Camera body, camera and method for assembling same

A camera body adapted to be joined to a cover, the cover having an outer electronic circuit with a set of electrical contacts;

• the camera body comprising:
• an inner circuit board having a passageway and an inner circuit with a set of electrical contacts adapted to engage the electrical contacts of the outer electronic circuit and to cooperate therewith to perform a set of camera functions when the contacts of the inner electronic circuit are held against the electrical contacts of an outer electronic circuit;
• and
• a post adapted to engage the passageway of the inner circuit board to align the electrical contacts of the inner circuit with the post, said post further adapted to engage the aperture of an outer circuit board and to align the electrical contacts of the outer electronic circuit with the electrical contacts of the inner electronic circuit;
• wherein the contacts of the outer electronic circuit are held against the contacts of the inner electronic circuit when the body is joined to such a cover.

A camera comprising:

• a frame having a first electronic circuit with a first set of electrical contacts with the first set of electrical contacts adapted to engage a second set of electrical contacts from a second electronic circuit and to cooperate therewith to perform a set of camera functions when said first set of contacts is held against said second set of electrical contacts;
• an image capture system joined to the frame;
• a cover joinable to the frame with said cover having the second electronic circuit and with said cover positioning said second set of electrical contacts;
• and,
• a post fixed in spaced relation to the first set of electrical contacts, said post adapted to engage an aperture in the cover to align the second set of electrical contacts so that as the cover is joined to the frame the second set of electrical contacts is aligned with the first set of electrical contacts;
• wherein the first set of electrical contacts and second set of electrical contacts are held together when the cover is joined to the frame.

A camera comprising:

• a frame joined to a first circuit board with the first circuit board having a passageway and a flash circuit, said flash circuit having a first set of electrical contacts adapted to engage a second set of electrical contacts from a second electronic circuit and to cooperate therewith to perform a set of camera functions when said first set of contacts is held against said second set of electrical contacts;
• an image capture system is joined to the frame;
• a cover having a second circuit board with the second circuit board having the second electronic circuit and the second set of electrical contacts, said cover positioning the second circuit board so that the second set of electrical contacts is movable relative to the cover;
• and
• a post extending between the frame and the cover, with said post adapted to engage said passageway and said aperture to align the passageway and the aperture so that when the cover is joined to the frame the second set of electrical contacts is aligned with the first set of electrical contacts and the second set of contacts is held against the first set of electrical contacts.

A method for assembling a camera comprising the steps of:

• obtaining a base having a first electronic circuit adapted to join with more than one second electronic circuit;
• identifying the desired set of functions that the camera is to perform;
• providing a second cover having a second electronic circuit that is adapted to join with the first electronic circuit to perform the desired set of camera functions;
• defining a common positional reference between the first electronic circuit and the second positional circuit;
• aligning the first electronic circuit and the second electronic circuit relative to the common positional reference;
• and,
• positioning the first electronic circuit and the second electronic circuit together so that they can cooperate.