Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
y~y ~.a~ ;~FRTV
i::~-
Jt~N 2 ~ 1999
pp~pR~ETE INTELLECTUELLE
Patent Application ~~'~'v - . ruCT
of
W. Steve G. Mann
for
WRISTWATCH-BASED VIDEOCONFERENCING SYSTEM
of which the following is a specification:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains generally to a portable videoconferencing
system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A wearable camera system called WearCam, that has web-based videoconferenc-
ing capability, has been disclosed in, for example, IEEE Computer, Vol 30, No
2, or
equivalently http:~~wearcam.org~ieeecomputer.html (see also
http:~~wearcomp.org~wearpubs.html),
as well as in Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol 86, No 11, or equivalently
http:~~hi.eecg.toronto.edu~hi.htrr
Unfortunately embodiments of the WearCam invention typically require special
prepa-
ration such as special clothing, and special wiring of the body a-priori. Such
systems
will work for those dedicated to being constantly wired with various
computational
and sensory apparatus incorporated into special clothing, but there are a good
many
individuals who may wish to obtain a similar kind of convenience with a lesser
change
of lifestyle.
The invention is related to the general ideas of personal electronic devices
such as
wristwat<:hes, that can be used naturally in ordinary day-to-day life.
There is also an important connection to portable computers, mobile computing,
and wearable computers (See for example, IEEE Computer, Vol 30 No 2).
L1.S. Pat. No.4780864 describes a combination wristwatch and bike computer.
U.S. Pat. No.5852401 held by Casio corp., describes a distress sending
wristwatch
that transmits the last known GPS location it has sensed, during time of
distress.
1
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
U.S. Pat. No.S i 38104 describes a wristwatch that senses EKG.
L1.S. Pat. No.4106283 describes a wristwatch television.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The basic principle of the invention is that a camera and display mounted in a
wristwatch can be used as part of a videoconferencing system, based on a
wearable
computer equipped with wireless communications capability.
Ordinarily, it is quite difficult to build all of the components of a
videophone
into a wristwatch. However, many people who wear a wristwatch also wear other
personal electronics devices such as a pager. portable music player, or
wearable cellular
telephone, as well as a wearable computer of some kind. Since these devices
are
already on the body, a wristwatch containing both a camera and display can
function
as a point of contact for videoconferencing. With a body worn computer
accepting
input from a camera in the wristwatch, and with the display of the wristwatch
being
responsive to an output of the computer, a complete videoconferencing system
is
easily attained using today's technology.
In some embodiments, the camera may be worn elsewhere on the body. In other
embodiments, some or all of the function of the processor may be incorporated
directly
in a wristworn housing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect this invention provides a method of positioning a wristwatch
borne
camera to take a still picture or motion picture, while viewing a wristwatch
borne
video display that shows the picture signal.
In another aspect this invention provides a means of recording a picture where
the spatial extent (field of view of the image may be ascertained from a
wristwatch
borne video display that shows the picture signal from a wearable camera
located
elsewhere on the body.
2
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
In another aspect this invention provides the user with a means of determining
the composition of the picture from a wristworn display device, so that the
user can
ascertain the composition of a picture or take a picture or video and transmit
images)
to one or more remote locations.
In another aspect this invention provides a camera with viewfinder means for
col-
laboration 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 a wristwatch borne camera viewfinder.
In another aspect this invention allows 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.
In another aspect this invention allows 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 and
subse-
quent generation of virtual information being made available to the other(s).
In another aspect this invention allows multiple users of the invention, at
different
locations, to have a videoconference in a natural and unencumbered manner,
such
that they can carry on such a videoconference while walking down the street,
or doing
other day-to-day activities.
In another aspect this invention to facilitates a very close-up camera angle,
from
slightly below the subject of the picture or video.
In another aspect this invention provides the user with means of sending
pictures
to least one remote location.
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
3
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
will serve to illustrate the invention with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 illustrates the wristwatch videoconferencing system of the invention in
which a camera concealed inside the watch sends video to a covert body-worn
com-
puter 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) is displayed on
a
computer screen on the face of the watch together with time, date, and video
from
the camera (for viewfinder purposes, etc.).
FIG. 2 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 GNUX 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 wristwatch videotelephone.
FIG. 3 depicts a strain relief attachable to the inside of a shirt sleeve.
FIG. 4 depicts the block diagram of an embodiment of the invention including
various involuntary inputs (biosensors of the invention for measuring
physiological
quantities) and voluntary inputs (pushbuttons, etc.) that affect the capture
of pic-
tures or the status of the videoconferencing computer.
FIG. 5a depicts the general appearance of the wristwatch videophone embodiment
of the portable video production facility.
FIG. 5b depicts the nontransparent clockface in detail.
FIG. 5c depicts, in detail, a clockface that is either transparent overall, or
possibly
only polarizationally transparent.
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
all alterations, modifications and equivalent arrangements possible within the
scope
of appended claims.
4
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
In all aspects 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 more 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 microphones 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 the 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
dons 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 N. 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 depicts a wristwatch videoconferencing system. The wristwatch
videoconfer-
encing system may have one or more cameras. In particular it may have a camera
150 that points at the wearer, as in traditional videoconferencing, but it may
instead
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
have a camera 110 pointing forward such that, for example, while the wearer is
in
face--to-face conversation with another person video of both the wearer and
the other
person will be transmitted to one or more remote participants, so that the
wearer and
the other person can both participate in a conversation with the one or more
remote
participants. The video from either of cameras 150 and 110 can be displayed on
dis-
play unit 120, so that display unit 120 functions as a viewfinder to assist
the wearer
in aiming one of these cameras. Optionally, additional cameras worn elsewhere
on
the body, such as in eyeglasses or in a necktie, may be aimed using display
unit 120
as a viewfinder. The conversation may be recorded, in addition to, or instead
of be-
ing transmitted, multiple cameras being useful so that both sides of the
conversation
would be recorded or transmitted.
If the wearer of the wristworn system is also wearing eyeglasses, the
eyeglasses may
contain a downprism so that the wearer of the special glasses can look
downward at
a wristwatch or the like, with a portion of the wearer's visual field of view.
The
downprisrn can be concealed to look like ordinary bifocal eyeglasses, where
the lower
portion of the eyeglasses comprises a prism that directs light coming from
below into
the eyes, so that the wearer can see almost directly downward within a small
portion
of the view.
Cabling 160 runs from the. cameras) 150 (and 110) inside the wrist strap,
emerging
at the back of the wrist strap where it will be concealed from view. Cabling
160
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 160 out to the
display
120. In this way video from camera 150 or 110 may be transmitted or recorded
at remote sites, while the wearer of the. wristwatch may be advised by a
remote
participant on the best approach for dealing with the situation. In other
embodiments
of the invention, the cabling 160 is eliminated, so that the unit is either
entirely self-
contained, or communicates wirelessly with a body-worn
computer/repeater/internet
gateway station or a computer/repeater/internet gateway station carried in a
briefcase
6
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
or the like.
Interaction with the wristwatch version of the invention depicted in Fig 1 may
be
done through a pen-based or touch-based interface to the screen, in the form
of a
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 2 depicts a natural choice of pie menu for a wristwatch display. Display
200
is typically a computer screen with 480 pixels down and 640 pixels across,
measuring
approximately 0.7 inches on the diagonal. Upon display 200 is the image of a
clock
face, superimposed on top of a video signal from the camera. Time is displayed
as a
video picture, similar to the way that tune is displayed on a UNIX workstation
using
the ''xclock" program. Thus the "hands" of the clock 210 are realized by a
video
image in which pixels 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 the 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 clockface to have a
circle 220
displayed on the screen, and to have numbers 230 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 heightened sense of visual acuity to
discern
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").
7
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
The entry of numbers on a touch sensitive clockface in the context of the
current
invention may be done as vectors (e.g. with no regard to location, only regard
to
direction). Thus a stroke from left to right is regarded 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 240 can be constructed much like the alphabet of an automated DTMF
answering system used for voicemail and the 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 one correspondence between the numbers of the clockface and those of
the
telephone. The 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
videoconferncing capability of the wristwatch. Of course the amount of
information
exchanged may be less than that in traditional desktop computers using a two-
handed
keyboard, but the clock face menu is sufficient for entering a person's name,
which
may be sent to notify a remote participant who the wearer is talking to.
Due to direct contact between the watch and the body, the pulse (heart rate),
as
well as skin conductivity (sweatiness index) of the wearer, and other similar
physio-
logical information may be determined and this information may be conveyed to
one
or more remote sites for personal safety, or new forms of communication.
Fig 3 depicts the strain relief for the wristwatch embodiment in which the
sender
sending pictures from camera to computer and from computer to display comprise
wires.
Wires 160 run inside a shirtsleeve of the wearer, who is wearing a long
sleeved
shirt. Wires 160 are anchored inside the shirtsleeve at a point between the
wrist and
8
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
elbow, or at a point between the elbow and shoulder, or at one or more other
points
inside the shirt.
Cabling 160 runs up the forearm and is strain relieved inside the sleeve of
the
forearm with forearm strain relief 310. It then runs through a small loop 320
located
at the elbow joint of the arm. Loop 320 provides enough slack that the arm can
fold
at the elbow without tugging at cabling 160, hence ensuring that cabling 160
will
have a long life. Strain relief 330 is a further strain relief that clips to
the inside of
the shirt at the aftarm, near the biceps. Loop 340 is located at the shoulder
joint to
allow enough slack for the arm to rotate at the shoulder. Optional strain
relief 350 is
a further strain relief that clips inside the shirt at the torso area of the
body.
l~ of all three strain reliefs 310, 330, and 350 are necessary, but preferably
there is
at least one such strain relief used.
Fig 4 depicts an embodiment of the invention in block diagram form. Processor
400 receives input from camera 410. Processor 400 may also send information
back
to camera 410 by way of camera control input 411, so that shutter speed,
integration
time, aperture, focus, or the like can be controlled by processor 400.
Alternatively,
camera 410 may have a bidirectional lint: sending packets of video to
processor 400
with a high level protocol that involves bidirectional communication to
confirm re-
ceived packets and possibly retransmit when packets are lost. In this way
control
input 411 is not explicitly needed, and may be absorbed into a packet protocol
that
encompasses bidirectional data. communications between processor 400 and
camera
410.
Display 420 is responsive to an output of processor 400 so that it can show
the
wearer of the wristwatch the time of day, which is kept by a realtime clock of
proces-
sor 400. Time of day is typically kept within a clock that has its own battery
backup
so that when processor 400 is turned off and later turned on, the time is
still correct.
Time is typically set once, e.g. using the GNUX (GNUS-Linux) date command, fol-
lowed by the GNUX /sbin/clock -w command, and then remains correct thereafter.
9
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
A global. positioning system built into the wristwatch may receive satellite
signals so
that the clock would automatically be set appropriately for a given time zone,
and in
this case, the time may be set to UTC or GMT at all times, with a correction
for the
time displayed in a given timezone.
In many embodiments, there is at least one microphone built into the watch for
recording the audio portion of the video that is recorded by the camera 410.
Moreover.
the microphone can also serve as a speech recognizes to accept commands from
the
user.
To watch previously recorded video upon display 420 there is typically one or
two earpieces 440 that carry the audio portion of the video displayed on
display 420,
earpieces) 440 being responsive to an output of processor 400.
At least some of the functionality of processor 400 is typically controlled by
vol-
untary inputs 450 which may include pushbutton switches on the wristworn
housing.
Additionally, heart rate, or full EKG waveform information determined from
sensors
in the watchband may also feed into processor 400. Other physiological
quantities of
the wearer, such as blood volume, blood flow related, etc., and a measure of
sweatiness
or skin conductivity may also feed into processor 400. These involuntary
inputs 460
can be used by processor 400 to make inferences about such things as video
capture
frame rate, or whether or not to take one or more still pictures.
Additional outputs 470 may include direct electrical stimulation of the skin
by
wa,y of a very small electric shock or the like, so that the wearer can
unobtrusively
obtain information from processor 400. Such information may include the time
of
day, encoded as various combinations of electric shocks. Vibrotactile devices
may be
used in place of electrodes, so that vibration is used instead of the electric
shocks. A
combination of electric shocks and vibration may also be used to give greater
overall
resolution, allowing a. larger number of distinctly perceptible output
channels to be
used.
Fig 5a depicts a wristwatch videophone embodiment of the portable video pro-
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
duction facility, showing the buttons 500 on the watch, which may be used to
set the
time, select various modes, open up a secret videoconferencing channel, choose
the
form of encryption, select image compression quality, video capture frame
rate, etc.,
as well as choose which clockface will be displayed.
The clock is represented electronically as an array of time-varying pixels,
with a
clockface 510 that has electronically represented hands upon it. Behind
clockface 510
there is the main window 521 of the screen 520, showing the text of this
patent ap-
plication, which was prepared using the wristwatch-based computer with an
external
keyboard plugged into it.
The wristwatch has a watchband made in two sections, a first inward portion
540,
with velcro receptor and a second outward portion 550 with velcro hooks. The
inward
portion 540 of the watchband is used for concealing wiring running to and from
the
wristwatch, connecting it with other bodyworn devices. In a wireless
embodiment
of the invention, antennas or electrodes or other body contacts are placed in
either
or both of the watchband portions. In the wireless embodiment, the watchband
is
preferably made of nonconductive material such as nonconductive cloth. The
anten-
nas or electrodes or other body contacts may be woven into the fabric, in the
form of
conductive fabrics, or conductive threads within nonconductive fabrics.
Fig 5b depicts a closeup of the screen 520 of the wristwatch videophone embodi-
ment of the portable video production facility. A clockface 510 has an
electronically
represented minute hand 511 and hour hand 512, as well as a second hand 513.
The
second hand provides a lively appearance to the oclock, and would convince the
aver-
age person looking at the screen 520 that the apparatus was a wristwatch,
especially
if main window 521 were blacked out by selecting a blackout option from
buttons
500. Pressing one of buttons 500 will then reveal the secret window 521 behind
the
clockface, whereupon the secret text of this patent application appears.
The oclock has displayed a jewel 514 so that a person asking the wearer what
time
it is can Eeasily read the time even if the watch is seen upside down or
sideways from
11
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
the extended arm of the wearer. The "O"-shaped border 515 also helps further
to
define the shape of the oclock.
The oclock has a large border 519 that hides part or all of window 521, so
that
the clock is easier to read, and also so that the main window 521 is harder to
read. A
single pressing of one of buttons 500 rapidly conceals window 521 behind
clockshroud
519, which in actual use fills completely the screen 520 rather than just part
of the
screen as illustrated in the drawing. Thus the clockshroud would extend
outward all
the way to the edges of screen 520, so that none of main window 521 would be
visible.
Text cursor 522 would also be hidden by clockshroud 519.
Computer system 174 typically runs the GNUX (GNU-1-Linux) operating system
with XF86 variant of X-windows. Screen 520 is typically 640 by 480 pixels in
true 24
bit color, so that good image fidelity results. The GNLTX (GNU+Linux~ command
oclock -transparent -geometry 480x480+80+0 is typically used to provide a nice
clockface that fills almost the entire screen, centered on the screen, yet may
be made
transparent by the wearer so that live video can be seen in the root window
beneath
it. In this manner, the entire apparatus has the appearance of an ordinary
wristwatch,
even when it is in operation as a videoconferencing system.
For the purposes of this disclosure, the term "oclock" shall be taken to mean
any
electronically displayed round clock face with electronically displayed hands,
and not
just that which typically runs under UNIX, GNUX, or X-windows. The oclock may
comprise only two electronically displayed hands, a minute hand and an hour
hand, or
it may also include an electronically displayed sweep second hand, to give the
clock
a more lively appearance. An oclock may include an "O"-shaped ring encircling
around the outside of the hands, but it is not necessary that this ring be
present.
The clockface may or may not have numbers, depending on personal taste. It may
also have an electronically displayed "jewel" at the top of the clockface, to
make it
easier for others to see the time, even if shown the display of the watch
upside-down
or sideways (as might be the case when onlookers ask the wearer for the time.
12
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
The clockface of the oclock will typically be transparent so that only the
hands,
and possibly a jewel or "O"-shaped ring encircling around the outside of the
hands
will block what is underneath. The hands and possibly a jewel or "O"-shaped
ring
encircling around the outside of the hands may also be rendered partially
transpar-
ent, either by selection of an alpha blending parameter, or by other means,
such as
e:rcl-usive or of the pixel values in the region defined by these hands and
possibly other
clockface features.
F'ig 5c. depicts a closeup of the screen 520 in secret mode, after a single
pressing of
one of the buttons 500 unconceals window 521 by making clockshroud 519
disappear.
In this mode the portion of the screen 5'?9 that was covered by clockshroud
519 can
now be read. Moreover, the jewel is eliminated, because this secret mode is
for the
eyes of the wearer only, and there is no longer a need to tell time when the
clock is
being observed from odd viewpoints. The second hand is also eliminated so it
is not
distracting to the wearer, who can now more easily read the entire screen 520.
A small handheld chortling keyboard such as that sold under the tradename Twid-
dler (TNf) manufactured by Handykey Corp, can be used to type with. A wireless
version of a chortling keyboard may also be concealed in a pocket, so that
with one
hand in a pocket, the wearer can type short messages or computer commands
while
looking a.t the wristwatch display 620.
Text cursor .522 thus functions in a normal fashion once window 520 is
selected.
There may be multiple windows like window 521, and some of these may be text,
some may be graphics, and some may be live video or still pictures. Window 521
may
be used to display live video from the camera, or it may be used to play back
video.
Microphones and one or more earpieces are also part of the apparatus for use
as a
video recorder and player.
The function of the apparatus that allows windows to be quickly concealed by
an
opaque clock, or the like, is called a SECRETER, and the function of the
apparatus
that allows windows to be revealed is called an OPENER.
13
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
A SECRETER may perform a variety of functions such as hiding windows under
an opap_ie barrier, or under a clock, and making the clock become more complex
and
busy. The OPENER. may perform a variety of functions such as making the clock
simpler, more transparent, or perhaps causing the clock to disappear
altogether.
The OPENER may cause the clock hands to exclusive or with the background, so
that the wearer can see right through the hands themselves.
Alternatively, some ore all of the information on the screen may be
polarizationally
covert, so that it is visible only while wearing polarized glasses. Material
that is visible
to everyone, such as the clockface, is not polarizationally dependent.
Material meant
for the wearer only to see is polarizationally dependent, so that, for
example, right
circular polarized light represents the image for the wearer to see, and left
circular
polarized light is produced in the negative of the image, so that it cancels
the right
circularly polarized light, except for the wearer who wears special polarizing
glasses
that filter out the left circularly polarized negational light, which then no
longer
cancels the right circularly polarized light.
BENEFITS OF THE INVENTION
One benefit of the invention is to provide videoconferencing capability in a
small
portable device that is easy to use.
Furthermore, the invention is useful as a new communications medium, in the
context of natural collaboration among people on the move. The utility of
video-
conferencing is widely recognized, thus a wristworn videoconferencing system
that is
easy to use is also of clear benefit.
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 wristwatch-based videoconferencing system while rotating the wrist
in a
natural way. It can be panned around a fixed point, so that video recorded
from the
14
CA 02275784 1999-06-29
camera can be used to assemble a panorama or orbit of greater spatial extent
than a
single picture.
Moreover, the invention may perform other useful tasks such as functioning as
a
computer display, to show information such as stock quotations, short news
items, or
messages, upon the display of a wristwatch that also shows time and camera
output.
The wristworn display terminal may also be useful to show the output of
cameras
at a remote site, such as for keeping an eye on the home while traveling. By
confer-
encing into a remotely mounted security camera, one can have greater peace of
mind
with regard to a babysitter, or the like. The safety aspects of the present
invention
pertain to the ability of videoconferencing to provide visual information with
regards
to a remote view to a loved one, or to a space that one is about to enter. For
example,
a view inside or around one's car, prior to entering an underground parking
garage,
can help avoid or deter crime before it happens.
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
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.
