# US 8,570,335 B2 · Mobile device and method for displaying thumbnails on the mobile device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,570,335 B2 - Document ID: US8570335B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/498,283 - Filed: 2009-07-06 - Published: 2010-03-11 - Granted: 2013-10-29 - Earliest claimed: 2008-09-05 - Assignees: Chi Mei Communication Systems, Inc. - Applicants: Tze-Wei Huang - Inventors: Tze-Wei Huang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8570335B2 ## CPC - H04N 9/8227: {the additional signal being at least another television signal} - H04N 1/32122: {in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data} - H04N 21/41407: {embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop (constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57)} - H04N 21/4325: {by playing back content from the storage medium (reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79)} - H04N 21/44004: {involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer} - H04N 21/440263: {by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA} - H04N 21/482: End-user interface for programme selection - H04N 21/8153: {comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image} - H04M 1/72403: with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality - H04N 2201/325: Modified version of the image, e.g. part of the image, image reduced in size or resolution, thumbnail or screennail - H04N 2201/3273: Display - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract A method for displaying thumbnails on a mobile device includes allocating at least two buffers in a storage system of the mobile device, where the at least two buffers comprise a displayed thumbnail buffer and a current thumbnail buffer. Indices of the thumbnails on are displayed on a display screen of the mobile device, and thumbnails from the displayed thumbnail buffer are read if the thumbnails correspond to the indices are found in the displayed thumbnail buffer. In addition, the method further includes reading the thumbnails from the current thumbnail and displaying the thumbnails on the display screen of the mobile device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A mobile device, comprising: a display screen; a storage system comprising a thumbnail storage; at least one processor; and a thumbnail displaying unit that is included in the storage system and comprising one or more computerized operations to be executed by the at least one processor, the thumbnail displaying unit comprising: a configuring module that allocates a memory space for at least two buffers in the storage system, the at least two buffers comprising a displayed thumbnail buffer that stores thumbnails displayed previously on the display screen, and a current thumbnail buffer that stores thumbnails currently displayed and to-be displayed on the display screen; under the condition that the display screen displays indices of images when browsing the images in an image folder, a buffering module that reads the indices displayed on the display screen, and reads the thumbnails corresponding to the indices from the displayed thumbnail buffer when the thumbnails corresponding to the indices are found in the displayed thumbnail buffer, and copies the thumbnails into the current thumbnail buffer; and a reading module that reads the thumbnails from the current thumbnail buffer, and displays the thumbnails on the display screen. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the thumbnail displaying unit further comprises a freeing module that frees the memory space occupied by the at least two buffers. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the buffering module reads the thumbnails from the thumbnail storage of the storage system when the thumbnails corresponding to the indices displayed on the display screen are not found in the displayed thumbnail buffer and the thumbnails corresponding to the indices are found in the thumbnail storage, and copies the thumbnails into the current thumbnail buffer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the thumbnail displaying unit further comprises an image codec that creates a thumbnail of a full image corresponding to one of the indices displayed on the display screen when the thumbnail corresponding to the one of the indices is not found in the displayed thumbnail buffer nor the thumbnail storage. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The mobile device according to claim 4, wherein the thumbnail displaying unit further comprises a processing module that copies the thumbnail created by the image codec into the current thumbnail buffer. ### Claim 6 A method for displaying thumbnails on a mobile device, the mobile device comprising a storage system that has a thumbnail storage, the method comprising: allocating a memory space for at least two buffers in a storage system of the mobile device, the at least two buffers comprising a displayed thumbnail buffer that stores thumbnails displayed previously on a display screen of the mobile device, and a current thumbnail buffer that stores thumbnails currently displayed and to-be displayed on the display screen; under the condition that the display screen displays indices of images when browsing the images in an image folder, reading the indices on the display screen; reading the thumbnails corresponding to the indices from the displayed thumbnail buffer when the thumbnails corresponding to the indices are found in the displayed thumbnail buffer; copying the thumbnails into the current thumbnail buffer; and reading the thumbnails from the current thumbnail buffer and displaying the thumbnails on the display screen. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, further comprising: freeing the memory space occupied by the at least two buffers. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, further comprising: reading the thumbnails from the thumbnail storage of the storage system when the thumbnails corresponding to the indices are not found in the displayed thumbnail buffer and the thumbnails corresponding to the indices are found in the thumbnail storage; and copying the thumbnails into the current thumbnail buffer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, further comprising: sending a create thumbnail command to an image codec of the mobile device when the thumbnail corresponding to one of the indices is not found in the displayed thumbnail buffer nor the thumbnail storage; and creating a thumbnail of a full image corresponding to the one of the indices by the image codec, and copying the thumbnail created by the image codec into the current thumbnail buffer. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a mobile device, causing the mobile device to perform a method for displaying thumbnails on the mobile device, the mobile device comprising a storage system that has a thumbnail storage, the method comprising: allocating a memory space for at least two buffers in a storage system of the mobile device, the at least two buffers comprising a displayed thumbnail buffer that stores thumbnails displayed previously on a display screen of the mobile device, and a current thumbnail buffer that stores thumbnails currently displayed and to-be displayed on the display screen; under the condition that the display screen displays indices of images when browsing the images in an image folder, reading the indices on the display screen; reading the thumbnails corresponding to the indices from the displayed thumbnail buffer when the thumbnails corresponding to the indices are found in the displayed thumbnail buffer; copying the thumbnails into the current thumbnail buffer; and reading the thumbnails from the current thumbnail buffer and displaying the thumbnails on the display screen. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the method further comprises: freeing the memory space occupied by the at least two buffers. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the method further comprises: reading the thumbnails from the thumbnail storage of the storage system when the thumbnails corresponding to the indices are not found in the displayed thumbnail buffer and the thumbnails corresponding to the indices are found in the thumbnail storage; and copying the thumbnails into the current thumbnail buffer. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the method further comprises: sending a create thumbnail command to an image codec of the mobile device when the thumbnail corresponding to one of the indices is not found in the displayed thumbnail buffer nor the thumbnail storage; and creating a thumbnail of a full image corresponding to the one of the indices by the image codec, and copying the created thumbnail created by the image codec into the current thumbnail buffer.