Patents Examined by Wanda M. Negron
  • Patent number: 7764308
    Abstract: An electronic camera 100 automatically transmits captured image data and user identification information to a gateway server 160 over a wireless portable telephone link 130. The gateway server 160 manages image albums created on a per-user basis on multiple image servers on the Internet 170, automatically selects one of the multiple image servers based on the user identification information received from the electronic camera 100, and stores the image data received from the electronic camera 100 in an image album corresponding to the user identification information on the selected image server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Yosuke Kusaka, Hideo Hibino, Setsu Mitsuhashi, Masami Takemoto, Tadashi Fujimura, Hirotake Nozaki
  • Patent number: 7714923
    Abstract: An integrated imaging apparatus for displaying images while capturing images of a scene, including an electronic display having an array of display pixels which are used to display image content; at least one image capture device which captures an image, wherein the image capture device having at least an imaging lens and an image sensor array; and wherein the image capture device looks through an aperture in the display, the aperture having at least one partially transparent pixel; and wherein the partially transparent pixels also provide light to display image content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Ronald S. Cok, Andrew F. Kurtz, John N. Border
  • Patent number: 7705908
    Abstract: Methods are provided for determining an operating parameter for an image system. Evaluation images are obtained during composition of an archival image and the evaluation images are stored. The evaluation images are compared to determine common image elements and an area of importance is determined based at least in part upon some of the common image elements. An operating parameter is determined based upon analysis of the area of importance. Imaging systems that perform the methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: John R. Fredlund, Gary A. Hallenbeck
  • Patent number: 7701489
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for color correction using diffusers. At least one embodiment of the present invention seeks to perform color correction using color signals detected for the light passing through a diffuser. While typically software-based color correction methods rely on predetermined assumptions about the properties of an image, such as the averaged and/or profiled color information, at least one embodiment of the present invention utilizes the color signals for the light passing through a diffuser to determine the properties of the lightening environment. Instead of depending on the predetermined assumptions about the lightening environment or the image of the scene, at least one embodiment of the present invention performs the color correction according to the color information detected for the actual lightening environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Christie, Michael F. Culbert
  • Patent number: 7697053
    Abstract: An integrated imaging apparatus for displaying images while capturing images of a scene, including an electronic display having an array of display pixels which are used to display image content; a plurality of apertures are integrated within the display, wherein each of the apertures includes at least one partially transparent pixel; and a plurality of capture devices each of which captures an image, and includes at least a lens and an image sensor array; wherein each capture device is operatively associated with at least part of a particular aperture of the display; and wherein the partially transparent pixels also provide light for image content display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Andrew F. Kurtz, John N. Border, Ronald S. Cok
  • Patent number: 7692707
    Abstract: In a solid-state image sensor according to this invention, an image signal temperature variation suppressing unit changes a voltage value of a driver voltage applied to multiplying registers in response to variations in sensor temperature of a CCD image sensor. Thus, a charge multiplication gain of a charge multiplying unit is electrically controlled to suppress variations in signal strength of image signals due to the variations in the sensor temperature of the CCD image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Yasushi Kondo, Hiromasa Maruno
  • Patent number: 7675555
    Abstract: The present invention provides a recording method capable of reliably associating additional information for data of a decoding/reproduction unit with the decoding/reproduction unit for a case in which data of a read/write unit for a recording medium includes a plurality of aforementioned decoding/reproduction units. Time-series information is compressed before being recorded on the recording medium. Management information added to data of each decoding/reproduction unit of the compressed time-series information as management information for a decoding/reproduction process is also recorded on the recording medium. Additional information for data of a decoding/reproduction unit is also recorded on the recording medium by being associated with management information for a decoding/reproduction process of data of the decoding/reproduction unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichiro Aridome, Katsumi Matsuno, Osamu Date
  • Patent number: 7667760
    Abstract: An output compensating device capable of effectively correcting pixel signals composing an image taken and output by the image sensor having a wide dynamic range to be adaptively displayed with high quality and high contrast on a viewable screen area by using means for detecting a minimal value and a maximal value of sensor (pixel) signals output from the image sensor to be displayed on the screen area, means for offsetting the detected minimal value of the sensor signal to a lower limit value of the screen area and means for adjusting a gain of the sensor signal in such a way that an output width determined by the detected minimal and maximal values of the sensor signals may be equal to the maximal width or a specified width of the screen area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Nakajima, Sukeyuki Shinotsuka
  • Patent number: 7656424
    Abstract: Method and device for stabilizing images obtained by a video camera of an environment with objects moving along lanes. The method a first stage of determining in first images obtained by the camera, portions corresponding to the movement lanes, determining the remaining second portions complementary to the first portions, determining, in the second portions, the reference position of the image point corresponding to a first stationary object point, and a second stage of determining in at least one second image taken after the first images, the vector that corresponds to the movement of the image point relative to its reference position determined by the first images, and processing the second image as a function of the modulus and direction of the vector such that, relative to the three-dimensional frame of reference the image point returns to its reference position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Citilog
    Inventor: Salah Bouzar
  • Patent number: 7652694
    Abstract: An image pick-up apparatus loaded in a body of the apparatus with a monitor for displaying a captured image is provided. The image pick-apparatus includes an input device which inputs a character and an image to be combined with an image displayed on the monitor, a composition device which combines the character and the image input through the input device with the image displayed on the monitor, and generates a composite image, an instruction device which instructs a record of the composite image generated by the composition device, and a record control device which records a composite image generated by the composition device in accordance with an instruction of the instruction device in a record medium, and adds an identification symbol for identifying that the image recorded in the record medium is a composite image to a part of a file name, thereby recording data in the record medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Kazutoshi Suto
  • Patent number: 7652700
    Abstract: To achieve more appropriate interpolation of a missing pixel, an image is input to a processing section for interpolation. The interpolation is applied utilizing image data of pixels located around the pixel to be interpolated. Specifically, correlations between the image data of the pixels to be interpolated, and pixel data in a horizontal direction, vertical direction, and diagonal direction, are compared to one another; pixel data having stronger correlation is used for the interpolation. Correlation between the image data of the pixels to be interpolated and which direction is strong is determined, so that different weighting for interpolation is used accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Yoshihisa Takahashi, Hisakazu Kikuchi, Shogo Muramatsu, Yoshito Abe, Naoki Mizutani
  • Patent number: 7652714
    Abstract: An imaging device is provided. The imaging device can maintain a constant angle of view even if a focal distance of an entire lens system changes as a focusing lens moves. The imaging device includes an image sensor, a focusing lens, a lens driver, an image generator, a magnification changing rate obtaining unit, and a size changer. The image sensor shoots a snap shot of an object, and the focusing lens performs focusing on the object. The lens driver drives the focusing lens to a plurality of focal points for the object, and the image generator generates an image on the basis of a photograph signal from the image sensor. The magnification changing rate obtaining unit obtains a magnification changing rate for each focal point such that an angle of view for each image photographed at each focal point of the focusing lens is maintained constant. The size changer changes the size of the image on the basis of the magnification changing rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Digital Imaging Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiharu Gotanda
  • Patent number: 7649557
    Abstract: An apparatus for processing a digital image signal includes a pseudo-luminance generator configured to generate pseudo-luminance signals from the image signal. An edge detector detects an edge in the image signal using a part of an interpolated image signal as a luminance signal for a line of the image signal including a pixel subjected to edge detection and using the pseudo-luminance signals for adjacent lines. A color suppressor suppresses pseudo-color present in the chrominance component of the image signal in response to a detected edge. A compensator may be provided to generate a second edge metric relative to the image signal to compensate for an edge detection error occurring in the edge detector. A color suppression coefficient calculator to generate a color suppression coefficient using a first edge metric generated by the edge detector and the second edge metric. Corresponding systems and methods are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Suk-Beom Song, Jae-Hoon Seo
  • Patent number: 7646411
    Abstract: To reliably obtain a captured image expected by a user, such as an image precisely showing the shades of a blue sky or a flower, or an image captured under flat illumination and having high contrast, an apparatus comprises an aperture, shutter, CCD, and an AGC, and applies gamma correction to an image signal using gamma correction values. Maximum reflectance, being an index of the amount of incident light according to the maximum output from the CCD, is increased or decreased in multiple levels depending on the subject being photographed, and the exposure amount is accordingly adjusted, thereby changing a dynamic range. A microcomputer revises the gamma correction values in response to changes in maximum reflectance so as to substantially maintain a relationship between an incident light reference amount being a reference for appropriate exposure and the corresponding gamma corrected output value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Senshu Igarashi
  • Patent number: 7643079
    Abstract: In a control circuit for controlling a solid-state image pickup device, two sorts of image data are read out separately with differing sensitivities. A timing generator control in a digital camera controls a timing signal generator to the interlace scanning or to all-pixel scanning, and outputs a timing signal, consistent with this control, to the driver. The driver outputs a driving signal, consistent with the timing signal, to the solid-state image pickup device included in an image pickup unit to read out signal charges. In particular, in interlace scanning, readout of signal charges of main pixels of the image pickup device is separated from that of subsidiary pixels of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Oshima, Kazuya Oda
  • Patent number: 7636106
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image capturing unit for capturing a first image by using an image capturing device, a detection unit for detecting applied vibration and outputting a vibration value representing a magnitude of the vibration, a calculation unit for calculating a first correcting value and a second correcting value from the vibration value, an alteration unit for altering, when a difference between the first and second correcting values is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, a region of the second image so as to reduce a distance between the center of an image obtained by correcting the second image on the basis of the first correcting value and the center of another image obtained by correcting the third image on the basis of the second correcting value, and a correction unit for correcting the second image on the basis of the first correcting value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Jinyo Kumaki
  • Patent number: 7626617
    Abstract: An image editing apparatus, an image editing program, and an image editing method can automatically set a video effect at the joint between moving picture data, and includes: a recording device which records a plurality of images and image related information; a video effect recording device which records image related information associated with a video effect during image switching; a comparison device which reads related information about two images stored in the recording device and compares the related information between the images; a video effect selection device which reads a corresponding video effect from a video effect recording device when there is matching related information between the compared related information; an image joining device which reads two images stored in the recording device, applies the video effect to them, and joins the images; and an output device which outputs the joined images to a display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiro Terada
  • Patent number: 7616395
    Abstract: There is provided an information reproduction apparatus that can suppress degradations in the qualities of reproduced data and timing from due to interpolation errors when performing interpolation timing recovery, and that can avoid degradation in the stability of the system due to an increase in the timing recovery loop delay. An information reproduction apparatus (100) for reproducing data and timing from an analog signal including data information and timing information is provided with an expected value generator (106) for outputting plural expected values, and a maximum likelihood detector (107) for outputting data that corresponds to a sequence of the highest likelihood with an output sequence of an A/D converter among the plural expected value sequences, at the timing of a second clock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7616261
    Abstract: A communication terminal apparatus (1) includes a first casing (41) and a second casing (42) which are foldably connected to each other and have a photographic lens (31) and a display device (18) which is visible in a same field of view as the lens. A user can photograph himself/herself while verifying his/her photographed image by means of the display device, and thus is able to gain an anticipated image composition easily, and therefore reduce unsuccessful photographs. The photographed image is displayed as a mirror image, so that the user can verify the image as if looking in to an ordinary mirror, without experiencing any awkwardness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuo Kitamura, Toshiya Yabe, Nobuaki Oosawa, Kazuaki Nakae, Hirokazu Hoshino
  • Patent number: 7616250
    Abstract: An image capturing device is disclosed that includes a light receiving element having a light receiving surface, a plate-like transparent member provided on the light receiving surface of the light receiving element, and resin provided to at least the periphery of the plate-like transparent member. The plate-like transparent member includes a first principal plane positioned on the light receiving element side and a second principal plane opposite the first principal plane. The first principal plane is greater in area than the second principal plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Fujitsu Microelectronics Limited
    Inventors: Naoyuki Watanabe, Toshiyuki Honda, Yoshito Akutagawa, Susumu Moriya, Izumi Kobayashi