Single-control image-taking apparatus
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising a camera and at least one binary control element,said binary control element being characterized by having exactly two mutually exclusive user interaction states, actuated and non-actuated, and being adapted so that an actuation by a user transitions said binary control element from said non-actuated state to said actuated state,wherein a first actuation of said binary control element locks at least one image-taking parameter of said camera and a subsequent actuation of said binary control element causes a picture to be taken by said camera using said image-taking parameter locked by said first actuation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
According to one embodiment, an image-taking apparatus wherein a first actuation of a control element locks image-taking parameters and a subsequent actuation of this control element causes a picture to be taken. In one embodiment, the apparatus is a cellular telephone equipped with a camera wherein a first press on the volume up button locks focus and exposure. The photographer can then recompose the picture according to the ‘half-press’ technique and take a picture with a subsequent press on the volume up button. Other embodiments are described.
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Citations
57 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising a camera and at least one binary control element,
said binary control element being characterized by having exactly two mutually exclusive user interaction states, actuated and non-actuated, and being adapted so that an actuation by a user transitions said binary control element from said non-actuated state to said actuated state, wherein a first actuation of said binary control element locks at least one image-taking parameter of said camera and a subsequent actuation of said binary control element causes a picture to be taken by said camera using said image-taking parameter locked by said first actuation.
- 16. An apparatus comprising a camera and two volume control elements wherein actuation of a first of said volume control elements locks at least one image-taking parameter of said camera and subsequent actuation of the other of said volume control elements causes a picture to be taken by said camera using said image-taking parameter locked by said previous actuation of said first volume control element.
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24. A method for controlling image-taking parameters and triggering the taking of an image by a camera using at least one binary control element,
said binary control element being characterized by having exactly two mutually exclusive user interaction states, actuated and non-actuated, and being adapted so that an actuation by a user transitions said binary control element from said non-actuated state to said actuated state, wherein a first actuation of said binary control element locks at least one image-taking parameter of said camera and a subsequent actuation of said binary control element causes a picture to be taken by said camera using said image-taking parameter locked by said first actuation.
- 32. A method for controlling a camera using an apparatus equipped with two volume control elements wherein actuation of a first of said volume control elements locks at least one image-taking parameter of said camera and subsequent actuation of the other of said volume control elements causes a picture to be taken by said camera using said image-taking parameter locked by said previous actuation of said first volume control element.
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40. A portable apparatus comprising
a volume control element primarily dedicated to lowering the volume of an audio signal, a volume control element primarily dedicated to increasing the volume of an audio signal, and a microprocessor, said microprocessor being adapted to switch between different user interaction states, and said microprocessor further being adapted so that in some of said user interaction states a first actuation of one of said volume control elements causes a first predetermined action not related to changing said volume and a subsequent actuation of said volume control element causes a second predetermined action not related to changing said volume, said first predetermined action comprising one predetermined sequence of steps, and said second predetermined action comprising another predetermined sequence of steps substantively different from said sequence of steps of said first action.
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49. A machine-implemented method for controlling a software-implemented function on a portable apparatus, comprising at least one processor controlling said apparatus
observing actuation of a volume control element primarily dedicated to changing the audio volume on a portable device, contingent upon said device being in a state where a function other than changing said volume is desirable upon actuation of said volume control element, checking from state stored in electronic memory whether said actuation of said volume control element is to be taken as a first or as a subsequent actuation of said volume control element, executing a first predetermined software action not related to changing said volume if said actuation is to be taken as a first actuation, and executing a second predetermined software action not related to changing said volume if said actuation is to be taken as a subsequent actuation, said first predetermined action comprising one predetermined sequence of steps, and said second predetermined action comprising another predetermined sequence of steps substantively different from said sequence of steps of said first action.
Specification