Imaging device, terminal device, and imaging system

• US 7,705,887 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2003
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsubaki, Hisayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peterson; Christopher K
• Application Number:
  US10/727,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20040109199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,335 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.4, 348/211.99, 348/207.1, 348/139, 348143-153, 348/159, 709/224
• US Class Current: 348/211.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0019 on souvenir-type products or the like, e.g. T-shirts or mugs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00251 with an apparatus for taking photographic images, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0067 Converting to still picture data

Abstract

A terminal device 1 including a wireless communication unit 11 is carried by a subject user who will become a subject, and a wireless communication unit 21 for performing directional data communication in an imaging direction is provided in a camera 2. When the terminal device 1 and the camera 2 become able to communicate data each other, the subject user carrying the terminal device 1 is photographed, and image data obtained in this way are transmitted to the terminal device 1. The terminal device 1 displays the image data. If necessary, the subject user issues an instruction to print the image data, and transmits information on the instruction to print to the camera 2. The camera 2 assigns the information on the instruction to print to the image data, and transmits the information on the instruction to print and the image data to an image server 4 and further to a printer 5.

Claims

1. An imaging system for interaction with one or more subject carried terminal devices, the one or more terminal devices including a display capable of displaying images and a communication device to enable communication therewith, the imaging system comprising:

at least one imaging means for photographing a subject carrying a terminal device and for obtaining image data representing an image of the subject;

an imaging communication means included with each associated imaging means for providing wireless data communication to the subject carried terminal devices from the imaging communication means and for receiving wireless data communication from the subject carried terminal devices; and

a control means for controlling the operation of the imaging means so that the imaging means is driven to obtain image data when the terminal device carried by the subject and the imaging communication means become able to communicate with each other to determine the subject is within the image data to be obtained by the imaging means; and

communication range restricting means for limiting wireless data transmission from the imaging communication means and wireless data reception by the imaging communication means to be in an angular range along a direction in common with an imaging direction of the associated imaging means,

wherein the communication range restricting means further restricts the angular range to have an angular extent that matches an imaging angle of view of the associated imaging means, and

the control means controls the imaging communication means to transmit image data representing the image of the subject obtained by the imaging means to the terminal device of the subject carrying the terminal device that is in the angular range of the communication range restricting means for display thereon.

2. The imaging system as defined in claim 1, wherein the control means is a means for assigning terminal information that specifies the terminal device carried by the subject to the image data.

3. The imaging system as defined in claim 1, wherein the control means is a means for generating small capacity image data of which data volume is less than the image data and transmitting the small capacity image data to the terminal device instead of the image data.

4. The imaging system as defined in claim 1, wherein the control means is a means for controlling the drive of the imaging means so that photography is prohibited after a predetermined number of images have been photographed continuously.

5. The imaging system as defined in claim 1, wherein the control means is a means for controlling the drive of the imaging means so that imaging is prohibited for a predetermined time after photography.

6. The imaging system as defined in claim 1, wherein the control means is a means for controlling the drive of the imaging means so that the imaging means performs photography only when the terminal device gives an instruction to perform photography.

7. The imaging system as defined in claim 1, wherein a plurality of the imaging means are provided with overlapping imaging ranges and the control means in each of the imaging means controls the drive of an associated one of the plurality of imaging means so that when all the imaging communication means included with each of the plurality of imaging means have become able to communicate data with the terminal device, the plurality of imaging means photograph respective images.

8. The imaging system as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

an image server for storing the images obtained by the at least one imaging means.

9. The imaging system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a printer for printing out the image data obtained by the at least one imaging means.

10. The imaging system as defined in claim 9, wherein the printer only prints out the image data for which an instruction to print has been issued.

11. The imaging system as defined in claim 10, wherein the instruction to print can be issued at the one or more terminal devices.