Method and camera for image enhancement

• US 20070070220A1
• Filed: 11/26/2004
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Vau, Jean-Marie, Touchard, Nicolas, Furon, Olivier
• Application Number:
  US10/596,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20070070220A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• 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 1/00281 with a telecommunication apparatus, e.g. a switched network of teleprinters for the distribution of text-based information, a selective call terminal details of transmission H04N1/00095; establishing a communication with one of a facsimile machine or another apparatus sharing a single line H04N1/32704; interfacing cordless telephone terminals with an accessory to increase the functionality of user interface H04M1/72409
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00291 with receiver circuitry television receiver circuitry per se H04N5/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00315 with a radio transmission apparatus with a cordless telephone H04N1/00305; systems or arrangements for the transmission of a picture signal specially adapted for transmission via radio H04N1/00103; H04N1/00307 takes precedence; radio transmission systems H04B7/00; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3225 of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules

Abstract

The invention relates to a camera comprising local communications interface (22), means (24) of recognition and interrogation of local distribution data transmitters (12, 14, 16, 18, 19), using the interface, and memory (26) for recording images linked to data coming from local distribution transmitters. The camera can be used in a method of image enhancement with contextual data.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing digital images captured by a camera, with contextual data, comprising:

a) searching (100), in the camera'"'"'s use environment, for local distribution data transmitters,

b) establishing (102) communication with the transmitters present in the communications environment,

c) receiving (104) contextual data transmitted by the transmitters, and,

d) linking (122) at least part of the contextual data to the image data relating to the images captured in said use environment.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the execution of step d) follows a picture-taking release, for image data capture.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the steps a), b) and c) takes place in a standby phase preceding the release.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the steps a), b) and c) takes place in a standby phase following the release.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein step d) is concomitant with the picture-taking release.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein step d) is delayed compared with the picture-taking release.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein step a) comprises the detection of carrier waves capable of coming from local distribution data transmitters, and the identification of the communication protocols used in said transmitters.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein step b) comprises the interrogation of the local distribution data transmitters.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein step b) comprises the sending of a program code to the environment'"'"'s transmitters, to cause the sending by these transmitters of contextual data.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein step d) comprises, for any contextual data received, the selection of a valid time slot, and the linking of the contextual data to the data of each image captured in the valid time slot.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the time slot is set according to an equipment type from which the contextual data comes.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein step d) comprises the saving of the contextual data as metadata linked to the image data.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein step d) comprises the linking to the image data of a pointer pointing to the contextual data stored in a database (112).

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein step d) comprises the saving of the contextual data in a database (112), and the ling to the contextual data of a coded graphic array (114), that can be used as a pointer by means of a digital pen (116).

15. A method according to claim 14, also comprising the saving of the coded array data with the image data.

16. A method according to claim 14, also comprising the combined printing of an image (119) from the image data and a coded graphic array (114) from the coded graphic array data.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein the contextual data contain at least one uniform resource locator address (URL).

18. A method according to claim 1, also comprising a step of reading the image data and contextual data, searching for multimedia data by using the contextual data as a pointer and the simultaneous reproduction of multimedia content corresponding to the multimedia data and the image corresponding to the image data.

19. A camera comprising:

local communications interface (22),

means (24) of recognition and interrogation of local distribution data transmitters (12, 14, 16, 18, 19), using the interface, and

memory (26) for recording images linked to data coming from local distribution transmitters.

20. A camera according to claim 19, comprising a local distribution data transmitter using the local communications interface, and capable of transmitting identification data to other cameras of the same type.