Information processing apparatus, information processing method, program storage medium and program

• US 7,158,151 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2005
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Asami, Akiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHU, DAVID H
• Application Number:
  US11/076,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20050162444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00323 with a measuring, monitoring or signaling apparatus, e.g. for transmitting measured information to a central location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00397 Switches, knobs or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00424 using a list of graphical elements, e.g. icons or icon bar
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0063 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• 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 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 : Display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 : The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data

Abstract

An information processing apparatus and method are provided by which the user not only can merely see an album display but also can enjoy the album display satisfactorily as a memory. Image data are stored, and time information and position information are recorded in connection with the image data. Thumbnail icons representative of the image data are displayed in accordance with the time information, and a map image is displayed in concave/concave display. Position icons representative of the time information and the position information are displayed on the map image. The map and the thumbnail icons are moved on the display by at least one of different types of movement including horizontal movement, vertical movement, clockwise or counterclockwise rolling movement, upward or downward pitching movement and leftward or rightward yawing movement so that the user can enjoy various images.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a notebook-type portable personal computer including;

display means forming a movable cover of the portable personal computer;

image data inputting means for inputting image data;

time information inputting means for inputting time information in connection with said image data;

position information inputting means for inputting position information in connection with said image data;

map display control means for controlling display of a 3D map image;

position icon display control means for controlling display of position icons indicative of said time information and said position information on the 3D map image whose display is controlled by said map display control means;

concave/convex display control means for controlling topographic concave/convex display of the 3D map image whose display is controlled by said map display control means, wherein said map display control means changes a viewpoint of the 3D map image in response to pitch and yaw information entered by a user;

thumbnail icon display control means for controlling a display of thumbnail icons indicative of said image data;

position icon data inputting means for inputting data representative of said position icons; and

said thumbnail icon display control means controlling a sequential time series display of the thumbnail icons in response to said time information corresponding to the data representative of the position icons inputted by said position icon data inputting means and in response to the changing 3D map viewpoint, wherein the thumbnail icons are displayed so as to float above the 3D map image.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising thumbnail icon data inputting means for inputting data representative of said thumbnail icons, said map display control means controlling a display region of the map image based on said position information corresponding to the data representative of the thumbnail icons inputted by said thumbnail icon data inputting means.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said concave/convex display control means for controlling the topographic concave/convex display of said map image controls the topographic concave/convex display based on contour data of a topography.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said concave/convex display control means for controlling the topographic concave/convex display of said map image controls the topographic concave/convex display based on arbitrary illumination direction data and shadow data associated with the arbitrary illumination direction data.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

position icon time series display control means for controlling a time series display of said position icons in said map image based on said time information; and

connection line display control means for controlling a connection line display between a plurality of said position icons.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the map image whose display is controlled by said map display control means and a thumbnail icon display displayed on said map image by said thumbnail icon display control means are moved by at least one of horizontal movement, vertical movement, clockwise or counterclockwise rolling movement, upward or downward pitching movement and leftward or rightward yawing movement.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the map image whose display is controlled by said map display control means and a thumbnail icon display displayed on said map image by said thumbnail icon display control means are moved by at least one of horizontal movement, vertical movement, clockwise or counterclockwise rolling movement, upward or downward pitching movement and leftward or rightward yawing movement.