JP4392603B2 - Mobile device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable terminal having an imaging function and a television broadcast receiving function.

In recent years, mobile phones with an imaging function have been rapidly developed. On the other hand, mobile phones with built-in TV tuners have also appeared (Non-patent Document 1). Here, in the mobile phone with an imaging function, the copyright relating to the image or video taken by itself belongs to the photographer, so it is not possible to copy these or send them to a third party by attaching an email. Usually free. On the other hand, copyrights related to still images or moving images of TV programs are not inherently attributed to the user of the mobile phone, so it is usually not possible to copy these or send them to a third party by attaching an email. There seems to be a limitation.
http://www.vodafone.jp/japanese/products/kisyu/v401t/index.html

  Here, an image obtained by imaging and an image acquired from a broadcasted video are indistinguishable as image signals. Therefore, if they are mixed and stored in a memory, a user of such a mobile phone However, for copyright-prohibited images, it may be unintentionally sent to a third party as an email attachment, or the memory may be transferred to another person, making it difficult to protect the copyright holder. There is. On the other hand, it is not appropriate to impose restrictions on the handling of copyrighted materials, as they are generally free to distribute and copy. Therefore, how to handle an image acquired from the broadcasted video becomes a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a portable terminal that can achieve both protection of the copyright holder and user-friendliness.

The portable terminal of the present invention includes an imaging unit that performs imaging to generate an image signal, a tuner unit that receives a television signal and generates an image signal from the television signal, an image based on the imaging, and the television A display unit that displays at least one of the images based on the John signal, the image signal generated by the imaging unit as the first image data, and / or the image signal generated by the tuner unit as the second image And a communication unit capable of transmitting as data to an external terminal, wherein the communication unit transmits the second image data to the external terminal when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Therefore, there is a possibility that the rights of the copyright holder of the image based on the television signal may be impaired while the convenience of the user of the portable terminal is being made (if the predetermined condition is not satisfied). The), by not sending the second image data to the outside, it is possible to protect such rights. In this specification, “image” includes a moving image without sound and a moving image with sound in addition to a still image. In this specification, image data is processed into image data. However, an already processed image signal is treated as the same as image data.

  When the image signal generated from the television signal includes information permitting distribution of an image based on the image signal to a terminal other than the portable terminal, the communication unit is assumed to satisfy the predetermined condition. Whether the communication means automatically transmits the second image data corresponding to the image based on the television signal to the external terminal by transmitting the second image data to the external terminal. This is convenient. It should be noted that “including information that permits distribution” also corresponds to a case where information that prohibits distribution is not included.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the portable terminal which can make protection of a copyright owner and user's usability compatible can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view (a) and a rear view (b) of a mobile phone T with an imaging function according to the present embodiment. The mobile phone T will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, in the mobile phone T, an upper housing 171 as a case having a display screen (also referred to as a display unit) 174 and a lower housing 172 having an operation button group 16 are connected via a hinge 173. Are connected. The imaging unit 100 including a lens and a CCD is built under the display screen 174 on the inner surface side (the side having the display screen 174) of the upper housing 171, and the lens 42 (see FIG. The light can be taken in from the outer surface of the upper housing 171 through 2).

  A mode switch 41 is disposed on the side surface of the lower housing 172. The mode switch 41 is slidable upward and downward from the center position shown in the figure. Normally, the mode switch 41 is at the center position and sets the call mode (or mail transmission mode). When sliding, the control unit 8 (FIG. 2) switches from the call mode to the camera mode accordingly. In the camera mode, imaging can be performed by operating the release switch R. On the other hand, when the mode switch 41 is slid downward, the control unit 8 switches from the call mode to the television mode accordingly. In the television mode, a television image can be displayed on the display screen 174 based on an image signal generated by the TV tuner unit 50 (FIG. 2).

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the mobile phone T with an imaging function according to the present embodiment. In the case where the call mode is set, in FIG. 2, in the transmitting unit 2, for example, the voice emitted from the user from the condenser microphone 21 or the like is converted into a voice signal through the microphone 21, and then the voice codec 11, The signal is output to the transmission unit 23 via the channel codec 12 and the modulation unit 22, and transmitted from the diversity antenna 14 to the other party via the external telephone or the like by the SWIC 13. Further, the transmission unit 23 serving as a communication unit corresponds to an image stored in the FROM 51 serving as a storage unit (or memory) or the removable memory card 7 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 8 under a predetermined condition. Image data can be sent as an email attachment to an external terminal.

  On the other hand, when the receiver 3 receives a transmission signal from the other party by the SWIC 13 via the diversity antenna 14 and the receiver 31 receives the other party's voice via the demodulator 32, the channel codec 12, and the voice codec 11. It is configured to be heard from the receiver 33 and the speaker 34.

  A TV tuner unit (also referred to as a tuner unit) 50 acquires a television analog broadcast signal or a digital broadcast signal (collectively referred to as a television signal) via an antenna (not shown), and generates an image signal based thereon. To do. The image signal is subjected to image processing by the control unit 8, input to the display screen 174, and displayed as a visible image. Note that “predetermined processing” in the claims refers to, for example, converting a video signal obtained from the imaging unit 100 or the tuner unit 50 into a video signal composed of luminance and color difference, and using a standardized compression method. A process for obtaining image data by performing compression processing. Note that the predetermined processing is not limited to this method. In short, in order to store the data in the storage unit, data obtained by using some processing on the image signal is handled as image data.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging unit 100 including the imaging element includes a lens 42 on the back side opposite to the front side on which the display screen 174 and the operation button group 16 are provided, and the camera mode is set. In this case, since the photographed image is formed on the image sensor 43 such as a CCD through the lens 42, an image signal output therefrom can be acquired. Although not shown, the lens 42 is configured to be driven in the optical axis direction so as to be in a focused position. Further, the imaging unit 100 of this embodiment performs imaging processing by operating the release switch R in the operation button group 16 in the camera mode, and the card controller 52 selects based on the image signal obtained thereby. Corresponding image data is stored in the FROM 51 or the memory card 7.

  A non-removable FROM 51 (first memory) and a removable memory card 7 (second memory) are used for storing image data corresponding to an image captured by the image capturing unit 100. FIG. In the illustrated embodiment, image data corresponding to an image based on a television signal is stored only in the FROM 51. In addition, the control unit 8 has a work memory. This work memory is used to record temporarily when a predetermined process is performed on an image signal for preview display, which will be described later, or when a predetermined image process is performed on an image signal for storage in the memory card 7. Is used.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the mobile phone T with an imaging function according to the present embodiment. When the user of the mobile phone T turns on the power switch, the user can make a call with an external mobile phone in the call mode. Here, it is assumed that the user operates the mode switch 41 (step S101 in FIG. 3). Then, the control unit 8 sets one of the camera mode and the television mode based on the signal from the mode switch 41 in step S102.

  More specifically, in response to the mode switch 41 being operated upward, the control unit 8 sets the camera mode. At this time, in step S103, the control unit 8 selects either the FROM 51 or the memory card 7 as the storage destination of the image data based on the preselected information.

  In step S104, the control unit 8 controls the imaging unit 100 to perform focusing, move the lens 42 to the in-focus position, and perform predetermined processing on the image signal captured via the imaging element 43, The image is input to the display screen 174 and displayed as a visible image, so-called preview display is performed.

  Further, in step S105, the control unit 8 waits for the operation of the release switch R, and in response to the release operation, in step S106, the imaging unit 100 executes the imaging process to capture an image, and the obtained image. The signal is subjected to image processing, and the corresponding image data (first image data) is stored in the FROM 51 or the memory card 7 selected as the image storage destination (step S107). For example, when the release switch R is momentarily pressed, an image signal corresponding to the still image at that moment is used as image data, and when the release switch R is pressed for a certain period, it corresponds to a moving image during that period. Assume that an image signal is image data.

  On the other hand, when the mode switch 41 is operated downward in step S102, the control unit 8 sets the television mode. At this time, in step S108, the control unit 8 receives the image signal generated via the TV tuner unit 50, performs image processing, and stores it in the FROM 51 as image data (second image data). That is, in this embodiment, image data corresponding to a television signal is not stored in the removable memory card 7. Further, in step S109, the control unit 8 performs predetermined processing on the image signal, inputs it to the display screen 174, and displays it as a visible image. Thereby, the user of the mobile phone can view the TV program. The image data based on the television signal is overwritten in sequence on the old image data when the storage capacity of the FROM 51 decreases. However, in order to save the capacity of the FROM 51, image data corresponding to the television signal may be stored in the FROM 51 only when the release switch R is pressed. For example, when the release switch R is momentarily pressed, an image signal corresponding to the still image at that moment is used as image data, and when the release switch R is pressed for a certain period, it corresponds to a moving image during that period. Assume that an image signal is image data.

  According to the present embodiment, the image data based on the image signal input from the TV tuner unit 50 is stored only in the non-detachable FROM 51, so that illegal copying is prevented and the copyright on the broadcasted image is copyrighted. Can protect the rights of the person. On the other hand, since viewing is possible based on the image signal input from the TV tuner unit 50, the convenience of the user of the mobile phone can be ensured.

  Note that when a predetermined condition is satisfied as the copyright holder obtains permission by collecting a fee from the user, the control unit 8 serving as a copy unit is stored in the FROM 51 in response to a predetermined key input. The image data corresponding to the television signal may be copied to the memory card 7.

  Incidentally, in the above-described embodiment, image data corresponding to an image based on a television signal is not stored in the memory card 7, but such uniform handling may impair the usability of the user. . In the following modified example, the user-friendliness is improved by storing image data corresponding to an image based on a television signal in the memory card 7 under a predetermined condition.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart according to a modification of the present embodiment. In FIG. 4, steps S101 to S109 are the same as those in the flowchart shown in FIG. Here, when the television signal acquired by the TV tuner unit 50 includes information that permits or prohibits any of image distribution, copying, distribution, and copying, the TV tuner unit 50 includes the generated image signal. It is assumed that permission information corresponding to that is embedded as supplementary information.

  For example, a user of a mobile phone may want to record a part of a television program on the memory card 7 such as a recipe for a cooking program or a destination for a quiz. In such a case, for example, a release switch (also serving as a recording start button) R is operated. In step S110, the control unit 8 waits for the operation of the release switch R, and in response to the release operation, in step S111, checks the permission information of the image signal corresponding to the image currently displayed on the display screen. Here, if the permission information includes information indicating that “copying is possible” or “distribution and copying is possible”, the control unit 8 extracts image data corresponding to the display image from the image signal and stores it in the memory card 7. Store (step S112). At this time, the control unit 8 changes the identifier of the image data (for example, identifier.png) acquired from the television signal from the image data (for example, identifier.jpg) obtained from the imaging unit 100, and includes In the incidental information, information “cannot be distributed” or “can be distributed” is included in association with permission information.

  On the other hand, if the permission information includes information indicating that “copying is not permitted” or “distribution and copying is not permitted”, the control unit 8 indicates that “this image cannot be recorded” along with or instead of the display image. A warning is displayed on the display screen 174 (step S113). In such a case, storage in the memory card 7 is not performed.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent illegal copying and protect the rights of the copyright holder relating to the broadcasted image while ensuring the usability of the mobile phone user. still,

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation of the mobile phone T with an imaging function according to the present embodiment. Also in the present embodiment, when the television signal acquired by the TV tuner unit 50 includes information that permits or prohibits any one of image distribution, copying, distribution, and copying, the TV tuner unit 50 includes It is assumed that permission information corresponding to that is embedded as supplementary information.

  First, it is assumed that the user of the mobile phone T has set the mail transmission mode. Here, the user may want to send an email with an image stored in the memory card 7 attached. It should be noted that in the incidental information in the image data stored in the memory card 7, information that includes “non-distributable” information cannot be attached to an e-mail in principle. When predetermined encryption information (for example, a combination of numbers) is assigned by paying a fee (including deduction from a charge deduction account of a mobile phone), the encryption information is input using the operation button group 16. The restriction shall be lifted.

  First, in step S201, the user checks an image stored in the memory card 7 on the display screen 174 after a predetermined input such as a mail destination, and selects an image to be transmitted. Then, the control device 8 determines information attached to the selected image or an identifier thereof (step S202). If the control device 8 determines that the image is captured by the imaging unit 100, the image data is determined in step S203. Is sent to the other party as an email attachment.

  On the other hand, if the information associated with the selected image or its identifier is determined, and if it is determined that the image is an image extracted from the television signal, the control unit 8 in step S204, It is determined whether or not “distributable” information is included. If the “distributable” information is included, the copyright problem can be cleared. Therefore, in step S203, the control unit 8 transmits the image data to the other party as an email attachment.

  Furthermore, even if the accompanying information of the selected image data includes “non-distributable” information, if the user has been assigned predetermined encryption information in advance, mail transmission is possible. Therefore, when the user operates the operation button group 16 to input a combination of numbers, the control unit 8 authenticates the input number in step S205, and the correct combination of numbers is input. If it is determined that the information is “Distributable”, the information “Distributable” in the incidental information of the image data is rewritten. In such a case, since the copyright problem can be cleared, the control unit 8 transmits the image data to the other party as an email attachment in step S203. In addition, since the additional information of the image data includes “distributable” information, the mail transmission of the image data is free thereafter.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the correct combination of numbers has not been input, the control unit 8 causes the display screen 174 to display a warning message such as “This image cannot be transmitted” and not attach an email in step S206. To process.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent illegal distribution and protect the rights of the copyright holder relating to the broadcasted image while ensuring the usability of the mobile phone user.

  The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified or improved as appropriate. For example, the mobile terminal includes not only a mobile phone but also a PDA (Personal Digital (Data) Assistant).

It is the front view (a) and the rear view (b) of the mobile phone T concerning this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the mobile telephone T concerning this Embodiment. It is a flowchart figure which shows an example of operation | movement of the mobile telephone T concerning this Embodiment. It is a flowchart figure which shows an example of operation | movement of the mobile telephone T concerning a modification. It is a flowchart figure which shows operation | movement of the mobile telephone T concerning another embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

7 Memory Card 11 Audio Codec 12 Channel Codec 14 Diversity Antenna 16 Operation Button Group 21 Capacitor Microphone 21 Microphone 22 Modulation Unit 23 Transmission Unit 31 Reception Unit 32 Demodulation Unit 33 Receiver 34 Speaker 42 Lens 43 Image Sensor 50 TV Tuner Unit 51 FROM
100 Imaging unit 174 Display screen R Release switch

Claims (2)

An imaging unit that performs imaging and generates an image signal;
A tuner for receiving a television signal and generating an image signal from the television signal;
A display unit that displays at least one of the image based on the imaging and the image based on the television signal;
Communication means capable of transmitting an image signal generated by the imaging unit as first image data and / or an image signal generated by the tuner unit as second image data to an external terminal. A mobile device,
The portable terminal characterized in that the communication means transmits the second image data to an external terminal when a predetermined condition is satisfied.   When the image signal generated from the television signal includes information that permits distribution of an image based on the image signal to a terminal other than the portable terminal, the communication unit transmits the second image data to an external device. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal transmits to the terminal.

Images