IMAGE STORAGE SYSTEM, DEVICE AND METHOD

• US 20090094247A1
• Filed: 10/03/2007
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Fredlund, John R., Venturino, Michael, Mackson, Richard G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,150,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00153 for sharing images with a selected individual or correspondent
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2166 for mass storage, e.g. in document filing systems information retrieval G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2183 the stored images being distributed among a plurality of different locations, e.g. among a plurality of users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2187 with image input from a plurality of different locations or from a non-central location, e.g. from one or more users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2191 for simultaneous, independent access by a plurality of different users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/001 Sharing resources, e.g. processing power or memory, with a connected apparatus or enhancing the capability of the still picture apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network

Abstract

An image sharing system, an image sharing device and a method for operating a plurality of image sharing devices are provided. Each image sharing device has a memory with image content files stored therein and a communication system to provide an image sharing system. The method comprises the steps of: identifying image sharing devices to be included in the image sharing system; establishing a communication link between the identified image sharing devices, said communication link providing the ability to transfer image content files; identifying sharable image content files in each of the image sharing devices; and determining manifest data useable in copying the sharable image content files from one of the image sharing devices to at least one other of the image sharing devices so that each of the shareable image content file is stored in at least two of the image sharing devices in the image sharing system.

Claims

1. A method for operating a plurality of image sharing devices each having a memory with image content files stored therein and a communication system to provide an image sharing system, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying image sharing devices to be included in the shared image sharing system;

establishing a communication link between the identified image sharing devices, said communication link providing the ability to transfer image content files;

identifying sharable image content files in each of the image sharing devices;

determining manifest data useable in copying the sharable image content files from one of the image sharing devices to at least one other of the image sharing devices so that each one of the shareable image content file is stored in at least two of the image sharing devices in the image sharing system;

automatically copying sharable image content files from one of the image sharing devices to at least one other of the image sharing devices according to the manifest data;

creating index data indicating the at least two image sharing devices in which each sharable image content file is stored;

subsequently monitoring the content of each of the image sharing devices to identify any image sharing device that has a sharable image content stored therein that differs from the sharable image content that the index data indicates should be stored in the image sharing device; and

copying image content files from other image sharing devices with the copied image content being selected so that each sharable image content file in the index data is stored in at least two of the image sharing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image content files are stored on at least one of the image sharing devices in an encrypted fashion and further comprising the step of obtaining a decryption key that can be used to access at least some of the image content on the at least one of the image sharing devices and wherein the step of identifying image content stored in the image sharing devices as sharable image content comprises identifying only image content that can be decrypted using the decryption key.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the image content files are stored on at least one of the image sharing devices with selected image content files provided in a manner that identifies whether such image content files are for archiving and other image content files are identified that are not for sharing and wherein the step of identifying sharable image content stored in the image sharing devices as sharable image content comprises identifying only image content that is identified for sharing.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing index data as metadata in at least one of the image content files, said index data including feedback data determined from a person who has viewed the image content of the image content file.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the index data in an intermediary device that the image sharing devices can communicate with.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of generating communication data from which each of the image sharing devices in the image sharing system can be identified.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the manifest data is determined based upon the image content of the image content files such that image content files having image content that depicts persons, places or things are preferentially stored in image sharing devices that are related to the person, place or thing, or that have a use that is related to the person place or thing, or an image sharing device used by a person who is related to the image sharing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said index data is created by the central server, by a client created query or by automatically updating to the index so that each of the image sharing devices can verify that the index is a current index and that nothing has happened to the server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the manifest data is determined based upon the technical capabilities of an image sharing device or technical capabilities of a communication link between the image sharing devices and the attributes of the shareable image data files in a manner that causes the manifest data to directs the sharable image files to a combination of the image sharing devices that provides a relatively high level of system performance in accordance with the capacity of the image sharing devices to share and store the sharable image content files and/or in accordance with the ability of the communication link to share such files.

10. The method of claim 1, further the steps of detecting when there has been an excessive number of failures to communicate with one of the image sharing devices and, in response, modifying the manifest data so that the image sharing device with the excessive number of failures has occurred, is not relied upon to store image content files.

11. The method of claim 10, the modifying alters the allocation of identified image content files so that identified image content files are shared with at least two of the remaining image sharing devices in the image sharing system.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of receiving a request for access to one of the sharable image content files, obtaining index data for the requested sharable image content file and obtaining the requested sharable image content file from one of the image sharing devices that the index data indicates has the sharable image content file stored thereon.

13. An image sharing device comprising:

a communication system capable of data communication with an external device;

a memory having image content files stored therein;

a controller adapted to cooperate with the communication system and the memory to cooperate to perform the steps of identifying image sharing devices to be included in an image sharing system;

establishing a communication link between the identified image sharing devices, said communication link providing the ability to transfer images;

identifying sharable image content files on each of the image sharing devices;

determining manifest data useable in copying the sharable image content files from one of the image sharing devices to at least one other of the image sharing devices so that each one of the shareable image content file is stored in at least two of the image sharing devices in the image sharing system;

automatically copying sharable image content files from one of the image sharing devices to at least one other of the image sharing devices according to the manifest data; and

creating index data indicating the at least two image sharing devices in which each sharable image content file is stored;

wherein the controller is further adapted to subsequently monitor the content of each of the image sharing devices to identify any image sharing device that has a sharable image content stored therein that differs from the sharable image content that the index data indicates should be stored in the image sharing device; and

to automatically copy image content files from other image sharing devices with the copied image content being selected so that each shared image content file in the index data is stored in at least two of the image sharing devices.

14. The image sharing device of claim 13, wherein said image sharing device further comprises a user input system adapted to respond to a user response to presented image content from one of the image content files, and wherein said controller is further adapted to determine feedback data based upon the response and to store the feedback data in association with the presented image content.

15. The image sharing device of claim 13, wherein said image sharing device further comprises a sensor that is adapted to detect an involuntary response of a user to presented image content from one of the image content files and wherein said controller is further adapted to determine feedback data based upon the response and to store the feedback data in association with the presented image content.

16. The image sharing device of claim 13, wherein said controller is adapted to determine when feedback data is associated with an image content file and to cause an human detectable output signal to be generated that is based upon the feedback data that is associated with the image content file.

17. An image sharing system comprising:

a communication system capable of data communication with other ones of the plurality of image sharing devices;

a memory having image content files stored therein;

a controller adapted to cooperate with the communication system and the memory to exchange image content files with other ones of the image sharing devices;

at least one control system adapted to perform the steps of identifying image sharing devices to be included in an image sharing system;

establishing a communication link between the identified image sharing devices, said communication link providing the ability to transfer images;

identifying sharable image content files on each of the image sharing devices;

determining manifest data useable in copying the sharable image content files from one of the image sharing devices to at least one other of the image sharing devices so that each one of the sharable image content file is stored in at least two of the image sharing devices in the image sharing system; and

automatically copying sharable image content files from one of the image sharing devices to at least one other of the image sharing devices according to the manifest data; and

creating index data indicating the at least two image sharing devices in which each sharable image content file is stored;

wherein the control system is further adapted to subsequently monitor the content of each of the image sharing devices to identify any image sharing device that has a sharable image content stored therein that differs from the sharable image content that the index data indicates should be stored in the image sharing device; and

to automatically copy image content files from other image sharing devices with the copied image content being selected so that each shared image content file in the index data is stored in at least two of the image sharing devices.

18. The control system of claim 17, wherein the control system comprises one of the controllers of one of the image sharing devices.

19. The control system of claim 17, wherein the image sharing devices are adapted to communicate with each other at least in part by way of an intermediary and wherein the intermediary provides the control system.

20. The control system of claim 17, wherein the image sharing devices are adapted to communicate with each other to exchange image content files and to store the index data in an intermediary.

21. The control system of claim 17, wherein the image sharing devices are adapted to communicate with each other and an intermediary, and wherein the intermediary performs the control system functions of determining manifest data and index data.

22. The image sharing system of claim 17, wherein the control system is further adapted to determine an owner for each shareable image content file and wherein the control system requires approval from the owner to delete or modify a sharable image content file that is associated with the owner.

23. The image sharing system of claim 17, wherein each identified image sharing device agrees to commit an amount of resources to image sharing that varies in accordance with a reciprocal relationship between the image sharing devices in the image sharing system.

24. The image sharing system of claim 17, wherein the control system is adapted to prioritize the copying of image content files according to image value.