Method and system for extending the available image file formats in an image capture device

• US 6,493,028 B1
• Filed: 11/26/1997
• Issued: 12/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FlashPoint Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: FlashPoint Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Anderson, Eric C., Scardino, Patricia
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Ngoc-Yen, Vu, Ngoc-Yen
• Application Number:
  US08/978,794
• Time in Patent Office: 1,840 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.700, H04/N.576, 348/231, 348/232, 348/233, 348/552, 348/222.1, 348/231.99, 348/231.2, 348/231.3, 348/231--23, 382/232
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream

Abstract

A system and method for adding file formats to a digital imaging device is disclosed. The digital imaging device includes a built-in file format. The method and system include allowing a user to loading a first file extension module, providing a management layer, and providing a plurality of data processing utilities. The first file extension module includes a second file format. The management layer communicates with the first file extension module to write and read an image file having the second file format. The management layer also communicates with a portion of the digital imaging device using an internal format. The plurality of data processing utilities are for converting data to between the second file format and the internal format.

Claims

1. A method for adding new file formats on a digital imaging device, the digital imaging device also including at least one built-in file format, the at least one built-in file format capable of including all file formats which the digital imaging device is provided during manufacture, the method comprising the steps of:

allowing a user to load a first file extension module including a second file format previously unsupported by the digital imaging device;

providing a management layer, the management layer for communicating with the first file extension module to write or read an image file having the second file format and for communicating with a portion of the digital imaging device using an internal format that includes the at least one built-in file format;

providing at least one data processing utility, the data processing utility for converting data between the second file format and the internal format; and

for a capturing an image to be stored in the second format, storing the image in the internal first and using the management layer, the first file extension module and the at least one data processing utility to convert the image from the internal format to the second file format;

thereby allowing the digital imaging device to support the at least one built-in first file format and the second file format added by the user without requiring that any of the at least one built-in file format be replaced.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of

allowing for translation an image file from the second file format to a third file format in the digital imaging device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the image file includes image data compressed using a first compression algorithm and data relating to the image, the third file format specify that the image data be compressed using a second compression algorithm, the method comprising the steps of:

decompressing the image data using a compressor/decompressor corresponding to the first data compression algorithm;

converting the image data and the data relating to the image from a first type used by the second file format to a second type used by the third file format;

compressing the image data using the second compression algorithm; and

placing the image data compressed using the second compression algorithm and the information relating to the image data in an order required by the third file format.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of:

allowing a user to transfer an image file from the digital imaging device to a second digital imaging device, the second digital imaging device supporting the third file format, the method comprising the steps of;

if the image file is in the second file format, translating the image file to the third file format and transferring the translated file to the second digital imaging device; and

if the image file is in the third file format, transferring the image file to the second digital imaging device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of allowing a user to load the first file extension module further comprises the step of providing a plurality of commands for communicating with the management layer.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the plurality of commands further includes a plurality of Application Program Interfaces (APIs).

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the digital imaging device includes a user interface and wherein the method further includes the steps of:

automatically providing an availability of the built-in first file format and an availability of the second file format to the user interface.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of automatically providing the availability of the built-in first file format and the availability of the second file format further comprises the step of:

updating a plurality of values of a file type parameter, the plurality of values indicating the availabilities of the second file format and the availability of the built-in first file format.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of automatically providing the availability of the second file format further comprises the steps of

detecting the presence of the first file extension module;

creating a table of available file formats, the table including the built-in first file format and the second file format;

during an initialization of the management layer, providing the table to the management layer; and

calling the first file extension module extension module to set the capabilities of the first file extension module.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the data processing utility is accessed by the management layer.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the data processing utility is accessed by the first file extension module.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of allowing the user to load the first file extension module further includes the step of:

providing a second plurality of APIs for communicating between the first file extension module and the data processing utility.

13. A system for adding file formats to a digital imaging device including at least one built-in file format, the at least one built-in file format capable of including all file formats which the digital imaging device is provided during manufacture, the system comprising:

at least one file extension module including a corresponding file format previously unsupported by the digital imaging device, the at least one file extension module capable of being loaded to the digital imaging device by a user;

a management layer coupled to the at least one file extension module, the management layer for communicating with the at least one file extension module to write to or read an image file having the corresponding file format, the management layer also for communicating with a portion of the digital imaging device using an internal file format that includes the at least one built-in file format;

a plurality of data processing utilities, the data processing utilities for converting data between the internal file format and the corresponding format of the at least one file extension module such that for capturing an image to be stored in the second format, the image is first stored in the internal format and converted from the internal format to the second file format using the management layer, the at least one file extension module and a portion of the plurality of data processing utilities;

thereby allowing the digital imaging device to support the at least one built-in first file format and the corresponding file format added to the digital imaging device without requiring that any of the at least one built-in file format be replaced.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the at least one file extension module further includes a plurality of commands for communicating with the management layer.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the plurality of commands further includes a plurality of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) for communicating with the management layer.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the digital camera includes a user interface;

the system further comprising;

means for automatically providing an availability of the corresponding file format to the user interface.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the means for automatically providing the availability of the corresponding file format further comprises:

a parameter manager for updating a plurality of values of a file type parameter, the plurality of values indicating the additional file formats available and the built-in first file format.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the data processing utilities are coupled to the management layer.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the at least one file extension module further includes a first and a second file extension module;

and wherein the management layer, the data processing utilities, the first file extension module, and the second file extension module are capable of translating an image file from a first file format corresponding to the first file extension module to a second file format corresponding to the second file extension module.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the management layer, the data processing utilities are capable of transferring the image file to a second digital imaging device, the second digital imaging device supporting at least one format of a plurality of additional file formats available and the built-in file format, wherein the image file is translated to the at least one format if the image file is not already have the at least one file format.

21. The system of claim 17 wherein the data processing utilities are coupled to the at least one file extension module.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the at least one file extension module further includes a second plurality of APIs for communicating with the data processing utilities.

23. A computer-readable medium containing a program for allowing a user to add new file formats to a digital imaging device including a built-in file format, the at least one built-in file format capable of including all file formats which the digital imaging device is provided during manufacture, the program containing program instructions for:

allowing a user to load a first file extension module including a second file format previously unsupported by the digital imaging device

providing a management layer, the management layer for communicating with the first file extension module to support an image file having the second file format and for communicating with a portion of the digital imaging device using an internal format that includes the at least one built-in file format;

providing a plurality of data processing utilities for converting data between the second file format and the internal format; and

for a capturing an image to be stored in the second format, storing the image in the internal first and using the management layer, the first file extension module and the at least one data processing utility to convert the image from the internal format to the second file format;

thereby allowing the digital imaging device to support the at least one built-in first file format and the second file format added by the user without requiring that any of the at least one built-in file formats be replaced.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the digital camera includes a user interface and wherein program further includes a program instruction for:

automatically providing an availability of the second file format to the user interface.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the program instruction for automatically providing the availability of the second file format further comprises a program instruction for:

updating a plurality of values of a file type parameter, the plurality of values indicating the additional file formats available and the built-in file format.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 wherein the program instruction for automatically providing the availability of the first file extension module further comprises program instructions for:

detecting the presence of the first file extension module;

creating a table of available file formats, the table including the built-in first file format and the second file format;

during an initialization of the management layer, passing the table to the management layer; and

calling the first file extension module extension module to set the capabilities of the first file extension module.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 containing program instructions for allowing the data processing utilities to be accessed by the management layer.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 further containing program instructions for allowing the data processing utilities to be accessed by the first file extension module.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the program instruction for loading the first file extension module further includes program instructions for:

providing a second plurality of APIs for communicating between the first file extension module and the data processing utilities.

30. A system for adding file formats to a digital camera including built-in file format, the at least one built-in file format capable of including all file formats which the digital imaging device is provided during manufacture, the system comprising:

at least one file extension module including information relating to a corresponding file format and a plurality of application program interfaces (APIs), the corresponding file format previously unsupported by the digital camera;

a management layer coupled to the at least one file extension module, the management layer for communicating between the at least one file extension module using the plurality of APIs to write or read an image file having the corresponding file format, the management layer also for communicating with a portion of the digital camera using an internal format that includes the at least one built-in file format;

a plurality of data processing utilities for converting data between the internal format and the corresponding file format of the at least one file extension module such that for capturing an image to be stored in the second format, the image is first stored in the internal format and converted from the internal format to the second file format using the management layer, the at least one file extension module and a portion of the plurality of data processing utilities; and

a parameter manager for automatically providing an availability of the corresponding file format to a user interface by updating a plurality of values of a file type parameter, the plurality of values indicating the additional file formats available and the built-in first file format;

thereby allowing the digital imaging device to support the at least one built-in first file format and the corresponding file format added to the digital camera without requiring that any of the at least one built-in file formats be replaced.

31. A digital imaging device capable of translating an image file from a first file format to a second file format, the image file containing image data compressed using a first compression algorithm and information relating to the image data, the second file format specifying that the image data be compressed using a second compression algorithm, the digital imaging device comprising:

a first file extension module including the first file format;

a second file extension module including the second file format;

a management layer coupled to the first file extension module and to the second file extension module, the management layer for communicating with the first file extension module to write or read an image file having the first file format and for communicating with the second file extension module to write or read an image file having the second file format, the management layer also for communicating with a portion of the digital imaging device using an internal file format; and

a plurality of data processing utilities, the plurality of data processing utilities for decompressing the image data using a first decompression algorithm corresponding to the first compression algorithm and compressing the image data using the second compression algorithm and for placing the compressed image data compressed using the second compression algorithm and the compressed information relating to the image data in an order required by the second file format;

wherein the first file format or the second file format are capable of being loaded by a user after the digital imaging device is manufactured

thereby allowing the image file to be translated from the first file format to the second file format without requiring additional hardware to be provided for the digital imaging device; and

wherein if the first file format is loaded after the digital imaging device is manufactured then the digital imaging device is capable of supporting both the first file format and all of at least one built-in file format, wherein if the second file format is loaded after the digital imaging device is manufactured then the digital imaging device is capable of supporting both the second file format and all of the at least one built-in file format, and wherein if both the first file format and the second file format are loaded after the digital imaging device is manufactured, then the digital imaging device is capable of supporting both the first file format and the second file format and all of at least one built-in format with which the digital imaging device was manufactured, the at least one built-in file format capable of including all file formats which the digital imaging device is provided during manufacture.

32. A digital imaging device capable of transferring an image file from the digital imaging device to a second digital imaging device, the digital imaging device supporting a first file format and a second file format, the second digital imaging device supporting the second file format, the first file format using a first compression algorithm, the second file format using a second compression algorithm, the digital imaging device comprising:

means for determining whether the image file has the first file format or the second file format;

a first file extension module including the first file format;

a second file extension module including the second file format;

a management layer coupled to the first file extension module and to the second file extension module, the management layer for communicating with the first file extension module to write or read an image file having the first file format and for communicating with the second file extension module to write or read an image file having the second file format, the management layer also for communicating with a portion of the digital imaging device using an internal file format; and

a plurality of data processing utilities, the plurality of data processing utilities for decompressing the image data using a first decompression algorithm corresponding to the first compression algorithm and compressing the image data using the second compression algorithm and for placing the compressed image data compressed using the second compression algorithm and thez compressed information relating to the image data in an order required by the first file format;

wherein the image file is transferred to the second digital imaging device if the image file has the second file format and wherein the image file is translated from the first file format to the second file format if the image file has the second file format;

wherein the first file format or the second file format are capable of being loaded by a user after the digital imaging device is manufactured; and

wherein if the first file format is loaded after the digital imaging device is manufactured then the digital imaging device is capable of supporting both the first file format and all of at least one built-in file format, wherein if the second file format is loaded after the digital imaging device is manufactured then the digital imaging device is capable of supporting both the second file format and all of the at least one built-in file format and wherein if both the first file format and the second file format are loaded after the digital imaging device is manufactured, then the digital imaging device is capable of supporting both the first file format and the second file format and all of at least one built-in format with which the digital imaging device was manufactured, the at least one built-in file format capable of including all file formats which the digital imaging device is provided during manufacture;

thereby allowing the image file to be transferred to the second digital imaging device without requiring additional hardware to be provided for the digital imaging device.