Electronic camera having a communication function

• US 20070252901A1
• Filed: 05/30/2007
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Hayashi, Masaki, Yokonuma, Norikazu, Tsukahara, Daiki
• Application Number:
  US11/806,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20070252901A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.100
• 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 1/00347 with another still picture apparatus, e.g. hybrid still picture apparatus circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between image input and image output device H04N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2125 Display of information relating to the still picture recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2183 the stored images being distributed among a plurality of different locations, e.g. among a plurality of users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32358 using picture signal storage, e.g. at transmitter H04N1/17 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0041 Point to point H04N2201/0039 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0053 Optical, e.g. using an infrared link
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/214 Checking or indicating the storage space
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3298 Checking or indicating the storage space
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode

Abstract

An electronic camera has an image data memory for storing image data and a communication mode for transferring the stored image data to one or more different cameras. The camera includes a controller that, prior to image data transmission, receives remaining capacity data of the image data memory in a receiver side camera and displays an image number corresponding to the remaining capacity of the receiver side camera. When plural receiver side cameras are available, the controller, prior to image data transmission, receives the remaining capacity data of the image data memory in the plurality of receiver side cameras and displays a number of sendable images corresponding to the remaining capacity for each of the plurality of receiver side cameras.

Claims

1. An electronic camera having an image data memory for storing image data and operable in a communication mode for transmitting the image data from the image data memory to a different, receiver side camera, the electronic camera comprising:

a controller that, prior to image data transmission, receives remaining capacity data relating to an amount of a remaining capacity of an image data memory of a receiver side camera and displays information indicating the amount of the remaining capacity of the receiver side camera.

2. The camera of claim 1, wherein the controller prohibits selection of excessive image data for transmission to the receiver side camera when the selection of the image data exceeds the remaining capacity.

3. The camera of claim 1, wherein the controller displays information indicating the amount of the remaining capacity for a plurality of different types of image data having different sizes.

4. The camera of claim 1, wherein the information displayed by the controller includes a number of image files that can be transmitted without exceeding the remaining capacity.

5. The camera of claim 4, wherein each image file corresponds to one still image.

6. The camera of claim 1, wherein the camera includes a display, and the controller displays the information on the display.

7. The camera of claim 1, wherein the communication mode is operable to permit the image data to be transmitted from the image data memory to at least one of a plurality of the receiver side cameras, and the controller, prior to image data transmission, receives remaining capacity data relating to the amount of the remaining capacity of the image data memory for each of a plurality of the receiver side cameras and displays information indicating the amount of the remaining capacity of each of the plurality of cameras.

8. The camera of claim 7, wherein the controller enables the selection of at least one of the plurality of receiver side cameras from the plurality of receiver side cameras in response to an input command.

9. The camera of claim 8, wherein the controller determines an amount of the image data that can be transmitted based on the selected ones of the receiver side cameras, and prohibits selection of an amount of image data for transmission when the selected amount exceeds a remaining capacity of a selected receiver side camera having a lowest remaining capacity.

10. The camera of claim 8, wherein the controller prohibits the selection of a receiver side camera having a remaining capacity that is zero.

11. The camera of claim 8, wherein the controller sends a command for activating a display of the at least one receiver side camera selected to receive the transmission.

12. The camera of claim 7, wherein the information displayed by the controller includes a number of image files that can be transmitted without exceeding the remaining capacity.

13. The camera of claim 12, wherein each image file corresponds to one still image.

14. An electronic camera having an image data memory for storing image data and operable in a communication mode for transmitting the image data from the image data memory to at least one different, receiver side camera, the electronic camera comprising:

a controller that, prior to image data transmission, receives remaining capacity data relating to an amount of a remaining capacity of an image data memory for each of a plurality of receiver side cameras and selects a receiver side camera having a largest amount of remaining capacity from among the plurality of receiver side cameras.

15. An electronic camera having an image data memory for storing image data and operable in a communication mode for transferring the image data from the image data memory to at least one different, receiver side camera, the electronic camera comprising:

a controller that, prior to image data transmission, receives remaining capacity data relating to an amount of a remaining capacity of an image data memory for each of a plurality of receiver side cameras, selects the image data to be transmitted in response to an input operation, and prohibits selection of image data for transmission that would exceed an amount of a remaining capacity of a receiver side camera having a lowest remaining capacity.

16. An electronic camera having an image data memory for storing image data and operable in a communication mode for transferring the image data from the image data memory to at least one different, receiver side camera, the electronic camera comprising:

a controller that, prior to image data transmission, receives remaining capacity data relating to an amount of a remaining capacity of an image data memory for each of a plurality of receiver side cameras, selects image data to be transmitted in response to an input operation, selects at least one of the receiver side cameras among said plurality of receiver side cameras in response to an input operation to receive the transmitted image data, and prohibits selection of a receiver side camera having an amount of a remaining capacity that is smaller than the image data selected for transmission.

17. An electronic camera having an image data memory for storing image data and operable in a communication mode for transferring the image data from the image data memory to at least one different, receiver side camera, comprising:

a controller that, prior to data transmission, receives remaining capacity data relating to an amount of a remaining capacity of an image data memory for each of a plurality of receiver side cameras, selects a receiver side camera from among the plurality of receiver side cameras in response to an input operation, selects image data to be transmitted in response to an input operation, and prohibits selection of image data for transmission when the selected image data causes the selected amount of image data to exceed an amount of a remaining capacity of the selected receiver side camera.

18. The camera of claim 17, wherein the controller alternately permits the selection of the image data for transmission and the selection of the receiver side camera.

19. A method of controlling transmission of image data from an image data memory of an electronic camera to a different, receiver side camera, the method comprising:

the electronic camera receiving remaining capacity data relating to an amount of a remaining capacity of an image data memory of a receiver side camera; and

displaying information indicating the amount of the remaining capacity of the receiver side camera.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising prohibiting selection of excessive image data for transmission to the receiver side camera when the selection of the image data exceeds the remaining capacity of the receiver side camera.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the displaying step includes displaying information indicating the amount of the remaining capacity for a plurality of different types of image data having different sizes.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the information displayed in the displaying step includes a number of image files that can be transmitted without exceeding the remaining capacity.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein each image file corresponds to one still image.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the displaying step displays the information on a display of the camera.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the camera is capable of transmitting the image data to at least one of a plurality of the receiver side cameras, and further comprising the steps of:

receiving remaining capacity data relating to the amount of the remaining capacity of the image data memory for each of the plurality of the receiver side cameras; and

displaying the information indicating the amount of the remaining capacity of each of the plurality of cameras.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of:

selecting at least one of the plurality of receiver side cameras from the plurality of receiver side cameras in response to an input command.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the steps of:

determining an amount of the image data that can be transmitted based on the selected ones of the receiver side cameras; and

prohibiting selection of an amount of image data for transmission when the selected amount exceeds a remaining capacity of a selected receiver side camera having a lowest remaining capacity.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the camera is capable of transmitting the image data to at least one of a plurality of the receiver side cameras, and further comprising the steps of:

receiving remaining capacity data relating to the amount of the remaining capacity of the image data memory for each of the plurality of the receiver side cameras; and

selecting a receiver side camera having a largest remaining capacity from among the plurality of receiver side cameras.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the camera is capable of transmitting the image data to at least one of a plurality of the receiver side cameras, and further comprising the steps of:

receiving remaining capacity data relating to the amount of the remaining capacity of the image data memory for each of the plurality of the receiver side cameras;

selecting the image data to be transmitted in response to an input operation; and

prohibiting selection of image data for transmission that would exceed a remaining capacity of a receiver side camera having a lowest remaining capacity.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein the camera is capable of transmitting the image data to at least one of a plurality of the receiver side cameras, and further comprising the steps of:

receiving remaining capacity data relating to the amount of the remaining capacity of the image data memory for each of the plurality of the receiver side cameras;

selecting image data to be transmitted in response to an input operation;

selecting at least one of the receiver side cameras among said plurality of receiver side cameras in response to an input operation to receive the transmitted image data; and

prohibiting selection of a receiver side camera having a remaining capacity that is smaller than the image data selected for transmission.

31. The method of claim 19, wherein the camera is capable of transmitting the image data to at least one of a plurality of the receiver side cameras, and further comprising the steps of:

receiving remaining capacity data relating to the amount of the remaining capacity of the image data memory for each of the plurality of the receiver side cameras;

selecting a receiver side camera from among the plurality of receiver side cameras in response to an input operation;

selecting image data to be transmitted in response to an input operation; and

prohibiting selection of image data for transmission when the selected image data causes the selected amount of image data to exceed a remaining capacity of the selected receiver side camera.