Communication apparatus and communication displaying method with remote monitoring function

• US 6,101,536 A
• Filed: 04/08/1998
• Issued: 08/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yonezawa, Hiroki, Kotani, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/056,984
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/217, 709/218, 709/224, 709/313, 709/328, 709/320, 345/327, 345/329, 345/330, 345/331, 345/332, 345/348, 345/349, 348/15, 348/16, 348/143
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0038 System on Chip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

In an apparatus capable of communication with plural image transmitting terminals, improved operability is provided in selectively receiving and displaying images from the active terminals among plural image transmitting terminals. For this purpose, there is provided instruction means for entering an instruction for grouping the active terminals among the plural image transmitting terminals, generation means for grouping the active image transmitting terminals according to the instruction from the instruction means and generating a symbol corresponding to such group, and output means adapted, in response to an access to the symbol, to provide a monitor with images consisting of image data received from the active image transmitting terminals.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

instruction means for inputting an instruction for grouping, among plural image transmitting terminals, those in activating state;

obtaining means for obtaining information of activating image transmitting terminals among the plural transmitting terminals, in response to the instruction by said instruction means;

generation means for generating a symbol corresponding to the activating image transmitting terminals obtained by said obtaining means; and

output means for outputting, to a monitor, images of image data received from said activating image transmitting terminals according to an access to the symbol.

2. A communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said output means is multi image display means for executing, on the monitor, multi image display of the image data received from said activating image transmitting terminals, according to the access to the symbol.

3. A communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said generation means is adapted, in case a number of said activating image transmitting terminals exceeds a number of display areas on the monitor, to selectively group, among said image transmitting terminals, those manually instructed of an operator.

4. A communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said generation means executes said grouping according an order of priority designated in advance.

5. A communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said generation means is adapted, according to the instruction, to group all said activating image transmitting terminals and to generate a symbol corresponding to the group; and

wherein said output means is adapted, according to the access to the symbol, to output, to the monitor, multi images of a number of divisions corresponding to the number of all the activating image transmitting terminals, in order to display, on the monitor, images corresponding to the image data generated by all said activating image transmitting terminals.

6. A communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said generation means is adapted, according to the instruction, to form plural groups each including a predetermined number of said activating image transmitting terminals and to generate symbols corresponding to the plural groups;

and

wherein said output means is adapted, according to the access to the plural symbols, to output, to the monitor, images of image data received from the image transmitting terminals corresponding to the accessed symbol.

7. A communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said predetermined number is a predetermined number of images outputable to the monitor.

8. A communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said generation means is adapted to generate a name for each of the symbols corresponding to the plural groups.

9. A communication apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising means for storing information indicating a location of said activating image transmitting terminal, wherein t he name is related wit h the location.

10. A communication apparatus comprising:

instruction means for inputting an instruction for grouping, among plural image transmitting terminals, those in activating state;

obtaining means for obtaining information of activating image transmitting terminals among the plural transmitting terminals, in response to the instruction by said instruction means;

output means including a first outputting mode adapted, according to the obtaining, to group all said activating image transmitting terminals and generating a symbol corresponding to the group, and, according to the access to the symbol, to output to the monitor multi images of a number of divisions corresponding to the number of all the activating image transmitting terminals, in order to display, on the monitor, images corresponding to the image data generated by all said activating image transmitting terminals;

a second outputting mode adapted, according to the obtaining instruction, to form plural groups each including a predetermined number of said activating image transmitting terminals and to generate symbols corresponding to the plural groups, and, according to the access to the plural symbols, to output, to the monitor, images of image data received from the image transmitting terminals corresponding to the accessed symbol; and

setting means for setting said output mode.

11. A communication display method comprising:

inputting an instruction for grouping, among plural image transmitting terminals, those in activating state;

obtaining information of activating image transmitting terminals among the plural transmitting terminals, in response to the instruction;

generating a symbol corresponding to the activating image transmitting terminals obtained by said obtaining of said information; and

outputting, to a monitor, images of image data received from said activating image transmitting terminals according to an access to the symbol.

12. A communication display method according to claim 11, wherein said output executes, on the monitor, multi image display of the image data received from said activating image transmitting terminals, according to the access to said symbol.

13. A communication display method according to claim 11, wherein, in case a number of said activating image transmitting terminals exceeds a number of display areas on the monitor, grouping is executed selectively among said image transmitting terminals.

14. A communication display method according to claim 13, wherein said grouping is executed according to an order of priority designated in advance.

15. A communication display method according to claim 11, wherein:

according to said instruction, all said activating image transmitting terminals are grouped and a symbol corresponding to the group is generated and

according to the access to said symbol, multi images of a number of divisions corresponding to the number of all the activating image transmitting terminals are outputted to the monitor, in order to display, on the monitor, images corresponding to the image data generated by all said activating image transmitting terminals.

16. A communication display method according to claim 11, wherein:

according to the instruction, plural groups each including a predetermined number of said activating image transmitting terminals are formed and symbols corresponding to the plural groups are generated; and

according to the access to the plural symbols, images of image data received from the image transmitting terminals corresponding to the accessed symbol are outputted to the monitor.

17. A communication display method according to claim 16, wherein said predetermined number is a predetermined number of images outputable to the monitor.

18. A communication display method according to claim 16, further comprising a step of generating a name for each of the symbols corresponding to the plural groups.

19. A communication display method according to claim 18, further comprising a step of storing information indicating the location of said activating image transmitting terminal, wherein said name is related with said location.

20. A communication display method comprising:

inputting an instruction for grouping, among plural image transmitting terminals, those in activating state;

obtaining information of activating image transmitting terminals among the plural transmitting terminals, in response to the instruction;

outputting by a first outputting mode adapted, according to the obtaining, to group all said activating image transmitting terminals and generating a symbol corresponding to the group, and, according to the access to the symbol, to output to the monitor multi images of a number of divisions corresponding to the number of all the activating image transmitting terminals, in order to display, on the monitor, images corresponding to the image data generated by all said activating image transmitting terminals; and

outputting by a second outputting mode adapted, according to the obtaining, to form plural groups each including a predetermined number of said activating image transmitting terminals and to generate symbols corresponding to the plural groups, and, according to the access to the plural symbols, to output, to the monitor, images of image data received from the image transmitting terminals corresponding to the accessed symbol; and

setting said output mode.

21. Computer executable software code stored on a computer readable medium, comprising:

code for inputting an instruction for grouping, among plural image transmitting terminals, those in activating state;

code for obtaining information of activating image transmitting terminals among the plural transmitting terminals, in response to the instruction;

code for generating a symbol corresponding to the activating image transmitting terminals obtained by said obtaining means; and

code for outputting, to a monitor, images of image data received from said activating image transmitting terminals according to an access to the symbol.