Patent ID: 6283646
Filing Date: 2001-09-04
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
An image handling method, comprising:(a) processing exposed photographic film having data containing a predetermined set of images at each of a plurality of processor-scanner stations which are remote from one another, each scanner station having both a scanner and a processor at the same location, to produce one or more hardcopy images at each processor-scanner location;(b) reading data from each advanced photo system film which indicates the predetermined set of one or more images from the film that is to be communicated from the processor-scanner station at which it is processed, to a corresponding hub station identified in the data, each of the hub stations being remote from each processor-scanner station, the data further indicating a category identification wherein each category is selected from a plurality of user identified categories;(c) scanning each set at the same processor-scanner location at which the corresponding film was processed, to obtain a corresponding digital image set signal;(d) communicating each digital image set signal from each scanner to the hub station by transmission of the digital image set signal; and(e) storing the communicated image set signals at the hub station;wherein a first plurality of image set signals are communicated from a first set of scanners at a first set of scanner-processor locations to a first hub station, and a second plurality of image set signals are communicated from a second set of scanners at a second set of scanner-processor locations to a second hub station, the method additionally comprising communicating an image set signal stored at the first hub station to the second hub station.