Digital camera dock having a movable attachment surface

• US 8,665,335 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2009
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 83 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Komiyama, Hiroshi, Kondo, Eiki, Kasahara, Toshihide, Kiuchi, Toyoo
• Primary Examiner(s): SPINKS, ANTOINETTE T
• Application Number:
  US12/464,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20090219398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,757 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.1, 348/373, 348/207.99, 361/679.41
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00278 with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0058 Docking-station, cradle or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera

Abstract

Use of a custom insert is obviated when a digital camera is attached to a base (dock). Two movable pins are provided, in such a way that a connector is sandwiched between the movable pins, on a digital camera attachment surface of a base (dock) which provides a digital camera with a recharging function and a printing function. The movable pins fit to holes in a bottom of the digital camera to thus act as guides during the course of attachment of the digital camera. Alternatively, the attachment surface itself may be configured so as to be vertically movable, and the attachment surface may descend during attachment of the digital camera and the attachment surface may be latched in a lower position after attachment of the same.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a connector configured to electrically connect to a device connector of an external device;

a support plate having a connector hole and a trigger lever hole formed therethrough, the connector hole configured to allow the support plate to move along the connector, and the trigger lever hole configured to allow a trigger lever to protrude from the support plate; and

a control unit comprising the trigger lever, a latch, a slide plate, and a button;

wherein, in a first position, the connector does not protrude through the connector hole, the trigger lever protrudes through the trigger lever hole, and the slide plate, which moves horizontally between a first and a second position, prevents the support plate from moving in a direction of insertion of the external device into the apparatus, and

wherein, in a second position, the connector protrudes through the connector hole, the trigger lever does not protrude through the trigger lever hole, the slide plate prevents the support plate from moving in the direction of insertion, and the latch prevents the support plate from moving in a direction opposite the direction of insertion, and

wherein the control unit is configured to allow transition from the first position to the second position in response to depression of the trigger lever and is further configured to allow transition from the second position to the first position in response to depression of the button.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support plate further comprises a first guide configured to be inserted into a first guide receiving hole of the external device and a second guide configured to be inserted into a second guide receiving hole of the external device, and

wherein, when in the first position and when the first guide is inserted into the first guide receiving hole and the second guide is inserted into the second guide receiving hole, a side of the external device is configured to depress the trigger lever, and wherein the side of the external device comprises the device connector.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support plate is configured to move vertically within a body of the apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to the depression of the trigger lever, the trigger lever is configured to cause the slide plate to move horizontally from a first slide plate position to a second slide plate position, wherein:

while in the first slide plate position, the slide plate is configured to prevent the support plate from moving in the direction of insertion in the first position and

while in the second slide plate position, the slide plate is configured to prevent the support plate from moving in the direction of insertion in the second position.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the support plate is vertically higher when in the first position than when in the second position.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a slide plate spring configured to apply a force on the slide plate to move from the second slide plate position to the first slide plate position.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the support plate is configured to move the slide plate from the first slide plate position to the second slide plate position in response to the depression of the trigger lever and application of a force to the support plate.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the latch is configured to prevent the slide plate from moving to the first slide plate position until the button is depressed.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a support plate spring configured to apply a force on the support plate to cause transition from the second position to the first position.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, in response to depression, the button is configured to cause the latch to allow the support plate to move in the direction opposite the insertion direction.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connector is configured to facilitate recharge of a battery of the external device when the connector is electrically connected to the device connector of the external device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein connector is configured to facilitate printing of an image stored on the external device when the connector is electrically connected to the device connector of the external device.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the slide plate comprises a sloped section configured to move horizontally with the slide plate,

wherein the support plate comprises a boss configured to move vertically with the support plate, and

wherein the sloped section of the slide plate and the boss of the support plate are configured such that when the support plate moves in a downward direction, the slide plate moves in a first horizontal direction, and when the support plate moves in an upward direction, the slide plate moves in a second horizontal direction.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the sloped section of the slide plate is constantly in contact with the boss of the support plate.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the external device comprises a digital camera.

16. A system comprising:

a device comprising a device connector; and

a dock comprising;

a dock connector rigidly fixed to the dock and configured to electrically connect to the device connector;

a support plate movably connected to the dock, wherein the support plate has a connector hole and a trigger lever hole formed therethrough, the connector hole configured to allow the support plate to move vertically along the dock connector, and the trigger lever hole configured to allow a trigger lever to protrude from the support plate; and

a control unit comprising the trigger lever, a latch, a slide plate, and a button;

wherein, when the dock is in a first position, the dock connector does not protrude through the connector hole, the trigger lever protrudes through the trigger lever hole, and the slide plate, which moves horizontally between a first and a second position, prevents the support plate from moving in a direction of insertion of the device into the dock, and

wherein, when the dock is in a second position, the dock connector protrudes through the connector hole, the trigger lever does not protrude through the trigger lever hole, the slide plate prevents the support plate from moving in the direction of insertion of the device into the dock, and the latch prevents the support plate from moving in a direction opposite the direction of insertion; and

wherein the control unit is configured to allow the dock to transition from the first position to the second position in response to depression of the trigger lever and is further configured to allow the dock to transition from the second position to the first position in response to depression of the button.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the device further comprises a first guide receiving hole and a second guide receiving hole;

wherein the support plate further comprises a first guide configured to be inserted in the first guide receiving hole and a second guide configured to be inserted in the second guide receiving hole; and

wherein, when the dock is in the first position and the first guide is inserted into the first guide receiving hole and the second guide is inserted into the second guide receiving hole, a side of the device comprising the device connector depresses the trigger lever.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the first guide receiving hole is movable along a horizontal line.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the device comprises a digital camera.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the dock is rotatable within a horizontal plane.

21. A method comprising:

depressing a trigger lever of a dock to cause a slide plate to move horizontally from a first slide plate position to a second slide plate position, wherein the first slide plate position prevents a support plate from moving in a direction of insertion of a device into the dock and the second slide plate position permits the support plate to move in the direction of insertion of the device into the dock;

moving the support plate in the direction of insertion of the device into the dock to cause the slide plate to move horizontally from the second slide plate position to a third slide plate position, wherein the third slide plate position prevents the support plate from further movement in the direction of insertion of the device into the dock; and

securing the slide plate in the third slide plate position with a latch.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the moving the support plate in the direction of insertion of the device into the dock exposes a dock connector configured to electrically connect to a connector of the device.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

depressing a button to move the latch to a position that does not secure the slide plate in the third slide plate position;

moving the slide plate from the third slide plate position to the second slide plate position to cause the slide plate to move the support plate in a direction opposite the direction of insertion; and

moving the slide plate from the second slide plate position to the first slide plate position to cause the trigger lever to extend from the support plate when the slide plate is in the first slide plate position.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the moving the support plate in the direction opposite the insertion direction conceals the dock connector.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the slide plate is configured to move only along a horizontal line.