Patent ID: 7855778

Claim:
Apparatus for use with a portable handheld laser range finder configured to direct a laser beam toward a scene to measure the distance to a target in the scene and having a range finder display for displaying data, including data that is indicative of the distance to the target, said apparatus comprising: a protective housing configured to receive and retain the range finder; a camera module in said housing, said camera module including a lens mounted in a front end portion of said housing, and a light path through said lens to an image sensor; an image sensor operatively connected to said camera module for receiving an image of a scene acquired by said camera module; electronic memory for selectively storing data of said image of a scene acquired by said image sensor; circuitry for controlling the operation of said image sensor and said memory; a camera display in said housing operatively connected to said image sensor for receiving said image data and providing a visual display of said image of a scene; a projector operatively connected to said housing for projecting said data displayed by the range finder display including indicia identifying the location of the target measured by the range finder onto said image sensor to thereby enable capture of said image data of said scene and displayed distance data together in said memory so that said image of said scene including the location of the target can be displayed together with said distance data on said camera display; and a switch for storing said image data and said distance data in said memory, thereby providing a stored record of the distance to the target that is identified within the image of said scene.