AUTO STACKING OF RELATED IMAGES

• US 20110064317A1
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ubillos, Randy
• Granted Patent: US 8,487,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/97 Determining parameters from multiple pictures depth or shape recovery from multiple images G06T7/55; stereo camera calibration G06T7/85

Abstract

Digital images may be grouped based on attributes of the images. To represent this grouping, the representations of the digital images are arranged into stacks.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a computer having a processor and memory and operatively coupled to a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining a set of digital images;

assigning each digital image of the set of a digital images to one of a plurality of groups of related images by comparing one or more attributes of the digital image to one or more attributes of one or more other digital images in the set of digital images to determine which group of the plurality of groups the digital image belongs to;

visually representing, on the display device, at least one group of the plurality of groups of related images using a single digital image from the at least one group that has been selected to visually represent the at least one group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the single digital image was selected to visually represent the at least one group by a user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically selecting the single digital image to visually represent the at least one group.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning each digital image of the set of a digital images to one of the plurality of groups by comparing one of a creation date and time, an aperture value, an exposure value, or an image orientation of the digital image to one or more creation dates and times, one or more aperture values, one or more exposure values, or one or more image orientations of one or more other digital images in the set of digital images to determine which group of the plurality of groups the digital image belongs to.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning each digital image of the set of a digital images to one of the plurality of groups by comparing content of the digital image to content one or more other digital images in the set of digital images to determine which group of the plurality of groups the digital image belongs to.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of digital images are assigned to the plurality of groups based on similarity of content.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to input, switching from using the single digital image to visually represent the at least one group, to displaying all images in the at least one group.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

while displaying all images in the at least one group, receiving input that selects a different image from the at least one group to visually represent the at least one group;

before the different image is selected, displaying the singe digital image at a particular location while all the images in the at least one group are displayed on the display device;

in response to the different image being selected to visually represent the at least one group, displaying the different image at the particular location on the display device while all the images in the at least one group are displayed.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning each digital image of the set of a digital images to one of the plurality of groups by,

comparing one or more attributes of the digital image to one or more attributes of one or more other digital images in the set of digital images to determine one or more difference values that reflect a difference between the one or more attributes of the digital image and the one or more attributes of the one or more other digital images to which the one or more attributes of the digital image were compared,

comparing the one or more differences values to a grouping threshold value to determine which group of the plurality of groups the digital image belongs to.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to input selecting a new grouping threshold value, re-assigning at least one digital image of the set of a digital images to one of the plurality of groups of digital images;

wherein prior to the input the at least one digital image was in a particular group of the plurality of groups;

in response to the input selecting a new grouping threshold value,

re-assigning the at least one digital to a different group of the plurality of groups that is different than the particular group,

updating a visual representation of the particular group to indicate that the at least one digital image no longer belongs to the particular group,

updating a visual representation of the different group to indicate that the at least one digital image now belongs to the different group.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

while receiving the set of digital images from a storage device,

assigning at least one digital image of the set of a digital images to one of the plurality of groups of related images,

visually representing, on the display device, the group to which the at least one digital image belongs.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions for:

obtaining a set of digital images;

assigning each digital image of the set of a digital images to one of a plurality of groups of related images by comparing one or more attributes of the digital image to one or more attributes of one or more other digital images in the set of digital images to determine which group of the plurality of groups the digital image belongs to;

visually representing, on the display device, at least one group of the plurality of groups of related images using a single digital image from the at least one group that has been selected to visually represent the at least one group.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the single digital image was selected to visually represent the at least one group by a user.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions for:

automatically selecting the single digital image to visually represent the at least one group.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions for:

assigning each digital image of the set of a digital images to one of the plurality of groups by comparing one of a creation date and time, an aperture value, an exposure value, or an image orientation of the digital image to one or more creation dates and times, one or more aperture values, one or more exposure values, or one or more image orientations of one or more other digital images in the set of digital images to determine which group of the plurality of groups the digital image belongs to.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions for:

assigning each digital image of the set of a digital images to one of the plurality of groups by comparing content of the digital image to content one or more other digital images in the set of digital images to determine which group of the plurality of groups the digital image belongs to.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the set of digital images are assigned to the plurality of groups based on similarity of content.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions for:

in response to input, switching from using the single digital image to visually represent the at least one group, to displaying all images in the at least one group.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions for:

while displaying all images in the at least one group, receiving input that selects a different image from the at least one group to visually represent the at least one group;

before the different image is selected, displaying the singe digital image at a particular location while all the images in the at least one group are displayed on the display device;

in response to the different image being selected to visually represent the at least one group, displaying the different image at the particular location on the display device while all the images in the at least one group are displayed.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions for:

assigning each digital image of the set of a digital images to one of the plurality of groups of related images by,

comparing one or more attributes of the digital image to one or more attributes of one or more other digital images in the set of digital images to determine one or more difference values that reflect a difference between the one or more attributes of the digital image and the one or more attributes of the one or more other digital images to which the one or more attributes of the digital image were compared,

comparing the one or more differences values to a grouping threshold value to determine which group of the plurality of groups the digital image belongs to.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, further comprising instructions for:

in response to input selecting a new grouping threshold value, re-assigning at least one digital image of the set of a digital images to one of the plurality of groups of digital images;

wherein prior to the input the at least one digital image was in a particular group of the plurality of groups;

in response to the input selecting a new grouping threshold value,

re-assigning the at least one digital to a different group of the plurality of groups that is different than the particular group,

updating a visual representation of the particular group to indicate that the at least one digital image no longer belongs to the particular group,

updating a visual representation of the different group to indicate that the at least one digital image now belongs to the different group.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions for:

while receiving the set of digital images from a storage device,

assigning at least one digital image of the set of a digital images to one of the plurality of groups,

visually representing, on the display device, the group to which the at least one digital image belongs.

23. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more sequences of instructions stored in one or more non-transitory storage, wherein execution by the one or more processors causes;

obtaining a set of digital images;

assigning each digital image of the set of a digital images to one of a plurality of groups of related images by comparing one or more attributes of the digital image to one or more attributes of one or more other digital images in the set of digital images to determine which group of the plurality of groups the digital image belongs to;

visually representing, on the display device, at least one group of the plurality of groups using a single digital image from the at least one group that has been selected to visually represent the at least one group.

24. A method implemented in a computer having a processor and memory and operatively coupled to a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining a set of digital images;

assigning each digital image of the set of a digital images to one of a plurality of groups of related images by,

comparing one or more attributes of the digital image to one or more attributes of one or more other digital images in the set of digital images to determine one or more difference values that reflect a difference between (a) the one or more attributes of the digital image and (b) the one or more attributes of the one or more other digital images to which the one or more attributes of the digital image were compared, and

comparing the one or more differences values to a grouping threshold value to determine which group of the plurality of groups the digital image belongs to;

visually representing, on the display device, at least one group of the plurality of groups of related images using a single digital image from the at least one group that has been selected to visually represent the at least one group.