The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 18, 2000
Filed:
Jun. 23, 1998
Daiki Tsukahara, Tokyo, JP;
Nikon Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An electronic device has a plurality of prestored limit times that define a time period of non-use, after which the electronic device will enter an energy-saving state. A different one of the plurality of limit times can be selected for different operating modes of the electronic device. Thus, when the electronic device is switched between different modes, different limit times, which define the duration of the non-use period prior to entering the energy-saving state, will take effect. Additionally or alternatively, a different one of the plurality of limit times can be selected for different geographical conditions. Thus, when the electronic device is being used in a first geographical condition, for example, a place where batteries are readily available and inexpensive, the limit time is increased in order to improve the operability of the electronic device. Conversely, when the electronic device is used in a geographical condition where batteries are expensive and/or difficult to find, the limit time is decreased so as to conserve battery power. According to one embodiment, the invention is applied to an electronic camera to set different limit times for shutting off an LCD of the camera.