Mobile terminal with ergonomic imaging functions

• US 7,085,590 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2004
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Cunningham, James, Smith, Stacy, Gray, Laurie A., Bates, David C., Kennedy, Peter J, Gibbons, Elisabeth, Swanson, Amy, Middleton, David Desmond
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US10/708,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20050143124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/575.1, 455/575.3, 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/344, 455/566, 348/207.99, 348/374, 348/375, 348/376, 348/333.11, 348/333.12
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

Mobile terminal with ergonomic imaging functions. The present invention, by way of example embodiments, provides for a mobile terminal with ergonomic imaging or camera functions. A single display can be used, for example in portrait mode while terminal functions are being used and in landscape mode while imaging functions are being used. The change between the two orientations can be accomplished automatically. In some embodiments, the capability is also provided to process an image for assignment to a terminal function, where the image has at least one display attribute that makes it at least partly unsuitable for use with the terminal function. The processing may include resizing, cropping, and/or rotating the image. This processing can be accomplished for example, so that a landscape image can be viewed conveniently in a portrait orientation.

Claims

1. In a mobile device operable to perform both an imaging function and terminal functions, a method of processing an image produced by the imaging function for assignment to a terminal function, the method comprising:

receiving a first user indication requesting that the image be assigned to the terminal function, the image having at least one display attribute that makes it at least in part unsuitable for use with the terminal function;

altering the at least one display attribute of the image using a second user input indicating the location of a specific area of the image on a display screen so that the image is more suitable for use with the terminal function; and

assigning the image to the terminal function.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the altering of the at least one display attribute comprises at least one of resizing, cropping, and rotating the image.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one of resizing, cropping, and rotating is accomplished so that a landscape image can be viewed in a portrait orientation.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the terminal function comprises at least one of a group consisting of a phonebook function, a caller ID function, a screen filler function, and a send function.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the terminal function comprises at least one of a group consisting of a phonebook function, a caller ID function, a send function, and a screen filler function.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the terminal function comprises at least one of a group consisting of a phonebook function, a caller ID function, a screen filler function, and a send function.

7. Apparatus operable as a mobile device having both an imaging function and terminal functions, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a first user indication requesting that the image be assigned to the terminal function, the image having at least one display attribute that makes it at least in part unsuitable for use with the terminal function;

means for altering the at least one display attribute of the image using a second user input indicating the location of a specific area of the image on a display screen so that the image is more suitable for use with the terminal function; and

means for assigning the image to the terminal function.

8. A mobile terminal comprising both an imaging function and terminal functions, the mobile terminal further comprising:

a radio block operable to provide an interface to a wireless communication network;

an imaging device associated with the imaging function;

a visual display operable to present at least a portion of a user interface to a user;

a processor to, at least in part, control the mobile terminal, the processor being operationally connected to the radio block, the imaging device and the visual display; and

program code stored within the mobile terminal, the program code operable to, using the processor, control the mobile terminal to receive a first user indication requesting that an image captured by the imaging device be assigned to a terminal function and to alter at least one display attribute of the image using a second user input indicating the location of a specific area of the image on the visual display so that the image is more suitable for use with the terminal function.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8 wherein the program code causes the mobile terminal to alter the at least one display attribute by performing at least one of resizing, cropping, and rotating the image.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9 wherein the at least one of resizing, cropping, and rotating the image is accomplished so that a landscape image can be viewed in a portrait orientation on the visual display.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10 wherein the terminal function comprises at least one of a group consisting of a phonebook function, a caller ID function, a screen filler function, and a send function.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 9 wherein the terminal function comprises at least one of a group consisting of a phonebook function, a caller ID function, a screen filler function, and a send function.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 8 wherein the terminal function comprises at least one of a group consisting of a phonebook function, a caller ID function, a screen filler function, and a send function.