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:
Aug. 13, 2002
Filed:
Apr. 29, 1998
Applicant:
Inventors:
Assignee:
Minolta Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G03B 3/10 ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
G03B 3/10 ;
Abstract
A driving mechanism is disclosed that utilizes a shape-memory alloy. In particular, mechanical components are movably positioned by a member composed of shape-memory alloy, which changes shape when heated. The present invention reduces the number of mechanical components in a driving mechanism, thereby reducing size and improving performance. One of many applications of the present invention is a camera application.