Method and system for hosting entity-specific photo-sharing websites for entity-specific digital cameras

• US 9,906,703 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chemtron Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Chemtron Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Anderson, Eric C., Morris, Robert P., Petersen, Lynn Erich
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Ashish K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ohba, Mellissa M
• Application Number:
  US14/834,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20160057336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5683 Storage of data provided by user terminals, i.e. reverse caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• 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 1/00137 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00148 Storage information retrieval G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00156 with a group of selected individuals or correspondents
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00172 directly from a still digital camera or from a storage medium mounted in a still digital camera H04N1/0018 takes precedence
• 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 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 : Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 : Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

A system and method hosts entity-specific photo-sharing websites for entity-specific image capture devices. The system and method provides software for the entity-specific image capture devices that causes the image capture devices to transmit entity ID information when the image capture devices transmit images over the Internet. The system and method further provide an online photosharing service capable of hosting the entity-specific photo-sharing websites for each of the entities, such that when the image capture devices connect to photo-sharing service, the photo-sharing service uses the entity ID received from the image capture devices to automatically associate the image with the photo-sharing websites of the identified entity.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

automatically establishing a connection between an entity-specific image capture device and a server by transmitting wirelessly, from the entity-specific image capture device to the server, an identifier to identify an account on the server based on an entity associated with the entity-specific image capture device;

receiving, on the entity-specific image capture device from the server, an action list that lists actions corresponding to the account performable by the server on images uploaded wirelessly to the server from the entity-specific image capture device based at least in part on automatically establishing the connection between the entity-specific image capture device and the server;

displaying, on the entity-specific image capture device, the action list;

receiving, by the entity-specific image capture device, a selected action from the action list;

receiving, by the entity-specific image capture device, a selected image from a plurality of images stored at the device;

uploading wirelessly, by the entity-specific image capture device to the server, the selected image;

transmitting wirelessly, by the entity-specific image capture device to the server, an instruction for the server to perform the selected action on the selected image uploaded wirelessly from the entity-specific image capture device to the server in response to the receiving the selected action; and

transmitting wirelessly, from the entity-specific image capture device to the server, an entity identification to;

identify the entity associated with the entity-specific image capture device including a manufacturer of the entity-specific image capture device, a company that owns or controls the entity-specific image capture device, a retailer that sells the entity-specific image capture device, or combinations thereof;

identify a specific photo-sharing website on the server corresponding to the entity;

locate the account on the specific photo-sharing website for the entity-specific image capture device; and

associate the selected image transmitted by the entity-specific image capture device to the server with the account.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting wirelessly, by the entity-specific image capture device to the server, an email address, wherein the selected action comprises sending, by the server, the at least one selected image to the email address.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting wirelessly, by the entity-specific image capture device to the server, a storage location, wherein the selected action comprises storing, by the server, the at least one selected image in the storage location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the action list is displayed in response to the entity-specific image capture device receiving an image upload signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity-specific image capture device comprises a digital camera configured to capture the image.

6. An entity-specific image capture device, comprising:

a memory device configured to store instructions; and

a processing device configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device to;

establish a connection between the entity-specific image capture device and a server by transmitting wirelessly, from the entity-specific image capture device to the server, an identifier to identify an account on the server based on an entity associated with the entity-specific image capture device;

receive, from the server, an action list that lists actions corresponding to the account performable by the server on images uploaded wirelessly to the server from the entity-specific image capture device based at least in part on automatically establishing the connection between the entity-specific image capture device and the server;

display the action list in response to an image upload signal;

receive a selected action from the action list;

receive a selected image from a plurality of images stored at the entity-specific image capture device;

upload wirelessly, to the server, the selected image;

transmit wirelessly, to the server, the selected action to cause the server to perform the selected action on the selected image uploaded wirelessly by the entity-specific image capture device to the server; and

transmit wirelessly, to the server, an entity identification to;

identify the entity associated with the entity-specific image capture device including a manufacturer of the entity-specific image capture device, a company that owns or controls the entity-specific image capture device, a retailer that sells the entity-specific image capture device, or combinations thereof.

7. The entity-specific image capture device of claim 6, wherein the processing entity-specific image capture device is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device to transmit wirelessly, to the server, the entity identification further to:

identify a specific photo-sharing website on the server corresponding to the entity;

locate the account on the specific photo-sharing website for the entity-specific image capture device; and

associate the selected image transmitted wirelessly by the entity specific image capture device to the server with the account.

8. The entity-specific image capture device of claim 7, wherein the processing device if is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device to:

receive at least one action to include in the action list; and

transmit wirelessly, to the server, the at least one action to cause the server to append the at least one action to the action list in the account.

9. The entity-specific image capture device of claim 6, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device to transmit wirelessly, to the server, an email address, wherein the selected action comprises sending, by the server, the at least one selected image to the email address.

10. The entity-specific image capture device of claim 6, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device to transmit wirelessly, to the server, a storage location, wherein the selected action comprises storing, by the server, the at least one selected image in the storage location.

11. The entity-specific image capture device of claim 6, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory device to:

store the action list in the memory device;

retrieve the action list from the memory device in response to a further image upload signal; and

display the action list retrieved from the memory device in response to the further image upload signal.

12. A method, comprising:

automatically establishing a connection between an entity-specific image capture device and a server by receiving, at the server from the entity-specific image capture device, an account identifier to identify an account on the server based on an entity associated with the entity-specific image capture device;

identifying, on the server, an action list that lists actions corresponding to the account performable by the server on images uploaded wirelessly to the server from the entity-specific image capture device based at least in part on automatically establishing the connection between the entity-specific image capture device and the server;

transmitting wirelessly, by the server to the entity-specific image capture device, the action list comprising actions performable by the server on images stored on the entity-specific image capture device;

receiving, by the server from the entity-specific image capture device, a selected image selected from the images stored on the entity-specific image capture device;

performing, by the server, a selected action received from the entity-specific image capture device on the selected image, the selected action being selected from the action list; and

receiving, at the server from the entity-specific image capture device, an entity identification to;

identify the entity associated with the entity-specific image capture device including a manufacturer of the entity-specific image capture device, a company that owns or controls the entity-specific image capture device, a retailer that sells the entity-specific image capture device, or combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, at the server from the device, as the entity identification further to;

identify a specific photo sharing website on the server corresponding to the entity;

locate the account on the specific photo-sharing website for the entity-specific image capture device; and

associate the selected image transmitted wirelessly by the entity-specific image capture device to the server with the account.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises sending, by the server, the selected image to an email address received from the entity-specific image capture device in response to receiving the selected action.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises storing, by the server, the selected image in the storage location received from the entity-specific image capture device in response to receiving the selected action.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

accessing, by the server, an account of a photo-sharing website associated with the identifier;

identifying, by the server, at least one action associated with the account that was performed by the server; and

generating, by the server, the action list based on the at least one action.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising generating, by the server, the action list based on a signal received from the entity-specific image capture device indicating at least one action to be included in the action list.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying, by the server, at least one action performed on an image from a website;

displaying, by the server, a prompt on the website inquiring whether to add the at least one action to the action list; and

adding, by the server, the at least one action to the action list in response to the server receiving a signal indicating that the at least one action should be added to the action list.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising identifying, by the server, an entity associated with the entity-specific image capture device based on the identifier, wherein the action list comprises a default action list associated with the entity.