Patent US5815201A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5815201A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and system for reading and assembling audio and image information for transfer out of a digital camera
Assignee: Ricoh Co Ltd
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Filing: 1996-02-21
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Granted: 1998-09-29
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Expires: 2016-02-21
Abstract
Abstract An electronic camera for connection to an external device such as a personal computer. The camera captures both images and audio which are associated with the images. The image and associated audio are written into a memory of the camera along with information describing the relationship between the image and audio. In this manner, the image can be played or presented at the same time as the audio is presented to a user. When the image and associated audio are transmitted out of the camera to an external device such as a personal computer, no information is transmitted describing the relationship between the image and audio. The image and audio are received by the external device and written into memory. The relationship between the image and audio can be determined by the fact that the image and audio were transmitted at the same time as a unit of information. Subsequently, information describing the relationship between the image and audio is written into a memory of the external device along with the image and audio.
Inventors
- 👤 Tetsuya Hashimoto
- 👤 Hiroki Fukuoka
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 20:38
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/002; G06F3/005; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00127; H04N1/00204; H04N1/21; H04N1/2104; H04N1/2112; H04N1/32; H04N1/32101; H04N1/32106; H04N1/32112; H04N2101/00; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/0008; H04N2201/0034; H04N2201/0036; H04N2201/0037; H04N2201/0041; H04N2201/0046; H04N2201/0048; H04N2201/0049; H04N2201/0077; H04N2201/0084; H04N2201/32; H04N2201/3201; H04N2201/3261; H04N2201/3264; H04N2201/3274; H04N2201/3277
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
108 words
A method of transmitting audiovisual information out of an electronic camera, comprising the steps of: reading, from a memory of the camera, information describing a relationship between image information and audio information; reading the image information and the audio information, using the information describing the relationship; transmitting the image information and the audio information without the information describing the relationship; receiving the image information and the audio information by an external device; writing the image information and the audio information in a memory of the external device; and writing information, in the memory of the external device, describing the relationship between the image information and the audio information.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
108 words
A method of transmitting audiovisual information out of an electronic camera, comprising the steps of: reading, from a memory of the camera, information describing a relationship between image information and audio information; reading the image information and the audio information, using the information describing the relationship; transmitting the image information and the audio information without the information describing the relationship; receiving the image information and the audio information by an external device; writing the image information and the audio information in a memory of the external device; and writing information, in the memory of the external device, describing the relationship between the image information and the audio information.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: detecting, by the external device, the relationship between the image information and the audio information, before the step of writing the information describing the relationship.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 2, wherein: the step of detecting the relationship determines that the image information is to be presented at a same time as the audio information is presented.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method according to claim 3, wherein: the step of detecting the relationship determines that the image information is to be presented at the same time as the audio information is presented because the transmitting step transmits the image information along with the audio information.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
56 words
A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: capturing an image corresponding to the image information and audio corresponding to the audio information; and writing the image information and the audio information into the memory of the camera, along with the information describing the relationship between the image information and the audio information.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of: compressing the image information and the audio information before writing the image information and the audio information into the memory of the camera.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
85 words
A method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of: storing the image information and audio information which has been compressed into a first in first out (FIFO) memory, before the step of writing the image information and the audio information into the memory of the camera, wherein the step of writing the image information and the audio information into the memory of the camera includes transferring the image information and the audio information from the FIFO memory to the memory of the camera.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method according to claim 7, wherein: the step of writing the image information and the audio information writes into a flash memory.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method according to claim 8 wherein: the step of writing the image information and the audio information transfers from the FIFO memory to the flash memory in a plurality of transfer operations.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method according to claim 9, wherein: the step of writing performs a number of said transfers which is an integral multiple of a transfer size of said flash memory.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
186 words
A system for transferring information, comprising: an electronic camera including: a lens; a light sensor for sensing images through the lens; a microphone for sensing audio; a memory for storing image information obtained by the light sensor, audio information obtained by the microphone, and information describing a relationship between the image information and the audio information; means for reading, from the memory of the camera, the information describing the relationship between the image information and the audio information; means for reading the image information and the audio information, using the information describing the relationship; and a transmitter which transmits out of the electronic camera, the image information and the audio information without the information describing the relationship, and an external device which is external to the camera and connected to the camera, including; a memory; a receiver which receives the image information and the audio information; means for writing the image information and the audio information in the memory of the external device; and means for writing information, in the memory of the external device, describing the relationship between the image information and the audio information.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
186 words
A system for transferring information, comprising: an electronic camera including: a lens; a light sensor for sensing images through the lens; a microphone for sensing audio; a memory for storing image information obtained by the light sensor, audio information obtained by the microphone, and information describing a relationship between the image information and the audio information; means for reading, from the memory of the camera, the information describing the relationship between the image information and the audio information; means for reading the image information and the audio information, using the information describing the relationship; and a transmitter which transmits out of the electronic camera, the image information and the audio information without the information describing the relationship, and an external device which is external to the camera and connected to the camera, including; a memory; a receiver which receives the image information and the audio information; means for writing the image information and the audio information in the memory of the external device; and means for writing information, in the memory of the external device, describing the relationship between the image information and the audio information.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
36 words
A system according to claim 11, wherein the external device further comprises: means for detecting the relationship between the image information and the audio information, before the means for writing writes the information describing the relationship.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
A system according to claim 12, wherein: the means for detecting the relationship determines that the image information is to be presented at a same time as the audio information is presented.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
44 words
A system according to claim 13, wherein: the means for detecting the relationship determines that the image information is to be presented at the same time as the audio information is presented because the transmitter transmits the image information along with the audio information.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
42 words
A system according to claim 11, wherein the camera further comprises: means for writing the image information and the audio information into the memory of the camera, along with the information describing the relationship between the image information and the audio information.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
36 words
A system according to claim 15, wherein the camera further comprises: means for compressing the image information and the audio information before writing the image information and the audio information into the memory of the camera.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
84 words
A system according to claim 16, wherein the camera further comprises: a first in first out memory (FIFO) which stores the image information and audio information which has been compressed, before writing the image information and the audio information into the memory of the camera, wherein the means for writing the image information and the audio information into the memory of the camera includes means for transferring the image information and the audio information from the FIFO memory to the memory of the camera.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
17 words
A system according to claim 17, wherein the memory of the camera is a flash memory card.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
A system according to claim 18, wherein: the means for transferring transfers from the FIFO memory to the flash memory in a plurality of transfer operations.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system according to claim 19 wherein: the means for transferring performs a number of said transfers which is an integral multiple of a transfer size of the flash memory.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
112 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein: the step of reading the information describing a relationship comprises reading, from the memory of the camera which stores a file including information describing a plurality of relationships between image information and corresponding audio information, a first relationship between a first set of the image information and audio information corresponding thereto, the step of reading the image information and the audio information comprises reading the first set of the image information and the corresponding audio information, using the first relationship; and the step of transmitting comprises transmitting the first set of the image information and the corresponding audio information without the information describing the relationship.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
65 words
A method according to claim 21, further comprising the steps of: reading information describing a second relationship between a second set of the image information and the audio information corresponding thereto; reading the second set of the image information and the audio information corresponding thereto; and transmitting the second set of the image information and the audio information without the information describing the second relationship.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
65 words
A method according to claim 22, wherein the second set of the image information and the audio information includes a plurality of images, and the step of transmitting the second set of the image information and the audio information comprises: transmitting the second set of the image information which includes the plurality of images and the audio information without the information describing the second relationship.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
118 words
A system according to claim 11, wherein: the means for reading the information describing the relationship comprises means for reading, from the memory of the camera which stores a file including information describing a plurality of relationships between image information and corresponding audio information, a first relationship between a first set of the image information and audio information corresponding thereto, the means for reading the image information and the audio information comprises means for reading the first set of the image information and the corresponding audio information, using the first relationship; and the means for transmitting comprises means for transmitting the first set of the image information and the corresponding audio information without the information describing the relationship.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
68 words
A system according to claim 24, further comprising: means for reading information describing a second relationship between a second set of the image information and the audio information corresponding thereto; means for reading the second set of the image information and the audio information corresponding thereto; and means for transmitting the second set of the image information and the audio information without the information describing the second relationship.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
67 words
A system according to claim 25, wherein the second set of the image information and the audio information includes a plurality of images, and the means for transmitting the second set of the image information and the audio information comprises: means for transmitting the second set of the image information which includes the plurality of images and the audio information without the information describing the second relationship.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-09-28 | 2002-03-30 | 2002-09-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-09-28 | 2006-03-30 | 2006-09-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-09-28 | 2010-03-30 | 2010-09-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |