Method and system for producing an internet page description file on a digital imaging device

• US 6,223,190 B1
• Filed: 04/13/1998
• Issued: 04/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FlashPoint Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: FlashPoint Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Aihara, Tim Takao, Somerstein, Rodney
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Application Number:
  US09/059,611
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 707/501, 707/513, 707/10, 396/297, 396/300, 348/552, 348/333-1-3, 348/207, 345/328, 709/218, 709/219, 709/231
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera

Abstract

A method and system for generating an HTML (hypertext markup language) file including images captured by a digital imaging device, the digital imaging device having a display. A script and it'"'"'s predefined model are provided to the digital camera. The script is comprised of a set of software program instructions. The digital camera executes the script to display interactive instructions on the display that prompt a user to perform specific operations. In response to the user performing the specific operations, the digital camera automatically updates the interactive instructions, such that the user is guided through a series of related image captures to obtain a series of resulting images. The digital camera then generates an HTML file including the resulting images, wherein the HTML file is formatted in accordance with the predefined model.

Claims

1. A method for generating an Internet page description file on a hand-held digital camera that references images captured by the hand-held digital camera, wherein the hand-held digital camera includes a display, the method comprising the steps of:

a) displaying interactive instructions on the display that prompt a user to perform

b) in response to the user performing the specific operations, automatically updating the interactive instructions, such that the user is guided through a series of related image captures to obtain a series of resulting images; and

c) generating an HTML (hypertext markup language) file referencing the resulting images, wherein the HTML file is formatted in accordance with a predefined model, such that a formatted HTML file is automatically generated by the hand-held digital camera.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step b) further includes the step of providing the interactive instructions by externally loading a script into the hand-held digital camera.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein step b) further includes the step of providing the script as a text-based script.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step c) further includes the step of executing the script by the hand-held digital camera interpreting the text-based script.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein step d) further includes the step of prompting the user for specific information, and entering the specific information on a text entry screen.

6. The method of claim 1 further including the step of displaying the interactive instructions on a translucent overlay bar.

7. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

d) coupling the hand-held digital camera to the Internet; and

e) making the HTML file available via the Internet by hosting a web server application on the hand-held digital camera.

8. A method for generating an Internet page description file on a hand-held digital camera that includes a display, the method comprising the steps of:

a) allowing a user to load a script onto the hand-held digital camera, the script comprising a set of program instructions;

b) executing the script to display interactive instructions on the display that prompt a user to perform specific operations;

c) in response to the user performing the specific operations, automatically updating the interactive instructions, such that the user is guided through a series of related image captures to obtain a series of resulting images;

d) generating an internet page description file referencing the resulting images, wherein the internet page description file is formatted in accordance with a predefined model included in the script, such that a formatted internet page description file is automatically generated by the digital imaging device;

e) allowing the user to couple the hand-held digital camera to the Internet; and

f) making the internet page description file available via the Internet by hosting a web server application on a computer system within the hand-held digital camera.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein step a) further includes the step of providing the script as a text-based script.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein step b) further includes the step of executing the script by the computer system interpreting the text-based script.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein step c) further includes the step of prompting the user for specific information, and entering the specific information on a text entry screen.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the internet page description file is a hypertext markup language file.

13. In a hand-held digital imaging device including a display, a system for generating a formatted document including text and images, comprising:

a set of program instructions which, when executed, cause the hand-held digital imaging device to perform the steps of;

a) displaying interactive instructions on the display that prompt a user to perform specific operations;

b) in response to the user performing the specific operations, automatically updating the interactive instructions, such that the user is guided through a sequence of the interactive instructions adapted to capture information from the user;

d) transferring the information captured from the user to a formatted document, wherein the formatted document is formatted in accordance with a predefined model, such that the formatted document is automatically generated by the hand-held digital imaging device.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein step a) further includes providing a sequence of interactive instructions for a directed image capture, wherein the program instructions prompt the user through a series of related image captures, resulting in a plurality of stored images.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein step a) further includes the step of providing the program instructions as a text-based script, and wherein the hand-held digital imaging device guides the user through the sequence of interactive instructions by a computer system interpreting the text-based script.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the predefined model comprises the set of programming instructions which determine the formatted appearance of the document.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the predefined model is predefined in accordance with a particular purpose of the script such that the formatted document has an appearance in accordance with the particular purpose.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the document is an internet page description file which defines a web page.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the hand-held digital imaging device is coupled to the Internet and the internet page description file is made available by a web server application executing on a computer system of the hand-held digital imaging device.