US 8,411,109 B2 · System for delivering and enabling interactivity with images

Abstract

A system, including apparatuses, software and methods, is disclosed for capturing and delivering images as to which various interactive functions are enabled for a user. The images introduced to the system can come from any one of a variety of sources, including from a digital camera. A graphical user interface permits a user to customize a set of interactive functions to be enabled for a given set of images. The interactively enabled images can be delivered via a webpage to a user, for example, via email, the Internet or downloaded from a disk or from disk drive on a computer on which the webpage is stored. Each image is delivered to a user in its own layer of software, which permits complex sets of images of relatively high resolution to be delivered to users without any appreciable delay associated with the delivery or the need for the user to have additional software, such as a plug-in to receive images and enable interactive functions with respect to the images. Whenever an interactive function is being carried out, a viewer perceives only one image layer at a given time, but the currently viewable image layer can be changed rapidly, so that the user can perceive the illusion of motion, including virtual rotation of an object depicted in a set of images.

Claims54

Dependent claims

A computing device having a processor and memory and for presenting images on an associated display, comprising:

(a) a set of images stored in the memory of the computing device, each image depicting at least one object viewed from a different perspective than the other images of the set of images;
and
(b) a set of DHTML computer instructions stored in the memory of the computing device that, when executed by the processor of the computing device in connection with accessing a web page, automatically:
(i) defines, at various times, at least one first layer that is visible at a select location on the display;
(ii) defines, at various times, at least one second layer at least partially located at the select location on the display;
(iii) at a first time, causes a first image of the set of images to be associated with one of the first layers;
and
(iv) at a second time, in response to the computing device detecting a select action of a user with an input device, dynamically causes a second image of the set of images to be associated with one of the first layers;
(c) wherein the instructions cause the first image and second image to be displayed in sequence, with only one of the images visible at a time, so as to give the appearance on the display that the at least one object depicted in the set of images is moving.

6 more elements

A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium associated with an apparatus delivering a web page and facilitating presentation of images on a display associated with a computing device having a processor, the storage medium containing:

(a) a set of images, each image depicting at least one object viewed from a different perspective than the other images of the set of images;
and
(b) a set of DHTML computer instructions that, when executed by the processor of the computing device, automatically:
(i) defines, at various times, at least one first layer that is visible at a select location on the display of the computing device;
(ii) defines, at various times, at least one second layer at least partially located at the select location on the display of the computing device;
(iii) at a first time, causes a first image of the set of images to be associated with one of the first layers;
and
(iv) at a second time, in response to the computing device detecting a select action of a user with an input device, dynamically causes a second image of the set of images to be associated with one of the first layers;
(c) wherein the instructions cause the first image and second image to be displayed in sequence, with different of the images visible at different times, so as to give the appearance on the display of the computing device that the at least one object depicted in the set of images is moving.

6 more elements

A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing a set of computer instructions that, when executed by a computing device, causes the computing device to perform an automatic method in connection with accessing a web page made accessible by an apparatus that is coupled to a memory that stores a set of images,

wherein the set of computer instructions comprise DHTML instructions,
wherein each image of the set of images depicts at least one object viewed from a different perspective than the other images of the set of images, and
wherein the automatic method comprises:
(a) defining, at various times, at least one first layer that is visible at a select location on a display coupled to the computing device;
(b) defining, at various times, at least one second layer at least partially located at the select location on the display of the computing device;
(c) at a first time, causing a first image of the stored set of images to be associated with one of the first layers;
and
(d) at a second time, in response to the computing device detecting a select action of a user with an input device, dynamically causing a second image of the stored set of images to be associated with one of the first layers;
(e) thus causing the first image and second image to be displayed in sequence, with only one of the images visible at a time, so as to give the appearance on the display that the at least one object depicted in the set of images is moving.

6 more elements

A method for presentation of images with a computing device comprising a display, a processor, and a memory storing a set of images, each image of the set of images depicting at least one object viewed from a different perspective than the other images of the set of images, the method comprising:

with the processor of the computing device, in connection with accessing a web page, executing a set of DHTML computer instructions that automatically:
(a) defines, at various times, at least one first layer that is visible at a select location on the display of the computing device;
(b) defines, at various times, at least one second layer at least partially located at the select location on the display of the computing device;
(c) at a first time, causes a first image of the set of images to be associated with one of the first layers;
and
(d) at a second time, in response to detecting a select action of a user with an input device, dynamically causes a second image of the set of images to be associated with one of the first layers;
(e) thus causing the first image and second image to be displayed in sequence, with only one of the images visible at a time, so as to give the appearance on the display that the at least one object depicted in the set of images is moving.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System for delivering and enabling interactivity with images

Life of this patent

System for delivering and enabling interactivity with images

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims54