Storing and retrieving digital camera images via a user-completed proof sheet

• US 6,535,298 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2000
• Issued: 03/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hatcher, John Mark, Winter, Kirt A
• Primary Examiner(s): WALLERSON, MARK E
• Application Number:
  US09/735,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20020051201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.12, 358/1.13, 358/1.14, 358/1.15, 358/296, 358/402, 358/403, 358/407, 358/468, 358/479, 358/487, 399/84, 355/40, 355/41
• US Class Current: 358/1.16
• 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 1/00143 Ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00175 from a still image storage medium H04N1/00172, H04N1/0018 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00968 by scanning marks on a sheet mark-sheet input means H04N1/00355; sensing record carriers G06K7/00

Abstract

Methods for storing and retrieving digital image files, such as photographs taken by a digital camera, to and from an archival image storage system such as a file server or a mass storage medium. A combination proof sheet and order form is printed containing an array of thumbnail images, corresponding image selection user designation areas, and a storage selection user designation area markable by the user to specify selected images to be stored on or retrieved from the image storage system. The form is scanned to detect the user designation areas completed by the user, and then perform the indicated operation. A printing system includes programming for generating, scanning, and processing the form, and for storing and retrieving the selected images.

Claims

1. A method for storing a plurality of image files onto a storage device, comprising:

forming at least one identity marker collectively indicative of the plurality of image files wherein the forming at least one identity marker includes forming a plurality of data keys, each data key indicative of one of the image files; and

printing a proof sheet having

a plurality of image representations, each image representation identifying a corresponding one of the plurality of image files,

at least one user designation area associated with the plurality of image representations and markable by a user for selecting certain ones of the plurality of image files for storage,

the at least one identity marker, and

a plurality of data key representations in the at least one identity marker, each data key representation indicative of one of the data keys.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

marking the at least one user designation area to form a marked proof sheet specifying the individual ones of the image files to be stored;

scanning the marked proof sheet to detect markings; and

storing the individual ones of the image files corresponding to the markings onto the storage device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

acquiring the image files from an image source device; and

copying the proof sheet before the marking so as to make an copy for use in retrieving the stored image files at a future time.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the storing further comprises storing the image files on a storage device/medium selected from the group consisting of a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-Rewriteable disk, and a file server.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing the data keys onto the storage device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

associating each of the stored data keys with the corresponding one of the stored image files on the storage device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the storing the image files further includes:

embedding each individual one of the data keys into the corresponding ones of the image files.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the storing the data keys further includes:

storing each individual one of the data keys separately from the corresponding ones of the image files.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the printing a proof sheet further comprises:

forming the plurality of data key representations by converting each data key to one of the plurality of data key representations.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the printing a proof sheet further comprises:

printing identification information sufficient to identify the printing apparatus in the at least one identity marker.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the storing image files further includes storing each of the image files at a specific location on the storage device indicated by a corresponding one of a group of file specifiers, further comprising:

constructing each file specifier from the data key for each of the corresponding image files.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the printing a proof sheet includes printing the at least one identity marker as a plurality of alphanumeric characters.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming a plurality of data keys further includes:

processing each of the image files so as to calculate the corresponding one of the data keys.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the processing further includes:

performing a cyclic redundancy check on the contents of each individual one of the image files to form the corresponding one of the data keys.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the proof sheet is printed by a printing apparatus, and wherein the forming a plurality of data keys further includes:

incorporating identification information into each one of the data keys sufficient to identify the printing apparatus.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the incorporating identification information includes incorporating into each one of the data keys information indicative of at least one of the group consisting of a manufacturer of the printing apparatus, a model of the printing apparatus, a serial number of the printing apparatus, a user account associated with the printing apparatus, and an index number maintained by the printing apparatus.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the incorporating identification information includes incorporating into the at least one identity marker information indicative of at least one of the group consisting of a manufacturer of the printing apparatus, a model of the printing apparatus, a serial number of the printing apparatus, a user account associated with the printing apparatus, and an index number maintained by the printing apparatus.

18. A method for storing a plurality of image files onto a storage device, comprising:

forming at least one identity marker collectively indicative of the plurality of image files; and

printing a proof sheet having

a plurality of image representations, each image representation identifying a corresponding one of the plurality of image files,

at least one user designation area associated with the plurality of image representations and markable by a user for selecting certain ones of the plurality of image files for storage, and

the at least one identity marker as a non-alphanumeric pattern.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the printing the at least one identity marker as a non-numeric pattern includes printing a binary pattern comprising a plurality of marked regions selected from the group consisting of printed bit markers representing a first binary state and unprinted bit markers representing a second binary state.

20. A method for storing a plurality of image files onto a storage device, comprising:

forming at least one identity marker collectively indicative of the plurality of image files; and

printing a proof sheet having

a plurality of image representations, each image representation identifying a corresponding one of the plurality of image files, and

at least one user designation area associated with the plurality of image representations and markable by a user for selecting certain ones of the plurality of image files for storage, wherein the printing at least one user designation area includes printing a plurality of image selection areas, each image selection area associated with a corresponding one of the image representations and markable for including the corresponding one of the image files in a selected subset of the image files, and printing a storage selection area markable for specifying a storage operation selected from the group consisting of storing all of the image files, storing the selected subset of the image files, and storing none of the image files, and

the at least one identity marker.

21. A method for retrieving image files from a storage device, comprising:

providing a preprinted proof sheet having a plurality of image selection areas each associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of image files and a corresponding one of a plurality of predetermined data key representations;

marking on the proof sheet at least one of the image selection areas corresponding to at least one of the image files to be retrieved;

scanning the marked proof sheet to determine marked image selection areas;

identifying the predetermined data key representations associated with the marked image selection areas and converting the data key representations into the corresponding data keys; and

using the identified data keys, retrieving from the storage device the image files associated with the marked image selection areas.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein each of the predetermined data key representations includes a printed pattern indicative of a data key, wherein the identifying and converting further includes:

locating the associated data key representations on the marked proof sheet;

reading the printed patterns of the associated data key representations; and

converting the printed patterns into associated data keys.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the retrieving includes:

converting each of the identified data keys into a file specifier; and

reading from the storage device the image file corresponding to each file specifier.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the retrieving includes:

sending the identified data keys to a file server; and

on the file server, locating the image files associated with the identified data keys.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the locating further includes:

correlating each of the identified data keys to a corresponding file specifier; and

providing the image file corresponding to each file specifier.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the locating further includes:

for certain ones of the image files on the server, generating internal data keys from the image file content;

comparing the internal data keys to each of the identified data keys; and

providing the image files for which the internal data keys match individual ones of the identified data keys.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the marking at least one of the image selection areas includes specifying an operation to be performed on the corresponding one of the image files, further comprising:

performing the specified operation on the corresponding one of the image files after retrieval.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the performing the specified operation includes printing the corresponding one of the image files.