Audio-attached image recording and playback device

• US 6,774,939 B1
• Filed: 02/29/2000
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Peng, Zhiyong
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ye, Lin
• Application Number:
  US09/514,956
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 348/231.4, 348/231.2, 348/135, 348/333.02, 348/333.03, 396/312, 396/321, 340/988, 386/39, 386/45, 386/96, 386/106, 386/125, 386/126, 386/95
• US Class Current: 348/231.4
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/24 with means for separately producing marks on the film, e.g. title, time of exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals

Abstract

The inability to attach more than one audio file to a single image file is an example of a problem encountered in image recording devices that include an audio recording function whereby audio information can be recorded and played back along with previously captured image files. A major disadvantage of prior image capturing systems is that only one audio file could be attached to a single image file. The present invention discloses an audio-attached image recording and playback device that allows one or more audio files to be associated with a single image file using an audio file identifier for each audio file. The audio file identifier includes an audio file attachment position that has coordinate information about a specific portion of the image that is displayed on a monitor. The user defines the specific portion by using a cursor to select the specific portion. Audio information is recorded and is associated with that position on the image. During playback of the image file, the user can trigger playback of the audio file by using the cursor to select the audio file attachment position for that audio file. The audio file attachment position can be displayed on the monitor as a circle having a radius centered about the audio file attachment position. Additionally, the present invention allows one or more image files to be associate with an audio file. The audio file contains timing information so that the order in which the images were captured during the audio recording can be duplicated when the audio file is played back. For each image file, the audio file can include an image file identifier that includes image start and end time information.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

memory means for storing and retrieving an image file and an audio file;

a monitor for displaying an image stored in the image file;

cursor control means for selecting one or more specific portions of the image retrieved form the image file and displayed on the monitor and for assigning an audio file attachment position to each specific portion selected by the cursor control means, and each audio file attachment position includes coordinate information about the specific portion to which it is assigned; and

audio recording means for recording audio information and for generating the audio file from the audio information,

wherein a user manipulates the cursor control means to select the one or more specific portions of the image and audio information corresponding to each specific portion selected is recorded by the audio recording means to generate an audio file for each specific portion, the image file includes the audio file attachment position of each audio file so that each audio file is associated with the specific portion selected by the user, and each audio file is stored by the memory means.

2. The device of claim 1 and further comprising audio playback means for audio playback of the audio information stored in the audio file, wherein the monitor displays the image stored in the image file and the user manipulates the cursor control means to select the specific portion of the image and the audio file associated with the specific portion is retrieved by the memory means and is played back on the audio playback means.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the image displayed on the monitor includes a circle for the specific portion selected by the user, the circle for the specific portion has an effective radius that is centered about the audio file attachment position, the user manipulates the cursor control means to select a position anywhere within the circle, and the audio file associated with the specific portion is retrieved by the memory means and is played back on the audio playback means.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the audio file is associated with the image file by an audio file identifier, the audio file identifier is stored in the image file, and the audio file identifier includes an audio file name for the audio file, the audio file attachment position, and the effective radius.

5. A device comprising:

image capturing means for capturing an image and for generating an image file from the image;

a monitor for displaying the image;

audio recording means for recording audio information and for generating an audio file from the recorded audio information,

memory means for storing and retrieving the image file and the audio file; and

cursor control means for selecting one or more specific portions of the image retrieved form the image file and displayed on the monitor and for assigning an audio file attachment position to each specific portion selected by the cursor control means, and each audio file attachment position includes coordinate information about the specific portion to which it is assigned; and

wherein a user manipulates the cursor control means to select the one or more specific portions of the image and audio information corresponding to each specific portion selected is recorded by the audio recording means to generate an audio file for each specific portion, the image file includes the audio file attachment position of each audio file so that each audio file is associated with the specific portion selected by the user, and each audio file is stored by the memory means.

6. The device of claim 5 and further comprising audio playback means for audio playback of the audio information stored in the audio file, wherein the monitor displays the image stored in the image file and the user manipulates the cursor control means to select the specific portion of the image and the audio file associated with the specific portion is retrieved by the memory means and is played back on the audio playback means.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the image displayed on the monitor includes a circle for the specific portion selected by the user, the circle for the specific portion has an effective radius that is centered about the audio file attachment position, the user manipulates the cursor control means to select a position anywhere within the circle, and the audio file associated with the specific portion is retrieved by the memory means and is played back on the audio playback means.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the audio file is associated with the image file by an audio file identifier, the audio file identifier is stored in the image file, and the audio file identifier includes an audio file name for the audio file, the audio file attachment position, and the effective radius.

9. A device comprising:

image capturing means for capturing an image and for generating an image file from the image;

audio recording means for recording audio information and for generating an audio file from the recorded audio information and the recording of the audio information is initiated by pressing a record button and is stopped by pressing a stop button; and

memory means for storing the audio file and for storing the image file,

wherein during audio recording the recording means generates the audio file and one or more images that are captured using the image capturing means to generate a single image file for each image captured, and the image file for each captured image has an image playback start time and an image playback end time associated therewith, the image playback start time is selected by pressing a shutter button and the image playback end time is selected by pressing a selected one of a timing button or the shutter button, and the memory means stores the audio file, the image file, the image playback start time, and the image playback end time.

10. The device of claim 9 and further comprising:

audio playback means for audio playback of the audio information stored in the audio file; and

a monitor for displaying the image file, and

wherein the audio file is played back by the audio playback and each image file is retrieved by the memory means and is displayed on the monitor in a sequence determined by its associated image playback start time and image playback end time.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein each image file is associated with the audio file by an image file identifier, the image file identifier is stored in the audio file, and the image file identifier includes an image file name, the image playback start time, and the image playback end time.

12. A method for associating an audio file with an image file comprising:

(a) providing an image;

(b) displaying the image on a monitor;

(c) selecting one or more specific portions of the image using a cursor control means, wherein an audio file attachment position is assigned to each specific portion selected, the audio file attachment position includes coordinate information about the specific portion to which it is assigned;

(d) generating an audio file by recording audio information corresponding to the specific portion using an audio recording means, the image file includes the audio file attachment position so that the audio file is associated with the specific portion of the image;

(e) repeating the selecting and the generating steps to generate additional audio files that are associated with additional specific portions of the image; and

(f) storing the audio files that have been generated using a memory means.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the providing step includes reading the image to be displayed on the monitor from a previously stored image file using the memory means.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the providing step includes capturing the image to be displayed on the monitor using an image capturing means.

15. The method of claim 12 and further comprising the step of:

calculating an effective radius for the audio file attachment position, the effective radius is centered about the audio file attachment position, and the effective radius is calculated prior to the storing step.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein each audio file has a corresponding audio file identifier that associates that audio file to the image file, the audio file identifier is stored in the image file, and the audio file identifier includes an audio file name, the audio file attachment position, and the effective radius.

17. A method for associating an audio file with an image file comprising:

(a) reading an image from an image file using a memory means;

(b) displaying the image on a monitor;

(c) selecting a specific portion of the image using a cursor control means;

(d) reading an audio file associated with the specific portion using the memory means, the audio file includes an audio file attachment position including coordinate information about the specific position selected by the cursor control means; and

(e) playing back audio information contained in the audio file using an audio playback means.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the image displayed on the monitor includes a circle for the specific portion, the circle for the specific portion has an effective radius that is centered about the audio file attachment position, and the cursor control means selects a position anywhere within the circle so that the audio file associated with the specific portion is retrieved by the memory means and is played back on the audio playback means.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein each audio file is associated with the image file by an audio file identifier, the audio file identifier is stored in the image file, and the audio file identifier includes an audio file name for each audio file, the audio file attachment position, and the effective radius.

20. A method for associating an image file with an audio file comprising:

(a) capturing at least one image using an image capturing means, the image capturing means is operative to generate an image file for each image captured;

(b) generating an audio file by pressing a record button to initiate recording of audio information using an audio recording means and storing the audio file using a memory means;

(c) associating an image playback start time with each captured image by pressing a shutter button and associating an image playback end time with each captured image by pressing a selected one of a timing button or the shutter button; and

(d) storing each captured image and its associated image playback start time and image playback end time using the memory means.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein each image file is associated with the audio file by an image file identifier, the image file identifier is stored in the audio file, and the image file identifier includes an image file name, the image playback start time, and the image playback end time.

22. The method of claim 20 an further comprising:

(a) playing back the audio information stored by the memory means using an audio playback means; and

(b) sequentially displaying each image file on a monitor with the sequence of playback determined by the image playback start time and the image playback end time associated with each image file.