Patent ID: 8589241

Claim:
A system for providing image services, comprising: an image capture device comprising: an image sensor configured for capturing images; an image memory configured for storing the captured images; a firmware memory having stored thereon a service identification number, wherein the service identification number is stored in a portion of the firmware that is only modifiable by the provider server; and a network interface connected to a communication network for electronically transferring over the communication network the stored images and the service identification number, wherein the transferring comprises the image capture device automatically accessing the firmware memory and the image memory to automatically retrieve the captured images; and an input unit coupled to the communication network for electronically communicating customer billing information to a preselected provider, the billing information corresponding to the service identification number stored in the firmware memory of the image capture device; a provider server connecting to the communication network and configured to electronically receiving receive the transferred images, the customer billing information and the service identification number, wherein the provider server uses the service identification number to access a service account that the provider server associates with the service identification number, wherein the service account comprises an electronic database that includes information indicative of the preselected image service to be applied by the provider server to received images associated with the service identification number, and wherein the provider server automatically applies the preselected image service to the received images together with the service identification number, and facilitates payment for the applied preselected image service using the customer billing information in the service account.