Image processing apparatus, image display method, and image display program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9672227-B2
Application number	US-60479509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2009
Priority date	Dec 4, 2008
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes: a display device; a storage unit configured to store a plurality of image data having information corresponding to a search key; a search key specifying unit configured to specify a search key used for image search; a search unit configured to search and extract image data having information relating to the search key specified by the search key specifying unit from the storage unit; and a display control unit configured to control the image corresponding to image data extracted by the search unit to be displayed on the position corresponding to the degree of association as to the search key on the display screen of the display device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image processing apparatus, comprising:
a display device; and
processing circuitry programmed to implement image search and configured to
generate a plurality of search buttons corresponding to a plurality of candidate search keys, each search button inscribed with a name of the respective candidate search key;
receive a selection of at least one search button of the plurality of search buttons corresponding to the plurality of candidate search keys as designated search keys for the image search;
store a plurality of image data having information corresponding to the designated search keys for the image search,
receive selection of a particular one of the designated search keys via actuation of a respective selectable search button inscribed with the name of the respective designated search key and determine a duration of the actuation;
search and extract image data having information relating to the selected particular one of the designated search keys,
determine a first display position at a central portion of a display screen of said display device for a first one of a plurality of images corresponding to image data having information of a first degree of association as to the particular one of said designated search keys,
determine a second display position outside of the central portion of said display screen for a second one of the plurality of images corresponding to image data having information of a second degree of association as to the particular one of said designated search keys, the second degree of association being lower than the first degree of association,
control display of only the first one of the plurality of images on said display screen of said display device in response to the particular one of the respective search button of the respective one of the designated search keys being actuated for less than a first duration,
control display of the first one of the plurality of images together with the second one of the plurality of images at the respective first and second display positions on said display screen of said display device only in response to the duration of actuation of the particular one of the respective search button of the respective one of the designated search keys being equal to or greater than the first duration,
detect a motion of said image processing apparatus,
classify said detected motion of said image processing apparatus, and
store said plurality of images into a folder in a manner corresponding to said classified motion of said image processing apparatus,

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive the selection of the at least one search button of the plurality of search buttons corresponding to the plurality of candidate search keys as the designated search keys for the image search by detecting a requested movement of the at least one search button of the plurality of selectable search buttons from a first area including search buttons corresponding to all the candidate search keys to a second area distinct from the first area in which only search buttons corresponding to designated search keys are located,
wherein the designated search keys for the image search located in the second area only modify an outcome of the search and extraction of the image data when the particular one of the designated search keys is selected via actuation of the respective selectable search button inscribed with the name of the respective designated search key, and
wherein actuation of the respective selectable search button inscribed with the name of the respective designated search key modifies the outcome of the search and extraction of the image data.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to further search and extract image data having information relating to each of the designated search keys;
wherein said processing circuitry is further configured to control display of the images corresponding to the image data further extracted by said processing circuitry on positions corresponding to the degrees of association to a respective one of said designated search keys, on a coordinates system having a coordinate axis corresponding to each of said designated search keys formed on the display screen of said display device.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said processing circuitry is further configured to:
execute control to display one or more designated search keys on the display screen of said display device for a selection.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said processing circuitry is further configured to change display positions of said designated search keys displayed, according to an operation, executed via said processing circuitry, for moving the display positions of said designated search keys displayed; and
said processing circuitry is further configured to execute control of display, of images corresponding to the image data extracted by said processing circuitry, the images corresponding to the image data having degrees of association according to distances between said designated search keys on the display screen of said display device.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the processing circuitry is further configured to determine an operation for search results currently displayed, when a specifying operation is accepted after displaying the plurality of images corresponding to the image data extracted by said processing circuitry on said display screen under control of said processing circuitry.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the classified detected motion of said image processing apparatus includes obliquely inclining said image processing apparatus detected via said processing circuitry, shaking said image processing apparatus, and tapping said image processing apparatus, and
wherein the circuitry is further configured to gradually store said plurality of images in said folder and notify a user that said plurality of images are stored in the folder.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said processing circuitry is further configured:
measure an inclination level of said image processing apparatus, and
in response to the inclination being above a first threshold, store images having high degree of association in a folder as one group,
in response to the inclination being above a second threshold, store images having medium degree of association in a folder as one group, and
in response to the inclination being above a third threshold, store all of said images in a folder as one group.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to display the first one, the second one, and a third one of the plurality of images together on respective first, second and third display positions on said display screen of said display device only after the duration of actuation of the particular one of the plurality of search keys is greater than a second duration, the second duration being greater than the first duration, the third image having a third degree of association as to said particular one of the designated search keys, the third degree of association being lower than the second degree of association.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the actuation of the respective selectable search button is performed while the selectable search button is maintained within the second area, and
wherein the designation of the search keys is performed by a drag and drop operation.

10. The image processing appara

Assignees

• Iwase Ayako
• Wang Qihong
• Terayama Akiko
• Ozawa Hiroyuki
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Iwase Ayako
• Wang Qihong
• Terayama Akiko
• Ozawa Hiroyuki

Classifications

• G06F3/0488

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title

• G06F17/30277 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F3/0486

  Drag-and-drop · CPC title

• G06F16/532 Primary

  Query formulation, e.g. graphical querying · CPC title