Apparatus for still picture video telephone apparatus and methods for transmitting and displaying still picture image for use therein

• US 4,962,521 A
• Filed: 12/16/1988
• Issued: 10/09/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Yokodate, Shinya, Fujimoto, Hitoshi, Saigusa, Kazuyuki, Kabasawa, Akifumi, Ohtsuka, Hiroshi, Sakamoto, Junichi, Kashiwagi, Kenichi, Komatsu, Fumiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jin F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US07/285,816
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 379/53, 379/54, 379/96, 379/100, 358/85, 358/134, 358/257, 358/400, 358/451, 358/453
• US Class Current: 348/14.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/12 Systems in which the television signal is transmitted via one channel or a plurality of parallel channels, the bandwidth of each channel being less than the bandwidth of the television signal H04N7/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085

Abstract

A still picture video telephone apparatus adapted to transmit and receive, through a telephone line, still picture information from a television camera or the like, during a telephone call, includes a picture memory for storing a plurality of pages of picture information consisting of a camera-taken picture memory portion which rewrites still picture information input therein delivered from the television camera at intervals of a predetermined period, a self-prepared picture memory portion which stores desired still picture information until arrival of a rewrite instruction, and an incoming picture memory portion which sequentially rewrites still picture information therein upon receipt of still picture information when its storage regions are filled up, memory region input information for setting up regions for the self-prepared picture memory portion and the incoming picture memory portion within the picture memory, and picture memory control circuit for controlling still picture information input to and output from the picture memory based on the memory region information, wherein the picture memory is capable of storing a plurality pages of still picture information and allocating memory regions to the self-prepared picture memory portion and the incoming picture memory portion in various ways.

Claims

1. A still picture video telephone apparatus adapted to transmit and to receive, through a telephone line, still picture information delivered from a television camera or the like during a telephone call, comprising:

a picture memory for storing a plurality of pages of picture information consisting of a camera-taken picture memory portion which writes still picture information input thereto from said television camera at intervals of a predetermined period, a self-prepared picture memory portion which stores desired still picture information from said camera-taken picture memory portion, and an incoming picture memory portion storing a plurality of pages of incoming picture information in respective storage regions and which sequentially rewrites still picture information therein upon receipt of still picture information when said storage regions are full;

memory region information input means for setting up regions of said self-prepared picture memory portion and said incoming picture memory portion within said picture memory; and

picture memory control means for controlling still picture information input to and output from said picture memory;

wherein said picture memory is capable of storing a plurality of pages of still picture information, and allocation of memory regions within the picture memory for said self-prepared picture memory portion and said incoming picture memory portion is variable.

2. The still picture video telephone apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said self-prepared picture memory portion is a memory for receiving desired still picture information transferred from said camera-taken picture memory portion and storing said desired still picture information as a picture image to be transmitted.

3. The still picture video telephone apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said self-prepared picture memory portion and incoming picture memory portion are each a memory capable of storing a plurality of pages of still picture information.

4. The still picture video telephone apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detector circuit for detecting a loop-off which indicates the end of a call, wherein said picture memory control means erases the picture information in said incoming picture memory portion in response to a loop-off detected signal from said detector circuit.

5. The still picture video telephone apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said detector circuit detects on/off of a power supply and said picture memory control means erases picture information in said incoming picture memory portion in response to a detected signal therefrom.

6. A method for transmitting still picture images for use in a still picture video telephone, comprising the steps of:

generating still picture information with a television camera or the like;

writing said still picture information into a picture memory for storage at one specific region thereof;

reading the stored still picture information from said picture memory and displaying a still picture image represented by said still picture information on a display;

extracting and transferring a preset desired portion of said stored still picture information to a second specific region of said picture memory;

reading the stored still picture information from said second specific region of said picture memory; and

converting the read information from said second specific region into a transmission signal and transmitting said transmission signal through a communication line to a receiving still picture video telephone system.

7. The method for transmitting still picture image for use in a still picture image for use in a still picture video telephone apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said desired portion of the still picture information is preset to be displayed in the full screen size of the display picture plane of the system on the other end of the line.

8. A method for displaying still picture images for use in a still picture video telephone apparatus whereby incoming still picture information through a communication line is stored in a picture memory and a picture image is displayed based on said stored incoming still picture information, comprising the steps of:

recognizing the resolution of incoming still picture information based on header data received prior to reception of the still picture information;

storing the received incoming still picture information into a special signal reception region of said picture memory sequentially;

displaying on a display the still picture information stored in said special signal reception region in accordance with the recognized resolution of said incoming still picture information during reception of incoming still picture information;

transferring said incoming still picture information stored in said special signal reception region to an ordinary picture memory used for displaying a still picture image on a display at the time of the normal operation; and

erasing the information stored in said special reception region after the end of signal reception such that when still picture information of a different resolution is received, a still picture image is displayed on a display in accordance with a predetermined resolution during signal reception.

9. A method for displaying still picture images for use in a still picture video telephone apparatus whereby desired a still picture is transmitted and received through a communication line and displayed during a telephone call, comprising the steps of:

inserting data representing the aspect ratio of the picture image into a header of the still picture information to be transmitted and received; and

upon receipt of still picture information with a larger aspect ratio than that of its own picture display plane, erasing the picture image data thereof corresponding to at least a portion of the peripheral region in the horizontal direction of its own picture plane.

10. A method for displaying still picture images for use in a still picture video telephone apparatus whereby a desired still picture is transmitted and received through a communication line and displayed during a telephone call, comprising the steps of:

inserting data representing the aspect ratio of the picture image in a header of the still picture information to be transmitted and received; and

adding, upon receipt of still picture information with a different aspect ratio, picture data on a specific pattern stored in advance of at least a portion of the peripheral region of its own picture plane.