, the distance between the head part and the taking lens may not be sufficient to substantially avoid red-eye.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, a compact camera comprising a camera body, a taking lens, and a pivotally supported electronic flash unit adapted to be flipped up from the camera body to distance the flash unit from the taking lens for flash photography and to be flipped down towards the camera body for storage, is characterized by:
means, responsive to the flash unit being flipped up from the camera body, for automatically extending the flash unit from the camera body to distance the flash unit from the taking lens farther than it is distanced from the taking lens when the flash unit is flipped up from the camera body, and, responsive to the flash unit being flipped down towards the camera body, for automatically retracting the flash unit towards the camera body the same amount it was automatically extended.
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view, partly in section, of a compact camera with an automatically extending flip-up flash unit according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing the flash unit flipped up from the camera body for use; and
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view, partly in section, similar to FIG. 1, showing the flash unit flipped down for storage.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention is disclosed as being embodied in a compact 35 mm camera having an electronic flash unit. Because such photographic cameras have become generally known as typified by prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,999, this description is directed in particular to camera elements forming part of or cooperating directly with the preferred embodiment. It is to be understood, however, that camera elements not specifically shown or described can take various forms known to persons of ordinary skill in the art.
Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a compact 35 mm camera 1 comprising a camera body 3, a known taking(objective) lens 5, and an electronic flash unit 7 having known flash-producing components (not shown).
The flash unit 7 includes a neck or supporting part 9 and a flash-emitting head part 11 having a flash emission window 13. The neck part 9 is pivotally connected to the camera body 3 via a pivot pin 15 for swinging movement relative to the camera body to flip the flash unit 7 up from the camera body to distance the flash emission window 13 from the taking lens 5 for flash picture-taking as depicted in FIG. 1 and to flip the flash unit down into a front recess 17 in the camera body for storage as depicted in FIG. 2. Although not shown, the neck part 9 has a cavity or opening into which the taking lens 5 protrudes when the flash unit 7 is flipped down into the recess 17. The head part 11 fits over the neck part 9 to allow the head part to be telescopingly extended and retracted with respect to the neck part. Consequently, when the flash unit 7 is flipped up as shown in FIG. 1, the head part 11 can be telescopingly extended from the neck part 9 to distance the flash-emission window 13 from the taking lens 5 farther than it is distanced from the taking lens when the flash unit is simply flipped up from the camera body and, when the flash unit is flipped down as shown in FIG. 2, the head part can be telescopingly retracted towards the neck part to fit the flash unit into the front recess 17 in the camera body.
A helical compression spring 19 is located between the head part 11 and the neck part 9 as shown in FIG. 1 to urge the head part to extend from the neck part. A flexible wire or ribbon 21 has one end anchored to the head part 11 and an opposite end anchored to the camera body 3 for winding half-way over a fixed pulley 23 to retract the head part towards the neck part 9 when the neck part is swung to flip the flash unit 7 down as depicted in FIG. 2 and for unwinding from over the pulley to allow the spring 19 to urge the head part to extend from the neck part when the neck part is swung to flip the flash unit up as depicted in FIG. 1. The wire 21 is electrically conductive and is connected to a battery holder 25, fixed to the camera body 3, in order to provide electrical power to the flash unit 7 for flash picture-taking. As shown in FIG. 1, the battery holder 25 has a pair of opposed contacts 27 intended to touch the respective battery terminals.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS4045808 *Jun 2, 1975Aug 30, 1977King Dwayne LCamera mounted flash extender and power pack thereforUS4710005 *Mar 3, 1986Dec 1, 1987Bennett Robert ECamera flash mountUS4752794 *Sep 28, 1987Jun 21, 1988Bohannon G MichaelCamera and light grip assemblyUS4983999 *Feb 12, 1990Jan 8, 1991Eastman Kodak CompanyCamera with flip-up flash unit* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS5761550 *Feb 20, 1997Jun 2, 1998Kancigor; BarryTelescoping flash unit for a cameraUS5794084 *Jan 22, 1997Aug 11, 1998Canon Kabushiki KaishaCameraUS5854946 *Jul 11, 1997Dec 29, 1998Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.Lens-fitted photo film unit and electronic flash device for use therewithUS5875362 *Dec 28, 1995Feb 23, 1999Eastman Kodak CompanySingle-use flash camera with emergency strobe or continuous illumination enhancementsUS6044227 *Nov 24, 1998Mar 28, 2000Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.Lens-fitted photo film unit and electronic flash device for use therewithUS6999676 *Apr 19, 2004Feb 14, 2006Asia Optical Co., Inc.Operating apparatus for moving a pop-up flash unit from a non-projected position to a projected position on a photographic device* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification396/177International ClassificationG03B15/05, G03B15/03Cooperative ClassificationG03B15/05European ClassificationG03B15/05Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionOct 8, 2002FPExpired due to failure to pay maintenance feeEffective date: 20020809Aug 9, 2002LAPSLapse for failure to pay maintenance feesMar 5, 2002REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedJan 30, 1998FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Jan 13, 1993ASAssignmentOwner name: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, NEW YORKFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:VAYNSHTEYN, MIKHAIL;REEL/FRAME:006397/0471Effective date: 19930104RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services