1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera having a retractable photographic lens. In particular, the present invention relates to a camera wherein the photographic lens can be received within the camera body when the camera is not in use, and can extend outside the camera body in order to shoot a photograph, wherein a battery compartment is located in the camera body to minimize the size of the camera body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cameras have heretofore been known with flash devices and auto focus devices built in, a lens barrel being movable, back and forth, relative to the camera body. In this kind of camera, the electric supply battery extends in the camera body parallel to the main capacitor for the flash device light generation at the side surface of the camera body and the supply battery is either in front of or behind the main capacitor.
In this type of prior art camera, it is possible to select a main capacitor, as required, of various diameters, according to a given volume of space allotted for the main capacitor, but because the dimensions of the electric supply battery are fixed (there being no freedom in the external form of the electric supply battery), the space required to hold the electric supply battery in the camera body becomes a serious obstacle to making the camera smaller.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds