Voice and image data communication apparatus

• US 5,418,560 A
• Filed: 05/19/1992
• Issued: 05/23/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yasuda, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woo, Stella L.
• Application Number:
  US07/885,616
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 379/53, 379/54, 379/96, 379/98, 379/97, 358/85
• US Class Current: 348/14.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• 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

Abstract

Data communication apparatus capable of communicating voice and image data includes an input unit which inputs an image at the apparatus. A display unit displays an image sent from a partner communication apparatus and a call generating operation image plane. A call generation operation to the partner communication apparatus is detected and the input and display units are controlled so that the inputted image at the apparatus is part of a display of the call generation operation image plane when the call generation operation is detected.

Claims

1. A data communication apparatus capable of communicating voice and image data, comprising:

input means for inputting an own image;

display means for displaying a partner image sent from a partner communication apparatus and a call generation operation image plane to be used when an operator of the data communication apparatus executes a call generating operation;

detecting means for detecting a call generating operation to the partner communication apparatus; and

control means for causing said display means to automatically display the own image from said input means together with the call generating operation image plane when said detecting means detects the call generating operation, and for controlling said input means and said display means such that the own image from said input means is automatically and simultaneously displayed in a small area within the call generating operation image plane.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising communication state detecting means for detecting a communication state between the own communication apparatus and the partner communication apparatus,

and wherein said control means controls said input means and said display means so as to display the own image into said display means so as to display the own image into said call generating operation image plane until said communication state detecting means detects the start of the communication of data and also controls the input means and the display means so as to display the own image into the partner image sent from the partner communication apparatus after the detection of the start of the communication.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said communication state detecting means discriminates the start of the communication on the basis of a response from the partner communication apparatus after the call was generated to the partner communication apparatus.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2, further having an image memory to synthesize the partner image sent from the partner communication apparatus and the own image from said input means,

wherein said display means displays an image synthesized by said image memory.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input means is an image pickup camera to pick up an image.

6. A data communication apparatus capable of communicating voice and image data, comprising:

input means for inputting an own image;

display means for displaying a partner image sent from a partner communication apparatus;

detecting means for detecting whether there is an incoming call from the partner communication apparatus or not; and

control means for causing, when said detecting means detects that there is the incoming call from the partner communication apparatus, said display means to automatically display the own image from said input means together with an image plane for selecting an instruction to respond to the incoming call or not, and for controlling said input means and said display means such that the own image from said input means is automatically and simultaneously displayed in a small area within the image plane for selecting the instruction to respond to the incoming call or not.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein after said display means displayed the image plane to select the instruction to respond to the incoming call or not, when an operator selects the instruction to respond to the, the incoming call said display control means allows the display means to display both of the partner image sent from the partner communication apparatus and the own image from the input means.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, further having an image memory to synthesize the partner image sent from the partner communication apparatus and the own image from said input means,

wherein said display means displays an image synthesized by said image memory.

9. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said input means is an image pickup camera to pick up an image.