METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING PICTURE FILE

• US 20090010491A1
• Filed: 04/11/2008
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KO, Chang-seog, CHOI, Yoo-jin, KIM, Young-sun
• Granted Patent: US 8,254,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for providing a picture file are provided. The picture file providing apparatus includes a controller which searches for one or more picture files based on a location of a subject, and a screen display unit which forms a display screen to display the one or more picture files that were found, in order to provide a user with the direction information included in each picture file. Each picture file includes picture data, information on a location in which the picture data was created, and information on a direction of a captured image of a subject included in the picture data.

Claims

1. A method of providing a picture file, the method comprising:

searching for one or more picture files based on a location of a subject, wherein each picture file comprises picture data, information on a location in which the picture data was created, and information on a direction of a captured image of a subject included in the picture data; and

displaying the one or more picture files that were found on a screen, comprising providing a user with the direction information included in each picture file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the searching for the one or more picture files comprises at least one of:

searching in a first search mode, wherein each of the one or more picture files further comprises information on a direction faced by a subject based on information on a location within a region around the location of the subject; and

searching in a second search mode, wherein each of the one or more picture files further comprises information on a direction identical to a direction around the location of the subject based on information on a location that is the same as or close to the location of the subject.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first search mode or the second search mode is selected based on a user input signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the one or more picture files comprises:

dividing the region around the location of the subject into two or more azimuth regions based on the location of the subject;

classifying the one or more picture files that were found based on the two or more azimuth regions; and

displaying one of the one or more classified picture files on the screen.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

after displaying the one of the one or more classified picture files on the screen, if a user input signal for selecting one of the displayed picture files is received, displaying a picture file list of the one or more classified picture files to which the displayed picture files belong on the screen.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

when the picture file list is displayed on the screen, if a user input signal for selecting a picture file from the picture file list is received, enlarging the selected picture file and displaying the enlarged picture file on the screen.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

adding a mark which indicates the direction information on the one or more picture files to each picture file, and

rotating the one or more picture files based on the direction information on each of the one or more picture files.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the displaying of the one or more picture files, the direction information included in each of the one or more picture files is indicated in map data which indicates a region which includes the location of the subject.

9. An apparatus for proving a picture file, the apparatus comprising:

a controller which searches for one or more picture files based on a location of a subject, wherein each picture file comprises picture data, information on a location in which the picture data is created, and information on a direction of a captured image of a subject included in the picture data; and

a screen display unit which forms a display screen to display the one or more picture files that were found in order to provide a user with the direction information included in each picture file.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller searches for the one or more picture files in at least one of:

a first search mode, wherein each of the one or more picture files further comprises information on a direction faced by a subject based on information on a location within a region around the location of the subject; and

a second search mode, wherein each of the one or more picture files further comprises information on a direction identical to a direction around the location of the subject based on information on a location that is the same as or is close to the location of the subject.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a user input unit which receives a user input signal,

wherein the first search mode or the second search mode is selected based on the user input signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller divides the region around the location of the subject into two or more azimuth regions based on the location of the subject, classifies the one or more picture files that were found based on the two or more azimuth regions, and controls the screen display unit to display one of the one or more classified picture files on the screen.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, if the controller receives a user input signal for selecting one of the displayed picture files, the controller controls the screen display unit to display a picture file list of the one or more classified picture files to which the displayed picture files belong.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein, when the picture file list is displayed on the screen, if the controller receives the user input signal for selecting a picture file from the picture file list, the controller enlarges the selected picture file and displays the enlarged picture file on the screen.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller controls the screen display unit to display the one or more picture files by adding a mark which indicates the direction information on the one or more picture files to each picture file, or by rotating the one or more picture files based on the direction information on each picture file.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the screen display unit forms a display screen to indicate the direction information included in each picture file in map data which indicates a region which includes the location of the subject.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the picture files and the map data are received from a Web server over a communication network.

18. A computer readable recording medium which stores a computer readable program for executing a picture file providing method, the method comprising:

searching for one or more picture files based on a location of a subject, wherein each picture file comprises picture data, information on a location in which the picture data was created, and information on a direction of a captured image of a subject included in the picture data; and

displaying the one or more picture files that were found on a screen, comprising providing a user with the direction information included in each picture file.