Data sharing sequence display method and corresponding sharing device

• US 7,953,798 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2005
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Labelle, Lilian, Nassor, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Colin; Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAW, PETER C
• Application Number:
  US11/220,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20060053207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,091 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/219, 709/231, 725 45- 48, 725/50, 725/53, 725/55, 725/56, 725/105, 725/25, 348/14.02, 348/211.2, 348/231.3, 348/231.9, 358/1.15, 463/40, 370/466
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00442 Simultaneous viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. using a mosaic display arrangement of thumbnails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00461 marking or otherwise tagging one or more displayed image, e.g. for selective reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32085 Automation of other tasks, e.g. repetitive execution or sequencing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3209 according to the called number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33323 transmission mode only, e.g. speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33342 of transmission mode

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method of displaying a sequence for sharing digital data items with a set of recipients using a terminal capable of using at least two communication modes for communicating with the recipients. The method comprises the steps of obtaining a first list of recipients communicating with the terminal according to a first communication mode, obtaining at least one second list of recipients communicating with the terminal according to a second communication mode, displaying on the mobile terminal a representation of each recipient in the lists thus obtained, selecting at least one representation, determining the communication mode to be used according to the representation selected and sending data item to the recipient whose representation was selected according to the determined communication mode. The invention also describes a sharing device adapted to implement the method, in particular a digital camera.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a sequence for sharing digital data items with a set of recipients using a terminal that includes a digital camera and that uses at least two communication modes, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a first list associated with a first communication mode, the first list identifying a first set of one or more recipients corresponding to one or more user entities communicating with the terminal according to the first communication mode via one or more electronic mail messages or one or more Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) type of messages;

obtaining a second list associated with a second communication mode, the second list identifying a second set of one or more recipients corresponding to one or more apparatus entities communicating wirelessly with the terminal according to the second communication mode, the first list not being the second list, and the first communication mode being different from the second communication mode;

displaying at least one first representation of the first set of one or more recipients identified by the first list and at least one second representation of the second set of one or more recipients identified by the second list, merged on a same displaying area of the terminal, thereby generating a merged set of representations;

selecting a selection of at least one representation from the merged set of representations;

determining at least one selected recipient based on the selection;

determining whether each of the at least one selected recipient is identified by the first list, or is identified by the second list;

determining at least one communication mode to be used to transmit a data item to the at least one selected recipient, wherein the first communication mode is determined to be a communication mode to be used to transmit the data item to each of the at least one selected recipient determined to be identified by the first list, and the second communication mode is determined to be a communication mode to be used to transmit the data item to each of the at least one selected recipient determined to be identified by the second list; and

sending the data item to the at least one selected recipient according to the at least one communication mode determined by the determining,

wherein at least one of the steps above is performed, at least in part, by a computer processor.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first list is obtained using a list of addresses and representations stored locally.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the second list includes searching for remote terminals accessible by the terminal.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the second list includes obtaining a representation of a remote terminal accessible by the terminal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one representation is a photograph or an illustration of a corresponding recipient or a photograph or an illustration of an apparatus used by the corresponding recipient.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first communication mode is of a type used by a messaging system on an Internet type of network.

7. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the first list is obtained from a first source;

wherein the second list is obtained from a second source; and

wherein the first source is different from the second source.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising deleting, from the first list, each recipient included in the first list and the second list.

9. The method according to claim 8,

wherein the obtaining of the second list includes searching for a plurality of recipients accessible by the terminal, and

wherein, when one or more recipients found by the searching match one or more recipients in the first list, the one or more recipients found by the searching are deleted from the first list.

10. A device that includes a digital camera and that shares digital data items with a set of recipients, the device being capable of using at least two communication modes, the device comprising:

a computer processor coupled to a memory unit,

wherein the processor is configured to obtain a first list associated with a first communication mode, the first list identifying a first set of one or more recipients corresponding to one or more user entities communicating with the device according to the first communication mode via one or more electronic mail messages or one or more Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) type of messages,

wherein the processor is configured to obtain a second list associated with a second communication mode, the second list identifying a second set of one or more recipients corresponding to one or more apparatus entities communicating wirelessly with the device according to the second communication mode, the first list not being the second list, and the first communication mode being different from the second communication mode,

wherein the processor is configured to display at least one first representation of the first set of one or more recipients identified by the first list and at least one second representation of the second set of one or more recipients identified by the second list, merged on a same displaying area of the device, thereby generating a merged set of representations,

wherein the processor is configured to select a selection of at least one representation of a recipient from the representations of recipients merged on the same displaying area of the terminal,

wherein the processor is configured to determine at least one selected recipient based on the selection,

wherein the processor is configured to determine whether each of the at least one selected recipient is identified by the first list, or is identified by the second list;

wherein the processor is configured to determine at least one communication mode to be used to transmit a data item to the selected at least one recipient, wherein the first communication mode is determined to be a communication mode to be used to transmit the data item to each of the at least one selected recipient determined to be identified by the first list, and the second communication mode is determined to be a communication mode to be used to transmit the data item to each of the at least one selected recipient determined to be identified by the second list, and

wherein the processor is configured to send the data item to the selected at least one recipient according to the at least one communication mode determined by the processor.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the obtaining of the first list includes storing and retrieving addresses and representations of the recipients.

12. The device according to claim 10, wherein the obtaining of the second list includes searching for remote terminals accessible by the device.

13. The device according to claim 10, wherein the obtaining of the second list includes obtaining a representation of a remote terminal accessible by the terminal.

14. The device according to claim 10, wherein at least one representation is a photograph or an illustration of a corresponding recipient or a photograph or an illustration of an apparatus used by the corresponding recipient.

15. The device according to claim 10, wherein the first communication mode is of a type used by a messaging system on an Internet type of network.

16. The device according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to delete, from the first list, each recipient included in the first list and the second list.

17. The device according to claim 16,

wherein the processor is configured to perform a search for a plurality of recipients accessible by the terminal, and

wherein the processor is configured to delete one or more recipients found by the search from the first list, when the one or more recipients found by the search match one or more recipients in the first list.

18. The device according to claim 10, wherein the device is incorporated into a digital camera.

19. The device according to claim 10,

wherein the processor is configured to obtain the first list from a first source;

wherein the processor is configured to obtain the second list from a second source; and

wherein the first source is different from the second source.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer that includes a digital camera, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

obtaining a first list associated with a first communication mode, the first list identifying a first set of one or more recipients corresponding to one or more user entities communicating with a terminal according to the first communication mode via one or more electronic mail messages or one or more Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) type of messages;

obtaining a second list associated with a second communication mode, the second list identifying a second set of one or more recipients corresponding to one or more apparatus entities communicating wirelessly with the terminal according to the second communication mode, the first list not being the second list, and the first communication mode being different from the second communication mode;

displaying at least one representation of the first set of one or more recipients identified by the first list and at least one second representation of the second set of one or more recipients identified by the second list merged on a same displaying area of the terminal, thereby generating a merged set of representations;

selecting a selection of at least one representation of a recipient from the merged set of representations merged on the same displaying area of the terminal;

determining at least one selected recipient based on the selection;

determining whether each of the at least one selected recipient is identified by the first list, or is identified by the second list;

determining at least one communication mode to be used to transmit a data item to the at least one selected recipient, wherein the first communication mode is determined to be a communication mode to be used to transmit the data item to each of the at least one selected recipient determined to be identified by the first list, and the second communication mode is determined to be a communication mode to be used to transmit the data item to each of the at least one selected recipient determined to be identified by the second list; and

sending the data item to the at least one selected recipient according to the at least one communication mode determined by the determining.