Patent ID: 7409701

Claim:
A web cam system, comprising: a digital camera for capturing an image of a user, wherein said digital camera is configured to generate image data, wherein said digital camera is configured to be connected with a computer, and wherein said digital camera is configured to provide said image data to said computer; a computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions embodied therein for causing the interfacing of said digital camera with said computer, said computer executable instructions comprising: an image capturing computer readable program code portion configured to cause said computer to effect the capturing of said image, wherein said image comprises still or video images; an internet interfacing computer readable program code portion configured to cause said computer to effect the transmittal of said image data, for incorporation of said image data into a web cam page, to a web site hosting said web cam page; and an interlude switch, wherein said interlude switch is configured to be toggled between a view mode and an interlude mode; wherein said view mode provides live images from said digital camera; and wherein said interlude mode provides at least one alternate image from a source other than a live image captured by said digital camera; wherein said interlude mode is active in the absence of a phone call by a user; wherein, upon detecting the initiation of a phone call by a user, said interlude switch switches to said view mode to provide said live image; wherein said interlude switch when toggled to said interlude mode: causes said image capturing computer readable program code portion to stop said digital camera from capturing images of a scene; causes said internet interfacing computer readable program code portion to effect the replacement of said image data with preselected images; and causes said internet interfacing computer readable program code portion to effect the transmittal of said preselected images, for incorporation of said preselected images into said web cam page, to a web site hosting said web cam page, as if said preselected images were captured by said digital camera.