Television – Camera – system and detail – Combined image signal generator and general image signal...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-10
2004-03-09
Ho, Tuan (Department: 2612)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Combined image signal generator and general image signal...
C348S231200, C348S552000, C348S333050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06704047
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a digital still camera and control method thereof and more particularly, to a digital still camera and control method thereof enabling use of a storage medium shared with an external device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, a digital still camera using a memory card has been widespread. The memory cards each having the same specification are used for equipment with various types of built-in computer such as a personal computer (described as “PC” hereinafter), and the memory card is used for both the digital still camera and the PC.
As one of usage thereof, a sheet of memory card is shared for use with a digital still camera and a PC, an image is recorded by a digital still camera with a certain memory card, image data on that memory card is classified and cataloged, or synthesized on the PC, and the image is reproduced again by the digital still camera.
As described above, when a memory card is used for both a digital still camera and a PC, it is required that a format of the memory card is matched with DOS (Disk Operating System) of the PC. As standardized specifications of a memory card, various types of memory card have been proposed, and one of those standardized memory cards is used for a digital still camera.
When the memory card is used for the digital still camera, various ideas take place to efficiently manage prepared files.
For example, an image data reproducing device, disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 5-233771, enabling sharing of a storage medium with any device other than the image data reproducing device checks, at the time of reproducing an image, an attribute of a data file in a corresponding frame on a memory card specified by an control switch, and displays, when it is determined that the data file is a non-image data file, failure of reproduction on an LCD display section to avoid the inconvenience due to the failure of reproduction thereof.
However, the image data reproducing device disclosed in the Publication can not check, when data is stored in any place other than a directory which can be checked, attribute information for the data and can not determine whether the file can not be reproduced or is one which may be deleted.
When a storage medium (e.g., an ATA card) usable in an other maker's device (a digital still camera produced by some other maker) or a storage medium enabling easy preparation of a directory on a PC is employed for the own camera, there is sometimes a case where a directory prepared by an other maker's device or a directory prepared by a PC exists in the storage medium in addition to the directory prepared by the own camera. In this case, only files in the directory prepared by the own camera can generally be reproduced.
Namely, as only files in the directory prepared by the camera can be reproduced in the conventional technology, determination can not be made as to whether some other files are stored in the storage medium or not, and also determination can not be made as to whether any storage medium to be formatted may actually be formatted or not.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide, for the purpose of solving the problems described above, a digital still camera and control method thereof making the determination described above easier at the time of formatting a storage medium by providing therein a mode for reproducing files in a directory of the storage medium prepared by a digital still camera some other maker or a PC or the like.
With an invention, a reproduction control unit has modes for reproducing an image data file in a directory prepared by the camera or by an external device in a storage medium, so that any image data file in the directory prepared by the external device in the storage medium can be reproduced, and an operator can learn what kind of image data files have been recorded in the storage medium. As a result, whether or not any storage medium to be formatted may actually be formatted can easily be determined.
With an invention, a retrieving unit retrieves, when a digital still camera has been switched ON, whether any directory prepared by the external device exists in a storage medium or not, and a reproduction control unit has modes for reproducing an image data file in a directory prepared by the camera or by an external device in the storage medium, so that retrieval is made as to whether any directory prepared by the external device exists in the storage medium or not, and any image data file in the directory prepared by the external device in the storage medium can be reproduced, and for this reason an operator can learn what kind of image data files have been recorded in the storage medium. As a result, whether or not any storage medium to be formatted may actually be formatted can easily be determined.
With an invention, a retrieving unit retrieves, when a digital still camera has been switched ON, whether any directory prepared by the external device exists in a storage medium or not, a reporting unit reports a result of retrieval by the retrieving unit, and a reproduction control unit has modes for reproducing an image data file in a directory prepared by the camera or by an external device in the storage medium, so that retrieval is made as to whether any directory prepared by the external device exists in the storage medium or not, a result of the retrieval can be reported to an operator, and any image data file or a speech data file in the directory prepared by the external device in the storage medium can be reproduced, and for this reason the operator can learn existence of the directory prepared by the external device as well as what kind of files have been recorded in the storage medium. As a result, whether or not any storage medium to be formatted may actually be formatted can easily be determined.
With an invention, a reproduction control unit has modes for reproducing an image data file or a speech data file in a directory prepared by the camera or by an external device in a storage medium, so that any image data file or a speech data file in the directory prepared by the external device in the storage medium can be reproduced, and for this reason an operator can learn what kind of image data files or speech data files have been recorded in the storage medium. As a result, whether or not any storage medium to be formatted may actually be formatted can easily be determined.
With an invention, a switching unit switches between a first mode and a second mode, so that an operator can easily switch between a mode for reproducing a file in a directory prepared by the camera in a storage medium and a mode for reproducing a file in a directory prepared by the camera or by an external device in the storage medium.
With an invention, an external device is a digital still camera produced by some other maker or a personal computer, so that any file in the directory in a storage medium prepared by the digital still camera produced by some other maker or by the personal computer can be reproduced.
With an invention, a storage medium is DOS-formatted, and a retrieving unit checks a DOS-controlled area on the storage medium and retrieves whether any directory prepared by an external device exists therein or not, so that existence of any directory prepared by the external device can easily be retrieved.
With an invention, a result of retrieval by a retrieving unit appears on a display section, so that an operator can visually check the result of the retrieval thereon.
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paten
Ho Tuan
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Ricoh Company LTD
Villecco John M.
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