CAMERA, CAMERA SYSTEM, AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A camera system adapted for displaying images of a mouth or other cavity of a human or other animal, said camera comprising:
- (a) a wand adapted to be hand-held and portable and at least of portion of which is adapted to be inserted into the cavity, said wand includinga lens adapted to receive light from the cavity and to transmit the received light; and
a camera sensor adapted to receive light transmitted through said lens in the form of an image and to transform the image received thereon into a corresponding electronic signal;
(b) a display adapted to be hand-held and portable, said display including;
a display screen adapted to be viewed by a user of the camera system; and
a controller operatively coupled to said camera sensor and to said display screen and adapted to receive said electronic signal from said camera sensor and to transform said electronic signal such that the image received on said camera sensor is recreated on said display screen;
(c) means for transmitting said electronic signal from said camera sensor to said controller;
(d) a source of electric power adapted to be operatively connected to at least one of said camera sensor and said controller; and
(e) means for operatively disconnecting said electric power source from at least one of said camera sensor and said controller such that an image received on said camera sensor is not recreated on said display screen, said disconnecting means responsive to a preselected range of orientation of said display and a time duration in which said display is in said orientation range.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A camera and a camera system as well as methods of using the camera and the camera system. The camera is very preferably portable and hand-held and includes a wand or probe for insertion into a mouth or other body cavity for the purpose of obtaining an image of regions in such cavity. The images are transmitted onto a display screen for viewing by a doctor or an oral surgeon, by a patient, or by another person. In the preferred embodiment, the camera includes various ways of automatically disabling and enabling operation of the camera, thereby conserving energy.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A camera system adapted for displaying images of a mouth or other cavity of a human or other animal, said camera comprising:
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(a) a wand adapted to be hand-held and portable and at least of portion of which is adapted to be inserted into the cavity, said wand including a lens adapted to receive light from the cavity and to transmit the received light; and a camera sensor adapted to receive light transmitted through said lens in the form of an image and to transform the image received thereon into a corresponding electronic signal; (b) a display adapted to be hand-held and portable, said display including;
a display screen adapted to be viewed by a user of the camera system; anda controller operatively coupled to said camera sensor and to said display screen and adapted to receive said electronic signal from said camera sensor and to transform said electronic signal such that the image received on said camera sensor is recreated on said display screen; (c) means for transmitting said electronic signal from said camera sensor to said controller; (d) a source of electric power adapted to be operatively connected to at least one of said camera sensor and said controller; and (e) means for operatively disconnecting said electric power source from at least one of said camera sensor and said controller such that an image received on said camera sensor is not recreated on said display screen, said disconnecting means responsive to a preselected range of orientation of said display and a time duration in which said display is in said orientation range. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of creating an image of a mouth or other cavity of a human or other animal comprising:
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(a) providing a camera adapted to be hand-held and portable, said camera including a probe adapted to be inserted at least partially into the cavity and to receive images from the cavity and a display adapted to display to a user of the camera the images received by said probe; (b) inserting said probe at least partially into the cavity such that images of the cavity are received by said probe and displayed by said display; and (c) automatically disabling said camera from displaying the images received by said probe if said display assumes an orientation within a predetermined range of orientations for a predetermined time duration. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of creating an image of a mouth or other cavity of a human or other animal comprising:
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(a) providing a camera adapted to be hand-held and portable, said camera including a probe adapted to be inserted at least partially into the cavity and to receive images from the cavity and a display adapted to display to a user of the camera the images received by said probe; (b) inserting said probe at least partially into the cavity such that images of the cavity are received by said probe and displayed by said display; and (c) step for automatically disabling said camera.
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20. A method of creating an image of a mouth or other cavity of a human or other animal comprising:
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(a) providing a camera adapted to be hand-held and portable, said camera including a probe adapted to be inserted at least partially into the cavity and to receive images from the cavity and a display adapted to display to a user of the camera the images received by said probe; (b) inserting said probe at least partially into the cavity such that images of the cavity are received by said probe and displayed by said display; and (c) step for automatically enabling said camera after said camera has been disabled.
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21. A portable camera adapted to be hand-held and adapted for displaying images of a mouth or other cavity of a human or other animal, said camera comprising:
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(a) a probe adapted to be portable and hand-held and adapted to be inserted at least partially into the cavity and to receive images from the cavity; (b) a display adapted to be portable and hand-held and adapted to display the images received by said probe; and (c) means for automatically disabling said camera.
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22. A portable camera adapted to be hand-held and adapted for displaying images of a mouth or other cavity of a human or other animal, said camera comprising:
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(a) a probe adapted to be portable and hand-held and adapted to be inserted at least partially into the cavity and to receive images from the cavity; (b) a display adapted to be portable and hand-held and adapted to display the images received by said probe; and (c) means for automatically enabling said camera after said camera has been disabled.
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Specification