Client-server system for merging of metadata with images

• US 7,272,788 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2001
• Issued: 09/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Chemtron Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: FotoMedia Technologies LLC (Scenera Research LLC)
• Inventors: Anderson, Eric C., Morris, Robert Paul, Bernstein, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blackwell; James H
• Application Number:
  US09/796,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20020087601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,394 Days
• Field of Search: 715/515, 715/513, 715505-508, 715/838, 709/201, 709/219, 345/838, 382/283, 358/403, 358/1.15, 707/102, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 715/210
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• 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 1/00148 Storage information retrieval G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3204 of data relating to a user, sender, addressee, machine or electronic recording medium H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3252 Image capture parameters, e.g. resolution, illumination conditions, orientation of the image capture device H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method and system for merging metadata with digital images is disclosed, where the digital images are stored as image files having metadata fields associated therewith. The method and system include receiving data uploaded from a remote location, providing a web application to a client device over a network when requested, and transmitting the previously uploaded data to the web application. When an image requires input of metadata on the client device, the uploaded data is displayed on the client device for selection by the user. In response to the user'"'"'s selection, the selected data is then used to automatically populate the metadata fields associated with the image file.

Claims

1. A method for merging metadata with an image file, wherein the image file is stored on an image capture device having a metadata field associated therewith, the method comprising:

providing access to a server including a web application operable to populate a metadata field of an image file stored on the image capture device with metadata;

receiving at the image capture device a web page from the web application, wherein the web page includes data uploaded to the server and the data is suitable to populate the metadata field as metadata;

when the image file stored on the image capture device requires input of metadata within the metadata field, using a web browser to display the web page at the image capture device for selection from among the data by a user; and

in response to the user'"'"'s selection, using the web application to automatically populate the metadata field of the image file stored on the image capture device with the selected data.

2. The method of claim 1, further including associating the uploaded data and the web application with an account.

3. The method of claim 2, further including associating the uploaded data with the web application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the data from the server was previously uploaded to the server from the image capture device.

5. The method of claim 4, further including receiving, at the image capture device, a data set, the data set comprising additional data that can be selected by the user to populate the metadata field of the image file stored on the image capture device.

6. The method of claim 4, further including:

allowing the user to manually enter data an the image capture device to populate the metadata field of the image file stored on the image capture device;

transmitting the manually entered data from the image capture device to the server;

associating the manually entered data with the web application at the server; and

when the user subsequently accesses the web application on the image capture device, transmitting the manually entered data associated with the web application from the server to the image capture device for selection by the user to populate a metadata field of an image file stored on the image capture device, thereby saving the user from having to manually re-enter the previously manually entered data.

7. The method of claim 6, further including storing the manually entered data in a history list within a user account.

8. The method of claim 7, further including associating the history list with a specific metadata field within the web application.

9. The method of claim 4, further including using XML tags to attach metadata to an image file and associating one or more XSL stylesheets to the attached metadata.

10. The method of claim 9, further including using the one or more XSL stylesheets associated with the attached metadata and a presentation characteristic of the image capture device to present the attached metadata in a manner that is consistent with the semantics and meaning of the attached metadata.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein providing access to a web application includes sending the web page from the server to the image capture device when requested by the image capture device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is received at the image capture device and uploaded to the server separate from the image file being stored on the image capture device.

13. A system for merging metadata with an image file, wherein the image file is stored on an image capture device having a metadata field associated therewith, the system comprising:

means for providing access to a web application operable to populate a metadata field of an image file stored on the image capture device with metadata;

means for receiving at the image capture device a web page from the web application, wherein the web page includes data uploaded to a server and the data is suitable to populate the metadata field with metadata;

means for displaying the web page at the image capture device for selection from among the data by a user when the image file stored on the image capture device requires input of metadata within the metadata field; and

means for using the web application to automatically populate the metadata field of the image file stored on the image capture device with the selected data.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising means for associating the uploaded data and the web application with an account.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising means for associating the uploaded data with the web application.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the data from the server was previously uploaded to the server from the image capture device.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for receiving, at the image capture device, a data set, the data set comprising additional predetermined information that can be selected by the user to populate the metadata field of the image file stored on the image capture device.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for associating the history list with a specific metadata field within the web application.

19. The system of claim 16, further including:

means for allowing the user to manually enter data on the image capture device to populate the metadata field of the image file stored on the image capture device;

means for transmitting the manually entered data from the image capture device to the server;

means for associating the manually entered data with the web application at the server; and

means for transmitting the manually entered data associated with the web application from the server to the image capture device for selection by the user to populate a metadata field of an image file stored on the image capture device, thereby saving the user from having to manually re-enter the previously manually entered data, wherein the manually entered data associated with the web application is transmitted when the user subsequently accesses the web application on the image capture device.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for storing the manually entered data in a history list within a user account.

21. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for using an XML tags to attach metadata to an image file and associate one or more XSL stylesheets to the attached metadata.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more XSL stylesheets associated with the attached metadata are used along with a presentation characteristic of the image capture device to present the attached metadata in a manner that is consistent with the semantics and meaning of the attached metadata.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein means for providing access to a web application includes means for sending the web page from the server to the image capture device when requested by the image capture device.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the system is configured such that the data is received at the image capture device and uploaded to the server separate from the image file being stored on the image capture device.

25. An online system comprising:

an image capture device having one or more image files stored thereon, wherein each of the one or more image files has one or more metadata fields associated therewith;

a server in communication with the image capture device over a network, the server for supplying a web application to the image capture device and further for storing previously uploaded data associated with an account, the web application associated with the account and operable to populate the one or more metadata fields of the one or more image files with metadata, wherein the uploaded data is suitable to populate the one or more metadata field as metadata; and

a browser running on the image capture device, the browser for interacting with the web application such that when the web application identifies the account to the server, the server transmits a web page including the previously uploaded data to the image capture device so that the web page may be displayed at the image capture device using the browser for selection from among the data by the user to populate the one or more metadata fields of the one or more image files;

wherein in response to the user'"'"'s selection, the web application automatically populates the one or more metadata fields of the one or more image files with the selected previously uploaded data.

26. The online system of claim 25, wherein the web application performs an imaging related function on the one or more image files.

27. The online system of claim 25 wherein the data from the server was previously uploaded to the server from the image capture device.

28. The online system of claim 25, including a plurality of image capture devices that communicate data in different formats, and a plurality of online photo service sites, wherein each of the plurality of online photo service sites utilizes a different data model, the server further including:

a meta-application for defining a common data model format for the different formats of the plurality of online photo service sites such that when a request is received from an image capture device for a photo from a particular photo service site, the request is passed to the photo service site, and wherein when a response from the photo service site is received, the response is converted from the data model of the photo service site to the common data model format, the converted request is then presented to the requesting image capture device in the data format required by the requesting image capture device.

29. The online system of claim 25, wherein the server is configured to store the uploaded data and to transmit the uploaded data to the image capture device in the web page via the web application separate from the one or more files being stored on the image capture device.