Video phone unit

• US 5,191,601 A
• Filed: 04/04/1991
• Issued: 03/02/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ida, Takashi, Watanabe, Toshiaki, Ueno, Hideyuki, Ohzeki, Kazuo, Dachiku, Kenshi, Matsumura, Yoshikuni
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Application Number:
  US07/680,355
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 379/53, 379/54, 358/85, 358/224
• US Class Current: 348/14.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A video phone unit comprising a decoder for expanding a received picture transmitted from the other party, a television camera for photographing a subject for producing a photographed picture on one party side, a hook for detecting whether the camera is immobile or mobile and generating either a first detecting signal indicating that the hook is in a mobile state or a second detecting signal indicating that the hook is immobile, a changeover switch for selecting either the received picture expanded at the decoder or the photographed picture taken at the camera after receiving the first or second detecting signal provided from the hook, a display for displaying one picture selected at the changeover switch, and a coder for compressing and transmitting the photographed picture provided from the camera to the other party.

Claims

1. A video phone unit for transmitting still or moving pictures between one party and the other party, comprising:

receiving means for receiving a digital picture transmitted from the other party;

photographing means for photographing a subject to produce an analog photographed picture on the one party side, the photographing means being movable;

detecting means for detecting whether the photographing means is immobile or mobile and for generating either a first detecting signal indicating that the photographing means is in a mobile state or a second detecting signal indicating that the photographing means is immobile;

first selecting means for selecting the digital received picture transmitted from the receiving means when the second detecting signal is provided from the detecting means and for selecting the analog photographed picture transmitted from the photographing means when the first detecting signal is provided from the detecting means;

displaying means for displaying either the digital received picture or the analog photographed picture which is selected at the first selecting means; and

transmitting means for transmitting the analog photographed picture provided by the photographing means to the other party.

2. A video phone unit in claim 1 in which the detecting means is a hook for attaching the photographing means, the photographing means easily attached or removed from the hook.

3. A video phone unit in claim 1 in which the photographing means is a television camera.

4. A video phone unit in claim 1 in which the photographing means is provided with a first analog-to-digital converter for converting the analog photographed picture to a digital photographed picture;

the first selecting means is a first digital changeover switch for selecting either the digital photographed picture or the digital received picture; and

the displaying means is provided with a second digital-to-analog converter for converting either the digital received picture or the digital photographed picture which is selected in the first selecting means to an analog picture to display in the displaying means.

5. A video phone unit in claim 1 further including:

a reset switch for changing over the selection of the first selecting means by the one party.

6. A video phone unit in claim 1 in which the photographing means comprising:

a lens for focusing incident light reflected from the subject;

a video device for converting the incident light focused in the lens to a video signal, the video signal being transmitted to the first selecting means;

a switch through which the video signal converted in the video device passes when the switch receives the first detecting signal from the detecting means; and

a display for displaying the video signal passing through the switch.

7. A video phone unit in claim 1 in which the photographing means comprising:

a lens for focusing incident light reflected from the subject;

a spectroscope for dividing the incident light focused in the lens into two part;

a video device for converting one part of the incident light divided in the spectroscope to a video signal, the video signal being transmitted to the first selecting means; and

a finder for displaying the other part of the incident light divided in the spectroscope.

8. A video phone unit in claim 1 in which the photographing means is provided with a microphone for transmitting voice on the one party side with the photographed picture.

9. A video phone unit in claim 1 in which the receiving means is provided with a digital-to-analog converter for converting the digital received picture received at the receiving means to an analog received picture;

and

the first selecting means is a first analog changeover switch for selecting the analog received picture or the analog photographed picture.

10. A video phone unit in claim 1 in which the received digital picture transmitted from the receiving means is selected in the first selecting means when the second detecting signal is provided from the detecting means, and the photographed picture transmitted from the photographing means is selected in the first selecting means when the first detecting signal is provided from the detecting means.

11. A video phone unit for transmitting still or moving pictures between one party and an other party, comprising:

receiving means for receiving a picture transmitted from the other party;

photographing means for photographing a subject to produce a photographed picture on the one party side, the photographing means being movable;

detecting means for detecting whether the photographing means is immobile or mobile and for generating either a first detecting signal indicating that the photographing means is in a mobile state or a second detecting signal indicating that the photographing means is immobile;

first selecting means for selecting either the received picture transmitted from the receiving means or the photographed picture transmitted from the photographing means after receiving the first or second detecting signal provided from the detecting means;

displaying means for displaying either the received picture or the photographed picture which is selected at the first selecting means;

internal memory means for memorizing an internal picture;

second selecting means for selecting the internal picture memorized in the internal memory means when the first detecting signal is provided from the detecting means and for selecting the photographed picture taken in the photographing means when the second detecting signal is provided from the detecting means;

operating switch means for changing the internal picture selected by the second selecting means to the photographed picture in cases where the internal picture is selected by the second selecting means, the operating switch means being operated by the one party after the photographing means is immobily set in the mobile state; and

transmitting means for transmitting to the other party either the photographed picture or the internal picture which is selected by the second selecting means and the operating switch means.

12. A video phone unit in claim 11 in which the operating switch is integrally formed with the photographing means.

13. A video phone unit in claim 11 in which the detecting means is a hook for attaching the photographing means, the photographing means being easily attached or removed from the hook.

14. A video phone unit in claim 11 in which the photographing means is a television camera.

15. A video phone unit in claim 11 in which the photographing means is provided with a microphone for transmitting voice on the one party side with the photographed picture.

16. A video phone unit in claim 11 in which

the photographing means is an auto focus television camera in which the focus of the camera is automatically adjusted;

and

the operating switch means is operated after the focus adjustment of the camera is finished.