Image providing apparatus, image displaying apparatus, image transmitting system and image transmitting method using the same

• US 8,854,460 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2009
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanwha Vision Company Limited (Hanwha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Techwin Co., Ltd. (Hanwha Corporation)
• Inventors: Sim, Hyun-chul, Kim, Jong-myoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDWARDS, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US12/424,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20100033569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,000 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4728 for selecting a Region Of Interest [ROI], e.g. for requesting a higher resolution version of a selected region
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An image providing apparatus, an image displaying apparatus, an image transmitting system and an image transmitting method thereof. The image providing apparatus includes a storage unit, a transceiver to receive transmission request information and a stored image, and a controller to process the image using extracted information. Accordingly, a waste of resource required for data processing at an external device is reduced and an image optimized for display is provided to the external device.

Claims

1. An image providing apparatus comprising:

a storage unit to store format information about a plurality of display devices;

a transceiver to receive transmission request information for at least one image stored in at least one image storage device from at least one display device; and

a controller to extract format information about the display device from the stored format information about the display devices based on the transmission request information, convert a format of the image stored in the image storage device using the extracted format information, and transmit the format-converted image to the display device via the transceiver for display of the format-converted image on the display device,

wherein the transmission request information includes a request for the image stored in the image storage device, and identification information about the display device, and

wherein the controller extracts the format information about the display device from the format information about the display devices based on the request for the image stored in the image storage device and the identification information about the display device,

wherein the controller extracts information about whether the display device has already been authenticated along with the format information, and if the display device has already been authenticated, the controller converts the format of the image using identification information about the display device included in the transmission request information,

wherein, if the display device has not been authenticated, the controller determines whether to authenticate the display device using at least one of a user identifier and a password included in the transmission request information, and if the display device has been authenticated, the controller converts the format of the image using identification information about the display device included in the transmission request information, and

wherein the controller transmits a user interface (UI) optimized for the display device along with the format-converted image to the display device such that the format-converted image and the UI are displayed on a screen of the display device.

2. The image providing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image storage device stores the image photographed by at least one photographing apparatus.

3. The image providing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission request information further includes at least one of a user identifier and a password.

4. The image providing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the format information includes quality or property information about an image supported by at least one of the display devices.

5. The image providing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to convert the format of the image received from the image storage device using the extracted format information about the display device so that the format-converted image complies with the extracted format information of about the display device, and

wherein the format information comprises at least one of a frame rate, a compression method and a resolution.

6. The image providing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if a manipulation command input through the UI is received, the controller re-processes the image stored in the image storage device to the converted format, according to the manipulation command, and transmits the re-processed image to the display device in a wireless manner via the transceiver.

7. The image providing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image stored in the image storage device comprises a plurality of images, and

wherein the controller controls the image storage device such that the plurality of images, which are format-converted, are concurrently displayed on the display device.

8. An image displaying apparatus comprising:

a transceiver to transmit to a server transmission request information for at least one image stored in at least one image storage device, and receive from the server the image having a converted format by the server based on the transmission request information; and

a controller to control the image displaying apparatus such that the format-converted image is displayed,

wherein the transmission request information includes a request for the image stored in the at least one image storage device, and identification information about the image displaying apparatus,

wherein the server stores format information about a plurality of display devices, extracts formation information about the image displaying apparatus, corresponding to the converted format, from the stored format information about the display devices based on the request for the image stored in the image storage device and the identification information about the image displaying apparatus, and converts the format of the image using the extracted format information,

wherein the server extracts information about whether the image displaying apparatus has already been authenticated along with the format information, and if the display device has already been authenticated, the server converts the format of the image using identification information about the image displaying apparatus included in the transmission request information,

wherein, if the image displaying apparatus has not been authenticated, the server determines whether to authenticate the image displaying apparatus using at least one of a user identifier and a password included in the transmission request information, and if the image displaying apparatus has been authenticated, the server converts the format of the image using identification information about the image displaying apparatus included in the transmission request information, and

wherein the transceiver receives the format-converted image along with a user interface (UI) optimized for the image displaying apparatus from the server.

9. The image displaying apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a user input unit to manipulate the UI;

wherein, if a manipulation command for the UI is input through the user input unit, the transceiver transmits the manipulation command to the server and receives an image which is re-processed to the converted format, by the server according to the manipulation command.

10. The image displaying apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the format-converted image is an image processed to comply with the extracted format information supported by the image displaying apparatus, and

wherein the format information comprises at least one of a frame rate, a compression method and a resolution.

11. The image displaying apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the format-converted image includes an image combining a plurality of images stored in a plurality of image storage devices including the image storage device.

12. An image transmitting method by an image providing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving transmission request information for at least one image stored in at least one image storage device from at least one display device;

extracting format information about the display device from pre-stored format information about a plurality of display devices based on the received transmission request information;

converting a format of the image stored in the image storage device using the extracted format information; and

transmitting the format-converted image to the display device for display of the format-converted image on the display device,

wherein the transmission request information includes a request for the image stored in the image storage device, and identification information about the display device,

wherein the extracting format information comprises extracting the format information about the display device from the format information about the display devices based on the request for the image stored in the image storage device and the identification information of the display device,

wherein the transmitting the format-converted image comprises transmitting the format-converted image along with a user interface (UI) optimized for the display device such that the format-converted image and the UI are displayed on a screen of the display device, and

wherein the converting the format of the image comprises;

extracting information about whether the display device has already been authenticated, along with the format information, and if the display device has been already authenticated, converting the format of the image using identification information about the display device included in the transmission request information; and

if the display device has not been already authenticated, determining whether to authenticate the display device using at least one of a user identifier and a password included in the transmission request information, and if the display device has been authenticated, converting the format of the image using identification information about the display device included in the transmission request information.

13. The image transmitting method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the converting the format of the image comprises converting the format of the image so that the format-converted image complies with the extracted format information about the display device, and

wherein the format information comprises at least one of a frame rate, a compression method and a resolution.

14. The image transmitting method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising, if a manipulation command input through the UI is received, re-processing the image stored in the image storage device to the converted format, according to the manipulation command, and re-transmitting the re-processed image to the display device in a wireless manner.

15. The image transmitting method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the image stored in the image storage device comprises a plurality of images, and

wherein the method further comprises:

converting formats of the plurality of images stored in the plurality of the image storing devices; and

transmitting the plurality of format-converted images to the display device for displaying the plurality of format-converted images on a screen of the display device concurrently.

16. An image transmitting system, comprising:

at least one image storage device to store at least one image photographed by at least one photographing apparatus;

at least one display device to transmit transmission request information for at least one image stored in the image storage device to receive the image stored in the image storage device; and

a server to extract format information about the display device from pre-stored format information about a plurality of display devices based on the transmission request information, if the transmission request information is received, convert a format of the image stored in the image storage device using the extracted format information, and transmit the format-converted image to the display device for display of the format-converted image on the display device,

wherein the transmission request information includes a request for the image stored in the image storage device, and identification information about the display device,

wherein the server extracts the format information about the display device from the pre-stored format information about the display devices based on the request for the image stored in the image storage device and the identification information about the display device,

wherein the server extracts information about whether the image displaying apparatus has already been authenticated along with the format information, and if the display device has already been authenticated, the server converts the format of the image using identification information about the image displaying apparatus included in the transmission request information, and

wherein, if the image displaying apparatus has not been authenticated, the server determines whether to authenticate the image displaying apparatus using at least one of a user identifier and a password included in the transmission request information, and if the image displaying apparatus has been authenticated, the server converts the format of the image using identification information about the image displaying apparatus included in the transmission request information.

17. The image transmitting system as claimed in claim 16, wherein, if the transmission request information is received from the display device, the server converts the format of the image so that the format-converted image complies with the extracted format information supported by the display device, and transmits the format-converted image to the display device.

18. The image transmitting system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the format information comprises at least one of a frame rate, a compression method and a resolution.

19. The image transmitting system as claimed in claim 16, wherein, if a plurality of display devices transmit transmission requests concurrently, the server converts the stored image to different formats according to a predefined priority and wirelessly transmits the image.