Patent ID: 7106369

Claim:
An image capturing device for capturing still images, wherein the image capturing device can be placed in an audio capturing mode, comprising: a two-stage shutter button; an audio transducer capable of converting sound into a representative electrical audio signal; a processor communicating with said audio transducer and selectively causing said audio signal to be outputted by said audio transducer, said processor being coupled to the shutter button; and a memory for receiving said audio signal, said memory including an audio buffer capable of continuously storing a predetermined amount of said audio signal and including at least one audio storage cell capable of storing at least a portion of said audio signal held in said audio buffer, wherein as a result of the image capturing device being placed in the audio capture mode, said processor causes said audio signal to be continuously stored in said audio buffer, in response to the user of the image capturing device partially depressing the shutter button, said processor performs a lens focusing and/or flash measurement, and in response to a user of the image capturing device fully depressing the shutter button, said processor causes at least a portion of said audio signal from said audio buffer to be stored into said at least one audio storage cell and causes the device to capture and store a still image.