Synchronized spatial-temporal browsing of images for assessment of content

• US 6,515,656 B1
• Filed: 04/30/1999
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Laboratories Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Laboratories Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Ali-Ahmad, Wissam Yussef, Wittenburg, Kent Barrows, Lanning, Thomas Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Application Number:
  US09/302,874
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 345/339, 345/355, 345/356, 345/302, 345/328, 345/760, 345/853, 345/854, 345/730-732, 705/27, 707/501, 707/500.1, 707/501.1, 707/513
• US Class Current: 345/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for viewing multimedia-based information in accordance with user controls for the speed and direction of the multimedia presentation. Different techniques for presenting multimedia data items are disclosed. User controls provide control for speed and direction in accordance with a user selection device being in a particular location. When a user device is within the defined area, the speed and direction control are turned on. When the user device leaves the defined area, the speed and direction are turned off.

Claims

1. A method executed in a computer system for presenting information to a user, the method comprising:

presenting a hierarchical description of the information as a list of menu items in an outline area;

automatically traversing the menu items of the hierarchical description;

successively and automatically presenting one or more multimedia data items for each of the menu items in a presentation area according to a first temporal arrangement, the first temporal arrangement of said one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area being synchronized with the hierarchical description;

permitting the user to dynamically control direction of said successive and automatic presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to cause said successive and automatic presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to occur in forward and reverse directions under control of the user; and

permitting the user to dynamically control speed of said successive and automatic presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to cause said successive and automatic presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to occur at slow and fast speeds under control of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

presenting said one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area according to a second temporal arrangement; and

synchronizing said hierarchical description in accordance with said second temporal arrangement by updating said outline area.

3. The method of claim 1, further including:

indicating a current focus by signifying a portion of said outline area being synchronized in accordance with said one or more multimedia data items of said presentation area.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said current focus is indicated by highlighting a portion of said outline area.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said current focus is indicated by associating an iconic indicator with a portion of said outline area.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said iconic indicator is an arrow located near said portion of said outline area.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein said current focus is indicated by bolding a portion of said outline area.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein said current focus is indicated by making a portion of said outline area a different font from other portions of said outline area.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein said current focus is indicated by making a portion of said outline area a different color from other portions of said outline area.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said direction and speed are controlled in accordance with the location of a selection device indicator with respect to a predetermined area of a display device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said selection device indicator is a mouse cursor, said predetermined area of a display device is identified by an icon, and the method further includes:

changing the speed and direction in which multimedia data items are presented in the presentation area when the mouse cursor is within said predetermined area identified by the icon; and

stopping modification to the presentation area when the mouse cursor is not within said predetermined area.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said icon includes two or more arrows, a first one of said arrows indicating a forward direction and a second one of said arrows indicating a reverse direction with regard to presenting multimedia data items in said presentation area, said speed increasing as the mouse cursor moves closer to a tip of one of said two or more arrows.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said multimedia data items are presented in said presentation area using a stacking technique in which successive multimedia data items are presented slightly overlapping one or more previously presented multimedia data items, and the method further includes:

controlling speed and direction of said one or more multimedia data items presented by stacking and unstacking successively presented multimedia data items in said presentation area.

14. The method of claim 1, further including:

synchronizing other multimedia data with the presentation of said one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area and said hierarchical description in said outline area.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said multimedia data items are presented in said presentation area using a scrolling technique in which successive images are presented in a two-dimensional plane, and the method further includes:

controlling speed and direction of said one or more multimedia data items by controlling the direction and speed at which said one or more multimedia data items are presented in said two-dimensional plane.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said multimedia data items are presented in said presentation area using a three-dimensional presentation technique in which said multimedia data items are presented with a three-dimensional perspective with regard to a display viewpoint at a particular time.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said three-dimensional presentation technique includes predetermining locations associated with said one or more multimedia data items in a defined area and determining a display viewpoint in a two-dimensional plane with respect to said locations associated with said one or more multimedia data items.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein one or more groups of the multimedia data items are positioned in said two-dimensional plane.

19. The method of claim 18 further including, for each of said one or more groups of multimedia data items:

placing one or more of the multimedia data items equidistant from other ones of the multimedia data items in a counterclockwise direction, each of said multimedia data items being in a circular arrangement such that the center of each of the multimedia data items in said each group is located on a circumference of a circle corresponding to the circular arrangement.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein subsequent groups each have a first multimedia data item that is placed at a random angular offset relative to a first multimedia data item of an initial one of said one or more groups.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein some of said one or more multimedia data items includes a group of one or more images having a parent-child relationship in which there is one parent multimedia data item and one or more child multimedia data items, the method further including:

dividing said presentation area into four quadrants;

presenting said parent multimedia data item near the center of said presentation area;

presenting subsequent child multimedia data items beginning with an upper left quadrant and proceeding to present successive multimedia data items on a clockwise rotation in successive quadrants.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein each of said four quadrants is further divided into four subquadrants, each of said four quadrants have an outermost subquadrant corresponding to an outermost corner of said quadrant with respect to said presentation area, each of said child multimedia data items being presented in an outermost subquadrant associated with a quadrant, an outer corner of said each child multimedia data item being randomly located within said outermost subquadrant.

23. The method of claim 1, further including:

providing a user interface that includes said outline area, said presentation area and a control area.

24. The method of claim 23, further including:

producing said user interface by executing a translation tool that produces software used to provide said user interface.

25. The method of claim 24, further including:

issuing a request from a client causing execution of said producing step on a server.

26. The method of claim 25, further including, performing on said server, in response to issuing a request:

loading user interface components onto said server, said user interface components including a translation tool;

loading a hierarchical data file onto said server;

executing said user interface components using said hierarchical data file as an input to said translation tool producing one or more software components, each of said one or more software components being associated with presenting said one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area.

27. The method of claim 26, further including:

transferring said one or more software components to said client;

executing, on said client, a driver causing said user interface to be displayed and causing images and multimedia files to be loaded on said client.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said images and multimedia files are loaded into memory prior to accepting user input via said user interface in accordance with said software components.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein said outline area includes a nested hierarchical display wherein an outer nesting depth header is displayed when a corresponding inner nesting depth header is a current focus of said presentation area, said current focus representing a synchronization of said outline area with said presentation area at a particular time.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more multimedia data items include one or more images.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more multimedia data items include one or more audio files.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more multimedia data items include one or more video files.

33. An apparatus for presenting information to a user, the apparatus comprising:

machine executable code for displaying a hierarchical description of the information as a list of menu items in an outline area;

machine executable code for automatically traversing the menu items of the hierarchical description;

machine executable code for successively and automatically presenting one or more multimedia data items for each of the menu items in a presentation area according to a first temporal arrangement, the first temporal arrangement of said one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area being synchronized with the hierarchical description;

machine executable code for permitting the user to dynamically control direction of said successive and automatic presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to cause said successive and automatic presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to occur in forward and reverse directions under control of the user; and

machine executable code for permitting the user to dynamically control speed of said successive and automatic presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to cause said successive and automatic presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to occur at slow and fast speeds under control of the user.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, further including:

machine executable code for presenting said one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area according to a second temporal arrangement; and

machine executable code for synchronizing said hierarchical description in accordance with said second temporal arrangement by updating said outline area.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, further including:

machine executable code for indicating a current focus by signifying a portion of said outline area being synchronized in accordance with said one or more multimedia data items of said presentation area.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein said current focus is indicated by highlighting a portion of said outline area.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein said current focus is indicated by associating an iconic indicator with a portion of said outline area.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein said iconic indicator is an arrow located near said port of said outline area.

39. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein said current focus is indicated by bolding a portion of said outline area.

40. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein said current focus is indicated by making a portion of said outline area a different font from other portions of said outline area.

41. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein said current focus is indicated by making a portion of said outline area a different color from other portions of said outline area.

42. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said direction and speed are controlled in accordance with the location of a selection device indicator with respect to a predetermined area of a display device.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein said selection device indicator is a mouse cursor, said predetermined area of a display device is identified by an icon, and the apparatus further includes:

machine executable code for changing the speed and direction in which multimedia data items are presenting in the presentation area when the mouse cursor is within said predetermined area identified by the icon; and

machine executable code for stopping modification to the presentation area when the mouse cursor is not within said predetermined area.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein said icon includes two or more arrows, a first one of said arrows indicating a forward direction and a second one of said arrows indicating a reverse direction with regard to presenting multimedia data items in said presentation area, said speed increasing as the mouse cursor moves closer to a tip of one of said two or more arrows.

45. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said multimedia data items are presented in said presentation area using a stacking technique in which successive multimedia data items are presented slightly overlapping one or more previously presented multimedia data items, and the apparatus further includes:

machine executable code for controlling speed and direction of said one or more multimedia data items presented by stacking and unstacking successively presented multimedia data items in said presentation area.

46. The apparatus of claim 33, further including:

machine executable code for synchronizing a multimedia file with the presentation of said one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area and said hierarchical description in said outline area.

47. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said multimedia data items are presented in said presentation area using a scrolling technique in which successive ones of the multimedia data items are presented in a two-dimensional plane, and the apparatus further includes:

machine executable code for controlling speed and direction of said one or more multimedia data items by controlling the direction and speed at which said one or more multimedia data items are presented in said two-dimensional plane.

48. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said multimedia data items are presented in said presentation area using a three-dimensional presentation technique in which multimedia data items are presented user with a three-dimensional perspective with regard to a display viewpoint at a particular time.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein said three-dimensional presentation technique includes predetermining locations associated with said one or more multimedia data items in a defined area and determining a presentation viewpoint in a two-dimensional plane with respect to said locations associated with said one or more multimedia data items.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein one or more groups of the multimedia data items are positioned in said two-dimensional plane.

51. The apparatus of claim 50 further including, for each of said one or more groups of multimedia data items:

machine executable code for placing one or more of the multimedia data items equidistant from other ones of the multimedia data items in a counterclockwise direction, each of said multimedia data items being in a circular arrangement such that the center of each of the multimedia data items in said each group is located on a circumference of a circle corresponding to the circular arrangement.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein subsequent groups each have a first multimedia data item that is placed at a random angular offset relative to a first multimedia data item of an initial one of said one or more groups.

53. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein some of said one or more multimedia data items includes a group of one or more multimedia data items having a parent-child relationship in which there is one parent multimedia data item and one or more child multimedia data items, the apparatus further including:

machine executable code for dividing said presentation area into four quadrants;

machine executable code for presenting said parent multimedia data item near the center of said presentation area;

machine executable code for presenting subsequent child multimedia data items beginning with an upper left quadrant and proceeding to present successive multimedia data items on a clockwise rotation in successive quadrants.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein each of said four quadrants is further divided into four subquadrants, each of said four quadrants have an outermost subquadrant corresponding to an outermost corner of said quadrant with respect to said presentation area, each of said child multimedia data items being presented in an outermost subquadrant associated with a quadrant, an outer corner of said each child multimedia data item being randomly located within said outermost subquadrant.

55. The apparatus of claim 33 further including:

machine executable code for providing a user interface that includes said outline area, said presentation area and a control area.

56. The apparatus of claim 55, further including:

machine executable code for producing said user interface by executing a translation tool that produces software used to provide said user interface.

57. The apparatus of claim 56, further including:

machine executable code for issuing a request from a client causing execution of said producing step on a server.

58. The apparatus of claim 57, further including, machine executable code executable on said server in response to said client issuing a request for:

loading user interface components onto said server, said user interface components including a translation tool;

loading a hierarchical data file onto said server; and

executing said user interface components using said hierarchical data file as an input to said translation tool producing one or more software components, each of said one or more software components being associated with displaying said one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area.

59. The apparatus of claim 58, further including:

machine executable code for transferring said one or more software components to said client;

machine executable code included in said client for causing said user interface to be displayed and causing images and multimedia files to be loaded on said client.

60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein said images and multimedia files are loaded into memory prior to accepting user input via said user interface in accordance with said software components.

61. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said outline area includes a nested hierarchical display wherein an outer nesting depth header is displayed when a corresponding inner nesting depth header is a current focus of said presentation area, said current focus representing a synchronization of said outline area with said presentation area at a particular time.

62. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said one or more multimedia data items include one or more images.

63. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said one or more multimedia data items include one or more audio files.

64. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said one or more multimedia data items include one or more video files.

65. An apparatus for presenting information to a user, the apparatus comprising:

means for displaying a hierarchical description of the information as a list of menu items in an outline area;

means for automatically traversing the menu items of the hierarchical description;

means for successively and automatically presenting one or more multimedia data items for each of the menu items in a presentation area according to a first temporal arrangement, the first temporal arrangement of said one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area being synchronized with the hierarchical description;

means for allowing the user to dynamically control direction of said successive and automatic presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to cause said successive and automatic presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to occur in forward and reverse directions under control of the user; and

means for allowing the user to dynamically control speed of said successive and automatic presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to cause said successive and automatic presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to occur at slow and fast speeds under control of the user.

66. The apparatus of claim 65, further including:

means for presenting said one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area according to a second temporal arrangement; and

means for synchronizing said hierarchical description in accordance with said second temporal arrangement by updating said outline area.

67. The apparatus of claim 65, further including:

means for indicating a current focus by signifying a portion of said outline area being synchronized in accordance with said one or more multimedia data items of said presentation area.

68. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein said current focus is indicated by highlighting a portion of said outline area.

69. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein said current focus is indicated by associating an iconic indicator with a portion of said outline area.

70. A method of selecting items to purchase in electronic commerce comprising:

presenting a hierarchical description of items for sale in an outline area;

automatically traversing the items for sale of the hierarchical description;

automatically and successively presenting one or more multimedia data items for each of said items for sale in a presentation area according to a first temporal arrangement, the first temporal arrangement of said one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area being synchronized with the hierarchical description;

permitting a user to dynamically control direction of said automatic and successive presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to cause said automatic and successive presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to occur in forward and reverse directions under control of the user;

permitting a user to dynamically control speed of said automatic and successive presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to cause said automatic and successive presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to occur at slow and fast speeds under control of the user; and

receiving selection from the user of;

one of said items for sale via selection of one of said one or more multimedia data items corresponding to said one or more items selected.

71. The method of claim 70, further including:

selecting one of said multimedia data items.

72. The method of claim 70, further including:

presenting an icon associated with an item for sale corresponding to a hyperlink related to said item for sale.

73. An apparatus for selecting items for purchase in electronic commerce comprising.

machine executable code for presenting a hierarchical description of items for sale in an outline area;

machine executable code for automatically traversing the items for sale of the hierarchical description;

machine executable code for automatically and successively presenting one or more multimedia data items for each of said items for sale in a presentation area according to a first. temporal arrangement, the first temporal arrangement of said one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area being synchronized with the hierarchical description;

machine executable code for allowing a user to dynamically control direction of said automatic and successive presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to cause said automatic and successive presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to occur in forward aid reverse directions under control of the user;

machine executable code for allowing a user to dynamically control speed of said automatic and successive presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to cause said automatic and successive presentation of the one or more multimedia data items in said presentation area to occur at slow and fast speeds under control of the user; and

machine executable code for obtaining selection from the user of one of said items for sale via selection of one of said one or more multimedia data items corresponding to said one or more items selected.

74. The apparatus of claim 73, further including:

machine executable code for selecting one of said multimedia data items.

75. The apparatus of claim 73, further including:

machine executable code for presenting an icon associated with an item for sale corresponding to a hyperlink related to said item for sale.