Photography system to organize digital photographs and information regarding the subjects therein

• US 8,994,833 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2013
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shutterfly, LLC
• Original Assignee: Lifetouch Incorporated (Shutterfly, LLC)
• Inventors: Holmes, Jon A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Misleh, Justin P
• Application Number:
  US13/789,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20130182146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/207.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00129 with a display device, e.g. CRT or LCD monitor with a television apparatus H04N1/00283; arrangements for control of display devices G09G
• 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 1/00148 Storage information retrieval G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• 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 1/00193 to a portable storage medium, e.g. a read-writable compact disk
• 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 1/00278 with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00286 with studio circuitry, devices or equipment, e.g. television cameras television studio circuitry, devices or equipment per se H04N5/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00326 with a data reading, recognizing or recording apparatus, e.g. with a bar-code apparatus arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus G11B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00334 with an apparatus processing barcodes or the like arrangements for sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0041 Point to point H04N2201/0039 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0075 by a user operated remote control device, e.g. receiving instructions from a user via a computer terminal or mobile telephone handset
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3242 of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3247 Data linking a set of images to one another, e.g. sequence, burst or continuous capture mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 : Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 : Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 : Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/222 : Studio circuitry; Studio devices; Studio equipment cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00

Abstract

A photographic processing system in which subject and other data is stored in a database and such data is automatically linked to photographs taken using either a film or digital camera.

Claims

1. A digital camera system comprising:

an image capture device including a shutter;

at least one processing device;

a bar code reader configured to scan a bar code; and

at least one memory device, the at least one memory device storing program instructions, which when executed by the at least one processing device causes the at least one processing device to;

lock the shutter before scanning the bar code with the barcode reader;

scan the bar code with the bar code reader to receive bar code data, the bar code data including information identifying a subject;

after receiving the bar code data, unlock the shutter;

capture an image of the subject with the image capture device;

store the image in the at least one memory device; and

store link data in the at least one memory device, the link data associating the information identifying the subject with the image.

2. The digital camera system of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the subject further comprises data received from data entry on a keyboard.

3. The digital camera system of claim 1, wherein the image is a digital image.

4. The digital camera system of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the person is an alphanumeric code.

5. The digital camera system of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the person is a machine readable code.

6. The digital camera system of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the person is selected from a student identification number, a name, a grade, a teacher, a homeroom number, a locker number, a date of birth, and a bus number.

7. The digital camera system of claim 1, wherein the processing device stores the link data in a frame after the digital image is captured.

8. The digital camera system of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory device includes a solid state memory device.

9. The digital camera system of claim 1, wherein the image capture device further comprises a shutter button, wherein locking the shutter prevents the image capture device from capturing an image when the shutter button is pressed.

10. The digital camera system of claim 9, wherein unlocking the shutter comprises activating the shutter so that the image capture device captures an image when the shutter button is pressed.

11. The digital camera system of claim 1, wherein the shutter is unlocked when at least one of:

a bad shot cancel command is received and when information identifying a next subject is received.

12. A method comprising:

locking a shutter of an image capture device before scanning a barcode with a barcode reader;

scanning the bar code with the bar code reader to receive bar code data, the bar code data including information identifying a subject;

unlocking the shutter after receiving the barcode data;

capturing an image of the subject with the image capture device;

storing the image in at least one memory device; and

storing link data in the at least one memory device, the link data associating the information identifying the subject with the image.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein unlocking the shutter occurs when at least one of:

a bad shot cancel command is received and when information identifying a next subject is received.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the image capture device further comprises a shutter button, wherein locking the shutter prevents the image capture device from capturing an image when the shutter button is pressed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein unlocking the shutter comprises activating the shutter so that the image capture device captures an image when the shutter button is pressed.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the image is a digital image.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the information identifying the person is a machine readable code.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the information identifying the person is selected from a student identification number, a name, a grade, a teacher, a homeroom number, a locker number, a date of birth, and a bus number.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing the link data in a frame after the digital image is captured.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one memory device includes a solid state memory device.