Appliance and method of using same having a capability to graphically associate and disassociate data with and from one another

US6469689B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Hewlett-Packard Company, L.P. · US

Inventors

• James C. Dow · Fort Collins, US
• Dan L. Dalton · Greeley, US
• Michael Rudd · Fort Collins, US
• Karin C. Ruffatto · Fort Collins, US
• Daniel Formosa · Montvale, US
• Sandra Nieves · New York, US
• Paul Hamburger · New York, US
• Michael J. DeVries · Loveland, US
• Nancy Shepard · Arvada, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 7, 1998
• Grant date: Oct 22, 2002
• Expiry date: Aug 7, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04N1/107
• WIPO field: Audio-visual technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A hand-held image capture and communication appliance and method of using same are provided wherein images may be captured via the appliance and saved in an internal memory. The capture and communication appliance includes a processor for manipulating and exhibiting the images on a built-in display screen. Program code stored in the internal memory includes an image attachment module that allows the user to associate captured images with one another (i.e., electronically attach the images) to form a group and provides a graphical representation of this association on the display screen. Moreover, a group of captured images is treated as a single logical unit, which allows operations (e.g., send to another device or appliance, delete, etc.) to be performed on several captured images (i.e., the entire group) at once instead of on an individual basis. According to another aspect of the invention, the program code includes an image detachment module that allows the user to disassociate scanned image(s) (i.e., electronically detach the image(s)) from a previously formed group.