Device with camera at or near junction of first panel and second panel

• US 9,594,970 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2014
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Osborne, Christopher Miles, Ripp, Michael William Stuart, Schantz, Daniel Jordan, Luttrell, Wesley Abram
• Primary Examiner(s): OSINSKI, MICHAEL S
• Application Number:
  US14/471,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20160063338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 3482071-20711, 348373-376, 396419-428, 361/683, 361/679.21, 361/679.26, 361/679.27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/414 Extracting the geometrical structure, e.g. layout tree; Block segmentation, e.g. bounding boxes for graphics or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00525 Providing a more compact apparatus, e.g. sheet discharge tray in cover
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00557 Connection or assembly of components or elements H04N1/00538 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00559 Mounting or support of components or elements H04N1/00538 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/387 Composing, repositioning or otherwise geometrically modifying originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera

Abstract

In one aspect, a device includes a first panel at least bearing a keyboard, a second panel at least bearing a display and which is coupled to the first panel at least at a junction, and at least one camera disposed on the device at or near the junction of the first panel and the second panel.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a first panel at least bearing a keyboard;

a second panel at least bearing a display and which is coupled to the first panel at least at a junction;

a camera disposed on the device at least substantially at the junction of the first panel and the second panel; and

a light source on the device and other than the display, wherein the device controls the light source to illuminate at least a portion of a current field of view of the camera;

wherein the device presents a user interface (UI) on the display at which at least one selector element is selectable to control an aspect of the current field of view of the camera, the device presenting the UI responsive to the device being physically transitioned to a predefined configuration.

2. The device of claim 1, comprising a processor and comprising a swivel element which is coupled to at least a portion of the device at least substantially at the junction, wherein the camera is disposed on the swivel element, and wherein the swivel element is controllable by the processor to alter the orientation of the camera.

3. The device of claim 1, comprising a processor and storage accessible to the processor, the storage bearing instructions executable by the processor to:

in response to a determination that the device has been placed in the predefined configuration, power on the camera and await user input to gather at least one image using the camera.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable to:

determine that the device has been placed in the predefined configuration at least in part based on at least one signal from at least one configuration sensor on the device.

5. The device of claim 1, comprising a processor and storage accessible to the processor, the storage bearing instructions executable by the processor to:

power on the camera;

in response to user input identified by the device as input to gather at least one image using the camera, gather at least one image of an object in the field of view of the camera;

without further user input, determine that the object is a document; and

without further user input and in response to the determination, convert the at least one image of the document to at least one portable document format (PDF) file.

6. The device of claim 1, comprising a processor and storage accessible to the processor, the storage bearing instructions executable by the processor to:

power on the camera;

in response to user input identified by the device as input to gather at least one image using the camera, gather at least one image of an object in the field of view of the camera;

without further user input, determine that the object is a document;

without further user input, identify borders of the document as represented in the image;

without further user input, remove portions of the at least one image that comprise areas not within the borders of the document from the at least one image to render a modified at least one image; and

without further user input, convert the modified at least one image of the document to at least one portable document format (PDF) file.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the device controls the light source to illuminate an object recognized by the device but not at least one other area of the current field of view of the camera.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the device actuates the camera to gather at least one first image, identify an object in the at least one first image, project light from the light source to illuminate the object but not illuminate other areas in the current field of view of the camera, and gather at least one second image of the object as illuminated by the light source.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the UI comprises a selector element that is selectable to control the light source to illuminate an object recognized by the device but not illuminate at least one other area in the current field of view of the camera.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the UI comprises an area presenting a preview image of the current field of view of the camera while the object is illuminated.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the UI comprises at least one selector element that is selectable to rotate the camera relative to the portion of the device on which the camera is disposed to control the current field of view of the camera.

7. A device, comprising:

a first rectangular panel at least bearing a keyboard;

a second rectangular panel at least bearing a display and which is coupled to the first panel at a junction;

a first camera disposed on the second rectangular panel at a first longitudinal side of the second rectangular panel opposite a second longitudinal side of the second rectangular panel bordering the junction;

a second camera disposed at least substantially at the junction; and

a light source on the device and other than the display, wherein the device controls the light source to illuminate an object that is recognized by the device and is in a current field of view of the second camera, the device controlling the light source to not illuminate at least one other area of the current field of view of the second camera;

wherein the device presents a user interface (UI) on the display at which at least one selector element is selectable to control an aspect of the current field of view of the second camera, the device presenting the UI responsive to the device being physically transitioned to a predefined configuration of the first rectangular panel relative to the second rectangular panel.

13. The device of claim 7, wherein the UI comprises a selector element that is selectable to control the light source to illuminate the object but not at least one other area in the current field of view of the second camera.

14. A method, comprising:

presenting a user interface (UI) on a display of a device, the UI comprising at least a first selector element that is selectable to control an aspect of a current field of view of a camera, the UI being presented responsive to the device being physically transitioned to a predefined configuration; and

controlling the current field of view of the camera based on selection of the first selector element.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method comprises:

responsive to determining that the device has been placed in the predefined configuration, powering on the camera and awaiting user input to gather at least one image using the camera.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method comprises:

determining that the device has been placed in the predefined configuration at least in part based on at least one signal from at least one configuration sensor on the device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the method comprises:

powering on the camera;

responsive to user input identified as input to gather at least one image using the camera, gathering at least one image of an object in the field of view of the camera;

without further user input, determining that the object is a document; and

without further user input and responsive to the determining, converting the at least one image of the document to at least one portable document format (PDF) file.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the method comprises:

powering on the camera;

responsive to user input identified as input to gather at least one image using the camera, gathering at least one image of an object in the field of view of the camera;

without further user input, determining that the object is a document;

without further user input, identifying borders of the document as represented in the image;

without further user input, removing portions of the at least one image that comprise areas not within the borders of the document from the at least one image to render a modified at least one image; and

without further user input, converting the modified at least one image of the document to at least one portable document format (PDF) file.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the device comprises:

a first panel at least bearing a keyboard;

a second panel at least bearing the display and which is coupled to the first panel at a junction; and

the camera.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the device comprises:

a processor; and

a swivel element which is coupled to the device at the junction, wherein the camera is disposed on the swivel element, and wherein the swivel element is controllable by the processor to alter the orientation of the camera.