IMAGE PHOTOGRAPHING APPARATUS

• US 20080159731A1
• Filed: 10/02/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Chung, Yeon-moo, KIM, Byeong-su
• Application Number:
  US11/865,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20080159731A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/423
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/00 Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor lens hoods or caps G03B11/04
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/006 with video camera or receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings

Abstract

An image photographing apparatus includes a main body, a first button manipulation unit placed on the main body to be used in a high angle photographing operation, and a second button manipulation unit placed on the main body to be used in a low angle photographing operation.

Claims

1. An image photographing apparatus, comprising:

a main body;

a first button manipulation unit placed on the main body to be used in a high angle photographing operation; and

a second button manipulation unit placed on the main body to be used in a low angle photographing operation.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first button manipulation unit is placed on at least one of an upper surface and a rear surface of the main body.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first button manipulation unit comprises:

a first zoom button to activate a zoom function;

a first still image button to photograph a still image; and

a first motion image button to photograph a motion image.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first zoom button and first still image button are adjacent to each other on the upper surface of the main body.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first motion image button is placed on the rear surface of the main body.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second button manipulation unit is placed on a front surface of the main body.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second button manipulation unit comprises:

a second zoom button to activate a zoom function;

a second still image button to photograph a still image; and

a second motion image button to photograph a motion image.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second button manipulation unit comprises:

a second zoom button to activate a zoom function; and

a still/motion image button to photograph by selectively switching between a still image and a motion image.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a gripping unit placed on the main body.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the gripping unit is rotatably placed on the main body.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the gripping unit comprises:

a rotary plate rotatably placed on a side surface of the main body; and

a gripping band coupled to the rotary plate.

12. An image photographing apparatus to photograph a still image and a motion image, the apparatus comprising:

a main body;

a camera unit mounted in the main body to photograph a subject; and

a gripping unit rotatably placed on a side surface of the main body,

wherein the main body comprises;

first and second still image buttons to photograph a still image;

first and second motion image buttons to photograph a motion image; and

first and second zoom buttons to zoom the subject in or out.

13. An image photographing apparatus comprising:

a main body; and

a camera unit mounted in the main body to photograph a subject,

wherein the main body comprises;

first and second image buttons to photograph an image; and

first and second zoom buttons to zoom the subject in or out.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

the first image button is placed on a rear surface of the main body, and

the second image button is placed on a front surface of the main body.

15. An image photographing apparatus, comprising:

a main body having a camera unit; and

a gripping unit rotatably mounted on the main body to rotate with respect to the main body such that a user can control the camera unit at different angles of the gripping unit with respect to the main body

16. The image photographing apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

operating buttons having same functions disposed at a first location and a second location on the main body with respect to the gripping unit.

17. The image photographing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the user'"'"'s hand inserted in the gripping unit is in one of a first and second positions corresponding to the first and second location, and the buttons at the first and second location having the same function are disposed to be controlled by the same finger of the user'"'"'s hand.

18. An image photographing apparatus, comprising:

a main body having a camera unit;

a gripping unit rotatably mounted on the main body to rotate with respect to the main body and to define at least a first and second position on the main body;

first and second buttons having the same functionality disposed at the first and second positions, respectively,

wherein a user'"'"'s hand inserted in the griping unit can selectively operate one of the first and second buttons without removing his hand from the gripping unit by rotating his hand with the gripping unit.

19. The image photographing apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first and second buttons are disposed within a distance from the gripping unit such that a user'"'"'s hand inserted into the gripping unit controls the buttons.

20. The image photographing apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first and second buttons each comprise at least one of a zoom button, a still image button, and a motion image button.

21. An image photographing apparatus, comprising:

a main body;

a rotatable grip mounted on the main body, to rotate between a first grip position and a second grip position;

a first manipulation button disposed on the main body at a position to correspond with the first grip position; and

a second manipulation button disposed on the main body at a position to correspond with the second grip position.

22. The image photographing apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first and second grip positions correspond to high and low image photographing angles, respectively.

23. The image photographing apparatus of claim 22, wherein:

the first manipulation button comprises;

a first zoom button to activate a zoom function, and

a first photograph button to photograph an image; and

the second manipulation button comprises;

a second zoom button to activate a zoom function, and

a second photograph button to photograph an image.

24. The image photographing apparatus of claim 23, wherein each of the first and second photograph buttons comprises a still image button to photograph a still image and a motion image button to photograph a motion image.

25. The image photographing apparatus of claim 23, wherein each of the first and second photograph buttons can be set to photograph one of a still image and a motion image.