Patent attributes
Disclosed is a viewfinder utility. The viewfinder receives image information from a camera and displays it on a screen of the user's device. Also in the viewfinder's display are icons associated with applications that can accept image information from the camera. By selecting an icon, a user sends captured image information to the associated application. Because the initial user interaction is with the viewfinder rather than with the application itself, there is no confusion caused by disparate application user interfaces. The viewfinder can also prevent some “lost moments” because the viewfinder is ready to capture a fleeting image even before the application is fully up and running and ready to accept it. Finally, in some embodiments the user can concurrently select more than one icon and can thus send the same image information to more than one application.
