Digital photo album systems and methods

• US 20060209214A1
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Fader, David A., Leone, Anthony J. III
• Application Number:
  US11/082,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20060209214A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/584
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• 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
• 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 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00196 Creation of a photo-montage, e.g. photoalbum H04N1/0019 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3872 Repositioning or masking

Abstract

A method and computerized system for producing a digital photo album comprise a graphic user interface having at least one display and tactile device. An image inbox adds, deletes, orders, crops, sizes, and/or rotates images to be included in a digital photo album based on drag-and-drop, or other user input obtained through the display and tactile device. The images are displayed in the image inbox as thumbnails on the display. An auto-population engine automatically positions the images on electronic pages of the digital photo album. The electronic pages are also displayed on the display. An editing engine is used to reposition, further rotate, and/or resize the images, after the images are positioned on the electronic pages by the auto-population engine, based on additional drag-and-drop or other user input obtained through the display and tactile device.

Claims

1. A computerized system comprising:

an image inbox adapted to at least one of size, crop, and rotate images to be included in a digital photo album based on user input;

an auto-population engine adapted to automatically position said images on electronic pages of said digital photo album; and

an editing engine adapted to at least one of reposition, rotate, crop and resize said images after said images are positioned on said electronic pages by said auto-population engine, based on additional user input.

2. The system in claim 1, wherein order and rotation of said images is maintained as metadata for an instance of said image inbox.

3. The system in claim 1, wherein said image inbox is further adapted to at least one of add and remove images to be included in said digital photo album based on said user input.

4. The system in claim 1, wherein said image inbox is further adapted to add text annotations to said digital photo album based on said user input.

5. The system in claim 1, wherein said auto-population engine is further adapted to receive user input of, and base automatic image positioning on, at least one of:

a number of images per page;

a layout of images on said electronic pages;

a total number of pages for said digital photo album; and

a size of said images on said electronic pages.

6. The system in claim 1, wherein said auto-population engine is further adapted to receive user input for selection of a predefined layout template from a plurality of predefined layout templates.

7. The system in claim 1, wherein said auto-population engine is further adapted to automatically add text annotations to said digital photo album based on metadata associated with said images.

8. A computerized system comprising:

a graphic user interface comprising at least one display and tactile device;

an image inbox adapted to at least one of size, crop, and rotate images to be included in a digital photo album based on drag-and-drop user input obtained through said graphic user interface, wherein said images are displayed in said image inbox as thumbnails on said graphic user interface;

an auto-population engine adapted to automatically position said images on electronic pages of said digital photo album, wherein said electronic pages are displayed on said graphic user interface; and

an editing engine adapted to at least one of reposition, rotate, crop, and resize said images after said images are positioned on said electronic pages by said auto-population engine based on additional drag-and-drop user input obtained through said graphic user interface.

9. The system in claim 8, wherein order and rotation of said images is maintained as metadata for an instance of said image inbox.

10. The system in claim 8, wherein said image inbox is further adapted to at least one of add and remove images to be included in said digital photo album based on said user input.

11. The system in claim 8, wherein said image inbox is further adapted to add text annotations to said digital photo album based on said user input.

12. The system in claim 8, wherein said auto-population engine is further adapted to receive user input of, and base automatic image positioning on, at least one of:

a number of images per page;

a layout of images on said electronic pages;

a total number of pages for said digital photo album; and

a size of said images on said electronic pages.

13. The system in claim 8, wherein said auto-population engine is further adapted to receive user input for selection of a predefined layout template from a plurality of predefined layout templates.

14. The system in claim 8, wherein said auto-population engine is further adapted to automatically add text annotations to said digital photo album based on metadata associated with said images.

15. A method comprising:

supplying user input to a computerized image inbox to at least one of size, crop, and rotate images to be included in a digital photo album;

automatically positioning said images on electronic pages of said digital photo album using an auto-population engine; and

supplying additional user input to an editing engine to at least one of reposition, rotate, crop and resize said images after said images are positioned on said electronic pages by said auto-population engine.

16. The method in claim 15, further comprising, during said supplying of said user input to said image inbox, maintaining order and rotation of said images as metadata for an instance of said image inbox.

17. The method in claim 15, further comprising at least one of adding and removing images to be included in said digital photo album based on said user input.

18. The method in claim 15, further comprising adding text annotations to said digital photo album based on said user input.

19. The method in claim 15, further comprising receiving, and basing said automatically positioning of said images on, at least one of:

a number of images per page;

a layout of images on said electronic pages;

a total number of pages for said digital photo album; and

a size of said images on said electronic pages.

20. The method in claim 15, further comprising supplying, to said auto-population engine, user input for selection of a predefined layout template from a plurality of predefined layout templates.

21. The method in claim 15, further comprising automatically adding text annotations to said digital photo album based on metadata associated with said images, using said auto-population engine.

22. A method comprising:

supplying drag-and-drop user input to a computerized image inbox to at least one of size, crop, and rotate images to be included in a digital photo album using at least one display and tactile device;

displaying said images in said image inbox as thumbnails on said graphic user interface;

automatically positioning said images on electronic pages of said digital photo album using an auto-population engine;

displaying said electronic pages on said graphic user interface; and

supplying additional drag-and-drop user input to an editing engine through said graphic user interface, to at least one of reposition, rotate, crop, and resize said images after said images are positioned on said electronic pages by said auto-population engine.

23. The method in claim 22, further comprising, during said supplying of said user input to said image inbox, maintaining order and rotation of said images as metadata for an instance of said image inbox.

24. The method in claim 22, further comprising at least one of adding and removing images to be included in said digital photo album based on said user input.

25. The method in claim 22, further comprising adding text annotations to said digital photo album based on said user input.

26. The method in claim 22, further comprising receiving, and basing said automatically positioning of said images on, at least one of:

a number of images per page;

a layout of images on said electronic pages;

a total number of pages for said digital photo album; and

a size of said images on said electronic pages.

27. The method in claim 22, further comprising supplying, to said auto-population engine, user input for selection of a predefined layout template from a plurality of predefined layout templates.

28. The method in claim 22, further comprising automatically adding text annotations to said digital photo album based on metadata associated with said images, using said auto-population engine.