Electronic still camera with printer

• US 6,909,456 B1
• Filed: 07/12/2000
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sasaki, Hidemi
• Primary Examiner(s): Christensen, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): GENCO, BRIAN C
• Application Number:
  US09/614,652
• Time in Patent Office: 1,805 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.2, 348/552, 348/372, 348/373, 348/374, 348/375, 348/376, 347/2, 358/909.1, 358/906, 396/301, 396/535, 396/536, 396/538, 396/539, 396/541
• US Class Current: 348/207.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00885 Power supply means, e.g. arrangements for the control of power supply to the apparatus or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00901 Using different supplies or connection to an external supply H04N1/00893, H04N1/00896 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00907 Details of supply connection, e.g. arrangement of power cables H04N1/00901 and H04N1/00904 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2154 the still video camera incorporating a hardcopy reproducing device, e.g. a printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/906 Hand-held camera with recorder in a single unit

Abstract

There is disclosed an electronic still camera that has a printer section in addition to a camera section. The printer section prints an image on a self-developing type instant photo film unit in accordance with digital image data picked up and memorized through the camera section. A film pack containing a stack of instant photo film units is loaded in a loading chamber of the electronic still camera, such that the instant photo film units of the film pack are successively exposed through the printer section. A connector device for connecting a battery pack to the electronic still camera is provided in the loading chamber, whereas a charging circuit for charging a main power source with the battery pack is provided in the electronic still camera.

Claims

1. An electronic still camera comprising a camera section for picking up electronic images of subjects through an image sensor, and memorizing digital image data of the electronic images, and a printer section for recording images on recording materials on the basis of the digital image data, characterized by comprising:

a main power source for supplying the camera section and the printer section;

a loading chamber for holding the recording materials in a position for allowing the printing section to print on the recording materials; and

an electrical connection device provided in the loading chamber, for connecting the electronic still camera to an extending device that may be loaded in the loading chamber in place of the recording materials, for extending a particular function of the electronic still camera.

2. An electronic still camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extending device includes a supplementary power source.

3. An electronic still camera as claimed in claim 2, wherein the main power source is constituted of at least a rechargeable battery, and the electronic still camera further comprises a charging circuit for charging the main power source with the supplementary power source.

4. An electronic still camera as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the supplementary power source is loaded as a package containing a plurality of rechargeable batteries.

5. An electronic still camera as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the printing section includes a printing head that records an image on a recording surface of the recording material while moving in a plane parallel to the recording surface, and a room for the movement of the printing head is provided in connection to the loading chamber for holding the recording material, wherein the extending device is sized to take up the room for the movement of the printing head as well as the loading chamber.

6. An electronic still camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extending device includes an AC/DC adapter.

7. electronic still camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recording material is a self-developing type instant photo film unit with a pod of processing fluid, and the printer section comprises an optical printing head for projecting light beams onto the instant photo film unit in accordance with the digital image data, and a developing device including a pair of developing rollers for advancing the instant photo film unit after exposed out of the electronic still camera while rupturing the pod and spreading the processing fluid on the instant photo film unit.

8. An electronic still camera as claimed in claim 1 or 7, wherein the recording materials are loaded as a package or cartridge in the loading chamber, and the package or cartridge may be unloaded from and reloaded in the loading chamber while the recording materials remain unused in the package or cartridge.

9. An electronic still camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extending device includes a memory medium.

10. An electronic still camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extending device includes a hard disc.

11. An electronic still camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printing section is of a thermal printing type.

12. The camera of claim 1, wherein the main power source is disposed in the camera section and operably supplies a voltage potential to both the camera section and the printer section, and wherein the loading chamber alternatively receives the extending device and the recording materials.

13. The camera of claim 1, wherein the main power source is disposed in the camera section and operably supplies a voltage potential to both the camera section and the printer section, wherein the loading chamber receive the extending device and the recording materials in a common physical space.

14. The camera of claim 13, wherein the loading chamber receives the extending device and the recording material alternatively in the common physical space.

15. The camera of claim 1, wherein the camera section and printer are integrally formed and accommodated in a common housing.

16. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the loading chamber accommodates physical dimensions of the recording materials within boundary surfaces of the loading chamber.