Abstract:
A camera carrier is provided. The camera carrier includes a camera receptacle and an attachment system for mounting the receptacle to a person. The receptacle includes a member forming a lens receiving chamber sized and shaped to receive the lens of a camera therein with the lens being in a generally vertical position and pointing generally downward. The camera body limits the movement of the camera lens into the chamber. A retainer is provided to releaseably retain the camera mounted to the carrier and the lens within the chamber.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
       [0001]     Carriers for cameras are well known in the art. Generally they take one of three forms, bags, shoulder straps and chest harnesses. The first form is a camera bag usually having a shoulder strap for carrying the bag and the contents in the bag. Such bags generally have various compartments for camera components and the camera and will have a top that is closeable, for example, with a zipper. Such bags are generally well designed and effective for their intended purpose, i.e., carrying a camera, film and accessories. However, in order to use the camera the bag must be opened, the camera removed, used and rebagged. While the camera case is open, items contained within the bag can be lost or spilled. Further, camera bags tend to be larger than needed for just the camera and are relatively expensive.  
         [0002]     Two other means for carrying cameras have been provided and are well known in the industry. Those include shoulder straps and chest harness arrangements. Shoulder straps, while good, permit the cameras to move freely limited only by the strap and the photographers body. Straps allow bouncing and swinging of the camera and some discomfort and inconvenience during carrying. Further, by the camera being substantially unrestrained, the camera may also bang into objects and become damaged. With a long or telephoto lens, cameras carried on a strap have a tendency to point downwardly because of the camera&#39;s center of gravity. Carrying a camera with a shoulder strap can also result in the camera falling from ones shoulder or provide an opportunity for the camera to be easily stolen. To alleviate some of the aforementioned problems, shoulder straps have been provided with a waist belt arrangement to help secure the camera in place during carrying, however this requires a release from the waist belt to make the camera ready to use. Chest harnesses are well known in the industry for carrying a camera in a position in front of ones upper torso. The chest harness can position the camera adjacent ones chest or abdomen. Such an arrangement normally carries the camera in a lens forward position exposing the lens to damage from bumping or falling of the user.  
         [0003]     While each of the above described camera carrying devices have their benefits and are generally effective, they do have drawbacks, particularly when they are used to carry a camera with a long lens, such as a telephoto lens that projects from the front of the camera body to any extent. A typical camera carried by the aforementioned devices is a 35 mm SLR (single lens reflex) camera. 35 mm cameras tend to have a body and a removable lens. Typically lenses project 1½ to 6 inches from the front of the camera and even more for high magnification and first lens cameras with some lens being over a foot in length. There is thus a need for an improved camera carrying device, particularly for those cameras having a long front lens but is also useable with cameras having short to medium length lenses.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0004]     The present invention involves the provision of a camera carrying device including an attachment system for securing a camera receptacle to a person preferably allowing the receptacle and contained camera to be moved to various positions on a person. The attachment system may include a waist belt sleeve forming member for attaching a backing and receptacle to the waist belt. The lens of the camera may be inserted into an interior chamber of the receptacle and have the camera body rest on a stop. The receptacle forming member may be constructed to provide a fixed size chamber interior or an adjustable size interior. A retainer may be provided to releaseably retain a camera with the lens received in the chamber. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0005]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a camera carrying device with a camera being carried thereby.  
         [0006]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the camera carrying device without a camera.  
         [0007]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the camera carrying device of  FIGS. 1 and 2  showing portions of the carrying device separated to better illustrate detail.  
         [0008]      FIG. 4  is a back elevation view of the camera carrying device of  FIGS. 1-3 .  
         [0009]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a modified form of camera carrying device.  
         [0010]      FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the camera carrying device of  FIG. 5 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 7  is a back elevation view of the carrying device of  FIGS. 5, 6 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a modified form of camera retaining device usable in either of the forms of the camera carrying device of  FIGS. 1-7 . 
     
    
       [0013]     Like numbers throughout the drawings designate like or similar parts as are more fully described in the below description of the invention.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]     As seen in  FIG. 1 , a camera  1  is releasably carried by a carrier device designated generally  3 . The carrier  3  is comprised generally of an attachment system  5  and a camera receptacle designated generally  7  (and denoted  7 A in the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-4 ) mounted to the attachment system. The receptacle  7  is shown as including a backing  9  secured to a receptacle forming member or device  11  forming a chamber  12  for receipt of a portion of the camera  1 , such as a lens  13 , therein. A retainer device, designated generally  15 , is provided for releaseably retaining or securing the camera  1  in carrying relationship to the receptacle  7 . As seen, it is preferred that the camera  1  be carried in a lens down, body  14  up position with the camera having at least the portion  16  thereof exposed to assist in its retrieval or removal from the carrier device  3  with a simple move preferably in a single direction. Preferably the body  14  is in an upper position relative to the lens  13  whereby when removed, the users hands will be in a position for activating the camera, i.e., either its film drive, shutter release or other camera controls being at the ready without significant further manipulation or reorientation of the camera relative to the users hands.  
         [0015]     The attachment system  5  includes a waist belt  17  comprising a strap  21  having an adjustable length and a buckle device  22 . The buckle  22  is preferably of a quick release type as is well known in the art. Such buckles come in various forms including side release and front release, either being appropriate. The length of the strap  21  may be adjusted at the buckle  22  as is well known in the art. Preferably the strap  21  is of a webbing type material and can be on the order of 1 to 3 inches in width and preferably has a thickness on the order of about 0.03 to about 0.10 inches. Such a thickness and width will help prevent the strap  21  from curling under the weight of the camera  1  and receptacle  7 . The strap  21  is preferably made of woven fibers, either natural or polymeric. Polymers such as nylon are preferred. It is to be understood that the strap  21  may be used as a shoulder strap preferably worn bandoleer style.  
         [0016]     The carrier  3  includes backing  9  which cooperates with the strap  21  to help form the attachment system  5 . Preferably the backing  9  is also made of web material having a width equal to or exceeding that of the width of the strap  21 . On the back face  25  of the backing  9 , belt loops  27  may be provided for attaching the receptacle  7  to the strap  21 . Other means of mounting the receptacle  7  to the strap  21  can be provided. Such are well known in the art. For example, metallic clips can be used. It is preferred that the attachment or mounting of the receptacle  7  to the strap  21  be such that the position of the receptacle  7  relative to the strap  21  may be changed along the length of the strap  21  for convenience of the wearer of the carrier device  3 . Thus, the receptacle  7  may be positioned at any position about a person”s waist area relative to the buckle  22  which will normally be worn at the front of the person. The belt loops  27  may be in the form of loops formed by a sewing fabric such as webbing material, as described above, to the backing  9 . The loops  27  with the backing  9  form sleeves with through holes  29  for receipt of the strap  21  therethrough. The strap  21  overlies the back surface  25  between the inside edges of the belt loops  27  and is unattached to provide access to the surface  25  for a purpose later described.  
         [0017]     Two forms of receptacle  7  are illustrated in the Figures. Those being designated as  7 A and  7 B for convenience. The form of receptacle  7 A ( FIGS. 1-4 ) provides an adjustable size chamber  12  while the receptacle  7 B ( FIGS. 5-7 ) provides a non-adjustable size chamber.  
         [0018]     The receptacle  7 A provides for an adjustable size chamber  12 . The receptacle  7 A is formed by the member  11  that is secured to the backing  9  and being spaced therefrom forming a loop to define an interior chamber  12  between the inner surface of the member  11  and the inside surface  30  of the backing  9 . The member  11 , as seen, is comprised of a pair of members  32 ,  33  each of which is attached to the backing  9  as by sewing at  35 ,  36  respectively. Other means of attaching the members  32 ,  33  to the backing  9  may be utilized such as adhesion, welding and mechanical fasteners. Additionally, and for example, the attachment of the member  32  or  33  at  35  or  36  respectively could be through the use of hook and loop type fastening members, instead of stitching. The use of hook and loop fastener members would allow for further size adjustment of the chamber  12  if desired. However, it is preferred that permanent attachment of the members  32 ,  33  to the backing  9  be utilized as opposed to a releasable attachment. The length of the member  11  is longer than the length of the backing  9  between the areas  35 ,  36  of attachment between the member  11  and backing  9  for forming the chamber  12 . The members  32 ,  33  have overlapping portions  37 ,  38  respectively facing one another. The portions  37 ,  38  have adjacent surfaces  41 ,  42  respectively. A securement device is provided to secure or attach the portions  37 ,  38  together in a selectively releasable manner. In the illustrated structure the securement device includes hook and loop fastener members  45 ,  46 , respectively ( FIG. 3 ) with one member being a hook member and the other member being a loop member which provides for the releasable securement of the portions  37  and  38  together while providing connection to one another at various relative positions to provide for adjustment of the size of the chamber  12 . Hook and loop fasteners are well known in the art with some being available under the brand Velcro®. The hook and loop members  45 ,  46  may be suitably secured to the members  37 ,  38  as by stitching. Adhesive securement may also be used if desired. It is preferred that the chamber  12  be sized to provide a relatively snug fit of the lens of the camera therein but the size and fit may be changed to accommodate personal preference. The body of the camera provides a shoulder  47  which will rest on the top edges of  48 ,  49 ,  50  the backing  9  and members  32 ,  33 , respectively, providing a stop to prevent the camera  1  from falling through the chamber  12 .  
         [0019]     A retainer  15  is provided to releaseably retain the camera  1  with its lens  13  mounted to the carrier  3  and the lens at least partially within the chamber  12 . The retainer  15  can be in the form of a selectively releasable strap device  51 . In the illustrated embodiment, a securement device  55  such as a hook or loop member is secured to the back surface  25  of the backing  9 . Selective release may be provided for by the use of interengageable hook and loop fastener members. A securement device  57  such as a hook or loop member can be secured to the outer surface  59  of the member  32 . The strap device  51  will have adjacent its free ends corresponding fastener members  61  such as hook and loop members which are interengageable with the hook or loop members  55 ,  57  to releaseably retain the strap device  51  to the receptacle forming member  11  and the backing  9  bridging across the top open end  62  of the chamber  12  and engageable with the body  14  of the camera  1  to retain at least a portion of the camera lens  13  within the chamber  12 . By the use of hook and loop fasteners, the strap  51  may be easily released at one or both ends allowing removal of the camera at one or both ends and can also provide for adjustability of the length of the strap  51  bridging between the backing  9  and member  32 . The strap device  51  may also be provided with two strap portions  51 A,  51 B connected together also with releasable fasteners  66  such as hook and loop fastener members. While hook and loop fasteners are a particularly useful fastening device, they do however pose the potential of a noise problem in order to effect release of the camera  1  from the carrier device  3 . This may be obviated by the use of a buckle  67  shown in phantom in  FIG. 8 , which buckle is preferably of the quick release type. Such buckles are typically of the side release or center release type and can be released with little, if any, noise.  
         [0020]     As best seen in  FIGS. 1, 2 , a combination lens protector/camera stop designated generally  68  may also be provided. Such a device can be in the form of a strap member  69  utilizing releasable fasteners  70  such as hook and loop fastener devices for securement to the hook or loop member  57  having a cover device  73  secured thereto which when the lens is inserted will preferably cover the entirety of the exposed lens optical elements. The protector/stop  68  may be adjustable in length through adjustment of the position of the hook and loop members  70  and on the member  57  and may also include a plurality of strap portions joined together by hook and loop members (not shown). Alternatively, the protector/stop  68  may have one end attached to a hook or loop member  57  and the other end attached to the hook or loop member  45 .  
         [0021]     As best seen in  FIGS. 1, 2 , a securement safety device, designated generally  71 , is shown. The safety device  71  is provided to help ensure that the interconnected fasteners  45 ,  46  and  61 ,  57  remain attached. As shown, the securement device  71  includes a strap  72  having a one or more releasable fasteners  74  such as a hook or loop member on one face thereof for securement to the attachment members  45 ,  57 . The strap  72 , as illustrated, bridges across the free end  75  and may also be in overlying relationship to a portion of the strap  51 B at its area of attachment to the fastening member  57 . The use of the securement device  71  also helps ensure that the strap  51  stays attached to the member  57 .  
         [0022]      FIGS. 5-7  show a modified form of the camera carrier device. The modified form of carrier is designated generally as  103 . The modified carrier device  103  includes an attachment system  5 , retainer  15  and a backing  9  as described above. The attachment system  5  includes a waist belt  17  comprising a strap  21  and buckle  22 . Belt loops  27  are provided on the backing  9  for attaching the belt  16  to the backing  9  as described above. A securement device  57 , as described above, may also be provided on the outside face of the backing  9 . The carrier  103  differs from the carrier  3  in that the receptacle forming member  111  is non adjustable and is preferably made of a single piece of material with the size or perimeter length of the chamber  112  not being adjustable as through the use of a two piece member as described above. The chamber  112  is formed by the securement of the member  111  to the backing  9 . The securement can be by the permanent attachment of at least one portion of the member  111  to the backing  9  as by sewing at  135 ,  136 . Alternately, and by way of example, the attachment at  136  of the member  111  to the backing  9  can be through the use of a releasable means such as a set of hook and loop fastener members, removable lacing, etc. A camera  1  and its lens  13  are releasably mounted to the carrier  103  by a retainer  15  as described above. The retainer  51  can be releaseably secured to a hook and loop fastener member or other suitable securement device  61  and to a securement device  57  also as described above. A securement safety device  71 , as described above may also be provided.  
         [0023]     Thus, there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novel camera carrier. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present constructions will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.