Image communication system and an apparatus for and a method of processing an image

• US 7,605,846 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2006
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Mikio
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): SELBY, GEVELL V
• Application Number:
  US11/350,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20060125927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.99, 348/211.1, 348/211.2, 348/14.01, 348/14.12, 348/14.13
• US Class Current: 348/211.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33307 prior to start of transmission, input or output of the picture signal only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33361 according to characteristics or the state of the communication line H04N1/33353 and H04N2201/33371 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/60 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33321 Image or page size, e.g. A3, A4
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33328 Resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3335 Speed or rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices

Abstract

A communication system includes a portable phone and a digital still camera. The user selects an image for transmission, and data indicating a frame number of the selected image is sent from the portable phone to the digital still camera. The portable phone sends a re-size instruction to the digital still camera. The digital still camera re-sizes the image data to reduce a data quantity thereof. The re-sized image data is sent from the digital still camera to the portable phone. The image data is sent from the portable phone via a network to a partner communication system. The image data has a reduced data quantity through the re-sizing and hence can be completely transmitted thereto in a relatively short period of time.

Claims

1. An image communication system in which an image processing apparatus and a first portable phone can communicate data with each other and the first portable phone can communicate with a second portable phone via a telephone line and the first portable phone sends an image data reduction instruction to the image processing apparatus, wherein

the image processing apparatus includes:

an instruction receiving device for receiving the image data reduction instruction sent from the first portable phone;

a data quantity reducing device for reducing a data quantity of image data according to the image data reduction instruction received by the instruction receiving device; and

a first image data transmitting device for transmitting, to the first portable phone, the image data of which the data quantity is reduced by the data quantity reducing device and

the first portable phone includes;

an image data receiving device for receiving the image data sent from the first image data transmitting device of the image processing apparatus; and

a second image data transmitting device for transmitting via the telephone line the image data received by the image data receiving device, wherein

at least one of the first portable phone and the image processing apparatus includes a detecting element for detecting a data communication speed on the telephone line that connects the first portable phone with the second portable phone, and

the data quantity reducing device of the image processing apparatus increases a quantity of data reduction when a slower communication speed is detected by the detecting element.

2. An image communication system in which an image processing apparatus and a first portable phone can communicate data with each other and the first portable phone can communicate with a second portable phone via a telephone line and the first portable phone sends an image data reduction instruction to the image processing apparatus, wherein

the image processing apparatus includes:

an instruction receiving device for receiving the image data reduction instruction sent from the first portable phone;

a data quantity reducing device for reducing a data quantity of image data according to the image data reduction instruction received by the instruction receiving device; and

a first image data transmitting device for transmitting, to the first portable phone, the image data of which the data quantity is reduced by the data quantity reducing device and

the first portable phone includes;

an image data receiving device for receiving the image data sent from the first image data transmitting device of the image processing apparatus; and

a second image data transmitting device for transmitting via the telephone line the image data received by the image data receiving device, wherein

the image data of which the data quantity is to be reduced is associated with thumbnail data,

the image processing apparatus further includes a comparing device for comparing the data quantity of the image data after the reduction of image data by the data quantity reducing device and the data quantity of the thumbnail image data,

the first image transmitting device of the image processing apparatus transmits the thumbnail image data when the data quantity of the image data after the reduction of image data by the data quantity reducing device is in the vicinity of a data quantity of the thumbnail image data.

3. An image communication system in which an image processing apparatus and a first portable phone can communicate data with each other and the first portable phone can communicate with a second portable phone via a telephone line and the first portable phone sends an image data reduction instruction to the image processing apparatus, wherein

the image processing apparatus includes:

an instruction receiving device for receiving the image data reduction instruction sent from the first portable phone;

a data quantity reducing device for reducing a data quantity of image data according to the image data reduction instruction received by the instruction receiving device; and

a first image data transmitting device for transmitting, to the first portable phone, the image data of which the data quantity is reduced by the data quantity reducing device and

the first portable phone includes;

an image data receiving device for receiving the image data sent from the first image data transmitting device of the image processing apparatus; and

a second image data transmitting device for transmitting via the telephone line the image data received by the image data receiving device, wherein

the first portable phone further includes a device for transmitting a transmission instruction of image data for printout to the image processing apparatus,

the image processing apparatus further includes;

a device for receiving the print image data transmission instruction transmitted from the first portable phone; and

a terminating device for terminating the data quantity reduction processing by the image data quantity reducing device in response to reception of the print image data transmission instruction; and

wherein the first image data transmitting device transmits the image data before the data quantity reduction processing to the first portable phone when the data quantity reduction processing is terminated by the terminating device.