Camera non-touch switch

• US 9,516,227 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2016
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Chau, Seang Y., Han, Amy Aimei, Lammers, Michael J., Han, Sang-Kyun
• Primary Examiner(s): ADAMS, EILEEN M
• Application Number:
  US14/990,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20160119544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 334 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

Various embodiments provide a camera that includes a non-touch switch that can be utilized to access and activate various camera functionality.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving input to a non-touch switch of a wearable camera device, the non-touch switch comprising a light sensor that receives light that enters the wearable camera device;

responsive to receiving the input to the non-touch switch via the light sensor, accessing camera functionality associated with the non-touch switch; and

activating the camera functionality responsive to receiving the input to the non-touch switch via the light sensor.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the input comprises user input that covers the non-touch switch.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the camera functionality comprises image capture.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the camera functionality does not comprise image capture.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the camera functionality comprises video capture.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the camera functionality can be activated by briefly covering the light sensor.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the light sensor comprises a camera lens of the wearable camera device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the light sensor comprises a separate light aperture other than the camera lens of the wearable camera device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the camera functionality comprises a replay mode in which the wearable camera device automatically captures image data and saves the image data to a memory buffer of the wearable camera device, and when the memory buffer is full, erases older image data to make room for currently-captured image data.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the activating the camera device functionality comprises causing image data from a beginning of the memory buffer to be saved, and currently-captured image data to be saved.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the wearable camera device is configured to be worn on a location other than a user'"'"'s clothing.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the wearable camera device is configured to be worn on a user'"'"'s clothing.

13. A camera device comprising:

a camera lens configured to enable capture of image data;

a non-touch switch configured to receive input to access and activate a camera functionality, the non-touch switch comprising a light sensor that receives light that enters the camera device; and

a processor configured to;

receive an input from the non-touch switch via the light sensor;

access the camera functionality associated with the non-touch switch in response to the input from the non-touch switch via the light sensor; and

activate the camera functionality in response to the input from the non-touch switch via the light sensor.

14. The camera device of claim 13, wherein the camera functionality can be activated by briefly covering the light sensor.

15. The camera device of claim 13, wherein the light sensor comprises the camera lens of the camera device.

16. The camera device of claim 13, wherein the light sensor comprises a separate light aperture other than the camera lens of the camera device.

17. The camera device of claim 13, wherein the camera functionality comprises image capture.

18. The camera device of claim 13, wherein the camera functionality does not comprise image capture.

19. The camera device of claim 13, wherein the camera functionality comprises video capture.

20. The camera device of claim 13, wherein the camera functionality comprises a replay mode in which the camera lens automatically captures image data and saves the image data to a memory buffer of the camera device, and when the memory buffer is full, erases older image data to make room for currently-captured image data.