Media frame object visualization system

• US 7,117,453 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2003
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Glatzer, Asta L., Glenner, Steve, Wong, Curtis G., Drucker, Steven M., DeMar, Steven D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Sy D.
• Application Number:
  US10/348,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20040143598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/730, 715/723, 715/786, 715/968, 715/833, 715973-974, 709/238
• US Class Current: 715/833
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/743 a collection of video files or sequences
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/974 Slider control as on-screen object in operator interface

Abstract

The present invention provides a unique system and method for facilitating browsing, sorting, clustering, and filtering any number of media objects grouped together in a quick and easy manner. In particular, the invention involves annotating the media objects, which have been clustered, sorted, and/or filtered en masse rather than individually, with metadata. The media objects may be selected by a user and annotated with a plurality of metadata as desired by a user in order to optimize utilization of the media objects. The media objects may also be combined and/or mixed in any number of ways to create new media objects. Media objects may include an audio component, a visual component, a portion thereof, and/or any combination thereof.

Claims

1. A media object visualization system comprising:

a media object display area that facilitates browsing, clustering, filtering and/or sorting of a plurality of media objects;

one or more bin components that facilitate grouping, annotating, and manipulating selected media objects included therein;

one or more filter components that facilitate clustering, sorting, annotating and filtering the selected media objects; and

a time cluster slider component that alters a quantity and viewable size of clusters of media objects in the media object display area by one of increasing and decreasing the quantity and viewable size of the clusters.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media objects are maintained in an original form in a database.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the media object display area provides a visual guide of any number of media objects available and accessible to a user for subsequent annotation and manipulation.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected media objects appear highlighted prior to being selected by a user selection component.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the media objects are enlarged during browsing with a user selection component when the user selection component contacts at least a portion of the media object.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein dimensions of the media object are maximized for viewing the media object by selecting the media object using a user selection component.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a variable viewer component that toggles the media objects in the media object display area between a stacked view and a raster view.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the clusters of media objects are viewed in stacked view.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the clusters of media objects are ranged by a time associated with the respective media objects in the respective cluster.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the time associated with the respective media objects is at least a creation date of the media object.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein increasing the quantity of clusters viewable in the media object display area decreases the viewable size of the clusters accordingly.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a media object scroll component that allows a user to scroll the media objects in the media object display area in at least one of the following directions:

up, down, left, and right.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the viewable size of the media objects can be adjusted while scrolling the media objects in the media object display area.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a time-based selection component that indicates a date range as selected by a user and highlights media objects, which are annotated with at least date metadata, that are annotated with the date range indicated by the time-based selection component.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a media object content indicator that indicates a general content of the plurality of media objects to a user, the content indicator comprising at least a video indicator and a photo indicator.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the content indicator is illuminated based on die content of the plurality of media objects in the media object display area.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more filter components are hidden from view in order to increase a viewable size of the media object display area, thereby revealing a hidden field indicator in place of where the filter components are generally located.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more filter components are automatically hidden from view based at least in part on user'"'"'s instructions when a period of non-use of the filter components has occurred.

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising a filter component scroller component that facilitates viewing, browsing and using the filter components.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising a bin scroller component that facilitates browsing of the bin components.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the bin components are first arranged in chronological order of bin numbers and subsequently are secondly arranged based at least in part on priority, frequency of use, and a user'"'"'s preference and instructions.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of media objects and selected media objects are automatically arranged according to metadata associated and annotated therewith.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of media objects and selected media objects are manually ordered based at least in part upon a user'"'"'s instructions.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein metadata associated with at least one of a bin component and a filter component is/are viewable by selecting at least one of the respective media object, the respective bin component, and the respective filter component.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein a bin component may be selected (double-clicked) to be viewed and its media objects are moved to the media object display area for browsing, clustering, sorting, and/or manipulating the media objects.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected media objects are placed into at least one bin component and annotated therein with at least one metadata.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the database of media objects are not modified or further annotated with metadata when the media objects are selected and annotated in at least one bin component.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media objects in the database as shown in the media object display area maintain dynamic relationships with the respective media objects selected and located in bin components and filter categories, the foregoing being evidenced by a highlighting effect.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein media objects selected to any one of a bin component and a filter component are not removed from the database of the plurality of media objects.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein media objects in the database are highlighted concurrently with highlighting at least one of the bin component and the filter component which comprise the respective media objects.

31. A media object visualization system comprising:

a media display component comprising a media object display area;

a time cluster slider component that alters a quantity and viewable size of clusters of media objects in the media object display area by one of increasing and decreasing the quantity and viewable size of the clusters; and

a plurality of media objects located in the media object display area such that a user browses, clusters, sorts, filters, and selects the media objects based at least in part upon the user'"'"'s instructions for subsequent annotation with metadata.

32. A computer readable medium having a computer usable component for a media object visualization, comprising:

a media object display area tat facilitates browsing, clustering, filtering and/or sorting any number of media objects;

one or more bin components that facilitate grouping, annotating, and manipulating selected media objects included therein;

one or more filter components that facilitate clustering, sorting, annotating and filtering selected media objects; and

a time cluster slider component that alters a quantity and viewable size of clusters of media objects in the media object display area by one of increasing and decreasing the quantity and viewable size of the clusters.