Patent US6327664B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent EP0967556A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US7474801B2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US7474801B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Automatic generation of a photo album
Assignee: Shutterfly LLC
•
Filing: 2005-07-07
•
Granted: 2009-01-06
•
Expires: 2025-07-07
Abstract
Abstract A method for producing a digital photo album includes selecting a plurality of digital images each characterized by a portrait format or a landscape format, providing a library of page layouts each comprising one or more image areas configured to receive digital images. Each of the image areas is characterized by an image area format consistent with the image format. One or more page layouts are automatically selected from the library of page layouts in accordance with the selected digital images and their associated image formats. The selected digital images are disposed in the image areas on the one or more page layouts to produce one or more pages in the digital photo album.
Inventors
- 👤 Patrick C. Teo
- 👤 Su M. Quek
- 👤 Kai Bansner
- 👤 John T. Townsend, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 12:58
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00127; H04N1/00132; H04N1/00185; H04N1/00196; H04N1/0035; H04N1/00405; H04N1/00408; H04N1/0044; H04N1/00442; H04N1/00445; H04N1/00448; H04N1/00453; H04N1/00456; H04N1/00458; H04N1/00461; H04N2101/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
167 words
A method for producing a photo album having a plurality of pages, comprising: storing a plurality of digital images each characterized by a portrait format or a landscape format; specifying a sequence for the plurality of digital images; providing a library of page layouts each comprising one or more image areas each of which is configured to receive a digital image characterized by a portrait format or a landscape format; selecting a first group of one or more digital images at the beginning of the sequence of the plurality of digital images; after the step of selecting a first group of one or more digital images, automatically selecting a page layout from the library of page layouts in accordance with the image formats of the one or more digital images in the first group; and disposing the first group of one or more digital images in the one or more image areas in the automatically selected page layout to produce a first page in a photo album.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
167 words
A method for producing a photo album having a plurality of pages, comprising: storing a plurality of digital images each characterized by a portrait format or a landscape format; specifying a sequence for the plurality of digital images; providing a library of page layouts each comprising one or more image areas each of which is configured to receive a digital image characterized by a portrait format or a landscape format; selecting a first group of one or more digital images at the beginning of the sequence of the plurality of digital images; after the step of selecting a first group of one or more digital images, automatically selecting a page layout from the library of page layouts in accordance with the image formats of the one or more digital images in the first group; and disposing the first group of one or more digital images in the one or more image areas in the automatically selected page layout to produce a first page in a photo album.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of disposing comprises automatically matching the image formats of one or more digital images in the first group with the associated image formats of the one or more image areas in the automatically selected page layout.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
123 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising: removing the first group of one or more digital images from the sequence of the plurality of digital images; selecting a second group of one or more digital images at the beginning of the sequence of the plurality of digital images; after the step of selecting a second group of one or more digital images, automatically selecting another page layout from the library of page layouts in accordance with the image formats of the one or more digital images in the second group; and disposing the second group of one or more digital images in the one or more image areas in the page layout to produce a second page in the digital photo album.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the first group comprises two digital images, wherein the page layout comprises two image areas configured to receive two portrait image, or two landscape image, or one portrait image and one landscape image.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising: automatically displaying in the automatically selected page layout having the first group of one or more digital images disposed in the one or more image areas.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising: before the step of selecting a first group of one or more digital images, determining the number of digital images in the first group; and specifying the number of image areas on the first page in accordance with the number of digital images in the first group.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the first group comprises three digital images, wherein the page layout comprises three image areas configured to receive three portrait image, or three landscape image, or one portrait image and two landscape images, or two portrait images and one landscape image.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the page layout further comprises one or more image caption areas.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the page layout further comprises a page background pattern.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 9 , wherein the page background pattern can be selected from a plurality of pre-designed page background patterns.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising: after the step of selecting a first group of one or more digital images, automatically selecting the page layout from the library of page layouts in accordance with the number of images in the first group and the image formats of the one or more digital images in the first group.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the first group comprise two images having a same image format, wherein the step of disposing comprises randomly disposing the two images having the same image format in two image areas associated with the same image format in the automatically selected page layout.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
292 words
A method for producing a photo album having a plurality of pages, comprising: storing a plurality of digital images each characterized by a portrait format or a landscape format; specifying a sequence for the plurality of digital images; providing a library of page layouts each comprising one or more image areas each of which is configured to receive a digital image characterized by a portrait format or a landscape format; selecting a first group of one or more digital images at the beginning of the sequence of the plurality of digital images; after the step of selecting a first group of one or more digital images, automatically selecting a first page layout from the library of page layouts in accordance with the image formats of the one or more digital images in the first group; disposing the first group of one or more digital images in the one or more image areas in the automatically selected first page layout to produce a first page in a photo album; after the step of disposing the first group of one or more digital images, selecting a second group of one or more digital images at the beginning of the sequence of the plurality of digital images; after the step of selecting a second group of one or more digital images, automatically selecting a second page layout from the library of page layouts in accordance with the image formats of the one or more digital images in the second group, wherein the first page layout is different from the second page layout; and disposing the second group of one or more digital images in the one or more image areas in the second page layout to produce a second page in the digital photo album.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
292 words
A method for producing a photo album having a plurality of pages, comprising: storing a plurality of digital images each characterized by a portrait format or a landscape format; specifying a sequence for the plurality of digital images; providing a library of page layouts each comprising one or more image areas each of which is configured to receive a digital image characterized by a portrait format or a landscape format; selecting a first group of one or more digital images at the beginning of the sequence of the plurality of digital images; after the step of selecting a first group of one or more digital images, automatically selecting a first page layout from the library of page layouts in accordance with the image formats of the one or more digital images in the first group; disposing the first group of one or more digital images in the one or more image areas in the automatically selected first page layout to produce a first page in a photo album; after the step of disposing the first group of one or more digital images, selecting a second group of one or more digital images at the beginning of the sequence of the plurality of digital images; after the step of selecting a second group of one or more digital images, automatically selecting a second page layout from the library of page layouts in accordance with the image formats of the one or more digital images in the second group, wherein the first page layout is different from the second page layout; and disposing the second group of one or more digital images in the one or more image areas in the second page layout to produce a second page in the digital photo album.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 13 , wherein the first group and the second group comprise different numbers of digital images.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
73 words
The method of claim 13 , further comprising: determining the number of digital images in the first group; determining the number of digital images in the second group; specifying the number of image areas on the first page in accordance with the number of digital images in the first group; and specifying the number of image areas on the second page in accordance with the number of digital images in the second group.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 13 , further comprising: after the step of disposing the first group of one or more digital images, removing the first group of one or more digital images from the sequence of the plurality of digital images.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 13 , further comprising automatically displaying the first page and the second page in the digital photo album.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
186 words
A method for producing a photo album having a plurality of pages, comprising: storing a plurality of digital images each characterized by a portrait format or a landscape format; specifying a sequence for the plurality of digital images; providing a library of page layouts each comprising image areas each configured to receive a digital image characterized by a portrait format or a landscape format; selecting a first group of digital images at the beginning of the sequence of the plurality of digital images, wherein the first group comprise two images having a same image format; after the step of selecting a first group of digital images, automatically selecting a page layout from the library of page layouts in accordance with the image formats of the digital images in the first group; and disposing the first group of digital images in the image areas in the automatically selected page layout to produce a first page in a photo album, wherein the two images having the same image format are randomly disposed in two image areas associated with the same image format in the automatically selected page layout.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
186 words
A method for producing a photo album having a plurality of pages, comprising: storing a plurality of digital images each characterized by a portrait format or a landscape format; specifying a sequence for the plurality of digital images; providing a library of page layouts each comprising image areas each configured to receive a digital image characterized by a portrait format or a landscape format; selecting a first group of digital images at the beginning of the sequence of the plurality of digital images, wherein the first group comprise two images having a same image format; after the step of selecting a first group of digital images, automatically selecting a page layout from the library of page layouts in accordance with the image formats of the digital images in the first group; and disposing the first group of digital images in the image areas in the automatically selected page layout to produce a first page in a photo album, wherein the two images having the same image format are randomly disposed in two image areas associated with the same image format in the automatically selected page layout.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 18 , wherein the same image format is a landscape image format.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 18 , wherein the same image format is a portrait image format.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US6154295A
Cited
US6064397A
Cited
US20010035875A1
Cited
US5974401A
Cited
US6017157A
Cited
US6570640B1
Cited
US6727909B1
Cited
US6282330B1
Cited
US6349194B1
Cited
EP0975147A2
Cited
US6388732B1
Cited
US6288719B1
Cited
US6362900B1
Cited
US6636648B2
Cited
US20030072486A1
Cited
US6667814B1
Cited
EP1093090A1
Cited
US20020087546A1
Cited
US6771801B1
Cited
US6591005B1
Cited
WO2001082231A2
Cited
US6915273B1
Cited
US20020122067A1
Cited
US20030122839A1
Cited
US20030160824A1
Cited
US20040032599A1
Cited
US20050168779A1
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2012-01-06 | 2012-07-07 | 2013-01-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2016-01-06 | 2016-07-07 | 2017-01-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2020-01-06 | 2020-07-07 | 2021-01-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |