Image Grouping with Audio Commentaries System and Method

Abstract

A system and method are presented to allow audio communication between users concerning a group of images. A first mobile device has an app that selects a plurality of images and then records audio commentary for the plurality of images. The images and audio commentary are grouped into an image grouping, and the image grouping is transmitted to a second mobile device. Reply commentaries to the image grouping can also be associated with a particular image in the grouping. Image groupings can be presented by reviewing all commentaries on a single image first before moving to a second image, or by reviewing all commentaries made in a user-session before moving to a second user session.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computerized method comprising:
 a) at a server computer, receiving a first image grouping from a first computing device, the first image grouping having:
 i) a plurality of still images, and 
 ii) first audio commentaries for each of the plurality of still images; 
   b) at the server computer, storing the first image grouping in computer-readable memory;   c) at the server computer, transmitting the first image grouping to a second computing device;   d) at the server computer, receiving from the second computing device second audio commentaries on at least a subset of the plurality of still images in the first image grouping; and   e) at the server computer, storing a second image grouping in the computer-readable memory, the second image grouping having:
 i) the plurality of still images, 
 ii) the first audio commentaries, and 
 iii) the second audio commentaries. 
   
     
     
         2 . The computerized method of  claim 1 , wherein the first image grouping is stored in association with a message identifier. 
     
     
         3 . The computerized method of  claim 2 , wherein the server computer receives the message identifier from the second computing device and uses the message identifier to identify the first image grouping before transmitting the first image grouping to the second computing device. 
     
     
         4 . The computerized method of  claim 1 , wherein after storing the second image grouping, the server computer receives an identifier from a third computing device and uses the identifier to identify the second image grouping, further comprising the server computer transmitting the second image grouping to the third computing device after identifying the second image grouping. 
     
     
         5 . The computerized method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 f) at the third computing device, providing a user interface input allowing a user to choose between two presentation options, the presentation options comprising:
 i) playing all audio commentaries associated with a single image while displaying that single image before presenting the next image and its associated audio commentaries, and 
 ii) first playing the first audio commentaries for all of the still images while displaying the still images associated with the first audio commentaries, and then playing the second audio commentaries for the still images while displaying the still images associated with the second audio commentaries; 
   g) at the third computing device, presenting the second image grouping according to the chosen presentation option.   
     
     
         6 . The computerized method of  claim 1 , wherein each audio commentary is associated with a single one of the plurality of images. 
     
     
         7 . The computerized method of  claim 6 , wherein the first audio commentaries are associated with the plurality of still images through metadata found in the first image grouping. 
     
     
         8 . The computerized method of  claim 1 , wherein the first audio commentaries are associated with the plurality of still images through metadata found in the first image grouping. 
     
     
         9 . The computerized method of  claim 1 , wherein the first image grouping is encoded into a video file. 
     
     
         10 . The computerized method of  claim 9 , wherein the first image grouping is transmitted to the second computing device in the form of the video file. 
     
     
         11 . The computerized method of  claim 1 , wherein the audio commentaries each comprise a separate audio file. 
     
     
         12 . The computerized method of  claim 1 , wherein the first audio commentaries are stored in a first single track, wherein first metadata is stored with the first image grouping, and further wherein the first metadata defines the divisions in the single track between the first audio commentaries. 
     
     
         13 . The computerized method of  claim 12 , wherein the first metadata further comprises transition instructions between the plurality of still images. 
     
     
         14 . The computerized method of  claim 12 , wherein the second audio commentaries are also stored in the same audio track as the first audio commentaries within the second image grouping. 
     
     
         15 . A computerized method comprising:
 a) at a first computing device, receiving a selection of a plurality of still images;   b) at the first computing device, recording first audio commentaries for the plurality of still images through a microphone on the first computing device;   c) at the first computing device, creating a first image grouping that associates the plurality of still images with the first audio commentaries and that stores the first audio commentaries into a single audio track, wherein metadata defines the divisions in the single audio track between the first audio commentaries;   d) at the first computing device, transmitting the first image grouping to a server computer for storage at the server computer;   e) at a second computing device, receiving the first image grouping from the server computer;   f) at the second computing device, presenting, through a user interface on the second computing device, the plurality of still images and first audio commentaries that comprise the first image grouping using the metadata to determine the transitions between the plurality of still images;   g) at the second computing device, recording second audio commentaries on at least a subset of the still images in the first image grouping;   h) at the second computing device, creating a second image grouping combining the first image grouping with the second audio commentaries wherein the second audio commentaries are also stored on the single audio track; and   i) at the second computing device, transmitting the second image grouping to the server computer for storage at the server computer.