REGION BASED IMAGE SHARING

• US 20150350266A1
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: O'Brien, Sean P.
• Application Number:
  US14/502,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20150350266A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1093 by adding participants; by removing participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1076 Resource dissemination mechanisms or network resource keeping policies for optimal resource availability in the overlay network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a region-based method for sharing photos between devices. The method establishes an image-sharing event for a particular region, which in some embodiments is defined in terms of one or more geographic attributes (e.g., a latitude, a longitude, and one or more shape attributes that define a shape about the intersection of the latitude and the longitude). The method then allows devices that enter the particular region to join the image-sharing event, so that (1) the devices can capture and add photos for the event, and (2) they can view and save photos captured by other devices that joined the event. To facilitate the sharing of the photos, the method of some embodiments makes the photos that are captured for the event available for viewing for a period of time after the event has ended. This extra time provides the event participants more time to view and save photos captured for the event.

Claims

1. A method of sharing images, the method comprising

establishing an image-sharing event for a particular region;

adding the first and second devices as participating devices to the event while the first and second devices are at the particular region; and

distributing to the first device images that are captured by the second device for the event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second devices do not have to be at the particular region concurrently to distribute to the first device images captured by the second device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second devices have to be at the particular region concurrently to distribute to the first device images captured by the second device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising distributing to the second device images that are captured by the first device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing images captured by the first and second devices, in order to distribute the stored images to a possible third device that joins the event at a later time while being at the particular region.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing notifications regarding the event to the first and second devices.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a request to view nearby events from the first device; and

based on a location of the first device, sending information about image-sharing events to the first device.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising receiving the location of the first device along with the received request.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing, to each of the first and second devices, a list of events that are near the device;

for each event that each device selects from the list, providing information about the selected event, the information including geographic information about the event.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the geographic information includes a map of a location of the event.

11. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for sharing images, the program for execution by at least one processing unit, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

establishing an image-sharing event for a particular region;

adding the first and second devices as participating devices to the event while the first and second devices are at the particular region; and

distributing to the first device images that are captured by the second device for the event.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first and second devices do not have to be at the particular region concurrently to distribute to the first device images captured by the second device.

13. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first and second devices have to be at the particular region concurrently to distribute to the first device images captured by the second device.

14. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for distributing to the second device images that are captured by the first device.

15. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for storing images captured by the first and second devices, in order to distribute the stored images to a possible third device that joins the event at a later time while being at the particular region.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for providing notifications regarding the event to the first and second devices.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

receiving a request to view nearby events from the first device; and

based on a location of the first device, sending information about image-sharing events to the first device.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for receiving the location of the first device along with the received request.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the program further comprises sets of instructions for:

providing, to each of the first and second devices, a list of events that are near the device;

for each event that each device selects from the list, providing information about the selected event, the information including geographic information about the event.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 19, wherein the geographic information includes a map of a location of the event.