Thumbnail image browsing method in an embedded system

• US 7,716,605 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Oh, Hyo-Seob
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US11/863,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20080013864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 715/733, 715/738, 715/764, 715/765, 715/835, 715/838, 715/846, 707/200, 707/204, 345/619, 345/620, 345/634
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/04 Context-preserving transformations, e.g. by using an importance map panospheric to cylindrical image transformations G06T3/12

Abstract

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method of viewing images accessible by an embedded system, the method comprises: generating a trimmed image from an original image accessible by an embedded system, wherein the trimmed image'"'"'s dimension are relatively smaller or equal to the dimensions of the original image; generating a thumbnail image from the trimmed image, such that dimensions of the thumbnail image are relatively smaller and directly proportional to the respective dimensions of the trimmed image; and associating the thumbnail image with the original image so that in response to selection of the thumbnail image the original image is displayed on the embedded system'"'"'s display unit.

Claims

1. An image data synchronizing apparatus comprising:

a storage medium configured to store original image data and thumbnail image data associated with the original image data; and

a processor configured to process the original image data and the thumbnail image data,

wherein the original image data and the thumbnail image data are both transferred to a same destination, in response to receiving a request to transfer either the original image data or the thumbnail image data to said destination, wherein the destination comprises at least one of a directory within the storage medium or an external device, and

wherein the original image data and the thumbnail image data are both deleted, in response to receiving a request to delete either the original image data or the thumbnail image data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a communication means that cooperates with the storage medium and the processor to allow transferring of at least one of the original image data and the thumbnail image data with the external device in a wired or wireless manner.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the storage medium, the processor, and the communication means are part of a mobile communication terminal.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

an image capture device that cooperates with the storage medium and the processor to obtain the original image data.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the image capture device is a camera of the mobile communication terminal.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor operates to allow any image processing operation performed on the original image data to also be performed on the thumbnail image data and any image processing operation performed on the thumbnail image data to also be performed on the original image data.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor operates to create the thumbnail image data when an image receiving event for the original image data occurs.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the image receiving event comprises at least one of image downloading, image photographing, and e-mail reception.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor simultaneously creates the thumbnail image data when the original image data is stored.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor operates to create the thumbnail image data by using a trimming method.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the trimming method allows the original image data to be processed into one or more different size formats.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the different size formats relate to a ratio between a length and a width of the original image data.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor further performs:

checking whether at least one of the original image data and the thumbnail image data was previously stored in the storage medium; and

storing the at least one of the original image data and the thumbnail image data if such was not previously stored in the storage medium as a result of the checking.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor operates to provide a notification to the user if the at least one of the original image data and the thumbnail image data was previously stored in the storage medium as a result of the checking step.

15. An image data synchronizing apparatus comprising:

a storage medium configured to store original image data and thumbnail image data associated with the original image data;

a processor to process the original image data and the thumbnail image data, wherein the original image data and the thumbnail image data are both transferred to a same destination, in response to a request for either the original image data or the thumbnail image data to be transferred to said destination, wherein the destination comprises at least one of a directory within the storage medium and an external device, and

generating and storing in the storage medium thumbnail image data corresponding to an original image data stored in the storage medium, in response to determining that the thumbnail image data is not stored in the storage medium.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein both the original image data and the thumbnail image data are deleted from the storage medium, in response to a request for deletion of either the original image data or the thumbnail image data from the storage medium.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein an image processing operation is performed on both the original image data and the thumbnail image data, in response to a request for performing the image processing operation on at one of the original image data or the thumbnail image date.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein thumbnail image data corresponding to original image data is generated and stored on the storage medium, in response to detecting original image data on the storage medium for a first time.

19. An image data synchronizing apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to detect an image receiving event for an original image, the image receiving event comprising at least one of image downloading, image capturing, and e-mail reception;

a controller configured to create at least one thumbnail image related to the original image upon detection of the image receiving event;

a memory configured to store at least one of the original image and the thumbnail image;

a display configured to display the original image, to display the thumbnail image when a thumbnail browsing feature is activated, and to display a user interface that allows a user to perform image processing operations on at least one of the original image and the thumbnail image,

wherein the controller cooperates with the memory and the display to process the original image and the thumbnail image in a synchronized manner such that any image processing operation applied to the original image is also applied to the thumbnail image or any image processing operation applied to the thumbnail image is also applied to the original image,

wherein the controller cooperates with the memory and the display to process the original image and the thumbnail image in a synchronized manner such that when either the original image or the thumbnail image is transferred to another device in a wired or wireless manner, both the original image and the thumbnail image are transferred to the another device, and

wherein the controller cooperates with the memory and the display to process the original image and the thumbnail image in a synchronized manner such that when either the original image or the thumbnail image is deleted, both the original image and the thumbnail image are deleted.