US5157429A — Lens shutter camera including zoom lens

Claim 1

Independent Claim 77 words

A movable cam plate positioned within a camera which is adapted to be driven by a motor, said camera having a zoom lens driven by said motor, said cam plate comprising a substantially flat main portion, a downwardly extending rack attached to a rear edge of said main portion and a plurality of surfaces in said main portion, said zoom lens including a rotatable gear which is engaged via a gear train to said cam plate rack.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 77 words

A movable cam plate positioned within a camera which is adapted to be driven by a motor, said camera having a zoom lens driven by said motor, said cam plate comprising a substantially flat main portion, a downwardly extending rack attached to a rear edge of said main portion and a plurality of surfaces in said main portion, said zoom lens including a rotatable gear which is engaged via a gear train to said cam plate rack.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 260 words

A cam plate in accordance with claim 1, wherein said surfaces include a parallax compensating cam groove including a non-projection section in which a drive pin attached to a rotatable prism is positioned when said gear has rotated over angles θ 1 and θ 2 , and a forward macro feeding section and a macro fixing section in which said drive pin attached to said rotatable prism is positioned when said gear has rotated over an angle θ 3 , a strobe assembly guide groove having a wide angle section in which a drive pin attached to the strobe assembly is positioned when said gear is rotated over the angle θ 1 , a variable power section in which a drive pin attached to said strobe assembly is positioned when said gear has rotated over the angle θ 2 , and a telephoto section in which a drive pin attached to said strobe assembly is positioned when said gear is rotated over the angle θ 3 , and a variable lens guide groove having a wide angle section in which a driving pin attached to a movable finder block is positioned when said gear has rotated over the angle θ 1 , a variable power section in which a drive pin attached to the movable finder block assembly is positioned when the gear has rotated over the angle θ 2 , and a telephoto section in which a drive pin attached to the movable finder block assembly is positioned when said gear has rotated over the angle θ 3 .

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 75 words

A cam plate in accordance with claim 1, wherein said cam plate is slidably positioned on a larger plate having two guide pins projecting upwardly therefrom, said cam plate having an elongated slit extending over the length of said cam plate and engaged on said guide pins, said larger plate having at least one guide projection bent upwardly from said larger plate and comprising means for slidably retaining a lower edge of said cam plate.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 36 words

A cam plate in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a finder optical system engaged with said cam plate and driven by said motor, via said cam plate, in association with movement of said zoom lens.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 35 words

A cam plate in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a strobe assembly engaged with said cam plate and driven by said motor, via said cam plate, in association with movement of said zoom lens.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 119 words

A lens shutter type of camera having separate photographic and viewfinding optical systems, and having a photographic optical system having a motor driven zoom lens with a rotatable cam ring having cam surfaces which are engaged by at least one lens group of said zoom lens, said at least one lens group being movable along an axis of said photographic optical system to vary its optical length in response to rotational motion of said cam ring, said cam ring being positioned about said zoom lens, said camera including at least one plate having zoom lens positioned information, said plate comprising a flexible code plate with a plurality of conductive lands, said code plate being positioned about said cam ring.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 119 words

A lens shutter type of camera having separate photographic and viewfinding optical systems, and having a photographic optical system having a motor driven zoom lens with a rotatable cam ring having cam surfaces which are engaged by at least one lens group of said zoom lens, said at least one lens group being movable along an axis of said photographic optical system to vary its optical length in response to rotational motion of said cam ring, said cam ring being positioned about said zoom lens, said camera including at least one plate having zoom lens positioned information, said plate comprising a flexible code plate with a plurality of conductive lands, said code plate being positioned about said cam ring.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 35 words

A camera in accordance with claim 6, further comprising a brush with a plurality of electrical terminals which are adapted to ride over said plate, said brush being attached to a flexible printed circuit board.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 26 words

A camera in accordance with claim 6, further comprising means for decoding said lens positional information on said plate into focal length or lens opening information.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 43 words

A camera in accordance with claim 6, wherein said decoding means comprise means for converting continuous positional information of said zoom lens which is on said code plate into focal length and lens opening information corresponding to the position of the zoom lens.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 79 words

A camera in accordance with claim 9, wherein two of said code plate portions represent extreme positions of said lens, one of said extreme positions corresponding to a macro mode position of said lens group when said lens group is positioned beyond an extreme telephoto focal length position by a predetermined displacement and the other extreme position corresponding to a lens collapsed position in which said one single lens group is positioned beyond an extreme wide-angle focal length position.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 83 words

A lens shutter camera having a lens defining an optical axis and at least one group of lenses movable along said axis, means for transmitting motion of said movable lens group to move at least one operational camera mechanism, said transmitting means including a plate having at least one cam surface and a toothed portion, said toothed portion being adapted to be driven by axial movement of said lens group, each said cam surface defining the motion of a respective operational camera mechanism.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 83 words

A lens shutter camera having a lens defining an optical axis and at least one group of lenses movable along said axis, means for transmitting motion of said movable lens group to move at least one operational camera mechanism, said transmitting means including a plate having at least one cam surface and a toothed portion, said toothed portion being adapted to be driven by axial movement of said lens group, each said cam surface defining the motion of a respective operational camera mechanism.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 60 words

A camera as defined in claim 11, wherein said lens is driven by a motor, said lens group is mounted for axial movement within an annular ring, said ring is mounted for rotation about the optical axis of said lens, and a gear segment is mounted on said annular ring and driven by said motor to drive said toothed portion.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 33 words

A camera in accordance with claim 12, wherein said annular ring includes at least one cam surface defining the axial motion of said lens group in response to rotation of said annular ring.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 26 words

A camera in accordance with claim 11, wherein said cam groove includes a parallax compensating cam surface for moving a finder optical system of said camera.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 29 words

A camera in accordance with claim 11, wherein said surface of said plate comprises a strobe assembly guide surface for guiding movement of a strobe assembly of said camera.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 187 words

A cam assembly for a camera comprising first and second cam members each having a substantially flat portion, said first cam member being fixedly positioned within said camera and carrying thereon at least one movably positionable camera component, said second cam member being movably mounted and comprising a toothed rack attached to an edge of said second cam member flat portion, said flat portions of said movable and fixed cam members being disposed in parallel overlying relationship to each other to permit sliding motion of said movable cam member with respect to said fixed cam member, each of said cam members including a plurality of cam surfaces, at least one of said cam surfaces comprising means for guiding the sliding movement of said movable cam member with respect to said fixed cam member, and at least one cam surface on said movable cam member comprising means for guiding movement of said at least one camera component, said toothed rack comprising means for imparting motion to said movable cam member to slide with respect to said fixed cam member to moveably position said at least one camera component.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 187 words

A cam assembly for a camera comprising first and second cam members each having a substantially flat portion, said first cam member being fixedly positioned within said camera and carrying thereon at least one movably positionable camera component, said second cam member being movably mounted and comprising a toothed rack attached to an edge of said second cam member flat portion, said flat portions of said movable and fixed cam members being disposed in parallel overlying relationship to each other to permit sliding motion of said movable cam member with respect to said fixed cam member, each of said cam members including a plurality of cam surfaces, at least one of said cam surfaces comprising means for guiding the sliding movement of said movable cam member with respect to said fixed cam member, and at least one cam surface on said movable cam member comprising means for guiding movement of said at least one camera component, said toothed rack comprising means for imparting motion to said movable cam member to slide with respect to said fixed cam member to moveably position said at least one camera component.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 20 words

A camming assembly as in claim 16, wherein said camera component comprises a movable component of a camera strobe assembly.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 20 words

A camming assembly as in claim 16, wherein said camera component comprises a movable component of a camera finder mechanism.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 89 words

A camming assembly for a camera comprising first and second overlying generally planar cam members, said members being mounted for sliding motion relative to each other, said first cam member including guide pins for guiding motion of said second cam member and at least one cam surface for guiding motion of an operating component of said camera, said second member including a first cam surface retaining said guide pins of the first cam member and at least one second cam surface for guiding motion of said operating camera component.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 89 words

A camming assembly for a camera comprising first and second overlying generally planar cam members, said members being mounted for sliding motion relative to each other, said first cam member including guide pins for guiding motion of said second cam member and at least one cam surface for guiding motion of an operating component of said camera, said second member including a first cam surface retaining said guide pins of the first cam member and at least one second cam surface for guiding motion of said operating camera component.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 35 words

A camming assembly in accordance with claim 19, wherein said second cam member includes a toothed rack cooperating with a camera motive source to move said first and second members with respect to each other.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 37 words

A camming assembly as in claim 20, wherein said motive source comprises a motor driving a camera zoom lens, said lens including a gear engageable, via a gear train, to drive said second cam member toothed rack.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 18 words

A camming assembly in accordance with claim 19, wherein said operating component comprises an optical view finder system.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 16 words

A camming assembly in accordance with claim 19, wherein said operating component comprises a strobe assembly.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 50 words

A camming assembly as in claim 19, wherein said at least one second cam surface comprises a first cam surface for guiding movement of a parallax compensating member of an optical view finder and a second cam surface guidably positioning a variable power lens of said optical view finder system.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1995-10-20	1996-04-20	1996-10-20	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1999-10-20	2000-04-20	2000-10-20	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2003-10-20	2004-04-20	2004-10-20	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Lens shutter camera including zoom lens

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