WO2015063551A1

WO2015063551A1 - Method and apparatus for filtering pictures

Info

Publication number: WO2015063551A1
Application number: PCT/IB2014/000101
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arlan JIA; Zhangbin YIN; Yan JIAO; Nana ZHENG; Yijiao CHEN; Bizhong Ye
Original assignee: Sony Corporation
Priority date: 2013-11-01
Filing date: 2014-02-04
Publication date: 2015-05-07
Also published as: CN104598483A

Abstract

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and an apparatus for filtering pictures and an electronic device. The method is adopted to filter pictures in the electronic device, including: determining a filtering condition according to user's selection, the filtering condition including a filtering type and a range thereof; judging whether each picture meets the filtering condition according to attributes of pictures in the electronic device; and displaying pictures meeting the filtering condition as selected pictures. According to the method and the apparatus for filtering pictures and the electronic device provided by the embodiments of the present invention, the flexibility of the picture classification is improved by filtering the pictures according to the filtering condition, and the pictures in the electronic device can be conveniently classified and consolidated through the subsequent processing of the selected pictures.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FILTERING PICTURES

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosure relates to an electronic device, and particularly, to a method and an apparatus for filtering pictures which are applicable to an electronic device, and the electronic device.

[0002] Cross-Reference to Related Application and Priority Claim

This application claims priority from Chinese patent application No.

201310534552.6, filed November 1 , 2013, the entire disclosure of which hereby is incorporated by reference.

Background Art

[0003] Electronic devices having the functions of image displaying and image processing have been widely used, such as a digital photo frame, a digital camera, a smart mobile terminal, etc. Those electronic devices store digital pictures by a storage unit, process the digital pictures by a picture processing unit, and display the digital pictures on a display unit.

[0004] With the improvement of the picture storage and processing capacities, storing and processing more digital pictures in an electronic device have become reality. While the digital pictures stored and processed in the electronic device are continuously increasing, how to classify and select those digital pictures to effectively manage them is a problem to be solved.

[0005] To be noted, the above introduction to the technical background is just made for the convenience of clearly and completely describing the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and to facilitate the understanding of a person skilled in the art. It shall not be deemed that the above technical solutions are known to a person skilled in the art just because they have been illustrated in the Background section of the present disclosure.

Summary

[0006] In the relevant art, digital pictures are usually classified into corresponding folders for being managed according to a certain classification condition. For example, different folders may be set according to the place or time at which the pictures are taken, or the major characters in the pictures, so as to classify the pictures into corresponding folders.

[0007] During the implementation of the relevant art, the inventor of the present disclosure finds that when the pictures are viewed, each time only a folder meeting a specific classification condition (e.g., the place at which the pictures are taken is "Tokyo") can be entered, and if wanting to enter a folder meeting other classification conditions (e.g., the major character is "A"), he has to exit the current folder before entering another folder. Thus, the relevant art cannot flexibly change the picture classification condition, and cannot classify the pictures according to multiple classification conditions, thereby degrading the user experience.

[0008] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and an apparatus for filtering pictures, and an electronic device. The object is to flexibly filter the pictures, and to filter the pictures according to multiple classification conditions.

[0009] According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for filtering pictures is provided, which is adopted to filter pictures in an electronic device, may include: determining a filtering condition according to user's selection, the filtering condition including a filtering type and a range corresponding thereto; judging whether each picture meets the filtering condition according to attributes of pictures in the electronic device; and displaying selected pictures meeting the filtering condition.

[0010] According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the

method may further include: determining another filtering condition according to the user's selection, the another filtering condition including another filtering type and a range corresponding thereto; judging whether each picture in the selected pictures meets the another filtering condition according to attributes of the selected pictures; and displaying other selected pictures meeting the another filtering condition.

[001 1] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, the determining a filtering condition according to user's selection may include: determining the filtering type of the filtering condition according to a fist instruction; and determining the range of the filtering type according to a second instruction.

[0012] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, the determining a filtering condition according to user's selection may include: determining a filtering mode according to a third instruction, the filtering mode being coiTesponding to at least one preset filtering condition; and determining the filtering condition according to the filtering mode.

[0013] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method for filtering pictures may further include storing the selected pictures to a preset location according to a fourth instruction.

[0014] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of the filtering condition may be at least one, each including one filtering type and one range thereof.

[0015] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, the filtering type may include a place of the picture, time of the picture, a character of the picture, a color of the picture, text of the picture and/or audio corresponding to the picture.

[0016] According to still another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an apparatus for filtering pictures is provided, which is adopted to filter pictures in an electronic device, including: a determining unit configured to determine a filtering condition according to user's selection, the filtering condition including a filtering type and a range corresponding thereto; a judging unit configured to judge whether each picture meets the filtering condition according to attributes of pictures in the electronic device; and a displaying unit configured to display selected pictures meeting the filtering condition.

[0017] According to still another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, the determining unit may include: a filtering type determining unit configured to determine the filtering type of the filtering condition according to a first instruction; and a range determining unit configured to determine the range of the filtering type according to a second instruction.

[0018] According to still another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the determining unit may include: a filtering mode determining unit configured to determine a filtering mode according to a third instruction, the filtering mode being corresponding to at least one preset filtering condition; and a filtering condition determining unit configured to determine the filtering condition according to the filtering mode.

[0019] According to still another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the apparatus for filtering pictures may further include a post-processing unit configured to store the selected pictures to a preset location according to a fourth instruction.

[0020] According to yet another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an

electronic device is provided, including the aforementioned apparatus for filtering pictures.

[0021] The embodiments of the present disclosure have the following beneficial effect: the mode of classifying the pictures through inherent folders is replaced by screening the pictures according to the filtering condition, thus the pictures can be filtered flexibly and conveniently, and multiple filtrations of the pictures can be realized easily. In addition, through the subsequent processing of the selected pictures, the pictures in the electronic device can be conveniently classified and consolidated.

[0022] These and other aspects of the present disclosure will be clear with reference to the following descriptions and drawings. In those descriptions and drawings, the specific embodiments of the present disclosure are concretely disclosed to represent some implementations of the principle of the present disclosure. But it shall be appreciated that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. On the contrary, the present disclosure includes all changes, modifications and equivalents falling within the scope of the spirit and the connotation of the accompanied claims.

[0023] Features described and/or illustrated with respect to one embodiment can be used in one or more other embodiments in a same or similar way, and/or by being combined with or replacing the features in other embodiments.

[0024] To be noted, the term "comprise/include" used herein specifies the presence of

feature, element, step or component, not excluding the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, steps or components.

[0025] Many aspects of the present disclosure will be understood better with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not surely drafted in proportion, and the emphasis lies in clearly illustrating the principle of the present disclosure. For the convenience of illustrating and describing some portions of the present disclosure, corresponding portions in the drawings may be enlarged, e.g., being more enlarged relative to other portions than the situation in the exemplary device practically manufactured according to the present disclosure. The parts and features illustrated in one drawing or embodiment of the present disclosure may be combined with the parts and features illustrated in one or more other drawings or embodiments. In addition, the same reference signs denote corresponding portions throughout the drawings, and they can be used to denote the same or similar portions in more than one embodiment.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0026] The included drawings are provided for further understanding of the present

disclosure, and they constitute a part of the Specification. The drawings illustrate the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and they are used to explain the principle of the present disclosure together with the text, wherein the same or similar element is denoted with the same reference sign, and "primed" reference numerals represent elements that are the same or similar to elements that are designed by the same unprimed reference numeral, and so on.

In the drawings:

[fig. l ]Fig. 1 is a flowchart of a method for filtering pictures according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure;

[fig.2]Fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for determining a filtering condition according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure;

[fig.3]Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram where filtering type icons are displayed on a display interface according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure;

[fig.4]Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of setting a time range according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure; [fig.5]Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram where the setting of a time range is completed according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure;

[fig.6]Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of setting a character range according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure;

[fig.7]Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of setting a place range according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure;

[fig.8]Fig. 8 is a structure diagram of an apparatus for filtering pictures according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure;

[fig.9]Fig. 9 is a structure diagram of a determining unit according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure; and

[fig.10]Fig. 10 is a block diagram of a system structure of an electronic device according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure.

Description of Embodiments

[0027] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described as follows with

reference to the drawings. Those embodiments are just exemplary, rather than limitations to the present disclosure.

[0028] Embodiment 1

[0029] Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure provides a method for filtering pictures, which is adopted to filter pictures in an electronic device. Fig. 1 is a flowchart of a method for filtering pictures according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As illustrated in Fig; 1 , the method for filtering pictures includes:

Step 101 : determining a filtering condition according to user's selection, the filtering condition including a filtering type and a range thereof;

Step 102: judging whether each picture meets the filtering condition according to attributes of pictures in the electronic device; and

Step 103: displaying selected pictures meeting the filtering condition.

[0030] In this embodiment, the electronic device may be a smart phone, a digital photo

frame, a digital camera, etc. As the filtering object, the pictures may be those acquired by the electronic device through its own camera, those transmitted to the electronic device by another electronic device in a wired or wireless manner, or those in storage means connected to the electronic device. In conclusion, "the pictures of the electronic device" in the present disclosure are not limited to those stored in the electronic device, and may be the pictures stored in another electronic device connected to the electronic device.

[0031] In this embodiment, the filtering condition may include a filtering type and a range thereof, wherein the filtering type may be the type of a certain attribute of the picture, such as the place, time, character, color, text or corresponding audio of the picture. The range of the filtering type may be the concrete content of the above information. For example, when the filtering type is the place of the picture, the range thereof may include the place represented with the name of country, city or region in the picture (e.g., "Shanghai", "Tokyo", etc.), the place where the landmark or landscape in the picture is located, the geographical coordinates of the camera when the pictures are taken (e.g., longitude and/or latitude), or the distance between the location of the camera when the picture is taken and the residence of the picture-taker. When the filtering type is the character in the picture, the range thereof may include the name of a major object in the picture (e.g., "Tomy", "Jerry", etc.), or the character having certain appearance characteristics (e.g., short hair, a round face, etc.). When the filtering type is the text in the picture, the range thereof may include the particular text in the picture, or the particular notes added to the attribute of the picture. When the filtering type corresponds audio of the picture, the range thereof may include the particulai- rhythm, melody or tune of corresponding audio of the picture, wherein the corresponding audio of the picture for example may be the audio data of environment when the picture is taken, or the audio data of particular- character, or the audio data set by the user according to the scene or content of the picture (e.g., the audio data of a piece of music). The above descriptions of the filtering type and its range are just exemplary, and in the implementation of the present disclosure, different filtering types and ranges may be selected for a picture filtration according to the user's personal preference and demand.

[0032] In this embodiment, the above attribute information of the picture may be acquired in many manners. In some implementations, the attribute information of the picture may be acquired according to the inherent attribute of the picture. For example, the time of the picture may be acquired according to the picture-taken time automatically stored in the picture attribute when the picture is taken or the modification time stored in the picture attribute when the picture is modified. In other implementations, the above attribute information may also be added to the picture attribute when picture is processed. For example, the main color information of the picture is acquired by analyzing the picture colors, and then added to the picture attribute.

[0033] In step 101 , the filtering condition for the picture selection may be determined

according to the user's demand. In the implementation, the filtering type and the range thereof contained in the filtering condition may be determined in many manners. For example, firstly the filtering type for the picture filtration is determined, and then the range thereof is set. Or, a filtering mode is preset, which corresponds to at least one preset filtering condition, thereby indirectly determining the filtering type corresponding to the filtering mode and the range thereof.

[0034] In step 102, a filtering instruction may be received, and it is judged whether the at- tributes of pictures in the electronic device meet the filtering condition determined in step 101 , so as to select the pictures meeting the filtering condition. When a selecting operation is specifically performed, for example, the picture attributes may be compared with the filtering condition, and it is judged whether the picture meets the filtering condition according to the comparison result, so as to select the pictures meeting the filtering condition. For the implementation of the picture filtering operation, please refer to the relevant art, and herein is omitted.

[0035] In step 103, the pictures meeting the filtering condition are displayed as the selected pictures. In addition, optionally the total number of the pictures meeting the filtering condition and/or the detailed information of each picture may be additionally displayed.

[0036] In one implementation, the method for filtering pictures according to Embodiment 1 may further include step 104: performing a predetermined processing on the selected pictures according to an instruction of the user (herein referred to as a fourth instruction), e.g., while displaying die selected pictures, displaying a virtual function key which corresponds to a preset function of replicating or moving the selected pictures to another folder, so that all the selected pictures are replicated or moved to another folder when the user clicks the virtual function key, The other folder may be established in advance or concurrently with the replication or movement, and the embodiment is not limited thereto. In addition, the above preset function is also an example, and the virtual function key may correspond to another preset function in another embodiment, e.g., sending to a designated address, printing, etc., so that the selected pictures are sent to the designated address or printed when the printer is normal once the virtual function key is clicked.

[0037] Next, the steps below will be described in details with reference to the drawings.

[0038] Fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for determining a filtering condition according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the method includes: Step 201 : determining the filtering type of the filtering condition according to a first instruction; and

[0039] Step 202: determining the range of the filtering type according to a second instruction.

[0040] When step 201 is carried out, the filtering type may be displayed on the display interface according to an instruction from a Use Interface (UI). In an implementation, a plurality of filtering type icons may be displayed on the display interface of the electronic device, wherein each filtering type icon indicates one filtering type.

[0041 ] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram where filtering type icons are displayed on a display interface according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the display interface 300 includes a filtering type icon display area 301 and a picture display area 302, wherein the filtering type icon display area 301 is located at the upper portion of the display interface. In another embodiment, the filtering type icon display area 301 may also be located at another portion (e.g., lower portion, or left or right side) of the display interface, or float in front of the picture display area in a semi- transparent display format.

[0042] In this embodiment, as illustrated in Fig. 3, a filtering type icon 301 1 is displayed in the filtering type icon display area 301. The filtering type indicated by the filtering type icon 301 1 for example may be the picture-taken time (TIME), the character (FACE), the picture-taken place (PLACE), the picture color (COLOR), etc.

[0043] In this embodiment, a certain filtering type may be determined from a plurality of filtering types indicated by a plurality of filtering type icons 301 1, according to a first instruction from the user or a preset first instruction. In an implementation, the icon 301 1 corresponding to a detemiined filtering type may be highlighted to emphasize the determined filtering type.

[0044] In step 202, for the determined filtering type, the range thereof is set. In an implementation, a second instruction may be received through the display interface of the electronic device, and the range of the filtering type is determined according to the second instruction.

[0045] Next, the determination of the range of the filtering type will be described through an example in which the picture-taken time (TIME) is determined as the filtering type.

[0046] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of determining a time range according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As illustrated in Fig. 4, when the filtering type is detemiined as the picture-taken time (TIME), a timeline 401 may be displayed on the display interface 300. By operating the timeline, the user can generate a second instruction indicating to determine the time range as one or more time points, or one or more time periods, etc. To be noted, the unit of the time point or time period may be hour, day, month, year, etc., which may be changed according to the user's setting.

[0047] In addition, in Fig. 4 the timeline 401 covers the filtering type icon display area 301 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the timeltne40l may be located in another area of the display interface 300, rather than covering the filtering type icon display area 301.

[0048] Next, the generation of the second instruction will be described through an example of the timeline displayed in months as illustrated in Fig. 4. If the user clicks or selects a particular date on the timeline, such as April 1, 2013, an instruction "time range = April 1 , 2013" is generated. If the user clicks two dates respectively within a certain operation interval, such as April 13, 2013 and April 27, 2013, an instruction "time range= April 13, 2013 to April 27, 2013" is generated. There are many manners for generating the second instruction according to the user's operation. The above de- scription is just an example, while the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the relation between the user operation and the second instruction may be defined based on the relevant art.

[0049] In addition, the range of the filtering type may be emphasized on the timeline. As illustrated in Fig. 4, when the second instruction "time range= April 13, 2013 to April 27, 2013" is generated, the time period may be emphasized on the timeline.

[0050] Fig. 4 illustrates how to generate the second instruction for the picture-taken time by using the timeline as an example. In addition, the second instruction may be generated in other manners. For example, after the filtering type is determined, an input field may be displayed on the display interface 300, and the user may input specific time information in the input field, so as to generate the second instruction.

[0051] The electronic device receives the generated second instruction, and determines the range of the filtering type according to the second instruction. In an implementation, after the range of the filtering type is determined, it may be displayed in the display area of the filtering type icon 301 1. As illustrated in Fig. 5, when the value of the picture-taken time (TIME) is set as "time range= April 13, 2013 to April 27, 2013", "time range= April 13, 2013 to April 27,. 2013" may be displayed in the display area corresponding to "picture-taken time (TIME)".

[0052] In the above description, how to set the range of the filtering type is described

through an example in which the picture-taken time (TIME) and the range thereof are taken as the filtering condition. Next, how to set the range of the filtering type in step 202 will be described through an example in which the character (FACE), the picture- taken place (PLACE) or the picture color (COLOR) and the range thereof are taken as the filtering type, respectively.

[0053] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of setting a character range according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As illustrated in Fig. 6, when the character (FACE) is determined as the filtering type, a character list 601 may be displayed on the display interface 300. The user may generate a second instruction by selecting the name or icon of a particular character in the character list, and the second instruction indicates to determine the character range as one or more characters.

[0054] In an implementation, when it is indicated to detennine the character range as plural characters, the logical relation between the values thereof may be further indicated as "logical AND", or "logical OR", etc. For example, after the user selects three characters "Angelababy", "Han Geng" and "Wang Likun", he can further select the relation between the three characters to be "logical OR", i.e., once the picture contains any one of the three characters "Angelababy", "Han Geng" and "Wang Likun", it meets the filtering condition. However, if the user selects the relation between the three characters to be "logical AND", only a picture simultaneously containing the above three characters meets the filtering condition.

[0055] In this embodiment, the attribute data of each picture may be added with the

character attribute of the picture. In an implementation, the character attribute of the picture may be artificially added to the attribute data of the picture in advance, e.g., the names of all characters in the picture or just the name of the major character may be added. In another implementation, the faces in the picture may be automatically recognized according to the face template data of particular characters, and the information of the characters in the picture may be automatically added to the attribute data of the picture according to the recognition result.

[0056] The electronic device receives the generated second instruction, and determines the range of the filtering type according to the second instruction.

[0057] In addition, the information of the characters may be not added to each picture in advance, instead, after the range of the filtering type is set as one or more particular characters, the face template data of those particular characters is compared with the picture to be filtered, and it is directly judged whether the character attribute of the picture meets the filtering condition according to the comparison result. Thus, the time for preprocessing the picture can be reduced, but the time for filtering the picture may be increased accordingly.

[0058] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of setting a place range according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As illustrated in Fig. 7, when the picture-taken place is de- termined as the filtering type, a distance line 701 may be displayed on the display interface 300 to indicate a distance between the picture-taken place and the user residence. In another implementation, the display interface 300 may directly display a list of picture-taken places. In addition, the display interface may also display other information indicating places. The user may generate a second instruction by selecting the distance between the picture-taken place and the user residence or paiticular places in the list of picture-taken places. The second instruction indicates to determine the place range as a certain distance, or one or more particular places.

In this embodiment, the attribute data of each picture may be added with the place attribute of the picture. In an implementation, the place information of the picture may be artificially added to the attribute data of the picture in advance, e.g., the city name of the picture-taken place and/or the distance between the picture-taken place and the user residence is added. In another implementation, the positioning function of the camera device may be activated to automatically record the coordinates of the geographical location of the camera device when the picture is taken, thereby acquiring the information of the distance between the picture-taken place and the user residence, or other information of the picture-taken place.

The electronic device receives the generated second instruction, and determines the range of the filtering type according to the instruction.

[0059] In addition, when the color (COLOR) is selected as the filtering type, a color palette or a color bar may be displayed on the display interface 300. The user generates a second instruction by selecting particular colors, and the second instruction indicates to set the color range as one or more colors.

[0060] In this embodiment, the attribute data of each picture may be added with the color attribute of the picture. In an implementation, the colors in the picture may be analyzed, e.g., using a color picking technology, to determine the main colors of the picture, and information of the main colors is added to the attribute data of the picture. Of course, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and information of other colors may also be used.

[0061] The electronic device receives the generated second instruction, and determines the value of the filtering type according to the second instruction.

[0062] In addition, in some implementations, the color information of the colors may not be added to each picture in advance, instead, after the range of the color filtering type is set as one or more particular colors, the colors of the picture are analyzed and the color attribute of the picture is extracted, then it is judged whether the picture meets the filtering condition by comparing the color attribute of the picture with the range of the color filtering type. Thus, the time for preprocessing the picture can be reduced, but the time for filtering the picture may be increased accordingly.

[0063] For the above embodiment, being similar to the situation where the time is determined as the selection type, the character list 601 , the distance line 701 and the color palette may cover the filtering type icon display area 301 , or they may be located in another area of the display interface 300, rather than covering the filtering type icon display area 301.

[0064] In addition, after the filtering type is determined, an input field may be displayed on the display interface 300, and the user may input specific characters, places, colors, etc. in the input field, so as to generate the second instruction.

[0065] In addition, after the step of determining the filtering condition is finished according to the second instruction, the character range, the place range and/or the color range may be displayed in the display area of the filtering type icon 301 1.

[0066] In addition, in the above embodiment, during the step of determining the filtering condition, the pictures to be filtered may be displayed in the picture display area 302 of the display interface 300, and the selected pictures may be displayed in the picture display area 302 after the pictures are filtered, thereby directly reflecting the difference between the pictures before and after the filtration.

[0067] In another embodiment, the picture display area 302 may not display the pictures to be filtered, but just displays the selected pictures after the pictures are filtered, so as to display a more extensive range of filtering type in the step of determining the filtering condition.

[0068] To be noted, the time, character, place or color is used as the filtering type as an example and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Other filtering types may also be set upon the user's actual demand.

[0069] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a filtering mode may be determined according to a third instruction, so as to determine the filtering condition. In an implementation, the filtering mode(s) of the pictures may be preset, each including one or more filtering conditions, i.e., a preset filtering mode may be used to determine multiple filtering conditions. In addition, one or more filtering modes may be set. Thus, by determining a filtering mode, its corresponding filtering condition(s) may be conveniently determined.

[0070] For example, if the pictures of character A in the electronic device are continuously updated, filtering mode 1 may be preset, which takes "character" as the filtering type, and the range of the filtering type is "character A", then the pictures of character A can be conveniently filtered just by determining filtering mode 1 without needing to determine the filtering type each time, and the range of the filtering type can also be determined, thereby improving the convenience. In addition, when multiple filtrations are performed, the filtering type and the range thereof for the multiple filtrations can be determined more conveniently by determining the filtering mode.

[0071] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, a new filtering condition may be determined based on the pictures previously selected, i.e., the new filtering type and the range thereof are determined to judge whether each of the selected pictures meets the new filtering condition, and the pictures meeting the new filtering condition are displayed as other selected pictures, thereby performing multiple filtrations on the pictures. For example, after the pictures are filtered by using the time as the filtering type, the selected pictures may be filtered by using the character as the filtering type, then filtered by using the place as the filtering type, and the pictures obtained after the multiple filtrations meet each filtering condition. Thus, the pictures may be filtered by combining several filtering types, thereby improving the flexibility of the picture filtration.

[0072] In another implementation of an embodiment of the present disclosure, in a case where multiple filtrations are to be performed, the filtering steps temporarily may be not carried out when a filtering condition is determined, and it continues to determine other filtering conditions. When at least two filtering conditions are determined, the pictures are filtered according to the determined at least two filtering conditions and the received or preset filtering operation instruction, i.e., the pictures are filtered under multiple filtering conditions through only a single filtering operation. Thus the steps of multiple filtrations are reduced, and the multiple filtrations are more convenient.

[0073] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after the filtered pictures are acquired, as illustrated in Fig. 5, a subsequent processing icon (the previous virtual function key) 503 may be displayed on the display interface 300. The user may generate a subsequent processing instruction by operating the subsequent processing icon 503, and perform subsequent processing on the selected pictures according to the subsequent processing instruction. For example, as mentioned previously, classified folders may be established for the selected pictures according to the received subsequent processing instruction. The selected pictures are replicated or moved into the classified folders for a storage, or the shortcuts of the selected pictures are stored into those folders. Thus, the pictures in the electronic device can be conveniently classified and consolidated, and the pictures can be viewed, transmitted or shared conveniently through the classified folders when the electronic device is connected to another device. In addition, the selected pictures may also be directly transmitted, printed, etc.

[0074] As can be seen from the above embodiment, by determining the picture filtering type and the range thereof, the pictures can be filtered flexibly and conveniently, and multiple filtrations of the pictures can be realized easily. In addition, through a subsequent processing of the selected pictures, the pictures in the electronic device can be conveniently classified and consolidated.

[0075] Embodiment 2

[0076] Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure provides an apparatus for filtering pictures, which corresponds to the method for filtering pictures in Embodiment 1 , and the same contents are omitted herein.

[0077] Fig. 8 is a structure diagram of an apparatus for filtering pictures according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. As illustrated in Fig. 8, the apparatus 800 for filtering pictures includes: a determining unit 801 configured to determine a filtering condition according to user's selection, the filtering condition including a filtering type and a range thereof; a judging unit 802 configured to judge whether each picture meets the filtering condition according to attributes of pictures in the electronic device; and a displaying unit 803 configured to display pictures meeting the filtering condition as selected pictures.

[0078] In an implementation, the determining unit 801 may determine at least two filtering conditions, and the judging unit 802 may filter the pictures according to the at least two filtering conditions.

[0079] In another implementation, the apparatus 800 for filtering pictures may further

include a post-processing unit 804 configured to store the pictures acquired through the filtration (i.e., the selected pictures) to a preset location, or perform a subsequent processing such as storage, transmission, printing, etc.

[0080] For the specific working modes of respective units in this embodiment, please refer to those of corresponding steps in Embodiment 1 , and herein are omitted. To be noted, regarding the apparatus 800 for filtering pictures, only the stmctures of the parts related to the embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated, and please refer to the relevant art for other parts.

[0081] Fig. 9 is a structure diagram of a determining unit 801 according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. As illustrated in Fig. 9, in Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure, the determining unit 801 may include: a filtering type determining unit 901 configured to determine the filtering type of the filtering condition; and a range determining unit 902 configured to determine the range of the filtering type according to the second instruction.

[0082] For the specific working modes of respective parts of the determining unit 801 in this embodiment, please refer to those of corresponding steps in Embodiment 1 , and herein are omitted.

[0083] In one embodiment, the determining unit 801 may also include a filtering mode determining unit and a filtering condition selecting unit, wherein the filtering mode determining unit determines a filtering mode according to a third instruction; and the filtering condition determining unit determines the filtering condition according to the filtering mode. In the implementation, the filtering condition determining unit for example may include a memory which stores a queiy table of the correspondence between the filtering mode and the filtering condition, and the filtering condition corresponding to the filtering mode can be obtained by inquiring the query table.

[0084] As can be seen from the above embodiment, by determining the picture filtering

condition, the apparatus for filtering pictures can select pictures flexibly and conveniently, and multiple filtrations of the pictures can be realized easily. In addition, through a subsequent processing of the selected pictures, the pictures in the electronic device can be conveniently classified and consolidated

[0085] Embodiment 3

[0086] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an electronic device

including the apparatus for filtering pictures as described in Embodiment 2.

[0087] Fig. 10 is a block diagram of a system structure of an electronic device 1000

according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure, including a picture processing and displaying apparatus 160 which includes the apparatus 800 for filtering pictures as described in Embodiment 2. To be noted, the diagram is schematic, and the structure may be supplemented or replaced with another type of structure to realize the telecom function or other function.

[0088] As illustrated in Fig. 10, the electronic device 1000 may further include a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 100, a communication module 1 10, an input unit 120, an audio processor 130, a memory 140, a camera 150 and a power supply 170.

[0089] The CPU 100 (sometimes called as controller or operation control, including microprocessor or other processor unit and/or logic unit) receives an input, and controls respective parts of the electronic device 1000 and operations thereof. The input unit 120 provides an input to the CPU 100. The input unit 120 for example is a key or touch input means. The camera 150 is configured to take image data, and provide the taken image data to the CPU 100 for a conventional usage, such as storage, transmission, etc.

[0090] The power supply 170 is configured to supply power to the electronic device 1000.

The picture processing and displaying apparatus 160 is configured to process and display an object such as picture, video and text.

[0091 ] The memory 140 is coupled to the CPU 100. The memory 140 may be a solid state memory, such as Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), SIM card, etc., and it also may be a memory which stores information even if the power is off, and which is selectively erasable and provided with more data. The example of the memory sometimes is referred to as EPROM. The memory 140 also may be of another type. The memory 140 includes a buffer memory 141 (sometimes referred to as buffer); The memory 140 may include, an application/function storage section 142 configured to store application programs and function programs, or perform the operation flow of the electronic device 1000 through the CPU 100.

[0092] The memory 140 may further include a data storage section 143 configured to store data, such as contact person, digital data, pictures, sounds and/br any other data used by the electronic device. A drive program storage section 144 of the memory 140 may include various drive programs of the electronic device for the communication function and/or for performing other functions of the electronic device (e.g., messaging application, address book application, etc.).

[0093] The communication module 1 10 is a transmitter/receiver 110 which transmits and receives signals via an antenna 1 1 1. The communication module (transmitter/receiver) 1 10 is coupled to the CPU 100, so as to provide an input signal and receive an output signal, which may be the same as the situation of the conventional mobile communication terminal.

[0094] Based on different communication technologies, the same electronic device may be provided with a plurality of communication modules 1 10, such as cellular network module, Bluetooth module and/or wireless local area network (WLAN) module. The communication module (transmitter/ receiver) 1 10 is further coupled to a speaker 131 via the audio processor 130, so as to provide an audio output via the speaker 131. The audio processor 130 may include any suitable buffer, decoder, amplifier, etc.

[0095] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer readable program, which when being executed in an electronic device, enables a computer to perform the method for filtering pictures as described in Embodiment 1 in the electronic device.

[0096] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a storage medium storing a computer readable program which enables a computer to perform the method for filtering pictures as described in Embodiment 1 in an electronic device.

[0097] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described as above with reference to the drawings. Many features and advantages of those embodiments are apparent from the detailed specification, thus the accompanied claims intend to cover all such features and advantages of those embodiments which fall within the true spirit and scope thereof. In addition, since numerous modifications and changes are easily conceivable to a person skilled in the art, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the exact structure and operation as illustrated and described, but cover all suitable modifications and equivalents falling within the scope thereof.

[0098] It shall be understood that each of the parts of the present disclosure may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods may be implemented by software or firmware stored in the memory and executed by an appropriate instruction executing system. For example, if the implementation uses hardware, it may be realized by any one of the following technologies known in the art or combinations thereof as in another embodiment: a discrete logic circuit having a logic gate circuit for realizing logic functions of data signals, application-specific integrated circuit having an appropriate combined logic gate circuit, a programmable gate array (PGA), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA). etc.

[0099] Any process, method or block in the flowchart or described in other manners herein may be understood as being indicative of including one or more modules, segments or parts for realizing the codes of executable instructions of the steps in specific logic functions or processes, and that the scope of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure include other implementations, wherein the functions may be executed in manners different from those shown or discussed (e.g., according to the related functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in a reverse order), which shall be understood by a person skilled in the art.

[0100] The logic and/or steps shown in the flowcharts or described in other manners herein may be, for example, understood as a sequencing list of executable instructions for realizing logic functions, which may be implemented in any computer readable medium, for use by an instruction executing system, apparatus or device (such as a system based on a computer, a system including a processor, or other systems capable of extracting instructions from an instruction executing system, apparatus or device and executing the instructions), or for use in combination with the instruction executing system, apparatus or device.

[0101 ] The above literal descriptions and drawings show various features of the present disclosure. It shall be understood that a person of ordinary skill in the art may prepare suitable computer codes to carry out each of the steps and processes described above and illustrated in the drawings. It shall also be understood that the above-described terminals, computers, servers, and networks, etc. may be any type, and the computer codes may be prepared according to the disclosure contained herein to carry out the present disclosure by using the apparatuses.

[0102] Particular embodiments of the present disclosure have been disclosed herein. A

person skilled in the art will readily recognize that the present disclosure is applicable in other environments. In practice, there exist many embodiments and implementations. The appended claims are by no means intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure to the above particular embodiments. Furthermore, any reference to "an apparatus configured to" is an explanation of apparatus plus function for describing elements and claims, and it is not desired that any element using no reference to "an apparatus configured to " is understood as an element of apparatus plus function, even though the wording of "apparatus" is included in that claim.

[0103] Although the present disclosure has been illustrated and described through a

particular prefened embodiment or multiple embodiments, it is obvious that equivalent amendments and modifications are conceivable to a person skilled in the art in reading and understanding the description and drawings. Especially for various functions executed by the above elements (parts, components, apparatuses, and compositions, etc.), unless otherwise specified, it is desirable that the terms (including the reference to the "apparatus") describing these elements correspond to any element executing specific functions of these elements (i.e. function equivalence), even though the element is structurally different from that executing the function of an exemplary embodiment or multiple embodiments illustrated in the present disclosure. Furthermore, although the specific features of the present disclosure have been described with respect to only one or more of the illustrated embodiments, such features may be combined with one or more other features in other embodiments as desired and in consideration of benefiting any given or specific application.

Claims

A method for filtering pictures, which is adapted to filter pictures in an electronic device, comprising:

determining a filtering condition according to user's selection, the filtering condition including a filtering type and a range corresponding thereto;

judging whether each picture meets the filtering condition according to attributes of pictures in the electronic device; and

displaying selected pictures meeting the filtering condition.

The method for filtering pictures according to claim 1 , further comprising:

determining another filtering condition according to the user's selection, the other filtering condition including another filtering type and a range corresponding thereto;

judging whether each picture in the selected pictures meets the other filtering condition according to attributes of the selected pictures; and displaying other selected pictures meeting the other filtering condition. The method for filtering pictures according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein determining a filtering condition according to user's selection comprises:

determining the filtering type of the filtering condition according to a first instruction; and

determining the range of the filtering type according to a second instruction.

The method for filtering pictures according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein determining a filtering condition according to user's selection comprises:

determining a filtering mode according to a third instruction, the filtering mode corresponding to at least one preset filtering condition; and

determining the filtering condition according to the filtering mode. The method for filtering pictures according to any one of claims 1-4, further comprising storing the selected pictures to a preset location according to a fourth instruction.

The method for filtering pictures according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the number of the filtering condition is at least one, each comprising one filtering type and one range thereof. The method for filtering pictures according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the filtering type comprises at least one of: a place of the picture, time of the picture, a character of the picture, a color of the picture, text of the picture and/or audio corresponding to the picture. An apparatus for filtering pictures, which is adapted to filter pictures in an electronic device, comprising:

a determining unit configured to determine a filtering condition according to user's selection, the filtering condition including a filtering type and a range corresponding thereto;

a judging unit configured to judge whether each picture meets the filtering condition according to attributes of pictures in the electronic device; and

a displaying unit configured to display selected pictures meeting the filtering condition.

The apparatus for filtering pictures according to claim 8, wherein the determining unit comprises:

a filtering type determining unit configured to determine the filtering type of the filtering condition according to a first instruction; and a range determining unit configured to determine the range of the filtering type according to a second instruction.

The apparatus for filtering pictures according to any one of claims 8-9, wherein the determining unit comprises:

a filtering mode determining unit configured to determine a filtering mode according to a third instruction, the filtering mode corresponding to at least one preset filtering condition; and

a filtering condition determining unit configured to determine the filtering condition according to the filtering mode.

The apparatus for filtering pictures according to any one of claims

8- 10, further comprising:

a post-processing unit configured to store the selected pictures to a preset location according to a fourth instruction.

An electronic device comprising the apparatus for filtering pictures according to any one of claims 8-1 1.