Tele/pan applied to lowest cost camera uses passive optical encoding

• US 4,973,997 A
• Filed: 01/16/1990
• Issued: 11/27/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Harvey, Donald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mathews, A. A.
• Application Number:
  US07/465,829
• Time in Patent Office: 315 Days
• Field of Search: 354/105, 354/106, 354/107, 354/108, 354/109, 354/222, 355/40
• US Class Current: 396/315
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/24 with means for separately producing marks on the film, e.g. title, time of exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2206/004 using markings on the photographic material, e.g. to indicate pseudo-panoramic exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/243 Optical devices
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/246 Details of the markings
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2219/045 adapted for unloading the film in the processing laboratory, e.g. disposable, reusable or recyclable cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G03D 13/10 Clips G03D13/14 takes precedence

Abstract

Camera with adjustable viewfinder mask having differently dimensioned openings for pseudo-photography, has light pipes to provide binary coding of film frames corresponding to mask positions.

Claims

1. In a photographic camera for making pseudo photographs on film exposure areas upon opening of camera shutter means, said camera including adjustable view finder means for selecting from a range of pseudo fields of view for exposures, the combination comprising:

means for directing ambient light to a selected fiducial area of the film,

means under the control of said viewfinder means for controlling ambient light passage by said directing means to provide a predetermined coded pattern of exposure of said fiducial area, and

means blocking ambient light passage to said directing means except when the camera shutter is open.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein said blocking means includes a movable element forming part of said shutter means.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for directing ambient light comprises light piping means.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein said adjustable viewfinder means comprises a movable element having a plurality of differently shaped masking openings and an extension of varying width positioned so as to be movable to a plurality of positions as the viewfinder element moves, thereby to locate a portion of said extension in light blocking relation with the ambient light directing means.

5. In a photographic camera for making pseudo photographs on film exposure areas upon opening of camera shutter means, said camera including adjustable viewfinder means for selecting from a plurality of pseudo fields of view for exposures, the combination comprising:

light piping means for conveying ambient light to fiducial areas of the film.

a movable masking element comprising part of said adjustable viewfinder means, said masking element having a plurality of differently dimensioned masking openings and being movable to bring selected openings into alignment with the viewfinder, said masking element further having an extension which has portions of different dimensions and positioned in the camera to provide a varying degree of blocking of said light piping means, depending upon the particular masking opening aligned with the viewfinder, and

an element forming part of said shutter means and positioned to block passage of ambient light to said fiducial area except when said shutter means is open.

6. The combination according to claim 5, wherein said light piping means comprises at least one light pipe having one end positioned to direct light to an edge of the film outside the image exposure area.