Displaying an image

• US 7,755,566 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2001
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Hoisko, Jyrki
• Primary Examiner(s): Amini, Javid A
• Application Number:
  US10/034,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20020113757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,120 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/1.2, 345/632, 345/629, 348/239, 348/241, 348/333.12, 348/333.02, 348/333.03, 348/222.1, 348/207.1, 348/207.2, 348/207.11
• US Class Current: 345/1.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

An image can be displayed based on image data by means of a user equipment. In the disclosed method image data associated with the image is received at a user equipment from a data communication system. A visual effect is generated based on additional information associated with the image. The visual effect is subsequently presented in association with a version of the image by displaying said visual effect by display means of the user equipment. The image is also by the display means, either after or before the display of the visual effect.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving both image data for generating an image and additional visual effect information at a user equipment from a data communication system;

generating a visual effect to be presented in association with a version of the image, said visual effect being generated based on said visual effect information, wherein the visual effect visualizes information that is associated with a context or content of the image, and wherein the visual effect visualizes at least one of the following features;

a temperature in the target of the image, a time when the image was created, movements associated with the image, and emotional feelings associated with the image; and

after said receiving and generating, displaying, at said user equipment, the version of said image with said visual effect on a display of the user equipment and the image without said visual effect on the display in a predetermined time sequence.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said displaying of said version of the image with said visual effect is done before said displaying of the image without said visual effect.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said displaying of said version of said image with said visual effect is started before all image data that associates with the image has been received in its entirety from the data communication system.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said displaying of said version of said image with the visual effect is done at said user equipment for a predefined period of time.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the visual effect visualizes the age of the image.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the visual effect visualizes a location.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the location is the location of the source of the image data.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the source comprises the location of the target of the image or the location of the imaging apparatus capturing the image.

9. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the visual effect visualizes relative location between a device at which the image was taken and the user equipment.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, comprising:

receiving first position data associated with the geographical location of the user equipment;

receiving second position data associated with the geographical location of the device at which the image was taken; and

processing said first and second location data for obtaining said relative location.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processing is accomplished by a processor of the user equipment.

12. A method as claimed in claim 6, comprising use of information associated with the directional position of the user equipment.

13. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the location is visualized by displaying a version of the image on a position on the display that depends on the location of where the image was captured or of the device at which the image was taken.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising displaying a map, wherein a location on said map is visualized by associating said version of the image with a position on the map.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein locations to the north of the user equipment are indicated by associating the displaying of the version of the image with the top portion of the display, locations to the south of the user equipment are indicated by associating the displaying of the version of the image with the lower portion of the display, locations to the west of the user equipment are indicated by associating the displaying of the version of the image with the left portion of the display, and locations to the east of the user equipment are indicated by associating the displaying of the version of the image with the right portion of the display.

16. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the size of the image visualizes the distance between the location and the user equipment.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the size of the image is changed at a speed that visualizes the distance between the location and the user equipment.

18. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the visual effect comprises moving a version of the image on the display so that the image appears at different locations on the display.

19. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the visual effect is indicative of the importance of the image.

20. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the visual effect is indicative of a priority order of the image.

21. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the visual effect visualizes an audio effect associated with the image.

22. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the visual effect is indicative of the origin of the image.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the visual effect indicates a group of persons.

24. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the presentation of the visual effect comprises presentation of a differently colored version of the image.

25. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein a predefined color during the presentation of the visual effect visualizes a predefined condition.

26. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein at least one color of the image is modified by altering a color index table of the image.

27. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein at least one color of the image is modified by modifying a bitmap of the image.

28. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional information is obtained from the name of an image data file.

29. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional information is included in the image data.

30. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional information is included in a separate field of an image data file.

31. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the presentation of the visual effect comprises provision of a shaking or vibrating version of the image.

32. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the presentation of the visual effect comprises provision of a distorted version of the image.

33. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the presentation of the visual effect comprises provision of at least one differently sized version of the image.

34. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image data is transmitted over a wireless interface between the user equipment and the data network.

35. A method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the user equipment comprises a mobile station adapted for communication with a cellular communication network.

36. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a mobile station having a display, both image data for generating an image and visual effect information from a data communication system, said image data and additional information being transmitted over a wireless interface between the mobile station and the data communication system;

generating a visual effect to be presented in association with a version of the image, said visual effect being generated based on said visual effect information, wherein the visual effect visualizes information that is associated with a context or content of the image, and wherein the visual effect visualizes at least one of the following features;

a temperature in the target of the image, a time when the image was created, movements associated with the image, and emotional feelings associated with the image; and

after said receiving and generating, displaying on the mobile station display a version of the image with said visual effect and the image without said visual effect on the mobile station display in a predetermined time sequence.

37. Apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive both image data associated with an image and additional associated information from a data communication system;

a display; and

a processor configured to generate a visual effect based on said additional information associated with the image and control display of the image without the visual effect on the display and a version of the image with the visual effect on the display in a predetermined time sequence after the receiver receives the image data and associated information, wherein the visual effect visualizes information that is associated with a context or content of the image, and wherein the visual effect visualizes at least one of the following features;

a temperature in the target of the image, a time when the image was created, movements associated with the image, and emotional feelings associated with the image.

38. An apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the processor is configured to display said version of the image with the visual effect before displaying the image without the visual effect.

39. Apparatus as claimed in claim 38, wherein the processor is configured to display said version of the image with the visual effect before all image data has been received in its entirety from the data communication system.

40. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, which is configured to display said version of the image with the visual effect for a predefined period of time.

41. Apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the visual effect visualizes the age of the image.

42. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the visual effect visualizes a location.

43. Apparatus as claimed in claim 42, wherein the location is the location of the source of the image data.

44. Apparatus as claimed in claim 43, wherein the source comprises the location of the target of the image or the location of the imaging apparatus capturing the image.

45. Apparatus as claimed in claim 42, wherein the visual effect visualizes relative location between the apparatus and a device at which the image was taken.

46. Apparatus as claimed in claim 42, which is configured to use information associated with the directional position of the user equipment.

47. Apparatus as claimed in claim 42, which is configured to visualize the location by displaying a version of the image on a position on the display that depends on the location of where the image was captured or of a device at which the image was taken.

48. Apparatus as claimed in claim 47, which is further configured to:

display a map, wherein a location on said map is visualized by associating said version of the image with a position on the map.

49. Apparatus as claimed in claim 47, wherein locations to the north of the user equipment are indicated by associating the displaying of the version of the image with the top portion of the display, locations to the south of the user equipment are indicated by associating the displaying of the version of the image with the lower portion of the display, locations to the west of the user equipment are indicated by associating the displaying of the version of the image with the left portion of the display, and locations to the east of the user equipment are indicated by associating the displaying of the version of the image with the right portion of the display.

50. Apparatus as claimed in claim 42, wherein the size of the image visualizes the distance between the location and the user equipment.

51. Apparatus as claimed in claim 50, which is further configured to change the size of the image at a speed that visualizes the distance between the location and the user equipment.

52. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the visual effect comprises moving a version of the image on the display so that the image appears at different locations on the display.

53. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the visual effect is indicative of the importance of the image.

54. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the visual effect is indicative of a priority order of the image.

55. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the visual effect visualizes an audio effect associated with the image.

56. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the visual effect is indicative of the origin of the image.

57. Apparatus as claimed in claim 56, wherein the visual effect indicates a group of persons.

58. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein said version of the image comprising the visual effect comprises a differently colored version of the image.

59. Apparatus as claimed in claim 58, wherein a predefined color visualizes a predefined condition.

60. Apparatus as claimed in claim 58, which is configured to modify at least one color of the image by altering a color index table of the image.

61. Apparatus as claimed in claim 58, which is configured to modify at least one color of the image by modifying a bitmap of the image.

62. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the additional information is obtained from the name of an image data file.

63. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the additional information is included in the image data.

64. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the additional information is included in a separate field of an image data file.

65. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the visual effect comprises provision of a shaking or vibrating version of the image.

66. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the visual effect comprises provision of a distorted version of the image.

67. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the visual effect comprises provision of at least one differently sized version of the image.

68. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the image data is received over a wireless interface.

69. Apparatus as claimed in claim 68, which is part of a mobile station adapted for communication with a cellular communication network.

70. Apparatus as claimed in claim 37, which is configured to:

receive first position data associated with the geographical location of said apparatus;

receive second position data associated with the geographical location of the source of the image data; and

process said first and second location data for obtaining said relative location.

71. A computer-readable memory having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

receiving both image data for generating an image and additional visual effect information at a user equipment from a data communication system;

generating a visual effect to be presented in association with a version of the image, said visual effect being generated based on said visual effect information, wherein the visual effect visualizes information that is associated with a context or content of the image, and wherein the visual effect visualizes at least one of the following features;

a temperature in the target of the image, a time when the image was created, movements associated with the image, and emotional feelings associated with the image; and

after said receiving and generating, displaying at said user equipment a version of said image with said visual effect on a display of the user equipment and the image without said visual effect on the display in a predetermined time sequence.

72. The computer-readable memory as claimed in claim 71, wherein said displaying of said version of the image associated with the visual effect is done before said displaying of said image without said visual effect.

73. The computer-readable memory as claimed in claim 71, wherein said displaying of said version of said image with said visual effect is started before all image data that associates with the image has been received in its entirety from the data communication system.

74. The computer-readable memory as claimed in claim 71, wherein said displaying of said version of said image with said visual effect is done at said user equipment for a predefined period of time.

75. A communication system, comprising:

a data communication media for transporting data between at least two user equipment;

a first user equipment including a camera configured to capture an image and generate image data associated with the captured image, said first user equipment being adapted to associate visual effect information with the image data; and

a second user equipment comprising a receiver means for receiving the image data and visual effect information from the first user equipment, a processor means for processing said received image data, and a display means for displaying the image based on the received image data, said second user equipment being also adapted to display the image and an altered version of the image in a predetermined time sequence, wherein the altered version comprises a visual effect generated based on said visual effect information, wherein the visual effect visualizes information that is associated with a context or content of the image, and wherein the visual effect visualizes at least one of the following features;

a temperature in the target of the image, a time when the image was created, movements associated with the image, and emotional feelings associated with the image.

76. A method, comprising:

sending both image data associated with an image and additional information associated with content of the image from a first party to user equipment of a second party via a data communication system;

generating on the basis of said additional information a visual effect to be presented in association with a version of the image, said visual effect visualizing said information associated with the context or content of the image, wherein the visual effect visualizes at least one of the following features;

a temperature in the target of the image, a time when the image was created, movements associated with the image, and emotional feelings associated with the image; and

after the sending and generating, displaying on a display of the user equipment said visual effect and the image on the display without the visual effect in a predetermined time sequence.

77. The method of claim 76, wherein the predetermined sequence is determined by the additional associated information.

78. The method of claim 77, wherein the predetermined sequence conveys a message and has meaning that is associated with a context of said image.