Apparatus and method for utilizing a flash LED as a video indicator light

• US 8,744,234 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Drader, Marc, Robinson, James Alexander, Purdy, Michael Lorne
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhao, Daquan
• Assistant Examiner(s): HASAN, SYED Y
• Application Number:
  US12/713,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20110211807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 386/232, 386/200, 386/230, 386/E5.002, 386/E5.003, 386/225, 386/228, 386/231, 386/244, 386/328, 386/E5.072, 348/207.1, 348/208.15, 348/220.1, 348/231.2, 348/441, 348/E5.042, 348/E7.003, 382/234, 382/236, 713/2, 358/909.1
• US Class Current: 386/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A method and an apparatus providing a visual indication of the occurrence of video recording operations on an electronic device. The video recording operations including recording a plurality of frames according to a number of characteristics. The method comprising providing a time interval between the recording of two consecutive frames by modifying at least one of the characteristics of the video recording operations and providing the visual indication of video recording operations during the time interval.

Claims

1. A method of providing a visual indication of the occurrence of video recording operations on an electronic device including a camera for video recording, the video recording operations including recording a plurality of frames according to a number of characteristics, the method comprising:

providing a time interval between the recording of two consecutive frames by modifying at least one of the characteristics of the video recording operations performed during each of the consecutive frames and not during the time interval between the consecutive frames; and

providing the visual indication of the occurrence of the video recording operations during said time interval between the consecutive frames and not during the video recording operations.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of characteristics include a frame rate and wherein modifying at least one of the characteristics of the video recording operations comprises adjusting the frame rate.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein adjusting the frame rate comprises decreasing the frame rate.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein decreasing the frame rate comprises eliminating a number of frames.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of characteristics include exposure time and wherein modifying at least one of the characteristics of the video recording operations comprises adjusting the exposure time of a number of frames.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein adjusting the exposure time comprises reducing the exposure time.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic device includes a flash apparatus having a focused light source and wherein providing the visual indication of video recording operations comprises illuminating the flash apparatus.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein illuminating the flash apparatus comprises illuminating a number of LEDs.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a camera apparatus having a processor, a memory, and a flash apparatus, the camera apparatus being adapted to perform a video recording operation having a number of characteristics, the video recording operation including recording a number of frames, the processor being adapted to;

provide a time interval between the recording of two consecutive frames by modifying at least one of the characteristics of the video recording, the video recording operation performed during each consecutive frame and not during the time interval between the consecutive frames; and

provide visual indication indicating recording of video by illuminating the flash apparatus between the consecutive frames and not during the video recording operation.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 wherein the number of characteristics include a frame rate and wherein the processor is further adapted to modify at least one of the characteristics of the video recording by adjusting the frame rate.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 wherein the processor is further adapted to adjust the frame rate by decreasing the frame rate.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 wherein the processor is further adapted to decrease the frame rate by eliminating a number of frames.

13. The electronic device of claim 9 wherein the number of characteristics include exposure time and wherein the processor is further adapted to modify at least one of the characteristics of the video recording by adjusting the exposure time.

14. The electronic device of claim 9 wherein the flash apparatus comprises a number of LEDs.

15. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium that provides instructions which, when executed on an electronic device of a type including a camera apparatus having a processor, a memory, and a flash apparatus, the camera apparatus being adapted to perform a video recording operation having a number of characteristics, the video recording operation including recording a number of frames, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

providing a time interval between the recording of two consecutive frames by modifying at least one of the characteristics of the video recording, the video recording operation performed during each of the consecutive frames and not during the time interval between the consecutive frames; and

providing a visual indication indicating recording of video by illuminating the flash apparatus between the consecutive frames and not during the video recording operation.