US 7,173,651 · Granted 2007-02-06

The Wireless Camera Patent That Dreamed Up Instant Photo Sharing

Imagine a camera that automatically sends photos to your email or a server the moment you take them, without any cables or fussing around. This patent describes a system where you can configure where your pictures go and who sees them, all controlled from a website—basically an early blueprint for cloud-connected photography.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a wireless camera apparatus that automatically captures digital images and transmits them to a remote destination (either an email account or a server) without user intervention between shots. What's protected here is the combination of wireless transmission, simultaneous capture-while-sending capability, and the ability to configure storage, archival, and distribution options through a secured Internet interface connected to the camera. The system also protects the mechanism for downloading distribution lists and processing rules back to the camera itself.

Why it matters

This patent was filed in 1999 and granted in 2007, landing right in the middle of the mobile revolution. It describes architectural principles—wireless capture, cloud delivery, and remote configuration—that became foundational to how modern cameras, smartphones, and IoT devices handle photo sharing today. The ability to automate photo distribution and let users manage it via the web was genuinely novel when this was written, before Instagram, cloud storage, and smartphone cameras made it routine.

Real-world use

Security cameras that email you a photo when motion is detected, or business cameras that automatically upload images to a company server for archival and distribution to team members.

Original USPTO abstract

The invention comprises a wireless camera apparatus and system for automatic capture and delivery of digital image “messages” to a remote system at a predefined destination address. Initial transmission occurs via a wireless network, and the apparatus process allows the simultaneous capture of new messages while transmissions are occurring. The destination address may correspond to an e-mail account, or may correspond to a remote server from which the image and data can be efficiently processed and/or further distributed. In the latter case, data packaged with the digital message is used to control processing of the message at the server, based on a combination of pre-defined system and user options. Secured Internet access to the server allows flexible user access to system parameters for configuration of message handling and distribution options, including the option to build named distribution lists which are downloaded to the wireless camera. For example, configuration data specified on the server may be downloaded to the wireless camera to allow users to quickly specify storage and distribution options for each message, such as archival for later retrieval, forwarding to recipients in a distribution list group, and/or immediate presentation to a monitoring station for analysis and follow-up. The apparatus and system is designed to provide quick and simple digital image capture and delivery for business and personal use.

Patent details

Publication number: US 7,173,651
Filing date: 1999-06-02
Grant date: 2007-02-06
Assignee: Knowles Andrew T
Inventor(s): KNOWLES ANDREW T.
CPC class: H04N1/00214

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