System and method for capturing, associating and distributing photographic images

Abstract

A system and method for capturing and distributing digitized photographic images via an electronics communications network are provided. A subject is provided with a portable identification wireless transmitter. A digital camera coupled with a wireless receiver creates a digital photographic document and includes the identification of the user in a formatted electronic message. The document may also retain information identifying the time and locale of the creation of the image. The document is made accessible to the electronic communications network, e.g. the Internet, in association with and by means of a data structure. The data structure and/or the document may be associated within an independent or additional identifier of the subject or of a third party. Information concerning the subject and locale related to the origination of the image are inserted into an available data field of a standard digital image format, such as a JPEG, MPEG of GIF format.

1 . In a digital photographic system, the system comprising a computational engine, a communications link, a directional antenna and a digital camera, wherein the operational range of the directional antenna resides within the optical field of the digital camera, a method of associating photographic images with a subject, the method comprising: a. generating a digital photograph when a radio wave transmission comprising an identifier is detected by the directional antenna via the communications link; b. inserting the digital photograph into a digital document; and c. associating the identifier with the digital document. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the digital document conforms to a published data format standard. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the standard is selected from the group of standards including JPEG, MPEG, TIFF and GIF. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identifier is received by the photographic system via the communications link. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a locale identifier associated with the location of the digital camera is stored in the digital document. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the locale identifier comprises GPS data. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communications link comprises a wireless receiver and a wireless transmitter and the wireless receiver is comprised with the digital photographic system and the wireless transmitter transmits the identifier. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the wireless transmitter is coupled with a human subject. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the wireless transmitter is coupled with a band, the band configured for removable attachment to the subject. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a locale identifier of the location of the digital camera is stored in the digital document. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identifier of is stored in the digital document. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the photographic document is stored in a data structure, the data structure accessible via an electronic communications network. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the electronic-communications network comprises the Internet. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the identifier is associated via the data structure with an individual identification code, the individual identification code associated with a specific human being. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein access to the photographic document requires input of a password. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein access to the photographic document requires an electronic payment. 
     
     
         17 . A digital photographic system, the system comprising:
 a. a computational engine having a data storage module;   b. a digital camera communicatively coupled with the computational engine and configured for generating digital photographs;   c. a directional antenna, the directional antenna coupled with the camera and positioned to accept radio transmissions containing at least one identifier from an operational area, wherein the operational area resides within the optical range of the digital camera, and the directional antenna is communicatively coupled with the data storage module ands is configured to provide the at least one identifier to the data storage module; and   d. a data structure, the data structure stored within the data storage module comprising a plurality of digital documents, each document comprising at least one identifier of a subject associable with a digital photograph.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the digital documents conform to at least one published data format standard. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the standard is selected from the group of standards including JPEG, MPEG, TIFF and GIF. 
     
     
         20 . A computer-readable medium on which are stored a plurality of computer-executable instructions for performing steps (a)-(c), as recited in  claim 1 .