Image display method and program with usage of numeric keys and cursor keys

• US 7,620,910 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Aratani, Shuntaro, Ohno, Tomoyuki, Miyamoto, Katsuhiro, Yoshikawa, Tomoyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax; Steven P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Belousov; Andrey
• Application Number:
  US12/052,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20080178217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 715/838, 715/790, 715/823, 715/826, 345/656, 345/655
• US Class Current: 715/790
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00291 with receiver circuitry television receiver circuitry per se H04N5/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00384 Key input means, e.g. buttons or keypads electromechanical details of key input means in general H01H13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00442 Simultaneous viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. using a mosaic display arrangement of thumbnails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00461 marking or otherwise tagging one or more displayed image, e.g. for selective reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42218 for mapping a matrix of displayed objects on the screen to the numerical key-matrix of the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0087 Image storage device

Abstract

To improve ease of operation with which a user selects an image when many images are simultaneously displayed on a screen, a frame, which divides many images into 12 areas, is superimposed and displayed on a screen displaying thumbnail exhibition thereon. For example, the press of a channel key allows selecting one of the areas and moving to the selected area a focus frame indicating a candidate image for selection, and then the presses of cursor keys allow moving the focus frame to a desired image to be selected. The number of areas can be changed and displayed according to the number of channel keys when a television remote control is used, or according to the number of numeric keys when a mobile telephone is used.

Claims

1. An image display method for selecting one image from among a plurality of images displayed on an image display screen by using an operation device having numeric keys and cursor keys, the image display method comprising the steps of:

displaying a plurality of images overlapped with each other on the image display screen, in such a manner that each of the plurality of images is rotated in a plane parallel to the image display screen by a random angle θ

(0°

<

θ

<

360°

) with respect to a reference direction in the image display screen;

checking how many numeric keys the operation device has;

dividing a display area containing the plurality of images displayed on the image display screen into a plurality of divided areas, in such a manner that a number of the divided areas is the same as the number of the numeric keys of the operation device, and each of the divided areas contains some images;

assigning the numeric keys of the operation device to the plurality of divided areas, respectively;

allowing a user to select any divided area from among the plurality of divided areas through an operation of the numeric key corresponding to the divided area, and thereby limit a range of candidate images for selection, the candidate images being contained in the selected divided area;

enlarging the candidate images contained in the selected divided area and displaying the enlarged candidate images arranged on the image display screen, without dividing the selected divided area into a plurality of divided areas in such a manner that a number of the divided areas is the same as the number of the numeric keys of the operation device;

wherein, in a case of enlarging the candidate images contained in the selected divided area and displaying the enlarged candidate images arranged on the image display screen, the plurality of images rotated and overlapped with each other are displayed in reduced size on the image display screen; and

allowing the user to select any image from among the candidate images through an operation of the cursor keys.

2. An image display apparatus comprising:

an operation device having numeric keys and cursor keys, which device is used for selecting one image from among a plurality of images displayed on an image display screen;

a displaying portion which displays a plurality of images overlapped with each other on the image display screen, in such a manner that each of the plurality of images is rotated in a plane parallel to the image display screen by a random angle θ

(0°

<

θ

<

360°

) with respect to a reference direction in the image display screen;

a checking portion which checks how many numeric keys the operation device has;

a dividing portion which divides a display area containing the plurality of images displayed on the image display screen into a plurality of divided areas, in such a manner that a number of the divided areas is the same as the number of the numeric keys of the operation device, and each of the divided areas contains some images;

an assigning portion which assigns the numeric keys of the operation device to the plurality of divided areas, respectively;

an area selecting portion which allows a user to select any divided area from among the plurality of divided areas through an operation of the numeric key corresponding to the divided area, and thereby limit a range of candidate images for selection, the candidate images being contained in the selected divided area;

an enlarging portion which enlarges the candidate images contained in the selected divided area and displays the enlarged candidate images arranged on the image display screen, without dividing the selected divided area into a plurality of divided areas in such a manner that a number of the divided areas is the same as the number of the numeric keys of the operation device;

wherein, in a case of enlarging the candidate images contained in the selected divided area and displaying the enlarged candidate images arranged on the image display screen, the plurality of images rotated and overlapped with each other are displayed in reduced size on the image display screen; and

an image selecting portion which allows the user to select any image from among the candidate images through an operation of the cursor keys.