Auto stacking of related images

• US 8,487,960 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ubillos, Randy
• Primary Examiner(s): Sams, Michelle L
• Application Number:
  US12/948,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20110064317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 715/243, 345/619
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/97 Determining parameters from multiple pictures depth or shape recovery from multiple images G06T7/55; stereo camera calibration G06T7/85

Abstract

Digital images may be grouped based on attributes of the images. To represent this grouping, the representations of the digital images are arranged into stacks.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining a set of a plurality of digital images;

in response to receiving a first user input indicating a grouping threshold value;

for each digital image in the set of digital images, performing a comparison between an attribute of the digital image to an attribute of another digital image in the set of digital images;

based at least in part on results of the comparisons and the grouping threshold value,

automatically forming a plurality of groups having boundaries established based at least in part on the results of the comparisons and the grouping threshold value, and

automatically assigning the set of digital images to the plurality of groups; and

visually representing the plurality of groups on a display device; and

visually representing on the display device, at least one group of the plurality of groups using a particular digital image from the represented group that has been selected to visually represent the represented group;

in response to receiving a second user input, switching from using the particular digital image to visually represent the at least one group, to displaying a plurality of images in the at least one group;

before a different image is selected, displaying the particular digital image at a particular location in a displayed output of the represented group and the different image at a different location in the displayed output of the represented group, while the plurality of images in the represented group are displayed on the display device;

while displaying the plurality of images in the at least one group, receiving a third user input that selects the different image from the represented group to visually represent the represented group; and

in response to the different image being selected to visually represent the at least one group and while the plurality of images in the represented group are displayed, moving the different image to the particular location in the displayed output and shifting the particular digital image from the particular location;

wherein the method is performed by a computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

visually representing, on the display device, at least one group of the plurality of groups using a particular digital image from the at least one group that has been selected by a user to visually represent the at least one group.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

visually representing, on the display device, at least one group of the plurality of groups using a particular digital image from the at least one group that has been automatically selected to visually represent the at least one group.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the attribute of the digital image is image creation date and time;

wherein the attribute of the other digital image is image creation date and time.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the attribute of the digital image pertains to image content;

wherein the attribute of the other digital image pertains to image content.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each digital image in the set of digital images, performing the comparison between the attribute of the digital image to the attribute of the other digital image in the set of digital images to determine a difference between the attribute of the digital image and the attribute of the other digital image;

based at least in part on the differences,

automatically forming the plurality of groups having boundaries established based at least in part on the differences, and

automatically assigning the set of digital images to the plurality of groups of related images.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining an order of digital images between the particular location and the different location while moving the different image to the particular location and shifting the particular digital image from the particular location.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a computing device, causes the computing device to perform operations comprising:

obtaining a set of a plurality of digital images;

in response to receiving a first user input indicating a grouping threshold value;

for each digital image in the set of digital images, performing a comparison between an attribute of the digital image to an attribute of another digital image in the set of digital images;

based at least in part on results of the comparisons and the grouping threshold value,

automatically forming a plurality of groups having boundaries established based at least in part on the results of the comparisons and the grouping threshold value, and

automatically assigning the set of digital images to the plurality of groups; and

visually representing the plurality of groups on a display device; and

visually representing on the display device, at least one group of the plurality of groups using a particular digital image from the represented group that has been selected to visually represent the represented group;

in response to receiving a second user input, switching from using the particular digital image to visually represent the at least one group, to displaying a plurality of images in the at least one group;

before a different image is selected, displaying the particular digital image at a particular location in a displayed output of the represented group and the different image at a different location in the displayed output of the represented group, while the plurality of images in the represented group are displayed on the display device;

while displaying the plurality of images in the at least one group, receiving a third user input that selects the different image from the represented group to visually represent the represented group; and

in response to the different image being selected to visually represent the at least one group and while the plurality of images in the represented group are displayed, moving the different image to the particular location in the displayed output and shifting the particular digital image from the particular location.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

visually representing, on a display device, at least one group of the plurality of groups using a particular digital image from the at least one group that has been selected by a user to visually represent the at least one group.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

visually representing, on a display device, at least one group of the plurality of groups using a particular digital image from the at least one group that has been automatically selected to visually represent the at least one group.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8,

wherein the attribute of the digital image is image creation date and time;

and

wherein the attribute of the other digital image is image creation date and time.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8,

wherein the attribute of the digital image pertains to image content;

and

wherein the attribute of the other digital image pertains to image content.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

for each digital image in the set of digital images, performing the comparison between the attribute of the digital image to the attribute of the other digital image in the set of digital images to determine a difference between the attribute of the digital image and the attribute of the other digital image;

based at least in part on the differences,

automatically forming the plurality of groups having boundaries established based at least in part on the differences, and

automatically assigning the set of digital images to the plurality of groups of related images.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise maintaining an order of digital images between the particular location and the different location while moving the different image to the particular location and shifting the particular digital image from the particular location.

15. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more sequences of instructions stored in one or more non-transitory storage,

wherein execution by the one or more processors causes;

obtaining a set of a plurality of digital images;

in response to receiving a user input indicating a grouping threshold value;

for each digital image in the set of digital images, performing a comparison between an attribute of the digital image to an attribute of another digital image in the set of digital images;

based at least in part on results of the comparisons and the grouping threshold value,

automatically forming a plurality of groups having boundaries established based at least in part on the results of the comparisons and the grouping threshold value, and

automatically assigning the set of digital images to the plurality of groups; and

visually representing the plurality of groups on a display device; and

visually representing on the display device, at least one group of the plurality of groups using a particular digital image from the represented group that has been selected to visually represent the represented group;

in response to receiving a second user input, switching from using the particular digital image to visually represent the at least one group, to displaying a plurality of images in the at least one group;

before a different image is selected, displaying the particular digital image at a particular location in a displayed output of the represented group and the different image at a different location in the displayed output of the represented group, while the plurality of images in the represented group are displayed on the display device;

while displaying the plurality of images in the at least one group, receiving a third user input that selects the different image from the represented group to visually represent the represented group; and

in response to the different image being selected to visually represent the at least one group and while the plurality of images in the represented group are displayed, moving the different image to the particular location in the displayed output and shifting the particular digital image from the particular location.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein execution by the one or more processors causes maintaining an order of digital images between the particular location and the different location while moving the different image to the particular location and shifting the particular digital image from the particular location.

17. A method comprising:

obtaining a set of a plurality of digital images;

in response to receiving a first user input indicating a grouping threshold value;

for each digital image in the set of digital images, performing a comparison between an attribute of the digital image to an attribute of another digital image in the set of digital images to determine a difference value;

based at least in part on the difference values determined for the set of digital images and the grouping threshold value,

automatically forming a plurality of groups having boundaries established based at least in part on the difference values determined for the set of digital images and the grouping threshold value, and

automatically assigning the set of digital images to the plurality of groups; and

visually representing the plurality of groups on a display device; and

visually representing on the display device, at least one group of the plurality of groups using a particular digital image from the represented group that has been selected to visually represent the represented group;

in response to receiving a second user input, switching from using the particular digital image to visually represent the at least one group, to displaying a plurality of images in the at least one group;

before a different image is selected, displaying the particular digital image at a particular location in a displayed output of the represented group and the different image at a different location in the displayed output of the represented group, while the plurality of images in the represented group are displayed on the display device;

while displaying the plurality of images in the at least one group, receiving a third user input that selects the different image from the represented group to visually represent the represented group; and

in response to the different image being selected to visually represent the at least one group and while the plurality of images in the represented group are displayed, moving the different image to the particular location in the displayed output and shifting the particular digital image from the particular location;

wherein the method is performed by a computing device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising maintaining an order of digital images between the particular location and the different location while moving the different image to the particular location and shifting the particular digital image from the particular location.