Patent 7388718 was granted and assigned to Sony on June, 2008 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A lens holder includes a third group frame that serves as a holding member which holds lenses, a guide shaft that supports the third group frame when the third group frame is moved along the optical axis of the lenses, a rear barrel part perpendicularly to which the guide shaft is locked, a first bearing member that is molded as an integral part of the rear barrel part in order to bear the end of the guide shaft distal to the rear barrel part, and a guide shaft presser that when the first bearing member bears the end of the guide shaft distal to the base, bears the end of the guide shaft proximal to the rear barrel part.