Visual telephone apparatus

• US 5,850,251 A
• Filed: 05/09/1996
• Issued: 12/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsuchida, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US08/647,059
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 379/100, 379/96, 379/53, 379/93.17, 379/93.21, 379/93.08, 379/93.09, 379/93.11, 379/100.13, 379/100.15, 379/100.16, 379/100.17, 348/14, 348/15, 348/16, 348/17, 348/18, 348/23
• US Class Current: 348/14.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00283 with a television apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00299 with a television transmission apparatus, e.g. a videophone, a teletext system or a digital television system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32704 Establishing a communication with one of a facsimile and another telecommunication apparatus sharing a single line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32708 Telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32719 a facsimile calling signal, e.g. CNG
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32721 facsimile protocol signals, e.g. DCS or TSI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32743 Generating ring-back signals or tones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32745 Generating messages, indications or warnings locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32752 Manual connection of one of the apparatus other than by putting a telephone off-hook
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A visual telephone apparatus of the present invention is capable of deciding whether the apparatus of the other party of communication is a normal telephone apparatus or facsimile equipment by the operator who hears the data received from a connected communication medium or automatically by analysis of the procedure of controlling the communication with the apparatus of the other party, and transmitting the data obtained by photographing a subject in accordance with the communication specification corresponding to the apparatus decided, as well as receiving the data from the apparatus of the other party in accordance with the communication specification corresponding to the apparatus decided and displaying the data on a display unit. The apparatus is also capable of visual telephone communication with a visual telephone set and facsimile communication with facsimile terminal equipment.

Claims

1. An integrated display and camera apparatus comprising:

converting means for converting an object image to digital video data;

display means for displaying an image in accordance with the digital video data;

format selection means for selecting one of a plurality of data formats in accordance with the type of image processing apparatus connected via a communication line;

format converting means for converting the digital video data to formatted data corresponding to said selected format; and

data transmission means for transmitting the digital video data to the image processing apparatus,

wherein said data transmission means performs transmission either in a first protocol or in a second protocol depending upon the amount of the digital video data to be transmitted.

2. The integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising output means, capable of connecting to the kind of image processing apparatus, for outputting the formatted image signals.

3. The integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the kind of image processing apparatus is a visual telephone.

4. The integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the format conversion by said format converting means includes an encoding process.

5. The integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the format conversion by said format converting means includes a modulating process.

6. The integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the format selection by said format selection means is performed on the basis of a program stored in advance.

7. The integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising instruction means for instructing said format selection means to perform selection.

8. The integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising distinguishing means for distinguishing a type of an image processing apparatus connected to said apparatus.

9. The integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage means for storing a video image signal in frame units.

10. A method for operating an integrated display and camera apparatus comprising the steps of:

converting an object image to digital video data in the camera apparatus;

displaying an image on the display in accordance with the digital video data;

selecting one of a plurality of data formats in accordance with the type of image processing apparatus connected via a communication line;

converting the digital video data to formatted data corresponding to the selected format; and

transmitting the digital video data to the image processing apparatus,

wherein the digital video data transmission performs transmission either in a first protocol or in a second protocol depending upon the amount of the digital video data to be transmitted.

11. The method for operating an integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an output step of connecting to the type of image processing apparatus and outputting the formatted image signals.

12. The method for operating an integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the type of image processing apparatus is a visual telephone.

13. The method for operating an integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the format conversion in said format converting step includes an encoding process.

14. The method for operating an integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the format conversion in said format converting step includes a modulating process.

15. The method for operating an integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the format selection in said format selecting step is performed on the basis of a program stored in advance.

16. The method for operating an integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an instruction step of instructing performance of selection in said selecting step.

17. The method for operating an integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a distinguishing step of distinguishing the type of image processing apparatus connected to the apparatus.

18. The method for operating an integrated display and camera apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a step of storing a video image signal in frame units.