MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING SOUND AND IMAGE DATA

• US 20030107529A1
• Filed: 03/13/2000
• Published: 06/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Image Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Image Incorporated
• Inventors: DABNEY, JAMES H., HAYHURST, BILL, WARD, FREDERICK H.
• Granted Patent: US 6,847,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1628 Carrying enclosures containing additional elements, e.g. case for a laptop and a printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00315 with a radio transmission apparatus with a cordless telephone H04N1/00305; systems or arrangements for the transmission of a picture signal specially adapted for transmission via radio H04N1/00103; H04N1/00307 takes precedence; radio transmission systems H04B7/00; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0086 Image transceiver H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

A mobile telecommunication unit (20) provides two-way remote viewing of images and real time audio. The self-contained, portable unit (20) communicates directly with a similar unit at a remote location across POTS lines, cellular, ISDN, T-1, and satellite communication links. The unit (20) includes mass storage for archiving images. Input devices (25) for each unit include a digital camera (36) through a PCMCIA card, electronic stethoscope, telephone handset, speakerphone, external microphone, and serial and parallel ports. The output devices include a full color screen (22) for viewing local and received images and a speaker for audio output. A hard copy of images can be made by a video printer or desktop printer (42). Images can be uploaded to a PC.

Claims

1. In a system that displays an image on a local display unit and on a remote display unit, which local and remote display units are used and observed by a respective local user and remote user, a method of identifying portions of the displayed images, comprising the steps of:

displaying on the local unit a first local icon at a location on the locally displayed image, which location being selected by the local user; and

transmitting to the remote user information for generating on the remotely displayed image a first remote icon corresponding to the first local icon such that the first remote icon is displayed on the remotely displayed image at the location on the image selected by the local user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing the first remote icon with an appearance indicating that the location of the first remote icon was selected by the local user and not the remote user.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing both the local and remote units with means to change the size of the remotely and locally displayed images by zooming; and

including in the information transmitted to the remote user data representing the size of the displayed local image thereby to permit the first remote icon to be displayed on the remote image at the location selected by the local user irrespective of differences in the size of the image displayed on the remote and the local units.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing both the local and remote units with means to display selected portions of the remote and local images by panning; and

including in the information transmitted to the remote user data representing the location of the first local icon relative to a portion of the image that is common to both the local and remote image thereby to permit the first remote icon to be displayed on the remote image at the location selected by the local user irrespective of differences in the portions of the images selected for display on the remote and the local units.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing both the local and remote units with means to display two or more images at a time and for selecting one of the two or more images on which to display a first local icon; and

including in the information transmitted to the remote user data representing the one of the displayed two or more images on which the first local icon is displayed.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing means for displaying on the local and remote units text information for display with the displayed image;

including in the information transmitted to the remote user data representing text information for display; and

associating the text information with the first local icon, thereby to associate that text information with the first remote icon.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising in addition to the displaying and transmitting steps the step of removing from the local unit the displayed first local icon;

and

transmitting to the remote user information for removing the first remote icon from the remotely displayed image.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

displaying on the local unit a second local icon at a location on the locally displayed image, which location being selected by the local user;

assigning to the second local icon an appearance unlike that of the first local icon; and

transmitting to the remote user information for generating on the remotely displayed image a second remote icon corresponding to the second local icon such that the remote icon is displayed on the remotely displayed image at the location selected by the local user.

9. The method of claim 1 including the steps of:

linking the local and remote units via a telecommunications system; and

sending voice data simultaneously with the information for generating the first remote icon.

10. The method of claim 1 including the step of packaging the local unit as a portable device connectable with more than one type of telecommunications system.

11. The method of claim 1 including the step of storing on the remote unit information representative of the remotely displayed image and first remote icon, thereby to enable later display of that image with the first remote icon.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing on the local unit a touch screen for permitting the local user to touch the local unit for selecting the location of the first local icon.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of displaying on the local unit a virtual button that, once touched, identifies a subsequent touch of the touch screen by the local user as the location selected for the local icon.

14. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of providing on the local unit a touch screen for permitting the local user to touch the local unit for removing from the local unit the displayed first local icon.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of displaying on the local unit a virtual button that when touched by the local user is identified as a command for removing from local unit the displayed first local icon.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

displaying on the remote unit a third remote icon at a location on the locally displayed image, which location being selected by the remote user; and

transmitting to the local unit information for generating on the locally displayed image a third local icon corresponding to the third remote icon such that the third local icon is displayed on the locally displayed image at the location on the image selected by the remote user.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of providing the third remote icon with an appearance indicating that the location of the third remote icon was selected by the remote user and not the local user.

18. An image transmission and reception system comprising:

a local unit including;

an image-capturing device for capturing an image;

a local display device connected to the image-capturing device and operable for displaying the captured image;

a transmitting device for transmitting the image substantially simultaneously with voice data over a telecommunications system;

a case for enclosing and rendering portable the image-capturing device, the local display device, and the transmitting device; and

a remote unit, including;

a receiving device for receiving the image and voice data transmitted by the transmitting device;

a remote display device for displaying the image transmitted by the transmitting device; and

an audio device for providing audio signals corresponding to the voice data transmitted by the transmitting device.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the remote unit further comprises:

an image-capturing device for capturing an image;

the remote display device being connected to the image-capturing device and operable for displaying the captured image;

a transmitting device for substantially transmitting the image substantially simultaneously with voice data over a telecommunications system; and

a case for enclosing and rendering portable the image-capturing device, remote display device, and transmitting device of the remote unit.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the local and remote image-capturing devices are digital cameras and wherein the system further includes means for assigning to each captured image an identifier that specifies which one of the local and remote image-capturing devices generated the image.