Mobile terminals, methods, and program products that generate communication information based on characters recognized in image data

• US 7,558,595 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Angelhag, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): KING, SIMON
• Assistant Examiner(s): King; Simon
• Application Number:
  US10/877,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20050286493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550, 455/564, 705/14, 379/93.12, 379/142, 379/113, 235/384, 382/173
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3623 using a camera or code reader, e.g. for optical or magnetic codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1444 Selective acquisition, locating or processing of specific regions, e.g. highlighted text, fiducial marks or predetermined fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2755 by optical scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264

Abstract

Mobile terminals, methods, and program products generate information for communication from a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal can include a camera device and a controller. The camera device is configured to capture image data based on incident light. The controller is configured to recognize characters in the image data, and to generate the information that is to be communicated from the mobile terminal based on the recognized characters. The controller may determine that the recognized characters are indicative of an Internet address, a message address, a telephone number, a street address, and/or contact information.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a camera device that is configured to capture image data based on incident light;

a controller that is configured to recognize characters in the image data, and configured to generate information that is to be communicated from the mobile terminal based on the recognized characters,

wherein the controller is configured to respond to activation of an Internet browser by initiating searching of the image data for an indication of an Internet address and, responsive thereto, to generate an Internet address based on the recognized characters and to initiate a connection with an Internet site through a wireless transceiver based on the generated Internet address,

wherein the controller is configured to generate a message using the generated message address for communication from the mobile terminal to a remote communication terminal having an address that corresponds to the generated message address.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to recognize the characters by carrying out an optical character recognition process on the image data.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the generated message comprises at least one of an email message, a Short Message Service message, an Enhanced Message Service message, and/or a Multimedia Message Service message to a remote communication terminal having an address that corresponds to the message address generated from the recognized characters.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a contact information database,

wherein the controller is configured to search the image data for a predetermined Internet address dot-extension that is indicative of an Internet address and, responsive to identifying the predetermined dot-extension therein, to initiate a connection with an Internet site through the wireless transceiver based on the Internet address generated in response to characters recognized in the image data adjacent to the predetermined dot-extension, and to add the generated message address to the contact information database.

5. A mobile terminal comprising:

a camera device that is configured to capture image data based on incident light;

a controller that is configured to recognize characters in the image data, and configured to generate information that is to be communicated from the mobile terminal based on the recognized characters,

wherein the controller is configured to respond to activation of an Internet browser by initiating searching of the image data for an indication of an Internet address and, responsive thereto, to generate an Internet address based on the recognized characters and to initiate a connection with an Internet site through a wireless transceiver based on the generated Internet address,

wherein the controller is configured to determine that a plurality of the recognized characters are indicative of a telephone number in the image data, configured to generate a telephone number based on the recognized characters, and configured to generate a telephone call based on the generated telephone number.

6. A method of generating information for communication from a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

responding to activation of an Internet browser by initiating searching image data for an indication of an Internet address;

generating an Internet address based on characters recognized by said mobile terminal through the searching of the image data;

initiating a connection with an Internet site through a wireless transceiver based on the generated Internet address; and

generating by said mobile terminal at least one of an email message, a Short Message Service message, an Enhanced Message Service message, and/or a Multimedia Message Service message that is to be communicated from the mobile terminal to a remote communication terminal having an address that corresponds to the message address that was generated from the recognized characters.

7. A method of generating information for communication from a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

responding to activation of an Internet browser by initiating searching image data for an indication of an Internet address;

generating an Internet address based on characters recognized by said mobile terminal through the searching of the image data;

initiating a connection with an Internet site through a wireless transceiver based on the generated Internet address;

determining by said mobile terminal that a plurality of the recognized characters are indicative of a telephone number in the image data;

generating the telephone number based on the recognized characters; and

generating a telephone call based on the generated telephone number.

8. A method of generating information for communication from a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

responding to activation of an Internet browser by initiating searching image data for an indication of an Internet address;

generating an Internet address based on characters recognized by said mobile terminal through the searching of the image data;

initiating a connection with an Internet site through a wireless transceiver based on the generated Internet address;

determining that the recognized characters are indicative of a street address;

generating by said mobile terminal street address information based on the recognized character;

determining by said mobile terminal a location of the mobile terminal based on GPS signals; and

navigating based on the generated street address information and the determined location of the mobile terminal.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising capturing the image data based on a user selection of at least one of a key associated with dialing a telephone number, a key associated with initiating an Internet browser, a key associated with initiating a navigation application, and a key associated with initiating messaging.