`
`USO06895557l3l
`
`(13)
`
`United States Patent
`Wood et al.
`
`(to) Patent No.:
`
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 6,895,557 B1
`May 17, 2005
`
`1t'2t.1t'J3 Levy ct al.
`fi,5{J5,16(,! Bl *
`2)’2f1t'J3 Boys
`I').5lfi,34G B2
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`7047271’!
`
`EP
`
`0930 774 A2
`
`7.-’ 1999
`
`.
`
`I-Il')4Nfl,"2l
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`Thilo I-Iorstrnann and Richard Bentley, “Distributed Author-
`ing on the Web with the BSCW Shared Workspace System,”
`Standard\/iew vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 9—l6, Mar. 1997.‘
`Doug Dean, 15 Seconds: Down and Dirty Browser Upload-
`ing with a VB ASP Component, pp. 1-10, Mar. 11, 1999.*
`Peter Persits, 15 Seconds: Browser—based uploading Under
`the Microscope, pp. 1-7, Nov. 21, 1998.‘
`Netscape Communications Corp, Help File of Netscape
`Composer 4.75, Copyright 1994-1998. p. 9.*
`
`* cited by examiner
`John Cabeca
`I’ririm‘r'_y Exuririner
`/i.ss:.'st:m.' Exmrtiner—Tadesse Hailu
`
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Fr'rm—Frost Brown Todd LLC
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`invention, generally speaking, provides an
`The present
`improved web-based media submission too]. As with some
`existing tools, operation of the tool is drag and drop or the
`user can "elick” to browse a directory to select media
`objects. Unlike existing tools. the tool provides the user an
`opportunity to confirm the submission,
`for example by
`generating a thumbnail image of an image [lie that has been
`dragged and dropped. Batch subruission is provided for in
`which at user drags and drops a plurality ol‘ images or other
`media obj eets. Submission from a web page to a web page
`is also provided for. The submission tool is configurable to
`perform a variable amount of intellegent preprocessing on
`media objects prior to upload. In the case of digital images,
`the tool can perform sizing and Formatting. for example.
`Information capture is performed with information being
`uploaded together with the media objects. In an exemplary
`embodiment, information capture is both uscr—transparent
`(e.g., user ID andfor password) and user-visible (e.g., the
`user can provide captions for media objects). The submis-
`sion of information about
`the user and the media objects
`facilitates automatic integration of the media objects within
`existing databases.
`
`74 Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets
`
`(54)
`
`(75)
`
`WEB-BASED MEDIA SUBMISSION TOOL
`
`Inventors: Lisa T. Wood, Danville, CA (US);
`Scott M. Lewis, Danville, (‘A (US);
`Robin T. Fried, Berkeley, CA (US)
`
`(73)
`
`Assignee:
`
`II’lX Corporation, San Ramone, CA
`(US)
`
`(‘J
`
`Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term ofthis
`patent is extended or adjusted under 3.5
`U.S.C. 154(1)) by 0 days.
`
`(31)
`
`(22)
`
`(51)
`(52)
`
`(58)
`
`(56)
`
`Appl. No; 09,357,836
`
`Iiiled:
`
`Jul. 21, 1999
`
`Int. CL?
`U.S. CI.
`
`G09G 5700
`7151744; 7157748; 7157769;
`7077102; 7097236
`7077'}, ll], 3, 4,
`..
`Field of Search
`70772, 100, iiii, "513, 523, 10]; 3455418,
`473. 759, 770, 744; 2097219, 246, 232;
`3897305
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`Johnson ctal.
`3f1‘J9i
`.5,0E11,I528 A
`7.-"1994 McDonald
`5,327,265 A
`‘#1995 Shaugtinessy
`5,555,388 A
`1071997 Cahill el al.
`5,678,046 A
`6.-"1998 Sheridan
`5,760,917 A
`631998 Murakztmi et al.
`5_,761,=1-G4 A
`771998 Vanderpool el al.
`5,781,773 A *
`8.-"1998 Kranc
`5.7‘)‘),[]t‘)3 A
`971998 Johnson etztl.
`5,813,009 A
`.5,31‘J_.032 A * 11371993 De Vries el :11.
`5,845,299 A " 12.31998 Arora cl al.
`5.890.170 A “
`3.-"l'.§'9'3' Sidana
`6_.(J12_.Uo8 A *
`172000 Boezeman et al.
`5,017,157 A
`l.w’2U(|l'} C-arlinkle et al.
`6,028,603 A "‘
`2t’20(Jl.3 Wang ct al.
`6,035,323 A *
`3t’2fltJt.} Naraycn ct al.
`tJ__2[l2_.0()l Bl
`"‘
`3.n’2U'FIl Khosla etal.
`(>.3t1I.6tt7 B2 * lUf2t1t'J1 Barracloitgh et. al.
`9,381,020
`*
`472002 Tipirnerti
`6_.48‘J_.98(J Bl
`"'
`l2.u"2UU2 Scott ct al.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`
`
`3t’:4;’2t'!(I
`.. 358;-‘S27
`.. 3957427
`39:‘-rote
`358;-‘*1-42
`3957182
`3957611
`
`7U7;‘lt]t]
`7097250
`7U7,n‘5l3
`.. 707;-‘S01
`7077104
`. 396,639
`. 345t35tJ
`. 7ttUf2tJ1
`70773
`'mw2o-4
`35811.14
`345;-‘SS4
`
`HOIHBS
`
`nutter 8-an-teen
`Gatling some Said Phoiu Homes
`
`Fnonchg omrauming nu.
`
`Todufs Rates
`M5: Adel-:9 Photos to your filings
`so-rm nut!
`8.4-3
`‘I5-‘raw Find
`Ge'|.beIlHexpoun|nrymrlbtiIg:hyhduflIgIunap1ehIIao1fl|e
`Itafcfll
`prlpartyt It: us}! but locate IIIII ldw Ill your mnpu
`5.58
`‘l-¥u' «lad sidiu
`¥“ilPl'|o1oI.:IIdItwItlogl|Iuni1tt:lhebemea
`-flufiuldmuqamlu
`Filatos
`mapmmpumwnmnmmmuomdueefinn
`mum.
`
`'
`
`IEIEEIE E ITEEIIEEE
`
`ttrugflieln
`Ham
`
`Dmnflloio
`Ham
`
`Drogfltoto
`tiara
`
`Hijtijlls
`hieumlnflmefl
`tkliapueuuljzrouraiti
`Ptoooosandmyutr
`
`MH
`
`ornaa:RoteTrui:|oi'sA |-HIM "I'M
`Receive tree e—Inul inflates
`
`
`
`0001
`
`Apple/Twitter
`Apple/Twitter
`Ex. 1024
`Ex. 1024
`IPR4 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,765,482
`IPR4 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,765,482
`
`0001
`
`
`
`Bonn.9.5
`
`So:
`
`E
`
`E.
`
`_E_
`
`fig
`
`EE
`
`WMHHHHHMHHHHHHHHHHHHHHM2;55
`
`..:o:.5
`
`
`
`..m3o._n_vcom.ofixo__o=2:2.632358.8cozacoo>=n__bmuu
`
`
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 17, 2005
`
`Sheet 1 of 5
`
`US 6,895,557 B1
`
`8
`
`
`
`.o.u«w<\>Eo:3.Q
`
`wcnammao
`
`
`
`
`
`2:Bmmcauaosomu.._2__2_3macaw:50x.88:8988:3woo
`
`
`
`....._.__s.§._3.aE8=8»8.6282:282$2.38»m:5.353
`
`
`
`o32mm.so_Bmean2.:.35E2:3...:2:new$3935%
`
`
`
`Em:mc_mo_oa8:0m_.__ococ_.._
`
`88o:
`
`mesanew_8t3m5:8
`
`mootzow._3_aom
`
`moEoI
`
`mo::m__.50»8.8.25?_2:.
`
`$2.855.57%
`
`
`
`8.3.m..€_vo»
`
`
`
`.$Eo_._8«.28.»;
`
`33So3?»3%one;o;
`
`So»maucmmomoo_n_
`
`._8€o£
`
`2.__w__.§=
`
`E9_oo¢Bumu.25...
`
`
`
`.E.....8%5,19
`
`
`
`§.no_._2m%<5&1
`
`
`
`
`
`8::mmEo>o_o:o_.oz..
`
`aaggaaag
`
`0002
`
`
`
`
`
`«$89..6810outozooom
`
`0002
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 17,2005
`
`Sheet 2 of 5
`
`US 6,895,557 B1
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`2:38o.$2.swanEH.8393c9__2__2__E95:52.8..832.5522.“mum._._o323u_._.3.E0:.30»ho3o.._ao9__%<9__888n_omen:.235
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`2:3:_wsofi5»2%2%55use.m3o_E50>mc_=_3=oo.33585%:0
`
`
`
`
`
`$282:332G2.swamm:imsncaotsmcRE.E3_5%to:2.»28¢
`
`
`
`
`
`.__o=3:omo.av2oE_coca25uocBE8on:5mogofio5..;o_2_moxon
`
`;o.>E_=o._._=mo9__%<
`
`
` n).E$:o3o._3uE29.53.5onus:.355
`
`
`
`2:3:.22...o9%:2:was.52350>m=_:_3=ou.2258.52so.622
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
` «$25a8_om220:is©
`
`.323.8;
`
`
`
`oocozaov@956co.~3D
`
`wamsvcnotzm
`
`0003
`
`
`
`
`
`cocozaov$920main.Sn.~..o=zo_n_
`
`0003
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 17, 2005
`
`Sheet 3 of 5
`
`US 6,895,557 B1
`
`$35.3225.cofioomm<mEu:oE3S:o£o>...:m
`
`
`.8.19.325.3\.So:Swm.o
`
`m=.:._mme‘
`
`cmmfifinomcaxmcuficmucucu
`
`56.5%no25=o.cE....cm.u.e
`
`
`
`.§....£mt3m.E.£.....m.o
`
`535Qs.§:m.....o
`
`US.6ouEQ
`
`use\CEoo.Eo..
`
`m:.5.m.nouEu2...<....«E.3U5023.5muEu2.ufi
`
`m.uE~mBu..w
`
`Q.uEqEm.=mQ
`
`\DEoo.E£m$&uQ
`
`5...:bflocb«E
`5«FREEBa
`
` 252....8.:es.
`
`
`
`..uuuEo_:..~\o.c:oouuuEa=l
`
`
`
`
`
`»mmuE~m.Bu.wSmmuE..=0mm<cu.wcozucéwuufiwmxuum
`
`-0....0.095
`
`oE.E8G
`
`
`
`msQ§Qm.%.._.:ban
`
`
`
`3%.».2:Sch
`
`3.3B:o.co..Sm:..
`
`baaomox
`
`
`
`
`
`u:.Sm.nog£o9o§E36onmet\Eo..omh.§6I3.5%goxoohczogmxuon
`
`aGE
`
`3.5%no§8..§mam\Eo.aub.c6I3.5%
`
`
`
`.bE.$_...5
`
`
`
`...t.t.t..22.58S2:9.m=.Em
`xtaeq
`
`goB.2.x£
`
`IE.....Ik0
`
`
`
`......oE~&S«SE8.55xtmqogo.
`
`«mos...SS.§..m
`
`
`
`
`
`u:.E.m.moufiozuuuz...Sch2:9.3.5m ‘>9:
`muoE..ms$88ea XOQCO...»
`
`0004
`
`0004
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 17,2005
`
`Sheet 4 of 5
`
`US 6,895,557 B1
`
`.$:oo.<u.fi&§En:m. 252vector:».mm=umk£no\§En:.w32.5mgugmcaécozocax
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`bcaomnm.oobkuwmmoE.ra..u.&o_..£atuo5o..bm:
`
`
`
`
`
`
`328\U@k...u%®.3..u....mu.:¢.av.m.ooQD.~m:.cE
`
`..%$_§.._goLmot...Esm«<258.5%
`
`
`
`
`Eozmmoqgmztua.u:.$mav.bg9..mm.oQ
`
`
`
`
`Q3.BS.6n”.uc.Em3.QtombumESo...26
`
`2:sboumsot.
`
`ma6&whenESE
`
`ms.:xammoooam
`
`M‘Seen
`
`53.?OLMNIQOC
`
`mc.Em..umc9Cum.
`
`.383o5.
`
`
`
`e:._.Euxuonce
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Sotau.o.E.oqbnN.bb<..&.comficwm<mbooqo
`
`mmmgbboQN§.._E....8a..uc.£mfix$55:
`
`
`
`
`
`been8£E..m:.Em.aw.oEa:.oE
`
`
`
`
`
`...EsmQ9§....Eo3...§.:303.5:2:58bwmb.52.3%av.Q~q=o.Go.8o2
`
`
`
`
`
`Eofim.m.N.gameteno?...m...._._£nob£uu.wo..q
`
`c...s2£atE:2mo:u;ommu.%m3.
`
`
`
`flue.»mum..m=.Sm.atEmma
`
`
`
`flutemww..m=.5.m.3‘Woman
`
`3.5%atmomma
`
`0005
`
`
`
`..8e.....£§.=8u%mo.so§m
`
`
`
`
`
`m:.t...wmum:.Sm~u~tmEumm£.cmw..~t§gmm
`
`
`
`
`
`$9..«SE...Exact
`
`m=.Em
`
`SvGE
`
`
`
`.£5..oo..\Cmm.50:
`
`
`
`.2:m:.B~:ou9.2%
`
`taEmQE
`
`comboEzoo‘N
`
`.§s8%..E§E%m
`
`htuqogq
`
`0005
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`May 17, 2005
`
`Sheet 5 of 5
`
`US 6,895,557 B1
`
`
`
`
`
`$q.tomQC£QEoxmmmomb
`
`
`
`._.uuoE.»mu.§30.30ouoE..o£«Bu.»3mmGww.oN.QmmcE~£oo.w.~ouoE~mogQnmEu2£EQEu.
`
`‘chemoES3&Em:Ew¥mm:uuto.._om§..E§m.cmficotxqbutammg
`
`
`
`9?GE
`
`3QCvatm...GE
`
`
`
`EmQE22:£m<mb.m\.QQEm§mQ.n.omuE~mP.Q_.n.umm«b
`
`._46«Eb8.5mm.
`
`.mmm.fin<&
`
`figozmmcm
`
`.9233
`
`.mEc2£.Eo.E£
`
`
`
`...§§.E.32.m..:.t
`
`.:3oomuoE..
`
`§oooo_.~
`
`Woman
`
`.33
`
`0006
`
`0006
`
`
`
`1
`WEB-BASED MEDIA SUBMISSION TOOL
`
`US 6,895,557 B1
`
`2
`existing tools, operation of the tool is drag and drop or the
`user can “click” to broWse a directory to select media
`objects. Unlike existing tools, the tool provides several
`unique and valuable functions. For example, the tool pro
`vides the user an opportunity to con?rm the submission With
`a visual representation, for example by generating a thumb
`nail image of the rich media ?le that has been selected.
`Additionally, batch submission is provided to alloW a user to
`drag and drop or select a plurality of images or other media
`objects. Submission from a Web page to a Web page is also
`provided for. Even more importantly, the submission tool is
`con?gurable to perform a variable amount of intelligent
`preprocessing on media objects prior to upload. In the case
`of digital images, the tool can perform siZing and formatting,
`for example. Information capture is performed With infor
`mation being uploaded together With the media objects. In
`an exemplary embodiment, information capture is both
`user-transparent (e.g., user ID and/or passWord) and user
`visible (e.g., the user can provide captions for media
`objects). The submission of information about the user and
`the media objects facilitates automatic integration of the
`media objects Within existing databases.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
`
`The present invention may be further understood from the
`folloWing description in conjunction With the appended
`draWing. In the draWing:
`FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary Web page providing
`media object acquisition functions;
`FIG. 2 is a diagram of another exemplary Web page
`providing image acquisition functions;
`FIG. 3 is a table pertaining to a ?rst portion of the Prepare
`and Post component design; and
`FIG. 4 is a table pertaining to a second portion of the
`Prepare and Post component design.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRFERRED
`EMBODIMENTS
`
`The folloWing describes the Prepare and PostTM tools,
`Which prepares and submits media objects from inside a
`standard broWser, referred to as the ?rst location, to a second
`location or server. The media objects may be pictures
`(images), movies, videos, graphics, sound clips, etc.
`Although in the folloWing description the submission of
`images is described in greatest detail, the same principles
`apply equally to media obejcts of all descriptions.
`The Prepare and Post tools refers to broWser-side com
`ponents Which together provide the ability to submit and
`transport media objects over the Web to be stored and served.
`Using the Prepare and Post tools, end users can submit
`images in an immediate, intuitive manner. No technical
`sophistication is required. In particular, understanding tech
`nical terms such as JPEG, resolution, pixel, kilobyte, trans
`fer protocol, IP address, FTP etc., is not required, since the
`Prepare and Post tools handles all of these tasks for the user.
`The bene?ts of the Prepare and Post tool are:
`a) to the image submitter, the ability to submit media
`objects to Web pages immediately Without needing to
`overcome technical obstacles;
`b) to the image submitter, the ability to submit media
`objects to Web pages “as is” Without making modi?
`cations to the media objects prior to sending.
`c) to PictureWorks Web site partner, access to a uniform,
`standardiZed, reliable and secure channel for media
`acquisition;
`
`15
`
`25
`
`The present application is related by subject matter to
`US. application Ser. No. 09/440,461, now US. Pat. No.
`6,732,162.
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`1. Field of the Invention
`The present invention relates to the handling, manipula
`tion and processing of digital content and more particularly
`to the transportation and Internet publishing of digital
`content, particularly image media objects and rich media.
`2. State of the Art
`Much of the phenomenal success of the Web is attribut
`able to its graphical nature. Literally, a picture is Worth a
`thousand Words. The capture of digital images has become
`routine, using digital cameras and scanners. Nevertheless,
`although the handling of images by Website creators has
`achieved a high degree of automation, for the average
`technology user (the “imaging civilian”), manipulating and
`sharing digital images over the Internet remains a cumber
`some and daunting process. Piecemeal solutions that have
`been devised for handling digital images require a level of
`sophistication that is beyond that of the ordinary user. For
`example, transferring a digital image may require ?rst
`doWnloading a FTP program, then installing it, then running
`it and connectting to an FTP server by typing the server
`name in the connection dialog, then navigating to the proper
`subdirectory, selecting the ?les to be uploaded, making sure
`that the program is in binary transfer mode, then sending the
`?les. For the imaging civilian, such an involved process can
`be daunting to say the least.
`Additionally, as technologies advance and casual users
`begin to experiment With other media objects, such as
`streaming video, 3D objects, slide shoWs, graphics, movies,
`and even sound ?les that accompany imaging data, the
`processes required to share these rich media types on the
`Internet becomes exponentially more complicated and pro
`hibitive. As the realiZation of the Internet as an interactive,
`content rich medium becomes more and more a reality, the
`need for enabling the use and distribution of rich content and
`media on the Internet Will become the gating factor to its
`long term success.
`Abroad-based solution to the foregoing problem requires
`a Web-based media submission tool that alloWs for submis
`sion of media objects in a convenient, intuitive manner. A
`company named Caught in the Web, has attempted to create
`45
`a broad-based media submission tool knoWn as “ActiveU
`pload”. ActiveUpload alloWs an arbitrary ?le to be dragged
`and dropped onto a Web page control for upload to the Web
`server. An ActiveUpload control alloWs users to, Without
`leaving a Web page, transfer ?les to a server (Internet or
`intranet) by selecting the ?les on the user’s desktop that the
`user Wants to transfer, then dragging them onto the Web
`page. For example, a user, having visited a Web page, can
`contribute pictures, documents, Zip ?les, etc., Without hav
`ing to leave the Web page and use an FTP program. Standard
`Web authoring tools can be used to integrate ActiveUpload
`into Web pages and change the behavior of the control.
`Although Caught in the Web’s ActiveUpload tool simpli
`?es the user experience, it does little toWard furthering
`“backend” automation in the handling and distribution of
`media objects and has no built in “intelligence” to streamline
`the process of handling and transporting rich media objects
`from the front end.
`
`40
`
`55
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention, generally speaking, provides an
`improved Web-based media submission tool. As With some
`
`0007
`
`
`
`US 6,895,557 B1
`
`3
`d) to PictureWorks Web site partner, access to contributed
`media “made to order”, it meets their imaging speci
`?cations every time Without human intervention;
`e) to PictureWorks Web site partner, the ability to provide
`Web site visitors With an easy, error free Way to
`contribute media;
`f) to PictureWorks Web site partner, access to contributed
`media in “real time” With no time delays.
`The tWo primary components used in the Prepare and Post
`tools Which carry out these functions are 1) the media object
`identi?er and 2) the media sender.
`In general, the media object identi?er functions to provide
`a graphical interface for placing and associating a media
`object from a user’s desktop onto a Web page. The media
`sender carriers out the function of transmitting media objects
`to a second location.
`There are tWo Ways media objects on the ?rst location
`become associated With a media object identi?er. The ?rst is
`through a “drag and drop” behavior Where the user clicks on
`a media object to select the one they Want to submit. The
`media object is then dragged to the media object identi?er.
`Releasing the mouse button associates the media object With
`the media object identi?er. This behavior is alloWed in Web
`broWsers that support drag and drop functionality. The
`Prepare and Post tools enable these broWsers to accept
`media objects via drag and drop by providing the media
`object identi?er as an ActiveX component.
`The second Way to associate a media object on the ?rst
`location With the media object identi?er is to click on the
`media object identi?er to broWse for media objects, then
`select the media object of choice. This method is made
`available for Web broWsers Where the media object identi?er
`needs to be a pure Java component. (Such “signed applet
`broWers” like Netscape Navigator) In this instance, the user
`may be asked to choose a media object in a similar manner
`as When choosing a ?le to be opened, either by graphical
`navigation or by specifying a path name. For example, a
`prompt associated With the media object identi?er may be
`displayed prompting the user to click Within the media
`object identi?er. Clicking Within the media object identi?er
`brings up a broWse dialog. Using the broWse dialog, the user
`selects the desired media object, Which is then placed in the
`media object identi?er. The Prepare and Post tools Will
`generate a visual representation or thumbnail of the media
`object, a feature currently not available in signed applet
`broWsers.
`Real estate is an eXample of a prime application of the
`Prepare and Post tools. “Curb appeal” is of great importance
`in the realty industry and can only be judged by “drive-bys,”
`Which are time-consuming and laborious, or by the avail
`ability of images. The Prepare and Post tools make real
`estate images readily available With a minimal amount of
`effort.
`Referring to FIG. 1, an eXample is shoWn of a realty Web
`page featuring the described Prepare and Post tools func
`tionality. The user associates images With a media object
`identi?er via the methods described above and selects appro
`priate captions for the images, e.g., living room, family
`room, etc. The captions may be typed in or selected from
`menus. The user also supplies identifying information, in
`this instance the MLS listing number. When the user clicks
`the Send button, the images are uploaded and processed
`
`15
`
`25
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`55
`
`65
`
`4
`immediately according to the con?guration of the Prepare
`and Post tools.
`The Prepare and Post tools also support a batch interface,
`alloWing a plurality of images to be submitted simulta
`neously as in the case of a professional photographer, for
`eXample. The opportunity for user con?rmation is again
`provided, e.g., by displaying a visual representation of the
`images in the batch.
`If a mistake is made such that the Wrong image is placed
`in a media object identi?er, the correct image may be placed
`in the media object identi?er. The correct image Will replace
`the mistaken image. Alternatively, the user may remove an
`image from a media object identi?er by right-clicking on the
`media object identi?er and selecting Remove Within a
`resulting pop-up menu.
`Note that any number of media object identi?ers may be
`provided on a Web page and that the media object identi?ers
`may be separate or grouped. This is evident in FIG. 2. The
`number of media object identi?ers provided on a page can
`be pre-con?gured and ?xed, alloWing no user intervention,
`or the media object identi?ers can be generated dynamically,
`alloWing the user to determine hoW many media object
`identi?ers they need for media submission. FIG. 2 shoWs a
`Web page With various siZes of media object identi?ers. If a
`media object identi?er is separate, its image Will be trans
`mitted separately to the second location. If an media object
`identi?er is part of a group, its image Will be transmitted to
`the second location as part of a group of images that are
`stored together and cataloged together. Media object iden
`ti?ers that are associated together as a group are noted as
`such in the Web page interface and transparently in the media
`object identi?er object code. Moreover, a Web page may
`have multiple groups of media object identi?ers, or “groups
`of groups.”
`The usefulness of images is greatly enhanced by capturing
`and identifying information about the images and submitting
`the identifying information With the images. Information
`may be image-speci?c, user-speci?c or both. The submis
`sion of information about the user and the media objects
`facilitates automatic integration of the media objects Within
`eXisting databases. Information capture may be overt or
`covert or both. This unique automatic database integration
`enables the images to be served With the proper Web page
`data. Overt information capture relies upon the user to make
`menu selections of appropriate captions as illustrated in FIG.
`1, or to make teXt entries Within teXt ?elds, or both. The
`Prepare and Post tools are easily customiZed to accept menu
`selections and teXt ?elds for different applications. Covert
`information capture occurs by having the Web broWser
`automatically pass to the Prepare and Post tools knoWn
`information such as a user ID or, passWord used to access the
`Web page.
`A key differentiator of the Prepare and Post tools is the
`broWser, or client-side intelligence built into the tools. This
`intelligence directly provides features including those
`already outlined such as associating data With media objects,
`generating a visual representation of the media objects and
`generating media object identi?ers dynamically or in a
`pre-set manner. Other features are also provided via this
`intelligence, speci?cally, the ability to control the Width and
`height of the media object identi?er and the ability to
`
`0008
`
`
`
`US 6,895,557 B1
`
`5
`preprocess the media objects in any number of Ways prior to
`transporting to a second location. In the case of an image
`media object for example, the Prepare and Post tools may
`resiZe the image, (i.e., increase or decrease its siZe as de?ned
`by either physical dimensions, pixel count, or kilobytes).
`Compression, for example, is a type of siZing. The Prepare
`and Post tools may also change the image’s ?le format (a
`Way of a media object being identi?ed as to a “type” or
`“kind” of media), change the quality setting of the image,
`crop the image or change the aspect ratio, add text or
`annotations, encode or combine (including stitching) the
`media object, or enhance the media object by changing
`image values, for example, relating to contrast or saturation.
`This intelligence may be executed in a manner that is
`transparent to the end user. This transparency alloWs the end
`user to submit media to the Prepare and Post tools “as is,”
`since the tools Will automatically prepare it to meet the
`requirements of the second location. Note that, although
`image submission may involve client-side processing, image
`processing is not required.
`The Prepare and Post tools are available for customers to
`integrate into their oWn Web pages. The Prepare and Post
`tools are easily integrated into Web sites (customers) to
`alloWs those sites to accept media objects from Web site
`visitors (users). Appendix A is a generic HTML HostTem
`plate illustrating hoW Prepare and Post components are
`integrated into a Web page. The HTML template ?le (Which
`is a complete Working example) contains instructions and a
`feW small code snippets that the customer pastes into the
`Web page. Integrating the Prepare and Post components
`requires an InitialiZation Section, a Con?guration Section,
`an ImageWell (media object identi?er) Section, a Submis
`sion Section and an ImageUpIJoad Control Section. To
`include the Prepare and Post tools media object identi?ers
`on a Web page, the customer cuts and pastes code snippets
`for these sections from the template into the Web page.
`The InitialiZation Section consists of a feW lines of
`J avaScript code that Will doWnload all of the needed Prepare
`and Post submission components.
`The Con?guration Section overrides various con?gurable
`default settings that the customer can control. In the Con
`?guration Section, the media object identi?er component is
`siZed and con?gured to perform any preprocessing of the
`image that may be desired prior to upload. Con?gurable
`parameters include both ?xed values for all submissions (per
`submission values) and ?xed values for all images Within a
`submission (per image values), as Will be explained pres
`ently.
`Fixed values for all submissions include DefaultImage
`Width and DefaultImageHeight, as Well as include Default
`ControlWidth and DefaultControlHeight. The former
`specify the default Width and height of the images after they
`have been compressed for transmission. The latter specify
`the default Width and height of all media object identi?ers.
`To create media object identi?ers having different siZes, the
`customer speci?es the desired siZe When creating the media
`object identi?er. Another ?xed value for all submissions is
`Quality. This determines the quality level of the images after
`they have been compressed for transmission (0 is the loWest
`quality/highest compression and 100 is the highest quality/
`loWest compression).
`Fixed values for all media objects Within a submission
`include Keyl and Key2. Keyl is the primary value that
`determines the ?lename of the resulting image ?le and,
`consequently, its URL. It is important that each submitted
`
`10
`
`15
`
`25
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`55
`
`65
`
`6
`image have a unique name to prevent one image from
`overWriting another. Key2 is an optional secondary key that
`is appended to Keyl before the image’s ?lename and URL
`are created. While default values for Keyl and Key2 can be
`speci?ed in the con?guration section, more likely this value
`Will be supplied from a ?eld in the Web form. If the Web page
`form contains a control named “Keyl,” then its value Will be
`used for this key. For example, the ?eld Keyl might be
`labeled as “MLS Number” on the Web page. Similarly, the
`?eld KeyZ-might be labeled “Zip Code” on the Web page. A
`sequence number is appended to the Key1/Key2 combina
`tion. When there are multiple media object identi?ers on a
`page, this Will ensure that each image has a unique key.
`All media object identi?ers on a Web page must be
`contained Within an HTML form. A single line of J avaScript
`code is inserted into the Web page (Within the HTML form)
`in each place Where a media object identi?er is desired. The
`Media object identi?er Section can specify the Width and
`height for each media object identi?er. If the Width and
`height are omitted, then the default Width and heigth from
`the Con?guration Section are used.
`The Submission Code Section contains HTML code that
`creates the button that submits both the images to the second
`locations and the form to the customer’s server. Within the
`Submission Code Section, an HTML “href” parameter is
`required for the Send Button that causes the images to be
`sent. After the images have been sent, the Web page form
`Will be submitted in the standard manner. The form must
`de?ne tWo hidden ?elds named “url” and imagecount.” The
`imagecount ?eld Will contain the number of images actually
`transmitted. In an exemplary embodiment, the URL for
`images 2 through “n” are generated by replacing the initial
`sequence number at the end of the returned URL With the
`desired image number.
`The ImageUpload Control Section holds a small piece of
`JavaScript code that is placed at the very end of the body
`section of the Web page. This code creates the non-visible
`Image Upload control, or media sender, that performs the
`transfer of images from the user’s machine to the second
`location.
`The Prepare and Post components support multiple
`broWsers and dynamically adjust their behavior according to
`the type of broWser that is currently running. For example,
`under supported versions of Microsoft’s broWsers, media
`object identi?ers are implemented as ActiveX controls,
`While under supported Netscape broWsers, media object
`identi?ers are implemented as Java Applets. This multiple
`broWser support is completely automatic.
`FIGS. 3 and 4 present further details of the media object
`identi?er and media sender components, respectively.
`From the foregoing description, it Will be appreciated that
`the present media submission tool, besides offering conve
`nience to the end user, offers convenience and ?exibility to
`technology partners. In particular, Web page integration is
`designed to facilitate automatic server-side integration of
`media content.
`It Will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that
`the present invention can be embodied in other speci?c
`forms Without departing from the spirit or essential character
`thereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore
`considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restric
`tive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended
`claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes
`Which come Within the meaning and range of equivalents
`thereof are intended to be embraced therein.
`
`0009
`
`
`
`US 6,895,557 B1
`
`APPENDIX A
`
`HostTernplate generic.htrn
`
`<!__********************************************* Begin Initialization Section __>
`<!——***** This section of code must appear at
`——>
`<!——***** the beginng of the <HEAD> section of
`——>
`<!——***** your Web page. Copy this code and
`——>
`<!——***** paste it directly into your Web page.
`——>
`<SCRIPT type=“teXt/javascript” src=“http://157.22.134.49/cornpany/pWtcornponents.js”> </SCRIPT>
`<SCRIPT type=“teXt/javascript” src=“http://157.22.134.49/cornpany/cornpany.js”> </SCRIPT>
`<y__********************************************* End Initialization Section __>
`</HEAD>
`<BODY>
`
`<!——** ** * This section of code must appear
`<! —— * * * * * anyWhere after the initialization
`
`<! —— * * * * * section (above), and before the
`<!——** ** * the <FORM> that contains the image
`<!——***** Wells.
`
`——>
`——>
`
`——>
`——>
`——>
`
`——>
`——>
`
`——>
`
`<! —— * * * * * This section de?nes data values
`<!——***** needed by the image Wells. You can
`<!——** ** * modify these values to suit ——>
`<!——***** your needs.
`<SCRIPT Language=“Javascript”>
`PWT. Keyl = “narne-your-irnage here”;
`PWT. Key2 = “ ”;
`PWT. Quality = 93;
`PWT. DefaultIrnageWidth = 640;
`PWT. DefaultIrnageHeight = 480;
`PWT. DefaultControlWidth = 326;
`PWT. DefaultControlHeight = 246;
`</SCRIPT>
`
`// If the <FORM> contains ?elds narned ‘ Keyl ’
`// & ‘ KeyZ’ their values Will be used.
`
`// Includes a 3 piXel border
`// Include a 3 piXel border
`
`<FORM>
`This sample displays a Working irnage Well.
`
`<!——***** This code creates an image Well on
`<!——** ** * the Web page. While this template
`<!——** ** * only contains a single image Well,
`<!——***** you can use as many as you like.
`<!——***** Copy this code into your Web page
`<! —— * * * * * anyWhere Within your <FORM> Where
`<!——***** you Want an image Well to appear.
`<SCRIPT Language=“Javascript”>
`PWT. addirnagecontrol( );
`
`——>
`——>
`——>
`——>
`——>
`——>
`——>
`
`// or “PWT.addirnagecontrol(640,480);” to override
`// the default Width and height.
`
`</SCRIPT>
`
`<BR>
`This teXt is after the image Well.
`
`<!——***** You can use any type of button you
`<!——***** Wish, but rather than it being a
`<!——***** standard SUBMIT button, it must
`<!——***** instead contain the parameter:
`
`onclick=“PWT.Subrnit( )”
`
`<!--*****
`<!__*****
`<!--***** (as shoWn in the example beloW).
`<!——***** After the images have been sent,
`<!——***** your Web page FORM Will be submitted
`<!——***** in the standard rnanner.
`
`<!——***** Your FORM rnust de?ne tWo hidden
`<!——***** ?elds narned “url” & “irnagecount”
`<!——***** (see examples beloW). The “url”
`<!——***** ?eld Will be populated With the
`<!——***** resulting URL of the ?rst (or only)
`<!——***** irnage submitted, and the “irnagecount”
`<!——***** ?eld Will contain the number of
`<!——***** irnages actually transrnitted. The URL
`<!——***** for images 2 thru n can be generated
`<!-—***** by replacing the initial sequence
`<!--***** number (which Will alWays be “1”)
`<!——***** at the end of the returned URL With
`
`——>
`——>
`——>
`——>
`
`——>
`——>
`——>
`——>
`——>
`——>
`
`——>
`——>
`——>
`——>
`——>
`——>
`——>
`——>
`——>
`
`——>
`——>
`
`0010
`
`
`
`US 6,895,557 B1
`
`9
`
`APPENDIX A-continued
`
`HostTemplate generic.htm
`
`10
`
`—>
`<!——**