Title of Invention

BACKLIGHT CONTROLLING CLOSEUP PHOTOGRAPHING SYSTEM

Abstract

A backlight controlled closeup photographing system is proposed, which is designed for use with a multimedia-capable information platform, such as an MMV (MultiMedia Viewer) device, to allow the user to photograhp a small object, such as a business card, at close range with intensified illumination on the object for the purpose of allowing the photographed digital image to have adequate brightness in picture quality. The proposed backlight controlled closeup photographing system is characteized by the use of backlight control to increase the intensity of the backli8ght illumination on the object being photograped for the purpose of allowing the photograped digital image to have adequate brightness in picture quality. Since the intensity of illumination on the object can be increased without using flash unit, the invention is apparently more cost-effective and advantgeous to use than prior art.

Full Text

FORM 2 THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970) COMPLETE SPECIFICATION [See section 10] BACKLIGHT CONTROLLING CLOSEUP PHOTOGRAPHING SYSTEM; INVENTEC MULTIMEDIA & TELECOM CORPORATION A CORPORATION ORGANIZED AND EXISTING UNDER THE LAWS OF TAIWAN, REPUBLIC OF CHINA, WHOSE ADDRESS IS 5F, N0.396, SEC.1, NEIHU ROAD, TAIPEI, TAIWAN, REPUBLIC OF CHINA. THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES AND ASCERTAINS THE NATURE OF THE INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFOMED. BACKLIGHT CONTROLLED CLOSEUP PHOTOGRAPHING SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention: This invention relates to multimedia technology, and more particularly, to a back- 5 light controlled closeup photographing system designed for use with a multimedia-capable information platform, such as an MMV (MultiMedia Viewer) device, to allow the user to photograph a small object, such as a business card, at close range with sufficient intensity of illumination on the object for the purpose of allowing the photographed digital image to have adequate brightness in picture quality. 10 2. Description of Related Art; MMV (MultiMedia Viewer) is a portable multimedia-capable electronic device that allows the user to process various kinds of digitized multimedia files, including, for example, digital photos, digital videos, digital audios, and so on. In addition, some MMV devices are equipped with photographing functionality that allows the user to capture digi- 15 tal images of various objects, such as people, landscapes, flowers, and so on. One drawback to today"s MMV devices with photographing functionality, how¬ever, is that when they are used in closeup photography to capture the image of a small object, such as a business card, the captured image would usually lack of adequate bright¬ness in picture quality due to the ambient light being dim and therefore the text on the 20 image of the business card would be unclear to recognize. In addition, when the ambient light is dim, it would require a slower shutter speed and therefore is unsuitable for handheld shooting of the business card by the MMV device. 2 One solution to the foregoing problem is to attach a flash unit to the MMV device to provide a powerful light source to illuminate the object in closeup photography. This solu¬ tion allows the user to take bright pictures of any small objects at close ranges and is suitable for handheld shooting of business card by the MMV device. One drawback to this 5 solution, however, is that the addition of a flash unit to an MMV device would considera¬bly increase the MMV device"s price, and therefore is a cost-ineffective solution for both the manufacturer and the consumer. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an objective of this invention to provide a backlight controlled close- 10 up photographing system which is capable of photographing a small object, such as a business card, at close range with sufficient intensity of illumination on the object to allow the photographed digital image to have adequate brightness in picture quality. It is another objective of this invention to provide a backlight controlled closeup photographing system which is capable of capturing a small object"s digital image with 15 sufficient intensity of illumination on the object without having to use a flash unit. The backlight controlled closeup photographing system according to the invention is designed for use with a multimedia-capable information platform, such as an MMV (MultiMedia Viewer) device, to allow the user to photograph a small object, such as a business card, at close range with intensified illumination on the object for the purpose of 20 allowing the photographed digital image to have adequate brightness in picture quality. The backlight controlled closeup photographing system of the invention comprises a main control unit, an imaging module, a display unit, and a backlighting module. In operation 3 when the backlight controlled closeup photographing system of the invention is used to photograph an object in closeup mode, the main control unit commands the display driver to switch off the display unit, and then commands the backlighting control unit to switch on the backlighting module and adjust the frequency of the output backlight from the back- 5 lighting module for the purpose of increasing the intensity of the backlight illumination on the object being photographed. The backlight controlled closeup photographing system according to the invention is characterized by the use of backlight control to increase the intensity of the backlight illumination on the object being photographed for the purpose of allowing the photogra- 10 phed digital image to have adequate brightness in picture quality. Since the intensity of illumination on the object can be increased without using flash unit, the invention is appar¬ ently more cost-effective and advantageous to use than prior art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The invention can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed de- 15 scription of the preferred embodiments, with reference made to the accompanying draw¬ ings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the architecture of the backlight con¬trolled closeup photographing system according to the invention; and FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing the procedural steps of the operation of the back-20 light controlled closeup photographing system of the invention. 4 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The backlight controlled closeup photographing system according to the invention is disclosed in full details by way of preferred embodiments in the following with referenceto the accompanying drawings. 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the architecture of the backlight con- trolled closeup photographing system according to the invention (as the part enclosed in the dotted box indicated by the reference numeral 100). As shown, in application, the backlight controlled closeup photographing system of the invention 100 is integrated to an informa¬tion platform that is equipped with photographing capability, such as an MMV (MultiMe- 10 dia Viewer) device 10, to allow the user to photograph a small object, such as a business card 20, at close range with sufficient intensity of illumination on the business card 20 so that the photographed digital image of the business card 20 would have adequate brightness in picture quality. Since the MMV device 10 is a well-known device on the consumer electronic mar- 15 ket, its functionality and internal architecture will not be detailed here in this patent specification. In practical use, the backlight controlled closeup photographing system of the invention 100 can be integrated to the internal circuitry of the MMV device 10 to provide a built-in backlight controlled closeup photographing function. Fundamentally, the backlight controlled closeup photographing system of the in- 20 vention 100 comprises: (a) a main control unit 110; (b) an imaging module 120; (c) a dis play unit 130 and an associated display driver 131; (d) a backlighting module 140 and an associated backlighting control unit 141. 5 The main control unit 110 is, for example, a microprocessor-based control unit, which is used for controlling the operations of the imaging module 120, the display unit 130, the display driver 131, the backlighting module 140, and the backlighting control unit 141. 5 The imaging module 120 is, for example, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) based imaging module, which is capable of capturing the optical image of the business card 20 and converting the captured optical image into digital image. The display unit 130 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) based dis play unit, which is capable of displaying every digital image captured by the imaging mod- 10 ule 120 under control by the display driver 131. In addition, the display driver 131 is capa ble of switching off the display unit 130 while the imaging module 120 is in active opera tion of capturing the image of the business card 20 so as to increase the intensity of the backlight illumination on the business card 20. The backlighting module 140 is coupled to the display unit 130 and which is under 15 control by the backlighting control unit 141 for providing a backlight source to illuminate the business card 20; i.e., the backlighting control unit 141 is capable of adjusting the fre quency of the output backlight from the backlighting module 140 for the purpose of in creasing the intensity of the backlight illumination on the business card 20. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing the procedural steps of the operation of the back- 20 light controlled closeup photographing system of the invention 100. To capture the image of the business card 20, the user first needs to aim the imaging module 120 at the business card 20, whereby a digitized image of the business card 20 will be displayed on the display unit 130. The user then needs to adjust the displayed image into focus As the image of the 6 business card 20 is in focus, the user then needs to depress an activation key 111 on the MMV device 10 to activate the main control unit 110 to start executing the procedural steps shown in FIG. 2, which is implemented as software or firmware in the main control unit 110. 5 In the first step SI, the main control unit 110 commands the display driver 131 to switch off the display unit 130. Then, in the next step S2, the main control unit 110 com mands the backlighting control unit 141 to switch on the backlighting module 140. Subse quently, in the next step S3, the main control unit 110 commands the backlighting control unit 141 to adjust the frequency of the output backlight from the backlighting module 140 10 for the purpose of increasing the intensity of the backlight illumination on the business card 20. In the subsequent step S4, the main control unit 110 commands the imaging module 120 to capture the optical image of the business card 20 and convert the captured optical image into digital image. During this process, since the display unit 130 is switched off, the 15 backlight illumination on the business card 20 can be intensified, allowing the captured digital image of the business card 20 to have adequate brightness in picture quality. This completes the photographing of one digital image for the business card 20. If more images are desired, the foregoing procedural steps can be repeated to take more pictures. The cap tured digital image of the business card 20 can then be stored in the internal memory or 20 externally-connected memory modules (not shown) coupled to the MMV device 10 for further processing. In conclusion, the invention provides a backlight controlled closeup photographing system for use with a multimedia-capable information platform, such as an MMV (Mul- 7 tiMedia Viewer) device, to allow the user to photograph a small object, such as a business card, at close range; and which is characterized by the use of backlight control to increase the intensity of the backlight illumination on the object being photographed for the purpose of allowing the photographed digital image to have adequate brightness in picture quality. 5 Since the intensity of illumination on the object can be increased without using flash unit, the invention is apparently more cost-effective and advantageous to use than prior art. The invention has been described using exemplary preferred embodiments. How ever, it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar 10 arrangements. The scope of the claims, therefore, should be accorded the broadest inter pretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements. 8 WE CLAIM 1. A backlight controlled closeup photographing system for use with an information platform having a photographing function for capturing digital image of an object; 5 the backlight controlled closeup photographing system comprising: a main control unit; an imaging module, which is capable of capturing the object"s optical image and converting the captured optical image into a digital image; a display unit, which is controlled by a display driver under control by the main 10 control unit for displaying the digital image of the object captured by the imaging module; and a backlighting module, which is controlled by a backlighting control unit under control by the main control unit for providing a backlight source to illuminate the object being photographed; 15 wherein when photographing the object in closeup mode, the main control unit commands the display driver to switch off the display unit, and then commands the backlighting con¬ trol unit to switch on the backlighting module and adjust the frequency of the output back light from the backlighting module for the purpose of increasing the intensity of the back- 20 light illumination on the object being photographed. 2. The backlight controlled closeup photographing system of claim 1, wherein the information platform is an MMV device. 9 3. The backlight controlled closeup photographing system of claim 1, wherein the main control unit is a microprocessor-based control unit. 4. The backlight controlled closeup photographing system of claim 1, wherein the imaging module is a CCD-based imaging module. 5 5. The backlight controlled closeup photographing system of claim 1, wherein the display unit is an LCD-based display unit. 6. A backlight controlled closeup photographing system for use with a MMV device having a closeup photographing function for capturing digital image of an object; the backlight controlled closeup photographing system comprising: 10 a main control unit; an imaging module, which is capable of capturing the object"s optical image and converting the captured optical image into a digital image; a display unit, which is controlled by a display driver under control by the main control unit for displaying the digital image of the object captured by the imaging module; 15 and a backlighting module, which is controlled by a backlighting control unit under control by the main control unit for providing a backlight source to illuminate the object being photographed; wherein 20 when photographing the object in closeup mode, the main control unit commands the display driver to switch off the display unit, and then commands the backlighting con¬trol unit to switch on the backlighting module and adjust the frequency of the output back- 10 light from the backlighting module for the purpose of increasing the intensity of the back light illumination on the object being photographed. 7. The backlight controlled closeup photographing system of claim 6, wherein the main control unit is a microprocessor-based control unit. 5 8. The backlight controlled closeup photographing system of claim 6, wherein the imaging module is a CCD-based imaging module. 9. The backlight controlled closeup photographing system of claim 6, wherein the display unit is an LCD-based display unit. Dated this 20th day of June, 2003. FOR INVENTEC MULTIMEDIA & TELECOM CORPORATION By their Agent

Documents:

651-mum-2003-abstract(01-06-2006).doc

651-mum-2003-abstract(01-06-2006).pdf

651-mum-2003-claims(granted)-(01-06-2006).doc

651-mum-2003-claims(granted)-(01-06-2006).pdf

651-mum-2003-correspondence(17-01-2006).pdf

651-mum-2003-correspondence(ipo)-(18-05-2006).pdf

651-mum-2003-drawing(01-06-2006).pdf

651-mum-2003-form 1(08-09-2003).pdf

651-mum-2003-form 1(20-06-2003).pdf

651-mum-2003-form 18(17-01-2006).pdf

651-mum-2003-form 2(granted)-(01-06-2006).doc

651-mum-2003-form 2(granted)-(01-06-2006).pdf

651-mum-2003-form 3(08-09-2003).pdf

651-mum-2003-form 3(20-06-2003).pdf

651-mum-2003-form 5(01-06-2006).pdf

651-mum-2003-form 5(08-09-2003).pdf

651-mum-2003-power of attorney(21-11-2003).pdf

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