Image management system managing image data obtained from an imaging device carried by a visitor to an area in a same manner as image data obtained from imagining devices fixed to particular locations in the area

• US 7,456,871 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2004
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Enomoto, Jun, Nakamura, Yoichi, Shinohara, Mamoru, Yamaguchi, Hiroshi, Iida, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ometz; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Giles; Nicholas G
• Application Number:
  US10/782,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20040165063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.2, 348/211.3, 348/211.1, 348/207.1, 348/211.99, 348/231.2
• US Class Current: 348/231.5
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2011/02 related to amusement parks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00196 Creation of a photo-montage, e.g. photoalbum H04N1/0019 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00342 with a radio frequency tag transmitter or receiver storage of additional information in an RFID tag attached to an image bearing paper sheet H04N1/32138
• 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 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0087 Image storage device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data

Abstract

An image management system for managing image data obtained by the visitors to a theme park or similar facilities with their own imaging devices in the same manner as the image data obtained by the cameras installed in the facility. The subject user is photographed by the photographing system installed in the theme park to obtain first image data. At the same time, the user ID is obtained from the wireless tag carried by the subject user, which is related to the first image data and stored in the image storage server with the first image data. A second image data obtained by the subject user with a digital camera are also stored in the image storage server with the user ID being related to the second image data. The first and second image data are sorted and stored by each of the user IDs.

Claims

1. An image management system comprising:

a plurality of photographing systems;

at least one camera image obtaining system;

a storage means; and

a managing means, wherein

each of the photographing systems and the at least one camera image obtaining system is connected to the storage means,

each of said plurality of photographing systems has (i) a second communication means for receiving identification information for identifying a subject transmitted from a first communication means carried by said subject, (ii) a photographing means installed at a particular location for obtaining a first image data representing an image of said subject by photographing said subject, and (iii) a first sending means for sending to the storage means (a) said identification information received by said second communication means, (b) date and time information of photographing that indicates the date and time of photographing of said first image data, (c) installation site information that indicates the particular location of said photographing means, and (d) said first image data,

said at least one camera image obtaining system has (i) a third communication means for receiving said identification information transmitted from said first communication means, (ii) an image obtaining means for obtaining a second image data which is transmitted from an imaging device carried by said subject and that is different from said photographing means in said photographing systems, the second image data including the date and time information of photographing that indicates the date and time of photographing of said second image data, and (iii) a second sending means for sending to the storage means said identification information received by said third communication means and said second image data,

said storage means stores said first image data outputted from each of said plurality of photographing systems with said identification information received by said second communication means, said date and time information of photographing, and said installation site information that is related thereto, and stores said second image data transmitted from said at least one camera image obtaining system with said identification information received by said third communication means that is related thereto,

said managing means manages said first and second image data by sorting said first and second image data by each of said identification information,

said managing means manages said first and second image data by sorting said first and second image data in the order of date and time of photographing based on said date and time information of photographing related to said sorted first image data, and said date and time information of photographing related to said sorted second image data, and

said managing means obtains deduced location information of photographing of said sorted second image data by deducing the location of photographing of said sorted second image data based on said installation site information related to at least two files of said first image data, one coming in just before and the other just after said sorted second image data in the order of date and time of photographing, and manages said second image data with said deduced location information of photographing that is related hereto.

2. The image management system according to claim 1, wherein said first communication means is a long-range wireless tag.

3. The image management system according to claim 1, wherein said system is installed in a theme park.

4. The image management system according to claim 1, wherein said photographing means implements said photographing of said subject by operating said first communication means.

5. The image management system according to claim 1, wherein said photographing means automatically implements photographing of said subject identified by said identification information.

6. The image management system according to claim 5, wherein said photographing means locks on to said subject identified by said identification information to automatically implement photographing of said subject.

7. The image management system according to claim 1, wherein said storage means stores said first image data with said identification information, date and time information of photographing, and installation site information that is related thereto by describing said identification information, date and time information of photographing, and installation site information on a tag of said image data.