Method and system for creating a commemorative presentation

• US 20030197721A1
• Filed: 05/28/2003
• Published: 10/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Making Everlasting Memories, LLC (Service Corporation International)
• Original Assignee: Making Everlasting Memories, LLC (Service Corporation International)
• Inventors: Sefton, Steven Craig, Mindrum, Gordon Scott, Johnson, Jeffrey Jon
• Granted Patent: US 7,657,835 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method and system for creating a commemorative presentation. The subject of the commemoration can take a variety of forms, including living or deceased individuals, organizations, entities, companies, cities, and the like. A plurality of images are compiled related to the subject. Configuration data is created relating to the display of the plurality of images. The plurality of images and configuration data are stored in a datastore. A video is dynamically created by accessing the plurality of images and configuration data stored in the datastore and sequentially displaying the plurality of images stored in the datastore in conformance with the configuration data stored in the datastore. While the invention has utility in a number of different applications, one particularly well suited application is in the death care industry for creating commemorative videos for the recently deceased.

Claims

1. A method of creating a commemorative presentation, the method comprising the acts of:

a) compiling a plurality of images related to a subject;

b) creating configuration data relating to the display of the plurality of images;

c) storing the plurality of images and configuration data in a datastore;

d) creating a video by accessing the plurality of images and configuration data stored in the datastore and sequentially displaying the plurality of images stored in the datastore in conformance with the configuration data stored in the datastore; and

e) displaying the video to commemorate the subject.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the act of storing the video on a video medium.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the video medium is one or more of the following:

video tape, compact disc (CD), and digital video disc (DVD).

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the act of replaying the video by repeating acts of creating a video and displaying the video.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the subject is a deceased person and the video is displayed during the funeral service of the deceased person.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the video is replayed after the funeral service has concluded from a web site on an Internet browser.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein datastore comprises images and configuration data for a plurality of deceased persons.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the datastore includes identifying data associating each deceased person with the corresponding stored plurality of images and configuration data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of creating the configuration data comprises selecting a plurality of video display options.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the act of compiling comprises scanning photographs at a funeral home and uploading the scanned photographs to the datastore.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the video is created on a remote server to the funeral service.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the video is transmitted to the funeral home over the Internet.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the displayed video is streamed from the server.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the video is downloaded from the server.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the act of transmitting via the Internet the plurality of images from the funeral home to the server.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration data is selected from one or more templates.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the video is a Flash movie.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of images are still or video images.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration data defines one or more of the following:

the sequence of images to be displaying in the video;

the time period between image transitions in the video.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration data defines one or more of the following:

the type of transition of the images in the video;

panning of the images in the video;

zooming of the images in the video;

framing of the images in the video.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration data defines one or more of the following:

music to be played in the video;

background appearance in the video.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration data defines one or more of the following:

one or more introduction screens in the video;

one or more ending screens in the video;

descriptive text of the images in the video.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the acts are performed sequentially.

24. A computer system programmed to perform the method of claim 1.

25. A computer readable medium comprising instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

26. A video created using the method of claim 1.

27. A business method comprising offering and selling the acts in the method of claim 5 in conjunction with funeral services of funeral home.

28. The business method of claim 27, further comprising the act of selling the video stored on a video medium.

29. A method in conjunction with funeral services, the method comprising steps of:

a) creating identifying data for a plurality of deceased persons, the identifying data being unique to each deceased person relative to a plurality of other deceased persons;

b) compiling a plurality of images related to each of the plurality of deceased persons;

c) selecting for each of the plurality of deceased persons a plurality of video display options relating to the sequence and presentation of the plurality of images;

d) creating configuration data for each of the plurality of deceased persons corresponding to the selected video display options;

e) for each of the plurality of deceased persons, storing in a datastore the corresponding plurality of images, configuration data, and identifying data;

f) requesting to create a commemorative video for a selected deceased person;

g) accessing the plurality of images and configuration data stored in the datastore by referencing the identifying data for the selected deceased person;

h) creating a commemorative video for the selected deceased person by sequentially displaying the corresponding plurality of images stored in the datastore in conformance with the corresponding configuration data stored in the datastore; and

i) displaying the video during the funeral service of the selected deceased person.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the identifying data comprises numeric data.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the identifying data comprises at least a portion of the name of the corresponding deceased person.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising the act of selling the video stored on a video medium.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising the act of creating commemorative videos accessible over the Internet after the funeral service.

34. A method of claim 29, further comprising the acts of offering and selling the acts in the method in conjunction with funeral services of a funeral home.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein the act of selecting comprises defining one or more of the following:

the sequence of images to be displaying in the video;

the time period between image transitions in the video;

the type of transition of the images in the video;

panning of the images in the video;

zooming of the images in the video;

framing of the images in the video;

music to be played in the video;

background appearance in the video;

one or more introduction screens in the video;

one or more ending screens in the video; and

descriptive text of the images in the video.

36. The method of claim 29, wherein the plurality of images are still or video images.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein the acts are performed sequentially.

38. The method of claim 29, wherein the one or more of the acts are performed at least in part simultaneously.

39. A computer system programmed to perform the method of claim 29.

40. A computer readable medium comprising instructions for performing the method of claim 29.

41. A system for commemorating a deceased person, the system comprising:

a) a plurality of images related to the deceased person;

b) software operable for creating and editing configuration data relating to the sequence and presentation of the plurality of images;

c) a datastore in which the plurality of images and configuration data is stored;

d) means for creating a video by sequentially displaying the plurality of images stored in the datastore in conformance with the configuration data stored in the datastore; and

e) means for displaying the video during the funeral service for the deceased person.

42. An image submission system for uploading images from a client to a remote server, the system comprising:

a) a scanner connected to the client operable to scan images;

b) a scanner interface software module loaded on the client for operating the scanner;

c) an image submission software module loaded on the server and being operable to remotely receive instructions and be viewed by the client on an Internet browser, the image submission software module comprising a single click user option to scan and upload images;

d) a control software module loaded on the client in communication with the image submission software module, said control software module being operative, upon the selection of the option to scan and upload images, to direct the scanner interface software module software to scan an image on the scanner and upload the scanned image to the remote server.