Did You Know...
...that when IBM conducted a market study of Chester Carlson's invention in 1959, the company concluded that it would take only 5000 units of his new product to saturate the market? IBM therefore declined to be part of the new product introduction. Too bad for IBM. Carlson's invention was the xerography process, and his new product was the beginning of the Xerox Corporation. It is estimated that every day, worldwide, 3,000,000,000 copies are made!!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7751126 | Lens barrel and image pickup apparatus An addendum of a gear portion and a tip end of a first cam follower are located on similar-diameter cylindrical planes centering at a center axis of a cam ring. A gear housing recess is provided in an inner peripheral surface of a fixed ring. A bottom surface of a f... | 07/06/2010 |
| 7729060 | Lens barrel and image pickup apparatus An engagement pawl of a linear-movement guide ring engages with an engagement groove of a cam ring, and hence the cam ring is supported by the linear-movement guide ring non-movably in an optical-axis direction. When the cam ring is rotated, a cam pin of a second gr... | 06/01/2010 |
| 7649695 | Lens barrel and imaging apparatus A lens barrel includes a focus cam ring that holds a focus lens group and moves in the optical axis direction of the focus lens group while rotating along a cam groove in response to a focusing operation, and a fixed tube having a fitting raised portion that can piv... | 01/19/2010 |
| 7580203 | Lens assembly having movable lens A lens assembly has an image pickup device incorporated therein, and includes a zoom lens for passage of light to the image pickup device. A cam mechanism moves the zoom lens along an optical axis. The cam mechanism includes a rotatable zoom ring for zooming operati... | 08/25/2009 |
| 7515355 | Compact zoom lens The present invention is directed to a compact zoom lens that attains a reduction in outermost diameter of the lens barrel and weight and that greatly enhances a forward stroke of a first group of lenses. The compact zoom lens has a telescopic structure of a grouped... | 04/07/2009 |
| 7423814 | Camera lens focus-setting mechanism A camera lens focus-setting mechanism enabling easy and precise focusing includes a first and a second rack member, and a first and a second adjusting assembly. The first and the second rack member are respectively associated with a first and a second focusing ring,... | 09/09/2008 |
| 7423822 | Lens barrel and optical apparatus The present invention is directed to a lens barrel that is simplified in structure with the reduced number of components and is facilitated in assembly and associated adjustment. The lens barrel enables an appropriate frictional force against the rotation force caus... | 09/09/2008 |
| 7420748 | Lens apparatus and optical apparatus A lens apparatus includes a supporting member including a parallel engaging portion parallel to an optical axis direction and a circumferential engaging portion extending in the circumferential direction on a plane orthogonal to the optical axis direction; a lens su... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7408722 | Cam mechanism of a zoom lens A cam mechanism of a zoom lens, includes a cam ring including cam grooves having different reference cam diagrams on at least one of inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the cam ring; and movable frames which include cam followers respectively engaged in the cam g... | 08/05/2008 |
| 7391965 | Lens apparatus and image-taking apparatus A lens apparatus is disclosed, which is capable of keeping the engagement of a protruding portion of a first member and a cam groove portion of a second member even if an external force acts on the apparatus. The lens apparatus comprises: a first member including fi... | 06/24/2008 |
| 7372638 | Lens barrel There is disclosed a lens barrel including a fixed frame, a rotary frame rotatable with respect to the fixed frame to advance or retract in an optical axis direction, and a rectilinear guide frame rotatable relative to the rotary frame to displace integrally with th... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7356251 | Assembly-stage focus adjustment mechanism of a zoom lens An assembly-stage focus adjustment mechanism of a zoom lens barrel including a plurality of lens groups which are moved while distances therebetween are changed to perform a zooming operation, the assembly-stage focus adjustment mechanism including two lens fixing f... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7327527 | Lens supporting frame of lens device and method of adjusting the same A lens supporting frame is provided and includes a lens holder supporting a lens and a moving frame which is fitted to a cylindrical part of the lens holder to support the same. Ribs are provided at equal intervals in a rotation direction on a rear end face of the l... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7324291 | Retractable type lens barrel A lens barrel for zooming in the photographing region and retraction to the non-photographing region, equipped with a stationary barrel having a cam groove on the inner circumferential surface thereof, a cam barrel having a cam pin which is engaged with the cam groo... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7321471 | Lens barrel and lens system The invention is directed to a lens barrel and a compact lens system incorporating the lens barrel where notches defined in a cam barrel to serve as bolt holes and disengage the studs are reduced in dimensions both along and around the optical axis, thereby ensuring... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7319811 | Information processing apparatus and method A moving image processing apparatus can perform a zoom process for each frame image of moving image data in an digital zoom section. An image quality determining section determines an image quality of a frame image obtained through the zoom process in reproduction, ... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7307798 | Multi-step locking eye cup twist up device The present invention is a Twist Up device that consists of multiple pin-movement sections and pin-stopping sections. The pin-movement sections have Twist Up adjustment grooves in multiple steps, and these adjustment grooves allow the Twist Up ring to move the Twist... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7304806 | Lens retraction mechanism and method of the same A lens retraction mechanism slantways retracts a lens from a shooting position to a receiving space. The lens retraction mechanism includes a base body, which includes a substrate, a guide wall disposed on the substrate and the receiving space, a lens guiding frame ... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7265913 | Movable lens control device A movable lens control device for controlling movements of movable lens groups including a first movable lens group and a second movable lens group, the movable lens control device including a lens driving device for moving the first and second movable lens groups i... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7242534 | Lens unit and a camera incorporating the same lens unit A lens unit in which at least one of a subject side lens group and an image side lens group is moved toward an image side to be retracted along an optical axial direction, including a subject side lens group supporting frame to support the subject side lens group, a... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7230777 | Lens unit and compact image pickup module The lens unit includes an imaging lens including lenses, each of which includes a lens portion having an optical function and a flange portion on a periphery of the lens portion, and a ring-shaped lens holding member provided between the lenses and holds at least on... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7217045 | Connect/disconnect mechanism for a surveillance camera head A surveillance camera assembly includes a mounting apparatus that is attachable to a mounting surface. A camera head assembly is secured to the mounting apparatus by moving the camera head assembly toward the mounting apparatus in a direction along an axis, and rota... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7212352 | Cam mechanism of a lens barrel A lens-barrel cam mechanism includes first and second ring members; and cam grooves and cam followers formed on the first and second ring members. A single groove/follower set, including one cam groove and one cam follower, and a groove/follower group, including fro... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7203009 | Lens device A lens device in which a first movable lens holding frame and a second movable lens holding frame are moved along an optical axis by rotating a cam cylinder rotatably provided on a lens barrel, an escape channel for escapement of a portion of the second movable lens... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7199945 | Lens apparatus and optical apparatus equipped with same The present invention provides a lens apparatus including a fixed lens barrel, a cam ring that is rotatable relative to the fixed lens barrel, a first lens holding frame adapted to move, upon rotation of the cam ring, relative to the fixed lens barrel along the opti... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7177102 | Lens body tube A lens body tube configured to support at least one lens inside an inner tube such that the at least one lens can be translated along the optical axis direction of the lens body tube includes a cam ring configured to be rotatably supported around the outer circumfer... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7173773 | Whole group focusing structure A whole group focusing structure comprises a lens track cylinder, a first lens group, a second lens group, and a drive motor is used to rotate and move the lens track cylinder, so as to carry out focus between the first and second lens groups. A slant parallel secti... | 02/06/2007 |
| 7173772 | Lens barrel A guide bar used in a video lens barrel in the related art has problems of deterioration in supporting accuracy of the lens retaining frame, high manufacturing cost, and upsizing of the lens barrel. Also, in a cam pin type lens barrel, how the lens retaining frame i... | 02/06/2007 |
| 7161748 | Zoom lens barrel and optical equipment For the purpose of miniaturizing a zoom lens barrel, a zoom lens of the present invention comprises one lens group which moves at the time of variable power, one diaphragm member which moves at the time of variable power, and a cam member which has a cam section for... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7158322 | Lens device and method for adjusting the same To provide a lens device involving simple adjustment work and an adjustment method for the same, the lens device includes the first and second lens groups, each including having a retaining guide section on a surface facing another of the first and second lens group... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7106961 | Lens barrel incorporating the advancing/retracting mechanism An advancing/retracting mechanism of a lens barrel, including a rotatable ring; a non-rotatable advancing/retracting guide ring positioned inside the rotatable ring including an inclined lead slot, and at least one circumferential slot which is communicatively conne... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7099573 | Zoom lens camera, and a rotation transfer mechanism A zoom lens camera includes an optical-element drive mechanism for a photographing optical system, and a zooming-associating mechanism for associating a zooming-associated driven member with a zooming operation to be driven by the optical-element drive mechanism in ... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7088524 | Lens barrel having a lens barrier mechanism A lens barrel includes a guide barrel, an outer ring, an inner ring, a cam ring and a movable lens frame, arranged in that order from outermost side, wherein the axes thereof coincide with a common optical axis, the outer ring being guided linearly in the optical ax... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7088523 | Lens body tube A lens body tube configured to support at least one lens inside an inner tube such that the at least one lens can be translated along the optical axis direction of the lens body tube includes a cam ring configured to be rotatably supported around the outer circumfer... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7085074 | Lens barrel having cam-cylinder with cam-groove and varying thickness, lens barrel having guide-cylinder with varying wall thickness, and lens barrel having the cam-cylinder and the guide-cylinder A lens barrel includes a lens-holding cylinder which supports a lens and is provided with a cam-follower and a rectilinear key; a cam-cylinder having a cam-groove which engages with the cam-follower so as to apply a driving force to the lens-holding cylinder in the ... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7068442 | Lens apparatus and image-taking apparatus A lens apparatus which is easy to assemble, provides high strength at the flange portion, and achieves high degree of design freedom, too, is disclosed. The lens apparatus comprises first and second members. The first member has a guide portion to guide the member s... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7054073 | Lens device A lens holding barrel is fitted in a fixed barrel in a manner that the lens holding barrel is slidable in optical axis direction. A cam ring is rotatably fitted on outer periphery of the fixed lens. Front regulating members are formed on front end of the fixed barre... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7050244 | Zoom lens barrel A zoom lens barrel comprises an exterior unit, which mainly forms an exterior portion, an optical unit having an image pickup optical system built therein, and a control unit and can be detachably mounted on a single-lens reflex camera. The optical unit includes fir... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7050243 | Lens apparatus, camera system, and camera Provided is a lens apparatus having a first holding member that holds a first lens unit and a second holding member that holds the first holding member, in which the first and second holding members are engaged with each other so as to be capable of relative movemen... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7046457 | Optical apparatus An optical apparatus includes an image taking optical system that includes a first lens unit arranged on a most object side and a second lens unit movable in an optical axis direction further on an image surface side than the first lens unit, a first lens barrel tha... | 05/16/2006 |
