Operation at mobile terminal when communicating with remote camera

• US 7,663,666 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2004
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ohnishi, Motoo, Kawai, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Daniels; Anthony J
• Application Number:
  US10/865,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20050007459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,073 Days
• Field of Search: 348143-150, 3482119-2117
• US Class Current: 348/211.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A mobile terminal, which is capable of communicating with a camera server via a network, has a display unit and a plurality of operating units. Operations for acquiring video and for controlling a camera are assigned to respective ones of the plurality of operating units. Depending upon the operation of the plurality of operating units, processing is executed for acquiring video from the camera server or for instructing the camera server to control the camera.

Claims

1. A storage medium, which is capable of being read by an information processing apparatus, storing a program executed in a mobile telephone for the purpose of controlling the mobile telephone, which is capable of communicating with a camera server via a network and has a display unit and a plurality of operating keys, said program comprising:

first program code for assigning an operation for camera control to at least one of the plurality of operating keys; and

second program code for executing processing for camera control with respect to the camera server in accordance with operation of an operating key of the operating keys, wherein said first program code assigns to a specific key of the operating keys a rotational shifting operation of shifting a portion of video to be displayed in a direction determined on the basis of a position of the portion when the specific key is pressed so as to shift the portion in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction in a case where the video acquired from the camera server cannot all be displayed on the display unit.

2. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein said first program code assigns at least one operation from among pan, tilt and zoom operations of a camera, which has been connected to the camera server, to the operating keys.

3. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein said program is downloaded from the camera server to the mobile telephone via the network.

4. A mobile telephone capable of communicating with a camera server via a network, said telephone comprising:

a display unit;

a plurality of operating keys; and

a control unit that assigns an operation for camera control to at least one of said plurality of operating keys, and executes processing for camera control with respect to the camera server in accordance with operation of an operating key of the operating keys,

wherein said control unit assigns to a specific key of the operating keys a rotational shifting operation of shifting a portion of video to be displayed in a direction determined on the basis of a position of the portion when the specific key is pressed so as to shift the portion in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction in a case where the video acquired from the camera server cannot all be displayed on said display unit.

5. The mobile telephone according to claim 4, wherein said control unit assigns at least one operation from among pan, tilt and zoom operations of a camera, which has been connected to the camera server, to said operating keys.