Patent ID: 7843581

Claim:
A method of accessing, over a network, an image album comprising a plurality of source images, wherein a representation of the image album is stored on a first server, the method comprising the steps of: downloading to a receiver, from the first server, the representation of the image album; downloading to the receiver, from the first server, reduced resolution images of the plurality of source images dependent upon the representation of the album; and at the receiver, designating one of the reduced resolution images and, if the receiver requests a high resolution image, then: sending, from the receiver to the first server, a request for a source image corresponding to one of the reduced resolution images, the first server selecting a second server from a plurality of servers storing a copy of the source image and redirecting the request to the second server; receiving, at the receiver, from the first server, a notification that the second server and the plurality of servers are off-line; the receiver sending to the first server, based on said notification, a request for delayed delivery of the source image, the first server selecting a providing server from among the second server and said plurality of servers once the providing server is on-line; and the receiver receiving, over the network from a storage device associated with the selected providing server that is located remotely from the first server, the source image corresponding to the reduced resolution version, in response to the request for delayed delivery of the source image.