Television – Special applications – Human body observation
Patent
1994-07-11
1996-07-23
Britton, Howard W.
Television
Special applications
Human body observation
348158211,, H04N 718
Patent
active
055394531
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention concerns improvements in or relating to photographic self-portrait installations and in particular has reference in one aspect to a video-photo installation for the production of personalised photographs composited with an accompanying image selected by the user of the installation.
In another aspect the invention relates to a photographic self-portrait installation including a video-photo installation integrated with a wet photographic system allowing the user a choice of the type of photograph to be produced.
It is already known to provide a video-photo installation capable of generating such composite photographs wherein the user selects a background from a memory bank in which a plurality of images is stored and one of the images is retrievable upon command. Such an installation includes a control panel with appropriate command buttons actuable by the user for choosing a background from a range of static reproductions thereof sited adjacent the buttons, and for displaying the chosen background on a monitor. A video camera is provided for viewing the subject user, and in known installations the subject has to adopt a set pose before the camera automatically freezes the final image for superimposition on the selected background for subsequent printing. A disadvantage of the prior art installation is the relatively low degree of control afforded to the user in terms of both viewing the backgrounds and more particularly managing the final image to be captured for photographic reproduction.
It has also long been known to provide an installation, usually coin-operated, for a user to take a self portrait employing a conventional photographic camera within a booth, the camera taking a number of shots of one or more poses, the resulting exposed film being processed by conventional wet techniques.
It is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,246 to provide in one self photography booth in combination a video camera and a conventional photographic camera, the video camera being used to assist the user to reach a desired pose before a self portrait is taken using the photographic camera.
One object of the invention is therefore to provide an improved photographic self-portrait installation including a video-photo installation which allows the user a greater degree of control over its operation than has hitherto been possible with the prior art proposals.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved photographic self-portrait installation incorporating an integrated video-photo installation and a self-photography installation using a wet photographic printing process.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a photographic self-portrait installation comprising a video-photo installation including a video camera for viewing a subject user, a first monitor for reproducing a real time image of the user as a background on the monitor screen, a computer for controlling the operation of the installation, a memory store of preselected computer-digitised images, means for storing a frozen real time image, interface means for interfacing the memory store with the real time image for display on the first monitor and/or for interfacing with the frozen real time image, means for creating a frozen real time image, means for selecting a computer-digitised image, a second monitor for displaying a composite of a user-created frozen real time image as a background and at least one user-selected computer-digitised image from the memory store as a foreground, and a printer for printing the said composite upon user command.
Advantageously a video enhancer is employed between the video camera and the interface means to enhance the colour and lighting characteristics.
The camera may conveniently be orientable by suitable actuation means provided for the user; such means may be manual in the form of a single lever or joy stick, or may be electrically controlled with motors arranged to change the position of the camera.
Conveniently, the computer is so programmed that the memory store of co
REFERENCES:
patent: 4530009 (1985-07-01), Mizokawa
patent: 4789907 (1988-12-01), Fischetti
patent: 5072246 (1991-10-01), Thayer
David Dan
Hecht Yehuda
Britton Howard W.
PMI Photomagic Ltd.
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