Digital camera and printing system

• US 7,379,660 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2002
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 138 East LCD Advancements Limited (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Shiohara, Ryuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US10/295,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20030122932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,017 Days
• Field of Search: 386/125, 386/105, 386/106, 386/124, 386/107, 386/117, 386/45, 386/38, 386/123
• US Class Current: 386/326
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/007 Transform coding, e.g. discrete cosine transform
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00172 directly from a still digital camera or from a storage medium mounted in a still digital camera H04N1/0018 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00278 with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00957 Compiling jobs, e.g. for batch processing H04N1/3208 takes precedence; program code compilation G06F8/41
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00962 Input arrangements for operating instructions or parameters, e.g. updating internal software program loading in general G06F9/445; network-specific protocols involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0013 Arrangements for the control of the connected apparatus by the still picture apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0068 Converting from still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3216 of a job size, e.g. a number of images, pages or copies, size of file, length of message
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3222 of processing required or performed, e.g. forwarding, urgent or confidential handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3242 of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33378 : Type or format of data, e.g. colour or B/W, halftone or binary, computer image file or facsimile data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/10 : for generating image signals from different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 : the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 : using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 : using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 : the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

With a digital camera 100, a photographed image 31 is displayed on a liquid crystal display and the user selects a desired image and specifies print specifications of the number of print sheets, a print paper size, a print color mode, etc., then print image data is prepared. The prepared print image data is transmitted from the digital camera 100 to a color printer of an output unit. An image is printed at the color printer in accordance with the print image data.

Claims

1. A digital camera, comprising:

a conversion device that converts a plurality of images into signals;

at least one recording medium that stores image data corresponding to the signals;

an output device that outputs output image data corresponding to the stored image data from the digital camera to an external device according to at least one predetermined output specification;

a display that displays at least one of a plurality of images corresponding to the stored image data, and

wherein the external device is selected from a plurality of available external devices in response to user selecting the external device;

wherein the display displays a menu in which a user can select the external device from the plurality of available external devices; and

wherein, in response to the user selecting the external device via the menu, a parameter for the external device is set.

2. The digital camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in response to setting the parameter, the output device formats the data into a format compatible with the external device.

3. The digital camera as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a display that displays at least one of a plurality of images corresponding to the stored image data.

4. The digital camera as claimed in claim 3, wherein the display displays a menu in which a user can select the external device from the plurality of available external device, and

wherein, in response to the user selecting the external device via the menu, a parameter for the external device is set.

5. The digital camera according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the user can select the at least one predetermined output specification from the menu,

wherein the at least one predetermined output specification includes at least one of a number of sheets and a paper size.

6. The digital camera according to claim 5, wherein after the at least one predetermined output specification is selected, the user can select the external device as another output specification from the menu.

7. The digital camera according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the user can select the at least one predetermined output specification from the menu,

wherein the at least one predetermined specification includes data indicative of the external device to which the user desires to output the output image data from the digital camera and that is selected by the user from the available external devices including at least two of a printer, a facsimile, a PC and a communication terminal.

8. The digital camera according to claim 7, wherein the communication terminal includes a wireless telephone.

9. The digital camera according to claim 1, further comprising conversion software contained in the digital camera,

wherein the conversion software formats the image data to be suitable for output from the digital camera to the external device selected by the user.

10. The digital camera according to claim 9, wherein the conversion software is supplied to the digital camera from an external source and is installed in a memory contained within the digital camera.

11. The digital camera according to claim 9, wherein the conversion software comprises a printer driver, and

wherein the printer driver comprises at least one of a rasterizer module, a half tone module, and a color correction module.

12. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein conversion software formats the image data based on the at least one predetermined output specification selected by the user.

13. The digital camera according to claim 12, wherein the conversion software comprises a printer driver, and

wherein the printer driver comprises at least one of a rasterizer module, a half tone module, and a color correction module.

14. The digital camera according to claim 2, wherein the output device outputs the formatted data to the external device.

15. The digital camera according to claim 14, wherein the output device includes a wireless transmitter that transmits the formatted data to the external device by wireless transmission.

16. The digital camera according to claim 15, wherein the external device is a wireless telephone.

17. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the stored image data includes higher resolution image data.

18. The digital camera according to claim 17, wherein the stored image data further includes lower resolution image data associated with the higher resolution image data.

19. The digital camera according to claim 18, wherein the lower resolution image data includes thumbnail image data.

20. The digital camera according to claim 17, further comprising:

a display that displays at least one of a plurality of images corresponding to the stored image data,

wherein the displayed image is displayed on the display based on the higher resolution image data.

21. The digital camera according to claim 19, further comprising:

a display that displays at least one of a plurality of images corresponding to the stored image data,

wherein the displayed image is displayed based on the thumbnail image data.

22. The digital camera according to claim 21, wherein the displayed image is displayed based on the thumbnail image data by enlargement.

23. The digital camera according to claim 5, wherein the external device selected by the user processes the output image data based on the at least one predetermined output specification.

24. The digital camera according to claim 23, wherein the output device directly outputs the output image data to the external device.

25. The digital camera according to claim 5, wherein the output image data contains data indicative of the at least one predetermined output specification selected by the user.