Method and system for displaying image information

• US 20050268226A1
• Filed: 05/28/2004
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Galleryplayer, Inc., Eqapez Foundation LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eqapez Foundation LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Brownlow, Paul, Lipsky, Scott E.
• Application Number:
  US10/858,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20050268226A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/209
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation

Abstract

A method and system for displaying image information along with images is provided. An image display system receives an image package that includes images and image descriptions. The image descriptions include image information (or “credits”) and instructions on how the image information is to be displayed. The image display system then displays the images of the received image package and the image information of the image descriptions so that the image information is alpha blended with a portion of the displayed image.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for displaying image information for an image, the method comprising:

receiving an image package that includes an image and an image description, the image description indicating how image information is to be displayed;

displaying the image of the received image package; and

displaying the image information of the image description of the received image package wherein the image information is alpha blended with a portion of the displayed image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the image description includes timing information for display of the image information.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the timing information indicates a start time, a transition in time, a duration time, and a transition out time.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the start time is specified relative to the start of the displaying of the image.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the start time is specified relative to the end of the displaying of the image.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the start time is specified relative to the midpoint of the displaying of the image.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the timing information indicates that the image information is displayed multiple times during the displaying of the image.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the timing information indicates the frequency at which the image information is displayed.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the timing information indicates number of times the image information is displayed during the displaying of the image.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the image description indicates a width that is a percent of a display area.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the image description indicates a width that is a percent of the image area.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the image description indicates that the image information is arranged vertically.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the image description indicates that the image information is arranged horizontally.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the image description includes an alpha blending weighting factor.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the image information includes artist, title, and year.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the image information includes a link to more information about the image.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the link is a uniform resource locator.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the image information is stored in a markup language document.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the document includes multiple layers with layer attributes for displaying the image information.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the document can be rendered using a standard markup language render component.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein a layer has an associated alpha blending weighting factor that applies to the portion of the image description associated with that layer.

22. A method for displaying of images along with image information, the method comprising:

providing an indication of display systems that are registered to display images;

preparing image packages that include images and an image plan, the image plan including an image description with image information;

distributing the image packages to the registered display systems; and

displaying at the registered display systems the images of the distributed image packages in accordance with the image plan and along with the image information of the image description.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the image description specifies an alpha blending weighting factor for alpha blending of the image information with the image.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the image information is displayed with a background that is derived from the image.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the color of the background is the average color of the image.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein the image description is specified using an HTML document along with an alpha blending weighting factor.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein the image description specifies transparency level when the image information is displayed.

28. The method of claim 22 wherein the image descriptions are distributed to the registered display systems and displayed without user intervention at the registered display systems.

29. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to display image information for an image, by a method comprising:

displaying an image of an image package, the image package having the image and an image description, the image description indicating how image information is to be displayed; and

displaying the image information of the image description of the image package.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 wherein the image information is alpha blended with a portion of the displayed image.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 wherein the image description includes timing information for display of the image information.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein the timing information indicates a start time, a transition in time, a duration time, and a transition out time.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32 wherein the start time is specified relative to the start of the displaying of the image.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 32 wherein the start time is specified relative to the end of the displaying of the image.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 32 wherein the start time is specified relative to the midpoint of the displaying of the image.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein the timing information indicates that the image information is displayed multiple times during the displaying of the image.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 wherein the image description indicates a width that is a percent of a display area.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 wherein the image description includes an alpha blending weighting factor.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 wherein the image information includes artist, title, and year.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 wherein the image information includes a link to more information about the image.