VARIABLE RATE BROWSING OF AN IMAGE COLLECTION

• US 20110149138A1
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: White, Timothy J., Watkins, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 8,274,592 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters

Abstract

A method for browsing a collection of digital images on a display screen with a touch screen user interface, comprising: forming an ordered sequence of digital images; entering an image review mode and displaying a first digital image from the ordered sequence of digital images on the display screen; initiating a sequential image display process in response to a user touching the touch screen, wherein the sequential image display process sequentially displays digital images in the ordered sequence of digital images on the touch screen until such time that the user stops touching the touch screen, wherein a time interval between the display of sequential images is specified by a scroll rate which is controlled responsive to the position that the user is touching the touch screen.

Claims

1. A method for browsing a collection of digital images on a display screen with a touch screen user interface, comprising:

forming an ordered sequence of digital images;

entering an image review mode and displaying a first digital image from the ordered sequence of digital images on the display screen;

initiating a sequential image display process in response to a user touching the touch screen, wherein the sequential image display process sequentially displays digital images in the ordered sequence of digital images on the touch screen until such time that the user stops touching the touch screen, wherein a time interval between the display of sequential images is specified by a scroll rate which is controlled responsive to the position that the user is touching the touch screen.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the scroll rate is slower when the user is touching the touch screen toward the center of the touch screen and faster when the user is touching the touch screen toward towards the edges of the touch screen.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the direction that the sequential image display process scrolls through the ordered sequence of digital images is responsive to the position that the user is touching the touch screen.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the sequential image display process scrolls through the ordered sequence of digital images in a forward direction when the user is touching a first side of the touch screen and in a reverse direction when the user is touching a second opposite side of the touch screen.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the sequential image display process is initiated with a single-finger touch.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the sequential image display process is initiated with a multiple-finger touch.

7. The method of claim 1 further including overlaying text information on the displayed digital images during the sequential image display process.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the text information includes information related to an image capture date for the displayed digital image.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the information related to the image capture date is the month and year that the displayed digital image was captured.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the text information includes a filename for the displayed digital image.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the text information includes an image capture location associated with the displayed digital image.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the text information includes the names of persons in the displayed digital image.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the text information is only displayed when the scroll rate falls within a specified range.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the scroll rate is adjusted during the sequential image display process by the user adjusting the position that the touch screen is being touched.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the ordered sequence of digital images corresponds to frames of a digital video.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the sequential display process pauses when important digital images are displayed.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the important digital images are digital images that have been tagged by a user to be favorites

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the important digital images are key frames that have been identified in a digital video

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the digital images are captured by a digital camera.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the ordered sequence of digital images is stored in the digital camera, and wherein the display screen with the touch screen user interface is provided on the digital camera.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the display screen with the touch screen user interface is provided as a component of a digital picture frame.

22. A digital camera system comprising:

an image sensor;

an optical system for forming images of a scene on the image sensor;

a display screen with a touch screen user interface;

a data processing system; and

a memory system communicatively connected to the data processing system and storing instructions configured to cause the data processing system to implement a method for browsing a collection of digital images captured using the digital camera wherein the instructions comprise;

forming an ordered sequence of captured digital images;

initiating a sequential image display process in response to a user touching the touch screen, wherein the sequential image display process sequentially displays digital images in the ordered sequence of captured digital images on the touch screen until such time that the user stops touching the touch screen, wherein a time interval between the display of sequential images is given by a scroll rate which is controlled responsive to the position that the user is touching the touch screen.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the digital camera is a digital video camera and the ordered sequence of digital images corresponds to frames of a digital video.