Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE
[0001] Method of photo management and a photo management system
F I ELD
[0002] There is described a method of photo management for use with a
camera capable
of taking digital photos and a photo management system in accordance with the
method.
BACKGROUND
[0003] There exists today a multitude of mobile applications that allow
users to take
photos and transfer those photos to a remote server for remote access by third
parties. One
example is Instagram, another is Facebook. These types of applications are
designed for
consumers and are not designed for high volume photo documentation, capturing,
automated
sorting, workflow integration and collaboration within enterprise
environments.
[0004] There also exists solutions such as Mitchell FastPhoto that utilizes
a firmware
based digital camera, which allow users to scan a barcode or select data from
pre-defined data
lists in order to associate data to photos. The firmware, which allows user to
input data is
controlled by the camera manufacturer, is static and cannot be modified or
changed unless the
camera manufacturer provides firmware updates. The amount and type of data
that can
assigned to each photo is limited and cumbersome to assign to photos.
Associated data is
stored within the EXIF data of taken photos, which is difficult and costly to
extract. Almost
no collaborative functionality exists.
[0005] All of these technological limitations with current firmware based
devices has
resulted in current solutions such as Mitchell FastPhoto, only being utilized
in within a few
market, with limited uses. The ineffectiveness of these solutions and their
lack of flexibility,
scalability and ability to be rapidly customized and adjusted to varying
workflows as well as
the need for collaborative functionality, has prevented current solutions from
being deployed
to the many markets that could benefit from automated photo management
solutions. What is
required is a different method of photo management that provides a more
versatile photo
management system.
SUMMARY
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[0006] According to one aspect, there is provided a method of photo
management for use
with a camera capable of taking digital photos. An interface resident in the
camera is
provided that allows a user to input data regarding an individual digital
photo into a user
database having multiple data fields at the time of taking of the individual
digital photo, and
allows a user, at a later date, to sort multiple of the individual digital
photos and extract
selected individual digital photos based upon a common characteristic found in
one of the
multiple data fields.
[0007] According to another aspect, there is provided a photo management
system having
a camera capable of taking digital photos with an interface resident in the
camera that allows a
user to input data regarding an individual digital photo into a user database
having multiple
data fields at the time of taking of the individual digital photo, and allows
a user, at a later
date, to sort multiple of the individual digital photos and extract selected
individual digital
photos based upon a common characteristic found in one of the multiple data
fields.
[0008] Although beneficial results may be obtained through the use of the
method and
photo management system described above, where the camera is a mobile network
device
capable of communicating with the internet; a parallel photo management
interface is
provided that resides on the intemet and manages each individual photo and
associated data.
This photo management interface allows photos and associated data to be stored
that far
exceeds the storage capacity of the camera. Those photos and associated data
can remain
stored in a remote storage location and accessed via the intemet long after
the photos have
been deleted from the camera. This additional feature is particularly relevant
in view of the
large number of smart phone users who have cameras incorporated into their
phones. A
setting can be selected, if desired, in which the photo and associated data is
automatically
deleted from the camera upon having been communicated to the intemet based
photo
management system.
[0009] Although beneficial results may be obtained through the use of the
method and
photo management system described above, even more benefits may obtained when
the user
database has a default setting in which individual digital photos are grouped
in accordance
with a primary user assigned photo group identifier. For a business, this
photo group
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identifier may be a work order number. For an individual, this photo group
identifier may be
a birthday party or other social occasion.
[0010] A problem experienced by camera manufacturers is communicating
updates to
camera owners. In accordance with the present method and photo management
system,
where there are multiple cameras; data field version updates of user definable
data fields for
an individual camera may occur whenever the individual camera connects with
the photo
management interface that resides on the interne.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] These and other features will become more apparent from the
following
description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings
are for the
purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting,
wherein:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a first screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a second screen shot of an interface resident on a camera.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a third screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a fourth screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a fifth screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a sixth screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a seventh screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0019] FIG. 8 is an eighth screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0020] FIG. 9 is a ninth screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0021] FIG. 10 is a tenth screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0022] FIG. 11 is an eleventh screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0023] FIG. 12 is a twelfth screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0024] FIG. 13 is a thirteenth screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0025] FIG. 14 is a fourteenth screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0026] FIG. 15 is a fifteenth screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0027] FIG. 16 is a sixteenth screen shot of an interface resident on a
camera.
[0028] FIG. 17 is a schematic overview of the relationship between the
interface resident
on the camera and a parallel intemet based photo management system.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] The photo management system will now be described with reference
to FIG. 1
through 17.
Structure and Relationship of Parts:
[0030] Referring to FIG 1 through 16, these figures are screen shots of
an interface
resident in a camera capable of taking digital pictures that allows a user to
enter data into a
user database concurrently with the taking of each photo. Subject to later
editing, the data
entered becomes and remains linked to that photo. The use and utility of this
interface will
become apparent when discussed in the context of an example under the heading
of
"Operation" below. This is beneficial with a digital camera that can be
connected to a
computer through a cable connection. However, in this age of internet enabled
devices
having cameras, it is envisaged that the primary system will work in concert
with an
associated internet based photo management system which resides in a "cloud"
on the
internet.
[0031] Referring to FIG 17, an interface 1 is identified which is
resident in a camera 2.
There is also illustrated a smart phone and a tablet computer, it being
recognized that any
mobile network enabled device capable of taking digital pictures could take
the place of
camera 2. Photos 3 are illustrated in the process of being transferred over
the internet to
internet based photo management system 4 residing in a "cloud" on the
internet. A network
server 5 is provided that provides a local area network (LAN) access to photos
and, where
desired, provides synchronization between the data on camera 2 and internet
based photo
management system 4. Where authorized third parties 6 can access the photos
from any
internet enabled device from anywhere in the world in real time.
[0032] As described above with reference to FIG 17, there are two aspects
to the photo
management system. The first or core components is a mobile application that
can reside on
any smartphone or smart camera. The second component is a parallel Internet
based
management system. The mobile application provides a graphical user interface
allowing
users to define data concurrently with taking photos. Data can include a work
order,
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categories, tags, comments or any other type of user definable data. The
mobile application
allows users to take photos, which are linked to the user defined data, as
well as transmit
captured photos and their corresponding data to the Internet based management
system.
Photos can also be viewed and managed from within the mobile application.
5
[0033] When photos are saved to the cameras/smartphones file system by
the mobile
application, the mobile application creates a directory structure within the
default file system
folder (alternatively this can reside outside the default camera directory)
for stored
photographs. A unique identifier is assigned for the work, patient ID, folio
number or any
other relevant unique identifier to the industry the application is being used
in. Category and
sub category folders are then created within the parent directory (unique
identifier). This
allows any user to plug in a smartphone or a digital camera and have photos
automatically
sorted and organized based on the data they defined within the mobile
application. No longer
do users see one directory with all of their photos. This saves tremendous
time when
accessing and managing photos from a local file system.
[0034] The data fields that users can assign to photos can be dynamically
controlled from
the Internet based management system. A new category, tag, contact or any
other type of data
can be added, edited or deleted and all connected devices running the mobile
application will
be up-dated in real time. Existing firmware based systems require sending SD
memory cards
to clients and having them manually update their cameras. This can take weeks
or even
months to have an entire team using consistent data.
[0035] Within the mobile application, authorized user have the ability to
add data fields
such as categories, tags, contacts or any other user definable data directly
from the mobile
application. This allows users in the field to be dynamically adding, edited
or deleting user
definable data, which can be automatically synchronized across hundreds of
devices running
the mobile application in real-time.
[0036] The Internet based management system allows authorized users to
access and
manage photos taken. Photos can be accessed by a unique batch identifier such
as a work
order or patient id, category, tag, etc. The Internet based management system
allows users to
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view, edit, or delete photos or their corresponding data. The Internet based
management
system allows authorized users to manage all connected devices running the
mobile
application and perform such functions as disabling devices remotely. Being an
Internet
based management system, users can grant access to other users so they can
access individual
photos, batches of photos or an entire system of photos. When photos are
received from the
mobile application by the Internet based management system, any contacts that
were
associated to the photos as requiring access to the photos, these contacts are
automatically
notified via email, SMS or system notification with the photos or
alternatively a uniform
resource locator (URL) to access the photos within the Internet based
management system.
Operation:
[0037] Referring to FIG 1, a camera control interface allows users to
take photographs,
manage camera settings as well as enter data. Referring to FIG 2, the
information screen is a
quick way of viewing the data settings for the photos which are being taken.
Referring to FIG
3, the main screen allows the user to navigate to all parts of the
application. The Application
Icon in the top left should always return the user to this screen when
touched. Referring to
FIG 2 the Photo Data Screen is where users can apply data to the photos they
have taken.
"Work Order", "Category", "Subcategory", "Tags", and "Send To" data should be
stored on
the local device but synchronized with a Cloud based internet Photo Manager.
Having this
data stored on the local device allows the device to work in an "offline"
environment.
Referring to FIG 4 through FIG 7, the "Work Order" can be automatically
assigned by the
camera, obtained through barcode scanning or manually input. When a barcode is
scanned,
the data retrieved from the barcode should automatically appear in the "Work
Order" field.
When creating a new Work Order, the next available, unused Work Order should
be
automatically generated, after the user confirms the dialog. The Work Order
field needs to
verify that the user inputted Work Order is valid. If the Work Order is valid
the other data
field options should become available. If the Work Order is invalid, the
inputted value should
be displayed in red. When a user begins inputting a Work Order, auto-complete
should match
what the user is typing to available possibilities. Only active Work Orders
should be available
for auto-complete. A barcode scanner may be incorporated into the device. The
purpose is to
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scan a barcode and capture the data contained. The captured data should be
inputted into the
Work Order Field on the Photo Data Screen. Every time a barcode is scanned,
the value
should be checked to ensure it is a valid barcode. This should be checked
against the local
device, which synchronizes with the Cloud. Scanning should be automatic
without the user
having to touch the screen. The scanner should work in both horizontal and
vertical mode. If
a scanned barcode is invalid, a dialog should appear and notify the user. The
user should be
able to either cancel out of the screen (and return to the Photo Data Screen)
or select rescan
(and then scan another barcode).
[0038] Referring to FIG 8, FIG 9 and FIG. 10, a category may be entered.
Once the
category is entered, input data may be sorted and searched by category. In the
example
illustrated, the user has categories of "electronics" and "automotive" to
choose from, among
others. Referring to back to FIG 7, in the example illustrated the category
was "electronics"
for the work order in question.
[0039] Referring to FIG 7, a sub-category may be entered. In the example
illustrated,
"television" was the sub-category under the "electronics" category for the
work order in
question. Referring to FIG 11, input data may be sorted and searched by sub-
category, just as
it was capable of being sorted and searched by category.
[0040] Referring to FIG 7, it is also possible to add words as search
tags. In the example
illustrated in FIG 7, a number of search tags were applied, including "TV",
"Entertainment",
"Electronics", and "Master bedroom". Referring to FIG 12, input data may be
sorted and
searched by search tags, just as it was capable of being sorted and searched
by category and
sub-category.
[0041] Referring to FIG 7, where the category, sub-category and search
tags do not
provide enough information, there is also a data field provided into which the
user may insert
additional comments as may be required as context to the photo.
[0042] Referring to FIG 13, all photo are saved in folders according to
work order. In the
example illustrated, it can be seen that the folder for work order 198466 has
9 photos, the
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folder for work order 198467 has 18 photos, the folder for work order 198468
has 32 photos,
the folder for work order 198469 has 45 photos, and the folder for work order
198470 has 7
photos. It will be understood that each photo has linked to it data from the
above described
data fields of category, sub-category, search tags and, as required,
additional comments.
[0043] Photos which are either accidentally or intentionally taken
without having a work
order assigned are stored in a folder called Miscellaneous. The miscellaneous
folder is a
safeguard against operator error, in neglecting to assign the applicable work
order number at
the time of taking a photo. It also allows user to take photos without having
to assign data
and then be able to locate them quickly and easily at a later date.
[0044] Referring to FIG 14, to locate photos the user would normally
search by work
order number to locate the applicable folder. Of course, photos to which a
work order was
not assigned (whether accidentally or intentionally) can be located in the
Miscellaneous
folder.
[0045] Referring to FIG 15, in the folder for the work order photos are
grouped by
category. In the example illustrated for work order 198465 the categories
include
"electronics" and "automotive", among other categories. Any photos which have
accidentally
or intentionally not been assigned a category in relation to that work order
are grouped
together as "uncategorized". It will be appreciated that the photos under each
category will,
in turn, be grouped by sub-category. It will also be appreciated that the
organizational
hierarchy could differ, and that what is illustrated is merely a preferred
arrangement due to its
simplicity and ease of implementation in a number of different environments.
[0046] Referring to FIG 16, there is illustrated how the photos are
displayed. By clicking
on an individual photo, the photo may be viewed in a full screen view. By
clicking on the
linked data icon, linked data may be viewed.
[0047] At present, common automated photo management solutions utilize
metadata such
as EXIF file tags, which requires photo management to employ cumbersome
metadata
extraction processes. This form of metadata (EXIF) is difficult to manage due
to the limited
amount of data which can be assigned to an individual digital photo file. The
EXIF format is
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time consuming and labour intensive (operationally expensive) from a
technology standpoint
as well as from a workflow perspective.
[0048] By storing corresponding photo information in a database¨rather
than within the
photo "source code" itself (as per EXIF technology), the photo files can be
catalogued in a
much more efficient and effective manner. Key advantages include the ability
to attach
considerably more data (potentially limitless) to each individual photo.
Dramatic
improvements to search functionality and security, as well as reduced file
sizes are
immediately achievable benefits. In addition, many new and exciting
opportunities become
viable as this new method will quickly replace the older metadata process due
to the increased
capacity and flexibility to append multiple and even very large data sets
linked to individual
photos.
[0049] Concurrent to how data is linked to photos, the advent of Android-
based camera
technology allows mobile photo capture and documentation applications. These
new
applications make it possible for clients to employ user-friendly interfaces
which permit new
data input or linking to significant amounts of existing data concurrently
with the actual
taking of a photo.
[0050] User-defined data, such as categories or tags, can also be
dynamically generated
and managed through Cloud-based technology. For example, a list of contacts
can be
maintained within the Cloud and all Smart Cameras connected within the target
workflow
process would share the same list of contacts and receive the same remote
updates when
desired and implemented by the project workgroup administrator. This is in
contrast with
existing metadata-based photo capture devices, such as RICOH cameras, that
require the
shipping of new SD memory cards to every camera to enable system firmware
updates. This
necessity slows the ability to manage change and ultimately adversely impacts
entire process
efficiencies.
[0051] The shift from 802.11 Wi-Fi to 4G LTE broadband cellular
connectivity in
conjunction with advanced database architecture gives managers better web
based tools to
manage photos. The overall system effectively creates an opportunity to
improve productivity
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and respond to rapidly changing business demands, thereby accelerating
business innovation
and growth.
[0052] The photo management system is highly customizable and is capable
of being
5 rapidly deployed in any industry. It's been developed for industries that
take, in some cases,
tens of thousands of photos a day. Industries which require potentially
hundreds of users
collaborating, defining data for photos, taking photos and having those photos
sent in real-
time through Wi-Fl or cellular Internet to a centralized, Internet based
location for processing,
management and collaboration. The system is designed to be rapidly
customizable for any
10 workflow in any industry with little effort and time.
[0053] One example of where this technology may be employed is in the
area of
healthcare. Physicians are able to take pictures of patients using the mobile
application by
defining a unique patient identification number and then specifying the type
of ailment and
any other relevant data. Once the physician has taken photos of the patient,
the photos are
automatically transferred to the internet based photo management system where
they are
processed and made available for management. If the physician identified other
users who
required access to the photos, those users would automatically be notified via
email, an SMS
message or by a system notification.
[0054] Another example of where this technology may be employed is in the
area of
construction. Within the construction industry each project can have hundreds
or thousands of
deficiencies. With this technology, users can take photos of deficiencies,
describe the
deficiency using categories, tags or other user definable data as well specify
the sub-trades or
contacts that need to be notified of the deficiency. Once photos have been
taken and sent to
the intemet based photo management system for processing, all sub-trades and
selected
contacts would be automatically notified via email, SMS or system notification
of the
deficiency(s) along with the corresponding photos. Notified parties can also
access the
management system in order to look at the photos. Additional functionality to
approve work
or flag work as completed can be done. Using a traditional digital camera for
the above
scenarios would result in a significant amount of time and resources being
spent sorting,
organizing and managing photos, making it simply not viable.
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[0055] Another example of where this technology may be employed is in the
insurance
industry. In the insurance industry, insurance agents or insurance adjusters
travel to
residential, business or any other location where third party photo
documentation is required.
For example, an insurance agent could document a person's residence and all
their assets in
case of a disaster. Or, if a disaster has taken place, an insurance adjuster
could document
damage.
[0056] In this patent document, the word "comprising" is used in its non-
limiting sense to
mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically
mentioned are not
excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article "a" does not
exclude the
possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context
clearly requires that
there be one and only one of the elements.
[0057] The scope of the claims should not be limited by the illustrated
embodiments set
forth as examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent
with a purposive
construction of the claims in view of the description as a whole.
