System for managing data objects

• US 20020033848A1
• Filed: 04/19/2001
• Published: 03/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adeia Semiconductor Advanced Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Tessera Advanced Technologies, Inc.) (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Oba, Haruo, Rekimoto, Junichi, Agata, Hideyuki, Hayashi, Masakazu, Imamura, Makoto, Sciammarella, Eduardo Agusto, Kuninori, Masato
• Granted Patent: US 7,051,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/838
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A device for managing image and audio files displays thumbnails, which are representative of the files, on a screen in different arrangements, depending on the selected layout and order. When the user enters input to indicates that he or she wishes to browse through the thumbnails, the thumbnails move across the screen in sequence, following a path through a focus outline in the center of the screen. The path followed by the thumbnails depends on the selected layout.

Claims

1. A device for managing data objects, comprising:

displaying means for displaying thumbnails representative of data objects;

defining means for defining a focus region that indicates a focus thumbnail subject to processes;

moving means for moving the displayed thumbnails along a predetermined path through the focus region; and

enable/disable means for selectively enabling and disabling the moving means, the displaying means statically displaying a single thumbnail in the focus region when the enable/disable means disables the moving means, the displaying means displaying the thumbnails to move along the predetermined path through the focus region when the enable/disable means enables the moving means.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying means displays the thumbnails in partial overlap with sections of each thumbnail exposed, and changes relative position of thumbnails to change exposed sections of thumbnails while the enable/disable means enables the moving means.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying means displays the thumbnails in partial overlap, and changes overlapping sections of thumbnails while the enable/disable means disables the moving means.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying means further displays an interface portion with a plurality of indicia, and further comprising selection means for selecting one of the indicia of the interface portion.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the indicia include a plurality of layout indicia each representing one of a plurality of layouts, the displaying means displaying the thumbnails in relative positions, and the moving means moving the thumbnails along a predetermined path, in accordance with the layout indicium selected by the selection means.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the displaying means further displays file names of files containing the data objects of the thumbnails, the displaying means displaying the file names in a pattern that is inverse a pattern formed by the thumbnails.

7. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

the displaying means displays the selected layout indicium at a present layout position to indicate presently displayed layout of the thumbnails; and

when the selection means newly selects a layout indicium, the displaying means displays movement of the newly selected layout indicium to the present layout position and movement of a preceding selected layout indicium out of the present layout position.

8. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

the layout indicia include a line indicium; and

when the selection means selects the line indicium, the displaying means displays the thumbnails in a line layout with the thumbnails aligned in partial overlap in a line.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the displaying means displays the thumbnails in the line layout with a reciprocal pivoting motion, the focus thumbnail serving as an unmoving axis of the pivoting movement.

10. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

the layout indicia include a circle indicium; and

when the selection means selects the circle indicium, the displaying means displays the thumbnails in a circle layout with the thumbnails disposed in partial overlap in a circular ring.

11. A device as claimed in claim 10, wherein, when number of thumbnails exceeds a predetermined number, the displaying means displays a portion of the thumbnails in an arc with a predetermined radius and the moving means sequentially changes displayed thumbnails while enabled.

12. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

the layout indicia include a grid indicium; and

when the selection means selects the grid indicium, the displaying means displays the thumbnails in a grid layout with thumbnails aligned with fixed mutual positions in rows and columns.

13. A device as claimed in claim 12, wherein:

the displaying means displays the thumbnails in the grid layout in rows having a length that can be completely displayed at once; and

when the enable/disable means enables the moving means, the moving means moves the thumbnails of a single column through the focus region.

14. A device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the moving means when enabled moves the thumbnails in the grid layout through the focus region one row at a time in succession, starting from the same end of each successive row.

15. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

the layout indicia include a helix indicium; and

when the selection means selects the helix indicium, the displaying means displays the thumbnails in a helix layout that mimics a side view of a helix by displaying thumbnails at a far side of the helix in a smaller scale than thumbnails at a near side of the helix.

16. A device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the displaying means displays the thumbnails in the helix layout to mimic a helix with a shorter radius when the enable/disable means enables the moving means than when the enable/disable means disables the moving means.

17. A device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the displaying means displays movement of the thumbnails in the helix layout through the focus region by displaying spiral movement of the helix.

18. A device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the displaying means displays movement of the thumbnails in the helix layout through the focus region by shifting the helix one pitch distance to move the present focus thumbnail out of the focus region and to move a thumbnail of an adjacent ring of the helix into the focus region.

19. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein, when the selection means selects a new layout indicium that is different from a preceding selected layout indicium, the displaying means repositions the thumbnails into a new layout that corresponds to the new layout indicium while displaying the thumbnails moving toward and into positions of the new layout.

20. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the indicia include a plurality of order indicia each representing one of a plurality of predetermined sequence orders, the displaying means displaying the thumbnails in an order represented by an order indicium selected by the selection means.

21. A device as claimed in claim 20, wherein:

the displaying means displays the selected order indicium at a present order position to indicate present order of the thumbnails; and

when the selection means newly selects an order indicium, the displaying means displays movement of the newly selected order indicium to the present order position and movement of a preceding selected order indicium out of the present order position.

22. A device as claimed in claim 20, wherein, when the selection means selects a new order indicium that is different from a preceding selected order indicium, the displaying means repositions the thumbnails according a new order that corresponds to the new order indicium, while displaying movement of the thumbnails into positions appropriate for the new order.

23. A device as claimed in claim 20, wherein:

the order indicia include a time indicium; and

when the selection means selects the time indicium, the displaying means displays the thumbnails in groups according to when the corresponding data objects were produced.

24. A device as claimed in claim 20, wherein:

the order indicia include a time indicium; and

when the selection means selects the time indicium, the displaying means displays the thumbnails separated by distance corresponding to time between when the corresponding data objects were produced.

25. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the indicia include a plurality of application indicia each representing one of a plurality of applications, and further comprising an application launcher that launches an application that corresponds to the application indicium selected by the selection means.

26. A device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising further request means for indicating desire for further information on data object that corresponds to the focus thumbnail, the displaying means enlarging display of the focus thumbnail when the further request means indicates a desire for further information.

27. A device as claimed in claim 26, wherein the displaying means displays application indicia representing software applications when the further information request means indicates a desire for further information on the data object of the focus thumbnail.

28. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying means displays thumbnails of audio data objects for audio contents based on data of the audio data object.

29. A device as claimed in claim 28, wherein the displaying means displays thumbnails of audio data objects according to amount of data in the audio data object.

30. A device as claimed in claim 28, wherein the displaying means displays thumbnails of audio data objects according to content of data in the audio data object.

31. A device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

retrieval means for retrieving data objects from a memory card; and

recognition means for recognizing presence of a memory card and activating the retrieval means when a memory card is present.

32. A device as claimed in claim 31, wherein the displaying means displays thumbnails one at a time in a sequence that the retrieval means retrieves the data objects from the memory card.

33. A device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising search means for searching to find thumbnails that meet certain criteria, the displaying means displaying only thumbnails found by the search means.

34. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the enable/disable means enables the moving means, the moving means determines a target position for each thumbnail, and moves the thumbnails to their respective target positions in an easing-in movement.

35. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying means displays the thumbnails in a line layout with the thumbnails aligned in partial overlap in a line.

36. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying means displays the thumbnails in a circle layout with the thumbnails disposed in partial overlap in a circular ring.

37. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying means displays the thumbnails in a grid layout with thumbnails aligned with fixed mutual positions in rows and columns.

38. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaying means displays the thumbnails in a helix layout that mimics a side view of a helix by displaying thumbnails at a far side of the helix in a smaller scale than thumbnails at a near side of the helix.

39. A method for managing data objects, comprising the steps of:

displaying thumbnails representative of data objects;

defining a focus region that indicates a focus thumbnail subject to processes; and

selectively displaying a single thumbnail in the focus region, and displaying the thumbnails moving along a predetermined path through the focus region.

40. A program storage medium for storing data of a program indicative of a process for managing data objects, the program comprising:

a program for displaying thumbnails representative of data objects;

a program for defining a focus region that indicates a focus thumbnail subject to processes; and

a program for selectively displaying a single thumbnail in the focus region, and displaying the thumbnails moving along a predetermined path through the focus region.