# US 2009/0262201 A1 · Image transmission apparatus and image reception apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2009/0262201 A1 - Document ID: US20090262201A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/385,696 - Filed: 2009-04-16 - Published: 2009-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2008-04-18 - Assignees: Nikon Corporation - Inventors: Hiromi Kuwata; Nobuhiro Hayashi; Atsushi Ohori - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20090262201A1 ## CPC - H04N 1/32: Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver {or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device (H04N1/38, H04N1/387 take precedence)} - H04N 1/21: Intermediate information storage (H04N1/387, H04N1/41 take precedence {; for control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32358; indexing, editing G11B27/00}) - H04N 1/32448: {Controlling data flow to or from the memory in relation to the available memory capacity} - H04N 2201/218: Deletion of stored data; Preventing such deletion - H04N 2201/3295: Deletion of stored data; Preventing such deletion - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract An image transmission apparatus includes: a deletion unit that deletes an image file recorded in a storage medium; an identifying unit that identifies an image file booked for transmission by an external image reception apparatus; a prohibiting unit that prohibits the deletion unit from deleting the image file recorded in the storage medium, which has been identified by the identifying unit; and a transmission control unit that reads the image file recorded in the storage medium, which has been identified by the identifying unit, and transmits the image file to the image reception apparatus. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image transmission apparatus, comprising: a deletion unit that deletes an image file recorded in a storage medium; an identifying unit that identifies an image file booked for transmission by an external image reception apparatus; a prohibiting unit that prohibits the deletion unit from deleting the image file recorded in the storage medium, which has been identified by the identifying unit; and a transmission control unit that reads the image file recorded in the storage medium, which has been identified by the identifying unit, and transmits the image file to the image reception apparatus. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An image transmission apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an interface unit via which an external camera is connected to the image transmission apparatus, wherein: if available capacity at the storage medium is smaller than a data size of an image file received from the external camera via the interface unit, the deletion unit deletes as many image files that are not delete-prohibited by the prohibiting unit, among image files recorded in the storage medium, as necessary to secure memory space in the storage medium greater than the data size. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An image transmission apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an image-capturing unit that captures a subject image and obtains image data; and an image file generation unit that generates an image file based upon the image data obtained by the image-capturing unit, wherein: if available capacity at the storage medium is smaller than a data size of an image file generated by the image file generation unit, the deletion unit deletes as many image files that are not delete-prohibited by the prohibiting unit, among image files recorded in the storage medium, as necessary to secure memory space in the storage medium equal to or greater than the data size. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An image transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the prohibiting unit prohibits the deletion unit from deleting an image file for which the image reception apparatus has issued a delete prohibit instruction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) An image transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the prohibiting unit clears prohibition of deletion by the deletion unit of an image file, transmission of which has been completed by the transmission control unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) An image transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the prohibiting unit prohibits the deletion unit from deleting an image file for which a user has issued a delete prohibit instruction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) An image transmission apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: if the user issues the delete prohibit instruction by specifying an image, the prohibiting unit prohibits the deletion unit from deleting an image file that corresponds to the image specified by the user. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) An image transmission apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a detection unit that detects an image file transmission disabled state with regard to image file transmission to the image reception apparatus, wherein: as the detection unit detects the image file transmission disabled state, the prohibiting unit clears prohibition of deletion by the deletion unit of the image file recorded in the storage medium. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) An image transmission apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: the prohibiting unit prohibits the deletion unit from deleting an image file for which the external camera has issued a delete prohibit instruction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) An image transmission apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: a detection unit that detects an image file transmission disabled state with regard to image file transmission to the image reception apparatus, wherein: the image files recorded in the storage medium include an image file for which the external camera has issued a delete prohibit instruction, an image file for which the image reception apparatus has issued a delete prohibit instruction and an image file deletion of which is not prohibited by the prohibiting unit; and as the detection unit detects the image file transmission disabled state, the prohibiting unit clears prohibition of deletion by the deletion unit of the image file for which the delete prohibit instruction has been issued by the image reception apparatus, without clearing prohibition of deletion by the deletion unit of the image file for which the delete prohibit instruction has been issued by the external camera. ### Claim 11 An image reception apparatus, comprising: a requesting unit that registers an image file specified by a user into a queue used to manage an order in which the image file is to be transmitted and issues image file transmission requests to an external image transmission apparatus so that image files are transmitted in an order in which the image files are registered in the queue; a command transmission unit that transmits to the image transmission apparatus a delete prohibit command for prohibiting deletion of the image file having been registered into the queue by the requesting unit; and a reception control unit that receives an image file from the image transmission apparatus. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) An image reception apparatus according to claim 11, wherein: once reception of an image file is completed at the reception unit, the requesting unit deletes the image file from the queue; and the command transmission unit transmits a command for clearing prohibition of deletion of the image file to the image transmission apparatus. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) An image reception apparatus according to claim 11, wherein: if the user cancels a transmission request for an image file, the requesting unit deletes the image file from the queue; and the command transmission unit transmits a command for clearing prohibition of deletion of the image file to the image transmission apparatus. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) An image reception apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: a detection unit that detects a command transmission enabled state and a command transmission disabled state with regard to command transmission to the image transmission apparatus, wherein: if the detection unit, having detected the command transmission disabled state, then detects the command transmission enabled state, the command transmission unit transmits a clear command for clearing prohibition of image file deletion to the image transmission apparatus. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) An image reception apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: a detection unit that detects a command transmission enabled state and a command transmission disabled state with regard to command transmission to the image transmission apparatus, wherein: if the detection unit, having detected the command transmission disabled state, then detects the command transmission enabled state, the command transmission unit transmits a command for reassigning prohibition of image file deletion to the image transmission apparatus.