Patent ID: 7705887

Claim:
An imaging system for interaction with one or more subject carried terminal devices, the one or more terminal devices including a display capable of displaying images and a communication device to enable communication therewith, the imaging system comprising: at least one imaging means for photographing a subject carrying a terminal device and for obtaining image data representing an image of the subject; an imaging communication means included with each associated imaging means for providing wireless data communication to the subject carried terminal devices from the imaging communication means and for receiving wireless data communication from the subject carried terminal devices; and a control means for controlling the operation of the imaging means so that the imaging means is driven to obtain image data when the terminal device carried by the subject and the imaging communication means become able to communicate with each other to determine the subject is within the image data to be obtained by the imaging means; and communication range restricting means for limiting wireless data transmission from the imaging communication means and wireless data reception by the imaging communication means to be in an angular range along a direction in common with an imaging direction of the associated imaging means, wherein the communication range restricting means further restricts the angular range to have an angular extent that matches an imaging angle of view of the associated imaging means, and the control means controls the imaging communication means to transmit image data representing the image of the subject obtained by the imaging means to the terminal device of the subject carrying the terminal device that is in the angular range of the communication range restricting means for display thereon.