Did You Know...
...that in the early 1940s GE engineer James Wright was charged with a task of utmost importance to the war effort: develop a cheap substitute for rubber that could be used to produce tires, gas masks and a whole host of military gear. Wright tackled the task diligently -- and wound up inventing Silly Putty.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7345836 | Zoom lens driving apparatus A zoom lens driving apparatus achieves the object of driving multiple lens groups by a single motor and low production cost. When a first lens group, which includes a first lens, moves along guide rods, a leading cam of a leading member drives a leading pin of a fol... | 03/18/2008 |
| 7321726 | Camera module and portable terminal equipped with the camera module The casing of the camera module is composed of two housings. The first housing has a base part provided with an opening for attaching a object side fixed lens and a first and second side walls extending from the base part, large cutout openings being formed between ... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7292783 | Lens drive mechanism and image-taking apparatus A lens drive mechanism, enabled to move lens holding member in a stable state, is disclosed. The lens drive mechanism comprises: first and second guide members, each extending in a predetermined direction; a first lens holding member holding a first lens and includi... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7286754 | Camera The present invention discloses a camera capable of reducing the size by reducing the range of movement of a view finder driving member which operates interlocked with an image-taking lens barrel. The camera includes an image-taking lens barrel which performs a oper... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7280287 | Zoom lens apparatus A zoom lens apparatus is provided. In the zoom lens apparatus, rotation of a motor is transmitted to a cam drive gear by reducing a speed thereof by a plurality of reduction gears. The cam drive gear transmits rotation thereof to a zoom cam provided coaxially therew... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7229223 | Rotation transfer mechanism and a zoom camera incorporating the rotation transfer mechanism A rotation transfer mechanism includes a rotatable ring and has a circumferential gear formed on a peripheral surface of the rotatable ring, and a rotation transfer gear, wherein rotation of the rotatable ring is transferred to the rotation transfer gear via engagem... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7227706 | Image-taking lens apparatus An image-taking lens apparatus has an image sensor for converting an optical image of a subject into an electrical signal and an image-taking lens system for forming the optical image on the image sensor. The image-taking lens system includes a prism for bending the... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7206129 | Real image type zoom finder, and imaging system incorporating the same A real image type zoom finder that, albeit being reduced in size and thickness, can gain high enough zoom ratios and an imaging system equipped with such a real image type zoom finder. The real image type zoom finder comprises an objective optical system, an image-e... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7184208 | Variable power finder and imaging apparatus A variable power finder is proposed, which comprises: an objective system; an inverting system; and an ocular system, in order from object side. The third lens group of the objective system is constituted by one lens prism having at least one reflection surface, and... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7116901 | Zoom finder drive mechanisms A zoom finder drive mechanism, driven only when taking a picture. When a lens barrel is in a collapsed position, the cam-follower pin of a rotary barrel does not abut at an end of a protrusion of a finder cam barrel such that a first and second movable finder lenses... | 10/03/2006 |
| 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 |
| 7068440 | Variable magnification optical system The present invention provides a variable magnification optical system for forming an optical image of an object on the light-receiving surface of an image sensor with a variable magnification. The variable magnification optical system includes an optical constructi... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7062162 | Image taking apparatus capable of optically and electrically changing magnification of taken images An apparatus, a control method, and a control program which permit a first change operation of optically changing magnifications of a taken image and a second change operation of changing the magnifications by signal processing and in which a predetermined restricti... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7050239 | Real image mode variable magnification finder A real image mode variable magnification finder optical system comprises a variable magnification objective optical system having a positive optical power, an ocular optical system having a positive optical power, and a plurality of reflecting surfaces for erecting ... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7039311 | Rotation transfer mechanism and a zoom camera incorporating the rotation transfer mechanism A rotation transfer mechanism includes a rotatable ring including an annular gear portion on an outer peripheral surface thereof; a rotation transfer gear including a gear portion engageable with the annular gear portion and a rotation limit portion engageable with ... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7012647 | Camera having a refractive optical system with an inclined surface folding an axis of entered object light A camera provided with a body having an opening for object light to enter, a photographic optical system having an inclined surface for refracting object light entering from the opening to form an image of the object light, and an image sensing element for sensing t... | 03/14/2006 |
| 7006764 | User interface for controlling cropping in electronic camera A camera adjusts the aspect ratio of a viewfinder image. The camera has a body and a capture unit mounted in the body. The capture unit has an imager and storage media operatively connected to the imager. The capture unit selectively captures an electronic image of ... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6992821 | Variable power finder and imaging apparatus A variable power finder is proposed, which comprises: an objective system; an inverting system; and an ocular system, in order from object side. The third lens group of the objective system is constituted by one lens prism having at least one reflection surface, and... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6973266 | Finder optical system A finder optical system includes an eyepiece optical system with a positive refracting power. The eyepiece optical system includes an optical unit with a positive refracting power and a lens unit with a positive refracting power, In the eyepiece optical system, a re... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6973261 | Camera A camera can reduce the size of the camera. The camera comprises a lens barrel which allows the focal length of an image-taking optical system to be changed, a view finder unit for observing an object image, a cam member having a cam for driving the view finder unit... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6954588 | Camera A camera can reduce thickness of a driving member in the diameter direction is disclosed. The camera comprises an actuator, a driven unit and a driving member that rotates around the image-taking optical axis by the driving force from the actuator and transmits the ... | 10/11/2005 |
| 6947667 | Camera The present invention discloses a camera capable of reducing the size by reducing the range of movement of a view finder driving member which operates interlocked with an image-taking lens barrel. The camera includes an image-taking lens barrel which performs a oper... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6937817 | Camera including cam member for interlocking image-taking optical system and view finder optical system of the camera A camera which causes a lens unit to move accurately through a cam member is disclosed. The camera comprises a lens unit with movable lenses making up a view finder optical system, a cam member having a cam which engages with the lens unit for driving the lens unit ... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6915072 | Finder, marker presentation member, and presentation method of positioning marker for calibration photography A finder apparatus which is used together with a photographing apparatus presents a marker for positioning for setting relative positions of the photographing apparatus and an object for calibration so as to be visually recognizable by an operator in a finder config... | 07/05/2005 |
| 6907194 | Camera having continuously cropping viewfinder A camera and method provide image cropping. The camera has a body and a capture unit mounted in the body. The capture unit has an imager and storage media operatively connected to the imager. The capture unit selectively captures an electronic image of a scene. A vi... | 06/14/2005 |
| 6862411 | Real image mode finder optical system A real image mode finder optical system is constructed to be independent of a photographing optical system and includes, in order from the object side, an objective optical system with a positive refracting power, a field frame located in the proximity of the imagin... | 03/01/2005 |
| 6760546 | Viewfinder mounting structure for camera A viewfinder assembly mounting system includes a mounting hole formed at least in one of a camera body and a base barrel in a direction of an optical axis, a viewfinder assembly provided with a guide hole corresponding to the mounting hole of the base barrel; and a ... | 07/06/2004 |
| 6724992 | Finder and camera using such finder A compact finder with excellent optical performance, and a camera including the finder are disclosed. The finder of the present invention includes an objective optical system, and an eyepiece optical system. The objective optical system includes, from an object side... | 04/20/2004 |
| 6711356 | Real-image variable-magnification viewfinder A real-image variable-magnification viewfinder includes objective optical system having positive optical power, eyepiece optical system having positive optical power, and erecting optical system. The objective optical system has first lens unit having positive optic... | 03/23/2004 |
| 6671461 | Real image mode finder optical system A real image mode finder optical system is constructed to be independent of a photographing optical system and includes, in order from the object side, an objective optical system with a positive refracting power, a field frame located in the proximity of... | 12/30/2003 |
| 6670989 | Optical system driving control device and camera using the same An optical system driving control device includes (a) a photo-taking optical system having a photo-taking optical element which is movable in an optical axis direction thereof and a first driver for moving the photo-taking optical element in the optical a... | 12/30/2003 |
| 6643462 | Variable viewfinder for wide angle shots A variable viewfinder, for wide-angle camera shots includes three lens units. The first and third lens units, in the light direction, have negative refractive power whereas the second unit has positive refractive power. The lens units are arranged displac... | 11/04/2003 |
| 6611663 | Camera having variable magnification where light distribution angle and field angle are unchangeable during focusing The present invention provides a camera comprising a cam member having cam groves formed for moving lens units, where the cam groves alternately have variable power cam regions for moving the lens units for variable power and focusing cam regions for movi... | 08/26/2003 |
| 6606203 | Ocular zoom lens An ocular zoom lens is formed of three lens groups, of positive, positive, and negative refractive power, in order from the eye-point side. The second and third lens groups are moved along the optical axis in opposite directions during zooming, and the se... | 08/12/2003 |
| 6600877 | Zoom interlocking mechanism for camera A cam plate is disposed horizontally and movably to a horizontal direction inside a camera body. The cam plate includes a plate portion for moving variator lenses of a zoom finder device in cooperation with a zoom lens to vary a viewable field angle of a ... | 07/29/2003 |
| 6584282 | Finder optical system and camera having the system A finder optical system for observing an object therethrough, includes a variable-power objective optical system, an eyepiece optical system for guiding light from the object via the objective optical system to an observer, and an adjustor for changing th... | 06/24/2003 |
| 6571059 | Camera including a device for controlling the photographing optical systems to prevent obscuring of an image in the finder optical system An improved camera includes a photographing optical system and a finder optical system, existing independently from each other. In order that a finder observation image will not be obstructed by a camera lens, the camera comprises a driving circuit for re... | 05/27/2003 |
| 6571068 | View finder having an object lens system and an eye-piece lens system arranged on a common shaft The invention relates to a view finder with improved structure for providing accurate posisioning and alignment of optical elements of its optical system. The view finder comprises an object lens system at least one lens of which is movable along an optic... | 05/27/2003 |
| 6546201 | Finder drive mechanism and camera In a camera to which the finder drive mechanism of the invention is applied, a lens barrel is driven by a drive motor through a zoom drive gear train and a lens frame drive gear train, and the finder variable power of a finder optical system is moved forw... | 04/08/2003 |
| 6522840 | Camera equipped with cam member and molding die for producing the cam member A camera includes: a lens barrel holding a zoom lens; a zoom viewfinder optical system having a variable magnification lens to be moved in the optical axis direction; a cam pin integrally provided on the variable magnification lens; and a cam member to mo... | 02/18/2003 |
