Information managing device for displaying thumbnail files corresponding to electronic files and searching electronic files via thumbnail file

• US 6,466,237 B1
• Filed: 07/16/1999
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Miyao, Nobuyoshi, Tomaru, Yoshiaki, Motowaki, Kazuyuki, Maruyama, Miyoko
• Primary Examiner(s): dela Torre, Crescelle N.
• Application Number:
  US09/354,311
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 345/700, 345/764-767, 345/775-776, 345/781-784, 345/788-805, 345/810-811, 345/834-840, 345/848-854, 345/419, 345/427, 345/581, 345/619, 345/625, 345/649, 345/660, 345/684, 700/500, 700/526
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour

Abstract

An information managing device includes a liquid crystal display section and thumbnail display means. The liquid crystal display section displays a cluster of file bundles that are thumbnail files each corresponding to one of the image files, so as to enable searches through image files displayed as original document bundles. The thumbnail display means displays the images in the cluster of file bundles on the liquid crystal display section so as to partially overlap each other in a three-dimensional configuration. With the aforementioned device, a stored image file can be easily searched for on the display screen.

Claims

1. An information managing device, comprising:

image storage means for storing a plurality of image files;

input means for entering a command to display the plurality of image files;

thumbnail storage means for storing thumbnail files each corresponding to one of the plurality of image files stored in the image storage means;

thumbnail display means for displaying images of the thumbnail files stored in the thumbnail storage means on a display screen according to a command entered through the input means; and

image file display means for reading, from the image storage means, the image file corresponding to the thumbnail file selected through the input means from the thumbnail files displayed on the display screen, and displaying that image file on the display screen,

wherein the thumbnail display means is specified to configure the thumbnail files so as to overlap each other partially in the form of a three-dimensional ring and sequentially from a front row to a back row that is higher in position than the front row in accordance with positions of the thumbnail files in the configuration, so that upper portions of the thumbnail files are visible.

2. The information managing device as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

command means for entering a command to set a display size of the image of the thumbnail file; and

altering means for altering the display size of the image of the thumbnail file according to the command entered through the command means, and displaying the image of the thumbnail file in the altered display size on the display screen.

3. The information managing device as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

file moving means for moving one or more of the images of the thumbnail files displayed on the display screen according to the command entered through the input means.

4. The information managing device as defined in claim 3,

wherein the file moving means includes selection command means for, if a front page of the thumbnail file displayed on the display screen is not a desired image, selectively controlling procedures of the file movement according to the command entered through the input means, so that either a file immediately behind the front page or a file in the far back appears on the front page in response to every command input for a file movement.

5. The information managing device as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

rotation command means for rotating the images of the thumbnail files configured in the form of a ring on the display screen around a central axis of the ring-form configuration according to the command entered through the input means.

6. The information managing device as defined in claim 5, further comprising:

position detecting means for monitoring positions of the thumbnail files in a rotational movement on the display screen; and

temporary suspension means for temporarily suspending the rotational movement of the thumbnail files according to the positions thereof monitored by the position detecting means when one of the thumbnail files moves into the foreground.

7. The information managing device as defined in claim 6, further comprising:

third deleting means for deleting the thumbnail files that have been searched for from the display screen in response to a designation through the input means.

8. The information managing device as defined in claim 7, further comprising:

storage means for moving the deleted thumbnail files to a partial cluster of other thumbnail files linked to the deleted thumbnail files according to the command entered through the input means, and storing the moved thumbnail files.

9. The information managing device as defined in claim 8,

wherein the thumbnail display means includes third display means for simultaneously displaying, on the display screen, the thumbnail files that are currently displayed on the display screen and the other thumbnail files linked to those thumbnail files according to the command entered through the input means.

10. The information managing device as defined in claim 9,

wherein the third display means is arranged so as to display the thumbnail files that are currently displayed on the display screen and the other thumbnail files linked to those thumbnail files vertically side by side on the display screen.

11. The information managing device as defined in claim 9,

wherein the third display means is arranged so as to create, on the display screen, a plurality of images of the other linked thumbnail files around the images of the thumbnail files that are currently displayed on the display screen according to the command entered through the input means.

12. The information managing device as defined in claim 11, further comprising:

scroll control means for scrolling the images in both horizontal and vertical directions to render all the images of the thumbnail files visible on the display screen.

13. The information managing device as defined in claim 6, further comprising:

display time detecting means for detecting display time on the display screen for each of the images of the thumbnail files; and

fourth deleting means for deleting the images of the thumbnail files that have not searched for for a predetermined period of time from the display screen according to the display time detecting means.

14. The information managing device as defined in claim 1,

wherein the thumbnail display means is specified to display the thumbnail files on respective surfaces of a polyhedron.

15. The information managing device as defined in claim 14,

wherein the polyhedron is a cube.

16. The information managing device as defined in claim 15,

wherein the thumbnail display means is specified so as to display a plurality of cubes with the cube having a larger size than the others being displayed in rotation.

17. The information managing device as defined in claim 14,

wherein the thumbnail display means is specified so as to display a cube having one of the thumbnail files displayed on each surface thereof in a rotational movement around a symmetric axis of the cube.

18. The information managing device as defined in claim 17,

wherein the thumbnail display means is specified to display the cube in a rotational movement around a symmetric axis of the cube, while a display of those surfaces that are end surfaces with respect to a direction of the symmetric axis is being fixed, and a display of the other surfaces is being rotated.

19. The information managing device as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

first rewriting means for, if one or more of the thumbnail files are selected through the input means, counting and storing the number of times that each of the selected thumbnail files has ever been searched for, and rewriting the display order of the thumbnail files stored in the thumbnail storage means according to the number.

20. The information managing device as defined in claim 9,

wherein the thumbnail display means includes a first arrangement specifying section for arranging the thumbnail files on the display screen sequentially from a front row to a far back row in descending order of the number.

21. The information managing device as defined in claim 19,

wherein the image files each have an identification tag to be distinguish from the other image files on the display screen.

22. The information managing device as defined in claim 21,

wherein the thumbnail display means includes a selective creation section for creating a partial cluster of those image files selected according to the identification tags and creating thumbnail files according to the partial cluster.

23. The information managing device as defined in claim 21, further comprising:

first specifying means for specifying the identification tag by designating a frame in an image file display with the input means, the identification tags being used in an image file search conducted through displayed predetermined image files.

24. The information managing device as defined in claim 21, further comprising:

list display means for creating a list of display features of predetermined image files displayed on the display screen, and displaying the list on the display screen;

feature selecting means for selecting one of the display features from the list;

second specifying means for displaying image file portions showing the display feature selected through the feature selecting means, and when a desired image file portion is selected through the input means, specifying the desired image file portion as the identification tag.

25. The information managing device as defined in claim 21, further comprising:

a third specifying means for specifying the identification tag in a predetermined header area of each of the image files with the input means, the identification tags being used to register the image files.

26. The information managing device as defined in claim 1,

wherein the image files each represent a bundle of original documents.

27. The information managing device as defined in claim 19,

wherein the thumbnail display means includes:

monitoring means for monitoring the time when one or more of the thumbnail files are searched for, and image files corresponding to those thumbnail files are inputted; and

a second rewriting means for creating a partial cluster of only those image files inputted during a period of time designated through the input means according to the monitoring means, and rewriting the thumbnail files stored in the thumbnail storage means according to the partial cluster.

28. The information managing device as defined in claim 1,

wherein the thumbnail files each have display portion data for displaying differences between the image files on the display screen in order to distinguish between the individual image files.

29. The information managing device as defined in claim 28, further comprising:

fourth specifying means for specifying the display portion data according to the number of times that each of the image files has ever been searched for and also according to an importance specified with respect to each of the image files through the input means.

30. The information managing device as defined in claim 28,

wherein the display portion data includes designated time data on a designated time specified through the input means,

the information managing device further comprising:

fifth specifying means for specifying the display portion data according to the designated time data and input time data specified through the input means, so as to enable corresponding one or more of the thumbnail files to be distinguished from the other thumbnail files on the display screen.

31. The information managing device as defined in claim 28,

wherein the thumbnail display means is specified so as to display clusters of the thumbnail files,

the information managing device further comprising:

third rewriting means for rewriting the clusters of the thumbnail files so as to substitute each other and synthesize the clusters according to the display portion data designated through the input means.

32. The information managing device as defined in claim 28,

wherein the image files each have keyword data,

the information managing device further comprising:

sixth specifying means for specifying the display portion data according to the keyword data and input keyword data specified through the input means, so as to enable corresponding one or more of thumbnail files to be distinguished from the other thumbnail files on the display screen.

33. The information managing device as defined in claim 32, further comprising:

fourth rewriting means for rewriting display order of clusters of the thumbnail files according to the keyword data and the input keyword data specified through the input means.

34. The information managing device as defined in claim 28,

wherein the thumbnail display means includes grouping means for displaying the thumbnail files in groups on the display screen.

35. The information managing device as defined in claim 28,

wherein the thumbnail display means includes marking means for searching mutually associated thumbnail files through the thumbnail files on the display screen, and adding an association marking to each of the mutually associated thumbnail files to denote the association between the associated thumbnail files.

36. The information managing device as defined in claim 35,

wherein the thumbnail display means includes association display means for displaying only the thumbnail files having an association marking in the form of a ring in response to a designation of the association marking through the input means.

37. The information managing device as defined in claim 36,

wherein the thumbnail display means includes second deleting means for deleting the thumbnail file having no association marking from the ring-form display in response to a designation of the association marking through the input means.

38. An information managing device, comprising:

image storage means for storing a plurality of image files;

input means for entering a command to display the plurality of image files;

thumbnail storage means for storing thumbnail files each corresponding to one of the plurality of image files stored in the image storage means;

thumbnail display means for displaying images of the thumbnail files stored in the thumbnail storage means on a display screen according to a command entered through the input means;

image file display means for reading, from the image storage means, the image file corresponding to the thumbnail file selected through the input means from the thumbnail files displayed on the display screen, and displaying that image file on the display screen,

wherein the thumbnail display means is specified to configure the images of the thumbnail files so as to partially overlap each other in a three-dimensional manner,

first rewriting means for, when one or more of the thumbnail files are selected through the input means, counting and storing the number of times that each of the selected thumbnail files has ever been searched for, and rewriting the display order of the thumbnail files stored in the thumbnail storage means according to the number, and

wherein the thumbnail display means includes a second arrangement specifying section for arranging the thumbnail files on the display screen sequentially from a front row to a far back row in the configuration in descending order of the number, with the thumbnail files other than the thumbnail file in the front row being arranged alternately on the left-hand side and on the right-hand side.

39. An information managing device, comprising:

image storage means for storing a plurality of image files;

input means for entering a command to display the plurality of image files;

thumbnail storage means for storing thumbnail files each corresponding to one of the plurality of image files stored in the image storage means;

thumbnail display means for displaying images of the thumbnail files stored in the thumbnail storage means on a display screen according to a command entered through the input means;

image file display means for reading, from the image storage means, the image file corresponding to the thumbnail file selected through the input means from the thumbnail files displayed on the display screen, and displaying that image file on the display screen,

wherein the thumbnail display means is specified to configure the images of the thumbnail files so as to partially overlap each other in a three-dimensional manner,

wherein the thumbnail files each have display portion data for displaying differences between the image files on the display screen in order to distinguish between the individual image files, and

first deleting means for searching for similar thumbnail files through the thumbnail files on the display screen, and deleting all but one of the similar thumbnail files from the display screen.

40. An information managing device, comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of image files;

an input for entering a command to display the plurality of image files;

wherein thumbnail files are stored, each thumbnail file corresponding to one of the plurality of image files stored;

a thumbnail display for displaying images of the thumbnail files on a display screen according to a command entered through the input; and

wherein the thumbnail display is specified to configure the thumbnail files so as to, as viewed from the front of the display, overlap each other partially in the form of a three-dimensional ring and sequentially from a front row to a back row that is higher in position than the front row in accordance with positions of the thumbnail files in the configuration, so that upper portions of the thumbnail files are visible.