Avoiding disorientation under discontinuous navigation in an image flipping system

• US 20070180376A1
• Filed: 02/01/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Piersol, Kurt, McCall, Kim
• Granted Patent: US 7,761,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for avoiding disorientation under discontinuous navigation in an image flipping system. In one embodiment, the method comprises serially displaying a sequence of page images in an order; receiving a user input to stop sequencing through the page images; determining a location of a page image in the sequence of page images representing a point at which the user intended to stop in the sequence of page images but for display speed of the sequence of images and user reaction time in providing an indication of the point at which the user intended to stop; and automatically jumping back to the page image at the location in the sequence of page images while displaying multiple intervening page images as the location is being approached.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of a target location in a sequence of page images;

determining a location of a page image in the sequence of page images representing a point at which the user intended to stop in the sequence of page images but for display speed of the sequence of images and user reaction time in providing an indication of the point at which the user intended to stop; and

automatically jumping to the page image at the location in the sequence of page images while displaying multiple intervening page images as the location is being approached.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein receiving an indication of a target location comprises:

serially displaying a sequence of page images in an order; and

receiving a user input to stop sequencing through the page images.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the indication is based on a location within a scroll bar at which a click occurred.

4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the multiple intervening page images are located in the sequence of page images closer to the location of the page image than a location in the sequence of page images from which jumping back occurs.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the multiple intervening page images are displayed in a manner visually simulating an appearance of pages being turned in an appropriate direction.

6. The method defined in claim 1 wherein some of the multiple intervening page images comprise merged images.

7. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the location is selected based on the reaction time associated with the user.

8. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the location is selected based on visual distinctiveness of a page image at the location.

9. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the location is selected based on visual distinctiveness of a page image at the location and the reaction time associated with the user.

10. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the page images are from a plurality of page images corresponding to an image-based document, the plurality of page images including merged page images and each merged page image having salient content from multiple page images of the image-based document merged into one image.

11. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the plurality of page images includes a first set of merged page images having salient content from a first number of page images of the image-based document merged into one image and a second set of merged page images having salient content from a second number of page images of the image-based document merged into one image, the first and second numbers being different, and further wherein selecting the page images for display comprises selecting the first set of merged page images if the rate at which the page images are to be display is a first rage and selecting the second set of merged page images if the rate at which the page images are to be display is at a the second rate.

12. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

identifying salient content on pages of the image-based document; and

creating the plurality of page images by merging identified salient content of multiple pages of the image based document into single pages.

13. The method defined in claim 12 wherein creating the plurality of pages comprises:

creating a first set of merged pages having salient content from a first number of page images of the image-based document merged into one image;

creating a second set of merged pages having salient content from a second number of page images of the image-based document merged into one image, the second number being twice the first number;

creating a third set of merged pages having salient content from a third number of page images of the image-based document merged into one image, the third number being twice the second number; and

wherein selecting the page images comprises selecting the first, second or third sets based on a speed control input.

14. The method defined in claim 12 wherein identifying the salient content comprises:

computing a histogram of each page of the image-based document; and

finding features based on information from the histogram.

15. The method defined in claim 1 wherein page images are displayed, as a function of an input control, according to a merge level indicative of a number of pages of the image-based document per merged image and a rate indicative of the number of merged page images per second based on the merge level.

16. The method defined in claim 15 wherein the page images are displayed in order forward or backward based on a direction indication.

17. An article of manufacture having one or more recordable media storing instructions thereon which, when executed by a system, causes the system to perform a method comprising:

receiving an indication of a target location in a sequence of page images;

determining a location of a page image in the sequence of page images representing a point at which the user intended to stop in the sequence of page images but for display speed of the sequence of images and user reaction time in providing an indication of the point at which the user intended to stop; and

automatically jumping to the page image at the location in the sequence of page images while displaying multiple intervening page images as the location is being approached.

18. The article of manufacture defined in claim 17 wherein receiving an indication of a target location comprises:

serially displaying a sequence of page images in an order; and

receiving a user input to stop sequencing through the page images.

19. The article of manufacture defined in claim 17 wherein the indication is based on a location within a scroll bar at which a click occurred.

20. The article of manufacture defined in claim 17 wherein the multiple intervening page images are located in the sequence of page images closer to the location of the page image than a location in the sequence of page images from which jumping back occurs.

21. The article of manufacture defined in claim 17 wherein the multiple intervening page images are displayed in a manner visually simulating an appearance of pages being turned in an appropriate direction.

22. The article of manufacture defined in claim 17 wherein some of the multiple intervening page images comprise merged images.

23. The article of manufacture defined in claim 17 wherein the location is selected based on the reaction time associated with the user.

24. The article of manufacture defined in claim 17 wherein the location is selected based on visual distinctiveness of a page image at the location.

25. The article of manufacture defined in claim 17 wherein the location is selected based on visual distinctiveness of a page image at the location and the reaction time associated with the user.

26. The article of manufacture defined in claim 17 wherein the page images are from a plurality of page images corresponding to an image-based document, the plurality of page images including merged page images and each merged page image having salient content from multiple page images of the image-based document merged into one image.

27. The article of manufacture defined in claim 17 wherein the plurality of page images includes a first set of merged page images having salient content from a first number of page images of the image-based document merged into one image and a second set of merged page images having salient content from a second number of page images of the image-based document merged into one image, the first and second numbers being different, and further wherein selecting the page images for display comprises selecting the first set of merged page images if the rate at which the page images are to be display is a first rage and selecting the second set of merged page images if the rate at which the page images are to be display is at a the second rate.

28. The article of manufacture defined in claim 17 wherein the method further comprises:

identifying salient content on pages of the image-based document; and

creating the plurality of page images by merging identified salient content of multiple pages of the image based document into single pages.

29. The article of manufacture defined in claim 28 wherein creating the plurality of pages comprises:

creating a first set of merged pages having salient content from a first number of page images of the image-based document merged into one image;

creating a second set of merged pages having salient content from a second number of page images of the image-based document merged into one image, the second number being twice the first number;

creating a third set of merged pages having salient content from a third number of page images of the image-based document merged into one image, the third number being twice the second number; and

wherein selecting the page images comprises selecting the first, second or third sets based on a speed control input.

30. The article of manufacture defined in claim 28 wherein identifying the salient content comprises:

computing a histogram of each page of the image-based document; and

finding features based on information from the histogram.

31. The article of manufacture defined in claim 17 wherein page images are displayed, as a function of an input control, according to a merge level indicative of a number of pages of the image-based document per merged image and a rate indicative of the number of merged page images per second based on the merge level.

32. The article of manufacture defined in claim 31 wherein the page images are displayed in order forward or backward based on a direction indication.