AUTOMATIC DIGITAL CAMERA PHOTOGRAPHY MODE SELECTION

• US 20120019704A1
• Filed: 07/26/2010
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Levey, Charles I.
• Application Number:
  US12/843,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20120019704A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts 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 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes

Abstract

A digital camera having a plurality of photography modes, comprising: an imaging sensor; an optical system for imaging a scene onto the imaging sensor; an image capture control for initiating an image capture operation; a photography mode user interface for selecting between a plurality of photography modes, the photography modes having associated image capture and image processing settings; a power control for turning the digital camera on or off, wherein when the camera is in an off state and the power control is activated with a first activation pattern the digital camera is turned on and set to operate in a default photography mode and when the power control is activated with a second activation pattern the digital camera is turned on and set to operate in a previously selected photography mode.

Claims

1. A digital camera having a plurality of photography modes, comprising:

an imaging sensor;

an optical system for imaging a scene onto the imaging sensor;

an image capture control for initiating an image capture operation;

a photography mode user interface for selecting between a plurality of photography modes, the photography modes having associated image capture and image processing settings;

a power control for turning the digital camera on or off, wherein when the camera is in an off state and the power control is activated with a first activation pattern the digital camera is turned on and set to operate in a default photography mode and when the power control is activated with a second activation pattern the digital camera is turned on and set to operate in a previously selected photography mode.

2. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the power control is a power button.

3. The digital camera of claim 2 wherein the power button is a mechanical power button.

4. The digital camera of claim 2 wherein the power button is a touch-sensitive surface.

5. The digital camera of claim 2 wherein the first activation pattern is a short duration button press of the power button having a time duration less than a predetermined threshold and the second activation pattern is a long duration button press of the power button having a time duration greater than the predetermined threshold.

6. The digital camera of claim 2 wherein the first activation pattern is a long duration button press of the power button having a time duration greater than a predetermined threshold and the second activation pattern is a short duration button press of the power button having a time duration less than the predetermined threshold.

7. The digital camera of claim 2 wherein the first activation pattern is a single button press of the power button and the second activation pattern is a double button press of the power button.

8. The digital camera of claim 2 wherein the first activation pattern is a double button press of the power button and the second activation pattern is a single button press of the power button.

9. The digital camera of claim 2 wherein the power button is pressure sensitive, and wherein the first activation pattern is a light-pressure button press of the power button having a pressure less than a predetermined threshold and the second activation pattern is a heavy pressure button press of the power button having a pressure greater than the predetermined threshold.

10. The digital camera of claim 2 wherein the power button is pressure sensitive, and wherein the first activation pattern is a light-pressure button press of the power button having a pressure less than a predetermined threshold and the second activation pattern is a heavy pressure button press of the power button having a pressure greater than the predetermined threshold.

11. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the previously selected photography mode is the photography mode that the digital camera had been in when it was last turned off.

12. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the previously selected photography mode is a user-designated favorite photography mode.

13. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the activation of the power control initiates a process which detects the first and second activation patterns.

14. The digital camera of claim 1 further including:

a data processing system;

a memory system communicatively connected to the data processing system and storing instructions configured to cause the data processing system to;

capture a digital image with the imaging sensor in response to an activation of the image capture control; and

process the captured digital image according to the selected photography mode.

15. A digital camera having a plurality of photography modes, comprising:

an imaging sensor;

an optical system for imaging a scene onto the imaging sensor;

an image capture control for initiating an image capture operation;

a power control for turning the digital camera on or off;

a photography mode user interface for selecting between a plurality of photography modes, the photography modes having associated image capture and image processing settings, wherein when the photography mode user interface is activated with a first activation pattern the digital camera initiates an interactive photography mode selection process and when the photography mode user interface is activated with a second activation pattern the digital camera is set to operate in a previously selected photography mode.

16. The digital camera of claim 15 wherein the photography mode user interface includes a photography mode button.

17. The digital camera of claim 15 wherein the first activation pattern is a long duration button press of the photography mode button having a time duration greater than a predetermined threshold and the second activation pattern is a short duration button press of the photography mode button having a time duration less than the predetermined threshold.

18. The digital camera of claim 15 wherein the first activation pattern is a short duration button press of the photography mode button having a time duration less than a predetermined threshold and the second activation pattern is a long duration button press of the photography mode button having a time duration greater than the predetermined threshold.

19. The digital camera of claim 15 wherein the first activation pattern is a single button press of the photography mode button and the second activation pattern is a double button press of the photography mode button.

20. The digital camera of claim 15 wherein the previously selected photography mode is the photography mode that the digital camera had been in when it was last turned off.

21. The digital camera of claim 15 wherein the previously selected photography mode is the photography mode that had been selected previous to the currently selected photography mode.