Image display apparatus

• US 6,441,828 B1
• Filed: 09/08/1999
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ironworks Patents LLC
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Oba, Haruo, Sawai, Kunihito, Inoue, Yoshiaki, Tsujimura, Iwami
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, FRANCIS N
• Application Number:
  US09/391,941
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 345/10, 345/126, 345/1-2, 345/905, 345/326-327, 345/329, 345/330, 361/681, 361/683, 361/686-687, 348/333.01, 348/333.02, 348/333.03, 348/333.04, 348/333.11, 348/333.12, 348/232, 348/222, 348/207, 348/211, 348/552, 348/794, 348/373, 348/14.09, 725/109, 725/112-113, 725/118, 725/133, 725/141, 382/103, 709/204
• US Class Current: 345/659
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/905 Display device with housing structure

Abstract

In an image display apparatus, information on a direction in which an image is to be displayed on a display panel is recorded in a memory card, and a to-be-displayed image signal corresponding to the displaying-direction information read from the memory card is displayed on the display panel. The displaying-direction information relates to a direction in which the image is to be displayed on the display panel. More particularly, it is information indicative of a direction designated by the user of the apparatus pressing a rotate button on an operation panel and in which image information initially read from the memory card is displayed on the display panel. Pressing the rotate button a maximum of three times for one image will rotate the image clockwise, for example, whereby it is possible to designate a desired direction in which the image is to be displayed. Thus an image can be displayed in a correct direction even with no designation for an image'"'"'s normal direction regardless of whether the image display apparatus itself is placed with the shorter or longer side down.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus for displaying image data read from a recording medium, comprising:

image processing means for generating an image signal by processing image data read from the recording medium in a predetermined manner;

image displaying means for displaying the image signal generated by the image processing means;

controlling means for recording into the recording medium information on a direction in which an image of the image signal is to be displayed on the image displaying means and displaying the image on the image displaying means in a direction corresponding to the displaying-direction information read from the recording medium; and

an operation panel provided with play start/stop control buttons for recording the displaying-direction information into the recording medium and image information access/search control buttons for searching the image information, wherein

the operation panel is accommodable in an enclosure of the apparatus.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising means whereby the recording medium is set into the apparatus from outside.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising means for recognizing a human body existing near the apparatus and providing a detection signal based on which a displaying status of the image displaying means is changed.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising time setting means for setting an expiration time at which the displaying status of the image displaying means is changed, wherein

the controlling means continuously holds the displaying status of the image displaying means for a time set by the time setting means.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising mounting means whereby the operation panel is accommodable into the apparatus enclosure by pivoting or sliding.

6. An image displaying apparatus for displaying image data read from a recording medium, comprising:

image signal generating means for generating an image signal for display based on image information read from the recording medium;

image displaying means for displaying the image signal produced by the image signal generating means; and

means for determining a direction in which an image of the image signal is to be displayed on the image displaying means according to a posture in which the apparatus is placed and information on a direction in which an image of the image signal is to be displayed read from the recording medium.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, further comprising means whereby the recording medium is set into the apparatus from outside.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, further comprising:

means for communication with an external apparatus to transmit and receive image data to and from the external apparatus;

an image memory for storage of image data transmitted via the means for communication with the external apparatus; and

means for communication with the recording medium to transmit and receive image data to and from the recording medium, wherein

the image signal generating means generates the image signal based on image data stored in the image memory or on image data transmitted via the means for communication with the recording medium.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the means for communication with the recording medium includes means for communicating with a plurality of recording media to transmit and receive data to and from the plurality of recording media.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the means for communication with the external apparatus includes infra-red ray communication means for communication with the external apparatus to transmit data to and from the external apparatus using infra-red rays.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein the means for communication with the external apparatus includes:

serial-cable communication means for data communication over a serial cable; and

communication mode switching means for selectively switching between the infrared-ray communication means and the serial-cable communication means.

12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein the communication mode switching means is adapted to change, when the external apparatus is connected to the serial-cable communication means, the data communication by the infrared-ray communication means over to the data communication by the serial-cable communication means.

13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, further comprising means for selectively switching between image data stored in the image memory and image data supplied via the means for communication with the recording medium and for sending the selected image data to the image signal generating means.

14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 13, wherein the means for selectively switching between image data read from the image memory and the image data supplied via the means for communication with the recording medium, is adapted to change, when the recording medium is connected to the means for communication with the recording medium, image data stored in the image memory to image data supplied via the means for communication with the recording medium and to send the selected image data to the image signal generating means.

15. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, further comprising:

means for detecting an amount of light around the apparatus; and

means for adjusting an operation of the image displaying means based on a detection signal from the light detecting means.

16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, further comprising:

recognizing means for recognizing a human body or an object near the apparatus; and

means for controlling power supply to the apparatus based on a detection signal from the recognizing means.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, further comprising display mode selecting means for selecting one of a plurality of image displaying modes.

18. The apparatus as set forth in claim 17, wherein the image signal generating means generates an image for each of a plurality of menu items indicating the plurality of image displaying modes, and

one of the plurality of menu items is selected by the display mode selecting means.