Thumbnail image zooming using predetermined image sizes

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1, wherein said first image is stored on a memory storage means in an encoded format and the steps of displaying further includes a decoding of the first image for display.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 1, wherein said second image is stored on a memory storage means in an encoded format and the steps of displaying further includes a decoding of the second image for display.

Claim 5

A method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the encoded format is a compressed image format.

Claim 6

A method according to claim 4, wherein the compressed image format is a wavelet coding technique.

Claim 7

A method according to claim 5, wherein said wavelet coding technique comprises the SWEET method (as herein defined).

Claim 8

A method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the compressed image format is achieved by a JPEG coding technique.

Claim 9

A method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second image are different resolutions of a single image.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 7, wherein said single image is stored as a single compressed image and wherein the first and second images are extracted from the single compressed image.

Claim 11

A method according to claim 1, wherein said stretching or shrinking comprises adjusting the size of the first image by manipulating pixels of the first image.

Claim 12

A method according to claim 10, wherein said stretching comprising mathematically manipulating values of groups of pixels to provide at least one pixel value, and replicating said at least one pixel value.

Claim 13

A method according to claim 10, wherein said shrinking comprises mathematically manipulating groups of pixels to provide at least one pixel value, and assigning said one pixel value to a limited number of pixels smaller that contained in said groups.

Claim 14

A method according to claim 12 wherein, said assigning comprises discarding pixels from said image.

Claim 15

A method according to claim 3, wherein said image is coded into said encoded format by a method of representing a digital image to provide a coded representation, said method comprising the steps of: transforming said digital image to derive a plurality of coefficients, each coefficient represented by a predefined bit sequence; selecting a portion of said plurality of coefficients as a region; (a) scanning the significance of each bitplane of said selected region from a most significant bitplane towards a least significant bitplane and providing a first token in said coded representation for each insignificant bitplane until a significant bitplane is determined, wherein a second token is provided in said coded representation for said significant bitplane; (b) partitioning said selected region into two or more subregions having a predetermined form, and setting each of said subregions as said selected region; (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) commencing from said significant bitplane until said selected region has a predetermined size, wherein said coefficients of said selected region are coded and provided in said coded representation.

Claim 16

A method according to claim 14, wherein said transforming step comprises applying a discrete wavelet transform to said digital image.

Claim 17

A method according to claim 14, wherein said region comprises said entire plurality of coefficients.

Claim 18

A method according to claim 15, wherein said portion comprises a subband of said plurality of coefficients.

Claim 19

A method according to claim 14, wherein said first and second tokens comprise bit values of 0 and 1, respectively.

Claim 20

A method according to claim 14, wherein said subregions are equally sized.

Claim 21

A method according to claim 19, wherein said subregions are square.

Claim 22

A method according to claim 14, wherein said predetermined size of said subregion is a 1 x 1 coefficient.

Claim 23

A method according to claim 21, wherein said 1 x 1 coefficient is encoded by outputting bits of said corresponding bit sequence beginning with the respective significant bitplane.

Claim 24

A method according to claim 22, wherein only bits of said corresponding bit sequence above a predetermined minimum bit level are output in said coded representation.

Claim 25

A method according to claim 14, wherein, in step (c), steps (a) and (b) are repeated otherwise until each bitplane of said selected region has been scanned.

Claim 26

A method according to claim 24, wherein each bitplane of said selected region above a minimum bit level has been scanned.

Claim 29

A method according to claim 26 comprising the further step, after step (c), of: (d) decompressing the compressed true image to a further representation at a said desired size and displaying said further representation.

Claim 30

A method according to claim 26, wherein step (d) occurs substantially simultaneously during steps (a) (b) and (c).

Claim 31

Apparatus for zooming an image for display on a display device, said apparatus comprising: means for displaying a first representation of said image at a first predetermined size means for stretching or shrinking said first representation to at least one further predetermined size; means for displaying said stretched or shrunken representation at each said further predetermined size, and means for displaying a second representation of said image at a second predetermined size.

Claim 32

Apparatus for zooming an image for display on a display device, said apparatus comprising: means for displaying a first representation of said image at a first predetermined size means for stretching or shrinking said first representation to at least one further predetermined size; means for displaying said stretched or shrunken representation at each said further predetermined size, and means for displaying a second representation of said image at a second predetermined size.

Claim 33

Apparatus according to claim 28, wherein means for displaying said second representation operates substantially simultaneously with the other said means.

Claim 34

A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having a computer program recorded thereon for zooming images for display on a display device, said computer program product comprising: means for displaying a first representation of said image at a first predetermined size means for stretching or shrinking said first representation to at least one further predetermined size; means for displaying said stretched or shrunken representation at each said further predetermined size, and means for displaying a second representation of said image at a second predetermined size.

Claim 35

A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having a computer program recorded thereon for zooming images for display on a display device, said computer program product comprising: means for displaying a first representation of said image at a first predetermined size means for stretching or shrinking said first representation to at least one further predetermined size; means for displaying said stretched or shrunken representation at each said further predetermined size, and means for displaying a second representation of said image at a second predetermined size.