Users tagging users in media online

• US 9,959,291 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Angel Technologies Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Angel Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Frigon, Mark Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwivedi, Mahesh H
• Application Number:
  US14/053,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20140122459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: 707736
• 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: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A system, computer program, and method for storing and sharing images such as photographs via a communications network (16) and for permitting the identification of objects within the images. The invention allows the identification of objects such as persons within the photos without requiring the person submitting the photos to type in identification information for each and every photo in a photo album. The invention also allows users to automatically share their photos with others and to automatically search for photos and/or certain people in photos.

Claims

1. A method implemented within a computer system including a plurality of computing devices connected via a communications network, the method associating users of the computer system with digital media accessible to one or more of the plurality of computing devices, the method comprising:

identifying a plurality of users of the computer system, one or more of the plurality of users having a unique user identifier stored in memory accessible to one or more of the plurality of computing devices, the plurality of users including a first user and a second user, the first user being different from the second user;

determining, from memory accessible to one or more of the plurality of computing devices, associations between descriptive information about one or more of the plurality of users and unique user identifiers of the users, the associations including an association between descriptive information previously provided by the first user and a unique user identifier of the first user;

determining, from memory accessible to one or more of the plurality of computing devices, associations between the plurality of users, the associations including an association between the first user and the second user;

determining, from a plurality of digital media accessible to one or more of the plurality of computing devices, a unique digital media identifier corresponding to a digital media selection input by the second user;

providing, via one or more of the plurality of computing devices, a graphical user interface for presentation to the second user, the graphical user interface operative to receive one or more inputs from the second user indicating a selection of one or more of the plurality of users from descriptive information associated with unique user identifiers of the one or more of the plurality of users, the graphical user interface configured to display descriptive information associated with unique user identifiers of one or more of the plurality of users with a determined association with the second user;

receiving, via the communications network, an input initiated by the second user via the graphical user interface, the received input indicating a selection of the first user from descriptive information associated with the unique user identifier of the first user;

determining the unique user identifier of the first user from the received input initiated by the second user indicating the selection of the first user; and

in response to receiving the input initiated by the second user indicating the selection of the first user and to determining the unique user identifier of the first user, storing in memory accessible to one or more of the plurality of computing devices an association between the unique user identifier of the first user and the unique digital media identifier corresponding to the digital media selection input by the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to receiving the input initiated by the second user indicating the selection of the first user and to determining the unique user identifier of the first user, providing information about the stored association to a computing device of the first user, the information indicating that the first user has been associated with one or more of the plurality of digital media.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information about the stored association is provided via an email.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the communications network, another input initiated by the second user, the received another input indicating a selection of a third user from descriptive information associated with a unique user identifier of the third user; and

in response to receiving the another input indicating a selection of the third user, providing information to a computing device of the third user, the information indicating that the third user has been associated with one or more of the plurality of the digital media.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital media corresponding to the digital media selection input by the second user includes image data from a digital image.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving, via the communications network, one or more inputs initiated by the second user indicating a set of coordinates corresponding to a location of the first user within the image data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of coordinates defines a polygonal area.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of coordinates defines a circular area.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing, via one or more of the plurality of computing devices, a graphical user interface for presentation to a user of the computer system, the graphical user interface configured to display a representation of the set of coordinates, thereby indicating the location of the first user within the image data.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, via the communications network, a request from a computing device of the first user for digital media that the first user has a stored association with; and

in response to receiving the request from the computing device of the first user, providing to the computing device of the first user a graphical user interface configured to display a list indicating image data corresponding to the digital media that the first user has a stored association with.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the communications network, a request from a computing device of the first user for digital media that the first user has a stored association with; and

in response to receiving the request from the computing device of the first user, providing to the computing device of the first user a graphical user interface configured to display a list indicating digital media that the first user has a stored association with.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising subsequent to storing the association between the unique user identifier of the first user and the unique digital media identifier, providing to a computing device of the first user an interface configured for the first user to select or deselect users for which to store an association with the unique digital media identifier.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a request for digital media from a user of the computer system, determining unique user identifiers having an association with the unique digital media identifier associated with the requested digital media; and

providing to a computing device of the requesting user an interface configured to display a list of descriptive information associated with unique user identifiers associated with the unique digital media identifier of the requested digital media.

14. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to a request for image data from a user of the computer system, determining unique user identifiers having an association with the unique digital media identifier associated with the requested image data; and

providing to a computing device of the requesting user an interface configured to display a list of descriptive information associated with unique user identifiers associated with the unique digital media identifier of the requested image data.

15. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining a photo album associated with the first user, the photo album including a collection of digital images;

in response to receiving the input initiated by the second user indicating the selection of the first user and to determining the photo album associated with the first user, adding the image data from the digital image to the photo album associated with the first user.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique user identifier of the first user was previously provided by the first user.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique user identifier of the first user is included in the descriptive information previously provided by the first user.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein descriptive information includes one or more of a name, e-mail address, other naming information, or a home page address.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein descriptive information includes a screen name.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes one or more user interface elements operative to receive the one or more inputs from the second user.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein one or more of the user interface elements is a control.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the control includes one or more of a radio button, a checkbox, a list, select element, Macromedia Flash player, Shockwave player, Java applets, or ActiveX controls.

23. The method of claim 10, wherein the list includes one or more thumbnails to indicate image data corresponding to the digital media that the first user has an association with.

24. An apparatus comprising:

a physical computing system comprising a plurality of processors and one or more memory devices, at least one of the one or more memory devices including executable instructions for associating users of a communications network with digital media accessible to the physical computing system, the executable instructions causing at least one of the plurality of processors to perform, upon execution, the acts of;

identifying a plurality of users, one or more of the plurality of users having a unique user identifier stored in memory accessible to one or more of the plurality of processors, the plurality of users including a first user and a second user, the first user being different from the second user;

determining associations between descriptive information about one or more of the plurality of users and unique user identifiers of the users, the associations including an association between descriptive information previously provided by the first user and a unique user identifier of the first user;

determining associations between the plurality of users, the associations including an association between the first user and the second user;

determining, from a plurality of digital media accessible to the physical computing system, a unique digital media identifier corresponding to a digital media selection input by the second user;

providing a graphical user interface for presentation to the second user, the graphical user interface operative to receive one or more inputs from the second user indicating a selection of one or more of the plurality of users from descriptive information associated with unique user identifiers of the one or more of the plurality of users, the graphical user interface configured to display descriptive information associated with unique user identifiers of one or more of the plurality of users with a determined association with the second user;

receiving, via the communications network, an input initiated by the second user via the graphical user interface, the received input indicating a selection of the first user from descriptive information associated with the unique user identifier of the first user;

determining the unique user identifier of the first user from the received input initiated by the second user indicating the selection of the first user; and

in response to receiving the input initiated by the second user indicating the selection of the first user and to determining the unique user identifier of the first user, storing in the one or more memory devices an association between the unique user identifier of the first user and the unique digital media identifier corresponding to the digital media selection input by the second user.

25. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon, which when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to implement acts comprising:

identifying a plurality of users of a computer system including a plurality of computing devices connected via a communications network, one or more of the plurality of users having a unique user identifier stored in memory accessible to one or more of a plurality of computing devices, the plurality of users including a first user and a second user, the first user being different from the second user;

determining, from memory accessible to one or more of the plurality of computing devices, associations between descriptive information about one or more of the plurality of users of the computer system and unique user identifiers of the users, the associations including an association between descriptive information previously provided by the first user and a unique user identifier of the first user;

determining, from memory accessible to one or more of the plurality of computing devices, associations between the plurality of users of the computer system, the associations including an association between the first user and the second user;

determining, from a plurality of digital media accessible to one or more of the plurality of computing devices, a unique digital media identifier corresponding to a digital media selection input by the second user;

providing, via one or more of the plurality of computing devices, a graphical user interface for presentation to the second user, the graphical user interface operative to receive one or more inputs from the second user indicating a selection of one or more of the plurality of users from descriptive information associated with unique user identifiers of the one or more of the plurality of users, the graphical user interface configured to display descriptive information associated with unique user identifiers of one or more of the plurality of users with a determined association with the second user;

receiving, via the communications network, an input initiated by the second user via the graphical user interface, the received input indicating a selection of the first user from descriptive information associated with the unique user identifier of the first user;

determining the unique user identifier of the first user from the received input initiated by the second user indicating the selection of the first user; and

in response to receiving the input initiated by the second user indicating the selection of the first user and to determining the unique user identifier of the first user, storing in memory accessible to one or more of the plurality of computing devices an association between the unique user identifier of the first user and the unique digital media identifier corresponding to the digital media selection input by the second user.

26. A method implemented within a computer system including a plurality of computing devices connected via a communications network, the method associating users of the computer system with digital media accessible to the computer system, the method comprising:

distinguishing between users of the computer system via one or more unique user identifiers stored in a computer-readable medium accessible to the computer system, the users including a named user and an identifying user, the named user being different from the identifying user, the named user having naming information associated with a unique user identifier of the named user;

in response to an input from the identifying user indicating a selection of an item of digital media, determining a unique digital media identifier corresponding to the digital media selected;

receiving, from the identifying user, an input indicating a selection of the named user from a list of other network users, the list of other users including naming information previously provided by other users, the list of other users including one more users in a contact list associated with the identifying user, the identifying user'"'"'s contact list including the named user; and

in response to receiving from the identifying user the input indicating the selection of the named user from the list of other users, determining a unique user identifier of the named user; and

storing an association between a unique user identifier of the named user and a unique digital media identifier corresponding to the digital media selected.