Endoscope for photographic recording

Claim 2

An endoscope for use in connection with making a photographic reproduction of an area of a cavity comprising in combination: a generally elongate housing defining a sight aperture and a viewing aperture with a sight passage therebetween, said housing defining an opening between said apertures through which the interior of said hOusing is visible from a location exterior of said housing; a mirror mounted with said housing between said apertures and defining a mirror aperture which defines a portion of said sight passage, said mirror responsive to incident light to reflect such light along said sight passage toward said sight aperture; a focusing light mounted within said housing and disposed to direct light onto said mirror; a beam splitter mounted within said housing adjacent said opening defined by said housing and in opposing relation to said mirror; said beam splitter disposed to direct a portion of light incident thereupon to said mirror; and a photographic flashlight source secured to said housing exteriorly thereof and adjacent said opening and disposed to direct light onto said beam splitter.

Claim 3

The endoscope of claim 1 wherein said beam splitter is further described as being disposed between said focusing light and said mirror whereby focusing light is transmitted through said beam splitter before reaching said mirror.

Claim 4

The endoscope of claim 2 wherein said beam splitter comprises a flat transparent plate and said focusing light and said photographic flashlight are disposed relative to said plate to have the angle of incidence between said plate and focusing light equal to the angle of incidence between said plate and photograph flashlight whereby focusing light transmitted through said plate is coaxial with flashlight reflected by said plate.

Claim 5

The endoscope of claim 3 wherein said beam splitter is further described as comprising a tubular jacket supporting said plate and disposed over said focusing light.

Claim 6

The endoscope of claim 3 wherein said mirror is further described as being concave and thus having a finite focal length, the endoscope further comprising a converging lens secured to said photographic flashlight and disposed between said flashlight and said beam splitter plate, said converging lens operative to converge light from said flashlight to a point at a location between said lens and said plate, said focusing light disposed within said housing at a location which is a distance from said mirror which is substantially equal to the mirror focal length, and the location between said lens and said plate where light from said flashlight converges to a point is a distance from said plate which when added to the distance from said plate to said mirror is also substantially equal to the focal length of said mirror.

Claim 7

An endoscope for use with a single lens reflex camera, having an objective lens, for making photographic reproductions of an area of a cavity comprising in combination; a housing having a viewing aperture aligned with a spaced-apart aperture with a sight passage therebetween; a concave mirror defining a central aperture and mounted within said housing between said viewing aperture and said sight aperture and disposed to surround a portion of said sight passage, said mirror operative to reflect light incident thereupon along said sight passage toward said sight aperture; a beam splitter mounted within said housing in opposing relation to said mirror and operative to direct light incident thereupon toward said mirror; a focusing light mounted to said housing in opposing relation to said beam splitter whereby light from said focusing light falls on said beam splitter and is directed thereby to said mirror which directs such light along said sight passage toward said sight aperture; a photographic flashlight mounted to said housing in opposing relation to said beam splitter whereby light from said flashlight falls on said beam splitter and is directed thereby to said mirror which directs such light along said sight passage toward said sight aperture; mounting means adapted for securing the objective lens of a camera to said viewing aperture of said housing with the optical axis of the lens coaxially aligned with the axis of said sight passage.

Claim 8

An endoscope for use with a single lens reflex camera, having an objective lens, for making photographic reproductions of an area of a cavity comprising in combination; a housing having a viewing aperture aligned with a spaced-apart aperture with a sight passage therebetween; a concave mirror defining a central aperture and mounted within said housing between said viewing aperture and said sight aperture and disposed to surround a portion of said sight passage, said mirror operative to reflect light incident thereupon along said sight passage toward said sight aperture; a beam splitter mounted within said housing in opposing relation to said mirror and operative to direct light incident thereupon toward said mirror; a focusing light mounted to said housing in opposing relation to said beam splitter whereby light from said focusing light falls on said beam splitter and is directed thereby to said mirror which directs such light along said sight passage toward said sight aperture; a photographic flashlight mounted to said housing in opposing relation to said beam splitter whereby light from said flashlight falls on said beam splitter and is directed thereby to said mirror which directs such light along said sight passage toward said sight aperture; mounting means adapted for securing the objective lens of a camera to said viewing aperture of said housing with the optical axis of the lens coaxially aligned with the axis of said sight passage.

Claim 9

The endoscope of claim 6 wherein said mounting meaNs comprises: a generally disc-shaped mounting member defining a central aperture; a housing mounting member secured to said disc-shaped housing member, said housing mounting member operative to secure said housing to said disc-shaped mounting member and dispose said viewing aperture adjacent to and axially aligned with said central aperture of said disc-shaped mounting member; a camera-mounting member secured to said disc-shaped mounting member, said camera-mounting member adapted to secure the objective lens of a camera to said disc-shaped mounting member and dispose the optical axis of the objective lens coaxial to said central aperture of said disc-shaped member.

Claim 10

The endoscope of claim 7 wherein said mounting means is further described by means rotatably securing said housing mounting member to said camera-mounting member.

Claim 11

The endoscope of claim 6 wherein said housing is further defined by a generally elongate interface formed in its exterior surface and said mounting means comprises: a generally disc-shaped mounting member defining a central aperture; a generally elongate interface member for interlocking with said housing interface and secured to, and extending perpendicular to the plane of, said disc-shaped member, said interface member secured to said disc-shaped member at a radial distance from the center thereof which disposes the viewing aperture of said housing in coaxial alignment with said central aperture of said disc-shaped member when said interface member interlocks with said housing interface; and a camera-mounting member having a generally disc shape and defining a central aperture, said camera-mounting member rotatably secured to said disc-shaped member about a common central axis, said camera-mounting member including means for securing to the camera objective lens and disposing the central axis of said camera-mounting member coaxially with the optical axis of the lens.

Claim 12

The endoscope of claim 6, wherein said housing defines an opening between said viewing aperture and said sight aperture, and further comprises: a holder demountably secured in said housing adjacent said opening defined thereby and removable therefrom through said opening, said holder mounting said focusing light and said beam splitter.

Claim 13

The endoscope of claim 10 wherein said holder is further described as having a portion extending through said housing opening when disposed in place within said housing and mounting said photographic flashlight at a location exteriorly of said housing.

Claim 14

The endoscope of claim 11 further comprising a converging lens secured to said holder between said photographic flashlight and said beam splitter.

Claim 15

The endoscope of claim 12 further comprising converging lens mounting means securing said converging lens to said holder and including adjustable means by which the distance between said lens and said beam splitter is selectively variable.