Patent ID: 7539949

Claim:
A method of searching for a desired image of a plurality of images stored in a digital storage device, the method comprising: a) categorizing each image of the plurality of images into a category according to an image characteristic; a1) subcategorizing each category; b) displaying a first screen including only a first subset of thumbnail images from a first subcategory on a monitor of the digital storage device, the first subcategory being at least a portion of a first category; b1) displaying on the monitor a first indicia identifying the subcategory; b2) displaying on the monitor a second indicia identifying the subset and a total number of subsets in the subcategory; c) determining if one button of a four-way direction button was pressed together with one of a first and second hot button, the first hot button being operative to change subsets of images being displayed in only an intra-subcategory manner, and the second hot button being operative to change subsets of images being displayed in only an inter-subcategory manner; d) displaying a second screen including only a second subset of thumbnail images from the first subcategory if, according to step c, the one button of the four-way direction button was pressed with the first hot button; e) displaying a third screen including only a first subset of thumbnail images from a second subcategory if, according to step c, the one button of the four-way direction button was pressed with the second hot button; and f) updating, according to step c, at least one of the first indicia to show the second subcategory and the second indicia to show the second subset.