System and method of constructing a photo album

• US 6,288,719 B1
• Filed: 10/26/1998
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: McBride, John K., Squilla, John R., Shaffer, Stephen L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Cuong T.
• Application Number:
  US09/178,804
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 345/350, 345/351, 345/349, 345/428, 345/439, 707/512, 707/517, 707/520, 707/530, 358/487, 358/518, 358/400, 358/527, 358/500, 358/401, 358/403, 358/408
• US Class Current: 715/805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3875 combined with enlarging or reducing enlarging or reducing per se H04N1/393

Abstract

A method of constructing a photo album wherein a plurality of digital images are provided in a low resolution format on sticker sheets that have a unique identifier that cross references the reduced resolution images digital images with a high resolution version that is stored in a data base, a second set of sticker sheets is provided that functions as pages of a photoalbum having positions for the low resolution image stickers. The sticker sheet pages are loaded with low resolution stickers creating the pages for the photoalbum and the sticker sheet pages are then arranged in a desired manner on a page layout form resulting in a miniature version of the photoalbum which can be viewed at that point. The miniature version of the photo album is then correlated to the high resolution version of the images stored in the database to retrieve a high resolution version of the photo album which is then produced using conventional photofinishing techniques.

Claims

1. A method of constructing a photo album, comprising:

a) providing a plurality of hardcopy index stickers each having a low resolution image with a unique identifier that cross references each of the stickers to a high resolution version of the low resolution image, a plurality of hardcopy page layout sheets, each of the page layout sheets itself being a sticker having at least one position for placement of index stickers within the positions, a hardcopy photo album layout having a plurality of page positions, each of the page positions being configured such that there is room for at least one of the page layout sheets within the page position;

b) placing the index stickers on the page layout sheets; and

c) arranging the page layout sheets on the page positions.

2. The method of claim 1 one wherein the step of providing further comprises providing the page positions in a booklet.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of providing further comprises providing the page position such that it is a single piece with folds separating each of the page positions.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing step further comprises providing a cover page as the initial page position.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of providing further comprises the step of providing a set of graphic arts to be used as part of the cover page.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of providing further comprises the step of providing a text entry area to be used in conjunction with the cover page.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing further comprises providing the high resolution version on a database.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of retrieving the high resolution images from the database and creating the photoalbum in accordance with the index stickers on the page layouts and the page layouts on the page positions.

9. A method of constructing photocollages comprising the steps of:

a) acquiring a high resolution digital version for each of a plurality of images;

b) storing the high resolution digital images;

c) creating a reduced resolution version from the high resolution digital version having a unique identifier that associates the reduced resolution version with its high resolution counterpart;

d) generating a first plurality of hardcopy stickers, each of the first plurality of stickers being representative of one of the reduced resolution and having the unique identifier associating that reduced resolution version with its respective high resolution version;

e) generating a second plurality of hardcopy stickers to function as page layout forms for the first plurality of stickers such that the first plurality of stickers can be arranged in a variety of fashions on the page layout forms;

f) providing a hardcopy photo album layout form having a plurality of positions to receive the page layout forms in a desired manner;

g) placing a set of the first plurality of stickers on the page layout forms;

h) placing the page layout forms on the photoalbum layout form;

i) retrieving the high resolution versions of the images by associating the unique identifier on the first plurality of stickers with its high resolution counterpart; and

j) creating the photo album with the retrieved high resolution images such that the photo album has a layout that corresponds to the page layout forms and the photoalbum layout form.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the generating step is accomplished sticker sheet has the stickers arranged accordingly to a specific topic selected from one of the following:

an event;

a person;

a location;

or chronologically.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of creating further comprises means for adding additional stickers for a plurality of events selected from a library of images.

12. A system for constructing a photo album comprising:

a plurality of hardcopy index stickers each having a low resolution image with a unique identifier that cross references each of the stickers to a high resolution version of the low resolution image;

a plurality of hardcopy page layout sheets having at least one position for placement of index stickers, each of the page layout sheets itself being a sticker, and

a hardcopy photo album layout having a plurality of page positions, each of the page positions being configured such that there is room for at least one of the page layout sheets within the page position.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the photo album layout further comprises a booklet for the page positions.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the page position such it is a single piece with folds separating each of the page positions.

15. The system of claim 12 further comprising means for adding additional stickers to the sticker sheet comprised of images relevant to one of a plurality of events selected from a library of images.

16. The system of claim 12 further comprising a cover page as the initial page position.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the index stickers further comprise a set of graphic arts to be used as part of the cover page.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the cover page further comprises means for providing a text entry area to be used in conjunction with the cover page.

19. The system of claim 12 further comprising a data base for storage of the high resolution version.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising means for retrieving the high resolution version from the database and creating the photoalbum in accordance with the index stickers on the page layouts and the page layouts on the page positions.