Image data communication system and method thereof, and image pickup apparatus and image data processing method

• US 7,107,607 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2001
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyagi, Shiro, Maki, Kimio, Ozawa, Mio
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye, Lin
• Application Number:
  US09/871,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20020047916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,930 Days
• Field of Search: 348/231.99, 348/231.3, 348/207.99, 348/207.1, 348/207.11, 348/211.99, 348/211.1, 348/552, 375/240.25, 455/556.2, 455/557
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33315 reading or reproducing mode only, e.g. sheet size, resolution

Abstract

In an image data communication system, a digital image recording apparatus captures a desired still image or moving video image. For a color still image, the digital image recording apparatus compresses the image based on JPEG to create a color GIF (graphics interchange format) file. This file is converted to image data having an amount of data which can be processed with a portable telephone or a portable information terminal. An image sender transfers the image data generated from the digital image recording apparatus to an image distribution server. The image distribution server records the image data in an internal recording apparatus and notifies a recipient that the image is ready for distribution by sending, for example, an e-mail message to the portable telephone or the portable information terminal.

Claims

1. An image data communication system, comprising:

an image processing apparatus comprising an image processing circuit for converting a captured image signal to image data having a reduced data size that can be readily processed in a remotely located image display apparatus of a transmission destination and a transmission circuit for outputting said image data along with additional data including an e-mail address associated with said image display apparatus, a message to be displayed with said converted image data, and user identification and/or password information; and

an image distribution server remotely located from said image processing apparatus for receiving said converted image data and said additional data, and for authenticating the user identification and/or password information by use of a certification server; and

, only when the user identification and/or password information has been successfully authenticated, for generating a URL used for retrieving and viewing said image data, and transmitting said URL to said image display apparatus using said e-mail address;

said image display apparatus being operative to receive an e-mail message with said URL, retrieve said converted image data by clicking on said URL displayed on the e-mail message and display a message and an image using said retrieved converted image data.

2. The image data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said image processing apparatus records said image signal onto a recording medium.

3. The image data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said image display apparatus is a portable terminal capable of displaying an image.

4. The image data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said image processing apparatus uses a subtractive color process to convert said image signal to said image data having a data size in compliance with an image display capability of the image display apparatus.

5. The image data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said image data output from said image processing apparatus is sent to said image display apparatus via a wired network.

6. The image data communication system according to claim 5, wherein said image data output from said image processing apparatus is uploaded with said data size unchanged to an image storage server connected to said wired network.

7. The image data communication system according to claim 6, wherein said image display apparatus downloads said image data from said image storage server.

8. The image data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said image data output from said image processing apparatus is sent to said display apparatus via a wireless transmission path and a wired network.

9. The image data communication system according to claim 8, wherein said image data output from said image processing apparatus is uploaded with said data size unchanged to an image storage server connected to said wired network.

10. The image data communication system according to claim 9, wherein said image display apparatus downloads said image data from said image storage server.

11. The image data communication system according to claim 1, further comprising communication apparatus connected to said image processing apparatus, and wherein said image data is output to said image display apparatus via said communication apparatus.

12. The image data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said image processing apparatus includes a communication apparatus operative to output said image data from said image processing apparatus.

13. The image data communication system according to claim 1, wherein said image display apparatus includes a communication apparatus operative to receive said image data.

14. The image data communication system according to claim 1, wherein, when the number of images to be reduced is N that is greater than one, said image processing apparatus specifies an initial compression rate as one Nth of a normal initial compression rate.

15. A method for sending image data from an image pickup apparatus to a remotely located image display apparatus comprising:

converting an image signal captured by the image pickup apparatus to image data having a reduced data size that can be readily processed in the image display apparatus;

outputting the image data with additional data including an e-mail address associated with the image display apparatus, a message to be displayed with said converted image data, and user identification and/or password information;

receiving the converted image data and the additional data at an image distribution server;

authenticating the user identification and/or password information by use of a certification server;

generating a URL used for retrieving and viewing the image data, and transmitting the URL by the image distribution server to the image display apparatus using the e-mail address only when the user identification and/or password information has been successfully authenticated;

receiving an e-mail message with the URL at the image display apparatus;

retrieving the converted image data by clicking on the URL displayed on the e-mail message; and

displaying a message and an image on the image display apparatus using the retrieved converted image data.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said retrieving said image data includes transmitting said image data to the image display apparatus using at least one of a wireless transmission path or a wired network.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising specifying, when the number of images to be reduced is N that is greater than one, an initial compression rate as one Nth of a normal initial compression rate.