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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CREATING AN IMAGE
PRODUCTION FILE FOR A CUSTOM IMPRINTED ARTICLE
S FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for creating an image
production file for a custom imprinted article. It also relates to a computer
program product for carrying out the method as aforesaid and to digital data
in
the form of files for low size or resolution images and for web pages
containing
them, for use in the above method. It further relates to a method of selecting
and
reproducing an image, in particular reproducing an image on novelty products
such as mobile telephone covers, mouse mats, mugs and clothing.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Image processing through a network such as the Internet is disclosed in
EP-A-0878956 (Canon) whose object is to make it practical to scan in high
resolution images of silver-salt photographs e.g. in a server at a print shop,
down
load the images to a client station, carry out image editing at the client
station
and up-load editing instructions to the server to enable a rendered version of
the
high resolution image to be printed at the print shop. For this purpose the
print
shop scans and stores a high resolution JPEG (Joint Photographics Expert
Group)
image at e.g. 2048 x 3072 dots per frame, forms a linked JPEG proxy image at a
lesser resolution of e.g. 256 x 384 dots per frame, optionally forms a
thumbnail
.gif (graphics interchange format) image at e.g. 128 x 192 dots per frame and
permits the thumbnail and proxy image to be remotely accessed at the client
station for editing or rendering. Upon completion of image rendering on the
basis
of the proxy image, the client station need only up-load rendering commands to
the server at the print shop which can then process the high resolution image
using the rendering commands and output a high resolution print of the
rendered
CONFIRMATION COPY
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image through a printer. Downloading of a proxy image and up-loading of
rendering commands has the advantage of reducing network information traffic.
Adjustment of image quality to minimise the time required for image
download through a network is disclosed in EP-A-0889636 (Fuji).
US-A-6281874 (Sivan et al, assigned to IBM) is also concerned with the
problem of downloading graphic images through the Internet. Sivan et al
observe
that standard technology does not provide a satisfactory solution for the
downloading of high quality high resolution graphics images from home pages of
originators e.g. art museums which involve heavy traffic over the network and
high processing power at the client machine. They also observe that although
the
whole graphics file is downloaded, it is too large to display at the client
station
where resolution is limited. Even if only a part of the image is displayed,
local
processing of the entire image by client software is required, which is slow
and
troublesome. Sivan et al's solution is to provide a method for downloading
graphic images from a network server that stores at least one high-resolution
graphic image file of a reference image and a corresponding low-resolution
graphic image file, the method comprising the steps of: (a) downloading at
least
part of said low-resolution graphic image file from the network server to a
client
connected to the network server for displaying a corresponding low-resolution
image on a display device at the client; (b) uploading from the client to the
network server size data uniquely specifying a portion of the image displayed
in
(a); (c) extracting said portion of said high resolution graphic image file
from the
network server to the client; and (d) conforming said portion of the high-
resolution graphic image to a display area of the display device for display
in
said display area thereof. The approach adopted by Sivan et al is of
assistance
only where the user at the client station does not wish to view the whole
image.
More significantly, however, many image originators have taken the view that
making their graphics files available over the Internet in high resolution
involves
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unacceptable loss of control of potentially valuable copyright material, and
this
has placed limitations on the potential for exploiting such material.
US-A-5838906 (Doyle et al., University of California) is also concerned
with the problem of enabling a user at a small client computer connected to
the
Internet to locate, retrieve and manipulate data objects such as images when
the
data objects are bandwidth intensive and computer-intensive. The inventors
provide a computer program product for use in a system having at least one
client
workstation and one network server coupled to said network environment,
wherein said network environment is a distributed hypermedia environment.
The Doyle et al computer program product comprises a computer usable
medium having computer readable program code physically embedded therein,
said computer program product further comprising:
computer readable program code for causing said client workstation to
execute a browser application to parse a first distributed hypermedia document
to
identify text formats included in said distributed hypermedia document and to
respond to predetermined text formats to initiate processes specified by said
text
formats; and
computer readable program code for causing said client workstation to
utilize said browser to display on said client workstation at least a portion
of a
first hypermedia document received over said network from said server, wherein
the portion of said first distributed hypermedia document includes an embed
text
format located at a first location in said distributed hypermedia document
that
specifies the location of at least a portion of an object external to said
first
distributed hypermedia document,
wherein said object has type information associated with it utilized by
said browser to identify and locate an executable application external to the
first
distributed hypermedia document, and
wherein the embed text format is parsed by said browser to automatically
invoke said executable application to execute on said client workstation in
order
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to display said object and enable interactive processing of said object within
a
display area created at said first location within a portion of said first
distributed
hypermedia document being displayed in said first browser-controlled window.
The software enables an image to be received at a client workstation,
rendering commands to be entered at the client workstation and transmitted to
a
remote workstation, after which a rendered image is retransmitted to the
remote
workstation. However, the problem of permitting use and manipulation of the
image at the client workstation whilst maintaining security of the image in
its
high resolution form and preventing the image data downloaded to the client
workstation from being freely accessed is not addressed.
Consumer products imprinted with individual customized images or
artwork, for example t-shirts, coffee mugs, greetings cards and paper products
have become increasingly popular since the 1970's, and the use of computers
for
the interactive design of the artwork has been disclosed in US-A-4873643
(Powell et a~ and is now commonplace.
US-A-2002/0025085 (Gustafson et al; Ipads.com Inc) discloses a
computer-implemented method and system for generating via the Internet
articles
imprinted with images customized by a user. A web browser at a client station
initiates a session with a server system that permits a user at the client
station to
upload an image to the server or to select an image already available to the
server
system. The server system provides web pages that permit the user to customize
or render a selected image using the editing facilities provided by the
ImageEN
software available from Hyrix Technologies, SRL. The disclosed functions
include adjusting brightness or contrast, image rotation and cropping the
image
using keystrokes and/or a pointing device to adjust the area and position of
what
is cropped from the selected image. In particular, cascading style sheets
(CSS)
and JavaScript/ECMA Script are used to create and position a cropping area
within a page having a crop image editing interface in which first and second
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representations of the image are displayed in respective layers, one layer
providing a complete image and the second layer defining the clipped region
and
a transparent region outside the clipped region. Portions of the image in the
first
layer coinciding with the clipped region appear highlighted and portions
outside
the clipped region appear less bright. The clipped region can be dynamically
repositioned in real time in response to inputs from the user by redefining
the clip
properties of the image in the second layer. Facilities are provided for
preview of
the rendered image, and a subsequent web page enables the rendered image to be
displayed on a selected article. The rendered image, which may be post-
processed e.g. to convert a file in the PostScript language to raster data for
direct
use by a production digital printer, is passed to a production system which
produces an article or articles having the rendered image applied thereto.
A currently available practical implementation of this technology on the
ipads.com website appears to be precisely in accordance with the teaching of
the
above patent specification. The images on the site are of relatively low
resolution, and there appears to be no attempt to maintain image security.
Simply
right clicking on an image on a downloaded web page displays a menu including
a copy facility that enables the image to be copied and pasted e.g. to a Word
document where it can be reproduced and transmitted to others at will.
Interestingly, Gustafson et al do not consider the advantages of carrying out
the
rendering operation on the basis of a proxy image of reduced resolution.
Furthermore they do not enable the user at the time when he is rendering his
image to see how it will appear on the article for which it is intended, which
is
counter-intuitive and may make it necessary for the user to return repeatedly
from the product preview page to the rendering page.
US-A-2002/0118891 (Rudd et al., Hewlett-Packard Company) is
concerned with the use of computer technology to create amusing and artistic
images for pictures, cards and other novelty items. An example is a fake
dollar
bill that would appear real but for the replacement of the head of George
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Washington by the head of a friend of the user. The inventors explain that
creating composite images is complex and beyond the skill of the ordinary
computer user, requiring the use of editing software to cut out the target
image,
cut out a portion of the receiving image and fit the one to the other. It is
said to
be very difficult, especially when using a so-called "lasso tool" from a clip
art
tool bar, to cut two identically sized images, and the absence of suitable
editing
tools is also noted. The inventors claim to have solved these problems by
using a
so-called "object cursor" or mask adapted to receive a portion of a digital
image
and merging the object cursor with a received portion of the digital image to
produce a single merged image. An object cursor or mask is a computer-
generated image having a window area for accepting a portion of another
digital
image, and which may be placed and manoeuvred over a target image to achieve
the required registration of the two images. Although the results to be
achieved
are described, the functionality needed to achieve those results is not
described.
Furthermore, the disclosed system is fox use on a stand-alone computer, and
the
idea of receiving images through the Internet and returning rendered versions
is
neither disclosed not suggested.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a computer program product for use in the
creation of a production file of an image for application to a custom
imprinted
article,
said product comprising instructions for displaying at least one web page,
down-loading an image, displaying the image in a rendering area of said web
page, displaying in said web page controls for input of rendering
instructions,
locally processing the displayed image in accordance with the rendering
instructions, and up-loading of the rendering instructions on completion of
rendering,
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wherein said image display instructions provide for displaying a mask in
a mask layer and for displaying at least one renderable image in an image
layer
that underlies the mask layer and appears only through the mask.
The invention also provides apparatus for use in the creation of a
production file of an image for application to a custom imprinted article,
comprising:
a web server loaded with a computer program product comprising
instructions for displaying at least one web page, down-loading an image,
displaying the image in a rendering area of said web page, displaying in said
web
page controls for input of rendering instructions, locally processing the
displayed
image in accordance with the rendering instructions, and up-loading of the
rendering instructions on completion of rendering wherein said image display
instructions provide for displaying a mask in a mask layer and for displaying
at
least one renderable image in an image layer that underlies the mask layer and
appears only through the mask; and
means for supplying a rendered image to a printing station.
The invention fiuther provides a method for producing an article having
an image applied thereto, which comprises:
storing a full resolution image and a linked proxy image of lower
resolution;
downloading from a web server to a client station a web page loaded
with the proxy image;
displaying the proxy image in a rendering area of said web page together
with controls for input of rendering instructions, said image comprising a
mask in
a mask layer and at least one renderable image in at least one renderable
image
layer that underlies the mask layer and appears only through the mask, at
least
one layer having the proxy image;
locally processing the displayed image in accordance with the rendering
instructions;
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up-loading of the rendering instructions on completion of rendering; and
printing the resulting rendered image at a printing station on or for
application to the article in accordance with the rendering instructions and
the
full resolution image.
The invention as defined above has the advantage that it focuses on
features that are absolutely key to facilitating a user to design his or her
own
personalized products by giving the user the picture, the product, and in a
preferred aspect renderable text together with all the tools and the real time
interactive ability to design his or her own finished article. All the
processing
work is done in real time on the client browser, user transformations being
recorded in a series of data fields held as browser session variables. When
complete the transformations are uploaded and recorded in a server database.
H~wever, the final rendered production file is not transformed until an
instruction has been entered for purchase of the product, and this is done as
a
post-process so as not to affect adversely user response/interactivity. The
method
of the invention has the advantage of preserving server resources until
actually
required, and this is a readily scalable process since all the interactivity
is done
on the client browser. Although initially there is considerable data transfer
to the
client station, once the image is on the client station, the server is not
required to
do anything further until image rendering or editing is complete and the
design
needs to be saved. Even then a database server rather than a web server can
perform most of the transformation on the full or high resolution image, so
that
the performance of the user interaction is maximised.
The present invention also provides a process and apparatus by which a
an image at low resolution can be selected at a client station, and the
identity of
the selected image, preferably with image rendering information entered at the
client station, is uploaded to an image publishing station which uses a high
resolution graphics file for the image to create an image production file
useable
by a printing station or other output device.
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In a further aspect, the invention provides a method for producing an
image production file from data for a high resolution image by remote
selection
using an image generated using low resolution or reduced size data, said
method
comprising:
storing images as high resolution graphics files in at least one data storage
device accessible to a network;
storing in memory of an image publishing site on the network a unique
identifier for each stored image within a naming convention that is common to
the images together with the address of the high resolution graphics file for
said
image, and providing at the image publishing site an image processing program;
providing at websites on the network at locations other than that of the
image publishing site web pages including at least one image stored by said at
least one image data storage device, formed with reduced size or low
resolution
image data and associated with the unique identifier for that image;
downloading a web page including at least one said image from one of
the websites to a client station on the network remote from the or each image
storage means and from the image publishing site and displaying the web page
at
said client station;
selecting at the client station said image on the displayed web page and
entering a processing command that is available if the selected image has an
associated unique identifier within the naming convention;
uploading to the image publishing site using an image publishing site
location record within the web page the identifier and the command and loading
the image processing program using a path and name record within the web page
for the image processing program;
extracting from the data storage device data for the high resolution
graphics corresponding to the identifier and processing said data at the image
publishing site with the processing program to give the image production file
for
delivery to image application means.
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In another aspect, the invention provides apparatus for creating an image
production file from data for a high resolution image by remote selection of
an
image generated using low resolution or reduced size data, said apparatus
comprising:
at least one image data storage device accessible to a network for
retrievably storing images as high resolution graphics files;
an image publishing site on the network provided with a store for storing
a unique identifier for each stored image within a naming convention that is
common to the images together with the address of the high resolution graphics
file for said image, and also provided with an image data processing program;
one or more websites on the network at locations other than that of the
image publishing site for making available at least one web page including at
least one image stored by said at least one image data storage device, formed
with reduced size or low resolution image data and associated with the unique
identifier for that image, the web page having means responsive to selection
of
the or each low resolution or reduced size image for which an identifier is
present
to enable input of an image processing command and supply of the network
location of the image publishing site and the path to and name of the image
data
processing program; and
one or more client stations on the network remote from the or each image
storage means and from the image publishing site and arranged to permit entry
of
an image processing command for an image having a unique identifier within the
naming convention and contained in a web page received from said one or more
websites, and to submit the identifier and the command to the image publishing
site so as to cause image data in the high resolution graphics file to be
processed
at the publishing site with the processing program to create an image
production
file for delivery to image application means.
The invention also provides a computer program product containing
instructions for carrying out the method as aforesaid and a computer readable
medium on which such a product is stored e.g. a magnetic or optical disk.
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The invention yet further provides a method of forming an image on a
substrate which comprises creating an image production file using the
apparatus
specified above, supplying the image production file to a printer and printing
the
image contained in said file on a substrate.
It further provides a digital data file for use with the above apparatus,
comprising data defining an image at low size or resolution for publication on
a
web page at a first URL, an identifier for the image, and means providing a
link
to an image processing program at a second URL with access to a file
comprising
data defining the image at higher size or resolution.
The ability to test for and select images e.g. thumbnail images in a gallery
page by moving a pointer over an image and right clicking the mouse is also
advantageous.
In another aspect the invention provides a computer program product for
downloading from an image publishing station at a client station and display
on a
web page of at least one image, a unique identifier within a naming convention
being associatable with the image, instructions being provided for testing for
the
presence of the unique identifier on display of the image and on coincidence
of a
mouse pointer with the image, and instructions being provided for image
reproduction on right clicking the mouse if a unique identifier is associated
with
the image overlaid by the pointer.
In a further aspect, the invention is concerned with the problem that to
date when purchasers of products such as mobile telephone covers, mouse mats,
mugs and the like wish to purchase personalised versions of such products they
either supply their own artwork or choose from an image of a limited range
chosen by the supplier. The selected image is then printed on the chosen
product.
On the other hand the owners of copyright in images are restricted in the
commercial opportunities available to them to make money from their images.
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The present invention provides in a further aspect a method of selecting
and reproducing an image, comprising the steps of:
a product supplier storing in a database a plurality of images;
the product supplier issuing for each stored image a unique identifier and
storing in the database the issued identifiers linked to the stored images;
a publisher publishing the plurality of images along with their unique
identifiers;
a consumer selecting a published image;
the consumer using the published identifier associated with the selected
published image to place an order with the product supplier for the supply of
a
product having a reproduction of the selected published image;
the product supplier using the identifier submitted by the consumer with
the order to locate in the database the store copy of the selected image and
to
retrieve the stored copy image;
the product supplier relaying the respective stored image to the
replication apparatus which replicates the retrieved stored image on the
ordered
product; and
the product supplier dispatching the ordered product bearing the
replicated image to the consumer.
The above mentioned method may, where the processing facilities
available to the consumer permit, be used with the above mentioned image
rendering facilities, or the selected image may be used directly without
consumer
rendering.
The invention also provides computer apparatus for use by a supplier in
the above method, said computer apparatus comprising:
the database for storing the plurality of images;
identifier issuing means for issuing a unique identifier for each image, the
issued identifiers being stored in the database linked to the stored images;
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communication means for communicating issued unique identifiers to
owners of copyright in the images and/or publishers of the images;
order accepting means for accepting orders for products from consumers,
the order accepting means using identifiers input by the consumers to locate
and
retrieve from the database stored images selected by the consumers; and
replication control means for relaying to replication apparatus retrieved
stored images with instructions to replicate the retrieved images on products
selected by the consumers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED FEATURES
The present invention enables individual personalized printed products to
be produced that customers can design themselves. An interactive design bay is
provided where, in some embodiments, customers can use a pre-existing digital
image or their own digital images to design a range of personalized printed
products, to manipulate a chosen image on a chosen product, add text, save the
design online or order it online. The market for personalized products and
digital
images is growing rapidly. By 2005, it is predicted that 142 billion
photographs
will be taken annually using digital cameras, and there are tens of thousands
of
businesses worldwide producing hundreds of millions of personalised T-shirts,
mugs, mouse mats, mobile phone covers, greetings cards and other products
using digital images. The advent of MMS/Picture Messaging and 3G mobile
telephone services is expected to contribute significantly to the market. It
has
been predicted that within the next 2-3 years some 700 million mobile picture
phone handsets capable of acting as client stations in the present invention
will
be in use around the world. The present technology may be used by a wide range
of content providers as well as members of the public for their own images,
and
provides the potential for making any image on the Internet available for use
within the above mentioned interactive design bay, for image usage to be
monitored and for royalties due to a copyright or website owner to be
automatically calculated as appropriate.
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An image numbering scheme is also provided by which images in more
traditional media such as magazines, newspapers and billboard advertising, TV
and cinema can be printed or displayed, each with their own unique number.
Readers or viewers can then use the image number to gain access to the image
(including a still image from broadcast video), and if their client station
has
sufficient processing facilities, to do so from within the design bay.
Embodiments of the invention may take advantage of MMS (media messaging
service) or the like which allows mobile phone users to receive messages
comprising full colour still images, and may upload images captured with
picture
phones. For example, holidaymakers may take snapshots using their picture
phones, upload them to an image processing station or website and order
customised postcards (optionally with rendered versions of their snapshots)
that
can be printed and delivered as required.
The above mentioned computer program product may be supplied as
electrical signals through a network such as the Internet, it may be recorded
in
memory, or it may be recorded on a magnetic or optical disc or other data
carrier.
In the computer program product, the instructions provide for
downloading a mask for entry into the mask layer, said mask corresponding to a
product identifier. The provision of a product identifier that enables
selection of
particular individual products enables a mask to be downloaded to the client
station and image editing or rendering to be carried out at the client station
using
the mask. A single web page may provide both the editable or renderable image
and instructions for display of a product selection menu and up-loading of an
identifier for a selected product, and this option is preferred because it
reduces
the operations that have to be carried out at the client station in order to
produce
the desired edited image. Alternatively the product selection menu and an
image
editing bay may appear on successive web pages, the instructions providing for
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downloading a mask corresponding to an identifier up-loaded on selection of a
product on a selection menu of a web page preceding said at least one page.
For some products e.g. mobile phones, the mask may have an outline
which is an image of the product. Alternatively the mask may have an outline
within an outline of the product. The web page may have instructions for down-
loading into at least one auxiliary layer an image of the product through
which
the mask is viewable, said auxiliary layer or layers overlying the mask layer.
In
this way the user can see at the time when he is editing his image both an
image
of the product and the image showing through the mask as it will appear on the
final product. The auxiliary layers may comprise a first auxiliary layer for
receiving a downloaded image of the product, a second auxiliary layer for
receiving at least one image of at least one variable region of the product
that
underlies and appears through the first layer, and wherein instructions are
provided for displaying controls for modifying said variable region or regions
e.g. to change the colour of the variable region or regions. In some
embodiments, a single layer may receive the mask, the downloaded image of the
product and the images of the variable regions of the product.
The instructions advantageously further provide for display in said web at
least one web page of at least one control for switching between a first state
for
entry of local image information and for rendering images entered locally into
a
first layer and a second state for rendering the down-loaded image in a second
layer. Thus the instructions may provide for display on said at least one web
page
in said first state of a local information entry area and loading into the
first layer
of information entered in said area. Typically the rendexable image in the
image
layer will be a raster graphics image e.g. a JPEG image.
In order to meet the requirement that even the proxy image is not readily
accessible for copying or printing at the client station, the computer program
product may further comprise instructions for down-loading the renderable
image
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as a non-editable file compiled for viewing in a player e.g a .swf Flash
Player
file. For additional security the .swf file may be compiled with code
obfuscation
to prevent third party use of a decompiler to inspect ActionScript code and
artwork in .swf party files, for example using a program such as ActionScript
Obfuscator (Genable Lab) which makes compiled script unintelligible, breaking
down decompilers, while still functional with Flash players.
Said at least one web page may display, or is linked to a page displaying,
a control linking to one or more pages that permits or permit an image to be
up-
loaded for rendering and use in the creation of the production file. It may
also
display, or be linked to a page displaying, a control linking to one or more
pages
that provide links to one or more browsable galleries each providing one or
more
pages of images and that contain instructions permitting selection of an image
for
rendering and use in the creation of the production file. The pages of images
may
contain instructions for checking the presence of an identifier when a pointer
is
over the image and on entry of a right click at a pointing device providing an
indication whether the image is available for rendering and creation of a
production file. Alternatively the at least one web page may display, or be
linked
to a page displaying, a control linking to one or more pages that permits or
permit an image to selected for rendering and use in the creation of the
production file on entry of an identifier.
Preferably an image data storage device forms part of the image
publishing site. Alternatively, an image data storage device forms part of a
website on the network, and the image data processing program includes
instructions for uploading a high resolution graphics file from the image data
storage device to the image publishing site on receipt from the client station
of
the identifier for that file and the image processing command.
The image data storage device can conveniently be arranged to store
images as JPEG files, or it can be arranged to store images as bitmaps, in
which
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case the image data processing program should include includes instructions
for
converting a bitmap file to a JPEG file. The image data processing program
contains instructions, on receipt of a command that a high resolution graphics
file
for an image is to be made available, to create at least a second file for the
image
with low resolution or reduced size data, to allocate a unique identity to the
high
resolution and to the second file, and to include the unique identity within
the
second file. The image data processing program may contain instructions for
storage of the second file and for downloading the second file for the image
to
one or more websites on the network for incorporation into web pages e.g as a
thumbnail file.
The image data processing program advantageously further comprises
instructions for processing the image data from the high resolution graphics
file
in response to variables entered at the client station and creating an image
production file that contains data for a rendered version of the image. The
program may include instructions for creating and downloading to the client
station a renderable image data file for the submitted identifier that
provides the
image at a higher resolution or greater size than the image on the web page, a
viewer forming part of a web browser program resident at the client station
permitting the image to be rendered with geometrical data entered at the
client
station, and instructions forming part of the renderable image data file
enabling
the image identifier and the geometrical data to be submitted to the image
publishing site. The instructions may provide for creating a renderable image
file
having at least first and second data layers, the first layer providing a
store for the
renderable image data, and the second layer providing a mask through which
portions of the renderable image are displayable and that defines an outline
for
the rendered image. The first layer may store an image as bit map or JPEG data
and the second layer may store a product mask as vector graphics, and there
may
be additional layers e.g. a third layer for text as scaleable font characters.
The
image data processing program advantageously includes instructions for
entering
geometrical data selected from the group consisting of X-Y position of the
image
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relative to the mask, angular position of the image relative to the mask, size
of
the image relative to the mask and image inversion.
The above described method of selecting and reproducing an image may
additionally comprise the steps of: the product supplier storing in the
database
information concerning owners of copyright in the stored images so that for
each
stored image the unique identifier linked thereto can be used to identify the
owner of copyright in the stored image; and the product supplier recording for
each stored image the number of supplied products bearing the image and using
such records to calculate royalties payable to the copyright holders using
also the
stored information in the database, the product supplier paying the calculated
royalties to the copyright owners periodically. The copyright holder or the
publisher when uploading an electronic file of an image may specify for the
image pricing information which is stored in the database with reference to
the
unique identifier for the image and the product supplier may price ordered
products having regaxd to the stored pricing information. In the above method,
the copyright holder may use a digital camera to record images, the digital
camera andlor software associated therewith loaded on a computer may issue for
the recorded images unique identifiers; and the copyright owner may
periodically
upload the identifiers to the database of the product supplier along with the
recorded images as electronic files.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order to provide a more detailed explanation of how the invention may
be carried out in practice, various preferred embodiments relating to use on
the
Internet will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically an image origination station also
providing a website, an image publishing station, a client station and an
image
printing station all connected via the Internet;
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Fig 2 (divided into Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B) is a block diagram of software
resident at the image publishing station including files that are downloadable
to
and executable at the client station;
Figs 3 and 4 are screen dumps of web pages to be produced at a client
station by the software of Fig. 2;
Fig 5 is a block diagram of files for producing an image editing or
rendering page;
Fig 6 shows layers in a Flash movie to be produced on the image editing
page;
Figs 7 and 8 show the image editing page in a downloaded image
rendering state and in a local image rendering state respectively;
Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the principal features of a HTML document
stored at the website shown in Fig. 1 and providing for the display of a web
page
with one or more added images of relatively low size or resolution;
Fig. 10 shows in simplified form a web page as displayed at the client
station of Fig. 1 from a HTML document as shown in Fig. 9;
Fig. 11 shows the web page of Fig. 10 after entry of a selected one of a
group of displayed low resolution images followed by entry of a request for an
a
product with a high resolution version of the selected image applied thereto;
Fig. 12 shows possible fields for an originator or content provider record
forming part of an originator or content provider database held at the image
publishing station of Fig. 1;
Fig. 13 shows possible fields for an image record forming part of an
image records database held at the image publishing station of Fig. 1;
Fig. 14 is a flowchart that provides a simplified representation of a
sequence of steps to be carried out at the image publishing station on receipt
from an originator of a new image; and
Fig. 15 is a flowchart that provides a simplified representation of steps to
be carried out by a webmaster at the originator's and/or at a third party
website
when creating a new web page.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Hardware and image files
According to the invention, an image publishing station provides an
online service enabling customers to download and select images which are
subsequently applied to physical products, for example paper sheets e.g. for
posters or postcards, covers for mobile phones, mouse mats, mugs, t-shirts,
sweatshirts, baseball caps or other clothing or any surface capable of
receiving a
printed image of, the customer's choosing. The publishing station provides the
user with three ways of importing images:
~ upload of images from a client station, e.g. photographs taken by a user;
~ selection of an image from an existing image gallery page; or
~ entering a so-called WCP code defining the identity of the image.
In Fig 1, a network 10 such as the Internet has connected thereto web
server 30 which hosts an image publisher site IPS which typically is stored on
a
local network including a web server, a database server and a production
server
and provided with image data processing (IDP) software 32, databases 34 and
image files including full resolution files 36 and linked thumbnail files 38a,
preview files 38b and proxy image files 38c. Once a full resolution file 36
has
been uploaded and the lower versions have been derived, it will be used only
for
generating image production files, and in particular it will not be made
available
for download to client stations Cl", Only the lower resolution versions are
made
available for download through the Internet.
Full resolution files 36 may be uploaded to the IPS from client stations
Cl" to permit users to render their own images and have them applied to
articles,
in which case the IDP software on receipt of an incoming image as a JPEG file
automatically processes it to derive linked thumbnail, preview and proxy image
files. Typically the thumbnail files 38a are .gif or jpg files of size 5-10 kb
and
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can provide an array of images on a gallery page for selection at a client
station.
The preview files 38b are also for display on a gallery page and are .jpg
files of
somewhat larger size to provide the user on the gallery page with an enhanced
view of a an image in which he or she may have indicated an interest e.g. by
placing a pointer over the thumbnail image before a definitive image selection
is
entered. A preview file 38b is, however, smaller than is desirable for use in
image rendering, particularly having regard to the need to provide a zoom
facility
during rendering. For rendering of files to be applied to e.g. articles that
may
include A1 posters, a set of proxy image files 38c is provided at an
intermediate
resolution. Proxy image file size is generally larger than would be necessary
for
application to a particular product mask (e.g. a full-size outline of the
mobile
phone). The image needs to be oversize to permit X-Y rendering of the image
with respect to the mask and also of higher definition than required if the
image
were applied full-size to provide latitude for zooming the image relative to
the
mask during the rendering process. These files are quicker to upload or
download
than the full-resolution versions 36, impose less demanding storage and
processing requirements at client stations, but nevertheless produce
apparently
good quality images for rendering purposes on a VDU of a client station.
Full resolution files 36 may also be uploaded from content provider
websites WS1- WS" operated by originators of digitized graphics works that are
still images. Examples of those who may own or operate content provider
websites and who have still images that they wish to make available for
reproduction for members of the public on a variety of articles are artists,
photographers, individual celebrities, newspapers, magazines, art galleries,
museums, sporting organizations (e.g. football clubs, golf clubs) and cultural
organizations (theatres, orchestras). The images that they have are stored as
high-
resolution graphics files 22 in bit map form or most usually as JPEG images
because digital cameras commonly provide that image format. For application to
a small consumer product such as the back face of a mobile phone that
typically
is of size 45mm x 110 mm, a suitable high resolution file in colour is
typically
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50-200 kb, whereas a file for reproduction as a poster may be of size 2-50 mb.
Such files 22 are generally not made accessible to members of the public in
their
high-resolution form because content providers fear that once a high-
resolution
image has been placed on the Internet, control of the image will for practical
purposes have been irreversibly surrendered. One of the objects of the
invention
in a preferred aspect is to provide means that permits remote selection of
images
in the files 22 and their rendering and subsequent processing for application
as
high resolution images to selected products without providing the public with
working copies of the high resolution images. That object is met according to
the
invention because the uploaded high-resolution files 36 are not made available
over the Internet but only the lower resolution versions 38a-38c. Furthermore,
proxy files are only made available as part of a non-editable compiled view-
only
file, for example a .swf Flash viewer file as also discussed below. Images in
such
files cannot be copied or printed directly. Holding high-resolution image
files 36
at the IPS derived from other content providers WSn is preferred for speed of
file
access and processing, and to avoid the delay inherent in transmitting full
resolution image files through the Internet. However, permanent storage of a
high-resolution image file at the IPS is not essential, and for example the
thumbnail, preview and proxy image versions could be stored at the IPS with
the
high resolution version being accessed from the content provider WS" only when
an image has been rendered and a purchase command has been entered.
As explained above, a proxy image should have the property that it does
not permit the image data that it contains to be copied at the client station,
and in
particular that right click copy function is disabled. An example of a files
that
have the appropriate properties are Flash movie .gif files created using the
Flash
program of Macromedia Inc:
( www macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfolproduct overview/ ).
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Such files have a layered structure and can include an image layer in
which a proxy file for an image to be rendered is present in bit map or JPEG
format, and an overlay layer having a mask having the outline required for
reproduction of the image on the selected article. The Flash program prefers
to
use vector-based content for small file size and fast download, but this may
not
be appropriate for data in the image layer which will usually relate to
photographs, paintings or other still images containing high detail and
continuous
tones. Converting these images to vector graphics files can give rise to
unacceptable loss of detail and tone and can result in vector graphics files
which
are larger than their bit map or vector graphics counterparts. The mask in the
overlay layer will normally be stored as vector graphics. The image layer can
be
moved relative to the overlay layer for image editing or rendering as
described in
more detail below.
The services enabled from the image publishing station may provide for
online image selection from any web page using an online low resolution or
proxy image placed by a web designer on any site from a stock of available
images. The client station may be internally 'connected' to the IPS website,
the
user selects the required image and is automatically redirected to the
appropriate
page of the website, selects an article on which the image is to be rendered
and
makes payment e.g. by credit card or otherwise authorizes the transaction.
A further possibility is to provide on a page of a printed publication an
image or gallery of images each having an alphanumeric identifier. When a user
has decided that he wishes to purchase an article such as a mug or t-shirt
carrying
a reproduction of the image, he can use his personal computer Cl" to
communicate with the publishing site IPS, and is provided with means for
inputting an identifier for his chosen image and for making payment. The web
server IPS will then relay a file containing the selected image to a printing
station
42 which will replicate the image on the selected article.
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The printing station 42 is connected to the Internet by server 40, and it
may be provided with one or more printers for applying graphics images to
articles of one or more types directly or via a transfer or in any other
suitable
way. Although a single printing station 42 is shown, in a practical
embodiment, a
plurality of printing stations may be associated with an IPS and they may be
located, for example, in different regions of a single country or in different
countries. Heat transfer imaging provides an effective way of printing an
image
onto a fabric, metal, wood, plastics or other substrate. In this process, a
selected
and where supported a rendered image may be printed onto a heat transfer
medium using a digital colour printer, after which the heat transfer medium is
contacted with the substrate and heat and pressure are applied to effect the
image
transfer.
A client station CL" is also connected to the Internet and comprises a
display 50, one or more web browsers 52 and a viewer 24 together with a mouse
56 or other pointing device provided with left and right buttons 58, 60 and
optionally with thumb wheel 62. A scanner 63 enables photographs or other
documents to be scanned in at the station Cln for up-loading and rendering as
required. The client station may be a PC or workstation, or it could for some
purposes be a hand-held mobile device, for example a 3G mobile phone, a
mobile phone with MMSIPicture Messaging or even at its simplest a
conventional GSM or GSM 1800 mobile phone where e.g. requests for images
known by image reference number may be entered using the short message
service (SMS).
Image production and rendering software
A block diagram showing the main files that make up the IDP software
32 and which are resident on the IPS and downloadable to Cl" appears in Fig.
2.
The file Global.asa executes at start-up and initializes all system variables;
at the
end of a session it run clean-up. Another housekeeping file
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Whitelabelldefault.asp can be used to customize the software for a particular
IPS
or content provider WS" where it is to be resident, sets session variables for
the
artwork and logos to be displayed on the pages of the Whitelabel website and
redirects to a specified page e.g. a home page for the Whitelabel website. At
the
home page, the first file to be downloaded to Cl" is Default. asp which checks
for
a correct flash reader at Cln, and if that reader is not detected executes
Noflash.asp which informs the user and provides an opportunity to download a
correct version of the flash reader. On detection of a correct reader, Honre.
asp
executes and provides an image selection facility.
Selection of a browse galleries option causes Gallery.asp to be
downloaded and executed. The resulting web page that is displayed at Cl" is
shown in Fig 3 and provides an array 70 of gallery category titles and an
array 72
of thumbnail images derived from the database 38a and representative of the
content of each category. Selection by clicking a mouse over any of the images
in
the array 72 causes execution of Gallery results.asp which displays a web page
at Cln as shown in Fig 4 that provides an array 74 of thumbnail images also
derived from the database 38a. Rolling the mouse pointer over any image in the
array 74 causes a linked image from preview file database 38b to appear at
display window 76; clicking on the thumbnail image enters a selection. The
selected gallery and image are supplied to Fromgallery.asp which updates the
session variables with the selected gallery image and causes selector. asp to
be
downloaded to Cl"
The file structure of Selector. asp is shown in Fig. 5 and the significant
parts of the resulting web page displayed at Cl" appear in Fig. 7 which shows
the
page in an edit image mode. Execution of Selector'. asp calls a Flash movie
Parent.swf which in turn calls client variables.asp to retrieve a client
specific
color scheme and load ControlPanel.swf into its workspace. Execution of
ControlPanel.swf causes image location holder.asp to retrieve location details
for the image defined by the session variables updated by Fromgallery. asp and
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load the specified image from proxy image database 38c into Dynanaiclmage jpg.
Contr°olPanel.swf then loads Products.swf which can receive data from
and write
data to Irariables holder. asp, Product category selector. asp and
Product selector°. asp. Irariables holder. asp holds a currently
selected product
type and product, which may be default values used on start-up or may be
values
input using firstly P~°oduct categof y selectof°. asp which
displays a selectable
pull-down list of product types and secondly Product selector. asp which
displays a selectable pull-down list of products depending on the selected
product
type. On selection of a product (including on default selection), information
from
the IPS for the selected product and colors for the variable coloured areas of
the
mask are downloaded as Mask.swf and Colours.swf.
The various Flash movies and files called by selector. asp cause a layered
image to be displayed in design bay 116 of an image rendering web page the
renderable portions of which appear in Fig. 6. An image-receiving layer 80 is
loaded with the file in Dynamiclmage jpg from image database 38c to create
proxy image 82 which can be moved omni-directionally by dragging with a
mouse as indicated by arrows 84, 86. The image in layer 80 will normally be
derived from a photograph and is therefore advantageously stored in raster
graphic form. The current version of Flash (Flash MX) allows dynamic insertion
of JPEG images, which avoids the need to use third party tools to achieve this
objective. An overlying layer 88 for text and other image information entered
locally at Cl" contains an image 90 that is also movable omni-directionally by
dragging with the mouse as indicated by arrows 92, 94. The layer 88 is
otherwise
transparent. The stored information may conveniently be in the form of vector
graphics. A mask layer 96, again conveniently in vector graphics is created
using
the data in rnask.swf and has a mask opening 98 whose size and shape are
determined by the product type, portions of the layers 80 and 88 being
displayed
only when they fall within the outline of the mask opening 98, and the mouse
only effecting movement of an image in layer 80 or 88 when the mouse pointer
falls within the outline of the mask opening 98. The mask opening outline may
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coincide with the product outline e.g. when the image to be rendered is to be
applied to the rear face of a mobile phone, but in the case of other products
e.g.
the illustrated baseball cap it falls within the outline of the product. The
provision
of the mask opening 98 enables the underlying image layers to be cropped
automatically without further intervention by the user. Two auxiliary layers
overlie the mask layer 96. A layer 100 provides for creation of variable
regions
102, 104 of the product using data from Mask.suf and Colours.swf and these
underlie corresponding regions 110, 112 of product image 108 in a second
auxiliary layer 106, the image 108 also being created using data in Mask.swf
The appearance of the most significant portions of the resulting web page
is shown in Fig. 7. In addition to the design bay 116, the file
ControlPav~el.swf
displays rendering control buttons operatively linked to the images on layers
80,
96. These include zoom control 118, image rotate controls 120, 122, mirror
invert key 124, reset key 126 and magnifier key 128. The latter control is
especially useful for rendering the image to be applied to e.g. a product such
as a
jigsaw where close inspection is needed when positioning the image 82 in
relation to cut lines for the jigsaw that are displayed as part of the mask.
It will be
observed that the size of the image 82 is greater than that of the mask
opening 98.
Controls 130, 132 toggle the web page between the image rendering state of Fig
7 and a text or local input rendering state shown in Fig. 8. Colour selection
controls 133 displayed in accordance with information downloaded in
Colou~s.swf for the selected product enable a selected colour to be applied to
variable regions 110, 112 of the product. A pull-down product category menu
134 and a pull-down product type menu 136 are displayed under the control of
files Pr oduct_category_selector. asp and Product selector. asp. Some
products,
e.g. a mug will be supplied in only a single type, in which case the window
136
will provide only a single selection on its pull-down menu e.g. "ceramic,
~9.99".
In the case of a T-shirt, there may be variants, e.g. long, regular, baseball
long,
baseball short and sleeveless, each type having a different outline and being
accessible through the pull-down menu 136. Entry of selections at the windows
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134, 136 causes appropriate files Maslcswf and Colour~s.suf to be downloaded
to
Cl" to create or reset the shape and dimensions of the mask 98 in the mask
layer
96, to enter the sizes and shapes of the variable regions 102,104 into
auxiliary
layer 133, to display a set of selector buttons 133 (if any, depending on
product
type) appropriate for the selected article and type and to enter product image
108
into the second auxiliary layer 106. Entry or re-entry of this information is
required before the product image can be displayed with the selected
renderable
image appearing through the window 98.
It will be noted that the image to be rendered is obtained by downloading
Dynamicimage jpg, and that the product information is provided in the files
Mask.swf and Colours.swf. On start-up all three files are downloaded, but to
change the product the files Mask.swf and Colours.swf are updated and to
change
the image the file Dynamicimage jpg is downloaded, these downloads being
distinct, and the values in ha~iables holde~.asp being maintained while the
new
image file is updated. Since the product-related files are small, rapid change
of
product is possible.
Selection of the text edit control 132 modifies the web page to the state
shown in Fig. 8. A text entry box 148 when selected enables text to be entered
and to appear as text image 90 in renderable layer 88 which can be dragged by
a
mouse as indicated by arrows 92,94 as previously explained. The text is
preferably in the form of scaleable font that is normally provided by vector
graphics compatible with Flash. The button 124 is replaced by font selector
button 150, a text colour selection control 152 is provided and text left,
centre
and text right buttons 154, 156 and 158 can be provided. Entry of local
graphics
by pasting into area 148 may also be supported, for example banners and other
graphics artefacts provided by word-processing and desk-top publishing
software. The zoom inlzoom out button 118, image rotate buttons 120, 122 and
magnifier button 128 remain active, so that the text can be adjusted in size,
position, colour, font and other properties relative to the underlying
downloaded
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image. The ability to render both the main image and the text image enables a
wide range of desirable composite images to be produced and adds significantly
to the amusement value of the rendering operation and to the resulting images.
On completion of the rendering operation, a purchase decision can be
entered by selecting control button 138 and a save design decision can be
entered
by selecting save design button 140. In either case P~ocessupload.asp (Fig. 2)
provides for entry at Cl" of an identity for the newly created rendered design
and
upload of the image and product identifiers together with the rendering
information to the IPS.
If the user wishes to try an alternative image, selection of browse galleries
button 142 passes control to Galley. asp and return to the display of Fig. 3.
Operation of button 144 enables a user to upload one or more locally generated
images, which may be made available for display and processing in additional
gallery pages like Figs 3 and 4. The image to be uploaded will be stored in a
drive accessible to Cl" as a JPEG file. On operation of the button 144, a
dialog
box is displayed with a filename box and a browse button that permits a user
to
browse through drives and files accessible at Cl". Image files to be uploaded
may
be derived from a scanner, a digital camera or a camera of a mobile phone or
similar mobile device on a switched network. Operation of control 146 displays
a
dialog box that enables a reference for a particular image to be entered by an
alphanumeric code, the reference appearing in versions of an image published
on
a third party web page with the identifier or published in a printed
publication
e.g. a magazine or program for a sporting event together with the alphanumeric
identifier. The dialog box instructs the user to enter the m3 reference that
he or
she may have found in a magazine or some other printed media and provides a
box for entry of the reference and a proceed key for use when the entry is
complete. A higher resolution version of the requested image is then retrieved
from the database 38c and loaded into the layer 80.
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Referring again to Fig. 2, on completion of an image selection and editing
or rendering session and on entry of a product ID using Pr~ocessupload. asp,
Selector~.asp calls Savedesign.asp to create or update a design record at the
IPS.
If a purchase decision has been entered, Update shopcay~t. asp updates a
shopping
cart session array and redirects to the actual cart, Myaccount cart. asp
displays
the item or items in the session with options to remove or adjust quality and
Byfo~m. asp provides for selection of payment method and other transaction
handling and recording procedures. A client station can access a page
generated
by Myaccount.asp to provide a login facility at the IPS and to assign a
customer
ID to designs. If an immediate purchase decision is not entered, then entry of
a
save design command at button 140 saves the design at the IPS for subsequent
access using Myaccount designs. asp which can call Fromsaved. asp to update
the
editing session variables with the selected saved design parameters and return
on
the basis of those parameters to Selector.asp. It is therefore possible at Cln
to
review and re-edit an image edited in an earlier session. Alternatively,
Myaccount_designs. asp can call Newdesign. asp to reset the session variables
for
a new design. In a further alternative, Myaccount images.asp can displays all
of
a customer's saved designs with an option to purchase and can call
Fr~omimages. asp to reset the session variables and set the image variables to
provide a review facility.
When using a mobile phone having a built-in digital camera, the user is
instructed to take a picture using his phone camera, select sending the
picture by
e-mail, enter an address to which images may be sent in the IPS website, enter
the user's login e-mail address for the IPS as the subject of the e-mail and
then
send the e-mail. Subsequently the user can log in to his website account at
the
IPS, click on an images tab, and click on a button labelled check for e-mailed
images to display a listing of images that have been up-loaded. The user can
then
simply scroll down the list and click on the desired image to display it for
rendering.
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Providing image identifiers and a "right click" selection facility
In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides apparently seamless
integration between a third party website WS" and the image publisher's
website
IPS. For this to happen, the image displayed at the third party website must
be
identifiable by the IPS website when the client station is redirected to the
IPS
website. One of the objects of the invention in a preferred aspect is to
enable this
with minimal intervention by third party web site or web page designers.
To achieve this result, all files 36 and 38a-38c for an image are preferably
coded with a serial number muque for the image. The third party designer can,
for example use the serial number as a unique reference name placed on the
page,
or the images can be renamed and a publisher's (M3) reference tag can be used.
In addition the web designer should include a javascript reference at the top
of
the page. The javascript source for this reference will reside on the IPS in
an
obfuscated form. When a user clicks on the image, a menu is displayed and a
redirect function (M3 redirect) is called.
Fig. 9 shows in simplified form a html document 200 for providing an
image-containing web page 201 at WS" (Fig. 1). It contains a header 202 and a
body 204 having at tag 206 containing code for redirection of CLn from WSn to
the IPS and loading of at least one file of the IDP software 32. Such a tag
may
have the form:
<src = http:l/[IJRL]/directory/pro~ file>
A database of low resolution images 208 e.g. thumbnails distributed by the IPS
is
stored at WS" and the HTML document enables one or more of these images
from database 208 to be displayed as part of a web page (e.g. gallery page) by
the
incorporation of image tags 210. Thus a gallery page may contain both
thumbnail
images downloaded from the publishing station IPS and which contain image
identifiers supplied from the IPS and other thumbnail images that have come
from other sources and which do not contain such identifiers. In one
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embodiment, where there is a publisher's reference, the image tag may include
the publisher's reference separately or as the file name, and so be of the
form:
<IMG SRC = "[file name].gif' m3reference = "[publisher's reference]"
WIDTH = 142 HETGHT = 106 BORDER = 0> or
<IMG SRC = "[publisher's reference].gif' WIDTH = 142 HEIGHT =
106 BORDER = 0>
Fig 10 shows the appearance of the resulting web page 212 when
downloaded at CL" and displayed on the display 50. The page includes an array
or gallery of thumbnail images 214 individually selectable by moving pointer
216 over the selected image and right clicking using key 60 of mouse or other
pointing device 56 to enter a selection. As is shown in Figl l, this calls up
a menu
218 of articles on which the image is available for reproduction. Selection at
CL"
is by scrolling selection bar 220 up or down using direction keys as indicated
by
arrow 222 and then left clicking on mouse or pointing device key 58. In a
variant
where product selection is enabled after image selection, right clicking mouse
key 60 can provide a link direct to the image rendering screen of Fig. 7 and
if
required the article selection can be updated from its default value using
pull-
down menus 134, 136.
The latter variant is illustrated in Fig 2, where right clicking at the client
station calls file M3_processor.asp which receives a request from right click,
calls checkM3. asp to check whether a specified M3 code exists in the
thumbnail
or other image and if so returns the image code which is supplied to Selector.
asp
which then produces at Cl" a web page having the features of Fig. 7.
To handle the images supplied to or made available from the IPS, an
originator or content provider database 230 is required and a simplified
record
structure is shown in Fig. 12. It provides an originator or content provider
identity field 250, an originator contact details field 252 and fields 253 for
each
stored image. The fields 253 may be divided into sub-fields for an originator
file
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name 254, a publisher's reference (Ms reference) 256, royalty payable 258,
number of orders fulfilled 260 and royalties due 262. Also required is an
image
database 74 for which a simplified record structure is shown in Fig. 13.
Fields are
provided for the identity of the originator 264, the originator file name 266,
the
publisher's reference 268 which links the full resolution image in database 36
and the various derived images in databases 38a-38c, the location of the high
resolution image file 270 in database 36 and the locations of the
corresponding
low resolution image files 272 in databases 38a-38c. It will be appreciated
that
there are many possibilities for organizing the databases 230, 274 depending
upon the requirements of a particular IPS site, and the databases 230, 274
need
not be separate but can be parts or layers of a single database.
The IDP software, as previously explained, is required to have a routine
for receiving high-resolution files from image originators. If the image is
not
already in JPEG form, it is at present preferred to convert it e.g. from bit
map to
JPEG for compatibility with the Flash program which is set up to receive high
resolution images as JPEG files. The incoming high resolution image 280 (Fig.
14) is allocated at 282 a publisher's or M3 identity within a naming
convention
which is common to the images after which it is stored at 283 within the disk
storage of the server 30 on which the IPS is found. Low size or resolution
files
including a thumbnail file and a proxy file for the same image and with the
same
identity are created at 286 and stored at 288 within the disk storage of the
server
30. Entries for the image are created in the publisher's and in the image
databases
at 290, after which the low resolution images can be distributed at 300. The
IDP
software may contain instructions to return the thumbnail image file
automatically to the originating site WS", and to distribute it automatically
also to
a predetermined selection of other interested websites for incorporation into
web
pages e.g. gallery pages.
A routine for creation of web pages containing individual thumbnail or
preview images other relatively low resolution images, or containing arrays of
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the thumbnail or other low resolution images, is shown in Fig. 15. The routine
creates a new HTML document for a web page at 310, fetches an e.g. manually
selected low resolution image 312 from database 208 (Fig. 1) and checks the
image file at 314 for the existence of a publisher's (M3) identification code
as a
file name, as a tag, or embedded in the image. A negative result causes the
routine to branch at to image tag entry step 320 with the result that on the
completed and displayed web page, rolling the pointer over that image and
right
clicking to display a purchase menu has no effect. This arrangement has the
advantage for the image originator of backward compatibility with his existing
thumbnail or other low resolution images and existing web pages.
A new web page can be created with a combination of old images and
images with a publisher's identifier, and page creation and handling by the
web
browser requires only minimal disturbance to existing procedures and software.
If the check at 314 proves positive, the routine branches to step 316 where a
check is made for the existence in the web page of a tag for redirection to
the
IPS. On a positive result, the routine branches at 317 to image tag entry step
320,
and on a negative result it branches to tag entry step 318 for redirecting the
client
station to the IPS and downloading the necessary file or files and data from
software 32 of the IDP. Completion of step 320 signifies that an image tag has
been entered into the HTML document, the image optionally being present as
part of a Flash movie, the image has been checked for a publisher's identity
for
the image, and a check has been made that any necessary redirection
instructions
are present on the web page. The routine passes to page completion step 322
the
result of which is normally entered manually. A negative entry brings about a
branch at step 223 to step 310 and permits entry of a new image, and a
positive
entry brings about a branch to a completed web page storage step 324. The web
page creation routine is shown operating at remote website WS", but the same
routine could operate at websites WSm (both m and n are arbitrary integers)
that
are not image origination sites but are sites where it is desired to make
available
web pages incorporating thumbnails or other low resolution images distributed
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by the IPS. The web page creation routine may also operate at the IPS for
making
image-containing web pages available at the IPS.
Various modifications may, of course, be made to the embodiment
described above without departing from the invention.
Printed and electronically published images
The invention permits images to be selected from pages of a printed
publication e.g. a magazine, a catalogue, a program for a sporting or cultural
event or the like. The publication will generally not have the sole purpose of
displaying images that can be selected for reproduction. Photographs or other
images may carry e.g. in one corner a small alphanumeric identifier e.g. M'
A1B2C3D4. A consumer who has access to the printed publication may be
attracted to one of the images and wish to purchase a product e.g. a mug
having
thereon a reproduction of the image.
The customer may then use his personal computer Cl" (Fig. 1) to
communicate via a website with the supplier's server 30. On reaching the web
page of Fig. 7 and on clicking on the key 146 the customer is presented with a
dialog box having an area for entry of the identifier; alternatively the
dialog box
may be selectable from an earlier page of the website IPS. The customer can
then
input the identifier for the chosen image, and will pay e.g. by credit card in
known manner. The server 30 will then relay a file containing the chosen image
to a replication machine of printing station 42 which will replicate the image
on a
mug and then the mug will be dispatched by post to the consumer, a label being
printed by a printer using address details provided by the consumer.
As previously explained, the server 30 may be in electronic
communication with a number of geographically distant printing system, the
systems which print the publications with the identifiers e.g. at server 20
and
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WS" which could be a website of a magazine publisher. The printing system will
send electronic files containing the images to be published and the server 30
will
issue identifiers to be associated with the images and printed by the printing
system on or associated with the images. In the description above the
identifier is
alphanumeric, but it could also be encoded in a bar code on or associated with
the image and readable by a bar code reader. The server 30 and IPS will store
the
images electronically linked with their identifiers, and will on send the
issued
identifiers to the printing systems to be published along with the images.
The server 30 could also receive image files directly from copyright
owners by interaction e.g. between server 20 of a copyright owner and server
30
of the image publishing station. The server 30 could the issue identifiers and
the
copyright holder could include the identifiers with the images when delivering
them to publishers. The owners of the copyright and/or the publishers may have
access to on-line accounts showing how many products have been bought by
consumers bearing the copyright images and the server 30 may be connected to
an electronic payment processor for this purpose. When images are uploaded to
the server by the copyright holders or by publishers, the it will be possible
for a
pricing stipulation to be specified at the time of uploading so that the
copyright
owner or his licensee or agent can specify a price for each use of the image.
The
customers will be charged accordingly.
The identifiers will typically be constructed of 6-~ characters to identify
the image and the relevant copyright holder.
When using a personal computer to input the identifier, the above
described image rendering facilities may be used. When using simpler input
devices e.g. a mobile phone having a short messaging service, it may not be
practical to download an image and permit rendering. Instead the mobile phone
may communicate with an automated order-taking service which e.g. provides a
facility for entering the identifier using the SMS, downloads the name of the
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image to provide confirmation, on confirmation of correct identity downloads a
scroll-down menu of available articles and on selection of an article proceeds
to a
payment routine. The image may then be reproduced on the article using default
values for its position and size. In an alternative procedure using SMS-type
mobile telephones, a user could use the telephone to send a text message
containing an image identifier to the server 30. The server 30 would then
store
the message until the user client Cl" logged on to the server e.g using his
personal
computer. On logging on, the user would be shown the images previously
selected by use of his mobile telephone, with the option to purchase products
having replications of the selected images. This woukld enable a consumenr in
a
simple manner to record the identification numbers of images displayed e.g. on
posters or advertising hoardings.
Where the images are presented electronically it may be preferable to
embed the identification numbers in the files of the displayed images. As
previously explained by suitable construction of the files a facility could be
provided e.g. where a "right click" of a mouse revealed an option to order a
reproduction of the displayed image. Selection of a "buy" option revealed by
"right clicking" on the displayed image would instruct the local computer
apparatus to connect with a website of the product supplier. During the
connection the identifier of the selected image would be transferred to the
product supplier so that the relevant image could be located and accessed. The
image stored by the supplier would typically be a higher resolution version of
the
image initially viewed by the consumer. The website would allow the consumer
to select a product on which the higher resolution image would be reproduced.
In a variation of the above, a version of image display software could be
issued with a button bar facility to "buy". Such a facility could be provided
e.g.
in Microsoft~ Photoshop or Corel~ Draw. Selecting the "buy" button would
direct the local computer running the software to connect with a website of
the
product supplier. During connection identification information embedded in the
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displayed image file would be relayed to product supplier and thus a high
resolution version of the displayed image could be accessed and made available
for reproduction on a product selected by the consumer from the website.
Alternatively, a "buy" or "buy as" option could be included in the standard
"File"
menu in the Windows or Apple operating systems and related applications
software. The option would appear e.g. alongside "save as". The "buy" option
would become part of the underlying operating system software.
According to the above variation, an online low resolution image, placed
by a web designer on any site from the stock images available, is internally
"connected" to the product supplier's website. The user simply selects the
image, and is automatically redirected to the appropriate page on the website,
selects the object on which the image is to be rendered, and makes payment. In
order to achieve this, the consumers may be provided with a browser plugin
that
will:
1. Display a low-resolution version of the specified image
2. Allow the consumer to select the image for rendering
3. Redirect the consumer to the appropriate page on the IPS website.
The plugin should operate on as many platforms as possible (Macintosh,
Windows, Linux; Internet Explorer, Netscape Communicator, Opera) and as
seamlessly as possible. The plugin will also enable the designer to easily
select
and place images on the page. Each high resolution image will be processed to
create a low-resolution version of the data which is encoded with an unique
identification number, plus other data. This low-resolution image format can
then be delivered to the plugin for processing. The plugin should be capable
of
displaying a low-resolution image directly on the page. The image may be
displayed as if an img tag were used and allows total replacement of the img
tah
with identical attributes to provide the same image.
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In order to achieve the best, most seamless results, it is proposed that a
new MIME file type is adopted for the image. Thus there will be:
1. A formal specification of the file type
2. Registration of the MIME Type with the IETF (see RFC2048) as a
Vendor specific MIME type
3. Registration of a currently unused file extension.
It is proposed that the file format is a new file tyke and not a new file
encoding. As such, it should support all current file encoding, and delegate
all
image processing functionality to existing MIME types. For example, the
encoding of a JPEG image inside an M3 file should be delegated to the
registered
JPEG image processor.
The new File Format used for the images may use the standard chink
format used by many existing file encoding. The header format is as follows:
Magic Number [8
bytes]
VERS [4 bytes] Size [4 bytes] Version [4 bytes]
UIRN [4 bytes] Size [4 bytes] Unique Image Reference
Number [8 bytes]
URLR [4 bytes] Size [4 bytes] NRL Reference [n
bytes]
CKSM [4 bytes] Size [4 bytes] MDS checksum [ 16
bytes]
IMGT [4 bytes] Size [4 bytes] Image Type [n bytes]
DATA [4 bytes] Size [4 bytes] Data [n bytes]
VERS contains the version of the file. The version will contain 4 bytes:
the first two bytes the major version number and the last two bytes the minor
version number.
IURN contains the Unique Image Reference Number.
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URLR contains the URL reference for this image. This UR points to
where a clock on the image will send the user.
CI~SM contains an MDS digest of the image and header data. This is
used to confirm that the file has not been tampered with en route or modified
without knowledge.
IMGT contains the image MIME type. This is used to delegate the
processing of the image to the correct codec.
DATA contains the image data.
Data need not be encrypted. The additional data in the header is used by
the appropriate plugin to process the user interaction with the image. The raw
data can be then be processed normally, and displayed.
In a further variant, to facilitate issuance of identifiers to images digital
cameras and/or software associated therewith could be provided with a facility
to
assign an identifier to each recorded image. The issued identifiers could be
periodically uploaded to the IPS. In this method it is not the IPS which
issues the
unique identifiers for the images, but the digital camera and/or associated
software, these having been programmed to issue identifiers in a correct
format.
The digital camera or related software could have a unique copyright holder
identification number pre-programmed so that any image recorded by the camera
or the related software would have embedded in the image file the copyright
holder identification number. Such a number could be an identification number
.for a copyright holder rather than to a copyright work.
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Embedded identifiers
A publisher's (M3) image identifier may be embedded into a JPEG image
file, which provides tangible added value to an existing image document
because
embedding alleviates the need to add an M3 reference tag manually or to rename
an image to facilitate identification. The publisher's (M3) reference may
consist
of a signature, reference and checksum. The signature may be the name (e.g.
MMM3) of the IDP software 32. The reference can be any Unicode characters in
sequence and the checksum may be a check of e.g. file name (MMM3) +
reference. The M3 identifier may be embedded into the JPEG image as a
JPEG APP 1 marker. The Javascript parser will open the file and walk down the
chumk list until it encounters a JPEG APP 1 marker, will extract the marker
data,
check that the signature begins with the predetermined sequence (e.g. MMM3)
and if so will retrieve the reference. It will then perform a checksum on the
MM3
and the reference to ensure that the data is not corrupt, and will return the
reference, after which the existing code menu can use the reference as normal.
