Lensless camera viewfinder
US5335033A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 23, 1992 |
| Grant date | Aug 2, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 23, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03B2213/025
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A dual function viewfinder presents to a photographer the frame of a picture being taken by the camera having the viewfinder and enables the photographer to point the camera to the center of the frame. The frame is outlined by the front perimeter of an opening which extends between the rear and the front of the camera. Centered within the opening is a tubular member which blocks a portion of the field of view except when the camera is pointed so that the pupil of the photographer's eye is centered. The line of sight from the pupil to the center of the framed field of view is then along the axis of the tubular member. This condition is indicated by the walls of the member becoming virtually imperceptible to the photographer. No refracting optical elements, such as lenses, are required in the viewfinder; making the viewfinder low in cost and, therefore, especially suitable for single use cameras.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.