Patent Publication Number: US-2006001766-A1

Title: Digital multimedia playing and recording storage device with a function of a digital camera

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a storage device, and particularly to a digital multimedia playing and recording storage device with a function of a digital camera.  
      2. Prior Art  
      As development of information technology, people may take with more and more digital products. For example, an office worker may take with a portable data storage disk, a digital camera, a recording pen, a multimedia player and so on. Each kind of digital products provides a specific function.  
      However, it is often inconvenient for a user to take with many digital products for providing different functions. For example, as a popular digital product, a digital camera is assembled with a memory card for storing data of pictures. Capacity of a conventional memory card is usually 128 MB or 256 MB which can only store a few of pictures. Therefore, a user has to take with several memory cards for a larger capacity. However, the memory card is quite expensive. Furthermore, different kinds of memory cards, such as a compact flash (CF) card, a smart media (SM) card, a memory stick (MS) card and so on, are incompatible.  
      Thus, it is required to design a digital multifunctional product which is bulky in capacity, portable and plugable and play.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a digital multimedia playing and recording storage device with a function of a digital camera, which is bulky in capacity and provides functions of a digital camera, a multimedia player and a recording pen for convenience to use.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide a digital multimedia playing and recording storage device with a function of a digital camera for being portable.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide a digital multimedia playing and recording storage device with a function of a digital camera, which is combined with a digital camera, a multimedia player, a USB interface, and a wireless transmission module, and which uses a hard disk (HD) as a storage module for storing data from the digital camera or the multimedia player or through the USB interface or the wireless transmission module, thereby providing a small, light and portable storage device with high capacity.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide a digital multimedia playing and recording storage device with a function of a digital camera having a USB interface for providing a function of plug and play.  
      To achieve the above-mentioned objects, a digital multimedia playing and recording storage device with a function of a digital camera in accordance with the present invention includes a CPU, an HD for storing data processed by the CPU, an I/O module connected with the CPU for transmitting data from the CPU, a video capturing module connected with the CPU for capturing video data, a function key module for selectively controlling function status of the CPU, an LCD driving module for displaying video data processed by the CPU, an audio module connected with the CPU for capturing or playing audio data, and a power supply module for supplying power to the above modules.  
      Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be drawn from the following detailed embodiment of the present invention with attached drawings, in which: 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a schematic chart showing a digital multimedia playing and recording storage device with a function of a digital camera of the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , a digital multimedia playing and recording storage device with a function of a digital camera of the present invention includes a central processing unit (CPU)  10 , a hard disk (HD)  12  for storing data processed by the CPU  10 , an input/output (I/O) module  14  connected with the CPU  10  for transmitting the data of the CPU  10 , a power supply module  16 , a video capturing module  18  connected with the CPU  10  for capturing video data, a function key module  20  for selectively controlling function status of the CPU  10 , a liquid crystal display (LCD) driving module  22  for displaying video data processed by the CPU  10 , and an audio module  24  connected with the CPU  10 . The power supply module  16  supplies power to the above modules. The video capturing module  18  includes a lens  181  and a light sensitive component  182 . The audio module  24  includes a speaker  241  for audio output and a microphone  242  for audio input.  
      The I/O module  14  is used for transmitting video data or other data and includes a wireless transmission device  141  for wireless transmission, an audio and video (AV) output port  142 , and an I/O port  143  which may be a USB interface for providing a function of plug and play. The wireless transmission device  141  may be a Bluetooth data transmission device or an infrared data transmission device. The I/O port  143  may be connected with a personal computer, an AV player and so on. The CPU  10  may transmit data through the I/O port  143 .  
      In use of the digital multimedia playing and recording storage device of the present invention, one of functions of the digital multimedia playing and recording storage device may be selected through the function key module  20 . For example, when the AV recording function is selected, the CPU  10  can receive video data captured by the lens  181  and the light sensitive component  182  of the video capturing module  18  and audio data input by the microphone  241  of the audio module  24 . Then the CPU  10  compresses the received AV data and converts the received AV data to MPEG format with high compression ratio and high quality and then stores the AV data in the HD  12 .  
      Of cause, the CPU  10  may be configured to only receive the video data from the video capturing module  18  for achieving a video recording function, or to only receive the audio data from the microphone  241  for achieving an audio recording function.  
      After the CPU  10  stores the AV data in the HD  12 , a video playing function may be selected through the function key module  20  to turn on an LCD  221  of the LCD driving module  22  and the speaker  242  of the audio module  24  thereby playing the AV data. Of cause, AV data prestored in the HD  12  can also be played by the CPU  10  through the LCD  221  of the LCD driving module  22  and the speaker  242 .  
      Of cause, audio data, such as MP3, stored in the HD  12  may be read by the CPU  10  and then played through the speaker  242  of the audio module  24  thereby achieving a function of a music player.  
      Selection of the above functions of the present invention is made through the function key module  20  to control the CPU  10 . For example, a video recording function to receive video data captured by the video capturing module  18 , or an audio recording or playing function to receive audio data from the microphone  241  or play audio data through the speaker  242 , or an AV recording function to receive video data from the video capturing module  18  and audio data from the microphone  241  of the audio module  24 , or a multimedia playing function to drive the LCD driving module  22 , or a function of a portable data storage device to transmit data through the I/O port  143  or the wireless transmission device  141 , may be selected respectively. The HD  12  is a mini HD with high capacity and so the digital multimedia playing and recording storage device of the present invention can store quite a lot of AV data.  
      As mentioned above, the digital multimedia playing and recording storage device with a function of a digital camera of the present invention has functions of a digital camera, a multimedia player, a portable data storage device, a recording pen and a USB interface, and uses the HD  12  with high capacity to store data captured by the digital camera, the multimedia player, the recording pen, or transmitted from external devices through the USB interface. Thus, the digital multimedia playing and recording storage device with a function of a digital camera of the present invention is small, light and bulky in capacity and so is convenient to use.  
      It is understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit thereof. Thus, the present examples and embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein.