Printing and delivery of digital images and text via a central receiving agency

Abstract

A method of printing hardcopy images, includes electronically transmitting a plurality of digital images and information identifying the locations of a plurality of recipients from a remote location over a communications channel to a central receiving agency; storing the plurality of digital images and the information identifying the locations of a plurality of recipients in a memory at the central receiving agency; a user selecting a recipient and selecting a particular stored digital image from the plurality of digital images, and authorizing the printing of the particular stored digital image; using the information identifying the location of the recipient to select a local printing station for the recipient from a plurality of local printing stations; transmitting the particular digital image to the selected local printing station; and printing the particular stored digital image at the selected local printing station to produce a hardcopy image.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of printing hardcopy images, comprising: 
 (a) electronically transmitting a plurality of digital images and information identifying the locations of a plurality of recipients from a remote location over a communications channel to a central receiving agency;    (b) storing the plurality of digital images and the information identifying the locations of a plurality of recipients in a memory at the central receiving agency;    (c) a user selecting a recipient and selecting a particular stored digital image from the plurality of digital images, and authorizing the printing of the particular stored digital image;    (d) using the information identifying the location of the recipient to select a local printing station for the recipient from a plurality of local printing stations;    (e) transmitting the particular digital image to the selected local printing station; and    (f) printing the particular stored digital image at the selected local printing station to produce a hardcopy image.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further including delivering the hardcopy image from the local printing station to location of the recipient.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the delivery is provided by a postal service  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the remote printing station notifies the central receiving agency that the hardcopy image has been delivered.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the hardcopy is packaged prior to delivery.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the particular stored digital image is modified before it is transmitted to the selected local printing station.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the modified particular stored digital image is stored in the memory at the central receiving agency.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the user authorizes the printing by providing an authorization code.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the authorization code is linked to a credit card number.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the user authorizes the sending and printing of text, graphics or both with the image.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the user authorizes the sending of the image to two or more different recipients.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the image is printed at different locations for different recipients.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the user authorizes the and printing of text, graphics or both with the image.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the central receiving agency stores graphics that are accessible to the user for ordering the printing of images and graphics.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the central receiving agency verifies that an image is suitable for printing and sending to a recipient.