System and method for creating and viewing digital photo albums

• US 20030059199A1
• Filed: 09/24/2001
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Afzal Hossain
• Original Assignee: Afzal Hossain
• Inventors: Hossain, Afzal
• Application Number:
  US09/961,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20030059199A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/46
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/216 Rewritable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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 1/00137 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00193 to a portable storage medium, e.g. a read-writable compact disk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00196 Creation of a photo-montage, e.g. photoalbum H04N1/0019 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00283 with a television apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00297 with a television signal recorder, e.g. for recording facsimile images on a VCR motion video recording combined with still video recording in a still video camera H04N1/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0068 Converting from still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for creating and viewing a digital photo album on a television with the use of commonly available playback devices, such as a DVD player. The system and method generally comprise a user'"'"'s creation of digital photographs (e.g., using a digital camera or scanning an analog photo), the user transmitting (electronically or otherwise) the image files to a central computer which then processes and converts the image files into one or combination of any number of predetermined video standards (such as digital VHS standard, VHS standard, DVD-Video standard, DVD standards, Internet Streaming Media standards, compressed digital video standards—MPEG-1, MPEG-2, JPEG, etc . . . ), and then writing the converted data to a transportable storage media that is in accordance with the video standard chosen (i.e., if files converted to a DVD format, then the transportable media must be a DVD).

Claims

1. A computer system for creating a digital photo album, comprising:

a. means for receiving at least one digital file of a first format;

b. memory for storing said at least one digital file;

c. means for converting said at least one digital file from said first format to a second format that is a video standard;

d. means for writing said at least one digital file to a transportable storage media.

2. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising means for grouping said digital files into at least one group.

3. The computer system of claim 2, further comprising means for organizing said at least one digital file within each of said at least one group into a predefined order.

4. The computer system of claim 3, further comprising means for creating a menu file in which each of said at least one group of said at least one digital file may be accessed.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said first format is one that supports graphical images.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said second format is at least one of VHS, Digital VHS, DVD-Video, DVD-Multi, DVD, Internet Streaming Media, and compressed digital video standards, including MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and JPEG.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said first format is a multimedia file format.

8. The computer system of claim 7, further comprising means for converting said multimedia files to a third format that is a digital audio standard.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein said third format is at least one of DVD-Audio, DVD-Multi, DVD, Internet Streaming Media standards, and compressed digital audio standards, including AC-3, MPEG-1 audio, and MPEG-2 audio.

10. A method for creating a digital photo album that is viewable on a television, comprising the steps of:

a. sending at least one image file saved in a first file format from a first location to a second location;

b. receiving said at least one image file at said second location which has a first computer located there;

c. converting said at least one image file from said first file format to a second file format that is a digital video standard, thereby creating at least one digital image file;

d. saving said at least one digital image file in said second file format; and

e. writing said at least one digital image file to a transportable media.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of organizing said at least one digital image file into at least one group.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of organizing the sequence of said at least one digital image file into a predefined order.

13. A method for creating a digital photo album that is viewable on a television, comprising the steps of:

a. storing at least one digital image file in a first file format;

b. converting said at least one digital image file from said first file format to a second file format that is a video standard;

c. saving said at least one digital image file in said second file format; and

d. writing said at least one digital image file to a transportable media.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of organizing said at least one digital image file into at least one group.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of organizing the sequence of said at least one digital image file into a predefined order.