Digital image apparatus and digital image system

• US 20080068486A1
• Filed: 11/05/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Kusaka, Yosuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,004,593 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.02
• 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 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 of an address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3219 of a job status, e.g. successful execution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 Display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• 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

Abstract

A digital image apparatus includes: a storage unit in which digital image information is stored; a display unit that displays the digital image information stored in the storage unit; a setting unit that sets a recipient of the digital image information; and a communication unit that transmits the digital image information stored in the storage unit to a recipient set through the setting unit, and further includes: an updating unit that updates transmission history information including recipient information indicating a recipient of the digital image information each time the digital image information is transmitted by the communication unit and stores the updated transmission history information into the storage unit in correspondence to the digital image information, and when the digital image information stored in the storage unit is displayed, the display unit also displays transmission history information pertaining to the digital image information in correspondence to the digital image information.

Claims

1. A digital image apparatus comprising:

a storage unit in which digital image information is stored;

a display unit that displays the digital image information stored in the storage unit;

a setting unit that sets a recipient of the digital image information; and

a communication unit that transmits the digital image information stored in the storage unit to a recipient set through the setting unit, further comprising;

an updating unit that updates transmission history information including recipient information indicating a recipient of the digital image information each time the digital image information is transmitted by the communication unit and stores the updated transmission history information into the storage unit in correspondence to the digital image information, wherein;

when the digital image information stored in the storage unit is displayed, the display unit also displays transmission history information pertaining to the digital image information in correspondence to the digital image information.

2. A digital image apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the display unit includes a substantially quadrangular display screen at which digital image information stored in the storage unit is displayed and the transmission history information is superimposed over the digital image information in a peripheral area of the display screen in a size smaller than the display screen.

3. A digital image apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the display unit ends display of the transmission history information when a predetermined length of time elapses following a start of the display of the transmission history information.

4. A digital image apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the storage unit stores recipient information that enables a visual identification of the recipient; and

the display unit displays the recipient information that enables a visual identification stored in the storage unit when the recipient of digital image information is manually set through the setting unit.

5. A digital image apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the recipient information is icon image information that enables a visual identification of the recipient.

6. A digital image apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the icon image information is face image information depicting a face of a communication partner at the recipient.

7. A digital image apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the communication unit receives digital image information transmitted from outside and stores the received digital image information into the storage unit; and

the digital image apparatus further includes a recipient information-preparing unit that prepares the recipient information for an originator of the received digital image information based upon the received digital image information.

8. A digital image apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the transmission history information includes image reproduction information indicating a reproduction record at the recipient of the digital image information having been transmitted;

the communication unit receives the image reproduction information from the recipient of the digital image information; and

the updating unit updates the image reproduction information included in the transmission history information based upon the image reproduction information that has been received.

9. A digital image apparatus, comprising:

a storage unit in which digital image information and additional information related to the digital image information are stored;

a communication unit that transmits digital image information stored in the storage unit to outside image recipients;

a recording unit that records recipient information indicating a recipient of digital image information transmitted by the communication unit as additional information related to the digital image information; and

a batch processing unit that extracts digital image information which has been previously transmitted to a specific recipient from a plurality of sets of digital image information stored in the storage unit based upon recipient information recorded by the recording unit as additional information and erases all the digital image information that has been extracted from the storage unit in a batch.

10. A digital image apparatus, comprising:

a storage unit in which digital image information and additional information related to the digital image information are stored;

a communication unit that transmits digital image information stored in the storage unit to outside image recipients;

a recording unit that records recipient information indicating a recipient of digital image information transmitted by the communication unit as additional information related to the digital image information; and

a batch processing unit that extracts from the storage unit digital image information that has never been transmitted to a specific recipient among a plurality of sets of digital image information stored in the storage unit based upon recipient information recorded as additional information by the recording unit and transmits all the digital image information that has been extracted to the specific recipient through the communication unit in a batch.

11. A digital image apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

an image-capturing unit that captures digital image information; and

a personal identification unit that identifies users of the digital image apparatus, wherein;

when recording digital image information captured by the image-capturing unit into the storage unit, the recording unit records personal identification information corresponding to results of an identification executed by the personal identification unit as additional information; and

the batch processing unit extracts digital image information satisfying a predetermined condition pertaining to image transmission from digital image information with additional information constituted of personal identification information which corresponds to the results of the identification executed by the personal identification unit based upon personal identification information and transmission information recorded by the recording unit as additional information and executes batch processing on all the digital image information that has been extracted.

12. A digital image apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

an image-capturing unit that captures digital image information; and

a personal identification unit that identifies users of the digital image apparatus, wherein;

the storage unit is constituted of individual user folders each provided in correspondence to an individual;

when recording digital image information captured by the image-capturing unit into the storage unit, the recording unit records the captured digital image information into an individual folder corresponding to results of an identification executed by the personal identification unit; and

the batch processing unit extracts digital image information satisfying a predetermined condition pertaining to image transmission based upon transmission information recorded by the recording unit as additional information among sets of digital image information contained in the individual user folder corresponding to the results of the identification executed by the personal identification unit and executes batch processing on all the digital image information that has been extracted.

13. A digital image apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

an image verification unit that displays at least part of the digital image information extracted by the batch processing unit before the batch processing unit executes the batch processing on the extracted digital image information.

14. A digital image apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a startup unit that automatically starts up the batch processing unit under a predetermined startup condition.

15. A digital image apparatus comprising:

a storage unit in which a plurality of sets of digital image information are stored;

a setting unit that sets a recipient of digital image information to be transmitted by the communication unit;

a display unit that displays digital image information stored in the storage unit after the digital image information recipient is set by the setting unit;

a selection unit that selects desired digital image information by referencing the digital image information displayed by the display unit;

the communication unit that transmits the digital image information selected by the selection unit to the recipient set by the setting unit;

a recording unit that records recipient information indicating the recipient to which the digital image information is transmitted for the transmitted digital image information when the communication unit transmits the digital image information to the recipient set by the setting unit; and

a control unit that disallows a display of digital image information for which recipient information indicating a recipient matching the recipient set by the setting unit at the display unit.