Camera stand

• US 20050040298A1
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Shibuki, Shuji, Iwamoto, Masakazu, Ohki, Yuji, Shigemura, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,626,634 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 248/176.100
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/10 around a horizontal axis F16M11/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2021 around a horizontal axis F16M11/2035 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/38 by folding , e.g. pivoting or scissors tong mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/195 the array comprising a two-dimensional array or a combination of two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras

Abstract

A camera stand comprising a foot that will be placed a surface, a support having opposite ends at one of which the support is supported rotatably on the foot and turnable between a lying position and an upstanding position, an arm mechanism capable of attaching a digital camera removably at one end thereto and supported rotatably at the other end to the other end of the support such that in use the arm mechanism is adjusted in angle to the support so as to allow the camera to pick up an image of a picture/document placed under the camera while in non-use the arm mechanism is received within the confine of the support, which is then folded on the foot.

Claims

1. A camera stand comprising:

a foot that will be placed a surface;

a support with opposite ends at one of which the support is supported rotatably on the foot and turnable between a lying position and an upstanding position;

an arm mechanism with opposite ends at one of which the arm mechanism is capable of attaching a digital camera removably thereto and supported rotatably at the other end to the other end of the support such that in use the arm mechanism is adjusted in angle to the support so as to allow the camera to pick up an image of a picture/document placed under the camera while in non-use the arm mechanism is received within the confine of the support, which is then folded on the foot.

2. The camera stand of claim 1, wherein the foot also functions as a picture/document rest on which the picture/document will be placed, and the support is supported rotatably at the one end by a rear end of the picture/document rest such that the support is turned between the upstanding position and the lying position where the support lies on the picture/document rest.

3. The camera stand of claim 2, wherein the picture/document rest comprises a central rectangular plate, the support being connected rotatably at the one end to the rectangular plate near one of the shorter sides of the rectangular plate, and a pair of side plates each connected rotatably on one side to an adjacent one of the longer sides of the central plate such that the pair of side plates can be extended so as to share the same plane with the central plate and be folded on the central plate;

and

the support has substantially the same width as the central plate and can be laid on the pair of side plates that are folded on the central plate.

4. The camera stand of claim 2, wherein the picture/document rest comprises a single plate that has substantially the same width as the support.

5. The camera stand of claim 1, wherein:

the foot comprises a rod-like one that will be placed in a lying state on a surface, the rod-like foot being disposed on at least one of opposite sides of the support; and

the support is rotatably connected at the one end thereof to a rear end of the rod-like foot and turnable beside the rod-like foot between the lying position in the extending direction of the rod-like foot and the upstanding position.

6. The camera stand of claim 5, wherein:

the rod-like foot has substantially the same thickness as the support (5).

7. The camera stand of claim 5, further comprising:

a pivot extending horizontally and laterally from the rear end of the rod-like foot; and

wherein;

the support is supported rotatably at the one end by the pivot and slidable along the pivot.

8. The camera stand of claim 5, wherein:

the rod-like foot is disposed at one of the opposite sides of the support, and the support is supported by cooperation of its one end and the rod-like foot in the upstanding state on the surface.

9. The camera stand of claim 5, wherein:

the rod-like foot is provided at each of the opposite sides of the support.

10. The camera stand of claim 1, wherein:

the support has on a front thereof a recess in which the arm mechanism is received.

11. The camera stand of claim 10, wherein the support is adapted to receive the arm mechanism and the camera attached to the arm mechanism in the recess provided therein.

12. The camera stand of claim 1, wherein:

the support has an opening that receives the arm mechanism therein.

13. The camera stand of claim 12, wherein:

the support is adapted to receive the digital camera and the arm mechanism in the opening provided therein.

14. The camera stand of claim 1, wherein:

the support comprises a first support part having opposite ends at one of which the first support part is supported rotatably by the foot;

a second support part with opposite ends and being provided on the first support part so as to be slidable in the extending direction of the first support part such that the second support part is extended outwards from the first support part in use and received within the confine of the length of the first support part in non-use; and

the arm mechanism has opposite ends at one of which the arm mechanism is connected rotatably to one end of the second support part and received in non-use along with the second support part within the confine of the length of the first support part.

15. The camera stand of claim 14, wherein:

the first support part comprises a hollow member in which hollow the second support part and the arm mechanism are received.

16. The camera stand of claim 15, wherein:

the arm mechanism is received within the confine of the length of the first support part with the digital camera left outside the first support part, and the digital camera is covered with a removable cap.

17. The camera stand of claim 1, wherein the arm mechanism comprises:

an arm supported rotatably at one end to the other end of the support; and

a camera holder attached to the other end of the arm such that the camera holder can be inclined at a desired angle to an extending direction of the arm.

18. The camera stand of claim 17, wherein the camera holder comprises:

a turning member supported to the other end of the arm;

such that the camera holder can be inclined at a desired angle to an extending direction of the arm; and

a camera fixing member attached removably to the turning member for supporting the digital camera removably.

19. The camera stand of claim 17, wherein the camera holder comprises:

a turning member connected to the other end of the arm part such that the camera holder can be inclined at a desired angle to an extending direction of the arm; and

a camera fixing member attached rotatably to the turning member for supporting the digital camera removably thereon.

20. The camera stand of claim 17, wherein the camera holder comprises:

a first turning member connected to the other end of the arm such that the camera holder can be inclined at a desired angle to an extending direction of the arm;

a second turning member attached rotatably to the first turning member; and

a camera fixing member attached removably to the second turning member for supporting the digital camera removably.

21. The camera stand of claim 1, wherein the arm mechanism further comprises:

an arm attached at one end rotatably at the other end to an end of the support; and

a camera holder provided pivotably to the other end of the arm.

22. The camera stand of claim 21, wherein the camera holder further comprises:

a turning member supported pivotably to the other end of the arm; and

a camera attaching member attached removably to the turning member for supporting the digital camera removably.

23. The camera stand of claim 1, further comprising:

an external device connector provided within any one of the foot and the support for connecting the digital camera attached to the arm mechanism to an external device; and

a camera-side connector provided on the arm mechanism and electrically connected to the external device connector provided in the digital camera.

24. The camera stand of claim 23, further comprising:

a charging circuit provided within any one of the foot and the support for charging the digital camera electrically, the charging circuit being connected to the camera-side connector provided on the arm mechanism.

25. The camera stand of claim 1, further comprising:

a picture/document illumination light provided on any one of the support and the arm mechanism for illuminating the picture/document whose image is to be picked up; and

a driver provided in the support for driving the illumination light.