Image Display Apparatus, Image Display Method, And Information Storage Medium

• US 20110181617A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirabayashi, Masato, Matono, Yoshinobu, Tsuda, Munetaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,797,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation

Abstract

Provided is an image display apparatus capable of allowing a user to easily recognize an image belonging to a group. A library view image classifying unit classifies a plurality of images into groups which have a rank order associated therewith. A library view group image layout unit places a group image corresponding to each of the groups according to the rank order of the groups, along a group image layout reference line provided in a display region. A library view representative image layout unit places, on a representative image layout region in the display region, an image belonging to any one of the groups falling within a range on the group image layout reference line associated with the representative image layout region, as a representative image. A library view space displaying unit displays at least part of the display region on a screen.

Claims

1-32. -32. (canceled)

33. An image display apparatus, comprising:

image acquiring means for acquiring a plurality of images;

image classifying means for classifying the plurality of images into one or a plurality of groups having a rank order associated therewith;

group image layout means for placing a group image corresponding to each of the plurality of groups, according to the rank order of the groups, along a group image layout reference line provided in a display region;

representative image layout means for placing, on a representative image layout region in the display region, at least one image of the plurality of images, the at least one image belonging to any one of the plurality of groups falling within a range on the group image layout reference line associated with the representative image layout region, as a representative image; and

displaying means for displaying, on a screen, at least part of the display region.

34. The image display apparatus according to claim 33, further comprising representative image layout region determining means for determining a position of the representative image layout region, based on at least one of a position of the group image layout reference line and a position at which the group image is placed.

35. The image display apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the representative image layout means places, as the representative image, at least one image of the plurality of images, the at least one image belonging to any one of the plurality of groups falling within a range on the group image layout reference line determined based on a distance from a representative point in the representative image layout region.

36. The image display apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the representative image layout means places, as the representative image, at least one image of the plurality of images, the at least one image belonging to any one of the plurality of groups of consecutive ranks.

37. The image display apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the representative image layout means places, as the representative image, at least one image of the plurality of images, the at least one image being selected based on a random number.

38. The image display apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the representative images are switched at predetermined time intervals.

39. The image display apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the image classifying means classifies the plurality of images into the one or the plurality of groups, based on an attribute associated with each of the plurality of images.

40. The image display apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the display region has a plurality of the representative image layout regions provided therein.

41. The image display apparatus according to claim 40, wherein the representative image layout means places, in one of the plurality of the representative image layout regions, an image as the representative image in the one of the plurality of the representative image layout regions, the image being different from an image placed in another one of the plurality of the representative image layout regions which is spaced apart from the one of the plurality of the representative image regions at a distance falling within a predetermined range from a representative point in the one of the plurality of the representative image layout regions.

42. An image display method, comprising:

an image acquiring step of acquiring a plurality of images;

an image classifying step of classifying the plurality of images into one or a plurality of groups having a rank order associated therewith;

a group image layout step of placing a group image corresponding to each of the plurality of groups, according to the rank order of the groups, along a group image layout reference line provided in a display region;

a representative image layout step of placing, on a representative image layout region in the display region, at least one image of the plurality of images, the at least one image belonging to any one of the plurality of groups falling within a range on the group image layout reference line associated with the representative image layout region, as a representative image; and

a displaying step of displaying, on a screen, at least part of the display region.

43. A computer-readable information storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as:

image acquiring means for acquiring a plurality of images;

image classifying means for classifying the plurality of images into one or a plurality of groups having a rank order associated therewith;

group image layout means for placing a group image corresponding to each of the plurality of groups, according to the rank order of the groups, along a group image layout reference line provided in a display region;

representative image layout means for placing, on a representative image layout region in the display region, at least one image of the plurality of images, the at least one image belonging to any one of the plurality of groups falling within a range on the group image layout reference line associated with the representative image layout region, as a representative image; and

displaying means for displaying, on a screen, at least part of the display region.