Patents by Inventor Yujiro Mima

Yujiro Mima 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: 6327440
    Abstract: A camera capable of taking pictures selectively in a standard or full size frame and a panorama frame having a reduced vertical dimension. This camera includes vertically movable light-shielding members for partly light-shielding an exposure range of the standard frame to set an exposure range of the panorama frame. When the panorama frame is selected, a warning is given on a display provided on the camera body to the effect that a date and other photographic information cannot be recorded on pictures taken in the panorama frame. The shutter of the camera includes an electronic device for detecting an amount of light traveling from a photographic object to which light is flashed. Output of this device is used for suitably controlling exposure for photography in the standard and panorama frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Taniguchi, Hideo Kajita, Yujiro Mima, Junji Hashimura, Nobuya Miki, Masayuki Ikemura
  • Patent number: 5754899
    Abstract: A camera capable of taking pictures selectively in a standard or full size frame and a panorama frame having a reduced vertical dimension. This camera includes vertically movable light-shielding members for partly light-shielding an exposure range of the standard frame to set an exposure range of the panorama frame. When the panorama frame is selected, a warning is given on a display provided on the camera body to the effect that a date and other photographic information cannot be recorded on pictures taken in the panorama frame. The shutter of the camera includes an electronic device for detecting an amount of light traveling from a photographic object to which light is flashed. Output of this device is used for suitably controlling exposure for photography in the standard and panorama frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1998
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Taniguchi, Hideo Kajita, Yujiro Mima, Junji Hashimura, Nobuya Miki, Masayuki Ikemura
  • Patent number: 5515133
    Abstract: A flash apparatus which allows flashlight photographing of various subjects in a photographing screen in appropriate exposure by simple operation without failure. The flash apparatus comprises a flashlight emitting section having a predetermined irradiation angle with respect to a light emission optical axis, and irradiating direction changing means for automatically changing the direction of the light emission optical axis of the flashlight emitting section in response to subject information such as distribution information of brightness values of or distances to subjects in a photographing screen. Also a camera is disclosed which assures photographing of a main subject with appropriate exposure even when the main subject is in a backlighted condition or when another body is positioned nearer to the camera than the main subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 7, 1996
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Taniguchi, Hideo Kajita, Hiromu Mukai, Takeshi Hashimoto, Yoshinobu Kudo, Yujiro Mima, Takashi Kondo
  • Patent number: 5313235
    Abstract: In a sound playback apparatus, by attaching thereto a medium in which sound data are recorded in each area thereof and a print in each frame of which a code indicating a sound recording area is recorded, the sound playback apparatus can play back sound data corresponding to the photographed frames of the film respectively from the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 17, 1994
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Manabu Inoue, Nobuyuki Taniguchi, Hiroshi Ueda, Yujiro Mima, Masakazu Yagi, Masayasu Hirano
  • Patent number: 5128700
    Abstract: In a camera capable of recording sound data corresponding to photographed frames of a film respectively, the sound data can be recorded in a first memory (e.g. a sound IC card), and data indicating correspondence between the photographed frames of a film and the sound data respectively can be recorded in a second memory (e.g. a film). Though the first memory, namely, the sound recording memory and the second memory, namely, the film are separate, the recorded sounds can accurately correspond to the photographed frames of the film respectively.In a sound playback apparatus, by attaching thereto a medium in which sound data are recorded in each area thereof and a print in each frame of which a code indicating a sound recording area is recorded, the sound playback apparatus can play back sound data corresponding to the photographed frames of the film respectively from the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1992
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Manabu Inoue, Nobuyuki Taniguchi, Hiroshi Ueda, Yujiro Mima, Masakazu Yagi, Masayasu Hirano
  • Patent number: 4933692
    Abstract: A photographic camera which assures proper use of a front converter and prevents out-of-focus photographing when the front converter is used and wherein a switch for detecting whether a tele-converter is in its operative position or inoperative position is not exposed outside the camera. The switch is provided in a converter body removably mounted on a camera body and is connected in series to another switch also provided in the camera body for operation upon attachment of the converter body to the camera. When the converter is mounted in its operative position on the camera body, it is detected by a control circuit in the camera body in accordance with a signal received from the switches, and the control circuit controls various functions of the camera in a different manner from that when the converter is not in its operative position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 12, 1990
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Kudo, Manabu Inoue, Keisuke Maeda, Yujiro Mima, Hiroshi Ootsuka
  • Patent number: 4910547
    Abstract: A photographic camera in which a lens adjustable in two positions is focused automatically on subjects located within "near" and "far" distance range from the camera. The lens is normally positioned in one of the two positions and movable to the other of the two positions in response to a signal generated by an automatic focusing device upon the detection of the subject location in the focus range to which the other position corresponds, wherein it is characterized that the movement of the lens is automatically controlled by an electromagnetic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 20, 1990
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yujiro Mima, Akira Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 4530580
    Abstract: A telescopic extender for supporting a compact camera includes a head member to be attached to the camera, a grip to be held and a telescopic rod member connecting the head member to the grip. A screw member is supported by the head member in a manner that the screw member is rotatable about the axis perpendicular to an extending and collapsing direction of the telescopic rod. The grip can accomodate therein the telescopic rod when the telescopic rod is completely collapsed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1984
    Date of Patent: July 23, 1985
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ueda, Yujiro Mima