Patent landscapes › Electronics & gadgets

Is a digital photo frame patented?

Short answer: specific designs of a digital photo frame have been patented many times, but "a digital photo frame" as a general idea is not what is protected. What matters is the exact combination of features in your version.

What our index shows
  • 187 US and WO patent publications since 2000 have a title matching “digital photopicture frame” or a close variant (our index of 9.7 million patent families; one publication per family).
  • Among the 187 best keyword matches we examined, 27 were published in 2020 or later, and the earliest was published in 2002.
  • Most frequent assignees in those matches: HONGFUJIN PREC IND SHENZHEN (38), AURA HOME INC (13), HON HAI PREC IND CO LTD (7), SHENZHEN JOYHONG TECH CO LTD (5).
  • Most common patent classes (CPC subclasses): G06F (92), H04N (88), G09G (74), H04L (17).

Counts come from keyword matching on titles and abstracts, so they are indicative, not a legal count. Some matches are different products that share a word.

14 real patent publications related to a digital photo frame

  1. Photo content clustering for digital picture frame display and automated frame storytelling US-12517943-B2 2026 · AURA HOME INC
    A method and system for automated routing of pictures taken on mobile electronic devices to a digital picture frame including a camera, microphone, and speaker integrated with the frame, and a network connection module allowing th…
    View on Google Patents
  2. Displaying two adjacent photos on a single split screen digital picture frame US-12681981-B2 2026 · AURA HOME INC
    A method and apparatus for displaying digital photos on a digital display with a network connection module. The method includes identifying two different photos in a digital photo collection that include a matching photo content, …
    View on Google Patents
  3. Photo content extraction for conversational digital picture frames US-2025110986-A1 2025 · FRIEDER OPHIR
    A method and system for automated routing of pictures taken on mobile electronic devices to a digital picture frame including a camera, microphone, and speaker integrated with the frame, and a network connection module allowing th…
    View on Google Patents
  4. Verifying photo content extraction for digital picture frames US-2025110676-A1 2025 · FRIEDER OPHIR
    A method and system for automated routing of pictures taken on mobile electronic devices to a digital picture frame including a camera, microphone, and speaker integrated with the frame, and a network connection module allowing th…
    View on Google Patents
  5. Digital photo trend detection for digital picture frames US-12147467-B2 2024 · AURA HOME INC
    A method for automated routing of pictures taken on mobile electronic devices to a digital picture frame including a camera integrated with the frame, and a network connection module allowing the frame for direct contact and uploa…
    View on Google Patents
  6. Method for sharing photos from photo clusters to digital picture frames US-12131092-B2 2024 · AURA HOME INC
    A digital picture frame including a camera integrated with the frame, and a network connection module allowing the frame for direct contact and upload of photos from electronic devices or from a user's social media account or …
    View on Google Patents
  7. Photo content extraction for conversational digital picture frames US-2023205805-A1 2023 · AURA HOME INC
    A method and system for automated routing of pictures taken on mobile electronic devices to a digital picture frame including a camera, microphone, and speaker integrated with the frame, and a network connection module allowing th…
    View on Google Patents
  8. Digital picture frame with improved display of community photographs US-10820293-B2 2020 · PUSHD INC
    A digital picture frame including a camera integrated with the frame, and a network connection module allowing the frame for direct contact and upload of photos from electronic devices or from photo collections of community member…
    View on Google Patents
  9. Automated method of displaying personalized photos on a digital picture frame US-10467986-B2 2019 · PUSHD INC
    A digital picture frame including a camera integrated with the frame, and a network connection module allowing the frame for use as a Mobile Positional Social Media (MPSM) device for displaying social media pictures from a user&#3…
    View on Google Patents
  10. Clustering photographs for display on a digital picture frame US-10430986-B2 2019 · PUSHD INC
    A digital picture frame including a camera integrated with the frame, and a network connection module allowing the frame for direct contact and upload of photos from electronic devices or from photo collections of community member…
    View on Google Patents
  11. Automatically displaying photos uploaded remotely to a digital picture frame US-2012096369-A1 2012 · NUDD GEOFFREY HOWARD
    Provided is novel computer enabled approach for loading pictures on to a digital picture frame, or on to a computer system functioning as a digital picture frame, via an Internet interface. The digital picture frame operates accor…
    View on Google Patents
  12. System and method for displaying pictures in digital photo frame US-2009322744-A1 2009 · HONGFUJIN PREC IND SHENZHEN
    A method for displaying pictures in a digital photo frame includes establishing a solid figure in three-dimensional space, attaching the pictures to different faces of the solid figure, and rotating the solid figure with the pictu…
    View on Google Patents
  13. Digital photo frame that auto-adjusts a picture to match a display panel US-2008001933-A1 2008 · AVID ELECTRONICS CORP
    A digital photo frame having auto-adjusting capability to match a picture and a display panel includes a frame body, an input and output interface, a control unit, an image processing unit, and a display panel and a control panel.…
    View on Google Patents
  14. Method and System for Remotely Controlling The Display of Photos in a Digital Picture Frame US-2008195962-A1 2008 · LIN DANIEL J
    A system is provided for enabling a user to access a centralized account through a web browser on a terminal in order to remotely manage the display of digital photos on a digital picture frame. Any modifications made by user thro…
    View on Google Patents

What this means for your idea

Because patents cover specific combinations of features, the useful question is not “has a digital photo frame been patented?” but “has my combination of features been described before?” Consumer electronics are among the most heavily patented areas; the specific circuit, mounting, or interaction is what distinguishes a design.

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Guides that help with this

First-look landscape. Not exhaustive. Not legal advice. This page lists keyword-matched publications from a limited database; it does not say whether any product is or isn't covered by a patent, whether a patent is still in force, or whether your idea is patentable. Consult a registered patent attorney or agent.