Communication system and method and storage medium for storing programs in communication system

• US 6,208,376 B1
• Filed: 04/21/1997
• Issued: 03/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Koichiro, Yonezawa, Hiroki, Sasaki, Akitomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESIR, JEAN WICEL
• Application Number:
  US08/839,914
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.718, 348/705, 348/211, 348/212, 348/213, 348/143, 348/153, 348/156, 348/159, 348/8, 348/2, 348/157, 348/10, 348/15, 348/509, 348/563, 348/564, 348/565, 386/117, 386/118, 345/30, 345/960, 379/93.23
• US Class Current: 348/153
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A communication system easy to be operated upon as to the display method of images generated by image generating units of a plurality of communication terminals and as to the control of each image generating unit. The communication system has a reception unit for receiving images generated by image generating units of a plurality of communication terminals, an output unit for outputting a multi-image of images received by the reception unit to a display unit, a designation unit for designating an arbitrary image from the images constituting the multi-image, and a processing unit for controlling the output form of an image to be output to the display unit, the image being designated by the designation unit, if a designation operation by the designation unit is a first designation operation, and for setting the communication terminal as a control object, the communication terminal generating an image designated by the designation unit, if a designation operation by the designation unit is a second designation operation.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

reception means for receiving images generated by image generating units of a plurality of communication terminals;

output means for outputting a multi-image of images received by said reception means to a display unit;

designation means for designating an arbitrary image from the images constituting the multi-image; and

processing means for controlling the output form of an image to be output to the display unit, the image being designated by said designation means, when a designation operation by said designation means is a first designation operation, and for setting the communication terminal as a control object, the communication terminal generating an image designated by said designation means, when a designation operation by said designation means is a second designation operation.

2. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein said designation means is a mouse and the first designation operation is a double click.

3. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein said designation means is a mouse and the second designation operation is a single click.

4. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein controlling the output form is to control to change the multi-image to a mono-image of the image designated by said designation means.

5. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein the image generating unit is a video camera.

6. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein the image generating unit is a video recorder.

7. A communication system according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying the mount positions of the plurality of communication terminals, wherein said processing means changes the display state of the mount position of the communication terminal which generates an image designated in response to the first designation operation.

8. A communication system according to claim 4, wherein said processing means outputs a command to the communication terminal which generates an image designated in response to the first designation operation, the command being used for controlling to lower a compression factor of the image.

9. A communication system according to claim 4, wherein said processing means outputs a command to the communication terminal which generates an image designated in response to the first designation operation, the command being used for controlling to increase a resolution of the image.

10. A communication system according to claim 1, further comprising control means for displaying an operation area on the display unit, the operation area being used for controlling the communication terminal which generates an image designated in response to the second designation operation.

11. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined image is synthesized with an image designated in response to the second designation operation in order to make the image discriminable from other images.

12. A communication system according to claim 10, wherein said control means displays the operation area affixed with a number or developed with a color, the number or color corresponding to the communication terminal which generates the designated image.

13. A communication system according to claim 10, wherein when a plurality of images constituting the multi-image are designated by the second designation operation, said control means displays as many operation areas as the number of the plurality of designated images.

14. A communication system according to claim 10, wherein said control means displays the operation area corresponding to each communication terminal which generates an image designated by the second designation operation, by synthesizing information with the operation area, the information being capable of discriminating each communication terminal from other terminals.

15. A communication method comprising the steps of:

receiving images generated by image generating units of a plurality of communication terminals;

outputting a multi-image of received images to a display unit;

designating an arbitrary image from the images constituting the multi-image; and

controlling the output form of a designated image to be output to the display unit when a designation operation is a first designation operation, and setting the communication terminal generating a designated image as a control object when a designation operation is a second designation operation.

16. A communication system having a first display mode for displaying images received from a plurality of video transmission terminals on a monitor at the same time and a second display mode for displaying an image received from an arbitrary one of the plurality of video transmission terminals, wherein:

when the arbitrary one is connected to a synthesizer in the second display mode, an operation area for controlling the synthesizer is displayed on the monitor.

17. A communication system according to claim 16, wherein in response to an operation upon the operation area for controlling the synthesizer, the second display mode displays a multi-image synthesized from images supplied from other video transmission terminals connected to the synthesizer and an image supplied from the arbitrary one.

18. A communication system according to claim 16, wherein the image supplied from the arbitrary one during the second display mode is displayed in a size larger than the sizes of images supplied from the plurality of video transmission terminals during the first display mode.

19. A communication system according to claim 16, wherein the image supplied from the arbitrary one during the second display mode is displayed at a frame rate higher than the frame rates of images supplied from the plurality of video transmission terminals during the first display mode.

20. A communication system according to claim 16, wherein the image supplied from the arbitrary one during the second display mode is displayed at a resolution higher than the resolutions of images supplied from the plurality of video transmission terminals during the first display mode.

21. A communication system having a first display mode for displaying images received from a plurality of video transmission terminals on a monitor at the same time and a second display mode for displaying an image received from an arbitrary one of the plurality of video transmission terminals, wherein:

when the arbitrary one is connected to a switcher in the second display mode, an operation area for controlling the switcher is displayed on the monitor.

22. A communication system according to claim 21, wherein in response to an operation upon the operation area for controlling the switcher, the second display mode changes a displayed image to an image supplied from another video transmission terminal connected to the switcher.

23. A communication system according to claim 21, wherein the image supplied from the arbitrary one during the second display mode is displayed in a size larger than the sizes of images supplied from the plurality of video transmission terminals during the first display mode.

24. A communication system according to claim 21, wherein the image supplied from the arbitrary one during the second display mode is displayed at a frame rate higher than the frame rates of images supplied from the plurality of video transmission terminals during the first display mode.

25. A communication system according to claim 21, wherein the image supplied from the arbitrary one during the second display mode is displayed at a resolution higher than the resolutions of images supplied from the plurality of video transmission terminals during the first display mode.

26. A communication system having a first display mode for displaying images received from a plurality of video transmission terminals on a monitor at the same time and a second display mode for displaying an image received from an arbitrary one of the plurality of video transmission terminals, wherein:

when the video transmission terminal transmitting an image displayed on the monitor is connected to a synthesizer, an image synthesis control instruction is allowed to be entered from an operation area on the monitor for controlling the synthesizer, irrespective of whether the mode is the first or second display mode.

27. A communication system according to claim 26, wherein the image synthesis control instruction is an instruction to synthesize a multi-image of images supplied from video transmission terminals connected to the synthesizer.

28. A communication system having a first display mode for displaying images received from a plurality of video transmission terminals on a monitor at the same time and a second display mode for displaying an image received from an arbitrary one of the plurality of video transmission terminals, wherein:

when the video transmission terminal transmitting an image displayed on the monitor is connected to a switcher, an image switch control instruction is allowed to be entered from an operation area on the monitor for controlling the switcher, irrespective of whether the mode is the first or second display mode.

29. A communication system according to claim 28, wherein the image switch control instruction is an instruction to switch an image to another image supplied from another video transmission terminal connected to the switch.