Image display method, image display apparatus, image recording apparatus, and image pickup apparatus

• US 9,104,705 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fujinaga, Seiya
• Primary Examiner(s): TANK, ANDREW L
• Application Number:
  US12/276,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20090167783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,451 Days
• Field of Search: 715/821, 715/823, 715828-831, 715/834, 715/838, 715/859
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor

Abstract

Data elements are extracted from data elements stored in a storage medium in accordance with two conditions and grouped into first and second groups. The data elements in the first group and those in the second group are displayed in regions distinguished from each other on a screen. In response to user manipulation, the screen is switched to a screen that allows searching data elements in the first or second group displayed in a region corresponding to the manipulation. In searching many diverse data elements stored in a data storage, the user can select a group from groups of data elements extracted by different conditions and search the data elements in the selected group. Accordingly, the user can search data elements more readily even when many diverse data elements are stored in the storage medium.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first display control unit configured to cause a display screen to display each of a plurality of groups which includes one or more display items;

a specifying unit configured, in accordance with a sliding operation for sliding an operation position by a user, to specify both of a sliding direction of the sliding operation and a sliding amount of the sliding operation;

a selecting unit configured to execute both a group selection of a group corresponding to the sliding direction specified by the specifying unit from the plurality of groups displayed by the first display control unit, and an item selection of a display item corresponding to the sliding amount specified by the specifying unit from one or more display items which are included in the selected group selected by the group selection; and

a second display control unit configured to cause the display screen to display the one or more display items which are included in the selected group selected by the group selection, in an arranged manner,

wherein the selecting unit executes the item selection from the one or more display items displayed by the second display control unit, and

wherein in a case where a sliding operation is executed in the state that a display item arranged at the end in an arranging order of the one or more display items is selected, the first display control unit causes the display screen to display each of the plurality of groups again and the selecting unit further executes the group selection.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a deciding unit configured to decide the display item selected by the item selection by the selecting unit as a target of a predetermined process, according to an instruction by the user which is different from the sliding operation,

wherein the selecting unit executes the item selection as a selection of a candidate of the target decided by the deciding unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined process is a printing process.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selecting unit further executes a movement of one or more display items which are displayed by the display control unit and are included in the selected group selected by the group selection, depending on the sliding amount, and executes the item selection of a display item corresponding to a movement amount of the movement.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second display control unit, if a group is selected from the plurality of groups by the selecting unit, causes the display screen to display a plurality of display items included in the selected group, by adding, to the one or more display items, at least one display item which is included in the selected group and is not displayed before the selection.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second display control unit causes, if a group is selected from the plurality of groups by the selecting unit, the display screen to display the one or more display items included in the selected group with a background color corresponding to the selected group.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second display control unit, if a group is selected from the plurality of groups by the selecting unit, causes the display screen to display the one or more display items included in the selected group so as not to display the plurality of display items which are displayed before the selection and are not included in the selected group on the display screen.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first display control unit causes the display screen to display the plurality of groups in a plurality of areas of the display screen corresponding to the plurality of groups.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sliding operation is for sliding the operation position in a circular shape, and the specifying unit specifies the sliding direction and the sliding amount of the sliding operation.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the sliding operation is performed on a wheel device by the user.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sliding operation is performed on a touch panel by the user.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is one of a digital camera and a printer for printing an image.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first display control unit causes the display screen to display a plurality of display items included in the plurality of groups, as the plurality of display groups.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first display control unit causes the display screen to display the plurality of display items so that the plurality of display items are continually arranged.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a sorting unit configured to sort a plurality of display items into the plurality of groups in accordance with each attribution of a plurality of pieces of data corresponding to the plurality of display items,

wherein the first display control unit causes the display screen to display the plurality of display items included in the plurality of groups sorted by the sorting unit.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the sorting unit can sort the plurality of display items into the plurality of groups so as to include at least one image to overlap the two groups within the plurality of groups.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more display items are one of one or more images and one or more icons based on image data.

18. A method comprising:

causing a display screen to display each of a plurality of groups which includes one or more display items; and

executing, by a sliding operation for sliding an operation position by a user, both a group selection of a group, corresponding to a sliding direction of the sliding operation, from the plurality of groups, and an item selection of a display item corresponding to a sliding amount of the sliding operation, from one or more display items which are included in the selected group,

wherein the one or more display items which are included in the selected group selected by the group selection, are displayed by the display screen in an arranged manner,

wherein the item selection from the one or more display items displayed by the display screen is executed, and

wherein in a case where a sliding operation is executed in the state that a display item arranged at the end in an arranging order of the one or more display items is selected, the display screen displays each of the plurality of groups again and the group selection is further executed.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer executable process, the computer-executable process causing a computer to implement the method of claim 18.