Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Communication
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-05
2004-10-19
Poon, King Y. (Department: 2624)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Communication
C348S207200, C348S552000, C358S296000, C358S302000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06806978
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a print producing apparatus, an image displaying apparatus and an image capturing and printing apparatus having both of a function of electronic camera and a function of printer.
In company with the advance of electronic technology, an electronic camera such as a digital still camera, by which the captured image is converted into the digital data and stored therein, is developed, and comes into the market already. Because the user can display the image photographed by the digital still camera on a display of user's personal computer, and further, can print the image by using a printer, its application range becomes wide.
Incidentally, because the conventional printer has comparatively large size, it is installed in a room and used there. Further, an image signal obtained by the digital still camera is inputted into the printer through a cable or a recording medium such as a memory card.
Accordingly, when a print according to an image signal obtained by photographing, for example, at the out door is desired, it is necessary to bring the digital still camera or the recording medium to a place in which the printer is installed, and to input the image signal into the printer, and which is inconvenient. Further, when the other person is photographed as the photographic object at a trip or the like the image can be viewed by using a display equipped to the digital still camera at the place where photographing is conducted, however, when it is desired to give this image to the other person who is the photographic object, it is necessary to go home once and print the image, and after that, to send the printed image to the other person by means of a mail or the like, therefore, it takes a trouble and time.
On the one hand, because a printer whose weight is so light as portable has been already developed, it can also be considered that such the printer and the digital still camera are integrated. However, even when the printer is portable, because it is larger and heavier as compared to the digital still camera, when these are integrated, there is a possibility that the characteristic of the digital still camera that the portability is excellent, is lost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing problems of the conventional technology, the first object of the present invention is to provide an image capturing and printing apparatus which can easily print an image without depending on the photographing place while securing the portability of the electronic camera.
Further, ordinary, a liquid crystal display is installed in the digital still camera, and by viewing the image displayed on the liquid crystal display, the user can confirm the captured image.
Incidentally, generally, the digital still camera has a compact body for the convenience of taking a snapshot of a photographic object, for example, during a trip. When the body of the digital still camera is compact, it is inevitable to reduce a size of the liquid crystal display. However, when the size of the liquid crystal display is reduced, the image displayed on it becomes small, and there is a problem that the image is hardly confirmed.
Further, as the information necessary for the print, there is the color management information including the color conversion table, however, because this is the proper data to each of kinds of products of the digital still camera, when the image is printed, it is necessary to input the data to the printer by some methods.
Further, it is also considered that the digital still camera is directly connected to the printer without through the personal computer, and the image data is transmitted from the digital still camera to the printer, and is printed. However, because its structure and operation are comparatively complicated, a printer whose cost is low and whose operation is easy, is desired.
In view of these problems of the conventional technology, the second object of the present invention is to provide a display apparatus on which the image can be easily confirmed, and a print producing apparatus whose operation is easy.
Hereinafter, preferable structure to attain the fist object will be explained.
(1-1) An image capturing and printing apparatus comprises: an electronic camera section having an image pick-up means for photographing a photographic object image and converting it into an image signal; a print section, which is detachably installed in the electronic camera section, having a printing means for printing according to the image signal received from the electronic camera section, and the electronic camera section has: an engagement section which mechanically engages with the print section; and a connector section which is electrically connected to the print section. With this image capturing and printing apparatus, when the electronic camera section is connected to the print section, the photographic object image photographed by, for example, the electronic camera section can be printed by the print section at the place, and on the one hand, when the electronic camera section is separated from the print section, because the photographing can be carried out by using only the electronic camera section, the portability is excellent.
(1-2) An image capturing and printing apparatus comprises: an electronic camera section having an image pick-up means for photographing a photographic object image and converting it into an image signal; a print section, which is detachably installed in the electronic camera section, having a printing means for printing according to the image signal received from the electronic camera section, and the second release means, and the electronic camera section has: an engagement section which mechanically engages with the print section; and a connector section which is electrically connected to the print section, and the print section has: a receiving section which engages with the engagement section of the electronic camera section; a connector section which is electrically connected to the connector section of the electronic camera section; and the image pick-up means start the photographing corresponding to the start signal from the second release means.
An LCD to display the image is one of large factors to determine the size of the present electronic camera, and when the LCD by which the image quality can be exactly confirmed, is equipped, it is necessary that the surface area of the electronic camera is secured for at least the LCD. On the other hand, when the size of the electronic camera is thought much of, and a small LCD is equipped, the LCD image size can not be secured sufficiently, and the image quality of the print image can not be exactly confirmed.
Further, when LCDs are equipped on both the print section and the electronic camera section, the cost of the product is increased, and the image capturing and printing apparatus would have the expensive structure.
Further, when, for example, only the electronic camera section is used alone, the release is necessary in the electronic camera section, and on the one hand, for example, when the LCD is not provided in the electronic camera section, and the LCD is provided in the print section, the case where the releasing can be conducted on the printer side while the image plane is being confirmed on the LCD of the print section, can provide the more user friendly photographing operation.
As described above, because the shutter releasing can be conducted by one or both of the first release means of the electronic camera section and the second release means of the print section, there is no problem of the parallax of the optical viewfinder, the desired photographic object image can be exactly photographed by the user friendly operation, and the print image of the captured image can be confirmed before the print.
(1-3) Further, in the image capturing and printing apparatus of (1-2), when the system is structured such that, when one of the first release means and the second release means outputs the start signal, the image pick-up means i
Furutani Nobuyasu
Hoshino Yasushi
Koizumi Yukinori
Mizukami Masafumi
Ogasawara Hideki
Cantor & Colburn LLP
Konica Corporation
Poon King Y.
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