Systems and methods for automatically generating a photo-based project having a flush photo montage on the front cover

• US 9,077,823 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2014
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interactive Memories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Interactive Memories Incorporated
• Inventors: Grosz, Aryk Erwin, Medina, Yedidya
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, UTPAL D
• Application Number:
  US14/529,777
• Time in Patent Office: 249 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/118, 382/224, 382/305
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00177 from a user terminal, e.g. personal computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00196 Creation of a photo-montage, e.g. photoalbum H04N1/0019 takes precedence

Abstract

A photo-based project and associated printed photobook having a flush photo collage, or montage, on the front cover are disclosed. In one embodiment, a photobook is made by receiving a plurality of images corresponding to a photo-project; storing said plurality of images in a data repository; receiving a print order for a printed photobook corresponding to the photo-project; in response to the print order, printing a photo-strip having one or more of the images; producing a front cover by compressing a compressible cover material to form a channel in the compressible cover material, wherein the channel is of a size and a shape matching the photo-strip; wrapping the compressible cover material with the channel around a cover board to make the front cover; and setting the photo-strip permanently into the channel and flush with the front cover to create the photobook.

Claims

1. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions, which when executed by a processor of a server, causes the processor to perform a process for creating a photo-project over a communications network, the instructions comprising computer-executable instructions for:

establishing a client-server connection between the server and a computing device over said communications network;

receiving a plurality of images from a user;

storing said plurality of images in a data repository connected to said server;

presenting the photo-project to the user of said computing device;

receiving a print order from the user for a printed photobook corresponding to the photo-project; and

in response to the print order, instructing a printer to print the photobook,

wherein said photobook comprises a front cover with a channel therein, and a photo-strip permanently set into the channel, wherein the photo-strip displays one or more of the images and is flush with the front cover, and

wherein the front cover of the photobook is made by compressing a compressible cover material with a stamp to form the channel in the compressible cover material, wherein the channel is of a size and a shape matching the photo-strip, then wrapping the compressible cover material with the channel around a cover board to make the front cover, and finally setting the photo-strip permanently into the channel to create the photobook.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising executable instructions for:

monitoring user interactions on said computing device while the user is manipulating said plurality of images to derive observed image information from said user interactions; and

modifying automatically an arrangement of content in said photo-project based on said observed image information to produce a final recommended design of the photo-project.

3. The storage medium of claim 2, wherein said observed image information is derived through analysis of said user interactions comprising areas of interest selection, photo importance selection, and text input.

4. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising executable instructions for:

deriving automatic image information though one or more algorithms for saliency detection, face detection, and photo similarity detection in order to automatically arrange said plurality of images.

5. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising executable instructions for:

automatically grouping said plurality of images through at least one of timestamp analysis, image similarity analysis, and photo importance scoring.

6. The storage medium of claim 1, further comprising executable instructions for:

automatically inserting one or more of the plurality of images through one or more algorithms for a ranking of images, an area of interest selection on an image, a score for inserting an image into a photo slot, and a determination of a best design of a page.

7. The storage medium of claim 6, wherein said ranking of images comprises a plurality of image heuristics for calculating image importance.

8. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the photo-strip of the photobook wraps over a portion of a top inside edge and a bottom inside edge of the front cover of the photobook.

9. A method for creation of a photo-project in a client-server environment via a graphical user interface (GUI) of a user device, the method comprising:

establishing a client-server connection between a server and the user device over a communications network;

receiving a plurality of images from a user;

storing said plurality of images in a data repository connected to said server;

presenting the photo-project to the user of said user device;

receiving a print order from the user for a printed photobook corresponding to the photo-project;

in response to the print order, instructing a printer to print a photo-strip having one or more of the images;

instructing the printer to produce a front cover of the photobook by compressing a compressible cover material with a stamp to form a channel in the compressible cover material, wherein the channel is of a size and a shape matching the photo-strip;

instructing the printer to wrap the compressible cover material with the channel around a cover board to make the front cover; and

instructing the printer to set the photo-strip permanently into the channel and flush with the front cover to create the photobook for delivery to one or more recipients.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the photo-strip of the photobook wraps over a portion of a top inside edge and a bottom inside edge of the front cover of the photobook.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the print order from the user to print the photobook is used to instruct a stamping machine to create the channel in the compressible cover material.

12. A system for creating a photo-project and photobook, the system comprising:

a user device, a server, and a communications network connecting said user device to said server; and

a plurality of computer code embodied on a memory of said server, said plurality of computer code when executed causes said server to;

establish a client-server connection between the server and the user device over said communications network;

receive a plurality of images from a user;

store said plurality of images in a data repository connected to said server;

present the photo-project to the user of said user device;

receive a print order from the user for a printed photobook corresponding to the photo-project; and

in response to the print order, instructing a printer to print the photobook,

wherein said photobook comprises a front cover with a channel therein, and a photo-strip permanently set into the channel, wherein the photo-strip displays one or more of the images and is flush with the front cover, and

wherein the front cover of the photobook is made by compressing a compressible cover material with a stamp to form the channel in the compressible cover material, wherein the channel is of a size and a shape matching the photo-strip, before wrapping the compressible cover material with the channel around a cover board to make the front cover, and finally setting the photo-strip permanently into the channel to create the photobook.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the photo-strip of the photobook wraps over a portion of a top inside edge and a bottom inside edge of the front cover of the photobook.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the print order from the user to print the photobook is used to instruct a stamping machine to create the channel in the compressible cover material.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the photo-strip displays a collage comprising a subset of the plurality of images.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein a back cover of the photobook contains a padding material.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein a spine of the photobook comprises the compressible cover material.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the front cover, a back cover, and a spine of the photobook comprise a continuous piece of the compressible cover material.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein said sever, after performing an automatic image analysis on said plurality of images, is adapted to auto-populate a layout and a design of the photo-project.

20. A photobook, made by a process comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of images corresponding to a photo-project;

storing said plurality of images in a data repository;

receiving a print order for a printed photobook corresponding to the photo-project;

in response to the print order, printing a photo-strip having one or more of the images;

producing a front cover by compressing a compressible cover material with a stamp to form a channel in the compressible cover material, wherein the channel is of a size and a shape matching the photo-strip;

wrapping the compressible cover material with the channel around a cover board to make the front cover; and

setting the photo-strip permanently into the channel and flush with the front cover to create the photobook.

21. The photobook of claim 20, wherein the photo-strip set into the channel continues over a top edge and over a bottom edge of the front cover, and wherein the photo-strip has ends terminating on backsides of the front cover.

22. The photobook of claim 20, wherein the photo-strip is located on the front cover in a location selected from the group consisting of a center location, a right side location, a left side location, an upper location, and a lower location.

23. The photobook of claim 20, wherein the photo-strip displays a subset of the plurality of images comprising an image collage.

24. The photobook of claim 20, wherein the photo-strip displays a subset of the plurality of images comprising an image collage according to decisions of a user ordering the photobook.

25. The photobook of claim 20, further comprising:

a back cover;

a spine between the front cover and the back cover, wherein the front cover, the back cover, and the spine are composed of separate pieces of the cover board.

26. The photobook of claim 25, further comprising:

a strip located along an inside part of the spine situated so that the inside part of the spine is flat.

27. The photobook of claim 20, wherein a back cover of the photobook comprises a padding material.

28. The photobook of claim 20, wherein a connection between the front cover and a back cover comprises the compressible cover material.

29. The photobook of claim 20, further comprising:

one or more printed images as a decoration on a cover surface of the front cover or a back cover.

30. The photobook of claim 20, wherein the front cover or a back cover of the photobook has one or more decorations selected from the group consisting of a graphic design, a logo, a hologram, an emboss, a deboss, an emblem, an engraving, an imprint, a brand name, a trademark, a name, an event name, a wedding symbol, a holiday symbol, a special day symbol, a title, a number, a date, a decorative symbol, a foreign character, a word, a printed design, a painted decoration, a surface treatment, a ribbon, a metal ornament, a plastic ornament, and a leather strip.

31. The photobook of claim 20, wherein the photobook is treated with one or more surface treatments selected from the group consisting of a dye, a stain, an opaque ink, a paint, a bleach, a tanning chemical, a wax, an oil, an acrylic spray, and a silicone.

32. The photobook of claim 20, further comprising:

end sheets on an inside of the front cover and an inside of a back cover.

33. A photobook, made by a process comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of images corresponding to a photo-project;

storing said plurality of images in a data repository;

receiving a print order for a printed photobook corresponding to the photo- project;

in response to the print order, printing a photo-strip having one or more of the images;

producing a front cover by wrapping a compressible cover material around a cover board to make the front cover;

compressing the compressible cover material to form a channel in the compressible cover material, wherein the channel is of a size and a shape matching the photo-strip; and

setting the photo-strip permanently into the channel and flush with the front cover to create the photobook.