Camera frame with side door

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9864257-B1
Application number	US-201615395506-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 30, 2016
Priority date	Sep 19, 2016
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A camera housing includes four walls configured to enclose and secure a camera: a top wall, a bottom wall, a right wall, and a left wall. The bottom wall includes a first segment and a segment coupled by a latching mechanism. The latching mechanism comprises a tongue component coupled to the second segment and a groove component coupled to the first segment. The tongue and groove components are configured such that the tongue component securely couples the second segment to the first segment when the camera frame is in the closed configuration. In the open configuration, the first and second segment can decouple and the left wall and second segment rotates upwards relative to the top wall such that a camera can be inserted or removed from the camera system. The camera housing also includes a button interface, an input/output interface, and a mounting mechanism.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A housing for a camera comprising:
a housing body configured to secure a camera within the camera housing, the housing body comprising a left wall, a top wall, a right wall, a first bottom wall segment coupled to the left wall, and a second bottom wall segment coupled to the right wall;
a hinge mechanism pivotally coupling the top wall and the left wall; and
a latching mechanism, wherein
when the latching mechanism is configured in a closed state, the latch mechanism couples the first bottom wall segment and the second bottom wall segment together such that the housing is configured to securely enclose the camera, thereby affixing the left wall relative to the top wall; and
when the latching mechanism is configured in an open state, the first bottom wall segment is decoupled from the second bottom wall segment, thereby enabling the left wall and first bottom wall segment to pivotally rotate around the hinge mechanism relative to the top wall, and enabling the removal of the camera from or insertion of the camera into the housing body.

2. The housing of claim 1 , wherein the latching mechanism comprises a tongue component coupled to the first bottom wall segment and a groove component coupled to the second bottom wall segment.

3. The housing of claim 2 , wherein the tongue component comprises a ridge or ledge protrusion extending outwards from the second segment of the bottom wall and configured to detachably couple to the groove mechanism.

4. The housing of claim 2 , wherein the groove component comprises a ledge, ridge, or surface configured to reciprocally couple to the tongue component.

5. The housing of claim 1 , wherein the latching mechanism comprises a button for decoupling the first bottom wall segment from the second bottom wall segment when the latching mechanism is configured in the closed state.

6. The housing of claim 1 , wherein each wall of the housing body has an outside surface and an inside surface, the inside surface of each wall configured to abut a corresponding surface of the camera.

7. The housing of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises an input/output interface configured to couple the camera to the housing when the camera is inserted into the camera frame.

8. A housing for a camera comprising:
a housing body configured to secure a camera within the camera housing, the housing body comprising four walls, a first of the four walls comprising a first segment and a second segment;
a hinge mechanism pivotally coupling one of a top wall and a bottom wall of the housing body to a side wall of the housing body; and
a latching mechanism, wherein
when the latching mechanism is configured in a closed state, the latch mechanism couples the first segment and the second segment of the first wall together such that the housing is configured to securely enclose the camera; and
when the latching mechanism is configured in an open state, the first segment and the second segment of the first wall are decoupled, enabling the first wall segment of the first wall and the second wall to pivotally rotate around the hinge mechanism, enabling the removal of the camera from or the insertion of the camera into the housing body.

9. The housing of claim 8 , wherein the latching mechanism comprises a tongue component coupled to the first segment and a groove component coupled to the second segment.

10. The housing of claim 9 , wherein the tongue component comprises a ridge or ledge protrusion extending outwards from the second segment wall and configured to detachably couple to the groove mechanism.

11. The housing of claim 9 , wherein the groove component comprises a ledge, ridge, or surface configured to reciprocally couple to the tongue component.

12. The housing of claim 8 , wherein the latching mechanism comprises a button for decoupling the first segment from the second segment when the latching mechanism is configured in the closed state.

13. The housing of claim 8 , wherein each wall of the housing body has an outside surface and an inside surface, the inside surface of each wall configured to abut a corresponding surface of the camera.

14. The housing of claim 8 , wherein the housing comprises an input/output interface configured to couple the camera to the housing when the camera is inserted into the camera frame.

15. A camera frame comprising:
a housing body comprising plurality of walls configured to secure a camera within the camera housing;
a hinge mechanism pivotally coupling a one of a top wall or a bottom wall of the housing body to a side wall of the housing body; and
a latching mechanism configured to secure a camera within the housing body in a first configuration and to enable the insertion of the camera into or the removal of the camera from the housing body in a second configuration.

16. The housing of claim 15 , wherein the latching mechanism comprises a tongue component coupled to the first segment and a groove component coupled to the second segment.

17. The housing of claim 16 , wherein the tongue component comprises a ridge or ledge protrusion extending outwards from the second segment and configured to detachably couple to the groove mechanism.

18. The housing of claim 16 , wherein the groove component comprises a ledge, ridge, or surface configured to reciprocally couple to the tongue component.

19. The housing of claim 15 , wherein the latching mechanism comprises a button for decoupling the first segment from the second segment when the latching mechanism is configured in the closed state.

20. The housing of claim 15 , wherein each wall of the housing body has an outside surface and an inside surface, the inside surface of each wall configured to abut a corresponding surface of the camera.

21. The housing of claim 15 , wherein the housing comprises an input/output interface configured to couple the camera to the housing when the camera is inserted into the camera housing.

Assignees

• Gopro Inc

Inventors

• Wroblewski Alexander
• Crow Kielan
• Shukla Himay Rashmikant
• Harrison Ryan

Classifications

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N5/2252

  Electricity · mapped topic

• F16B45/00

  Hooks; Eyes (if the attaching parts or means are concerned, groups F16B13/00, F16B15/00, F16B19/00, F16B25/00, F16B35/00, F16B47/00 take precedence; for hanging pictures or the like A47G1/16; towing hooks for ships B63B21/58; for hoisting or hauling purposes B66C; hooks or eyes with integral parts designed to facilitate quick attachment to cables or ropes at any point F16G11/14) · CPC title

• F16B5/008

  by a rotating or sliding and rotating movement · CPC title

• G03B17/04 Primary

  collapsible, foldable or extensible, e.g. book type · CPC title