DISPLAY IMAGE CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20080147664A1
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nagano, Katsumi, Kikuchi, Toru, Munekuni, Masaji, Fujiwara, Masato, Kagaya, Naoto
• Granted Patent: US 8,250,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038

Abstract

A plurality of object arrays in which a plurality of objects are sorted under a plurality of order conditions are generated. A display image is generated by sorting the objects in an order for each object array to line up in the first direction for each of the plurality of object arrays, selecting one object of a first object array of the plurality of object arrays as a reference object, and sorting the objects for each of the plurality of object arrays so that the reference object and objects corresponding to the reference object included in the object arrays other than the first object array line up in the second direction.

Claims

1. A display image control apparatus comprising:

an object array generation unit configured to generate a plurality of object arrays in which a plurality of objects are sorted under a plurality of order conditions; and

a display image generation unit configured to generate a display image by sorting the objects in an order for each object array to line up in a first direction for each of the plurality of object arrays, selecting one object of a first object array of the plurality of object arrays as a reference object, and sorting the objects for each of the plurality of object arrays so that the reference object and objects corresponding to the reference object included in the object arrays other than the first object array line up in a second direction.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display image generation unit generates the display image which allows a user to apparently identify the reference object.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display image generation unit generates the display image which allows a user to apparently identify the object array including the reference object from other object arrays.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the order condition is a sort order based on information on at least one of date, person, location, and event appended to the object.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein icons other than a reference icon are not displayed in the second direction.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of objects are grouped based on grouping conditions which specify a plurality of conditions of grouping.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said display image generation unit generates the display image which allows a user to apparently identify a group including the reference object.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said display image generation unit generates the display image which allows a user to apparently identify the grouped object array including the reference object from other grouped object arrays.

9. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the order condition is a sort order based on information on at least one of date, person, location, and event appended to the object.

10. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the grouping condition is a condition associated with a unit to be grouped.

11. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein of grouped objects, an object which represents that group is selected as a reference object.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object is a frame icon indicating a moving image.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said display image generation unit generates the display image which allows a user to apparently identify the reference object.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein processing for the frame icon includes at least one of playback, deletion, and addition to a playlist.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein processing is executed for a range before and after a selected point in the frame icon.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object array is generated by generating a copy object of an object associated with the reference object, moving the copy object along the second direction, and sequentially arranging the objects outwardly along the first direction to have the copy object as a center.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said display image generation unit generates the display image that allows a user to apparently identify the reference object.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the object array of groups including the reference object is displayed.

19. A display method for a display image control apparatus, comprising:

generating a plurality of object arrays in which a plurality of objects are sorted under a plurality of order conditions; and

generating a display image by sorting the objects in an order for each object array to line up in a first direction for each of the plurality of object arrays, selecting one object of a first object array of the plurality of object arrays as a reference object, and sorting the objects for each of the plurality of object arrays so that the reference object and objects corresponding to the reference object included in the object arrays other than the first object array line up in a second direction.

20. A computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer execute a display method for a display image control apparatus according to claim 19.

21. (canceled)