Patent Application
20120197687
This invention relates generally to applications for smart phones. In particular, this invention relates to an application for taking a photograph or video on a cell phone and uploading said photograph or video through the application allowing it to be publicly displayed.
It is known in the art to take a photograph on a cell phone or camera and transmit the photograph via email wherein the photograph sent via email is uploaded to a public display screen. None of the previously known methods disclose strictly limiting how or where a photograph can be taken. Previous inventions do not allow for the prevention of uploading a photograph to a public display screen where a user uploading a photograph is not currently located at the venue having the public display screen. The previous known methods do not prevent a user from uploading a photograph to a venue when that user is in an entirely different location.
Accordingly, the need for an application intended for use on a mobile device, specifically a mobile application, allowing a user to take a photograph and upload said photograph based on specified data to a venue system or module and allowing said photograph to be publicly displayed is not known and is highly desirable within the art and further allowing communication from the mobile device to a computer through other means aside from SMS/text/MMS or wireless/Bluetooth.
The present invention provides for a server based method of uploading and displaying photographs or other media taken by a user on a mobile device wherein the photographs or media are displayed on a public display unit. The method comprises the steps of downloading an application on a mobile device wherein the application is operable to allow a user to take a photograph on the mobile device. The method further includes the steps of uploading the photograph to a computer based database server, storing the photograph in a first file, monitoring the photograph for inappropriate content, storing the photograph in a second file if the photograph is deemed appropriate for public viewing, and displaying the photograph on the public display unit. The present invention requires the user to enter an access code displayed only at the venue. This allows forwarding of a picture to the correct venue, thinking of it as a shipping address. The application downloaded by the user on the mobile device requires the input of the access code before the user is allowed to take a photograph. Accordingly, the present invention provides for a method and mobile device application allowing a user to take a photograph or video through a mobile device application. In an alternative embodiment, the application only allows the user to take a photograph if the user is in a correct location based on GPS satellites. The application is downloadable through a variety of mobile device application configurations for smart phones such as iTunes®, Android®, Windows, Palm or Blackberry®. When a user is at a club, party, bar, event, etc., the user is able to take a picture from their smart phone and transmit the photo to a server which in turn transmits the photo to a monitor at the venue. The monitor and computer unit at the venue sequence the photos and project them or display them accordingly on TV monitors or screens.
The present invention allows for a user to take a photograph on their mobile device and upload the photograph to a display unit at a public venue. The application is downloaded from various application providers and requires the user to enter an access code before allowing the user to photograph the subject. The access code is displayed only at the venue thereby preventing users outside of the venue from taking photographs away from the venue and uploading the photographs to the venue. In an alternative embodiment, the application requires the user to be at a specified GPS coordinate which may cause the picture to be rejected by the system if found to be outside of the location. Once a photograph is taken and uploaded, a computer based or human based monitoring system monitors the photographs or information and places photographs deemed to be appropriate in a second file. The photographs are then displayed on a public display monitor for viewing at the venue where the photograph was taken.
As shown by
Although traditionally a desktop style computer, the computer 30 may also be computer, computer system, operating system, mobile system, module, mobile computer, cell phone hardware or other hardware operable to process data.
In an alternative embodiment, the GPS will automatically match the location of the user to ensure they are within the parameters of the actual location of the venue. After the access code is entered and/or the GPS confirms the actual location of the user, a photograph is taken from the user's smart phone 22 through the application. The use of an access code and/or GPS satellite ensures that the user will only send photographs captured from their phone within that moment rather than allowing users to upload random photographs saved on their smart phones.
The application then uploads the photograph 12 and the access code 16 to a server 24 where it is further processed in the server application 26. The photographs are screened, either computer based 214 or human based 216, to ensure they are appropriate. Screening for appropriate pictures may be done by external software to screen for nudity, offensive signs, etc. The method 20 then provides for uploading the photograph 12 to an ftp folder or venue folder 28 according to the specified access code 16. The venue folders 28 are arranged on the server 26 or on the computer 30 according to access code 16 to allow for increased organization of the photographs 12.
As an alternative embodiment, the user has the option to include a message or written portion associated with the photograph 12. The message could include a description of the photograph, names of the people in the photograph 12, or a message (i.e. “happy birthday”) associated with the photograph 12 displayed on the monitoring device 34. In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, the user has the option of voting for a favorite photograph 12. Furthermore, users have the option of sending a message through the application without also sending a photograph 12. The user opens the application on their smart phone, enters the access code associated with the venue, and enters a message to be displayed on the monitoring device 34 without also sending a photograph 12.
Voting can be done through the same smart phone application or through a separate application downloadable through iTunes®, Android®, Blackberry®, etc. A user can select a favorite, most creative, funniest, etc. photograph 12 and select their preferred photograph 12 as indicated by the access code 16. The result of voting can be displayed on the monitoring device 34 or in a separate slide or screen. Further, the user may transmit comments to the display screen 34. These comments can be made with respect to a particular photograph 12, or just general comments.
Further, the system has the ability to allow a user to check in when a particular venue is reached. The user has the ability to connect the system with their Facebook page. The system can then upload the user's Facebook profile picture to the display screen 34.
The club or venue will have a simple machine or computer 30 enabling a file to be connected to the computer 30. The computer 30 is only allowed to download information on that particular file. After the computer 30 downloads the file, the computer then erases information on the server file to give more space for further pictures to be uploaded by other users. The computer stores the downloaded photographs 12 on the hard drive of the venue computer 30 and automatically sequences the photographs 12 in order of arrival or other specified sequencing parameter. The computer 30 then projects the photographs in sequence onto the monitoring device 34 connected to the computer 30. The monitoring device 34 may include a projector, TV, monitor, etc.
Photographs are stored 306 in a first file. The method 300 then further includes the steps of monitoring 308 the photograph for inappropriate content. As previously discussed, monitoring is either human based 308a or computer based 308b allowing for screening of nudity, inappropriate content, etc. If the photograph is deemed appropriate, the method further includes the step of storing 326 a photo in a second file. If the photograph is deemed inappropriate at step 308, the method 300 then includes the step of storing 332 the photo in a third file. The contents of the third file are then deleted 334 since the content is inappropriate. In an alternative embodiment, if the contents of the third file 332 are deemed inappropriate, a separate file is created storing the phone numbers of the senders of inappropriate photos 336. This alternative method further includes comparing 338 subsequent phone numbers for senders of subsequent inappropriate photos. The method then includes blocking 340 repeated offenders from the sending of inappropriate photos.
Further alternatively, the method includes the step of storing phone numbers of the sender of inappropriate photos 336 and sending a warning message 342 to the sender of the inappropriate photographs. The sending 342 of the warning message is sent by either instant message 344 or text message 346.
If the photograph is deemed appropriate, the photo is stored in the second file 326. The contents of the second file are displayed 328 on the public display unit. The operator at the venue is allowed to manually manipulate 330 the order of the photographs.
Furthermore, once the photographs are deemed appropriate and stored in a second file at step 326, the database then creates a plurality of folders 348 according to a variety of parameters. The parameters include venue 350, access code 352, GPS 354, and/or time of day 356. The photos may then be displayed according to these various parameters 350, 352, 354, 356 and also may be manipulated 330 by the venue operator.
The present invention is not restricted to the illustrative examples and embodiments described above. The embodiments are not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention. Methods, apparatus, compositions, and the like described herein are exemplary and not intended to be limitations on the scope of the invention. The present invention is only limited by the scope of the appended claims. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art.
This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/436,718 filed Jan. 27, 2011, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61436718 | Jan 2011 | US |
