Image texture mapping camera

• US 6,850,274 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Walmsley, Simon Robert, Lapstun, Paul, Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US09/113,057
• Time in Patent Office: 2,398 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.5225, 348/207, 348/218, 348/220, 348/222, 348/239, 348/373, 348/375, 348/207.99, 348/207.1, 348/207.2, 348/218.1, 348/220.1, 348/222.1, 348/231.99, 348/231.3, 348/584, 348/333.01, 348/333.02, 348/333.12
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0005 Curl smoothing, i.e. smoothing down corrugated printing material, e.g. by pressing means acting on wrinkled printing material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/15 for serial printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17 characterised by ink handling cleaning by driving a fluid through the nozzles to the outside thereof B41J2/1652; for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing B41J11/0015
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/041 Electromagnetic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/12 otherwise than by punching
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/56 using storage elements with more than two stable states represented by steps, e.g. of voltage, current, phase, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00965 : using a plug-in memory module, e.g. memory card, memory stick
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 : using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2154 : the still video camera incorporating a hardcopy reproducing device, e.g. a printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 : on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 : Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3222 : of processing required or performed, e.g. forwarding, urgent or confidential handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3261 : of multimedia information, e.g. a sound signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3264 : of sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 : of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3276 : of a customised additional information profile, e.g. a profile specific to a user ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 : Processing of the additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 : Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 : Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

A camera and method for the creation of texturing effects in output images. The camera includes a sensor for sensing an image and a texture mapper for adding texturing effect to the sensed image to produce a textured image. The camera also includes a display for displaying the textured image. In one form, the display is a printer for printing out immediate photos by the camera.

Claims

1. A handheld camera for the output of an image sensed by said camera, said camera comprising:

a sensor adapted to sense an image;

a texture mapper adapted to add texturing effects to said sensed image to produce a textured image; and

display adapted to display said textured image.

2. A handheld camera as claimed in claim 1 wherein said display device comprises a printer device adapted to print said textured image.

3. A handheld camera as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sensed image has an associated bump map utilized by said texture mapper so as to produce 3-dimensional effects as part of said texturing effects.

4. A handheld camera as claimed in claim 1 wherein said texture mapper is implemented in the form of a microprogrammed set of one or more Arithmetic Logic Units.

5. A method of producing an output image for a handheld camera said method comprising the steps of, in the camera:

sensing an input image;

applying a texturing effect to said input image to produce a textured image; and

outputting said textured image on a display device of said camera.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said display device comprises a printer device adapted to print out said textured image.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5 or 6 wherein said texturing effects is determined by a card having encoded information disposed on a surface of the card, and wherein the step of manipulating said input image is preceded by the steps of:

(a) reading the encoded information disposed on the card;

(b) determining, from the encoded information, the texturing effect to be applied to the input image.