Time handle in a media diary application for accessing media files

• US 7,774,718 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2003
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Schybergson, Olof, Huhtela-Bremer, Laura, Bäckgren, Tommi, Finke-Anlauff, Andrea, Metsätähti, Vesa, Hakari, Tomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Ting
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zahr; Ashraf
• Application Number:
  US10/738,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20050138066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,428 Days
• Field of Search: 715784-787, 715/833
• US Class Current: 715/833
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/447 Temporal browsing, e.g. timeline
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor

Abstract

A media management application implemented in a digital device that incorporates a media handle. The media handle is moveable within a display to provide the user of the application with viewable access to media file representations or calendar events. The media handle may be displayed in conjunction with a media view, a calendar view and/or a time bar, such that the media handle provides access to desired portions of the media view, the calendar view or the time bar. The media handle of the present invention provides the device user with a highly efficient means of locating time periods and the media files associated with the time periods. In addition, the media handle provides ergonomic benefit to the user, in that, user inputs to the device are limited and the user inputs that are required are user-friendly.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program instructions comprising:

first instructions for generating a media view that provides access to digital media files and associates digital media files with a period of time; and

second instructions for generating a media handle, displayed in conjunction with a media view, wherein the media handle is moveable within the media view to provide viewable access to digital media files,

wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further comprise instructions for causing step-wise scrolling based on a predefined time unit when the media handle is deviated from a predefined position into a first region, and causing a speed of scrolling that is proportional to the distance that the media handle is deviated from the predefined position when the media handle is deviated from the predefined position into a second region.

2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising third instructions for generating a time bar, displayed in conjunction with the media view, wherein the time bar provides for time to be divided into segments.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further provides for generating a media handle that is moveable along the time bar to provide access to time segments.

4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further provides for generating a media handle that is moveable along the time bar to provide access to time segments, wherein access to time segments provides for display in the media view of viewable media files associated with the time segment.

5. The computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further provides for generating a mark associated with the media handle that corresponds to a time segment within the time bar.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further provides for a browsing step function that is proportional to a movement of the media handle along the time bar.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first instructions for generating a media view further provides for associating digital media files with a period of time based upon information associated with the digital media file.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising third instructions for generating a calendar view that represents time in calendar format and associates events with respective periods of time.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further provides for generating a media handle that is moveable within the calendar view to provide viewable access to periods of time.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further provides for generating a media handle that is moveable within the calendar view to provide viewable access to calendared events.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first instructions for generating a media view that provides access to digital media files and associates digital media files with a period of time further provides for associating digital media files with a past period of time, and wherein the fourth instructions for generating a calendar view that represents time in calendar format and associates events with respective periods of time further provides for associating events with respective future periods of time.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further provides for generating a mark associated with the media handle that corresponds to period of time within the media view.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further provides for generating a mark associated with the media handle that indicates a period of time when the media handle is deviated from a predefined position.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further provides for generating a time indicator associated with the media handle that indicates a date, wherein the date indicated generally underlies the media handle.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein second instructions for generating a media handle further provides for generating a time indicator associated with the media handle that indicates a date, wherein the date indicated changes as the media handle is moved.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claims 1, wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further provides for the speed of scrolling to accelerate when the media handle is deviated from the predefined position in the second region.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further includes instructions for increasing the speed of scrolling as the distance from the predefined position is increased when the media handle is deviated from the predefined position into the second region.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further includes instructions for decreasing the speed of browsing as the distance from the predefined position is decreased.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further includes instructions for generating a media handle that is moveable horizontally.

20. The application of claim 1, wherein the second instructions for generating a media handle further provides for generating a time indicator associated with the media handle that indicates a date, wherein the date indicated is generally disposed within the media handle.

21. A computer readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program instructions comprising:

first instructions for generating an information view that provides access to items of information associated with a period of time and wherein the information view provides for a first time layer to be divided into segments in a first time scale;

second instructions for generating a time bar, displayed in conjunction with the information view, wherein the time bar provides for a second time layer to be divided into segments in a second time scale; and

third instructions for generating a moveable media handle, displayed in conjunction with the information view and the time bar,

wherein a movement of the media handle along the time bar moves simultaneously the information view and the time bar, and

wherein the third instructions for generating a moveable media handle further include instructions for causing step-wise scrolling based on a predefined time unit when the media handle is deviated from a predefined position into a first region, and causing a speed of scrolling that is proportional to the distance that the media handle is deviated from the predefined position when the media handle is deviated from the predefined position into a second region.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the first instructions for generating an information view that provides access to items of information further comprises first instructions for generating a media view that provides access to media files.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the first instructions for generating an information view that provides access to items of information further comprises first instructions for generating a calendar view that provides access to calendar events.

24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein a movement of the media handle along the time bar moves simultaneously the information view and the time bar an amount according to the amount of the movement of the media handle.

25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein a movement of the media handle along the time bar moves simultaneously the information view and the time bar an amount according to the amount of the movement of the time scales of the time layers.

26. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein a movement of the media handle along the time bar moves simultaneously the information view and the time bar and provides viewable access to the items of information.

27. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:

generating a media view that provides access to digital media files and associates digital media files with a period of time; and

generating a media handle, displayed in conjunction with the media view, wherein the media handle is moveable with in the media view to provide viewable access to digital media files;

wherein generating the media handle includes causing step-wise scrolling based on a predefined time unit when the media handle is deviated from a predefined position into a first region, and causing a speed of scrolling that is proportional to the distance that the media handle is deviated from the predefined position when the media handle is deviated from the predefined position into a second region.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the apparatus is further caused to generate a time bar, displayed in conjunction with the media view, wherein the time bar provides for time to be divided into segments.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the apparatus is further caused to generate a media handle that is moveable along the time bar to provide access to time segments.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the apparatus is further caused to generate a media handle that is moveable along the time bar to provide access to time segments, wherein access to time segments provides for display in the media view of viewable media files associated with the time segment.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising a display in communication with the at least one processor, the display being configured to present a combined view of the media view and the media handle.

32. A method comprising:

providing for a media view on a display device that provides viewable access to digital media files in relation to a period of time;

providing for a media handle, in conjunction with the media view, that is stationary in a predefined position, the predefined position associated with a first period of time in the media view;

receiving an indication that the media handle has been deviated a selected distance from the predefined position, the selected distance associated with a second period of time in the media view; and

receiving an indication that the media handle has been released such that the predefined position is associated with the second period of time in the media view;

wherein upon receiving the indication that the media handle has been deviated the selected distance, causing step-wise scrolling based on a predefined time unit when the selected distance is within a first region or causing a speed of scrolling that is proportional to the distance that the media handle has been deviated from the predefined position when the selected distance is within a second region.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein receiving the indication that the media handle has been released occurs automatically upon release of the deviated media handle.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein receiving the indication that the media handle has been released further comprises providing viewable access to media files associated with the second period of time.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein receiving the indication that the media handle has been released further comprises scrolling the media view such that the second period of time in the media view is generally aligned with the predefined position of the media handle.

36. The method of claim 32, further comprising providing for a time bar, in conjunction with the media view and the media handle, which provides for time to be divided into segments.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein receiving the indication that the media handle has been deviated the selected distance further comprises receiving the indication that the media handle has been deviated the selected distance to generally align the media handle with a segment of time in the time bar.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein receiving the indication that the media handle has been released further comprises receiving the indication that the media handle has been released such that the predefined position is associated with the segment of time in the time bar.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein receiving the indication that the media handle has been released further comprises providing viewable access to media files associated with the segment of time in the time bar.

40. The method of claim 32, wherein receiving the indication that the media handle has been deviated includes receiving the indication that the media handle has been deviated in response to receiving a user indication.

41. The method of claim 32, wherein receiving the indication that the media handle has been released includes receiving the indication that the media handle has been released in response to receiving a user indication.