Location-based image sharing

• US 7,908,629 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2001
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Lewis, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Philippe; Gims S
• Application Number:
  US09/892,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20030004916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,547 Days
• Field of Search: 725/105, 348/14.09, 348/159, 704/231, 370/352, 345/418, 707/200, 709/223, 709/217, 709/203, 358/442, 710/62
• US Class Current: 725/105
• 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 1/00153 for sharing images with a selected individual or correspondent
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00212 Attaching image data to computer messages, e.g. to e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00323 with a measuring, monitoring or signaling apparatus, e.g. for transmitting measured information to a central location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3208 of an e-mail or network address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

A method and system for image sharing based upon faces in an image is disclosed. The method for image sharing based upon faces in an image comprises defining a sharing rule defining with which one or more recipients images are shared based on face identifying information, and applying face identifying information associated with the image to the sharing rule to determine the one or more recipients with which the image should be shared. The system for image sharing based on faces in an image comprises a sharing rule defining with which one or more recipients images are shared based on face identifying information, and a sharing engine to apply face identifying information associated with an image to the sharing rule to determine the one or more recipients with which the image should be shared.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for location-based image sharing, comprising:

defining a sharing rule to be used by a sharing engine executing on a first computing node on a network having a plurality of computing nodes, the sharing rule to specify one or more recipients with whom an image should be shared based on location-identifying information, the location-identifying information associated with a physical location of subjects and objects captured by the image, wherein the image is associated with image related location-identifying information and stored in a memory store communicatively coupled to the first computing node on the network, and wherein the sharing rule is stored in the memory store;

determining by a sharing engine executing on the first computing node, the one or more recipients with whom the image should be shared by applying the image related location-identifying information associated with the image to the sharing rule

sending a notification that the image is available to the determined one or more recipients on their respective computing nodes connected to the network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the determining, automatically making the image available to the determined one or more recipients.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein making the image available comprises:

responsive to the determining by the sharing engine, either (a) automatically sending an electronic copy of the image to the determined one or more recipients by e-mail, or (b) automatically sending a link to the image on a Web site to the determined one or more recipients.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the location-identifying information into location data using a location database.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the location identifying information comprises latitude and longitude coordinates.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the image is at least one of a digital photo and a digital video.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the sharing rule specifies at least one of a proximity to the location-identifying information, a set of location-identifying information and a bounding perimeter of location-identifying information.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the sharing rule comprises a rule that images are only to be shared with the one or more recipients that are on a buddy list.

9. A system for location-based image sharing, comprising:

a plurality of computing nodes communicatively connected by a communication network;

a first computing node having a processor communicatively coupled to a memory store;

a sharing rule residing in the memory store, defining one or more recipients with whom an image should be shared based on location-identifying information, the location-identifying information associated with a physical location of subjects and objects captured by the images, and wherein the image is associated with image related location-identifying information; and

a sharing engine executing on the processor to apply the related location-identifying information to the sharing rule to determine the one or more recipients with whom the image should be shared, wherein the sharing engine is configured to send a notification to the one or more recipients with whom the image should be shared, as determined by the sharing engine, the notification to be sent over the communication network and to be received by the one or more recipients'"'"' computing nodes.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a sending unit coupled to the first computing node configured to make the image automatically available to the determined one or more recipients.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the sending unit is adapted to either automatically send a copy of the image to the determined one or more recipients'"'"' computing nodes by e-mail or automatically send a link to the image on a Web site to the determined one or more recipients'"'"' computing nodes.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the sharing engine is further adapted to convert the location-identifying information into location data using a location database stored in the memory store.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the location-identifying information comprises latitude and longitude coordinates.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the image is at least one of a digital photo and a digital video.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the sharing rule specifies at least one of a proximity to the location-identifying information, a set of location-identifying information and a bounding perimeter of location-identifying information.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the sharing rule comprises a rule that images are only to be shared with the one or more recipients that are on a buddy list.

17. A computer readable storage medium having computer program code stored thereon, the code when executed on a processor to cause the processor to perform a method of sharing an image having related location-identifying information, the method comprising:

determining a recipient of the image based upon the location-identifying information, the location-identifying information associated with a physical location of subjects and objects captured by the image,

wherein the image and related location-identifying information are stored in a memory store communicatively coupled to a first computing node on a network, and wherein the recipient is connected to a second computing node on the network; and

responsive to the determining making the image available to the recipient at the second computing node.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein making the image available comprises either (a) automatically sending a copy of the image to the determined one or more recipients by e-mail or (b) automatically sending a link to the image on a Web site to the determined one or more recipients.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises converting the location-identifying information into location data using a location database.

20. The medium of claim 17 wherein the location-identifying information comprises latitude and longitude coordinates.

21. The medium of claim 17 wherein the image is at least one of a digital photo and a digital video.

22. The medium of claim 17 wherein the sharing rule specifies at least one of a proximity to the location-identifying information, a set of location-identifying information and a bounding perimeter of location-identifying information.

23. A computer implemented method of sharing an image having related location-identifying information, comprising:

determining a recipient of the image based upon the location-identifying information, the location-identifying information associated with a physical location of the image subjects,

wherein the image and related location-identifying information are stored in a memory store communicatively coupled to a first computing node on a network, and wherein the recipient is connected to a second computing node on the network; and

responsive to the determining, making the image available to the recipient at the second computing node.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein making the image available comprises at least one of (a) automatically sending an electronic copy of the image to the recipient by e-mail and (b) automatically sending a link to the image on a Web site to the recipient.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising converting the location-identifying information into location data using a location database.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the location-identifying information comprises latitude and longitude coordinates.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the image is at least one of a digital photo and a digital video.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein determining a recipient of the image is performed using at least one of a proximity to the location-identifying information, a set of location-identifying information and a bounding perimeter of location-identifying information.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein making the image available to the recipient comprises making the image available to the recipient only if the recipient is within a pre-determined subset of possible recipients.

30. A computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions when executed by a processor of a first computing node on a network, cause the processor to:

receive an image and location-identifying information associated with the image, the location-identifying information also being associated with a physical location of subjects and objects captured by the image;

retrieve a sharing rule from a memory store coupled to the processor, the sharing rule specifying one or more recipients with whom an image may be shared based on associating permitted locations for each possible recipient, wherein the permitted locations are derived from location-identifying information stored in a location database, the location-identifying information associated with each possible recipient;

determine one or more recipients with whom the received image should be shared by applying the sharing rule to the location-identifying information associated with the image; and

sending a notification that the image is available to the determined one or more recipients.

31. The medium as recited in claim 30, further comprising instructions to:

responsive to the determining, automatically make the image available to the determined one or more recipients.

32. The medium as recited in claim 31, wherein making the image available comprises instructions to:

responsive to the determining, either (a) automatically sending an electronic copy of the image to the determined one or more recipients by e-mail, or (b) automatically sending a link to the image to the determined one or more recipients, wherein the link enables navigation to the image accessible via a Web site.

33. The medium as recited in claim 30, further comprising instructions to:

convert the location-identifying information associated with the image into location data using a location database.

34. The medium as recited in claim 30, wherein the location-identifying information comprises latitude and longitude coordinates.

35. The medium as recited in claim 30 wherein the image is at least one of a digital photo and a digital video.

36. The medium as recited in claim 30, wherein the sharing rule specifies at least one of a proximity to the location-identifying information, a set of location-identifying information and a bounding perimeter of location-identifying information.

37. The medium as recited in claim 30, wherein the sharing rule comprises a rule that images are only to be shared with the one or more recipients that are in a pre-determined subset of possible recipients.