SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF USER INTERFACE FOR IMAGE DISPLAY

• US 20120016879A1
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Published: 01/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Hardy, Michael Thomas, Groux, Brian Roy, Turcotte, Andrew James
• Application Number:
  US12/973,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20120016879A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/737
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

Approaches to displaying image search results, and image content of computer readable media include providing a matrix display of images, with an interface to insert and remove floating date dividers, each indicative of a day on which one or more of the images was created. Available images can be abstracted according to a respective month in which the images were created, up to a determined maximum number of months, after which images are abstracted according to a year in which they were created. Selecting a month causes display of a matrix of images created during that month, while selecting a year causes display of a list of months. A selected thumbnail can be displayed for each month or year of a displayed list. Search results can grouped according to how each result satisfied the search criteria, such as a separate group for images that had names matching a search criteria, and one or more separate groups for images that satisfied a date range criteria.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium storing instructions for configuring a device to perform a method comprising:

determining each month within a determined number of months before a current month in which at least one image stored on the device was created;

for each image stored on the device that was created before the determined number of months, determining a year in which that image was created;

displaying on a display, selectable representations for each month and each year;

responsive to receiving a selection of any displayed month, displaying a matrix of pictures sorted chronologically; and

responsive to receiving a selection of any displayed year, displaying a list of months in that year in which images were created.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further are for separating portions of the matrix of pictures with one or more floating day dividers, each indicating a day on which one or more of the images were created.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method comprises displaying the images in a matrix.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises inserting floating date dividers in the matrix of images, each identifying a day on which one or more images of the matrix were created.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises inserting and removing the date dividers responsive to receiving respective inputs through the interface.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises displaying, with each displayed selectable representation, an indication of a number of images represented by that icon.

7. A device, comprising:

a display;

a processor coupled for outputting information on the display;

an interface for receiving inputs; and

a computer readable medium storing instructions for programming the processor to perform a method comprising

accepting a definition of a search query through the interface;

comparing metadata associated with a plurality of images to identify images that meet the search query;

grouping the images into a plurality of groups, including a first group of images that have names that met the search query and a second group that met a time criteria specified in the search query; and

displaying on the interface selectable representations of the groups.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the time criteria is detected from the search query as text indicative of one or more of a month and a month and year.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises, responsive to receiving a selection of any displayed representation, displaying a matrix of images from the group represented by that representation.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises, inserting floating date dividers between displayed images from the group.

11. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

accepting a definition of a search query through an input interface;

comparing metadata associated with a plurality of images to identify images that meet the search query;

grouping the images into a plurality of groups, including a first group of images that have names that met the search query and a second group that met a time criteria specified in the search query; and

displaying on a display an interface with selectable representations of the groups.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the time criteria is detected from the search query as text indicative of one or more of a month and a month and year.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the displaying comprises displaying text indicative of a date on which the pictures of each group were taken.

14. A method, comprising:

accessing, from a tangible computer readable medium, data describing respective dates that a plurality of images were created;

determining an ordered list of months in which one or more of the images were created;

displaying, on a display, an interface for providing access to view the images, the interface displaying selectable icons, each of the icons representing a month of the ordered list of months; and

responsive to receiving a selection of one of the months, displaying a chronologically-ordered images that were created in that month.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the images are displayed in a matrix.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising inserting floating date dividers in the matrix of images, each identifying a day on which one or more images of the matrix were created.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the date dividers are inserted and removed responsive to receiving respective inputs through the interface.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying, with each displayed selectable icon, an indication of a number of images represented by that icon.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying, with each displayed selectable icon, a thumbnail image selected from among the images represented by that icon.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the ordered list of months is limited to a determined range of months, and images created outside of that range are represented by one or more icons indicating a respective year in which each of those images was created.