Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02237939 1998-06-29
Patent Application
of
Steve Mann
for
PERSONAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH VIEWFINDER AND
ANNOTATION MEANS
of which the following is a specification:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present; invention pertains generally i,o a new photographic or video
means and
apparatus typically comprising a hand-held portable electronic camera system
with
viewfinder means and electronic pen-based annotation means.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In photography (and in movie and video production), it is often desirable to
cap-
ture events in a natural manner with minimal intervention or disturbance. In
the
present invention, the scenario to be considered is that of face-to-face
conversation
between two individuals, where one of the individuals wishes to make an
annotated
video diary of the conversation without disrupting the natural flow of the
conver-
sation. In this context, it is desirable to create a personal video diary or
personal
documentary, or to have some kind of personal photographic or videographic
memory
aid that forms the visual equivalent of what the electronic organizers and
personal
digital assistants do to help us remember textual or syntactic information.
Current state-of-the-art photographic or video apparatus creates a visual dis~-
turbance to others and attracts considerable attention on account of the
gesture of
bringing the camera up to the eye. Even if the size of the camera could be
reduced
to the point of being negligible (e.g. no bigger than the eyecup of a typical
cam-
era viewfinder, for example), the very gesture of bringing a device up to the
eye is
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CA 02237939 1998-06-29
unnatural a,nd attracts considerable attention, especially in establishments
such as
department stores where photography is often prohibited. However it is in
these very
establishments in which a customer may wish, for example, to have a video
record of
the clerk's statement of the refund policy or the terms of a sale. Just as
department
stores often keep a video recording of all transactions (and often even a
video record-
ing of all activity within the establishment, sometimes including a video
recording of
customers in the fitting rooms), the goal of the present invention is to
assist, for ex-
ample, a customer who may wish to keep a video record of a transaction,
interaction
with a clerk, manager, refund explanation, or the like.
Although there exist a variety of covert cameras such a camera concealed
beneath
the jewel of a necktie clip, cameras concealed in baseball caps, and cameras
concealed
in eyeglasses, these cameras tend to produce inferior images, not just because
of th~~
technical limitations imposed by their small size, but, more importantly
because they
lack a viewfinder means (e.g. means of viewing the image to adjust camera
angle for
best composition). Because of the lack of viewfinder means, the subject matter
is
not necessarily centered well in the viewfi=nder, or even captured by the
camera, and
thus these covert cameras are not well suited to personal documentary or for
use in
a personal photographic/videographic memory assistant.
A wearable camera system (called WearCam) has been proposed in, for example,
IEEE Computer, Vol 30, No 2, or equivalently
http://wearcam.org/ieeecomputer.html
(see also http://wearcomp.org/wearpubs.html). Unfortunately embodiments of the
WearCam invention typically require special preparation such as special
clothing, and
special wiring of the body a-priori. Such systems will work for those
dedicated to be-
ing constani~ly wired with various computational and sensory apparatus
incorporated
into special clothing, but there are a good many individuals who may wish to
obtain
the same convenience without a change of lifestyle.
Accordingly, what is proposed is a camera and viewfinder means for
unobtrusively
capturing video of exceptionally high compositional quality and possibly even
artistic
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CA 02237939 1998-06-29
merit, and some embodiments of this invention that are hand-held rather than
body--
worn.
In addition to the fact that covert versions of the apparatus can be used to
create
investigative documentary videos having very good composition, the device need
not
necessarily be covert. Instead, it m.ay merely be designed so that the subject
of the
picture or video cannot readily determine whether or not the apparatus is in
use
recording. Just as department stores an<I the like often have dark domes on
their
ceilings, so that customers do not know whether or not there are cameras in
the
domes (or which ones have cameras and even which way the cameras are pointed
if
there are cameras in the domes), the proposed invention creates a situation in
which a
department store clerk or the like will not know whether or not a customer's
personal
memory assistant is recording video, This uncertainty is created by having the
camera
positioned so that it will typically be pointed at a person at all times,
whether or not
it is actually being used.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION WITH RESPECT TO PRIOR
ART: The invention is related to the Personal Digital Assistant[ (PDA) such as
the
Palm Pilot. the so-called "Paper-Based AudioNotebook" (Lisa J. Stifelman Aug-
menting Real-World Objects: A Paper-Based Audio Notebook CHI'96 Conference
Companion, pp. 199-200, April 19!x6), and the general ideas of pen-based
comput-
ing.
There is also an important connection to portable computers, mobile
computing;,
and wearable computers (See for example, IEEE Computer, Vol 30 No 2).
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A typical embodiment of the invention comprises a hand-held pen-based computer
or a combination clipboard and pen-based computer input device, hereafter
referred
to as "clipboard" (whether it be an electronic organizer, PDA, or a real pen
an~~
paper clipboard into which some electronic devices have been added).
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CA 02237939 1998-06-29
A camera is built into the clipboard with the optical axis of the lens facing
the
direction from bottom to top of the clipboard, so that during normal face-to-
face
conversation, the person holding the clipboard will tend to point the camera
at the
other person while taking written notes of the conversation. In this manner,
the
intentionality (whether or not the person taking written notes is intending to
point
the camera at the other person) is masked by the fact that the camera will
always
be pointed at the other person by virtue of its placement in the clipboard.
Thus the
camera lens opening need not necessarily be covert, and in fact, could be
deliberately
accentuated (e.g. made more visible) if desired. To understand why it might be
desirable to make it more visible, one can look to the cameras in department
stores,
which are often placed in large dark smoked plexiglass domes. In this way they
are
neither hidden nor visible, but rather, they serve a,s an uncertain deterrent
to criminal
conduct. While they could easily be hidden inside smoke detectors,
ventillation slots,
or small openings, the goal of the dome is to make the camera conceptually
visible
yet completely hidden. In a similar manner, a large lens opening on the
clipboard
may, at times, be desirable, so that the subject will be reminded that there
could be ~~
recording, but will be uncertain as to whether or not such a recording is
actually taking
place. Alternatively, a large dark shiny plexiglass strip, made from darkly
smoked
plexiglass {typically lcm high and 22cm across) is installed across the top of
the
clipboard, as a very subtle yet visible deterrent to criminal behaviour and
disrespect.
One or more miniature cameras are then installed behind the dark plexiglass,
looking
forward through it. In other embodiments, a camera is installed in a PDA, and
then
the top of the PDA is covered with dark smoky plexiglass.
The clipboard is fitted with an electronic display system which includes the
capa-
bility of displaying the image from the camera, so that it can serve as a
viewfinder
for aiming the camera at the subject. Moreover, the display is typically
constructed
so that it is visible only to the user of the clipboard, or, at the very
least, so that the
subject of the picture cannot readily see the display. Such concealment of the
display
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CA 02237939 1998-06-29
may be accomplished through the use of a honeycomb filter placed over the
display.
Such honeycomb filters are common in photography, where they are placed over
lights
to make the light sources behave more directionally. They are also sometimes
placed
over traffic lights where there is a wye intersection, so that the lights can
only be seen
from one direction, for example, so that the traffic lights do not confuse
drivers on
another branch of a wye intersection that faces almost the same way.
Alternatively,
the display may be designed to provide an inherently narrow field of view, or
other
barriers may be constructed to prevent the subject from seeing the screen.
The function of the camera is integrated with the clipboard so that textual in-
formation, as well as drawings, may be stored in a computer system, together
with
pictures or videoclips (herafter still pictures and segments of video will
both be re-
ferred to as videoclips, with the understanding that a still picture is just a
video
sequence which is one frame in length).
Since videoclips are stored in the computer together with other information,
these
videoclips may be recalled by an associative memory working together with that
other information. Thus tools like the UNIX "prep" command may be applied to
videoclips by virtue of the associated textual information which typically
resides as a
videographic header. In this way, for example, one could grep for the word
"meijer",
and may find various videoclips taken during conversations with clerks in the
Meijer
department store. Thus such a videographic memory system may give rise to a
memory recall of previous videoclips taken during previous visits to this
particular
department store, provided that one has been diligent enough to write down
(e.g.
enter textually) the name of the department store upon each visit.
Videoclips are typically time-stamped (e.g. there exist file creation dates)
and
GPS-stamped (e.g. there exists global positioning system headers from last
valid
readout) so that one can search on setting (time-+-place).
Thus the video clipboard may be programmed so that the act of simply taking
notes causes previous related videoclips to play back automatically in a
separate
CA 02237939 1998-06-29
window (in addition to the viewfinder window which should always remain active
for
continued proper aiming of the camera). Such a video clipboard may, for
example,
assist in a refund explanation by providing the customer with an index into
previous
visual information to accompany previous notes taken during a purchase. This
system
is especially beneficial when encountering department store representatives
who do
not wear name tags and who refuse to identify themselves by name (as is often
the
case when they know they have done something wrong such as disrespect a
customer).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
It is an object of this invention to provide a method of positioning a camera
to take
a picture or video of a subject without the subject's knowledge or at least
without
the subject's being certain as to whether or not said picture or video is
being taken.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a means of recording a
picture or
video where the spatial extent (field of view) of the image may be ascertained
without
having to hold any device up to the eye.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a method of taking a
picture
or video where the tonal characteristics of the picture may be ascertained
without
having to hold any device up to the eye.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a method of taking a
picture
or video where no apparent difference in body movement or gesture between when
a
picture is being taken and when no picture is being taken is detectable by
others.
It is a further object of this invention to provide the user with a means of
deter-
mining the composition of the picture from a display device that is located
such that
only the user can see the display device, a,nd so that the user can ascertain
the com-
position of a picture or take a picture or video and transmit images) to one
or more
remote locations without the knowledge of others in the immediate environment,
or
without others in the environment being certain whether or not such picture or
video
is being captured.
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CA 02237939 1998-06-29
It is a further object of this invention to provide a means and apparatus for
a user
to capture a. plurality of images of the same scene or objects, in a natural
process
of simply sliding a small object around on a countertop, and then have these
images
combined together into a single image of .increased spatial extent, spatial
resolution,
dynamic range, or tonal fidelity.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a camera with viewfinder
means
for collaboration between the user of the apparatus and one or more other
persons
at remote locations through the manipulation of virtual objects such as
cursors, or
computer graphics renderings displayed upon the camera viewfinder.
It is a further object of this invention to allow multiple users of the
invention,
whether at remote locations or side--by-side, or in. the same room within each
other's
field of view, to interact with one another through the collaborative
capabilities of
the apparatus.
It is a further object of this invention to allow multiple users of the
invention, at
remote locations, to collaborate in such a way that a virtual environment is
shared in
which camera-based camera-tracking of each user results in acquisition of
video an<l
subsequent generation of virtual information being made available to the
other(s).
It is a further object of this invention to allow multiple users of the
invention,
at the same location, to collaborate in such a way that multiple camera
viewpoints
may be shared among the users so that they can advise each other on matters
such
as composition, or so that one or more viewers at remote locations can advise
one or
more of the users on matters such as composition or camera angle.
It is a further object of this invention to allow multiple users of the
invention, at
different locations, to collaborate on a project or endeavour that may not
pertain to
photography or videography directly, but a project or endeavour nevertheless
that is
enhanced b;y the ability for each person to experience the viewpoint of
another.
It is a further object of this invention t;o allow one or more remote
participants at
conventional desktop computers or the like to interact with one or more users
of the
7
CA 02237939 1998-06-29
invention, at one or more other locations, to collaborate on a project or
endeavour that
may not pertain to photography or videography directly, but a project or
endeavour
nevertheless that is enhanced by the abilii;y for one or more users of the
invention to
either provide or obtain advice from or to another individual at a remote
location.
It is a further object of this invention to facilitate a very close-up camera
angle,
from slightly below the subject of the picture or video, most notably so that
the
camera can be brought closer to the subje<;t than would be acceptable for the
body of
the camera operator, so that the personal space of the subject can be violated
more
effectively than with a body-worn <:amera, such as that of the WearCam
invention.
It is a further object of this invention to facilitate the creation of a
database
comprising video records linked to ;associated hand-written notes.
It is a further object of this invention to facilitate the creation of video
records
linked to associated capture of handwriting and other information in and
around the
immediate environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: Informal review of what the new
invention does
One aspect of the invention allows the user to take notes with pen and paper
(or
pen and screen) and continuously record video together with the written notes.
Even
if there is in.sufFrcient memory to capture a continuous video recording, the
invention
can be designed so the user will alvrays end up with the ability to produce a
picture
from something that was seen a couple of minutes ago. This may be useful to
everyone
in the sense that we may not want to miss a great photo opportunity, and often
great
photo opportunities only become known to us after we have had time to think
about
something we previously saw. At the very least, if for example, a department
store
owner or manager becomes angry and insulting too the customer, the customer
may
retroactively record the event, by opening a circular buffer.
Such an apparatus might also be of use in personal safety. Although there are
a
growing number of video surveillance cameras installed in the environment
allegedly
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CA 02237939 1998-06-29
for "public safety", there have been recent questions as to the true benefit
of such
centralized surveillance infrastructures. Most notably there have been several
exam-
ples in which such centralized infrastructure has been abused by the owners of
it (as
in roundups and detainment of peaceful demonstrators). Moreover, "public
safety"
systems ma,y fail to protect individuals against crimes committed by members
of the
organizations that installed the systems. ,Accordingly, embodiments of the
invention
often implement the storage and retrieval of images by transmitting and
recording
images at one or more remote locations. In one embodiment of the invention,
images
were transmitted and recorded in different countries, so that they would be
difFrcult
to destroy, in the event that the perpetrator of a crime or other misconduct
might
wish to do so.
The invention allows images to be captured in a natural manner, without giving
an unusual appearance to others (such as an abusive official).
Moreover, as an artistic tool of personal expression, the apparatus allows the
user
to record, f~°om a new perspective, experiences that have been
difficult to so record
in the past. For example, a customer might be able to record an argument with
a
fraudulent business owner from a very close camera angle. This is possible
because
a clipboard may be extended outward toward the person without violating
personal
space in the same way as might be necessary to do the same with a camera hid-
den in a tie clip, baseball cap, or sunglasses. Since a clipboard may extend
outward
from the body, it may be placed closer to the subject than the normal eye
viewpoint
in normal face-to-face conversation. As a result, the camera can capture a
very
close-up view of the subject. Such a view is often more desirable than the
view ob-
tainable from a telephoto lens located in eyeglasses (e.g. telephoto
embodiment of the
WearCam invention because the close-up view also provides a dramatic and power-
ful composition, from underneath the subject's face, and is therefore most
suitable,
cinematographically, for capturing the menacing nature of a corrupt or
disrespectful
ofFrcial.
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CA 02237939 1998-06-29
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of examples which
in no way are meant to limit the scope of the invention, but, rather, these
examples
will serve to illustrate the invention with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 ~a a diagram of a simple embodiment; of the invention in which there is
a camera borne by a personal digital assistant (1?DA) which has a separate
display
attached to it to function as a viewfinder for the camera.
FIG. 2 is a diagram of an alternate embodiment of the camera system in which a
graphics tablet is concealed under a pad of paper and an electronic pen is
concealed
inside an ordinary ink pen so that all of the writing on the paper is captured
and
recorded electronically together with video from i;he subject.
FIG. 3 illustrates a wristwatch embodiment of the invention in which a camera
concealed inside the watch sends video to a covert body-worn computer system
which
transmits the video to a remote site where it is processed by one or more
remote
experts and advice from the remote experts) i.s displayed on a computer screen
on the face of the watch together with time, date, and video from the camera
(fo:r
viewfinder purposes).
FIG. 4 depicts a close-up view of the wristwatch display, which happens to be
the display of a body-worn computer running XFree86 on top of the Linux
operating
system, which facilitates the display of an "xclock" together with other
material such
as video from the camera (so the display can function as a viewfinder), and
various
menu items suitable for a wristwat<:h videotelephone.
While the invention shall now be described with reference to the preferred em-
bodiments shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the intention is
not
to limit the invention only to the particular embodiments shown but rather to
cover
a,ll alterations, modifications and e~~uivalent arrangements possible within
the scope
of appended claims.
1. 0
CA 02237939 1998-06-29
In all as-pects of the present invention, references to "camera" mean any
device or
collection of devices capable of simultaneously determining a quantity of
light arriving
from a plurality of directions and or at a plurality of locations, or
determining some
other attribute of light arriving from a plurality of directions and or at a
plurality
of locations. Similarly references to "display" shall not be limited to just
television
monitors or traditional televisions used for the display of video from a
camera near or
distant, but shall also include computer data display means, computer data
monitors,
other video display devices, still picture display devices, ASCII text display
devices
and the like.
References to "video" shall include any signal that includes one or more
streams
of visible pictures, together with one or snore audio channels from one or
more mi-
crophones. Thus the term "video" may, for example, refer to a signal recorded
from
two cameras and several microphor,{es arranged in an array, to be later
processed for
beamforming purposes or to be processed in such a way as to project a
nullspace
toward unwanted audible interference such as thc~ sound of a vacuum cleaner in
the
appliances section of a Sears department store during the shooting of a
documenatary
video there. The term "video" shall also be taken to include intermediate
representa-
tions of signals derived from cameras, microphones, and associated auxiliary
sensors.
Examples of such intermediate representations shall include, but not be
limited to,
recording of some number M of audio channels from some number N of
microphones,
where M may be less than l1~'. Examples of "video" may also include image
represen-
tations from multiple electromagnetic sensors represented as a single signal.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION WITH
REFERENCE TO DRAWINGS
Fig 1 shows an embodiment of the invention built into a PDA 100. A video
camera
110 captures a view of a person standing in front of the user of the PDA and
displays
the image on an auxiliary screen 120, which may be easily concealed by the
user's
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CA 02237939 1998-06-29
hand while the user is writing or p~ertending to write on the PDA's screen 130
with
pen 140. In commercial embodiments of l;he invention the auxiliary screen 120
may
not be necessary, as it may be implemented as a window displaying the camera's
view on a portion of the main screen 130. Annotations made on screen 130 with
pen
140 may also be captured and stored together with videoclips from camera 110,
so
that there is a unified database in which the notes and annotations are linked
with
the video. .An optional second camera 150 may be used if the user wishes to
make
a video recording of himself/herself while recording another person with
camera 110.
In this way. both sides of the conversation may be simultaneously recorded by
the
two cameras, so that the resulting recordings could be edited later, so that
there
could, for example, be a cut back and forth between the two cameras to follow
the
natural flow of the conversation. Such a recording might, for example, be used
for an
investigative journalism story on corrupt department store owners who
illegally chain
their fire exits shut. In the early prototypes, an additional wire 160 was run
up thc>
sleeve of the user into a separate body worn pack 170 powered by its own
battery pack
172. The body worn pack typically contains a computer system 174 which houses
video capture hardware and is connected to a communications system 176
comprising
packet radio terminal node controller (high level data link controller with
modem) and
radio, which typically establishes are Internet connection by way of antenna
178. The
body-worn pack 170 would likely disappear in the final embodiment of the
invention
which would contain the functionality of the pack 170 inside the hand-held
device
loo.
Fig 2 de~?icts an alternate embodiment of the invention depicted in Fig 1 in
which
the invention is built into an ordinary clipboard 200. Video camera 210
displays on
a minature screen 220 mounted to the clipboard. A folded back piece of paper
230
conceals the screen 220. The rest of the sheets of paper 231 are placed
slightly below
the top sheet 230, so that the user can write on. them in a natural fashion.
From
the perspecrive of someone facing the user (the subject), the clipboard will
have the
12
CA 02237939 1998-06-29
appearance of a normal clipboard in which the top sheet 230 appears to be part
of
the stack 231. Pen 240 is a combined electronic pen and real pen, so that the
user
can simultaneously write on the paper with real ink, as well as make an
electronic
annotation by virtue of a graphics tablet below the stack of paper 231,
provided that
the stack is not excessively thick. In this way there is a computer database
linking the
real physical paper with its pen strokes and the video recorded of the
subject. From
a legal point of view, real physical pen strokes ma,y have some forensic value
that the
electronic material may not (e.g. if the department store owner asks the
customer to
sign something, or even just to sign for a credit card transaction, the
customer may
place it over the pad 231 and use the special pen 240 to capture the signature
in the
customer's own computer and index; it to the video record). Wire 260 going
from the
clipboard, up the sleeve of the user, would be eliminated through construction
of a
self-contained video clipboard.
Fig 3 depicts a wristwatch embodiment 300 of the invention depicted in Fig 1.
Camera 310 points forward such that, for example, while a customer is wearing
the
wristwatch embodiment of the invention and is standing at a counter, he or she
can
place his or her arm naturally upon the counter and aim the camera 310 at the
of
ficial behind the counter without appearing unusual. The video of the official
seen
by camera 310 is displayed on display unit 320, so that display unit 320
functions as
a viewfinder to assist the customer in aiming the camera 310. An optional
second
camera 350 may be included if the custorrrer wishes to record himself/herself
so that
both sides of the conversation would be recorded. Cabling 360 runs from the
cam-
eras) 310 (and 350) inside the wrist strap, emerging at the back of the wrist
strap
where it will be concealed from view by the official. Cabling 360 runs up the
sleeve of
the wearer of the watch, to an Internet-connected body-worn computer system,
the
output of which runs back down cabling 3fi0 out to the display 320. In this
way video
from camera 310 may be transmitted and recorded at remote sites, while the
wearer
of the wristwatch may be advised by a remote legal expert on the best approach
for
13
CA 02237939 1998-06-29
dealing with the corrupt or disrespectful official. In future embodiments, the
cabling
360 may be eliminated, so that the unit would k>e either entirely self-
contained, or
would communicate wirelessly with a body-worn computer/repeater/internet gate-
way station or a computer/repeater/internet gateway station carried in a
briefcase or
the like.
Interaction with the wristwatch version of the invention depicted in Fig 3 may
be
done through a pen-based or touch-based interface to the screen, in the form
of <~
so-called "pie menu" as described in Callahan, Hopkins, Weiser and
Shneiderman,
1988, or by using a "unistroke shorthand" as invented by Goldberg and
Richardson,
1993.
Fig 4 depicts a natural choice of pie menu for a wristwatch display. Display
400
is typically .a, computer screen with 480 pixels down and 640 pixels across,
measuring
approximately 0.7 inches on the diagonal. Upon display 400 is the image of a
clock
face, superimposed on top of a. video signal from the camera. Time is
displayed as <~,
video picture, similar to the way that time is displayed on a UNIX workstation
using
the "xclock" program. Thus the "hands" of the clock 410 are realized by a
video image
in which pi}:els are darker (or lighter) in the region of the hands, and in
this way the
embodiment of the camera invention tells time. In the figure depicted here,
the time is
4:03. Thus ~~he device truly looks like an ordinary wristwatch (although one
in which
the hands are displayed electronically) because it is in fact a wristwatch,
among other
things. It is natural for such a wristwatch to have a circle 420 displayed on
the screen,
and to have numbers 430 displayed around the periphery of said circle. In this
way
it is easier to tell time, and also the numbers may be assigned a secondary
meaning
(e.g. select "0" to stop recording, "4" to kill all processes and halt the
processor, "7"
to wake up the system from sleep mode, etc.).
Since humans are quite good at telling; time, often the numbers are missing
from
many commercial wristwatches, and some wristwatches do not even have markings
for each hour. Instead, we often rely on our heightend sense of visual acuity
to discern
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CA 02237939 1998-06-29
the angle of the hands upon the clockface. Thus it is no surprise that the
clock menu
is usable without paying much attention to the face of the clock. The user
just needs
to stroke the face of the clock in the direction desired {e.g. stroke the
clockface in the
2:00 direction to enter the number "2" ).
The entry of numbers on a touch sensitive clockface in the context of the
current
invention m.ay be done as vectors (e.g. with no regard to location, only
regard to
direction). Thus a stroke from left to right is reg<rrded as the number "3"
regardless
of where the stroke begins or ends. A downwards stroke (e.g. from top to
bottom) is
regarded as the number "6" regardless of where the stroke begins or ends, and
so on.
Thus telephone numbers can be easily entered into the device, and similarly an
alphabet 490 can be constructed much like the alphabet of an automated DTMF
answering system used for voicemail and t;he like in telephony.
Such a menu may be implemented with touchscreen, or alternatively small push~-
buttons around the periphery of the clock face may be used. Since there are 12
pushbuttons on a telephone, and there are also 12 hours on a clock face, there
can be
a one to on.' correspondence between the numbers of the clockface and those of
the
telephone. 'rhe hours 10:00 and 11:00 are used for the symbols "*" and "~, "
of the
telephone touchpad.
The data entered by way of the clock face menu is typically combined with the
video recording made from the scene. Of course the amount of information taken
down
may be less than that in the embodiments of the invention described in Fig 1
and
Fig 2, but the clock face menu is su:Fficient for entering a department store
manager's
name, which may be appended to the video file header, so that later a large
database
of recorded video may be navigated using; these short text headers. Of course
GPS
and file cre;~tion are also important as in. the other embodiments of the
invention.
Moreover, due to direct contact between the watch and the body, the pulse
(heart
rate), as well as skin conductivity (sweatiness index) of the wearer may be
determined
and this information may be appended to or recorded with the video signals.
This
CA 02237939 1998-06-29
may facilitate, for example, a future search through all video in which the
wearer's
heart rate exceeds a certain threshold. It has been found that when a
department
store mana~;er is dishonest with respect to refund policies, or a clerk
refuses to tell
a customer his/her name, that the customer's heart rate increases
dramatically, and
the customer often sweats profusely. Thus this extra information can later
help locate
moments of tension in a previously recorded argument at the refund counter.
BENEFITp OF 7,HE INVENTION
The vast proliferation of video surveillance throughout various establishments
such
as department stores, public parks, streets, and even changerooms (Newsweek,
July
17, 1995) is propagated with a promise to a better, safer world. However,
represen-
tatives and architects of this surveillance superhighway may continue to be
corrupt.
For example, although cameras reduce and deter shoplifting, there continue to
be sit-
nations where shopkeepers illegally chain shut fire exits, or refuse to be
accountable
in other ways (such as making promises with resp<~ct to refund policy and then
failing
to keep these promises later). Extreme situations include the murder of a
customer
suspected of (and falsely accused o~f) shoplifting by a department store owner
(see,
for example, the Latasha Harlins case) where the department store owner shot
the
customer in the back as she turned to walk out of the store.
Thus one benefit of the invention is to provide personal safety, and to ensure
accountability to those who might otherwi;~e escape accountability. These
benefits are
especially useful in a totalitarian regime (a regime which wishes to know
everything
about others but reveal nothing about itself). A typical department store
(where video
surveillance is used extensively yet photography and video by customers is
prohibited)
is a prime example of where the proposed invention may assist in providing
some
degree of balance with respect to rrmtual accountability.
Furthermore, the invention is useful as a new communications medium, in the
context of ~~ollaborative photography, collaborative videography, and
telepresence.
16
CA 02237939 1999-O1-18
One way in which the invention can be useful for telepresence is in the
creation of
video orbits (collections of pictures that exist in approximately the same
orbit of the
projective group of coordinate transformations). A video orbit can be
constructed
using the clipboard embodiment in which a small rubber bump is made on the
bottom
of the clipboard right under the camera's center of projection. In this way,
when the
clipboard is rested upon a surface such as a countertop, it can be panned
around
this fixed point, so that video recorded from the camera can be used to
assemble a
panorama or orbit of greater spatial extent than a single picture. Similarly
with the
wristwatch embodiment, a small rubber bump on the bottom of the wristband
allows
the wearer to place the wrist upon a countertop and rotate the entire arm and
wrist
about a fixed point. Either embodiment is very well suited to shooting a high
quality
panoramic picture or orbit of an official behind a high counter, as is
typically found
at a department store, bank, or other organization.
Moreover, the invention may perform other useful tasks such as functioning as
a
personal safety device and crime deterrent by virtue of its ability to
maintain a video
diary transmitted and recorded at multiple remote locations. As a tool for
photo-
journalists and reporters, the invention has clear advantages over other
competing
technologies.
OTHER EMBODIMENTS
From the foregoing description, it will thus be evident that the present
invention
provides a design for a hand-held or wrist-worn camera with viewfinder means.
As
various changes can be made in the above embodiments and operating methods
with-
out departing from the spirit or scope of the following claims, it is intended
that all
matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying
drawings
should be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
Variations or modifications to the design and construction of this invention,
within
the scope of the appended claims, may occur to those skilled in the art upon
reviewing
17
CA 02237939 1999-O1-18
the disclosure herein. Such variations or modifications, if within the spirit
of this
invention, are intended to be encompassed within the scope of any claims to
patent
protection issuing upon this invention.
18
