Impact activated triggering mechanism for a camera mounted in a vehicle
First Claim
1. An impact activated camera triggering apparatus used in combination with a disposable camera which has a wide angle lens and a shutter release button lever for taking a photographic picture, the apparatus removably attached inside a vehicle at a location between a back of a rear-view mirror and a front windshield, the rear-view mirror has a mirror side, the apparatus comprising:
- a. a mounting case including a generally rectangular shaped rear compartment for retaining said camera and a generally right triangular shaped front compartment;
b. said rear compartment having a bowed shaped front panel with an elliptical shaped opening therethrough, a bowed shaped rear panel, a bottom panel, a top panel, a first end opening, and an opposite second end opening, the bowed shaped front and rear panels facing each other for securely locating said camera, the bottom panel having a longitudinal step-down section and a cut-out opening located adjacent to the second end opening for accessing said shutter release button lever and grasping said camera for insertion and removal;
c. a longitudinal cover plate mounted within said rear compartment and covering said step-down section of said rear compartment;
d. said front compartment having a slanted front panel, a bottom panel, a first end opening, and an opposite second end opening, the slanted front panel having a slotted top end and an elliptical shaped opening therethrough located centrally and aligned with and parallel to said opening of said front panel of said rear compartment, where both of the openings of the slanted front panel of said front compartment and said front panel of said rear compartment accommodate the field of view of said wide angle lens of said disposable camera when said disposable camera slides invertedly into a respective one of said end openings of said rear compartment, the bottom panel having a multiplicity of apertures and a detent section located between a respective two of the multiplicity of apertures, the detent section having a central cavity therethrough;
e. a longitudinal elongated trigger spring mounted within said step-down section of said rear compartment and having a tapering distal section with a narrow distal end, a wide middle section, and a tapering proximal section with a narrow proximal end, the proximal end located relative to said cover plate such that the middle section abuts against said bottom panel of said rear compartment, and the distal end located adjacent to an end opening on said cover plate;
f. a chamber located within said front compartment and covering said detent section, the chamber having a first end wall, a top wall with an opening and a second end wall;
g. a spherical rolling ball retained within said chamber and being able to roll on said detent section, where the rolling ball is limited to a horizontal plane movement and responsive to inertial forces;
h. a trigger lever arm pivotally mounted between said front panels of said front and rear compartments at a location remote from said chamber and having a distal end and a proximal end, the distal end forming a trigger lever pin extending down through said opening of said top wall of said chamber and resting on said rolling ball when said rolling ball is seating above said central cavity, the proximal end forming a reset trigger lever and resting above a respective one of said multiplicity apertures of said bottom panel of said front compartment and a transverse latching pin extending through an opening on said front panel of said rear compartment and into said rear compartment for latching said distal section of said trigger spring;
i. said reset trigger lever of said trigger lever arm facilitating the cocking of said tapering distal section of said trigger spring by latching said transverse latching pin of said trigger lever arm over said narrow distal end of said trigger spring to prevent said tapering distal section of said trigger spring from pressing up on said shutter release button lever of said camera prematurely when said apparatus is cocked; and
j. means for preventing said camera from sliding out from said end openings of said rear compartment, one of the means being disablable to allow insertion and retraction of said camera;
k. whereby when said impact activated camera triggering apparatus is mounted in said vehicle, said rolling ball can be moved off said central cavity of said detent section in response to said inertial forces in the horizontal plane upon sudden impact on said vehicle from any lateral direction, which drops said trigger lever pin of said trigger lever arm off from said rolling ball, causing said latching pin of said trigger lever arm to release said tapering distal section of said trigger spring which in turn presses on said shutter release button lever of said disposable camera, to thereby automatically take said photographic picture at the moment of sudden impact.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improved impact activated triggering mechanism for a camera which is mounted on a rear-view mirror of a vehicle. The impact activated triggering mechanism responds to inertial forces from any horizontal direction. Upon sudden impact or deceleration an enclosed inertia member moving relative to the camera causes the release of a spring which directly or indirectly actuates the shutter in the camera.
78 Citations
55 Claims
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1. An impact activated camera triggering apparatus used in combination with a disposable camera which has a wide angle lens and a shutter release button lever for taking a photographic picture, the apparatus removably attached inside a vehicle at a location between a back of a rear-view mirror and a front windshield, the rear-view mirror has a mirror side, the apparatus comprising:
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a. a mounting case including a generally rectangular shaped rear compartment for retaining said camera and a generally right triangular shaped front compartment; b. said rear compartment having a bowed shaped front panel with an elliptical shaped opening therethrough, a bowed shaped rear panel, a bottom panel, a top panel, a first end opening, and an opposite second end opening, the bowed shaped front and rear panels facing each other for securely locating said camera, the bottom panel having a longitudinal step-down section and a cut-out opening located adjacent to the second end opening for accessing said shutter release button lever and grasping said camera for insertion and removal; c. a longitudinal cover plate mounted within said rear compartment and covering said step-down section of said rear compartment; d. said front compartment having a slanted front panel, a bottom panel, a first end opening, and an opposite second end opening, the slanted front panel having a slotted top end and an elliptical shaped opening therethrough located centrally and aligned with and parallel to said opening of said front panel of said rear compartment, where both of the openings of the slanted front panel of said front compartment and said front panel of said rear compartment accommodate the field of view of said wide angle lens of said disposable camera when said disposable camera slides invertedly into a respective one of said end openings of said rear compartment, the bottom panel having a multiplicity of apertures and a detent section located between a respective two of the multiplicity of apertures, the detent section having a central cavity therethrough; e. a longitudinal elongated trigger spring mounted within said step-down section of said rear compartment and having a tapering distal section with a narrow distal end, a wide middle section, and a tapering proximal section with a narrow proximal end, the proximal end located relative to said cover plate such that the middle section abuts against said bottom panel of said rear compartment, and the distal end located adjacent to an end opening on said cover plate; f. a chamber located within said front compartment and covering said detent section, the chamber having a first end wall, a top wall with an opening and a second end wall; g. a spherical rolling ball retained within said chamber and being able to roll on said detent section, where the rolling ball is limited to a horizontal plane movement and responsive to inertial forces; h. a trigger lever arm pivotally mounted between said front panels of said front and rear compartments at a location remote from said chamber and having a distal end and a proximal end, the distal end forming a trigger lever pin extending down through said opening of said top wall of said chamber and resting on said rolling ball when said rolling ball is seating above said central cavity, the proximal end forming a reset trigger lever and resting above a respective one of said multiplicity apertures of said bottom panel of said front compartment and a transverse latching pin extending through an opening on said front panel of said rear compartment and into said rear compartment for latching said distal section of said trigger spring; i. said reset trigger lever of said trigger lever arm facilitating the cocking of said tapering distal section of said trigger spring by latching said transverse latching pin of said trigger lever arm over said narrow distal end of said trigger spring to prevent said tapering distal section of said trigger spring from pressing up on said shutter release button lever of said camera prematurely when said apparatus is cocked; and j. means for preventing said camera from sliding out from said end openings of said rear compartment, one of the means being disablable to allow insertion and retraction of said camera; k. whereby when said impact activated camera triggering apparatus is mounted in said vehicle, said rolling ball can be moved off said central cavity of said detent section in response to said inertial forces in the horizontal plane upon sudden impact on said vehicle from any lateral direction, which drops said trigger lever pin of said trigger lever arm off from said rolling ball, causing said latching pin of said trigger lever arm to release said tapering distal section of said trigger spring which in turn presses on said shutter release button lever of said disposable camera, to thereby automatically take said photographic picture at the moment of sudden impact. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An impact activated triggering mechanism for use with a camera inside a vehicle, the camera has a shutter release button lever and a lens for taking a photographic picture, the impact activated triggering mechanism comprising:
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a. a mounting case including a rear compartment for retaining said camera and a front compartment; b. said rear compartment having a front panel with an opening therethrough, a rear panel, a bottom panel, a top panel, a first end opening, and a second end opening, the bottom panel having a step-down section and a cut-out opening located adjacent to the second end opening for accessing said shutter release button lever; c. a cover plate mounted within said rear compartment and covering said step-down section of said rear compartment; d. said front compartment having a front panel, a bottom panel, a first end opening, and a second end opening, the front panel having a slotted top end and an opening therethrough located centrally and aligned with and parallel to said opening of said front panel of said rear compartment, where both of the openings of the front panel of said front compartment and said front panel of said rear compartment accommodate the field of view of said lens of said camera when said camera slides invertedly into said second end opening of said rear compartment, the bottom panel having at least three apertures and a detent section located between a respective two of the at least three apertures, the detent section having a cavity therethrough; e. a trigger spring mounted within said step-down section of said rear compartment and having a tapering distal section with a narrow distal end, a wide middle section, and a tapering proximal section with a narrow proximal end, the proximal end located relative to said cover plate such that the middle section abuts against said bottom panel of said rear compartment, and the distal end located adjacent to an end opening on said cover plate; f. a chamber mounted within said front compartment and covering said detent section and having a first end wall, a top wall with an opening and a second end wall; g. a rolling ball retained within said chamber and being able to roll on said detent section, where the rolling ball is limited to a horizontal plane movement and responsive to inertial forces; h. a trigger lever arm pivotally mounted between said front panels of said front and rear compartments at a location remote front said chamber and having a distal end and a proximal end, the distal end forming a trigger lever pin extending down through said opening of said top wall of said chamber and resting on said rolling ball when said rolling ball is seated above said cavity, the proximal end forming a reset trigger lever and resting above a respective one of said at least three apertures of said bottom panel of said front compartment and a latching pin extending through an opening on said front panel of said rear compartment and into said rear compartment for latching said distal end of said trigger spring; and i. said reset trigger lever of said trigger lever arm facilitating the cocking of said tapering distal section of said trigger spring by latching said latching pin of said trigger lever arm over said narrow distal end of said trigger spring to prevent said tapering distal section of said trigger spring from pressing up on said shutter release button lever of said camera prematurely; j. whereby said rolling ball can be moved off from said cavity of said detent section in response to said inertial forces in the horizontal plane upon sudden impact on said vehicle from any lateral direction, which drops said trigger lever pin of said trigger lever arm off from said rolling ball, causing said latching pin of said trigger lever arm to release said tapering distal section of said trigger spring which in turn presses on said shutter release button lever of said camera, to thereby automatically take said photographic picture at the moment of sudden impact. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A triggering mechanism for use with a camera inside a vehicle, the camera has a shutter release button lever and a lens for taking a photographic picture, the triggering mechanism comprising:
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a. a mounting case including a rear compartment for retaining said camera and a front compartment; b. said rear compartment having a front panel with an opening therethrough, a rear panel, a bottom panel and a top panel, the bottom panel having a step-down section; c. a cover plate mounted within said rear compartment and covering said step-down section of said rear compartment; d. said front compartment having a front panel with an opening therethrough and a bottom panel, where both of the openings of the front panels of said front and rear compartments accommodate the field of view of said lens of said camera when said camera is mounted within said rear compartment, the bottom panel having a detent section with a cavity therethrough; e. means for attaching said mounting case inside said vehicle; f. a trigger spring mounted within said step-down section of said rear compartment and having a distal section with a distal end, a middle section, and a proximal section with a proximal end, the proximal end located relative to said cover plate such that the middle section abuts against said bottom panel of said rear compartment, and the distal section being loaded; g. a chamber mounted within said front compartment and covering said detent section, the chamber having an opening therethrough; h. a rolling mass retained within said chamber and being able to roll on said detent section, where the rolling mass is limited to a horizontal plane movement and responsive to inertial forces; i. a trigger lever arm pivotally mounted between said front panels of said front and rear compartments at a location remote from said chamber and having a distal end forming a trigger lever pin extending down through said opening of said chamber and resting on said rolling mass when said rolling mass is located above said cavity and a proximal end forming a reset trigger lever and a latching pin extending into said rear compartment for loading said distal end of said trigger spring; and j. said reset trigger lever of said trigger lever arm facilitating the cocking of said distal section of said trigger spring by latching said latching pin of said trigger lever arm over said distal end of said trigger spring to prevent said distal section of said trigger spring from pressing up on said shutter release button lever of said camera prematurely; k. whereby said rolling mass can be moved off from said cavity of said detent section in response to said inertial forces in the horizontal plane upon sudden impact on said vehicle from any direction, which drops said trigger lever pin of said trigger lever arm off from said rolling mass, causing said latching pin of said trigger lever arm to release said distal section of said trigger spring which in turn presses on said shutter release button lever of said camera, to thereby automatically take said photographic picture at the moment of sudden impact. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A triggering mechanism for use with a visual image recording device which has an element whose motion initiates operation and is removably mounted within a vehicle, the triggering mechanism comprising:
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a. a seismic mass limited to small movements essentially in a horizontal plane and responsive to inertial forces; b. a trigger spring having a distal end and a proximal end being fixedly located relative to said visual image recording device when said device is mounted within said vehicle, where the distal end is loaded and induces motion of said element of said visual image recording device, said motion of said element initiates operation when the distal end of the trigger spring is released; c. means for maintaining the position of said seismic mass relative to said visual image recording device in the absence of any acceleration in excess of a desired threshold value, and for allowing non-sliding motion of said seismic mass relative to said visual image recording device in the presence of any acceleration in excess of said desired threshold value; and d. a trigger lever arm having a distal end, a proximal end and a pivot axis, the trigger lever arm pivoted about the pivot axis relative to said visual image recording device when said device is mounted within said vehicle, the distal end forming a trigger lever pin resting on said seismic mass when said seismic mass is in the position in which it is maintained by said means for maintaining the position of said seismic mass and the proximal end forming a latching pin, which loads said distal end of said trigger spring; e. whereby in response to said acceleration in excess of the desired threshold induced by a sudden impact on said vehicle from any direction, said seismic mass is moved relative to said visual image recording device essentially in the horizontal plane from the position in which it is maintained by said means for maintaining the position of said seismic mass, which drops said trigger lever pin off from said seismic mass, allowing said trigger spring to rotate said trigger lever arm, causing said latching pin to release said distal end of said trigger spring, which moves said element of said visual image recording device that initiates operation of said visual image recording device, to thereby automatically record a visual image at the moment of sudden impact. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. A triggering mechanism for use with a visual image recording device which has an element whose motion initiates operation and is removably mounted within a vehicle, the triggering mechanism comprising:
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a. at least one rolling ball limited to small movements essentially in a horizontal plane and responsive to inertial forces; b. a trigger spring having a distal end and a proximal end being fixedly located relative to said visual image recording device when said device is mounted within said vehicle, where the distal end is loaded and induces motion of said element of said visual image recording device, said motion of said element initiates operation when the distal end of the trigger spring is released;
means for maintaining the position of said at least one rolling ball relative to said visual image recording device in the absence of an acceleration in excess of a desired threshold value; andd. a trigger lever arm having a distal end, a proximal end and a pivot axis, the trigger lever arm pivoted about the pivot axis relative to said visual image recording device when said device is mounted within said vehicle, the distal end forming a trigger lever pin resting on said at least one rolling ball when said at least one rolling ball is in the position in which it is maintained by said means for maintaining the position of said at least one rolling ball and the proximal end forming a latching pin, which loads said distal end of said trigger spring; e. whereby in response to said acceleration in excess of the desired threshold induced by a sudden impact on said vehicle from any direction, said at least one rolling ball is moved relative to said visual image recording device essentially in the horizontal plane from the position in which it is maintained by said means for maintaining the position of said at least one rolling ball, which drops said trigger lever pin off from said at least one rolling ball, allowing said trigger spring to rotate said trigger lever arm, causing said latching pin to release said distal end of said trigger spring, which moves said element of said visual image recording device that initiates operation of said visual image recording device, to thereby automatically record a visual image at the moment of sudden impact. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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Specification