Image storage system

• US 20020075392A1
• Filed: 12/11/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Imaeda, Eiji
• Granted Patent: US 7,075,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/21 Intermediate information storage H04N1/387, H04N1/41 take precedence ; for control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32358; indexing, editing G11B27/00

Abstract

A communication device having a memory for storing image data and thumbnail data is capable of transmitting the image data to an image storage unit. When the communication device transmits some of the image data stored in the memory, it erases the transmitted image data in the memory to increase an area in the memory where data can be stored. The communication device transmits to the image storage unit a search request for searching for the image data corresponding to the selected thumbnail data during browsing of the thumbnail data, and receives the image data found by searching from the image storage unit.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

memory means for storing image data and thumbnail data;

transmission means for transmitting the image data to an image storage unit; and

selection means for selecting the thumbnail data stored in said memory means,

wherein said memory means increases, according to transmission of the image data by said transmission means, an area where data can be stored; and

said transmission means transmits to said image storage unit a search request for searching for the image data corresponding to the thumbnail data selected by said selection means.

2. A communication device according to claim 1, wherein said memory means increases the area where data can be stored by erasing the image data transmitted by said transmission means.

3. A communication device comprising:

memory means for storing detailed image data and reduced image data;

transmission means for transmitting the detailed image data to an image storage unit; and

selection means for selecting the reduced image data stored in the memory means,

wherein said memory means increases, according to transmission of the detailed image data by said transmission means, an area where data can be stored; and

said transmission means transmits to said image storage unit a search request for searching for the detailed image data corresponding to the reduced image data selected by said selection means.

4. A communication device comprising:

memory means for storing image data and thumbnail data; and

transmission means for transmitting the image data to an image storage unit;

wherein said memory means erases the transmitted image data while leaving the thumbnail data corresponding to the transmitted image data according to transmission of the image data by said transmission means.

5. A communication device comprising:

memory means for storing moving image data and typical scene data;

transmission means for transmitting the moving image data to an image storage unit; and

selection means for selecting the typical scene data stored in said memory means,

wherein said memory means increases, according to transmission of the moving image data by said transmission means, an area where data can be stored; and

said transmission means transmits to said image storage unit a search request for searching for the image data corresponding to the typical scene data selected by said selection means.

6. A communication device connected to a public network, comprising:

memory means for storing image data and thumbnail data;

transmission means for transmitting the image data and user information to an image storage unit, the user information being used for identification of a user from the public network; and

selection means for selecting the thumbnail data stored in said memory means,

wherein said transmission means transmits to said image storage unit a search request for searching for the image data corresponding to the thumbnail data selected by said selection means.

7. A communication system comprising a communication device and an image storage unit connected to said communication device through a public network,

said communication device comprising:

memory means for storing thumbnail data;

selection means for selecting the thumbnail data stored in said memory means; and

transmission means for transmitting to said image storage unit a search request for searching for image data corresponding to the thumbnail data selected by said selection means,

said image storage unit comprising;

storage means for storing the image data;

detection means for receiving the search request and detecting user information used for identification of a user from the public network; and

search means for searching for, according to the user information, the image data stored in the storage means.

8. A method of data communication with an image storage unit, comprising the steps of:

transmitting image data stored in a memory to the image storage unit;

increasing, according to transmission of the image data in said transmitting step, an area in the memory where data can be stored;

selecting thumbnail data stored in the memory; and

transmitting to the image storage unit a search request for searching for the image data corresponding to the thumbnail data selected in said selecting step.

9. A communication program for performing data communication with an image storage unit, or a storage medium in which said program is stored, said program comprising the steps of:

transmitting image data stored in a memory to the image storage unit;

increasing, according to transmission of the image data in said transmitting step, an area in the memory where data can be stored;

selecting thumbnail data stored in the memory; and

transmitting to the image storage unit a search request for searching for the image data corresponding to the thumbnail data selected in said selecting step.