Electronic imaging system

• US 5,724,155 A
• Filed: 12/30/1994
• Issued: 03/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Saito, Yawara
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Sr., Edward L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harris, Tia M.
• Application Number:
  US08/366,893
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 358/402, 358/403, 358/407, 358/468, 358/462
• US Class Current: 358/402
• 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 1/00236 using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer image input to or image output from a computer via a network H04N1/00209
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00241 using an image reading device as a local input to a computer input via network, e.g. network scanners H04N1/00225
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00477 Indicating status, e.g. of a job for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N2201/3219
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2125 Display of information relating to the still picture recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras

Abstract

An electronic imaging system is disclosed which is capable of transmission and reception of image data and/or data stored in recording media with a small size modem and taking a great amount of picked-up image, and filing and taking them for a personal computer network host at a desired timing. Data communication means transmits image data obtained through by an image means and/or data stored in a mounted information storage medium in a system conforming to an inter-personal computer communication system fitted for network organization.

Claims

1. An electronic still camera, comprising:

image pick-up means for generating and outputting an image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon;

image data storing means for storing image data, corresponding to said image signal issued from said image pick-up means on an applied storage device or medium;

data communication means for transmitting designated image data in said storage device or medium through a personal computer network organization while an operation mode of the system is set for communication;

switch means for causing said communication means to start a communication mode operation; and

operation mode changing means including a first switch and a second switch, said first switch for switching a camera mode and a communication mode, said second switch for switching a play mode and a recording mode while said camera mode is set by said first switch, and for switching a receiving mode and a transmitting mode while a communication mode is set by said first switch.

2. The electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising registering means for registering an access procedure to a network with the inter-personal computer communication system fitted for network organization in a form capable of being utilized.

3. The electronic still camera according to claim 2, wherein the registering means is capable of registering at least one of a telephone No., an ID, and a password, corresponding to each of a plurality of data transmission destinations.

4. The electronic still camera according to claim 3, further comprising automatic accessing means for accessing a pertinent mail box in a network through automatic login execution with respect to the network according to the telephone No., ID or password registered in the registering means in correspondence to a communication destination acknowledged by a communication destination acknowledging means.

5. The electronic still camera according to claim 2, further comprising mark adding means for automatically adding a predetermined mark representing particular attribute information to a file title when image data obtained by at least one of an image means and data stored in a mounted information storage medium and in a file form are uploaded in a host in the network.

6. The electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising automatic selection downloading means for executing downloading by automatically selecting a file with a predetermined mark representing predetermined attribute information from a host in the network.

7. The electronic still camera according to claim 6, further comprising deleting means for deleting a file that has been downloaded.

8. The electronic still camera according to claim 6, further comprising means for automatically generating a file name of a file having been downloaded.

9. The electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising accessing procedure reading means for reading out a predetermined accessing procedure from an information storage medium, in which is stored procedure for accessing a pertinent network in the inter-personal computer communication system fitted for network organization.

10. The electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising confirmation means for confirming the image to be transmitted before transmission.

11. The electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising means for registering the image to be transmitted and transmitting the registered image.

12. The electronic still camera according to claim 1, wherein said data communication means includes means for reading from a storage device a communication protocol for accessing said personal computer network.

13. The electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying a registration menu indicating that a registration operation has started.

14. The electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising means for checking validity of files retrieved from said storage device and for checking identification information associated with each of said files.

15. The electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising determining means for determining that said communication mode is in use and then signalling said displaying means to display said registration menu.

16. The electronic still camera according to claim 13, further comprising recovery means for recovering a protocol data file from said storage means during a protocol registrations process.

17. The electronic still camera according to claim 16, wherein when said protocol data file is successfully read, the data file is stored in an EEPROM.

18. The electronic still camera according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of image signals are converted to a plurality of image data and stored in said applied storage device, and wherein said data communication means includes means for sequentially transmitting said image data in one of the forward and reverse order.

19. The electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising means for signalling when transmission of said image has been successful and for labelling said image data corresponding to successful transmission.

20. The electronic still camera according to claim 19, wherein said imaging system includes means for uploading said labelled image data to said data communication means.

21. The electronic still camera according to claim 20, further comprising registering means having a receipt protocol, wherein said uploaded image data is received by said data communication means according to said receipt protocol to form a transmission list of image data.

22. The electronic still camera according to claim 21, further comprising means for deleting said uploaded image data received by said data communication means and said storage device after successful reception.

23. The electronic still camera according to claim 19, wherein said labelled image data includes labels describing said image data.

24. The electronic still camera according to claim 21, further comprising means for creating a filename of said when said uploaded image data is transmitted through said personal computer network organization.

25. The electronic still camera according to claim 24, further comprising deletion means for deleting said image data if said image data is on said transmission list when transmission is accomplished.

26. The electronic still camera according to claim 25, further comprising means for informing an operator of which of said plurality of image data is being transmitted.