Electronic still camera

Claim 2

An electronic still camera comprising: (a) optical means for forming an optical image; (b) image sensing means for converting the optical image into an electronic signal; (c) recording medium housing means for housing a recording medium having a number of recording areas on which still image data is recorded; (d) designating means for designating one of the recording areas of said recording medium; (e) area data memory means for storing area data representing a recording area designated by said designating means; (f) recording control means for converting the electronic signal obtained from said image sensing means into still image data and recording the still image data in the recording area designated by said designating means; (g) first operating switch means for causing the recording control means to record the still image data in only one of the recording areas; (h) second operating switch means for sequentially updating the recording area designated by said designating means at predetermined time intervals and causing said recording control means to sequentially record the still image data in the updated recording area; (i) reproducing control means for reproducing the still image data recorded on the recording area designated by said designating means; (j) third operating switch means for causing said reproducing control means to reproduce the still image data from only one of the recording areas; and (k) fourth operating switch means for sequentially updating the recording areas designated by said designating means at the same time intervals as said predetermined time intervals and causing said reproducing control means to reproduce the still image data from the update of the recording area to the next update thereof.

Claim 3

The electronic still camera according to claim 1, wherein one of the recording areas of said recording medium stores still image data of one field.

Claim 4

The electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising display means for optically displaying the area data stored in said area data memory means.

Claim 5

The electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising switching means for switching said first and second operating switch means.

Claim 6

The electronic still camera according to claim 1, further comprising mode switching means for switching a mode for enabling the operations performed by said first and second operating switch means and a mode for enabling the operations performed by said third and fourth operating switch means.

Claim 7

An electronic still camera comprising: (a) optical means for forming an optical image; (b) image sensing means for converting the optical image into still image data; (c) recording medium housing means for housing a disk-type recording medium having a number of recording tracks on which still image data is recorded; (d) recording/reproduction head means for recording the still image data from said image sensing means on said recording medium through said head means and for reproducing the still image data recorded on said recording medium; (e) head control means for shifting said head means in the radial direction of said recording medium; (f) track number memory means for storing a recording track number of said recording medium corresponding to said head means shifted by said head control means; (g) first operating switch means for causing said recording/reproduction head means to record the still image data in only one of the recording tracks; (h) second operating switch means for causing said head control means to sequentially shift said recording/reproduction head means at predetermined time intervals and to sequentially record the still image data in the shifted recording track; (i) third operating switch means for reproducing the still image data from only one of the recording tracks; and (j) fourth operating switch means for causing said second operating switch means to sequentially shift said recording/reproduction head means at the same time intervals as said predetermined time intervals and to reproduce the still image data recorded from the shift of a track to the next shift thereof.

Claim 8

An electronic still camera comprising: (a) optical means for forming an optical image; (b) image sensing means for converting the optical image into still image data; (c) recording medium housing means for housing a disk-type recording medium having a number of recording tracks on which still image data is recorded; (d) recording/reproduction head means for recording the still image data from said image sensing means on said recording medium through said head means and for reproducing the still image data recorded on said recording medium; (e) head control means for shifting said head means in the radial direction of said recording medium; (f) track number memory means for storing a recording track number of said recording medium corresponding to said head means shifted by said head control means; (g) first operating switch means for causing said recording/reproduction head means to record the still image data in only one of the recording tracks; (h) second operating switch means for causing said head control means to sequentially shift said recording/reproduction head means at predetermined time intervals and to sequentially record the still image data in the shifted recording track; (i) third operating switch means for reproducing the still image data from only one of the recording tracks; and (j) fourth operating switch means for causing said second operating switch means to sequentially shift said recording/reproduction head means at the same time intervals as said predetermined time intervals and to reproduce the still image data recorded from the shift of a track to the next shift thereof.

Claim 9

The electronic still camera according to claim 6, wherein one of the recording tracks of said recording medium stores still image data of one field.

Claim 10

The electronic still camera according to claim 6, further comprising display means for optically displaying the track number data stored in said track number memory means.

Claim 11

The electronic still camera according to claim 6 further comprising switching means for switching said first and second operating switch means.

Claim 12

The electronic still camera according to claim 6 further comprising mode switching means for switching a mode for enabling the operations performed by said first and second operating switch means and a mode for enabling the operations performed by said third and fourth operating switch means.

Claim 13

An electronic still camera comprising: (a) optical means for forming an optical image; (b) image sensing means for converting the optical image into still image data; (c) recording medium housing means for housing a disk-type recording medium having a number of recording tracks on which still image data is recorded; (d) rotation driving means for rotatively driving the disk-type recording medium housed in said recording medium housing means; (e) recording/reproduction head means for recording the still image data from said image sensing means on said recording medium through said head means and for reproducing the still image data recorded on said recording medium; (f) head control means for shifting said head means in the radial direction of said recording medium; (g) track number memory means for storing a recording track number of said recording medium corresponding to said head means shifted by said head control means; (h) first operating switch means; (i) first recording control means for causing said first operating switch means to start the rotation driving operation performed by said rotation driving means, and causing said recording/reproduction head means to record the still image data in only one of the recording tracks and to stop the rotation driving operation performed by said rotation driving means after the recording of the still image data; (j) second operating switch means; (k) second recording control means for causing said second operating switch means to start the rotation driving operation performed by said rotation driving means, and causing said head control means to sequentially shift said recording/reproduction head means at predetermined time intervals and to sequentially store the still image data in the shifted recording tracks; (l) track number detecting means for detecting whether the track number data stored in said track number memory means represents a predetermined value when the switching operation is performed by said second operating switch means; (m) recording ending means for automatically stopping the rotation driving operation performed by said rotation drive means when said detecting means detects that the track number data represents the predetermined value, thereby ending the recording operation performed by said second recording control means; and (n) third operating switch means for causing a reproduction of the still image data recorded on said recording medium.

Claim 14

An electronic still camera comprising: (a) optical means for forming an optical image; (b) image sensing means for converting the optical image into still image data; (c) recording medium housing means for housing a disk-type recording medium having a number of recording tracks on which still image data is recorded; (d) rotation driving means for rotatively driving the disk-type recording medium housed in said recording medium housing means; (e) recording/reproduction head means for recording the still image data from said image sensing means on said recording medium through said head means and for reproducing the still image data recorded on said recording medium; (f) head control means for shifting said head means in the radial direction of said recording medium; (g) track number memory means for storing a recording track number of said recording medium corresponding to said head means shifted by said head control means; (h) first operating switch means; (i) first recording control means for causing said first operating switch means to start the rotation driving operation performed by said rotation driving means, and causing said recording/reproduction head means to record the still image data in only one of the recording tracks and to stop the rotation driving operation performed by said rotation driving means after the recording of the still image data; (j) second operating switch means; (k) second recording control means for causing said second operating switch means to start the rotation driving operation performed by said rotation driving means, and causing said head control means to sequentially shift said recording/reproduction head means at predetermined time intervals and to sequentially store the still image data in the shifted recording tracks; (l) track number detecting means for detecting whether the track number data stored in said track number memory means represents a predetermined value when the switching operation is performed by said second operating switch means; (m) recording ending means for automatically stopping the rotation driving operation performed by said rotation drive means when said detecting means detects that the track number data represents the predetermined value, thereby ending the recording operation performed by said second recording control means; and (n) third operating switch means for causing a reproduction of the still image data recorded on said recording medium.

Claim 15

The electronic still camera according to claim 11, wherein one of the recording tracks of said recording medium stores still image data of one field.

Claim 16

The electronic still camera according to claim 11, further comprising display means for optically displaying the track number data stored in said track number memory means.

Claim 17

The electronic still camera according to claim 11, further comprising switching means for switching said first and second operating switch means.

Claim 18

The electronic still camera according to claim 11, further comprising mode switching means for switching a mode for enabling the operations performed by said first and second operating switch means and a mode for enabling the operations performed by said third operating switch means.