Electronic still camera with image pick-up unit and card unit

• US 6,525,767 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2001
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Misawa, Atsushi, Saito, Osamu, Misawa, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US09/822,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20010010550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.5225, 348/207, 348/220, 348/231, 348/222, 348/373, 348/374, 348/375, 348/376, 348/207.99, 348/207.1, 348/222.1, 348/231.99, 348/231.3, 348/231.6, 348/231.7, 348/231.8, 348/211.99, 348/211.1, 348/211.4, 348/211.8, 348/211.14, 348/333.01, 348/333.07, 348/333.06, 386/11.T, 386/118, 358/906
• US Class Current: 348/231.7
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00236 using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer image input to or image output from a computer via a network H04N1/00209
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00241 using an image reading device as a local input to a computer input via network, e.g. network scanners H04N1/00225
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2158 using a detachable storage unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0034 Details of the connection, e.g. connector, interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0051 Card-type connector, e.g. PCMCIA card interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/531 being rotatable or detachable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/65 Control of camera operation in relation to power supply

Abstract

An electronic still camera which is able to substantially lessen the amount of trouble of inserting and drawing a PC card during photographing or when image data are transferred to a host computer such as a laptop computer, and which is able to increase the number of photographing. The electronic still camera has the PC card which is inserted into or drawn out from a camera body, which has the same shape as the PC card. The PC card or the camera body shaped like the PC card is inserted into a PC card slot of the host computer to transmit and receive the image data, etc. A camera casing including a taking lens, etc. is mounted in the camera body shaped like the PC card, and a sheet-like battery is provided in the camera body. The taking lens is capable of projecting from and retracting into the camera body.

Claims

1. A digital camera which loads, in an image pickup unit, a card unit corresponding to a PC card standard, converts an object image into image data by image pickup means of said image pickup unit, and records said image data into a memory of said card unit, said digital camera wherein:

when said card unit is loaded in said image pickup unit, said card unit is partially exposed from said image pickup unit, and a switch necessary for photographing is provided at the exposed portion of said card unit.

2. The electronic still camera as defined in claim 1, wherein said card unit has a switch necessary for photographing and a switch unnecessary for photographing, said switch unnecessary for photographing being completely inserted and hidden in said imaging unit when said card unit is mounted in said imaging unit.

3. The electronic still camera as defined in claim 1, wherein if said card unit is detached from said image pickup unit, said switch necessary for photographing functions as said switch unnecessary for photographing.

4. The electronic still camera as defined in claim 1, wherein said switch necessary for photographing includes a shutter switch consisting of two touch switches which output an instruction to release a shutter if touched at the same time.