Digital Camera with Communication Function

• US 20140009627A1
• Filed: 05/27/2013
• Published: 01/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NL Giken, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NL Giken, Inc.
• Inventors: Tanaka, Masahide, Matsui, Tohru
• Granted Patent: US 9,600,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• 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 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00278 with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• 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 1/00442 Simultaneous viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. using a mosaic display arrangement of thumbnails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0045 vertically
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00458 Sequential viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. browsing or scrolling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00461 marking or otherwise tagging one or more displayed image, e.g. for selective reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00474 outputting a plurality of functional options, e.g. scan, copy or print
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32363 at the transmitter or at the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3288 Storage of two or more complete document pages or image frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3295 Deletion of stored data; Preventing such deletion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 : between a recording apparatus and a television camera

Abstract

In a digital camera having a wireless communicator with a server, a storage controller treats full size image data and display size image data unequally if the full size image data has been already sent to the server. For example, the display size image data is not allowed to be replaced by new digital image data unless the digital camera is not in use over a prescribed time. Own image data and other'"'"'s image data are treated equally. Image data received from outside and retrieved from inside memory are treated equally. Search key for own image data and related search keys existing in the outside are indicated in a comparable manner. The digital camera receives search key from neighboring advertiser to send it for Internet search of advertisement. Search key received from neighboring notable site is sent for Internet search of photographs of the notable site taken by others.

Claims

1. A digital camera with communication function comprising:

an image taking portion adapted to capture an image of a picture;

a wireless communicator adapted to send digital image data of the picture derived from the image taking portion to outside of the digital camera and to receive digital image data of a picture from outside of the digital camera;

a display adapted to display digital image data of the picture;

an image storage portion adapted to store digital image data of the picture derived from the image taking portion and digital image data of the picture received through the wireless communicator, wherein the digital image data stored in the image storage includes original image data of the picture derived from the image taking portion, display image data of the same picture copied from the original image data to be displayed on the display and thumbnail data of the same picture for designating the picture for display among a plurality of thumbnails on the display for selection, and wherein a first capacity is secured in the image storage portion to record the original image data newly captured by the image taking portion and a second capacity is secured in the image storage portion to keep the display image data; and

a storage controller arranged to create the display image data with the original image data remaining in the first capacity of the image storage portion and to keep the display image data in the second capacity of the image storage portion even if the original image data has been deleted from the first capacity of the image storage portion.

2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the storage controller is arranged to allow the original image data to be replaced by new digital image data in first capacity of the image storage portion.

3. The digital camera according to claim 2, wherein the storage controller is arranged to allow the display image data to be replaced by new digital image data under a condition.

4. The digital camera according to claim 2, wherein the new digital image data includes digital image data received through the wireless communicator as well as the digital image data derived from the image taking portion.

5. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the storage controller is arranged to treat the digital image data received through the wireless communicator the same as the digital image data derived from the image taking portion.

6. The digital camera according to claim 1 further comprising a display controller arranged to treat the digital image data received through the wireless communicator the same as the digital image data retrieved from the image storage portion, whereby the display with the wireless communicator effective is equal to the display with the wireless communicator ineffective.

7. The digital camera according to claim 1 further comprising a capacity indicator arranged to indicate information relating to the room for the first capacity of the image storage portion to store new digital image data, wherein the capacity indicator is arranged to make an indication if an extra room for the new digital image data can be secured by replacing the stored display image data.

8. The digital camera according to claim 1, further comprising a search key affixing controller arranged to affix a search key to the image data as an attribute thereof and a search key indication controller adapted to indicate the affixed search keys and related search keys on the display in a comparable manner, the related search keys being received through the wireless communicator among search keys existing outside the digital camera and including a search key related to the affixed search key and a search key identical with the affixed search key if any.

21. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the image storage portion includes an internal storage and a storage media drive arranged to receive a removable storage media.

22. The digital camera according to claim 1,

wherein the digital image data stored in the image storage further includes original image data of the picture received through the wireless communicator, display image data of the same picture copied from the original image data to be displayed on the display and thumbnail data of the same picture for designating the picture for display among a plurality of thumbnails on the display for selection,

wherein the first capacity is further secured to record the original image data newly received through the wireless communicator and a second capacity is secured in the image storage portion to keep the display image data, and

wherein the storage controller is further arranged to create the display image data with the original image data remaining in the first capacity of the image storage portion and to keep the display image data in the second capacity of the image storage portion even if the original image data has been deleted from the first capacity of the image storage portion.

9-20. -20. (canceled)

23. A digital camera with communication function comprising:

an image taking portion adapted to capture an image of a picture;

a wireless communicator adapted to send digital image data of the picture derived from the image taking portion to outside of the digital camera and to receive digital image data of a picture from outside of the digital camera;

a display adapted to display digital image data of the picture;

an image storage portion adapted to store digital image data derived from the image taking portion and digital image data received through the wireless communicator, wherein the digital image data stored in the image storage includes original image data of the picture received through the wireless communicator, display image data of the same picture copied from the original image data to be displayed on the display and thumbnail data of the same picture for designating the picture for display among a plurality of thumbnails on the display for selection, and wherein a first capacity is secured in the image storage portion to record the original image data newly received through the wireless communicator and a second capacity is secured in the image storage portion to keep the display image data; and

a storage controller arranged to create the display image data with the original image data remaining in the first capacity of the image storage portion and to keep the display image data in the second capacity of the image storage portion even if the original image data has been deleted from the first capacity of the image storage portion.

24. The digital camera according to claim 23, wherein the storage controller is arranged to allow the original image data to be replaced by new digital image data in first capacity of the image storage portion.

25. The digital camera according to claim 24, wherein the storage controller is arranged to allow the display image data to be replaced by new digital image data under a condition.

26. The digital camera according to claim 23, wherein the new digital image data includes digital image data derived from the image taking portion as well as the digital image data received through the wireless communicator.

27. The digital camera according to claim 23, wherein the storage controller is arranged to treat the digital image data received through the wireless communicator the same as the digital image data derived from the image taking portion.

28. The digital camera according to claim 27, wherein the storage controller is arranged to treat the display image data the same as the digital image data derived from the image taking portion in the second capacity.

29. The digital camera according to claim 23 further comprising a display controller arranged to treat the digital image data received through the wireless communicator the same as the digital image data retrieved from the image storage portion, whereby the display with the wireless communicator effective is equal to the display with the wireless communicator ineffective.

30. The digital camera according to claim 23 further comprising a capacity indicator arranged to indicate information relating to the room for the first capacity of the image storage portion to store new digital image data, wherein the capacity indicator is arranged to make an indication if an extra room for the new digital image data can be secured by replacing the stored display image data.

31. The digital camera according to claim 23, wherein the image storage portion includes an internal storage and a storage media drive arranged to receive a removable storage media.

32. The digital camera according to claim 23, wherein the data storage is arranged to keep the digital image data derived from the image taking portion as well as the display image data in the second capacity.