Digital Image Transitions

• US 20110176720A1
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Vergnaud, Guillaume, Van Osten, Robert Michael, Dehner, Craig
• Granted Patent: US 8,803,908 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/20 Linear translation of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. panning

Abstract

Among other things, methods, systems and computer program products are disclosed for displaying a sequence of multiple images to provide an appearance of a three-dimensional (3D) effect. A data processing device or system can identify multiple images to be displayed. The data processing device or system can divide a two-dimensional (2D) display area into multiple display portions. The data processing device or system can display a sequence of the identified images on the display portions so as to provide an appearance of a three-dimensional (3D) effect.

Claims

1. A method performed by software executing on a data processing device, the method comprising:

identifying, at the data processing device, images to be displayed;

dividing, at the data processing device, a two-dimensional (2D) display area into display portions; and

displaying, at the data processing device, a sequence of the identified images on the display portions so as to provide an appearance of a three-dimensional (3D) effect.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the identified images comprises:

manipulating the display portions to cause at least one of the identified images to appear to move in 3D space.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

arranging the display portions on the 2D display area based on a display layout.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the display layout is selected based on at least one image characteristic of the identified images.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one image characteristic comprises at least one of aspect ratio or a face or a person on a given image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the appearance of a three-dimensional (3D) effect comprises at least one of a fold, a flip or a petal fold applied to one of the identified images.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying a sequence of the identified images comprises:

displaying a first sequence of a first subset of the identified images followed by a second sequence of a second subset of the identified images on the display portions so as to provide an appearance of a three-dimensional (3D) effect.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

displaying a transition between the first subset and the second subset.

9. A method performed by software executing on a data processing device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the data processing device, images to be displayed;

associating, at the data processing device, a subset of the received images with display portions on a display area; and

displaying, at the data processing device, the subset of the received images on the associated display portions to provide an appearance of a three-dimensional (3D) effect, wherein the displaying comprises;

manipulating the associated display portions to mask at least one image from the subset with at least one other image from the subset.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the displaying the subset of the received images comprises:

manipulating the associated display portions to move a given image from the subset from one display portion to another to reveal a previously undisplayed image from the subset.

11. A system comprising:

an image analyzer to

receive images from a user,

organize the received images into groups, wherein each group comprises at least one image, and

detect at least one image characteristic of each image in a given one of the groups;

an image associating unit in communication with the image analyzer to

identify a layout for displaying the images in the given group on a display area based on the detected at least one image characteristic, and

arranging the images in the given group to fit the identified layout; and

a display unit to display the arranged images in the given group using the identified layout to present an appearance of a three-dimensional (3D) effect.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one image characteristic comprises an aspect ratio of each image.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the image analyzer is configured to detect at least one image characteristic of each image in another one of the groups;

the image associating unit is configured to

identify a layout for the other group;

arrange the images in the other group to fit the layout identified for the other group; and

the display unit is configured to display the arranged images in the other group using the layout identified for the other group.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the image associating unit is further configured to identify a transition to be displayed between displaying the two groups, wherein the identified transition provides an appearance of a 3D effect.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the identified transition comprises:

manipulating the display area to replace the one group of images with the other group of images a portion at a time.

16. A data processing device, comprising:

a storage unit to store software for displaying multiple images;

a processor in communication with the storage unit to execute the software for displaying multiple images; and

a display unit in communication with the processor to

display a first sequence of images on a display area based on the executed software, wherein the software comprises instructions to display the first sequence of images by manipulating at least one of the images in the first sequence,

display a second sequence of images on the display area based on the executed software, wherein the software comprises instructions to display the second sequence of images by manipulating at least one of the images in the second sequence; and

wherein the software comprises instructions to display a transition between displaying the first set of images to displaying the second set of images;

wherein displaying the first sequence of images provide an appearance of a three-dimensional effect (3D) on the display area, and displaying the second sequence of images provide an appearance of another 3D effect on the display area.

17. The data processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the display unit is configured to display the first sequence of images comprising:

display a given image from the first sequence of images; and

move at least a portion of the displayed given image to reveal an underlying image not yet displayed from the first sequence.

18. The data processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the display unit is configured to display the first sequence of images comprising:

display on the display area, a first image and a second image from the first sequence of images; and

move at least a portion of the displayed first image to mask at least a portion of the displayed second image.

19. The data processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the display unit is configured to move at least one of the images in the first sequence by performing at least one of:

fold at least one of the images in the first sequence horizontally or vertically to display an underlying image not yet displayed from the first sequence;

swing at least one of the images in the first sequence from an edge of the at least one image;

or

rotate at least one of the images in the first sequence from an edge of the at least one image to mask at least one other image in the first sequence.

20. A method performed by software executing on a data processing device, the method comprising:

dividing, at the data processing device, a display area into multiple arrangements of display portions, wherein a given arrangement is different from remaining arrangements;

displaying, at the data processing device, a sequence of images using a given one of the arrangements of display portions; and

transitioning, at the data processing device, from displaying the given sequence of images using the given one of the arrangements to displaying another sequence of images using a different arrangement, comprising;

replacing at least one image from the given sequence of images with at least one image from the other sequence of images;

wherein the displaying and transitioning provide an appearance of a three-dimensional (3D) effect.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the replacing comprises:

folding at least one image from the given sequence of images to display at least one underlying image from the other sequence of images.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the replacing comprises:

rotating at least one image from the given sequence with respect to an edge of the at least one image to mask at least one other image from the given sequence and display at least one underlying image from the other sequence of images.