Abstract: A wireless slave electronic photoflash device is located separately from a camera body, and responsive to light emission of a master electronic flash unit built in or connected to the camera body, for emitting light synchronized therewith. The slave flash device includes a discharge tube, a trigger section responsive to a trigger signal for causing the discharge tube to emit light, a photodetector adapted to detect an optical signal from the master flash device, a one-shot section which is retriggerable and generates and issues a signal during a predetermined time period in response to the receipt of a signal from the photodetector, and a trigger signal output section which generates and issues the trigger signal based on the signal from the one-shot section and the signal from the photodetector.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an engaging mechanism. The engaging mechanism comprises a cam element which moves upon modification of an engaging position, a cam follower abutted against a cam surface of the cam element, a detecting element for detecting a position of the cam follower, and a section to be detected provided on the cam follower, for giving at least three different kinds of output values to the detecting element.

Abstract: A gaming method and system which allows a player to wager varying amounts on whether that player will have multiple consecutive wins of a game of chance and which provides a simplified arrangement for monitoring the progress of such bets made by one or more players.

Abstract: A camera has barrier supported by a rail block attached to the body of the camera and movable from a fully closed position where the barrier entirely covers the front of an imaging lens to a fully opened position where the barrier is fully retracted clear of the front of the imaging lens. At its fully closed position and fully opened position, the barrier clicks when a ball is pressed into contact with a cam formed on the rear surface of the barrier. Projection of the ball is restrained by a slip-off prevention portion of the rail block so that the barrier is not subjected to an excessive urging force. In the camera, the barrier is not subjected to an unnecessarily large urging force and is less likely to lift away from the camera. The advantage is particularly great if the barrier in use is narrower than the outer diameter of a lens barrel.

Abstract: A camera whose body is wound with a belt-like protective cover having an end detachably held by pin members thereon in such a manner as to cover a wall surface thereof. The protective cover is operative to cover and protects at least a photographing lens, a distance measuring or range finder window and a stroboscopic window. Thus, the camera is put into an enclosed state. Further, the enclosed state, in which the protective cover is wound around the body of the camera, is maintained by fitting a magnet hook attached to the other end of the protective cover into another magnet hook attached to the body of the camera and making these magnet hooks attracted to each other. Moreover, when putting the camera into a ready-to-photograph state, the protective cover is unwound by removing the magnet hooks from each other and opening the photographing lens and so on.

Abstract: A camera with a lens mount having an imaging lens and a barrier which is disposed on a camera body and which is shiftable between a closed position where the barrier covers a part of the lens mount and the entire front of the imaging lens and an open position where the barrier is clear of the front of the lens mount. When the barrier is at the closed position, the barrier allows the front of the lens mount to be partly exposed. The camera thus constructed achieves a minimum dimension in the width across the camera body including the barrier.

Abstract: A camera according to the present invention has an arrangement that a film is discharged to a side toward a subject after a picture has been taken, the instant camera comprising a grip portion formed on a right portion of a camera body when viewed in a normal photography state and from a position of a photographer operating the camera an optical system disposed on a left portion of the camera body when viewed from the said position of the photographer and including at least a photographing lens, and a film cartridge loading portion which is capable of loading a film cartridge into a position between the grip portion of the camera body and the optical system in such a manner that an exposure surface of the film accommodated in the film cartridge faces the optical system.

Abstract: A camera according to the present invention has an arrangement that a film is discharged to a side toward a subject after a picture has been taken, the instant camera comprising a grip portion formed on a right portion of a camera body when viewed in a normal photography state and from a position of a photographer operating the camera, an optical system disposed on a left portion of the camera body when viewed from the said position of the photographer and including at least a photographing lens, and a film cartridge loading portion which is capable of loading a film cartridge into a position between the grip portion of the camera body and the optical system in such a manner that an exposure surface of the film accommodated in the film cartridge faces the optical system.

Abstract: Snowshoe (1) consisting of a perforated plate formed by a peripheral frame (2) including a vertical wall (3) and a screen (4) supporting the attachment designed to hold the user's shoe, the central part (20) being extended toward the front by a front part (21) and toward the rear by a back part (22), wherein at least one of the lateral rims of the frame (2) and/or the screen (4) is concave in the central part (20).

Abstract: A camera having: a substantially cylindrical-shaped, rotatable cam, limited to rotate unidirectionally. A drive belt conveys rotation of the rotary member, which rotates due to zooming of lens array, to drive the cam. A viewfinder optical system including a stationary objective lens, two prisms, a stationary eyepiece lens, and two variable-power lenses, when coupled with the cam member, advances or withdraws along the optical-axis during movement. An eyepiece variable-power lens is inserted into the optical path of the viewfinder optical system. A viewfinder panoramic field mask is united with an eyepiece variable-power lens. Upper and lower masks change picture size. A first rack extends in a moving direction of the masks. A second rack extends in a moving direction of the viewfinder panoramic field mask. A panoramic-mode setting gear engages the two racks. A plurality of panoramic-mode parallax compensation marks appear at a trimmed range position within the viewfinder field mask.

Abstract: A rangefinding device for use in a camera comprising a projection section for projecting a light beam emitted by a light source through a projection lens to an object, a light pickup section disposed diagonally opposite from the projection section that picks up, on its light pickup element, light reflected off the object, two-dimensionally senses the light, and outputs incident light position information, a CPU for computing the range to the object based on the output of the light pickup section and an attitude sensor section for sensing the orientation or attitude of the camera. In response to the output of the attitude sensor section, the CPU computes the range to the object based on the incident light position information in either the vertical direction or horizontal direction of the photographing frame, output by the light pickup section.

Abstract: A camera having a device for feeding a film, includes a driving unit for generating driving force, a first unit to be driven for feeding the film in a first direction, a second unit to be driven for feeding the film in a second direction which is different from the first direction, and a portion to be driven always engaged with the driving unit, a shaft unit being angularly moved by the driving unit, a driving portion always engaged with the first unit to be driven for moving the shaft unit while angularly moving the shaft unit in an axial direction of the shaft unit when the shaft unit is angularly moved by the driving unit, and an engagement portion for being engaged with the second unit to be driven.

Abstract: A stroboscopic instrument is constructed of a gate-controlled switching element forming a discharge loop that is connected in series with a discharge lamp and main capacitor for storing charge that causes the discharge lamp to flash. The stroboscopic instrument further comprises: a stroboscopic flashing control circuit for controlling the operation of stroboscopic flashing; a low-voltage power supply that has an output voltage lower than the driving voltages of the stroboscopic flashing control circuit and the gate-controlled switching element; a first constant voltage regulator for stepping up the voltage of the low-voltage power supply up to the driving voltage of the stroboscopic flashing control circuit; and a second constant voltage regulator for stepping up the voltage of the low-voltage power supply or the output voltage of the first constant voltage regulator up to the driving voltage of the gate-controlled switching element.

Abstract: A lens assembly includes a third lens group frame having an end face extending in an optical-axis direction provided with an end-face cam having displacement along a peripheral direction, for retaining a third group of lenses, a second lens group frame having a cam follower abutted against the end-face cam for retaining a second group of lenses, a second lens group spring for biasing the second lens group frame toward the third lens group frame, a rotational regulating for regulator rotation of one of the third lens group frame and the second lens group frame around an optical axis, and rotator for rotating the other of the third lens group frame and the second lens group frame around an optical axis when zoom operation is performed, wherein the end-face cam and a cam follower are operated by relative angular movement of the third lens group frame and the second lens group frame, around the optical axis at the time the zoom operation is performed to modify spacing therebetween in the optical-axis direction.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for producing a protective covering for beds or the like comprised of a first thermoplastic web, a pair of fibrous mats of substantial loft, said web and mats being bonded together in accordance with a quilted pattern utilizing a thermoelectric bonding technique. The bonding layer, which is preferably polyurethane or a derivative thereof, forms an excellent bond with both the web and the fibrous mats. The fibrous mats provide excellent moisture absorbency and are breathable since the fibrous mats are bonded to the web only at the limited areas defined by the pattern. The first web provides an excellent waterproof barrier, while the mats provide an array of puffed-up regions each delineated by the bonding pattern to yield an aesthetically appealing cover which may be used with either fibrous web exposed.

Abstract: In a camera dedicated to a film feed type Patrone, one end of a spool axis of the Patrone or of an axis coupled with the spool axis is bared on the outer surface of the camera so that the spool axis can be driven externally. Bared contacts are provided to externally detect conditions within the camera.

Abstract: Apparatus for scrubbing a gas in which a vortical flow of a gas and liquid mixture created by an entrainer is introduced into a de-entrainer through a guide/deflector assembly. Particulate is removed from the gas and picked up by the liquid during entrainment. De-entrainment separates the liquid from the gas and delivers the scrubbed gas to an outlet. A conical top provided upon the primary de-entrainer prevents water droplets, which also contain particulate from being re-entrained with the scrubbed gas and further serves to deflect the droplet toward the sides of the de-entrainer where they may be collected, filtered and returned to the entrainer, thereby significantly increasing contaminant removal from the gas stream.

Abstract: A collet assembly for telescoping pole structures and the like including inner and outer collet members. The inner collet member is mounted upon a first pole and includes a plurality of integral flexible fingers. The inner collet member is staked to the pole by deforming small sections thereof into spaces between the flexible fingers. The outer collet member has a tapped interior threadedly engaging a tapped exterior portion of the inner collet member, which threaded portion is spaced inward from the free ends of the flexible fingers. An interior peripheral portion of the outer collet member is tapered to urge the fingers radially inwardly when the outer collet member is threaded onto the inner collet member. A collet ring is positioned within an annular recess collectively formed by recesses provided along the interior periphery of each of the fingers and is pressed against a second tube telescoped into the collet assembly when the outer collet member is tightened onto the inner collet member.

Abstract: An object distance detecting apparatus having a light projecting device for projecting a pulse light toward an object to be photographed and a primary semiconductor position detecting device for receiving the reflected light from the object by this light projecting device and outputting a first current value and second current value corresponding to the object distance, comprising: a first integrating circuit for integrating a predetermined number of times the added value of the above-mentioned first current value and second current value, a second integrating circuit for integrating a predetermined number of times the ratio operating value of the above-mentioned both current values, a first calculating device for calculating the object distance on the basis of the square of the output of the above-mentioned first integrating circuit and a second calculating device for calculating the object distance on the basis of the output of the above-mentioned second integrating circuit so that, when the output of the f