Display apparatus and methods, and recording medium for controlling same

• US 20020097275A1
• Filed: 03/27/2002
• Published: 07/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Nakayama, Tadashi, Kobayashi, Mayumi
• Granted Patent: US 6,938,215 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• 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: Y10S 358/906 Hand-held camera with recorder in a single unit

Abstract

In order to enable a user to obtain information about a large number of recorded images, a display apparatus includes a browser window that can be switched between two modes. In the first mode, a first screen, referred to as an Icon Browser Screen, displays a list of files (that contain image data and/or additional data such as sound data and overlay image data) that are recorded in a recording apparatus such as, e.g., an electronic camera. In the second mode, a second screen, referred to as a Thumbnail Image Browser Screen, displays a series of thumbnail images of the images recorded in the recording apparatus. A thumbnail check box can be selected to switch between the two screens.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

means for coupling the display apparatus to a recording device that stores a plurality of image files; and

image generation means for generating a display of information about the plurality of image files, the image generation means being switchable between a first display mode and a second display mode, when in the first display mode the image generation means generating a display of an image corresponding to at least one of the image files stored in the recording device, and when in the second mode the image generation means displaying a representation of the at least one image file, the representation being smaller than the image generated in the first mode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of file names and icons corresponding to the at least one image file are simultaneously displayed within the generated image when in the first mode.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image generated in the first mode is a thumbnail image of image information of the at least one image file stored in the recording device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when in the second mode, the image generation means also generates icons that indicate sound information associated with the at least one image file.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image generation means displays the representation as an initial screen.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image generation means is initialized in the mode in which the image generation means was previously used.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image generation means generates a plurality of the images when in the first mode, each image corresponding to image information of a different image file, and the image generation means generates a list of representations when in the second mode, each representation corresponding to a different one of the image files.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein each representation includes a print-out of the file name.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each representation also includes at least one icon representing each file.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein each representation includes at least one icon representing each image file.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the representation includes a print-out of the file name.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the representation also includes at least one icon.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the representation includes an icon representing the image file.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller generates an image for each of the image files stored in the recording device in the first display screen, and generates a list of the representations, one for each of the image files stored in the recording device, in the second display screen.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each representation includes a print-out of the file name.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein each representation also includes at least one icon representing each file.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each representation includes at least one icon representing each image file.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller also displays icons in the first display screen and in the second display screen, the icons representing data associated with the image files.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the image displayed in the first display screen is a thumbnail image of the image file stored in the recording device.

14. A display apparatus comprising:

an interface that is couplable to a recording device that stores a plurality of image files; and

a controller that is selectively operable in first and second modes to generate first and second display screens, respectively, the first display screen including a display of an image corresponding to at least one image file stored in the recording device, the second display screen including a display of a representation of the at least one image file, the representation being smaller than the image generated in the first display screen.

21. A method using a display apparatus to display information about files stored in a recording device coupled to the display apparatus, comprising the steps of:

generating a first display that includes an image corresponding to an image file stored in the recording device when the display apparatus is in a first mode; and

generating a second display when the display apparatus is in a second mode, the second display including a representation of the image file that is smaller than the image generated in the first mode.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the generated first display includes a plurality of images, each corresponding to a different image file stored in the recording device, and the generated second display includes a list of representations, each corresponding to a different one of the image files stored in the recording device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein each image is a thumbnail image.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein each representation includes a print-out of the corresponding file name.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein each representation includes at least one icon representing each image file.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the recording device is an electronic camera.

28. The recording medium of claim 27, wherein the control program also includes instructions for displaying at least one of file names and icons corresponding to the image file in the first display.

29. The recording medium of claim 27, wherein the image in the first display is a thumbnail image of the image information of the image file stored in the recording device.

30. The recording medium of claim 27, wherein the control program also includes instructions for displaying icons that indicate sound information associated with the image file.

31. The recording medium of claim 27, wherein the control program includes instructions for displaying the second display as an initial screen.

32. The recording medium of claim 27, wherein the control program includes instructions for displaying as an initial screen the last display among the first display and second display.

33. The recording medium of claim 27, wherein the first display includes a plurality of the images, each corresponding to a different image file, and the second display includes a list of representations, each corresponding to a different one of the image files.

27. A recording medium that stores a control program for use by a display apparatus that is couplable to a recording device that stores a plurality of image files, the control program including instructions for:

generating a first display that includes an image corresponding to an image file stored in the recording device; and

generating a second display that includes a representation of the image file that is smaller than the image generated in the first display.