US 6,522,418 B2Granted

Method of and system for editing images

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsYoshikazu Yokomizo, Yasuhiro Watanabe, Koichi Matsumura

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Abstract

An image processing method employs a system having a remote image processing station and a server image processing station. The method has the following steps: a first storage step in which high-resolution information is stored in the remote image processing station; a first transferring step in which image information of resolution lower than that of the high-resolution image information is transferred from the remote image processing station to the server image processing station; a second storage step in which the low-resolution image information transferred in the first transferring step is stored in the server image processing station; a second transferring step in which the low-resolution image information stored in the second storage step is transferred from the server image processing station to a user's terminal; a first editing step in which the low-resolution image information transferred in the second transferring step is edited at the user's terminal; a third transferring step in which editorial information indicative of the contents of the edition performed in the first editing step is transferred from the user's terminal to the remote image processing station; and a second editing step in which the high-resolution image information stored in the first storage step is edited in the remote image processing station in accordance with the editorial information transferred in the third transferring step.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An image processing method for processing an image in a system having a plurality of remote image processing stations and a server image processing station which is capable of communicating with the plurality of remote image processing stations, comprising:

a first storage step, in which high-resolution image information is stored in a storage medium in one of the plurality of remote image processing stations;
a first transferring step, in which image information of a resolution lower than that of the high-resolution image information is transferred from the one of the plurality of remote image processing stations to the server image processing station;
a second storage step, in which the low-resolution image information transferred in said first transferring step is uploaded and stored in a web server in the server image processing station;
a first receiving step, in which a request for downloading the low-resolution image information is received from a user's terminal via an Internet at the server image processing station;
a second transferring step, in which the low-resolution image information stored in the web server is transferred from the server image processing station to the user's terminal via the Internet in accordance with the request;
a second receiving step, in which editorial information indicative of a content of editing which has been effected on the low-resolution image information on the user's terminal is received from the user's terminal via the Internet at the server image processing station;
a third transferring step, in which the editorial information is transferred from the server image processing station to the one of the plurality of remote image processing stations;
and
an editing step, in which the high-resolution image information stored in the storage medium is edited at the one of the plurality of remote image processing stations in accordance with the editorial information transferred in said third transferring step,
wherein the server image processing station offers content information which can be commonly used by the user terminal in effecting the editing and the remote image processing stations in performing the editing step.

7 more elements

A image processing system comprising a plurality of remote image processing stations and a server image processing station which is capable of communicating with the plurality of remote image processing stations,

wherein each of said plurality of remote image processing stations comprises:
first storage means for storing high-resolution image information in a storage medium;
first transferring means for transferring image information of a resolution lower than that of the high-resolution image information to a web server in said server image processing station;
first receiving means for receiving, from said server image processing station, editorial information indicative of a content of editing which has been effected on the low-resolution image information at a user's terminal;
and
editing means for editing the high-resolution image information stored in the storage medium in accordance with the editorial information received by said first receiving means;
and
wherein said server image processing station comprises:
second receiving means for receiving the low-resolution image information transferred from each of said plurality of remote image processing stations;
second storage means for uploading and storing the low-resolution image information received by said second receiving means in the web server;
third receiving means for receiving a request for downloading the low-resolution image information from the user's terminal via an Internet;
second transferring means for transferring the low resolution image information stored in the web server to the user's terminal via the Internet in accordance with the request;
fourth receiving means for receiving the editorial information from the user's terminal via the Internet;
and
third transferring means for transferring the editorial information received by said fourth receiving means to each of said plurality of remote image processing stations,
wherein the server image processing station offers content information which can be commonly used by the user terminal in effecting the editing and the editing means of the remote image processing stations in performing the editing.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/076,631Filed 12 May 1998
Published: US 2002/0067500 A16 Jun 2002
Granted: 18 Feb 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

H04N 1/00135
In a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing…
G06T 11/60
Two-dimensional [2D] image generation: creating or editing images; Combining images with text
H04N 1/00132
Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture…: in…
H04N 1/00137
In a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing…