Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-12
2001-07-31
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2773)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S182000, C345S182000, C345S960000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06268854
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a picture search device and a recording medium readable for such a picture search device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a picture search device for allowing the user to easily find a picture of interest from a plurality of stored pictures and a recording medium readable for such a picture search device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many commercially-available conventional picture search applications display a scroll bar in a display window, along which a slider can be moved so that a picture corresponding to the position of the slider is displayed.
However, there is no conventional picture search application which emphasizes a picture in the display window which is currently being focused on by the user (hereinafter, referred to simply as the “user-focused picture”). Therefore, there is inconvenience for the user in finding a picture of interest out of a plurality of pictures displayed in the display window.
In the conventional picture search applications, the position of the slider along the scroll bar is used to determine which one(s) of the plurality of pictures is to be displayed. In many of the conventional applications, since the scroll bar and the slider each have a fixed length, it is typically necessary to move the slider quickly in order to have a large interval of stored pictures between two displayed pictures or slowly in order to have a small interval therebetween (hereinafter, such an interval is referred to also as the “display interval”). Such manual adjustment of the display interval is not convenient. Although some of the conventional applications allow the user to adjust the display interval, it is also troublesome for the user to input a value each time the user wishes to change the display interval.
Thus, it is desired to provide a picture search device which displays pictures in such a manner that the user can visually and easily select the picture of interest.
It is also desired to provide a picture search device which displays reference pictures from which a picture of interest is selected by the user, where the user can freely and easily set a reference picture interval which represents an interval between two displayed reference pictures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of this invention, a picture search device includes: a storage section; a display section; a position input section; and a control section for controlling the storage section, the display section and the position input section. The storage section contains a plurality of pictures respectively provided with labels which are assigned in accordance with a predetermined rule. The position input section detects input information from a user so as to provide a control signal to the control section in response to the input information. The control section displays a scroll bar including a slider in a predetermined area in the display section, determines a position along the scroll bar at which the slider is to be displayed based on the control signal, displays the slider at the position in the display section, determines one of the plurality of labels corresponding to the position as a first label, identifies one of the pictures having the first label as a user-focused picture, identifies one of the pictures having a second label, different from the first label, as a reference picture, displays the reference picture in the display section, and displays the user-focused picture in a display mode different from a display mode of the reference picture.
In one embodiment of the invention, the control section further determines a size of the slider based on the control signal from the position input section, displays the slider at the position in the display section according to the size, and determines the second label based on the size.
In one embodiment of the invention, the control section further determines a size of the slider based on the control signal from the position input section, displays the slider at the position in the display section according to the size, and determines the second label based on the size of the slider. The control section further determines a third label, different from the second label, based on the size of the slider, identifies one of the pictures having the third label as a second reference picture, and displays the second reference picture in the display section.
In one embodiment of the invention, the reference picture and the second reference picture are displayed along an edge of the display section, with a copy of the user-focused picture displayed between the reference picture and the second reference picture in a same display mode as that for the reference picture.
In one embodiment of the invention, the control section identifies one of the pictures having a fourth label as a third reference picture and one of the pictures having a fifth label as a fourth reference picture, so as to further display the third and fourth reference pictures in the display section. The fourth label is assigned between the first and second labels, while the fifth label is assigned between the first and third labels.
In one embodiment of the invention, the predetermined rule for assigning the labels is a function of time.
In one embodiment of the invention, the predetermined rule for assigning the labels is a spatial function.
In one embodiment of the invention, the mode for displaying the user-focused picture which is different from that for the reference picture includes displaying the user-focused picture in a larger display area than that for the reference picture.
According to another aspect of this invention, a picture search device includes: a storage section; a display section; and a control section for controlling the storage section and the display section. The storage section contains a plurality of pictures respectively provided with labels which are assigned in accordance with a predetermined rule, the pictures having respective values. The control section determines the value of the picture displayed in the display section in accordance with a predetermined function, and provides a preferential order to each of the plurality of pictures stored in the storage section based on the determined value.
In one embodiment of the invention, the predetermined function for determining the value includes a function where the value is increased in accordance with at least one of a time period for which the picture has been displayed in the display section and a number of times the picture has been displayed in the display section.
In one embodiment of the invention, the display section has a user-focused picture display area, and the predetermined function for determining the value includes a function where the value is increased in accordance with at least one of a time period for which the picture has been displayed in the user-focused picture display area and a number of times the picture has been displayed in the user-focused picture display area.
In one embodiment of the invention, when a display time period for which the picture has been displayed in a single time exceeds a predetermined upper limit value, the display time period is considered to be the upper limit value.
In one embodiment of the invention, the predetermined function for determining the value includes a function where the value is changed in accordance with a display area of the picture.
In one embodiment of the invention, the preferential order of the picture is determined using a standard deviation of a frequency distribution for the values of the pictures.
In one embodiment of the invention, one of the pictures whose preferential order is greater than or equal to a predetermined value is stored in a predetermined storage location.
According to still another aspect of this invention, a recording medium storing a program and readable for a picture search device is provided. Such a device includes: a storage section; a display section; a position input section; and a con
Borden George
Urano Naoki
Bayerl Raymond J.
Nguyen Thomas T.
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
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