Did You Know...
...that the video game, Pong, was invented by a guy who graduated at the bottom of his engineering class? Nolan Bushnell spent more time running the games at a local amusement park than he did on his studies at the University of Utah. His dreams of working for Disney's amusement empire were dashed when the company wouldn't hire him. Taking a boring job, Nolan daydreamed about electronic versions of popular games. He invented Pong, the first video game, and went on to found Atari Co.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8167507 | Focal plane shutter device and imaging device A focal plane shutter device is disclosed that includes a shutter base plate, a front curtain, a first urging member, a rear curtain, a second urging member, and a charge mechanism. The shutter base plate defines an opening. The front curtain is moved between differ... | 05/01/2012 |
| 8157458 | Focal-plane shutter apparatus and image-pickup apparatus The focal-plane shutter apparatus includes a cam member and being rotated by a motor in one direction such that leading and trailing blade cams respectively make contact with leading and trailing blade driving members to drive them in a charging direction in which u... | 04/17/2012 |
| 7980772 | Shutter device and image pickup apparatus Disclosed herein is an image pickup apparatus including: an image sensor; and a shutter device, wherein said shutter device includes a trailing curtain, a first driving member, a second driving member, first urging force applying means, and a charging member. ... | 07/19/2011 |
| 7445393 | Camera and shutter device At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to a cam gear which can rotate counterclockwise to prepare for photographing. This rotation of the cam gear can cause a cam lever shaft to move from a first cam section that allows a shutter charging lever to be kept in ... | 11/04/2008 |
| 7344321 | Shutter device and image-capturing apparatus A shutter device includes a first light-blocking unit; a second light-blocking unit; a supporting member; and a charging member. The shutter device has a simple structure that does not require a designated interlocking mechanism between the shutter device and an ext... | 03/18/2008 |
| 7053514 | Image apparatus and drive motor A drive motor is proposed, which serves as a drive source for a movement mechanism constituting an iris for an optical path of an imaging system. The drive motor has a shaft serving as a center of rotation, a magnet, two-pole magnetized and rotated around the shaft,... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7042502 | Electronic camera achieving higher frame speed An electronic camera includes: an image-capturing device that stores a signal electrical charge achieved by performing photoelectric conversion on a subject image projected on a photosensitive surface and reads out the signal electrical charge to generate an image s... | 05/09/2006 |
| 6835007 | Driving apparatus, shutter apparatus and camera A driving apparatus having a small charging load, capable of reducing the size of the appratus is disclosed. A present invention discloses a driving apparatus comprises a driving source, a driven member, an energizing member which energizes the driven member in a pr... | 12/28/2004 |
| 6795122 | Focal-plane shutter for digital still cameras A focal-plane shutter for digital still cameras includes a first blade and a second blade, each having a plurality of arms and at least one blade component pivotally supported thereby; a driving member for the first blade, opening an exposure aperture through the fi... | 09/21/2004 |
| 6749348 | Focal-plane shutter for digital still camera A first blade is made up of two arms and three blades supported by the arms, wherein one of the arms is rotated in the clockwise direction by a driving pin pressing a pressed portion thereof only when a first-blade driving member is rotated by the force from a drivi... | 06/15/2004 |
| 6682232 | Camera mechanism has substitute actuator to functionally replace failed primary actuator A camera mechanism comprises a shutter blade movable to uncover and cover an exposure aperture; a primary spring connected to the shutter blade to normally move the shutter blade to cover the exposure aperture, but susceptible of becoming disconnected fro... | 01/27/2004 |
| 6669381 | Actuator and selector mechanism for compact camera Disclosed herein is a camera having a shutter mechanism; actuating means for actuating the shutter mechanism; and, an aperture selecting assembly that is movable from an initial mode position to at least a first mode position. Also disclosed is an apertur... | 12/30/2003 |
| 6665005 | Electronic image pickup apparatus An electronic image pickup apparatus comprises a shutter having a shielding member which can be inserted into or removed from an optical path of an optical system for forming an image of an object on a light receiving surface of an image pickup element, a... | 12/16/2003 |
| 6485200 | Double-shielding type focal-plane shutter A double-shielding type focal-plane shutter has a closing blade and an opening blade for closing and opening a shutter opening to perform an exposure operation. A closing lever and an opening lever drive the closing blade and the opening blade, respective... | 11/26/2002 |
| 6459855 | Actuator An actuator applied with shape memory alloy which can be operated in a wide operating temperature range and has a long life time. At a normal ambient temperature, when the first wire of the acting member made of shape memory alloy in which predetermined s... | 10/01/2002 |
| 6400911 | Camera with a shutter release device A camera comprises a film feed device (9) for feeding a light-sensitive film arranged in the camera, a photographic shutter (10) for the image-forming exposure of the light-sensitive film and arranged in the optical path for the image recording, and a shu... | 06/04/2002 |
| 6360061 | Camera with a device for locking the film feed A camera comprises a film feed device (9) for feeding a light-sensitive film arranged in the camera, a shutter release device (300) for releasing a photographic shutter (10) of the camera for the image-forming exposure of the film, and a feed locking devi... | 03/19/2002 |
| 6179493 | Camera A camera has a first charge mechanism for charging a mirror, a second charge mechanism for charging an aperture diaphragm, a third charge mechanism for charging a shutter, an exposure preparation mechanism for performing an exposure preparation operation ... | 01/30/2001 |
| 6092936 | Metering/re-cocking member for engaging film during exposure and for re/cocking shutter actuator, separates from shutter actuator when re-cocked A camera comprising a shutter blade supported to move open to expose a frame on a filmstrip, a shutter actuator supported for movement to move the shutter blade open and for movement to be re-cocked, an actuating spring for urging the shutter actuator to ... | 07/25/2000 |
| 5984537 | Method and apparatus for preventing the deviation of a focal plane shutter blade An apparatus and a method for preventing the deviation of a focal plane shutter are disclosed. The apparatus has a back cover switch, a control unit and a shutter driver. The apparatus and method prevents the deviation of the focal plane shutter blade by ... | 11/16/1999 |
| 5940632 | Magnification change-over device for camera A magnification change-over device is arranged to be highly suitable for a camera of the kind having a photo-taking lens and a viewfinder arranged independently of each other. The device includes the photo-taking lens having an image magnification which i... | 08/17/1999 |
| 5875363 | Camera shutter A camera shutter is capable of switching between a spring-drive mode and a motor-drive mode through a single electromagnet without performing an exposure operation. A control circuit controls a stepping motor for rotating a driving ring and the electromag... | 02/23/1999 |
| 5870640 | Lever cocking apparatus A cocking apparatus for moving a lever between a cocked position and a rest position. In a camera, the lever may be used to momentarily move a shutter member away from a lens opening of a camera. The cocking apparatus includes a drive gear, a driven gear ... | 02/09/1999 |
| 5724622 | Film metering mechanism A camera includes a body portion having a cartridge chamber for a film cartridge and a film chamber for a filmstrip, a high energy lever returnable to a cocked position, and a film metering pawl movable in engagement with the filmstrip. The film metering ... | 03/03/1998 |
| 5682569 | Shutter charge device A shutter charge device is used with photo film and charges a shutter device. The photo film includes plural groups of perforations formed along one edge thereof. The groups are arranged at the predetermined pitch of the frames. Each of the groups include... | 10/28/1997 |
| 5640617 | Camera shutter and autofocus mechanism A camera includes a film drive motor, that connected through a series of gears, drives a bi-directional moving control element. The moving control element is, in turn, mechanically linked to a shutter striker, shutter striker release mechanism, lens focus... | 06/17/1997 |
| 5519293 | Load driving system A load driving system uses two gear trains with different characteristics. The load driving system includes a motor, a first pinion gear which is installed on the output shaft of the motor, a first gear train transmitting the rotation from the first pinio... | 05/21/1996 |
| 5349405 | Single lens reflex camera A single lens reflex camera includes a mirror box provided in a camera body to support a mirror located on an optical axis of a photographing lens for up and down movement. The mirror box, together with a mirror driving mechanism, is detachably attachable... | 09/20/1994 |
| 5309184 | Mechanical control apparatus of a single lens reflex camera A mechanical control apparatus of a single lens reflex (SLR) camera is provided that includes a rotatable cam having a shutter cam for charging a shutter and a mirror cam, integral and coaxial with the shutter cam, for charging a mirror. The mechanical co... | 05/03/1994 |
| 5296889 | Camera driving circuit Between a central processing unit for sequence control of a camera and a plurality of controlled systems is connected an interface serving as a predriver, which is formed of a monolithic integrated circuit. The controlled systems are transistors forming b... | 03/22/1994 |
| 5294952 | Apparatus for driving mirror of camera A mirror driving apparatus for a camera which rotatably drives a mirror between two predetermined position, by an elastic restoring force stored in a mirror biasing member, including an engaging device which retains an elastic restoring force in the mirro... | 03/15/1994 |
| 5257052 | Electrically driving apparatus of mirror in single-lens reflex camera A mirror driving apparatus of a single-lens reflex camera has a mirror box, a mother plate which is provided on the side face of the mirror box to support a gear train and a mirror box mechanism which is driven by the gear train, and a motor having a driv... | 10/26/1993 |
| 5185621 | Charging device for camera A charging device for cameras which is usable for a charging apparatus as a driving source for various operations within a camera. The charging device has a linear actuator of a shape memory alloy which extends and contract by the shape restoring action thereo... | 02/09/1993 |
| 5150141 | Electric drive device for camera An electric drive device for a camera, for driving a movable mirror and a lens diaphragm by a motor and also charging a shutter, comprises a shutter drive device for activating a focal plane shutter having curtains running along a predetermined plane for expos... | 09/22/1992 |
| 5049908 | Photographic camera and film A 35 mm-wide photographic film without any perforations typically used to transport this kind of film has one side of its rectangular effective photographic area in a widthwise direction made substantially 30 mm long, thereby widening this effective photo... | 09/17/1991 |
| 5025276 | Control apparatus of single-lens reflex camera A control apparatus of a single-lens reflex camera, including a mirror which moves between a charge completion position and a photographing position and a mirror driving mechanism for moving the mirror between the charge completion position and the photog... | 06/18/1991 |
| 5023638 | Photographic portrait shooting apparatus A photographic portrait shooting apparatus (30) comprising a camera (1) and a partially transmitting mirror (2) disposed in the optical path (9) between camera lens (3) and the object, wherein an even number, especially two reflecting mirrors (5, 6) are a... | 06/11/1991 |
| 4949109 | Film winding system of camera A film winding system of a camera, comprising: an electrical motor, a film winding device, a cocking device. Both devices are driven by the motor, for winding a film roll and for cocking a predetermined mechanism, through a differential gearing by which o... | 08/14/1990 |
| 4864336 | Motor driven camera A motor driven camera having a mirror box in which a movable mirror supported to be pivotally movable between a finder-viewing position and an exposure retracted position is assembled, includes a mirror drive mechanism for driving the swing motion of the ... | 09/05/1989 |
| 4739355 | Focal plane shutter In order to enable to obtain stable exposure time even for successive photographing at high speeds and completely synchronize flashing without errors, the focal plane shutter comprising a front blade group and a rear blade group is adapted in such a manne... | 04/19/1988 |
