Digital Photograph Processing And Ordering System And Method

• US 20080300996A1
• Filed: 05/29/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Walgreen Corporation (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rahn, Clinton, Erchinger, Kurt, Fei, Jason, McCauley, Timothy Patrick, Rajendran, Rakesh, Stepp, Timothy E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,112,316 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

The disclosure presents a system and method for processing and managing customer orders for digital documents, such as digital photographs, through a network, such as the internet. The system may be implemented in a variety of ways, including a system, a method and/or a computer readable medium for processing and managing customer orders for digital documents, such as digital photographs, through a network, such as the internet. The system, method and/or medium includes logic for receiving at a first server an upload of a digital image from a first client computer, receiving at the first server identification data associated with the digital image, storing in a first memory associated with the first server the digital image, storing in the first memory the identification data associated with the digital image, receiving at the first server a first digital image print request, receiving an electronic first remote location identification of a first remote location to have the digital image printed, and electronically sending to the first remote location a second digital image print request to have the digital image printed, without sending the digital image to be printed. The logic can also include receiving a first digital image print request from a client device, at a retail website computer, receiving at a central computer the first digital image print request from the client computer through the retail website computer, receiving at the central computer an availability message from each of the plurality of remote locations, wherein each availability message comprises a store identifier and an earliest time the digital image print request can be completed for an associated store identifier for each of the plurality of remote locations, receiving a selection of a first remote location identification for a first remote location of the plurality of remote locations, to have an associated digital image to the digital image print request printed at a first remote location associated with the first remote location identification based on the availability message for the first remote location, and sending to the first remote location the first digital image print request to have the associated digital image printed, wherein the first remote location is one of a plurality of remote locations to which the first digital image request can be sent.

Claims

1. A method for processing and managing customer orders for digital photographic images transmitted over a network, comprising the steps of:

providing for receiving at a first server an upload of a digital image from a first client computer;

providing for receiving at the first server identification data associated with the digital image;

providing for storing in a first memory associated with the first server the digital image;

providing for storing in the first memory the identification data associated with the digital image;

providing for receiving at the first server a first digital image print request;

providing for receiving an electronic first remote location identification of a first remote location to have the digital image printed;

providing for electronically sending to the first remote location a second digital image print request to have the digital image printed, without sending the digital image to be printed.

2. The method claim 1 wherein the step of providing for receiving at the first server the first digital image print request comprises providing for receiving at the first server the digital image print request from a second client computer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing for receiving at the first server an upload of a digital image and providing for receiving at the first server the first digital image print request are performed proximate in time to one another, wherein the digital image and the first digital image print request and are received from the first client computer.

4. The method claim 1 wherein the step of providing for receiving at the first server the first digital image print request comprises providing for receiving at the first server the first digital image print request from a second server wherein the second server had previously received the first digital image print request from at least one of the first client computer and/or a second client computer.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing for receiving from the first remote location a request to download the digital image;

providing for sending to the first remote location the digital image for printing the digital image at the first remote location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein after step of providing for receiving at the first server the first digital image print request, the method further comprises the steps of:

providing for formatting the first digital image print request for receipt by a remote printer interface computer; and

,

providing for transmitting the formatted digital image print request as the second digital image print request to have the digital image printed, wherein the second digital image print request does not include the digital image.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the network is the internet.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the digital image is selected from a group consisting of a photographic digital image document, a graphic digital image document, a digital text document, a combined digital text and photographic digital image document, a combined digital text and graphic digital image document.

9. A system for print processing of digital photographic images;

a first client computer for sending a plurality of digital photographic images to be printed;

a retail server for receiving from the first client computer an upload of the plurality of digital photographic images to be printed and for storing the plurality of digital photographic images in a digital photographic image database associated with the retail server;

a central computer for receiving a print request from at least one of the retail server, the first client computer, and/or a second client computer, for printing the plurality of digital photographic images stored in the digital photographic image database;

a plurality of remote printer controllers located at a plurality of remote retail stores for printing the plurality of digital photographic images, each remote printer controller having a remote location identification, wherein the central computer selects at least one of the plurality of remote printer controllers to send the print request or receives a selection of which of the plurality of remote printer controllers to send the print request, and thereafter the central computer sends the print request to the selected remote printer controller without sending the plurality of digital photographic images to be printed, and wherein the selected remote printer controller sends a request to receive the plurality of digital photographic images

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the retail server is an internet service provider server, and wherein one or more web pages are at least in part initiated from the central server and displayed through the retail server for receiving at least a portion of the information necessary to generate the print request.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the retail server is a digital photograph storage server, and the retail server at least in part initiates one or more web pages for receiving at least a portion of the information necessary to generate the print request.

12. A method for processing and managing customer orders for digital photographic images through a network, comprising the steps of:

receiving at a central server a first digital image print request from a second computer;

receiving a selection of a first remote location identification to have the digital image printed at a first remote location associated with the first remote location identification; and

,

sending to the first remote location a second digital image print request to have the digital image printed, without sending the digital image to be printed to the first remote location, wherein the first remote location is one of a plurality of remote locations to which the second request can be sent.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first remote location comprises a first remote computer for receiving the second digital image print request to have the digital image printed, a first remote memory for storing the second digital image print request to have the digital image printed, and a first remote printer in communication with the first computer for printing the digital image.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

determining that the first remote printer is ready to process the second digital image print request to have the digital image printed;

transmitting a third request to a digital image repository storing the digital image for obtaining the actual digital image to be printed;

receiving the actual digital image to be printed from the digital image repository in response to the third request; and

,

printing the actual digital image received from the digital image repository.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the digital image repository is associated with the second computer.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the digital image repository is associated with the central computer.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the second computer is a retail website server for providing functionality for identifying and receiving information on products and services which can be obtained through the first location.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the second computer is a second party retail website server.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the second party retail website server is any website which facilitates storing and retrieving a plurality of digital photographic images.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the second party retail website server is an internet service provider website.

21. The method of claim 12 wherein the first remote location comprises a first remote printer for printing the digital image, and a first remote memory in communication with the first remote printer for storing the second request to have the digital image printed, wherein the first remote printer comprises a first interface device for receiving the second request to have the digital image printed.

22. The method of claim 12 wherein the first remote location comprises a first remote printer for printing the digital image, wherein the first remote printer comprises a first network interface for receiving the second request to have the digital image printed, a first processor in communication with the first network interface for processing the second request to have the digital image printed, a first remote memory in communication with the first processor for storing the second request to have the digital image printed, and a printing mechanism in communication with the processor for printing the digital image.

23. The method of claim 12 wherein the second computer is a client computer, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving at a digital image repository an upload of the digital image from the client computer;

storing in a memory associated with the digital image repository the digital image; and

,

receiving at the digital repository a request from the first location computer to send the digital image to the first remote computer for printing the digital image on a first remote printer associated with the first remote computer.

24. The method of claim 12 wherein the second computer is a second server computer, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving at the second server an upload of the digital image from a first client computer;

receiving at the second server identification data associated with the digital image;

storing in a memory associated with the second server the digital image;

storing in the memory the identification data associated with the digital image; and

,

receiving at the second computer a request to send the digital image to the first remote location computer.

25. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

receiving at a central server a change of location request for changing the location to have the digital image printed, comprising receiving a selection of a new remote location identification to have the digital image printed at a new remote location associated with the new remote location identification; and

,

sending to the first remote location a digital image print cancel request to cancel the second digital image print request to have the digital image printed; and

,

sending to the new remote location a new digital image print request to have the digital image printed, without sending the digital image to be printed to the new remote location, wherein the new remote location is one of the plurality of remote locations to which the new request can be sent.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the new remote location comprises a new remote computer for receiving the new digital image print request to have the digital image printed, a new remote memory for storing the new digital image print request to have the digital image printed, and a new remote printer in communication with the new computer for printing the digital image.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising the steps of:

determining that the new remote printer is ready to process the new digital image print request to have the digital image printed;

transmitting a fourth request to a digital image repository storing the digital image for obtaining the actual digital image to be printed;

receiving the actual digital image to be printed from the digital image repository in response to the fourth request; and

,

printing the actual digital image received from the digital image repository.

28. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

receiving at the first server an availability message from the plurality of the remote locations, wherein the availability message comprises store identifier and an earliest time the digital image print request can be completed for the associated store identifier.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein availability message is dependent upon at least one of a number of print requests presently pending and the content of each print request.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the content of each print request comprises a total size of images to be printed, type of output for each image, and the number of prints for each image type, and a store identifier.

31. A method for processing digital photographic image print requests at a plurality of remote locations, comprising the steps of:

providing for receiving a first digital image print request from a client device, at a retail website computer;

providing for receiving at a central computer the first digital image print request from the client computer through the retail website computer;

providing for receiving at the central computer an availability message from each of the plurality of remote locations, wherein each availability message comprises a store identifier and an earliest time the digital image print request can be completed for an associated store identifier for each of the plurality of remote locations;

providing for receiving a selection of a first remote location identification for a first remote location of the plurality of remote locations, to have an associated digital image to the digital image print request printed at a first remote location associated with the first remote location identification based on the availability message for the first remote location; and

,

providing for sending to the first remote location the first digital image print request to have the associated digital image printed, wherein the first remote location is one of a plurality of remote locations to which the first digital image request can be sent.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the first digital image print request does not include the associated digital image.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein the step of sending the first remote location the first digital image print request occurs without sending the digital image to be printed to the first remote location.

34. The method of claim 31 further comprising the step of providing for sending an availability message from each of plurality of the remote locations to the central computer on a regular time interval basis.

35. The method of claim 31 further comprising the step of providing for receiving at the central computer and storing in an associated memory an earliest time a digital image print request can be processed for each of the plurality of remote locations.

36. The method of claim 31 further comprising the step of providing for transmitting to the client computer availability times for a subset of the plurality of remote locations in a predetermined vicinity of a location determined from location information received from the client computer.

37. A remote computer associated with a digital photographic image printer for print processing digital photographic images at a remote location, comprising:

a memory for storing a remote location identifier associated with the remote location for storing digital photographic images;

a processor for determining an availability time and for generating an availability message of when the digital photographic image printer will be ready or for generating a print status message comprising the status of the digital photographic image printer, and for sending the availability message or the print status message to a central computer;

a communications interface for communicating with the digital photographic image printer, and for communicating with a central computer, wherein the remote computer is remote from the central computer, and wherein the remote computer is structured to receive from the central computer a digital image print request without receiving an associated plurality of digital photographic images to be printed, and wherein the remote computer is structured to send a request to receive the plurality of digital photographic images after the processor determines that the digital photographic image printer queue is ready to receive the digital images.

38. The controller of claim 37 wherein the communications interface receives the plurality of digital photographic images to be printed from at least one of the central computer, a retail website memory, and/or a digital photographic image repository, wherein the plurality of digital photographic images are stored in the memory;

and wherein previously received digital photographic images stored in the memory which have already been printed on the digital photographic image printer are deleted from the memory.

39. The controller of claim 37 wherein the processor and communications interface are structured to send the availability message to the central computer on a substantially regular time interval for use by the central computer to communicate to at least one of a retail website and/or a client computer user availability times for the remote location and other remote locations in predetermined area, wherein the availability times communicated to the user from the central computer allow the user to determine the lowest availability time.

40. The controller of claim 39 wherein the central computer determines the lowest availability time and communicates to the retail website and/or client computer the lowest availability time for the user of the client computer to decide which remote location to request that the digital photographic images be sent for printing.