Having Adapter Unit Patents (Class 396/198)
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Patent number: 6351608Abstract: A one-time-use camera with a built-in flash unit and an external flash unit system in which the external flash unit is devoid of a charger circuit and battery power supply. The external flash unit is connected to the camera built-in flash unit's flash capacitor and flash trigger circuit via interconnecting terminals provided on the camera and external flash unit. The external flash unit includes circuit means for disabling camera flash trigger circuit so as to prevent the camera flash emission device from operating. A signal pulse is sent from the camera trigger circuit to an SCR trigger switch in the external flash trigger switch to initiate flash operation in the external flash unit. By virtue of mounting the flash emission device of the external unit farther away from the taking lens than the built-in flash device and disabling the operation of the internal flash unit, red-eye on the subject being photographed is substantially eliminated.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2000Date of Patent: February 26, 2002Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventor: Douglas W. Constable
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Patent number: 6175695Abstract: A manually operable flashlight unit (10) having a foot part (11) fitting a finder shoe (6) on a camera (1), standard contacts (9′) for chassis ground and (8′) for flash release being arranged in the foot part (11), has the additional feature that a single further contact (7′) is provided in the foot part (11) for a bidirectional information exchange between a circuit arrangement (13) contained in the flashlight unit (10) and a circuit arrangement (12) arranged in the camera (1).Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 1999Date of Patent: January 16, 2001Assignee: Leica Camera AGInventors: Klaus Dieter Schaefer, Walter Bletz
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Patent number: 6058271Abstract: An illumination device for photography includes a guide part arranged to guide, through the inside of a dense member, a light emitted from a flash light emitting part disposed in a camera body and to cause the light to exit from a position located away from the camera body. The member is shaped in such a way as to enhance the illuminating efficiency of the illumination device by converging the light in the process of guiding the light. The illumination device is thus arranged to be capable of preventing a red-eye phenomenon without lowering the illuminating efficiency and without incurring a complex structural arrangement.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 1997Date of Patent: May 2, 2000Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Yoshiharu Tenmyo
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Patent number: 5974273Abstract: A method and apparatus for activating a remote light source in synchronization with an indication provided from a camera. A transducer is coupled to the external electrical connector of a conventional camera in order to convert the electrical signals that are output from the camera into an alternative form (e.g., optical signals). A different transducer is coupled to the external electrical connector of a remote light source, such as a photographic strobe. The light source transducer receives the signal from the camera transducer and converts the signal back into one or more conventional electrical signals to activate the remote light source. A light source activation signal and a light source modulation signal are multiplexed onto a single communication channel. A first indication is provided on the communication channel to activate the remote light source (i.e., cause the light source to emit light).Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 1996Date of Patent: October 26, 1999Assignee: Light & Motion Industries, Inc.Inventors: Eric Larkin, Michael Topolovac
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Patent number: 5848306Abstract: Disclosed is an automatic strobe photographing system in which a camera body having an at least a Q contact, a lens provided with a lens shutter mechanism, and an X contact, a strobe device having an X terminal and Q terminal are provided. The strobe device starts emitting light when a predetermined signal is input to the X terminal, and stops emitting light when a predetermined signal is input to the Q terminal. A connecting device is further provided, which connects the X contact of the lens with the X terminal of the strobe device, and the Q contact of the camera body with the Q terminal of the strobe device.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 1996Date of Patent: December 8, 1998Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Tetsuji Shono
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Patent number: 5678075Abstract: An easy to use camera accessory, when mounted onto a camera, will trigger an external strobe upon excitation of a built-in electronic flash while simultaneously blocking from the scene the light emitted by the built-in electronic flash. The camera accessory typically is snap-in mountable and includes: a flash slave for triggering the external strobe, a PC connector for connection via a cable with the external strobe, and openings for camera features including, but not limited to, a lens, a sonar detection device, a viewfinder and a photocell. Light emitted from the built in electronic flash is physically blocked from being cast upon the scene. A more basic version of the inventive camera accessory does not require the camera feature openings.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 1996Date of Patent: October 14, 1997Assignee: Polaroid CorporationInventor: Michael P. Doukas
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Patent number: 5630183Abstract: A camera accessory mounting and fixing device, having an outer periphery of a mounting foot member to be inserted into an accessory shoe of a camera to which a camera accessory is fixed. The camera accessory mounting and fixing device has a clamping member which is engaged with the mounting foot member and clamps the mounting foot member to the accessory shoe. A cam member is engaged with the clamping member and rotates during an initial rotation of the clamping member. While the cam member is rotated, a stop pin is urged toward or away from a stop hole formed in the accessory shoe.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 1996Date of Patent: May 13, 1997Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Nobuyoshi Hagiuda, Hideki Matsui, Masakuni Ohta
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Patent number: 5614970Abstract: A flash lighting apparatus is capable of controlling the orientational distribution at the time of flashing in accordance with the spatially distributional state of subjects. The flash lighting apparatus comprises a light emission portion, and a light amount adjusting device which is arranged in front of the light emission portion and has a plurality of emission areas corresponding to irradiation areas, and adjusts the amounts of light emitted from the plural emission areas to be the values suitable for the corresponding irradiation areas.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 1995Date of Patent: March 25, 1997Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Tadao Takagi, Takatoshi Ashizawa
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Patent number: 5565941Abstract: A pop-up internal strobe unit of a camera is enabled when a hot shoe cover is inserted into a hot shoe, or if the hot shoe is empty, and is disabled when an external strobe is mounted in the hot shoe. The enabling and disabling of the pop-up internal strobe unit is controlled by operation of a switch extending into the hot shoe region. The switch is not actuated, thus enabling operation of the pop-up internal strobe unit, when a matched recess provided in the hot shoe cover is inserted into the hot shoe. The switch is actuated, thus disabling operation of the pop-up internal strobe unit operation, when an external strobe is mounted in the shoe.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 1994Date of Patent: October 15, 1996Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Hidefumi Kaneko