Impact triggering mechanism for a camera mounted in a vehicle

Claim 1

An impact triggering camera apparatus removably mounted inside a vehicle at a location between a back of a rear-view mirror and a front windshield for taking a photographic picture, the impact triggering camera apparatus comprising: a. a disposable panoramic camera apparatus having a shutter release button, a panorama lens, means for retaining a roll of film and means to advance the roll of film after an exposure and set the shutter for a next shot; b. a mounting box having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front panel, a rear panel, a first end and a second end with an opening; c. a slot centrally located on said front panel of said mounting box extending to said opening of said second end for accommodating said panorama lens of said disposable panoramic camera when said disposable panoramic camera slides into said opening of said second end; d. a top aperture on said top surface of said mounting box which is centrally located between said front and rear panels of said mounting box for accessing said shutter release button through the top aperture; e. means for mounting said mounting box to said back of said rear-view mirror of said vehicle; f. an impact triggering device having a frame which has an upper section, a lower section, a slope section and an upright section, the upper section having an opening located remote from said shutter release button of said disposable panoramic camera, the lower section affixed to said top surface of said mounting box; g. said impact triggering device further comprising a sliding weight which is responsive to inertial forces and has a cylindrical weight disk, the cylindrical weight disk having a counter bored top which is integrally connected by a rod having a concave top, the cylindrical weight disk sandwiched between said upper and lower sections of said frame with the rod extending through said opening of said upper section of said frame for retaining and limiting a horizontal plane movement of the sliding weight; h. said impact triggering device further comprising a pivot shaft mounted to said upright section of said frame at a location remote from said sliding weight and a lever member supported by the pivot shaft; i. said lever member having a first end forming a lever pin resting on said concave top of said rod and a second end affixed to said pivot shaft and forming a latching means; j. a cantilever spring plate having a tip section and a fixed section, the fixed section affixed to said slope section of said frame and the tip section engagable with said latching means of said lever member; and k. a handle member attached to said tip section of said cantilever spring plate to facilitate the cocking of said tip section to said latching means of said lever, said latching means of said lever member latching said tip section of said cantilever spring plate for preventing said tip section of said cantilever spring plate from pushing down on said shutter release button of said disposable panoramic camera; I. whereby when said impact triggering camera apparatus is mounted in said vehicle, said sliding weight can move in response to said inertial forces on said horizontal plane upon sudden impact on said vehicle from any direction, which drops said lever pin of said lever member off from said concave top of said rod of said sliding weight, causing said latching means of said lever member to release said tip section of said cantilever spring plate which in turn presses down on said shutter release button of said disposable panoramic camera, to thereby automatically take said photographic picture at the moment of sudden impact.