System for managing data objects

• US 7,581,195 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tessera Advanced Technologies Inc (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Masakazu, Sciammarella, Eduardo Agusto, Kuninori, Masato, Oba, Haruo, Rekimoto, Junichi, Agata, Hideyuki, Imamura, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu; Sy D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham; Linh K
• Application Number:
  US11/078,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20050160377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,628 Days
• Field of Search: 715763-764, 715/779, 715/790, 715/798, 715/810, 715818-821, 715823-825, 345/419, 345634-636, 345/640, 345/649, 345/660
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A device for managing image and audio files displays thumbnails, which are representative of the files, on a screen in different arrangements, depending on the selected layout and order. When the user enters input to indicates that he or she wishes to browse through the thumbnails, the thumbnails move across the screen in sequence, following a path through a focus outline in the center of the screen. The path followed by the thumbnails depends on the selected layout.

Claims

1. A device for managing data objects, comprising:

displaying means for displaying thumbnails representative of data objects;

defining means for defining a focus region that indicates a focus thumbnail subject to processes;

moving means for moving the displayed thumbnails along a predetermined path through the focus region; and

enable/disable means for selectively enabling and disabling the moving means, the displaying means statically displaying a single thumbnail in the focus region when the enable/disable means disables the moving means, the displaying means displaying the thumbnails to move along the predetermined path through the focus region when the enable/disable means enables the moving mean;

wherein the displaying means further displays an interface portion with a plurality of indicia, and further comprising selection means for selecting one of the indicia of the interface portion;

wherein the indicia include a plurality of order indicia each representing one of a plurality of predetermined sequence orders, the displaying means displaying the thumbnails in an order represented by an order indicium selected by the selection means; and

wherein the order indicia include a time indicium; and

when the selection means selects the time indicium, the displaying means displays the thumbnails separated by distance corresponding to time between when the corresponding data objects were produced.