Method and system for speculative decompression of compressed image data in an image capture unit

• US 6,020,920 A
• Filed: 06/10/1997
• Issued: 02/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FlashPoint Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: FlashPoint Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Anderson, Eric C.
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US08/872,588
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207, 348/220, 348/222, 348/223, 348/231, 348/239, 348/333, 348/334, 348/552, 348/348, 348/445, 386/27, 386/109, 386/117, 345/202, 345/507, 345/509, 345/129, 345/146, 395/872, 395/157
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/047 Fisheye or wide-angle transformations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00442 Simultaneous viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. using a mosaic display arrangement of thumbnails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00448 horizontally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00458 Sequential viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. browsing or scrolling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00461 marking or otherwise tagging one or more displayed image, e.g. for selective reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2141 in a multi-frame buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2158 using a detachable storage unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/325 Modified version of the image, e.g. part of the image, image reduced in size or resolution, thumbnail or screennail
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera

Abstract

A method and system is disclosed for accelerating a user interface on a display of an image capture unit. The image capture unit includes a plurality of image files for providing a plurality of images. In a first aspect, the method and system comprise selecting an image based upon a scrolling method and providing a predetermined number of speculation buffers. The method and system include organizing the predetermined number of speculation buffers based upon the selected image so as to assign each of the predetermined number of speculation buffers to store one of the plurality of images in response to the scrolling method. In a second aspect, the image capture unit operates in a plurality of modes The image capture unit also includes a plurality of input buffers which are utilized in one of the plurality of modes and are unutilized on at least one of the other of the plurality of modes. The method and system in accordance with this aspect comprise reallocating the input buffers as speculation buffers and providing image data from the image files to the speculation buffers when the image capture unit is in the at least one of the plurality of modes.

Claims

1. A method for accelerating a user interface on a display of an image capture unit, the image capture unit including a plurality of image files for providing a plurality of images, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting an image based upon an automatic scrolling method which advances the selected image at a preset rate;

providing a predetermined number of speculation buffers;

organizing the predetermined number of speculation buffers based upon the selected image by;

assigning the predetermined number of speculation buffers such that the selected image is decompressed in a first speculation buffer; and

ordering the remaining speculation buffers such that the images that are in sequential order from the selected image are stored in the remaining speculation buffer dependent upon a user interaction.

2. A method for accelerating a user interface on a display of an image capture unit, the image capture unit including a plurality of image files for providing a plurality of images, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting an image based upon a manual scrolling method which advances the selected image based upon a repeated user action;

providing a predetermined number of speculation buffers;

organizing the predetermined number of speculation buffers based upon the selected image by;

assigning the predetermined number of speculation buffers such that the selected image is decompressed in a first speculation buffer; and

ordering the remaining speculation buffers such that the images that are neighboring the selected image are stored in the remaining speculation buffers dependent upon a user interaction.

3. A method for accelerating a user interface on a display of an image capture unit, the image capture unit including a plurality of image files for providing a plurality of images, the image capture unit operating in a plurality of modes;

the image capture unit including a plurality of input buffers which are utilized in one of the plurality of modes and are unutilized on at least one of the other of the plurality of modes;

the method comprising the steps of;

reallocating the input buffers as speculation buffers by;

assigning the predetermined number of speculation buffers such that the selected image is decompressed in a first speculation buffer; and

ordering the remaining speculation buffers such that the images that are neighboring the selected image are stored in the remaining speculation buffers dependent upon a user interaction; and

providing image data from the image files to the speculation buffers when the image capture unit is in the at least one of the plurality of modes.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the plurality of modes comprise capture, play and review modes.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the plurality of input buffers are unutilized in the review and play modes.

6. A system for accelerating a user interface on a display of an image capture unit, the image capture unit including a plurality of image files for providing a plurality of images, the system comprising:

means for selecting an image by an automatic scrolling method which advances the selected image at a preset rate;

means for providing a predetermined number of speculation buffers;

means for organizing the predetermined number of speculation buffers based upon the selected image;

means for assigning the predetermined number of speculation buffers such that the selected image is decompressed in a first speculation buffer; and

means for ordering the remaining speculation buffers such that the images that are in sequential order from the selected image are stored in the remaining speculation buffer dependent upon a user interaction.

7. A system for accelerating a user interface on a display of an image capture unit, the image capture unit including a plurality of image files for providing a plurality of images, the system comprising:

means for selecting an image by a manual scrolling method which advances the selected image based upon a repeated user action;

means for providing a predetermined number of speculation buffers;

means for organizing the predetermined number of speculation buffers based upon the selected image;

means for assigning the predetermined number of speculation buffers such that the selected image is decompressed in a first speculation buffer; and

means for ordering the remaining speculation buffers such that the images that are neighboring the selected image are stored in the remaining speculation buffers dependent upon a user interaction.