Method of permitting group access to electronically stored images and transaction card used in the method

• US 6,950,800 B1
• Filed: 12/22/1999
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: McIntyre, Dale F., Manico, Joseph A., Cooper, Andrew T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vig, Naresh
• Application Number:
  US09/470,814
• Time in Patent Office: 2,106 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A method of storing and viewing a collection of digital images includes the steps of: providing a plurality of users with a unique user ID associated with a URL identifying a network photoservice provider; providing each one of the plurality of users with a separate password to the unique user ID; at least one of the plurality of users transferring a set of digital images to the unique user ID employing their separate passwords; and viewing the images located at the unique user ID using the separate password.

Claims

1. A method of permitting access by a pre-determined group of users to electronically stored images, comprising the steps of:

a) providing each member of the group of users with a unique transaction card, selected from a related set of cards, each card in the related set further comprising;

i) a support sheet upon which are printed instructions for use of the transaction card;

ii) a removable label affixed to the support sheet having an adhesive backing, the label having a first machine readable URL printed on it which is associated with the related set of cards and is unique to the related set, said machine readable URL identifying a network service provider and an event share memory image storage location at said network photoservice provider for sharing of images among said group of users without the need for any of the users having to notify any of the other of said users; and

iii) a second unique human readable password printed on the support sheet and revealed only when the removable label is removed from the card, the human readable password permitting access to the images associated with the roll of film or camera when the password is input to a computer connected to said network photoservice provider; and

b) removing the removable label from at least one card in the related set and affixing the label to an exposed roll of film or one-time use camera at the time of submission of the roll or camera for processing;

c) processing the film or one-time use camera, electronically scanning and storing the images produced;

d) reading the unique machine readable URL and uploading the scanned images to said network photoservice provider identified by the URL; and

e) accessing the images uploaded to the network photoservice provider by any member of the pre-determined group of users holding a card from the related set of cards, access being obtained by the cardholder inputting the human readable password associated with the particular cardholder'"'"'s card.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

a) providing at least one further user with the unique user ID; and

b) allowing the at least one further user to upload a set of digital images to an image storage location at said network service provider associated with the unique user ID.

3. The method claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one further user is a professional photographer, and further comprising the step of charging a royalty for use of the uploaded digital images.

6. The method claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one further user is a professional photographer, and further comprising the step of charging a royalty for printing the high resolution print.

4. A method of permitting access by a pre-determined group of users to electronically stored images available via the Internet at a network photoservice provider, comprising the steps of:

a) providing each member of the group of users with a unique transaction card, selected from a related set of cards, each card in the related set further comprising;

i) a support sheet upon which are printed instructions for use of the transaction card;

ii) a removable label affixed to the support sheet having an adhesive backing, the label having a first machine readable URL code printed on it which is associated with the related set of cards and is unique to the particular related set, said machine readable URL identifying a network service provider and an event share memory image storage location at said network photoservice provider for sharing of images among said group of users without the need for any of the users having to notify any of the other of said users; and

iii) a second unique human readable password printed on the support sheet and revealed only when the removable label is removed from the card, the human readable password permitting access to the images associated with the roll of film or camera when the password is input to a computer connected to the network photoservice provider via the Internet; and

b) removing the removable label from at least one unique card in the related set and affixing the label to an exposed roll of film or one-time use camera at the time of submission of the roll or camera for processing;

c) processing the film or one-time use camera and electronically scanning and storing the images produced;

d) reading the unique machine readable URL and uploading the stored images to the network photoservice provider identified by the URL;

e) accessing the first time by a particular user only the stored images associated with that user'"'"'s unique card, access being obtained by inputting the human readable password associated with the particular user'"'"'s card;

f) designating by the particular user for access to all cardholders in the pre-determined group only those images selected by the particular cardholder for release to said event share memory image storage location; and

g) accessing by any user in the pre-determined group all stored images at said event share memory image storage location which have been designated for access by the other members of group, access being obtained by inputting the human readable password code associated with the particular cardholder'"'"'s card.

5. The method claimed in claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

a) providing at least one further user with the unique user ID; and

b) allowing the at least one further user to upload a set of digital images to an image storage location at said network service provider associated with the unique user ID.

7. A method of permitting access by a pre-determined group of users to electronically stored images available via the Internet at a network photoservice provider, comprising the steps of:

a) providing each member of the group of users with a unique transaction card, selected from a related set of cards, each card in the related set further comprising;

i) a support sheet upon which are printed instructions for use of the transaction card;

ii) a removable label affixed to the support sheet having an adhesive backing, the label having a machine readable URL printed on it which is associated with the related set of cards and is unique to the related set, said machine readable URL identifying a network service provider and an event share memory image storage location at said network photoservice provider for sharing of images among said group of users without the need for any of the users having to notify any of the other of said users; and

iii) a unique human readable password printed on the support sheet and revealed only when the removable label is removed from the card, the human readable password code permitting access to the images associated with the roll of film or camera when the password is input to a computer connected to the network photoservice provider via the Internet; and

b) removing the removable label from at least one unique card in the related set and affixing the label to an exposed roll of film or one-time use camera at the time of submission of the roll or camera for processing;

c) processing the film or one-time use camera and electronically scanning and storing the images produced;

d) reading the unique machine readable URL and uploading the stored images to the network photoservice provider identified by the URL;

e) accessing the first time by a particular user only the stored images associated with that user'"'"'s unique card, access being obtained by inputting the human readable password code associated with the particular user'"'"'s card;

f) designating by the particular user for access to all cardholders in the pre-determined group only those images selected by the particular cardholder for release to said event share memory image storage location;

g) accessing by any user in the pre-determined group all stored images which have been designated for access by the other members of said group at said memory image storage location, access being obtained by inputting the human readable password associated with the particular cardholder'"'"'s card; and

h) in the event that a user fails to designate images for access to all card holders within a predetermined period of time, granting access to all images stored at said memory image storage location by the user to all cardholders.