CASCADED DISPLAY OF VIDEO MEDIA

• US 20080062894A1
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pacurariu, Mihnea Calin, Ma, Jeffrey, Brodersen, Rainer, Goldeen, Rachel Clare
• Granted Patent: US 7,984,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/263
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Instances of media items are generated from a selection of media items. The instances are scaled and concurrently transitioned through a display environment.

Claims

1. One or more computer readable media storing instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

selecting a plurality of video items;

generating an instance for each of the selected video items; and

concurrently transitioning the instances of the video items through the display environment along one or more paths.

2. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the video item comprises one or more digital representations of pictures.

3. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the video item comprises one or more movies.

4. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the video item comprises one or more video clips.

5. The computer readable media of claim 1, further comprising presenting audio during the concurrent transitioning of the instances of the media items.

6. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the instances of video items are overlapped in the display environment.

7. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the instances of the video items appear to trace paths through the video environment.

8. The computer readable media of claim 7, wherein the paths comprises at least one of a quasi-random path, a cascaded rainfall patterned path, a bouncing patterned path, a three-dimensional perspective path, a horizontal panning pattern, or combinations thereof.

9. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the display environment is at least one of a screen saver, a slideshow viewer, or a library viewer.

10. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the video items are retrieved from a data store.

11. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the video items comprise digital representations of media content retrieved through a network interface.

12. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the display environment is configured to render the selecting, generating, scaling and concurrent transitioning of the video items in real time.

13. A method comprising:

selecting a plurality of video items;

generating instances for each of the selected video items;

quasi-randomly scaling the instances of the video items to fit within a subset of a two-dimensional display environment; and

concurrently transitioning the instances of the video items along one or more paths through the display environment.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the video item comprises one or more digital representations of pictures, one or more movies, one or more video clips, or combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising presenting music in the display environment.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the instances of video items are overlapped in the display environment.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the linear paths comprise a pattern, the pattern comprising at least one of a quasi-random pattern, a cascaded rainfall pattern, a bouncing pattern, a three-dimensional perspective pattern, or a horizontal panning pattern, or combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the two dimensional display environment is at least one of a screen saver, a slideshow viewer, or a library viewer.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the video items are retrieved from a data store.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the video items comprise digital representations of media content retrieved through a network interface.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein quasi-randomly scaling the instances of the video items creates the appearance of depth within the two-dimensional display environment.

22. A display environment comprising:

a plurality of representations of at least one media item sequentially transitioning through the display environment, the plurality of representations of the at least one media item comprising differently scaled versions of the at least one media item;

wherein the sequential transitioning of the plurality of representations generates the appearance of movement among the plurality of representations of the at least one media item.

23. The display environment of claim 22, wherein the display environment comprises a two-dimensional display environment.

24. The display environment of claim 23, wherein the differently scaled versions of the at least one media item generates the appearance of depth within the two-dimensional display environment.

25. The display environment of claim 22, wherein the at least one media item comprises at least one of:

a digital representation of a picture, a digital representation of a video clip, or combinations thereof.

26. The display environment of claim 22, wherein the sequential transition of the plurality of representations occurs along a path within the display environment.

27. The display environment of claim 26, wherein the path forms a pattern in the display environment comprising at least one of a quasi-random pattern, cascaded rainfall pattern, a bouncing pattern, a three-dimensional pattern, a horizontal panning pattern, or a diagonal pattern, or combinations thereof.

28. A media viewer comprising:

a display generation module configured to provide an active picture output for a user comprising a plurality of media instances, the media instances being based upon at least one picture;

a data store configured to store the at least one picture; and

an active picture output generator configured to provide the active picture output to the display generation module, the active picture output comprising the plurality of media instances;

wherein the active picture output is generated so as to provide an appearance of movement among a plurality of media instances based upon sequential output from the active picture output generator.