Electronic still camera having pointing indicator showing operation mode

• US 6,466,263 B1
• Filed: 06/05/1995
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Linear LLC (Melrose Industries Plc)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US08/464,346
• Time in Patent Office: 2,689 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.5225, 348/207, 348/220, 348/333, 348/334, 348/552, 348/13, 348/15, 348/16, 348/17, 348/143, 348/221, 396/281, 396/287, 396/290, 396/291, 396/292, 396/297, 396/300, 396/429, 455/154.1, 455/157.2, 455/158.1, 455/158.4, 386/77, 386/107, 386/117, 358/400
• US Class Current: 348/220.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2745 using static electronic memories, e.g. chips
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2125 Display of information relating to the still picture recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3209 of a telephone number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3216 of a job size, e.g. a number of images, pages or copies, size of file, length of message
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 Display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/906 Hand-held camera with recorder in a single unit

Abstract

An image processing apparatus for taking pictures and storing them in an applied storage device generates and outputs an image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, transmits and/or receives image information generated in this apparatus or a similar apparatus when an operation mode of the apparatus is set for a communication operation, and stores the telephone number of the destination in a predetermined address of an applied solid state memory means in which the telephone number can be maintained without the application of a power source.

Claims

1. An electronic still camera being operable in a plurality of operation modes including a data transmitting mode and a data receiving mode, those modes being selectively switchable by a user, where in said data transmitting mode and said data receiving mode, image data to be sent or received is conveyed via an external transmitting channel, and said electronic still camera being integral with a camera body, the camera comprising:

a switching member disposed on said camera body for selectively switching said operation modes from said data transmitting mode to said data receiving mode and vice-versa responsive to displacement of said switching member;

a display element, disposed on said camera body, for displaying whether a present operation mode is said data transmitting mode or said data receiving mode by a symbolic pointing display, a pointing direction of which corresponds to a direction of said displacement of said switching member; and

data processing means for, when said camera is in said data transmitting mode, transmitting data to said external channel and for, when said camera is in said data receiving mode, receiving data from said external channel.

2. The camera of claim 1, wherein said data processing means is for transmitting and receiving data over a telephone network.

3. The camera of claim 2, wherein said display element includes an LCD display device.

4. The camera of claim 1, wherein said symbolic pointing display of said display element includes an arrow mark display.

5. The camera of claim 1, wherein the electronic still camera includes an optical sensor for generating image data representative of an image incident thereon, the optical sensor being disposed in said camera body.

6. The camera of claim 1, wherein said switching member and said display element are separate from one another.

8. The camera of claim 2, wherein said data processing means is for transmitting and receiving data over a telephone network.

7. An electronic still camera being operable in a plurality of operation modes including a camera mode for taking a picture and a communication mode for transmitting and receiving image data, those modes being selectively switchable by a user, where in said communication mode, image data to be sent or received is conveyed via an external transmitting channel, said electronic still camera being integral with a camera body, said camera comprising:

a display element disposed on said camera body for displaying whether a present operation mode is said camera mode or said communication mode; and

a switching member disposed on said camera body for selectively switching operating modes between a recording mode and a play-back mode, if said camera mode is set, and for selectively switching operating modes between a transmitting mode and a receiving mode, if said communication mode is set; and

data processing means for, when said camera is in said transmitting mode, transmitting data to said external channel and for, when said camera is in said receiving mode, receiving data from said external channel.

9. The camera of claim 7, wherein the electronic still camera includes an optical sensor for generating image data representative of an image incident thereon, the optical sensor being disposed in said camera body.

10. The camera of claim 7, wherein said switching member and said display element are separate from one another.