# US 10,122,957 B2 · Imaging apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,122,957 B2 - Document ID: US10122957B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/816,394 - Filed: 2015-08-03 - Published: 2016-02-25 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-08-19 - Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Applicants: Koji Oka - Inventors: Koji Oka - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10122957B2 ## CPC - H04N 5/91: Television signal processing therefor - G11B 27/034: on discs (G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence) - H04N 5/772: {the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure} - H04N 9/8042: {involving data reduction} - H04N 23/631: {Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters} - H04N 23/633: {for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera} - H04N 23/667: Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) ## Abstract An imaging apparatus that records separately shot two images as one image file includes a clip image shooting mode that creates the one image file having one of the separately shot two images as a supplemental image of the other of the separately shot two images as a main image. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An imaging apparatus, comprising: a sensor; a lens to receive light and to focus the light on the sensor; a display; and a controller which controls the imaging apparatus to perform: determining whether there exists input indicating whether the imaging apparatus is to operate in a second shooting mode; capturing, in a first shooting mode when there does not exist input indicating the imaging apparatus is to operate in the second shooting mode, a first image using the sensor and the lens, the first image being a main image; determining, when the input exists indicating that the imaging apparatus is to operate in the second shooting mode, whether an image has been stored which was previously captured in the second shooting mode; displaying, when it has been determined that the image has been stored which was previously captured in the second shooting mode exists, the image which has been stored which was previously captured in the second shooting mode; capturing, in the second shooting mode when the input exists indicating that the imaging apparatus is to operate in the second shooting mode, a second image, using the sensor and the lens, the second image being different from the first image and the second image being a supplemental image of the main image; combining the first image and the second image into a single image file, wherein in the first shooting mode, if the second image is already captured, the first image and the second image are combined into the single image file. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: in the first shooting mode used when capturing the first image, supplemental image data which is image data of the second image is added for creating an image file of the main image data, and the image file is recorded in a recording medium. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the supplemental image is shot by macro shooting in the second shooting mode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: the controller further determines a presence and an absence of the supplemental image data, and in the first shooting mode, when the supplemental image is stored, an icon showing the presence of the supplemental image is displayed on the display. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a switching key that switches the second shooting mode used when capturing the second image and the first shooting mode used when capturing the first image, wherein the controller reproduces and displays the supplemental image on the display in response to operation of the switching key while the icon is displayed on the display in the first shooting mode. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: the controller changes a shooting mode to the second shooting mode from a state in which the supplemental image is reproduced and displayed on the display in response to the operation of the switching key while the supplemental image is reproduced and displayed on the display. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: the controller changes a shooting mode from the first shooting mode to the second shooting mode used when capturing the second image in response to operation of a switching key when the supplemental image is not stored. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: the controller changes a shooting mode from the first shooting mode to the second shooting mode in response to operation of the switching key when the supplemental image is not stored. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: the controller changes a shooting mode from the first shooting mode to the second shooting mode in response to operation of the switching key when the supplemental image is not stored. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the image file includes a plurality of supplemental images. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller further: sequentially reproduces the supplemental image and the main image. ### Claim 12 A method, comprising: determining whether there exists input indicating whether an imaging apparatus is to operate in a second shooting mode; determining, when the input exists indicating that the imaging apparatus is to operate in the second shooting mode, whether an image has been stored which was previously captured in the second shooting mode; displaying, when it has been determined that the image has been stored which was previously captured in the second shooting mode exists, the image which has been stored which was previously captured in the second shooting mode; obtaining, in the second shooting mode when the input exists indicating that the imaging apparatus is to operate in the second shooting mode, a second image as supplemental image data using an image sensor and a lens; obtaining, in a first shooting mode when the input does not exist indicating that the imaging apparatus is to operate in the second shooting mode, a first image as main image data using the image sensor and the lens; combining the supplemental image data and the main image data into a single image file, and recording the image file in a recording medium, wherein in the first shooting mode, if the second image is already captured, the first image and the second image are combined into the single image file. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: when capturing the first image which is a main image, when the supplemental image is stored, an icon showing the presence of the supplemental image is displayed on the display. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The shooting method according to claim 12, wherein: when capturing the first image which is a main image, when the supplemental image is stored, an icon showing the presence of the supplemental image is displayed on a display. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller further performs: determining a second time whether there exists input indicating whether the imaging apparatus is to operate in the second shooting mode, wherein the capturing in the second mode is performed in response to the determining the second time that there exists input indicating that the imaging apparatus is to operate in the second shooting mode. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, further comprising: determining a second time whether there exists input indicating whether the imaging apparatus is to operate in the second shooting mode, wherein the obtaining in the second shooting mode is performed in response to the determining the second time that there exists input indicating that the imaging apparatus is to operate in the second shooting mode.