Waterproof and/or water-resistant camera

• US 5,713,048 A
• Filed: 05/22/1995
• Issued: 01/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD.
• Original Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Hayakawa, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Gellner, Michael L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chapik, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US08/446,508
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 354/288, 354/64, 396/25, 396/29
• US Class Current: 396/25
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/08 Waterproof bodies or housings

Abstract

A waterproof and/or water-resistant camera including a camera body having an opening, an openable cover connected to the camera body for opening and closing the opening, an elastic sealing member provided on the cover and surrounding the opening, and a contacting surface formed on the camera body around the opening, with which the sealing member comes into pressing contact when the cover is closed. The contacting surface includes a tapered surface formed such that an inner end of the tapered surface is closer to the cover than an outer end of the tapered surface.

Claims

1. A waterproof and/or water-resistant camera, comprising:

a camera body including an opening;

an openable cover connected to said camera body for opening and closing said opening;

an elastic sealing member provided on said cover and surrounding said opening; and

a contacting surface formed on said camera body around said opening, said contacting surface comprising a contact portion providing a sloped surface formed such that an inner end of said sloped surface is closer to said cover than an outer end of said sloped surface, said elastic sealing member coming into pressing contact with said sloped surface when said cover is closed, wherein drops of water on said sloped surface will flow away from said opening when the camera is opened with said cover facing upwardly.

2. The waterproof and/or water-resistant camera of claim 1, wherein said cover is a back cover pivotably connected to one side of a back of said camera body.

3. The waterproof and/or water-resistant camera of claim 1, wherein said cover is provided with a groove to which said sealing member is fixed.

4. The waterproof and/or water-resistant camera of claim 1, wherein said sealing member is formed to taper away from said cover, a tip of said sealing member coming into pressing contact with said contacting surface when said cover is closed.

5. The waterproof and/or water-resistant camera of claim 1, wherein said sealing member has a substantially "L"-shaped cross section.

6. The waterproof and/or water-resistant camera of claim 1, wherein said sealing member comprises more than one lip which surrounds said opening and comes into pressing contact with said contacting surface when said cover is closed.

7. The waterproof and/or water-resistant camera of claim 6, wherein each of said more than one lip is formed to taper away from said cover, a tip of each lip coming into pressing contact with said contacting surface when said cover is closed.

8. The waterproof and/or water resistant camera according to claim 1, said tapered surface continuously extending around said opening.

9. The waterproof and/or water resistant camera according to claim 1, said tapered surface sealingly cooperating with said elastic sealing member when said cover is closed.

10. A waterproof and/or water resistant camera comprising:

a camera body including an opening;

an openable cover connected to said camera body for opening and closing said opening;

an elastic sealing member provided on said cover and having at least one tongue portion surrounding said opening when said cover is closed; and

a rib formed on said camera body and extending towards said cover, said rib having a sidewall extending in a direction inclined with respect to a plane of said opening;

wherein said at least one tongue portion is brought into pressing contact with said sidewall of said rib by deformation of said sealing member caused by depression by said rib when said cover is closed.

11. The waterproof and/or water-resistant camera of claim 10, wherein said cover is a back cover pivotably connected to one side of a back of said camera body.

12. The waterproof and/or water-resistant camera of claim 10, further comprising a groove formed on one of said cover and said camera body around said opening, said sealing member being placed in said groove with said sealing member compressed in said groove.

13. The waterproof and/or water-resistant camera of claim 10, wherein said sealing member further comprises a base portion with which a tip of said rib comes into pressing contact when said cover is closed, said at least one tongue portion being integrally formed with said base portion so that said at least one tongue portion may be brought into pressing contact with said side wall of said rib by deformation of said base portion caused by said depression by said rib when said cover is closed.

14. The waterproof and/or water-resistant camera of claim 13, wherein said sealing member comprises two tongue portions integrally formed with said base portion along opposite ends of said base portion, respectively, so that said two portions may be brought into pressing contact with opposite side walls of said rib by deformation of said base portion caused by said depression by said rib when said cover is closed.

15. The waterproof and/or water-resistant camera of claim 14, wherein said sealing member further comprises two leg portions integrally formed with said base portion along said opposite ends of said base portion, respectively, so that said sealing member may have a substantially "H"-shaped cross section.

16. The waterproof and/or water-resistant camera of claim 13, wherein said sealing member further comprises two leg portions integrally formed with said base portion along opposite ends of said base portion, respectively, so that said sealing member may have a substantially "h"-shaped cross section.

17. A waterproof and/or water resistant camera, comprising:

a camera body;

an openable cover;

an elastic sealing member provided on said cover; and

a rib which is formed on said camera body and which comes into pressing contact with said sealing member when said cover is closed, said rib extending towards said cover and inclined with respect to a plane defined by said cover when said cover is closed,

wherein said sealing member comprises a tongue portion which flexes against and comes into pressing contact with said rib by deformation of said sealing member caused by said rib pressing against said sealing member when said cover is closed.