Photograph location stamp

• US 7,978,232 B1
• Filed: 02/05/2004
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navteq North America LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Khan, Rafay
• Primary Examiner(s): Ometz; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Quiett; Carramah J
• Application Number:
  US10/772,810
• Time in Patent Office: 2,714 Days
• Field of Search: 34820799-2072, 348/231.2, 348/231.3, 348/231.5
• US Class Current: 348/231.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• 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 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera

Abstract

A camera includes a feature that associates meaningful information with a photograph to indicate where the photograph was taken. The camera includes equipment that determines a physical position associated with an image. An application uses geographic data to determine a municipality, or other administrative or governmental area, in which the physical position is located and associates data indicating the municipality, or other administrative or governmental area, with the image.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium encoded with a computer program that performs a method of using a remotely located map service server, the method comprising:

obtaining data from a camera removably connected to a computer platform, the obtained data indicating geographic coordinates associated with each of a plurality of pictures taken by the camera;

transmitting the geographic coordinates associated with each of the plurality of pictures to the remotely located map service server to request a municipality name corresponding to the geographic coordinates associated with each of the plurality of pictures, the remotely located map service server including data that indicates whether a landmark is observable by a person from specific geographic coordinates; and

if the transmitted geographic coordinates associated with at least one of the plurality of pictures are determined to be coordinates from which the landmark is observable via a person'"'"'s view based on the data included in the remotely located map service server, receiving, from the remotely located map service server, data indicating a name of the landmark.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the camera is removably connected to the computer platform with a USB cable.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the camera is removably connected to the computer platform with a wireless connection.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding the name of the landmark to the at least one of the plurality of pictures.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding the name of the landmark and the municipality name to the at least one of the plurality of pictures.

6. A method of using a remotely located map service server computer readable, the method comprising:

obtaining data from a camera removably connected to a computer platform, the obtained data indicating geographic coordinates associated with each of a plurality of pictures taken by the camera;

transmitting geographic coordinates associated with each of the plurality of pictures to the remotely located map service server to request a municipality name corresponding to the geographic coordinates associated with each of the plurality of pictures, the remotely located map service server including data that indicates whether a landmark is observable by a person from said geographic coordinates; and

if the transmitted geographic coordinates associated with at least one of the plurality of pictures are determined to be coordinates from which the landmark is observable via a person'"'"'s view based on the data included in the remotely located map service server, receiving, from the remotely located map service serve, data indicating a name of the landmark.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

adding the name of the landmark to the picture.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

adding the name of the landmark and the municipality name to the picture.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the camera is removably connected to the computer platform with a USB cable.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the camera is removably connected to the computer platform with a wireless connection.