System for automated photo capture and retrieval

• US 20020008622A1
• Filed: 01/26/2001
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MQ Gaming LLC
• Original Assignee: Denise Chapman Weston, Thomas J. Lochtefeld
• Inventors: Weston, Denise Chapman, Lochtefeld, Thomas J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,608,563 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/695 Imported photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations

Abstract

The present invention provides an improved system and method for automated photo/video capture and retrieval using RFID tags containing a unique person and/or group identifier number. The system allows automated capturing and indexing of individual or group photo/video images according to each unique person and/or group identifier. Tags are worn by each park patron during their visit to the park or other entertainment facility. Various readers distributed throughout the park or entertainment facility are able to read the RFID tags. Thus, the unique identifier numbers can be conveniently read and provided to an associated photo/video capture system for purposes of providing indexing of captured photo/video images according to the unique identifiers of all individuals standing within the field of view of the camera. Captured photo images can thus be selectively retrieved and organized into a convenient photo/video album to provide a photo record of a family'"'"'s or group'"'"'s adventures at the park or other entertainment facility. Unique picture storybooks can also be created using selected “gag” or “novelty” photo images taken throughout the facility and/or by using digital photo image processing to create a particular desired storybook. Thus, play participants themselves become actual characters in the storybook and participate in the storyline.

Claims

1. An automated photo capture and retrieval system for automatically capturing and indexing photo images of multiple individuals or groups of individuals within a facility comprising:

one or more tags adapted to be worn by each individual or group of individuals desired to be photo imaged, each tag comprising a unique person and/or group identifier for identifying the associated individuals and/or groups;

one or more cameras distributed throughout the facility adapted to automatically capture photo and/or video images of one or more individuals in the field of view of the camera;

one or more readers distributed throughout the facility and associated with each camera, each said readers being adapted to read each tag of each individual substantially within the field of view of each associated camera and to determine the unique person and/or group identifier for each tag; and

an image processor adapted to receive each captured photo image and all associated unique person and/or group identifiers and to record or each captured photo image and associated unique person and/or group identifiers such that each image may be retrieved according to its associated unique person and/or group identifiers.

2. The automated photo capture and retrieval system of claim 1 wherein said tags comprise one or more RFID tags.

3. The automated photo capture and retrieval system of claim 1 wherein each RFID tag contains a unique person identifier number (“

UPIN”

) which is used to match the particular individual to any relevant captured photo images that contains that individual.

4. The automated photo capture and retrieval system of claim 1 wherein each RFID tag contains a unique group identifier number (“

UGIN”

) which may be used to match a defined group of individuals to any relevant captured photo images that contain any individual(s) within the defined group.

5. The automated photo capture and retrieval system of claim 1 wherein each RFID tag may be read over a read distance of from about 4″

-60″

.

6. A method for creating an interactive story book using the automated photo capture and retrieval system of claim 1, comprising the following steps:

applying a tag to an individual or group of individuals;

using the cameras to capture photo images of the individual or group of individuals;

using the readers to read each tag within the field of view of each associated camera and to determine the unique person and/or group identifier for each tag; and

transmitting each captured image and associated unique person and/or group identifiers to the image processor;

organizing the captured images into a picture book, simulated comic book or storybook comprising an arrangement of one or more captured images of predetermined scenes or cartoons relating to a particular desired story line, wherein images of one or more individuals in different scenes and/or poses are incorporated into the predetermined scenes or cartoons to create the interactive storybook.