Calendar-based interfaces for browsing and manipulation of digital images

• US 20040125150A1
• Filed: 12/31/2002
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Girgensohn, Andreas, Hilbert, David M., Wilcox, Lynn D., Adcock, John E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,325,198 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide the ability to navigate, view, and manipulate a collection of digital images utilizing a GUI that has the familiar context of a calendar. Graphical objects representative of digital images are displayed within a particular day displayed in a calendar-based GUI. A user may group digital images into groups, modify the date with which a digital image is associated and perform various other manipulations using embodiments of a calendar-based GUI.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface for displaying to a user a digital image having an associated date, comprising:

a graphical calendar; and

a graphical object representative of said digital image displayed at a location within said graphical calendar that corresponds to said date associated with said digital image.

2. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein said graphical object represents a plurality of digital images.

3. The graphical user interface of claim 2 wherein said plurality of digital images is a group of digital images selected by a user.

4. The graphical user interface of claim 2 wherein said plurality of digital images is a group of digital images representative of an event.

5. The graphical user interface of claim 2 wherein said plurality of digital images is a group of digital images representative of an individual.

6. The graphical user interface of claim 2 wherein said plurality of digital images have the same associated date.

7. The graphical user interface of claim 2 wherein said graphical object is a level fill representative of a number of said plurality of graphical objects.

8. The graphical user interface of claim 2 wherein said graphical object has a luminosity representative of a number of said plurality of graphical objects.

9. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein said associated date includes a time and wherein said graphical object representative of said digital image is displayed at a location within said graphical calendar that corresponds to said associated date and said time.

10. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein said graphical object illustrates a thumbnail image of said digital image.

11. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein said graphical calendar illustrates a year view.

12. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein said graphical calendar illustrates a month view.

13. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein said graphical calendar illustrates a week view.

14. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein said graphical calendar illustrates a day view.

15. A method for organizing and displaying to a user a plurality of digital images comprising the steps of:

obtaining said plurality of digital images;

generating a database containing information for each of said plurality of digital images;

displaying a graphical calendar; and

,

displaying a plurality of graphical objects at distinct locations within said graphical calendar, wherein each graphical object represents at least one of said plurality of digital images.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said information contained in said database includes a creation date for at least a portion of said plurality of digital images and wherein said distinct locations for displaying said graphical objects is determined based on said creation date of said plurality of digital images for which said graphical object represents.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said information contained in said database includes an event identifier for at least a portion of said plurality of digital images and wherein each of said plurality of graphical objects represent digital images having the same event identifier.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of generating includes the steps of:

obtaining a digital image from said plurality of digital images;

determining if said digital image includes a header containing information;

populating said database with said information from said header responsive to a determination that said digital image includes a header containing information; and

repeating said steps for each of said plurality of digital images.

19. The method of claim 18 further including the steps of:

determining whether additional information for said digital image is to be included in said database;

obtaining additional information responsive to a determination that additional information is to be included; and

,

populating said database with said additional information.

20. A computer readable product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for displaying to a user a graphical calendar interface for navigating and manipulating a plurality of digital images, the computer readable program code means comprising;

computer readable program code means for displaying a graphical user interface including a graphical calendar and a plurality of graphical objects representative of at least a portion of said plurality of digital images positioned at distinct locations within said graphical calendar;

computer readable program code means for receiving an input from said user to alter the display of said graphical user interface; and

,

computer readable program code means for receiving an input from said user to alter a location of at least one of said plurality of graphical objects.

21. The computer readable product of claim 20 further including:

computer readable program code means for receiving an input from said user requesting additional information on one of said plurality of graphical objects; and

,

computer readable program code means for displaying additional information to said user responsive to said input from said user requesting additional information on one of said plurality of graphical objects.

22. The computer readable product of claim 21 wherein said additional information is a creation date for said digital image represented by said one of said plurality of graphical objects.

23. The computer readable product of claim 21 wherein said additional information is an event identifier for said digital image represented by said one of said plurality of graphical objects.

24. The computer readable product of claim 21 wherein said additional information is an individual identifier for said digital image represented by said one of said plurality of graphical objects.

25. The computer readable product of claim 20 further including:

computer readable program code means for altering the display of said graphical user interface in response to said input from said user to alter the display.

26. The computer readable product of claim 20 further including:

computer readable program code means for altering said location of said at least one of said plurality of graphical objects in response to said input from said user to alter said location of at least one of said plurality of graphical objects.

27. The computer readable product of claim 20 further including:

computer readable program code means for generating a database including information for each of said plurality of digital images, wherein said information includes a creation date for at least one of said plurality of digital images;

wherein said plurality of graphical objects are positioned at locations within said graphical calendar representative of said creation date for said digital images for which said graphical object represents;

computer readable program code means for altering said location of said at least one of said plurality of graphical objects responsive to said input from said user to alter said location of at least one of said plurality of graphical objects; and

computer readable program code means for modifying said creation date within said database for each digital image represented by said graphical object.