US 6,552,743 B1 · Digital camera-ready printer

Abstract

A system and method utilize a digital camera-ready printer which can print directly from a variety of conventional digital cameras on the market. The digital camera-ready printer includes a camera interface that can link with a digital camera in different modes to transfer frames of digital image data from the digital cameras to the digital camera-ready printer. Preferably, the camera interface includes a hot shoe receptor to establish a convenient hot shoe link between the digital camera and the digital camera-ready printer. The digital camera-ready printer includes a processor that can identify the coupled digital camera in order to instruct the digital camera to transmit the frames of digital image data. The processor can also convert the format of the digital image data to a predetermined image file format. The processor of the digital camera-ready printer along with a display device allows a user to edit and manipulate an electronic image represented by a single frame of digital image data prior to printing.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An electronic imaging and printing system comprising:

a printer housing;
an input port configured to receive frames of digital image data from a variety of digital cameras, said frames being representative of images, said input port being attached to said printer housing;
internal memory having an input connected to said input port to receive and store said frames of digital image data;
processor means located within said printer housing for selectively editing and manipulating a selected frame of digital image data to provide an edited frame of digital image data, said processor means being enabled to execute a plurality of image modifications including at least two of image cropping, image rotation, luminance manipulation, zoom factor adjustment, and color adjustment;
display means that is responsive to said processor means for visually displaying said edited frame of digital image data, said display means being connected to the exterior of said printer housing;
printer driver means that is responsive to said processor means for converting said edited frame of digital image data to print data;
and
printing means having a supply of print-forming material and being compatible with said printer driver means for printing an image in response to receiving said print data, said printing means being supported by said printer housing.

5 more elements

An electronic imaging and printing system comprising:

a printer housing;
an input port attached to said printer housing and designed to receive frames of digital image data from a plurality of digital cameras, said frames being representative of images;
internal memory having an input connected to said input port to receive and store said frames of digital image data, said internal memory having stored programming for processing any of a plurality of different image file formats;
a digital signal processor coupled to said internal memory to process said frames of digital image data regardless of original image file format of said frames of digital image data,
a display that is responsive to said digital signal processor to display said frames of digital image data, said display being connected to the exterior of said printer housing;
a printer driver associated with said digital signal processor to convert said frames of digital image data to print data;
and
a printing mechanism having a supply of print-forming material and being responsive to said print data to deposit said print-forming material onto a surface, said printing mechanism being supported by said printer housing.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Digital camera-ready printer

Life of this patent

Digital camera-ready printer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21