GB2421318A

GB2421318A - Viewer for a digital camera

Info

Publication number: GB2421318A
Application number: GB0413632A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Varley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-06-18
Filing date: 2004-06-18
Publication date: 2006-06-21
Anticipated expiration: 2024-06-18
Also published as: EP1766963A1; GB2421318B; GB0413632D0; WO2005125180A1

Abstract

A viewer for a digital camera comprises a first lens 23 and a second lens 3, the first and second lenses being aligned axially, wherein the first lens and second lenses are mounted in respective lens mounts 2, 18 and wherein the first and second lens mounts are arranged in the viewer such that one is movable towards and away from the other between stowage position and viewing configurations. The viewer may be attached to the image viewer of a digital camera to provide magnified image.

Description

2421318

VIEWER FOR A DIGITAL CAMERA

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a viewer for a digital camera, and in particular to a viewer that is collapsible so as to form an object that can easily be carried in a pocket.

Background of the Invention

Digital cameras have become increasingly popular since their introduction to the market place some years ago. There are a number of differences between a digital camera and a typical 35mm camera. First, the images captured require no development. Second, digital cameras are typically provided with a small screen viewer, which can be used either when taking a picture, or to view an image that has already been captured by the camera.

The adoption of digital cameras has lead to a change in the way people look at photographs. Typically, users of digital cameras download images onto a computer in order to save them, and look at them on the screen of their personal computer. They might print off a selection of the best of the pictures they have taken. This is very different to the way in which pictures taken by cameras using film are viewed. Typically, a reel of film will be developed onto negatives with all the images transferred to photographic paper and packaged in wallet. A common activity is for photographs to be shown to other people, for example friends and family. It is this ability to show photographs to others that is more difficult to provide for with pictures taken on digital cameras.

As previously mentioned, digital cameras are typically provided with a small screen viewer. It has therefore become common for pictures taken on a digital camera to be shown to others on the small viewing screen of the camera. This is not particularly satisfactory since the screen is generally too small to give a reasonable quality representation of the recorded image. Also, it is much more difficult for two or three people to look at an image at the same time (which often happens when

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pictures recorded on film and subsequently developed onto photographic paper). This difficulty arises from the dimensions of the viewing screen and the liquid crystal nature of digital camera viewing screens, which are inherently difficult to view at an angle to the axis of the screen.

To avoid this problem, some photograph developers offer a service in which images recorded digitally are down loaded onto a special printer, from which pictures are made in the same style as pictures initially recorded on photographic film. Whilst this does overcome one problem, it removes the spontaneity provided by the digital camera of being able to look at an image immediately it has been recorded.

Anumber of viewers are already known. For example, US 2002/0159775 describes a telescopically extendible focusing hood which improves the viewing of an LCD screen of a digital camera in bright surrounding light. The hood comprises a first component for attachment to a digital camera, the first component including a lens, and a second component telescopically slidable in the first component, the second component also including a lens. The lens in the second component is located below the top edge of the said component in order to provide an image not affected by bright light. The image is viewed through the lens of the second component and provides a magnified view of the image generated by the viewer of the camera. "Whilst providing a magnified view of the image, this viewer is intended to improve viewing of the image prior to recording thereof by the digital camera. The viewer is bulky, time consuming to attach to the camera, and due to the number of component parts would be costly to manufacture.

Another viewer is known from WO 03/053046. This viewer is operable in shooting and viewing modes. The viewer includes first and second lenses in optical alignment to define a viewfinder line-of-sight path. A mirror is disposed between the first and second lenses, the mirror being foldable between a lower position out of the line-of-sight path and a raised position in the line-of-sight. The viewer further includes a display disposed outside the view finder line-of-sight path.

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When the mirror is folded into the line of sight an image from the first lens is reflected onto the display. Whilst this viewer does provide for viewing the image recorded by the camera, the device has numerous parts making it cosdy to manufacture.

It would therefore be desirable to provide a means for improving viewing of images recorded by a digital camera.

Summaiy of the Invention

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a viewer for a digital camera as specified in Claim 1.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the drawings, which are for exemplary purposes, one embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional schematic representation of a viewer for a digital in its viewing configuration;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the viewer illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the viewer shown in Figures 1 and 2, but in the stowing configuration.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Referring now to Figure 1, the viewer 1 comprises a first element 2, which is elliptically shaped. The element 2 includes an aperture in which a first lens 3 is mounted, the lens including a rebate around the perimeter thereof, allowing the lens to be located in the aperture as a push fit. At

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each end of the element 2 there is located a plurality of indentations to form a grip surface 5. The element 2 also includes blind bores 7b the purpose of -which is described in greater detail below.

A second element 6, also elliptically shaped, is fixed to the first element 2 by screws 7 which pass through bores 7a and 7b in the second and first elements respectively. The second element includes a portion 9 extending from the edge of the elliptical edge to define a substantially circular opening. The portion 9 terminates at the circular opening with a Kp 10 projecting at an angle to the plane of the portion 9 and towards the first element 2. The portion 9 mounts a substantially circular upstanding wall 8 spaced inwardly of the Kp 10. At opposite sides of the circle, the wall extends away from the Kp 10 to form chambers 13a. The second element 6 also includes indents 7c which the fingers of a user may grip to hold the viewer.

The viewer of the invention is arranged to collapse such that it is substantiaUyflat in cross-section. This is faciKtated by third and fourth elements, the third element being mounted in the second element, and the third element in the fourth, mounting of one element into another faciKtating collapsing of the elements to provide the above-mentioned flat cross-section.

The third element 11 is substantiaKy circular and is sKdably mounted in the second element 6. The element 11 comprises a side wall 12, which at opposite ends of thereof includes projecting lobes 13, each lobe including an upstanding wall element 14. In the extended configuration as shown in Figure 1, the lobes 13 engage with correspondingly shaped chambers 13a of the second element 6. Engagement of the lobes 13 in the chambers 13a prevents rotation of the third element 11 with respect to the second element 6. When the third element is pushed towards the first element 2, the lobes 13 disengage from the chambers 13a, thereby permitting the third element 11 to rotate with respect to the second element 6. An underside of each lobe 13 then rides on an upper surface of the wall 8. The lobes 13 project beyond the wall 8 into the space 8a so that the third element 11 cannot be pulled out of the second element 6.

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The third element 11 includes a mounting arrangement for the fourth element 18. The mounting arrangement comprises a wall 15 extending from the wall 12 and perpendicular thereto. The wall 15 includes a shallow channel 16 and terminates with a lip 17 forming a rectangular opening in which a correspondingly shaped portion of the fourth element 18 is slidably mounted.

The fourth element 18 comprises a planar component 19 having a circular perimeter, and a rectangular opening 19a. A wall 20 extends downwardly from the planar component 19 around the edge of the rectangular opening 19a and perpendicular to the said planar component 19.

The fourth element mounts a second lens 23. On each side of the rectangular wall 20 a lip element 21 projects inwardly to provide a mounting point for the second lens 23.

The rectangular shape of the wall 20 corresponds substantially to the rectangular shape of viewers found on digital cameras. To look at images with the viewer 1, a user holds the lower edge 24 of the wall 20 over the camera viewing screen. The user can then hold the elliptical part of the viewer using the indents 7c and the grip surface 5.

When the viewer is in its viewing configuration, as shown in Figure 1, the third element 11 is held in place in the second element 6 by virtue of the relative dimensions of the lobes 13 and the chambers 13a, the two elements being dimensioned such that the lobes 13 are a tight push fit in the chambers 13a. Similarly, the fourth element is held in place in the extended position by virtue of the relative dimensions of the walls 20 of the fourth element 18 and the shape and dimensions of the wall 15, the channel 16 and lip 17. The distance from the outside of one wall 20 to another is marginally greater where the wall joins the planar component 19 than at its lower edge 24. Furthermore, the distance between lip 17 and an opposite lip 17 is marginally less than the distance from the outside of one wall 20 to the outside of an opposite wall 20. The lip 17 therefore resiliently engages with the wall 20. The top edge of each lip 17 is rounded 17a and slides easily on the outside of the wall 20. As the fourth element 18 is pulled out of the third element 11, the outsides of the

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walls 20 push against the lips 17. The difference in dimension is accommodated by the lip 17 and channel 16 of the wall 15 deforming slightly, resulting in the lips 17 pressing against the outsides of the walls 20. Hie engagement of the lip 17 with the wall 20 therefore allows the fourth element to be varied in position with respect to the third element 11, and hence the position of the lens 23 to the lens 3 also to be varied.

As illustrated in Figure 3, the viewer collapses down to a relatively small object that can conveniently fit in a typical jacket pocket.

The first lens 3 is a magnifying lens, whereas the second lens 23 provides no magnification. By varying the distance between the first and second lenses the degree of magnification of an image maybe adjusted. The magnification provided by the first lens 3 is such that a much more easily discernible image than an image produced by a standard digital camera viewing screen. Furthermore, the image provided by the lens 3 can be seen more easily by a person whose view is not direcdyin line with the axis of the camera, thereby allowing images taken on a digital camera to be viewed in a manner more akin to the viewing of images captured on film The size and shape of the viewer, and the locking means locking the viewer in its working or stowing configurations make the viewer easy to use.

The lenses 3 and 23 are of plastics or glass construction. The first, second, third and fourth elements 2, 6, 11 and 18 are of plastics construction and are preferably vacuum moulded.

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Claims

A viewer for a digital camera comprising a first magnifying lens and a second lens, the first and second lenses being aligned axially, wherein the first and second lenses are mounted in respective lens mounts, wherein the first and second lens mounts are arranged in the viewer such that one is movable towards and away from the other between stowage position and viewing configurations, wherein the first lens is wider than the second lens.

A viewer according to Claim 1, wherein the first and second lens mounts are each mounted on an intermediate element, and both mounts are movable with respect to the intermediate element.

A viewer according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the first and second lens mounts are slidably mounted with respect to each other.

A viewer according to Claim 3, wherein the second lens mount is slidably mounted in the intermediate element, and the intermediate element is slidably mounted in the first lens mount.

A viewer according to Claim 4, wherein the second lens mount is rotatably mounted in the intermediate element.

A viewer according to any preceding claim, wherein the first lens mount includes a hand gnp-

A viewer according to any preceding claim, wherein the first lens mount comprises a top and a bottom, the intermediate element being mounted in the bottom.

A viewer according to Claims 6 and 7, wherein a first part of the grip is located on a surface of the top and a second part of the grip is located on the bottom of the first lens mount.

A viewer according to any preceding claim, further comprising locking means to lock the viewer in its viewing configuration.

10. A viewer according to any preceding claim, further comprising locking means to lock the viewer in its stowage configuration.

11. A viewer according to Claim 9 or 10, wherein the locking means comprises at least one lobe.

12. A viewer according to Claim 11, wherein the or each lobe engages with a chamber to lock the viewer in its viewing configuration.

13. A viewer according to Claim 11 or 12, wherein the or each lobe engages with a wall of the first lens mount to lock the viewer in its stowage configuration.

14. A viewer according to Claim 12, wherein the lobe is a push fit in the chamber.

15. A viewer according to Claim 9, wherein the second lens mount is slidable in the intermediate element between a retracted stowage configuration and an extended viewing configuration, and wherein the second lens mount is a push fit in the intermediate element.

16. A viewer according to Claim 15, wherein the intermediate element comprises a channel including a lip engagable with a wall of the second lens mount, the lip resiliently pressing against the said wall to maintain the second lens mount in a position to which said second lens mount is manually adjusted.

17. A viewer according to any preceding claim, wherein the second lens is a magnifying lens.

18. A viewer according to any preceding claim, wherein the second lens is a plain lens.

19. A viewer for a digital camera substantially as shown in, and as described with reference to, the drawings.

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