System and method for managing communication and/or storage of image data

• US 20060176305A1
• Filed: 10/17/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Arcas, Blaise Aquera y, Walker, Julian, Gilman, Ian
• Granted Patent: US 7,930,434 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/428
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0252 Improving the response speed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/121 using a cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/14 Electronic books and readers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/39 Control of the bit-mapped memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2179 Interfaces allowing access to a plurality of users, e.g. connection to electronic image libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2191 for simultaneous, independent access by a plurality of different users

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed, that may include establishing communication between a first computer and a second computer over a communication link, the second computer having an image collection stored therein in the form of compressed image data; selecting a plurality of images in the collection for communication to said first computer; and transmitting low-resolution image data for all of the selected images from the second computer to the first computer before transmitting full-resolution image data for any of the selected images.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

establishing communication between a first computer and a second computer over a communication link, said second computer having an image collection stored therein in the form of compressed image data;

selecting a first image in said image collection for viewing at said first computer;

transmitting at least a portion of the compressed image data for said first image from said second computer to said first computer, wherein said transmitting includes downloading, to said first computer, full-resolution image data for a first region of interest of said first image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said transmitting comprises:

transmitting at least low-resolution image data for a region of said first image external to said first region of interest.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said transmitting at least low-resolution image data comprises:

transmitting said image data for external region, wherein said external-region image data is provided at a resolution that increases with progressively increasing proximity to said first region of interest.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

at least partially reducing a resolution level at which said image data for said first region of interest is stored in said first computer; and

downloading, to said first computer, additional image data for a second region of interest of said first image to enable rendering said second region of interest at full resolution

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said second region of interest overlaps with said first region of interest.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said second region of interest does not overlap with said first region of interest.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

repeating said at partially reducing step and said downloading additional image data step to provide a shifting region of interest.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a plurality of additional images in said image collection;

transmitting at least a portion of the image data for each of said selected images from said second computer to said first computer before transmitting an entirety of any of said selected images from said second computer to said first computer.

9. A method, comprising:

establishing communication between a first computer and a second computer over a communication link, said second computer having an image collection stored therein in the form of compressed image data;

selecting a plurality of images in said collection for communication to said first computer; and

transmitting low-resolution image data for all of said selected images from said second computer to said first computer before transmitting full-resolution image data for any of said selected images.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

transmitting full-resolution image data for a region of interest of a given one of said selected images, said region of interest being less than all of said given image.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

transmitting less-than-full-resolution image data for the portion of said given image external to said region of interest.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said transmitting said less-than-full resolution image data for said external portion of said image comprises:

transmitting said external-portion image data such that the resolution at which said external portion of said given image is stored at said first computer increases with progressively increasing proximity to said region of interest.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein said plurality of images are pages of a publication.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said pages of said publication have a defined sequential order.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said pages having said sequential order are sequentially numbered.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

rendering a first selected one of said pages at full resolution, wherein said first selected page is a first active page.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

rendering pages of said plurality of pages other than said first active page at less than full resolution.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

rendering said other pages at a degree of resolution that decreases with an increasing distance in pages from said first active page.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said other pages are rendered at resolutions equal to said full resolution, at which said first active page is rendered, divided by a constant raised to powers equal to distances in pages by which respective ones of said other pages are located at with respect to said first active page.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said constant equals two.

21. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

discarding at least a portion of the image data enabling rendering said first active page at said full resolution;

rendering a second selected one of said pages at full resolution, thereby making said second selected page a second active page.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said second active page either immediately precedes or immediately succeeds said first active page in said sequential order of pages.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein said second active page is at least two pages away from said first active page in said sequential order of pages.

24. The method of claim 9 wherein said second computer is a portable device.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein said first computer is a personal computer.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein said first computer is a web server.

27. The method of claim 9 wherein said communication link comprises a direct link between said first computer and said second computer.

28. The method of claim 9 wherein said communication link comprises an Internet communication link.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein said portable device is a digital camera and said plurality of images are photos.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising:

completing said transmission of said data for said photos to said personal computer from said digital camera.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

uploading said photos to a web server.

32. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

storing said transmitted data in a virtual display of said personal computer.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein said virtual display includes wavelet data able to at least partially describe said images.

34. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

continuing said transmitting and said storing until said image data in said virtual display is represented at a specified resolution.

35. The method of claim 34 further comprising:

rendering said image data stored in said virtual display at said specified resolution on a physical display.

36. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

providing a cached representation of all images in said image collection in said first computer, wherein said cached representation is stored at lower resolution than said image collection stored in said second computer, said cached representation of said images being cache images within a cache of said first computer.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising:

packing said cache images within said first computer'"'"'s cache into a montage, such that a rendering of said cache images to a physical display displays said montage within a compact region of said physical display.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein said compact region is at least substantially rectangular.

39. The method of claim 37 further comprising:

enabling zooming into and out of said montage by a user of said first computer.

40. The method of claim 37 further comprising:

enabling panning of said montage by a user of said first computer.

44. The method of claim 37 further comprising:

rearranging said packed cache images in said cache using texture mapping.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein said texture mapping is implemented in software.

46. The method of claim 44 wherein said texture mapping is hardware accelerated.

47. The method of claim 44 wherein said texture mapping comprises:

performing a three-dimensional perspective transform on said montage.

41. The method of 37 further comprising:

associating metadata with sets of said cache images, said sets having at least one cache image therein.

42. The method of claim 41 further comprising:

linking, with said metadata, each said cache-image set to more detailed renditions of images within each said set.

43. The method of claim 42 further comprising:

invoking said linking to said more detailed renditions using said metadata when navigation of said montage reaches a specified zoom threshold.