Leasing configured camera system

• US 7,587,337 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2000
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Parulski, Kenneth A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender; F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Champagne; Luna
• Application Number:
  US09/534,471
• Time in Patent Office: 3,455 Days
• Field of Search: 396/310, 396/311, 396/319, 396/321, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00172 directly from a still digital camera or from a storage medium mounted in a still digital camera H04N1/0018 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3264 of sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces

Abstract

A method for a customer leasing a configured camera system including a camera and services for using such configured camera system and paying for the lease of such configured camera system, includes the steps of providing an electronic database of information describing a plurality of differently configured camera systems which have different features and services that can be selected by the customer via a digital communications network; displaying at the customer'"'"'s location remote from the electronic database various components of the camera system that can be combined into the configured camera system; the customer selecting desired components and services to provide the configured camera system and completing a lease agreement and providing a payment identifier specifying an account to be debited to pay for the configured camera system; and sending the camera to a designee of the customer and establishing a service user account that specify the selected services that the designee can use.

Claims

1. A method for a customer leasing a configured camera system including a camera and services for using such configured camera system and paying for the lease of such configured camera system, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an electronic database of information describing a plurality of differently configured camera systems which have different features and services that can be selected by the customer via a digital communications network;

(b) displaying at the customer'"'"'s location remote from the electronic database various components of the camera system that can be combined into the configured camera system;

(c) the customer selecting desired components and services to provide the configured camera system and completing a lease agreement and providing a payment identifier specifying an account to be debited to pay for the configured camera system; and

(d) sending the camera to a designee of the customer and establishing a service user account that specify the selected services that the designee can use with respect to the images captured by said camera.

2. A method for a customer leasing a camera system including a camera and services for using such camera system and paying for the lease of such camera system, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an electronic database of information describing at least one camera system which has services that can be selected by the customer via a digital communications network with respect to images captured by said camera;

(b) displaying at the customer'"'"'s location remote from the electronic database the various services of the at least one camera system that can be selected by the customer;

(c) the customer selecting desired services and completing a lease agreement and providing a payment identifier specifying an account to be debited to pay for the selected services;

(d) establishing a service user account that specifies the selected services that the designee can use;

(e) storing in the camera, a service identifier corresponding to the service user account; and

(f) sending the camera to a designee of the customer.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the camera includes firmware memory, and wherein the service identifier is stored in the firmware memory.

4. The method of claim 2 further including the step of:

(g) capturing an image using the camera; and

(h) forwarding such image to a service provider.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the customer selected services include the service provider storing the image on a digital media selected by the customer, and shipping the digital media to a designee of the customer.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the digital media is a CD-R.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the customer selected services include the service provider storing the image on an Internet accessible digital storage device.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the customer selected services include the service provider e-mailing the image to at least one e-mail address provided by the customer.