Method for controlling filename display for image and video file types

• US 20050223329A1
• Filed: 04/02/2004
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Schwartz, Jordan L.K., Xu, Jingyang, Evans, Christopher A., Hong, Linda I., Dart, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,574,674 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/711
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34

Abstract

A method, system and medium suitable for rendering substantially instantaneously thumbnail data pre-cached in a volatile memory. The thumbnail data is rendered once an indicator or pointer is hovered over an icon that has associated thumbnail data stored in the volatile memory.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

sensing the presence of an indicator in a vicinity of an icon having associated thumbnail data; and

rendering a view of at least a portion of the thumbnail data, the view rendered in the vicinity of the icon.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising pre-caching thumbnail data associated with at least one icon.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein pre-caching the thumbnail data includes storing the thumbnail data in volatile memory.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein rendering includes retrieving the pre-cached thumbnail data associated with the icon.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the rendering of the view occurs substantially immediately after sensing the indicator.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein thumbnail data associated with a plurality of icons are pre-cached.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the number of icons that include thumbnail data being pre-cached is a predetermined number of icons.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined number of icons is a predetermined number of icons located in an area situated in the region of the icon the indicator is in the vicinity of.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined number of icons is greater than one icon and less than a total number of icons viewable within an environment the icon is displayed in.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined number of icons is the number of icons having associated thumbnail data viewable within an environment the icon is displayed in.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the view rendered is rendered within a window displayed in a graphical user interface.

20. A computer-readable medium having code segments embodied thereon that cause a machine to perform the method according to claim 1.

12. A method, comprising:

pre-caching thumbnail data associated with at least one icon displayed in a viewable interface; and

displaying the pre-cached thumbnail data associated with the at least one icon when an indicator is hovered substantially over the at least one icon.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein pre-caching includes pre-caching thumbnail data associated with at least a plurality of icons, the pre-cached thumbnail data being available for substantially instantaneous rendering at the moment the indicator is hovered substantially over one of the plurality of icons having associated pre-cached thumbnail data.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the thumbnail data is pre-cached in volatile memory.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein only thumbnail data for icons currently displayed in an operating environment are pre-cached.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein only thumbnail data for a predetermined number of icons are pre-cached.

21. A computer-readable medium having code segments embodied thereon that cause a machine to perform the method according to claim 12.

17. A system, comprising:

an arrangement for pre-caching thumbnail data associated with at least one icon, the arrangement further for displaying the pre-cached thumbnail data associated with the at least one icon when an indicator is hovered substantially over the at least one icon.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the arrangement includes a volatile memory for pre-caching the thumbnail data and a display device for displaying the pre-cached thumbnail data.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the arrangement is one of a computer system, a personal digital assistant, a pocket computer, and a wireless phone.