Shared image device

• US 9,489,717 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2005
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Levien, Royce A., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, Jr., John D., Jung, Edward K. Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rush, Eric
• Application Number:
  US11/129,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20060174204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,197 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382293-300, 382/325, 382/115, 382/224, 382/305, 348/207.1, 348/207.2, 348/211.99, 348/211.1, 348/211.4, 386/200, 707/608, 707/609, 707/705, 709/208, 709/212, 709/213, 709/217, 709/227
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4092 Image resolution transcoding, e.g. by using client-server architectures
• 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 1/00204 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 1/00347 with another still picture apparatus, e.g. hybrid still picture apparatus circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between image input and image output device H04N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/01 Conversion of standards , e.g. involving analogue television standards or digital television standards processed at pixel level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0125 one of the standards being a high definition standard

Abstract

A mechanism or technique able to join a shared image device with a remote storage location via a network connection, and determine whether the shared image device can obtain better quality images of a subject or geographic location than those stored at the remote storage location.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

circuitry configured for joining at least one networked image device with at least one remote storage location at least partially via at least one network connection of the at least one networked image device;

circuitry configured for providing at least one geographic location associated with the at least one networked image device;

circuitry configured for obtaining at least one indication of one or more images of one or more subjects associated with the at least one geographic location and stored at the at least one remote storage location, the at least one indication including at least one number of images stored at the at least one remote storage location of the one or more subjects associated with the at least one geographic location;

circuitry configured for making a quality determination, including at least determining whether the at least one networked image device is capable of obtaining one or more better quality images of at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location than the one or more images of the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location stored at the at least one remote storage location; and

circuitry configured for determining whether at least one viewfinder display of the at least one networked image device includes the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location at least partially based on the quality determination.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for providing at least one geographic location associated with the at least one networked image device comprises:

circuitry configured for providing at least one geographic location associated with the at least one networked image device at least partially based on at least some information sensed by at least one satellite-based position sensor of the at least one networked image device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is incorporated in the at least one networked image device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is incorporated with at least one web site configured for storage and access of one or more images.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry configured for initiating a capture of at least one image of the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for joining at least one networked image device with at least one remote storage location at least partially via at least one network connection of the at least one networked image device comprises:

circuitry configured for joining the at least one networked image device, including at least one cellular phone with picture taking capabilities, with the at least one remote storage location at least partially via at least one Internet connection of the at least one networked image device.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry configured for causing the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location to at least one of sparkle, outline, color code, or highlight on the at least one viewfinder display of the at least one networked image device at least partially in response to a determination that the at least one viewfinder display of the at least one networked image device includes at least the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for obtaining at least one indication of one or more images of one or more subjects associated with the at least one geographic location and stored at the at least one remote storage location, the at least one indication including at least one number of images stored at the at least one remote storage location of each subject associated with the at least one geographic location comprises:

circuitry configured for obtaining one or more resolutions of one or more images related to the at least one geographic location and stored at the at least one remote storage location; and

wherein circuitry configured for making a quality determination, including at least determining whether the at least one networked image device is capable of obtaining one or more better quality images of at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location than the one or more images of the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location stored at the at least one remote storage location includes at least;

circuitry configured for determining that the at least one networked image device is capable of obtaining one or more higher resolution images related to the at least one geographic location than the one or more resolutions of the one or more images related to the at least one geographic location and stored at the at least one remote storage location.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for obtaining at least one indication of one or more images of one or more subjects associated with the at least one geographic location and stored at the at least one remote storage location, the at least one indication including at least one number of images stored at the at least one remote storage location of each subject associated with the at least one geographic location comprises:

circuitry configured for obtaining one or more times of day at which the one or more images related to the at least one geographic location and stored at the at least one remote storage location were captured; and

wherein circuitry configured for making a quality determination, including at least determining whether the at least one networked image device is capable of obtaining one or more better quality images of at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location than the one or more images of the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location stored at the at least one remote storage location comprises;

circuitry configured for determining that the at least one networked image device is capable of obtaining one or more images related to the at least one geographic location at one or more different times of day than the one or more times of day at which the one or more images related to the at least one geographic location and stored at the at least one remote storage location were captured.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for determining whether at least one viewfinder display of the at least one networked image device includes the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location at least partially based on the quality determination comprises:

circuitry configured for receiving at least one indication of at least one particular subject related to the at least one geographic location, the at least one particular subject related to the at least one geographic location also portrayed by the one or more images stored at the at least one remote storage location, at least partially in response to the quality determination; and

circuitry configured for utilizing at least some image recognition logic to determine whether one or more subjects within a field of view of the at least one networked image device portray the at least one particular subject associated with the one or more images stored at the at least one remote storage location.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for providing at least one geographic location associated with the at least one networked image device comprises:

circuitry configured for recognizing, by image recognition logic of the at least one networked image device, at least one identity of at least one subject portrayed within at least one field of view of at least one viewfinder of the at least one networked image device, the at least one subject including at least one geographic location.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry configured for annotating the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location on the at least one viewfinder display of the at least one networked image device at least partially in response to a determination that the at least one viewfinder display of the at least one networked image device includes at least the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for making a quality determination, including at least determining whether the at least one networked image device is capable of obtaining one or more better quality images of at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location than the one or more images of the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location stored at the at least one remote storage location comprises:

circuitry configured for determining at least one imaging quality associated with the at least one networked image device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for making a quality determination, including at least determining whether the at least one networked image device is capable of obtaining one or more better quality images of at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location than the one or more images of the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location stored at the at least one remote storage location comprises:

circuitry configured for determining whether the at least one networked image device relies on at least one of optical or software-based zooming to provide at least one imaging quality.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for determining whether at least one viewfinder display of the at least one networked image device includes the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location at least partially based on the quality determination comprises:

circuitry configured for detecting whether one or more particular geographic areas are within a field of view of the at least one networked image device using at least one of a recognition program or a positioning program.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein circuitry configured for determining whether at least one viewfinder display of the at least one networked image device includes the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location at least partially based on the quality determination comprises:

circuitry configured for detecting whether one or more particular geographic areas are within a field of view of the at least one networked image device at least partially based on GPS derived positional information indicative of at least one physical location.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry configured for causing an explicit monetary value indicator to display in the at least one viewfinder display of the at least one networked image device indicative of at least one valuable area to photograph within the field of view of the at least one viewfinder display of the at least one networked image device.

18. A system, comprising:

means for joining at least one networked image device with at least one remote storage location at least partially via at least one network connection of the at least one networked image device;

means for providing at least one geographic location associated with the at least one networked image device;

means for obtaining at least one indication of one or more images of one or more subjects associated with the at least one geographic location and stored at the at least one remote storage location, the at least one indication including at least one number of images stored at the at least one remote storage location of the one or more subjects associated with the at least one geographic location;

means for making a quality determination, including at least determining whether the at least one networked image device is capable of obtaining one or more better quality images of at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location than the one or more images of the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location stored at the at least one remote storage location; and

means for determining whether at least one viewfinder display of the at least one networked image device includes the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location at least partially based on the quality determination.

19. A method, comprising:

joining at least one networked image device with at least one remote storage location at least partially via at least one network connection of the at least one networked image device;

providing at least one geographic location associated with the at least one networked image device;

obtaining at least one indication of one or more images of one or more subjects associated with the at least one geographic location and stored at the at least one remote storage location, the at least one indication including at least one number of images stored at the at least one remote storage location of the one or more subjects associated with the at least one geographic location;

making a quality determination, including at least determining whether the at least one networked image device is capable of obtaining one or more better quality images of at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location than the one or more images of the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location stored at the at least one remote storage location; and

determining whether at least one viewfinder display of the at least one networked image device includes the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location at least partially based on the quality determination,

wherein at least one of joining, providing, obtaining, making, or determining is at least partially implemented using one or more processing components.

20. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device; and

one or more instructions which, when executed on the at least one computing device, cause the at least one computing device to at least;

join at least one networked image device with at least one remote storage location at least partially via at least one network connection of the at least one networked image device;

provide at least one geographic location associated with the at least one networked image device;

obtain at least one indication of one or more images of one or more subjects associated with the at least one geographic location and stored at the at least one remote location, the at least one indication including at least one number of images stored at the at least one remote storage location of the one or more subjects associated with the at least one geographic location;

make a quality determination, including at least determining whether the at least one networked image device is capable of obtaining one or more better quality images of at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location than the one or more images of the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location stored at the at least one remote storage location; and

determine whether at least one viewfinder display of the at least one networked image device includes the at least one subject associated with the at least one geographic location at least partially based on the quality determination.