METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CAPTURING AND MANAGING IMAGES

• US 20150146026A1
• Filed: 01/30/2015
• Published: 05/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: WALKER, Jay S., JORASCH, James A., SAMMON, Russell P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,288,376 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/211.2
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• 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 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2129 Recording in, or reproducing from, a specific memory area or areas, or recording or reproducing at a specific moment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2137 with temporary storage before final recording, e.g. in a frame buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/214 Checking or indicating the storage space
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/216 Arrangements for recording on different types of storage medium, e.g. IC card or magnetic tape; Recording on a plurality of storage media
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/218 Deletion of stored data; Preventing such deletion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the invention, a camera determines whether to acquire an image (e.g., automatically), determines whether to store the acquired image, and determines how to store the acquired image.

Claims

1. An integrated device comprising:

an image sensor;

a cellular telephone;

a touch screen;

a wireless transmitter;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver;

a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port;

a microphone;

non-volatile memory; and

a processor in communication with the image sensor, cellular telephone, wireless transmitter, GPS receiver, USB port, microphone and non-volatile memory, the processor being configured to;

cause the image sensor to acquire an image;

cause storage of the image in the non-volatile memory;

receive a location remote from the integrated device; and

receive instruction to cause automatic transmission of the image to the location via the wireless transmitter.

2. The integrated device of claim 1, wherein the location is a mobile wireless device.

3. The integrated device of claim 2, wherein the transmitted image is tagged to cause display by the mobile wireless device and not storage at the mobile wireless device after being displayed.

4. The integrated device of claim 1, wherein the instruction includes at least one selection factor for selecting at least one image for automatic transmission to the location.

5. The integrated device of claim 4, wherein the at least one selection factor for selecting at least one image for automatic transmission to the location is an identified person in the image.

6. The integrated device of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to tag the image with a geographical location corresponding to where the image was captured, the geographical location being determined based at least in part on signals received by the GPS receiver;

and

the at least one selection factor for selecting at least one image for automatic transmission to the location being a user selected geographical location.

7. The integrated device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive at least one acquisition factor for causing the processor to instruct the image sensor to acquire the image.

8. The integrated device of claim 7, wherein the at least one acquisition factor for causing the processor to instruct the image sensor to acquire the image is a minimum noise level, the noise level being sensed by the microphone.

9. The integrated device of claim 7, wherein the at least one acquisition factor for causing the processor to instruct the image sensor to acquire the image is image quality of a previously captured image, the image quality of the previously captured image being determined based on at least one characteristic associated with the corresponding image.

10. The integrated device of claim 9, wherein the at least one characteristic associated with the corresponding image includes whether at least one person captured in the image blinked.

11. A method for an integrated device for automatically transmitting an image, the integrated device including an image sensor, a cellular telephone, a touch screen, a wireless transmitter, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, a microphone, non-volatile memory and a processor in communication with the image sensor, cellular telephone, wireless transmitter, GPS receiver, USB port, microphone and non-volatile memory, the method comprising:

causing the image sensor to acquire an image;

storing the image in the non-volatile memory;

receiving a location remote from the integrated device; and

receiving instruction to cause automatic transmission of the image to the location via the wireless transmitter.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the location is a mobile wireless device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the transmitted image is tagged to cause display by the mobile wireless device and not storage at the mobile wireless device after being displayed.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the instruction includes at least one selection factor for selecting at least one image for automatic transmission to the location.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one selection factor for selecting at least one image for automatic transmission to the location is an identified person in the image.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising tagging the image with a geographical location corresponding to where the image was captured, the geographical location being determined based at least in part on signals received by the GPS receiver;

and

the at least one selection factor for selecting at least one image for automatic transmission to the location being a user selected geographical location.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving at least one acquisition factor for causing the processor to instruct the image sensor to acquire the image.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one acquisition factor for causing the processor to instruct the image sensor to acquire the image is a minimum noise level, the noise level being sensed by the microphone.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one acquisition factor for causing the processor to instruct the image sensor to acquire the image is image quality of a previously captured image, the image quality of the previously captured image being determined based on at least one characteristic associated with the corresponding image.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one characteristic associated with the corresponding image includes whether at least one person captured in the image blinked.