Patent ID: 7706680

Claim:
A digital camera in which a storage medium can be inserted, the digital camera controlling initialization of the inserted storage medium by users of the digital camera based on profile information stored in the storage medium, the digital camera comprising: a profile information storer that stores profile information representing a storage medium user in said storage medium inserted in said digital camera; a profile information reader that reads said profile information; a user identifier that identifies a digital camera user who is using said digital camera; a storage medium initializer that initializes said storage medium inserted in said digital camera; and a storage medium user judge that judges whether said storage medium user represented by said profile information, is said digital camera user or not, wherein said storage medium can be initialized when it is judged that said storage medium user represented by said profile information stored in said storage medium is said digital camera user, and said storage medium can be initialized when it is judged that an owner user is using said digital camera, wherein said storage medium can not be initialized when it is judged that said storage medium user represented by said profile information is not said digital camera user, wherein said profile information indicates whether said storage medium user is the owner user or a regular user, wherein a predetermined authorization is associated with the owner user that permits the owner user to register the regular user so that the regular user is permitted to use the digital camera, and wherein the predetermined authorization is not associated with the regular user.