Information processing device, information processing method, and recording media

Abstract

An electronic camera connected through a communication line to another electronic camera records an image that was transmitted from the other camera. When the electronic camera is connected to a public line from a modular jack, when a shooting lens faces opposite to a surface where an LCD is formed, the image of the user which was input by a CCD is transmitted to the other camera through the public line and is displayed on the LCD of the other camera. Furthermore, the image of the user of the other camera which was input by the other camera is transmitted through the public line and displayed on the LCD of the first camera. At this time, when a release switch to shoot an object is operated, the image which is displayed on the LCD is recorded. Furthermore, when a rotating part containing the shooting part is rotated by either electronic camera, the image which was input by the electronic camera in which the rotating part was rotated is displayed on both electronic cameras. At this time, when the release button is pressed, the image which was input by the electronic camera is which the rotating part was rotated is recorded. Additionally, when information is transferred from the electronic camera to a telephone, facsimile machine, video telephone or a server via the communication line, such as a network, transmission of identifying information for the respective information processing device is received, and the type of information that can be handled by the other party's information receiving device is evaluated based upon this identifying information. Then, in response to the evaluation results, only the information that can be handled is transmitted to the respective information processing device.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An information processing device that connects with another information processing device through a communication line and mutually communicates information, comprising: 
 a display device;    an image input device that inputs an image of an object;    an output device that outputs the image to said display device;    a transmitter that transmits information to the other information processing device through the communication line;    a receiver that receives the information which was transmitted from the other information processing device through the communication line; and    a connection detector that detects that a communication line is connected between the information processing device and the other information processing device;    wherein, when said connection detector detects that a communication line is connected between the other information processing device, an image is input by the other information processing device and transmitted through the communication line, the image being received by said receiver and output to said display device by said output device, and    when said connection detector cannot detect that the communication line is connected between the information processing device and the other information processing device, an image which was formed by the information processing device is displayed in said display device.    
     
     
         2 . The information processing device of  claim 1 , wherein the information processing device is an electronic camera.  
     
     
         3 . An information processing method in which information is mutually communicated between first and second information processing devices that are connected through a communication line, comprising: 
 detecting that a communication line between the first and second information processing devices is connected;    receiving an image that is input from the second information processing device and transmitted through the communication line at the first information processing device and outputting the image on a display device of the first information processing device; and    outputting an image which was formed from the first information processing device to the said display device of the first information processing device when the communication device cannot be detected.    
     
     
         4 . A recording medium on which is recorded a control program used in an information processing device that is connected to another information therebetween processing device through a communication line and mutually communicates information therebetween, wherein the control program: 
 detects that a communication line is connected between another information processing device;    receives an image that is input in said other information processing device and transmitted through said communication line and outputs the image to a display device of the information processing device when the communication line is detected; and    outputs an image that was formed in said information processing device to said display device of the information processing device when the communication line is not detected.    
     
     
         5 . An information processing device that is connected to another information processing device through a communication line and which mutually communicates information therebetween, comprising: 
 an image input device that inputs an image of an object;    a receiver that receives an image that was transmitted from the other information processing device through the communication line,    a connection detector that detects a communication line connected between the information processing device and the other information processing device;    an operating mechanism that is operated when the image is to be recorded; and    a recorder that records the image when the operating mechanism is operated,    wherein the other information processing device transmits the image and said recorder records the received image when the connection detector detects connection of the communication line and operation of said operating mechanism, and    said recorder records an image that was input by said image input device.    
     
     
         6 . The information processing device of  claim 5 , wherein the information processing device is an electronic camera.  
     
     
         7 . An information processing method in which information is mutually communicated with another information processing device that is connected through a communication line, comprising: 
 detecting that a communication line with the other information processing device is connected;    recording an image that was transmitted from said other information processing device when the connection of a communication line with the other information processing device is detected and when an operation to record an image is performed; and    recording an image that was input by the information processing device when the connection of said communication line cannot be detected and when an operation to record an image is performed.    
     
     
         8 . A recording medium on which is recorded a control program used in an information processing device that is connected to another information processing device through a communication line and mutually communicates information therebetween, wherein the control program: 
 detects that a communication line is connected between the information processing device and the other information processing device;    records an image that was transmitted from the other information processing device when connection of the communication line is detected and when an operation to record an image is performed; and    when the connection of the communication line cannot be detected and when an operation to record an image is performed, records an image that was input by the information processing device.    
     
     
         9 . An information processing device that transmits information to another information processing device, comprising 
 an input device that inputs a plurality of information;    a recorder that records the information input by the input device;    a transmitter that transmits select information to the other information processing device;    a controller that evaluates the other information processing device and determines the select information to be transmitted based on the result of the evaluation.    
     
     
         10 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 9 , further comprising 
 a switch that switches between a first mode in which the information input from the input device is transmitted without being recorded in the recorder, and a second mode in which information that is recorded in the recorder is transmitted.    
     
     
         11 . The information processing device of  claim 9 , wherein the information processing device is an electronic camera.  
     
     
         12 . The information processing device of  claim 9  wherein the plurality of information includes at least one of sound information, line drawing information, and image information.  
     
     
         13 . The information processing device of  claim 9  wherein, when the other information processing device does not have an image information receiving function, the selector selects only sound information.  
     
     
         14 . The information processing device of  claim 12 , further comprising superimposing means for superimposing the line drawing information and the image information, 
 wherein when the other information processing device has an image information recording function but does not have a function that records the image information and the line drawing information independently, the transmitter transmits the line drawing information and image information that has been superimposed by the superimposing means.    
     
     
         15 . The information processing device of  claim 14 , further comprising processing means for dither processing the image, 
 wherein when the other information processing device is a facsimile machine, the transmitter superimposes dither processed image information over the line drawing information and transmits the superimposed information.    
     
     
         16 . The information processing device of  claim 9 , wherein the information processing device is an image processing device and the controller controls the display in response to evaluation of the other information processing device.  
     
     
         17 . The information processing device of  claim 16 , wherein when image information is not transmitted from the other information processing device when that device has a function that allows transmission of image information, the controller controls the display to indicate to a user that the image information is not being transmitted.  
     
     
         18 . The information processing device of  claim 16 , wherein when information is received from a facsimile machine serving as the other information processing device, the controller causes the display to display that information is being received from the facsimile machine.  
     
     
         19 . The information processing device of  claim 16 , wherein when the other information processing device is a server, the controller causes the display to display a menu.  
     
     
         20 . An information processing method for an information processing device that transmits information to another information processing device, comprising: 
 inputting a plurality of information to the information processing device;    recording the inputted plurality of information;    evaluating the other information processing device;    selecting information to be transmitted, based on the result of the evaluating step; and    transmitting the plurality of information to the other information processing device.    
     
     
         21 . The information processing method of  claim 20 , wherein the plurality of information includes at least one of sound information, line drawing information and image information, and the step of selecting information selects only sound information when the other information processing device is evaluated and found not to have an image information receiving function.  
     
     
         22 . The information processing method of  claim 20 , wherein the plurality of information includes at least one of sound information, line drawing information and image formation, and the step of selecting information selects superimposed line drawing information and image information when the evaluating step finds that the other information processing device has an image information recording function but does not include a function that records line drawing information independently.  
     
     
         23 . The information processing method of  claim 22 , wherein when the other information processing device is evaluated and determined to be a facsimile, the selecting step selects transmission of dither processing image information superimposed over line drawing information.  
     
     
         24 . The information processing method of  claim 23 , further comprising the steps of: 
 displaying information relating to the plurality of information; and    controlling the display step in response to the result of the evaluating step.    
     
     
         25 . A recording medium on which is recorded computer program used in an information processing device that transmits information to another information processing device, wherein the control program: 
 inputs a plurality of information to the information process device;    records the inputted plurality of information;    evaluates the other information processing device;    selects information to be transmitted, based on the result of the evaluating step; and    transmits the plurality of information to the other information processing device.    
     
     
         26 . The recording medium of  claim 25  on which is stored a computer program used in an information processing device that transmits information to another image processing device, wherein the computer program further: 
 displays information relating to the plurality of information; and  
 controls the display in response to the evaluation.  
 
     
     
         27 . An information processing device that transmits/receives information to/from another information processing device, comprising: 
 an input device that inputs a plurality of information;    a recorder that records the information input by the input device;    a display that displays information;    a transmitter that transmits specified information among the plurality of information to the other information processing device; and    a receiver that receives information transmitted from the other information processing device;    an evaluator that evaluates the other information processing device; and    mode setting means that, in response to the result of the evaluator, sets one of a first mode that causes the display to display information transmitted from the other information processing device and a second mode that causes the display to display information recorded by the recorder.    
     
     
         28 . The information processing device of  claim 27 , wherein the plurality of information includes at least one of sound information, line drawing information and image information.  
     
     
         29 . The information processing device of  claim 27 , wherein the information processing device is an electronic camera.  
     
     
         30 . The information processing device of  claim 29 , wherein the other information processing device is one of a telephone, videophone, facsimile machine and server.  
     
     
         31 . An information processing method for an information processing device that transmits and receives information to/from another information processing device, comprising: 
 inputting a plurality of information to the information processing device;    recording the plurality of information input in the input step;    displaying information relating to the plurality of information;    transmitting specified information from among the plurality of information to the other information processing device;    receiving information transmitted from the other information processing device;    evaluating the other information processing device; and    setting one of a first mode that causes the information transmitted from the other information processing device to be displayed in the display step and a second mode that causes information recorded in the recording step to be displayed in the display step in response to the result of the evaluating step.    
     
     
         32 . A recording medium on which is recorded a computer program used in an information processing device that transmits/receives information to/from another information processing device, wherein the computer program: 
 inputs a plurality of information to the information processing device;    records the plurality of information input in the inputting step;    displays information relating to the plurality of information;    transmits specified information from among the plurality of information to the other information processing device;    receives information transmitted from the other information processing device;    evaluates the other information processing device; and    sets one of a first mode that causes information transmitted from the other information processing device to be displayed in the display step and a second mode that causes information recorded in the recording step to be displayed in the display step in response to the result of the evaluating step.    
     
     
         33 . An information processing device which is connected with another information processing device and which mutually communicates information therebetween through a communication line, comprising: 
 an image input device that inputs an image to the information processing device;    an output device that outputs the image input by said image input device and an image that was transmitted from said other information processing device to a display device of said information processing device;    a switch that switches between a first mode, where the image which is displayed on said display device by said output device is different from an image that is displayed on a display device of said other information processing device, and a second mode where displayed images are the same; and    a controller that controls said switch in response to a state of said information processing device.    
     
     
         34 . The information processing device as set forth in  claim 35 , 
 wherein said first mode outputs an image that was input from an image input device of said other information processing device and transmitted through the communication line to said display device of said information processing device by said outputting means of said other information processing device and the image which was input by said image input device of said information processing device is transmitted to said other information processing device through said communication line; and    said second mode outputs to the display device one of the image that was input from said image input device of said other information processing device and was transmitted through said communication line and the image that was input by said image input device of said information processing device.    
     
     
         35 . The information processing device as set forth in  claim 33 , 
 wherein when line drawing information is input from one of said image input device and an image input device of said other information processing device and subsequently received by the information processing device, said controller controls said switch to change to said second mode, and outputs the image of the information processing device that input the information by said output device.    
     
     
         36 . The information processing device as set forth in claims  33 , wherein an image of an object is input by said image input device and when a direction of an optical axis of the optical system of said image input device is changed and detected in one of the information processing device and said other information processing device, said controller controls said switch to change to said second mode and outputs to the display device the image that was input from said image input device of the information processing device where the direction of the optical axis was changed.  
     
     
         37 . The information processing device as set forth in  claim 33 , wherein an image of the object is input from said image input device and a recorder records the image input from said image input device, said controller controlling switching of the switch to said second mode and outputting the image that was input from said image input device of the information processing device from which the image was recorded.  
     
     
         38 . The information processing device as set forth in  claim 33 , further comprising a selector that selects the image that is output from said output device, said controller controlling switching of said switch to the second mode and outputting of the image that was selected in the information processing device to said display device.  
     
     
         39 . A method of controlling an information processing device that is connected to another information processing device and mutually communicates information therebetween, comprising the steps of: 
 inputting an image to the information processing device;    outputting one of an image that was input and an image that was transmitted from said other information processing device to a display device; and    switching between a first mode, where the image which is displayed on said display device is different from an image displayed on a display device of said other information processing device and a second mode, where both images are the same in response to a state of said information processing device.