Network photograph service system

• US 6,324,521 B1
• Filed: 11/14/1997
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Nobuyoshi, Shiota, Kazuo, Ohtsuka, Shuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, Vincent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Felten, Daniel S.
• Application Number:
  US08/970,427
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 705/27, 705/1, 705/26
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• 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 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5683 Storage of data provided by user terminals, i.e. reverse caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 1/00135 Scanning of a photographic original
• 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 1/00151 with selective access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00164 : at a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 : Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 : with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 : with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00962 : Input arrangements for operating instructions or parameters, e.g. updating internal software program loading in general G06F9/445; network-specific protocols involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2361 : Selecting a particular reproducing device from amongst a plurality of devices, e.g. high or low resolution devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32529 : of different type, e.g. internal and external devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 : Connection via a network

Abstract

Upon providing a network photograph service, a prompt service can be provided to a customer without losing the advantage thereof such as ease of understanding where to access and collective data management. A service center receiving an order of a printing service and a minilab or a special laboratory spread across a plurality of places are able to communicate through a network. The center server in the service center selects and assigns the laboratory for printing the ordered picture in response to an order information transferred from a customer via the network so that the printing processing can be carried out by the laboratory specified by the customer instead of the center server.

Claims

1. A network photograph service system comprising:

a plurality of photo-finishing laboratories, each including a laboratory server which store picture images as high resolution image data; and

a single center server installed in a service center which receives a printing service via a network, wherein the center server stores a picture recorded by a customer as digital image data, makes the digital image data accessible on the network, selects one photo-finishing laboratory out of said plurality of photo-finishing laboratories to output a print in response to order information transferred from the customer via the network, and provides the printing service requested in the order by transmitting instruction information to the laboratory server installed in the selected photo-finishing laboratory, thereby enabling the customer to select a desired photo-finishing laboratory out of a choice of a plurality of photo-finishing laboratories to perform the printing service,

wherein the digital image data stored and made accessible by the center server is low resolution image data having a lower amount of data than that of the high resolution image data stored in the laboratory server of the selected photo-finishing laboratory, and

wherein the center server stores the digital image data in correlation with storage location information showing the laboratory server in which the image data is stored as high resolution image data, and selects, upon selection of the photo-finishing laboratory to output the image, the photo-finishing laboratory in which the laboratory server stores the high resolution image data of the picture image whose print has been ordered, based on the storage location information.

2. A network photograph service system as defined in claim 1 wherein the center server records the processing instructed to each laboratory server by transmitting the instruction information, and manages a transaction occurring between the photo finishing laboratories and/or between the center server and each photo finishing laboratory, based on the record.

3. A network photograph service system as defined in claim 1 wherein the center server stores a template, makes the template accessible on the network, and comprises a function for transmitting information regarding the template specified by the order information as a portion of the instruction information when a manipulated printing service using the template is requested by the instruction information, and

the laboratory server generates the manipulated print using the template, based on the instruction information.

4. A network photograph service system as defined in claim 1 wherein the center server stores a template, makes the template accessible on the network, and comprises a function for transmitting information regarding the template specified by the order information as a portion of the instruction information when a manipulated printing service using the template is requested by the instruction information, and

the laboratory server generates the manipulated print using the template, based on the instruction information.

5. The network photograph service system as defined in claim 1, wherein said center server judges whether or not processing for the requested printing service requires special equipment when assigning the selected photo-finishing laboratory to output the order print, and, if the processing requires special equipment, said center server selects a special photo-finishing laboratory to output the print, instead of the photo-finishing laboratory which stores the high resolution image data for outputting the ordered print.

6. The network photograph service system as defined in claim 5, wherein information indicating the photo-finishing laboratory that is storing the high resolution image data for outputting the ordered print is transferred to the special photo-finishing laboratory as order information.