Patent ID: 6940541

Claim:
A digital imaging system comprising: a digital camera including an image sensor for capturing image frames, the digital camera also including: a volatile memory for temporarily storing the captured image frames as raw image data; a program memory for storing image processing algorithms; an image processor for executing a first plurality of stored image processing algorithms in order to process the raw image data to produce processed image data, the first plurality of stored image processing algorithms including color filter array interpolation, tone scale compensation, color space transformation, and compression; a nonvolatile memory for storing the first processed image data; a printer interface for directly connecting the digital camera to the digital printer to enable the digital camera to receive fixed printer parameters and variable printer parameters from the digital printer and to provide second processed image data to the digital printer; and a parameter memory for storing the fixed printer parameters and the variable printer parameters received from the digital printer; and the printer comprising: a media transport mechanism and a marking apparatus for producing a print using process colors; a memory for storing the fixed printer parameters and the variable printer parameters; a processor for controlling the media transport mechanism and the marking apparatus, the processor being coupled to the memory to read the stored fixed printer parameters and variable printer parameters; and a camera interface coupled to the processor, for providing the fixed printer parameters and the variable printer parameters to the digital camera and for receiving the second processed image data from the digital camera; and wherein the image processor in the digital camera executes a second plurality of stored image processing algorithms in order to produce the second processed image data, the second plurality of stored image processing algorithms including decompression, color space transformation into color planes that co-incide with the process colors of the digital printer, and compensation for the printing process, the compensation being responsive to the fixed printer parameters and variable printer parameters stored in the parameter memory.