Patent Application
20080162176
Over the years, photography has evolved from being primarily dependent on the analog silver halide process to the digital imaging domain. With advancements in digital cameras and electronic communications, photographic image assets can be quickly shared with virtually anyone, anywhere in the world. At the receiving end, the received photographic image assets may be printed in order to enable the recipient share in a rich photographic imaging experience.
When photographic image assets are generated using the silver halide process, the burden of reproducing and printing copies of the image assets generally falls on the sender of the image assets. For example, in the event that a photographer wishes to provide copies of photographic image assets to a recipient, the photographer is generally responsible for printing and mailing these image assets to the recipient. Thus, when the photographer has the film developed, the photographer may request “double prints” so that the image assets can be shared with the recipient.
However, when image assets are generated by way of a digital camera and transmitted electronically to a recipient the burden of converting the image assets from a digital media to a paper media falls on the recipient. This requires that the recipient have access to a high-quality printer as well as suitable print media, such as high-gloss paper, so that a high quality image asset can be printed. Thus, since the photographic experience requires the recipient to possess both equipment and supplies, the recipient is less likely to print the photographs as intended by the sender.
In
Sender's computer 110 is interfaced to communications network 120. Communications network 120 represents a local area network, a wide area network, or the Internet. By way of the interface to communications network 120, senders computer 110 transmits image assets stored within image source 100 to service 130 using, for example, an electronic messaging program. In an alternative embodiment, image source 100 interfaces with service 130 directly, and without the need for senders computer 110. In this embodiment, image source 100 executes the communications functions necessary to upload image assets to service 130 by way of communications network 120 without the intervention of sender's computer 110.
In the embodiment of
In addition to representing the contact print described in reference to
In addition to receiving image assets from sender's computer 110, or directly from image source 100, service 130 also receives payment information from sender's computer 110 and interacts with financial institution 135. The payment information may be in the form of an amount to be billed to a credit card number or may include information that pertains to another appropriate payment method. Therefore, financial institution 135 may represent the bank that issued the credit card used by the sender to effect payment. Alternatively, financial institution 135 can be a system for making and receiving secure payments through Internet electronic messaging, such as the Paypal™ service. The received payment information is converted by service 130 to a “value indication” and stored on media 140 along with the representations of the image assets. The value indication represents a redemption value stored on media 140. The media can then be shipped or conveyed electronically to recipient 150. Service 130 preferably maintains a ledger in which a liability indication corresponding to the value indication placed on the media is stored.
The value indication stored on media 140 may represent a predetermined monetary amount that enables recipient 150 to obtain image asset reproduction services costing up to the predetermined monetary amount. Alternatively, the payment information may instead allow recipient 150 to obtain services that include reproducing a particular number of image assets or to have the image assets manipulated in another manner. As an example, the user of sender's computer 110 can choose to store a value indication on media 140 that allows recipient 150 to select two image assets from media 140 for enlargement to an 8×10 print as well as framing, matting, and other services.
In lieu of sending media 140 to recipient 150, service 130 may transmit an electronic message such as an e-mail message to recipient 150. The message can indicate to recipient 150 that he or she may choose a number of image assets to be reproduced according to the value indication selected by the sender. If the image assets include still or moving pictures or if a suitable bandwidth connection through communications network 120 is not available, a low-resolution version (such as a thumbnail) of the image assets can be transmitted electronically to recipient 150. In the event that the image assets include an audio recording, the electronic message may include at least a sample of the audio recording. The electronic message can also include a uniform resource locator (URL) to a server associated with service 130 at which the image assets are stored.
Recipient 150 may obtain image asset reproduction services in a number of ways. For example, the image asset reproduction services may be obtained by way of recipient 150 electronically transmitting selections to service 130 in an electronic message, such as an e-mail, or by way of connecting to a web site associated with service 130. Alternatively, recipient 150 may obtain the image asset reproduction services from retailer 160 or another entity that provides these services by way of an agreement with service 130. Thus, recipient 150 can select the most convenient provider, with the monetary amount and type of service provided being specified by the user of sender's computer 110. When recipient 150 obtains the image asset reproduction services, the value indication stored on media 140 is matched with the corresponding liability indication stored by service 130. This allows service 130 to compensate retailer 160 for the services rendered to recipient 150.
The value indication stored on media 140 may also include charges imposed by service 130 to reproduce copyrighted image assets loaded onto image source 100. For example, when visiting a national park, the sender may choose to give a gift of a picture of a particular park landmark to recipient 150. In this example, the representations of the image assets can be down loaded from a public terminal located at the national park into image source 100. After conveying payment information to service 130, media 140 (which includes the copyrighted image assets as well as the value indication) can then be conveyed to recipient 150. Recipient 150, in turn, may redeem the value indication and obtain a selected high-quality print of the particular national park landmark.
Retailer 160 may operate a kiosk or other stand-alone structure that includes image asset reproduction services, such as high-quality printer for printing still photographs. Thus, recipient 150 can insert media 140 into a media receptacle (or other input device, as described in reference to
In an alternative to the embodiment of
As previously mentioned, media 140 produced by service 130 may be chosen by the user of sender's computer 110 according to the hardware and software equipment capabilities of recipient 150. Thus, media 140 can represent a computer-readable media such as an optical or magnetic disk, or a solid-state storage media. However, in the event that recipient 150 possesses little or no computer resources, representations of photographic image assets can be conveyed in human-readable form to recipient 150 by way of the single sheet print media shown in
In
In the event that value indication 149 is printed using a computer-readable form, recipient 150 can bring the contact sheet of
In an alternative embodiment, an electronic or digital image of media 145 can be transmitted by an electronic message to the recipient. In response to receiving the electronic message, the recipient can transmit a message to the service that indicates the selections of the image assets that the recipient wishes to have printed, enlarged, or otherwise reproduced.
Receiving unit 132 is also coupled to storage unit 134. Storage unit 134 stores the image assets in a form that is preferably comparable in image quality to the image asset received from the image source. The image assets are preferably stored in a long-term storage data base component of the storage unit. This allows image assets to be accessed by more than one recipient and over a period, which may be as long as a year or longer.
Storage unit 134 also stores representations of the received image assets as well as the value indication on computer-readable or human-readable media, as well as preparing the media for conveyance to the recipient. Once storage unit 134 has prepared the media to be sent to recipient 150, sending unit 136 conveys the media to recipient 150 by way of delivery unit 138. Alternatively sending unit 136 can electronically convey representations of the image assets to the recipient by way of communications network 120. Preferably the selection of the actual means of delivery is under the control of the user of the sender's computer.
In the event that sending unit 136 conveys representations of the image assets to the recipient by way of communications network 120, receiving unit 132 may additionally receive an order for printing services from recipient 150 via communications network 120. This allows recipient 150 to make image asset selections electronically and convey these selections to the service of
While the value indication on media 140 is “unredeemed”, meaning that a value indication has been purchased but has not been redeemed by the recipient, service 130 preferably stores information relative to the value indication in a ledger. The ledger can be kept electronically within storage unit 134. Thus, when recipient 150 redeems the value indication, such as through interaction with service 130 or retailer 160 of
In an alternative embodiment of
In a related embodiment, a second kiosk can be used by the recipient to reproduce image assets stored by a sender onto a digital media or other electronic device carried by the recipient. In this embodiment, the value indication is also stored on the electronic device carried by the recipient. An appropriate reading device such as input device 131 reads the electronic device, which may be a credit card-sized memory device. In addition to including the value indication, the electronic device may store other information that identifies the recipient to the input device. In response to reading the electronic device, representations of the image assets stored on the electronic device (by the sender) are to be displayed to the recipient. The recipient may then select from the representations of image assets uploaded by the sender in accordance with the value indication also stored on the electronic device. In the event that the sender has uploaded groups of image assets intended for multiple recipients, the information stored on the memory device may include information that identifies which of the uploaded groups of image assets can be accessed by a particular recipient.
At step 325, the service stores representations of the image assets received from sender's computer 110 on a media. Step 325 also includes the service storing the value indication to the media. At step 330, the service transmits the value indication as well as representations of image assets to the recipient. As previously mentioned, this transmission may be brought about by the service storing the representations on a computer-readable media or a human-readable media and conveying the media to the recipient. The transmission can also be brought about by sending an electronic message that conveys the image asset and the value indication to the recipient.
At step 340, the recipient receives the value indication as well as a representation of the image assets. At step 350, the recipient selects the desired image assets and conveys the selections to a service or to a retailer in accordance with the received value indication. At step 360, the service or an associated retailer performs the desired image asset reproduction services for the recipient. At step 370 the selected image assets are delivered to the recipient. At step 380 the service generates a confirmation message and transmits the confirmation message to the sender. The confirmation message may indicate to the sender which image assets were selected for reproduction by the recipient, as well as the sizes as well as the quantity and print size (such as 8×10, 5×7, 4×6, and so forth) selected by the recipient. In step 390, the service updates a ledger entry that brings about payment to the service or to the retailer from a financial institution. Step 390 can also include the service transmitting a nominal value indication to the recipient to encourage the recipient to make use of the service at a future time (with the recipient acting as a sender at the future time).
In some applications, all of the steps described in
The method continues at step 460 in which the recipient receives the media. At step 470 the recipient makes selections that accord with the value indication stored to the media by the sender. At step 480, the recipient conveys the selections to the service or to a retailer associated with the service in order to obtain image asset reproduction services according to the value indication. At step 490, the image assets are reproduced and delivered to the recipient, as in step 500. In step 510, the service generates a confirmation message and delivers the message to the sender. Step 510 can also include the service conveying a value indication to the recipient to encourage the recipient to make use of the service at a future time (with the recipient acting as a sender). At step 520, the service or retailer updates a ledger entry that brings about payment from a financial institution to the service or retailer.
Steps 420 through 440 of
In some applications, all of the steps described in
At step 610, representations of the image assets are displayed in response to the received value indication. It is contemplated that the display of the image assets by the kiosk display unit is the result of the kiosk interface to service 130 reading a storage unit (such as the storage unit of service 130) so that the representations of the image assets can be displayed to the recipient. At step 620, the selections of the image assets are received from the recipient. Step 620 may also include receiving size selections (such as 4×6, 5×7, 8×10, and so forth) as well as quantity descriptions. At step 630, the selected image assets are printed at the kiosk for the recipient.
In the embodiments described herein, it has been assumed that the image asset reproduction services are always provided to the satisfaction of the recipient. However, in the event that the quality of the services is lacking in some manner, nothing prevents the recipient returning the reproduced image assets to the service or retailer so that the services can be improved upon. In the event that the recipient continues to be unsatisfied, the service or retailer may choose to arrange for the image asset reproduction services be provided by an associated retailer by storing a second value indication on the media.
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the foregoing preferred and alternative embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. This description of the invention should be understood to include the novel and non-obvious combinations of elements described herein, and claims may be presented in this or a later application to any novel and non-obvious combination of these elements. The foregoing embodiments are illustrative, and no single feature or element is essential to all possible combinations that may be claimed in this or a later application. Where the claims recite “a” or “a first” element of the equivalent thereof, such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10127168 | Apr 2002 | US |
| Child | 11985224 | US |
