NETWORK COORDINATED EVENT CAPTURE AND IMAGE STORAGE

• US 20110069179A1
• Filed: 09/24/2009
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Allard, James E., Bathiche, Steven N., Abel, Miller T.
• Application Number:
  US12/566,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20110069179A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for coordinating different image capture devices at an event so that images captured by the different devices may form a cohesive and consistent image set. The system includes a group of image capture devices, referred to herein as an event capture group, wirelessly communicating with a remote server. The image capture devices in an event capture group may consist of still image cameras, video recorders, mobile phones and other devices capable of capturing images. The server coordinates the devices in a group before images are taken, so that the resultant images from the different devices are consistent with each other and may be aggregated into a single, cohesive image set. Images from different devices in the group may be uploaded during an event and organized on a remote database into the image set which may be viewed during or after the event.

Claims

1. A method of coordinating images from one or more image capture devices at an event for capturing images, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving metadata from the one or more image capture devices relating to at least one of image capture device settings and event conditions;

(b) analyzing the metadata received in said step (a) to determine optimal image capture device settings for the one or more image capture devices at the event to use in capturing images;

(c) outputting feedback to the one or more image capture devices including the optimal image capture device settings determined in said step (b).

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step (d) of aggregating stored images captured at the event from the one or more image capture devices into a single image set that is available for viewing from a remote location before the event has concluded.

3. The method of claim 1, said step (a) of receiving metadata from the one or more image capture devices relating to at least one of image capture device settings and event conditions comprising the step of receiving explicit metadata determined by the one or more image capture devices including at least one of device settings, event time/date, event location, GPS location information relating to positions of the image capture devices, and identifiers for the image capture devices.

4. The method of claim 1, said step (a) of receiving metadata from the one or more image capture devices relating to at least one of image capture device settings and event conditions comprising the step of receiving implicit metadata added to the one or more image capture devices including at least one of a name for the event, identification of people or places in the image, comments on an image and one or more keywords for use in searching images.

5. The method of claim 1, said step (b) of analyzing the metadata comprising the step of a computing device applying a predetermined policy on how to interpret received metadata.

6. The method of claim 1, said step (b) of analyzing the metadata comprising the step of a human director receiving a display of the metadata, making decisions based on the metadata and inputting those decisions to a computing device for output to the image capture devices in said step (c).

7. The method of claim 1, said step (c) of outputting feedback to the one or more image capture devices comprising the step of outputting at least one of a recommended F-stop setting, shutter speed setting, white balance setting and ISO sensitivity setting to image capture devices at the event.

8. The method of claim 1, said step (c) of outputting feedback to the one or more image capture devices comprising the step of outputting at least one of a recommended position from which to best capture a subject, a recommended perspective from which to best capture a subject and whether to orient an image capture device for a landscape or portrait image.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (a), (b) and (c) occur in real time while the image capture devices are at the event.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (a), (b) and (c) are performed by a computing device remote from the event.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (a), (b) and (c) are performed by a computing device at the event.

12. The method of claim 1, said step (c) of outputting feedback to the one or more image capture devices comprising the step of outputting feedback to a subgroup of less than all image capture devices sending metadata in said step (a) where the one or more image capture devices include a plurality of image capture devices.

13. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for programming a processor of an image capture device to perform a method of coordinating capture of images at an event, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving admittance to a group of network-connected image capture devices;

(b) transmitting metadata relating to settings used on the image capture device;

(c) receiving an indication to use one or more settings on the image capture device in the capture of images at the event; and

(d) adjusting the image capture device to one or more of the one or more settings received in said step (c), said step (d) of adjusting being performed automatically or in response to setting changes made by a user of the image capture device.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, the method further comprising the step (e) of transmitting images captured to a remote database while at the event.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, said step (a) of receiving admittance to a group of network-connected image capture devices comprises at least one of the following steps:

(a1) receiving admittance based on a proximity of the image capture device to other image capture devices for at least a portion of a predetermined period of time; and

(a2) receiving admittance based on having a wireless network connection to other image capture devices.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, said step (b) of transmitting metadata relating to settings used on the image capture device comprising the step of transmitting at least one of an F-stop setting, a shutter speed setting, a white balance setting, an ISO sensitivity setting, color calibration settings, color working space profile, an event time/date, event location, GPS location information relating to positions of the image capture devices, and an identifier for the image capture device.

17. A system for coordinating capture of images at an event, comprising:

an event capture group of two or more image capture devices at the event, the group defined dynamically upon wireless connection of the two or more devices to a network and membership in the event capture group capable of varying during the event;

a computing device with which the two or more image capture devices wirelessly communicate, the computing device controlling membership in the event capture group; and

a database for receiving and organizing images captured from different image capture devices in the event capture group into a single cohesive image set;

wherein image capture devices communicate metadata to the computing device relating to settings the image capture devices are using, and wherein the computing device communicates recommendations to image capture devices in the event capture set, the recommendations determined by the computing device based on analysis of the metadata received from the image capture devices.

18. The system of claim 17, the event capture group further defined by proximate location of the two or more image capture devices for at least a portion of a predetermined period of time.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing device is a remote server.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the database is a cloud storage website.