Image processing in a communication device having a camera

• US 20060077266A1
• Filed: 10/08/2004
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Nurmi, Mikko
• Application Number:
  US10/961,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20060077266A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions

Abstract

The invention relates to processing an image in a mobile communication device having a camera. An area on the user interface of the mobile communication device is selected. The selected area is shown together with an image to be captured by the camera and the captured image is stored as a part of the user interface on said selected area.

Claims

1. A method for processing an image in a mobile communication device having a camera, the method comprising:

selecting an area on the a user interface of the mobile communication device,

showing the selected area together with an image to be captured by the camera, and

storing the a captured image as a part of the user interface on said selected area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected area is an area on a display of the communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises using said selected area as a viewscreen for the image to be captured.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the method comprises storing the image showing on the viewscreen in a position and appearance which shows at a moment of capture.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the captured image is arranged to form a permanent part of the user interface until removed or replaced.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises storing said captured image as a background image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a user interface element forms said selected area.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user interface element is placed as a frame or overlay onto the image to be captured.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said user interface element is a touch screen key or button.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the method comprises:

using said user interface element as a frame for the image, and

attaching said captured image as a part of said user interface element.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method comprises attaching said captured image directly to said user interface element as a fill or a background.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises defining beforehand a set of fixed user interface objects.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method comprises showing said fixed objects on top of said captured image.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises totally covering said selected area by said captured image.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises modifying said image to be captured so that it better fits into the selected area.

16. A method for processing an image in a mobile communications device having a camera, the method comprising:

limiting an image to be captured by the camera into a beforehand-selected frame on a user interface, and

storing the captured image without said frame.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said frame is a frame other than a normal camera application window.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the frame has an irregular shape, such as a heart.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein a user interface element is used as the beforehand-selected frame.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the captured image is configured to be taken directly into use in said user interface element.

21. A mobile communication device having comprising:

a camera and

a processing element for enabling selection of an area on a user interface of the mobile communication device, the user interface for showing the selected area together with an image to be captured by the camera, wherein the mobile communications device is configured to store the captured image as a part of the user interface on said selected area.

22. The mobile communication device of claim 21, wherein said selected area is an area on a display of the communication device.

23. The mobile communication device of claim 21, wherein said selected area is configured to be used as a viewscreen for the image to be captured.

24. The mobile communication device of claim 23, wherein the mobile communications device is configured to store the image showing on the viewscreen in the position and appearance which shows at the moment of capture.

25. The mobile communication device of claim 21, wherein the captured image is arranged to form a permanent part of the user interface until removed or replaced.

26. The mobile communication device of claim 21, wherein said captured image is configured to be stored as a background image.

27. The mobile communication device of claim 21, wherein said selected area is formed by a user interface element.

28. The mobile communication device of claim 27, wherein the user interface element is configured to be placed as a frame or overlay onto the image to be captured.

29. The mobile communication device of claim 27, wherein said user interface element is a touch screen key or button.

30. The mobile communication device of claim 27, wherein said user interface element is configured to be used as a frame for the image, and wherein said captured image is configured to be attached as a part of said user interface element.

31. The mobile communication device of claim 30, wherein said captured image is configured to be immediately attached to said user interface element as a fill or a background.

32. The mobile communication device of claim 21, wherein the mobile communication device comprises a set of beforehand-defined fixed user interface objects.

33. The mobile communication device of claim 32, wherein the mobile communication device is configured to show said fixed objects on top of said captured image.

34. The mobile communication device of claim 21, wherein said captured image is configured to totally cover said selected area.

35. The mobile communication device of claim 21, wherein said image to be captured is configured to be modified so that it better fits into the selected area.

36. A mobile communications device comprising:

a camera; and

a processing element for limiting an image to be captured by the camera into a beforehand-selected frame on a user interface, wherein the mobile communications device is configured to store the captured image without said frame.

37. A software product executable in a communication device having a camera, the software product comprising:

program code for enabling selection of an area on a user interface of the mobile communication device;

program code for causing the selected area to be shown together with an image to be captured by the camera; and

program code for storing the captured image as a part of the user interface on said selected area.