Method for clustering and querying media items

• US 20050076056A1
• Filed: 10/02/2003
• Published: 04/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Paalasmaa, Joonas, Sorvari, Antti, Salmenkaita, Jukka-Pekka, Tallgren, Tapio
• Granted Patent: US 7,313,574 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/55 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The present invention relates to managing media items in data processing terminals. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method, a device and a computer program product for arranging, viewing and querying media items organized in hierarchical multidimensional clusters in mobile terminals. Media items are arranged by clustering with multiple dimensions, wherein they are queried by defining the first entry for one dimension, wherein the next entry is based on the other dimension from the media items fulfilling the first entry.

Claims

1. A method for managing media items, wherein individual media items are provided with metadata comprising at least two descriptive information, wherein the individual media items having at least one descriptive information in common are clustered together, wherein the cluster with media items is managed in a similar manner as the individual media item.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the individual media item is compared to other individual media items or to clusters for determining whether to cluster it.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cluster is named according to the descriptive information.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cluster is displayed among the individual media items, but differentiated from them visually.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the management of media items and clusters comprises steps for at least arranging, querying and viewing the media items.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein querying the media items comprises steps for defining the first entry for one descriptive information wherein the next entry is based on the other descriptive information of media items fulfilling the first entry.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein viewing the media items comprises showing an array of media items and clusters, wherein the media items inside the cluster are viewed after selecting it.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is a client-side method.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said one descriptive information is the location of the terminal.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein another descriptive information is the time of acquiring the media item.

11. The method according to claim 3, wherein the cluster is named and updated manually, wherein the name is also updated to the corresponding storage system.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the media items are further subclustered within the clusters.

13. The method according to claim 6, wherein querying the media items is adapted automatically based on the user'"'"'s previous query behaviour.

14. The method according to the claim 9, where the location information is automatically acquired from a positioning system or manually defined by the user.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the media item is an image.

16. A device for managing media items, wherein the device comprises a definer for providing individual media items with metadata comprising at least two descriptive information, wherein the device further comprises a grouper for clustering together individual media items having at least one descriptive information in common, wherein the device is arranged to manage the cluster with media items in a similar manner as the individual media item.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the device further comprises a comparator for comparing the individual media item to other individual media items or to clusters for finding out whether to cluster it.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein the device further comprises means for naming the cluster according to the descriptive information.

19. The device according to claim 16, wherein the device is arranged to manage several media items and several clusters among each other and separable from each other.

20. The device according to claim 16, wherein the device comprises also one or more of the following means for the media items:

arranging means, query means and viewing means.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein the query means are arranged to query media items according to the first entry for one descriptive information and further to query the media items according to the next entry of the other descriptive information of those media items that fulfill the first entry.

22. The device according to claim 20, wherein the viewing means are arranged to show the media items individually or clustered as an array.

23. The device according to claim 22, wherein the viewing means are arranged to show the media items of a cluster individually or clustered as a separate array.

24. The device according to claim 23, wherein said array is one view of a user interface.

25. The device according to claim 16, wherein the device also comprises means for positioning the device.

26. The device according to claim 16, wherein the device also comprises means for mobile communication.

27. The electronic device according to claim 16, wherein the device also comprises means for photographing.

28. A computer program product for managing media items, wherein the computer program product comprises a memory means where the computer readable program is stored, wherein the computer-readable program comprises instructions for providing the individual media items with metadata comprising at least two descriptive information, wherein the computer-readable program also comprises instructions for clustering together the individual media items having at least one descriptive information in common, wherein the cluster with media items is manageable in a similar manner as the individual media item.