Camera with eye position detector

• US 7,256,824 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2003
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tuan
• Application Number:
  US10/636,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20040032515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 348/239, 348/333.02, 348/333.12
• US Class Current: 348/231.3
• 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 11/70 cutting perpendicular to the direction of paper feed
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 15/04 Supporting, feeding, or guiding devices; Mountings for web rolls or spindles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• 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 1/121 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: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/44 Morphing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/18 Image warping, e.g. rearranging pixels individually
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/165 : using facial parts and geometric relationships
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 : Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 : Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• 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 1/2112 : 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 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 method of processing an image taken with a digital camera including an eye position sensing means said method comprising the step of utilizing the eye position information within the sensed image to process the image in a spatially varying sense, depending upon said location information. The utilizing step can comprises utilizing the eye position information to locate an area of interest within said sensed image. The processing can include the placement of speech bubbles within said image.

Claims

1. A camera comprising:

(a) an image sensor adapted to capture a sensed image;

(b) an eye position detector adapted to detect a position of a user'"'"'s eye when the image sensor is capturing the sensed image and to generate eye position information indicative of that position; and

(c) a processor adapted to;

(i) receive the sensed image from the image sensor and the eye position information from the eye position detector;

(ii) determine, with reference to the eye position information, an area of interest within the sensed image;

(iii) process the sensed image by applying an image manipulation effect to at least part of the area of interest to produce a processed image; and

(d) a manipulation instruction storage device reader adapted to read image manipulation instructions stored on a manipulation instruction storage device, wherein the manipulation instruction storage device comprises a card having a surface and at least one image manipulation instruction printed on the surface in encoded form.

2. The camera of claim 1 wherein the image manipulation effect is selected from the group comprising:

(a) superimposing a further image over at least part of the area of interest; and

(b) distorting at least part of the area of interest.

3. The camera of claim 2 wherein superimposing a further image over at least part of the area of interest comprises applying a speech bubble over at least part of the area of interest.

4. The camera of claim 2 wherein distorting at least part of the area of interest comprises morphing at least part of the area of interest.

5. The camera of claim 2 wherein distorting at least part of the area of interest comprises applying an artistic paint brushing effect to at least part of the area of interest.

6. The camera of claim 1 further comprising a memory adapted to store at least one of:

(a) the sensed image;

(b) the eye position information; and

(c) the processed image.

7. The camera of claim 1 further comprising a display device adapted to display the processed image.

8. The camera of claim 1 further comprising a printer device housed within the camera which is adapted to print a copy of the processed image.

9. The camera of claim 8 wherein the printer comprises a page-width printhead.

10. The camera of claim 8 wherein the printer is adapted to print the processed image at print resolutions ranging from 600 dots per inch (dpi) to 2000 dpi.

11. The camera of claim 10 wherein the printer is adapted to print the processed image at print resolutions ranging from 1400 dpi to 1700 dpi.

12. The camera of claim 11 wherein the printer is adapted to print the processed image at a print resolution of 1600 dpi.

13. The camera of claim 8 wherein the printer is adapted to print the processed image in less than 10 seconds.

14. The camera of claim 13 wherein the printer is adapted to print the processed image in less than 3 seconds.

15. The camera of claim 1 wherein the processor is adapted to process the sensed image by applying an image manipulation effect, corresponding to image manipulation instructions received from the manipulation instruction storage device reader, to at least part of the area of interest.

16. The camera of claim 1 wherein the card comprises an “

Artcard”

as described herein.