1. A distributed computer system, comprising a group of nodes, each having:
a network operating system enabling one-to-one messages and one-to-several messages between said nodes,
a first function capable of marking a pending message as in error,
a node failure storage function, and
a second function, responsive to the node failure storage function indicating a given node as failing, for calling said first function to force marking selected messages to that given node into error, the selected messages comprising pending messages which satisfy a given condition.
2. The distributed computer system of claim 1, wherein the second function, responsive to the node failure storage function indicating a given node as failing, is adapted to call said first function to further force marking selected future messages to said given node into error, the selected messages comprising future messages which satisfy a given condition.
3. The distributed computer system of claim 1, wherein the node failure storage function is arranged for storing identifications of failing nodes from successive lack of response of such a node to an acknowledgment-requiring message.
4. The distributed computer system of claim 1, wherein the given condition comprises the fact a message specifies the address of said given node as a destination address.
5. The distributed computer system of claim 1, wherein:
said group of nodes has a master node,
said master node having a node failure detection function, capable of:
repetitively sending an acknowledgment-requiring message from the master node to at least some of the other nodes,
responsive to a given node failure condition, involving possible successive lack of responses from the same node, storing identification of that node as a failing node in the node failure storage function of the master node, and sending a corresponding node status update message to all other nodes in the group, and
each of the non master nodes having a node failure registration function responsive to receipt of such a node status update message for updating a node storage function of the non master node.
6. The distributed computer system of claim 1, wherein the first and second functions are part of the operating system.
7. The distributed computer system of claim 5, wherein each node of the group having a node storage function for storing identifications of each node of the group and, responsive to the node failure storage function, updating identifications of failing nodes.
8. The distributed computer system of claim 1, wherein each node uses a messaging function called Transmission Transport Protocol.
9. The distributed computer system of claim 5, wherein the node failure detection function in master node uses a messaging function called User Datagram Protocol.
10. The distributed computer system of claim 5, wherein the node failure registration function in non master node uses a messaging function called User Datagram Protocol.
11. A method of managing a distributed computer system, comprising a group of nodes, said method comprising the steps of:
detecting at least one failing node in the group of nodes,
issuing identification of that given failing node to all nodes in the group of nodes,
responsive to the step of issuing identification of that given failing node to all nodes in the group of nodes:
storing an identification of that given failing node in at least one of the nodes,
calling a function in at least one of the nodes to force marking selected messages between that given failing node and said node into error, the selected messages comprising pending messages which satisfy a given condition.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of calling a function in at least one of the nodes to force marking selected messages between that given failing node and said node into error, the selected messages comprising pending messages which satisfy a given condition further comprises calling a function in at least one of the nodes to force marking selected messages between that given failing node and said node into error, the selected messages comprising future messages which satisfy a given condition.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises
repeating in time the steps of:
detecting at least one failing node in the group of nodes,
issuing identification of that given failing node to all nodes in the group of nodes,
responsive to the step of issuing identification of that given failing node to all nodes in the group of nodes:
storing an identification of that given failing node in at least one of the nodes,
calling a function in at least one of the nodes to force marking selected messages between that given failing node and said node into error, the selected
messages comprising pending messages which
satisfy a given condition.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the given condition in the step of calling a function in at least one of the nodes to force marking selected messages between that given failing node and said node into error comprises the fact a message specifies the address of said given node as a destination address.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of detecting at least one failing node in the group of nodes further comprises:
electing one of the nodes as a master node in the group of nodes,
repetitively sending an acknowledgment-requiring message from a master node to all nodes in the group of nodes,
responsive to a given node failure condition, involving possible successive lack of responses from the same node, storing identification of that node as a failing node in the master node.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein of detecting at least one failing node in the group of nodes further comprises storing identification of the given failing node in a master node list.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of detecting at least one failing node in the group of nodes further comprises deleting identification of the given failing node in the master node list.
18. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of issuing identification of that given failing node to all nodes in the group of nodes further comprises sending the master node list to all nodes in the group of nodes.
19. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of storing an identification of that given failing node in at least one of the nodes further comprises updating a node list in all nodes with the identification of the given failing node.
20. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of calling a function in at least one of the nodes to force marking selected messages between that given failing node and said node into error, the selected messages comprising pending messages which satisfy a given condition, further comprises calling the function in a network operating system of at least one node.
21. A software product, comprising the software functions used in a distributed computer system, comprising a group of nodes, each having:
a network operating system enabling one-to-one messages and one-to-several messages between said nodes,
a first function capable of marking a pending message as in error,
a node failure storage function, and
a second function responsive to the node failure storage function indicating a given node as failing, for calling said first function to force marking selected messages to that given node into error, the selected messages comprising pending messages which satisfy a given condition.
22. A software product, comprising the software functions for use in a method of managing a distributed computer system, comprising a group of nodes, said method comprising the steps of:
detecting at least one failing node in the group of nodes,
issuing identification of that given failing node to all nodes in the group of nodes,
responsive to the step of issuing identification of that given failing node to all nodes in the group of nodes:
storing an identification of that given failing node in at least one of the nodes,
calling a function in at least one of the nodes to force marking selected messages between that given failing node and said node into error, the selected messages comprising pending messages which satisfy a given condition.
23. A network operating system, comprising a software product, comprising the software functions used in a distributed computer system, comprising a group of nodes, each having:
a network operating system enabling one-to-one messages and one-to-several messages between said nodes,
a first function capable of marking a pending message as in error,
a node failure storage function, and
a second function, responsive to the node failure storage function indicating a given node as failing, for calling said first function to force marking selected messages to that given node into error, the selected messages comprising pending messages which satisfy a given condition.
24. A network operating system, comprising a software product comprising the software functions for use in a method of managing a distributed computer system, comprising a group of nodes, said method comprising the steps of:
detecting at least one failing node in the group of nodes,
issuing identification of that given failing node to all nodes in the group of nodes,
responsive to the step of issuing identification of that given failing node to all nodes in the group of nodes:
storing an identification of that given failing node in at least one of the nodes,
calling a function in at least one of the nodes to force marking selected messages between that given failing node and said node into error, the selected messages comprising pending messages which satisfy a given condition.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A method of managing image information utilizing a hand-held camera comprising the steps of:
capturing image data representative of a subject of interest utilizing an imaging device of said hand-held camera;
transmitting said image data to a host computer, via a wireless link;
receiving, from said host computer, related image data at said hand-held camera via said wireless link; and
forming an image from said related image data on a display device of said hand-held camera.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of:
receiving said related image data includes a substep of receiving said image data echoed between said hand-held digital camera and said host computer; and
forming an image includes a substep of forming an image of said subject of interest from said image data.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of transmitting said image data includes a substep of storing said image data at said host computer.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said steps of:
receiving said related image data includes a substep of receiving enhanced image data, wherein said enhanced image data is generated at said host computer by processing said image data that is transmitted from said hand-held camera; and
forming an image from said related image data comprises processing said enhanced image data and forming an enhanced image.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein said substep of receiving said enhanced image data is executed in continuity with said steps of transmitting said image data and forming said enhanced image.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of transmitting said image data includes a substep of transferring said image data to a network of processors that rapidly processes said image data into said enhanced image data.
7. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of receiving said enhanced image data comprises wirelessly inputting image data originally captured by said hand-held camera and transmitted to said host computer for enhancement with respect to at least one of:
adjusting said image data for color balance;
adjusting said image data for gamma;
adjusting luminance;
filtering said image data; and
changing zoom factors.
8. The method of claim 1 further including a step of buffering said image data in a memory within said hand-held camera.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of transmitting said image data comprises transmitting said image data in parallel via a plurality of wireless channels and wherein said step of receiving said related image data comprises receiving said related image data in parallel transmissions via a plurality of wireless channels.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of forming an image includes a substep of dynamically dithering pixel values of said related image data, thereby displaying a higher resolution image.
11. The method of claim 1 further comprising steps of:
receiving stored image data from memory of said host computer, wherein said stored image data represents a previously captured image; and
forming an image from said stored image data that is received from said memory.
12. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:
capturing audio data; and
transferring said audio data to said host computer via said wireless link.
13. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:
receiving, from said host computer, audio data at said hand-held camera via said wireless link; and
projecting sound that is representative of said audio data from a transducer of said hand-held camera.
14. The method of claim 1 further including the step of receiving a broadcast signal via said wireless link from a broadcast signal source.
15. The method of claim 1 further including the step of browsing image data that is stored in said host computer.
16. A wireless digital imaging system comprising:
a camera housing;
imaging means attached to said camera housing for imaging a subject and generating digital image data representative of said subject;
camera transceiver means, attached to said camera housing and operationally associated with said imaging means, for transmitting said digital image data to a remote computer over a wireless communications link and for subsequently receiving said digital image data from said remote computer over said wireless communications link; and
camera display means, attached to said camera housing and operationally associated with said camera transceiver means, for displaying an image that corresponds to said digital image data that has been received by said camera transceiver means from said remote computer.
17. The system of claim 16 wherein said remote computer has a computer transceiver means for receiving said digital image data from said camera transceiver means and for transmitting said digital image data to said camera transceiver means, and said remote computer has a computer memory means operatively associated with said computer transceiver means for accessibly storing said digital image data received from said camera transceiver means.
18. The system of claim 17 further including a control interface means attached to said camera housing for directing said computer transceiver means to transmit previously stored digital image data from said computer memory means to said camera display means.
19. The system of claim 17 wherein said remote computer has an image processor, said image processor having an input for inputting said digital image data from said camera transceiver means and having an output for outputting enhanced digital image data that is generated from said input digital image data.
20. The system of claim 16 further including a camera memory means having an input from said imaging means for buffering said digital image data.
21. The system of claim 16 wherein said camera transceiver means includes:
a multi-channel transmitter for transmitting said digital image data in parallel over a plurality of wireless channels; and
a multi-channel receiver for receiving said digital image data in parallel over said plurality of wireless channels.
22. A digital image system having a host computer and a hand-held digital camera, wherein said host computer and said hand-held digital camera are co-operative in the absence of a physical connection, comprising:
an image capture module, located within said digital hand-held camera, having imaging optics and a photosensor array, said image capture module outputting electronic image data representative of an image of a subject;
a camera transceiver located within said digital hand-held camera and operatively connected to said image capture module, said camera transceiver having a first input for receiving said electronic image data output by said image capture module and having a camera transmitter and a camera receiver for transmitting said electronic image data and for receiving related electronic image data;
a computer transceiver located at said host computer and compatible with said camera transceiver for receiving said electronic image data and for transmitting said related electronic image data;
a computer memory, located within said host computer and operatively connected to said computer transceiver for storing said electronic image data and said related electronic image data;
an image processor located within said host computer and operatively connected to said computer transceiver and said computer memory for processing said electronic image data that is received from said camera transceiver to generate said related electronic image data; and
a camera display device, associated with said digital hand-held camera and operatively connected to said camera transceiver, for displaying a related image from said related electronic image data received by said camera transceiver from said computer transceiver of said host computer.