WORLD EXCLUSIVE: BLACKBERRY PUBLISHES DIGITAL CAMERA PATENT APPLICATION- AND WE HAVE THE ART HERE

Posted Jul 7th 2006 1:17AM by Russell Shaw
Filed under: RIM, Gear

Just went up on the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office website a few minutes ago as US 2006/0146140.

The abstract, along with the drawing that accompanies the abstract, is at the top of the page.

The abstract says the application is for:

"A camera system and associated method including a digital camera that captures an image and creates a digital signal representative thereof and a wireless control apparatus. The digital camera wirelessly transmits the digital signal to the wireless control apparatus. The wireless control apparatus includes a display device, such as an LCD, for displaying a displayed image based on the digital signal. The wireless control apparatus also includes an input apparatus used to cause the wireless control apparatus to generate one or more controls signals which are wirelessly transmitted to the digital camera for execution thereby.

It is not exactly certain whether what is being depicted here is a technology that transmits a photo directly from a digital camera to a BlackBerry, or a digital camera within a BlackBerry device. Interpreted liberally, either scenario appears to fit the "image capture" capability famously mentioned by Research In Motion CEO Jim Balsillie last week.

Regardless, this is important news, and is worth a look and read.

The just published patent app is accompaned by six drawings, or "figures." Let me show you each. Be patient, because Figure 5 is where it all comes together.

Figure 1 is a block diagram of the digital camera defined in the application:

Now let us go to Figure 2, which is defined as a block digram of a "wireless control apparatus:"

Time now for Figure 3, which is a "schematic illustration" of a digital camera described in the application:

And Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of a wireless control apparatus "according to one embodiment of the invention:"

Wait, wait. I am only getting started.

Now Figure 5 is what you are waiting for, world. This is a "front view of a handheld device that may be utilitized as a wireless control apparatus."Handheld device, of course= a BlackBerry with a digital camera!

Here goes!

OK what do the numbers mean? This is from the application:

"In addition, according to the invention, handheld electronic device 65 is provided with an application for operating and controlling a digital camera 5 as described elsewhere herein. In such a situation, processor 85 may perform the function of processor 50 of FIG. 2, display 70 may perform the function of display device 55 of FIG. 2, input apparatus 80 may perform the function of input apparatus 60 of FIG. 2, and communications subsystem 120 may perform the function of wireless communications device 45 of FIG. 2. As such, handheld electronic device 65 may function as a remote viewfinder and device for controlling operation of a digital camera."

And finally, Figure 6 is a block diagram of the device:

Reader Comments

(Page 1)

1. This does not look like a BB Cameraberry - it looks like technology that if I take a digital picture - I can send it wirelessly (probably Bluetooth) to the Blackberry - cool - but not a Cameraberry

Posted at 8:45AM on Jul 7th 2006 by Adam Levensohn

2. And camera control by Bluetooth is not something new; Sony had an app available for the Clie PDAs that allowed control of digital cameras using Bluetooth.

Posted at 11:05AM on Jul 7th 2006 by Nelson Lode

3. Camera Control by BlueTooth ??? WoW ! :) real good!

Posted at 11:16AM on Jul 7th 2006 by Hubby

4.
It's a start, no?

Posted at 1:55PM on Jul 7th 2006 by foner

5. Despite the comments in the article that "It is not exactly certain whether what is being depicted here is a technology that transmits a photo directly from a digital camera to a BlackBerry, or a digital camera within a BlackBerry device", reading the patent application with the pictures makes it pretty clear to me that they’re talking about a BlackBerry *remotely controlling* a separate (BlackBerry branded?) camera and displaying its “viewfinder” on the BlackBerry display. That only brings up one question in my mind - why on earth would I ever want such a thing??? Right now I already have a separate digital camera - its 8MP, has a LCD display as large as my 8700’s, and is weatherproof - WITH removable memory cards. So instead next time I go to the beach I want to carry both a camera AND my BlackBerry and have the LCD viewfinder display sent wirelessly to my BlackBerry along with a way to control the camera from my QWERTY keyboard instead of the much more intuitive and purpose–designed keys on my existing camera? And they're going to build a BB Camera that's competitive to the Canons, Olympus's, Kodaks and Nikons of the world? I want to buy my next digital camera from RIM? Riigggggghhhhtttttt...... NOT!

Posted at 6:18PM on Jul 7th 2006 by DallasFlier

6. That's got to be a hoax.

For starters, RIM don't make devices in that style anymore. Manual backlight on a new device?

Viewfinder on the back? Have you seen the screen on the new 7 series and 8 series devices? It's good enough without putting another one on the back. Which also isn't viable if you look at the design of 8 series devices unless you want to start carrying a brick. And, incidentally, how much extra cost is a second screen on a device that already has a perfectly good screen just in case you have a digital camera? No one will buy it at that price.

Viewfinder by bluetooth? Transmission of images from a third party digital camera equipped with BlueTooth so you can email them, that's possible.

The whole "it's not certain what's being described here" doesn't make it a very good patent application. You'd think after NTP, RIM would be a bit more strict about it's patents.

Posted at 6:24PM on Jul 8th 2006 by Steve Thompson

7. Companies often use old products in patent applications, if there's no need to use new products. There's less chance someone would try to steal info from the latest devices. Also, they may have filed a provisional application with the older design, and I'm sure they've been working on the patent application for a long time.

Posted at 8:40AM on Jul 10th 2006 by schalliol

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