`
`(12) United States Patent
`Desmond et al.
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 9,098,531 B2
`Aug. 4, 2015
`
`(54)
`
`METHOD AND APPLICATION FOR
`MANAGING DIGITAL FILES
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Christopher J. Desmond, Glen Ellyn,
`IL (US); Nancy L. Desmond, Glen
`Ellyn, IL (US); L. Michael Taylor,
`Chicago, IL (US)
`
`(73)
`
`Assignee: MemoryWeb, LLC, Glen Ellyn, IL (US)
`
`(*)
`
`Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`(21)
`
`Appl. No.: 13/157,214
`
`(22)
`
`Filed:
`
`Jun. 9, 2011
`
`(65)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`US 2012/0317111A1
`Dec. 13, 2012
`
`(51)
`
`(52)
`
`(58)
`
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`
`Int. C.
`G06F 700
`G06F 7/30
`U.S. C.
`CPC ...... G06F 17/30268 (2013.01); G06F 17/3028
`(2013.01); G06F 1730946 (2013.01); G06F
`17/30997 (2013.01)
`
`Field of Classification Search
`CPC .......... G06F 17/30268: G06F 17/3028: G06F
`17/30946; G06F 17/30998; G06F 17/30997
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`7,372,976 B2 * 5/2008 Rhoads et al. ................ 382/100
`7,480,669 B2 *
`1/2009 Lo et al. ................................ 1.1
`8, 150,844 B2 * 4/2012 Redstone et al. ............. 707/724
`2007/0282908 A1* 12/2007 Van der Meulen
`et al. .......................... TO7 104.1
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
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`Kustanowitz et al., “Motivating Annotation for Personal Digital
`Photo Libraries: Lowering Barriers while Raising Incentives”. Tech.
`Report HCIL-2004-18, U. Maryland, 2005.*
`Miller et al., “Give and take: a study of consumer photo-sharing
`culture and practice'. CHI '07 Proceedings of the SIGCHI Confer
`ence on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 347-356, 2007.*
`Ames et al., “Why we tag: motivations for annotation in mobile and
`online media'. CHI '07 Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on
`Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 971-980, ACM, 2007.*
`Yee et al., “Faceted Metadata for Image Search and Browsing”. CHI
`2003, pp. 401–408, 2003, ACM.*
`Ferre, "CAMELIS: Organizing and Browsing a Personal Photo Col
`lection with a Logical Information System”, Int. Conf. Concept Lat
`tices and Their Applications, pp. 112-123, 2007. HAL.*
`Tomasson et al., “PhotoCube: Effective and Efficient Multi-Dimen
`sional Browsing of Personal Photo Collections”, ICMR 11, 2011,
`ACM.
`Bartolini et al., “Integrating Semantic and Visual Facets for Browsing
`Digital Photo Collections”, SBED, pp. 65-72, 2009.*
`* cited by examiner
`Primary Examiner — Michael Hicks
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Nixon Peabody LLP
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`A web-based digital file storage system is disclosed. The
`storage system may include a digital file repository for storing
`and retrieving digital files, such as photos, a digital tagging
`system configured to assign digital tags to the digital files, a
`sorting system, and a user interface.
`18 Claims, 19 Drawing Sheets
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`Thumbnail Table
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`Clinton defitt FirestreW
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`July 12, 1896
`Birth:
`April 29, 1971
`Death;
`Parents: Clinton Dewitt Firestone III and Wiola Miller
`mets. He was a WWII U.S. Air force pilot and POW in WWII and veteran
`honorably discharged in December of 1947. He worked for 44 years for the
`FirestoneTire and Rubber Company in retail, wholesale and original equipment
`sales, marketing and management. He was born in Akron, OH and is buried in
`Columbiana, OH,
`
`Peter LongHorm
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`locations
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`Recipes
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`See
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`U.S. Patent
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`1.
`METHOD AND APPLICATION FOR
`MANAGING DIGITAL FILES
`
`US 9,098,531 B2
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`SCOPE OF INVENTION
`
`The present invention relates to a digital file management
`service. More particularly, the present invention relates to a
`method and application for organizing, viewing, sorting,
`notating, distributing, storing, sharing and archiving digital
`files.
`
`10
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`BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF
`INVENTION
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`Prior to the invention of digital photography, people tended
`to share photos by displaying printed copies in frames and
`albums or would store them in a container in hope of preserv
`ing these assets preserved for future use or future generations.
`Important photos would often be inscribed on the back with
`significant details (people, location, and event) to preserve the
`memory of that particular occasion. Many people would
`share their memories by assembling an album that could be
`viewed with others. Occasionally, extra copies of special
`photos may have been printed for friends, relatives, etc. Film
`slide shows were also a popular medium for sharing photo
`memories.
`With the evolution of digital files, there has been explosive
`growth in the number of individuals taking photos, making
`movies and gathering digital documents and in the sheer
`number offiles people are capturing digitally. Today, virtually
`every personal computing device contains some kind of
`photo, movie or other type of digital file.
`At the same time, there is little to no cost for people to store
`large amounts of photos in various "containers' of the mod
`35
`ern age. Facebook, Flickr, Shutterfly and countless other
`Social media and specialty digital files sites allow users to post
`and share images to a community with a frequency and ease
`that continues to feed the fire of the digital revolution.
`What is needed to complement the widespread availability
`of digital files is a medium that allows people to organize,
`view, preserve and share these files with all the memory
`details captured, connected and vivified via an interactive
`interface. Such a solution would allow digital files, including
`documents, photos, videos and audio, to tell a full story now,
`and for generations to come.
`The present disclosure relates to one or more of the follow
`ing features, elements or combinations thereof. A web-based
`digital file storage system is disclosed. The storage system
`may include a digital file repository for storing and retrieving
`digital files, such as photos, a digital tagging system config
`ured to assign digital tags to the digital files, a sorting system,
`and a user interface.
`The digital tagging system may include various types of
`data, such as a person's name, a location, a recipe, a date, a
`family relationship to the user, an event name, a rating, shar
`ing rights, file type and a document name. The sorting system
`can allow the digital files to be searched and sorted according
`to a plurality of types of data and can be used for creating and
`organizing special views. The user interface may be user
`configurable, and can present the digital files on a user's
`screen based on these user inputs.
`The digital file repository may be accessible over the Inter
`net. The Sorting system may provide a user with the ability to
`search based on a plurality of digital tags. The disclosed
`system may also provide away to track relationships between
`users, so that a family tree can be displayed.
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`Recipes may also be linked to a person's name, with, for
`example, a video and digital copy of original hand-written
`recipe to create a recipe view.
`Moreover, the digital files and data can be exported as a
`single file with the digital tagging embedded within the
`exported file.
`In another embodiment, a method of storing digital photo
`graphs is disclosed. The method may include the steps of
`storing a digital photograph in a file repository, associating a
`plurality of digital tags having different tag types with the
`digital photograph, providing a search function that permits
`searching by a plurality of digital tag types and provides a
`search result, and providing a user-configurable output to
`display the search result. The digital tag types may include,
`for example, a person's name, a location, a recipe, a date, a
`relationship, an event name, a rating, file type and a document
`type. The method may include a further step of providing
`access to the file repository via the Internet. The method may
`also allow for tracking relationships between users so that a
`family tree can be displayed.
`Additional features of the disclosure will become apparent
`to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following
`detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying
`the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently per
`ceived.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`The detailed description particularly refers to the accom
`panying figures in which:
`FIG. 1 is a screenshot of an organizational functionality
`view of one embodiment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 2 is a screenshot of a photo detail view of one embodi
`ment of the disclosed system;
`FIG.3 is a screenshot of a gallery view of an event or album
`of one embodiment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 4 is screenshot of an individual eventor album view of
`one embodiment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 5 is a screenshot of a location view of one embodi
`ment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 6 is a screenshot of a people thumbnail view of one
`embodiment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 7 is a screenshot of a people profile view of one
`embodiment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 8 is a screenshot of a family tree view of one embodi
`ment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 9 is a screenshot of a timeline view of one embodi
`ment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 10 is a screenshot of a recipe chart, according to one
`embodiment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 11 is a screenshot of an album chart view of one
`embodiment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 12 is a screenshot of an event chart view of one
`embodiment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 13 is a screenshot of a people chart view of one
`embodiment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 14 is a screenshot of a family tree chart view of one
`embodiment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 15 is a screenshot of a location chart view of one
`embodiment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 16 is a screenshot of a recipe chart view of one
`embodiment of the disclosed system;
`FIG.17 is a screenshot of a slideshow view of one embodi
`ment of the disclosed system;
`FIG. 18 is a screenshot of an advanced search filter view of
`one embodiment of the disclosed system; and
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`FIG. 19 is a screenshot of a homepage view of one embodi
`ment of the disclosed system.
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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`The presently disclosed method and application (herein
`alternatively referred to as a “system) provides users with an
`Internet-based interactive platform to gather, organize, view,
`share and archive digital files using a proprietary organization
`system and export tagging process. As used herein, the word
`“tag” refers to any type of digital data that can be assigned to
`a file to describe some aspect of that file through a tagging
`process. For images, the tagging is preferably in EXIF format.
`For videos, documents and other file formats, any appropriate
`format may be used. The disclosed system allows users to
`create, view and share digital files, which could represent, for
`example, the memories a user has collected from the past and
`present, and could incorporate additional memories for gen
`erations to come. As outlined herein, various embodiments
`are disclosed that can accomplish these and other goals.
`One disclosed embodiment includes an import feature.
`Users can import media files from users’ favorite sources
`(e.g., computers, mobile phones, social networks, etc.). If any
`meta-tag information is embedded within the media (e.g.,
`date taken and GPS coordinates), the system could automati
`cally read and utilize it for the user. Digital files, media,
`meta-tags, and other data discussed herein may be saved to
`one or more file repositories (also referred to as a database
`herein).
`In another aspect of the disclosed system, organizational
`functionality is provided. Similar to the concept of writing
`certain information “on the back of a photo, the systems
`digital tagging system and organizing feature allows a user to
`arrange large amounts of digital files with tags that can char
`acterize and document the digital file(s). Digital files can be
`individually or group organized at the same time for many
`tags including, but not limited to, a person's name, family
`relationships of the subjects to the user and between each
`40
`other (e.g., mother/father), location, date, event, album, com
`ments, document type (e.g., birth certificate, poetry), recipe,
`ranking or rating, and sharing rights. Tags can be assigned to
`a single file at a time, or to a plurality of files at once. For
`example, if a user wishes to assign the tag "grandma' to 100
`photos at once, the system provides a way for a user to select
`all 100 photos and enter the tag only once. An example of the
`manner in which digital photos can be organized is presented
`is seen in FIG. 1.
`Yet another feature is the multiple views from which a user
`can display his or her digital media files and their tagged
`attributes. Using a user interface (e.g. a keyboard, mouse, or
`touch screen), users can select individual files, groups of files
`meeting specific criteria, or all files in their account from
`which to create views. These views may alternately take the
`form of a chart. These views will be auto-populated based
`upon either tag information already associated with the digi
`tal file upon import or the tags assigned to the digital files by
`the user within the aforementioned organization functional
`ity. Each digital file can be enlarged, from any view or chart,
`by clicking an information ('i') button to show an enlarged
`version of the digital media file with all the tags that are
`assigned to that digital file, as illustrated in FIG. 2. In another
`embodiment, the user interface may be user-configurable, as
`discussed further herein.
`The following views are shown with particularity. In FIG.
`1, the gallery view allows the user to see all the digital media
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`that are associated within a group Such as an event or custom
`album. The gallery view for either events or albums is illus
`trated in FIG. 3.
`As shown in FIG. 2, an individual album or event view
`allows one to see the files associated with a specific group. For
`example, one can view the digital files that relate to a group of
`files called “Trip to Italy 2011”. The individual album or event
`view is illustrated in FIG. 4.
`A location view, as shown in FIG. 5, identifies within an
`interactive map (Google map shown as an example), where
`digital files were taken or originated. The location view can
`also provide additional outputs Such as a journey route that
`identifies the specific locations for an event or trip that can be
`customized by users.
`A people view, as shown in FIG. 6, shows thumbnail photos
`of all the people in the system that can be clicked in for a
`people profile view. A people profile view, as shown in FIG.7.
`shows a profile picture of an individual, their birth/death
`information, family relationships, overview (comments) on
`the person, as well as links to other views that contain that
`individual in the system.
`A family tree view, as shown in FIG. 8, can illustrate
`interactive family trees where one can see the family tree of an
`individual or family. If a user clicks on an individual within
`the family tree, it will take him or her to the people profile
`view of that person.
`The timeline view, as shown in FIG.9, will be an interac
`tive timeline that allows you to set ranges of digital files by
`year, month and day. The digital files shown in the timeline
`will also be interactive and if the user clicks on a digital file or
`group of digital files (e.g., event or album), the user will then
`view the information related to the digital file(s).
`A recipe view, as shown in FIG. 10, will show a recipe
`along with any digital files that are associated with it. For
`example, a cherished family recipe may show a digital copy
`of the original handwritten recipe, a photo of the family
`member who was the chef and a video of the family member
`making the recipe.
`Each of the aforementioned views may also be seen in a
`chart format view that is interactive when any item on the
`chart is clicked, the user will them be taken to a new screen
`that details all relevant digital files (and file types) for the
`clicked item.
`For album or event chart views, as shown in FIGS. 11 and
`12, the elements listed in those charts will include individuals
`who are part of each album/event, number of digital files, date
`and other pertinent information.
`A people view, shown in FIG. 13, may demonstrate all the
`names of individuals that are in the system in an alphabetical
`listing. Such a people view can also contain details on each
`person Such as the number of photos and videos that are
`associated with that person. The user can click on that person
`to pull up the profile view of the individual or click on the
`number of photos to see all the photos associated with that
`person.
`In the family tree chart view, shown in FIG. 14, family
`lineage can be viewed in multiple ways. For example, a user
`can set himself as the tree anchor and then see a tree of all
`people entered into the database related to the user. The user
`could also set a contact as the tree anchor and then just view
`the descendants of that individual.
`For a location chart view, as show in FIG. 15, listings of all
`the locations that are in the system are displayed along with
`the number of digital files, as well as names of persons asso
`ciated with each. A user can click on the location to see all the
`digital media files that are associated with a specific location.
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`A recipe chart, as shown in FIG. 16, can show recipes that
`uploaded to the system. Along with the ingredients and steps
`of each recipe, this view can identify the chef(s) name, num
`ber of photos and videos associated with each.
`For any of the views, the user can click on the digital file to
`start a slideshow feature that will allow them to scroll through
`an enlarged view of the digital file as illustrated in FIG. 17.
`Another aspect of the disclosure is the search filter. This
`filter allows users to select one or more criteria that will
`narrow down their results to just those digital files matching
`input criteria. The entire system can be filtered by, for
`example, key words (or plurality of key words), event names,
`location, people, albums, starrating, file type, document type,
`and dates. A user may filter based on more than one criterion
`at a time. To help users quickly identify digital files that may
`still need to be organized, the advanced search filter also
`allows users to isolate files that have no date, no location, no
`people, no specific date/range, no upload date information or
`are lacking any other tag.
`It should be noted that in one embodiment, searching via
`key word will search through all tagged information (user
`populated or auto-generated upon import). For example, if a
`user searched for the term “Ohio, the system would search
`for that term associated with any file in any way. If the user
`had files with Ohio as a state, file name, Street name, person’s
`name, file comment, etc., all would be retrieved.
`Settings applied in the advanced search filter can cumula
`tively carry over to any Subsequent pages until new criteria are
`selected. For example, a user can apply a filter to retrieve files
`associated with a particular person. Then the user can set a
`date range to further narrow results to show only those files
`for that selected person within the date range. Any pages
`viewed from that point forward throughout the entire site
`would only contain files associated with person and the date
`range specified. The advanced search filter is illustrated in
`FIG. 18.
`Yet another feature can be a user's homepage, as illustrated
`in FIG. 19, that can summarize the user's content within the
`system including relevant information in the system. It is
`contemplated that a user's homepage may show a Summary of
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`the total number of photos, videos, documents and audio files
`that the user has uploaded. In this embodiment, for each group
`of digital files (e.g., photos), the percent of files that has been
`organized with pertinent data Such as date, name(s) and loca
`tion can be noted. In addition, the homepage can show a list of
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`people that are in the system and the respective count for
`photos, videos, documents and audio files associated with
`each person. Also contemplated is a Summary of the events,
`albums and locations that have been entered into the system.
`The user homepage may serve as an executive Summary
`dashboard of one's entire system and can be modified to
`provide data in an executive Summary format for a user.
`Another feature is that the entire system including the
`dynamic views can be presented in a wide range of user
`outputs—e.g. on the user's computer, Smartphone or tablet
`display. The user may choose to present the digital files in any
`of the various types of ways disclosed herein. Other ways of
`outputting the files are also possible. The user can create and
`modify various sharing rights so that third parties may view
`the files and if desired, provide comments, apply tags or even
`download/copy the files for their own use.
`Still another embodiment can provide export functionality.
`Once a user has used the organization functionality to assign
`information to data file(s), a user may want to export the data
`file in its original form (e.g., jpg, .mp4, etc.) with the tags
`embedded within the digital file in the form of EXIF tags. In
`other words, a user can export his or her entire set of digital
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`files, or may choose a Subset based on keywords and tags. The
`exported digital files can include key tags and attributes users
`have assigned, and in one embodiment, Such tags and
`attributes can be embedded within the digital files. For
`example, each exported digital file may be imbedded with
`user-entered data Such as the people, location, and event
`name. This feature will allow the users to backup their files to
`another source (e.g., external computer hard drive) or to trans
`port it to another venue (e.g., another website that is used for
`viewing and/or sharing digital files Such as a social media
`website) where it can be viewed with these attributes. This
`export feature can provide users with the advantage of never
`losing key data that was stored simply because the user
`chooses to move its digital files to a new digital archiving
`system.
`A method is also disclosed. The method may include the
`steps of storing a digital file in a file repository, associating a
`plurality of digital tags having different tag types with the
`digital file, providing a search function that permits simulta
`neously searching by a plurality of digital tag types and pro
`vides a search result, and providing a user-configurable out
`put to display the search result. The digital tag types may
`include, for example, a person's name, a location, a recipe, a
`date, a relationship between individuals, an event name, a
`rating, and a document type.
`Under the disclosed method, access may be provided to the
`repository via the Internet. Relationships between users may
`also be tracked such that a family tree can be displayed. A
`recipe may also be linked to a user or person. Finally, the
`method may include the step of outputting a digital file and its
`associated digital tags into a single file.
`While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifica
`tions and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments
`thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings
`and have herein been described in detail. It should be under
`stood, however, that there is no intent to limit the disclosure to
`the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the inten
`tion is to coverall modifications, equivalents, and alternatives
`falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined
`by the appended claims.
`A plurality of advantages arises from the various features
`of the present disclosure. It will be noted that alternative
`embodiments of various components of the disclosure may
`not include all of the features described yet still benefit from
`at least Some of the advantages of Such features. Those of
`ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own imple
`mentations of a digital file organization system that incorpo
`rate one or more of the features of the present disclosure and
`fall within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
`What is claimed is:
`1. A web-based proprietary digital photograph storage and
`sharing system, the system comprising:
`a digital file repository for storing and retrieving digital
`photographs via the Internet;
`a digital tagging system coupled to the digital file reposi
`tory and configured to assign user-generated digital tags
`of arbitrary length to at least Some of the digital photo
`graphs in response to user inputs, and embed such user
`generated digital tags in the digital photographs in an
`exchangeable image file format (EXIF), wherein the
`user-generated digital tags include at least one type of
`data selected from the group consisting of a person's
`name, a location, a recipe, a date, a relationship, an event
`name, a rating, and a document type;
`a sorting system coupled to the digital file repository and
`configured to (i) conduct a first search of the digital file
`repository for digital photographs based on one or more
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`of the user-generated digital tags at a time and (ii)
`retrieve Such digital photographs from the digital file
`repository; and
`a user interface coupled to the digital file repository, the
`digital tagging system and the sorting system to display
`the digital tagging system, the sorting system and the
`retrieved digital photographs to a user, and to enable the
`user to input digital photographs to the digital file reposi
`tory, and to assign one or more of the user-generated
`digital tags to selected digital photographs stored in the
`digital file repository, the user interface being configured
`to receive a user input to display thereon one or more of
`the digital photographs stored in the file repository in a
`plurality of views including a gallery view, an album
`view, a location view, a people view, a people profile
`view, a family tree view, and a timeline view; and
`wherein in response to the user interface receiving the user
`input to display, the sorting system retrieves digital pho
`tographs from the file repository and auto-populates the
`user interface based on one or more of the user-gener
`ated digital tags such that the retrieved digital photo
`graphs are displayed on the user interface along with a
`portion of the assigned user-generated digital tags asso
`ciated with each of the displayed digital photographs
`retrieved from the digital file repository, the displayed
`digital photographs being displayed in the people view,
`the portion of the assigned user-generated digital tags
`including some, but not all, of the user-generated digital
`tags associated with each of the displayed digital pho
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`tographs,
`wherein in response to the user clicking on a first digital
`photograph of a first person displayed in the people
`view, the Sorting system auto-populates the user inter
`face with a people profile view for the first person
`including (i) a profile picture of the first person, (ii) birth
`information for the first person, (iii) family relationships
`for the first person, and (iv) one or more clickable links
`to other ones of the plurality of views that include one or
`more digital photographs of the first person;
`40
`in response to the user clicking on a displayed number of
`digital photographs associated with the first person dis
`played in the people view, the sorting system auto-popu
`lates the user interface with all of the digital photographs
`in the digital file repository associated with the first
`person, and
`wherein the digital photographs including the embedded
`user-generated digital tags can be exported from the
`web-based proprietary digital photograph storage and
`sharing system in the exchangeable image file format
`(EXIF) and transferred to a different web-based digital
`photograph storage and sharing system without losing
`the user-generated digital tags, so that the transferred
`digital photographs can be viewed in the different web
`based digital photograph storage and sharing system
`55
`along with the transferred user-generated digital tags.
`2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface orga
`nizes and presents the retrieved digital photographs based on
`the one or more of the user-generated digital tags selected by
`the user for the first search of the digital file repository.
`3. The system of cla