Smartphone Camera Case with Viewfinder and Trigger
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Solution Overview
Problem
Smartphone cameras, despite their advanced technical capabilities, suffer from poor form factor design issues such as difficulty in viewing content in sunlight, ergonomic challenges, and inconvenient button placement, leading to suboptimal photo and video quality.
Innovation Solution
A camera-shaped case with a removable outer case and downloadable software application that projects a viewfinder image onto the smartphone's touchscreen, includes a trigger button for precise recording control, and supports standard lens mounts for professional lenses, enhancing the usability and quality of smartphone photography and videography.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a smartphone uses a flat screen design, then the device is compact and portable, but it becomes difficult to see the content of a shot in direct sunlight
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into a smartphone unit and a separate viewfinder apparatus that attaches to the back case. The viewfinder contains its own display screen that shows the captured image, separating the viewing function from the main smartphone screen. This allows the smartphone to remain compact while providing dedicated viewing capability in sunlight conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The viewfinder apparatus acts as an intermediary device between the smartphone camera and the user's eye. It receives the captured image from the smartphone and displays it on its own screen positioned near the user's eye, mediating the viewing experience and solving the sunlight visibility problem without changing the smartphone's compact design.
2Shape
If a smartphone has a flat geometry design, then the device is sleek and portable, but it becomes difficult to hold comfortably for photography
Solution Approach 1:
The photography system is segmented into the flat smartphone and a separate attachable outer case with viewfinder. The outer case can be removed when not needed for photography, allowing the smartphone to maintain its sleek flat design for portability while providing ergonomic support when attached for photography tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer case attachment creates a dynamic configuration that changes based on usage needs. When attached, it provides ergonomic handling for photography; when removed, the smartphone returns to its sleek flat state for general portability. This dynamic reconfiguration resolves the contradiction between sleek design and holding comfort.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a smartphone uses touchscreen and side buttons for multiple functions, then the device is multifunctional, but the buttons are inconveniently placed for shooting photos
Solution Approach 1:
The outer case with viewfinder includes a physical trigger button positioned as an intermediary control between the user and the camera function. This trigger is ergonomically positioned on the case handle, allowing natural finger placement during photography, while the smartphone's touchscreen and buttons remain available for other multifunctional purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The control functions are segmented between the outer case (photography-specific controls like trigger) and the smartphone (multifunctional touchscreen and buttons). This segmentation allows each component to optimize its controls for its primary function while maintaining overall device versatility.
4Manufacturing precision
If a smartphone camera has high technical capabilities, then the camera quality is superb, but the poor form factor limits the quality of photographed content
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the high-capability smartphone camera from the ergonomic form factor by attaching a separate outer case with viewfinder and trigger. This preserves the superb camera technical capabilities while adding the missing ergonomic elements for professional-quality photography.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the smartphone's superior camera capabilities with the ergonomic features of a dedicated camera (viewfinder, trigger, handle) by attaching the outer case. This combination achieves both high technical capability and good form factor usability.
Data Source
AI summary
A downloadable software application for photography and videography on a mobile communication device is configured to display a first version of an image received through a camera lens of the mobile communication device onto a portion of a touchscreen user interface of the mobile device, wherein a size of the first version of the image corresponds to a size of a viewfinder apparatus on a removable outer case for the mobile device.