Method of displaying a thumbnail image, server computer, and client computer

• US 7,529,420 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2003
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Ii, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hung; Yubin
• Application Number:
  US10/734,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20040165789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,971 Days
• Field of Search: 382/166, 382/240, 382/248, 382/299, 348/395.1, 348/403.1, 375/240.19
• US Class Current: 382/240
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/132 Sampling, masking or truncation of coding units, e.g. adaptive resampling, frame skipping, frame interpolation or high-frequency transform coefficient masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/162 User input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/17 the unit being an image region, e.g. an object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/36 Scalability techniques involving formatting the layers as a function of picture distortion after decoding, e.g. signal-to-noise [SNR] scalability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/63 using sub-band based transform, e.g. wavelets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/645 by grouping of coefficients into blocks after the transform
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/647 using significance based coding, e.g. Embedded Zerotrees of Wavelets [EZW] or Set Partitioning in Hierarchical Trees [SPIHT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards

Abstract

A method of displaying a thumbnail image of the original image of a data file stored in a storage unit on a display unit includes: (a) storing in the storage unit a first compressed code relating to an image for displaying the thumbnail image of the data file, the first compressed code being generated by dividing the image into a plurality of tiles and performing discrete wavelet transform and hierarchical encoding on the pixel values of the image tile by tile; (b) setting the resolution of the thumbnail image in accordance with the format type of the data file; (c) extracting a second compressed code according to the resolution that was set from the first compressed code stored in the storage unit; and (d) displaying the thumbnail image based on the second compressed code that was extracted.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a plurality of thumbnail images on a display unit, the method comprising:

(a) storing in a storage unit a plurality of first compressed codes relating to a plurality of images, each corresponding to one of a plurality of data files of different format types, wherein each of the plurality of first compressed codes being generated by dividing one of the plurality of images into a plurality of tiles and performing discrete wavelet transform and hierarchical encoding on pixel values of the one image tile by tile, wherein each thumbnail image is capable of being generated from one of the plurality of first compressed codes by extracting different portions of the one first compressed codes;

(b) setting a plurality of resolutions of the plurality of thumbnail images in accordance with the format types of the plurality of data files;

(c) extracting a plurality of second compressed codes according to the plurality of resolutions from the plurality of first compressed codes stored in the storage unit to select the plurality of thumbnail images with the plurality of resolutions,

wherein steps (b) and (c) are performed by a computer; and

(d) displaying, in a single view, the plurality of thumbnail images based on the plurality of second compressed codes, wherein the displayed thumbnail images have different resolutions corresponding to the format types of the plurality of data files.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of data files include a text file and an image file, and a thumbnail image displayed in the single view for the text file has a display size larger than a display size of a thumbnail image displayed in the single view for the image file.

3. Server computer causing a plurality of thumbnail images to be displayed on a display unit of a client computer in accordance with an instruction therefrom, the client computer being connected to the server computer via a network, the server computer comprising:

a thumbnail image storage unit to store in a storage unit a plurality of first compressed codes relating to a plurality of images, each corresponding to one of a plurality of data files of different format types, wherein each of the plurality of first compressed codes being generated by dividing the one of the plurality of images into a plurality of tiles and performing discrete wavelet transform and hierarchical encoding on pixel values of the one image tile by tile, wherein each thumbnail image is capable of being generated from one of the plurality of first compressed codes by extracting different portions of the one first compressed codes;

a thumbnail image setting acquisition unit to acquire from the client computer a plurality of resolutions of the plurality of thumbnail images, the resolutions being set in accordance with the format types of the plurality of data files;

a thumbnail image extraction unit to extract a plurality of second compressed codes according to the plurality of resolutions acquired by the thumbnail image setting acquisition unit from the plurality of first compressed codes stored in the storage unit to select the plurality of thumbnail images with the resolutions; and

a thumbnail image transmission unit to transmit the plurality of second compressed codes extracted by the thumbnail image extraction unit to the client computer,

wherein the plurality of thumbnail images are displayed in a single view by the client computer based on the plurality of second compressed codes, and the displayed thumbnail images have different resolutions corresponding to the format types of the plurality of data files.

4. The server computer as claimed in claim 3, wherein when a region of interest (ROI) is specified with respect to each of the plurality of images, the thumbnail image extraction unit extracts the plurality of second compressed codes according to the plurality of resolutions set in the thumbnail image setting acquisition unit from part of each of the plurality of first compressed codes stored in the storage unit, the part of each of the plurality of first compressed codes relating to a tile of the ROI.

5. The server computer as claimed in claim 3, wherein the thumbnail image extraction unit extracts the plurality of second compressed codes from only a luminance component of the plurality of first compressed codes stored in the storage unit depending on the format types of the data files.

6. The server computer of claim 3, wherein the plurality of data files include a text file and an image file, and a thumbnail image displayed in the single view for the text file has a display size larger than a display size of a thumbnail image displayed in the single view for the image file.

7. A client computer displaying a plurality of thumbnail images of a plurality of images, each corresponding to one of a plurality of data files of different format types stored in a storage unit of a server computer on a display unit, the server computer being connected to the client computer via a network, the client computer comprising:

a thumbnail image setting unit to set a plurality of resolutions of the plurality of thumbnail images in accordance with the format types of the plurality of images, each format type being associated with one or more resolutions such that setting the resolution selects the plurality of thumbnail images from thumbnail images that may be generated from a plurality of first compressed codes related to the plurality of images and are stored in the storage unit; and

a thumbnail image setting transmission unit to transmit the resolutions set by the thumbnail image setting unit to the server computer,

wherein the plurality of thumbnail images are displayed in a single view by the client computer, and the displayed thumbnail images have different resolutions corresponding to the format types of the plurality of data files.

8. The client computer as claimed in claim 7, wherein in a case of receiving from the server computer a plurality of second compressed codes according to the resolutions set by the thumbnail image setting unit extracted from part of each of the plurality of first compressed codes stored in the storage unit, the part of each of the plurality of the first compressed codes relating to a tile of an ROI, the plurality of thumbnail images include one enlarged in accordance with the format type of the data file corresponding to the image related to the enlarged one.

9. The client computer of claim 7, wherein the plurality of data files include a text file and an image file, and a thumbnail image displayed in the single view for the text file has a display size larger than a display size of a thumbnail image displayed in the single view for the image file.

10. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a server computer to execute a method of displaying a plurality of thumbnail images of a plurality of images, each corresponding to one of a plurality of data files of different format types stored in a storage unit of the server computer on a display unit of a client computer in accordance with an instruction therefrom, the client computer being connected to the server computer via a network, the method comprising:

(a) acquiring from the client computer a plurality of resolutions of the plurality of thumbnail images, the plurality of resolutions being set in accordance with the format types of the plurality of data files;

(b) extracting a plurality of second compressed codes according to the resolutions from a plurality of first compressed codes stored in the storage unit to select the plurality of thumbnail images with the resolutions, wherein the plurality of thumbnail images are capable of being generated from the first compressed codes by extracting different portions of the first compressed codes, the first compressed codes relating to the plurality of images for displaying the plurality of thumbnail images and each being generated by dividing one of the plurality of images into a plurality of tiles and performing discrete wavelet transform and hierarchical encoding on pixel values of the one of the plurality of images tile by tile; and

(c) transmitting the plurality of second compressed codes to the client computer,

wherein the plurality of thumbnail images are displayed in a single view by the client computer, and the displayed thumbnail images have different resolutions corresponding to the format types of the plurality of data files.

11. The computer-readable recording medium as claimed in claim 10, wherein when an ROI is specified with respect to each of the plurality of images, a corresponding second compressed code is extracted according to a corresponding resolution from part of a corresponding first compressed code stored in the storage unit that is related to a tile of the ROI.

12. The computer-readable recording medium as claimed in claim 10, wherein the plurality of second compressed codes are extracted from only a luminance component of the plurality of first compressed codes stored in the storage unit depending on the format types of the data files.

13. The computer readable recording medium of claim 10, wherein the plurality of data files include a text file and an image file, and a thumbnail image displayed in the single view for the text file has a display size larger than a display size of a thumbnail image displayed in the single view for the image file.

14. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a client computer to execute a method of displaying a plurality of thumbnail images of a plurality of images, each corresponding to one of a plurality of data files of different format types, on a display unit, the client computer being connected to a server computer via a network, the method comprising:

(a) setting a plurality of resolutions of the plurality of thumbnail images in accordance with the format types of the plurality of images, each format type being associated with one or more resolutions, thereby selecting each of the plurality of thumbnail images from thumbnail images that may be generated from a plurality of first compressed codes related to the plurality of images and are stored in a storage unit; and

(b) transmitting the resolutions set to the server computer,

wherein the plurality of thumbnail images are displayed in a single view by the client computer, and the displayed thumbnail images have different resolutions corresponding to the format types of the plurality of data files.

15. The computer-readable recording medium as claimed in claim 14, wherein in a case of receiving from the server computer a plurality of second compressed codes according to the resolutions extracted from part of each of the plurality of first compressed codes stored in the storage unit, the part of each of the plurality of the first compressed codes relating to a tile of an ROI, the thumbnail images include one enlarged in accordance with the format type of the data file corresponding to the image related to the enlarged one.

16. The computer readable recording medium of claim 14, wherein the plurality of data files include a text file and an image file, and a thumbnail image displayed in the single view for the text file has a display size larger than a display size of a thumbnail image displayed in the single view for the image file.