Image-taking control apparatus and notification method

• US 20050195837A1
• Filed: 02/17/2005
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Otsuka, Mitsuru
• Granted Patent: US 7,457,843 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

An image-taking control apparatus is provided which transmits an image taken by an image-taking device to a communication terminal via the Internet, including a settings memory, a control device, and a communication device.

Claims

1. An image-taking control apparatus for transmitting an image taken by an image-taking device to a communication terminal via the Internet, comprising:

a settings memory for storing a preset address of a communication terminal, activation conditions for a function of a Web server for conducting communication with the communication terminal, and termination conditions for a function of the Web server;

a control device for, when the activation conditions are satisfied, activating the function of the Web server for conducting communication with the communication terminal, and creating contents of a first electronic mail which contains a message notifying a receiving party that the function of the Web server has been activated and a URL for accessing the image-taking control apparatus and which is for transmission to the address of the communication terminal,

transmitting a live image taken by the image-taking device to the communication terminal on condition that it is recognized that the communication terminal accesses the image-taking control apparatus through the function of the Web server,

and, on condition that the termination conditions are satisfied, terminating the function of the Web server and creating contents of a second electronic mail which contains a message notifying a receiving party that the function of the Web server has been terminated and which is for transmission to the address of the communication terminal; and

a communication device for transmitting the first electronic mail in response to activation of the function of the Web server, transmitting a live image taken by the image-taking device to the communication terminal via the Internet in response to an access by the communication terminal, and transmitting the second electronic mail in response to termination of the function of the Web server.

2. The image-taking control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device determines whether or not the communication terminal accessed the image-taking control apparatus during activation of the Web server, and when the communication terminal doesn'"'"'t access the image-taking control apparatus during activation of the Web server, creates the second electronic mail to include a URL that indicates a storage destination of an image that is taken by the image-taking device while the Web server is activated.

3. The image-taking control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control device, when the storage destination of an image is a memory inside the image-taking control apparatus, creates the second electronic mail to also include a description indicating a time the Web server function is next activated.

4. The image-taking control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device determines whether or not the communication terminal accesses the image-taking control apparatus during activation of the Web server, and when the communication terminal accesses the image-taking control apparatus during activation of the Web server, the control device erases from a memory an image that is taken by the image-taking device while the Web server is activated.

5. A control method of an image-taking control apparatus for transmitting an image taken by an image-taking device to a communication terminal via the Internet, having the following steps:

a setting step for setting an address of a communication terminal, conditions for activating a function of a Web server for conducting communication with the communication terminal, and conditions for terminating the function of the Web server;

a first electronic mail creation step for, when the activation conditions are satisfied, activating the function of the Web server for conducting communication with the communication terminal, and creating contents of a first electronic mail which contains a message notifying a receiving party that the function of the Web server has been activated and a URL for accessing the image-taking control apparatus and which is for transmission to the address of the communication terminal;

a first electronic mail transmission step for transmitting the first electronic mail in response to activation of the function of the Web server;

an image transmission step for, on condition that it is recognized that the communication terminal access to the image-taking control apparatus through the function of the Web server, transmitting a live image taken by the image-taking device to the communication terminal in response to the access by the communication terminal;

a second electronic mail creation step for, when the termination conditions are satisfied, terminating the function of the Web server and creating contents of a second electronic mail which contains a message notifying a receiving party that the function of the Web server has been terminated and is for transmission to the address of the communication terminal; and

a second electronic mail transmission step for transmitting the second electronic mail in response to termination of the function of the Web server.

6. The control method of an image-taking control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein in the second electronic mail creation step, a control device determines whether or not the communication terminal accesses the image-taking control apparatus during activation of the Web server, and when the communication terminal does not access the image-taking control apparatus during activation of the Web server, the control device creates the second electronic mail to include a URL that indicates a storage destination of an image that is taken by the image-taking device while the Web server is activated.

7. The control method of an image-taking control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein in the second electronic mail creation step, when a storage destination of the image is a memory inside the image-taking control apparatus, the control device creates the second electronic mail to also include a description indicating a time the Web server function is next activated.

8. The control method of an image-taking control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein in the second electronic mail creation step, a control device determines whether or not the communication terminal accesses the image-taking control apparatus during activation of the Web server, and when the communication terminal accesses the image-taking control apparatus during activation of the Web server, the control device erases from a memory an image that is taken by the image-taking device while the Web server is activated.

9. A program for executing a control method of an image-taking control apparatus for transmitting an image taken by an image-taking device to a communication terminal via the Internet, wherein the program executes the following steps:

a setting step for setting an address of a communication terminal, conditions for activating a function of a Web server for conducting communication with the communication terminal, and conditions for terminating the function of the Web server;

a first electronic mail creation step for, when the activation conditions are satisfied, activating the function of the Web server for conducting communication with the communication terminal, and creating contents of a first electronic mail which contains a message notifying a receiving party that the function of the Web server has been activated and a URL for accessing the image-taking control apparatus and which is for transmission to the address of the communication terminal;

a first electronic mail transmission step for transmitting the first electronic mail to the address of the communication terminal in response to activation of the function of the Web server;

an image transmission step for, on condition that it is recognized that the communication terminal accesses to the image-taking control apparatus through the function of the Web server, transmitting a live image taken by the image-taking device to the communication terminal in response to an access by the communication terminal;

a second electronic mail creation step for, when the termination conditions are satisfied, terminating the function of the Web server and creating contents of a second electronic mail which contains a message notifying a receiving party that the function of the Web server is terminated and is for transmission to the address of the communication terminal; and

a second electronic mail transmission step for transmitting the second electronic mail upon termination of the function of the Web server.

10. The program for executing a control method of an image-taking control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein in the second electronic mail creation step, a control device determines whether or not the communication terminal accesses the image-taking control apparatus during activation of the Web server, and when the communication terminal does not access the image-taking control apparatus during activation of the Web server, the control device creates the second electronic mail to include a URL that indicates a storage destination of an image that is taken by the image-taking device while the Web server is activated.

11. The program for executing a control method of an image-taking control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein in the second electronic mail creation step, when a storage destination of the image is a memory inside the image-taking control apparatus, the control device creates the second electronic mail to also include a description indicating a time the Web server function will be next activated.

12. The program for executing a control method of an image-taking control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein in the second electronic mail creation step, a control device determines whether or not the communication terminal accesses the image-taking control apparatus during activation of the Web server, and when the communication terminal accesses the image-taking control apparatus during activation of the Web server, the control device erases from a memory an image that is taken by the image-taking device while the Web server is activated.