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  Digital camera and function appending method for the sameThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080024613. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/414,507 filed Oct. 8, 1999. Application Ser. No. 09/414,507 is a continuation-in-part of PCT/JP98/01251 filed Mar. 20, 1998. Priority is claimed from JP Hei 09-091205 filed Apr. 9, 1997 and from JP Hei 10-061019 filed Mar. 12, 1998. The entire disclosures of the prior applications, application Ser. No. 09/414,507 and PCT/JP98/01251, and the above-identified priority documents, are hereby incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a digital camera and, more particularly, a digital camera to which new functions can be attached and a function appending method of appending new functions to the digital camera. As such new functions, there are a direct print function for printing picked-up image data with the use of a printer, a communication function for transmitting the image data to terminals located at remote places by using a transmission network, etc. [0003] In recent years, the digital camera (electronic still camera) are developed and on the market, and are now spreading. Normally the picked-up image result by the digital camera (digitized color image data) are printed. A personal computer (abbreviated as "PC" hereinafter) and a printer, a video printer, or the like are employed to output the print. [0004] In the case of the digital camera which employs an internal memory medium to record the image data, an output terminal of the digital camera and an input terminal of PC are connected to each other via a serial cable, then image signals (image data) are installed into PC via an interface such as RS232C to apply the imaging processing, and then the color image are printed by the printer. [0005] In the case of the digital camera -which employs a memory card to record the image data, the image data are installed into PC by reading the memory card by a memory card reader (reading device) to apply the imaging processing, and then the color image are printed by the printer. In color printing, in order to print the color image (video) with high precision, print image data generating processing is executed by using programs on the PC side. And then bit map data, which are prepared every print color necessary for drawing, and a control signal are provided to the printer to perform the color printing operation. [0006] The programs for the print image data generating processing are contained in programs which are called a printer driver in a data process module 210 shown in FIG. 10. A normal printer driver 220 contains three groups of programs, i.e., a rasterizer, a color correction module, and a halftone module. [0007] First the JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)-compressed image data are expanded by an expansion program 216 to be stored in a memory, then their Y, U, V components are converted into R, G, B components, and then the images are displayed on a monitor 230 by using an image display/selection application program 218. Then, the user selects the to-be-printed image from the displayed images. [0008] The selected image data are processed by a rasterizer 221 in the printer driver 220. The image data are separated into three primary colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) to constitute RGB multitone (e.g., 256 tones) bit image data which are subjected to the raster conversion every color. [0009] The color correction process is then applied to the RGB multitone bit image data, which are subjected to the raster-conversion, via a color correction module 222 so as to correlate the image data with printing colors. Thus, RGB multitone bit the image data are converted into printing CMYK multitone bit image data which are separated into C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow) and K (black). [0010] The CMYK multitone bit image data is supplied to a halftone module 223 where halftone process (binarization process) is carried out by the dither method, the error diffusion method, etc. Thus, color allocation or arrangement on the bit map is decided every color, and binary bit maps (binary data tables) are formed respectively. Then, the PC sends the bit map data as well as the printing control signal and the plotting signal to a printer 240. The printer 240 executes a printing operation based on the control signal and the bit map data for each color to reproduce the color image on a recording paper. [0011] Meanwhile, there is the digital camera which has a function for outputting the image as NTSC video signals and thus outputs the image to a video printer by using video signals. Since the video printer effects color adjustment by converting the input video signal into the digital signal once and then converting the digital signal into the analogue signal again, RGB multitone (e.g., 256 tones) bit image data which are separated into three primary colors of R, G, B can be obtained. However, since the D/A conversion in the digital camera and the AID conversion on the video printer side are repeated, there are such problems peculiar to the analogue technology that the quality of image is easily deteriorated and also the image lacks the stability. Also, normally many application programs other than image (or video) print processing are installed in the PC because of its versatility. Since these application programs and the above printer driver are operated under management of OS such as Windows, MS-DOS (both are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation), etc, when the print processing of the image is performed, the user must execute the command input operation defined by the OS, to load the print processing application program and the printer driver from the storing device (e.g., magnetic disk), which store them, into an internal memory of the PC and to set the PC into the executable state. However, there are such problems that it take a lot of time (so-called an overhead time) to load the command input, the print processing application program, and the printer driver and that it requires time to start up the PC because several minutes are needed at least. [0012] In addition, although the spread of the PC is remarkable, many problems to be solved further are still remain in handling the PC actually. There is an indication that a large majority of the PC owner merely have the PC but they cannot handle the PC. In order to print the resultant image picked up by the digital camera, there are also such problems that there will be caused disadvantages that it is hard to install them or it is not understood how to input the command even if these users buy the image (video) print processing application program and the printer driver and then try to install them into the PC. [0013] Furthermore, there are also such problems that to prepare the expensive PC for merely printing the picked-up image spoils extremely the user's convenience. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0014] From the above mentioned background, in order to spread the digital camera after this and to be employed ordinarily in the usual home, there are requests that the operation should be simplified in the print processing of the resultant picked-up image and the overhead time should be reduced to substantially zero. [0015] When the requests such that simplification of the operation in the print processing of the resultant picked-up image and reduction of the overhead time into substantial zero are checked in the digital camera, it is preferable that, for example, the image data are directly output from the digital camera to the printer without the intervention of the PC and thus the picked-up image can be printed. Especially, since the user without the PC can also get simply the resultant picked-up image by the digital camera, satisfaction of such requests will be expected to contribute to the wide spread of the digital camera. [0016] In this case, in order to effectively utilize the limited memory capacity of the digital camera, it is important that programs for generating print image data each having a relatively large program size can be installed from the external device into the digital camera as occasion demands or such installed programs can also be deleted. If the program is handled in such way, different programs, for example, a direct printing program, a communication program, an image correction program, or the like, can be replaced and then employed. [0017] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a digital camera which has a function appending means, and a digital camera function appending method which can selectively attach functions necessary for the user to the digital camera and can also delete such attached functions--according to the necessity. [0018] In order to achieve the above object, there is provided a function appending method for a digital camera which records image data by converting an image pickup light photoelectrically, comprising the steps of: receiving a program recorded on an external recording medium connected to the digital camera exchangeably; storing the program into a recording medium provided in the digital camera; reading out the program from the recording medium in the digital medium at a desired time; and executing the program. [0019] According to the present invention, there is also provided A function appending method for a digital camera which records image data by converting an image pickup light photoelectrically, comprising the steps of: receiving a program recorded on an external recording medium and sent therefrom via a communication line; storing the program into a recording medium provided in the digital camera; reading out the program from the recording medium in the digital medium at a desired time; and executing the program. [0020] The methods may further comprise the step of deleting a desired program from recording medium in the digital camera. [0021] In the methods, the program may be a print image data generating program or a communication program. Continue reading... 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