MULTI-SOURCE PICTURE VIEWER FOR PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20110113379A1
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Doucet, Heloise Rose, Cundill, Andrew Philip, Beauregard, Daniel Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,910,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour

Abstract

A multi-source picture viewer adapted for use within a portable electronic device to view pictures saved on multiple sources, comprising a common graphical user interface for providing picture viewing functionality that is independent of the multiple sources, an optional domain-specific graphical user interface for providing source-related picture viewing functionality that is dependent on the multiple sources, and an image-fetching transport layer for retrieving pictures from the multiple sources and converting the pictures to a common picture model for display on the portable electronic device under control of the common graphical user interface and further manipulation via the domain-specific graphical user interface.

Claims

1. A multi-source picture viewer adapted for use within a portable electronic device to view pictures saved on multiple sources, comprising:

a common graphical user interface for providing picture viewing functionality; and

an image-fetching transport layer in communication with said common graphical user interface for retrieving said pictures from said multiple sources and converting said pictures to a common picture model for display on said portable electronic device under control of said common graphical user interface.

2. The multi-source picture viewer of claim 1, wherein the picture viewing functionality of said common graphical user interface includes at least one of generating navigable user screens for browsing thumbnails and full-screen images of pictures on said portable electronic device, setting as wallpaper, setting as caller ID and zooming in.

3. The multi-source picture viewer of claim 1, wherein each of said multiple sources further includes a domain-specific graphical user interface in communication with said image-fetching transport layer for providing source-related picture viewing functionality.

4. The multi-source picture viewer of claim 3, wherein the picture viewing functionality of said domain-specific graphical user interface includes at least one of emailing, renaming, tagging and deleting.

5. The multi-source picture viewer of claim 1, wherein said image-fetching transport layer further comprises:

a common image adapter interface for multiple adapter classes that use respective source-specific transport mechanisms to retrieve pictures from said multiple sources;

an image broker to convert the retrieved pictures to said common picture model and persist said pictures to storage in said portable electronic device; and

a plurality of plug-in adapters for communicating with respective ones of said multiple sources according to associated protocols for accessing functionality of said respective sources to retrieve and transmit said pictures to said image broker for conversion to said common picture model.

16. The multi-source picture viewer of claim 5, wherein at least one of said plurality of plug-in adapters communicates remotely with a respective one of said multiple sources over a communication network.

17. The multi-source picture viewer of claim 5, wherein at least one of said plurality of plug-in adapters communicates locally with a respective one of said multiple sources.

6. A portable electronic device comprising:

at least one user input device for initiating commands to view pictures saved on multiple sources;

a display;

a persistent storage device; and

a processor interconnecting said user input device, display and persistent storage device, for implementing a multi-source picture viewer having

a common graphical user interface for providing picture viewing functionality in conjunction with said user input device and display; and

an image-fetching transport layer in communication with said common graphical user interface for retrieving said pictures from said multiple sources and converting said pictures to a common picture model for presentation on said display under control of said common graphical user interface.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the picture viewing functionality of said common graphical user interface includes at least one of generating navigable user screens for browsing thumbnails and full-screen images of pictures on said portable electronic device, setting as wallpaper, setting as caller ID and zooming in.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 6, further including a domain-specific graphical user interface in communication with said image-fetching transport layer, said user input device and said display for providing source-related picture viewing functionality.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 8, wherein the picture viewing functionality of said domain-specific graphical user interface includes at least one of emailing, renaming, tagging and deleting.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein said image-fetching transport layer further comprises:

a common image adapter interface for multiple adapter classes that use respective source-specific transport mechanisms to retrieve pictures from said multiple sources;

an image broker to convert the retrieved pictures to said common picture model and persist said pictures to storage in said portable electronic device; and

a plurality of plug-in adapters for communicating with respective ones of said multiple sources according to associated protocols for accessing functionality of said respective sources to retrieve and transmit said pictures to said image broker for conversion to said common picture model.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein at least one of said plurality of plug-in adapters communicates remotely with a respective one of said multiple sources over a communication network.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein at least one of said plurality of plug-in adapters communicates locally with a respective one of said multiple sources.

11. A method for use within a portable electronic device to view pictures saved on multiple sources, comprising:

providing a common graphical user interface for providing picture viewing functionality;

and

retrieving said pictures from said multiple sources and converting said pictures to a common picture model for display on said portable electronic device under control of said common graphical user interface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the picture viewing functionality of said common graphical user interface includes at least one of generating navigable user screens for browsing thumbnails and full-screen images of pictures on said portable electronic device, setting as wallpaper, setting as caller ID and zooming in.

13. The method of claim 11, further including providing a domain-specific graphical user interface for providing source-related picture viewing functionality.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the picture viewing functionality of said domain-specific graphical user interface includes emailing, renaming, tagging and deleting.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

using respective source-specific transport mechanisms to retrieve pictures from said multiple sources;

converting the retrieved pictures to said common picture model and persisting said pictures to storage in said portable electronic device; and

communicating with respective ones of said multiple sources according to associated protocols for accessing functionality of said respective sources to retrieve and convert said pictures to said common picture model.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising communicating remotely with at least one of said multiple sources over a communication network.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising communicating locally with at least one of said multiple sources.