Appliance and method of using same having a send capability for stored data

• US 6,396,518 B1
• Filed: 08/07/1998
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Dalton, Dan L., Smith, Kevin N., Dow, James C., Formosa, Daniel, Nieves, Sandra, Shepard, Nancy, Rudd, Michael L., Hamburger, Paul, DeVries, Michael J., Ruffatto, Karin C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Application Number:
  US09/130,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20020054119A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 345/772,859,861,864,156,179,764,821,835 358/473,479 400/88
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00137 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00384 Key input means, e.g. buttons or keypads electromechanical details of key input means in general H01H13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00408 Display of information to the user, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00413 using menus, i.e. presenting the user with a plurality of selectable options H04N1/00464 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00416 Multi-level menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00432 using tabs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00474 outputting a plurality of functional options, e.g. scan, copy or print
• 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 1/107 with manual scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0053 Optical, e.g. using an infrared link
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0077 Types of the still picture apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3287 Storage of at least one complete document page or image frame

Abstract

An appliance indicates that it is transferring information to an external device by displaying a send animation. The send animation simulates movement of a metamorphic icon by moving images on a background such that the metamorphic icon appears to be moving. One embodiment of the appliance includes a processor for manipulating and exhibiting the send animation on a built-in display screen. In one embodiment, the metamorphic icon resembles a paper airplane and the moving images resemble clouds so that the paper airplane appears to be flying over the clouds, thereby indicating that the appliance is sending information to an external device.

Claims

1. An image capture appliance comprising:

a photoelement array for acquiring image data;

a memory for saving said image data;

a processor in communication with said memory;

a plurality of ports for transferring said image data to an external device; and

program code stored in said memory and executed by said processor, said program code comprising;

a send page module for transferring image data between said appliance and said external device, and

an animation module executed by said processor that generates a send animation for a display, such that said send animation indicates to a user that one of said plurality of ports is currently being utilized for transferring said image data to said external device,

wherein said send animation simulates movement of a metaphoric icon, and wherein said metaphoric icon resembles at least a paper airplane and a plurality of images resembling clouds, and a bar graph animation such that said user understands that said appliance is being used to transmit said image data.

2. The appliance of claim 1, further comprising a completion code segment such that said completion code segment ends the display of at least one animation upon the completion of the transferring of said image data to said external device and such that the user realizes that the transferring said image data to said external device is complete.

3. A method for transferring image data from a hand-held image capture and communication appliance to an external device, comprising the steps of:

capturing an image with said appliance;

saving said image in a storage medium;

sending said image data to the external device over a first communication port;

displaying an animation on a display associated with said appliance, said animation representing the transfer of image data from said appliance to the external device; and

further comprising the step of displaying said animation when said appliance is sending said image data, said animation simulates the movement of a metaphoric icon over a background, wherein said metaphoric icon resembles a paper airplane and a plurality of images resembling clouds, and a bar graph amination such that a user understands that said appliance is being used to transmit said image data.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of ending said display of said animation upon completion of the transferring of said image data to said external device such that the user realizes that the transferring of said image data to said external device is complete.

5. An appliance comprising:

a display means coupled to the appliance;

a send animation module executed by a processor residing in the appliance that generates a send animation for displaying on the display means, the send animation further comprising an animated composite metaphoric icon having at least an image that resembles a paper airplane and at least a bar graph animation such that the send animation simulates motion to indicate that the appliance is sending information to an external device.

6. The appliance of claim 5, wherein the image further comprises a cloud.

7. The appliance of claim 5, further comprising a completion code segment such that the completion code segment ends display of the send animation upon completion of the appliance sending information to the external device to indicate that sending the information is completed.

8. The appliance of claim 5, wherein the send animation module is executed by the processor when the appliance begins sending information to the external device.

9. The appliance of claim 5, wherein the appliance is a hand-held image capture appliance.

10. The appliance of claim 5, further comprising a progress animation module executed by the processor, the progress animation module generating the bar graph animation for displaying on the display means, the bar graph animation indicating an amount of information in relation to a total amount of information that the appliance is sending to the external device.

11. A method for indicating transference of information from an appliance to an external device, comprising the stops of:

displaying an animated composite metaphoric icon having at least one image that resembles a paper airplane and at least a bar graph animation; and

simulating motion to indicate that the appliance is sending information to the external device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of beginning the steps of displaying the metaphoric icon and simulating motion when the appliance begins sending information to the external device.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of ending the steps of displaying the metaphoric icon and simulating motion upon completion of the appliance sending the information to the external device.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of displaying at least one image of the metaphoric icon as a cloud.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of displaying a background having a plurality of images resembling clouds.

16. A computer readable medium having a program for sending information from an appliance to an external device, the program comprising:

logic configured for transferring information from the appliance to the external device; and

logic configured for displaying an animated composite metaphoric icon simulating motion to indicate that the appliance is sending information to the external device wherein the animated composite metaphoric icon has at least an image that resembles a paper airplane and at least a bar graph animation.

17. The program of claim 16, further comprising logic configured for concurrently executing the transferring logic and the displaying logic when the appliance is sending information to the external device.

18. The program of claim 16, further comprising logic configured for generating an image resembling a cloud.

19. The program of claim 16, further comprising logic for generating a bar graph animation, the bar graph animation indicating an amount of information in relation to a total amount of information that the appliance is sending to the external device.