Patent Abstract:
An image processing system includes a playback unit for playing back an image recorded on a recording medium, a communication unit for transmitting the image played back by the playback unit to an external information processing system via a transmission pathway, an operation unit including a plurality of operation keys, and a control unit for switching a transmission mode among a plurality of modes including a first mode in which transmission of the image according to an operation of the operation unit is enabled and a second mode in which transmission of the image according to an operation of the operation unit is disabled. The control unit changes the transmission mode to the first mode according to a predetermined operation of the operation unit in the second mode.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to image processing systems, and in particular to an image processing system that can transmit image data to an external information processing system.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Digital cameras for recording captured image data on a memory card are known, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-111002. In such digital cameras, image data recorded in a memory card is often transmitted to a computer to save and/or process the image data therein. For this purpose, a digital camera is generally connected to a computer, where host application software is started up to import an image recorded on the memory card to the computer.  
         [0005]     The digital camera connected to a computer (hereinafter, referred to as a PC) has two principal modes.  
         [0006]     In one mode, a user interface (hereinafter, referred to as a UI) of the digital camera is enabled. In this mode, the UI of the digital camera is operated to, for example, transfer images to the computer.  
         [0007]     In the other mode, the UI of the digital camera is disabled. In this mode, the digital camera is accessed with an application running on the computer and the UI of the application is operated to import images from the digital camera to the computer.  
         [0008]     In the mode where the UI of the digital camera is enabled, if, for example, an image is deleted by operating the camera or by accessing the digital camera with the host application running on the computer, processing for preventing data inconsistency, that is, processing for data synchronization or exclusive processing on data, is required. Because the operation by the digital camera and the operation by the computer are available in parallel in this case.  
         [0009]     On the other hand, the mode where the UI of the digital camera is disabled is problematic in that a useful feature such as the ability to transfer an image specified after the image has been confirmed on the screen of the digital camera is not available due to the disabled UI of the digital camera. In this case, once the mode of the disabled camera UI is selected, there is no way of easily switching to the other mode as described above with satisfying the data synchronization or the exclusive processing.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     The present invention is directed to solve the above-described problems.  
         [0011]     Among other advantages, the present invention can enable image data to be transmitted by a simple UI operation, and to prevent image data inconsistency between the camera and the computer.  
         [0012]     According to an aspect of the present invention, an image processing system includes a playback unit for playing back an image recorded on a recording medium; a communication unit for transmitting the image played back by the playback unit to an external information processing system via a transmission pathway; an operation unit including a plurality of operation keys; and a control unit for switching a transmission mode among a plurality of modes including a first mode in which transmission of the image according to an operation of the operation unit is enabled and a second mode in which transmission of the image according to an operation of the operation unit is disabled. The control unit changes the transmission mode to the first mode according to a predetermined operation of the operation unit in the second mode.  
         [0013]     According to another aspect of the present invention, an image processing system includes an imaging system having a first mode in which transmission of an image recorded on a recording medium by an operation of an operation unit is enabled and a second mode in which transmission of the image by an operation of the operation unit is disabled, and capable of transmitting an image recorded on the recording medium via a transmission pathway; and a computer connected to the imaging system via the transmission pathway, the computer receiving the transmitted image to display the transmitted image on a display device and the computer having a first status in which processing of the image recorded on the recording medium by operating a user interface is enabled and a second status in which processing of the image by operating the user interface is disabled. If a predetermined operation is performed by the operation unit while the imaging system is in the second mode and the computer is in the first status, the imaging system switches from the second mode to the first mode and the computer switches from the first status to the second status.  
         [0014]     According to still another aspect of the present invention, a data processing system includes a communication unit for receiving an image on a recording medium via a transmission pathway, the image being played back by an external image processing system having a first mode in which transmission of the image according to an operation of an operation unit is enabled and a second mode in which transmission of the image according to an operation of the operation unit is disabled; a display unit for displaying the image on a display device, the image being received via the communication unit; a user interface for specifying processing of the image recorded on the recording medium; and a control unit for switching an operation status between a first status in which processing of the image recorded on the recording medium by an operation of the user interface is enabled and a second status in which processing of the image according to an operation of the user interface is disabled. The control unit sets the image processing system to the second mode by transmitting a control command via the communication unit if the operation status is the first status, and the control unit switches the operation status from the first status to the second status and changes the image processing system to the first mode by outputting a control command to the image processing system via the communication unit if a predetermined operation is performed on the user interface in the first status.  
         [0015]     According to still another aspect of the present invention, a data processing method includes the steps of displaying an image on a display device, the image being received by a communication unit for receiving the image on a recording medium via a transmission pathway, the image being played back by an external image processing system having a first mode in which transmission of the image according to an operation of an operation unit is enabled and a second mode in which transmission of the image according to an operation of the operation unit is disabled; and switching an operation status between a first status in which processing of the image recorded on the recording medium by an operation of a user interface for specifying processing of the image recorded on the recording medium is enabled and a second status in which processing of the image according to an operation of the user interface is disabled. In the switching step, the image processing system is set to the second mode by receiving a control command via the communication unit if the operation status is the first status, and if a predetermined operation is performed on the user interface in the first status, the operation status is switched from the first status to the second status and the image processing system is changed to the first mode by receiving a control command via the communication unit.  
         [0016]     Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments (with reference to the attached drawings).  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of a system to which the present invention is applied.  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a functional block diagram of a computer in a system to which the present invention is applied.  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a diagram showing a display screen of a digital camera when the camera is in the camera-operation mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a functional block diagram of a digital camera.  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  is a diagram showing a display screen of an application.  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  is a diagram showing a display screen of an application.  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart showing the operation of a digital camera.  
         [0024]      FIG. 8  is a flowchart showing the operation of an application.  
         [0025]      FIG. 9  is a diagram showing a transfer image list.  
         [0026]      FIG. 10  is a flowchart showing the operation of an application.  
         [0027]      FIG. 11  is a flowchart showing the operation of an application.  
         [0028]      FIG. 12  is a flowchart showing the operation of an application.  
         [0029]      FIG. 13  is a flowchart showing the operation of a digital camera.  
         [0030]      FIG. 14  is a flowchart showing the operation of an application. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0031]     Embodiments according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.  
         [0032]      FIG. 1  is a diagram showing the structure of a system to which the present invention is applied.  
         [0033]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a computer  10 , functioning as a host device, is connected to a monitor  12  for displaying an output from the computer  10  as an image, a mouse  14  including mouse buttons  16 , and a keyboard  18 . A digital camera  20  is connected to the computer  10  via a USB data transfer cable  22 .  
         [0034]      FIG. 2  is a functional block diagram of the computer  10  shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0035]     As known to persons of ordinary skill in the art, the computer  10  has an operating system (OS) in the hardware, and application software  50  runs under the control of the operating system. Elements not required to understand the structure of the embodiment, such as the CPU and the memory management system of the operating system, are omitted.  
         [0036]     The computer  10  includes a hard disk drive (HDD)  30 , functioning as an auxiliary storage device. The operating system includes a file system  32  having a function for enabling files to be input/output without directly controlling the hardware by the application software  50 . For the file system  32 , a known structure can be used. The file system  32  reads and writes data from and to the hard disk  30  via a disk input/output interface  34 .  
         [0037]     The operating system further includes a drawing management system  36  having a function for generating an image without directly controlling the hardware by the application software  50 . A video interface  38  converts image data generated in the drawing management system  36  into a video signal adapted for the monitor  12 .  
         [0038]     The operating system further includes an imaging device management system  40 . The imaging device management system  40  manages a device for manipulating image data, such as a digital camera and a scanner. The imaging device management system  40  automatically allocates a device driver appropriate for a connected device, and furthermore, provides a mechanism for managing input to and output from the device without direct control of the device by the application software  50 . In addition, the application software  50  can be started up at the request of the connected device.  
         [0039]     The keyboard  18  is connected to a keyboard interface  42  and the mouse  14  is connected to a mouse interface  44 . External devices, including the digital camera  20 , are connected to a USB interface  46 .  
         [0040]     As described above, the digital camera  20  is connected to the USB interface  46  via the USB cable  22 , and interchanges control commands, status signals, and image data with the application software  50  for the digital camera via a digital camera device driver  37  and the imaging device management system  40 .  
         [0041]     The application software  50  acquires images from the digital camera  20  and controls the digital camera  20 . The application software  50  according to this embodiment includes a communication management unit  52  for communicating with the digital camera  20  by accessing the imaging device management system  40 ; an image transfer management unit  53  for acquiring an image captured in the digital camera  20  by using the communication management unit  52 ; a camera UI control unit  54  for sending a control command to the digital camera  20 , setting the mode of the display screen of the digital camera  20 , and turning the UI ON/OFF by using the communication management unit  52 ; a data display unit  56  for displaying on the monitor  12  an image and other information transferred from the digital camera  20 ; and a file management unit  58  for storing image data transferred from the digital camera  20  in the hard disk  30  for data management. Elements not required to understand the structure of the embodiment are omitted.  
         [0042]      FIG. 3  is an external view of the digital camera  20 .  
         [0043]     A liquid crystal screen  209  displays various menus for specifying settings of the digital camera  20 . The liquid crystal screen  209  is also used as a viewfinder for photography. Also, previously captured images can be played back on the liquid crystal screen  209  from the memory card.  
         [0044]     A power button  2101  turns ON/OFF the power of the digital camera  20 , and a photography/playback switching button  2106  switches between the photography mode and the playback mode of the digital camera  20 . A shutter button  2102  is used to take a picture. A menu button  2103  is used to display a menu screen for setting the camera operation. When the menu button  2103  is operated, various menus are displayed on the liquid crystal screen  209 . Items to be displayed in the menu differ depending on the mode of the digital camera  20 . A set button  2104  and a move button  2105  are used to operate menus. More specifically, the move button  2105  is used to move from one selectable item to another and the set button  2104  is used to set the selected item. As described later, the menu button  2103  also has a function for switching to a camera operation mode while the digital camera  20  is connected to a PC.  
         [0045]      FIG. 4  is a functional block diagram of the digital camera  20 .  
         [0046]     Elements not required to understand the structure of the embodiment, such as the CPU and elements related to image playback, are omitted.  
         [0047]     A photography unit  201  includes elements related to photography, such as a lens, an aperture, a CCD, and an image processor. A file management unit  202  manages access to a memory card  208 , functioning as a storage device. According to this embodiment, a Compact Flash® (CF) card is used as the memory card  208 . Image data generated by the photography unit  201  is stored in the memory card  208  as a file.  
         [0048]     A communication management unit  203  communicates with the computer  10  via a USB interface  205 .  
         [0049]     The UI management unit  204  controls the UI of the digital camera  20  to manage display items on the liquid crystal screen  209 . The UI management unit  204  also controls the UI of the digital camera  20  to manage inputs from operation buttons  210 . The operation buttons  210  include the buttons  2101  to  2105  shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0050]      FIGS. 5 and 6  show a graphical user interface displayed on the monitor  12  by the application software  50  shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0051]     The UI of the application  50  includes tabs for selecting functions, as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , so that the UI changes by switching between the tabs.  
         [0052]     The tabs include a camera-operation-information tab  501  and an image list tab  502 . If the application  50  according to this embodiment is started up by the imaging device management system  40 , the camera-operation-information tab  501  is selected initially, so that the screen shown in  FIG. 6  appears. As described later, the startup of the application  50  by the imaging device management system  40  is automatically performed when the imaging device management system  40  senses that the digital camera  20  is connected to the PC  10 .  
         [0053]     In contrast, when the application  50  is started up by the user, the image list tab  502  is initially displayed, so that the screen shown in  FIG. 5  appears.  
         [0054]     When the camera-operation-information tab  501  in  FIG. 6  is selected, a message indicating that the UI of the digital camera  20  is enabled is displayed in a camera mode display area  505 . In this mode, the operation that can be performed with the application  50  is to specify an image transfer destination. An image transfer destination is a location in the computer, i.e., the location where an image file transferred from the digital camera  20  by operating the UI on the digital camera  20  is to be saved.  
         [0055]     When the image list tab  502  shown in  FIG. 5  is selected, reduced versions of images stored in the memory card  208  placed in the digital camera  20  are listed in an image list display area  5011 .  
         [0056]     While the application  50  is in this mode, the UI of the digital camera  20  is disabled, that is, the digital camera  20  cannot be operated. Thus, a message indicating that the UI of the digital camera  20  is disabled is displayed in the camera mode display area  505 . In this mode, image data in the memory card  208  placed in the digital camera  20  can be transferred to the PC  10  by operating the application  50 .  
         [0057]     When image data stored in the memory card  208  is to be imported to the hard disk  30  of the PC  10 , a desired image is selected from the reduced versions of images displayed in the image list display area  5011  and a [TRANSFER] button  5012  is then pressed. A transfer destination in the hard disk  30  can be specified with a [SELECT DESTINATION] button  5014 . Furthermore, pressing a [DELETE] button  5013  causes the image file corresponding to the selected image to be deleted from the memory card  208  placed in the digital camera  20 .  
         [0058]     The digital camera  20  according to this embodiment has two modes of communication with the PC  10 .  
         [0059]     One mode is an application mode, in which the UI of the digital camera  20  is disabled; more specifically, nothing is displayed on the liquid crystal screen  209  of the camera  20 , and the operation buttons  210  on the camera  20 , except for the power button  2101  and the menu key  2103 , are disabled.  
         [0060]     The other of the two communication modes is a camera operation mode, in which the UI of the digital camera  20  is enabled; more specifically, a menu as shown in  FIG. 3  is displayed on the liquid crystal screen  209  and the menu can be operated with the operation buttons  210 .  
         [0061]     According to this embodiment, while the digital camera  20  is in the camera operation mode, a camera-operation image-transfer menu, as shown in  FIG. 3 , is displayed on the liquid crystal screen  209  to allow the user to select one of the following three menu items.  
         [0062]     A first menu item is a [TRANSFER ALL IMAGES] item  2091 . When this item is selected, image data stored in the memory card  208  placed in the digital camera  20  can be all transferred to the host application  50 .  
         [0063]     A second menu item is a [TRANSFER SELECTED IMAGES] item  2092 . When this item is selected, pre-selected image data is transferred to the computer  10 .  
         [0064]     A third menu item is a [SELECT AND TRANSFER IMAGES] item  2093 . When this item is selected, image data stored in the memory card  208  are sequentially played back for display on the liquid crystal screen  209 , so that desired images to be transferred to the computer  10  are selected from among the displayed images.  
         [0065]     When the application  50  is running and the image list tab  502  is selected to list images stored in the memory card  208  placed in the digital camera  20 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , the digital camera  20  is placed in the application mode, i.e., the mode in which the UI of the digital camera  20  is disabled. As a result, the digital camera  20  cannot be used to operate image data in the CF card  208 . This prevents images displayed with the application  50  from differing from the images in the CF card  208  placed in the digital camera  20 .  
         [0066]     In other words, it is not necessary to perform processing for matching the information displayed by the application  50  to the content of the memory card  208  placed in the digital camera  20 .  
         [0067]     In contrast, when the digital camera  20  is in the camera-operation mode, the display screen of the application  50  appears as when the camera-operation-information tab  501  is selected, as shown in  FIG. 6 ; in short, the content of the memory card  208  placed in the digital camera  20  is not displayed.  
         [0068]     Therefore, the content of the memory card  208  placed in the camera  20  is prevented from being changed using the application  50  during image transfer in the camera-operation mode. More specifically, the problem of, for example, attempting to delete image data being transferred using a command from the PC  10  is eliminated.  
         [0069]     Processing by the camera  20  and the application  50  for these operations will now be described with reference to flowcharts.  
         [0070]     According to this embodiment, when the digital camera  20  is connected to the PC  10 , the digital camera  20  is automatically placed into the camera-operation mode, displaying the menu shown in  FIG. 3  on the liquid crystal screen  209 . Furthermore, the digital camera  20  can be placed into the camera-operation mode by operating the menu button  2103  on the digital camera  20  and issuing an event indicating operation of the menu button  2103  to the PC  10  while the digital camera  20  is connected to the PC  10  in the above-described application mode. To perform desired processing, the user operates the move button  2105  on the digital camera  20  to move selection to the desired menu item and presses the set button  2104 .  
         [0071]     Furthermore, in this case, the imaging device management system  40  senses that the digital camera  20  is connected to the PC  10  to automatically startup the application  50 . As a result of the application  50  being started up, the initial screen of the monitor  12  appears as when the camera-operation-information tab  501  is selected, as shown in  FIG. 6 . If the application  50  has already been started up, the screen of the camera information tab  501  being selected automatically appears.  
         [0072]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart for describing the operation of the command message processing routine for processing commands from the PC  10  in the digital camera  20 .  
         [0073]     First in step S 701 , a determination is made as to whether a command for entering the camera-operation mode has been issued as a result of the camera  20  being connected to the PC  10  or the menu button  2103  being operated while the digital camera  20  connected to the PC  10  is in the application mode. If a command for entering the camera-operation mode has been issued, in step S 705  the camera buttons and the liquid crystal screen  209  are enabled by the UI management unit  204 . Subsequently, in step S 706 , the menu screen shown in  FIG. 3  is displayed on the liquid crystal screen  209 .  
         [0074]     If a command for entering the camera-operation mode has not been issued, then in step S 702  it is determined whether a command for entering the application-mode has been issued. If a command for entering the application-mode has been issued, in steps S 703  and S 704  the camera buttons and the liquid crystal screen  209  are disabled by the UI management unit  204 .  
         [0075]     If neither a command for entering the camera-operation mode nor a command for entering the application-mode has been issued, in step S 707  appropriate command processing is carried out. This processing includes, for example, transferring a transfer image list, to be described later, to the PC  10 .  
         [0076]      FIG. 8  is a flowchart showing the operation of the digital camera  20  when the set button  2104  is pressed to select one menu item while the digital camera  20  is in the camera-operation mode.  
         [0077]     First, in step S 801 , a transfer image list which is a list of images to be transferred is generated. Images to be transferred differ depending on the item selected in the camera-operation image-transfer menu shown in  FIG. 3 . When the [TRANSFER ALL IMAGES] item  2091  is selected, a transfer image list containing all images stored in the memory card  208  is generated. When the [TRANSFER SELECTED IMAGES] item  2092  is selected, a transfer image list is generated according to a pre-generated image transfer list.  
         [0078]     The image transfer list used in this specification is based on the Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) commonly used in digital cameras. The content of the list and how to select the list are not directly related to the present invention, and will not be described.  
         [0079]     When the [SELECT AND TRANSFER IMAGES] item  2093  is selected, images stored in the memory card  208  are sequentially read and displayed on the liquid crystal screen  209 , so that the user can select images to be transferred from among those sequentially displayed images.  
         [0080]     The image display method is not directly related to the present invention, and thus will not be described. Regardless of which item has been selected, the generated transfer image list contains paths to image files in the memory card  208 , as shown in  FIG. 9 . The format of the list is not directly related to the present invention, and any format can be employed for the list.  
         [0081]     Next in step S 802 , a transfer-image-list generation event is issued to the application  50 . This informs the application  50  that a transfer image list has been generated. At this point, the application  50  will request the transfer image list from the camera. Thus, a command from the application  50  that requests the transfer image list is awaited in step S 803 . On receiving the transfer-image-list generation event, the application  50  then issues the command to the camera  20  to acquire the list. In this manner, this list can by synchronized or compared with images currently stored on the PC  10  to maintain data consistency as further described with reference to  FIG. 11 .  
         [0082]     When a request is made for the transfer image list, in step S 804  the transfer image list generated in step S 801  is transferred to the application  50 .  
         [0083]     The operation of the application software  50  will now be described.  
         [0084]      FIG. 10  is a flowchart for describing the processing when the application software  50  is started up.  
         [0085]     First in step S 1001 , it is determined whether the application  50  has been started up by the user or by the imaging device management system  40 .  
         [0086]     If a determination is made that the application  50  has been started up from the imaging device management system  40 , it means that the digital camera  20  has been connected to the PC  10  or the menu button  2103  on the digital camera  20  has been pressed, and the process proceeds to step S 1002 .  
         [0087]     In step S 1002 , image data is acquired in the camera-operation mode. Image acquisition in the camera-operation mode will be described later.  
         [0088]     On the other hand, if a determination is made that the application  50  has not been started up from the imaging device management system  40 , in step S 1003  a command for entering the application mode is issued to the camera  20  to disable the UI of the camera  20 . Then in step S 1004 , image data is acquired from the camera  20  to display the image data in the format shown in  FIG. 5 . The image acquisition method is not directly related to the present invention, and thus will not be described.  
         [0089]      FIG. 11  shows a flowchart for describing the operation for image acquisition by the application  50  in the camera-operation mode. First in step S 1101 , the screen appearing when the camera-operation-information-tab  501  is selected, as shown in  FIG. 6 , is displayed on the monitor  12 . Then in step S 1102 , a transfer-image-list generation event from the camera  20  is awaited.  
         [0090]     On receiving a transfer image generation event, in step S 1103  a command for requesting a transfer image list is issued to the camera  20  to acquire the transfer image list. The description of processing for acquiring one image data item at a time from the transfer image list follows.  
         [0091]     In step S 1104 , the acquired transfer image list is analyzed to determine whether an image that has not yet been acquired exists in the list. If the list contains an image that has not yet been acquired, in step S 1105  one image file contained in the transfer image list is acquired from the digital camera  20 . The acquisition method is not directly related to the present invention, and will not be described. The acquired image data is then saved in a predetermined location in the hard disk  30 . The saving destination can be changed with the [SELECT DESTINATION] button  5014  on the camera operation information screen shown in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0092]     On the other hand, if a determination is made that the list does not contain an image to be acquired, i.e., that all images described in the transfer image list have been acquired, the processing ends. In this manner, data consistency is maintained between the camera  20  and the PC  10  since images that were previously acquired are not reacquired and unnecessary duplication of images is avoided.  
         [0093]     The operation triggered as a result of the camera-operation-information tab  501  being selected after the image list tab  502  has been selected (after start up of application  50 ) will be described with reference to the flowchart of  FIG. 12 .  
         [0094]     First in step S 1201 , a command for entering the camera operation mode is issued to the digital camera  20 . As described above, the camera  20  enables its UI on receiving this command. Then in step S 1202 , the screen appearing when the camera-operation-information tab  501  is selected, as shown in  FIG. 6 , is displayed on the monitor  12 .  
         [0095]     The operation triggered as a result of the image list tab  502  being selected after the camera-operation-information tab  501  has been selected will be described with reference to the flowchart of  FIG. 13 .  
         [0096]     In step S 1301 , a command for entering the application mode is issued to the camera  20 . As described above, on receiving this command, the camera  20  disables its UI to reject camera operation by the user. Then in step S 1302 , the display screen of the monitor  12  changes to the screen appearing when the image list tab  502  is selected, as shown in  FIG. 5 . To display the image list tab  502 , images need to have been acquired in the camera  20 . This operation is not directly related to the present invention, and will not be described.  
         [0097]     The processing for quitting the application  50  will now be described with reference to the flowchart in  FIG. 14 .  
         [0098]     First in step S 1401 , a command for entering the application mode is issued to the camera  20 . This is performed because processing in the camera-operation mode cannot be performed after the application  50  is terminated. Finally, in step S 1402  the application  50  ends.  
         [0099]     As described above, according to this embodiment, the two modes of the digital camera are switched in conjunction with the mode of the host application. Thus, when the application on the PC is used to display images stored in the memory card placed in the digital camera, the UI of the camera is disabled to prevent images from being deleted unintentionally by operating the digital camera.  
         [0100]     In addition, when the digital camera is used to operate images stored in the memory card, the images are not displayed with the application to prevent the images from being operated with the application. This eliminates the need for tracking the result of image processing on the PC.  
         [0101]     Furthermore, when the camera is in the application mode, both the camera and the PC can be placed into the camera-operation mode by operating the menu key, so that a simple procedure for transferring images by using the camera is provided. Thus, the user does not need to switch the PC mode each time the user attempts to transfer images via camera operation.  
         [0102]     While the present invention has been described with reference to what are presently considered to be the embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.  
         [0103]     This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-419360 filed Dec. 17, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7