IP Library Granted Patent US 8,477,228
Granted Patent B2
US 8,477,228 · App. 12/165,411 · Granted Jul 2, 2013

Camera data management and user interface apparatuses, systems, and methods

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,477,228
App. No.
12/165,411
Granted
Jul 2, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

In certain embodiments, a graphical user interface (“GUI”) including a live camera sensor view is displayed and, in response to the capture of a camera image, an image manager pane is displayed together with the live camera sensor view in the graphical user interface. The image manager pane includes a visual indicator representative of the captured camera image. In certain embodiments, a camera image is captured and automatically assigned to a session based on a predefined session grouping heuristic. In certain embodiments, data representative of a captured camera image is provided to a content distribution subsystem over a network, and the content distribution subsystem is configured to distribute data representative of the camera image to a plurality of predefined destinations.

Claims (49)

1. A method comprising:

displaying, by a computing device, a live camera sensor view in a graphical user interface;

capturing, by said computing device, a camera image;

displaying, by said computing device, a visual indicator representative of said captured camera image together with said live camera sensor view in said graphical user interface;

displaying, by said computing device, in response to said capturing, an image manager pane together with said live camera sensor view in said graphical user interface, said image manager pane including said visual indicator; and

toggling, by said computing device, an active input mode between said live camera sensor view and said image manager pane in response to user input, wherein a selector is displayed in said image manager pane including said visual indicator representative of said captured camera image and concurrently with said live camera sensor view in said graphical user interface, said selector including a directional indicator that indicates a direction of an input button for directly toggling said input mode to be active for said live camera sensor view.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically assigning, by said computing device, said captured camera image to a session based on a predefined session grouping heuristic.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said visual indicator includes a session indicator indicative of said assignment of said camera image to said session.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said visual indicator comprises a user selectable object.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said direction indicates a direction from said visual indicator to said live camera sensor view across said graphical user interface.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein said visual indicator comprises a thumbnail image of said captured camera image, and

said session indicator is another image occupying a subspace of said thumbnail image.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein said directional indicator is displayed along an edge of said selector.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying animation effects, by said computing device, in said graphical user interface in response to said capturing of said camera image, said animation effects visually indicating movement of image pixels from said live camera sensor view to said visual indicator representative of said camera image.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing, by said computing device, data representative of said camera image to a content distribution subsystem over a network; and

distributing, by said computing device, data representative of said camera image from said distribution subsystem to a plurality of predefined destinations.

10. The method of claim 1 , tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

11. A method comprising:

displaying, by a computing device, a graphical user interface including a live camera sensor view;

capturing, by said computing device, a camera image;

automatically assigning, by said computing device, said camera image to a session based on a predefined session grouping heuristic;

displaying, by said computing device, in response to said capturing, an image manager pane together with said live camera sensor view in said graphical user interface, said image manager pane including a visual indicator representative of said captured camera image; and

toggling, by said computing device, an active input mode between said live camera sensor view and said image manager pane in response to user input, wherein a selector is displayed in said image manager pane including said visual indicator representative of said captured camera image and concurrently with said live camera sensor view in said graphical user interface, said selector including a directional indicator that indicates a direction of an input button for directly toggling said input mode to be active for said live camera sensor view.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said direction indicates a direction from said visual indicator to said live camera sensor view across said graphical user interface.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

capturing, by said computing device, another camera image;

automatically assigning, by said computing device, said another camera image to said session based on said predefined session grouping heuristic; and

displaying, by said computing device, another visual indicator representative of said another captured camera image in said image manager pane.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein said directional indicator is displayed along an edge of said selector.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein said session is defined to include one or more camera images captured within a continuous time period during which a camera mode is active.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein said session is defined to include one or more camera images captured at a common geographic location.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein said visual indicator includes a session indicator indicative of said assignment of said camera image to said session,

said visual indicator comprises a thumbnail image of said captured camera image, and

said session indicator is another image occupying a subspace of said thumbnail image.

18. A system comprising:

a user interface facility configured to provide a live camera sensor view for display in a graphical user interface;

a camera facility that includes a camera configured to capture a camera image; and

a processor configured to execute said user interface facility,

wherein said user interface facility is further configured to

provide a visual indicator representative of said captured camera image for display together with said live camera sensor view in said graphical user interface,

provide an image manager pane for display together with said live camera sensor view in said graphical user interface, said image manager pane including said visual indicator,

toggle an active input mode directly between said live camera sensor view and said image manager pane in response to user input, and

display a selector in said image manager pane including said visual indicator representative of said captured camera image within said graphical user interface and concurrently with said live camera sensor view, said selector including a directional indicator that indicates a direction of an input button for toggling said input mode to be active for said live camera sensor view.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein said direction indicates a direction from said visual indicator to said live camera sensor view across said graphical user interface.

20. The system of claim 18 , further comprising a session management facility configured to automatically assign said captured camera image to a session based on a predefined session grouping heuristic.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein said user interface facility is further configured to provide a session indicator for display in said graphical user interface, said session indicator configured to indicate an association of said visual indicator with said session.

22. The system of claim 18 implemented on a mobile phone device.

23. The system of claim 22 , further comprising a content distribution subsystem configured to communicate with said mobile phone device over a network, including receiving data representative of said camera image from said mobile phone device over said network, wherein said content distribution subsystem is configured to distribute data representative of said camera image to a plurality of predefined destinations.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 18, 2009
From: VERIZON DATA SERVICES LLC
To: VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING INC.
Reel/Frame 023112/0047 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 30, 2008
From: STALLINGS, HEATH; HWANG, SOK Y.; ZAFAR, SHADMAN
To: VERIZON DATA SERVICES, LLC
Reel/Frame 021174/0654 →