System and Methods for Creating and Editing Photo-Based Projects on a Digital Network

• US 20110167353A1
• Filed: 07/16/2010
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interactive Memories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Interactive Memories Incorporated
• Inventors: Grosz, Aryk Erwin, Schultz, Daniel Thanh, Laffoon, Daniel Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,806,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24 Classification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/12 Digital output to print unit , e.g. line printer, chain printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/387 Composing, repositioning or otherwise geometrically modifying originals

Abstract

A system for creating and editing image and or text-based projects includes a server connected to a data network, the server having access to a digital medium containing an executable graphics user interface (GUI) accessible by computer browser, at least one data repository residing on the network, the repository accessible to the server, the repository containing images, and product-related graphics, a print configuration engine implemented in software residing on and executable from the digital medium or another accessible medium, the print configuration engine for rendering image and or text-based products for printing, and at least one bi-directional communication channel established between a computing appliance running a version of the GUI while connected to the network and a server managing the data repository.

Claims

1. A system for creating and editing image and or text-based projects comprising:

a server connected to a data network, the server having access to a digital medium containing an executable graphics user interface (GUI) accessible by computer browser;

at least one data repository residing on the network, the repository accessible to the server, the repository containing images, and product-related graphics;

a print configuration engine implemented in software residing on and executable from the digital medium or another accessible medium, the print configuration engine for rendering image and or text-based products for printing; and

at least one bi-directional communication channel established between a computing appliance running a version of the GUI while connected to the network and a server managing the data repository;

wherein a user operating the computing appliance may utilize the GUI to create, edit, publish, and print one or more image and or text-based projects and wherein individual ones of the image and or text-based projects are presented in the GUI.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the data network is the Internet network.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the image and or text-based projects include but are not limited to a photo-book, a photo-calendar, and a photo-card.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein project-related graphics include shapes, stickers, frames, text boxes, photo-slots, and backgrounds.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein two or more users may access the same GUI version and edit an image and or text-based project at the same time.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the data repository is managed by a third-party network storage provider.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the bi-directional data channel is an action script message format (AMF) channel.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the GUI includes an application for messaging, and an application for creating an interactive list of friends of the instant user operating the GUI.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the GUI includes a message board interface allowing users to post viewable comments about the image and or text-based project.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein individual ones of the image and or text-based projects are displayed at a core aspect ratio relative to width and height derived for a grouping of product sizes, each having different aspect ratios.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein individual ones of image and or text-based projects may be translated from presentation at one core aspect ratio relative to one pre-defined grouping of products having similar aspect ratios to another core aspect ratio relative to a different pre-defined grouping of products having similar aspect ratios.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein individual pages of an image and or text-based project are scaled using relative integers beginning from absolute center of the page.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein individual pages of an image and or text-based project are auto-populated with theme-related shapes, stickers, text boxes, and photo-slots.

14. The system of claim 6 wherein the server uses multiple open socket connections to monitor two or more users collaborating on the same project and to push activity data to all of the collaborators giving the a real-time view of the changes.

15. The system of claim 1 accessible through a secure Website.

16. In a system for creating and editing image and or text-based projects, the system including a networked server and a data repository, the server having access to a digital medium with an executable graphics user interface (GUI), a method for creating an image and or text-based project comprising:

(a) accessing the system;

(b) selecting the basic product attributes;

(c) invoking the editor to assemble and display the project; and

(d) adding, removing, and editing project content.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein in step (a) access is through a Web site.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein in step (b) product attributes may include a project title, a project description, one or more custom tags, a theme category, indication of who may view the project over the network, and any named collaborators who will contribute to the project over the network.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein in step (c) the project is represented at a core aspect ratio relative to the individual aspect ratios of a grouping of product sizes with similar aspect ratios.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein in step (c) the project is automatically populated with a background, shapes, stickers, text boxes, and photo slots.