Patent Application
20070103739
The present invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for viewing and scanning of microfilm.
More particularly, the present invention relates to improved apparatus and methods that provide for viewing and scanning of microfilm and the like from a remote location.
Collections and libraries of images and documents exist on microfilm in many locations throughout the world. Many documents and other images have been placed on microfilm over the past several decades. In many instances, certain documents may only be available from microfilm. The microfilm media may be in various forms including cartridges, rolls and microfiche cards. For example, documents in the typical 8 inch by 11½ inch page format are frequently stored on 16 mm cartridges. Large engineering and architectural drawings are typically stored on 35 mm media. Of course, older collections may be on microfiche cards. Existing microfilm readers typically accommodate many or all of these different microfilm formats.
Often such microfilm collections are housed at significant distances from researchers or other individuals who would like to view the content and to copy or make use of it. In addition to the distances between the microfilm and the viewers, copyright issues may exist. The cost of duplicating any microfilm collection may also be prohibitive or impractical due to the millions of images that may exist on hundreds or thousands of rolls of film or microfiche cards. Many of the same factors also make digitization of microfilm collections impractical and unduly expensive.
In addition, manual handling of microfilm by trained handlers is frequently preferred by the owners of microfilm collections. This is because there is less theft of the microfilm, there is less misfiling of the microfilm after use, unauthorized duplication can be avoided, unauthorized access or viewing can be controlled, and copyright issues can be limited. Researchers or users of microfilm content therefore must usually appear at the location of the microfilm collection in order to review it. Some owners of microfilm collections regularly make and sell copies of images upon receiving orders.
There has therefore been a longstanding need to provide and facilitate live viewing of selected portions of a microfilm library or collection from a remote location, such as of images not yet scanned from the microfilm.
A general object of the present invention is to provide means for a remote user to view and act upon selected portions or pages of microfilm.
Another object of the present invention is to provide means for a remote user to copy, store, print, email or record selected portions or pages of microfilm.
A further object of the present invention is to provide means for a remote user to view selected portions or pages of microfilm from a remotely located personal computer, laptop computer, personal digital assistant, or the like, such as via the internet.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide means for a user to remotely control the scanning and other functions of a microfilm reader at the user's computer to view or act upon selected portions or pages of microfilm.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a viewing mode screen and a scanning mode screen for a user at a remote location to control the scanning, printing, emailing or storing of images acquired from microfilm.
The present invention is directed to apparatus for remotely viewing and scanning microfilm located at a first location while controlling the viewing and scanning from a remote location. The apparatus includes a viewing and scanning device for viewing and scanning microfilm at the first location, the viewing and scanning device generating streaming video to view the high resolution scanned images of the microfilm, a host computer at the first location, the host computer in communication with the viewing and scanning device to receive the video feed and scanned images, a user's computer at a remote location from the first location, the user's computer in communication with the host computer to receive the video feed and scanned images from the host computer, and a virtual film movement control at the user's computer to enable a user at the remote location to control the movement of the microfilm at the first location.
The virtual film movement control may include at least one control function selectable from the group consisting of forward film movement, fast forward film movement, reverse film movement, fast reverse film movement and stop film movement. The apparatus may also include a virtual camera control at the remote location for controlling a camera of the scanning device that generates the images. The virtual camera control may include at least one control function selectable from the group consisting of zoom in, zoom out, near focus, far focus, auto-focus, iris normal, iris open and iris closed.
Software provides the user's computer with a viewing mode screen for reviewing and selecting an image and with a scanning mode screen for acting upon a selected image. Actions that may be selected in the scanning mode screen include editing the scanned image, burning the scanned image onto a CD, sending the scanned image to a memory for storage, printing the scanned image and emailing the scanned image. Preferably, the scanning mode screen includes a tool bar with a plurality of icons. Each of the plurality of icons corresponds to a selectable action which includes editing the scanned image, burning the scanned image onto a CD, sending the scanned image to a memory for storage, printing the scanned image or emailing the scanned image.
The present invention also includes related methods performed by the above apparatus. One method of scanning microfilm at a first location while viewing and controlling the scanning from a remote location includes the steps of generating a video image of the microfilm at the first location, communicating the video image from the first location to the remote location, and providing a virtual film movement control at the remote location to enable a user at the remote location to control the movement of the microfilm at the first location. The step of providing a virtual film movement control includes one or more of the sub steps of forward film movement, fast forward film movement, reverse film movement, fast reverse film movement, and stop film movement.
Another method includes the step of providing a virtual camera control at the remote location for controlling a camera at the first location that generates the images. The step of providing a virtual camera control includes one or more of the sub steps of zoom in, zoom out, near focus, far focus, auto-focus, iris normal, iris open, and iris closed.
The methods further contemplate providing a viewing mode screen at the user's computer for reviewing and selecting an image and providing a scanning mode screen for acting upon a selected image. The step of acting upon a selected image includes one or more of the sub steps of editing the scanned image, burning the scanned image onto a CD, sending the scanned image to a memory for storage, printing the scanned image, and emailing the scanned image. The methods also include providing a tool bar for the scanning mode screen with a plurality of icons, with each of the plurality of icons selectable to initiate an action. Selection of one of the plurality of icons initiates one of the sub steps of scanning the image, editing the scanned image, burning the scanned image onto a CD, storing the scanned image in a memory, printing the scanned image, or emailing the scanned image.
The invention, together with its objects and the advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements in the figures, and in which:
It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit thereof. The present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein.
With reference to the drawing Figures,
A digital camera 26 takes images of the microfilm. The digital camera is mounted to the base 21 of viewer/scanner 20 by an adjustable and extensible arm 27. A plurality of controls 28 is provided for operation of the viewer/scanner 20. For example, controls 28 may include zoom, pan, rotate, invert and focus of the film images. Digital viewer/scanner 20 is commercially available from S-T Imaging of Northfield, Ill. 60093 as model ST200. However, as presently offered, the ST200 digital viewer/scanner does not provide for viewing and scanning from a remote location, nor does the ST200 provide a virtual camera control or a virtual film movement control to facilitate viewing and scanning from a remote location.
Different embodiments of viewing devices 30 may be used with viewer/scanner 20. However, the viewing device 30 is preferably a display monitor or viewing screen of a personal computer, laptop computer, personal digital assistant, or the like, with a suitable display or viewing screen 32. Such displays 32 are commercially available from a number of vendors including Dell Inc. of Round Rock, Tex. and Hewlett-Packard Corporation of Palo Alto, Calif. Viewer/scanner 20 is preferably equipped with a connector to provide a video signal to a computer, microprocessor or the like, which in turn provides the video signal for screen 32. A mouse 33, or other suitable control device, may be used to select or control aspects of the image displayed on screen 32.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, and as illustrated in
It will be appreciated that the digital viewer/scanner 44 in
Of course, host computer 42 in
The next screen 52 in
The first viewing screen 56 is shown in
Virtual film movement control 58 controls the movement of the microfilm 23 in the digital scanner 44 and is shown in greater detail in
In
A typical scan mode screen 67 is shown in
S-T Imaging also sells a MOCA attachment (not shown) for the ST200 viewing and scanning system that provides additional viewing and capture of microfiche and opaque microprint media with the ST200 digital viewer/scanner. This MOCA attachment is manually operated and does not have provision for remotely controlling the viewing and scanning functions. However, if desired, this MOCA attachment could be similarly provided with automated controls and with a virtual microfiche movement control, which may be similar to the virtual film movement control 58 for microfilm shown in
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broader aspects.
