Apparatus and method for accessing a coin image compilation

• US 6,366,899 B1
• Filed: 02/26/1999
• Issued: 04/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James J. Kernz
• Original Assignee: James J. Kernz
• Inventors: Kernz, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAYYAN, SUSAN F
• Application Number:
  US09/259,189
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/102, 345/112, 705/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A computer system and method for selectively displaying a Coin Image Compilation includes a host computer operatively connected to a storage device for storing the Coin Image Compilation. A remote terminal can connect to the host computer to access the Coin Image Compilation and display selected images from the compilation in any sequence. The method for selectively viewing Coin Image Compilations on the remote terminal includes selecting images of an obverse view, a reverse view, and a holdered view at various degrees of magnification.

Claims

1. A method for providing a database of images of graded objects comprising the steps of:

a. grading an object based upon a predetermined grading scale and generating a grade indicator for the object;

b. associating the grade indicator with the object in a tamperproof manner;

c. assigning a unique identifying indicia to the object and associating the unique identifying indicia with the object in a tamperproof manner;

d. generating a compilation of associated images of the object including a gross image, at least one magnified image and at least one image showing the object with the associated grade indicator, digitizing the images for viewing and assigning the unique identifying indicia to the compilation;

e. storing the compilation associated with the unique identifying indicia in a database; and

f. repeating said steps a. through e. for a plurality of objects to generate an associated compilation of images for each object and to store the compilations in the database whereby each of the compilations can be retrieved from the database by selecting the assigned associated unique identifying indicia and the images in the retrieved compilation can be viewed.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the objects are coins, said step b. is performed by encapsulating each coin in a holder with the associated grade indicator and including a step of displaying the images in the retrieved compilation as an obverse view image, a reverse view image and a holdered view image in side-by-side viewports.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step c. is performed by assigning a unique URL as the identifying indicia.

4. The method according to claim 3 including a step of connecting the database to a host computer, connecting a remote terminal to the host computer, sending a selected one of the URL'"'"'s from the remote terminal to the host computer, generating from the host computer to the remote terminal at least one of the images associated with the one of the compilations corresponding to the selected one URL and viewing the one image at the remote terminal.

5. The method according to claim 3 including a step of connecting the database to a host computer, connecting an auction house computer to the host computer, connecting a remote terminal to the auction house computer, sending a selected one of the URL'"'"'s from the remote terminal to the host computer through the auction house computer, generating from the host computer through the auction house computer to the remote terminal at least one of the images associated with the one of the compilations corresponding to the selected one URL and viewing the one image at the remote terminal.

6. The method according to claim 5 including a step of generating from the auction house computer to the remote terminal an HTML page including a description of the object to which the selected one of the URL'"'"'s is assigned and a link to the host computer for obtaining the images associated with the one of the compilations corresponding to the selected one URL.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step e. is performed by storing the compilations as hierarchical, tiled, multi-resolution digital images.

8. The method according to claim 1 including a step of displaying an image of a first object on a display means and simultaneously displaying an image of a second object on the display means for comparing characteristics of the first and second objects, and obtaining the displayed image of at least one of the first and second objects from the database.

9. A method for providing a database of images of graded objects comprising the steps of:

a. selecting a graded object in a tamperproof holder based upon predetermined selection criteria, the graded object in a tamperproof holder having an associated grade indicator;

b. assigning a unique identifying indicia to the graded object and associating the unique identifying indicia with the graded object in the tamperproof holder;

c. generating at least one image of the graded object showing the object with the associated grade indicator for the object, digitizing the one image for viewing and assigning the unique identifying indicia to the one image;

d. storing the one image associated with the unique identifying indicia in a database; and

e. repeating said steps a. through d. for a plurality of graded objects to generate at least one image for each of the objects and to store the one image for each of the objects in the database whereby any of the images can be retrieved from the database by selecting the assigned associated unique identifying indicia and the retrieved one image of the object can be viewed.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein said step b. is performed by assigning a unique URL as the identifying indicia.

11. The method according to claim 10 including a step of connecting the database to a host computer, connecting a remote terminal to the host computer, sending a selected one of the URL'"'"'s from the remote terminal to the host computer, generating from the host computer to the remote terminal the one image corresponding to the selected one URL and viewing the one image at the remote terminal.

12. The method according to claim 10 including a step of connecting the database to a host computer, connecting an auction house computer to the host computer, connecting a remote terminal to the auction house computer, sending a selected one of the URL'"'"'s from the remote terminal to the host computer through the auction house computer, generating from the host computer through the auction house computer to the remote terminal the one image corresponding to the selected one URL and viewing the one image at the remote terminal.

13. The method according to claim 12 including a step of generating from the auction house computer to the remote terminal an HTML page including a description of the object to which the selected one of the URL'"'"'s is assigned and at least one link to the host computer for obtaining the one image corresponding to the selected one URL.

14. The method according to claim 10 wherein the assigned unique URL identifying indicia is an assigned unique machine-readable bar code, the assigned unique machine-readable bar code having a predetermined format for effectuating the retrieval from the database of the one image of the object associated with the assigned bar code.

15. The method according to claim 9 wherein the assigned unique identifying indicia is an assigned unique machine-readable bar code, the assigned unique machine-readable bar code having a predetermined format for effectuating the retrieval from the database of the one image of the object associated with the assigned bar code.

16. The method according to claim 9 wherein said step b. is performed by engraving the assigned unique identifying indicia into an exterior surface of the holder encapsulating the graded object thereby providing a substantially permanent identifying indicia for the graded object.

17. The method according to claim 9 wherein said step b. is performed by etching the assigned unique identifying indicia into an exterior surface of the holder encapsulating the graded object thereby providing a substantially permanent identifying indicia for the graded object.

18. The method according to claim 9 wherein said step d. is performed by storing the images as hierarchical, tiled, multi-resolution digital images.

19. The method according to claim 9 wherein the objects are one or more of coins, stamps, trading cards and documents.

20. A method for providing a database of images of graded coins comprising the steps of:

a. selecting a graded coin based upon predetermined selection criteria, the graded coin having an associated grade indicator;

b. assigning a unique identifying indicia to the graded coin and associating the unique identifying indicia with the graded coin in the tamperproof holder;

c. generating at least one image of the graded coin showing the coin with the associated grade indicator for the coin, digitizing the one image for viewing and assigning the unique identifying indicia to the one image;

d. storing the one image associated with the unique identifying indicia in a database; and

e. repeating said steps a. through d. for a plurality of graded coins to generate at least one image for each of the coins and to store the one image for each of the coins in the database whereby any of the images can be retrieved from the database by selecting the assigned associated unique identifying indicia and the retrieved one image of the coin can be viewed.

21. The method according to claim 20 wherein said step b. is performed by encapsulating each coin in a holder with the associated grade indicator for the coin and including a step of printing the assigned associated unique identifying indicia onto a label and securing the printed label within the holder thereby providing a substantially permanent identifying indicia for the graded coin in the holder.

22. The method according to claim 20 wherein the assigned associated unique identifying indicia is an assigned unique URL, the URL having a predetermined format for effectuating the retrieval from the database of the one image of the graded coin associated with the assigned unique URL identifying indicia.

23. The method according to claim 20 wherein the assigned associated unique identifying indicia is an assigned unique machine-readable bar code, the assigned unique machine-readable bar code having a predetermined format for effectuating the retrieval from the database of the one image of the graded coin associated with the assigned bar code.

24. The method according to claim 20 including a step of connecting the database to a host computer, connecting an auction house computer to the host computer, connecting a remote terminal to the auction house computer, sending a selected one of the assigned associated unique identifying indicia from the remote terminal to the host computer through the auction house computer, generating from the host computer through the auction house computer to the remote terminal the one image corresponding to the selected associated unique identifying indicia and viewing the one image at the remote terminal.

25. The method according to claim 20 including a step of using the assigned associated unique identifying indicia to retrieve the one image from the database comparing the retrieved one image with the associated graded coin.