Reproduction apparatus, imaging apparatus, screen display method, and user interface

• US 8,599,298 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sasaki, Kayo, Yoritate, Miwako, Funabashi, Yoshimitsu, Iriya, Shinichi, Kobayashi, Motoki
• Primary Examiner(s): HERNANDEZ, NELSON D
• Application Number:
  US11/665,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20080012954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,975 Days
• Field of Search: 34833301-33312, 348/231.2, 348/231.3, 348/231.5
• US Class Current: 348/333.05
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• 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 1/00448 horizontally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00458 Sequential viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. browsing or scrolling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00461 marking or otherwise tagging one or more displayed image, e.g. for selective reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2158 using a detachable storage unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure

Abstract

A desired image is quickly retrieved from many images that have been stored. Reproduced images are horizontally arranged on time axis. Horizontal lines are displayed above the plurality of images. The horizontal lines are delimited every image group such that images that belong to the same image group are visually identified. Dots are displayed on individual lines corresponding to representative images P11 and P12 that belong to individual image groups. In addition, photographed dates and times are displayed only on representative images P11 and P21 that belong to image groups. A plurality of reproduced images are simultaneously displayed on an LCD 13. Among these reproduced images, representative images are identifiably displayed. When a desired image is selected from reproduced images, left and right feed buttons of a cross key 27 are pressed and representative images that belong to individual image groups are selected. When a dial key 28 is rotated, a desired image is selected from images that belong to the selected image group.

Claims

1. A reproduction apparatus which reproduces a plurality of images, comprising:

a process section for automatically dividing, at a time the images are being captured, a plurality of images with a time associated with each image into image groups based on photographed conditions, at least one of which photographed conditions relates to a preset length of time between photographed images, wherein each one of the image groups represents a respective event and the plurality of images are divided into the image groups by detecting, as event delimitations, all length of time differences between photographed times of chronologically adjacent images that are larger than a preset time;

a display interface for simultaneously displaying (i) a plurality of reproduced images belonging to a first one of the image groups and (ii) a plurality of reproduced images belonging to a second one of the image groups; and

an operation section for accepting an operation input from a user,

wherein the display interface successively displays a representative image belonging to each respective image group along with a photographed time of the representative image, the representative image of each respective image group being successively displayed by jumping a focus directly between representative images of adjacent image groups, the representative image having been selected by the user for each image group from among images belonging to each respective image group for use as a representative image for that respective image group, and when any of the image groups contain at least two images, displaying at least a second image from the any of the image groups containing at least two images, the second image chronologically adjacent to the representative image,

wherein the operation section is capable of performing a first feed operation of successively selecting representative images which belong to the plurality of image groups by jumping the focus directly between the representative images of adjacent image groups and a second feed operation of successively selecting a plurality of images which belong to each of the plurality of image groups, the first and second feed operations both capable of being performed directly from the display interface, and

wherein when the operation section performs the first feed operation, the display interface performs an animated transition between a screen displaying one or more of the plurality of reproduced images belonging to the first one of the image groups and a screen displaying one or more of the plurality of reproduced images belonging to the second one of the image groups.

2. The reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the photographed conditions include photographed and times.

3. The reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the photographed conditions include color hues of photographed images.

4. The reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the display interface has a wide aspect ratio.

5. The reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the display interface is capable of identifiably displaying the image groups.

6. The reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the display interface displays lines which delimit the image groups and which are in parallel with a time axis.

7. The reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the display interface surrounds the plurality of images with windows having colors corresponding to the image groups.

8. The reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the display interface superimposes the plurality of images with icons corresponding to the image groups.

9. The reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the display interface is capable of identifiably displaying a representative image which belongs to each of the image groups.

10. The reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the operation section includes a cross key, and

wherein, when the cross key is pressed, the representative image or the plurality of images are successfully fed in a time axis direction or a reverse direction thereof.

11. The reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the operation section includes a dial key, and

wherein, when the dial key is rotated, the representative image or the plurality of images are successfully fed in a time axis direction or a reverse direction thereof.

12. The reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the photographed conditions include photographed locations.

13. The reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a Global Positioning System (GPS) locator, wherein the photographed locations are GPS locations obtained from the GPS locator.

14. The reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the focus comprises a cursor that is placed on or associated with the representative image that the focus is jumped to.

15. The reproduction apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the animated transition comprises an animation depicting a momentary sliding of the reproduced images horizontally across the displaying screen, beginning with a displaying of the one or more of the plurality of reproduced images belonging to the first one of the image groups and ending with a displaying of the one or more of the plurality of reproduced images belonging to the second one of the image groups.

16. An imaging apparatus including:

image capturing means for capturing an image of a subject;

record means for recording an image captured by the image capturing means and for recording a time that an image is recorded; and

reproduction means for reproducing a plurality of images from the record means,

the imaging apparatus comprising;

process means for automatically dividing, at a time the images are being captured, a plurality of images into image groups based on photographed conditions, at least one of which photographed conditions relates to a preset length of time between photographed images, wherein each one of the image groups represents a respective event and the plurality of images are divided into the image groups by detecting, as event delimitations, all length of time differences between photographed times of chronologically adjacent images that are larger than a preset time;

a display interface for simultaneously displaying (i) a plurality of reproduced images belonging to a first one of the image groups and (ii) a plurality of reproduced images belonging to a second one of the image groups; and

input means for accepting an operation input from a user,

wherein the display interface successively displays a representative image belonging to each respective image group along with a photographed time of the representative image, the representative image of each respective image group being successively displayed by jumping a focus directly between representative images of adjacent image groups, the representative image having been selected by the user for each image group from among images belonging to each respective image group for use as a representative image for that respective image group, and when any of the image groups contain at least two images, displaying at least a second image from the any of the image groups containing at least two images, the second image chronologically adjacent to the representative image,

wherein the input means is capable of performing a first feed operation of successively selecting representative images which belong to the plurality of image groups by jumping the focus directly between the representative images of adjacent image groups and a second feed operation of successively selecting a plurality of images which belong to each of the plurality of image groups, the first and second feed operations both capable of being performed directly from the display interface, and

wherein when the input means performs the first feed operation, the display interface performs an animated transition between a screen displaying one or more of the plurality of reproduced images belonging to the first one of the image groups and a screen displaying one or more of the plurality of reproduced images belonging to the second one of the image groups.

17. The imaging apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein the focus comprises a cursor that is placed on or associated with the representative image that the focus is jumped to.

18. The imaging apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein the animated transition comprises an animation depicting a momentary sliding of the reproduced images horizontally across the displaying screen, beginning with a displaying of the one or more of the plurality of reproduced images belonging to the first one of the image groups and ending with a displaying of the one or more of the plurality of reproduced images belonging to the second one of the image groups.