Communication system for transmitting a plurality of images and audio information

• US 6,396,514 B1
• Filed: 08/28/1996
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kohno, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CHANH DUY
• Application Number:
  US08/704,252
• Time in Patent Office: 2,099 Days
• Field of Search: 345/115,116,127,131,329,330,332,733,734,735,748,740,753,751,752,1.1,1.2,2.2 348/13,15
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A terminal capable of switching among a plurality of types of information is provided. A display unit for displaying a plurality of video information and image information inputted by an information input unit, an input information selection unit for selecting desired information from the input information displayed on the display unit and a switching output unit for switching to the input information selected by the input selection unit for output are provided. The input information is always manifested in the display unit so that an operator may switch to the desired input information while watching the manifested content to prevent the output of unintended input information.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

managing means for managing a plurality of material images to which a transmitting order has been previously determined;

transmitting means for transmitting a first material image of the plurality of material images to an external apparatus; and

output means for outputting information to a display device to simultaneously display the first material image on a first area and a second material image on a second area different from the first area,

wherein the first material image is the image which has been transmitted by said transmitting means, and the second material image is the image which should be transmitted next to the first material image according to the transmitting order and is not yet transmitted by said transmitting means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein magnification is executed on the first image according to an instruction when transmitting the first image.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information relating to the second image is character information corresponding to the second image.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting means transmits the first image to an external device connected to a projector or via a network.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of images include a camera image, a video image or an image prepared by a drawing tool.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image displayed on the second area by a predetermined operation is transmitted by said transmitting means.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising controlling means for performing control so that a predetermined material image of which use frequency is high is always displayed on an area different from the first area and the second area.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for storing the plurality of material images managed by said managing means.

9. A communication method, comprising the steps of:

managing a plurality of material images to which a transmitting order has been previously determined;

transmitting a first material image of the plurality of material images to an external apparatus; and

outputting information to a display device to simultaneously display the first material image on a first area and a second material image in a second area different from the first area,

wherein the first material image is the image which has been transmitted in said transmitting step, and said second material image is the image which should be transmitted next to said first material image according to the transmitting order and is not yet transmitted in said transmitting step.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the first image is outputted to the display device in a display form different from a display form of the second image according to an instruction for transmitting the first image.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein magnification is executed on the first image according to an instruction when transmitting the first image.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the information relating to the second image is character information corresponding to the second image.

13. A method according to claim 9, wherein the first image is transmitted in said transmitting step to an external device connected to a projector or via a network.

14. A method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of images include a camera image, a video image or an image prepared by a drawing tool.

15. A method according to claim 9, wherein the image displayed on the second area by a predetermined operation is transmitted in said transmitting step.

16. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of performing control so that a predetermined material image of which use frequency is high is always displayed on an area different from the first area and the second area.

17. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of storing the plurality of material images managed in the managing step.