PHOTOFINISHING METHOD

• US 20020093633A1
• Filed: 11/30/2000
• Published: 07/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Milch, James R.
• Granted Patent: US 6,429,924 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/40
• CPC Class Codes: G03D 15/001 Counting; Classifying; Marking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00135 Scanning of a photographic original
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00267 with a viewing or projecting apparatus, e.g. for reading image information from a film H04N1/00262 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0027 Reading or writing of non-image information from or to a photographic material, e.g. processing data stored in a magnetic track

Abstract

A photofinishing method, including the steps of: exposing machine readable metadata and a scene image within an entire safe frame area on a filmstrip; processing the filmstrip to produce a visible image including the machine readable metadata and the scene image; scanning the safe frame area to produce a digital image; extracting the machine readable metadata from the digital image; extracting the scene image from the digital image; and processing the scene image according to the extracted machine readable metadata.

Claims

1. A photofinishing method, comprising the steps of:

a) exposing machine readable metadata and a scene image within an entire safe frame area on a filmstrip;

b) processing the filmstrip to produce a visible image including the machine readable metadata and the scene image;

c) scanning the safe frame area to produce a digital image;

d) extracting the machine readable metadata from the digital image;

e) extracting the scene image from the digital image; and

f) processing the scene image according to the extracted machine readable metadata.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

a) recording a distinctive pattern in the entire safe frame area at a beginning and end of the filmstrip to indicate that the filmstrip contains the machine readable metadata; and

b) detecting the distinctive pattern on the filmstrip prior to extracting the machine readable metadata from the digital image.

3. The method claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

reformatting the processed scene image; and

printing the processed scene image.

4. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the machine readable metadata and the scene image are exposed in separate portions of the safe frame area.

5. The method claimed in claim 4, wherein the machine readable metadata is isolated from the scene image by a distinctive color pattern.

6. The method claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

a) passing the filmstrip through hardware interfaces;

b) passing the filmstrip through software interfaces;

c) delivering the filmstrip to a computational engine;

d) decoding the filmstrip; and

e) modifying the scene image data to produce a digital image.

8. The method claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of creating the machine readable metadata from a light emitting diode (LED).

9. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the machine readable metadata comprises one or more discrete dots in a predetermined pattern.

10. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the machine readable metadata comprises at least one barcode.

7. A method for encoding metadata on a filmstrip, comprising:

a) capturing a scene image with a photographic camera;

b) restricting a region of the scene image to accommodate physical separation of metadata from the scene image; and

c) embedding metadata on the filmstrip.

11. A photographic system for transmitting information from a film camera to a processing device, comprising:

a) a means for producing optical marks within a normal picture frame of filmstrip having a captured scene;

b) a means for processing film to convert a latent image to a visible image;

c) a means for detecting a distinctive pattern at both ends of the filmstrip, wherein the distinctive pattern declares that the filmstrip contains metadata.

d) a means for separating the visible image arising from the captured scene from the optical marks; and

e) a means for converting the visible image to a digitally formatted image produced corresponding to the optical marks.

12. A method for encoding metadata on a filmstrip, comprising:

a) capturing a scene image with a photographic camera;

b) restricting the region of the scene image to accommodate physical separation of metadata from the scene image; and

c) means for embedding metadata on the filmstrip.

13. A film camera capable of writing metadata on a filmstrip, comprising:

a) a light emitting diode,(LED);

b) an unexposed filmstrip; and

c) a locator that advances the unexposed filmstrip to allow the LED to expose the unexposed filmstrip for metadata writing.

14. A one time use film camera, comprising:

a pre-exposed filmstrip having an identifier frame containing a distinctive photographic format;

wherein a film integrator has written metadata onto the identifier frame during integration of the filmstrip with the one time use film camera.

15. A photographic camera comprising:

a) a camera body defining a film chamber and a film gate; and

b) means located in the film gate for exposing metadata onto a film in an area inside a normal picture frame.

16. A method for encoding metadata on a filmstrip, comprising:

a) capturing a scene image with a photographic camera;

b) allowing a normal picture frame to fill-up with the scene image; and

c) embedding metadata on the filmstrip in the form of an observable geometric shape in at least one corner of the normal picture frame.

17. A photo finishing system, comprising:

a) means for exposing metadata and scene image within a safe frame area on a film-strip;

b) means for recording a distinctive pattern in the safe frame area at the beginning and end of the filmstrip to indicate that the filmstrip contains the metadata;

c) means for chemically processing the filmstrip to produce a visible image and detectable metadata;

d) means for scanning the safe frame area to produce a digital image;

e) means for detecting the distinctive pattern on the filmstrip;

f) means for extracting the metadata from the digital image;

g) means for extracting the scene image from the digital image; and

h) means for processing the scene image according to an extracted metadata.