Method and system for linking digital pictures to electronic documents

• US 20070043744A1
• Filed: 07/11/2006
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Carro, Fernando
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,654 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

An image of a scene is captured with a digital camera. An item related to the scene is selected on a document stored on an electronic user device. The image is linked to the item and reversibly both on the electronic user device and on the digital camera to allow access to the full information.

Claims

1. A method for linking a digital image to electronic information stored on an electronic user device having a screen, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting at least one image among a plurality of digital images stored on a digital camera, the at least one image being defined by an image filename and associated metadata;

displaying at least one document of interest among a plurality of documents stored on the electronic user device, the at least one document being defined by a document filename;

selecting in the displayed at least one document of interest at least one item to be linked to the selected at least one image;

transmitting from the digital camera to the electronic user device the image filename and associated metadata of the selected at least one image;

creating at the electronic user device an image data object including the image filename and associated metadata of the selected at least one image; and

creating on the electronic user device a link between the selected at least one item and the image data object.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of creating a link comprises the step of copying the document filename and the selected item into the image data object.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

transmitting from the electronic user device to the digital camera the document filename and a reference associated to the selected at least one item; and

copying into the image metadata of the selected at least one image, the document filename and the reference associated to the at least one item, thereby linking on the digital camera the selected at least one image to the selected at least one item.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of creating an image data object further comprises the step of displaying the image data object in the form of an icon on the electronic user device screen.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the icon is displayed into the vicinity of the selected at least one item.

6. The method of anyone of claims 1 wherein the step of selecting at least one item further comprises the step of highlighting the at least one item on the electronic user device screen.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the metadata are chosen in a set of standardized metadata.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the standardized metadata are chosen to be DIG35 compliant metadata.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the metadata are chosen to be ISO/IEC compliant metadata.

10. A digital camera comprising means for operating the steps of the method of claim 1.

11. A system for linking a digital image to electronic information stored on an electronic user device having a screen, the system comprising:

means for selecting at least one image among a plurality of digital images stored on a digital camera, the at least one image being defined by an image filename and associated metadata;

means for displaying at least one document of interest among a plurality of documents stored on the electronic user device, the at least one document being defined by a document filename;

means for selecting in the displayed at least one document of interest at least one item to be linked to the selected at least one image;

means for transmitting from the digital camera to the electronic user device the image filename and associated metadata of the selected at least one image;

means for creating at the electronic user device an image data object including the image filename and associated metadata of the selected at least one image; and

means for creating on the electronic user device a link between the selected at least one item and the image data object.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein means for creating a link comprises means for copying the document filename and the selected item into the image data object.

13. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

means for transmitting from the electronic user device to the digital camera the document filename and a reference associated to the selected at least one item; and

means for copying into the image metadata of the selected at least one image, the document filename and the reference associated to the at least one item, thereby linking on the digital camera the selected at least one image to the selected at least one item.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein means for creating an image data object further comprises means for displaying the image data object in the form of an icon on the electronic user device screen.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein means for selecting at least one item further comprises means for highlighting the at least one item on the electronic user device screen.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the metadata are chosen in a set of standardized metadata.

17. A computer program product stored on a medium readable by an electronic user device, the computer program product tangibly embodying readable program means for causing the electronic user device to carry out a method comprising the steps of:

selecting at least one image among a plurality of digital images stored on a digital camera, the at least one image being defined by an image filename and associated metadata;

displaying at least one document of interest among a plurality of documents stored on the electronic user device, the at least one document being defined by a document filename;

selecting in the displayed at least one document of interest at least one item to be linked to the selected at least one image;

transmitting from the digital camera to the electronic user device the image filename and associated metadata of the selected at least one image;

creating at the electronic user device an image data object including the image filename and associated metadata of the selected at least one image; and

creating on the electronic user device a link between the selected at least one item and the image data object.

18. A computer program product stored on a medium readable by a digital camera, the computer program product tangibly embodying readable program means for causing the digital camera to carry out a method comprising the steps of:

selecting at least one image among a plurality of digital images stored on a digital camera, the at least one image being defined by an image filename and associated metadata;

displaying at least one document of interest among a plurality of documents stored on the electronic user device, the at least one document being defined by a document filename;

selecting in the displayed at least one document of interest at least one item to be linked to the selected at least one image;

transmitting from the digital camera to the electronic user device the image filename and associated metadata of the selected at least one image;

creating at the electronic user device an image data object including the image filename and associated metadata of the selected at least one image; and

creating on the electronic user device a link between the selected at least one item and the image data object.