Information display system, information display method, and computer program product

• US 20090164567A1
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hara, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,615,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

A thumbnail image generating unit generates thumbnail images from a plurality of images having a sequential relation. A thumbnail image displaying unit displays the thumbnail images generated according to the sequential relation. A thumbnail image designating unit receives a designation of a thumbnail image from among the thumbnail images. An enlarging unit generates an enlarged image of a designated thumbnail image. An enlarged image displaying unit displays the enlarged image. A forward-advance designating unit designates a forward advance of the enlarged image displayed by the enlarged image displaying unit according to the sequential relation.

Claims

1. An information display system comprising:

a thumbnail image generating unit that generates thumbnail images from a plurality of images having a sequential relation;

a thumbnail image displaying unit that displays the thumbnail images generated according to the sequential relation;

a thumbnail image designating unit that receives a designation of a thumbnail image from among the thumbnail images;

an enlarging unit that generates an enlarged image of a designated thumbnail image;

an enlarged image displaying unit that displays the enlarged image; and

a forward-advance designating unit that designates a forward advance of the enlarged image displayed by the enlarged image displaying unit according to the sequential relation,

wherein

the thumbnail image designating unit takes a thumbnail image required to be enlarge as a result of a designation of the forward advance according to the sequential relation by the forward-advance designating unit as a designated thumbnail image.

2. The information display system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a classifying unit that classifies the thumbnail images based on pieces of classification information of the images obtained from outside, wherein

the thumbnail image displaying unit displays the thumbnail images in such a manner that classifications of the thumbnail images can be identified.

3. The information display system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a classifying unit that classifies the thumbnail images based on pieces of classification information for classifying the images based on characteristic amounts of the images,

wherein

the thumbnail image displaying unit displays the thumbnail images in such a manner that classifications of the thumbnail images can be identified.

4. The information display system according to claim 2, wherein the forward-advance designating unit assigns a long display time when displaying an enlarged image belonging to a same classification as a classification of the designated thumbnail image and a classification similar to the classification of the designated thumbnail image based on the classification information.

5. The information display system according to claim 2, wherein the enlarging unit generates an enlarged image of other thumbnail image with lower image quality than an enlarged image belonging to a same classification as a classification of the designated thumbnail image and a classification similar to the classification of the designated thumbnail image based on the classification information.

6. The information display system according to claim 2, wherein the enlarging unit generates an enlarged image of other thumbnail image with a smaller image size than an enlarged image belonging to a same classification as a classification of the designated thumbnail image and a classification similar to the classification of the designated thumbnail image based on the classification information.

7. The information display system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a magnification specifying unit that receives a specification of a display magnification of the thumbnail image,

wherein

the thumbnail image generating unit generates the thumbnail image by changing size or resolution based on the display magnification.

8. The information display system according to claim 1,

wherein

the enlarging unit further generates enlarged images of thumbnail images positioned before and after the designated thumbnail image based on the sequential relation, and

the enlarged image displaying unit displays a predetermined number of thumbnail images from among the designated thumbnail image and the thumbnail images positioned before and after the designated thumbnail image according to the sequential relation.

9. The information display system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a client device, and

a server device connected to the client device via an external communication path, the server device including an image database that stores therein the images and the thumbnail images, wherein

the client device stores encoded data of the images and management information stating which portion of the encoded data is stored and which portion of the encoded data is not stored, generates information on the encoded data that is not stored based on the management information, and transmits a request for transmission of the images including the information on the encoded data, and

the server device receiving the request for transmission transmits the encoded data based on the information on the encoded data included in the request for transmission to the client device.

10. A method of displaying information in an information display system, the method comprising:

thumbnail image generating including generating thumbnail images from a plurality of images having a sequential relation;

thumbnail image displaying including displaying the thumbnail images generated according to the sequential relation;

thumbnail image designating including receiving a designation of a thumbnail image from among the thumbnail images;

enlarging including generating an enlarged image of a designated thumbnail image;

enlarged image displaying including displaying the enlarged image; and

forward-advance designating including designating a forward advance of the enlarged image displayed at the enlarged image displaying according to the sequential relation, wherein

the thumbnail image designating further includes taking a thumbnail image required to be enlarge as a result of a designation of the forward advance according to the sequential relation at the forward-advance designating as a designated thumbnail image.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

classifying the thumbnail images based on pieces of classification information of the images obtained from outside,

wherein

the thumbnail image displaying further includes displaying the thumbnail images in such a manner that classifications of the thumbnail images can be identified.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

classifying the thumbnail images based on pieces of classification information for classifying the images based on characteristic amounts of the images, wherein

the thumbnail image displaying further includes displaying the thumbnail images in such a manner that classifications of the thumbnail images can be identified.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the forward-advance designating further includes assigning a long display time when displaying an enlarged image belonging to a same classification as a classification of the designated thumbnail image and a classification similar to the classification of the designated thumbnail image based on the classification information.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the enlarging further includes generating an enlarged image of other thumbnail image with lower image quality than an enlarged image belonging to a same classification as a classification of the designated thumbnail image and a classification similar to the classification of the designated thumbnail image based on the classification information.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the enlarging further includes generating an enlarged image of other thumbnail image with a smaller image size than an enlarged image belonging to a same classification as a classification of the designated thumbnail image and a classification similar to the classification of the designated thumbnail image based on the classification information.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

magnification specifying including receiving a specification of a display magnification of the thumbnail image,

wherein

the thumbnail image generating further includes generating the thumbnail image by changing size or resolution based on the display magnification.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein

the enlarging further includes generating enlarged images of thumbnail images positioned before and after the designated thumbnail image based on the sequential relation, and

the enlarged image displaying further includes displaying a predetermined number of thumbnail images from among the designated thumbnail image and the thumbnail images positioned before and after the designated thumbnail image according to the sequential relation.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein

the information display system includes

client device, and

a server device connected to the client device via an external communication path, the server device including an image database that stores therein the images and the thumbnail images,

the client device stores encoded data of the images and management information stating which portion of the encoded data is stored and which portion of the encoded data is not stored, generates information on the encoded data that is not stored based on the management information, and transmits a request for transmission of the images including the information on the encoded data, and

the server device receiving the request for transmission transmits the encoded data based on the information on the encoded data included in the request for transmission to the client device.

19. A computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium having computer-readable program codes embodied in the medium that when executed cause a computer to execute:

thumbnail image generating including generating thumbnail images from a plurality of images having a sequential relation;

thumbnail image displaying including displaying the thumbnail images generated according to the sequential relation;

thumbnail image designating including receiving a designation of a thumbnail image from among the thumbnail images;

enlarging including generating an enlarged image of a designated thumbnail image;

enlarged image displaying including displaying the enlarged image; and

forward-advance designating including designating a forward advance of the enlarged image displayed at the enlarged image displaying according to the sequential relation, wherein

the thumbnail image designating further includes taking a thumbnail image required to be enlarge as a result of a designation of the forward advance according to the sequential relation at the forward-advance designating as a designated thumbnail image.