Eastman-kodak Company

William L Burnham

Joseph Anthony Manico

Joel S Lawther

David J Glogan

Peter A Newman

Ralph M Lyon

Paul L Ruben

Joseph J Schappler

Peter A Frosig

Richard A Gates

Michael J Poccia

Richard F Manley

William J Meisezahl

An optical system including first and second lens groups disposed for relative movement along an optical axis and coupled together by a cam and follower mechanism for controlling such relative movement to change the focal length of the optical system. The system is characterized by a mechanism for offsetting relative movement between the lens groups along the optical axis caused by lateral movement of the lens groups essentially normal to the axis, thereby to maintain the focal length constant in the presence of the lateral movement.

Control for optical system having multiple focal lengths

A dual function viewfinder presents to a photographer the frame of a picture being taken by the camera having the viewfinder and enables the photographer to point the camera to the center of the frame. The frame is outlined by the front perimeter of an opening which extends between the rear and the front of the camera. Centered within the opening is a tubular member which blocks a portion of the field of view except when the camera is pointed so that the pupil of the photographer's eye is centered. The line of sight from the pupil to the center of the framed field of view is then along the axis of the tubular member. This condition is indicated by the walls of the member becoming virtually imperceptible to the photographer. No refracting optical elements, such as lenses, are required in the viewfinder; making the viewfinder low in cost and, therefore, especially suitable for single use cameras.

Lensless camera viewfinder

A zoom lens drive mechanism, for translationally driving and positionally locating a lens subgroup of a zoom lens to a zooming position along an optical axis of the zoom lens, comprises a base ring member having an aperture concentrically defined about the optical axis of the zoom lens and a drive ring member rotatably mounted on the base member for concentric rotation about the optical axis with axial constraint. A translatable lens subgroup ring member is suspended concentrically from the base and drive ring members by means of rods independently coupled at first ends thereof to the base and drive ring members and joined at second ends thereof to a common pivot point on the translatable ring member. Alternative split ball joint arrangements are described for coupling the suspension rods to the translatable ring member.

Zoom lens drive mechanism

A photographic printing apparatus for processing both full frame and panoramic prints from a roll of film containing negatives which have been selectively exposed in either full frame format or panoramic format is disclosed herein, along with its method of operation. The apparatus includes a printing station for receiving successively exposed negatives from the roll of film and an arrangement for electro-optically determining the density of each negative within the printing station at a number of sensing points on the negative. A format status determining arrangement, preferably one which is computerized, responds to the density of the given negative at the various sensing points for determining if the negative contains a full frame image or a panoramic image, or is blank or entirely fogged. If the particular negative at the printing station is determined to contain a full frame image, the printing apparatus makes a print from the negative in the full frame format and if it is determined that the negative contains a panoramic image, the print in made in the panoramic format. On the other hand, if the negative is determined to be a blank or entirely fogged, the apparatus moves that negative out of the print station without making a print.

Full frame/panoramic photographic printing apparatus and method

A copy stand for supporting a camera having a built-in flash device to photograph a subject in an exposure area. The stand comprises a continuous sheet of paper board folded and coupled to itself to form a generally tubular section adapted to surround the subject in the exposure area and establish the position of the subject relative to the camera and flash. The tubular section includes a baffle, which blocks direct flash illumination of the exposure area, a first diffuse reflector, which directs flash illumination around the baffle and toward the exposure area, and a second diffuse reflector on the opposite side of the exposure area from the first reflector. The second reflector redirects illumination from the first reflector back toward the exposure area, thereby illuminating the subject area from multiple directions.

Photographic copy stand and base therefor

A method and apparatus for purging particulate contaminants such as dust from a camera interior chamber and leak paths in the camera housing between the chamber and the atmosphere external to the housing. The camera is of the type having an operational component such as a deploying lens movable in the chamber in a manner varying the volume of the chamber. A passage in the housing provides an air flow path for placing the chamber in fluid communication with the atmosphere. Free flow of air is provided through the path from the atmosphere to the chamber at minimal pressure differential therebetween when the camera operational component moves in a direction increasing the volume of the chamber. The air flow through the path is filtered to remove particulate contaminants such as dust. Flow of air through the path from the chamber to the atmosphere is blocked by a valve when the camera operational component moves in a direction decreasing the volume of the chamber so that air is forced from the chamber through the leak paths in the housing into the atmosphere thereby purging the chamber and leak paths of particulate contaminants such as dust.

Dust purging method and apparatus for deploying lens cameras

A camera is intended to be used with a film cartridge that has a normally curled film leader protruding from the cartridge. In the camera, a first cartridge-receiving chamber portion has an open end and side which allow the cartridge to be received in the first chamber portion laterally through the open side with one end of the cartridge protruding from the open end and the curled leader protruding from the open side. This permits the end of the cartridge protruding from the first chamber portion to be manually grasped in order to rotate the cartridge within the first chamber portion in the particular direction of curl of the leader. An elongate surface is arranged proximate the first chamber portion to force the leader to uncurl against the elongate surface to substantially flatten when the cartridge is rotated within the first chamber portion in the particular direction of curl of the leader. A second cartridge-receiving chamber portion has an open end which opens to the first chamber portion to allow the cartridge to be inserted with the leader substantially flattened against the elongate surface into the second chamber portion from the first chamber portion.

Easy loading camera

A photographic film comprises an elongated light-sensitive strip having a longitudinal series of similar size rectangular exposure areas whose proportion of the width to the height is less than 2:1. Each exposure area is pre-exposed along a top-most portion and/or a bottom-most portion to limit the useable size of each exposure area during picture-taking to one whose proportion of the width to the height is at least 2:1. Thus, the useable size of each exposure area provides a panorama-like image format.

Photographic film and cartridge

A camera which comprises a camera housing, containing a viewfinder system and a back wall. The camera further comprises a deployable objective lens, having an optical axis that is substantially normal to the back wall of the camera housing throughout lens deployment. The objective lens is spaced apart from the viewfinder system in at least a lateral dimension and from the back wall in at least a forward dimension. A deployment assembly, supported by the camera housing, deploys the objective lens between a compact storage position and a range of operational focus positions. The deployment assembly is positioned, configured and dimensioned to produce an arcuate deployment path that approximates a theoretical lens path, for simultaneous parallax correction and focus adjustment, between an infinity focus position and a near focus position. The deployment assembly includes a carriage, to whcih the objective lens is mounted. The carriage has a first side and an opposite side separated by a transverse dimension. The carriage is supported by the camera housing by means of front and rear support links, having equal lengths. Each support link is pivotally connected to the camera housing at a proximal end, and to the front side of the carriage at a distal end. The rear support link is spaced apart from the front support link by a predetermined bearing distance in the forward dimension. The arcuate deployment path, produced by the deployment assembly, has a radius of curavature equal to the length of the support links.

Automatic parallax correction in deploying lens camera

A compact camera having an electronic flash unit which is flipped up for use is adapted to pop out a finder eyelens from inside the camera body to outside the camera body responsive to flipping up the flash unit.

Pop-out viewfinder for compact camera with flip-up flash unit

A camera has a rear door which is opened to reveal a cartridge receiving chamber, a pair of substantially parallel film rails located adjacent opposite sides of an exposure opening to support successive lengths of a filmstrip over the exposure opening, and a film take-up chamber. A rigid film pressure plate is connected to the inside of the door to rest against the rails over the exposure opening when the door is closed, to support successive lengths of the filmstrip flat at the exposure opening. According to the invention, a single-piece of resilient compressible opaque material is secured to the inside of the door to form a unitary deformable surface for sealing the cartridge receiving chamber, the exposure opening, and the film take-up chamber against ambient light and dust and urging the pressure plate against the film rails when the door is closed.

Light and dust seal for camera

A photographic camera includes a lens carrier with alternative taking lenses having shorter and longer focal lengths. The lens carrier is pivotable relative to the camera body between a storage position in which the two lenses are concealed within the camera body and respective use positions in which the two lenses alternatively are located for picture-taking.

Folding dual lens camera

In a final phase of the photographic process a customer generally receives an envelope containing a group of prints and a plurality of strips of negatives associated with the prints. Packaging the prints and negatives in this manner can lead to the negatives getting demand and/or the negatives getting separated from the original prints, thus making it difficult to produce high quailty reprints and making it difficult to determine which negative is to be reprinted. A photographic image set including an index print integrally stored with the associated negative strips provides a convenient single storage and retrieval system. A method of making the photographic image set provides acceptable overall exposure of the index print and reduces the incidence of damage to the negative strips.

Photographic image set

A flip-up flash unit for a camera has a viewfinder opening for viewing a subject to be photographed when the flash unit is swung to an operative position elevated from the body of the camera. A finder objective lens and a finder eyelens are each swung to individual viewing positions optically aligned with the viewfinder opening, responsive to movement of the flash unit to its operative position. The body of the camera, therefore, can be made more compact because the need for a viewfinder opening and finder lenses built into the body is eliminated.

Optical finder for camera with flip-up flash unit

A flip-up flash unit for a camera has a built-in viewfinder opening for viewing a subject to be photographed when the flash unit is swung to an operative position elevated from the body of the camera. The body of the camera, therefore, can be made more compact because the need for a viewfinder opening in the body is eliminated.

Growing community of inventors

Leroy, NY, United States of America

William L Burnham