System And Method For Providing Image Products And/Or Services

• US 20120054062A1
• Filed: 09/21/2011
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dale F. Mcintyre, Dana W. Wolcott, Kenneth A. Parulski
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 83 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: McIntyre, Dale F., Parulski, Kenneth A., Wolcott, Dana W.
• Application Number:
  US13/238,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20120054062A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4092 Image resolution transcoding, e.g. by using client-server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00137 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00145 from a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00148 Storage information retrieval G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00161 Viewing or previewing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00172 directly from a still digital camera or from a storage medium mounted in a still digital camera H04N1/0018 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00798 Circuits or arrangements for the control thereof, e.g. using a programmed control device or according to a measured quantity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0097 Storage of instructions or parameters, e.g. customised instructions or different parameters for different user IDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera

Abstract

A system and method for obtaining photographic products and/or services comprises bundling image capture and printing technologies into products and/or services that are paid for by a consumer with monthly or yearly subscription fees. The system and method involves selecting a camera and selecting a photographic products/service plan which designates photographic products and/or services which are to be associated with the selected camera. The system and method gives the consumer the option of selecting a specific camera from a menu of cameras, and a specific photographic product/service plan which is to be associated with the selected camera from a product/service menu.

Claims

1. A method of providing photographic products and/or photographic services, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a selection of a digital camera among a selection of digital cameras;

selecting a photographic product and/or photographic service plan from a menu of photographic product and/or photographic service plans for a predetermined time period at a predetermined fee;

associating the selected digital camera with the selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan and creating a product and/or photographic service plan account indicative thereof;

entering said product and/or photographic service plan account into a computer database to maintain a record of photographic products and/or photographic services to be provided with respect to images captured by said selected digital camera in accordance with the selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan for said predetermined period of time; and

automatically accessing said computer database when images are received from said selected digital camera and providing the associated photographic product or photographic service according to the photographic product and/or photographic service plan associated with the selected digital camera.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said photographic products and/or photographic services comprise electronically storing images captured by said selected camera for a predetermined period of time.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said photographic products and/or photographic services comprise providing a predetermined number of prints of images captured by said selected camera.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said selected digital camera is a cell camera.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said photographic products and/or photographic services comprise providing an image product associated with an image captured by said selected digital camera.

6. A method according to claim 1, comprising the further step of updating the product and/or photographic service plan account in the computer database as said photographic products and/or photographic services, in accordance with the selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan, are provided to a user to reflect photographic products and/or photographic services rendered to the user.

7. A method of providing photographic products and/or photographic services to a consumer, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a selection of a digital camera from a plurality of digital cameras for a predetermined time period at a predetermined fee and receiving a selection of a photographic product and/or photographic service by a customer from a menu of photographic products and/or services which are to be associated with said selected digital camera for a predetermined time period, wherein said photographic product and/or photographic service is provided with respect to images captured by said selected digital camera;

maintaining an account on a computer database of said selected photographic products and/or photographic service associated with said selected digital camera; and

automatically accessing said account on said computer database with respect to images received from said selected digital camera and providing said good and or service associated with said selected digital camera according to the photographic product and/or photographic service plan associated with the selected digital camera.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said photographic product and/or photographic service comprises creating a predetermined number of prints from said images.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein said photographic product and/or photographic service comprises placing said images on a disk and forwarding said disk to the customer.

10. A system for providing photographic products and/or photographic services, the system comprising:

a photographic product and/or photographic service server into which information with respect to a selected digital camera and a selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan which is to be associated with the selected digital camera for a predetermined period of time is inputted, said photographic product and/or photographic service server creating a product and/or photographic service account indicative of the selected digital camera and the selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan; and

a computer database unit operationally associated with the photographic product and/or photographic service server which receives and stores the information with respect to the selected digital camera and the selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan, said computer database unit automatically updating said product and/or photographic service account as photographic product and/or photographic services in accordance with said selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan are requested and completed.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein said computer database is operationally associated with at least one photographic product and/or photographic service provider, and said selected photographic product/photographic service plan comprises providing photographic products and/or photographic services to images captured by said selected digital camera through said at least one photographic product and/or photographic service provider in accordance with the photographic product and/or photographic service plan for a predetermined time period.

12. A system according to claim 10, wherein said photographic products and/or photographic services comprise electronically storing images captured by said selected digital camera for a predetermined period of time.

13. A system according to claim 10, wherein said photographic products and/or photographic services comprise providing a predetermined number of prints of images captured by said selected digital camera.

14. A system according to claim 10, wherein said photographic products and/or photographic services comprise providing an image product associated with an image captured by said selected digital camera.

15. A method of providing photographic products and/or photographic services by a service provider, the method comprising the steps of:

said service provider receiving a selection of a digital camera from a customer among a selection of digital cameras;

said service provider receiving a selection of a photographic product and/or photographic service plan from a menu of photographic product and/or photographic service plans for a predetermined time period at a predetermined fee from said customer;

said service provider associating the selected camera with the selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan and creating a product and/or photographic service plan account indicative thereof;

said service provider entering said product and/or photographic service plan account into a computer database to maintain a record of photographic products and/or photographic services to be provided with respect to images captured by said selected digital camera in accordance with the selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan for said predetermined period of time; and

said service provider automatically accessing said computer database when images are received from said selected digital camera and providing the associated photographic product or photographic service according to the photographic product and/or photographic service plan associated with the selected digital camera.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said photographic products and/or photographic services comprise electronically storing images captured by said selected digital camera for a predetermined period of time.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein said photographic products and/or photographic services comprise providing a predetermined number of prints of images captured by said selected digital camera.

18. A method according to claim 15 wherein said selected digital camera is a cell-camera.

19. A method according to claim 15, wherein said photographic products and/or photographic services comprise providing an image product associated with an image captured by said selected digital camera.

20. A method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of updating the product and/or photographic service plan account in the computer database as said photographic products and/or photographic services, in accordance with the selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan, are provided to a user to reflect photographic products and/or photographic services rendered to the user.

21. A method of providing photographic products and/or photographic services to a consumer by a service provider, the method comprising the steps of:

said service provider receiving a selection of a digital camera that was selected from a plurality of digital cameras and receiving a selection of a photographic product and/or photographic service by a customer from a menu of photographic products and/or services which are to be associated with said selected digital camera for a predetermined time period and fee, wherein said photographic product and/or photographic service is provided with respect to images captured by said selected digital camera;

said service provider maintaining an account on a computer database of said selected photographic products and/or photographic service associated with said selected digital camera; and

said service provider automatically accessing said account on said computer database with respect to images received from said selected digital camera and providing said good and or service associated with said selected digital camera according to the photographic product and/or photographic service plan associated with the selected digital camera.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein said photographic product and/or photographic service comprises creating a predetermined number of prints from said images.

23. A method according to claim 21, wherein said photographic product and/or photographic service comprises placing said images on a disk and forwarding said disk to the customer.

24. A system for providing photographic products and/or photographic services to a customer by a service provider, the system comprising:

a photographic product and/or photographic service server into which information with respect to a selected digital camera and a selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan for a predetermined time period at a predetermined fee which is to be associated with the selected digital camera for a predetermined period of time is input into said server on behalf of a customer, said photographic product and/or photographic service server creating a product and/or photographic service account indicative of the selected digital camera and the selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan; and

a computer database unit operationally associated with the photographic product and/or photographic service server which receives and stores the information with respect to the selected digital camera and the selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan, said computer database unit automatically updating said product and/or photographic service account as photographic product and/or photographic services in accordance with said selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan are requested and completed.

25. A system according to claim 24, wherein said computer database is operationally associated with at least one photographic product and/or photographic service provider, and said selected photographic product/photographic service plan comprises providing photographic products and/or photographic services to film exposed by said selected digital camera through said at least one photographic product and/or photographic service provider in accordance with the photographic product and/or photographic service plan for a predetermined time period.

26. A system according to claim 24, wherein said photographic products and/or photographic services comprise electronically storing images captured by said selected digital camera for a predetermined period of time.

27. A system according to claim 24, wherein said photographic products and/or photographic services comprise providing a predetermined number of prints of images captured by said selected digital camera.

28. A system according to claim 24, wherein said photographic products and/or photographic services comprise providing an image product associated with an image captured by said selected digital camera.

29. A method of providing photographic products and/or photographic services by a service provider, the method comprising the steps of:

said service provider receiving selections of a plurality of digital cameras from a plurality of customers among a selection of digital cameras;

said service provider receiving a selection of a photographic product and/or photographic service plan from a menu of photographic product and/or photographic service plans for a predetermined time period at a predetermined fee from said plurality of customers;

said service provider associating the selected camera with the selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan and creating a product and/or photographic service plan account indicative thereof for each of the plurality of customers;

said service provider entering said product and/or photographic service plan account into a computer database to maintain a record of photographic products and/or photographic services to be provided with respect to images captured by said selected plurality of digital cameras in accordance with the selected photographic product and/or photographic service plan for said predetermined period of time; and

said service provider automatically accessing said computer database when images are received from said selected plurality of digital camera and providing the associated photographic product or photographic service according to the photographic product and/or photographic service plan associated with each of the selected plurality of digital cameras.