METHOD OF BROWSING MEDIA ITEMS USING THUMBNAILS

• US 20090164944A1
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Wan, Ernest Yiu Cheong, Webster, Steven David
• Granted Patent: US 8,578,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of browsing a set of media items on a display device. A sequence of thumbnail images corresponding to a portion of the set are initially displayed in a looping arrangement. A first thumbnail image of the sequence is displayed at a size larger than other thumbnail images of the sequence. The first thumbnail image corresponds to a focus position in the sequence. The arrangement responds to a user scrolling action to replace display of a second thumbnail image adjacent to an insertion point in the displayed sequence with a third thumbnail image corresponding to a media item of the set not displayed prior to the user action. The method then updates the focus position and insertion point and replaces a display of the first thumbnail image with display of a fourth thumbnail image corresponding to the updated focus position.

Claims

1. A method of browsing a set of media items on a display device, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying a sequence of thumbnail images corresponding to a portion of said set in a looping arrangement;

displaying a first thumbnail image of said sequence at a size larger than other thumbnail images of said sequence, wherein said first thumbnail image corresponds to a focus position in said sequence;

responding to a user action by;

replacing display of a second thumbnail image adjacent to an insertion point in said displayed sequence with a third thumbnail image corresponding to a media item of said set not displayed prior to the user action;

updating the focus position and insertion point; and

replacing a display of said first thumbnail image with display of a fourth thumbnail image corresponding to the updated focus position.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the looping arrangement of thumbnail images is operative, as a result of the user action, so that at least one thumbnail image corresponding to a media item of the set not previously displayed, is added to display in the portion, and a thumbnail image of a media item in the portion prior to the user action is removed from the displayed sequence, the addition and removal occurring substantially adjacent the insertion point and without changing positions of thumbnails displayed elsewhere in the sequence.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the looping arrangement comprises a display of the sequence of thumbnail images laid out in one of a single loop, at least two rows, a figure eight loop, and an arbitrary loop.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the insertion point is represented in the display by a space between two thumbnails of the displayed sequence.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the space is occupied by a representation of thumbnails of other media items of the collection adjacent the items of the displayed portion in the sequence.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said insertion point is identified by a displayed marker between two thumbnails of the displayed sequence.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein one or more thumbnails associated in said looping arrangement with the insertion point are reduced in size and/or displayed with transparency to mark the insertion point.

15. A method of browsing a set of media items in a graphical user interface on a display device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) responding to user action to select media item by displaying a representation associated with the selected media item together with metadata associated with the selected media item;

(b) accepting user selection of a set of attributes of the displayed metadata of said selected media item;

(c) retrieving a subset of media items from said set, each media item of the subset having metadata that matches at least one attribute of said selected set of attributes;

(d) organising said retrieved media items into a hierarchy with each node of the hierarchy representing media items that match a different combination of a subset of said selected set of attributes; and

(e) displaying a representation associated each said retrieved item for browsing using the method of claim 9.

16. A method of browsing a set of media items using a graphical user interface represented on a display device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) responding to user action to select one said media item by displaying a representation associated with the selected media item together with metadata of the selected media item;

(b) identifying user selection of a set of attributes of the metadata of said selected media item;

(c) retrieving a subset of media items from the set each having metadata that matches all of said selected set of attributes;

(d) displaying said retrieved media items for browsing using method of claim 1.

17. A graphical user interface for browsing a collection of media items, the interface being adapted to perform the method of claim 1.

20. Apparatus comprising a graphical user interface as claimed in claim 17 for browsing a collection of media items at least accessible via said apparatus.

4. A method of browsing a set of media items in a graphical user interface represented on a display device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a sequence of thumbnails each corresponding to a media item of a portion of said set, said sequence being displayed around a preview region in a looping arrangement, the displayed sequence having a thumbnail insertion position that moves relative to a focus position, said focus position defining a focus media item of the set;

(b) displaying a further thumbnail representation in said preview region, said further thumbnail corresponding to a first thumbnail currently in the focus position;

(c) responding to scrolling action of a user of said graphical user interface by;

(i) advancing said focus position from said first thumbnail to an adjacent second thumbnail in a scrolling direction associated with the scrolling action;

(ii) removing from the display a third thumbnail that is immediately ahead of said insertion position in the scrolling direction;

(iii) inserting and displaying in the sequence a fourth thumbnail ahead of said insertion position in the scrolling direction wherein said fourth thumbnail is next to the thumbnail immediately behind said insertion position in said sequence of thumbnails, said fourth thumbnail corresponding to a media item of said set not displayed prior to the scrolling action;

(iv) advancing said insertion position to a position just before said inserted fourth thumbnail;

(v) displaying a representation corresponding to the media item that corresponds to said second thumbnail in said preview region;

wherein steps (i) to (v) are performed without moving the remaining thumbnails of the displayed sequence on the display.

10. A method according to claim 4, wherein one or more thumbnails ahead of the insertion point are reduced in size and/or displayed with transparency to indicate the scrolling direction.

11. A method according to claim 4, wherein

(1) said items form a hierarchy and said thumbnails comprise item thumbnails, each representing a single said media item, and summary thumbnails, each representing two or more media items;

(2) said summary thumbnails are expandable upon detection of a second user action to move down said hierarchy to thereby display further summary and item thumbnails within the graphical user interface;

(3) a representation of said thumbnails is updated on detection of a third user action to move up said hierarchy to display a sequence of thumbnails including the parent summary thumbnail of the focus media item.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein when the focus media item comprises a summary thumbnail, the preview region displays a thumbnail essay of a subset of the media items represented by said summary thumbnail.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the focus media item is a summary thumbnail and the preview region displays a sequence of images, snapshots or segments of a subset of the media items represented by said summary thumbnail.

14. A method according to claim 11, further comprising displaying a scrollbar and a background colour within the graphical user interface to indicate a position of the displayed thumbnails among the set of media items represented by a summary thumbnail and a depth of the displayed items in said hierarchy of items.

5. A method of browsing a set of media items in a graphical user interface represented on a display device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a sequence of thumbnails corresponding to a portion of said items in a loop configuration around a relatively larger preview region, there being thumbnail insertion position within the sequence that moves in relation to a swap position within the sequence, said swap position defining a focus media item of the set;

(b) displaying a representation in said preview region of a media item that corresponds to a first thumbnail currently in the swap position without displaying said first thumbnail at the swap position;

(c) responding to a scrolling action of a user of said graphical user interface by;

(i) advancing said insertion position one position in a scrolling direction associated with the scrolling action;

(ii) removing from the display a second thumbnail that is immediately behind said insertion position in the scrolling direction;

(iii) inserting and displaying in the sequence a third thumbnail behind said insertion position in the scrolling direction in place of said second thumbnail, said third thumbnail corresponding to a media item of said set not displayed prior to the scrolling action;

(iv) advancing said swap position by one thumbnail in the scrolling direction to correspond with a fourth thumbnail in the displayed sequence;

(v) swapping said fourth thumbnail with said first thumbnail to display said first thumbnail in the sequence; and

(vi) displaying a representation of the media item that corresponds to said fourth thumbnail in said preview region;

wherein steps (i) to (vi) are performed without moving the remaining thumbnails of the displayed sequence on the display.

18. A computer readable medium having a program recorded thereon, the program being executable by computerised apparatus to browser a set of media items on a display device, said program comprising:

code for displaying a sequence of thumbnail images corresponding to a portion of said set in a looping arrangement;

code for displaying a first thumbnail image of said sequence at a size larger than other thumbnail images of said sequence, wherein said first thumbnail image corresponds to a focus position in said sequence; and

code for responding to a user action by;

replacing display of a second thumbnail image adjacent to an insertion point in said displayed sequence with a third thumbnail image corresponding to a media item of said set not displayed prior to the user action;

updating the focus position and insertion point; and

replacing a display of said first thumbnail image with display of a fourth thumbnail image corresponding to the updated focus position.

19. A computer readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the looping arrangement of thumbnail images is operative, as a result of the user action, so that at least one thumbnail image corresponding to a media item of the set not previously displayed, is added to display in the portion, and a thumbnail image of a media item in the portion prior to the user action is removed from the displayed sequence, the addition and removal occurring substantially adjacent the insertion point and without changing positions of thumbnails displayed elsewhere in the sequence.