Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P.

Hewlett-packard Company

Mark D Seaman

Paul M Hubel

K Douglas Gennetten

Robert D Thompson

Gregory A Brake

Daniel M Esquibel

Donald J Stavely

David W Boyd

Charles H McConica

Dan S Johnson

Virgil Kay Russon

Jerlyn R Culp

Eric E Williams

Systems and methods for generating digital images having image meta-data combined with the image data are provided. Briefly described, one of many possible embodiments is an image capture device for generating digital images having image meta-data combined with the image data. The image capture device may comprise image capture hardware configured to capture an image and logic configured for: generating a digital representation of the image, the digital representation comprising image data; applying at least one predefined image analysis algorithm to the digital representation of the image, the at least one predefined image analysis algorithm identifying meta-data corresponding to the image; and combining the meta-data corresponding to the image with the image data to define new image data.

Systems and methods for generating digital images having image meta-data combined with the image data

A method and apparatus for detecting and fixing incorrect dates tagged to digital images is disclosed. The current date on a digital imaging device and the dates tagged to digital images are used to determine any potentially incorrect dates tagged to the digital images. When the date on the digital imaging device is incorrect the dates tagged to the images may be incorrect. When the dates tagged to the images are old, or close to a default date, or have large gaps between groups, the dates may be incorrect. The potentially incorrect dates may be brought to the users attention, and after user conformation the dates are corrected.

Method and apparatus for detecting and fixing incorrect date tags on digital images

An event bookmarking device detects input signals corresponding to events of interest, generates event bookmarks in response to receiving the input signals so that the event bookmark identifies the event of interest, and broadcasts the event bookmarks. An image capture device detects the broadcasted event bookmarks, captures images of interest, and associates the captured images with the detected event bookmarks. An image data manager collects the captured images from at least one image capture device, receives a specified event bookmark, and identifies from the plurality of captured images those captured images that correspond to the specified event bookmark. An alternative embodiment of the event bookmarking device generates and stores an event bookmark with a time. An image capture device provides images with time stamps. An image data manager identifies captured images that correspond to the specified event bookmark based upon the time stamps and the event bookmark time.

Bookmarking captured digital images at an event to all present devices

A content information manager communicates content information to a digital image capture device. One embodiment comprises a means for storing the content information in a memory, a means for communicating the content information to a digital image capture device, and a means for receiving a request such that the content information is communicated to the digital image capture device when the request is received. Another embodiment comprises a means for communicating a request signal such that the content information manager provides the content information upon receiving the request signal, a means for receiving the content information from the content information manager, and a means for displaying the content information on a display residing on the digital image capture device.

System and method for communicating content information to an image capture device

A method of configuring settings in an imaging device includes configuring the settings with default values. If at least one value for the settings is externally adjusted, the settings in the imaging device are configured with the at least one value. If the user indicates that the new settings are acceptable, the imaging device determines whether to store the new settings for use in calculating new default values.

Adaptive and learning setting selection process with selectable learning modes for imaging device

A method of configuring settings in an imaging device includes retrieving the previous state of a plurality of settings in the imaging device. The new state of the settings in the imaging device are determined. The new state is combined with the previous state to form an optimal state of the settings. The imaging device is then configured with the settings according to the optimal state.

Adaptive and learning setting selection process for imaging device

An imaging appliance family is a cooperative system of two or more imaging appliances that are linked together to share images, command and control. Imaging appliances may be linked to each other by introducing the appliances to each other, establishing a communications link, and exchanging appliance information. After communications are established, appliance information is exchanged and the appliances are dynamically configured into a cooperative system. As part of the appliance information exchanged, an address and an associated image are exchanged. The image may be of the imaging appliance, the user or the location of the user or imaging appliance. When selecting another imaging appliance to communicate with, instead of identifying the imaging appliance by descriptive text, the user identifies the imaging appliance according to its identifying image. Thus, each imaging appliance includes a thumbnail associated with it that identifies it to other appliances.

Thumbnail address book for linked family of imaging appliances

The present invention is a system that coordinates the printing of a page of photos that match the layout of a pre-existing matte. The matte layout can be created from a physical matte. When creating an electronic layout or template from a physical matte, a digital image of the matte and a reference target is created. The template can then be created by using the relationship in the digital image between the image of the reference target and the image of the physical matte.

System for producing photo layouts to match existing mattes using distance information in only one axis

A method for the equalization of white space around multiple placements of photographs or other placement items with optional, associated captions on a medium such as a page or a computer screen. The method provides techniques for creating aesthetically pleasing layouts for a set of items to be displayed, as for example printed on a sheet of paper by a printer.

White space equalization around features placed on a page

A Method for selecting a placement, on a medium such as a page or a computer screen, of a photograph or another placement item with optional, associated caption from a set of multiple placement items. The method provides techniques for creating customized layouts for the set of items to be displayed. The placement process utilizes values for placement feature size by multiplying the negative of the height by the width of the placement feature divided by a preselected constant C . Feature orientation values are computed by subtracting the height from the width of the placement feature, and multiplying the result by a preselected constant C . A placement-weight value is then computed from the above, said placement-weight value specifying priority of placement of a feature.

Method for selecting next feature for placement on a page

System for producing photo layouts to match existing mattes

Disclosed is a system of optical character recognition that first segments a page image into character images. A set of features is extracted and compared to proto-features from a template in order to classify a character, and convert it into a character code. This comparison is performed by comparing each feature of a character image to each proto-feature of each template to create a match rating list which is sorted in descending order. The top match rating and any close ratings are selected and output. To create the ratings, the angles and lengths of the features and proto-features are compared and then the result is normalized to a specific range of values.

Growing community of inventors

Greeley, CO, United States of America

Mark D Seaman