Camera body for a camera having a battery stowage chamber design enabling the outer housing shape of the camera to be easily changed without the necessity for changing the shape of the camera body

615,778&

08/922,147

August 25, 1997

A camera having a camera body unit including mainly a photographic lens frame, a front cover unit and back cover unit that are housing members for covering the outer circumference of camera body unit, a back lid unit to be opened or closed for loading film, and a battery lid for opening or closing a battery stowage chamber. The battery stowage chamber is formed inside the flank of a front cover that is an integral part of the front cover unit, and the battery lid is supported by a back cover that is an integral part of the back cover unit so that the battery lid can pivot freely. According to the camera having these components, a camera having any of various contours can be produced readily without loss of freedom in design.

Sugita, Yukihiko (Kokubunji, JPX); Katagiri, Moriya (Tokyo, JPX)

Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, JPX)

What is claimed is

1. A camera, comprising

a camera body including at least a photographic lens, a film feed system, a shutter mechanism, and a printed-circuit board; and

a housing member at least partially covering said camera body and having a compartment formed in said housing member serving as a battery stowage chamber in which battery armatures are placed, a battery mounted in said chamber, which chamber encloses said battery independently of said camera body, said battery armatures being mounted to said housing member in said battery stowage chamber and provided to electrically connect said battery to said panted-circuit board provided in said camera body, and a conducting means for enabling said battery armatures and printed-circuit board to conduct.

2. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said armatures are pressure-welded armatures pressure-welded and said conducting means are fixed between said printed-circuit board and battery armatures when said camera body and housing member are assembled.

3. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said conducting means comprises lead wires for electrically connecting said battery armatures and printed-circuit board.

4. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said conducting means is a flexible printed-circuit board for electrically connecting said battery armatures and printed-circuit board.

5. A camera according to claim 2, wherein said printed-circuit board is a rigid substrate and has lands that complete an electrical path when connected to said pressure-welded armatures.

6. The camera of claim 1 further comprising a second housing member partially covering a portion of said camera body not covered by said first mention movably housing member and having a mounted cover lid for selectively covering and uncovering said battery compartment to enclose said battery independently of said camera body.

7. A camera comprising

a camera body that is an assembly including at least a photographic lens and an electrical circuit for controlling a function in the camera; and

a housing part covering at least part of said camera body and having a compartment formed in said housing member serving as a battery chamber in which armatures are placed, said battery chamber for stowing a battery serving as a power supply for the electrical circuit of said camera, which chamber encloses said battery independently of said camera body, said battery armatures being mounted to said housing member in said battery stowage chamber and electrically connecting said battery to said electrical circuit.

8. A camera comprising

a camera body including at least a photographic lens, a film feed system, and a shutter mechanism and an electrical circuit for controlling a function in the camera;

at least one housing member for covering the outer circumference of said camera body; and

a compartment formed in said one housing member and serving as a battery stowage chamber for receiving a battery for serving as a power supply for said electrical circuit, which chamber encloses said battery independently of said camera body, and battery armatures being mounted to said housing member in said battery stowage chamber and electrically connecting said battery to said electrical circuit.

9. A camera according to claim 8, wherein said one housing member is a front cover for covering a face of said camera body.

10. A camera according to claim 8, wherein said one housing member is a front cover for covering a face of said camera body, and said battery stowage chamber is located at one end of said front cover.

11. A camera according to claim 8, wherein said one housing member is a front cover for covering a face of said camera body, and said battery chamber is formed at an end of said front cover so that when said front cover is mounted on said camera body, said battery stowage chamber is located inside a flank of said camera body.

12. A camera, comprising

a camera body including at least a photographic lens, a film feed system, a shutter mechanism and an electrical circuit for controlling a camera function;

a front housing member covering an outer side of said camera body and having a compartment formed in said housing member serving as a battery stowage chamber formed at one end thereof;

said battery stowage chamber enclosing a battery therein independently of said camera body and having armatures for electrically connecting said battery to said electrical circuit, said armatures being mounted to said front housing member in said battery stowage compartment;

a back housing member located on a back of said camera body; and

a battery lid arranged on said back housing member so that said battery lid pivots relative to said back housing member so as to open or close said battery stowage chamber formed in said front housing member.

13. A camera, comprising

a camera body including at least a photographic lens, a film feed system, and a shutter mechanism;

a front side housing member having a battery stowage chamber formed at a front end thereof and coupled with a front side of said camera body;

a middle housing member coupled with said front side housing member for housing said camera body;

a rear side housing member formed so that said rear side housing member can pivot between a position, at which a part in said camera body extending into said middle housing member is optically closed, and a position at which said part is opened;

a battery lid arranged on said middle housing member so that said battery lid pivots between a position, at which said battery stowage chamber is closed, and a position at which said battery stowage chamber is opened; and

a rotation axis with which said middle housing member is provided, said rear side housing member and said battery lid being commonly supported by said rotation axis.

14. A camera, comprising

a camera body;

a first housing member placed on one side of said camera body and having a battery stowage chamber formed at one end thereof;

a battery lid movable to a position, at which said battery stowage chamber is closed, and a position at which said battery stowage chamber is opened;

a second housing member coupled with said first housing member for housing said camera body; and

a third housing member coupled with said battery lid and having a common axis of rotation with said battery lid so that said third housing member can pivot between a position, at which said camera body is closed, and a position at which said camera body is opened.

396/539

G03B 1702

4926207 May 1990 Eguchi et al.
5581321 December 1996 Boyd
5682571 October 1997 Balling

edspgr.0615778.