APPARATUS FOR CAPTURING, CONVERTING, AND TRANSMITTING A VISUAL IMAGE SIGNAL VIA A DIGITAL TRANSMISSION SYSTEM
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An image data capture system, comprising:
- a housing configured for being held within a hand of a user;
a camera mounted on the housing and configured for collecting visual image information;
image processing circuitry within the housing, wherein the image processing circuitry is coupled to the camera, wherein the image processing circuitry is configured for enabling the visual image information to be selectively retrieved from a digital memory device and wherein the image processing circuitry includes a transmission protocol selector enabling a visual image signal comprising the visual image information to be selectively processed in accordance with a plurality of transmission protocol modes; and
cellular telephone circuitry within the housing, wherein the cellular telephone circuitry is coupled to the image processing circuitry and is configured for enabling visual image information to be wirelessly transmitted for reception by a remote receiving device after being processed by the image processing circuitry.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An image capture, conversion, compression, storage and transmission system provides a data signal representing the image in a format and protocol capable of being transmitted over any of a plurality of readily available transmission systems and received by readily available, standard equipment receiving stations. In its most comprehensive form, the system is capable of sending and receiving audio, documentary and visual image data to and from standard remote stations readily available throughout the world.
8 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An image data capture system, comprising:
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a housing configured for being held within a hand of a user; a camera mounted on the housing and configured for collecting visual image information; image processing circuitry within the housing, wherein the image processing circuitry is coupled to the camera, wherein the image processing circuitry is configured for enabling the visual image information to be selectively retrieved from a digital memory device and wherein the image processing circuitry includes a transmission protocol selector enabling a visual image signal comprising the visual image information to be selectively processed in accordance with a plurality of transmission protocol modes; and cellular telephone circuitry within the housing, wherein the cellular telephone circuitry is coupled to the image processing circuitry and is configured for enabling visual image information to be wirelessly transmitted for reception by a remote receiving device after being processed by the image processing circuitry. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An image data capture system, comprising:
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a housing configured for being held within a hand of a user; a camera mounted on the housing; a digital memory device coupled to the camera for receiving visual image information collected thereby; a serial interface; cellular telephone circuitry within the housing, wherein the cellular telephone circuitry is configured for enabling the visual image information to be wirelessly transmitted for reception by a remote receiving device; and image processing circuitry within the housing, wherein the image processing circuitry is coupled to the cellular telephone circuitry, the serial interface and the digital memory device, wherein the image processing circuitry is configured for enabling the visual image information to be selectively retrieved from the digital memory device and wherein the image processing circuitry includes a transmission protocol selector enabling a visual image signal comprising the visual image information to be selectively provided to the cellular telephone circuitry after being processed in accordance with a modem protocol and provided to the serial interface after being processed in accordance with a serial transmission protocol. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A handheld information communication and image processing system comprising:
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a camera; an image viewing device; cellular telephone circuitry within the housing, wherein the cellular telephone circuitry is configured for enabling visual image information to be wirelessly transmitted for reception by a remote receiving device; and image processing circuitry within the housing, wherein the image processing circuitry is coupled to the cellular telephone circuitry, the image viewing device, and to the camera, wherein the image processing circuitry includes a digital memory, an interim format compressor, an interim format decompressor, wherein the image processing circuitry is configured for enabling the visual image information to be selectively retrieved from a digital memory device, wherein the interim format compressor is connected to the digital memory for enabling the visual image information to be provided in an interim compressed format within the digital memory, wherein the interim format decompressor is connected to the digital memory for enabling a visual image defined by the visual image information to be viewed on the image viewing device in an uncompressed format and to be provided to the image processing circuitry in the uncompressed format, wherein the image processing circuitry includes a transmission protocol selector enabling the visual image information to be selectively processed in accordance with a plurality of transmission protocol modes. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A handheld image data capture system, comprising:
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an image data collection device; a serial interface; a communication interface; image processing circuitry coupled to the image data collection device, the serial interface and the communication interface, wherein the image processing circuitry is configured for enabling the visual image information to be selectively retrieved from a digital memory device of the image processing circuitry, wherein the image processing circuitry includes a transmission protocol selector enabling the visual image information to be selectively processed in accordance with a modem protocol and a serial transmission protocol, and wherein the visual image information is provided to the communications interface after being processed in accordance with the modem protocol and is provided to the serial interface after being processed in accordance with the serial transmission protocol; and cellular telephone circuitry coupled to the communications interface, wherein the cellular telephone circuitry is configured for enabling visual image information to be wirelessly transmitted for reception by a remote receiving device after being processed by the image processing circuitry. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification