This article is more than 1 year old

Say CHEESE: Samsung files patent for transparent camera

Has another go at taking on Japanese giants...

Korean electronics giant Samsung appears to be upping its efforts to crack the digital camera market after a patent filing emerged detailing designs for a compact camera with a completely transparent display.

The filing with the Korean Intellectual Property Rights Service (KIPRS), seen by the Wall Street Journal, describes the design as follows:

This design is of a digital camera using a transparent display that allows the person taking the photo and the subject of the photo-shoot to look at each other and have direct eye-contact for photo shooting.

There’s no further info on whether the display is touchscreen or not, what zoom functions there are and whether it will run the Android or Tizen operating system.

A cursory search on KIPRS’ labyrinthine site didn’t reveal the patent in question.

However, the image nabbed by WSJ shows a thin, compact device more akin to a large smartphone, with the large transparent display accounting for roughly two-thirds of the camera while flash, lens and power button sit at the other end of the body.

The news comes in the same week Samsung took another tilt at one of the few electronics markets it’s not had much success in with the launch of the NX Mini. Its design features a flippable LCD screen designed to help the user take selfie shots.

Despite notching up an impressive lead over its global rivals in the smartphone space, it’s not surprising that the chaebol giant is still throwing R&D cash into other areas.

However, it remains to be seen whether designs like this are enough to displace the Japanese firms which still dominate the industry, most notably Nikon, Sony and Canon. ®

More about

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like