Media manager with integrated browsers

• US 8,296,656 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Dowdy, Thomas, Heller, David, Jones, Anne
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Thanh
• Application Number:
  US12/492,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20090319949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 715/715, 715/716, 715/727, 715/732, 715/838, 715/848
• US Class Current: 715/727
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

Methods and systems that improve the way media is played, sorted, modified, stored and cataloged are disclosed. One aspect relates to a browse window that allows a user to navigate through and select images that are related to media items. Another aspect relates to a graphical user interface of a media management program that utilizes multiple browse windows. Another aspect relates to simultaneously displayed media browse windows whose operations are integrated together so that the content shown therein is automatically synched when selections are made. Another aspect relates to resetting browsed content to the currently playing media.

Claims

1. A method for browsing data items with respect to a display screen associated with a computing device, the method comprising:

providing a browsing region on the display screen;

displaying, within the browsing region, a plurality of images on the display screen in a horizontal arrangement, each of the images pertaining to an associated data item, where the horizontal arrangement includes at least one of the images displayed in a primary image position and other of the images displayed in secondary image positions, and where the images displayed in the secondary image positions are presented in a skewed manner;

receiving a user input identifying a particular image from the images displayed in the secondary image positions; and

moving, in response to the user input, the image at the primary image position to one of the secondary image positions while also moving the particular image to the primary image position,

wherein the displaying of the plurality of images on the display screen comprises providing the images displayed in the secondary image positions with a reflected image portion, and

wherein the reflected image portion for each of the images displayed in the secondary image positions is provided at a lower extension of the corresponding image being displayed.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the images being displayed at the secondary image positions are overlapped such that only a portion of at least a plurality of the images being displayed at the secondary image positions are exposed.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the images being displayed at the secondary image positions are skewed so as to have the appearance of extending from foreground to background.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein for the images being displayed to the right of the primary image, the height on a left side of the images is reduced as compared to the height on a right side of the corresponding images.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein for the images being displayed to the left of the primary image, the height on a right side of the images is reduced as compared to the height on a left side of the corresponding images.

6. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein one or more of the images at the secondary image positions displayed to the left of the primary image are skewed by lowering the top right corner of the image and raising the bottom right corner of the image;

and

wherein one or more of the images at the secondary image positions displayed to the right of the primary image are skewed by lowering the top left corner of the image and raising the bottom left corner of the image.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the primary image displayed in the primary image position is larger than each of the images displayed in the secondary image positions.

8. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the primary image displayed in the primary image position is not obscured by the images in the secondary image positions, and

wherein at least a plurality of the images displayed in the secondary image positions are obscured by other of the images displayed in the secondary image positions.

9. A method for browsing data items with respect to a display screen associated with a computing device, the method comprising:

providing a browsing region on the display screen;

displaying, within the browsing region, a plurality of images on the display screen in a horizontal arrangement, each of the images pertaining to an associated data item, where the horizontal arrangement includes at least one of the images displayed in a primary image position and other of the images displayed in secondary image positions, and where the images displayed in the secondary image positions are presented in a skewed manner;

receiving a user input identifying a particular image from the images displayed in the secondary image positions; and

moving, in response to the user input, the image at the primary image position to one of the secondary image positions while also moving the particular image to the primary image position,

wherein the displaying of the plurality of images on the display screen comprises modifying the images for display in the secondary image positions to include a reflected portion, and

wherein the modifying comprises;

copying the image to be displayed in one of the secondary image positions;

altering the transparency of the copied image;

flipping the altered image; and

providing the flipped image as the reflected portion for the modified image.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the modifying further comprises:

attaching the flipped image to the image to be displayed in one of the secondary image positions.

11. A method for browsing digital media tracks with respect to a display screen associated with a computing device, the method comprising:

providing first and second browsing regions on the display screen;

displaying, within the first browsing region, a plurality of images on the display screen in a horizontal arrangement, each of the images pertaining to an associated digital media track, where the horizontal arrangement includes at least one of the images displayed in a primary image position and other of the images displayed in secondary image positions;

receiving a user input identifying a particular image from the images displayed in the secondary image positions;

moving, in response to the user input, the image at the primary image position to one of the secondary image positions while also moving the particular image from the secondary image position to the primary image position;

displaying, within the second browsing region, information about the digital media tracks corresponding to the plurality of images concurrently with the displaying of the plurality of images on the display screen in the horizontal arrangement; and

playing a prior digital media track;

if a navigation command is made with respect to the first browsing region or the second browsing region during the playing of the prior digital media track, the method further comprises

transitioning images across a viewing area in the first browsing region in accordance with the navigation command;

starting a timer after the first browsing region stops transitioning through the images;

during the timer, if a select command has been made at the second browsing region closing the timer, playing a different digital media track associated with the select command, and updating the first and second browsing regions based on the select command; and

if the timer has ended without the select command having been made, transitioning the images in the first browsing region window back to the image associated with the prior digital media track being currently played.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the image in the primary image position is larger than each of the images displayed in the secondary image positions.

13. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the displaying of the information about the digital media items corresponding to the plurality of images comprises displaying a table having a plurality of rows, with each row displaying aspects pertaining to one of the digital media items.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

a media storage device for storing a plurality of data items and a plurality of images respectively associated with the data items;

a user input device configured to receive one or more user inputs from a user of the electronic device;

a display operable to present a plurality of the images in a horizontal arrangement, each of the images pertaining to at least one of the data items stored in the media storage device, wherein the horizontal arrangement includes at least one of the images displayed in a primary image position and a plurality of other of the images displayed in secondary image positions, and wherein the images displayed in the secondary image positions are presented in a skewed manner; and

a controller configured to receive a user input, via the user input device, identifying a particular image from the images displayed in the secondary image positions, and to move, in response to the user input, the image at the primary image position to one of the secondary image positions while also moving the particular image to the primary image position,

wherein the images displayed in the secondary image positions are presented with a reflected image portion, and

wherein the reflected image portion for each of the images displayed in the secondary image positions is provided at a lower extension of the corresponding image being displayed.

15. An electronic device as recited in claim 14, wherein the user input is provided via a horizontal scroll bar for traversing through the images, the horizontal scroll bar being displayed on the display.

16. An electronic device as recited in claim 14, wherein the display is further operated to display at least one arrow button configured to receive user input to incrementally traverse through the images.

17. An electronic device as recited in claim 14, wherein in response to a user input, the controller operates to move the images sequentially left or right within the horizontal arrangement until a particular desired image from one of the secondary image positions arrives at the primary image position.

18. An electronic device as recited in claim 14, wherein one or more of the images are received from a remote database via a network.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a media storage device for storing a plurality of data items and a plurality of images respectively associated with the data items;

a user input device configured to receive one or more user inputs from a user of the electronic device;

a display operable to present a plurality of the images in a horizontal arrangement, each of the images pertaining to at least one of the data items stored in the media storage device, wherein the horizontal arrangement includes at least one of the images displayed in a primary image position and a plurality of other of the images displayed in secondary image positions, and wherein the images displayed in the secondary image positions are presented in a skewed manner; and

a controller configured to receive a user input, via the user input device, identifying a particular image from the images displayed in the secondary image positions, and to move, in response to the user input, the image at the primary image position to one of the secondary image positions while also moving the particular image to the primary image position,

wherein, in presenting the images displayed on the display, at least the images being displayed in the secondary image positions are displayed with a reflected image portion.

20. An electronic device as recited in claim 19, wherein, for a given one of the images being displayed with a reflected portion, the reflected image portion is formed by (i) copying the image to be displayed in one of the secondary image positions;

(ii) altering the transparency of the copied image;

(iii) flipping the altered image; and

(iv) providing the flipped image as the reflected portion for the corresponding image.

21. An electronic device as recited in claim 19, wherein the user input is provided via a horizontal scroll bar for traversing through the images, the horizontal scroll bar being displayed on the display.

22. An electronic device as recited in claim 19, wherein the display is further operated to display at least one arrow button configured to receive user input to incrementally traverse through the images.

23. An electronic device as recited in claim 19, wherein in response to a user input, the controller operates to move the images sequentially left or right within the horizontal arrangement until a particular desired image from one of the secondary image positions arrives at the primary image position.

24. An electronic device as recited in claim 19, wherein one or more of the images are received from a remote database via a network.

25. A non-transitory computer readable medium including at least computer program code stored thereon for browsing data items with respect to a display screen associated with a computing device, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for providing a browsing region on the display screen associated with the computing device;

computer program code for displaying, within the browsing region, a plurality of images on the display screen in a horizontal arrangement, each of the images pertaining to an associated data item, where the horizontal arrangement includes at least one of the images displayed in a primary image position and other of the images displayed in secondary image positions, and where the images displayed in the secondary image positions are presented in a skewed manner;

computer program code for receiving a user input identifying a particular image from the images displayed in the secondary image positions; and

computer program code for moving, in response to the user input, the image at the primary image position to one of the secondary image positions while also moving the particular image to the primary image position,

wherein the computer program code for displaying of the plurality of images on the display screen comprises computer program code for providing the images displayed in the secondary image positions with a reflected image portion, and

wherein the reflected image portion for each of the images displayed in the secondary image positions is provided at a lower extension of the corresponding image being displayed.

26. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 25, wherein the images being displayed at the secondary image positions are overlapped such that only a portion of at least a plurality of the images being displayed at the secondary image positions are exposed.

27. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 25, wherein the images being displayed at the secondary image positions are skewed so as to have the appearance of extending from foreground to background.

28. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 25, wherein for the images being displayed to the right of the primary image, the height on a left side of the images is reduced as compared to the height on a right side of the corresponding images.

29. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 28, wherein for the images being displayed to the left of the primary image, the height on a right side of the images is reduced as compared to the height on a left side of the corresponding images.

30. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 25,

wherein one or more of the images at the secondary image positions displayed to the left of the primary image are skewed by lowering the top right corner of the image and raising the bottom right corner of the image;

and

wherein one or more of the images at the secondary image positions displayed to the right of the primary image are skewed by lowering the top left corner of the image and raising the bottom left corner of the image.

31. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 25, wherein the primary image displayed in the primary image position is larger than each of the images displayed in the secondary image positions.

32. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 25,

wherein the primary image displayed in the primary image position is not obscured by the images in the secondary image positions, and

wherein at least a plurality of the images displayed in the secondary image positions are obscured by other of the images displayed in the secondary image positions.