Removable camera lens cover

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10401705-B2
Application number	US-201816005043-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2018
Priority date	Dec 15, 2015
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A camera is configured for use with a removable camera lens cover, which can be secured to or removed from the camera by a user without the use of a tool set. The mechanism which allows the lens cover to be secured to and removed from the camera includes a set of wires embedded into the lens cover and a set of wedges protruding from the lens wall of the camera. To secure the lens cover to the camera, the lens cover is placed onto the front of the camera and rotated until the wires align with corresponding wedges, securing the wires underneath the tapered surface of the wedges. To remove the lens cover from the camera, a force is applied outward and normal to the lens cover, causing the wires to flex outward and enabling the rotation and removal of the lens cover from the camera.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A removable lens cover for coupling to a camera that includes a lens, a lens wall protruding from a front side of the camera and surrounding the lens, the lens wall having an inner surface and an outer surface, and two wedges coupled to the outer surface of the lens wall and extending away from the lens wall in radial and opposite directions, the removable lens cover comprising:
an outer wall;
a lens cover affixed to the outer wall, the lens cover being transparent; and
two securing structures coupled to the outer wall and corresponding to the two wedges of the camera;
wherein the removable lens cover is configured to be rotated relative to the camera between a first configuration in which the removable lens cover is removable from the camera and a second configuration in which the securing structures are abutted by the two wedges to secure the removable lens cover to the camera;
wherein the two securing structures are surrounded by the outer wall, and in the second configuration, each of the securing structures is underneath one of the two wedges and the two wedges are surrounded by the outer wall.

2. The removable lens cover of claim 1 , wherein in the second configuration, each of the securing structures is between one of the two wedges and a front surface of the camera.

3. The removable lens cover of claim 2 , wherein the securing structures are flexible, and wherein in the second configuration, upon application of an outward force to the removable lens cover away from the front surface of the camera and above a threshold force, the two wedges apply a reciprocal force to the securing structures that causes securing structures to flex outward and away from each other, thereby enabling rotation of the removable lens cover relative to the camera into the first configuration for removal of the removable lens cover from the camera.

4. The removable lens cover of claim 1 , wherein the removable lens cover is configured to rotate from the first configuration to the second configuration in less than 90 degrees.

5. A removable lens cover for coupling to a camera that includes a lens, a lens wall protruding from a front side of the camera and surrounding the lens, the lens wall having an inner surface and an outer surface, and two wedges coupled to the outer surface of the lens wall and extending away from the lens wall in radial and opposite directions, the removable lens cover comprising:
an outer wall;
a lens cover affixed to the outer wall, the lens cover being transparent; and
two securing structures coupled to the outer wall and corresponding to the two wedges of the camera;
wherein the removable lens cover is configured to be rotated relative to the camera between a first configuration in which the removable lens cover is removable from the camera and a second configuration in which the securing structures are abutted by the two wedges to secure the removable lens cover to the camera; and
wherein the outer wall has a rectangular shape that includes an upper segment and a side segment.

6. The removable lens cover of claim 5 , wherein the upper segment and the side segment are arranged perpendicular to each other, and in the second configuration, the upper segment and the side segment of the outer wall of the removable lens cover are parallel with an upper surface and a side surface of the camera.

7. The removable lens cover of claim 6 , wherein in the second configuration, the upper segment and the side segment of the outer wall of the removable lens cover are flush with the upper surface and the side surface of the camera.

8. The removable lens cover of claim 6 , wherein the side segment is a right segment and the side surface is a right surface when viewing the front side of the camera.

9. The removable lens cover of claim 5 , wherein in the second configuration, each of the securing structures is between one of the two wedges and a front surface of the camera, and the two wedges are surrounded by the outer wall; and
wherein the removable lens cover is configured to rotate from the first configuration to the second configuration in less than 90 degrees.

10. A removable lens cover for a camera, the removable lens cover comprising:
a protective surface that is transparent; and
an outer wall coupled to the protective surface, the outer wall having an upper segment and a side segment;
wherein the removable lens is configured to rotate between a first configuration in which the removable lens cover is removable from the camera and a second configuration in which the removable lens cover is secured to the camera with the upper segment being parallel with an upper surface of the camera and the side segment being parallel with a side surface of the camera; and
wherein the outer wall has a rectangular shape formed by the upper segment and the side segment.

11. The removable lens cover of claim 10 , wherein in the second configuration, the upper segment is flush with the upper surface of the camera and the side segment is parallel with the side surface of the camera.

12. The removable lens cover of claim 10 , wherein the removable lens cover is rotatable between the first configuration and the second configuration in less than 90 degrees.

13. A removable lens cover for a camera, the removable lens cover comprising:
a protective surface that is transparent;
an outer wall coupled to the protective surface, the outer wall having an upper segment and a side segment; and
two securing structures coupled to and surrounded by the outer wall and corresponding to two wedges of a camera;
wherein the removable lens is configured to rotate between a first configuration in which the removable lens cover is removable from the camera and a second configuration in which the removable lens cover is secured to the camera with the upper segment being parallel with an upper surface of the camera and the side segment being parallel with a side surface of the camera; and
wherein in the first configuration, the removable lens cover is removable from the camera, and in the second configuration, the securing structures are abutted by corresponding wedges of the camera to secure the removable lens cover to the camera and the two wedges are surrounded by the outer wall.

14. A camera system comprising:
a camera comprising:
a lens,
a lens wall protruding from a front side of the camera and surrounding the lens, the lens wall having an inner surface and an outer surface, and
two wedges coupled to the outer surface of the lens wall and extending away from the lens wall in radial and opposite directions; and

a removable lens cover comprising:
an outer wall;
a lens cover affixed to the outer wall, the lens cover being transparent; and
two securing structures coupled to the outer wall and corresponding to the two wedges of the camera;

wherein the removable lens cover is configured to be rotated relative to the camera between a first configuration in which the removable lens cover is removable from the camera and second configuration in which the securing structures are abutted by the two wedges to secure the removable lens cover to the camera;
wherein the removable lens cover is configured to rotate from the first configuration to the second configuration in less than 90 degrees;
wherein the outer wall has a rectangular shape formed by an upper segment and a side segment that are parallel with an upper surface and a side surface of the camera in the second configuration; and
wherein in the second configuration, each of the securing structures is between one of the two wedges and a front surface of the camera.

Assignees

• Gopro Inc

Inventors

• Lim Way Chet
• Liu Andrew
• Mittan Margaret Birmingham
• Sobel Daniel Lee

Classifications

• G03B11/041

  Lens caps as separate accessory (accessories in general G03B17/56) · CPC title

• G03B11/06 Primary

  Lens caps for exposure making · CPC title

• G03B17/12

  with means for supporting objectives, supplementary lenses, filters, masks, or turrets · CPC title

• G03B17/08

  Waterproof bodies or housings · CPC title

• G03B17/55

  with provision for heating or cooling, e.g. in aircraft · CPC title