Image recording/reproducing device with dual-operated switch depending upon orientation of the device

• US 7,551,220 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2002
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Solvay Pharmaceuticals BV (Abbott Laboratories), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kato, Shogo, Morikawa, Masayoshi, Shioyama, Yoshinori, Yamaoka, Masato, Ebine, Nobuhito
• Primary Examiner(s): Ometz; David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): KHAN, USMAN A
• Application Number:
  US10/399,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20040004667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,524 Days
• Field of Search: 348/333.06, 348/333.13, 348/372, 348/14.07, 348/569, D16/202
• US Class Current: 348/333.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/531 being rotatable or detachable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera

Abstract

An image recording/replaying device, such as a video camera, has various operating switches which have enhanced operability so as to suit a mode of use. The image recording/replaying device includes an image display section chat is foldably, unfoldably, and rotatably supported at a body internally incorporating a taking lens. The image recording-replaying device also includes a control switch including an operating key and a plurality of contacts disposed at end portions The control switch further includes direction selection switches which are such that the directions used within the display screen of the image display section corresponding to the directions of the positions of the four end portions of the operating key are changed in accordance with a change in the orientation of the image display section resulting from rotation of the image display section.

Claims

1. A hand-held image recording/replaying device including an image display section having an image display surface, said image display section being foldably, unfoldably and rotatably supported at a body having relatively parallel long sides and parallel short sides, the long sides being perpendicular to and extending between the short sides, said body housing a taking lens disposed in the vicinity of one of said short sides and said one short side being cylindrically shaped in accordance with a lens barrel shape, the taking lens having an optical axis, the image recording/replaying device comprising:

a hand-operated control switch mounted at a predetermined location on said body proximate a corner established by said one short side and an adjacent long side of said body and comprising first and second pairs of contact elements and an operating key, said first pair of contact elements being manually operable in a pressing direction to cause horizontal movement or horizontal selection of a display element within a display screen of said image display section and said second pair of contact elements being manually operable in said pressing direction to cause vertical movement or vertical selection of a display element within said display screen, said pressing direction being substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of said taking lens;

a rotation detecting section operable to detect that the image display section has been rotated by an angle of approximately 90°

when said image recording/replaying device is re-oriented, said rotation detecting section including plural detectors, at least one of which detects when said image display section is rotated by more than a predetermined angle and at least another of which detects the folded and unfolded state of said image display section;

wherein when one of said detectors detects that said image display section is rotated by approximately 90°

, said first pair of contact elements cause said vertical movement or vertical selection of a display element and said second pair of contact elements cause said horizontal movement or horizontal selection of a display element;

said cylindrically shaped short side of the body housing the taking lens being mounted as a hand-holding grip of said image recording/replaying device; and

when a user holds the body by gripping the cylindrically shaped short side of the body in the user'"'"'s hand such that said relatively long sides are disposed in a horizontal orientation while, at the same time, said other detector detects that said image display section is folded on said body such that said image display surface faces the outside to be viewed by the user, the control switch is exposed to the outside without interference from said image display section and is easily operated by the thumb of the very same hand of the user that holds the grip.

2. An image recording/replaying device according to claim 1, wherein the body has a vertically long rectangular form at the time of ordinary use of the body, and wherein the image display section is folded and unfolded with a folding-and-unfolding axis extending horizontally and parallel to the optical axis of the taking lens as the center of rotation, and is accommodated in the vertically long rectangular form along a side surface of the body.