Including Shiftable Post-objective Mask Patents (Class 396/340)
  • Patent number: 10139710
    Abstract: An adjustable electronic device support assembly for steadying and stabilizing an electronic device in particular when taking photos of selected objects. The adjustable electronic device support assembly includes a support member having an elongated top wall with a planar top side and also having a bottom side for supporting an electronic device upon the top wall and capable of taking photos.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Inventors: Grant N. Marquette, Wayne C. Marquette
  • Patent number: 8229294
    Abstract: A camera includes a lens and a sensor. A dynamic mask is arranged at an aperture plane between the lens and the sensor, and a static mask is arranged immediately adjacent to the sensor. Angular, temporal or spatial variations in light rays acquired of a scene by the sensor are mapped to individual pixels of the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Amit Kumar Agrawal, Ashok Veeraraghavan
  • Publication number: 20100003024
    Abstract: A camera includes a lens and a sensor. A dynamic mask is arranged at an aperture plane between the lens and the sensor, and a static mask is arranged immediately adjacent to the sensor. Angular, temporal or spatial variations in light rays acquired of a scene by the sensor are mapped to individual pixels of the sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Publication date: January 7, 2010
    Inventors: Amit Kumar Agrawal, Ashok Veeraraghavan
  • Patent number: 6801715
    Abstract: A photographic film strip in the form of a length of photographic film has a pre-exposed area and an unexposed area. The pre-exposed area is continuous and extends along one edge of the strip between ends of the strip. The unexposed area is also continuous and has a length suitable for making multiple single exposure frames with adjacent frames being separated by a frame line. Upon development the film, an image formed by the pre-exposed section of each print will extend between opposite edges of prints formed by individual frames without the need to preregister the film in a camera The pre-exposure comprises a contact exposure. A strip of film can be placed in contact with a partially pre-exposed master on a cylindrical drum in a light tight housing so that pre-exposed section of the film can be exposed by one activation of an electronic flash located in the center of the drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2004
    Inventor: Robert Lee Craiig
  • Patent number: 6735388
    Abstract: A camera has a body having an exposure frame surrounding an exposure opening. The exposure frame has a window. A mask core is mounted in the body. The mask core has an axis of rotation extending transverse to the exposure frame. The mask core has a plurality of sectors arranged about the axis of rotation. Each sector has an active position adjoining the window. Each sector shades the window differently in the respective active position. A drive is coupled to the mask core. The drive selectively rotates the mask core between the active positions of each of the sectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: David C. Smart
  • Patent number: 6353714
    Abstract: The camera of this invention can create a composite image on a frame of film that includes an image of an object whose picture is being taken by the camera and an image stored on a mask disposed within the camera. The mask is preferably disposed on a mask cartridge that can be inserted and removed from the camera. Disposed on the mask is a plurality of mask objects whose images can be created on a frame of film. The camera preferably includes a first and a second film exposing chamber. A first section of the mask is preferably disposed in the first film exposing chamber. In this first film exposing chamber, a first portion of a frame of film is preferably exposed and an object image of the object whose picture is being taken with the camera is created on the first portion of the frame of film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Inventors: Arthur Zawodny, Franco Yik Kai Chung
  • Patent number: 6240259
    Abstract: A camera case and film cartridge system that can be used with captioned film (i.e., film that has a pre-exposed caption such as “Happy Birthday” or “It's a Boy” on each film frame such that when the remainder of the film frame is exposed with the camera in the normal course, the each resulting picture will include the caption) in which the film cartridge is designed and constructed to use the standard 35mm film cannister (or any other standard film cannister) so that the film, once exposed in the normal course, can be developed at any retail or commercial developing facility that is equipped to handle the standard film cannister. The film cartridge includes a diffuser that partially shields the pre-exposed, captioned portion of the film from further exposure. Because the diffuser is incorporated into the film cartridge instead of the camera case, the same camera can be used with different captioned formats.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Foto Technology, LLC.
    Inventor: Derek Gable
  • Patent number: 6075952
    Abstract: A camera for partially preexposed, multiple exposure film including a body with an exposure well and a film track across the well. A lens is attached to the camera body at the other end of the exposure well. A mask which includes a plate and a substantially perpendicular flange is positioned at the back of the exposure well adjacent to the film track. The flange extends into the exposure well and is adhered to the wall thereof. The plate includes margins to overlap with the body of the camera about three sides around the exposure well. Another camera includes an asymmetrically arranged exposure well relative to the film track such that the body of the camera about the exposure well extends to cover the preexposed image segment on a multiple exposure film strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2000
    Inventors: Frank B. Baek, Harry Mik Miller
  • Patent number: 6031996
    Abstract: A camera comprising a plurality of taking lenses, respective exposure apertures behind the taking lenses, and a shutter disk rotatable for moving various holes in the shutter disk to uncover and recover the exposure apertures, is characterized in that a restraining mechanism for engaging the shutter disk to prevent rotation of the shutter disk is movable out of engagement with the shutter disk to permit rotation of the shutter disk and into position for re-engagement with the shutter disk to stop rotation of the shutter disk, and a front cover part is movable in an exposure initiating direction to uncover the taking lenses and move the restraining mechanism out of engagement with the shutter disk and in an opposite resetting direction to recover the taking lenses and move the restraining mechanism into position for re-engagement with the shutter disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 29, 2000
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Stanley W. Stephenson, III
  • Patent number: 5790906
    Abstract: A camera having an operating mechanism which comprises a body providing a film take-up chamber for containing an initially empty film cartridge, an exposure chamber having an open rear side, and a film supply chamber for containing a roll of film pre-exposed with border images on respective frames to define respective unexposed areas for subsequent photographic exposure. The operating mechanism includes a shutter mechanism, a film-advancing member for advancing the film frame-by-frame from the film supply chamber to the film take-up chamber across the exposure chamber rear side, and a trigger mechanism for operating the shutter mechanism in response to film advancement by the film-advancing member. A movable cover is used between the exposure chamber rear side and the film, which has a see-through portion to reveal the unexposed area for photographic exposure while protecting the border image of each successive frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1998
    Assignee: Foster Assets Corporation
    Inventor: Yet Chan
  • Patent number: 5708883
    Abstract: A multiple-image camera providing high-density use of conventional 35 mm film is disclosed. Many more individual exposures can be made using standard film and standard film processing services, which greatly reduces the cost of children's irratic and often unproductive experiments with photography. The mechanical simplicity of the camera make it both reliable and inexpensive, also make it useful as an expendable vacation camera for adults.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 13, 1998
    Inventors: Marc H. Segan, Gary Strauss, Steven Parker
  • Patent number: 5666579
    Abstract: A camera back for sequentially exposing two spatially separate images on regular or self-developing film adapted for a variety of single lens cameras. The camera back includes an adapter plate disposed between the camera and a film back wherein a dark slide is movable by the force of gravity between two positions in the adapter plate, by rotating the adapter plate 180 degrees, thereby blocking a lower half of the film from the exposing radiation. The dark slide is moved exclusively by its own weight, thereby making complicated levers and light-tight feedthroughs unnecessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Polaroid Corporation
    Inventor: Paul A. Camello
  • Patent number: 5666580
    Abstract: A pseudo telephotographic camera includes a photographing device which photographs pictures in two separate pseudo telephotographic frames which together define a panoramic size picture frame. The panoramic size picture frame is formed by optically intercepting the upper and lower portions of a standard frame on a film. The pseudo telephotographic frames are formed on a left and right half of the panoramic size frame by a first mask and a second mask. Alternatively, the pseudo telephotographic frames are formed with a center mask and by moving the film in a predetermined sequence to expose a left half and a right half of the panoramic size frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takayuki Ito, Yukio Takaoka, Kazuki Yazawa
  • Patent number: 5649259
    Abstract: In a first embodiment of the invention, a transparent plate is mounted at the film plane within a camera. The transparent plate includes a translucent diffusion pattern which diffuses incoming light rays reflected from the subject and effectively repositions them in a controlled manner prior to the light exposing the film. Proposed diffusion patterns may alter the light rays to create characteristics indicative of various types of paintings.In another embodiment of the invention, the transparent plate is mounted in a film cartridge.In another embodiment of the invention, a length of plastic film (a pattern strip) is positioned adjacent to a similar length of photographic film (film strip). An appropriate translucent diffusion pattern is provided onto one surface of the pattern strip, along its entire length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Inventor: Steven H. L. Hylen
  • Patent number: 5565936
    Abstract: Camera film has a pre-exposed image longitudinally thereon and is thereupon packaged into a canister for insertion into a camera. The canister carries a flexible masking strip. When the canister is inserted into the camera, the masking strip is spread across the camera film plane opening. As the film is advanced across the film plane opening for successive exposures, the masking strip prevents individual frame exposure of the previously exposed image. A masking insert can be alternatively inserted into the camera to mask the film edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1996
    Inventors: Song K. Kim, Min K. Kim