IMAGE MANAGEMENT METHOD AND SYSTEM USING THUMBNAIL IN DLNA SYSTEM

• US 20100185987A1
• Filed: 01/21/2010
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shin, Ho-Chul, Lim, Byung-Soo, Yang, Chan-Seok, Yang, Won-Suk
• Granted Patent: US 9,003,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00347 with another still picture apparatus, e.g. hybrid still picture apparatus circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between image input and image output device H04N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32117 in a separate transmission or protocol signal prior to or subsequent to the image data transmission, e.g. in digital identification signal [DIS], in non standard setup [NSS] or in non standard field [NSF] for mode signalling H04N1/333
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0015 Control of image communication with the connected apparatus, e.g. signalling capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0087 Image storage device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0089 Image display device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/325 Modified version of the image, e.g. part of the image, image reduced in size or resolution, thumbnail or screennail
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission

Abstract

An image management method and system are disclosed which can increase user convenience by reducing a display time of thumbnails in a DLNA system. The DLNA system includes a digital media server for generating a thumbnail group image using thumbnails corresponding to at least one original image file and transmitting the thumbnail group image, and a digital media player for receiving the thumbnail group image from the digital media server and requesting the digital media server to transmit an original image file corresponding to a selected thumbnail among thumbnails included the thumbnail group image.

Claims

1. A digital living network alliance (DLNA) system comprising:

a digital media server for generating a thumbnail group image using thumbnails corresponding to at least one original image file, generating indexes for the thumbnails corresponding to the at least one original image file, and transmitting the thumbnail group image and the indexes upon receiving a request for an image list for the at least one original image file; and

a digital media player for receiving the thumbnail group image and the indexes from the digital media server, displaying the thumbnail group image, and if any one of the thumbnails included in the thumbnail group image is selected, requesting the digital media server to transmit an original image file corresponding to the selected thumbnail.

2. The DLNA system according to claim 1, wherein the digital media server informs the digital media player of a uniform resource identifier (URI) in which the original image file requested by the digital media player is stored, and the digital media player downloads the original image file by accessing the URI.

3. The DLNA system according to claim 1, wherein the digital media player generates the thumbnails corresponding to the at least one original image file and generates the thumbnail group image by combining the thumbnails together.

4. The DLNA system according to claim 1, wherein each of the indexes includes coordinate information of each of the thumbnails included in the thumbnail group image and includes a name of each thumbnail corresponding to the coordinate information.

5. The DLNA system according to claim 4, wherein the digital media player determines coordinate information of the selected thumbnail, and informs the digital media server of the coordinate information or name of the thumbnail corresponding to the coordinate information to request the digital media server to transmit an original image file corresponding to the selected thumbnail.

6. The DLNA system according to claim 5, wherein the digital media server determines an original image file requested by the digital media player using the coordinate information or the name of the thumbnail, generates a message including a URI of a corresponding image file, and informs the digital media player of the URI of the original image file by transmitting the message to the digital media player.

7. An image management method in a digital living network alliance (DLNA) system including a digital media server and a digital media player, the method comprising:

generating a thumbnail group image using thumbnails corresponding to at least one original image file by the digital media server;

generating indexes for the thumbnails included in the thumbnail group image;

transmitting the thumbnail group image and the indexes to the digital media player;

receiving and displaying, by the digital media player, the thumbnail group image, and if any one of the thumbnails included in the thumbnail group image is selected, requesting the digital media server to transmit an original image file corresponding to the selected thumbnail;

informing, by the digital media server, the digital media player of a uniform resource identifier (URI) in which the requested original image file is stored; and

downloading, by the digital media player, the original image file by accessing the URI.

8. The image management method according to claim 7, further comprising, before generating the thumbnail group image:

requesting, by the digital media player, the digital media server to transmit an image list for the at least one original image file.

9. The image management method according to claim 7, further comprising, before generating the thumbnail group image:

generating, by the digital media server, the thumbnails corresponding to the at least one original image file; and

generating the thumbnail group image by combining the thumbnails together.

10. The image management method according to claim 7, wherein the index includes coordinate information of each of the thumbnails included in the thumbnail group image and includes a name of each thumbnail corresponding to the coordinate information.

11. The image management method according to claim 10, wherein requesting the digital media server to transmit the original image file includes:

determining coordinate information of the selected thumbnail;

informing the digital media server of the coordinate information or a name of the thumbnail corresponding to the coordinate information.

12. The image management method according to claim 11, wherein informing the digital media player of the URI includes:

determining the original image file requested by the digital media player using the coordinate information or the name of the thumbnail; and

generating a message including the URI of the original image file; and

transmitting the message to the digital media player.

13. An image management method by a digital media server in a digital living network alliance (DLNA) system including the digital media server and a digital media player, the method comprising:

upon receiving a request for an image list from the digital media player, generating a thumbnail group image using thumbnails corresponding to at least one original image file;

generating indexes corresponding to the thumbnails included in the thumbnail group image;

transmitting the thumbnail group image and the indexes to the digital media player; and

upon receiving a request for an original image file corresponding to a thumbnail selected by the digital media player from the digital media player, informing the digital media player of a uniform resource identifier (URI) of a corresponding original image file.

14. The image management method according to claim 13, further comprising:

generating the thumbnails corresponding to the at least one original image file, before the generating the thumbnail group image.

15. The image management method according to claim 13, wherein each of the indexes includes coordinate information of the thumbnails included in the thumbnail group image and includes names of the thumbnails corresponding to the coordinate information.

16. The image management method according to claim 15, further comprising:

determining coordinate information of the selected thumbnail and informing the digital media server of the coordinate information or a name of the selected thumbnail corresponding to the coordinate information.

17. The image management method according to claim 16, wherein informing the digital media player of the URI includes:

determining an original image file requested by the digital media player using the coordinate information or the name of the selected thumbnail;

generating a message including the URI of the original image file; and

transmitting the message to the digital media player.

18. An image management method by a digital media player in a digital living network alliance (DLNA) system including a digital media server and the digital media player, the method comprising:

requesting the digital media server to transmit an image list;

receiving a thumbnail group image, including at least one thumbnail, and an index from the media server;

displaying the thumbnail group image, and if any one of the thumbnails included in the thumbnail group image is selected, requesting the digital media server to transmit an original image file corresponding to the selected thumbnail;

receiving a uniform resource identifier (URI) in which the original image file is stored from the digital media server; and

downloading the original image file by accessing the URI.

19. The image management method according to claim 18, wherein the index includes coordinate information of each of the thumbnails included in the thumbnail group image and includes a name of each thumbnail corresponding to the coordinate information.

20. The image management method according to claim 18, wherein requesting the digital media server to transmit the original image file includes:

determining coordinate information of the selected thumbnail; and

informing the digital media server of the coordinate information or a name of a thumbnail corresponding to the coordinate information.