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Digital Camera Powered By a Fuel Cell
An anonymous reader notes a development from the world of photography that could spread to notebooks and cell phones. Canon has filed for a patent on a fuel cell-powered DSLR. The fuel cell would power not only the camera body but also all accessories attached to it, doing away with the need to power flashes (for example) with AA or other batteries. The patent covers other electronic devices generally, but is clearly directed toward DSLR cameras, given the diagrams and examples used. "Canon continues to push its fuel cell development by devising a method for powering not only the internal DSLR body electronics, but also external components such as lenses and hotshoe flashes."
The fuel cell would power not only the camera body but also all accessories attached to it
looking at the picture I'm pretty sure that's not what the patent covers. Instead all accessory will include it's own fuel cell.
The patent is about distributing the H2 to the different attachments.
Unless they have a new type of fuel cell, what gives them the ability to patent "using a fuel cell in a camera"
Nobody has said anything about their ability to patent a fuel cell powered camera. The summary incorrectly says "patent" when it is actually an application which has not yet been examined.
as a patent examiner, I'm not allowed to post my opinion of patentability, but I will say that most cases are heavily modified from their original application form as this one is in now.
Well, back to rejecting software patent applications.
...As for fuel cells, you better have special ordered a new one if you run out cuz you can't recharge it like a lithium one or run to a gas station to get more like AAs.
From everything i've seen about fuel cells, when they get low you just refill them with alcohol or whatever fuel they use, which only takes a few seconds. You don't have to "special order a new one" when it runs low... Where did you even get that information? Did you honestly think this was a non-replenishable technology?
-Taylor
Worldwide Military budgets: $2100 billion. Worldwide Space Exploration budgets: $38 billion. Really, world? Really?
The summary is incorrect - this is a patent application. It has not yet been examined in any way shape or form. I can't give my own opinion of patentability because I am an examiner, but I can say that due to obviousness requirements produced by KSR v. Teleflex the combination of a known object (such as a power source) to another known object (such as a camera) for the same purpose as provided by the original object (such as providing power) is considered obvious - and therefore not patentable.
Well, back to rejecting software patent applications.
Whoops! That should be "LCD display", not "LSD display". Although I imagine that if my camera had an "LSD display", it would be most amusing,... ;-)
I'm not saying there are bad patents - there are, nor am I defending the system, but everyone seems to be overlooking the fact this is not a patent in any way shape or form.
By the way, one click was appealed and rejected and is no longer a patent.
Well, back to rejecting software patent applications.
That's what I thought too, until I looked at the diagram in the article. Instead of generating all the power in the camera and sending electricity to the attached devices, they are pumping fuel from the tank in the camera to individual fuel cells in each device. That's what the patent covers, not just "insert powerplant x into device y, patent, license, profit".
Seems kinda loony and ass-backwards, but it's definitely a unique idea I suppose. I still don't know if it satisfies my definition of non-obvious. One assumes an engineer came up with this when faced with the problem about how to provide enough power for arbitrary configurations without wasting fuel generating power that doesn't get used.
All kings is mostly rapscallions. -Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The reason for this is that, with a dSLR, you're taking pictures by looking through the viewfinder directly, without using the power-hungry LCD display.
This is changing, most of the latest models now have a 'live view' mode where you can compose the picture on the LCD. Also, try a big image stabalized telephoto lens... the camera batteries don't last long.
ccalam - acoustic versions of new songs.
Here are a list of the claims from the patent application. They are clearly trying to patent fuel supply control to multiple fuel cells.
1. An electronic equipment system comprising:an electronic equipment body;a connection device connected to the electronic equipment body;independent power generation cells each disposed to the electronic equipment body and to the connection device; anda fuel storage vessel disposed to the electronic equipment body,wherein fuel from the fuel storage vessel is suppliable to each of the independent power generation cells.
2. The electronic equipment system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic equipment body comprises a fuel control unit for controlling an amount of the fuel supplied to each of the independent power generation cells from the fuel storage vessel.
3. The electronic equipment system according to claim 2, wherein the fuel control unit controls the fuel supply amount depending on a fuel consumption amount in each of the independent power generation cells.
4. The electronic equipment system according to claim 3, wherein the electronic equipment body comprises a unit for detecting the fuel consumption amount.
5. The electronic equipment system according to claim 4, wherein the electronic equipment body comprises an image display portion for displaying a remaining amount of the fuel in the fuel storage vessel based on a detection result of the unit for detecting the fuel consumption amount.
6. The electronic equipment system according to claim 1, which is a camera system, wherein the connection device connected to a camera body is at least one of an interchangeable lens and a strobe light, and wherein as the independent power generation cells, a body power generation cell, a lens driving power generation cell, and a strobe light power generation cell are disposed to the camera body, the interchangeable lens, and the strobe light, respectively.
No.
"Fuel cell" refers to the module in which a membrane allows the following reaction to occur:
2H2 + 02 = 2H20
Or some variant if the reagent H2 source is a hydrocarbon.
A fuel cell will always have a reservoir of fuel, as will any engine or energy output mechanism. Thus a fuel cell can have a refillable "fuel tank" in which the user just ads the H2 source fuel, be it alcohol or some other liquid hydrocarbon.
I hate printers.
The whole idea behind a fuel cell is the factory fills it up and then you use it until it's empty and swap it out and the factory refils it.
That's just wrong, sorry. The whole idea behind a fuel cell is that it's like a battery only you fill it with fuel instead of recharging it, and they last much longer in between fillings than a a battery does between charges. Fuel cells are generally intended to be quickly refilled by the user. There are variations on the concept but that's the most common scenario. Quick refilling is one of the two main advantages of fuel cells, yet you seem to have missed that...
-Taylor
Worldwide Military budgets: $2100 billion. Worldwide Space Exploration budgets: $38 billion. Really, world? Really?