Tracking camera network

Abstract

Existence of instrumentation for automatic video recording creates an excess capacity of video recording for those who own automatic video recorders. Others may want to utilize this excess capacity to record their activities thus there is a need for a system that helps match those who would like to utilize the excess capacity with those who have such capacity. Such excess capacity is matched with demand to use such excess capacity by creating a network of automatic video recording units and tags that are associated with people who want to be recorded.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 ) A network for collaborative recording, said network comprising:
 a multiplicity of tracking cameras configured to determine and store their location and orientation;   a multiplicity of tags associated with users, said tags tracked and recorded by said tracking cameras, said tags configured to determine and to broadcast their locations and to broadcast tag identifiers and to identify users in said network;   said tracking cameras configured to recognize tags in said network;   said tracking cameras configured to recognize tags that are in an area where they can record said tags;   said tracking cameras configured to obtain recordings of some of said tags;   said tracking cameras configured to store said tag identifiers in said recordings;   a computer system configured to exchange communications with said tracking cameras and tags;   said computer system configured to receive and store said recordings; and   said computer system configured to make said stored recordings available to the users associated with the tags in said recordings.   
     
     
         2 ) The network of  claim 1  further comprising tracking cameras integrated with tags. 
     
     
         3 ) The network of  claim 1 , further comprising controls by which said cameras and said tags may be set to operate in operational modes giving varying degrees of access to said stored recordings. 
     
     
         4 ) The network of  claim 3 , configured to enable said tracking cameras and said tags to form a group within which the tracking cameras and tags are set such that recordings by said tracking cameras made of said tags are made available by said computer system to the public. 
     
     
         5 ) The network of  claim 3 , further comprising electronics associated with said tracking cameras and said tags that enable pairing any number of tracking cameras with any number of tags, whereby a paired tracking camera may be set to track and/or record the tag or tags paired with it. 
     
     
         6 ) The network of  claim 5 , configured to allow users to form groups by pairing at least one tracking camera and at least one tag, and the recordings made by tracking cameras in a group are made available only to users in that group. 
     
     
         7 ) A collaborative recording method comprising the steps of:
 providing a computer system configured to establish connections with participants in a recording network, wherein the participants comprise a multiplicity of recording units, tags, and users, and said tags are devices that assist said recording units to automatically track users and assist in identifying particular users;   receiving information from participants as being ready to participate in the recording network including their locations and their identifiers;   grouping participants according to their locations with other participants in the same general location, so that participants are in the same general location if recording units within the same general location are capable of recording at least some of the participants during their activities in the same general location;   enabling to establish connections between participants within a group if said group comprises at least two recording units and at least a tag, or at least one recording unit and at least two tags or at least one recording unit and one tag and two users;   receiving and storing automatically recorded footage from at least one recording unit in said group;   identifying portions of said automatically recorded footage as being automatically recorded of particular participants; and   making the automatically recorded footage portions available to those particular participants identified as having been recorded in those portions of the automatically recorded footage.   
     
     
         8 ) The method of collaborative recording of  claim 7  also comprising the step of automatically editing the automatically recorded footage. 
     
     
         9 ) The method of collaborative recording of  claim 7  also comprising the steps of registering whether public or private mode was set for said recording units and tags, and making footage of a tag in public mode recorded by a recording unit in public mode available for all participants in the network. 
     
     
         10 ) The method of collaborative recording of  claim 7  also comprising the steps of:
 communicating a request by a first participant associated with a tag to be tracked and recorded at a particular place and time to participants in the network; 
 receiving a response from a second participant willing to record the first participant at the place and time requested by the first participant; and 
 making the recorded footage available to said first participant. 
 
     
     
         12 ) An automated and networkable tracking camera system, said camera system comprising:
 tracking cameras to film participants in a network and tags associated with said participants;   said tracking cameras and tags are configured to communicate with each other;   said communication comprising messages that identify said tracking cameras and tags as participating in said network;   said tracking cameras are configured to automatically track tags and to record footage of at least of some of said participants;   said tracking cameras are configured to recognize said participants in said recorded footage;   said tracking cameras are configured to separate said footage into clips of recognized participants;   said tracking cameras are configured to automatically send said clips to participants recognized in said clips.   
     
     
         13 ) The automated and networkable tracking camera system of  claim 12  also configured to allow pairing tags and tracking cameras whereby paired tracking cameras record only tags paired with them and paired tags are recorded only by cameras paired with them.