# US 2014/0152870 A1 · Camera > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0152870 A1 - Document ID: US20140152870A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/705,563 - Filed: 2012-12-05 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-12-05 - Assignees: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Applicants: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Inventors: John L. ORTMAN; Jonathan David GIBSON; Ronald MONSON; Matthew STUEMPFLE - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140152870A1 ## CPC - H04N 23/69: Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming - H04N 5/2624: {for obtaining an image which is composed of whole input images, e.g. splitscreen} - H04N 23/58: Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors - H04N 23/631: {Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters} - H04N 23/665: {involving internal camera communication with the image sensor, e.g. synchronising or multiplexing SSIS control signals} - H04N 23/67: Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract An example of a camera includes an optical element moving between first and second focus positions upon application of an electrical signal, a sensor capturing first and second images transmitted by the optical element in the respective first and second focus positions, a first storage location recording first images and a second storage location recording second images, and a screen simultaneously displaying a most recent first image from the first storage cation and a most recent second image from the second storage location. Another example of a camera includes the optical element and sensor, as well as a processor to: control timing of application of an electrical signal to the optical element to regulate changing of the optical element between first and second focus positions, synchronize capture by the sensor of first and second images, and control streaming of most recent first and second images for simultaneous viewing. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A camera, comprising: an optical element that moves between first focus position and a second focus position upon application of an electrical signal; a sensor both to capture first images transmitted by the optical element in the first focus position and to capture second images transmitted by the optical element in the second focus position; a first storage location to record first images captured by the sensor; a second storage location to record second images captured by the sensor; and a screen that simultaneously displays a most recent first image retrieved from the first storage location and a most recent second image retrieved from the second storage location. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The camera of claim 1, further comprising an oscillator both to control a timing of application of the electrical signal to the optical element to regulate a rate of changing of the optical element between the first focus position and the second focus position, and to synchronize capture by the sensor of first images transmitted by the optical element in the first focus position, and capture by the sensor of second images transmitted by the optical element in the second focus position. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The camera of claim 1, wherein the first and second images are transmitted by the optical element to the sensor independent of use of a beam splitter and further wherein the first and second images are transmitted by the optical element to the sensor independent of use of a prism. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The camera of claim 1, wherein the sensor controls timing of application of the electrical signal to the optical element to regulate a rate of changing of the optical element between the first focus position and the second focus position. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The camera of claim 1, wherein the optical element assumes a third focus position upon application of a different electrical signal, the sensor captures third images transmitted by the optical do e t in the third focus position, the second storage location records third images captured by the sensor, and the screen simultaneously displays a most recent first image retrieved from the first storage location and the most recent third image retrieved from the second storage location in place of the most recent second image. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The camera of claim 1, wherein a location of one of the most recent first image and a location of the most recent second image displayed by the screen is selectable by an end user. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The camera of claim 1, wherein the most recent first image occupies a first position on the screen and the most recent second image occupies a second position on the screen within the first position, ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The camera of claim 7, herein a location of the second position on the screen within the first position is selectable. ### Claim 9 A camera, comprising: an optical element that moves between a first focus position and a second focus position upon application of an electrical signal; a sensor both to capture first images transmitted by the optical element in the first focus position and to capture second images transmitted by the optical element in the second focus position; a processor to control a timing of an application of the electrical signal to the optical element to regulate a rate of change of the optical element between the first focus position and the second focus position, o synchronize capture by the sensor of first images transmitted by the optical element in the first focus position, to synchronize capture by the sensor of second images transmitted by the optical element in the second focus position, and to control streaming of a most recent first image and a most recent second image for simultaneous viewing. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The camera of claim 9, further comprising a screen coupled to the processor to receive the most recent first image streamed by the processor and the most recent second image streamed by the processor for simultaneous display. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The camera of claim 10, wherein a location of one of the most recent first image and a location of the most recent second image displayed by the screen is selectable by an end user. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The camera of claim 10, wherein the optical element assumes a third focus position upon application of a different electrical signal, the sensor captures third images transmitted by the optical element in the third focus position, the processor controls timing of an application of one of the different electrical signal to the optical element to regulate a rate of change of the optical element between the first focus position and the third focus position rather than the first focus position and the second focus position, the processor synchronizes capture by the sensor of the third images transmitted by the optical element in the third focus position, and the screen simultaneously displays the most recent first image streamed by the processor and the most recent third image streamed by the processor in place of the most recent second image. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The camera of claim 10, wherein the most recent first image occupies a first position on the screen and the most recent second image occupies a second position on the screen within the first position. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The camera of claim 13, wherein a location of the second position on the screen within the first position is selectable. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The camera of claim 9, wherein the first and second images are transmitted by the optical element to the sensor independent of use of a beam splitter and further wherein the first and second images are transmitted by the optical element to the sensor independent of use of a prism. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The camera of claim 9, wherein the optical element assumes a third focus position upon application of a different electrical signal. ### Claim 17 A non-volatile storage medium including instruction that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: control a timing of an application of an electrical signal to an optical element to alternately change a focus of the optical element between a first focus position and a second focus position; control a streaming to a screen of a most recent image transmitted by the optical element and captured by a sensor; control a streaming to the screen of a most recent second image transmitted by the optical element and captured by the sensor so that the most recent first and second images are simultaneously displayed. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-volatile storage medium of claim 17, further comprising additional instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to allow an end user to selectably control a location of one of the most recent first image and a location of the most recent second age displayed by the screen. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The non-volatile storage medium of claim 17, wherein the most recent first image occupies a first position on the screen and the most recent second image occupies a second position on the screen within the first position. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The non-volatile storage medium of claim 19, further comprising additional instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to allow an end user to select a location of the second position on the screen within the first position.