Techniques for recursively linking a multiply modified multimedia asset to an original digital negative

• US 6,904,185 B1
• Filed: 11/28/2000
• Issued: 06/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: VL Collective IP, LLC (VideoLabs, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Crosby, Matt, Wilkins, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dastouri, Mehrdad
• Application Number:
  US09/724,756
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/277, 382/282, 382/293, 382/302, 382/305, 382/307, 382/309, 382/311, 382/299, 382/283, 345/175, 345/733, 345/751, 345/756, 358/1.15, 705/26, 705/27, 705/204, 709/204
• US Class Current: 382/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3225 of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3242 of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3247 Data linking a set of images to one another, e.g. sequence, burst or continuous capture mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/325 Modified version of the image, e.g. part of the image, image reduced in size or resolution, thumbnail or screennail
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data

Abstract

In a distributed network, a method of recursively linking a multiply modified multimedia asset to an original digital negative of the multimedia asset is disclosed. The original digital negative of the multimedia asset is modified to form a first resultant multimedia asset based upon which a first edit list is generated. The first edit list, in turn, is associated with the first resultant multimedia asset and linked to the original digital negative of the multimedia asset. The first multimedia asset is then modified to form a second resultant multimedia asset based upon which a second edit list is generated. The second edit list is associated with the second resultant multimedia asset and linked to the first resultant multimedia asset.

Claims

1. In a distributed network, a method of recursively linking a multiply modified multimedia asset to a digital negative of the multimedia asset, comprising:

(a) modifying the digital negative of the multimedia asset to form a first resultant multimedia asset including at least a digital image that is at a lower resolution than the digital negative;

(b) generating a first edit list based upon the modification of the digital negative;

(c) associating the first edit list to the first resultant multimedia asset;

(d) linking the first edit list to the digital negative of the multimedia asset;

(e) modifying the first resultant multimedia asset to form a second resultant multimedia asset;

(f) generating a second edit list based upon the modification of the first resultant multimedia asset;

(g) associating the second edit list to the second resultant multimedia asset; and

(h) linking the second edit list to the first resultant multimedia asset.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the multimedia asset is the digital image.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the linking of the first edit list to the negative comprises:

associating a first edit list pointer with the digital negative wherein the first edit list pointer points back to the first edit list.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the linking of the second edit list to the digital negative comprises:

embedding the first edit list in the first resultant multimedia asset.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the linking of the second edit list to the first resultant multimedia asset comprises:

associating a second edit list pointer to the second resultant digital image wherein the second edit list pointer points back to the second edit list.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the linking of the second edit list to the first resultant multimedia asset comprises:

embedding the second edit list in the second resultant digital image.

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

recursively repeating (e)-(h) to form a set of hierarchically layered resultant multimedia assets and an associated set of hierarchically layered edit lists, wherein a particular multimedia asset at an nth level of the set of hierarchically layered multimedia assets is an nth multiply modified multimedia asset; and

applying a set of n hierarchically layered edit lists to the digital negative to form the particular multimedia asset.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the applying a set of n hierarchically layered edit lists to the digital negative is performed by a processor arranged to perform executable instructions.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the processor is included in a host computer coupled to a distributed network of computers.

10. In a distributed network, an apparatus for recursively linking a multiply modified multimedia asset to a digital negative of the multimedia asset, comprising:

(a) a means for modifying the digital negative of the multimedia asset to form a first resultant multimedia asset including at least a digital image that is at a lower resolution than the digital negative;

(b) a means for generating a first edit list based upon the modification of the digital negative;

(c) a means for associating the first edit list to the first resultant multimedia asset;

(d) a means for linking the first edit list to the digital negative of the multimedia asset;

(e) a means for modifying the first resultant multimedia asset to form a second resultant multimedia asset;

(f) a means for generating a second edit list based upon the modification of the first resultant multimedia asset;

(g) a means for associating the second edit list to the second resultant multimedia asset; and

(h) a means for linking the second edit list to the first resultant multimedia asset.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the multimedia asset is the digital image.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

a means for associating a first edit list pointer with the digital negative wherein the first edit list pointer points back to the first edit list.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

a means for embedding the first edit list in the first resultant digital image.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

a means for associating a second edit list pointer to the second resultant digital image wherein the second edit list pointer points back to the second edit list.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

a means for embedding the second edit list in the second resultant digital image.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

a means for recursively repeating (e)-(h) to form a set of hierarchically layered resultant multimedia assets and an associated set of hierarchically layered edit lists, wherein a particular multimedia asset at an nth level of the set of hierarchically layered multimedia assets is an nth multiply modified multimedia asset; and

a means for applying a set of n hierarchically layered edit lists to the digital negative to form the particular multimedia asset.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein the applying a set of n hierarchically layered edit lists to the digital negative is performed by a processor arranged to perform executable instructions.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the processor is included in a host computer coupled to a distributed network of computers.