System and method for scaling images to fit a screen on a mobile device according to a non-linear scale factor

• US 7,385,615 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Vale, Peter Ormand, McLain, Jay Franklin, Dadi, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang; Jin-Cheng
• Application Number:
  US10/404,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20040075671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,898 Days
• Field of Search: 345660-661, 345/622, 345/620, 345/628, 345/858, 345/169, 345/964, 345/441, 345/581, 345/606, 345/629, 701/208
• US Class Current: 345/660
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/005 Adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04

Abstract

A system and method for scaling images to fit a screen on a mobile device. The images are scaled according to a non-linear scale factor to increase usability of the images. The larger images are scaled more aggressively than the smaller images according to the non-linear scale factor such that the images are viewed at a maximum size while fitting the images within the screen width.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for scaling images on a web page to fit a screen on a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a web page that requires scaling to fit on a screen of a mobile device;

identifying a first image and a second image of the web page;

determining a first scale factor for the first image irrespective of the position of the first image of the web page, the first scale factor being dependent on an initial size of the first image and the width of the screen of the mobile device, the first scale factor decreasing non-linearly as the initial size of the first image increases;

determining a second scale factor for the second image irrespective of the position of the first image of the web page, the second scale factor being dependent on the initial size of the second image and the width of the screen of the mobile device, the second scale factor decreasing non-linearly as the initial size of the second image increases, wherein the first scale factor and the second scale factor are different;

determining whether a zoom feature is associated with the web page of the mobile device;

adjusting the first and the second scale factors when the zoom feature is associated with the web page, the adjusted first scale factor of the first image increasing non-linearly as a zoom setting of the web page increases and the adjusted first scale factor of the first image decreasing non-linearly as the zoom setting of the web page decreases, the adjusted second scale factor of the second image increasing non-linearly as the zoom setting of the web page increases and the adjusted second scale factor of the second image decreasing non-linearly as the zoom setting of the web page decreases;

automatically scaling the first image associated with the web page according to the first adjusted scale factor and automatically scaling the second image associated with the web page according to the second adjusted scale factor; and

displaying the first image and the second image on the screen of the mobile device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the first and second scale factors further comprises determining a maximum image size for the images on the web page, wherein the maximum image size corresponds to a width associated with the screen.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein scaling the first and the second image further comprises scaling each image such that a width associated with a largest image on the web page substantially corresponds to the maximum image size.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a selected one of the first and the second images has a width such that scaling the selected one of the first and the second images is avoided.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a selected one of the first and the second images has an attribute such that the selected one of the first and second images is scaled according to another scale factor.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first and second images are scaled such that each of the first and second images have a width that is less than or equal to the width of the screen on the mobile device, whereby horizontal scrolling is minimized.

7. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor;

a display that includes a screen;

a memory into which a plurality of computer-executable instructions are loaded, the computer-executable instructions performing a method comprising;

receiving a web page that requires scaling to fit on a screen of a mobile device;

identifying a first image and a second image of the web page;

determining a first scale factor for the first image irrespective of the position of the first image of the web page, the first scale factor being dependent on an initial size of the first image and the width of the screen of the mobile device, the first scale factor decreasing non-linearly as the initial size of the first image increases;

determining a second scale factor for the second image irrespective of the position of the second image of the web page, the second scale factor being dependent on the initial size of the second image and the width of the screen of the mobile device, the second scale factor decreasing non-linearly as the initial size of the second image increases, wherein the first scale factor and the second scale factor are different;

determining whether a zoom feature is associated with the web page of the mobile device;

adjusting the first and the second scale factors when the zoom feature is associated with the web page, the adjusted first scale factor of the first image increasing non-linearly as a zoom setting of the web page increases and the adjusted first scale factor of the first image decreasing non-linearly as the zoom setting of the web page decreases, the adjusted second scale factor of the second image increasing non-linearly as the zoom setting of the web page increases and the adjusted second scale factor of the second image decreasing non-linearly as the zoom setting of the web page decreases;

automatically scaling the first image associated with the web page according to the first adjusted scale factor and automatically scaling the second image associated with the web page according to the second adjusted scale factor; and

displaying the first image and the second image on the display of the mobile device.

8. The mobile device of claim 7, the computer-executable instructions further comprising determining a maximum image size for the first image, wherein the maximum image size corresponds to a width associated with the screen of the mobile device.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, the computer-executable instructions further comprising scaling the first image such that a width associated with the first image substantially corresponds to the maximum image size.

10. The mobile device of claim 7, the computer-executable instructions further comprising avoiding scaling the first and the second image when an initial width associated with the first and the second image is less than a width associated with the screen.

11. The mobile device of claim 7, the computer-executable instructions further comprising scaling at least one of the first and a second image according to another scaling factor when the at least one of the first and second images has an associated attribute, wherein the attribute is such that scaling at least one of the first and second images according to one of the first and second scale factors reduces the usability of the images.

12. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

receiving a web page that requires scaling to fit on a screen of a mobile device;

identifying a first image and a second image of the web page;

determining a first scale factor for the first image irrespective of the position of the first image of the web page, the first scale factor being dependent on an initial size of the first image and the width of the screen of the mobile device, the first scale factor decreasing non-linearly as the initial size of the first image increases;

determining a second scale factor for the second image irrespective of the position of the second image of the web page, the second scale factor being dependent on the initial size of the second image and the width of the screen of the mobile device, the second scale factor decreasing non-linearly as the initial size of the second image increases, wherein the first scale factor and the second scale factor are different;

determining whether a zoom feature is associated with the web page of the mobile device;

adjusting the first and the second scale factors when the zoom feature is associated with the web page, the adjusted first scale factor of the first image increasing non-linearly as a zoom setting of the web page increases and the adjusted first scale factor of the first image decreasing non-linearly as the zoom setting of the web page decreases, the adjusted second scale factor of the second image increasing non-linearly as the zoom setting of the web page increases and the adjusted second scale factor of the second image decreasing non-linearly as the zoom setting of the web page decreases;

automatically scaling the first image associated with the web page according to the first adjusted scale factor and automatically scaling the second image associated with the web page according to the second adjusted scale factor; and

displaying the first image and the second image on the screen of the mobile device.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein each of the first and second images are scaled such that each of the first and second images have a width that is less than the width of the screen on the mobile device.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising avoiding scaling the second image when an initial width associated with the second image is less than the width associated with the screen of the mobile device.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first and second images is scaled according to another scaling factor when at least one of the first and second images is a type such that scaling at least one of the first and second images according to the scaling factor reduces its usability.