Camera and waterproof camera casing

• US 7,106,959 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2004
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Sato, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey, W. B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUTHAR, RISHI S
• Application Number:
  US10/931,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20050094024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 396 25- 29, 396/349, 348373-376, 348/81
• US Class Current: 396/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera

Abstract

A camera includes an outer cover; a lens barrel which is housed inside the outer cover in the state that a front face of the lens barrel is substantially in flush with a front face portion of the outer cover surrounding the front face of the lens barrel, whereas when the lens barrel is in a photographing-waiting state in which photographing is possible, the front face of the lens barrel is projected from said surrounding front face portion of the outer cover; a lens barrel state selector for selecting either one of setting the lens barrel in the housed state and keeping the lens barrel at a position in the photographing-waiting state, when a power supply of the camera is turned off; and a controller for controlling the camera such that the lens barrel is set in the housed state when the power supply of the camera is turned off in the state that the lens barrel state selector is selecting setting the lens barrel in the housed state, whereas the lens barrel is kept at the position in the photographing-waiting state when the power supply of the camera is turned off in the state that the selector is selecting keeping the lens barrel at the position in the photograph-waiting state.

Claims

1. A camera comprising:

an outer cover;

a lens barrel provided such that when the barrel is in a housed state, the lens barrel is housed inside the outer cover in the state wherein a front face of the lens barrel is substantially flush with a front face portion of the outer cover surrounding the front face of the lens barrel, whereas when the lens barrel is in a photographing-waiting state in which photographing is possible, the front face of the lens barrel is projected from said surrounding front face portion of the outer cover;

a lens barrel state selector for selecting either one of setting the lens barrel in the housed state and keeping the lens barrel at a position in the photographing-waiting state, when a power supply of the camera is turned off;

a waterproof camera casing detector configured to detect if a waterproof camera casing is attached to the camera; and

a controller configured for controlling the camera such that the lens barrel is set in the housed state when the power supply of the camera is turned off in the state that the lens barrel state selector is selecting setting the lens barrel in the housed state, whereas the lens barrel is kept at the position in the photographing-waiting state when the power supply of the camera is turned off in the state that the selector is selecting keeping the lens barrel at the position in the photograph-waiting state, the controller being also configured for controlling the camera such that the lens barrel is kept at the position in the photographing-waiting state when the power supply of the camera is turned off in a case where the detector detects that the camera casing is attached to the camera.

2. The camera of claim 1, which further comprises a lens barrel driving unit being configured for driving the lens barrel from the position in the photographing-waiting state to the housed state upon receipt of an order signal from the controller when the power supply of the camera is turned off in the state wherein said lens barrel state selector is selecting setting the lens barrel in the housed state, whereas the lens barrel driving unit drives the lens barrel from the housed state to the position in the photographing-waiting state upon receipt of an order signal from the controller when the power supply of the camera is turned on in the state that said lens barrel state selector is selecting setting the lens barrel in the housed state.

3. A waterproof camera casing configured to detachably house the camera set forth in claim 2, which camera casing comprises a waterproof case selector configured to perform said selection of the lens barrel state selector by operation from an outer side of the waterproof camera casing.

4. A waterproof camera casing configured to detachably house the camera set forth in claim 1, which camera casing comprises a waterproof case selector configured to perform said selection of the lens barrel state selector by operation from an outer side of the waterproof camera casing.

5. A waterproof camera casing configured to detachably house the camera set forth in claim 1, which camera casing comprises a waterproof case selector configured to perform said selection of the lens barrel state selector by operation from an outer side of the waterproof camera casing.

6. A waterproof camera casing configured to detachably house the camera set forth in claim 1, which casing comprises an interactive portion configured to make said waterproof camera casing detector detect that the camera casing is attached to the camera when the camera is housed in the camera casing.

7. A camera comprising:

an outer cover;

a lens barrel provided such that when the barrel is in a housed state, the lens barrel is housed inside the outer cover in the state that a front face of the lens barrel is substantially flush with a front face portion of the outer cover surrounding the front face of the lens barrel, whereas when the lens barrel is in a photographing-waiting state in which photographing is possible, the front face of the lens barrel is projected from said surrounding front face portion of the outer cover;

a waterproof camera casing detector configured to detect if a waterproof camera casing is attached to the camera; and

a controller configured to control the camera such that when the detector detects that the camera casing is attached to the camera and the power supply of the camera is turned off, the lens barrel is kept at the position in the photographing-waiting state.

8. A waterproof camera casing configured to detachably house the camera set forth in claim 7, which casing comprises an interactive portion configured to make said waterproof camera casing detect that the camera casing is attached to the camera when the camera is housed in the camera casing.