Patent Grant
9866749
Field of the Invention
The presently disclosed invention concerns the transmission of digital images and, more particularly, improved systems for editing, formatting, arranging, storing, publishing and viewing digital images, whether in social media or for commercial purposes.
Discussion of the Prior Art
In the prior art, various systems have been developed for storing publishing, viewing and sharing images such as photographs and video media. Especially as used in connection with Internet communication, such images are composed in digital media and published though Internet or telephonic transmission. Examples of such communications are found in connection with systems that are associated with trade names that include: Facebook™, Twitter™, YouTube™, Flickr™, Instagram™ and others.
However, editing and publication of images in such systems has continued to be a somewhat awkward and command intensive process. There has remained a continuing need for systems and methods that are capable of more facilely and quickly arranging, cropping and otherwise editing digital images and also storing and publishing those images through a given network and viewing them on mobile and other devices.
In accordance with the presently disclosed invention, a system for efficiently, quickly and easily editing, formatting, arranging, storing, publishing and viewing digital images includes a server that communicates with multiple mobile devices through a network. Each of the mobile devices includes a mobile application that controls image editing, formatting, arranging, storing and viewing in response to user commands. The edited images are transmitted through the network to the system server that maintains a user profile and that stores the images. In response to instructions that are transmitted from the mobile device through the network to the system server, the system server publishes the images to one or more designated digital addresses.
Each of the mobile devices within the system is enabled to edit digital images through software that can be downloaded through the network to the device upon request. Once enabled, the mobile device includes features for editing single images, deriving multiple images from one original image, combining multiple images into a single image, arranging multiple images in a given display sequence, and editing images that are integrated in a display sequence.
The mobile application on each mobile device controls the storage and viewing on the device of the single images and multiple images to present the digital effects and presentation sequence and timing specified by the user that created and published the images. The system also communicates with the mobile app to control the quality, speed and security of the transfer, and storage of the images. The system also maintains a duplicate, synchronized file of all of the images that are on each user's mobile application which is used by the system, and which guarantees that there is an easily accessible back-up copy of all of each user's images which can be accessed if the user's mobile device is unavailable, lost or damaged. The mobile app is capable of viewing and editing images even when the mobile device is not connected to the network and system because of poor cell phone coverage, while flying on an airplane, etc. As soon as the mobile device is reconnected to the network and system, all of the edited images are immediately synchronized to update and maintain the duplicate file on the system and the mobile device.
The system server includes software that is responsive to instructions from the mobile devices to perform various functions including: maintaining a profile corresponding to each user of the system and their associated mobile devices; storing the images that are edited by each of the mobile devices; deriving multiple images; combining a plurality of images into a single image; and arranging images in a given sequence; as well as other functions.
The system server also provides each mobile device with access to a database of single and multiple images published by others. Each mobile device with the mobile application can view and request copies of the single and multiple images in the system database. The system controls which mobile users can view and receive copies of images in the database. The system maintains mobile user profile information to control access to viewing and receiving copies of images in the database, and also payment by the mobile user for access to view and receive copies of images in the database.
The system server also can be used in combination with one or more mobile devices to publish commercial advertising or other public announcements. For example, the system server can publish commercial images to digital billboards or display screens in response to instructions from a mobile device. In this way, a uniform commercial message is displayed to the targeted audience under the authority of a small control group or even a single user with very limited time and cost for production. The system can also be instructed to change the message that is displayed based upon fixed criteria (e.g. date or time of day), variable criteria (e.g. air temperature), and dynamic criteria (e.g. the proximity and profile of mobile devices).
A presently preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in
Once the mobile application is downloaded to the mobile device 14, the mobile device edits digital images according to user commands. The mobile application includes an image viewer and multiple features for editing images including capability to: edit a single image; derive multiple images from one original image (e.g. zoom sequence or variations in image color or framing); special effects for images and text; combine several images into a single image (e.g. photo collage or layered photos); arrange multiple images in a given display sequence; and afford editing capability for images that are arranged in display sequence. In some embodiments, the image viewer includes camera functionality such that the camera is optimized for the implied preferences of the user of the mobile device.
Images can be sourced directly from a camera on the mobile device 14 or from a camera roll or other digital storage on the mobile device. In addition, images can be drawn through server 12 from other mobile devices 14 such as cell phones or iPads, or from the data storage either in the cloud 20 or a database 22. In some embodiments, images from cloud 20 or database 22 can be proprietary or have restricted availability including the requirement for payment. Linkage between server 12 and other mobile devices 14 can be through the network 16 and directly to mobile devices 14 that are enabled to communicate with server 12. Additionally, linkage between server 12 and other mobile devices 14 can be through the network 16 to other commercially available platforms such as a Facebook™ server 24, a Twitter™ server 26, an SMS server 28, or an email server 30.
The downloaded mobile application further enables the mobile device 14 to communicate with server 12 and cause the server to publish the edited photos according to the user's commands. For example, the user may command the mobile application to instruct server 12 to send a single image to a given SMS or email address. Alternatively, or concurrently, the mobile application may instruct the server 12 to send the image to multiple SMS or email addresses or to post the image to a Facebook™ or Twitter™ account. Additionally, the mobile application may instruct the server to post the image at an address that can be accessed by other enabled mobile devices 14, or a defined subset of such mobile devices.
In some embodiments, server 12 maintains a profile for each enabled mobile device listing the identifiers, preferences, associations and other data associated with the respective mobile devices. Also in some embodiments, the profile further maintains a list of all the postings associated with the respective enabled mobile device. Also in some embodiments, server 12 maintains a chronological list of the posts associated with a given enabled mobile device together with posts from other enabled mobile devices that are authorized to access such posts.
Server 12 stores all edited versions of images from an enabled mobile device. Such images can include multiple images derived from a single image; combined images; image display sequences in the nature of an album or a sequence of events; and edited versions of all the forgoing. The mobile application enables editing capability for both images and text.
When instructed by the mobile application according to user commands, the server 12 may have additional capability to chronologically list images that are acquired by the mobile application and search and sort those images according to predetermined criteria such as type, location, date/time, source (e.g. device type, PikStore, etc.) username or creator, title/caption/comments (incl. hashtags/usernames in the test) or other variable. The acquired images can be sourced from the mobile device camera, the mobile device memory, another enabled mobile device, a commercial platform, cloud storage 20, or server database 22. In some embodiments, server 12 can control access to limited-access images (such as, for example, celebrity images and autographs or event tickets) by affording access only to a specific class of mobile devices 14, such as those devices whose profile identifies it as a member of a specific association or a ticket-holder or attendee of a specific event, or users who are identified with a unique password that they have received or purchased. Also in some embodiments, server 12 has the capability of certifying images by superimposing letters, a logo, a watermark or other authorization feature in, over or adjacent to the image. In those embodiments, the server 12 can also have capability to discriminate images that are properly and necessarily certified (e.g. the use of “proof” on an image that is offered for sale).
Server 12 can store images as unique lists that act like folders with the images in a specific sequence and accompanied by specific data (comments, “likes”, permissions, etc.) that are designated through the mobile application according to user commands. The folders can contain the images of any type and in any combination according to user commands. In some embodiments, the images can be edited and also can be accessed by another mobile device that is authorized for such access.
Server 12 manages all images that are incoming to a given mobile device from another source through a gateway where server 12 accepts or rejects the images according to instructions from the mobile application as determined by user commands. From the gateway, the images can be added to an image sequence or otherwise manipulated by server 12 according to user commands to the mobile application.
Server 12 further has the capability to control which users of the system have permission to view, obtain copies, share and edit images and other digital content; as well as which users have permission to add images, remove images, or edit multiple images in a given display sequence.
Server 12 further has capability to combine a digital image or images with text messages that can be posted or that can be sent to other mobile devices, PC's or other users. This messaging feature is advantageous in that it affords the user the greater capability for editing and manipulation of images as previously explained in combination with the text message. This is in contrast to messaging systems that are known in the prior art and for which image editing is relatively limited and difficult.
Server 12 further has the capability to control which mobile users are authorized to view and receive copies of certain images and other digital content such as sounds for combination with images, or specific image editing capabilities of the mobile application with or without payment. In some embodiments, access to the system is authorized for a user to transfer images and other digital content to the system from a mobile device or other device for the purpose of being offered to other users to view and receive copies in exchange for payment.
Server 12 further has the capability to combine a digital image or images with sound that can be posted or sent to other mobile devices, PC's or other users. This sound feature affords the user with the capability to record sound using the mobile device or to use other sound and sound effects in combination with images. This is in contrast to other messaging and image publishing systems that are known in the prior art for which combining images and sound is relatively limited and difficult.
The presently disclosed invention is useful in a social networking environment in which mobile device users can express themselves primarily through images or through a combination of images, text and sound. However, its application is not limited to pure social media applications. It can be used with social media in combination with commercial promotion and even in the context of commercial promotion alone. For example,
In
In this way, the image is easily and quickly published to a targeted audience. The message can be easily and inexpensively changed or edited by user commands to an enabled mobile device 14 and instructions from the mobile device that are transmitted through network 16 to server 12. At the same time, the message content is efficiently managed by a small control group or even a single person. The system can also be instructed to change the message that is displayed based upon fixed criteria (e.g. date or time of day), variable criteria (e.g. air temperature), and dynamic criteria (e.g. the proximity and profile of mobile devices).
From the forgoing description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed invention facilitates the creation, sequencing and publication of images that communicate stories. The stories can be created by individuals or by groups of system users that are collaborating together. The stories can be told though images alone or through visual images in combination with audio and/or text. In some cases, the images can be acquired from social media sources such as social networking sites. The stories can be created over time with images, text and audio being added from time-to-time. The contribution can be made by one or multiple contributors and can be acquired from multiple sources, created by a single author, or created by a group of collaborative authors. The creators of the story can decide to limit publication of the story a particular individual, a group of select individuals, or it can be available to the public without restriction.
It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed invention affords the authors of stories the opportunity to sell copies of their story to others. The story authors can do this by conditioning access to the all or part of the story upon condition of payment by the system user who is interested in viewing the story. Upon payment, the interested party can be granted access to the system so as to allow them to view the entire story.
In a similar way, system users can purchase particular images for use in their own story or for other purposes. For example, system users can make images that they want to sell available on a site that is accessible by the system server. Images that are being made commercially available and are posted to that site can then be taken or copied from that site by other system users upon payment for such right.
In some cases, images can be sold or purchased by persons who are not users of the system. For example, an author who is not a system user can pay a fee for access that will allow them to post their image to the site that is accessible to the system server. System users can then view the image or story and decide whether to purchase it. Similarly, the image can be in the way of an advertisement for a product or service that is not directly available from site or that it linked to another site from which the product or service can be purchased. In that case, the third party is not selling image that is posted to the site, but merely paying to post the image and thereby use it to promote the sale of goods or services from another venue. The posted image can be associated with one or more digital addresses that correspond to other mobile devices on the system or with devices that are not system users but for which permission has been granted for such images to be pushed to them.
Those skilled in the art will also understand that the disclosed system can include digital addresses that correspond to advertisement platforms such as wayside billboards. In that case, a system user (or a non-user who pays to have the images published) can cause the system to publish images to one or more advertisement platforms. In this way, the advertising image or message and be easily modified or replaced. Dynamic images or text can also be used.
Features and capabilities of the disclosed invention are further described as follows:
The disclosed invention includes the following structure and functionality:
Features of the disclosed invention include the following:
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20130091029 | George | Apr 2013 | A1 |
| 20130124508 | Paris | May 2013 | A1 |
| 20140040712 | Chang | Feb 2014 | A1 |
| 20140067955 | Christian | Mar 2014 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20150042823 A1 | Feb 2015 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62005402 | May 2014 | US | |
| 61864268 | Aug 2013 | US |
