Smart Phone Viewfinder

Abstract

The smart phone viewfinder comprises a tubular body mounted on a screen for a smart phone to provide a light sealed sight channel between an eye-cup and a hood bearing against the screen on the inside and a phone app for adapting the image captured by the phone camera lens to be viewable in the viewfinder. The light sealed channel provides visual communication from the eye-cup to the screen. A software application executable on the phone may be adapted to adjust the size and position of the image visible through the light sealed sight channel. The software application is further adapted to select and position icons on the screen for camera control. The light sealed sight channel adapted to reduce ambient light.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A viewfinder for use with a phone, the phone having a screen and a camera function, the viewfinder comprising: an eyepiece, the eyepiece comprising a body, a lens, an eye-cup, and a hood, the body comprising an inside and an outside, the eye-cup on the body, the hood on the body, the hood spaced from the eye-cup, a sight channel on the inside, the sight channel comprising an opening in the body, the sight channel extending from the eye-cup to the hood, the eye-cup surrounding the cup opening, the hood surrounding the screen opening, the hood between the body and the screen, the hood bearing against the screen, whereby the sight channel forms a visual pathway from the eye-cup to the screen; a clamp, the clamp on the body, the clamp on the phone, a software application, the software application adapted to capture an image from the camera function, the software application adapted to display the image on the screen and dispose the image adjacent the hood.

16. The viewfinder of claim 15, further comprising a threadable engagement, the threadable engagement on the body attached to the eye-cup.

17. The viewfinder of claim 15, wherein the hood further comprises light proof seal on the screen, the light proof seal surrounding the image.

18. The viewfinder of claim 15, wherein the software application is adapted to adjust the size of the displayed image 1.

19. The viewfinder of claim 18, wherein the software application further comprises a camera control icon displayed on the screen.

20. The viewfinder of claim 19, wherein the software application is further adapted to dispose the camera control icon in spaced relation to the hood.

21. The viewfinder of claim 15, wherein the eye-cup is adjustably attached to the body.

22. The viewfinder of claim 15, wherein the hood is adjustably attached to the body.

23. The viewfinder of claim claim 21 wherein the hood is adjustably attached to the body.

24. The viewfinder of claim 15 wherein the sight channel is sealed against ambient light in the body.

25. The viewfinder of claim 24 further comprising an eye-cup opening on the eye-cup, the sight channel is sealed against ambient light between the hood and the eye-cup opening.

26. The viewfinder of claim 1, further comprising a support attachment on the viewfinder body.

27. A viewfinder for use with a phone, the phone having a screen, and a camera function, the viewfinder comprising: an eyepiece, the eyepiece comprising a hollow body, a lens, an eye-cup and a hood, the hollow body comprising an inside, an outside and a light sealed sight channel, the light sealed sight channel in the body, the light sealed sight channel having a cup opening and a hood opening, the eye-cup on the outside, the eye-cup in visual communication with the screen, the hood on the body, the hood spaced from the eye-cup, the hood bearing against the screen, the lens disposed in the light sealed sight channel; and a clamp, the clamp on the body, the clamp attached to the phone.

28. The viewfinder of claim 27, further comprising a software application in the phone, the software application adapted to adjustably capture, display and record an image, the software application is adapted to capture and image from the camera function and display the image on the screen adjacent the screen end, the software application is further adapted to display camera control icons on the screen.

29. The viewfinder of claim 27, wherein the body is adjustably attached to the eye-cup.

30. The viewfinder of claim 27, wherein the hood surrounds the screen opening, the hood bearing against the screen,.

31. The viewfinder of claim 27, further comprising a threadable engagement on the hood.

32. The viewfinder of claim 28, wherein the eye-cup is in visual communication with the screen, the software application adapted to display the image on the screen, the image adjacent the hood whereby the image is in visual communication with the eye-cup

33. A smart phone viewfinder comprising: a body, the body having an inside and an outside, a sight channel in the body, the sight channel comprising an eye-cup opening and a hood opening, a lens in the sight channel; an eye-cup, the eye-cup on the body adjacent the sight channel, the eye-cup surrounding the eye-cup opening; a hood, the hood comprising a light proof pad, the hood on the body adjacent the sight channel, the hood surrounding the hood opening the light proof pad on the hood, the light proof pad on the screen, the hood between the light proof pad and the body; and a software application in the body, the software application adapted to display an image adjacent the hood opening.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the viewfinder mounted on a smartphone.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of the viewfinder and the smartphone.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a back perspective of the viewfinder.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a front view of the smartphone having a full screen size image displayed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0015] Referring to FIG. 1, the invention comprises a viewfinder 12 for a smartphone 12 comprising a software application and an eyepiece 14. Eyepiece may be adjustably and removably held to smartphone 12 by clamp 16. Eyepiece 14 comprises a body 18, a hood 20, a sight channel 26 and an eye-cup 22. Optical lens 25 is mounted in eyepiece 14 on sight channel 26 adjacent eye-cup 22. Eye-cup 22 may be adjustably attached to body 18 to position eye-cup 22 a predetermined distance from screen 34 or to focus lens 25 on image 46. Eye-cup 22 may be slidably of threadably traversed along threadable engagement to adjust spacing between eye-cup 22 and screen 34. Hood 20 may be threadbly attached to body 18. Hood 20 may be threadably traversed along threadable engagement with body 18 to adjust spacing between hood 20 and screen 34. Hood 20 may be clamped in position. Hood 20 may have resilient, light proof pad 35 bearing against screen 34.

[0016] Continuing to refer to FIG. 1, clamp 16 may comprise a first grip 24, a clamp body 28, a second grip 30 and clamping rods 38. Clamping rods 38 may extend adjustably between first grip 24 and clamp body 28. Clamping rods 38 may also extend adjustably from clamp body 28 to second grip 30. Clamping rods 38 may be releasably attached to clamp body 28. Clamping rods 38 extend into channels 40 in clamp body 28 having fasteners 42 threadably attached to and extending into clamp body 28 and bearing against clamping rods 38 to releasably hold clamping rod 38 in a predetermined position with respect to clamp body 28 to adjustably attach eyepiece 14 to phone 12 having hood 20 disposed on screen 34. Clamp 16 may further comprise tripod attachment 50. It should be understood, icons 36 are spaced from viewfinder 10 and clamp 16.

[0017] Continuing to refer to FIG. 1, phone 12 may comprise a phone body 32 and a screen 34. Software enabling a camera function on phone 12 may create icons 36 on the screen 34 for camera control. The image 46 and icons 36 may be spaced from each other. Icons 36 represent areas on the screen 34 to control the camera function of the phone 12 such as take image command.

[0018] Referring to FIG. 2, image 46 may be disposed on screen 34 at a predetermined position. Image 46 is disposed at a predetermined position spaced from icons 36 and aligned with sight channel 26. First grip 24 may further comprise finger 48 for engaging phone 12. Second grip 30 may further comprise resilient pad 52 bearing against phone 12.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 3, image 46 generally covers screen 34 having icons 36 disposed over image 46.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 4, image 46 on screen 34 is adapted to a predetermined size and position by software application. Image 46 may be re positioned by software application to align image with sight channel 26 on viewfinder 10 (FIG. 2).

[0021] Referring to FIGS. 1-4, Software application identifies size of image 46 by information input by user concerning hood 20 size, optical lens 25 on sight channel 26 and screen 34 characteristics. Software also configures icons 36 at predetermined positions on screen 34 spaced from image 46. Implementation of software application with eyepiece 14 and camera 12 may comprise the steps of: [0022] Step 1. Identify screen 34 size [0023] Step 2. Identify viewfinder 10 type [0024] Step 3. Identify sight channel 26 size. [0025] Step 4. Identify optical element 25. [0026] Step 5. User select image size. [0027] Step 6. User select camera controls to be displayed. [0028] Step 7. Select right hand mode or left hand mode. [0029] Step 8. User select thumb or finger control. [0030] Step 9. User select orientation (portrait or landscape) [0031] Step 10. Attach eyepiece 14 to camera 12. [0032] Step 11. Adjust boot 20 position on screen 34. [0033] Step 12 Adjust image 46 position with fine adjust tools. [0034] Step 13. Adjust image 46 size.

[0035] Software application has icons 34 such as arrows to adjust size and position of image 46. In use, application software is configured to approximate the size and position of image 46. Eyepiece 14 may be attached to camera 12 having boot 20 on screen 34. Sight channel 26 is aligned between optical element lens 25 and image 46. Sight channel 26 extends through viewfinder body 18 to form light sealed sight channel 26. Eye-cup 22 is selected to conform to user's face (not shown) User's eye is disposed adjacent optical lens 25 having eye-cup 22 sealingly on user's face thereby providing a sight channel 26 isolated from ambient light from user's eye to boot 20. Boot 20 surrounds image 46 and bears against screen 34 in a predetermined position with software configured icons spaced from boot 20. Clamp body 28 is disposed spaced from icons 36. Eye-cup 22 is spaced from screen 34 a predetermined distance greater than the distance from the user's cheek to the tip of the users nose. Viewfinder body 18 may have a threadable engagement to eye-cup 22 to allow adjustment of spacing between optical element 25 and screen 34.

[0036] Although the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the embodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given. Further, the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing exemplary embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that other forms, details, and embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is defined in the following claims.