Hand-held electronic camera with integral printer

• US 6,229,565 B1
• Filed: 08/15/1997
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Howard H. Bobry
• Original Assignee: Howard H. Bobry
• Inventors: Bobry, Howard H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harrington, Alicia M.
• Application Number:
  US08/912,110
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207, 348/373, 358/906, 355/18, 396/429
• US Class Current: 348/207.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00278 with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/107 with manual scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/1072 Means for guiding the scanning, e.g. rules H04N1/1077 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/1077 Arrangements for facilitating movement over the scanned medium, e.g. disposition of rollers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2154 the still video camera incorporating a hardcopy reproducing device, e.g. a printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof

Abstract

A camera and printer apparatus includes a hand-held housing; an electronic camera disposed in the housing for converting an optical image into an electronic image, and a color printer disposed in the housing for printing, based on said electronic image, the optical image on a medium outside the apparatus. In one embodiment, the printer is a color ink jet printer

Claims

1. A camera and printer apparatus, comprising:

a handheld housing;

an electronic camera disposed in the housing for converting an optical image into an electronic image; and

a printer disposed in the housing for printing, in response to said electronic image on a medium outside the apparatus, said housing being manually held stationary against a surface of the medium during a printing sequence;

said printer comprising a print head that is stationary during a printing sequence;

said print head having nozzles thereon for projecting ink and being adapted for printing on said medium by projecting ink out of said nozzles across a gap between said medium and said print head.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said printer comprises an areal array of ink jet nozzles positionally fixed within said housing during a printing sequence.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said printer comprises and inkjet printer.

4. A camera and printer apparatus comprising:

a hand-held housing;

an electronic camera disposed in the housing for converting an optical image into an electronic image;

a color printer disposed in the housing for printing in response to said electronic image on a medium outside the apparatus, said housing being held stationary during a printing sequence and said color printer comprising a print head that moves within said housing between said first and second positions during a printing sequence, said print head having nozzles thereon for projecting ink and being adapted for printing ink on said medium by projecting ink out of said nozzles across a gap between said medium and said print head.