System and method for capturing, associating and distributing photographic images

• US 20070014565A1
• Filed: 12/10/2005
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alexander Hanuska, David Sauder
• Original Assignee: Alexander Hanuska, David Sauder
• Inventors: Hanuska, Alexander, Sauder, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,684,686 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/310
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/24 with means for separately producing marks on the film, e.g. title, time of exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 29/00 Combinations of cameras, projectors or photographic printing apparatus with non-photographic non-optical apparatus, e.g. clocks or weapons; Cameras having the shape of other objects combinations with flash apparatus G03B15/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00342 with a radio frequency tag transmitter or receiver storage of additional information in an RFID tag attached to an image bearing paper sheet H04N1/32138
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3225 of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

A system and method for capturing and distributing digitized photographic images via an electronics communications network are provided. A subject is provided with a portable identification wireless transmitter. A digital camera coupled with a wireless receiver creates a digital photographic document and includes the identification of the user in a formatted electronic message. The document may also retain information identifying the time and locale of the creation of the image. The document is made accessible to the electronic communications network, e.g. the Internet, in association with and by means of a data structure. The data structure and/or the document may be associated within an independent or additional identifier of the subject or of a third party. Information concerning the subject and locale related to the origination of the image are inserted into an available data field of a standard digital image format, such as a JPEG, MPEG of GIF format.

Claims

1. In a digital photographic system, the system comprising a computational engine, a communications link, and a digital camera, a method of associating photographic images with a subject, the method comprising:

a. generating a digital photograph;

b. inserting the digital photograph into a digital document; and

c. storing an identifier of a subject in the digital document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital document conforms to a published data format standard.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the standard is selected from the group of standards including JPEG, MPEG, TIFF and GIF.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is received by the photographic system via the communications link.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a locale identifier associated with the location of the digital camera is stored in the digital document.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the locale identifier comprises GPS data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications link comprises a wireless receiver and a wireless transmitter.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the wireless transmitter is coupled with the subject.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless transmitter is coupled with a band, the band configured for removable attachment to the subject.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a locale identifier of the location of the digital camera is stored in the digital document.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a second identifier of a second subject is stored in the digital document.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the photographic document is stored in a data structure, the data structure accessible via an electronic communications network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic communications network comprises the Internet

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifier is associated via the data structure with an individual identification code, the individual identification code associated with a specific human being.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein access to the photographic document requires input of a password.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein access to the photographic document requires an electronic payment.

20. A computer-readable medium on which are stored a plurality of computer-executable instructions for performing steps (a)-(c), as recited in claim 1.

17. A digital photographic system, the system comprising:

a. a computational engine having a data storage module; and

b. a data structure, the data structure stored within the data storage module comprising a plurality of digital documents, each document storing an identifier of a subject and a digital photograph, wherein the digital photograph and the identifier are received contemporaneously by the system

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the digital documents conform to published data format standard.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the standard is selected from the group of standards including JPEG, MPEG, TIFF and GIF.