Waterproof camera

• US 4,803,504 A
• Filed: 12/23/1987
• Issued: 02/07/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tamamura, Hideo, Maeno, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Donald
• Application Number:
  US07/136,477
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 354/64, 354/288
• US Class Current: 396/29
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/08 Waterproof bodies or housings

Abstract

A waterproof camera has its body covered with a front cover and a back lid with camera mechanisms arranged within the body. The adhesion of the front cover and the back lid is improved to attain a waterproof effect with a packing carried jointly by the peripheral edges of the camera body and the front cover.

Claims

1. A waterproof camera, comprising:

(a) a camera body having camera operating mechanism;

(b) a cover member for covering said camera body, said cover member being provided with an aperture;

(c) a lid member positioned at said aperture of said cover member, said lid member being connected to said cover member in such a way as to uncover and cover said aperture by opening and closing;

(d) a packing carrying part formed jointly by said camera body and said cover member; and

(e) a packing carried by said packing carrying part, said packing being arranged to seal a junction between said cover member and said lid member by tightly contacting said lid member when said lid member is closed, said tight contact between said lid member and said packing being obtained by a rib formed on said lid member;

(f) said packing carrying member being arranged to have a packing receiving recess formed jointly by said camera body and said cover member, said packing receiving recess being formed jointly by a flat end face of said camera body and a stepped part of the inner surface of said cover member.

2. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said cover member is formed into a box-like shape to cover the front and peripheral surfaces of said camera body.

3. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said aperture of said cover member is located on the film replacing side of said camera body.

4. A camera according to claim 3, wherein said cover member has said aperture thereof formed on the rear side of said camera body.

5. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said lid member is pivotally carried by said cover member.

6. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said packing is formed in a frame shape which coincides with the whole edge part of said aperture of said cover member.

7. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said lid member consists of a base face which roughly coincides with the aperture area of said cover member and a peripheral wall which perpendicularly extends from said base face.

8. A camera according to claim 1, wherein a portion of said cover member in the neighborhood of the part thereof corresponding to said packing carrying part engages said camera body in such a manner that any outward deformation of the cover member resulting from the compressed deformation of said packing is restricted by said engagement.

9. A waterproof camera, comprising:

(a) a camera body having a camera operation mechanism;

(a'"'"') a back cover arranged on the rear side of the camera body;

(b) a cover member for covering said camera body, said cover member being provided with an aperture part formed on the side of said back cover;

(c) a lid member positioned at said aperture of said cover member, said lid member being connected to said cover member in such a way as to uncover and cover said aperture by opening and closing;

(d) a packing carrying part formed jointly by the back cover of said camera body and said cover member; and

(e) a packing carried by said packing carrying part, said packing being arranged to seal a junction between said cover member and said lid member by tightly contacting said lid member when said lid member is closed, said tight contact between said lid member and said packing being obtained by a rib formed on said lid member;

(f) said packing carrying part having a packing receiving recess part formed jointly by said back cover of said camera body and said cover member, said packing receiving recess part being formed jointly by a flat face portion of the back cover of said camera body and a stepped part of the inner surface of said cover member.

10. A camera according to claim 9, wherein said cover member is formed into a box-like shape to cover the front and peripheral surfaces of said camera body.

11. A camera according to claim 9, wherein said back cover is provided with an aperture which permits loading and replacing work on film.

12. A camera according to claim 9, wherein said lid member is pivotally carried by said cover member.

13. A camera according to claim 9, wherein said packing is formed in a frame shape which coincides with the whole edge part of said aperture of said cover member.

14. A camera according to claim 9, wherein said lid member consists of a base face which roughly coincides with the aperture area of said cover member and a peripheral wall which perpendicularly extends from said base face.

15. A camera according to claim 9, wherein said cover member is engaged with the back cover of said camera body in the neighborhood of a part thereof corresponding to said packing carrying part in such a manner that any outward deformation of said cover member resulting from a compress deformation of said packing is restricted by said engagement.

16. A waterproof camera, comprising:

(a) a camera body having camera operating mechanisms;

(b) a cover member for covering said camera body, said cover member being provided with an aperture;

(c) a lid member positioned at said aperture of said cover member, said lid member being connected to said cover member in such a way as to uncover and cover said aperture by opening and closing;

(d) a packing carrying part formed jointly by said camera body and said cover member; and

(e) a packing carried by said packing carrying part, said packing being arranged to seal a junction between said cover member and said lid member by lighting contacting said lid member when said lid member is closed;

(f) said packing carrying part being provided with slots for preventing said packing from moving in the direction of pulling out of place after said carrying part is filled with said packing.

17. A camera according to claim 16, wherein said packing is provided with retaining projections which are arranged in positions corresponding to said slots of said packing carrying part.

18. A waterproof camera, comprising:

(a) a camera body having camera operating mechanisms and with a back cover attached to the rear side thereof;

(b) a cover member for covering said camera body, said cover member being provided with an aperture part formed on the side of said back cover;

(c) a lid member positioned at said aperture of said cover member, said lid member being connected to said cover member in such a way as to uncover and cover said aperture by opening and closing;

(d) a recessed packing carrying part formed jointly by the back cover of said camera body and said cover member; and

(e) a packing carried by said packing carrying part, said packing being arranged to seal a junction between said cover member and said lid member by lightly contacting said lid member when said lid member is closed;

(f) said packing carrying part being provided with slots for preventing said packing from moving in the direction of pulling out of place after said carrying part is filled with said packing.

19. A camera according to claim 18, wherein said packing is provided with retaining projections which are arranged in positions corresponding to said slots of said packing carrying part.

20. A waterproof camera, comprising:

(a) a camera body;

(b) a front cover member for covering a front side of said camera body, said front cover member having a protrusion extending toward a back side of said camera body to cover the upper and lower and right and left portions of said camera, and an aperture on an inside of said protrusion;

(c) a middle cover member for covering the back side of said camera body, said middle cover member having a protrusion to cover the upper and lower and right and left portions of the back side of said camera body, with at least a portion of the middle cover member which covers the back side of said camera body protruding to an inner side of the aperture of the front cover member;

(d) a seal member arranged between the protrusion of said front cover member and the protrusion of said middle cover member;

(e) a fixing member for fixing said middle cover member to said camera body, said fixing member being provided on a portion of said middle cover member which covers the back side of the camera body; and

(f) an openable back lid arranged to cover the middle cover member and the fixing member.

21. A camera comprising:

(A) a camera body;

(B) a first cover for covering said camera body, said first cover having an aperture part for loading photosensitive means;

(C) a lid for covering said aperture part;

(D) sealing means for tightly closing said aperture part when said lid is closed; and

(E) a second cover for covering said camera body, said second cover constituting a holding part for holding said sealing means together with said first cover.

22. A camera according to claim 21, wherein said second cover has an extended part which extends toward said aperture part.

23. A camera according to claim 21, wherein said holding part has a dislocation preventing part for preventing said sealing means from coming out of its place.

24. A camera according to claim 21, wherein said first cover and said second cover constitute such engaging state as not being deformed by a deformation of said sealing means.

25. A camera, comprising:

(A) a camera cover having an aperture part for loading photosensitive means;

(B) a lid for covering said aperture part for loading photosensitive means;

(C) sealing means for tightly closing said aperture part when said lid is closed; and

(D) a camera body covered by said camera cover, said camera body constituting together with said camera cover a holding part for holding said sealing means.

26. A camera according to claim 25, wherein said holding part has a dislocation preventing part for preventing said sealing means from coming out of its place.

27. A camera according to claim 25, wherein said camera cover and said camera body constitute such engaging state as not being deformed by a deformation of said sealing means.

28. A waterproof camera, comprising:

(A) a camera body;

(B) a front cover member for covering a front side of said camera body, said front cover member having a protrusion extending toward a back side of said camera body to cover the upper and lower and right and left portions of said camera, and an aperture on an inside of said protrusion;

(C) a middle cover member for covering the back side of said camera body, said middle cover member having a protrusion to cover the upper and lower and right and left portions of the back side of said camera body, with at least a portion of the middle cover member which covers the back side of said camera body protruding to an inner side of the aperture of the front cover member;

(D) a seal member arranged between the protrusion of said front cover member and the protrusion of said middle cover member;

(E) a fixing member for uniting said middle cover member and said camera body, said fixing member being provided on a portion of said middle cover member which covers the back side of the camera body; and

(F) an openable back lid arranged to cover at least a part of the middle cover member and the fixing member.

29. A waterproof camera, comprising:

(A) a camera body;

(B) a front cover member for covering a front side of said camera body, said front cover member having a protrusion extending toward a back side of said camera body to cover the upper and lower and right and left portions of said camera, and an aperture on an inside of said protrusion;

(C) a middle cover member for covering the back side of said camera body, said middle cover member having a protrusion to cover the upper and lower and right and left portions of the back side of said camera body, with at least a portion of the middle cover member which covers the back side of said camera body protruding to an inner side of the aperture of the front cover member;

(D) a seal member arranged between the protrusion of said front cover member and the protrusion of said middle cover member;

(E) a fixing member for fixing said middle cover member with respect to said camera body, said fixing member being provided with a portion of said middle cover member which covers the back side of the camera body; and

(F) an openable back lid arranged to cover at least a part of the middle cover member and the fixing member.

30. A camera, comprising:

(A) a camera body;

(B) a first cover for covering said camera body;

(C) a second cover for coving said camera body, said second cover having an aperture part for loading photosensititive means;

(D) a sealing member provided between said first cover and said second cover;

(E) a fixing member for uniting said second cover with said camera body; and

(F) a lid for covering said aperture part for loading photosensitive means.