System for stock images peer-to-peer services over the world wide web

• US 7,574,378 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2005
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kodak Limited (Eastman Kodak Company)
• Original Assignee: Kodak IL Limited (Eastman Kodak Company)
• Inventors: Manascherov, Raz, Beery, Ron, Lipowitz, Shay, Gelbendorf, Hanan, Weisman, Hanan
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen; Nicholas D
• Application Number:
  US11/109,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20060044599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A system for distributed digital images. The system comprises image publishers, image buyers, and a system service center. Image publishers, interested in selling rights in high-resolution images, publish thumbnails representing those images in the service'"'"'s web-site. The image buyer, searching the service web site for images of particular attributes, selects those thumbnails meeting her/his requirements, and gets from the service a temporary direct communication link to the image repository of the image publisher. The buyer gets the option to remotely review, enhance and embed, in a page layout, the low-resolution representation of the selected thumbnails, and quality check parts of the high-resolution images. The buyer negotiates a price with the image publisher, and pays via the service'"'"'s billing module. On conclusion the buyer acquires the high-resolution image file directly from the publisher'"'"'s repository.

Claims

1. A method of locating and purchasing high-resolution images by a buyer directly from a publisher of said images, the method comprising:

a) accessing a system service unit through a network connection;

b) searching attributes of said high-resolution images in said system service'"'"'s data base and selecting desired thumbnails;

c) simulating, enhancing and verifying a quality of the high-resolution images and their low-resolution representation corresponding to said selected thumbnail by controlled remote accessing of an image publisher unit via a network connection;

d) purchasing from said system service unit and paying for a permission to download said selected high-resolution images;

e) acquiring from said image unit, said selected image in high-resolution format directly to said image buyer terminal; and

f) automatically rendering said selected image in high-resolution format ready for print by applying parameters of step (c).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said simulating, enhancing and verifying step comprises at least one of:

a) evaluating the low-resolution representation of a selected thumbnail;

b) cropping and scaling said low-resolution representation;

c) enhancing said low-resolution representation including at least one of toning, sharpening, color correction and color conversion;

d) embedding the selected and enhanced low-resolution image in a page layout;

e) obtaining from said high-resolution image a defined partial image in maximum resolution, and

f) simulating said partial image on said image buyer terminal calibrated screen.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said simulation on said image buyer terminal calibrated screen is one of generic simulation or precise simulation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said purchasing step comprises at least one of

a) negotiating a price, of the high-resolution image by said image buyer, by accessing said image publisher'"'"'s price negotiating module;

b) paying the negotiated price; and

c) combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said paying to is at least to one of said image

publisher, the service unit, or split between eligible parties.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said acquiring comprises at least one of:

a) downloading said selected high-resolution image via said network connection;

b) receiving a removable storage device including said selected high-resolution image, and

c) receiving a transparency representing said selected high-resolution image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps (c), (e) and (f) are carried out indirectly via a temporary storage location in said system service.

8. A method of embedding images, selected from an image-bank or a peer-to-peer networked service, in an image buyer'"'"'s page layout, the method including:

a) selecting at least one thumbnail available from said service to be embedded in said layout;

b) obtaining the low-resolution image, corresponding to said at least one selected thumbnail;

c) fitting said low-resolution image in said image buyer'"'"'s page layout;

d) enhancing said low-resolution image, including at least one of toning, sharpening, color correction and color conversion;

e) obtaining from the high-resolution image, corresponding to said low resolution image, a defined partial image in maximum resolution;

f) simulating said partial image on said image buyer'"'"'s terminal calibrated screen, wherein said simulation is one of generic simulation or precise simulation;

g) closing said page layout including the enhanced low-resolution representation and simulation of the image;

h) purchasing said high-resolution image from said image-bank or peer-to-peer service;

i) acquiring said high-resolution image from an image publisher'"'"'s repository to the image buyer'"'"'s terminal; and

j) automatically embedding and enhancing said high-resolution images in said layout.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said purchasing includes at least one of:

a) negotiating a price, of said high-resolution image, by accessing said publisher'"'"'s price negotiating unit, and

b) paying the negotiated price.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said paying to is at least to one of said image publishers, the service system, or split between eligible parties.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said acquiring comprises at least one of:

a) downloading said selected high-resolution image via said network service

b) receiving a removable storage device including said selected high-resolution image file, and

receiving a transparency representing said selected high-resolution image.