Patent Application
20050088525
The present invention relates generally to digital imaging and more specifically to techniques for managing the operation of a digital camera.
Current digital camera technology makes downloading, saving, printing, and sending digital images relatively simple and easy for a single user. Such tasks are facilitated by connecting the digital camera to a personal computer (PC) or a commercial photographic kiosk. Some digital cameras have a built-in wireless modem that enables wireless communication with an external device. Other digital cameras are designed to connect with a cellular telephone, which acts as an external wireless modem.
Difficulties arise when multiple users (e.g., a family or work group) wish to share a digital camera. Also, a stranger may ask a digital camera owner for permission to use the digital camera temporarily. For example, the parent of one child may ask the parent of another child for permission to take some pictures of a school play using the latter's digital camera. In such situations, managing which images go where is left up to the camera owner. This involves identifying which images belong to other users and manually e-mailing them to their respective owners.
It is thus apparent that there is a need in the art for an improved method and apparatus for managing the operation of a digital camera.
A method for managing the operation of a digital camera is provided. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also provided.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.
Sharing of a digital camera by multiple users is facilitated by providing a selectable operating mode wherein digital images captured while the digital camera is in that operating mode are automatically sent to a particular electronic address associated with the person using the digital camera in that operating mode. For example, a first user may operate a digital camera in a first mode. When a second user wishes to use the digital camera, the first user (or the second user, depending on the situation) may switch the digital camera to a second operating mode. The second user may enter an electronic address, or the second user may select a screen name from a menu in the digital camera, the screen name having an associated electronic address. Upon connection of the digital camera to an external networked device or at a predetermined time thereafter, the digital images captured while the digital camera was in the second mode may be sent automatically to the electronic address input or selected by the second user. In this way, the second user receives his images automatically without the involvement of the first user (except for connecting the digital camera with a an external device or wireless network). The first user may have a profile in conjunction with the first mode. Optionally, the first user's profile may be protected from viewing and/or modification while the digital camera is in the second mode. A profile may include, for example, digital images, camera settings, and one or more electronic addresses that are associated with the first user. A profile may also include instructions for operations that are to be performed at an address destination. Example instructions include printing the images or adding them to a Web site.
The foregoing approach is not limited to situations in which multiple users share a digital camera. For example, a single user may wish to separate pictures taken for personal use from those taken for work. The single user may, for example, use the first operating mode for work-related images and the second operating mode for personal images. Personal images may be sent automatically to a personal e-mail address, and the work-related images may be left behind on the digital camera or routed to a different destination (e.g., a work e-mail address or a directory on an office personal computer or server). In general, the invention is applicable to any situation in which it is desirable to associate a set of images taken by a digital camera with an electronic address to which those images are to be sent automatically. Throughout this description, “digital image” and “image” will be used interchangeably.
Image management logic 160 may associate images captured in a particular operating mode with the appropriate electronic address in a variety of ways. For example, image management logic 160 may embed the electronic address in the image files themselves (e.g., as part of a header). Alternatively, image management logic 160 may manage a separate data structure in memory 120 that records in which operating mode an image was captured and maps it to the corresponding electronic address. In some embodiments, this functionality of image management logic 160 may be integrated into the file system of digital camera 100.
The functional boundaries between mode control logic 155 and image management logic 160 indicated in
Once image management logic 160 has associated with the corresponding electronic address a set of images captured in a particular operating mode, the images may be sent automatically to the electronic address.
In
In
The electronic address corresponding to destination 230 may be any of a variety of different types. For example, the electronic address may be an electronic mail (e-mail) address. In other embodiments, the electronic address may be a uniform resource locator (URL). A URL is a standard method for specifying the location of a resource that is accessible electronically via a computer network and includes both a method of access (a protocol) and a network address. Typical protocols include, for example, hypertext transfer protocol (“http”), file transport protocol (“ftp”), post office protocol (“mailto”), “gopher,” and “news.” A URL may also point to a local file or directory stored on a PC or server. URLs specifying some protocols such as ftp may also include a password and a user name. A URL such as http://www.yahoo.com/, for example, identifies the address on the World Wide Web (“www”) of the home page of the popular search engine Yahoo.
At 320, digital camera 100 receives an electronic address associated with a second user. For example, the second user may enter the electronic address using input controls 125, or the second user may select his or her screen name from a list or menu stored in digital camera 100. Each stored screen name may have an associated electronic address that, when the corresponding screen name is selected, becomes effective while digital camera 100 is in a second operating mode. In some embodiments, the electronic addresses and/or screen names may be downloaded to digital camera 100 from an external device 210.
At 325, mode control logic 155 switches the operation of digital camera 100 from the first mode to a second mode in which image management logic 160 automatically associates digital images captured by digital camera 100 with the electronic address received at 320. In one embodiment, the second mode may be a “borrow” mode enabling digital camera 100 to be used by a user other than the primary user. Viewed differently, the second mode may be one of a plurality of user “accounts” on digital camera 100. When a secondary user wishes to use digital camera 100, he or she “logs onto” digital camera 100 by providing an electronic address (step 320) to which images captured while digital camera 100 is in that user's “account” are to be sent. In another embodiment, the second mode may simply be an alternate operating mode used by a single user to route images taken for a particular purpose to a specific electronic address. In such an embodiment, the first user and the second user in the foregoing description are, of course, one and the same person.
If a connection to the electronic address received at 320 via an external device 210 or a wireless communication link 235 is available at 335, the images captured by digital camera 100 in the second mode are automatically sent, at 340, to the electronic address received at 320. In some embodiments, sending of the images may commence immediately upon connection. In other embodiments, transfer of the images may occur at a scheduled time or after a predetermined delay. The process terminates at 345.
The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention except insofar as limited by the prior art.
