System, method, and apparatus for automatic transmission of recently captured images

• US 7,424,310 B1
• Filed: 09/20/2004
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Barbeau, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper; Vincent P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOLLIDAY, JAIME MICHELE
• Application Number:
  US10/945,410
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556.1, 455/404.1, 365/15
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera

Abstract

A system, method and apparatus for delivering a photo captured during a predefined time-interval prior to a voice call. A camera phone or other telephone device will detect that an image is captured during the predefined time-interval prior to the device engaging in a voice call with a given party. In response, the device will automatically send the image to the given party.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a delay time value at data storage of a camera phone;

capturing an image at the camera phone;

establishing a voice call between the camera phone and a given party;

determining a start time of the voice call;

using the start time of the voice call and an interval-length value as a basis to determine that the image was captured during a particular time interval occurring prior to the start time of the voice call,

wherein the particular time interval spans a time duration indicated by the interval-length value and ends before the start time of the voice call, and

wherein the delay time value indicates an amount of time between an end time of the particular time interval and the start time of the voice call; and

in response to determining the image was captured during the particular time interval, sending the image to the given party.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the image was captured during the particular time-interval comprises:

comparing an image-capture time to the particular time-interval,

wherein the image-capture-time occurs when capturing the image at the camera phone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the image to the given party comprises sending the image through a network.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

sending a destination-identifier, along with the image, through the network, wherein an entity in the network uses the destination-identifier as a basis to route the image to the given party.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the destination-identifier is a phone number of the given party.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the image to the given party comprises sending the image through a radio access network and a packet-data network.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

formatting the image in data-packets for sending the image through the radio access network and the packet-data network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the given party comprises a user device, and

wherein sending the image to the given party comprises sending the image to the user device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the interval length value at the data storage of the camera phone.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein establishing the voice call includes dialing a telephone number of the given party, and

wherein sending the image to the given party includes sending the image to a destination indicated by an e-mail address of the given party.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

deriving the e-mail address from the telephone number of the given party.

12. A method comprising:

storing a delay time value at data storage of a camera phone;

capturing at least one image at the camera phone;

establishing a voice call between the camera phone and a given party;

determining a start time of the voice call;

using the start time of the voice call and an interval-length value as a basis to determine that the at least one image was captured during a particular time interval occurring prior to the start time of the voice call,

wherein the particular time interval spans a time duration indicated by the interval-length value and ends before the start time of the voice call, and

wherein the delay time value indicates an amount of time between an end time of the particular time interval and the start time of the voice call; and

in response to determining the at least one image was captured during the particular time interval, sending the at least one image to the given party.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one image comprises a video sequence.

14. A method comprising:

storing a delay time value at data storage of a camera phone;

capturing an image at the camera phone;

establishing a voice call between the camera phone and a destination;

determining a start time of the voice call;

using the start time of the voice call and an interval-length value as a basis to determine that the image was captured during a particular time interval occurring prior to the start time of the voice call,

wherein the particular time interval spans a time duration indicated by the interval-length value and ends before the start time of the voice call, and

wherein the delay time value indicates an amount of time between an end time of the particular time interval and the start time of the voice call; and

in response to determining the image was captured during the particular time interval, sending the image to the destination.

15. A camera phone comprising:

data storage to store a delay time value;

a digital camera segment for capturing an image;

a wireless phone segment for establishing a voice call with a given party;

a processor; and

program instructions executable by the processor to (i) determine a start time of the voice call, (ii) use the start time of the voice call and an interval-length value as a basis to determine that the image was captured during a particular time-interval that occurred prior to the start time of the voice call, wherein the particular time interval spans a time duration indicated by the interval-length value and ends before the start time of the voice call, and wherein the delay time value indicates an amount of time between an end time of the particular time interval and the start time of the voice call, and (iii) in response to determining that the image was captured during the particular time-interval, cause the wireless phone segment to send the image to a network for transmission, in turn, to the given party.

16. The camera phone of claim 15, further comprising:

timer-logic for providing the processor with an image-capture time and the start time of the voice call,

wherein the processor uses the image capture time and the start time of the voice call to determine that the image was captured during the particular time-interval.

17. The camera phone of claim 16,

wherein the data storage contains the image, the image-capture time, the start time of the voice call, the interval-length value, and the program instructions.

18. The camera phone of claim 15, wherein the program instructions further comprise:

instructions for determining a destination-identifier associated with the given party; and

instructions for sending the destination-identifier along with the image to the network for use by a network entity to transmit the image to the given party.

19. The camera phone of claim 18, wherein the destination-identifier comprises an e-mail address of the given party.

20. The camera phone of claim 15,

wherein the data storage contains the interval-length value.

21. The camera phone of claim 20, wherein the given party is a public safety answering point (PSAP).

22. The camera phone of claim 20, wherein the interval-length value is a default value.

23. The camera phone of claim 20, wherein the interval-length value is a non-default value.

24. A camera phone comprising:

means for storing a delay time value at the camera phone;

means for establishing a voice call with a given party;

means for capturing an image during a particular time-interval, wherein the particular time interval occurs prior to establishment of the voice call;

means for determining a start time of the voice call;

means for using the start time of the voice call and an interval-length value as a basis to determine that the image was captured during the particular time-interval, wherein the particular time interval spans a time duration indicated by the interval-length value and ends before the start time of the voice call, and wherein the delay time value indicates an amount of time between an end time of the particular time interval and the start time of the voice call; and

means for sending the image to the given party in response to determining the image was captured during the particular time-interval.

25. The camera phone of claim 24,

wherein the means to store the delay time value further stores the captured image, the start time of the voice call, and the interval-length value.

26. A camera phone comprising:

a telephone keypad;

a display;

a wireless communication interface for establishing a voice call with a given party;

data storage to store a delay time value;

a processor;

a speaker for playing sounds;

a lens for receiving light indicative of images;

a shutter-release button engagable by a user to trigger capture of images;

a first program stored in the data storage and executable by the processor to cause the data storage to store the captured images;

a second program stored in the data storage and executable by the processor to determine a start time of the voice call; and

a third program stored in the data storage and executable by the processor to (i) use the start time of the voice call and an interval-length value as a basis to determine that the data storage currently contains an image captured during a particular time-interval that occurred prior to the start time of the voice call, wherein the particular time interval spans a time duration indicated by the interval-length value and ends before the start time of the voice call, and wherein the delay time value indicates an amount of time between an end time of the particular time interval and the start time of the voice call, and (ii) cause the wireless communication interface to send the image to the given party in response to the determination that the data storage currently contains the image captured during the particular time interval.

27. The camera phone of 26,

wherein the data storage further stores the interval-length value used by the third program to determine that the data storage contains the image captured during the particular time interval that occurred prior to the start time of the voice call.

28. A system comprising:

data storage to store a delay time value and an interval-length value;

an image-capturing mechanism for capturing an image;

a communication interface for establishing a voice call with a given party;

a processor; and

program instructions executable by the processor to (i) determine a start time of the voice call, (ii) use the start time of the voice call and the interval-length value as a basis to determine that the image was captured during a particular time-interval that occurred prior to the start time of the voice call, wherein the particular time interval spans a time duration indicated by the interval-length value and ends before the start time of the voice call, and wherein the delay time value indicates an amount of time between an end time of the particular time interval and the start time of the voice call, and (iii) in response to determining that the image was captured during the particular time interval, cause the communication interface to send the image to the given party.