Did You Know...
...that the Eveready Battery began as an invention called the "electric flowerpot," which was a tube with a battery and light bulb inside? The idea was to fasten this gizmo to the side of a flowerpot so it would illuminate the flowers from the bottom. The idea died on the vine and the businessman who licensed the flower pot, Conrad Huber, was left with a pile of useless tubes -- until he found a way to market them as batteries to light the world!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7965935 | Control device and method for camera unit and program for implementing the control method A camera unit which is capable of coping with both a case where it is largely displaced from a preset position and a case where it is slightly displaced from the same, and makes it possible to enhance accuracy and reliability in displacement correction. A zoom/focus... | 06/21/2011 |
| 7590339 | Digital camera including manual and automatic drive of photographing system A digital camera is provided with a photographing lens, an image capturing element, which is configured to capture an optical image of an object formed by the photographing lens, a coarse movement control system configured to control a position of the photographing ... | 09/15/2009 |
| 7430368 | Zoom lens assembly capable of macro photography A zoom lens assembly includes an optical system forming an optical axis and having at least one lens group, a base member (1), a macro ring member (2) rotatably engaged with the base member for accomplishing both zooming and focusing operations, a lens... | 09/30/2008 |
| 7352387 | Camera with positioning device used to capture magnified and demagnified images To provide a camera that is suited to shoot both a demagnified image and a magnified image. The camera includes a housing body 11 containing a CCD 15, and a lens barrel 12. An abutted member 20 having an objective lens 40 th... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7265914 | Lens device and photographing apparatus including the same In a lens device, when a lens is subjected to speed control and when initialization in which an absolute position of the lens is initialized after a power supply is turned on is completed, the lens is returned to a position before the lens is initialized. ... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7259923 | Lens barrel A lens barrel, including, a moving frame (2) to hold a lens (8), a direct-advance ring (4) provided on an outer periphery of the moving frame and movable relative to the moving frame in an optical direction, a resilient member (6) provide... | 08/21/2007 |
| 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 |
| 7167203 | Digital camera having controller for reducing occurrences of blur in displayed images A digital camera comprises a camera body and an image sensing unit. The image sensing unit is provided with a taking lens and an image sensing device for taking images and with an optical viewfinder. The camera body is provided with a controller for controlling the ... | 01/23/2007 |
| 7142780 | Camera system and lens barrel A camera system comprises a camera body; a lens barrel having a photographing optical system, which can be mounted at the camera body; a shutter release switch disposed at the camera body and operated to start a shutter release operation; and a first operating switc... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7079182 | Optical apparatus, optical apparatus driving unit and camera system The invention provides an optical apparatus comprising an optical member, a memory unit for memorizing preset speed information, and preset position information or preset direction information a memory instructing operation unit to be operated for causing the memory... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7015959 | Image pickup apparatus for picking up and recording still or moving images and a method for controlling the same When an image pickup apparatus is changed over to a mode different from a photographing mode, such as a power-off mode or a reproducing mode, priority is given to writing a temporarily-recorded image in a recording medium, so that it is possible to surely preserve t... | 03/21/2006 |
| 6963360 | Adaptive and learning setting selection process with selectable learning modes for imaging device A method of configuring settings in an imaging device includes configuring the settings with default values. If at least one value for the settings is externally adjusted, the settings in the imaging device are configured with the at least one value. If the user ind... | 11/08/2005 |
| 6914624 | Adaptive and learning setting selection process for imaging device A method of configuring settings in an imaging device includes retrieving the previous state of a plurality of settings in the imaging device. The new state of the settings in the imaging device are determined. The new state is combined with the previous state to fo... | 07/05/2005 |
| 6912358 | Camera and lens barrel At a lens group position storage unit, the positions of a focus lens group and a zoom lens group detected at the time of a preset operation are stored. In response to an instruction for a go-home operation, a zoom lens group position comparison unit compares the cur... | 06/28/2005 |
| 6704503 | Optical device, optical device driving unit, information write device, preset information setting system, and camera system Disclosed is an optical device including an optical member, a driving member for driving the optical member, a storage member for storing preset information about driving of the optical member, an information write device for writing the preset informatio... | 03/09/2004 |
| 6701073 | Optical driving unit, optical apparatus and camera system An optical driving unit is disclosed, which is equipped with a function for moving an optical adjustment member by servo-driving to a stored position, wherein the optical adjustment member is not moved against the operator's intent after manual driving wh... | 03/02/2004 |
| 6643458 | Image pickup apparatus and method of controlling same There is disclosed an image pickup apparatus having a lens barrel which is sinkable into the apparatus body, and is controlled, if necessary, not to sink into the body even when the power is switched off The image pickup apparatus has a power key which sw... | 11/04/2003 |
| 6633729 | Optical apparatus, optical apparatus driving unit and camera system The invention provides an optical apparatus comprising an optical member constituting the optical apparatus, memory means for memorizing preset information, control means for selectively executing preset drive controls of plural kinds utilizing the preset... | 10/14/2003 |
| 6526232 | Lens control unit A lens control unit is provided in which a position of an operating member for operating a zoom position or a focus position of a lens unit is moved by following the actual zoom position or the focus position of the lens unit in the case where a shot func... | 02/25/2003 |
| 6522838 | Optical apparatus, optical element driving unit, and photographing system An optical apparatus has an operation member for permitting a first operation and a second operation; a position detector for detecting a position of an optical element; a target position setting device for permitting arbitrary setting of a target positio... | 02/18/2003 |
| 6512542 | TV lens drive unit having a mechanism for designating a constant zoom rate When a constant rate switch is pressed during the operation of a seesaw switch, an output voltage of a potentiometer in the seesaw switch is stored in a condenser and a command from the seesaw switch is invalidated. The output voltage of the potentiometer... | 01/28/2003 |
| 6466378 | Lens driving apparatus The CPU of the lens drive unit obtains new data to be stored in an EEPROM from a personal computer. The CPU confirms with a supplied voltage confirmation circuit that voltage supplied from a power source to the lens drive unit is sufficient to reprogram t... | 10/15/2002 |
| 6430367 | Lens-fitted photo film unit capable of changing over aperture stop A first lens element and a second lens element for comprising a photographic lens, and a stop opening are arranged on an optical axis in this order. A stop plate has a stop-down opening. The stop plate is movable between a first position where the stop-do... | 08/06/2002 |
| 6337952 | Lens apparatus This invention relates to a TV lens apparatus having the angle of view maintaining function of maintaining the angle of view constant. In the present invention, in a state in which the lens has been operated by the angle of view maintaining function when ... | 01/08/2002 |
| 6278843 | Optical instrument equipped with zoom lens An optical instrument equipped with a zoom lens installed in a zoom lens barrel having a lens guide arrangement for zooming up and down and focusing which includes a zooming-up guide path for guiding the lens group and positioning it in one of fixed zoom ... | 08/21/2001 |
| 6035137 | Taking lens drive unit If a seesaw switch and a quick zoom switch means are operated concurrently, the seesaw switch takes priority. If the quick zoom switch is operated by mistake while the seesaw switch is operated, the operation of the quick zoom switch is invalidated. The s... | 03/07/2000 |
| 6002886 | Lens barrel A lens barrel includes an external operation member for manual operation, a driving source, a movable lens supported movably along an optical axis, a lens moving mechanism arranged to receive a movement of the external operation member and move the movabl... | 12/14/1999 |
| 5905530 | Image pickup apparatus An image pickup apparatus is disclosed which is provided with a distortional-aberration memorizing element for memorizing distortional-aberration information about an objective lens, a state-of-objective-lens detecting circuit for detecting a state of the... | 05/18/1999 |
| 5815745 | Camera A camera comprises a lens optical system including a zooming lens, a photographic mode setting circuit capable of selectively setting a plurality of kinds of photographic modes, exposure conditions being individually set for the respective photographic mo... | 09/29/1998 |
| 5790317 | Zoom lens system In a zoom lens system in which the movement locus of a focusing lens unit is defined by synthesizing a focus cam and a zoom compensation cam, when the sensitivity of movement of an image point in association with the movement, in the direction of the opti... | 08/04/1998 |
| 5774276 | Zoom lens system In a zoom lens system in which the movement locus of a focusing lens unit is defined by synthesizing a focus cam and a zoom compensation cam, and the sensitivity of movement of an image point in association with the movement, in the direction of the optic... | 06/30/1998 |
| 5754894 | Motor driven zoom camera The present invention relates to an optical camera having a zoom function in which a focal length can be varied or the variation is actuated by a focal length changing member, and in particular to a camera in which a focal length is varied through a motor... | 05/19/1998 |
| 5752094 | Autozoon apparatus for camera An autozoom apparatus for a camera having an operating member for designating a first point and a second point in a scene to be photographed; a circuit using an angular velocity sensor for detecting a displacement angle of the camera when the camera is ro... | 05/12/1998 |
| 5748387 | Zoom lens system There is provided a zoom lens of an inner focusing system which is capable of an auto-focusing operation and a manual focusing operation with a high precision. A zoom lens system in which a movement locus of a focusing lens unit is defined by synthesizing... | 05/05/1998 |
| 5537174 | Zooming optical apparatus An optical apparatus includes a first zooming lens, a designating device for designating a zooming range, a storing circuit for storing the zooming range designated by the designating device, and a driving control device for zooming the first lens within ... | 07/16/1996 |
| 5365297 | Camera system with zoom lens having presettable focal lengths A camera system comprises an operation member provided in an interchangeable lens adapted to be manually operated; a signal sending circuit for sending a signal in response to the manual operation of the operation member; and a controller provided in a ca... | 11/15/1994 |
| 5363165 | Power zoom lens and camera system A power zoom lens having a zooming lens unit which is movable in an optical axis direction to vary a focal length thereof and which is detachably mounted to a camera body. The power zoom lens includes a drive mechanism for driving the zooming lens unit, a... | 11/08/1994 |
| 5270766 | Operation control apparatus of electric zoom camera An electric zoom camera comprises a photographing lens system having a zoom lens system, detecting device for detecting a focal length of the photographing lens system and generating a corresponding output, device for driving the photographing lens system... | 12/14/1993 |
| 5264883 | Controller for camera A controller for a camera is provided with a first zoom signal output device operatively associated with the half depressing operation of a release operation member and outputting a first zoom signal for directing a photographing lens to a focal length pr... | 11/23/1993 |
| 5243372 | Motor driven zooming apparatus A motor driven zooming apparatus including a zoom lens, a driver for moving the zoom lens, and an extremity setting and storing device for storing data for restricting a zooming range of the zoom lens. A driver controller is provided for controlling the d... | 09/07/1993 |
