Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Fujifilm Corporation

Mitsuhiro Moriya

Yuji Mikami

Kazumi Koike

Keiji Uchiyama

Makoto Isozaki

Yutaka Senda

Nobuyuki Kameyama

Junichi Takagi

Yukitsugu Hata

Takeshi Masuda

Fuminori Kawamura

Fumio Noji

Hideaki Kataoka

Hisashi Tasaka

Kazuto Ando

Akihisa Iida

Akira Haishi

Kazuhito Iwase

Shu Hamada

Shooting is performed upon full depression of a shutter button, and a taken image is recorded in a memory card as an image file. An LCD displays the taken image and a print number thereof. The print number is adjusted by pressing addition and subtraction buttons. Upon pressing a decision button, number data of the print number is inputted. The number data is recorded in the memory card so as to relate to the image file. Incidentally, in case the shutter button is pressed by half without inputting the number data, the print number is set to one, and next shooting is allowed. The above operation is repeated until entire shooting is completed.

Electronic camera capable of setting a print number of a taken image

A lens-fitted photo film unit includes an electronic flash unit. A flash readiness indicator is secured to a housing, for illuminating to signal readiness of the flash unit upon charging. An attention information indicator having optical transmittance is secured to an end portion of the flash readiness indicator removably to protrude from the housing, for illuminating in response to illumination of the flash readiness indicator visibly from an object side. Also, the flash unit includes a flash light source for applying flash light to a photographic field. A flash circuit controls the flash light source. A signaling light-emitting element emits light in response to completion of charging of the flash circuit. The flash readiness indicator comprises a light conducting optical element for conducting the light from the signaling light-emitting element to an outside of the housing.

Device for photographing provided with flash unit

An operation member is moved from a first position to a third position via a second position. When the operation member is rotated from the second position to the third position, a plate portion integrally formed with the operation member pushes and rotates a changeover ring to rotate a stop changing plate and a shutter-speed changing plate. When the operation member is kept in the second position, the plate portion is not interlocked with the changeover ring. Thus, a stop and a shutter speed are not carelessly changed if the operation member is slightly rotated by a finger. Since the stop changing plate starts to rotate at a near portion of a rotational end of the changeover ring, the stop is substantially maintained in a smaller-stop state or in a larger-stop state even if the operation member stops on its way.

Lens-fitted photo film unit

A lens-fitted photo film unit includes a flash unit for applying flash light to a photographic object. An exposure amount changer, such as an aperture stop changing mechanism, changes over object light incident on photo film from the object between low and high exposure amounts. For the lens-fitted photo film unit, a photographic mode selection device includes a movable selector, such as a button, for selectively designating a daylight mode, a daylight flash mode and a night flash mode. The movable selector, when the daylight mode is designated, determines the low exposure amount and turns off the flash unit, and when the daylight flash mode is designated, determines the low exposure amount and turns on the flash unit, and when the night flash mode is designated, determines the high exposure amount and turns on the flash unit.

Photographic mode selectable camera

A front cover of a lens-fitted photo film unit is formed of a transparent resin. On an inner surface of the front cover, plural inclinations are formed along outlines of a symbol. The front cover covers a front side of the main body. When the lens-fitted photo film unit is disposed in a light, the light passes through the front cover and is reflected toward an outside on the plural inclinations formed on the inner surface of the front cover. As the light is reflected on the inclinations, the symbol indicated in brilliancy.

In an optical data recording device, an LCD panel, an aperture stop and a projection lens are arranged in this order from the object side, and a center of the LCD panel is displaced from an optical axis of the projection lens in a direction away from an optical axis of an taking lens, so an image of data displayed on the LCD panel is projected on a photo filmstrip at a position that is shifted from the projection lens optical axis toward the taking lens optical axis. Where the photo filmstrip is curved along its lengthwise direction for compensating for a curvature of field of the taking lens, the LCD panel is inclined to a perpendicular plane to the projection lens optical axis, so an image surface of the LCD panel is formed on the photo filmstrip parallel with its curve.

Data recording device and camera with data imaging device

A lens-fitted photo film unit has a main body preloaded with photo film. A front cover covers a front of the main body. An exposure unit is secured between the main body and the front cover, for providing the photo film with an exposure. A plate-shaped information imprinting module is secured between the main body and the front cover with the exposure unit. Positioning pins are formed in the front of the main body. Positioning holes are formed in a rear of the information imprinting module, and are fitted on the positioning pins. The information imprinting module is subsequently kept positioned between the front cover and the main body by fitting the front cover on the main body.

Lens-fitted photo film unit having auxiliary module

In a flash circuit of a flash device, a Zener diode ( ) is connected to a tap point ( ) located at an intermediate position of a secondary coil of an oscillation transformer ( ). The oscillation transformer ( ) and an oscillation transistor ( ) constitutes an oscillation circuit. A potential at the tap point ( ) changes proportionally to a voltage charged in a main capacitor ( ). When the main capacitor ( ) is charged up to a set voltage, the Zener diode ( ) conducts a Zener current, which activates a stopping transistor ( ) and thus deactivates the oscillation circuit. When a flash charge switch ( ) is turned on, an end of a light guide portion of a charge condition indicator ( ) protrudes out of a lens-fitted film unit. When the main capacitor ( ) is charged up to the set voltage, a light emission element starts lighting and the light from the light emission element is projected from the end of the light guide portion.

Flash unit

In a flash circuit of a flash device, a Zener diode ( ) is connected to a tap point ( ) located at an intermediate position of a secondary coil of an oscillation transformer ( ). The oscillation transformer ( ) and an oscillation transistor ( ) constitutes an oscillation circuit. A potential at the tap point ( ) changes proportionally to a voltage charged in a main capacitor ( ). When the main capacitor ( ) is charged up to a set voltage, the Zener diode ( ) conducts a Zener current, which activates a stopping transistor ( ) and thus deactivates the oscillation circuit. When a flash charge switch ( ) is turned on, an end of a light guide portion of a charge condition indicator ( ) protrudes out of a lens-fitted film unit. When the main capacitor ( ) is charged up to the set voltage, a light emission element starts lighting, and the light from the light emission element is projected from the end of the light guide portion.

A lens-fitted photo film unit is provided with a data recording device, wherein a plastic light guide member has a flash light entering portion that is opposed to a front portion of a flash projector of a built-in flash device, and a light projection terminal facing an LCD panel of a data display module. The light guide member also has an external light entering surface that is exposed to a front portion of the film unit, to collect external light and conduct it to the light projection terminal. The light projected from the light projection terminal toward the LCD panel is used for recording data displayed on the LCD panel onto a filmstrip contained in the film unit. When the film unit is used in a dark place, the flash device is activated to project a flash light from the flash projector. So the flash light partly enters through the flash light entering portion, and is added to the external light entering through the external light entering surface.

Lens-fitted photo film unit with data recording device

A print format selection device for selecting one of different print formats to each picture frame of a filmstrip loaded in a camera or lens-fitted photo film unit, wherein an original field of view of a viewfinder corresponds to a picture frame defined by an exposure aperture of the camera. A rotatable view changing plate is provided to limit the original field of view in correspondence with the selected print format. The view changing plate is formed with two view windows of different aspect ratios from the original field of view. The centers of the view windows are on a circle which is coaxial with the rotational axis of the view changing plate and which extend across an optical axis of the viewfinder.

Print format selection device for camera

A lens-fitted photo film unit is pre-loaded with unexposed photo film for taking an exposure thereon. A photo film roll chamber contains a roll of the unexposed photo film. A cassette containing chamber contains a cassette shell. The photo film is wound into the cassette shell after being exposed. A bottom opening is formed in a bottom of the cassette containing chamber. A bottom lid closes the bottom opening light-tightly, and is opened outwards after the photo film is wound into the cassette shell, to remove the cassette shell from the cassette containing chamber. An ejector projection is moved in response to outward opening movement of the bottom lid, and pushes the cassette shell toward an outside of the bottom opening, to move at least a bottom end face of the cassette shell out of the cassette containing chamber.

A lens-fitted photo film unit has a film roll chamber, a cartridge chamber, and an exposure frame member provided between the film roll chamber and the film container chamber. The exposure frame member has an exposure aperture through which each picture frame is recorded in the same size on the filmstrip. The exposure frame member is rearwardly convex along a lengthwise direction of the filmstrip so as to support the filmstrip to be forwardly concave behind the exposure aperture, and has a forwardly concave wall portion on one margin of the exposure aperture. Data recording holes are formed through the forwardly concave wall portion, and a data recording lamp projects light toward the data recording holes at each exposure, to photographically record a number of dots on the filmstrip on one margin of the picture frame. A data switching blade mounted in the forwardly concave wall portion in front of the data recording holes. In cooperation with an operation member that is operated to select one of different print formats to each picture frame, the data switching blade covers or uncovers the data recording holes, changing the number of dots recorded for each picture frame in accordance with a print format selected by the operation member.

A lens-fitted photo film unit is pre-loaded with a photo film of a predetermined length. The photo film is retained on a spool. A winder wheel is connected to the spool. After each frame is exposed on the photo film, the winder wheel is manually rotated to wind the photo film into a cassette shell about the spool. In the lens-fitted photo film unit, a combination of a detector cutout and a protruded portion detects that the winder wheel has made a predetermined number of rotations, which depends upon the predetermined length of the photo film. A combination of a recess and a protruded portion locks rotation of the winder wheel in response to rotation of the winder wheel to a predetermined rotational position after the predetermined number of the rotations of the winder wheel. The winder wheel is inhibited from being rotated after the photo film is entirely wound into the cassette shell.

Growing community of inventors

Minami-ashigara, Japan

Mitsuhiro Moriya