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Digital Camera Patent Abstract
This invention provides a cellular telephone with a digital camera
that can store data on an image photographed by the digital camera
in an internal memory without the need to use a separate service
only for storing the image data when a residual capacity of the
internal memory is insufficient and, therefore, without the need
to make a management necessary to enjoy a separately set service
so as to use the separate service. The cellular telephone with a
digital camera includes a used memory capacity detecting unit that
detects a used capacity of a memory that stores data, a file-attached
email transmitting unit that transmits, as a file-attached to an
email, the data to an arbitrary mail server with which a user already
made a contract, and a unit that activates the file-attached email
transmitting unit when the used capacity detected by the used memory
capacity detecting unit reaches a predetermined capacity.
Digital Camera Patent Claims
1. A cellular telephone with a digital camera comprising: the digital
camera; a memory that stores data on an image photographed by the
digital camera; and an image transfer unit, wherein the image transfer
unit includes: used memory capacity detecting means for detecting
a used capacity of the memory that stores the data; file-attached
email transmitting means for transmitting, as a file-attached to
an email, the data to an arbitrary email server with which a user
already made a contract; and means for activating the file-attached
email transmitting means when the used capacity detected by the
used memory capacity detecting means reaches a predetermined capacity.
2. A cellular telephone with a digital camera, comprising: the
digital camera; a memory that stores data on an image photographed
by the digital camera; and an image transfer unit, wherein the image
transfer unit includes: used memory capacity detecting means for
detecting a used capacity of the memory that stores the data; file-attached
email transmitting means for transmitting, as a file-attached to
an email, the data to an arbitrary email server with which a user
already made a contract; means for activating the file-attached
email transmitting means when the used capacity detected by the
used memory capacity detecting means reaches a first predetermined
capacity; and means for deactivating the file-attached email transmitting
means when the used capacity detected by the used memory capacity
detecting means reaches a second predetermined capacity smaller
than the first predetermined capacity.
3. The cellular telephone with the digital camera according to
claim 1, wherein the file-attached email transmitting means sequentially
transmits the data stored in the memory in a descending order of
time.
4. The cellular telephone with the digital camera according to
claim 2, wherein the file-attached email transmitting means sequentially
transmits the data stored in the memory in a descending order of
time.
Digital Camera Patent Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an automatic data transfer
system for a cellular telephone with a digital camera.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Patent Literature 1 discloses that if a residual capacity
of a memory that stores images photographed by a digital camera
is insufficient and an image cannot be stored in the memory any
more, then the digital camera communicates with a cellular telephone,
the digital camera is automatically connected to a server through
the cellular telephone, a guidance for urging image data to be stored
in the server is displayed, and image data is transferred from the
digital camera to the server so as to store the image data in the
server. According to this conventional technique, the transferred
image data is erased from a storage memory of the digital camera.
A user needs to make a contract with a server service to secure
a dedicated backup server. It is, therefore, disadvantageously necessary
to use this separately contracted service to access the transferred
data.
[0005] Patent Literature 2 proposes a provider service that stores
data used by a multimedia apparatus in place of a user. According
to this proposal, user information transmitted together with the
storage target data is naturally compared with registered user data
held in a database in a server for authentication. If a user separately
uses a data storage service, it is disadvantageously necessary to
perform an authentication and prepare a system for the authentication.
[0006] Patent Literature 3 discloses a digital camera constituted
as follows. If an external memory is not attached to the digital
camera or the external memory has no residual capacity, image data
is transferred to an external database through a wireless communication
circuit and stored in the external database. When the external memory
is attached to the digital camera, the image data is automatically
stored in the external memory through the wireless communication
circuit. This digital camera can temporarily save latest image data
in the external database through the wireless communication circuit.
However, it is disadvantageously necessary to bear a telecommunication
cost and retrieve the image data from the external database only
for enabling the user to view the latest image data using this digital
camera. It is also disadvantageously necessary to separately manage
a capacity of the external memory.
[0007] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
(JP-A) No. 2001-128113
[0008] Patent Literature 2: JP-A No. 2001-325218
[0009] Patent Literature 3: JP-A No. 2002-171434
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] It is an object of the present invention to provide a cellular
telephone with a digital camera that can store data on an image
photographed by the digital camera in an internal memory without
the need to use a separate service only for storing the image data
when a residual capacity of the internal memory is insufficient
and, therefore, without the need to make a management necessary
for a separately set service so as to use the separate service,
differently from the conventional techniques. It is also an object
of the present invention to solve the conventional disadvantage
in that a user cannot view a latest image using the digital camera,
even when a residual capacity of the internal memory is insufficient.
[0011] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a cellular telephone with a digital camera, comprising:
a memory that stores image data on an image photographed by the
digital camera; and an image transfer unit, wherein the image transfer
unit includes: used memory capacity detecting means for detecting
a used capacity of the memory that stores the data; file-attached
email transmitting means for transmitting, as a file-attached to
an email, the data to an arbitrary email server with which a user
already made a contract; and means for activating the file-attached
email transmitting means when the used capacity detected by the
used memory capacity detecting means reaches a predetermined capacity.
[0012] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a cellular telephone with a digital camera, comprising:
a memory that stores data on an image photographed by the digital
camera; and an image transfer unit, wherein the image transfer unit
includes: used memory capacity detecting means for detecting a used
capacity of the memory that stores the data; file-attached email
transmitting means for transmitting, as a file-attached to an email,
the data to an arbitrary email server with which a user already
made a contract; means for activating the file-attached email transmitting
means when the used capacity detected by the used memory capacity
detecting means reaches a first predetermined capacity; and means
for deactivating the file-attached email transmitting means when
the used capacity detected by the used memory capacity detecting
means reaches a second predetermined capacity smaller than the first
predetermined capacity.
[0013] Moreover, according to a third aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a cellular telephone with the digital camera according
to the first or second aspect of the invention, wherein the file-attached
email transmitting means sequentially transmits the data stored
in the memory in a descending order of time.
[0014] According to the present invention, image data is transferred
and stored using an arbitrary email service with which a user already
made a contract without setting a service for transferring and storing
the image data. It is, therefore, unnecessary to make a separate
contract for transferring and storing the image data.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a block diagram that depicts a cellular telephone
with a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a typical view of an image transfer setting menu
screen according to the embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a typical view of a transmission destination address
setting menu screen according to the embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a typical view of a reference transmission capacity
setting menu screen according to the embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a typical view of a reference empty capacity setting
menu screen according to the embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a typical view of an email capacity setting menu
screen according to the embodiment of the present invention; and
[0021] FIG. 7 is a flowchart that depicts an operation according
to the embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MOST PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0022] A cellular telephone with a digital camera according to
a most preferred embodiment of the present invention is partially
shown in a block diagram of FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, reference symbol
10 denotes a microcomputer, 20 denotes a video data storage memory
included in the cellular telephone, 30 denotes a line connected
to display means of the cellular telephone, 40 denotes a line connected
to a keyboard, and 50 denotes a line connected to an email transmitting
means incorporated in the cellular telephone.
[0023] The microcomputer 10 is programmed to include an operation
indication section 11 that indicates various indication signals
from main body operation keys connected to the keyboard connection
line 40 to respective sections in the microcomputer 10, an operation
control section 12 that controls operations of respective operating
sections in the microcomputer 10 based on indications from the operation
indication section 11, and an image display section 13 that generates
to-be-displayed screens according to conditions necessary for the
screens such as a used capacity of entire storage mediums including
the video data storage memory 20, to be described later, a capacity
of a currently used storage medium, and an automatic transmission
destination address. This microcomputer 10 also includes a used
capacity detecting section 15 that detects the used capacity of
the entire storage mediums including the video data storage memory
20, a used capacity determining section 14 that determines what
percentage of the storage capacity of the entire storage mediums
a used capacity of a data area in which the data is actually recorded
is, a transmission destination address setting section 17 that sets
a transmit address of a destination to which the data is transmitted
(or transferred) when the capacity of the entire storage mediums
exceeds a designated capacity, a transmission destination address
storage section 16 that stores a plurality of transmission destination
addresses and that manages priority order indication data, and an
automatic transmission execution section 18 that executes an email
transmission via a server only by as much as the designated capacity
when the data area used capacity exceeds a preset used capacity.
[0024] An operation of an image transfer unit constituted as stated
above will be described. Settings of this image transfer unit are
made as will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6. FIG. 2
depicts a menu screen for making the settings. In FIG. 2, an item
1 on the screen is used to select whether to automatically transfer
image data by as much as a designated capacity if a certain capacity
of image data is stored in the memory. This image transfer unit
is activated only when automatic transfer ON is selected. If so,
settings of items tiles of which are displayed on the menu screen
as "transmission destination address setting", "transmission
reference", "empty capacity", and "email capacity"
are also made effective, accordingly.
[0025] If the user selects the item "transmission destination
address setting", then a screen shown in FIG. 3 appears, and
the user can set the transmission destination address by inputting
an email address. The user can set a plurality of email addresses
with priorities given thereto. If the user selects the item "transmission
reference", then a screen shown in FIG. 4 appears, and the
user can set a reference used capacity by as much as which the image
data is automatically transferred. The reference used capacity is
90% by default. If the user selects the item "empty capacity",
then a screen shown in FIG. 5 appears, and the user can set an empty
capacity to be secured by executing the automatic transfer of the
image data. The empty capacity is 50% by default. If the user selects
the item "email capacity", then a screen shown in FIG.
6 appears, and the user can set an upper limit capacity of data
that can be attached to one email. The upper limit capacity is one
megabyte by default. By setting the email capacity, the user can
automatically divide an email into a plurality of emails and transmit
the divided emails up to the set transmission capacity.
[0026] An operation of this automatic transfer unit will be described
with reference to a flowchart of FIG. 7. If the user sets the automatic
transfer ON ("YES" of a choice 71), the used capacity
determining section 14 determines whether the used capacity of the
memory used for the image data exceeds the reference transmission
capacity at a step 72. If the used capacity determining section
14 determines that the used capacity exceeds the reference transmission
capacity ("YES" of a choice 721), the automatic transmission
execution section 18 automatically composes a new message for a
new email at a step 74. If the used capacity determining section
14 determines that the used capacity does not exceed the reference
transmission capacity ("NO" of a choice 722), this automatic
transfer unit does not operate.
[0027] If the automatic transmission execution section 18 automatically
composes a new message for a new email at the step 74, the transmission
destination address setting section 17 inputs an email address with
a priority 1 recorded in the transmission destination address storage
section 16 as an address of the new email at a step 741. Likewise,
the transmission destination address setting section 17 inputs email
addresses with priorities 2 and 3 as addresses of the new email
if they are recorded in the transmission destination address storage
section 16 (at a step 742). At a step 743, words, e.g., "From
cellular phone" which can discriminate the email are automatically
input to a subject box of the email. At a step 744, an email address
of the cellular telephone and the like are input to a body of the
email. At a step 75, a file of oldest image data among pieces of
image data stored in the video data storage memory 20 is attached
to the email as an attached file. At a step 76, the used capacity
determining section 14 determines whether the residual capacity
of the memory is greater than the set empty capacity described above
with reference to FIG. 5.
[0028] If the used capacity determining section 14 determines at
the step 76 that the residual capacity is not greater, that is,
smaller than the set empty capacity ("NO" of a choice
761), the used capacity determining section 14 determines at a step
77 whether a capacity of the file-attached to the email is equal
to or greater than the set upper limit email capacity described
above with reference to FIG. 6. If the used capacity determining
section 14 determines that the capacity of the file-attached to
the email is not greater, that is, smaller than the set upper limit
email capacity ("NO" of a choice 771), a step 75 of further
attaching image data to this email is executed. If the used capacity
determining section 14 determines at the step 77 that capacity of
the file-attached to the email is equal to or greater than the set
upper limit email capacity ("YES" of a choice 772), a
new email is created (at a step 78) and the operation goes to next
email creation procedures (a choice 781).
[0029] If the used capacity determining section 14 determines at
the step 76 that the residual capacity is greater than the set empty
capacity ("YES" of a choice 762), a new email is created
at a step 79.
[0030] At a step 80, a transmission processing for transmitting
the email which has been created but which has not been transmitted
yet is performed. The email created at the step 78 is subjected
to a processing set for each corresponding mail server since the
capacity of the attached file exceeds an attached file capacity
limit set to the mail server. If such an image file the capacity
of which exceeds the limit is attached to the email, the capacity
of the image file to be attached at the step 75 can be reduced at
a different step, not shown, as is evident to those skilled in the
art.
[0031] If the used capacity determining section 14 determines at
the step 72 that the used capacity of the image memory is equal
to or greater than the reference transmission capacity, this automatic
transfer unit starts operating. In addition, the operation of the
automatic transfer unit is automatically continued until it is determined
at the step 76 that the residual capacity of the image memory is
equal to or greater than the set empty capacity. The image data
memory of the digital camera incorporated in the cellular telephone
can be kept to have a data area margin.
[0032] Image files are transferred using an email function of the
cellular telephone in a descending order of time. Since a latest
image file having a high probability of being viewed and edited
is left in the memory included in the digital camera, the user can
promptly and easily view and edit the latest image file.
[0033] Furthermore, the image data is transferred by being transmitted
and received as the file-attached to the email. By setting a personal
computer having an email address as a transfer destination, therefore,
the stored image data can be easily managed and changed at the transfer
destination. |