US 5,815,201 A · Method and system for reading and assembling audio and image information for transfer out of a digital camera

Abstract

An electronic camera for connection to an external device such as a personal computer. The camera captures both images and audio which are associated with the images. The image and associated audio are written into a memory of the camera along with information describing the relationship between the image and audio. In this manner, the image can be played or presented at the same time as the audio is presented to a user. When the image and associated audio are transmitted out of the camera to an external device such as a personal computer, no information is transmitted describing the relationship between the image and audio. The image and audio are received by the external device and written into memory. The relationship between the image and audio can be determined by the fact that the image and audio were transmitted at the same time as a unit of information. Subsequently, information describing the relationship between the image and audio is written into a memory of the external device along with the image and audio.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A method of transmitting audiovisual information out of an electronic camera, comprising the steps of:

reading, from a memory of the camera, information describing a relationship between image information and audio information;
reading the image information and the audio information, using the information describing the relationship;
transmitting the image information and the audio information without the information describing the relationship;
receiving the image information and the audio information by an external device;
writing the image information and the audio information in a memory of the external device;
and
writing information, in the memory of the external device, describing the relationship between the image information and the audio information.

4 more elements

A system for transferring information, comprising:

an electronic camera including:
a lens;
a light sensor for sensing images through the lens;
a microphone for sensing audio;
a memory for storing image information obtained by the light sensor, audio information obtained by the microphone, and information describing a relationship between the image information and the audio information;
means for reading, from the memory of the camera, the information describing the relationship between the image information and the audio information;
means for reading the image information and the audio information, using the information describing the relationship;
and
a transmitter which transmits out of the electronic camera, the image information and the audio information without the information describing the relationship, and
an external device which is external to the camera and connected to the camera, including;
a memory;
a receiver which receives the image information and the audio information;
means for writing the image information and the audio information in the memory of the external device;
and
means for writing information, in the memory of the external device, describing the relationship between the image information and the audio information.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for reading and assembling audio and image information for transfer out of a digital camera

Life of this patent

Method and system for reading and assembling audio and image information for transfer out of a digital camera

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims26