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- Nachgewiesen in: USPTO Patent Grants
- Sprachen: English
- Patent Number: 7,340,766
- Publication Date: March 04, 2008
- Appl. No: 10/226205
- Application Filed: August 23, 2002
- Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. (Tokyo, JP)
- Claim: 1. A control system for a digital camera, comprising: a digital camera including a photographing device configured to photograph an object to obtain image data, a display unit configured to display said image data, an image processor configured to respectively record/reproduce the image data to/from a recording medium, and compress/decompress said image data, a communication device configured to be connected to a network, and a controller configured to control said photographing device, said display unit, said image processor and said communication device; and a computing apparatus having a WWW browser function, said computing apparatus configured to be connected to said digital camera through said network, wherein a WWW server function is provided on said digital camera and configured to perform a communication between said digital camera and said computing apparatus through said communication device, wherein said controller is configured to enable, according to directions for operation from at least one of an operating unit provided on said digital camera and the WWW browser function of said computing apparatus, operation of photographic, recording, reproducing and communication functions of said digital camera simultaneously from both of a digital camera side comprising said digital camera and a computing apparatus side comprising said computing apparatus, whereby an operator of said computing apparatus is able to operate said digital camera even when an operator of said digital camera is using said digital camera and vice versa, and wherein, while either a setting mode operation by the operating unit of said digital camera side or a setting mode operation by said WWW browser function of the computing apparatus side is being executed, said controller is configured to carry out a control of an exclusive process adapted to prohibit the operation by the other side.
- Claim: 2. The control system for digital camera according to claim 1 , wherein an operation of said digital camera is controlled by other digital cameras having a WWW browser function or a hand held terminal apparatus having a WWW browser function.
- Claim: 3. The control system for digital camera according to claim 1 , wherein a state of an operating process by said digital camera is reflected to said computing apparatus and/or a state of an operating process by said computing apparatus is reflected to said digital camera.
- Claim: 4. The control system for digital camera according to claim 1 , wherein a format of HTML document which includes photographed image data, a thumbnail of said image data, data setting of said digital camera and control data of the digital camera, is used as a format of a signal transferred between said digital camera and said computing apparatus in the communication between said digital camera and said computing apparatus.
- Claim: 5. The control system for digital camera according to claim 1 , wherein data of a monitored image of the object to be photographed before a picture is taken by the digital camera are transferred with a predetermined size of the image and a predetermined frame rate by said WWW server function, and said monitored image data are received in said computing apparatus by said WWW browser function.
- Claim: 6. The control system for digital camera according to claim 5 , wherein the size of the image, an image compression rate and/or the frame rate of the monitored image when the monitored image data are transferred, are made possible to change from said computing apparatus side by said WWW browser function.
- Claim: 7. The control system for digital camera according to claim 6 , wherein the size of the image, the image compression rate and/or the frame rate of the monitored image when the monitored image data are transferred, are made possible to change according to a communication state of said network to connect between the digital camera and the computing apparatus.
- Claim: 8. The control system for digital camera according to claim 1 , wherein the image data photographed by said digital camera are deleted from the recording medium, in which said image data are stored, after said photographed image data are transferred through the communication device to a predetermined destination to be stored and the transferring process has been completed normally.
- Claim: 9. The control system for digital camera according to claim 1 , wherein a character data communication or an audio data communication is made possible between the operator of said digital camera side and the operator of said computing apparatus side both of which are connected with said network.
- Claim: 10. The control system of claim 1 , wherein, when the exclusive process is carried out, the controller is configured to supply an error signal to the computing apparatus which has requested the operation to inform that the operation is not accepted by the exclusive process, and configured to supply the error signal to the display unit of the digital camera which has requested the operation to inform that the operation is not accepted by the exclusive process.
- Claim: 11. The control system of claim 1 , wherein, when setting the setting mode operation for the digital camera is changed by the operation from the digital camera or the computing apparatus and the operation from the other side is not accepted by the exclusive process, the controller is configured to display changed contents of the setting on at least one of a display screen of the computer apparatus and the display unit of the digital camera.
- Claim: 12. A control method for digital camera system, comprising: preparing a digital camera, said digital camera including a photographing device configured to photograph object to obtain image data, a display unit configured to display said image data, an image processor configured to respectively record/reproduce the image data to/from a recording medium, and compress/decompress said image data, a communication device configured to be connected to a network, and a controller configured to control said photographing device, said display unit, said image processor and said communication device; connecting a computing apparatus having a WWW browser function to said digital camera through said network; providing a WWW server function on said digital camera; performing a communication between said digital camera and said computing apparatus through said WWW server function; using the controller to enable operation of photographing, recording, reproducing and communicating functions of said digital camera simultaneously from both of a digital camera side comprising said digital camera and a computing apparatus side comprising said computing apparatus, according to directions for operation by at least one of an operating unit provided on said digital camera and the WWW browser function of said computing apparatus, whereby an operator of said computing apparatus is able to use said digital camera at the same time as an operator of said digital camera and vice versa; and carrying out, while either a setting mode operation by the operation unit of said digital camera side or a setting mode, operation by said WWW browser function of the computing apparatus side is being executed, a control of an exclusive process adapted to prohibit the operation by the other side by said controller.
- Claim: 13. The control method for digital camera system according to claim 12 , wherein a state of an operating process by said digital camera is reflected to said computing apparatus and/or a state of an operating process by said computing apparatus is reflected to said digital camera.
- Claim: 14. The control method for digital camera system according to claim 12 , wherein a format of HTML document which includes photographed image data, a thumbnail of said image data, data setting of said digital camera and control data of the digital camera, is used as a format of a signal transferred between said digital camera and said computing apparatus in the communication between said digital camera and said computing apparatus.
- Claim: 15. The control method for digital camera system according to claim 12 , wherein data of a monitored image of the object to be photographed before a picture is taken by the digital camera are transferred with a predetermined size of the image and a predetermined frame rate by said WWW server function, and said monitored image data are received in said computing apparatus by said WWW browser function.
- Claim: 16. The control method for digital camera system according to claim 15 , wherein the size of the image, an image compression rate and/or the frame rate of the monitored image when the monitored image data are transferred, are made possible to change from said computing apparatus side by said WWW browser function.
- Claim: 17. The control method for digital camera system according to claim 16 , wherein the size of the image, the image compression rate and/or the frame rate of the monitored image when the monitored image data are transferred, are made possible to change according to a communication state of said network.
- Claim: 18. The control method for digital camera system according to claim 12 , wherein the image data photographed by said digital camera are deleted from the recording medium, in which said image data are stored, after said photographed image data are transferred through the communication device to a predetermined destination to be stored and the transferring process has been completed normally.
- Claim: 19. The control method for digital camera system according to claim 12 , wherein a character data communication or an audio data communication is made possible between the operator of said digital camera side and the operator of said computing apparatus side both of which are connected with said network.
- Claim: 20. The control method of claim 12 , further comprising: supplying an error signal to the computing apparatus which has requested the operation to inform that the operation is not accepted by the exclusive process when the exclusive process is carried out; and supplying the error signal to the display unit of the digital camera which has requested the operation to inform that the operation is not accepted by the exclusive process when the exclusive process is carried out.
- Claim: 21. The control method of claim 12 , further comprising, when setting in the setting mode operation for the digital camera is changed by the operation from the digital camera or the computer apparatus and the operation from the other side is not accepted by the exclusive process, displaying changed contents of the setting on at least one of a display screen of the computing apparatus and the display unit of the digital camera.
- Claim: 22. A control system for a digital camera, comprising: a digital camera including a photographing device configured to photograph an object to obtain image data, a display unit configured to display said image data, an image processor configured to respectively record/reproduce the image data to/from a recording medium, and compress/decompress said image data, a communication device configured to be connected to a network, and a controller configured to control said photographing device, said display unit, said image processor and said communication device; and a computing apparatus having a WWW browser function, said computing apparatus configured to be connected to said digital camera through said network, wherein a WWW server function is provided on said digital camera and configured to perform a communication between said digital camera and said computing apparatus through said communication device, wherein said controller enables, according to directions for operation from at least one of an operating unit provided on said digital camera and the WWW browser function of said computing apparatus, operation of photographic, recording, reproducing and communication functions of said digital camera simultaneously from both of a digital camera side comprising said digital camera and a computing apparatus side comprising said computing apparatus, whereby an operator of said computing apparatus is able to operate said digital camera even when an operator of said digital camera is using said digital camera and vice versa, and wherein, while either a process which requires continuous operation of the operating unit of the digital camera by said digital camera side or a process which requires continuous operation of an operating unit of the computing apparatus by the computing apparatus side is being executed, said controller is configured to carryout a control of an exclusive process adapted to prohibit the operation by the other side.
- Claim: 23. The control system of claim 22 , wherein, when the exclusive process is carried out, the controller is configured to supply an error signal to the computing apparatus which has requested the operation to inform that operation is not accepted by the exclusive process, and configured to supply the error signal to the display unit of the digital camera which has requested the operation to inform that the operation is not accepted by the exclusive process.
- Claim: 24. The control system of claim 22 , wherein, when setting in the setting mode operation for the digital camera is changed by the operation from the digital camera or the computing apparatus and the operation from the other side is not accepted by the exclusive process, the controller is configured to display changed contents of the setting on at least one of a display screen of the computing apparatus and the display unit of the digital camera.
- Claim: 25. A control method for digital camera system, comprising: preparing a digital camera, said digital camera including a photographing device configured to display said image data, an image processor configured to respectively record/reproduce the image data to/from a recording medium, and compress/decompress said image data, a communication device configure to be connected to a network, and a controller configured to control said photographing device, said display unit, said image processor and said communication device; connecting a computer apparatus having a WWW browser function to said digital camera through said network; providing a WWW server function on said digital camera; performing a communication between said digital camera and said computer apparatus through said WWW server function; using the controller to enable operation of photographing, recording, reproducing and communicating functions of said digital camera, simultaneously from both of a digital camera side comprising said digital camera and a computing apparatus side comprising the computing apparatus, according to directions for operation by at least one of an operating unit provided on said digital camera and the WWW browser function of said computing apparatus, whereby an operator of said computing apparatus is able to use said digital camera at the same time as an operator of said digital camera and vice versa; and carrying out, while either a process which requires continuous operation of the operating unit of the digital camera by said digital camera side or a process which requires continuous operation of an operating unit of the computing apparatus by the computing apparatus side is being executed, a control of an exclusive process adapted to prohibit the operation by the other side by said controller.
- Claim: 26. The control method of claim 25 , further comprising: supplying an error signal to the computing apparatus which has requested the operation to inform that the operation is not accepted by the exclusive process when the exclusive process is carried out; supplying the error signal to the display unit of the digital camera which has requested the operation to inform that the operation is not accepted by the exclusive process when the exclusive process is carried out.
- Claim: 27. The control method of claim 25 , further comprising, when setting in the setting mode operation for the digital camera is changed by the operation from the digital camera or the computing apparatus and the operation from the other side is not accepted by the exclusive process, displaying changed contents of the setting on at least one of a display screen of the computing apparatus and the display unit of the digital camera.
- Current U.S. Class: 725/105
- Patent References Cited: 5323393 June 1994 Barrett et al. ; 5764278 June 1998 Nagao ; 5784622 July 1998 Kalwitz et al. ; 5838368 November 1998 Masunaga et al. ; 5898457 April 1999 Nagao et al. ; 6385722 May 2002 Connelly et al. ; 6567122 May 2003 Anderson et al. ; 6701058 March 2004 Tsubaki ; 6882361 April 2005 Gaylord ; 2001/0055070 December 2001 Watanabe ; 2002/0178239 November 2002 Kinyon et al. ; 2003/0037341 February 2003 Van Der Meulen ; 2005/0002056 January 2005 Lee ; 0 845 904 June 1998 ; 0 909 070 April 1999 ; 1 128 629 August 2001 ; 1 130 913 September 2001 ; WO 99/48276 September 1999
- Other References: Ken Goldberg et al. “Desktop Teleoperation via the World Wide Web”, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 19-26, 1995, Nagoya, Japan, pp. 1-6. cited by other ; Ken Goldberg et al. “Beyond the Web: Excavating the Real World Via Mosaic”, Second International WWW Conference, Chicago, IL, Oct. 17-21, 1994, pp. 1-15. cited by other ; Ken Goldberg et al. “A Tele-Robotic Garden on the World Wide Web”, http://telegarden.aec.at/, pp. 1-2. cited by other ; Patent Abstracts of Japan, JP 10-164421, Jun. 19, 1998. cited by other
- Assistant Examiner: Pasiewicz, Dan
- Primary Examiner: Ye, Lin
- Attorney, Agent or Firm: Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.
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