Electronic image processing system

• US 7,865,623 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2003
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chemtron Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: FotoMedia Technologies LLC (Scenera Research LLC)
• Inventors: Mayle, Neil L., Rose, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): DONAGHUE, LARRY D
• Application Number:
  US10/353,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20030115286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,898 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/250, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information

Abstract

A system for creation of an image display such as an electronic postcard. The system interacts with a user to create and configure the display. The user provides the image data to the system and optionally specifies a message and addressee for the image display. The system creates the display, comprising a mixture of image and textual data, and sends a notification including identification of the display to a specified addressee, for instance, the recipient of the postcard. The addressee can then request receipt of the display from the system via the identification information sent by the system.

Claims

1. A method of sharing image data between a user and a recipient, the method comprising:

providing to a client computer a user interface for uploading image data;

receiving image data uploaded from the client computer via the user interface;

storing the uploaded image data;

associating with the stored image data a uniform resource locator (URL) configured for identifying the stored image data to a server for retrieving the stored image data;

receiving, separate from the receiving of the image data uploaded from the client computer, an identification of a recipient;

generating an electronic message including the associated URL; and

sending the electronic message to the identified recipient.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

providing a user interface for uploading image data includes providing a user interface by a first server;

storing the uploaded image data includes storing the uploaded image data by a second server; and

sending the electronic message includes sending the electronic message by a third server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

providing a user interface for uploading image data includes providing a user interface by a first server; and

storing the uploaded image data includes storing the uploaded image data at a data storage accessible to the first server.

4. The method of claim 3 comprising manipulating the stored image data in response to requests received from the client computer.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein manipulating the stored image data includes at least one of scaling, rotating, centering, mirroring, filtering, formatting, compressing, color-correcting, compositing, cropping, blurring, captioning, adding motifs, and adding visual effects.

6. A system for sharing image data between a user and a recipient, the system comprising:

at least two servers, at least one of which is configured to perform less than all of the following actions alone, such that together the at least two servers are configured for;

providing to a client computer a user interface for uploading image data;

receiving image data uploaded from the client computer via the user interface;

storing the uploaded image data;

associating with the stored image data a uniform resource locator (URL) configured for identifying the stored image data to a server for retrieving the stored image data;

receiving, separate from the receiving of the image data uploaded from the client computer, an identification of a recipient;

generating an electronic message including the associated URL; and

sending the electronic message to the identified recipient.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein at least one of the at least two servers is configured to manipulate the stored image data in response to requests received from the client computer.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein manipulating the stored image data includes at least one of scaling, rotating, centering, mirroring, filtering, formatting, compressing, color-correcting, compositing, cropping, blurring, captioning, adding motifs, and adding visual effects.

9. A computer readable medium containing a computer program for facilitating sharing of image data between a user and a recipient, the computer program comprising executable instructions for:

providing to a client computer a user interface for uploading image data;

receiving image data uploaded from the client computer via the user interface;

storing the uploaded image data;

associating with the stored image data a uniform resource locator (URL) configured for identifying the stored image data to a server for retrieving the stored image data;

receiving, separate from the receiving of the image data uploaded from the client computer, an identification of a recipient;

generating an electronic message including the associated URL; and

sending the electronic message to the identified recipient.