This invention relates, broadly, to crowd photography. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and a system for photographing members of a crowd at a venue. It is envisaged that the invention will find particular application in providing members of a crowd with memento photographs of an event such as for example a sports event.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a method of photographing one or more members of a crowd at a venue which includes a plurality of areas, each area having an identifier, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a digital text message which includes an identifier of at least one of the areas; and taking a photograph of the area by means of a camera.

The message may be an SMS.

The camera may be a camera for taking still photographs or may be a video camera.

If the venue has seats, the area may include one seat or a number of seats. The method may include scheduling a time when the photograph will be taken. The method may include sending a replying digital text message indicating the scheduled time at which the photograph will be taken.

The venue may be a stadium.

Depending on the position of the identified area, it may be necessary to move and/or change the orientation of the camera to enable it to take the photograph. The method may include determining, from the identifier in the message, a place from which the camera can take the photograph, and moving the camera along a track to the place. Instead or in addition, the method may include determining, from the identifier in the message, a direction for the camera to point its lens in order to take the photograph, and pivoting the camera to point its lens in the direction.

The camera may be located within a unit, and the camera may be moved by operating a drive motor to move the unit along a track. The track may be provided by at least one rail along which the unit is rolled by means of one or more wheels associated with the drive motor, the drive motor being operatively connected to the processing unit and to at least one said wheel.

Orientating the camera may include pivoting the unit about an axis and/or pivoting the camera within the unit about at least one axis, to position the camera to point its lens in a desired direction. For example, positioning the camera may be by means of operating a pivot motor, for causing the camera to pivot within the unit, the camera being pivotable about at least one axis, which may have horizontal and vertical components, to tilt the camera, as desired, to point its lens in a desired direction. Preferably, the camera is pivotable within the unit about at least two axes.

A message receiving means for receiving the message may be located at the unit.

Instead, a message receiving means for receiving the message may be located at a facility which is remote from the unit. The transmission may be wireless, in which event the method may include generating an electromagnetic signal from the communications facility and transmitting it to the unit. Instead, the transmission may be via a cable.

In addition to operating an a pivot motor, as indicated above, the method may include operating various other components to operate the camera in a desired manner. More particularly, the method may include operating operating components to cause the camera to take photographs of persons in the crowd. For example a camera shutter or a functional equivalent of a shutter may be operated by a motor, to take a photograph. The method may further include operating other operating components such as zooming and focusing components, respectively to cause the camera to zoom and to focus, as desired, on different persons in the crowd. For example zooming and focusing apparatuses may be operated by motors, to cause the camera to zoom and to focus, as desired. The zooming and focusing apparatuses may form part of the camera. It will be appreciated that the method will typically include other operations that are usual in photography such as adjusting the amount of light received by the camera.

The drive motor and the pivot motor may be electrically-driven, the method including supplying electrical power thereto, which may be by means of a battery of electrochemical power storage cells associated with the camera and movable therewith along the track. Instead, power may be supplied thereto by an electrical mains power supply.

Movement and operation of the camera may be controlled by an electronic processing unit, the or each drive motor, the pivot motor and the other camera-operating components being responsive to the processing unit, the processing unit in turn being responsive to the incoming SMS. The electronic processing unit may be at the location of the camera or remote from it.

The method may include selecting, from a plurality of cameras provided at the venue, the camera to take the photograph.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a system for photographing one or more members of a crowd at a venue which includes a plurality of areas, each area having an identifier, which system includes: a movable camera; a message receiving means for receiving a digital text message which includes an identifier of at least one of the areas; and a control means for controlling the positioning of the camera to enable it to take a photograph of the area identified in the message.

The message may be an SMS.

The camera may be a camera for taking still photographs or may be a video camera.

If the venue has seats, the area may include one seat or a number of seats.

The system may include which includes a scheduling means for scheduling a time when the photograph will be taken. The system may include an SMS generating means for generating a replying SMS indicating a time scheduled by the scheduling means at which the photograph will be taken.

The venue may be a stadium.

The control means may be an electronic processing unit.

The camera may pivotably mounted within a unit, the camera being pivotable about at least one axis, preferably at least two axes. The camera may be movable from place to place by operating a drive motor to move the unit along a track. The positioning of the camera to enable it to take a photograph of the area identified in the SMS may be by pivoting the camera within the unit and/or by moving the unit along the track and/or by turning the unit.

The unit may include the message receiving means and/or the SMS generating means and/or the scheduling means.

Instead, the message receiving means may be located at a facility which is remote from the unit. The unit may include a signal receiver for receiving a signal which has been wirelessly transmitted from the facility, and the facility may include a signal generating means for generating a signal which is transmitted to the signal receiver, for communication between the facility and the unit. Instead, the unit may be connected to the facility by means of a cable. The facility may include the SMS generating means and/or the scheduling means.

The unit may include a housing in which the camera is mounted.

The track may comprise at least one rail on which the housing is mounted via at least one wheel which engages the track to roll along it. More particularly, the housing may be mounted via the wheel on the rail. The housing may be weather- resistant.

The unit may include at least one pivot motor for pivoting the camera to point its lens in a direction in which it can take the photograph, the pivot motor being responsive to instructions received from and generated by the processing unit, the processing unit being programmed to generate instructions for the pivot motor to position the camera to point its lens in the direction of the area identified by the SMS. The unit may include a plurality of pivot motors for pivoting the camera to point its lens in a direction in which it can take the photograph, the pivot motors being responsive to instructions received from and generated by the processing unit, the processing unit being programmed to generate instructions for the pivot motors to position the camera to point its lens in the direction of the area identified by the SMS.

Instead or in addition, the unit may include a motorized pivoting means for pivoting or turning the unit within which the camera is housed about an axis.

As indicated above, the control means may be an electronic processing unit. The system may include an operating component for causing the camera to take photographs, the operating component being responsive to an instruction received from and generated by the processing unit, the processing unit being programmed to generate instructions for the operating component to cause the camera to take at least one photograph at the time scheduled by the scheduling means. For example the system may include a camera shutter or a functional equivalent of a shutter, which may be operated by a motor. The system may include operating components for causing the camera to zoom and to focus, as desired, on different persons in the crowd. The system may include zooming and focusing apparatuses, which may form part of the camera. Further motors may be provided to operate the zooming and focusing apparatuses. The unit may include an electrical power supply. The electrical power supply may be in the form of a battery of electrochemical storage cells or an electrical mains power supply. The system may also include a storage device such as a hard drive which may be associated with the processing unit.

The track may be permanently installed at the venue, for photographing members of a crowd such as spectators or members of an audience.

The system may include a database for storing photographs taken by the camera. The system may include a website for providing purchasers of the photographs with access to the photographs stored in the database. The database may include an index for facilitating access to the photographs.

The system may include a plurality of movable cameras and a camera selecting means for selecting which of the cameras will take the photograph.

The control means may include a plurality of electronic processing units, each camera having an electronic processing unit associated with it for controlling the positioning of the camera. Instead, the positioning of all of the cameras may be controlled by one electronic processing unit.

The invention will now be described, by way of a non-limiting illustrative example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which : Figure 1 is a schematic view of a system for photographing one or more members of a crowd at a venue in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 2 is a schematic view of one of the photographing units of the system Figure 1.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a system for photographing one or more members of a crowd at a venue in accordance with the invention is generally designated by reference numeral 10 (Figure 1 ). In this illustrative example, the venue includes a plurality of seats 12, each seat 12 having an identifier. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments of the invention (not shown) a venue may have other kinds of uniquely identified areas, which may include a plurality of seats or, if the venue does not have seats, uniquely identified areas without seats. The system 10 includes a message receiving means for receiving a digital text message and a message transmitting means for transmitting a digital text message. The message receiving means and the message transmitting means are in the form of a message receiving and transmitting unit 14. The system 10 includes a track 16 and a plurality of photographing units 18 which are spaced along the track 16. Each photographing unit 18 includes a movable camera 20 (Figure 2).

The system 10 further includes a control means for controlling the positioning and operation of each of the cameras 20. The control means is an electronic processing unit, more particularly a programmed electronic processor 22. There is an associated storage device 24 in the form of a hard disk. The system 10 has a scheduling module for scheduling when a photograph will be taken and a camera selecting module for selecting which of the cameras will take a photograph. The scheduling module and the camera selection module are provided by the processor 22. The system 10 further includes an message generating module, which is provided by the processor 22, for generating a digital text message to a mobile telephone (not shown) of an occupant of one of the seats 12 indicating the scheduled time at which the photograph will be taken. The message receiving and transmitting unit 14 and the processor 22 are remote from the photographing units 18. The message receiving and transmitting unit 14 is connected to the processor 22 by a cable 26. The processor 22 is connected to each of the photographing units 18 by a cable 28.

Figure 2 shows one of the photographing units 18. As indicated above, the photographing unit 18 includes a camera 20. The photographing unit 18 also includes a drive motor 34, the photographing unit 18 being movable along the track 16, which is in the form of an elevated rail. The drive motor 34 is for moving the unit 18 along the track 16, as may be required. The unit 18 includes two pivot motors 36 for pivoting or turning the camera to point its lens in a desired direction, as may be required, and includes other operating components for operating the camera 20 to take a photograph, which are described more fully below.

The operation of the drive motor 34 is controlled by the processor 22. The processor 22 also controls the pivot motors 36 as well as the other operating components which enable the camera 20 to take a photograph of a seat 12 identified in an incoming message received by the unit 14. The drive motor 34 and the various components which tilt and operate the camera 20 are powered by an electrical mains power supply. In another embodiment of the invention (not shown), the processor 22 may communicate with the photographing units 18 wirelessly instead of via the cable 28, the processor 22 and each of the photographing units 18 being provided with a wireless communications device for transmitting and receiving communications wirelessly.

The camera 20, in this example a digital video camera, is mounted in a weather-resistant housing 40 slung via a wheel 42 from the track 16. The drive motor

34 is operatively connected by a mechanical drive (not shown) to the wheel 42 and is arranged to drive it in opposite directions in the direction of arrow 48 from place to place along the track 16, as desired.

As indicated above, the photographing unit 18 includes a pivot motors 36 for tilting the camera to point its lens 52 in a desired direction, the camera 20 being tiltably mounted in the housing 40 about horizontal and vertical axes which permit the camera 20 to be tilted up-and-down and from side-to-side about said axes, the pivot motors being responsive to instructions generated by the processor 22. The other components which enable the camera 20 to take a photograph of an identified seat 12 include a camera shutter (not shown), zooming and focusing apparatuses (not shown) for causing the camera to zoom and to focus on different persons in the crowd, and a light exposure adjustment apparatus (not shown) for adjusting the amount of light received by the camera 20. These other components form part of the camera 20.

In use, an occupant (not shown) of one of the seats 12 sends a digital text message including the identifier of the seat 12 to the unit 14. In response thereto, the processor 22 schedules a time at which the photograph will be taken and generates a replying digital text message which is transmitted by the unit 14 to a mobile telephone (not shown) of the occupant indicating the scheduled time at which photographs of the identified seat will be taken.

Further, in response to the receipt of the unit 14 of the incoming message, the camera selecting module selects one of the photographing units 18 in the vicinity of the seat 12 to take the photograph. The processor 22 generates instructions which are received by the drive motor 34 which cause the drive motor 34 of the selected photographing unit 18 to cause the unit 18 to move along the track 16. The processor 22 also generates instructions which are received by the pivot motors 36 which cause the pivot motors 36 of the selected unit 18 to tilt and rotate the camera 22 within the housing 40 to a position where the camera 20 can take a photograph of the identified seat 12. The processor 22 also controls the operation of the camera 20 including operation of the shutter (not shown) to take a photograph of the seat 12 at the time scheduled by the scheduling module. The camera 20 focuses and zooms by operation of the camera's zooming component to alter the degree of magnification, as required, and adjusts the amount of light received by the camera 20, as required, according to the ambient light. The photographs are transmitted to and stored on the hard drive 24, and are downloaded at a later stage.

The processing unit 22 and/or hard drive 24 are connected to a transmission device (not shown), for transmitting the photographs electronically and digitally to a remote location where the photographed images are stored in digital form, and printed when desired.

The photographs are stored in a (not shown) which has an index. Photographs in the database are made available on the Internet (not shown) via a website, the photographs being identified by the seat number and the date, so that purchasers of the photographs can obtain photographs of themselves at that venue and on that date.

In addition, the photograph of an identified seat can be downloaded onto a mobile telephone (not shown) upon request. In another embodiment of the invention (not shown), the photograph is automatically downloaded onto the mobile telephone from which the message which caused the seat to be photographed originated.