Image capture device
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorPieter J. van Zee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A handheld computing and digital image capturing device is physically and electrically integrated. Such a device shares hardware and computing power to provide a versatile item that can be carried with a user to provide the expected computer functions and an image capturing capability. Such a device has the capability of integrating images from the image capturing function into documents created in the handheld computer. Additionally, such an image capturing device can be coupled to an external computer without an intervening cable.
Claims16
An image capturing device comprising:
- a housing;
- an optoelectric transducer disposed in said housing, arranged to accept an optical input via a light transmissive opening through said housing, and to convert said optical input to an electrical signal;
- an image processor disposed within said housing and electrically coupled to said optoelectric transducer;
- a handheld computing device disposed within said housing, coupled to said image processor, and including:
- a microprocessor,
- memory coupled to said microprocessor,
- a user interface,
- an external computer interface, and
- a display;
- wherein said display, when switched from displaying computing device information, displays an image regenerated at least in part by said microprocessor from said electrical signal;
- and
- wherein said user interface further comprises at least one electromechanical activator, when switched from accepting computing device instruction, adapted to accept a user instruction to save said electrical signal as a stored image representation.
An image capturing device comprising:
- a housing;
- an optoelectric transducer disposed in said housing, arranged to accept an optical input via a light transmissive opening through said housing, and to convert said optical input to an electrical signal;
- an image processor disposed within said housing and electrically coupled to said optoelectric transducer;
- a memory coupled to said image processor:
- a user interface;
- and
- an integral interface connector coupled to said image processor and adapted to be coupled to an external computer without an intervening cable.
A method of capturing and integrating an image in a combined handheld computing and image capture device comprising the steps of:
- determining a function of at least one electromechanical actuator;
- launching an application program from a memory in the device, said application program unrelated to image capture;
- repurposing said at least one electromechanical actuator from said determined function to a shutter actuator function;
- exposing an optoelectric transducer disposed in a housing of the device to light input via a light transmissive opening through said housing;
- converting said light into an electrical signal;
- upon actuation of said repurposed at least one electromechanical actuator, processing and storing said electrical signal as an image representation in said memory;
- and
- recalling said image representation for use in said launched application program.
A method of capturing and integrating an image in an image capture device comprising the steps of:
- turning the image capture device on in response to a user's activation of a first electromechanical actuator;
- exposing an optoelectric transducer disposed in a housing of the device to light input via a light transmissive opening through said housing;
- converting said light into an electrical signal;
- accepting a user instruction to said first electromechanical actuator to save said electrical signal as a stored image representation;
- and
- recalling said image representation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.