IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS AND IMAGE DISPLAY METHOD

• US 20120011472A1
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: OHKUBO, Hiromasa, KOMIYAMA, Akitsugu, SHINOHARA, Takayuki, MORISADA, Hidehiko, UMEDA, Takashi, MORIYAMA, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,819,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour

Abstract

In an image display apparatus, an image classification unit generates one or more of image groups by classifying image data to which attribution information is added based on the attribute information. A display control unit displays, on a display device, a list of a plurality of thumbnail images of the image data included in each of the image groups generated by the image classification unit, in a manner in which the plurality of thumbnail images are piled up for every image group. Herein, the display control unit acquires the predetermined number of sheets of image data from the selected image group to display, on the display device, the image data as a background image in which the image data are arranged.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus comprising:

an image classification unit configured to classify image data to which attribute information is added into groups based on the attribute information so as to generate one or more image groups; and

a display control unit configured to display, on a display device, a list of a plurality of thumbnail images of the image data included in each of the image groups generated by the image classification unit, in a manner in which the plurality of thumbnail images are piled up for every image group.

2. The image display apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a direction receiving unit configured to receive a selection for one of the image groups generated by the image classification unit, wherein

the display control unit acquires a predetermined number of sheets of image data from a selected image group to display, on the display device, the sheets of image data as a background image in which the sheets of image data are arranged.

3. The image display apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising:

a continuous display control unit configured to sequentially display, on the display device, the sheets of image data included in the selected image group; and

a music data reproducing unit configured to reproduce music data simultaneously with the display of the sheets of image data by the continuous display control unit, wherein

the continuous display control unit controls a time when image data is switched in accordance with the characteristics of music data.

4. The image display apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the display control unit advances the time when image data is switched as the tempo of the music data is faster.

5. An image display apparatus comprising:

a display of a list control unit configured to display, on a display device, a list of a plurality of thumbnail images of the image data to which attribute information is added, the image data being stored in a storage device;

a direction receiving unit configured to acquire a user selection for the image data; and

a display control unit configured to acquire, from the storage device, a predetermined number of sheets of image data including attribute information associated with the attribute information included in a selected image, to arrange the predetermined number of sheets of image data within a virtual three-dimensional space, and to display, on the display device, a walk-through video of the predetermined number sheets of image data.

6. The image display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the direction receiving unit also acquires a direction that the movement of a virtual viewpoint should be stopped, and wherein when the direction receiving unit acquires the direction that the movement of the virtual viewpoint should be stopped, the display control unit stops the movement of the virtual viewpoint and displays, on the display device and in a particular manner, an image located at the closest position from the virtual viewpoint in the virtual three-dimensional space.

7. An image display method executable by a processor, comprising:

generating one or more of image groups by classifying image data to which attribution information is added into groups based on the attribute information; and

displaying, on a display device, a list of a plurality of thumbnail images of the image data included in each of the generated image groups, in a manner in which the plurality of thumbnail images are piled up for every image group.

8. A program product executable by a computer, comprising:

a module configured to generate one or more of image groups by classifying image data to which attribute information is added into groups based on the attribute information; and

a module configured to display, on a display device, a list of a plurality of thumbnail images of the image data included in each of the generated image groups, in a manner in which the plurality of thumbnail images are piled up for every image group.