Techniques for automatically providing a high-resolution rendering of a low resolution digital image in a distributed network

• US 6,577,311 B1
• Filed: 11/28/2000
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Pictureiq Corporation
• Inventors: Crosby, Matt, Wilkins, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kimbinh T.
• Application Number:
  US09/724,906
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 345/428, 345/760, 345/619, 709/219, 709/217, 358/1.18, 380/255, 382/128
• US Class Current: 345/428
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method of providing a recipient of a low-resolution digital image a way to automatically obtain a high-resolution rendering of the digital image is disclosed. In one embodiment, in a distributed system having a first node coupled to a second node, a method of outputting at the first node a composited digital image at a selected resolution is disclosed. At the second node, the composited digital image at a first resolution is generated and the composited digital image is then converted to a second resolution. The converted composited digital image is then transferred to the first node where the selected resolution is determined. If the selected resolution is the first resolution then the composited digital image is fetched and the composited digital image is then output at the first resolution. If, however, it is determined that the selected resolution is the second resolution, then the composited digital image is output at the at the second resolution.

Claims

1. In a distributed system having a first node coupled to a second node, a method of generating a composited digital image at a selected resolution, comprising:

fetching a selected artwork file that includes an artwork edit list;

fetching a digital negative wherein the digital negative is an original parent digital image at a highest resolution and wherein the artwork edit list is a sequence of image operations or image transforms that associates the composited digital image and the digital negative; and

compositing the selected artwork file and the digital negative to form the composited digital image at a first resolution.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first node is a first computing device coupled to a first input device and a first output device and wherein the second node is a second computing device coupled to a second output device and a second input device.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the second node is a server computer.

6. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the first computing device and the second computing device are linked in a peer-to-peer arrangement.

7. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the first computing device and the second computing device are wirelessly linked.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the composited digital image is selected from a group comprising:

an electronic greeting card, an electronic calendar, an electronic album.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

associating the edit list with the composited digital image; and

linking the edit list to the digital negative.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the edit list and the digital negative are each a multimedia asset included in a group of multimedia assets that includes video images and vector artwork wherein the edit list identifies all multimedia assets required for generating the composited digital image.

2. A method as recited in 1, further comprising:

linking the artwork edit list to the digital negative.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

if the selected resolution is a second resolution that is different than the first resolution and the highest resolution, then at the first node,

rasterizing the composited digital image to form a resultant image at the second resolution.

11. In a distributed system having a first computing node coupled to a second computing node, a method of generating a composited digital image formed of a number of pixels at a selected resolution at the first computing node;

comprising;

generating an artwork edit list based upon the composited digital image at the first computing node;

providing a digital negative at a highest resolution at the second computing node, wherein the digital negative is an original parent digital image of the composited digital image and wherein the artwork edit list is a sequence of image operations or image transforms associated with the composited digital image; and

applying the image operations or image transforms from the artwork edit list to the digital negative to form the composited digital image at the selected resolution at the second computing node such that only those pixels identified by the image operations or image transforms at a given resolution are processed.

12. In a distributed system having a first node coupled to a second node, an apparatus for generating a composited digital image at a selected resolution, comprising:

means for fetching a selected artwork file that includes an artwork edit list;

means for fetching a digital negative wherein the digital negative is an original parent digital image at a highest resolution and wherein the artwork edit list is a sequence of image operations or image transforms that associates the composited digital image and the digital negative; and

means for compositing the selected artwork file and the digital negative to form the composited digital image at a first resolution.

13. An apparatus as recited in 12, further comprising:

means for linking the artwork edit list to the digital negative.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein the first node is a first computing device coupled to a first input device and a first output device and wherein the second node is a second computing device coupled to a second output device and a second input device.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the second node is a server computer.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the first computing device and the second computing device are linked in a peer-to-peer arrangement.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the first computing device and the second computing device are wirelessly linked.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the composited digital image is selected from a group comprising:

an electronic greeting card, an electronic calendar, an electronic album.

19. A apparatus as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

means for rasterizing the composited digital image to form a resultant image at the third resolution if the selected resolution is a second resolution that is different than the second resolution and the highest resolution at the first node.