Method and apparatus for providing picture file

• US 8,254,727 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2008
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Ko, Chang-seog, Kim, Young-sun, Choi, Yoo-jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAH, UTPAL D
• Application Number:
  US12/101,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20090010491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: 382/305, 382/106, 382/103
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• 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: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for providing a picture file are provided. The picture file providing apparatus includes a controller which searches for one or more picture files based on a location of a subject, and a screen display unit which forms a display screen to display the one or more picture files that were found, in order to provide a user with the direction information included in each picture file. Each picture file includes picture data, information on a location in which the picture data was created, and information on a direction of a captured image of a subject included in the picture data.

Claims

1. A method of providing a picture file, the method comprising:

searching for one or more picture files based on a location of a subject, wherein each picture file comprises picture data, information on a location in which the picture data was created, and information on a direction of a captured image of a subject included in the picture data; and

displaying the searched picture files on a screen according to the direction information included in each picture file,

wherein the displaying the searched picture files comprises;

dividing the region around the location of the subject into two or more azimuth regions based on the location of the subject;

classifying the one or more picture files that were found based on the two or more azimuth regions; and

displaying at least one of the one or more classified picture files for each of the azimuth regions on the screen.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a search mode from among a first search mode and a second search mode for the searching for the one or more picture files, wherein:

if the first search mode is selected, searching in the first search mode, wherein the searching in the first search mode comprises searching for only the one or more picture files among a plurality of picture files that have a direction facing towards the subject; and

if the second search mode is selected, searching in the second search mode, wherein the searching in the second search mode comprises searching in all directions for the one or more picture files among a plurality of picture files.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first search mode or the second search mode is selected based on a user input signal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after displaying the one of the one or more classified picture files on the screen, if a user input signal for selecting one of the displayed picture files is received, displaying a picture file list of the one or more classified picture files located in a same azimuth region as a azimuth region to which the selected picture file belongs on the screen.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

when the picture file list is displayed on the screen, if a user input signal for selecting a picture file from the picture file list is received, enlarging the selected picture file and displaying the enlarged picture file on the screen.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

adding a mark which indicates the direction information on the searched picture files to each picture file, and

rotating the searched picture files based on the direction information on each of the one or more picture files.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the displaying of the searched picture files, the direction information included in each of the searched picture files is indicated in map data which indicates a region which includes the location of the subject.

8. An apparatus for proving a picture file, the apparatus comprising:

a controller which searches for one or more picture files based on a location of a subject, wherein each picture file comprises picture data, information on a location in which the picture data is created, and information on a direction of a captured image of a subject included in the picture data; and

a screen display unit which forms a display screen to display the searched picture files on the display screen according to the direction information included in each picture file,

wherein the controller divides the region around the location of the subject into two or more azimuth regions based on the location of the subject, classifies the one or more picture files that were found based on the two or more azimuth regions, and controls the screen display unit to display at least one of the one or more classified picture files for each of the azimuth regions on the screen.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller selects a search mode from among a first search mode and a second search mode, wherein:

if the first search mode is selected, the controller searches in the first search mode such that the controller searches for only the one or more picture files among a plurality of picture files that have a direction facing towards the subject; and

if the second search mode is selected, the controller searches in the second search mode such that the controller searches in all directions for the one or more picture files among a plurality of picture files.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a user input unit which receives a user input signal,

wherein the first search mode or the second search mode is selected based on the user input signal.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, if the controller receives a user input signal for selecting one of the displayed picture files, the controller controls the screen display unit to display a picture file list of the one or more classified picture files located in a same azimuth region as a azimuth region to which the selected picture file belongs.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, when the picture file list is displayed on the screen, if the controller receives the user input signal for selecting a picture file from the picture file list, the controller enlarges the selected picture file and displays the enlarged picture file on the screen.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller controls the screen display unit to display the searched picture files by adding a mark which indicates the direction information on the searched picture files to each picture file, or by rotating the searched picture files based on the direction information on each picture file.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the screen display unit forms a display screen to indicate the direction information included in each of the searched picture files in map data which indicates a region which includes the location of the subject.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the picture files and the map data are received from a Web server over a communication network.

16. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium which stores a computer readable program for executing a picture file providing method, the method comprising:

searching for one or more picture files based on a location of a subject, wherein each picture file comprises picture data, information on a location in which the picture data was created, and information on a direction of a captured image of a subject included in the picture data; and

displaying the searched picture files on a screen according to the direction information included in each picture file,

wherein the displaying the searched picture files comprises;

dividing the region around the location of the subject into two or more azimuth regions based on the location of the subject;

classifying the one or more picture files that were found based on the two or more azimuth regions; and

displaying at least one of the one or more classified picture files for each of the azimuth regions on the screen.