Photobooth for producing digitally processed images

• US 6,619,860 B1
• Filed: 11/14/1997
• Issued: 09/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kodak Alaris Inc (KPP (no. 2) Trustees Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Simon, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): GARCIA, GABRIEL I
• Application Number:
  US08/971,097
• Time in Patent Office: 2,132 Days
• Field of Search: 395/101, 395/113, 395/114, 395/115, 395/116, 395/117, 382/277, 382/254, 382/276, 382/100, 352/48, 352/85, 352/87, 345/467, 345/473, 345/475, 348/239, 348/578, 396/2, 396/9, 396/11, 396/57, 396/282, 396/283, 396/288, 396/291, 396/308, 358/296, 358/501, 358/512, 358/527, 358/530, 358/1.1, 358/1.14, 358/1.15, 358/1.16, 358/1.17, 358/1.18
• US Class Current: 382/112
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/53 for automatically delivering a finished picture after a signal causing exposure has been given, e.g. by pushing a button, by inserting a coin
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

A photobooth includes an electronic camera for capturing and producing a digital image of a customer, processes the digital image to apply a special effect to the image and prints the processed digital image. A display for displaying the processed digital image to the customer produces a motion image display simulating the sequential production of the processed image while the image is being processed and printed thereby entertaining the customer during the interval while the image is being processed and printed.

Claims

1. A photobooth, comprising:

an electronic camera for capturing and producing a digital image of a customer;

an image processing computer for processing the digital image to apply a special effect to the image;

a display for displaying the processed digital image to the customer;

a printer for printing the processed digital image; and

means for producing a motion image display simulating the sequential production of the processed image and displaying the motion image while the image is being processed and printed.

2. The photobooth claimed in claim 1, wherein the special effect is a painterly effect and the motion image display simulates the painting of the image.

3. The photobooth claimed in claim 2, wherein the motion image display simulates a character painting the image.

4. The photobooth claimed in claim 1, where the special effect is a cartoon effect.

5. The photobooth claimed in claim 1, wherein the special effect is a morphing or warping of the customer'"'"'s image and the image display simulates a continuous morphing or warping of the image.

6. The photobooth claimed in claim 5, wherein the display shows a character actively morphing or warping the image.

7. The photobooth claimed in claim 1, wherein photobooth includes a loudspeaker and the motion display is accompanied by sound effects produced by the loudspeaker.

8. The photobooth claimed in claim 7, wherein the sound effects are the sounds of art materials being manipulated.

9. The photobooth claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for producing a motion display further comprises means for producing an interactive display featuring a character that interacts with the customer.

10. The photobooth claimed in claim 9, wherein the interactive display character simulates taking the image, and producing the image.

11. The photobooth claimed in claim 9, wherein the photobooth includes a loudspeaker and the motion display includes sound effects produced by the loudspeaker.

12. The photobooth claimed in claim 11, wherein the sound effects include speech from the character.

13. The photobooth claimed in claim 12, further including a microphone and speech recognition means connected to the microphone for interacting with the customer by speech.