Thumbnail image browsing method in an embedded system

• US 20030191756A1
• Filed: 04/03/2003
• Published: 10/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Oh, Hyo-Seob
• Granted Patent: US 7,418,673 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/04 Context-preserving transformations, e.g. by using an importance map panospheric to cylindrical image transformations G06T3/12

Abstract

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method of viewing images accessible by an embedded system, the method comprises: generating a trimmed image from an original image accessible by an embedded system, wherein the trimmed image'"'"'s dimension are relatively smaller or equal to the dimensions of the original image; generating a thumbnail image from the trimmed image, such that dimensions of the thumbnail image are relatively smaller and directly proportional to the respective dimensions of the trimmed image; and associating the thumbnail image with the original image so that in response to selection of the thumbnail image the original image is displayed on the embedded system'"'"'s display unit.

Claims

1. A thumbnail image browsing method in an embedded system, the method comprising:

generating a trimmed image associated with an original image provided to an embedded system in accordance with a predetermined set of trimming rules; and

generating a thumbnail image for display from the trimmed image.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the thumbnail image in response to activation of an image browsing function.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

displaying the original image in response to selection of the displayed thumbnail image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the thumbnail image is associated with the original image for the purpose of file management, such that any file management operation performed on the thumbnail image is also performed on the original image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the trimmed image has predefined dimensions dictated by said predetermined set of trimming rules.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predefined dimensions are such that the trimmed image has a width equal in size to its length.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the original image in a first directory;

determining whether a thumbnail image associated with the original image exists in a second directory;

generating trimmed image from the original image if the thumbnail image fails to exist;

generating a thumbnail image from the trimmed image; and

storing the generated thumbnail image in the second directory.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second directory is a sub-directory of the first directory.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the original image has a width X and a length Y, and wherein the truncated image has a length smaller than Y, if Y is greater than X.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the original image has a width X and a length Y, and wherein the truncated image has a width smaller than X, if Y is smaller than X.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the original image has a width X and a length Y, and m is a value greater than zero, wherein if mY<

(Y−

X) then upper border of the original image is trimmed by mY and lower border of original image is trimmed by mY−

X in order to produce the trimmed image.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the original image has a width X and a length Y, and m is a value greater than zero, wherein if mY>

(Y−

X) then lower border of the original image is trimmed by Y−

X to produce the trimmed image.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the value of m is between 0 and 1.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the value of m is approximately 0.05.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the value of m is between 0 and 1.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the value of m is approximately 0.05.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the original image has a width X and a length Y, and m is a value greater than zero, wherein if X>

Y then side borders of the original image are trimmed by m(X−

Y) each to produce the trimmed image.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein m is a value between 0 and 1.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein m is approximately 0.5.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the original image has a width X and a length Y, wherein if X=Y then borders of the original image are not trimmed.

21. A method of viewing images accessible by an embedded system, the method comprising:

generating a trimmed image from an original image accessible by an embedded system, wherein the trimmed image'"'"'s dimension are relatively smaller or equal to the dimensions of the original image;

generating a thumbnail image from the trimmed image, such that dimensions of the thumbnail image are relatively smaller and directly proportional to the respective dimensions of the trimmed image; and

associating the thumbnail image with the original image so that in response to selection of the thumbnail image the original image is displayed on the embedded system'"'"'s display unit.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

associating the thumbnail image with the original image so that any file management operations performed on the thumbnail image is also performed on the original image.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

storing the trimmed image on a storage medium readily accessible by the embedded system.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the trimmed image is trimmed on its borders based on the orientation of the original image.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the trimmed image is trimmed along its height, if the original image has a width X smaller than a height Y.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the trimmed image is trimmed along its width, if the original image has a width X longer than a height Y.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the trimmed image is trimmed along its height according to the following relationship:

if mY>

(Y−

X), then lower border of the original image is trimmed by Y−

X to produce the trimmed image;

wherein 0<

m<

1.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the trimmed image is trimmed along its height according to the following relationship:

if mY<

(Y−

X), then upper border of the original image is trimmed by mY and lower border of original image is trimmed by mY−

X in order to produce the trimmed image, wherein 0<

m<

1.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the trimmed image is trimmed along its width by m(X−

Y) at its right and left border, wherein 0<

m<

1.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein the thumbnail image has predetermined fixed dimensions.

31. The method of claim 21, wherein the original image has dimensions X and Y, respectively associated with the width and height of the original image, and the trimmed image has dimension X1 and Y1, respectively associated with the width and height of the trimmed image, such that if X>

Y then X1 and Y1 are trimmed so that X1=Y and Y1=Y.

32. The method of claim 21, wherein the original image has dimensions X and Y, respectively associated with the width and height of the original image, and the trimmed image has dimension X1 and Y1, respectively associated with the width and height of the trimmed image, such that if X<

Y then X1 and Y1 are trimmed so that X1=X and Y1=X.