Digital image sharing enabled chat application

• US 7,930,350 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2003
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon USA, Inc. (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon USA, Inc. (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Landers, Kevin David, McConn, Christopher Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung; Zarni
• Application Number:
  US10/382,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20040177116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,967 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 715/751, 715/758, 709204-207, 709/203, 709217-219, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program for remotely sharing digital photographic images. The method, system, and computer program comprising launching at least a first and second real-time chat clients, selecting at least a first digital photographic image, establishing a chat session between the at least first and second real-time chat clients, transmitting at least a first digital photographic image from the at least first real-time chat client to the at least second real-time chat client, and facilitating a chat session between the at least first real-time chat client and the at least second real-time chat client through which the at least first and second real-time chat clients converse with each other, wherein the subject of the conversation is the at least first digital photographic image.

Claims

1. A method for enabling real-time sharing and discussing of photographic images, the method comprising:

launching at least a first real-time chat client;

displaying a plurality of photographic images in a window of the at least first real-time chat client after launching the at least first real-time chat client, wherein the plurality of photographic images is available to be shared with another real-time chat client;

selecting at least the plurality of photographic images displayed in the window to be shared with at least a second real-time chat client;

initiating a chat session between the at least first real-time chat client and at least the at least second real-time chat client after selection of the plurality of photographic images displayed in the window;

sharing the plurality of photographic images between the at least first real-time chat client and at least the at least second real-time chat client via the chat session; and

displaying the plurality of photographic images in a window of the at least second real-time chat client,

wherein the plurality of photographic images is displayed for the duration of the chat session.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein, upon initiating the chat session, a chat window is launched on the at least first real-time chat client.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein, the plurality of photographic images is displayed in a first section of the chat window.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein text describing the plurality of photographic images is displayed in a second section of the chat window.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the text is displayed in the second section of the chat window for the duration of the chat session.

6. A method according to claim 2, wherein a log is displayed in a third section of the chat window.

7. A method according to claim 6, the method further comprising storing the log, wherein the log includes each message composed during the chat session, wherein each message is tagged with a time of when the message was composed, and wherein each message appears in the log in order based on each message'"'"'s time tag.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the log is stored as part of metadata of the plurality of photographic images.

9. A method according to claim 2, wherein a message composition area is displayed in a fourth section of the chat window.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of photographic images is transmitted from the at least first real-time chat client to the at least second real-time chat client as part of initiating the chat session.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein upon initiating the chat session, a chat window is launched on the at least first real-time chat client, wherein the chat window contains a plurality of sections, and wherein a first section displays the plurality of photographic images, and wherein a second section displays at least one of the plurality of photographic images.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one of the plurality of photographic images being displayed in the second section is changed by selecting a photographic image different from the at least one of the plurality of photographic images from the plurality of photographic images in the first section.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the plurality of photographic images displayed in the second section has a higher resolution than the same image in the first section.

14. A system for sharing and discussing digital images, the system including a first client computer configured to operate a chat client, the first client computer having a memory and a processor, and a second client computer configured to operate a chat client, the second client computer having a memory and a processor, the system comprising:

at least a first real-time chat client;

at least a second real-time chat client;

selecting a plurality of digital images to be shared between at least the at least first real-time chat client and the at least second real-time chat client;

initiating a chat session between the at least first real-time chat client and at least the at least second real-time chat client after selection of the plurality of digital images;

simultaneously displaying the plurality of digital images in a window of the at least first real-time chat client;

sharing the plurality of digital images between the at least first real-time chat client and at least the at least second real-time chat client via the chat session; and

simultaneously display the plurality of digital images in a window of the at least second real-time chat session.

15. A system according to claim 14, further comprising launching a chat window on the at least first real-time chat client upon initiating the chat session.

16. A system according to claim 15, further comprising displaying the plurality of digital images in a first section of the chat window.

17. A system according to claim 15, further comprising displaying text describing the plurality of digital images in a second section of the chat window.

18. A system according to claim 17, further comprising displaying the text in the second section of the chat window for the duration of the chat session.

19. A system according to claim 15, further comprising displaying a fourth section of the chat window, wherein a message composition area is displayed.

20. A system according to claim 14, further comprising transmitting the plurality of digital images from the at least first real-time chat client to at least the at least second real-time chat client as part of initiating the chat session.

21. A system according to claim 14, wherein upon initiating the chat session, a chat window is launched on the at least first real-time chat client, wherein the chat window contains a plurality of sections, and wherein a first section displays the plurality of digital images and a second section displays at least one of the plurality of digital images.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein the at least one of the plurality of digital images being displayed in the second section is changed by selecting a digital image different from the at least one of the plurality of digital images from the plurality of digital images in the first section.

23. A system according to claim 14, further comprising displaying a log of the chat session, wherein the log includes each message composed during the chat session, and wherein each message is tagged with a time of when the message was composed;

and wherein each message appears in the log in order based on each message'"'"'s time tag; and

storing the log.

24. A system according to claim 23, further comprising displaying the log in a third section of the chat window.

25. A system according to claim 23, wherein the chat log is saved as part of metadata of the plurality of digital images.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps to share and discuss photographic images, the computer-executable process steps comprising:

launching at least a first real-time chat client;

simultaneously displaying a plurality of photographic images in a window of the at least first real-time chat client after launching the at least first real-time chat client, wherein the plurality of photographic images is available to be shared with another real-time chat client;

selecting the plurality of photographic images displayed in the window to be shared with at least a second real-time chat client;

initiating a chat session between the at least first real-time chat client and at least a second real-time chat client after selection of the plurality of photographic images displayed in the window;

sharing the plurality of photographic images between the at least first real-time chat client and at least the at least second real-time chat client via the chat session; and

simultaneously displaying the plurality of photographic images in a window of the at least second real-time chat client,

wherein the plurality of photographic images are displayed for the duration of the chat session.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps according to claim 26, the computer-executable process steps further comprising launching a chat window on the at least first real-time chat client upon initiating the chat session.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps according to claim 27, wherein the plurality of photographic images is displayed in a first section of the chat window.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps according to claim 27, wherein text describing the plurality of photographic images is displayed in a second section of the chat window.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps according to claim 29, wherein the text is displayed in the second section of the chat window for the duration of the chat session.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps according to claim 27, wherein a message composition area is displayed in a fourth section of the chat window.

32. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps according to claim 27, the computer-executable process steps further comprising

displaying a log of the chat session, wherein the log includes each message composed during the chat session, wherein each message is tagged with a time of when the message was composed, and wherein each message appears in the log in order based on each message'"'"'s time tag;

and

storing the log.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps according to claim 32, wherein the log is displayed in a third section of the chat window.

34. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps according to claim 32, wherein the log is stored as part of metadata of the plurality of photographic images.

35. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps according to claim 26, wherein transmitting the at least first plurality of photographic images image from the at least first real-time chat client to at least the at least second real-time chat client is performed as part of initiating the chat session.

36. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps according to claim 26, wherein upon initiating the chat session, a chat window is launched on the at least first real-time chat client, wherein the window contains a plurality of sections, and wherein a first section displays the plurality of photographic images and a second section displays at least one of the plurality of photographic images.

37. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps according to claim 36, wherein the at least one of the plurality of photographic images being displayed in the second section is changed by selecting a photographic image different from the at least one of the plurality of photographic images from the plurality of photographic images in the first section.