Patents by Inventor William B. Salvas

William B. Salvas has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5940639
    Abstract: A camera having a body, a sliding member, a shutter release, and a timer. The sliding member is mounted in the camera body. The sliding member has a shutter button arm and a shutter actuation arm. The sliding member is moveable from a first position to a second position by application of a force to the shutter button arm. The shutter release is disposed in the camera body and is movable from a stopped position to a released position. The shutter release is biased toward the released position. The timer has a delay counter and a linkage coupled to the delay counter for movement in synchronism with the delay counter, from a start configuration to an exposure configuration and to an end configuration. The linkage has a stop that engages the shutter release when the linkage is in the start configuration and the sliding member is in the second position. The stop is disengaged from the shutter release when the linkage is in the exposure configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: William B. Salvas, Robert J. Stanchus, William F. Dassero
  • Patent number: 5926660
    Abstract: A camera includes a camera body, a shutter release, a timer, and a timer release arm. The shutter release is disposed in the camera body and is movable from a stopped position to a released position. The shutter release is biased toward the released position. The mechanical timer includes: a spring, a winder, a gear train, an escapement, and a linkage. The winder is mechanically connected to the spring and is movable into a wound position to load the spring. The gear train includes input, output, and intermediate gear units. The input gear unit is driven by the spring. The intermediate gear unit is disposed in mechanical sequence between the input and output gear units. The intermediate gear unit has a lower mechanical advantage in the sequence, relative to the input and output gear units. The escapement is driven by the output gear unit. The linkage is coupled to the gear train for movement with the gear train between start an end configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: William B. Salvas, Ronald W. Grant
  • Patent number: 5893652
    Abstract: A camera back comprising a light emitting device for recording information on a filmstrip in conjunction with picture-taking, and a film support for ensuring the shape of the filmstrip when information is recorded on the filmstrip, is characterized in that the film support has a plurality of parallel curved film ribs integral with the camera back for shaping the filmstrip in a curve, a recording opening is formed in the camera back adjacent one of the curved film ribs, and the light emitting device has a flat light emitting face positioned over the recording opening at an acute angle with respect to the one film rib.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Robert J. Stanchus, William B. Salvas
  • Patent number: 5867742
    Abstract: A camera structure includes a multiple function shutter button assembly that is capable of performing multiple functions in combination with other camera elements. More specifically, the camera includes a camera body, a circuit board attached to the camera body, a shutter button assembly including a sliding member movably coupled to the camera body, wherein the sliding member comprises a shutter button arm, a shutter actuation arm, and an electrical contact arm, and a biasing mechanism for biasing the sliding member to an initial position. The shutter actuation arm includes a shutter actuation member that activates a shutter release mechanism of the camera when a force is applied to the shutter button arm to move sliding member from the initial position to a shutter actuation position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: William B. Salvas, Ronald W. Grant, William F. Dassero, Dwight J. Petruchik, Donald P. McGinn
  • Patent number: 5842071
    Abstract: A camera back comprising a film support for ensuring the shape of a filmstrip, is characterized in that the film support has a plurality of parallel film shaping ribs integral with the camera back, an opening for a battery is formed in the camera back to be located across at least some of the film ribs, and a door for closing the opening has integral rib-extensions that are longitudinally aligned with the film ribs across which the opening is located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Robert J. Stanchus, William B. Salvas
  • Patent number: 5822639
    Abstract: A camera having a body, a push-pull, a sliding member, a shutter release, and a timer. The push-pull is movable between primary and secondary positions. The sliding member has a shutter button arm, a shutter actuation arm, and a timer release arm. The sliding member is moveable from a first to a second position by depression of the shutter button arm. The sliding member is limited to movement from the first position to an offset position when the push-pull is moved from the primary to the secondary position. The sliding member in the offset position is substantially blocked from moving toward the second position. The shutter release is movable from an initial position to a stopped position and to a released position. The shutter release is detained in the initial position by the shutter actuation arm when the sliding member is in one of the first and offset positions. The shutter release is released from the shutter actuation arm when the sliding member is in the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: William B. Salvas, William F. Dassero