Camera

• US 20070104477A1
• Filed: 11/09/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Misawa, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,738,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/299
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/04 collapsible, foldable or extensible, e.g. book type
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/65 Control of camera operation in relation to power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method

Abstract

A camera, comprising: a first assembly; a photographic lens equipped on the first assembly; a display section equipped on the first assembly; operation members equipped on the first assembly, and a second assembly movably provided on the first assembly, and being configured to be movable between a first position at which the operation members are covered and a second position at which the operation members are exposed.

Claims

1. A camera, comprising:

a first assembly;

a photographic lens equipped on the first assembly;

a display section equipped on the first assembly;

operation members equipped on the first assembly, and

a second assembly movably provided on the first assembly, and being configured to be movable between a first position at which the operation members are covered and a second position at which the operation members are exposed.

2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the operation members are photography operation members used during photography.

3. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the front face of the photographic lens is covered by the second assembly when the second assembly is at the first position, while

the front face of the photographic lens is exposed when the second assembly is at the second position.

4. The camera according to claim 1, wherein a photography button provided on the first assembly is covered by the second assembly when the second assembly is at the first position, while

the photography button is exposed when the second assembly is at the second position.

5. The camera according to claim 1, wherein image playback operation members to be operated during image playback are provided at a position which will not be covered by the second assembly.

6. The camera according to claim 5, wherein operation contents of the image playback operation members are switched to different contents when the second assembly is at the second position.

7. The camera according to claim 2, wherein the camera mode is switched to an image playback mode when the second assembly moves to the first position, and the camera mode is switched to a photography mode when the second assembly moves to the second position.

8. A camera comprising a first assembly provided with a display section and a second assembly provided with a grip portion, the first assembly and the second assembly attached so as to be mutually slidable and arranged to shorten the horizontal width of the camera when slidingly moved towards each other in a housed mode and lengthen the horizontal width of the camera when slidingly moved away from each other in a deployed mode, the camera further comprising:

a lens section and an operation section which are covered by the second assembly when housed and are exposed when deployed, wherein

the lens section is arranged so as to be exposed to the right side of the first assembly as seen from the front of the camera, and the operation section is arranged so as to be exposed to the grip portion at the right side of the display section on the rear face of the camera, as seen from the rear of the camera, in conjunction with a sliding movement from the housed mode to the deployed mode.

9. A camera comprising a first assembly provided with a display section and a lens section, and a second assembly provided with a grip portion, the first assembly and the second assembly attached so as to be mutually slidable and arranged to shorten the horizontal width of the camera when slidingly moved towards each other in a housed mode and lengthen the horizontal width of the camera when slidingly moved away from each other in a deployed mode, wherein:

when housed, a front face of the lens section is covered by the second assembly, and when deployed, the lens section is exposed and the width of a grip portion at the right side of the display section, as seen from the rear of the camera, is expanded.

10. A camera having a horizontally long display section on a rear face, comprising:

a first assembly provided with a display section and a lens section;

a second assembly provided with a grip portion; and

an operation section including operation switches, provided on a rear face-side of the camera, wherein

the first assembly and the second assembly are attached so as to be mutually slidable,

the lens section is covered by the second assembly when housed, during which the first assembly and the second assembly have been slidingly moved towards each other, and the lens section is exposed to the right side of the first assembly, as seen from the front of the camera, when deployed, during which the first assembly and the second assembly have been slidingly moved away from each other, and

the operation section is covered by the first assembly or the second assembly when housed, and is exposed to a grip portion located at the right side of the camera, as seen from the rear of the camera, when deployed.