Today the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application that titled "Scrollable In-Line Camera for Capturing and Sharing Content." Today Apple offers a simple way to stream content via "My Photo Stream" that's part of iCloud Photo Sharing. In this latest patent application, it appears that Apple wants to expand photo and video sharing capabilities on iDevices by introducing a new Streaming App that is clearly shown in Apple's patent figures as separate app from their current Photo or Camera apps of today. Our report provides you with the basics of the new app and a link to the patent for those wanting to explore it in more detail. The app is apparently going to make it a lot easier to post your photos to websites in addition to being able to mark them up quickly with short comments.

Apple's Patent Background

In today's digital age, there are many different ways that people can share media content, such as photographs and video clips. As an example, a person can take a picture and share it with some friends by posting it to a social network website. The person can also take a group of pictures and create a slide show presentation with a music track to share with other people. Thus, a person can choose one or more different ways to share media content.

Although a person can make such a choice, the task of actually sharing media content can be cumbersome. This usually entails the person opening different applications that executes on a computing device and navigating through various application screens. For example, in sharing a photo, the person has to first open the device's camera application to capture the photo. The person has to then open a photo application and navigate to a camera roll screen or some other collection screen to review the photo. From there, if the person is satisfied with the photo, the person can open a social network application and upload the photo to a social network website. However, if the person is not satisfied, he or she must reopen the device's camera application to take another photo, and repeat the same cumbersome process.

Apple Invention: Scrollable In-Line Camera for Capturing and Sharing Content

Apple's invention covers an application that includes a scrollable in-line camera for capturing media content. The scrollable in-line camera of some embodiments is a real-time media capture tool that provides a user with the ability to capture media content in real-time.

The scrollable view of some embodiments has three distinct user interface (UI) portions. The three portions are accessible by scrolling to each of the first, second, and third portions of the scrollable view. In some embodiments, the scrollable view includes an in-line camera section, a preview section, and a content browsing section.

The application's user can use the in-line camera section to capture a photo or a video clip. The preview section is a portion of the UI that allows a user to review a photo or video captured with the in-line camera. The user can also use the preview section to either delete or accept the content. If the user chooses to delete the content, the content is removed from the preview section. On the other hand, if the user chooses to accept the content, the content appears in the content browsing section.

In some embodiments, when a piece of content has been accepted, it is posted to a website so that it could be shared with a particular group of people.

Streaming

Alternatively, or conjunctively, the content browsing section is a streaming section that presents a shared photo stream album. The shared photo stream album of some embodiments represents a streaming album in which its contents (e.g., photos, videos) are distributed across to each device of one or more people that is associated with (e.g., that has subscribed to) the shared photo stream album. Instead of the shared photo stream album, the streaming section may display a user's personal photo stream album in which its content is distributed across to only the user's other devices.





Apple's patent FIG. 2 noted above illustrates an example of how a person can make three selections on his or her device to capture a picture and share it with a group of people; FIG. 3 noted below illustrates an example of opening the steaming application from a photo application.





Apple's detailed patent covers Accessing the Scrollable In-Line Camera (a) From the Home Page Screen, (b) From Within another Application, and (c) Different Modality. It also covers Example States; Captivating Content with the In-Line Camera; Previewing Tools; Deleting; Editing; Commenting on Photos; Sharing; Phot Streaming Album Browser and more. To review Apple's detailed patent application, click here.

Patent Credits

Apple credits Andrew Rauh as the sole inventor of patent application 20150058754 which was originally filed in Q2 2014. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.

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