Computer-implemented image acquisition system

• US 20020122071A1
• Filed: 10/19/2001
• Published: 09/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ivory, Andrew S., Turner, Richard S. Jr., Camara, Franc J., Enstrom, Mark R., Bement, Reed K.
• Granted Patent: US 6,889,364 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/902 Menu display
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/97 Instrumentation and component modelling, e.g. interactive control panel

Abstract

An image acquisition system has a computer and one or more imaging devices coupled to the computer. Each imaging device has a device memory and is capable of capturing a digital image and storing the image in its memory. An image device manager is implemented in software on the computer to control operation of the imaging devices. The image device manager presents a user interface (UI) within the familiar graphical windowing environment. The UI has a context space that pertains to a particular imaging context (e.g., scanning, photography, and video). The UI also has a persistently-visible imaging menu positioned within the context space that lists options particular to the imaging context. For example, if the context space pertains to the digital camera context, the menu lists options to take a picture, store the image on the computer, send the image in an email, and so on. In the scanner context, the menu lists options to select an image type, preview an image, send the image to a particular destination, and scan the image. The image acquisition system also includes a set of application program interfaces (APIs) that expose image management functionality to applications. The APIs enable applications to manage loading and unloading of imaging devices, monitor device events, query device information properties, create device objects, capture images using the devices, and store or manipulate the images after their capture.

Claims

1. An image acquisition system comprising:

a computer having a memory;

an imaging device coupled to the computer, the imaging device having a device memory, the imaging device capturing a digital image and storing the image on one of the computer memory or the device memory;

an image device manager executable on the computer to control operation of the imaging device; and

a user interface with a context space and a persistently-visible imaging menu positioned within the context space, the imaging menu listing options that are particular to controlling the imaging device and managing images captured by the imaging device.

2. An image acquisition system as recited in claim 1, wherein the imaging menu includes a capture option that directs the imaging device to capture an image and to store the image in the memory of the computer.

3. An image acquisition system as recited in claim 1, wherein the context space lists image files stored on at least one of the device memory or the computer memory.

4. An image acquisition system as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the imaging device is a scanner; and

the context space presented by the user interface contains a preview scan area that shows a preview of an image in the scanner.

5. An image acquisition system as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the imaging device is a scanner; and

the context space presented by the user interface contains a scan area that is initially empty prior to a time when the scanner scans an image and then progressively displays the image as the scanner scans the image.

6. An image acquisition system as recited in claim 1, wherein the context space exhibits a play-in-place video file at a location, the play-in-place video file being actuatable to play a video stream at the location in the context space.

7. An image acquisition system as recited in claim 1, further comprising an operating system stored in the memory and executable on the computer, the image device manager being incorporated into the operating system.

8. An image acquisition system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a browser stored in the memory and executable on the computer, the image device manager being incorporated into the browser.

9. In an image acquisition system having a computer and an imaging device coupled to the computer, an image manager implemented in software stored in the computer comprising:

a user interface presenting a context space of an imaging context and a persistently-visible imaging menu positioned within the context space, the imaging menu listing options that are particular to operating the imaging device and managing image files; and

an image device driver to control operation of the imaging device in response to selected options in the imaging menu.

10. An image manager as recited in claim 9, wherein the imaging menu includes a capture option to capture an image from the imaging device, and the image device driver directs the imaging device to capture the image into an image file for storage on the imaging device or the computer in response to selection of the capture option.

11. An image manager as recited in claim 9, wherein the context space holds image files and the imaging menu includes an option to operate on one or more of the image files.

12. An image manager as recited in claim 9, wherein the context space exhibits a play-in-place video file at a location, the play-in-place video file being actuatable to play a video stream at the location in the context space.

13. An image manager as recited in claim 9, wherein the imaging device coupled to the computer is a scanner and the context space of the user interface pertains to a scanner context and contains an area that is initially empty prior to a time when the scanner scans an image and then progressively displays the image as the scanner scans the image.

14. An operating system embodied on a computer readable medium comprising an image manager as recited in claim 9.

15. A file system embodied on a computer readable medium comprising an image manager as recited in claim 9.

16. A browser program embodied on a computer readable medium comprising an image manager as recited in claim 9.

18. A user interface as recited in claim 17, wherein the files comprise digital image files and the folders comprise sets of digital image files.

19. A user interface as recited in claim 17, wherein the context of the file space pertains to imaging devices, and the options listed in the context-specific menu include a command to capture digital images using an imaging device coupled to the computer.

20. A user interface as recited in claim 17, wherein the file space also exhibits a play-in-place video file at a location, the play-in-place video file being actuatable to play a video stream at the location in the file space.

21. A user interface as recited in claim 17, wherein the options in the context-specific menu change in response to changing the context of the file space.

22. A file system embodied on a computer-readable medium incorporating the user interface as recited in claim 17.

23. An operating system embodied on a computer-readable medium incorporating the user interface as recited in claim 17.

24. A browser embodied on a computer-readable medium incorporating the user interface as recited in claim 17.

26. A user interface as recited in claim 25, wherein the user interface progressively displays the image row-by-row.

27. A user interface as recited in claim 25, wherein the user interface progressively displays the image currently with the scanner scanning the image.

28. A user interface as recited in claim 25, further comprising a s persistently-visible menu positioned adjacent the preview scan space within the graphical window, the menu containing options that are particular to operating the scanner.

29. A user interface as recited in claim 25, further comprising a destination list that presents a user with choices on what to do with the scanned image.

30. A user interface as recited in claim 25, further comprising a control to enable a user to select which portion of the image to scan in a final output.

31. A file system embodied on a computer-readable medium incorporating the user interface as recited in claim 25.

32. An operating system embodied on a computer-readable medium incorporating the user interface as recited in claim 25.

33. A browser embodied on a computer-readable medium incorporating the user interface as recited in claim 25.

35. An operating system embodied on a computer-readable medium incorporating the user interface as recited in claim 34.

36. A browser embodied on a computer-readable medium incorporating the user interface as recited in claim 34.

17. A user interface embodied on a computer-readable medium and executable on a computer comprising:

a file space of a selectable context, the file space exhibiting one or more files and/or folders pertaining to the context; and

a persistently-visible context-specific menu positioned within the file space adjacent to the files and/or folders, the context-specific menu listing options that are particular to the context of the file space.

25. For a computer-implemented scanning system having a scanner coupled to a computer, a user interface comprising a graphical window having a preview scan space, the preview scan space being initially empty prior to a time when the scanner scans an image, the user interface progressively displaying the image within the preview scan space to visually convey that the scanner is scanning the image.

34. For a computer-implemented scanning system having a scanner coupled to a computer, a user interface embodied on a computer-readable medium and executable on the computer comprising:

a graphical window having a preview scan space to hold a preview of the image to be scanned by the scanner; and

a control to enable a user to select a portion of the image to be scanned by the scanner.

37. An application program interface for an image acquisition system, the application program interface being embodied on a computer-readable medium and having methods for performing the following functions:

creating a device object for an imaging device;

displaying a user interface to enable a user to choose the device object;

displaying a user interface to enable the user to capture an image using the imaging device; and

querying the imaging device for properties.

38. An application program interface for an image acquisition system, the application program interface being embodied on a computer-readable medium and having methods for performing the following functions:

opening and closing a camera for communication;

controlling the camera; and

reading properties associated with the camera.

reading properties associated with pictures taken by the camera; and

manipulating pictures stored in a memory of the camera.

39. An application program interface for an image acquisition system, the application program interface being embodied on a computer-readable medium and having methods for performing the following functions:

opening and closing a scanner for communication;

controlling the scanner; and

reading properties associated with the scanner.

40. A computer-implemented method for execution in a graphical user interface windowing environment, comprising the following steps:

presenting a set of one or more files and/or folders in a file space within a graphical window;

presenting a persistently-visible, context-specific menu within the file space adjacent to the files and/or folders; and

listing options in the context-specific menu that are particular to operating on the files and/or folders in the file space.

41. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 40 wherein the presenting step comprises the step of presenting a set of digital image files.

42. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 40 further comprising the step of operating on the files and/or folders in response to selection of an option in the context-specific menu.

43. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 40 further comprising the step of exhibiting a play-in-place video file at a location in the file space, the play-in-place video file being actuatable to play a video stream at the location in the file space.

44. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 40 further comprising the following steps:

presenting a new set of one or more files and/or folders in the file space; and

listing new options in the context-specific menu that are particular to operating on the new set of files and/or folders.

46. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 45 wherein the displaying step comprises the step of building the image row-by-row.

47. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 45 wherein the displaying step comprises the step of building the image simultaneously as the scanner scans the image.

48. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 45 further comprising the following steps:

presenting a persistently-visible menu within the preview scan space within the graphical window; and

listing options in the menu that are particular to operating the scanner.

45. For a computer-implemented scanning system having a scanner coupled to a computer, a computer-implemented method for executing a scanning software application in a graphical user interface windowing environment, comprising the following steps:

presenting a preview scan space within a graphical window, the preview scan space being initially empty; and

progressively displaying an image within the preview scan space to visually convey that the scanner is scanning the image.

49. For a computer-implemented scanning system having a scanner coupled to a computer, a computer-implemented method for executing a scanning software application in a graphical user interface windowing environment, comprising the following steps:

presenting a preview scan space to hold a preview of the image to be scanned by the scanner; and

enabling a user to select a portion of the image to be scanned by the scanner.