Television – Camera – system and detail – Remote control
Reexamination Certificate
1997-02-13
2001-02-13
Garber, Wendy (Department: 2712)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Remote control
C348S014160, C348S333050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06188431
ABSTRACT:
The entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 8-54085 filed on Feb. 17, 1996 are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an electronic photographing device that records photographed image data on a recording medium, and more particularly to an electronic photographing device that transmits and receives the image data stored on the storage medium to and from another electronic photographing device.
An electronic still camera that converts an optical still image picked up by a lens into an electronic signal by means of a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) and stores it onto a recording medium, such as a semiconductor memory or a floppy-disk, is known as an electronic photographing device. Since the electronic still camera stores still images in the form of electrical information, it enables various image processes to be carried out, such as reproducing the stored still images on a television receiver or transmitting them to a remote area via a transmission channel.
It is known that the image data stored in an electronic still camera is transmitted and received to and from a piece of electronic equipment, such as a personal computer. Such an electronic still camera has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 7-311191 filed in Japan on Nov. 25, 1995, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. However, when the image data is transmitted from an electronic still camera to another electronic still camera, for example, the image data to be transmitted has to be first transferred to a piece of external electronic equipment, such as a personal computer, and thereafter the external electronic equipment has to transfer the image data to another electronic still camera, causing the problem of requiring much time and labor and requiring additional equipment such as the external electronic equipment.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide an electronic photographing device which enables connection between electronic photographing devices and allows the electronic photographing device requesting communication to act as a master that controls the communication, thereby enabling communication between electronic photographing devices by simple operation and control, and a method for communication between such electronic photographing devices.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, to accomplish the foregoing object, there is provided an electronic photographing device comprising: a photographing unit for photographing a subject electronically; a memory which stores the image data photographed by the photographing unit; a display device which displays the image data stored in the memory; a communication device for communicating with another electronic photographing device; a specifying device for specifying communication; and a controller for connecting with the other electronic photographing device via the communication device and, when communication is specified by the specifying device, for transmitting specific information to the other electronic photographing device.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication method of establishing communication between electronic photographing devices each of which includes a photographing unit for electronically photographing a subject, a memory which stores the photographed image data, a display device which displays the stored image data, and a communication port, comprising the steps of: establishing a connection path for enabling one of the electronic photographing devices to communicate with another of the electronic photographing devices; transmitting a transmission code from a transmission-side electronic photographing device to a reception-side electronic photographing device over the connection path by pressing a specific key on the transmission side electronic photographing device, thereby bringing the reception-side electronic photographing device into the reception mode; allowing the transmission-side electronic photographing device to transmit the image data to the reception-side electronic photographing device, thereby causing the reception-side electronic photographing device to receive the transmitted image data; and allowing the transmission-side electronic photographing device to transmit a storage instruction code to the reception-side electronic photographing device after the completion of the transmission of the image data.
With the present invention, by connecting one electronic digital camera to another via an RS232C cable or infrared rays, the photographic data can be transferred from one camera to the other. In this case, the camera whose shutter has been pressed functions as a master and the other camera functions as a slave. The image data transferred from the master to the slave is a frame of image data corresponding to an image appearing on the display device on the master side, all of the image data stored in the flash memory on the master side, or any image data item selected by a user from image data items stored in the flash memory. The image data items may be selected by means of a page feed key or may be selected from several image data items appearing on a multi-screen display.
Furthermore, the second camera can be controlled remotely from the first camera. For instance, it is possible to erase the image data stored in the second camera by means of the first camera, to press the shutter key of the second camera from the first camera, or further to monitor the photographic data picked up by the second camera from the first camera.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
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“Integrated Computer and Camera”, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 37, No. 10, Oct. 1, 1994, pp. 263-266.
Casio Computers Co., Ltd.
Frishauf, Holtz Goodman, Langer & Chick, P.C.
Garber Wendy
Wilson Jacqueline
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