Image display apparatus and method

• US 7,853,879 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2006
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoshikawa, Tomoyasu, Aratani, Shuntaro, Ohno, Tomoyuki, Miyamoto, Katsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho; Ruay L
• Application Number:
  US11/470,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20070097265A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 715200-277, 715/716, 700701-799, 700800-866, 345 30-111, 345/629, 345/690, 345/781, 348206-2319, 348/445, 348/143, 386200-242, 463/20, 717/173, 198/411, 370/400
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• 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 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

An image display method and apparatus for displaying a plurality of items of moving image data on a screen include determining a virtual radius of a circular display area displaying one item of moving image data, and determining display positions of the plurality of items of moving image data on the screen such that another item of moving image data is not displayed within a circular display area having the determined radius centered at a display position of one item of moving image data. Each of the plurality of items of moving image data is displayed at the determined display positions.

Claims

1. An image display method of displaying a plurality of items of moving image data on a screen, comprising the steps of:

determining a virtual radius of a circular display area displaying one item of moving image data;

determining display positions of the plurality of items of moving image data on the screen such that another item of moving image data is not displayed within a circular display area having the determined radius centered at a display position of one item of moving image data; and

displaying each of the plurality of items of moving image data at display positions on the screen determined in said determining step.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of measuring distance between the screen and a user,

wherein virtual radius is determined based on the measurement distance.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of exercising control at playback of the moving image data so as to reproduce moving image data, which has been specified by the user, at normal speed and reproduce other moving image data at slow speed.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein in said step of determining the virtual radius, the radius is determined based on a size of the screen.

5. An image display apparatus for displaying a plurality of items of moving image data on a screen, said apparatus comprising:

a first determining unit adapted to determine a virtual radius of a circular display area displaying one item of moving image data;

a second determining unit adapted to determine display positions of the plurality of items of moving image data on the screen such that another item of moving image data is not displayed within a circular display area having the determined radius centered at a display position of one item of moving image data; and

a display unit adapted to display each of the plurality of items of moving image data at display positions on the screen determined by said second determining unit.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a measuring unit adapted to measure distance between the screen and a user,

wherein, said first determining unit determines the radius based on the measurement result of said measuring unit.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a reproduction control unit adapted to exercise control at playback of the moving image data so as to reproduce moving image data, which has been specified by the user, at normal speed and reproduce other moving image data at slow speed.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said first determining unit determines the radius based on a size of the screen.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a control program for causing a computer to execute an image display method comprising the steps of:

determining a virtual radius of a circular display area displaying one item of moving image data;

determining display positions of the plurality of items of moving image data on the screen such that another item of moving image data is not displayed within a circular display area having the determined radius centered at a display position of one item of moving image data ; and

displaying each of the plurality of items of moving image data at display positions on the screen determined in said determining step.