System and method for providing high fidelity color images

• US 7,177,466 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1999
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: LightSurf Technologies, Inc. (VeriSign, Inc.)
• Inventors: Deutch, James Ellis, Engeldrum, Peter G., Bernard, Peter, Strother, Thomas L., Hilliard, William J., Mattox, Joel D., van Prooijen, Cornelis P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMS, MICHELLE L
• Application Number:
  US09/439,482
• Time in Patent Office: 2,650 Days
• Field of Search: 345/589, 345/590, 345/591, 345/593, 345/594, 345/595, 345/600, 382/167
• US Class Current: 382/167
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/02 for colour television signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/641 Multi-purpose receivers, e.g. for auxiliary information H04N9/642 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention provides a technique for providing color corrected images to a user over a network. The user'"'"'s computer and its associated devices may be remotely calibrated and or characterized and the data made available over the network to permit multiple image providers to provide color corrected images to a user. A notification technique is also provided to notify a user when the image or images being displayed is color corrected. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for providing images to a user, comprising:

in response to a request from a user system comprising a user color display device for one or more images, receiving a cookie at an image server, the cookie including characterization data for the user color display device; and

utilizing the received characterization data to provide a color-corrected version of the one or more images to the user for display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising after determining that characterization data for the user color display device is available:

displaying to the user a first icon on the display device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the utilizing of the received characterization data to provide a color-corrected version of the one or more images comprises:

color correcting the one or more images on-the-fly.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the color correcting of the images comprises:

selecting a group of one or more images from one or more groups of pre-transformed images.

5. The method of claim 3 or claim 4, wherein color correcting the one or more images comprises:

color correcting the one or more images in accordance with a predetermined set of display device color characterization parameters.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user system is a client computer connected to a computer network including an Internet, and intranet, or a local area network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the characterization data at the server comprises utilizing the cookie previously dropped by the server on the user system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the cookie contains the characterization data for the user color display device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the cookie contains information to enable the server to identify the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the receiving of the characterization data comprises retrieving from a database the characterization data for the user color display device in accordance with the user identification.

11. A system for providing images to a user, comprising:

a data provider for;

receiving, at a server, a request to display one or more images on a user color display device,

inquiring of the source of the request to determine whether user color display device characterization data is available to the server, the inquiring being in response to receiving, at a server, the request to display one or more images on a user color display device, and

if the user color display device characterization data is available,

determining user color display device characterization data; and

an image provider for causing a version of the one or more images having color characteristics appropriate to the determined characterization data for the user color display device to be provided to the user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the image provider comprises:

and image provider for displaying a first icon to the user if characterization data for the user color display device is available.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the image provider comprises:

an image provider for displaying a second icon to the user if characterization data for the user color display device is not available.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the image provider comprises:

an image provider for color correcting the one or more images on-the-fly.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the image provider comprises:

an image provider for color correcting the one or more images in accordance with the characterization data for the user color display device.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the image provider comprises:

an image provider for selecting a group of one or more images from one or more groups of pre-transformed images.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the image provider comprises:

an image provider for selecting the one or more images in accordance with the characterization data for the user color display device.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the image provider comprises:

an image provider for selecting the one or more images in accordance with a predetermined set of color display device characterization parameters.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the image provider comprises:

an image provider for color correcting the one or more images in accordance with a predetermined set of color display device characterization parameters.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the user is a person or the user is a client computer connected to a computer network including an Internet, an intranet, or a local area network.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein:

the user is a client computer connected to a computer network; and

the image provider comprises a server computer connected to the computer network.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the server includes the data provider.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the server comprises:

a server for receiving information from the client to determine characterization data for the user color display device.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the server comprises:

a server for retrieving a cookie previously dropped by the server on the client.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the server comprises:

a server for retrieving a cookie previously dropped by the server on the client, the cookie containing the characterization data for the user color display device.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the server comprises:

a server for retrieving a cookie previously dropped by the server on the client, the cookie containing information to enable the server to identify the user.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

a database connected to the computer network for providing the characterization data for the user color display device to the server in accordance with the user identification.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the server includes a database.