Patent ID: 7804520

Claim:
An image sending and receiving system, comprising: an image sending apparatus which comprises: an image which captures an image; a recording device which records the captured image on a recording medium; an image selecting device which selects a desired image of images recorded on the recording medium; a first communication device which has a first communication mode for sending an image capturing command to an external device and sending the image selected by the image selecting device to the external device, and a second communication mode for enabling the image sending apparatus to function as an external recording device for the external device and to be read and written by the external device; a transfer instruction device which outputs a transfer instruction for transferring the image selected by the image selecting device to the external device through the first communication device; and an automatic mode switching device which automatically switches between the first communication mode and the second communication mode in the first communication device upon receipt of an order from the external device; and the external device includes an image receiving apparatus which comprises: a second communication device which performs at least communication in the first communication mode with the image sending apparatus; a recording device which records the image received through the second communication device; and a mode switch control device which orders the image sending apparatus to control a switch between the first communication mode and the second communication mode of the image sending apparatus, wherein: on checking that there has been the transfer instruction of the image from the transfer instruction device of the image sending apparatus, the mode switch control device of the image receiving apparatus determines whether or not the communication mode with the image sending apparatus is the first communication mode, and sends a conversion command ordering change to the first communication mode if determined that a current communication mode of the image sending apparatus is not the first communication mode; and on receiving the conversion command from the image receiving apparatus, the automatic mode switching device of the image sending apparatus switches the communication mode of the first communication device to the first communication mode, wherein the first communication mode is a PTP mode, and the second communication mode is a mass storage mode.