Graphical user interfaces for displaying media items

• US 9,478,251 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chaudhri, Imran A., Alsina, Thomas Matthieu, Newman, Lucas
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Anil N
• Application Number:
  US13/244,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20120311500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,859 Days
• Field of Search: 715/835, 715/727, 715/793, 715/796, 715/810, 715/864
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/00 Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for a digital media player application are disclosed. In one aspect, a GUI is generated that presents a “histogram view” of digital media items of a digital media source. The histogram view associates visual representations of the digital media items with a media attribute, such as associating songs with a recording artist who recorded the songs. In another aspect, a GUI is generated that presents a “stack view” including stacks of visual representations of digital media items that are associated with a media attribute, such as a playlist or artist. The stacks of visual representations can be scrubbed by a user (e.g., using a touch gesture) to select digital media items in the stack for playback.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more hardware processors, first input requesting a view of digital media items associated with a digital media source; and

generating, by the one or more hardware processors, the requested view, the view including a first row associated with a first artist and a second row associated with a second artist, wherein;

the first row includes a first name of the first artist and a first set of album covers, each album cover in the first set of album covers representing a unique album of the first artist, wherein the first set of album covers in the first row are arranged side-by-side along the first row toward the first name of the first artist and selection of a respective album cover of the album covers in the first row causes playback of music contained in the album corresponding to the respective album cover in the first row;

the second row includes a second name of the second artist and a second set of album covers, each album cover in the second set of album covers representing a unique album of the second artist, wherein the second set of album covers in the second row are arranged side-by-side along the second row toward the second name of the second artist and selection of a respective album cover of the second set of album covers in the second row causes playback of music contained in the album corresponding to the respective album cover in the second row;

a visible portion of the first row includes more album covers than a visual portion of the second row;

the first row has a same height as the second row;

a distance between an end of the first name and a first album cover in the first row is a first distance;

a distance between an end of the second name and a first album cover in the second row is a second distance that is different from the first distance; and

the first distance is limited by a number of album covers in the first row and the second distance is limited by a number of album covers in the second row.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first distance is limited by a length of the first name and the second distance is limited by a length of the second name.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the first name is horizontally aligned with the album covers in the first row, and the second name is horizontally aligned with the album covers in the second row.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the album covers in the first row are aligned with a first edge of a display region and the first name is aligned with a second edge of the display region that is opposite to the first edge of the display region; and

the album covers in the second row are aligned with the first edge of the display region and the second name is aligned with the second edge of the display region.

5. The method of claim 1, where the rows are concurrently displayed with album art for an album of a currently playing song.

6. The method of claim 5, where the album art for the currently playing song is larger than album covers in the rows.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the album covers in the first row are stacked toward the first name of the first artist in the first row, and the album covers in the second row are stacked toward the second name of the second artist in the second row.

7. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory configured to store instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving first input requesting a view of digital media items associated with a digital media source; and

generating the requested view, the view including a first row associated with a first artist and a second row associated with a second artist, wherein;

the first row includes a first name of the first artist and a first set of album covers, each album cover of the first set of album covers representing a unique album of the first artist, wherein the first set of album covers in the first row are arranged side-by-side along the first row toward the first name of the first artist and selection of a respective album cover of the album covers in the first row causes playback of music contained in the album corresponding to the respective album cover in the first row;

the second row includes a second name of the second artist and a second set of album covers, each album cover of the second set of album covers representing a unique album of the second artist, wherein the one or more album covers in the second row are arranged side-by-side along the second row toward the second name of the second artist and selection of a respective album cover of the one or more album covers in the second row causes playback of music contained in the album corresponding to the respective album cover in the second row;

a visible portion of the first row includes more album covers than a visible portion of the second row;

the first row has a same height as the second row;

a distance between an end of the first name and a first album cover in the first row is a first distance;

a distance between an end of the second name and a first album cover in the second row is a second distance that is different from the first distance; and

the first distance is limited by a length of the first name and the second distance is limited by a length of the second name.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the first distance is limited by a number of album covers in the first row and the second distance is limited by a number of album covers in the second row.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the first name is horizontally aligned with the album covers in the first row and the second name is horizontally aligned with the album covers in the second row.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the album covers in the first row are aligned with a first edge of a display region and the first name is aligned with a second edge of the display region that is opposite to the first edge of the display region; and

the album covers in the second row are aligned with the first edge of the display region and the second name is aligned with the second edge of the display region.

11. The system of claim 7, where the rows are concurrently displayed with album art for an album of a currently playing song.

12. The system of claim 11, where the album art for the currently playing song is larger than album covers in the rows.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the album covers in the first row are stacked toward the first name of the first artist in the first row, and the album covers in the second row are stacked toward the second name of the second artist in the second row.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving first input requesting a view of digital media items associated with a digital media source; and

generating the requested view, the view including a first row associated with a first artist and a second row associated with a second artist, wherein;

the first row includes a first name of the first artist and a first set of album covers, each album cover of the first set of album covers representing a unique album of the first artist, wherein the first set of album covers in the first row are arranged side-by-side along the first row toward the first name of the first artist and selection of a respective album cover of the album covers in the first row causes playback of music contained in the album corresponding to the respective album cover in the first row;

the second row includes a second name of the second artist and a second set of album covers, each album cover of the second set of album covers representing a unique album of the second artist, wherein the one or more album covers in the second row are arranged side-by-side along the second row toward the second name of the second artist and selection of a respective album cover of the one or more album covers in the second row causes playback of music contained in the album corresponding to the respective album cover in the second row;

a visible portion of the first row includes more album covers than a visible portion of the second row;

the first row has a same height as the second row has a plurality of album covers;

a distance between an end of the first name and a first album cover in the first row is a first distance;

a distance between an end of the second name and a first album cover in the second row is a second distance that is different from the first distance;

the first distance is limited by a number of album covers in the first row and a length of the first name; and

the second distance is limited by a number of album covers in the second row and a length of the second name.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

the album covers in the first row are aligned with a first edge of a display region and the first name is aligned with a second edge of the display region that is opposite to the first edge of the display region; and

the album covers in the second row are aligned with the first edge of the display region and the second name is aligned with the second edge of the display region.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the rows are concurrently displayed with album art for an album of a currently playing song.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the album art for the currently playing song is larger than album covers in the rows.