Techniques for processing images

• US 20070030357A1
• Filed: 08/05/2005
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Malamud, Mark, Lord, Robert, Levien, Royce, Rinaldo, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,237,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/211.140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561

Abstract

An apparatus, device, methods, computer program product, and system are described that determine a processing to be performed on an image at a remote processing resource, capture an image, and transmit to the remote processing resource, in response to a triggering event, the image to be processed and associated information.

Claims

What. What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:

determining a processing to be performed on an image at a remote processing resource;

capturing an image; and

transmitting to the remote processing resource, in response to a triggering event, the image to be processed and associated information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining a processing further comprises:

determining a remote processing resource to perform the processing.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting comprises:

at least one of

transmitting an indication of the processing to be performed on the image at the remote processing resource,

transmitting a specific image processing instruction,

transmitting instructions related to a requested image processing result for an image,

transmitting an instruction to use one of a plurality of image processing programs to process the image,

transmitting an indication of where an image should be transmitted or stored after processing,

transmitting an indication of how to provide or communicate status information relating to the status of the processing of the image, or

transmitting an indication of the one or more types of status information that should be provided or communicated relating to the status of the processing of the image.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting comprises:

at least one of

transmitting an instruction to use a portrait image processing program to process the image,

transmitting an instruction to use an action image processing program to process the image,

transmitting an instruction to use a night or low-light image processing program to process the image,

transmitting an instruction to use a night portrait image processing program to process the image,

transmitting an instruction to use a landscape image processing program to process the image, or

transmitting an instruction to use a close-up image processing program to process the image.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting comprises:

transmitting an indication of where an image should be transmitted or stored after processing including

at least one of

an address or identifier identifying a device,

a network address,

a network address of a user device,

a network address of a wireless user device, a network address of a storage resource,

a link to a resource or device,

a Universal Resource Locator (URL),

a telephone number associated with a user wireless device, or

an electronic mail or e-mail address.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting comprises:

transmitting an indication of how to provide or communicate status information relating to the status of the processing of the image including

at least one of

an address or identifier identifying a device,

a network address,

a network address of a user device,

a network address of a wireless user device,

a network address of a storage resource,

a link to a resource or device,

a Universal Resource Locator (URL),

a telephone number associated with a user wireless device, or

an electronic mail or e-mail address.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting comprises:

at least one of

transmitting an indication that a confirmation should be provided or communicated confirming that an image has been received for processing,

transmitting an indication that a completion notification should be provided or communicated indicating when the processing for the image is completed,

transmitting an indication that error information should be provided or communicated indicating one or more error conditions,

transmitting an indication that status information should be provided or communicated indicating that the processing resource has incomplete information to complete processing of the image, or

transmitting an indication that status information should be provided or communicated indicating that a processing history should be provided or communicated indicating the processing steps that were performed to process the image.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining a processing to be performed comprises:

at least one of

determining a quality of an image to be modified,

determining a color of an image to be modified,

determining a white balance or contrast of an image to be modified,

determining a size of an image to be modified,

determining a focus of an image to be modified,

determining an attribute of an image to be modified, or

determining a portion of an image to be substituted with or replaced by another image or image portion.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting comprises:

at least one of

transmitting in response to capturing the image,

transmitting in response to actuating a shutter,

transmitting in response to activating an image capture control, or

transmitting in response to a request from a user for remote image processing of the image.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting comprises:

at least one of

transmitting when an amount of stored information including the captured image reaches a predetermined level,

transmitting when an amount or number of stored images reaches a predetermined level,

transmitting when a transmission resource is available for transmitting the image,

transmitting when the remote processing resource is available, or

transmitting when a device performing said transmitting is available for transmission.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving status information relating to the status of the processing of the image.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the receiving comprises:

at least one of

receiving a confirmation confirming that an image has been received for processing,

receiving a completion notification indicating when the processing for the image has been completed,

receiving an indication that an error or failure condition has occurred,

receiving an indication that the processing resource has incomplete information to complete processing of the image, or

receiving a processing history indicating the processing steps that were performed to process the image.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving status information at a wireless user device relating to the status of the processing of the image; and

providing a indication to a user of the status information.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting comprises:

transmitting via wireless link to the remote processing resource, in response to a triggering event, the image to be processed and associated information.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving status information at a wireless user device confirming that an image has been received at the remote processing resource for processing; and

providing an audio or visual indication to a user of the status information.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving status information at a wireless user device confirming that processing of an image has been completed; and

providing an audio or visual indication to a user of the status information.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving status information at a wireless user device indicating that an error condition has occurred; and

providing an audio or visual indication to a user of the status information.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving information to allow the captured image to be received after it has been processed at the remote processing resource.

22. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving information via a wireless link to allow the image to be received after it has been processed at the remote processing resource.

23. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the image after it has been processed at the remote processing resource.

24. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the image via a wireless link after it has been processed at the remote processing resource.

25. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

configuring an image capture device to provide for remote image processing of the captured image.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said configuring comprises:

configuring, before said capturing, an image capture device capturing the image to provide for remote image processing of the captured image.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein said configuring comprises:

configuring, after said capturing, an image capture device capturing the image to provide for remote image processing of the captured image.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein said configuring comprises:

at least one of

identifying a user of the device,

providing user payment information,

specifying how or where the processed image may be provided to the user or the image capture device,

providing at least some image processing instructions, or

identifying an image processing program to be used in processing an image.

2. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

29. A computer program product comprising:

a signal-bearing medium bearing at least one of

one or more instructions for determining a processing to be performed on an image at a remote processing resource,

one or more instructions for capturing an image, and

one or more instructions for transmitting to the remote processing resource, in response to a triggering event, the image to be processed and associated information.

30. (canceled)

31. (canceled)

32. (canceled)

33. A system comprising:

a computing device; and

instructions when executed on the computing device cause the computing device to;

determine a processing to be performed on an image at a remote processing resource;

capture an image; and

transmit to the remote processing resource, in response to a triggering event, the image to be processed and associated information.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein the instructions when executed on the computing device further cause the computing device to:

receive status information indicating a status of the processing of the image.

35. The system of claim 33 wherein the instructions when executed on the computing device further cause the computing device to:

receive the image after it has been processed at the remote processing resource.

36. The system of claim 33 wherein the system comprises an image capture device with a wireless communications capability.

37. A device comprising:

a processing system, the processing system comprising

determining logic that is operable to determine a processing to be performed on an image at a remote processing resource,

capturing logic that is operable to capture an image, and

transmitting logic that is operable to transmit to the remote processing resource, in response to a triggering event, the image to be processed and associated information.

38. The device of claim 37 wherein the processing system is implemented at an image capture device.

39. A method comprising:

receiving via a wireless link an image and associated information from a user;

processing the image according to the associated information;

communicating an image processing status to the user according to the associated information; and

providing or communicating the processed image according to the associated information.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the communicating an image processing status comprises:

at least one of

communicating a confirmation that an image has been received for processing,

communicating a completion notification indicating that the processing for the image has been completed,

communicating an indication that an error or failure condition has occurred,

communicating an indication that the processing resource has incomplete information to complete processing of the image, or

communicating a processing history indicating the processing steps that were performed to process the image.

41. The method of claim 39 wherein said receiving comprises:

receiving via a wireless link an image provided in a raw format and an indication of the processing to be performed on the image from a user.

42. (canceled)

43. (canceled)

44. The method of claim 43 wherein the transmitting information to the user comprises:

transmitting a resource identifier to the user to allow the user to retrieve the processed image.

45. A computer program product comprising:

a signal-bearing medium bearing at least one of

one or more instructions for receiving via a wireless link an image and associated information from a user,

one or more instructions for processing the image according to the associated information,

one or more instructions for communicating an image processing status to the user according to the associated information, and

one or more instructions for providing or communicating the processed image according to the associated information.

46. (canceled)

47. (canceled)

48. (canceled)

49. A method comprising:

selecting a processing mode for an image;

adjusting one or more parameters of an image capture device based on the selected processing mode;

capturing an image using the image capture device according to the adjusted parameters; and

providing to a remote processing resource the image to be processed and an identification of the selected processing mode, the selected processing mode associated with one or more image processing steps.