Abstract:
A computer-assisted method for automatically creating a picture strip at a user interface includes the steps of displaying a template for a picture strip having one or more image receiving areas in a user interface on a display device, placing an image in one of the image receiving areas in the template in the user interface, displaying a circle around the image by the display device, displaying a handle in association with the circle by the display device, and allowing a user drag the handle to rotate and scale the image in the one of the image receiving areas.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED INVENTIONS 
       [0001]    The present invention claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/265,643, titled “Flexible user interface for image manipulation for an image product”, filed Dec. 1, 2009, by the same inventors, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/241,354, titled “Wireless imaging for personalized image product”, filed Sep. 10, 2009, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    In recent years, photography has been rapidly transformed by digital imaging technologies. Digital images can be captured by digital cameras or camera phones, stored in computers, and viewed on electronic display devices. Digital images can be uploaded from a user&#39;s computer device to a central sever provided by an image service provider such as Shutterfly, Inc. The user can store, organize, edit, enhance, and share digital images at the central network location using a web browser. A user can also design and order image-based products from the image service provider for the user herself or as photo gifts to others. A high degree of personalization can be achieved to make the image-based products memorable to the user and to the photo gift recipients. 
         [0003]    The creation of personalized image products, however, can take considerable amount of time and effort. In addition, user interface for creating personalized image products are not available on small mobile devices on wireless camera phones. There is therefore a need for more convenient methods for creating personalized imaging products on camera phone and other digital imaging devices. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    In one aspect, the present application relates to a computer-assisted method for automatically creating a picture strip at a user interface. The method includes displaying a template for a picture strip having two or more image receiving areas in a user interface on a display device; placing an image in one of the image receiving areas in the template in the user interface; displaying a circle around the image by the display device; displaying a handle in association with the circle by the display device; and allowing a user to drag the handle to rotate and to scale the image in the one of the image receiving areas. 
         [0005]    Implementations of the system may include one or more of the following. The image can be rotated by dragging and moving the handle at least partially along the circular direction of the circle. The image can be scaled by dragging and moving the handle at least partially along the radial direction of the circle. The computer-assisted method can further include dragging and translating the image in the one of the image receiving areas to allow different portions of the image to be viewable in the one of image receiving areas. The computer-assisted method can further include displaying a delete button to allow a use to remove the image from the one of image receiving areas by touching the delete button. The computer-assisted method can further include determining the borders of the image at each orientation and position of the image; comparing the borders of the image to the borders of the one of image receiving areas; and selecting the size of the image to allow the one of image receiving areas to be fully occupied by a portion of the image. The size of the image can be selected at above a minimum size such that the one of image receiving areas is fully occupied by a portion of the image. 
         [0006]    In another aspect, the present application relates to a computer-assisted method for automatically creating an image product at a user interface. The method includes displaying a template for an image product having an image receiving area in a user interface on a display device; placing an image in the image receiving area in the template in the user interface; displaying a circle around the image by the display device; displaying a handle in association with the circle by the display device; allowing a user to drag the handle at least partially along the circular direction of the circle to rotate the image in the image receiving area; and allowing a user to drag the handle at least partially along the radial direction of the circle to change the size of the image. 
         [0007]    In another aspect, the present application relates to a computer device for automatically creating an image product at a user interface. The computer device includes a display device that can display a template for an image product having an image receiving area in a user interface on a display device; and a user-interface mechanism that can allow an image to be placed in the image receiving area in the template in the user interface, wherein the display device can display a circle around the image by the display device, a handle in association with the circle by the display device, wherein the display device and the user-interface mechanism allow a user to drag the handle at least partially along the circular direction of the circle to rotate the image in the image receiving area and to drag the handle at least partially along the radial direction of the circle to change the size of the image. 
         [0008]    Implementations of the system may include one or more of the following. The display device and the user-interface mechanism can allow a user to drag and translate the image in the image receiving area to allow different portions of the image to be viewable in the image receiving area. The display device can display a delete button to allow a use to remove the image from the image receiving area by touching the delete button. The computer device can further include a computer processor that can determine the borders of the image at each orientation and position of the image, to compare the borders of the image to the borders of the image receiving area, and to select the size of the image to allow the image receiving area to be fully occupied by a portion of the image. The computer processor can select size of the image at above a minimum size such that the image receiving area is fully occupied by a portion of the image. 
         [0009]    Embodiments may include one or more of the following advantages. The disclosed systems and methods provide a flexible system and user interface to allow a user to manipulate an image in an image template for creating an image-based product. A user can easily rotate and scale an image in the image template by controlling a single feature in the user interface. Specifically, a user can drag a single handle with a mouse or a touch sensitive screen to rotate the image as well as to change the size of the image. The rotation and size-changing functions can be assisted by a guideline such as a circle around the image. 
         [0010]    In another aspect, the disclosed systems and methods provide a convenient way for a camera phone user to create and order image-based gifts for another wireless phone user without knowing the recipient&#39;s physical address. 
         [0011]    The disclosed systems and methods can significantly reduce the time and effort for a user to create a personalized image product. The disclosed systems and methods also provide a novel imaging product format that can be easily carried and shared by users. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplified format of a personalized picture strip. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2A-2F  illustrate a novel user interface for manipulating images in a picture strip. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  illustrates the flexible features for rotating and scaling the image in the user interface. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  illustrates an application of the user interface on a mobile phone. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  illustrates an application of the user interface at a web site. 
       
    
    
       [0017]    Although the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to multiple embodiments, it will be understood by persons skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and details can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplified image based product compatible with the present invention. A picture strip  100  has a convenient slender print format. The picture strip  100  can have slender dimensions of 2″×5″, 2″×6″, 1.5″ by 4″, and so on, and an aspect (length to width) ratio in the range from about 2.5:1 to about 6:1. The picture strip can be produced a photosensitive paper, a plain paper, a substrate comprising synthetic materials such as a plastic sheet, a glass sheet, and a metal substrate. The picture strip  200  is narrower and have a higher aspect ration compared to traditional 3R (3.5″ by 5″), 4R (4″ by 6″), and 5R ( 5 ″ and 7″) print formats 
         [0019]    The slender formats of the picture strip  100  make it easily carried around in a pocket, wallet, or inserted in a book or a note book. The format of the picture strip  100  is suitable for displaying a row of tiny images  111 - 115  in a group. These tiny pictures can display images captured by camera phones because some camera phones do not have large image sensors that can produce digital images at high enough resolutions for large image prints. Moreover, the users of camera phones with large image sensors may want to reduce the amount of the data wireless transferred by uploading a downsized version of the captured image to a network-based imaging system. 
         [0020]    Referring to  FIGS. 2A-2F , a user interface  200  includes a template  210  for a picture strip. The template  210  includes image receiving areas (e.g.  215 ) configured to receive images  211  and  212 . A user, for example, can use a mouse drag images  211  and  212  from different areas of the user interface into the image receiving areas in the image template  210 . A use can also double click the image area  215  which prompts the appearance of a window to allow an image to be selected. 
         [0021]    When an image such as the image  212  is selected in the template  210 , a handle  220  and a circle  230  appear in the user interface  200 . The circle  230  surrounds the image  212 . The handle  220  is positioned on the circle. A user can drag the handle  220  to move along the circular direction of the circle  230  to rotate the image  212 . As a result, the image  212  at the center of the circle  230  is rotated from the orientation shown in  FIG. 2A  to that shown in  FIG. 2B . The user can also move the image along the radial direction to enlarge or reduce the circle  230  as well as the image  212  ( FIGS. 2D and 2E ). In the present application, the term “scale” or “scaling” refers to changing the size of an image, which may include enlarging or reducing the size of the image. 
         [0022]    The directions for dragging the handle  220  are illustrated in more detail in  FIG. 3 . The image  215  can be rotated in the image receiving area  215  by dragging and moving the handle along a substantially circular direction  310 . The size of the image  215  can be changed by dragging and moving the handle along a substantially radial direction  320 . It should be noted that by dragging the handle  220  a user can rotate and scale an image at the center of the circle  230  simultaneously. The dragging of the handle  220  can be achieved by a finger touching the handle on a touch sensitive screen or using a mouse to grab the handle  220 . 
         [0023]    The user can also directly drag the image  212  to translate the image to move different portions of the image  212  into view in the template  210  ( FIGS. 2C-2F ). The user can select different images  211 ,  212  in the image template  210  to rotate, scale, and translate the better image portions in the most desirable orientation in the image receiving areas. 
         [0024]    When an image  211  or  212  is selected, the user interface  200  can also show a delete button  240  next to the selected image. A user can touch the delete button to remove the image  212  from the image receiving area  215 . 
         [0025]    In another novel aspect of the present invention, the blank gaps can be avoided in an image receiving area as an image is rotated in the image receiving area. As shown in  FIGS. 2B ,  2 C, and  2 F, the radius of the circle  230  and thus the image  212  can sometimes be scaled to be too small such as the image  212  could not fully cover the image receiving area  215 . In such cases, the disclosed system and user interface can automatically limit the minimum size of the image  212  at each orientation and position such that only image areas of the image  212  is shown in the image receiving area  215 . In other words, no blank gaps without image content are allowed to appear in the image receiving area  215  (e.g. at the corners). The process described involves determining the borders of the image at each orientation and position of the image  212 , comparing the borders of the image  212  to the borders of the image receiving area  215 , and selecting the size of the image  212  at above a minimum size such that the image receiving area  215  is fully occupied by a portion of the image  212 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  illustrates a user interface  400  on a computer device  410  having similar functions as described above. The computer device  410  can for example be a mobile device such as a smart phone.  FIG. 5  illustrates a user interface  500  on a web user interface at a web site, which can be displayed on a computer device such as a personal computer, a laptop or tablet computer, a mobile device such as a smart phone etc. The user interface  500  can include similar functions as described above. 
         [0027]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , a computer device  600  compatible with the presently disclosed methods and system can include a display device  610  such as a liquid crystal display that can display a template for an image product having an image receiving area in a user interface on a display device. A user-interface mechanism  620 , such as a mouse or a touch-sensitive screen, allows an image to be placed in the image receiving area in the template in the user interface. The display device  610  can display a circle around the image by the display device, a handle in association with the circle by the display device. The display device  610  and the user-interface mechanism  620  allow a user to drag the handle at least partially along the circular direction of the circle to rotate the image in the image receiving area and to drag the handle at least partially along the radial direction of the circle to change the size of the image. The display device  610  and the user-interface mechanism  620  allow a user to drag and translate the image in the image receiving area to allow different portions of the image to be viewable in the image receiving area. The display device  610  can display a delete button to allow a use to remove the image from the image receiving area by touching the delete button. The computer device  600  also includes a computer processor  630  that can computationally determine the borders of the image at each orientation and position of the image, to compare the borders of the image to the borders of the image receiving area and select the size of the image to allow the image receiving area to be fully occupied by a portion of the image. The computer processor  630  can select size of the image at above a minimum size such that the image receiving area is fully occupied by a portion of the image.