Distributed Printing Social Network

• US 20150244878A1
• Filed: 02/25/2015
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: C&A Marketing Inc. (C&A IP Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lifeprint, LLC
• Inventors: COSGROVE, Patrick A., SASSON, Steven J., MACAULEY, Robert M., MARTIN, Timothy S., VACHON, Guy C., WILSON, Eric D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,602,679 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00145 from a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00159 for sharing images without access restriction, e.g. publishing images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00177 from a user terminal, e.g. personal computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00201 Creation of a lenticular or stereo hardcopy image

Abstract

A system for distributing data that represents and can be converted into a physical object such as a printed photograph or three-dimensional “3D printed” object provides a variety of user controls to direct the flow of data and restrict the use of consumable supplies.

Claims

1. A method for producing a plurality of similar keepsakes at distributed locations, comprising:

receiving an electronic dataset describing significant features of a keepsake;

transmitting a first version of the electronic dataset to a first replicator device at a first location; and

transmitting a second version of the electronic dataset to a second replicator device at a second location remote from the first location, wherein

the first replicator device is to construct a first keepsake at the first location, and

the second replicator device is to construct a second keepsake at the second location,

said first and second keepsakes being substantially similar.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second version of the electronic dataset is different from the first version of the electronic dataset.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein a resolution of the first version of the electronic dataset is different from a resolution of the second version of the electronic dataset.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a resolution of the first replicator device is different from a resolution of the second replicator device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a resolution of the first replicator device is lower than a resolution of the first version of the electronic dataset.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein a resolution of the second replicator device is lower than a resolution of the second version of the electronic dataset.

7. A replicator comprising:

a data communication interface;

a programmable processor coupled to the data communication interface;

a first memory to store instructions and data to control operations of the programmable processor;

a second memory to store a data representation of a keepsake, and

a fabrication mechanism having a maximum effective resolution, wherein the instructions and data in the first memory cause the replicator to perform actions comprising;

subscribing to a plurality of data feeds;

receiving data from a first data feed over the data communication interface;

storing the data from the first data feed in the second memory;

checking a permission of the first data feed; and

if the permission of the first data feed check succeeds, causing the fabrication mechanism to construct a keepsake based on the data from the first data feed.

8. The replicator of claim 7, wherein the instructions and data in the first memory cause the replicator to perform further actions comprising:

receiving data from a second data feed over the data communication interface;

storing the data from the second data feed in the second memory;

checking a permission of the second data feed; and

if the permission of the second data feed check fails, discarding the data from the second data feed.

9. The replicator of claim 7 wherein the second memory is a volatile memory.

10. The replicator of claim 7, wherein the instructions and data in the first memory cause the replicator to perform further actions comprising:

discarding the data from the first data feed after the keepsake is constructed by the fabrication mechanism.

11. A printed artifact comprising:

a tangible representation of a digital data stream produced through an irreversible process so that the digital data stream cannot be recovered from the tangible representation, wherein the tangible representation includes;

a first feature representing metadata collected at a time of construction of the digital data stream; and

a second feature representing metadata collected at a time of creation of the tangible representation, wherein

said time of construction and time of creation are different.

12. The printed artifact of claim 11 wherein

the tangible representation of the digital data stream is a print of a digital photograph,

the first feature representing metadata is a human-readable message on the print of a date at which the digital photograph was taken, and

the second feature representing metadata is a human-readable message on the print of a location at which the tangible representation was printed.

13. The printed artifact of claim 11 wherein

the tangible representation of the digital data stream is a print of a digital photograph, and

the second feature representing metadata is a machine-readable mark on the print of a location at which the tangible representation was printed.

14. The printed artifact of claim 11 wherein

the second feature representing metadata is a machine-readable mark on the tangible representation, said machine-readable mark to cause a web browser program to retrieve information associated with the tangible representation from an online electronic data source.

15. A method for producing a plurality of similar keepsakes at distributed locations, comprising:

registering an identity of a producer of a plurality electronic datasets;

recording a plurality of subscribers to the plurality of electronic data sets;

receiving a first electronic dataset of the plurality of electronic datasets from the producer;

transmitting the first electronic dataset to a first subscriber of the plurality of subscribers; and

transmitting the first electronic dataset to a second, different subscriber of the plurality of subscribers, wherein

a first replicator device of the first subscriber and a second replicator device of the second subscriber manufacture first and second keepsakes, respectively, each keepsake based on the first electronic dataset, the first and second artifacts being substantially similar.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the registering operation precedes all of the recording, receiving and the transmitting operations.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the first electronic dataset describes a graphic image.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the first electronic dataset describes a three-dimensional object.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the first replicator device is a battery-operated color printer.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the first replicator device is a three-dimensional printer.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

notifying the first subscriber after the first electronic dataset is transmitted to the first subscriber; and

obtaining confirmation from the first subscriber before the first replicator device of the first subscriber begins the manufacturing operation.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

altering the first electronic dataset after the receiving operation and before at least one transmitting operation to create an altered first electronic dataset; and

transmitting the altered first electronic dataset to a third subscriber of the plurality of subscribers, wherein

a third replicator device of the third subscriber manufactures a third keepsake based on the altered first electronic dataset, said third keepsake being substantially similar to the first keepsake and the second keepsake.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein altering comprises reducing a resolution of the first electronic dataset.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving capability information of the third replicator device, wherein

the altering operation alters the first electronic dataset in view of the capability information of the third replicator device.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving preference information from the third subscriber, wherein

the altering operation alters the first electronic dataset in view of the preference information of the third subscriber.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving a completion message from one of the plurality of subscribers after a replicator device of the one of the plurality of subscribers finishes a manufacturing operation.

27. A method for creating selected keepsakes comprising:

transmitting a request to receive digital datasets describing keepsakes to a remote server;

receiving a first digital dataset from a sender as a result of transmitting the request; and

fabricating a keepsake based on the first digital dataset.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the remote server is the same as the sender.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the remote server is different from the sender.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the request comprises:

a selector to prospectively identify desired digital datasets among a larger plurality of datasets.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the request comprises:

a capability indicator to identify a desired resolution of the digital datasets describing keepsakes.

32. The method of claim 27 wherein the request comprises:

an address for receiving the digital datasets, wherein

the address contains information for the sender to communicate with a keepsake replicator.

33. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

transmitting a completion message after the fabricating operation.