Abstract:
A method and system for photofinishing, includes generating a unique roll ID number for a roll of photographic film to be finished; recording customer order information for the roll of film; associating the customer order information with the unique roll ID number in a central computer facility; marking the roll of film with a machine readable version of the unique roll ID number; and reading the roll ID number on the roll of film, and accessing the customer order information from the central computer facility to control a photo finishing operation, whereby the roll of film can be transported to a photofinishing laboratory without the use of an envelope bearing customer order information.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to photofinishing methods and systems, and more particularly to methods and systems of controlling orders in a wholesale photofinishing operation. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In conventional wholesale photofinishing laboratories, customer rolls of film arrive in envelopes from retail dealers containing owner&#39;s name and instructions for developing, and the details of the photographic output desired. The individual dealer-designed envelopes used to transport film are of a common size, however, most are unique, with different locations on the envelope for instructions and information. Consequently some instructions are missed and some are misinterpreted. In addition, because the envelope contains owner information, it must be maintained in the same order as the films throughout the photofinishing steps in order to return the film and prints to the proper owner. What is desired is a method to eliminate the need for envelopes within the photofinishing laboratory, while insuring that customer instructions are followed and the customer receives their original film order. 
     The Advanced Photographic System provides a number imprinted on the film cassette (called a Cassette ID or CID) and the same number exposed on the film (called a Film ID or FID), so that after processing, the film and cassette may be reunited. However, customer identification and order information are not associated with this number, nor is the CID necessarily unique within a photofinishing laboratory. That is, within a given laboratory on a single night, there may be several pairs of Advanced Photographic System films with the same FID or CID. 
     There is a need therefore for an improved method of photofinishing that avoids the problems noted above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The need is met according to the present invention by providing a method and system for photofinishing, that includes generating a unique roll ID number for a roll of photographic film to be finished; recording customer order information for the roll of film; associating the customer order information with the unique roll ID number in a central computer facility; marking the roll of film with a machine readable version of the unique roll ID number; and reading the roll ID number on the roll of film, and accessing the customer order information from the central computer facility to control a photofinishing operation, whereby the roll of film can be transported to a photofinishing laboratory without the use of an envelope bearing customer order information. 
     ADVANTAGES 
     The present invention provides for a means of associating the customer roll of film with the customer name and the customer instructions for the photofinishing of the roll of film. It provides a means of automated handling of rolls of film within a photofinishing laboratory, and eliminates the need for the retail bags to identify rolls of films. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a typical retail-wholesale photofinishing operation; 
     FIG. 2 As a flow chart describing the method and system of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 shows a film cartridge bearing a label having a unique roll ID according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 shows a preferred format for the unique roll ID according to the present invention; and 
     FIG. 5 shows a label according to the present invention for use with a one-time use camera. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 shows the traditional wholesale photofinishing laboratory schematic, showing the photographer (or customer)  10  filling out an envelope  12  at a retail location  14 . The envelope  12  contains customer identification and the specific services requested that the laboratory perform on the roll of film  16 . The film  16  is deposited into the envelope  12 . The retail dealer sites are numerous; one is shown for simplicity. At an established frequency, a transport service provider  18  will collect the customer envelopes  12  and transport them to the photofinishing laboratory  20  to perform the requested services on the films contained therein. 
     Within the photofinishing laboratory  20 , a sorting operation is conducted on the envelopes  12 . Customer films with the same services requested are grouped, or batched together for processing and output services requested at a manual sorting location  22 . Typical output services would include size of print, number of prints, surface texture of print or electronic storage of digitized scan of the image. In addition, other output services might include placement of the image onto a non-traditional surface such as a piece of clothing, a keychain or any desired item. Once batched, the customer films are removed from the envelope, spliced together in a reel  24  and processed in a film processor  25  to produced rolls of processed film  27 . The envelopes  12  are maintained in the same order sequence as the spliced customer rolls of film to permit return to the owner. To facilitate maintaining the sequence, an auxiliary common number may be placed on the envelope and splice tape attaching the film to the reel of other customer rolls. The reel of processed customer films  27  is manually transported to a printer  26  or other output devices  28 ,  30  (such as a film scanner to produce digital images, or an enlarging printer to produce large prints) to provide the customer services requested. When all services are available, the services, the processed films  24  and the order envelopes  12  are matched at a finishing station  32 , where the requested services are reunited with the envelopes  12 . Once the requested services are completed, the customer order  34  associated with envelope  12  is returned to the dealer site  14 , usually by the same transport provider  18 . 
     FIG. 2 shows the flow of one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the customer  10  enters the requested photofinishing services and customer information into a computer-based ordering station  36  at a retail location  14 . The customer-entered data is either stored on a portable storage medium, such as a diskette or tape  35 , or other suitable recording media, or electronically transmitted to a central computer facility  38 . The central computer facility  38  includes at least one computer accessible from a remote location, for example via the internet. The retail location computer ordering station generates a label  40 , containing a machine readable roll identification number  42 , which the customer affixes to the roll of film  16 . In another embodiment of the invention, the computer-based ordering station  36  applies the label  40  directly to the film cassette  16 . In a third embodiment of the invention, the roll identification number is written on the cassette  16  directly, for example by an ink jet print head (not shown). If the film in the cassette  16  has a magnetic recording layer, for example APS film, the unique roll ID may be magnetically recorded on the magnetic recording layer of the film by the computer based ordering unit  36 . The label  40  may also contain a magnetic strip that is machine readable, for recording the unique roll identification ID  42 . A human readable version of the unique roll identification  42  may also be printed on the label  40  along with the magnetically coded version. 
     The number created by the computer based ordering station  36  is a unique number, consisting of at least two portions. In one embodiment, one portion contains the identification of the retail dealer location, the second portion contains a sequence number for customer films in that retail location. The label  40  may be affixed to the film cartridge, spool or cassette  16 . The film is then collected for subsequent transport via transport service  18  to the photofinishing laboratory  20 . If the customer-input information has been stored on a portable storage medium  35 , the storage medium is also transported to the photofinishing laboratory at the same time. The central computer facility  38  may be physically located at the photofinishing laboratory  20 , or at a remote location accessible electronically by the laboratory, for example via the internet. 
     Within the laboratory  20 , an automated sorting device  48  that reads the machine-readable code from the label and sorts the film cassettes  16  (only one cassette is shown for simplicity) into batches that require similar services. The unique roll identification number on the label  40  allows the customer roll of film  16  to be paired with the requested information from either the portable storage medium  35  or the central computer facility  38  and sorting the film into the proper batches for the requested services. In an all digital lab, the films are not sorted prior to processing, but spliced onto a common reel, processed and sent to a film scanner (not shown). The film scanner would read the URID from the spliced tape, interrogate the central computer facility for service instructions, and then send the digital image files to the appropriate output devices such as digital printers. 
     At the time of splicing, the unique roll identification number (also called the URID) is read from the label  40  on the film cassette  16 , and imprinted onto the splice tape  50  used to fasten the films into a continuous roll  24  for processing, for example by an ink jet print head or dot matrix printer. The customer films are developed in a processor  25  and the process films  27  are transported to printer  26  and other devices  28 ,  30  to provide the services requested. The URID is imprinted on the back of the requested prints using well-known photographic process surviving inks and printing equipment such as ink jet or dot matrix printers. When all services are available, the services and the processed films  27  are matched at a finishing station  32  where the requested services are reunited with the processed film  27 . The URID  42  on the processed film and the services allows accurate sorting. The finishing station  52  creates an order return envelope  62  with the dealer and customer identification, cost information, etc. supplied from the central computer facility  38 . The completed customer orders are then returned to the retail location  14 . The use of the URID  42 , generated by the computer based ordering station  36  at the retail location  14 , eliminates the need for manual sorting used in conventional wholesale photofinishing operations, increases the reliability in fulfilling the requested services, and decreases the chance of losing customer rolls of films. 
     FIG. 3 shows a film cartridge  16  bearing a label  40  imprinted with the unique roll identification number (URID)  42  in both human and machine readable forms. Alternatively, the URID  42  may be in a font that is both human and machine readable. Referring to FIG. 4, the human readable and machine-readable URID  42  is generated at the retail dealer location and consists of at least two portions. In one embodiment, one portion  64  identifies the dealer while a second portion  66  is a sequence number within the dealer. In this embodiment, the sequence number  66  starts for example at  1  and increments in single digits up to a sufficiently large number such that the sequence number is not repeated within one week. Upon reaching the maximum sequence number, the sequence number  66  is re-initialized at  1  and the incrementing repeats. This scheme will prevent duplicate UFID&#39;s  42  in a photofinishing lab. The label  40  is either a partial label, leaving the machine-readable information preprinted on the cassette uncovered, or it may be a complete label. If the label completely covers the cassette  16 , then the machine-readable information that was already on the cassette can be read and replicated on the label  40 . 
     FIG. 5 shows a label for use with one-time use cameras according to the present invention. The label  80  is generated by the computer based ordering station  36  at the retail location  14 . In one embodiment, when the customer indicates the product is a one-time use camera instead of an individual roll of film, the computer-based ordering station  36  described in FIG. 2 generates a label consisting of two layers. The outer layer  82  contains the two-portion unique roll identification number  42  on surface  84  and an adhesive on the opposite surface  86 . The second layer  88  contains an adhesive on the lower surface  90  and a release surface  92 . The customer applies the two-part label to the one-time use camera. When the one-time-use camera arrives in the photofinishing laboratory  20 , the roll of film is removed from the one-time use camera, and the outer layer  82  is removed from the second layer  88  of label  80  and affixed to the roll of film by the laboratory personnel. The roll of film  16  then follows the workflow described in FIG.  2 . 
     The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     PARTS LIST 
       10  customer 
       12  photofinishing envelope 
       14  retail location 
       16  roll of film 
       18  transportation service provider 
       20  photofinishing laboratory 
       22  manual sorting location 
       24  reel of spliced film 
       25  film processor 
       26  printer 
       27  processed film reels 
       28  output device 
       30  other output device 
       32  finishing station 
       34  completed customer order 
       35  portable storage medium 
       36  computer-based ordering station 
       38  central computer facility 
       40  label 
       42  machine readable roll identification number 
       48  automated sorting device 
       50  splice tape 
       52  finishing station 
       62  order return envelope 
       64  dealer ID 
       66  sequence number 
       80  one time use camera label 
       82  outer layer 
       84  outer surface of outer layer 
       86  opposite surface 
       88  second layer 
       90  lower surface of second layer 
       92  release surface of second layer