Image grouping with audio commentaries system and method

• US 10,180,776 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2016
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ambient Consulting, LLC
• Original Assignee: Ambient Consulting, LLC
• Inventors: Grossman, Andrew, Krutsch, Kenneth F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Kyung H
• Application Number:
  US15/181,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20160291824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 709206, 715716, 707722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/57 for processing of video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client

Abstract

A system and method are presented to allow audio communication between users concerning a group of images. A first mobile device has an app that selects a plurality of images and then records audio commentary for the plurality of images. The images and audio commentary are grouped into an image grouping, and the image grouping is transmitted to a second mobile device. Reply commentaries to the image grouping can also be associated with a particular image in the grouping. Image groupings can be presented by reviewing all commentaries on a single image first before moving to a second image, or by reviewing all commentaries made in a user-session before moving to a second user session.

Claims

1. A computerized method comprising:

a) at a first computing device, receiving a selection of a plurality of still images;

b) at the first computing device, recording separate first audio commentaries for each of the plurality of still images through a microphone on the first computing device, wherein each first audio commentary is associated with a single one of the plurality of still images;

c) at the first computing device, creating a first image grouping that associates the plurality of still images with the first audio commentaries;

d) at the first computing device, transmitting the first image grouping to a server computer for storage at the server computer;

e) at a second computing device, receiving the first image grouping from the server computer;

f) at the second computing device, presenting, through a user interface on the second computing device, the plurality of still images and first audio commentaries that comprise the first image grouping;

g) at the second computing device, recording second audio commentaries on at least a subset of the still images in the first image grouping, with each second audio commentary being associated with only one of the still images in the first image grouping;

h) at the second computing device, creating a second image grouping combining the first image grouping with the second audio commentaries; and

i) at the second computing device, transmitting the second image grouping to the server computer for storage at the server computer.

2. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the first audio commentaries are associated with the plurality of still images through metadata found in the first image grouping.

3. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the first image grouping is encoded into a video file, further wherein the first image grouping is transmitted to the second computing device in the form of the video file.

4. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the step of presenting the plurality of still images and first audio commentaries at the second computing device comprises playing the first audio commentary for an associated still image on a speaker of the second computing device while presenting the associated still image on a display of the second computing device.

5. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the first image grouping is stored at the server computer in association with a message identifier, and further wherein the message identifier is transmitted directly from the first computing device to the second computing device and is used by the second computing device to request the first image grouping from the server computer.

6. The computerized method of claim 5, wherein the second computing device transmits the message identifier to the server computer and receives the first image grouping from the server computer in response to transmitting the message identifier.

7. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising:

j) at a third computing device, presenting, through a user interface on the third computing device, the plurality of still images and audio commentaries that comprise the second image grouping.

8. The computerized method of claim 7, wherein the step of presenting the second image grouping on the user interface of the third computing device further comprises:

i) displaying a single image in the second image grouping,

ii) automatically playing the first and second audio commentaries within the second image grouping that are associated with that single image, and

iii) after automatically playing the first and second audio commentaries within the second image grouping for that single image, displaying a second image in the second image grouping and automatically playing the first and second audio commentaries within the second image grouping that are associated with that second image.

9. The computerized method of claim 7, further comprising:

l) at the third computing device, providing a user interface input allowing a user to choose between two presentation options, the presentation options comprising;

i) playing all audio commentaries associated with a single image while displaying that single image before presenting the next image and its associated audio commentaries, and

ii) first playing the first audio commentaries for all of the still images while displaying the still images associated with each of the first audio commentaries, and then playing the second audio commentaries for the still images while displaying the still images associated with each of the second audio commentaries;

wherein the step of presenting the second image grouping at the third computing device conforms to the chosen presentation option.

10. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising:

j) at the server computer, transmitting the second image grouping to the first computing device; and

k) at the first computing device, presenting, through a user interface on the first computing device, the plurality of still images and audio commentaries that comprise the second image grouping.

11. The computerized method of claim 10, further comprising:

l) at the first computing device, providing a user interface input allowing a user to choose between two presentation options, the presentation options comprising;

i) playing all audio commentaries associated with a single image while displaying that single image before presenting the next image and its associated audio commentaries, and

ii) first playing the first audio commentaries for all of the still images while displaying the still images associated with each of the first audio commentaries, and then playing the second audio commentaries for the still images while displaying the still images associated with each of the second audio commentaries, and

wherein the step of presenting the second image grouping at the first computing device conforms to the chosen presentation option.

12. A system comprising:

a) a first computing device having

i) a microphone,

ii) a speaker,

iii) a display,

iv) a processor,

v) a network interface,

vi) non-transitory, physical memory containing app programming;

b) the app programming comprising instructions that program the processor to;

i) select a plurality of still images,

ii) for each still image;

(1) present the still image on the display,

(2) while presenting the still image, record an audio commentary through the microphone,

iii) group the plurality of still images and audio commentaries into an image grouping,

iv) transmit the image grouping to a server computer over the network interface,

v) receive a revised image grouping with additional commentaries from the server computer, the revised image grouping being created by a second computing device in communication with the server computer,

vi) provide a user interface allowing a user to choose between two presentation options, the presentation options comprising;

(1) playing all audio commentaries associated with a single image while displaying that single image before presenting the next image and its associated audio commentaries, and

(2) first playing the first audio commentaries for all of the still images while displaying the still images associated with each of the first audio commentaries, and then playing the second audio commentaries for the still images while displaying the still images associated with each of the second audio commentaries, and

vii) present the revised image grouping over the display and the speaker according to the chosen presentation option.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

c) the server computer having;

i) a server processor,

ii) a server network interface, and

iii) non-transitory, physical memory containing server programming; and

d) the server programming comprising instructions that program the server processor to;

i) receive the image grouping from the first computing device,

ii) store the image grouping for later retrieval, and

iii) transmit the image grouping to the second computing device.