Synchronizing image data among applications and devices

• US 20070156434A1
• Filed: 01/04/2006
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Jerald Singh, Joseph Martin, Marco Boerries, Srinivasan Venkatachary, Torsten Schulz
• Inventors: Srinivasan, Venkatachary, Schulz, Torsten, Boerries, Marco, Martin, Joseph, Singh, Jerald
• Granted Patent: US 9,367,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

For providing synchronization of image data among diverse devices and applications, exemplary systems include a direct client application providing a user interface operable to allow a user to organize image data according to albums, and to select one or more albums for synchronization with one or more server interfaces that provide various image data manipulation, sharing, and features related thereto. Systems also include an intermediary system to assist in synchronization of select albums with handheld devices, and a notification server to provide scalable notifications of album updates made at server interfaces by users. Exemplary methods include steps providing for selection, from direct client applications, of albums to synchronize with devices, including handheld devices, and various steps of providing updates and notifications among appropriate system components.

Claims

1. A system for sharing image data, comprising:

a first server interface operable to interface with a client application, the client application associated with an account for a first user at the first server interface, and having access to a library of image data, the library having an organization including association of image data with albums, and wherein the first user may designate synchronization for one or more of the albums with at least one device of a first plurality of devices;

storage in operative communication with the first server interface for storing image data corresponding to the albums designated for synchronization;

logic operable to receive respective indications, from the at least one device, of availability to receive updates made to the albums designated for synchronization; and

logic for notifying devices that indicated availability to receive updates, the notification in response to updates made to albums designated for synchronization.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic for notifying is operable to implement a messaging protocol for notifying the devices indicating availability, and to communicate with the first server interface for receiving indication of the updates.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the messaging protocol includes sending a UDP datagram to the devices indicating availability.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of devices also comprises devices controlled by a second user synchronizing with albums designated for synchronization by the second user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one device includes multiple devices and a device of those devices is controlled by the second user.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the client application is operable to invite the second user to share at least a portion of the designated albums, the first server interface is operable to accept communications from the device controlled by the second user and receive a selection for synchronization of any of the invited to share portion of the designated albums, and the notification logic is operable to notify the device controlled by the second user, when available, of updates made to the albums now selected for synchronization with the device controlled by the second user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of devices includes filtered devices that receive information about the designated albums before receiving image data associated with the designated albums, and the first server interface is operable to receive respective synchronization selections for the filtered devices from the designated albums and provide image data from those selected albums for receipt by the filtered devices.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second server interface operable to interface with the client application, the client application also associated with an account for the first user at the second server interface;

and wherein the first user may designate synchronization for one or more of the albums with the second server interface.

9. A computer program product comprising program code for a client application, the program code operable to:

provide organization for a first plurality of image files, the organization including maintaining an association of each image file of the first plurality with at least one album of a plurality of albums;

provide user selectability of albums for synchronization;

transmit album data to a first server interface corresponding to any albums selected for synchronization;

receive a notification that an update to the synchronized albums has been made from another device; and

retrieve the update to the synchronized albums.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising program code operable to provide a user interface including an image viewing window portion, and an information window portion, the information window portion populatable with metadata for an image selected for viewing from the first plurality of image files.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the metadata includes tag information, and the information window portion further includes buttons for assignment of further tags, a description portion for receiving text to associate with the image, and a portion for contextual information that is refreshable from the first server interface.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the program code operable to provide user selectability of an album for synchronization is operable to provide separate user selectability of albums for synchronization with at least one filtered device and of albums for synchronization with client applications.

13. An image data synchronization method, comprising:

receiving registration information for a first client application from a user, the first client application operable to interface with primary storage for a first plurality of image files, and to provide organization of the first plurality of image files by allowing association of each image file with at least one album of a first plurality of albums;

receiving, at a first server interface, album data for albums designated for synchronization;

receiving at the first server interface an update to one or more of the designated albums;

providing for notification of the update to the first client application; and

providing for retrieval of the update by the first client application.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising

receiving registration information for a filtered device;

providing the filtered device a list of the designated albums;

receiving a selection of at least one designated album to be synchronized with the filtered device;

providing for transmission to the filtered device of album data corresponding to the selected album for initial synchronization; and

determining whether the update corresponds to albums synchronized with the filtered device, and if so then notifying the filtered device that the update is available.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the filtered device is one of a plurality of client devices, one of the plurality of client devices hosts the first client application, and the album data received at the first server interface is provided by the first client application, and the update received at the first server is provided from another of the plurality of client devices.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving registration information for a second client application from the user, the second client application interfacing with primary storage for a second plurality of image files, and providing for organization of the second plurality of image files by allowing association of each image file of the second plurality of image files with at least one album of a second plurality of albums, the second plurality of albums including the album data for albums designated for synchronization;

receiving information for albums, from the second plurality of albums, designated for synchronization; and

providing for notification to the first client application that information for designated albums from the second plurality of albums was received.

17. A system for synchronizing image data among devices, comprising:

intermediary logic operable to receive registration information for devices, and a list of albums for synchronization among registered devices, each album identifying image data;

a first server interface operable to receive and store image data and updates corresponding to albums for synchronization; and

notification logic in communication with at least one of the intermediary logic and the first server interface for receiving an indication that updates were received to albums for synchronization, the notification logic operable to message registered devices that are synchronizing albums for which updates were received.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a first client application operable to send, for the reception by the first server interface, the image data and updates.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the image data is organized into image data files and the first client application is further operable to transmit available metadata for the image data files.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the metadata includes at least one of tagging data, rating data, image resolution, modification date, creation date, and description data.

21. The system of claim 18, further comprising a second client application operable to retrieve from the first server interface, in response to a notification message from the notification logic, the albums for synchronization, the second client application further operable to provide organization for a second plurality of image data files, including the image data files from the albums for synchronization.

22. The system of claim 18, further comprising a second server interface, and wherein information corresponding to albums for synchronization among registered devices is further made available at the second server interface.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the first client application further comprises logic operable to poll the first server interface for availability of updates to the synchronized album.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the first client application is further operable to receive and organize image file metadata and to synchronize metadata for image data files of albums for synchronization.

25. A system for synchronizing albums and devices, comprising:

an update system operable to receive information from a plurality of users, the information including albums of image files, and information on devices for association with each of the plurality of users, and to provide user access to at least the albums of image files;

a client application for installation on a host system, the client application for association with a first user of the plurality of users, the client application operable upon installation to

interface with local mass storage,

provide a user interface for organization of image files into a library having a plurality of albums, wherein each image file may be associated with multiple albums, and for allowing a selection of albums of the plurality for synchronization, and

responsively to the selection of albums for synchronization, send to the update system album data and image files corresponding to the selection of albums; and

wherein

the update system is further operable to notify other devices associated with the first user of availability of the selection of albums for synchronization.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the update system comprises device registration logic operable to receive the information on devices for association with each of the plurality of users, interface logic operable to interact with users, database logic operable to maintain association of image files with albums, and notification logic for notifying the other devices of availability of the selection of albums.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the update system is further operable to receive association of second user devices with albums selected for synchronization by the first user.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the association of second user devices occurs in response to a second user selecting albums for synchronization from albums that the first user invited the second user to share.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the devices include filtered devices and direct devices, one of the direct devices including the host system for the client application, and wherein all direct devices associated with the first user synchronize with all albums selected for synchronization by the first user, and filtered devices associated with the first user synchronize with a subset of the albums selected for synchronization.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the update system includes a first server interface and a second server interface, and the client application is operable to send the album data and image files corresponding to the selection of albums to each of the first server interface and the second server interface and each of the first server interface and the second server interface are operable to provide respective image related functionality to users of the plurality.