Methods and apparatuses for presenting a collection of digital media in a media container

• US 6,097,389 A
• Filed: 10/24/1997
• Issued: 08/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Pictra, Inc.
• Inventors: Morris, Steve, Khosla, Aditya, Lei, James, Narayen, Shantanu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Sy D.
• Application Number:
  US08/957,052
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 345/346, 345/348, 345/356, 345/349, 345/339, 345/145, 345/357, 345/342, 707/104
• US Class Current: 715/804
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for presenting a collection of digital media in a media container. In one example of a method, a page of the media container is displayed on a display device in a first region. The page is capable of displaying at least one visual representation of a digital media on the page. The page includes a position in the first region which is capable of displaying an image of a first visual representation. The first visual representation is displayed in a second region while displaying the page in the first region. The position is capable of displaying the image after a dragging operation is performed from the first visual representation in the second region to the position in the first region.

Claims

1. A method for presenting a collection of digital media in a digital image album, said method comprising:

displaying in a first region a full view of a page of a digital image album, said page being capable of displaying at least one visual representation of a digital media on said page, said page having a position in said first region which is capable of displaying an image of a first visual representation, said image being stored in a file storage device by a file management system;

displaying in a second region said first visual representation while displaying said page in said first region, said image being displayable at said position after a dragging operation is performed from said first visual representation in said second region to said position, said image being concurrently displayed in said first region and in said second region after said dragging operation and wherein said first visual representation occupies less displayed space in said second region than said image occupies in said page;

storing in a database said first visual representation and an association to said image as stored on said file storage device wherein said database comprises digital image information which specifies an assigned order of digital images in said digital image album, and further wherein said assigned order may be changed by a dragging operation performed on said first visual representation within said second region, said dragging operation further comprising selecting said first visual representation in said second region by positioning a cursor over said first visual representation and moving said cursor, after selecting said first visual representation, to said position.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein said first visual representation is a lower resolution version of said image.

3. A method for presenting a collection of digital media in a media container, said method comprising:

displaying in a first region a full view of a page of a media container, said page being capable of displaying at least one visual representation of a digital media on said page, said page having a position in said first region which is capable of displaying an image of said first visual representation;

displaying in a second region a first visual representation while displaying said page in said first region;

storing in a file management system data for said digital media, and storing in a database said first visual representation and an association to said data for said digital media wherein said media container is a digital image album and said first visual representation is a lower resolution version of said digital media and wherein said database comprises digital image information for said digital media, and further wherein said database comprises digital image album information which specifies an assigned order of pictures in said digital image album, said assigned order being changeable by a dragging operation performed on said first visual representation within said second region, said dragging operation comprising selecting said first visual representation in said second region by positioning a cursor over said first visual representation and moving said cursor, after selecting said first visual representation, to said position.

4. A computer readable storage medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a digital processing system cause the digital processing system to perform a method for presenting a collection of digital media in a digital image album, said method comprising:

displaying in a first region a full view of a page of a digital image album, said page being capable of displaying at least one visual representation of a digital media on said page, said page having a position in said first region which is capable of displaying an image of a first visual representation, said image being stored in a file storage device by a file management system;

displaying in a second region said first visual representation while displaying said page in said first region, said image being displayable at said position after a dragging operation is performed from said first visual representation in said second region to said position, said image being concurrently displayed in said first region and in said second region after said dragging operation and wherein said first visual representation occupies less displayed space in said second region than said image occupies in said page;

storing in a database said first visual representation and an association to said image as stored on said file storage device wherein said database comprises digital image information which specifies an assigned order of digital images in said digital image album, and further wherein said assigned order may be changed by a dragging operation performed on said first visual representation within said second region, said dragging operation further comprising selecting said first visual representation in said second region by positioning a cursor over said first visual representation and moving said cursor, after selecting said first visual representation, to said position.

5. A computer readable storage medium as in claim 4 wherein said first visual representation is a lower resolution version of said image.

6. A computer readable storage medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a digital processing system cause the digital processing system to perform a method for presenting a collection of digital media in a media container, said method comprising:

displaying in a first region a full view of a page of a media container, said page being capable of displaying at least one visual representation of a digital media on said page, said page having a position in said first region which is capable of displaying an image of said first visual representation;

displaying in a second region a first visual representation while displaying said page in said first region;

storing in a file management system data for said digital media, and storing in a database said first visual representation and an association to said data for said digital media wherein said media container is a digital image album and said first visual representation is a lower resolution version of said digital media and wherein said database comprises digital image information for said digital media, and further wherein said database comprises digital image album information which specifies an assigned order of pictures in said digital image album, wherein said assigned order may be changed by a dragging operation performed on said first visual representation within said second region, said dragging operation further comprising selecting said first visual representation in said second region by positioning a cursor over said first visual representation and moving said cursor, after selecting said first visual representation, to said position.

7. A method for presenting a collection of digital pictures in a digital image album, said method comprising:

storing in a database a first visual representation of a digital picture and an association to an image of said first visual representation, wherein said image is stored in a file storage device by a file management system, said database further comprising digital image album information which specifies an assigned order of digital images in a digital image album, said assigned order being changeable by performing a dragging operation on said first visual representation;

displaying in a first region, a full view of a page of said digital image album, said page being capable of displaying at least one said visual representation of said digital picture on said page, said page having a position in said first region which is capable of displaying said image of said first visual representation;

displaying in a second region said first visual representation while displaying said page in said first region, said position being capable of displaying said image after a dragging operation is performed from said first visual representation in said second region to said position;

performing a dragging operation wherein said first visual representation in said second region is selected by positioning a cursor over said first visual representation and moving said cursor, after selecting said first visual representation, to said position.

8. A computer readable storage medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a digital processing system cause the digital processing system to perform a method for presenting a collection of digital pictures in a digital image album, said method comprising:

storing in a database a first visual representation of a digital picture and an association to an image of said first visual representation, wherein said image is stored in a file storage device by a file management system, said database further comprising digital image album information which specifies an assigned order of digital images in a digital image album, said assigned order being changeable by performing a dragging operation on said first visual representation;

displaying in a first region, a full view of a page of said digital image album, said page being capable of displaying at least one said visual representation of said digital picture on said page;

said page having a position in said first region which is capable of displaying said image of said first visual representation;

displaying in a second region said first visual representation while displaying said page in said first region, said position being capable of displaying said image after a dragging operation is performed from said first visual representation in said second region to said position;

performing a dragging operation wherein said first visual representation in said second region is selected by positioning a cursor over said first visual representation and moving said cursor, after selecting said first visual representation, to said position.