Patent ID: 8345105

Claim:
A system for manipulating image data, comprising: a data source configured to store one or more ancillary data files, said data source being implemented as a computer in a distributed computer network of multiple remote intercommunicating computers; an imaging device configured to capture said image data, said imaging device being physically remote from said computer; and an ancillary data module for transferring said one or more ancillary data files in an ancillary data flow from said data source directly to said imaging device for manipulating said image data, said ancillary data module performing on-line management procedures during which a system user interactively and manually utilizes said imaging device to remotely view said one or more ancillary data files that are stored on said computer, to remotely manipulate said one or more ancillary data files that are stored on said computer, to then remotely select said one or more ancillary data files that are stored on said computer, and to manually trigger a download of said one or more ancillary data files from said computer to said imaging device, said one or more ancillary data files being selected and downloaded through selection decisions that are able to be made in all instances only by said system user, said selection decisions being made in all instances prior to said download of said ancillary data files, said on-line management procedures occurring while an active bi-directional electronic communication path currently exists from said imaging device to said computer through said distributed computer network, said one or more ancillary data files including one or more image data files that said imaging device combines with said image data to create a new composite image that integrates both said image data and at least one of said ancillary data files into a single image.