Method and system for accelerating a user interface of an image capture unit during play mode

• US 6,278,447 B1
• Filed: 05/13/1999
• Issued: 08/21/2001
• 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): dela Torre, Crescelle N.
• Application Number:
  US09/311,173
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326, 345/327, 345/328, 345/339, 345/341, 345/348, 345/357, 348/207, 348/222, 348/232, 348/239, 348/333
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/532 Query formulation, e.g. graphical querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/047 Fisheye or wide-angle transformations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/004 Rocker or tumbler switches
• 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 1/41 Bandwidth or redundancy reduction by scanning H04N1/17 ; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3247 Data linking a set of images to one another, e.g. sequence, burst or continuous capture mode
• 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 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 : the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 : using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 : the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A method and system for accelerating a user interface on a display of an image capture unit is disclosed. The image capture unit includes a plurality of image files for providing a plurality of images, the image capture unit further includes controls for allowing an image to be viewed on the display and for allowing navigation between the plurality of images. In a first aspect a method and system in accordance with the present invention comprises providing a low resolution image, medium resolution image and high resolution image within each image file and allowing the medium resolution image to be viewed on the display. In a second aspect a method for accelerating a user interface on a display of an image capture unit in accordance with the present invention includes a plurality of image files for providing a plurality of images, each image file includes a high resolution image therein. The image capture unit includes controls for allowing an image to be viewed on the display and for allowing navigation between the plurality of images. The method and system in accordance with the present invention comprises providing a low resolution image within each image file, the low resolution image being associated with the high resolution image within a particular image file, allowing the low resolution image to be viewed on the display and causing the high resolution image related to low resolution image to be displayed on top of the low resolution image dependent upon the quality of the low resolution image. The method and system also includes allowing for navigation between low resolution images based upon user interaction. Through the present invention the user interface allows a user to quickly review images in an image capture unit such as a digital camera or the like.

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 image capture unit including controls for allowing an image to be viewed on the display and for allowing navigation between the plurality of images, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a low resolution image, medium resolution image and high resolution image within each image file;

(b) allowing the medium resolution image to be viewed on the display;

(c) causing the high resolution image within the same image file to be displayed on top of the medium resolution image dependent upon the quality of the medium resolution image; and

(d) allowing for navigation between medium resolution images based upon user interaction.

2. The method of claim 1 in which each of the high resolution images comprises a high resolution JPEG image, each of the medium resolution images comprises a screennail image, and each of the low resolution images comprises a thumbnail image.

3. The method of claim 1 in which causing the high resolution image to be displayed is dependent upon the resolution of the medium resolution image and the resolution of the display.

4. The method of claim 1 in which step (b) further comprises the steps of:

(b1) fetching the screennail image from the image file;

(b2) decompressing the screennail image; and

(b3) displaying the decompressed screennail image.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the causing step (c) further comprises the steps of:

(c1) fetching the JPEG image from the image file;

(c2) decompressing the JPEG image; and

(c3) replacing the decompressed screennail image with the decompressed JPEG image.

6. 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, each image file including a high resolution image therein, the image capture unit including controls for allowing an image to be viewed on the display and for allowing navigation between the plurality of images, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a lower resolution image within each image file, the lower resolution image being associated with the high resolution image within a particular image file;

(b) allowing the lower resolution image to be viewed on the display;

(c) causing the high resolution image related to lower resolution image to be displayed on top of the lower resolution image dependent upon the quality of the lower resolution image; and

(d) allowing for navigation between lower resolution images based upon user interaction.

7. The method of claim 6 in which each of the high resolution images comprises a JPEG image and each of the lower resolution images comprises a screennail image.

8. The method of claim 7 in which causing the high resolution image to be displayed is dependent upon the resolution of the lower resolution image and the resolution of the display.

9. The method of claim 6 in which the allowing step (b) further comprises the steps of:

(b1) fetching the screennail image from the image file;

(b2) decompressing the screennail image; and

(b3) displaying the decompressed screennail image.

10. The method of claim 6 in which the causing step (c) further comprises the steps of:

(c1) fetching the JPEG image from the image file;

(c2) decompressing the JPEG image; and

(c3) replacing the decompressed screennail image with the decompressed JPEG image.

11. 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, each image file including a high resolution image therein, the image capture unit including controls for allowing an image to be viewed on the display and for allowing navigation between the plurality of images, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a lower resolution image within each image file, the lower resolution image being associated with the high resolution image within a particular image file;

(b) allowing a lower resolution image to be viewed on the display;

(c) determining if a next lower resolution image is to be viewed on the display;

(d) providing a next lower resolution image on the display; and

(e) causing the high resolution image related to low resolution image to be displayed on top of the low resolution image dependent upon the quality of the lower resolution image if the user has not scrolled to the next image.

12. The method of claim 11 in which each of the high resolution images comprises a JPEG image and each of the lower resolution images comprises a screennail image.

13. The method of claim 12 in which causing the high resolution image to be displayed is dependent upon the resolution of the lower resolution image and the resolution of the display.

14. The method of claim 11 in which allowing step (b) further comprises the steps of:

(b1) fetching the screennail image from the image file;

(b2) decompressing the screennail image; and

(b3) displaying the decompressed screennail image.

15. The method of claim 11 in which causing step (e) further comprises the steps of:

(e1) fetching the JPEG image from the image file;

(e2) decompressing the JPEG image; and

(e3) replacing the decompressed screennail image with the decompressed JPEG image.

16. 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 image capture unit including controls for allowing an image to be viewed on the display and for allowing navigation between the plurality of images, the method comprising:

means for providing a low resolution image, medium resolution image and high resolution image within each image file;

means for allowing the medium resolution image to be viewed on the display;

means for causing the high resolution image within the same image file to be displayed on top of the medium resolution image dependent upon the quality of the medium resolution image; and

means for allowing for navigation between medium resolution images based upon user interaction.

17. The system of claim 16 in which the each of the high resolution images comprises a high resolution JPEG image, each of the medium resolution images comprises a screennail image, and each of the low resolution images comprises a thumbnail image.

18. The system of claim 16 in which the causing the high resolution image to be displayed is dependent upon the resolution of the medium resolution image and the resolution of the display.

19. The system of claim 16 in which medium resolution image allowing means further comprises:

means for fetching the screennail image from the image file;

means for decompressing the screennail image; and

means for displaying the decompressed screennail image.

20. The system of claim 16 in which causing means further comprises:

means for fetching the JPEG image from the image file;

means for decompressing the JPEG image; and

means for replacing the decompressed screennail image with the decompressed JPEG image.

21. 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, each image file including a high resolution image therein, the image capture unit including controls for allowing an image to be viewed on the display and for allowing navigation between the plurality of images, the method comprising:

means for providing a lower resolution image within each image file, the lower resolution image being associated with the high resolution image within a particular image file;

means for allowing the lower resolution image to be viewed on the display;

means for causing the high resolution image related to lower resolution image to be displayed on top of the lower resolution image dependent upon the quality of the lower resolution image; and

means for allowing for navigation between lower resolution images based upon user interaction.

22. The system of claim 21 in which each of the high resolution images comprises a JPEG image and each of the lower resolution images comprises a screennail image.

23. The system of claim 22 in which causing the high resolution image to be displayed is dependent upon the resolution of the lower resolution image and the resolution of the display.

24. The system of claim 21 in which the allowing means further comprises:

means for fetching the screennail image from the image file;

means for decompressing the screennail image; and

means for displaying the decompressed screennail image.

25. The system of claim 21 in which the causing means further comprises:

means for fetching the JPEG image from the image file;

means for decompressing the JPEG image; and

means for replacing the decompressed screennail image with the decompressed JPEG image.