Select drag and drop operations on video thumbnails across clip boundaries

• US 7,992,097 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ubillos, Randy
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CAO H
• Application Number:
  US11/771,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20080152297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 715763-765, 715/786, 715/854, 715/719, 715/780, 715/800, 715/741
• US Class Current: 715/793
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes displaying, within a user interface in a digital media system, a media pane, and a project pane, displaying, within the media pane, a thumbnail group representing a media item, the thumbnail group comprising one or more thumbnails, enabling a user to select, from the thumbnail group, a segment of the media item, and enabling a user to transfer the selected segment to the project pane.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

displaying, within a user interface in a digital media system, a media pane, and a project pane;

displaying, within the media pane, a thumbnail group representing a media item, wherein the thumbnail group includes at least three thumbnails positioned adjacent to each other;

detecting a first selection of a starting position in a first thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails and a second selection of an ending position in a third thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails, wherein a portion of the thumbnail group between the starting position and the ending position includes all of the second thumbnail, and wherein the portion represents a selected segment of the media item;

detecting input requesting to transfer the selected segment to the project pane; and

in response to the input, transferring the selected segment to the project pane.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the first selection and the second selection further comprises:

detecting a positioning of a pointer on the starting position;

and

detecting a movement of the pointer to the ending position, wherein the movement causes the portion between the starting position and the ending position to be selected.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ending position is independent of the starting position.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising altering a position of the pointer on the thumbnail group based on user input.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the pointer, when placed on the thumbnail group, as a vertical line of length equal to a vertical dimension of the thumbnail group.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising highlighting the portion of the thumbnail group between the starting position and the ending position.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the selected segment to the project pane further comprises:

detecting a placing of the pointer at any position on the portion of the thumbnail group between the starting position and the ending position; and

detecting an input requesting to drag the selected segment to the project pane and to drop the selected segment in the project pane.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the thumbnail group includes a plurality of thumbnails positioned adjacent to each other, the method further comprising detecting the first selection of the starting position in a first thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails and the second selection of the ending position on a second thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the thumbnail group in a plurality of rows; and

detecting the first selection of the starting position in a thumbnail displayed on a first row and the second selection of the ending position in another thumbnail displayed on a second row separate from the first row, wherein the portion of the thumbnail group between the starting position and the ending position at least partially spans the first row and the second row.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to transferring the selected segment to the project pane, detecting a selection of another segment represented by another portion of the thumbnail group between another starting position and another ending position; and

in response to the input, transferring the selected segment and the other segment to the project pane.

11. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer software instructions executable by a computer system to perform operations comprising:

displaying, within a user interface in a digital media system, a media pane, and a project pane;

displaying, within the media pane, a thumbnail group representing a media item, wherein the thumbnail group includes at least three thumbnails positioned adjacent to each other;

detecting a first selection of a starting position in a first thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails and a second selection of an ending position in a third thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails, wherein a portion of the thumbnail group between the starting position and the ending position includes all of the second thumbnail, and wherein the portion represents a selected segment of the media item;

detecting input requesting to transfer the selected segment to the project pane; and

in response to the input, transferring the selected segment to the project pane.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein detecting the first selection and the second selection further comprises:

detecting a positioning of a pointer on the starting position;

and

detecting a movement of the pointer to the ending position, wherein the movement causes the portion between the starting position and the ending position to be selected.

13. The medium of claim 11, wherein the ending position is independent of the starting position.

14. The medium of claim 11, further comprising altering a position of the pointer on the thumbnail group based on user input.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying the pointer, when placed on the thumbnail group, as a vertical line of length equal to a vertical dimension of the thumbnail group.

16. The medium of claim 11, further comprising highlighting the portion of the thumbnail group between the starting position and the ending position.

17. The medium of claim 11, wherein transferring the selected segment to the project pane further comprises:

detecting a placing of the pointer at any position on the portion of the thumbnail group between the starting position and the ending position; and

detecting an input requesting to drag the selected segment to the project pane and to drop the selected segment in the project pane.

18. The medium of claim 11, wherein the thumbnail group includes a plurality of thumbnails positioned adjacent to each other, the operations further comprising detecting the first selection of the starting position in a first thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails and the second selection of the ending position on a second thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails.

19. The medium of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

displaying the thumbnail group in a plurality of rows; and

detecting the first selection of the starting position in a thumbnail displayed on a first row and the second selection of the ending position in another thumbnail displayed on a second row separate from the first row, wherein the portion of the thumbnail group between the starting position and the ending position at least partially spans the first row and the second row.

20. The medium of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

prior to transferring the selected segment to the project pane, detecting a selection of another segment represented by another portion of the thumbnail group between another starting position and another ending position; and

in response to the input, transferring the selected segment and the other segment to the project pane.

21. A system comprising:

a computer system; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing computer software instructions executable by the computer system to perform operations comprising;

displaying, within a user interface in a digital media system, a media pane, and a project pane;

displaying, within the media pane, a thumbnail group representing a media item, wherein the thumbnail group includes at least three thumbnails positioned adjacent to each other;

detecting a first selection of a starting position in a first thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails and a second selection of an ending position in a third thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails, wherein a portion of the thumbnail group between the starting position and the ending position includes all of the second thumbnail, and wherein the portion represents a selected segment of the media item;

detecting input requesting to transfer the selected segment to the project pane; and

in response to the input, transferring the selected segment to the project pane.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein detecting the first selection and the second selection further comprises

detecting a positioning of a pointer on the starting position;

and

detecting a movement of the pointer to the ending position, wherein the movement causes the portion between the starting position and the ending position to be selected.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the ending position is independent of the starting position.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising altering a position of the pointer on the thumbnail group based on user input.

25. The system of claim 21, further comprising displaying the pointer, when placed on the thumbnail group, as a vertical line of length equal to a vertical dimension of the thumbnail group.

26. The system of claim 21, further comprising highlighting the portion of the thumbnail group between the starting position and the ending position.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein transferring the selected segment to the project pane further comprises:

detecting a placing of the pointer at any position on the portion of the thumbnail group between the starting position and the ending position; and

detecting an input requesting to drag the selected segment to the project pane and to drop the selected segment in the project pane.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the thumbnail group includes a plurality of thumbnails positioned adjacent to each other, the operations further comprising detecting the first selection of the starting position in a first thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails and the second selection of the ending position on a second thumbnail of the plurality of thumbnails.

29. The system of claim 21, the operations further comprising:

displaying the thumbnail group in a plurality of rows; and

detecting the first selection of the starting position in a thumbnail displayed on a first row and the second selection of the ending position in another thumbnail displayed on a second row separate from the first row, wherein the portion of the thumbnail group between the starting position and the ending position at least partially spans the first row and the second row.

30. The system of claim 21, the operations further comprising:

prior to transferring the selected segment to the project pane, detecting a selection of another segment represented by another portion of the thumbnail group between another starting position and another ending position; and

in response to the input, transferring the selected segment and the other segment to the project pane.