Photography inventions 03/08

20080075446 - Compact camera modules with lavet stepping-motors as actuators: A horological motor of the Lavet motor concept is used to form an actuator to control movement of a lens system to reduce power consumption in digital camera units used in various electronic equipment, e.g. PDA's, mobile phones, digital still cameras and camcorders, and as a result increase battery life.... Agent: Stephen B. Ackerman

20080075447 - Color adjustment for camera: A device may include a camera to capture an image, a sensor to measure information indicative of a color characteristic of light in an environment, and a processor to adjust a color characteristic of a flash based on the color characteristic of the light in the environment and activate the... Agent: Harrity Snyder, L.L.P.

20080075448 - Image taking apparatus and method of light emission: A relatively small current is supplied to an LED arranged on a center portion, of two or more LED's, and a relatively large current is supplied to an LED arranged on a peripheral portion, of the two or more LED's. This feature makes it possible to substantially equalize rise of... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC

20080075449 - Auto exposure controlling device and method: An automatic exposure (AE) controlling device and method are provided. According to the method, an electric shutter (ES) value and an analog gain control (AGC) value can be calculated through a proportional integral control method according to a brightness value of an inputted image frame. Then AE compensation on a... Agent: Saliwanchik Lloyd & Saliwanchik A Professional Association

20080069551 - Image capturing device having a hand shake correction function, hand shake correction method, and storage medium storing a hand shake correction process program: The proposed image capturing device having a hand shake correction function comprises a base image selecting unit for selecting a base image, which is used when a hand shake correction is made, from among a plurality of pieces of captured image data, and a correction processing unit for performing a... Agent: Westerman, Hattori, Daniels & Adrian, LLP

20080069552 - Image stabilizing system and optical apparatus: An image stabilizing system performs rotational-shake correction to increase focus precision so that shift shake correction can be performed with high precision based on highly accurate image magnification information obtained by the high focus precision. The image stabilizing system includes a rotational-shake detecting unit that detects rotational shake occurring around... Agent: Canon U.s.a. Inc. Intellectual Property Division

20080069553 - Predictive focus value calculation for image capture devices: Techniques are described for predictive focus value calculation within image capture devices. Image capture devices may include digital still cameras and digital video cameras. The techniques include performing an auto-focus process within an image capture device by predicting a focus value for a scene at a lens position of a... Agent: Qualcomm Incorporated

20080069554 - Lens driving device: The retaining seat has a receiving space for receiving the driven seat; and the receiving space being installed with a coil set; the coil set having at least one coil and at least one magnetic block. The driven seat is installed with magnetic units corresponding to the coil set; the... Agent: Shih-hsien Huang

20080069555 - Digital camera structure: A digital camera structure is provided, which is used for preventing deviation of a preset optical axis caused by a reaction force generated when pressing a shutter button. A conductive element parallel to the optical axis and located on a pressing path of the shutter button is disposed in the... Agent: Apex Juris, PLLC Tracy M Heims

20080069556 - Lens module and camera module using the same: A camera module (100) includes a lens module and an image sensor (40), wherein the lens module includes a barrel (10), a plurality of lenses (20) and at least one spacer provided between each pair of neighboring lenses, wherein at least one through hole (14) is defined on a sidewall... Agent: PCe Industry, Inc. Att. Cheng-ju Chiang Jeffrey T. Knapp

20080069557 - Camera module: A camera module includes a holder provided with a lens unit and displaceable along an optical axis direction of the lens unit; a coil formed from a wound wire having both end portions serving as lead wires, and provided on the holder; a yoke and magnets for providing a magnetic... Agent: Marger Johnson & Mccollom, P.C.

20080063389 - Tracking a focus point by a remote camera: A remote unit comprises a camera, which may be controlled with input received from a local unit. The input may include the selection of a focus point, which the remote camera may use to lock onto the focus point. The remote camera may atomically track movement of the focus point... Agent: Motorola, Inc. Law Department

20080063390 - Two-step focus lens of auto-focusing camera: An auto-focusing lens of a camera includes a lens unit (11), a permanent magnet (12) being fixedly mounted around the lens unit to move with the lens unit, a first coil seat (15a) arranged on a first side of the magnet with a first winding (14a) wound thereon, and a... Agent: PCe Industry, Inc. Att. Cheng-ju Chiang Jeffrey T. Knapp

20080063391 - Accessories and accessory attaching devices: An accessory an accessory includes an apparatus-side detachably attaching portion including an accessory-side apparatus detachably attaching portion to be attached to the apparatus-side detachably attaching portion, the accessory-side apparatus detachably attaching portion including an attachment/detachment surface, an internally threaded portion open on the attachment/detachment surface, and an externally threaded member... Agent: Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP

20080063392 - Image photography apparatus: An image photography apparatus enabling a user to capture an object by freely changing a position of the hand according to an angle shot while gripping the image photography apparatus. The image photography apparatus includes a main body and a rotation unit rotatably installed on the main body. The rotation... Agent: Stanzione & Kim, LLP

20080063393 - Image photographing apparatus: An image photographing apparatus includes a main body, and a gripping unit rotatably disposed on the main body. The gripping unit includes a first member that protrudes from and is rotatably disposed on a side surface of the main body to adjust in a linear direction, and a second member... Agent: Stanzione & Kim, LLP

20080056695 - Image detection device and locator thereof: A locator comprises a first clamping element, a second clamping element opposite to the first clamping element, a guide bar extending through the first clamping element and the second clamping element, and a transmitting element rotatably disposed between the first clamping element and the second clamping element and abutting the... Agent: Thomas, Kayden, Horstemeyer & Risley, LLP

20080056696 - Camera-steady focus requirements for preventing inconspicuous use of cameras on handheld mobile communication devices: Methods and devices for implementing a camera restriction on a wireless handheld communication device. As more handheld devices incorporate camera functionalities, organizations and individuals with privacy concerns are more vulnerable to unauthorized disclosure. The camera restriction prevents a user from taking a picture of a subject if the device has... Agent: Novak Druce & Quigg, LLP (rim Prosecution)

20080056697 - Exposure time selection in a transmission apparatus with a camera: A communications apparatus is shown having an imaging device for capturing an image, and a flash for lighting an image to be captured. Also shown is the use of the apparatus. Software for matching a flash performance to other functions of a device is also shown. A radio communications apparatus... Agent: Ware Fressola Van Der Sluys & Adolphson, LLP

20080056698 - Optical module for a photographing apparatus and photographing apparatus having the same: An optical module for a photographing device includes a fixed lens group member arranged along a first optical axis direction that faces an object, a reflection member arranged in the rear of the fixed lens group member and outputting an image light in a second optical axis direction perpendicular to... Agent: Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP Attn: Patent Docket Dept.

20080056699 - Electronic still camera with capability to perform optimal focus detection according to selected mode: An electronic still camera includes a finder optical system for viewing a subject image. An imaging section obtains the subject image. A display section displays the subject image based on image data associated with the subject image obtained by the imaging section. A mode selecting section selects either a first... Agent: Frishauf, Holtz, Goodman & Chick, PC

20080056700 - Camera having focusing condition detection function: At least one lens element of an imaging lens is arranged on a rear side of a half mirror 10. Also, at least one of the lens element on the rear side or all constituent elements including an imaging element 33 on the rear side of the half mirror 10... Agent: Birch Stewart Kolasch & Birch

20080056701 - Systems and methods of automatically selecting a focus range in cameras: Systems and methods of automatically selecting a focus range in cameras are disclosed. In an exemplary implementation, a method for selecting a focus range to auto-focus a camera may include receiving focus data for different lens positions in a first focus range. The method may also include analyzing the focus... Agent: Hewlett Packard Company

20080056703 - Image capture methods and systems: Image capture methods and systems. When a shutter of a camera is pressed, a diaphragm of the camera is set to a maximum diaphragm, and an image is photographed accordingly. The diaphragm is switched to a next level diaphragm of the maximum diaphragm, and another image is photographed accordingly. The... Agent: Quintero Law Office, PC

20080056702 - Method of real-time auto focus: A method of real-time auto focus includes: (a) judging whether a focus environment is changed by a focus environment judgment unit of a real-time auto focus system; (b) if the focus environment has been changed, figuring out a contrast value by a frame that is captured via a sensor of... Agent: Rosenberg, Klein & Lee

20080056705 - Backlit subject detection in an image: An image window is subdivided into a plurality of sub-windows arranged in a rectangular grid pattern. The average brightness of the window and each sub-window is determined. A sub-window is tagged as dark if its average brightness is a predetermined percentage of the window average brightness. If the sub-window in... Agent: Attn: Kenneth W. Bolvin Leffert Jay & Polglaze, P.A.

20080056704 - Method, apparatus and system for dynamic range estimation of imaged scenes: A method, apparatus, and system for dynamic range estimation of imaged scenes for automatic exposure control. For a given exposure time setting, certain areas of a scene may be brighter than what a camera can capture. In cameras, including those experiencing substantial lens vignetting, a gain stage may be used... Agent: Dickstein Shapiro LLP

20080056706 - Photography advice based on captured image attributes and camera settings: A method for providing photography advice, such as in the use of a camera, is provided. The method includes storing image attributes associated with a plurality of images captured by the camera. Camera settings associated with the captured images are also stored. At least one of a plurality of photography... Agent: Hewlett Packard Company

20080056707 - Ambient infrared detection in solid state sensors: A solid state imaging device includes an array of active pixels and an infrared cut filter formed over the sensor. Optionally, a slot in the infrared cut filter allows infrared illumination to reach the sensor to be detected by pixels covered by a visually opaque filter and surrounded by pixels... Agent: Leffert Jay & Polglaze, P.A. Attn: Kenneth W. Bolvin

20080056709 - Locating structure for eyeball-shaped camera: A locating structure is provided to firmly hold an eyeball-shaped camera to a desired surveillance angle without the risk of rotating automatically. The eyeball-shaped camera is confined within a space defined between a fixing housing and a mounting board. The fixing housing is provided with an opening, which has an... Agent: Bruce H. Troxell

20080056708 - Security camera: A security camera includes a base and a cover having a clear transparent dome. A gimbal base is mounted on the base and is tiltable with respect to a first axis parallel to said base substantially through a 90° angle. The gimbal base is also rotatable through an angle of... Agent: Day Pitney LLP