Electronic apparatus

• US 7,630,004 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2003
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nabetani, Hitoshi, Okauchi, Shigeki, Koide, Yuji, Watanabe, Gaku
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US10/375,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20030128283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,476 Days
• Field of Search: 344/207.1, 34423199-2319, 34420799-20711, 34433301-33302, 344/333.12
• US Class Current: 348/231.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• 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 1/00236 using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer image input to or image output from a computer via a network H04N1/00209
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00241 using an image reading device as a local input to a computer input via network, e.g. network scanners H04N1/00225
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00408 Display of information to the user, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00477 Indicating status, e.g. of a job for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N2201/3219
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2137 with temporary storage before final recording, e.g. in a frame buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/001 Sharing resources, e.g. processing power or memory, with a connected apparatus or enhancing the capability of the still picture apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0034 Details of the connection, e.g. connector, interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0036 Detecting or checking connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters

Abstract

An electronic system comprising an image pickup unit 1, a computer 2, and communication terminals for connecting the unit and the computer, such as infrared communication ports 6, 10, a card slot 8, and serial communication terminals 5,9 wherein the necessary image data is allowed to be produced from the unit 1 and transmitted to the computer through the communication terminals. The computer communicates with the image pick up unit by examining the port of each communication means in order to recognize whether a connected unit is the image pickup unit or a foreign unit and to determine and store the communication speed for each communication port. The image data and memory space information is then automatically transmitted to the computer and displayed on a device connected to said computer.

Claims

1. An external apparatus connected to an image pickup device having a first memory device within which image data is stored, comprising:

a communicator configured to communicate with the image pickup device, wherein the communicator obtains image data stored in the first memory device if the communicator receives a signal indicating that a device connected to the external apparatus is the image pickup device;

a display controller configured to display an icon indicating the image pickup device together with an icon indicating a second memory device arranged in the external apparatus if the signal indicating that a device connected to the external apparatus is the image pickup device is received by the communicator, wherein an appearance of the icon indicating the image pickup device differs from an appearance of the icon indicating the second memory device; and

a designator configured to designate the icon indicating the image pickup device, wherein the display controller displays a list of image data stored in the first memory device in the image pickup device if the image pickup device icon is designated by the designator.

2. The external apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display controller displays a scroll arrow for scrolling the list of the image data.

3. The external apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display controller displays a list stored in the second memory device.

4. The external apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display controller displays the list of the image data stored in the first memory device and the list of the image data stored in the second memory in different display windows.

5. The external apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the designator can select an image data from the list of the image data stored in the first memory device; and

the image data selected by the designator is stored in the second memory device if the image data selected by the designator is dragged and dropped onto the list of the image data stored in the second memory device.

6. A method for controlling an external apparatus connected to an image pickup device having a first memory device within which image data is stored, comprising steps of:

obtaining image data stored in the first memory device from the external apparatus if a signal indicating that a device connected to the external apparatus is the image pickup device is received;

displaying an icon indicating the image pickup device together with an icon indicating a second memory device arranged in the external apparatus if the signal indicating a device connected to the external apparatus is the image pickup device is received, wherein an appearance of the icon indicating the image pickup device differs from an appearance of the icon indicating the second memory device; and

designating the image pickup device icon, wherein a list of image data stored in the first memory device arranged in the image pickup device is displayed if the image pickup icon is designated by the designator.

7. The control method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of displaying a scroll arrow for scrolling the list of the image data.

8. The control method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of displaying a list stored in the second memory device.

9. The control method according to claim 6, wherein the list of the image data stored in the first memory device and the list of the image data stored in the second memory are displayed in different display windows.

10. The control method according to claim 9, wherein:

an image data from the list of the image data stored in the first memory device is selected; and

the selected image data is stored in the second memory device if the image data selected by the designator is dragged and dropped onto the list of the image data stored in the second memory device.

11. A computer readable medium for storing a control method described in claim 6.

12. A system comprising an image pickup device and an external apparatus connected to the image pickup device, wherein:

the image pickup device comprises;

a first memory device within which image data is stored; and

a first communicator configured to communicate with the external apparatus, wherein the first communicator sends a signal indicating the image pickup device to the external apparatus, and

the external apparatus comprises;

a second communicator configured to communicate with the image pickup device, wherein the second communicator obtains image data stored in the first memory device from the image pickup device if the second communicator receives the signal indicating the image pickup device sent by the first communicator;

a display controller configured to display an icon indicating the image pickup device together with an icon indicating a second memory device arranged in the external apparatus if the signal indicating the image pickup device is received by the second communicator, wherein an appearance of the icon indicating the image pickup device differs from an appearance of the icon indicating the second memory device; and

a designator configured to designate the icon indicating the image pickup device, wherein the display controller displays a list of image data stored in the first memory device in the image pickup device if the image pickup device icon is designated by the designator.