Location-referenced photograph repository
First Claim
1. A method of storing photographs comprising:
- providing a data repository on a network accessible to a plurality of users who have digital photographs, wherein the digital photographs are comprised of data files in a suitable format;
receiving digital photographs from the users over the network;
storing the digital photographs in the data repository;
when storing each digital photograph in the data repository, associating each digital photograph with data that indicate a physical location;
providing a search function available to the users over the network that enables users to search by physical location for digital photographs stored by other users;
allowing users to select digital photographs stored by other users; and
transmitting copies of the selected digital photographs to the users who selected them over the network.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A photograph repository system includes data storage for storing photographs in the form of digital data files and a search feature that provides for searching for photographs by location and optionally by other search criteria. In one embodiment, a photograph repository service is accessible to users over a common data network, such as the Internet. In the photograph repository service, each stored photograph is associated with a location, i.e., where the photograph was taken and/or the location of an object in the photograph. Users can search for and obtain copies of their own photographs that they had stored previously with the photograph repository service. In addition, users can search for and obtain copies of photographs that had been taken by other users and stored with the photograph repository service. The photograph repository system can also be implemented as a standalone system, a hybrid system, or a peer-to-peer system.
157 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method of storing photographs comprising:
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providing a data repository on a network accessible to a plurality of users who have digital photographs, wherein the digital photographs are comprised of data files in a suitable format;
receiving digital photographs from the users over the network;
storing the digital photographs in the data repository;
when storing each digital photograph in the data repository, associating each digital photograph with data that indicate a physical location;
providing a search function available to the users over the network that enables users to search by physical location for digital photographs stored by other users;
allowing users to select digital photographs stored by other users; and
transmitting copies of the selected digital photographs to the users who selected them over the network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of exchanging photographs comprising:
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providing an indexing program on a network accessible to a plurality of users, wherein each of the users has digital photographs stored as data files on a respective separate one of a plurality of data storage devices connected to the network, wherein the indexing program associates each digital photograph with a physical location, and wherein the indexing program refers to each digital photograph by referencing the user'"'"'s data storage device on which the digital photograph is stored;
providing a search function available to the users over the network that enables users to search by physical location for digital photographs of other users;
allowing users to select digital photographs stored by other users on said other users'"'"' data storage devices; and
providing for the transmission of copies of the selected digital photographs to those users who selected them over the network. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. A method of storing photographs in a standalone computing system comprising:
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providing a data repository on the standalone computing system;
storing digital photographs in the data repository;
when storing each digital photograph in the data repository, associating each digital photograph with data that indicate a physical location;
providing a search function available to the user of the standalone computing system that enables the user to search by physical location for digital photographs stored in the data repository;
allowing the user to select digital photographs stored in the data repository; and
providing copies of the selected digital photographs to the user from the standalone computing system.
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27. A method of storing photographs in computing systems connected to a data network, the method comprising:
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providing a first data repository on first computing system connected to the data network;
storing a first plurality of digital photographs in the first data repository;
when storing each digital photograph in the first data repository, associating each digital photograph with location reference data that indicate a physical location, wherein the location reference data is in a selected format;
providing a second data repository on a second computing system accessible to a plurality of users who have digital photographs, wherein the second computing system is accessible over the data network to the first computing system;
storing a second plurality of digital photographs in the second data repository;
when storing each digital photograph in the second data repository, associating each digital photograph with location reference data that indicate a physical location, wherein the location reference data associated with the digital photographs stored in the second data repository is in the selected format;
providing a search function available to a user of the first computing system that enables the user to search by physical location for digital photographs stored in the first data repository and the second data repository;
allowing the user to select digital photographs stored in the first data repository and the second data repository; and
providing copies of the selected digital photographs to the user from the first data repository and the second data repository.
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28. A method of enabling a user to take photographs of a place of interest comprising:
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storing data in a computing system to indicate a user-selected subject matter category;
determining locations of the user as the user travels through a geographic region;
using a geographic database to compare locations of the user to locations of places that match the user-selected subject matter category; and
informing the user when the user is in proximity to one place that matches the user-selected subject matter category.
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Specification