Camera system, control method, communication terminal, and program storage media, for selectively authorizing remote map display

• US 7,202,889 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2003
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kawai, Tomoaki, Suzuki, Kazuko
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US10/461,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20030206232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.99, 348/211.3, 348/211.4, 348/211.6, 348/211.8, 348/211.11, 348/211.13, 348/143, 348/159
• US Class Current: 348/211.8
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

A display authorization area corresponding a user is selected from maps stored in a device, only the selected zone is displayed, and a camera which is not authorized for the user to perform information communication is inhibited from being displayed. With this arrangement, a camera control system having so excellent security that any user cannot see a place irrelevant to the user and cannot recognize the position of an installed camera is constructed.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus which is connected to at least one camera via a network, said communication apparatus comprising:

a referencing device that references an authorization state of the at least one connected camera, the authorization state indicating whether the at least one connected camera is authorized to be displayed as an index, each index indicating a position of the at least one connected camera, on a map displayed on a screen; and

a generating device that generates a map which includes the index of each authorized camera and does not include the index of each unauthorized camera, on the basis of a referencing result by said referencing device.

2. A communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the authorization state indicates whether the at least one connected camera is authorized as a unit of a camera group.

3. A communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the authorization state indicates whether the at least one connected camera is authorized as a unit of a user group.

4. A communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each authorized camera is able to be accessed by the user, and each unauthorized camera is not able to be accessed by the user.

5. A communication apparatus which is connected to at least one camera via a network, said communication apparatus comprising:

a referencing device that references an authorization state of a map which indicates a location of the at least one connected camera, where the authorization state indicates whether the map is authorized to be displayed;

a generating device that generates a map list which includes each authorized map and does not include each unauthorized map, on the basis of a reference result by said referencing device.

6. A communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the authorization state indicates whether the map is authorized as a unit of a map group.

7. A communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the authorization state indicates whether the map is authorized as a unit of a user group.

8. A communication method for using at least one camera which is connected to a network, said communication method comprising:

referencing an authorization state of the at least one connected camera, the authorization state indicating whether the at least one connected camera is authorized to be displayed as an index, each index indicating a position of the at least one connected camera, on a map displayed on a screen;

generating a map which includes the index of each authorized camera and does not include the index of each unauthorized camera, on the basis of a referencing result referencing the authorization state in said referencing step.

9. A communication method according to claim 8, wherein the authorization state indicates whether the at least one connected camera is authorized as a unit of a camera group.

10. A communication method according to claim 8, wherein the authorization state indicates whether the at least one connected camera is authorized as a unit of a user group.

11. A communication method according to claim 10, wherein each authorized camera is able to be accessed by the user, and each unauthorized camera is not able to be accessed by the user.

12. A communication method for using at least one camera which is connected to a network, said communication method comprising:

referencing an authorization state of a map which indicates a location of the at least one connected camera, the authorization state indicating whether the map is authorized to be displayed;

generating a map list which includes each authorized map and does not include each unauthorized map, on the basis of a referencing result referencing the authorization state in said referencing step.

13. A communication method according to claim 12, wherein the authorization state indicates whether the map is authorized as a unit of a map group.

14. A communication method according to claim 12, wherein the authorization state indicates whether the map is authorized as a unit of a user group.

15. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising a set of instructions when executed by a computer, the program executing a process of communication for using at least one camera which is connected to a network, the program executing the processes of:

referencing an authorization state of the at least one connected camera, the authorization state indicating whether the at least one connected camera is authorized to be displayed as an index, each index indicating a position of the at least one connected camera, on a map displayed on a screen;

generating a map which includes the index of each authorized camera and does not include the index of each unauthorized camera, on the basis of a referencing result referencing the referring of the authorization state in said referencing step.

16. A storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the authorization state indicates whether the at least one connected camera is authorized as a unit of a camera group.

17. A storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the authorization state indicates whether the at least one connected camera is authorized as a unit of a user group.

18. A storage medium according to claim 17, wherein each authorized camera is able to be accessed by the user, and each unauthorized camera is not able to be accessed by the user.

19. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising a set of instructions when executed by a computer, the program executing a process of communication for using at least one camera which is connected to a network, the program executing the process of:

referencing an authorization state of a map which indicates a location of the at least one connected camera, the authorization state indicating whether the map is authorized to be displayed;

generating a map list which includes each authorized map and does not include each unauthorized map, on the basis of a referencing result referencing the authorization state in said referencing step.

20. A storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the authorization state indicates whether each map is authorized as a unit of a map group.

21. A storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the authorization state indicates whether each map is authorized as a unit of a user group.