METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING IMAGES OVER A COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20100138495A1
• Filed: 02/04/2010
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dale F. Mcintyre, John R. Fredlund
• Original Assignee: Dale F. Mcintyre, John R. Fredlund
• Inventors: Fredlund, John R., McIntyre, Dale F.
• Application Number:
  US12/700,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20100138495A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/30 in albums, collections or shared content, e.g. social network photos or video
• 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 1/0014 via e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00145 from a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00151 with selective access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00164 at a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00408 Display of information to the user, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00413 using menus, i.e. presenting the user with a plurality of selectable options H04N1/00464 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00469 with enlargement of a selected area of the displayed information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32048 Auto-dialling or Auto-calling H04N1/32053 - H04N1/32074 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32771 in response to a request, e.g. for a particular document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32776 using an interactive, user-operated device, e.g. a computer terminal, mobile telephone H04N1/32782, H04N1/32784 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/44 Secrecy systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4406 Restricting access, e.g. according to user identity mechanisms actuated y cards, PIN or the like in apparatus for dispensing G07F7/08

Abstract

A method, system and software product for managing digital media files for a user. An unique user icon or image content identifier is associated with an unique user that can be used for allowing controlled access by an authorized party to digital media files based on the presence of the icon. The digital image media file can be analyzed for determining if an image content identifier is present. The icon or image identifier allows for the automatically forwarding the digital image to an electronic address over the communication storing the image, based on identifying the feature within the image. The icon may also include metadata that is searchable.

Claims

1-3. -3. (canceled)

4. A method for automatically forwarding a digital image file by a first party to a second party over a communication network, comprising the steps of:

automatically analyzing the digital image file at a first party for determining if a portion of said digital image file matches an image content identifier file, said image content identifier file including an electronic address of a second party; and

automatically forwarding said digital image file from said first party to said electronic address of said second party over said communication network if said image content identifier file matches a portion of said digital image file.

31. The method according to claim 4, wherein said electronic address is an address of a fulfillment provider for providing goods and/or services with respect to said digital image file and wherein said method further comprises the step of automatically forwarding said digital image file from said first party to said electronic address of said fulfillment provider over said communication network.

32. The method according to claim 4, wherein said image content identifier file includes an image of a person for determining if the portion of said digital image file matches the image of the person.

33. The method according to claim 32, further comprising the step of automatically updating the image of the person and determining if the portion of said digital image file matches the updated image of the person.

34. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of storing a log of users whose digital image file was automatically forwarded to said electronic address over said communication network based on said image content identifier file matching a portion of said digital image file.

41. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of the first party receiving said image content identifier file after being sent by said second party over the communication network.

5-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A method for automatically sharing images over a communication network, comprising:

obtaining at least one image identifier comprising an image content identifier file that includes an electronic address stored therein;

automatically analyzing digital images at a first location different from a location of said electronic address for determining if said image content identifier file substantially matches a portion of said images; and

automatically forwarding said images that substantially match said image content identifier file over said communication network to said electronic address.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein said electronic address is an address of a fulfillment provider for providing goods and/or services with respect to said digital image files.

35. The method according to claim 10, wherein said image content identifier file includes an image of a person for determining if said image of the person substantially matches the portion of said images.

36. The method according to claim 35, further comprising the step of automatically updating the image of the person and determining if the updated image of the person substantially matches the portion of said images.

37. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of storing a log of users whose images that substantially match said image content identifier file were automatically forwarded over said communication network to said electronic address.

42. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of receiving at the first location said image content identifier file after being sent from said location of the electronic address over the communication network.

12-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer software product for automatically forwarding an image by a first party to a second party over a communication network comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon which, when loaded into a computer, causes the computer to perform the steps of:

automatically analyzing a digital image file using an image content identifier file for determining if a portion of said digital image file matches the image content identifier file, said image content identifier file including an electronic address of a second party; and

automatically forwarding said digital image file from said first party to said electronic address of said second party over said communication network in response to determining that the portion of said digital image file matches said image content identifier file.

38. The computer software product of claim 21 wherein said image content identifier file includes an image of a person for determining if the portion of said digital image file matches the image of the person in the image content identifier file.

39. The computer software product of claim 38 wherein said image of a person is automatically updated for determining if the portion of said digital image file matches the updated image of the person in the image content identifier file.

40. The computer software product of claim 21, further comprising the step of storing a log of users whose digital image file that matches said image content identifier file was automatically forwarded over said communication network to said electronic address.

43. The computer software product of claim 21 further comprising the step of receiving at the first party said image content identifier file sent by the second party over the communication network.

22-30. -30. (canceled)