GB2253916A

GB2253916A - Camera body assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2253916A
Application number: GB9205144A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Masahiro Hayakawa
Original assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Co Ltd
Current assignee: Pentax Corp
Priority date: 1991-03-19
Filing date: 1992-03-10
Publication date: 1992-09-23
Also published as: DE4208736A1; JPH04112241U; JP2556107Y2; FR2674344A1; GB9205144D0

Abstract

A camera body assembly is disclosed including a main body member 11 having a patrone chamber 12 and a spool chamber 13, and a separate auxiliary body member 20 which can be detachably attached to the main body member 11 <IMAGE>

Description

2253916 CAMERA BODY ASSEMBLY The present invention relates to a camera

body, and more precisely, it relates to acamera body assembly which can be used for cameras of different shapes.

1 There is known a molded camera body including a patrone chamber in which a film is to be loaded, a spool chamber which receives a spool on which film is wound after taking a photograph, and a grip member which a photographer holds onto upon taking a picture and which receives therein a battery. These components of the camera body are made integral with each other by injection molding, for example. A problem exists as a result of this in that every time the function or shape of a camera is redesigned or renewed, a camera body with the appropriate characteristics must be newly prepared. To this end, it is necessary to manufacture a molding die for each camera body which increases the manufacturing time and cost for the same.

An object of the present invention is to 0 - 2 provide a camera body which can be different shapes of cameras.

According to, the present invention, there is provided a camera body assembly comprising a main body member having a patrone chamber and a spool chamber, and a separate auxiliary body member which can be attached to the main body member.

With this structure, since the main body member can be commonly used for different cameras, it is not necessary to prepare different molding dies for the respective camera main bodies. Namely, the manufacturing of different shapes of cameras only requires different molding dies for the auxiliary body members and not for the main body member. Consequently, the manufacturing time and cost of a renewed or redesigned camera can be reduced.

An aperture is preferably provided between the patrone chamber and the spool chamber of the main body member.

Preferably, the main body member has a mount surface or mount surfaces provided on the patrone chamber and/or the spool chamber, so that the auxiliary body member can be selectively attached to the mount surface or one of the mount surfaces.

In this case, the auxiliary body member preferably also has a mount surface which can be attached to the mount surface of the main body member.

commonly used for In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of positioning projections are provided on the main body member to position the auxiliary body member relative to the main body member.

Preferably, the positioning projections of the main body member are provided with threaded holes in which set screws can be screwed to secure the auxiliary body member to the main body member.

In a preferred embodiment, the auxiliary body member includes a battery chamber in which batteries can be fitted and/or a receiving portion in which a condenser can be received.

The auxiliary body member preferably includes a plurality of insertion holes in which the positioning projections of the main body member can be fitted.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a camera body assembly comprising:

a main body member having a mount surface provided on an outer side face; and, a separate auxiliary body member which can be attached to said mount surface.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a camera body assembly comprising:

a main body member having an aperture, and a patrone chamber and a spool chamber on opposite sides of said aperture; and, 0 ' a separate battery chamber which is separate from said main body and is attached to said main body.

The battery chamber preferably comprises a grip which is located at the left or right hand side of said main body.

Examples of the invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a camera body of a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a camera body of a second embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a camera body of a third embodiment of the present V invention.

- Figure I shows a first embodiment of the present invention, in which a main body member 11 which constitutes a camera body assembly has a right (or left) film patrone chamber 12 in which a film patrone is loaded, and a left (or right) spool chamber 13 which receives therein a film winding spool for winding a film fed from the patrone chamber 12. The patrone chamber 12 and the spool chamber 13 are connected to each other by a connecting portion 15 which is provided on the center portion thereof with an aperture 16.

The patrone chamber 12 (film feeding side) is provided on an outer side face thereof with a mount surface 12a to which an auxiliary body member 20 is to be attached. The mount surface 12a has. a pair of upper and lower positioning projections 17 near the center of the mount surface 12a and a pair of positioning projections 19 adjacent to the respective positioning projections 17. The pair of positioning projections 17 have threaded holes 17a in which set screws 30 can be screwed.

Similar to the patrone chamber 12, the spool chamber 13 (film receiving side) is provided on an outer side face thereof with a mount surface 13a which has a pair of upper V..

6 - and lower positioning projections 17 and a pair of positioning projections 19 adjacent to the respective positioning projections 17. The positioning projections 17 have threaded holes (not shown) in which set screws 30 can be screwed.

The auxiliary body member 20 which is attached to the main body member 11 to constitute a camera body assembly is provided on a front surface and a bottom thereofrespectively, with a receiving portion 22 in which a condenser 21 is received and an insertion opening 25 through which two batteries 23 can be inserted in a battery chamber B defined in the auxiliary body member. The auxiliary body member 20 has a mount surface 20a which is to be attached to the mount surface 12a of the patrone chamber 12 of the main body member 11.

The mount surface 20a is provided with a pair of fitting holes 26 in which the positioning projections 17 can be fitted and a pair of fitting holes 27 in which the positioning projections 19 can be fitted. The auxiliary body member 20 is provided on its outer surface opposite the mount surface 20a, with a pair of insertion holes 29 corresponding to the fitting holes 26, so that the set screws 30 can be screwed in the insertion holes 29 by a screw driver D. The diameter of the fitting holes 26 is such that the positioning projections 17 can be fitted C c - 7 therein but the head of the set screws 30 can not pass therethrough. The diameter of the insertion holes 29 is larger than that of the head of the set screws 30 and that of the shaft portion of a screw driver D.

In the camera body as constructed above, with the present embodiment, the main body member 11 is commonly used for different cameras, but a number of different auxiliary body members 20 are individually prepared to correspond to a variety of different cameras. An auxiliary body member 20 corresponding to a particular camera is connected to the common main body member 11. Namely, in the connecting process, the mount surface 20a of the auxiliary body member 20 is connected to the mount surface 12a of the main body member 11 in such a way that the positioning projections 17 and 19 of the main body member 11 are inserted in the corresponding insertion holes 26 and 27 of the auxiliary body member 20,. respectively. Thereafter, the set screws 30 are fitted in the insertion holes 29 of the auxiliary body member 20 and screwed in the threaded holes 17a of the positioning projections 17 of the main body member 11 by the screw driver D. As a result, the auxiliary body member 20 is firmly and easily attached to the patrone chamber 12 of the main body member 11, so that a predetermined shape of camera body can be easily obtained.

11 Note that it is relatively difficult for the auxiliary body member 20 to be separated from a molding die due to the presence of the deep battery chamber B, but as the main body member 11 is separate from the auxiliary body member 20, the main body member 11 is free from any damage or deformation which would otherwise occur upon separation of the auxiliary body member 20 from the molding die if the body members 11 and 20 were integral.

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the auxiliary body member 20 in Fig. 1 is replaced with an auxiliary body member 31. The main body member 11 in Fig. 2 is same as that shown in Fig. 1. The auxiliary body member 31 in Fig. 2 has no receiving portion 22 for receiving the condenser 21 (Fig. 1), unlike the first embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1. The auxiliary body member 31 is identical to the auxiliary body member 20 except for the absence of the receiving portion 22.

Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, in which an attached to the spool 11, unlike the first auxiliary body member 37 is chamber 13 of the main body member and second embodiments in which the auxiliary body member 20 or 31 is attached to the patrone chamber 12 of the main body member 11. Namely, the auxiliary body member 37 is shaped in line-symmetry corresponding to the auxiliary body member 20 or 31. Upon V, attachment, a mount surface 37a of the auxiliary body member 37 can be brought into surface contact with the right mount surface 13a of the spool chamber 13 of the main body member 11. Thereafter, positioning projections 17 and 19 are fitted in associated fitting holes 26 and 27, respectively, and the set screws 30are then screwed in the corresponding threaded holes 17 of the 'spool chamber 13 through the insertion holes 29 of the auxiliary body member 37. Consequently, the auxiliary body member 37 is easily secured to the main body member 11 to obtain a desired shape of the camera body.

As can be seen from the foregoing, with the present invention, cameras having different shapes can be easily produced by detachably and selectively mounting the desired shapes of the predetermined auxiliary body members to a common main body member. Consequently, the main body member can be commonly used. for different cameras, and accordingly, it is unnecessary to prepare a special molding die for each camera body. The renewal or redesign of a camera only requires another molding die for a auxiliary body member which can be attached to the common main body member, thus resulting in reduced manufacturing time and cost of the camera body.

Although the invention has been described with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, V, new - 10 it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particulars disclosed and extends to all equivalents within the scope of the claims.

I - 11

Claims

CLAIMS and, A camera body assembly comprising:

a main body having a patrone chamber and a spool chamber; a separate auxiliary body member which can be attached to the main body member.
2. A camera body assembly according to claim 1, wherein said main body member has a mount surface provided on an outer side face of at least one of the patrone chamber and the spool chamber, so that the auxiliary body member can be attached to the mount surface.
3. A camera body assembly according to claim 2, wherein said main body member has mount surfaces provided on outer side faces of the patrone chamber and the spool chamber, so that at least one auxiliary body member can be attached to the mount surfaces.
4. A camera body assembly according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said auxiliary body member has a mount surface which can be attached to at least one mount surface of the main body member.
5. A camera body assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein said main body member is provided, on the mount surface thereof, with a plurality of positioning projections for positioning the auxiliary body member relative to the main to the main body member.
6. A camera body assembly according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the positioning projections of the main body member is provided with a threaded hole in which a set screw can be screwed to secure the auxiliary body member to the main body member.
7. A camera body assembly according to claim 5 or 6, wherein said auxiliary body member includes a plurality of insertion holes in which the positioning projections of the main body member can be fitted.
8. A camera body assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said auxiliary body member includes a battery chamber in which at least one battery can be fitted.
9. A camera body assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said auxiliary body member includes a receiving portion in which a condenser can be received.
10. A camera body assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said main body member includes an aperture between the patrone chamber and the spool chamber.
11. A camera body assembly according to claim 10, wherein said main body member includes a connecting member between the spool chamber and the patrone chamber to connect them, said aperture being defined in the connecting member.
12. A camera body assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying.drawings.

t,.