WO2008072907A1

WO2008072907A1 - Method for digital photo printing order, and method and system for digital photo printing service

Info

Publication number: WO2008072907A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/006495
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sung-Kyoung Kim
Original assignee: Sung-Kyoung Kim
Priority date: 2006-12-13
Filing date: 2007-12-13
Publication date: 2008-06-19
Also published as: KR20080077035A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a digital photo printing order method, and digital photo printing service system and method. According to an aspect of the present invention, a digital photo printing service method includes receiving an original digital image and printing order information which includes printing options and edit options to be applied to the original digital image; selecting a printer for printing the image by analyzing the printing order information; sending the original digital image and the printing order information to the selected printer; performing an image processing at the selected printer, which converts the original digital image by applying the edit options and the printing options; and printing the converted digital image onto a printing paper at the selected printer, and outputting the print. The user can confirm the edited images using a consumer terminal, without having to process the original digital image and the original background image. Since there is no need to transmit the background image of the mass storage between the consumer terminal and the printing order service system, the network load can be reduced.

Description

METHOD FOR DIGITAL PHOTO PRINTING ORDER, AND METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DIGITAL PHOTO PRINTING

SERVICE

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a digital photo printing order method, and digital photo printing service system and method. Background Art

[2] Recently, digital photo printing service is gradually increasing, which prints digital images uploaded over the Internet and sends the printed images by home-delivery service. In the past, users needed to give the film of a general camera to a photo shop and go back to the photo shop to get the printed photos. Using an Internet photo printing service, the user only has to upload digital images taken using a digital camera to a photo printing service site over the Internet, select and order his/her favorite photos. The images selected in the photo printing service site are printed and then delivered to the home.

[3] The conventional Internet photo printing service has provided the simple services which process the original image data uploaded by the user using software and a printing hardware of the Internet service site as a whole and print the photos in a size selected by the user.

[4] Meanwhile, with advances of Internet and image editing technologies, the users want to print photos after editing the digital images using various effects, rather than to merely print the original image data. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[5] However, when the original image data is edited by applying background images provided in the photo printing service site, there are some problems. First, it takes a considerable time to transmit the background image data to a user's PC in its original size. When the user edits the original image data of the mass storage and the background image data at the user PC, the image processing requires a quite much time. As a result, the editing processing is not performed smoothly. When the user PC has a low capacity, the PC is highly likely to crash. Technical Solution

[6] Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide a digital photo printing order method, digital photo printing service system and method, which enable a consumer to edit images using his/her PC fast and easily and to order the photo printing over a network right after confirming the edited images.

[7] According to the aspect of the present invention, a digital photo printing order method includes selecting an original digital image to be printed as a photo; selecting printing options and edit options to be applied to the original digital image; and sending printing order information including the printing options and the edit options, and the selected original digital image to a digital photo printing service system.

[8] The printing order information may be generated using an extensible markup language (XML).

[9] The digital photo printing order method may further include displaying an edit result which applies the selected printing options to a middle-size image of a lower resolution than the selected original digital image.

[10] The digital photo printing order method may further include selecting a background image to be applied to edit the selected original digital image; receiving and displaying a background image of a middle size having a lower resolution than the selected original background image; and inserting and displaying a thumbnail image of a lower resolution than the selected original digital image into the middle-size background image.

[11] A computer-readable medium contains a program to execute the above method.

[12] According to another aspect of the present invention, a digital photo printing service method includes receiving an original digital image and printing order information which includes printing options and edit options to be applied to the original digital image; selecting a printer for printing the image by analyzing the printing order information; sending the original digital image and the printing order information to the selected printer; performing an image processing at the selected printer, which converts the original digital image by applying the edit options and the printing options; and printing the converted digital image onto a printing paper at the selected printer, and outputting the print.

[13] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a digital photo printing service system includes a web server for receiving an original digital image and printing order information which includes printing options and edit options to be applied to the original digital image; a plurality of printers for performing an image processing which converts the original digital image by applying the edit options and the printing options, printing and outputting the converted digital image onto a printing paper; and a printing task control server for selecting a printer to execute a printing task among the printers by analyzing the printing order information, sending the original digital image and the printing order information to the selected printer, and controlling to execute the printing task. [14] The web server may send a printing order program to a consumer terminal to install to the consumer terminal.

[15] The printing order program may receive the original digital image and the selected printing options and edit options from a consumer, and send the printing order information which is generated using the XML language and includes the selected printing options and edit options, to the web server together with the original digital image.

[16] The printing order program may display an edit result by applying the selected edit options to a middle-size image of a lower resolution than the selected original digital image.

[17] The printing order program may receive a selected background to be applied to edit the selected original digital image. The printing order program may receive and display a middle-size background image of a lower resolution than the selected original background image, insert a thumbnail image of a lower resolution than the selected original digital image to the middle-size background image, and display the images.

Advantageous Effects

[18] The user can confirm the edited images using a consumer terminal, without having to process the original digital image and the original background image. Therefore, the consumer terminal can show the edited images to the consumer fast and conveniently using the least resource. [19] Since there is no need to transmit the background image of the mass storage between the consumer terminal and the printing order service system, the network load can be reduced. [20] Further, the resources can be utilized more efficiently by properly distributing the printing tasks to printers based on the printing options and the editing options.

Brief Description of the Drawings [21] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a digital photo printing service system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[22] FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a consumer terminal of FIG. 1.

[23] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a printing order method using a printing order program.

[24] FIGS. 4 through 10 are diagrams of user interface screens provided from the printing order program.

Mode for the Invention

[25] Hereafter, the present invention is described in detail by referring to the drawings.

[26] FIG. 1 depicts a digital photo printing service system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [27] Referring to FIG. 1, the digital photo printing service system 200 can include a web server 210, a DB server 220, a printing task control server 230, and a plurality of printers 240. A plurality of consumer terminals 100 can be connected over a network 10.

[28] The consumer terminal 100 is a communication terminal used by a consumer who uses a digital photo printing service provided by the digital photo printing service system 200.

[29] The consumer terminal 100 can be implemented using a communication terminal such as a desktop computer, a notebook computer, or a personal digital assistant (PDA). After editing digital images to be printed using the consumer terminal 100, the consumer can determine the number of prints and the photo size and order the photo printing to the digital photo printing service system 200. Particularly, the consumer terminal 100 includes a web browser 110 and a printing order program 120 as shown in FIG. 2.

[30] The web browser 110 displays web page information provided from the web server

210 in the consumer terminal 100. The consumer can use the service by accessing a site of the digital photo printing service through the web browser 110.

[31] The printing order program 120 exchanges various information by accessing the web server 210, edits the original data images and orders the printing. The printing order program 120 can be implemented using an ActiveX control, an application program, and a flash. The printing order program 120 can be downloaded from the web server 210 and then installed to the consumer terminal 100.

[32] Now, how the consumer selects and edits the digital image to be printed, and orders the printing through the printing order program 120 is illustrated in further detail. FIG.

3 is a flowchart of a printing order method using the printing order program, and FIGS.

4 through 10 are diagrams of user interface screens provided from the printing order program.

[33] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the printing order program 120 receives the photo type to be printed from the consumer (S310). The consumer can select the normal photo type or the template photo type in a photo type tab 151 of a user interface screen 150 of FIG. 4. The template photo type includes a wallet photo, multiple photos per page, a wedding invitation, an invitation for one-year-old baby party, a well-wishing postcard, a photo card, a Polaroid, and a square photo. Various kinds of the background image are prepared in advance and provided to the consumer for the image editing. Besides those in FIG. 4, other kinds of the template photo can be provided.

[34] When the consumer selects the normal photo, the printing order program 120 displays the user interface screen 150 of FIG. 5 and receives the digital images to be printed from the consumer (S320). The consumer selects a folder of the photos in a my local disk 152 of the user interface screen 150 and confirms the digital images in the folder. Next, the user can select his/her intended digital images to be printed in an image display area 153. After selecting the digital images, the consumer can select the photo size and contain the selected digital images to a size container 154. According to embodiments, the photo size may be selected together with other printing options in the printing option selection, to be explained.

[35] Next, the printing order program 120 displays the user interface screen 150 of FIG.

6 to enable the consumer to edit the digital images (S330). The consumer can edit the digital image in an edit area 156 by applying edit options selected in edit option tabs 155 of the user interface screen 150, and confirm the edit result immediately. The edit options can be various such as stickers, word balloons, frames, and image rotations.

[36] For doing so, the printing order program 120 processes the original digital image selected by the consumer to a middle-size image of a lower resolution, displays the middle-size image in the edit area 156, and applies the edit options selected by the consumer to the image. That is, the consumer terminal 100 of the present invention does not perform the image processing which converts the original digital image of the large size by directly editing the image. Instead, the consumer terminal 100 edits the middle-size image of the lower resolution. The printing order program 120 can rapidly provide the edited digital image to the consumer while using the least resource of the consumer terminal 100.

[37] The printing order program 120 displays the user interface screen 150 of FIG. 7 and receives printing options to be applied to the edited digital image from the consumer (S340). In the printing option tab 157 of the user interface screen 150, the consumer can select the printing options such as printing type (paper full or image full), photo paper type (luster or matte), brightness adjustment (no adjustment or brighten), and number of prints. According to embodiments of the present invention, the consumer can select other printing options.

[38] Meanwhile, when the consumer selects the template photo type in the photo type selecting step (S310), the printing order program 120 displays background images corresponding to the template photo type selected by the consumer in the user interface screen 150 of FIG. 8 and receives the selected background image (S350).

[39] The printing order program 120 downloads the background image selected by the user from the printing service system 200 as the middle size and displays the downloaded background image in the user interface screen 150 of FIG. 9 (S360). While the middle-size background image is downloaded to the consumer terminal 100 in step S360, the original background image of the high resolution is used in the actual printing operation.

[40] Next, the printing order program 120 receives the digital image to be printed from the consumer, processes it to a thumbnail image of lower resolution, and inserts the thumbnail image to the background image of FIG. 10 (S370). Next, the printing order program 120 receives the selected edit options and printing options (S330 and S340).

[41] Similar to the normal photo, in case of the template photo, the printing order program 120 processes the user's selected digital image and the background image to the thumbnail image of lower resolution and the middle-size image and displays them in the user interface screen 150. Hence, the digital image can be edited fast using the least resource of the consumer terminal 100.

[42] When the editing and the printing option selection of the digital image are completed, the printing order program 120 sends printing order information together with the original digital image to the printing service system 200 (S380). The printing order information can include basic information, edit option information, and printing option information. The printing order program 120 can generate the printing order information using an extensible markup language (XML) and send the generated printing order information to the printing service system 200 together with the original digital image. According to various embodiments of the present invention, the printing order information may be generated and sent using other languages.

[43] Tables 1 and 2 show contents in the printing order information, which may vary according to embodiments. Table 1 shows the contents for the normal photo and Table 2 shows the contents for the template photo.

[44] Table 1

[45] [46] [47] [48] Table 2

[49] [50] Finally, the printing order program 120 receives settlement information from the consumer, transmits the settlement information, and finishes the printing order of the digital images(S390).

[51] Referring back to FIG. 1, the components of the digital photo printing service system 200 are explained in more detail. [52] The web server 210 provides the web page for the printing order to the consumer terminal 100 to provide the digital photo printing order service to the consumer. In the web page of the web server 210, sign-in, user authentication processing, and printing order program downloading can be carried out. The web server 210 can send the background image processed in the middle size to the consumer terminal 100 in real time in association with the printing order program 120. The web server 210 forwards the original digital images and the printing order information from the consumer terminal 100 to the printing task control server 230.

[53] The DB server 220 contains various information required to provide the printing order service, such as sign-in information, user authentication information, and background images, and provides the information to the server 210 and the printing task control server 220. The background image can include both of the original image of the large size and the middle-size image. [54] The printing task control server 230 properly attributes the printing order to the printers 240 by analyzing the printing order information received from the consumer via the web server 210. More specifically, it is preferred that the printing task control server 230 selects suitable printers and distributes the printing order to the selected printers by taking into account processable printing options, edit options, and amount of tasks in queue of the printers 240.

[55] The printers 240 perform the image processing to convert the original digital images received from the printing task control server 230 by applying the edit options and the printing options, prints the converted digital images onto printing papers, and then outputs the prints. While the printer 240 processes the image in this embodiment of the present invention, the printing task control server 230 may process the images in advances and then send the processed images to the printers 240. The printers 240 can be installed on the region basis for the rapid delivery of the printed photos to the consumer, and can be connected to the printing task control server 230 over the network. In this situation, it is preferred that the printing task control server 230 takes into account the distance between the printers when distributing the printing order.

[56] The embodiment of the present invention includes a computer-readable medium storing program commands to execute operations realized by various computers. The medium records the printing order program mentioned above. The medium can contain program commands, data files, and data structures alone or in combination. Examples of the medium include a magnetic medium such as hard disk, floppy disk, and magnetic tape, an optical recording medium such as CD and DVD, a magneto-optical medium such as floptical disk, and a hardware device containing and executing program commands, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. The medium can be a transmission medium, such as optical or metallic line and waveguide, including subcarriers which carry signals to define program commands and data structure. Examples of the program commands include a machine language created by a compiler and a high-level language executable by the computer using an interpreter.

[57] Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

[1] A digital photo printing order method comprising: selecting an original digital image to be printed as a photo; selecting printing options and edit options to be applied to the original digital image; and sending printing order information including the printing options and the edit options, and the selected original digital image to a digital photo printing service system.

[2] The digital photo printing order method of claim 1, wherein the printing order information is generated using an extensible markup language (XML).

[3] The digital photo printing order method of claim 2, further comprising: displaying an edit result which applies the selected printing options to a middle- size image of a lower resolution than the selected original digital image.

[4] The digital photo printing order method of claim 2, further comprising: selecting a background image to be applied to edit the selected original digital image; receiving and displaying a background image of a middle size having a lower resolution than the selected original background image; and inserting and displaying a thumbnail image of a lower resolution than the selected original digital image into the middle-size background image.

[5] A computer-readable medium having a program to execute the method of one of claims 1 - 4 in a computer.

[6] A digital photo printing service method comprising: receiving an original digital image and printing order information which includes printing options and edit options to be applied to the original digital image; selecting a printer for printing the image by analyzing the printing order information; sending the original digital image and the printing order information to the selected printer; performing an image processing at the selected printer, which converts the original digital image by applying the edit options and the printing options; and printing the converted digital image onto a printing paper at the selected printer, and outputting the print.

[7] The digital photo printing service method of claim 6, wherein the printing order information is generated using an extensible markup language (XML).

[8] A digital photo printing service system comprising: a web server for receiving an original digital image and printing order in- formation which includes printing options and edit options to be applied to the original digital image; a plurality of printers for performing an image processing which converts the original digital image by applying the edit options and the printing options, printing and outputting the converted digital image onto a printing paper; and a printing task control server for selecting a printer to execute a printing task among the printers by analyzing the printing order information, sending the original digital image and the printing order information to the selected printer, and controlling to execute the printing task.

[9] The digital photo printing service system of claim 8, wherein the printing order information is generated using an extensible markup language (XML).

[10] The digital photo printing service system of claim 9, wherein the web server sends a printing order program to a consumer terminal to install to the consumer terminal, and the printing order program receives the original digital image and the selected printing options and edit options from a consumer, and sends the printing order information which is generated using the XML language and includes the selected printing options and edit options, to the web server together with the original digital image.

[11] The digital photo printing service system of claim 10, wherein the printing order program displays an edit result by applying the selected edit options to a middle- size image of a lower resolution than the selected original digital image.

[12] The digital photo printing service system of claim 10, wherein the printing order program receives a selected background to be applied to edit the selected original digital image, and the printing order program receives and displays a middle-size background image of a lower resolution than the selected original background image, inserts a thumbnail image of a lower resolution than the selected original digital image to the middle-size background image, and displays the images.