Image communication apparatus for wireless communication of digital images, and method thereof

• US 7,394,966 B1
• Filed: 01/10/2000
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Wada, Hidetoshi, Hieda, Teruo, Nakayama, Yoshikatsu, Kawahara, Norihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): ATALA, JAMIE JO
• Application Number:
  US09/479,653
• Time in Patent Office: 3,095 Days
• Field of Search: 348/239, 348/143, 348/222, 348/164, 348/232, 386/348, 386/46, 386/95, 386/8, 386/117, 386/121, 386/48, 386/96, 386/1, 386/125, 386/126, 386/110, 375/240.21
• US Class Current: 386/326
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

An image capture apparatus includes an image capture unit, a recording unit, a wireless communication unit and a control unit. The recording unit records digital image captured by the image capture unit on a recording medium. The wireless communication unit transmits the digital image recorded on the recording medium to an external recording apparatus. The control unit determines, using additional information corresponding to the digital image recorded on the recording medium, whether or not the digital image recorded on the recording medium is already transmitted to the external recording apparatus. The additional information is received from the external recording apparatus. The control unit controls the wireless communication unit to transmit the digital image recorded on the recording medium to the external recording apparatus if the control unit determines that the digital image recorded on the recording medium is not already transmitted to the external recording apparatus.

Claims

1. An image capture apparatus comprising:

an image capture unit adapted to capture a digital image;

a recording unit adapted to record the digital image captured by said image capture unit on a recording medium;

a wireless communication unit adapted to transmit the digital image recorded on the recording medium to an external recording apparatus; and

a control unit adapted to determine, using additional information corresponding to the digital image recorded on the recording medium, whether or not the digital image recorded on the recording medium is already transmitted to the external recording apparatus, the additional information being received from the external recording apparatus,

wherein said control unit controls said wireless communication unit to transmit the digital image recorded on the recording medium to the external recording apparatus if said control unit determines that the digital image recorded on the recording medium is not already transmitted to the external recording apparatus, and

wherein said control unit avoids transmitting the digital image recorded on the recording medium to the external recording apparatus if said control unit determines that the digital image recorded on the recording medium is already transmitted to the external recording apparatus.

3. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image capture apparatus is a camera integrated video recorder or a digital camera.

9. The image capture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit determines, using the additional information, whether or not to skip a reproduction of the digital image recorded on the recording medium.

2. An image capture apparatus comprising:

an image capture unit adapted to capture a digital image;

a recording unit adapted to record the digital image captured by said image capture unit on a recording medium;

a wireless communication unit adapted to transmit the digital image recorded on the recording medium to an external recording apparatus; and

a control unit adapted to determine, using additional information corresponding to the digital image recorded on the recording medium, whether or not the digital image recorded on the recording medium is already transmitted to the external recording apparatus, the additional information being received from the external recording apparatus,

wherein said control unit control said wireless communication unit to transmit the digital image recorded on the recording medium to the external recording apparatus if said control unit determines that the digital image recorded on the recording medium is not already transmitted to the external recording apparatus, and

wherein said control unit (a) avoids transmitting the digital image recorded on the recoding medium to the external recording apparatus and (b) determines, using the additional information, whether or not to delete the digital image recorded on the recording medium from the recording medium, if said control unit determines that the digital image recorded on the recording medium is already transmitted to the external recording apparatus.

6. The image capture apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image capture apparatus is a camera integrated video recorder or a digital camera.

10. The image capture apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control unit determines, using the additional information, whether or not to skip a reproduction of the digital image recorded on the recording medium.

4. A method of controlling an image capture apparatus, the image capture apparatus including an image capture unit adapted to capture a digital image, a recording unit adapted to record the digital image captured by the image capture unit on a recording medium and a wireless communication unit adapted to transmit the digital image recorded on the recording medium to an external recording apparatus, said method comprising steps of:

determining, using additional information corresponding to the digital image recorded on the recording medium, whether or not the digital image recorded on the recording medium is already transmitted to the external recording apparatus, the additional information being received from the external recording apparatus; and

controlling the wireless communication unit to transmit the digital image recorded on the recording medium to the external recording apparatus if it is determined in said determining step that the digital image recorded on the recording medium is not already transmitted to the external recording apparatus,

wherein the digital image recorded on the recording medium is not transmitted to the external recording apparatus if it is determined in said determining step that the digital image recorded on the recording medium is already transmitted to the external recording apparatus.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the image capture apparatus is a camera integrated video recorder or a digital camera.

11. The method according to claim 4, further comprising a step of determining, using the additional information, whether or not to skip a reproduction of the digital image recorded on the recording medium.

5. A method of controlling an image capture apparatus, the image capture apparatus including an image capture unit adapted to capture a digital image, a recording unit adapted to record the digital image captured by the image capture unit on a recording medium and a wireless communication unit adapted to transmit the digital image recorded on the recording medium to an external recording apparatus, said method comprising steps of:

determining, using additional information corresponding to the digital image recorded on the recording medium, whether or not the digital image recorded on the recording medium is already transmitted to the external apparatus, the additional information being received from the external recording apparatus;

controlling the wireless communication unit to transmit the digital image recorded on the recording medium to the external recording apparatus if it is determined in the determining step that the digital image recorded on the recording medium is not already transmitted to the external recording apparatus; and

determining, using the additional information, whether or not to delete the digital image recorded on the recording medium from the recording medium, if it is determined in said determining step that the digital image recorded on the recording medium is already transmitted to the external recording apparatus,

wherein the digital image recorded on the recording medium is not transmitted to the external recording apparatus if it is determined in said determining step that the digital image recorded on the recording medium is already transmitted to the external recording apparatus.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the image capture apparatus is a camera integrated video recorder or a digital camera.

12. The method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of determining, using the additional information, whether or not to skip a reproduction of the digital image recorded on the recording medium.