System and method for acquisition of related graphical material in a digital graphics album

Claim 3

A system of claim 1 further comprising: means for selecting at least one of said at least one resultant graphical material.

Claim 4

The system of claim 1 and wherein said means for querying is an Internet connection to a private graphical material database.

Claim 5

The system of claim 1 wherein said resultant graphical material is a reduced resolution graphical material, further comprising: means for transferring a full resolution graphical material from said graphical material database in accordance with said reduced resolution graphical material for use as said selected resultant graphical material by said meana means for inserting.

Claim 6

The system of claim 1 wherein: said album has a plurality of digital images and associated annotations, said means for displaying displays said annotations during said specifying, said reference material includes respective said annotations.

Claim 7

The system of claim 5 and wherein said means for processing utilizes a natural language processor to process said annotations of said reference material.

Claim 8

The system of claim 6 and wherein said search criteria data are indicative of the who, what, where, when, or why aspects of said annotations.

Claim 9

The system of claim 6 and wherein: said means for processing processes respective said annotations of said reference material to produce prioritized keywords, and said search criteria data further comprises said prioritized keywords.

Claim 10

The system of claim 5 wherein: said means for processing processes respective said annotations of said reference material to produce keywords, and further comprising: means for receiving user directives; means for processing said received directives to produce additional keywords, and prioritizing said keywords and said additional keywords to provide a set of prioritized keywords; wherein said search criteria data is said set of prioritized keywords.

Claim 11

The system of claim 1 and wherein said reference material includes respective said digital images.

Claim 12

The system of claim 10 and wherein said search criteria data are image content descriptors.

Claim 13

The system of claim 11 and wherein said means for querying employs an Internet connection to a private graphical material database which is indexed by image content descriptors.

Claim 14

The system of claim 10 wherein said album includes a plurality of annotations associated with said digital images, said reference material includes respective said annotations, and said search criteria data are keywords extracted from said annotations of said reference material.

Claim 15

The system of claim 13 and wherein said means for processing utilizes a natural language processor to process said annotations of said reference material.

Claim 16

The system of claim 14 further comprising: means for receiving user directives; means for processing said received directives to produce additional keywords, and means for prioritizing said keywords and said additional keywords to more narrowly define said querying.

Claim 17

The system of claim 14 and wherein said search criteria data are indicative of the who, what, where, when, or why aspects of said annotations.

Claim 18

The system of claim 1 and wherein said album includes at least one video clip and said reference material includes a video clip key frame of said video clip.

Claim 19

The system of claim 17 and wherein said search criteria data are image content descriptors of said video clip key frame.

Claim 20

The system of claim 18 and wherein said means for querying employs an Internet connection to a private graphical material database which is indexed by image content descriptors.

Claim 21

The system of claim 17 wherein said video clip key frame has an associated annotation; and said search criteria data are keywords extracted from said annotation.

Claim 22

The system of claim 20 and wherein said means for processing utilizes a natural language processor to process said annotation.

Claim 23

The system of claim 20 further comprising: means for receiving user directives; means for processing said received directives to produce additional keywords, and means for prioritizing said keywords and said additional keywords to more narrowly define said querying.

Claim 24

The system of claim 21 and wherein said search criteria data are indicative of the who, what, where, when, or why aspects of said annotation.

Claim 25

A digital graphics albuming system for searching a graphical material database; comprising: a display; an input device; a network interface; a memory; a processor coupled to said display, said input device, said network interface and said memory, and wherein said processor is operable to recall and display a plurality of graphical materials of a digital graphics album on said display, and said processor is operable to receive a user selection of one or more of said graphical materials, during said display, to define reference material, and said processor is operable to produce a list of prioritized search criteria that is extracted from said reference material said processor is operable to receive user directive data, process said received directive data by a natural language processor to produce additional keywords, prioritize said keywords and said additional keywords, query a graphical material database through a network connection in accordance with said prioritized keywords, receive from said database at least one resultant graphical material and upon not selecting said at least one resultant graphical material, automatically processing said reference material to produce search criteria that are image content descriptors of said reference material, and said processor is operable to couple said search criteria to said network interface, and said processor is operable to receive and display said at least one resultant graphical material from said network interface, and to receive a selection input specifying at least one of said at least one resultant graphical material from said input device, and said processor is operable to store said selected resultant graphical material in said memory as a part of said digital graphics album.

Claim 26

A digital graphics albuming system for searching a graphical material database; comprising: a display; an input device; a network interface; a memory; a processor coupled to said display, said input device, said network interface and said memory, and wherein said processor is operable to recall and display a plurality of graphical materials of a digital graphics album on said display, and said processor is operable to receive a user selection of one or more of said graphical materials, during said display, to define reference material, and said processor is operable to produce a list of prioritized search criteria that is extracted from said reference material said processor is operable to receive user directive data, process said received directive data by a natural language processor to produce additional keywords, prioritize said keywords and said additional keywords, query a graphical material database through a network connection in accordance with said prioritized keywords, receive from said database at least one resultant graphical material and upon not selecting said at least one resultant graphical material, automatically processing said reference material to produce search criteria that are image content descriptors of said reference material, and said processor is operable to couple said search criteria to said network interface, and said processor is operable to receive and display said at least one resultant graphical material from said network interface, and to receive a selection input specifying at least one of said at least one resultant graphical material from said input device, and said processor is operable to store said selected resultant graphical material in said memory as a part of said digital graphics album.

Claim 27

The system of claim 24 and wherein said network interface is an Internet network interface.

Claim 28

The system of claim 24 and wherein resultant graphical material is a reduced resolution graphical material, and said processor is operable to receive a full resolution graphical material from said graphical material database through said network interface in accordance with said reduced resolution graphical material, and said processor is operable to store said full resolution graphical material in said memory as a part of said digital graphics album.

Claim 29

The system of claim 24 and wherein said album has a plurality of digital images and associated annotations, said means for displaying displays said annotations during said specifying, said reference material includes respective said annotations.

Claim 30

The system of claim 27 and wherein said processor is operable as a natural language processor to process said said annotations of said reference material to produce search criteria that are search keywords.

Claim 31

The system of claim 27 and wherein said processor is operable to process respective said annotations of said reference material to produce keywords and to receive user directives from said input device, and said processor is operable to process said user directives to produce additional keywords, and said processor is operable to prioritize said keywords and said additional keywords to provide a set of prioritized keywords; and wherein said list of prioritized search criteria is said set of prioritized keywords.

Claim 32

The system of claim 24 and wherein said reference material includes respective said digital images.

Claim 33

The system of claim 30 and wherein said processor is operable to process said digital image of said reference material to produce image content descriptors.

Claim 34

The system of claim 30 and wherein said album includes a plurality of annotations associated with said digital images, said reference material includes respective said annotations, said processor is operable as a natural language processor to process said annotations of said reference material to produce search criteria that are search keywords.

Claim 35

The system of claim 32 and wherein said processor is operable to receive user directives from said input device, and said processor is operable to process said user directives to produce additional keywords, and said processor is operable to prioritized said search keywords and said additional keywords.

Claim 36

The system of claim 24 and wherein said album includes at least one video clip and said reference material includes a video clip key frame of said video clip.

Claim 37

The system of claim 34 and wherein said processor is operable to process said video clip key frame to produce image content descriptors of said video clip key frame.

Claim 38

The system of claim 35 and wherein said video clip key frame has an associated annotation and said processor is operable as a natural language processor to process said annotation to produce search criteria data that are keywords.

Claim 39

The system of claim 36 and wherein said processor is operable to receive user directives from said input device, and said processor is operable to process said user directives to produce additional keywords, and said processor is operable to prioritized said search keywords and said additional keywords.

Claim 42

The method of claim 38 further comprising the step of: selecting at least one of said at least one resultant graphical materials for insertion.

Claim 43

The method of claim 38 and wherein said querying step is accomplished through an Internet connection to a private graphical material database.

Claim 44

The method of claim 38 wherein said resultant graphical material is a reduced resolution graphical material, further comprising the step of: transferring a full resolution graphical material from said graphical material database in accordance with said reduced resolution graphical material for use as said selected resultant graphical material in said inserting step.

Claim 45

The method of claim 38 wherein: said album has a plurality of digital images and associated annotations, said displaying of said annotations is during said specifying, and said reference material includes respective said annotations.

Claim 46

The method of claim 42 and wherein said processing step utilizes a natural language processor to process said annotations of said reference material.

Claim 47

The method of claim 43 and wherein said search criteria data are indicative of the who, what, where, when, or why aspects of said annotations.

Claim 48

The method of claim 43 and wherein: said processing step processes respective said annotations of said reference material to produce prioritized keywords, and said search criteria data further comprises said prioritized keywords.

Claim 49

The method of claim 42 wherein: said processing processes respective said annotations of said reference material to produce keywords, and further comprising the steps of: receiving user directives; processing said received directives to produce additional keywords; and prioritizing said keywords and said additional keywords provide a set of prioritized keywords; wherein said search criteria data is said set of prioritized keywords.

Claim 50

The method of claim 39 and wherein said reference material includes respective said digital images.

Claim 51

The method of claim 47 and wherein said search criteria are image content descriptors.

Claim 52

The method of claim 48 and wherein said querying step is accomplished through an Internet connection to a private graphical material database which is indexed by image content descriptors.

Claim 53

The method of claim 47 wherein said album includes a plurality of annotations associated with said digital images, said reference material includes respective said annotations, and said search criteria data are keywords extracted from said annotations of said reference material.

Claim 54

The method of claim 50 and wherein said processing step utilizes a natural language processor to process said annotations of said reference material.

Claim 55

The method of claim 51 further comprising the steps of: receiving user directives; processing said received directives to produce additional keywords; and prioritizing said keywords and said additional keywords to more narrowly define said querying step.

Claim 56

The method of claim 51 and wherein said search criteria data are indicative of the who, what, where, when, or why aspects of said annotations.

Claim 57

The method of claim 38 and wherein said album includes at least one video clip and said reference material includes a video clip key frame of said video clip.

Claim 58

The method of claim 54 and wherein said search criteria are image content descriptors of said video clip key frame.

Claim 59

The method of claim 55 and wherein said querying step is accomplished through an Internet connection to a private graphical material database which is indexed by image content descriptors.

Claim 60

The method of claim 54 wherein said video clip key frame has an associated annotation, and said search criteria data are keywords extracted from said annotation.

Claim 61

The method of claim 57 and wherein said processing step utilizes a natural language processor to process said annotation.

Claim 62

The method of claim 57 further comprising the steps of: receiving user directives; processing said received directives to produce additional keywords; and prioritizing said keywords and said additional keywords to more narrowly define said querying step.

Claim 63

The method of claim 58 and wherein said search criteria data are indicative of the who, what, where, when, or why aspects of said annotation.