Shutterfly Patent Grants

System and method for automatically generating a new portion of a photo product design based on user input portion

Granted: November 23, 2021
Patent Number: 11182837
A computer-implemented method for creating a photo product design with minimal user inputs includes generating a first portion of a photo product design by a product design module in response to user input, determining one or more layout parameters from the user input to the first portion of the photo product design by a user design learning module, automatically creating a second portion of the photo product design by an intelligent product creation engine at least in part in response…

System and method for customizing photo product designs with minimal and intuitive user inputs

Granted: October 19, 2021
Patent Number: 11151627
A photo product design customization system for customizing a photo product design with minimal and intuitive user inputs includes a product design module that displays a photo product design in a main design panel, a user input detection unit that can detect a first directional movement from a first dynamic object in a product type selection panel to the main design panel, or a second directional movement from a second dynamic object in a product style selection panel to the main design…

Repositionable display panel

Granted: October 5, 2021
Patent Number: 11138910
A repositionable display panel includes a rigid image plate that includes a front surface configured to receive a colorant to form an image thereon and a back surface opposite to the first surface. The rigid image plate is defined by an image plate thickness and image plate widths. A spacer block is defined by a spacer block thickness and spacer block widths smaller than the image plate widths. A pressure-sensitive adhesive layer between the back surface of the rigid image plate and the…

Identifying and tracking digital images with customized metadata

Granted: August 17, 2021
Patent Number: 11095846
A method of tracking digital images includes inputting data identifying a subject of an image into a camera, acquiring an image with the camera, and storing the image and the inputted data, as metadata, in an image file when the image is acquired. The method can be implemented using a scanner, a digital camera, and a data processor. The scanner obtains the identifying data and transmits the data to the camera. The camera obtains digital images and embeds the data into digital image files…

System and method for automated detection and replacement of photographic scenes

Granted: July 6, 2021
Patent Number: 11057576
A method of identifying a background type in a photograph includes extracting a background image from a photograph, feeding the background image into a first convolution neural network to obtain a first decision, extracting color features in the background image, transforming the color features into a two-dimensional color feature matrix, feeding the two-dimensional color feature matrix into a second convolution neural network to obtain a second decision by the one or more computer…

System for assembling composite group image from individual subject images

Granted: June 29, 2021
Patent Number: 11049272
A system for assembling a group composite image from individual subject images is described. Often subjects of a group vary in height. Additionally, as each subject is photographed individually, different zoom factors can be applied by a camera that affects a pixel density of the image captured. The system includes a fiducial marking device that emits collimated light to form one or more fiducial markers on a subject while an image is captured by the camera. Based on a location of the…

Lighting system for photography station

Granted: June 22, 2021
Patent Number: 11042075
A photography system includes a lighting system configured to provide a lighting scene that is diffused and is artistically desirable. The system includes an array of light panels configured to simulate a wall of windows that receive natural, diffused, and consistent sunlight, such as a large window facing the north. The light panels can operate in various modes of operation, such as a continuous light mode a strobe light mode.

Photography system with depth and position detection

Granted: June 15, 2021
Patent Number: 11039119
A photography system includes a digital camera and a depth and position detection device. The digital camera is configured to capture a digital image of a subject. The depth and position detection device scans the subject and determines three-dimensional locations of the subject and any other objects within the field of view. The depth and position detection device also determines locations of body points of the subject. The depth and position information can then be mapped to the…

Hybrid deep learning method for gender classification

Granted: June 15, 2021
Patent Number: 11036970
A computer implemented method for gender classification by applying feature learning and feature engineering to face images. The method includes conducting feature learning on a face image comprising feeding the face image into a first convolution neural network to obtain a first decision, conducting feature engineering on a face image, comprising the steps of automatically detecting facial landmarks in the face image, transforming the facial features into a two-dimensional matrix, and…

Composite group image

Granted: June 8, 2021
Patent Number: 11030730
A method and device for generating a composite group image from subgroup images is provided. Subgroup images, each having a common background, are accessed. The boundaries of a subgroup area within each of the subgroup images is determined. At least one horizontal and at least one vertical shift factor is determined using the determined boundaries. An arrangement for the subgroup images based on the at least one horizontal and the at least one vertical shift factor is generated. The…

System and method for automated detection and replacement of photographic scenes

Granted: May 25, 2021
Patent Number: 11019317
A method of photographing a subject includes storing a library of photographic scene designs in a computer memory, training a photographic scene detection model by a computer processing device using machine learning from sample portrait images comprising known photographic scenes defined in the library of photographic scene designs, capturing a production portrait photograph, using a digital camera, of a subject in a photographic scene that is defined by a photographic scene design in…

Automated communication design construction system

Granted: May 25, 2021
Patent Number: 11017222
A method for automatically analyzing and constructing communications to a plurality of recipients includes automatically separating communication content files into page groups in a system comprising one or more intelligent communication design servers, wherein each of the page groups is associated a recipient of the communications, inputting the communication content files into an intra-page machine prediction model to produce intra-page parameters, inputting the communication content…

High recall additive pattern recognition for image and other applications

Granted: March 23, 2021
Patent Number: 10956713
A computer-implemented method includes selecting a kernel and kernel parameters for a first Support Vector Machine (SVM) model, testing the first SVM model on a feature matrix T of n feature vectors of length m to produce false positive (FP) data set and false negative (FN) data set by a computer processor, wherein n and m are integer numbers, automatically removing feature vectors corresponding to the FP data set from the feature matrix T by the computer processor to produce a feature…

System for support vector machine prediction

Granted: January 12, 2021
Patent Number: 10891522
A computer-implemented method is disclosed for image recognition and other applications. The method employs an SVM model and can reduce false negatives and increase recognition accuracies by raising the sample-to-support-vector ratio.

Photographic lighting apparatus

Granted: December 15, 2020
Patent Number: D905151

Photography session assistant

Granted: November 17, 2020
Patent Number: 10839502
Devices and methods for evaluating at least one photograph during a photography session are described. In some instances, a camera may be used to capture images during a photography session and a computing device may be used to identify a portrait order specification for the photography session including a set of required photographs, each having associated required criteria. The computing device may evaluate the images and determine whether the images can be associated with any of the…

High precision additive pattern recognition for image and other applications

Granted: October 13, 2020
Patent Number: 10803298
A computer-implemented method includes selecting a kernel and kernel parameters for a first Support Vector Machine (SVM) model, testing the first SVM model on a feature matrix T of n feature vectors of length m to produce false positive (FP) data set and false negative (FN) data set by a computer processor, wherein n and m are integer numbers, automatically removing feature vectors corresponding to the FN data set from the feature matrix T by the computer processor to produce a feature…

System and method for reducing similar photos for display and product design

Granted: September 1, 2020
Patent Number: 10762126
A photo design smart assistant system for reducing similar photos for display and product design includes a similarity distance computation module that can calculate hash values of images and to calculate similarity distances between the images using at least the hash values, a burst grouping module that can automatically group the images into a burst based at least in part on the similarity distances of the images, wherein at least one image is automatically selected from the burst of…

Proactive creation of personalized products

Granted: September 1, 2020
Patent Number: 10762676
A method for proactively creating an image product includes capturing an image of an object in a first environment by a device, storing a library of personalized products each characterized by a product type, automatically recognizing the object in the image as having a product type associated with the library of personalized products, automatically creating a design for the personalized product of the product type using personalized content, automatically displaying the design of the…

System for providing relevant products to users

Granted: September 1, 2020
Patent Number: 10762518
A computer-implemented method for responding to user behaviors includes storing category specifications for a plurality of categories configured to characterize users, storing categories for users in a computer network system, detecting behaviors of a user in real time, and determining in real time if the behaviors of the user is within a first category specification associated with a first category that the user is tagged with. If the behaviors of the user exceed the first category…