System and method for effectively implementing an electronic image manager device

• US 20020054067A1
• Filed: 02/27/2001
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Goldstein, Steven G., Longendyke, David G., Ludtke, Harold A., Abram, Philip M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,882,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2512 Floppy disks
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2529 Mini-discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A system and method for effectively implementing an electronic image manager device includes one or more input/output interfaces for bi-directionally communicating with various information sources to transfer content information that includes image data. The electronic image manager device also includes a memory device for archiving the content information, and an application program that manipulates the content information by performing various procedures such as downloading and uploading the content information, organizing and managing the content information, editing the content information, and displaying the content information.

Claims

1. A system for implementing an image manager, comprising:

an information source configured to generate content information;

a storage device coupled to said image manager for storing said content information; and

application software configured to manage said content information to thereby implement said image manager.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said information source includes one of an imaging device, a digital camera, and a computer device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said content information includes one or more captured sets of image data.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said content information includes content data and one or more descriptors.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said descriptors each includes at least one of a data format, a data type, a data structure, and a data size.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein said descriptors are formatted in an extensible markup language (XML) format.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein said descriptors are applied to said content information by a content-capturing device.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said image manager includes a central processing unit, a display, a memory, one or more input/output interfaces, and a user interface.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said memory includes application software, an operating system, said content information, a network browser, and a display manager.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said application software includes a download manager, an upload manager, an editing module, a data manager, and miscellaneous routines, said miscellaneous routines including a translation routine for converting a first content format into a second content format.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein said one or more input/output interfaces allow said image manager to bi-directionally communicate with at least one of an imaging device, a distributed computer network, a host computer, a cellular telephone, a photographic printer, a wireless communications device, one or more removable storage media devices, and an Internet network, to thereby transfer said content information.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein said image manager provides a high-resolution image signal to said display.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein said display includes a liquid-crystal display device that is hinged to fold against an exterior surface of said image manager when not in use.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein said user interface displays a directory structure that represents said content information, said directory structure including a chronological folder in which said content information is initially organized in a chronological sequence according to a time stamp embedded in each image of said content information, said directory structure also including one or more user folders into which a system user may selectively move and organize said content information from said chronological folder.

15. The system of claim 8 wherein said user interface organizes and displays said content information according to said content information being stored in one or more media locations that are each coupled to said image manager.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein a download manager from application software in said image manager detects an information download of content information from said information source by receiving at least one of new storage media and new content information.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said download manager analyzes one or more descriptors associated with said content information.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said application program determines an image management function for handling said content information.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said application program determines said image management function by analyzing a user-programmable identifier in said content information, and then referencing a user-programmable function table in said image manager.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein said image manager downloads one or more additional content management functions from a web server based upon said one or more descriptors, said one or more descriptors being encoded in an extensible markup language (XML), a system user responsively choosing from said one or more additional content management functions.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein said application program checks to ensure that valid conditions currently exist for a successful performance of said image management function on said image manager.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said application program displays an error message on said user interface when said valid conditions do not currently exist for said successful performance of said image management function on said image manager.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein said image manager executes said image management function when said valid conditions currently exist for said successful performance of said image management function.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein said image management function includes archiving said content information into a chronological folder in said storage device.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein said image management function includes at least one of copying and moving said content information to one or more different storage media.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein said image manager utilizes said content information by performing one of an editing procedure using an editing module, an upload procedure using an upload manager, an organization procedure using a data manager, and a display procedure using a display manager.

27. The system of claim 1 wherein said content information includes at least one of audio data, graphics data, and text data.

28. The system of claim 1 further comprising connection means for electrically coupling multiple memory stick devices to said image manager for downloading said content information.

29. The system of claim 1 further comprising one or more additional downloaded editing modules for manipulating various different data formats.

30. The system of claim 1 further comprising a network browser that is configured to allow said image manager to communicate with a distributed computer network, said distributed computer network including at least one of an Internet network and a local area network.

31. A method for implementing an image manager, comprising the steps of:

generating content information from an information source;

storing said content information in a storage device that is coupled to said image manager; and

managing said content information with application software to thereby implement said image manager.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein said information source includes one of an imaging device, a digital camera, and a computer device.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein said content information includes one or more captured sets of image data.

34. The method of claim 31 wherein said content information includes content data and one or more descriptors.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said descriptors each includes at least one of a data format, a data type, a data structure, and a data size.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein said descriptors are formatted in an extensible markup language (XML) format.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein said descriptors are applied to said content information by a content-capturing device.

38. The method of claim 31 wherein said image manager includes a central processing unit, a display, a memory, one or more input/output interfaces, and a user interface.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein said memory includes application software, an operating system, said content information, a network browser, and a display manager.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein said application software includes a download manager, an upload manager, an editing module, a data manager, and miscellaneous routines, said miscellaneous routines including a translation routine for converting a first content format into a second content format.

41. The method of claim 38 wherein said one or more input/output interfaces allow said image manager to bi-directionally communicate with at least one of an imaging device, a distributed computer network, a host computer, a cellular telephone, a photographic printer, a wireless communications device, one or more removable storage media devices, and an Internet network, to thereby transfer said content information.

42. The method of claim 38 wherein said image manager provides a high-resolution image signal to said display.

43. The method of claim 38 wherein said display includes a liquid-crystal display device that is hinged to fold against an exterior surface of said image manager when not in use.

44. The method of claim 38 wherein said user interface displays a directory structure that represents said content information, said directory structure including a chronological folder in which said content information is initially organized in a chronological sequence according to a time stamp embedded in each image of said content information, said directory structure also including one or more user folders into which a system user may selectively move and organize said content information from said chronological folder.

45. The method of claim 38 wherein said user interface organizes and displays said content information according to said content information being stored in one or more media locations that are each coupled to said image manager.

46. The method of claim 31 wherein a download manager from application software in said image manager detects an information download of content information from said information source by receiving at least one of new storage media and new content information.

47. The method of claim 46 wherein said download manager analyzes one or more descriptors associated with said content information.

48. The method of claim 47 wherein said application program determines an image management function for handling said content information.

49. The method of claim 48 wherein said application program determines said image management function by analyzing a user-programmable identifier in said content information, and then referencing a user-programmable function table in said image manager.

50. The method of claim 48 wherein said image manager downloads one or more additional content management functions from a web server based upon said one or more descriptors, said one or more descriptors being encoded in an extensible markup language (XML), a system user responsively choosing from said one or more additional content management functions.

51. The method of claim 48 wherein said application program checks to ensure that valid conditions currently exist for a successful performance of said image management function on said image manager.

52. The method of claim 51 wherein said application program displays an error message on said user interface when said valid conditions do not currently exist for said successful performance of said image management function on said image manager.

53. The method of claim 51 wherein said image manager executes said image management function when said valid conditions currently exist for said successful performance of said image management function.

54. The method of claim 51 wherein said image management function includes archiving said content information into a chronological folder in said storage device.

55. The method of claim 51 wherein said image management function includes at least one of copying and moving said content information to one or more different storage media.

56. The method of claim 54 wherein said image manager utilizes said content information by performing one of an editing procedure using an editing module, an upload procedure using an upload manager, an organization procedure using a data manager, and a display procedure using a display manager.

57. The method of claim 31 wherein said content information includes at least one of audio data, graphics data, and text data.

58. The method of claim 31 further comprising connection means for electrically coupling multiple memory stick devices to said image manager for downloading said content information.

59. The method of claim 31 further comprising one or more additional downloaded editing modules for manipulating various different data formats.

60. The method of claim 31 further comprising a network browser that is configured to allow said image manager to communicate with a distributed computer network, said distributed computer network including at least one of an Internet network and a local area network.

61. The method of claim 31 wherein said information source formats removable storage media with appropriate directories and folders for pre-organizing said content information before downloading said content information into said image manager, said image manager storing said content information from said appropriate directories and folders into corresponding internal directories and folders in said storage device.

62. The system of claim 31 wherein said application software creates and stores one or more web page templates, and then automatically populates said one or more web page templates with pre-identified images from said content information in response to a user-programmable identifier in said content information.

63. The system of claim 31 wherein said content information includes a descriptor and data, said descriptor being encoded in a format for which unique decoding information may be accessed from an updateable source to enable successful decoding of new versions of said descriptor or said data.

64. A computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for implementing an image manager by performing the steps of:

generating content information from an information source;

storing said content information in a storage device that is coupled to said image manager; and

managing said content information with application software to thereby implement said image manager.

65. A system for implementing an image manager, comprising:

means for generating content information;

means for storing said content information; and

means for managing said content information to thereby implement said image manager.