The First Digital Camera's Core Technology

Kodak's 1978 patent on the fundamental technology for capturing, processing, and storing digital images using a CCD sensor and magnetic tape.

What it covers

This patent describes the essential components of an early electronic still camera. It uses a solid-state device, like a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD), to capture an optical image and turn it into electrical signals. These signals are then processed quickly to separate them and slow down their rate. Finally, this slower stream of digital information is recorded onto a non-volatile medium, like magnetic tape, for later playback on a television. Claim 1 outlines extracting discrete signals, separating them, slowing their rate, and recording them. Claim 4 adds the step of converting these signals into multi-bit digital words in real-time before storage and slower retrieval.

What it doesn't cover

• —Does not cover cameras that capture analog video signals instead of discrete digital signals.
• —Does not cover recording methods that are not on a non-volatile medium like magnetic tape.
• —Does not cover systems that do not involve a solid-state light-responsive device.
• —Does not cover displaying the image on anything other than a conventional television receiver.
• —Does not cover image capture using film.

The clever bit

The innovation was in orchestrating the entire digital image pipeline: from capturing light with a CCD, processing the raw signals rapidly, and then buffering and slowing them down for recording on inexpensive audio tape, making digital image capture feasible.

Why it matters

This patent covers the foundational technology for the world's first digital still camera, invented by Steven Sasson at Kodak. It represents a pivotal moment in the transition from film to digital photography, fundamentally altering the consumer electronics and media industries.

Real-world examples

• 1.The first Kodak digital camera prototype (1975)
• 2.Early digital imaging systems