Photographic camera with viewfinder

Claim 2

A photographic camera comprising: a camera body including a film chamber and a lens housing on the front of said camera body; a lens mounted on said lens housing; indicia having a site on said lens housing, said indicia indicating a setting of said lens; a viewfinder, having a line of sight, mounted on said camera body, rearwardly of said lens housing, and having a viewfinder lens at the front end of an enclosed chamber and an eye lens at the rear of said chamber; reflecting means mounted on said lens housing and positioned forwardly thereof, spaced substantially apart from said viewfinder and below said viewfinder''s line of sight, for reflecting an image of said indicia rearwardly along a path proximate an exterior surface of said camera body toward said viewfinder; and a prismatic refracting portion on the front surface of said viewfinder lens, said portion receiving the reflected image of said indicia and directing said image to said eye lens so that one looking through said eye lens observes the image of the scene to be photographed as formed by said viewfinder lens and at the bottom of said scene an image of said indicia.

Claim 3

The photographic camera of claim 1 wherein said reflecting means comprise first and second reflectors, said first reflector being mounted above said indicia on said lens housing for reflecting an image of said indicia to said second reflector which reflects said image toward said prismatic refracting portion on the front of said viewfinder lens.

Claim 4

The photographic camera of claim 2 wherein said second reflector is mounted above and in front of said first reflector means in a projecting portion of said lens housing which is positioned directly above said indicia.

Claim 5

The photographic camera of claim 3 wherein said first reflector faces forward and the second reflector faces toward the back of the camera for directing the reflected indicia image backward toward said prismatic refracting portion on said viewfinder lens.

Claim 6

A photographic camera comprising: a camera body including a film chamber and a lens housing on the front of said camera body; a lens mounted on said lens housing, said lens being mounted in a ring-shaped element surrounding said lens and having a cylindrical bezel surface upon which indicia are located, said bezel surface being rotated to focus said lens; a viewfinder having a line of sight mounted on said camera body rearwardly of said lens housing having a viewfinder lens at the front end of an enclosed chamber and an eye lens at the rear of said chamber; reflecting means mounted on said lens housing and positioned forwardly thereof, spaced substantially apart from said viewfinder and below said viewfinder''s line of sight, for reflecting an image of said indicia on said bezel surface toward said viewfinder, said reflecting means including first and second reflectors, said first reflector positioned above said indicia facing forwardly for receiving said indicia image and reflecting it to said second reflector, facing rearward positioned above and forward of said first reflector, for receiving said indicia image from Said first reflector and reflecting said indicia image toward said viewfinder lens; and a prismatic refracting portion of said viewfinder lens, said portion receiving the reflected image of said indicia on said bezel surface and directing said image to said eye lens so that one looking through said eye lens observes the image of the scene to be photographed as formed by said viewfinder lens and at the bottom of said scene an image of said indicia on said bezel surface.

Claim 7

A photographic camera comprising: a camera body including a film chamber and a lens housing on the front of said camera body; a lens mounted on said lens housing, said lens being mounted in a ring-shaped element surrounding said lens and having a cylindrical bezel surface upon which indicia are located, said bezel surface being rotated to focus said lens; a viewfinder having a line of sight mounted on said camera body rearwardly of said lens housing having a viewfinder lens at the front end of an enclosed chamber and an eye lens at the rear of said chamber; reflecting means mounted on said lens housing and positioned forwardly thereof, spaced substantially apart from said viewfinder and below said viewfinder''s line of sight, for reflecting an image of said indicia on said bezel surface toward said viewfinder, said reflecting means including first and second reflectors, said first reflector positioned above said indicia facing forwardly for receiving said indicia image and reflecting it to said second reflector, facing rearward positioned above and forward of said first reflector, for receiving said indicia image from Said first reflector and reflecting said indicia image toward said viewfinder lens; and a prismatic refracting portion of said viewfinder lens, said portion receiving the reflected image of said indicia on said bezel surface and directing said image to said eye lens so that one looking through said eye lens observes the image of the scene to be photographed as formed by said viewfinder lens and at the bottom of said scene an image of said indicia on said bezel surface.

Claim 8

A photographic camera comprising: a camera body including a film chamber and a lens housing on the front of said camera body; a lens mounted on said lens housing, said lens being mounted in a ring-shaped element surrounding said lens and having a cylindrical bezel surface upon which distance indicia are located, said bezel surface being rotated to focus said lens; reflecting means, mounted on said lens housing and positioned forwardly thereof, for forming a reflected image of said indicia on said bezel surface, said reflecting means comprising a pair of reflectors positioned above said bezel surface a first of said reflectors facing forwardly for receiving said indicia image and reflecting said indicia image to the second of said reflectors positioned above and forward of said first reflector, said second reflector facing rearwardly for reflecting said indicia image along a path proximate an exterior surface of said camera body; a viewfinder, mounted on top of said camera body rearwardly of said lens housing, its line of sight being above said reflecting means, and having a negative viewfinder lens at the front end of an enclosed chamber and a positive eye lens at the rear of said chamber; a prismatic refracting portion on the front surface of said viewfinder lens and formed integral therewith, said portion receiving said reflected image of said indicia on said bezel surface and directing said image to said eye lens so that one looking through said eye lens will observe the image of the scene to be photographed as formed by said viewfinder lens at the bottom of said scene an image of said indicia on said bezel surface; and framing means located between said viewfinder lens and said eye lens in the path of said indicia image and providing a framed image of said indicia as observed by the user.

Claim 9

A photographic camera comprising: a camera body including a film chamber and a lens housing on the front of said camera body; a lens mounted on said lens housing, said lens being mounted in a ring-shaped element surrounding said lens and having a cylindrical bezel surface upon which distance indicia are located, said bezel surface being rotated to focus said lens; reflecting means, mounted on said lens housing and positioned forwardly thereof, for forming a reflected image of said indicia on said bezel surface, said reflecting means comprising a pair of reflectors positioned above said bezel surface a first of said reflectors facing forwardly for receiving said indicia image and reflecting said indicia image to the second of said reflectors positioned above and forward of said first reflector, said second reflector facing rearwardly for reflecting said indicia image along a path proximate an exterior surface of said camera body; a viewfinder, mounted on top of said camera body rearwardly of said lens housing, its line of sight being above said reflecting means, and having a negative viewfinder lens at the front end of an enclosed chamber and a positive eye lens at the rear of said chamber; a prismatic refracting portion on the front surface of said viewfinder lens and formed integral therewith, said portion receiving said reflected image of said indicia on said bezel surface and directing said image to said eye lens so that one looking through said eye lens will observe the image of the scene to be photographed as formed by said viewfinder lens at the bottom of said scene an image of said indicia on said bezel surface; and framing means located between said viewfinder lens and said eye lens in the path of said indicia image and providing a framed image of said indicia as observed by the user.

Claim 10

The photographic camera of claim 6 wherein said framing means include a pair of side framing portions extending into said indicia image path and having an opening therebetween through which the central portion of the indicia image may pass.

Claim 11

A photographic camera comprising: a camera body including a film chamber and a lens housing on the front of said camera body; a lens mounted on said housing; indicia on said lens housing, for indicating a setting of said lens; a viewfinder having a line of sight mounted on said camera body, rearwardly of said lens housing, wherein said viewfinder has a viewfinder lens at the front end of an enclosed chamber and an eye lens at the rear of said chamber, said viewfinder lens having a prismatic refracting portion on the front surface thereof; and reflecting means, mounted on said lens housing below said line of sight, including first and second reflectors, said first reflector positioned above said indicia and facing toward the front of said camera and reflecting an image of said indicia to said second reflector positioned above and slightly forward of said first reflector, said second reflector facing toward the back of said camera and directing said indicia image backward along a path proximate said camera body to said prismatic portion on said viewfinder lens which directs said indicia image to said eye lens so that one looking through said eye lens observes the image of the scene to be photographed as formed by said viewfinder lens and at the bottom of said scene an image of said indicia.

Claim 12

A photographic camera comprising: a camera body including a film chamber and a lens housing on the front of said camera body; a lens mounted on said housing; indicia on said lens housing, for indicating a setting of said lens; a viewfinder having a line of sight mounted on said camera body, rearwardly of said lens housing, wherein said viewfinder has a viewfinder lens at the front end of an enclosed chamber and an eye lens at the rear of said chamber, said viewfinder lens having a prismatic refracting portion on the front surface thereof; and reflecting means, mounted on said lens housing below said line of sight, including first and second reflectors, said first reflector positioned above said indicia and facing toward the front of said camera and reflecting an image of said indicia to said second reflector positioned above and slightly forward of said first reflector, said second reflector facing toward the back of said camera and directing said indicia image backward along a path proximate said camera body to said prismatic portion on said viewfinder lens which directs said indicia image to said eye lens so that one looking through said eye lens observes the image of the scene to be photographed as formed by said viewfinder lens and at the bottom of said scene an image of said indicia.