Customizing a digital camera

• US 20040212700A1
• Filed: 05/20/2004
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Anthony L. Tintera, Girish V. Prabhu, John L. Wasula, Kenneth A. Parulski, Michael E. Miller, Su Y. Akyuz
• Inventors: Parulski, Kenneth A., Miller, Michael E., Tintera, Anthony L., Wasula, John L., Akyuz, Su Y., Prabhu, Girish V.
• Granted Patent: US 7,408,582 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.99
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00503 Customising to a particular machine or model, machine function or application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00509 Personalising for a particular user or group of users, e.g. a workgroup or company
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0097 Storage of instructions or parameters, e.g. customised instructions or different parameters for different user IDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00973 from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2158 using a detachable storage unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0074 Arrangements for the control of a still picture apparatus by the connected apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/617 Upgrading or updating of programs or applications for camera control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters

Abstract

A method for customizing a digital camera for at least one particular user is disclosed. The digital camera includes a reprogrammable memory for storing firmware which controls the operation of the digital camera and a camera graphical user interface responsive to the firmware stored in the reprogrammable memory. The method includes providing customization software executed external to the digital camera which can access a plurality of firmware components having different camera features. A user selects desired camera features to cause the customization software to access the corresponding firmware component(s). The selected corresponding firmware component(s) are provided to the digital camera and the reprogrammable memory is reprogrammed to store the corresponding firmware component(s) to thereby customize the digital camera.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a digital camera to enable the digital camera to display digital images captured using the digital camera and digital images uploaded from a host computer, the method comprising:

(a) providing customization software executed external on a host computer which enables a user to upload a plurality of digital images from the host computer to a digital memory device in the digital camera;

(b) storing the plurality of uploaded digital images in the digital memory device in the digital camera, each uploaded digital image having a predetermined number of pixels,

(c) using the digital camera to capture a plurality of digital images and store the plurality of captured digital images in the digital memory device, each captured digital image having a number of pixels which is significantly greater than the predetermined number of pixels; and

(d) displaying, on a display of the digital camera, the captured digital images and the uploaded digital images.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the digital memory device comprises a reprogrammable memory.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the reprogrammable memory is Flash EPROM.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the reprogrammable memory is a magnetic hard drive.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the uploaded digital images are compressed digital images.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the captured digital images and the uploaded digital images on a TV display separate from the digital camera.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a simulation of a graphical user interface of the digital camera on a display device of the host computer.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the captured digital images are stored as JPEG image files.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the digital camera provides thumbnail size image data representative of the captured digital images to the display.

10. A method for displaying on a display of a digital camera, digital images captured using the digital camera and digital images uploaded from a host computer, the method comprising:

(a) using the digital camera to capture a plurality of digital images and store the plurality of captured digital images in a digital memory device in the digital camera, each captured digital image having a first number of pixels;

(b) uploading from a host computer a plurality of user selected digital images;

(c) storing the plurality of uploaded digital images in the digital memory device in the digital camera, each uploaded digital image having a second number of pixels, the second number of pixels being significantly less than the first number of pixels; and

(d) displaying, on the display of the digital camera, the captured digital images and the uploaded digital images.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the digital memory device comprises a reprogrammable memory.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the reprogrammable memory is Flash EPROM.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the reprogrammable memory is a magnetic hard drive.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the uploaded digital images are compressed digital images.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising displaying the captured digital images and the uploaded digital images on a TV display separate from the digital camera.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

providing customization software executed on the host computer to enable a user to upload digital images from the host computer to the digital camera.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

providing a simulation of a graphical user interface of the digital camera on a display device of the host computer.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the captured digital images are stored as JPEG image files.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the digital camera provides thumbnail size image data representative of the captured digital images to the display.