PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9305027-B2
Application Number: US-88896207-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: User configurable quick groups

Abstract:
This invention is directed to defining quick groups for easily associating keywords with an object (e.g., a media objection) accessible using an electronic device. The user of an electronic device may define several keywords that identify attributes of an object accessible using the electronic device. The user may associate keywords with an object to link the attribute of the keyword with the object (e.g., associate a keyword entitled “vacation” to vacation pictures). The user may assign a shortcut key to each of a subset of the keywords, referred to as quick groups, by which the user may rapidly associate the keyword to an object. In some embodiments, the electronic device may select the shortcut key of a quick group from the letters of the quick group to help the user remember the shortcut key.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 receiving input to assign a shortcut key to a keyword including a plurality of characters so the keyword is assignable to a media file by a selection of the shortcut key; 
 identifying, by a processor, a first character of the plurality of characters to assign as the shortcut key; 
 determining, by the processor, that the first character of the plurality of characters has been previously assigned as the shortcut key of another keyword; 
 in response to the determining, identifying, by the processor, a subsequent character of the plurality of characters to assign as the shortcut key; and 
 assigning, by the processor, the subsequent character as the shortcut key to the keyword, wherein the keyword is assignable to the media file upon a selection of the subsequent character. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, in response to determining that the first character of the plurality of characters has not been assigned as the shortcut key of any other keyword, assigning the first character of the plurality of characters as the shortcut key to the keyword, wherein the keyword is assignable to the media file upon a selection of the first character. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, in response to determining that each of the plurality of characters included in the keyword has been assigned as a shortcut key of a corresponding keyword, assigning an arbitrary character not included in the plurality of characters and not assigned to any other keyword as the shortcut key to the keyword. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of characters included in the keyword includes numbers, letters of the alphabet, or combinations of them.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is related to configuring quick groups for quickly associating keywords with an object, such as media objects, accessible using an electronic device. 
     Using electronic devices, users may access different media objects, such as videos and images. The media objects may be stored in one or more folders, which may be named for an attribute of the media objects stored in the folder. Some media objects, however, may include many attributes that the user would like to associate with each of the media objects. For example, a user may wish to associate vacation pictures taken with friends with tags for the location of the vacation, the activity conducted, the people in each picture, or any other tag that may be of interest to the user. Accordingly, some electronic device may allow users to define metadata keywords that can be associated with media objects. 
     Some users may have very large numbers of media objects with which the users may wish to associate keywords. Using keywords as implemented in some known electronic devices, users may be forced to select media objects to be associated with a particular keyword, and then select the keyword using an input mechanism, for example by selecting the appropriate keyword icon displayed on-screen. This process may be cumbersome and time intensive, and thus prevent busy or impatient users from avoid associating keywords with media objects. There is a need, therefore, for a system by which users may easily associate tags with media objects accessible using an electronic device. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Systems and methods for creating and associating quick groups with media objects accessible using an electronic device are provided. 
     The user of an electronic device may define several keywords that may be associated with media objects (e.g., videos, music, or pictures) and may select a subset of the keywords. In response to receiving the user selection of the subset of keywords, the electronic device may assign a shortcut key to each of the subset of keywords to form a quick group from each of the selected subset of keywords. 
     To associate a quick group with one or more media objects, the user may select the one or more media objects, and provide an input corresponding to the shortcut key assigned to the quick group. For example, if the shortcut key assigned to the quick group is a letter of the alphabet, the user may simply press the key corresponding to the letter on the keyboard of the user&#39;s electronic device to associate the one or more media objects with the quick group. 
     The electronic device may select the shortcut key to assign to each quick group using any suitable approach. For example, the electronic device may assign the first letter of a quick group as the shortcut key of the quick group. If the electronic device determines that the first letter of the quick group is not available (e.g., it has already been taken by an existing quick group), the electronic device may assign a subsequent letter of the quick group as the shortcut key of the quick group. If the electronic device determines that none of the letters of the quick group are available, the electronic device may assign an arbitrary letter as the shortcut key of the quick group. 
     In some embodiments, the electronic device may periodically update the shortcut keys associated with each quick group. For example, the electronic device may identify existing quick groups and their assigned shortcut keys, and determine whether the first character of any existing quick group is the shortcut key assigned to another quick group that does not begin with that character (e.g., it is a subsequent character of the other quick group, or was the next available character when the other quick group was created). In response to determining that the first character of a quick group is the shortcut key assigned to another quick group that does not begin with that character, the electronic device may reassign the shortcut key to the quick group for which it is the first character, and assign another shortcut key to the other quick group. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other features of the present invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an illustrative system in which objects may be associated with user configurable quick groups in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an illustrative display screen for organizing images in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an illustrative display screen of a quick group window in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is another illustrative display screen of a quick group window in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  are illustrative display screens of quick group portions in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is still another illustrative display screen of a quick group window in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 8  is an illustrative display screen of a window for editing quick groups and keywords in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 9  is an illustrative display screen of a quick group window in response to a user request to edit keywords and quick groups in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 10  is an illustrative display screen of the quick group window of  FIG. 9  in response to a user request to edit a keyword in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 11  is an illustrative display screen of the quick group portion of  FIG. 9  in response to a user request to edit a shortcut key in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 12  is an illustrative display screen for organizing audio in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 13  is an illustrative flow chart of a process for associating a quick group with an image in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 14  is a flow chart of an illustrative process for assigning a shortcut key to a quick group in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an illustrative system in which objects may be associated with user configurable quick groups in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. System  100  may include electronic device  102 . Electronic device  102  may be any electronic device with which a user may access objects (e.g., images, videos, music or other files). Suitable electronic devices may include, for example, a computer, a cellular telephone, a mobile communications device, a personal media device, a set-top box, a television system, combinations thereof (e.g., the iPhone, available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.) or any other suitable electronic device. 
     Electronic device  102  may include processor  104  for performing the operations of electronic device  102 . Processor  104  may be coupled to any other suitable component of electronic device  102 . For example, processor  104  may be coupled to memory, a storage device, communications circuitry, a display, audio circuitry, a bus, an I/O component, or any other suitable component. 
     System  100  may include input mechanism  106  for providing user inputs to electronic device  102 . Input mechanism  106  may include any suitable mechanism for providing user inputs or instructions to electronic device  102 . Input mechanism  106  may take a variety of forms, such as one or more buttons, keyboard, keypad, dial, click wheel, mouse, or a touch screen. The user interface may include a multi-touch screen such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,846, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The user interface may emulate a rotary phone or a multi-button keypad, which may be implemented on a touch screen or the combination of a click wheel or other user input device and a screen. A more detailed discussion of such a rotary phone interface may be found, for example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/591,752, filed Nov. 1, 2006, entitled “Touch Pad with Symbols based on Mode,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     Screen  108  may be any suitable screen for displaying objects, media or other content to a user. For example, screen  108  may be a television, a projector, a monitor (e.g., a computer monitor), a media device display (e.g., a media player or video game console display), a communications device display (e.g., a cellular telephone display), a component coupled with a graphical output device, any combinations thereof, or any other suitable screen. 
     The user may organize objects accessible using electronic device  102  using any suitable approach. In particular, the user may use the quick groups of this invention to organize large amounts of media objects stored or placed in one location. For example, the user may organize pictures into albums using quick groups (e.g., in iPhoto). As another example, the user may organize music into playlists using quick groups (e.g., in iTunes). In the following discussion, embodiments of the invention will be illustrated in the context of images (e.g., photographs taken by a camera). It will be understood, however, that any object (e.g., including any media object such as music) accessible using electronic device  102  may be organized in accordance with embodiments of this invention. 
       FIG. 2  is an illustrative display screen for organizing images in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Display screen  200  may include folder tree  202  and image portion  210 . Folder tree  202  may include several folders  204  organized in a tree structure. The user may navigate the tree structure by selecting arrows  206 . In response to selecting an arrow  206 , the electronic device may display or hide the subfolders of the folder associated with the arrow  206 . For example, in response to selecting the folder entitled “Senior Year,” the electronic device may display subfolders entitled “Building Virtual World,” “Campus,” and “Alice&#39;s 21st birthday.” In response to selecting a particular folder (e.g., identified by highlight region  208 ), the electronic device may display the images stored in the selected folder in image portion  210 . 
     Image portion  210  may include several thumbnails  212  of images stored in the folder identified by highlight region  208 . Thumbnails  212  may be displayed in any suitable manner or order, including for example by file name, file size, date and time taken, or any other suitable manner or order. In some embodiments, the user may select a thumbnail  212  to view the full-size image associated with the thumbnail. 
     The user may store images in folders  204  of folder tree  202 . By naming folders  204 , the user may provide an indication of the attributes or characteristics associated with the objects (e.g., the images) stored in each folder  204 . Although this approach may be effective for providing an indication of one attribute of an image, it may prevent the user from associating several attributes to the same image. For example, if an image includes attributes related to two or more folders, the user may be forced to either select one attribute and store the image in the folder associated with the selected attribute, or store the image in all of the appropriate folders, which may unnecessarily take up additional memory and become confusing for the user. 
     To accommodate images having attributes conducive to associating the images with several folders, the electronic device may provide keywords that may be associated with images. Keywords may include any data that can be associated with images, including for example metadata. Using keywords, the user may associate several attributes with a single image (e.g., associate the keywords “Yankees,” “San Francisco,” and “Business Trip” with a picture of a Yankees-Giants baseball game played during the user&#39;s business trip to San Francisco) to more accurately describe the image without changing the location of the image in memory (e.g., without changing the folder in which the image is located). In some embodiments, keywords may be used to create albums of related images (e.g., a vacation album of images associated with the keyword “Vacation”). 
       FIG. 2  may include pop-up window  220  of keywords  222 . Although keywords  222  are provided in a pop-up window in  FIG. 2 , it will be understood that any other approach (e.g., new screen, tool bar, or new icons) may be used to provide keywords  222  to the user. To associate a keyword with an image, the user may first select one or more thumbnails  212  (e.g., using an input mechanism, such as a keyboard and/or a mouse), and subsequently select a keyword  212  (e.g., by selecting an on-screen keyword option). For example, to associate an image of a child playing soccer with the keyword “fun,” the user may first select the thumbnail of the image (e.g., thumbnail  213 ), and subsequently select “fun” keyword  223 . In some embodiments, the user may first select a keyword  222 , and subsequently select one or more thumbnails  212 . The electronic device may identify the currently selected keyword  222  by using highlight region  224 . If an image is currently selected, the electronic device may identify the one or more keywords associated with the image using highlight region  224 . 
     In some embodiments, the user may wish to associate several images with several different keywords quickly. Using the approach described above, the user would need to select each image individually, and subsequently select each of the keywords that are to be associated with each image. Alternatively, the user would instead first select a particular keyword and associate it with each appropriate image, then repeat this process for every other keyword of interest. While this approach may provide the desired result, it may be cumbersome and slow to use, especially if the user has a large number of images, keywords, or both. 
     To provide a more efficient mechanism for associating keywords with images, the electronic device may create shortcuts for one or more keywords.  FIG. 3  is an illustrative display screen of a quick group window in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Window  300  may include keyword portion  310  and quick group portion  320 . Keyword portion  310  may include several keywords  312 . The user may associate one or more keywords  312  with an image using any suitable approach described above. The user may edit keywords by selecting EDIT KEYWORDS option  314 . 
     Quick group portion  320  may include notice  322  indicating that the user may add keywords into keyword portion  320  to create quick groups.  FIG. 4  is another illustrative display screen of a quick group window in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Window  400  may include keyword portion  410  and quick group portion  420 , in which several keywords selected from keyword portion  410  have been placed. The user may add keywords to quick group portion  420  using any suitable approach. For example, the user may drag and drop keywords from keyword portion  410  to quick group portion  420 . As another example, the user may select keywords from keyword portion  410  and provide an input with an input mechanism (e.g., input mechanism  106 ) to move keywords into quick group portion  420  (e.g., an “up arrow” or “move” input). Once moved from keyword portion  410  to quick group portion  420 , keywords  412  may be identified as quick groups  422 . 
     A shortcut key may be assigned to each quick group  422 . The electronic device may use any suitable approach for assigning a shortcut key to quick group  422 .  FIGS. 5 and 6  are illustrative display screens of quick group portions in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Quick group portion  500  may include quick groups  502 , each of which may be associated with shortcut key  510 . Similarly, quick group portion  600  may include quick groups  602 , each of which may be associated with shortcut key  610 . The electronic device may assign any suitable shortcut key for each of quick groups  502  and  602 . For example, as shown in quick group portion  500  of  FIG. 5 , the electronic device may assign a number to each quick group. The electronic device may assign numbers using any suitable approach, including for example based on the order in which the quick words are formed, alphabetically (e.g., 1 for “California,” 2 for “Dad,” etc. in  FIG. 5 ), or using any other suitable approach. 
     As another example, as shown in quick group portion  600  of  FIG. 6 , the electronic device may assign the first letter of each quick group to the quick group (e.g., the letter “b” is assigned to the quick group “Boardwalk,” the letter “s” is assigned to the quick group “Santa Cruz”). In some embodiments, the electronic device may distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters in shortcut key assignments, or may instead assign both uppercase and lowercase letters to the same quick group. 
     The electronic device may use any suitable approach for assigning shortcut keys to quick groups if the first letter of a particular quick group has already been used. For example, the electronic device may assign uppercase letters to a particular quick group (e.g., if the electronic device distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase letters). As another example, if a particular quick group has two words (e.g., Lands End) or two upper case letters (e.g., LaVache), the electronic device may assign the first letter of the second word or the next upper case letter to the particular quick group. As still another example, the electronic device may assign the second letter of a quick group to the quick group (e.g., assign the letter “r” to the quick group “Artsy” if the letter “a” is already assigned to the quick group “Annabelle”). As still another example, if every letter of a quick group is taken, the electronic device may assign any suitable key (e.g., the next unassigned letter in the alphabet). 
     The following discussion of  FIG. 7  may serve to illustrate one example of a process for assigning particular shortcut keys to quick groups.  FIG. 7  is still another illustrative display screen of a quick group window in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Window  700  may include keyword portion  710  and quick group portion  720 . Quick group portion  720  may include several quick groups  722 , including quick groups “a,” “AA” and “Annabelle.” Because the quick group “Annabelle” was the first one created, it is assigned to the shortcut key “a,” identified by shortcut key identifier  724 . When the quick group “aa” is created, it can no longer be assigned to the shortcut key “a.” Instead, the electronic device may assign quick group “a” to shortcut key “A” (e.g., the first letter of quick group “a” has already been taken, so use the uppercase letter “A”). When the quick group “AA” is subsequently created, the electronic device cannot assign either shortcut key “a” or shortcut key “A” to that group. In addition, the quick group “AA” has no other letters which could serve as a basis for a shortcut key. Therefore, the electronic device may assign the next available letter to quick group “AA” (e.g., shortcut key “d” in the example of  FIG. 7  because “b” is taken by the quick group entitled “Boardwalk” and “c” is taken by the quick group entitled “Connor”). 
     To associate a quick group with an image, the user may select an image and press the shortcut key assigned to the desired quick group. By selecting an image and sequentially selecting the shortcut keys of each of the quick groups with which the user desires to associate the image, the user may quickly associate a number of quick groups with an image. In some embodiments, the user may also use approaches described above in connection with keywords to associate quick groups with one or more images. 
     To allow the user to use the shortcut keys in other contexts than quick groups (e.g., press “t” to page to the top of a screen, or “p” to play music when the media objects are music files), the electronic device may not associate quick groups with images in response to user selections of shortcut keys unless the user provides an instruction to enable quick groups. For example, the electronic device may allow the user to associate quick groups with images using shortcut keys only when quick groups window  300  is displayed or selected. As another example, the electronic device may require the user to press an additional key along with the shortcut key (e.g., Ctrl or Option+shortcut key). As still another example, the electronic device may determine, based on the context, whether to associate the quick group of a pressed shortcut key with an image (e.g., if an image is selected, the shortcut keys are enabled). In some embodiments, if quick groups are not enabled, the electronic device may simply treat quick groups as keywords. 
     The electronic device may store assignments of quick groups and quick group shortcut keys in memory of electronic device  102  ( FIG. 1 ). For example, the electronic device may store the quick group and quick group shortcut key assignments in memory coupled to processor  104  ( FIG. 1 ). The electronic device may store the quick group and quick group shortcut key assignments using any suitable data structure, including for example a table or a database (e.g., with one row or column of quick groups, and one row or column of assigned shortcut keys). In some embodiments, the electronic device may store keywords and quick groups in the same data structure. 
     The user may edit quick groups and assigned shortcut keys using any suitable approach.  FIG. 8  is an illustrative display screen of a window for editing quick groups and keywords in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The user may access screen  800  using any suitable approach, including for example selecting an on-screen EDIT KEYWORDS option (e.g., option  314 ,  FIG. 3 ). Screen  800  may include keywords  802 . The user may select a keyword by placing highlight region  804  over the keyword. For example, the user may use input mechanism  106  ( FIG. 1 ) to place a cursor over a key word  802  and provide a selection instruction. As another example, the user may use input mechanism  106  to direct highlight region to move up and down (e.g., the user presses up and down keys, or selects “+” or “−” on-screen icons). 
     The user may direct the electronic device to rename the keyword identified by highlight region  804  using any suitable approach. For example, the user may select on-screen RENAME option  806 . As another example, the user may select the keyword identified by highlight region  804  a second time (e.g., click twice on the keyword using a pointer). Once the user has selected the keyword, the user may rename the keyword by providing a new name using the input mechanism (e.g., input mechanism  106 , which may include a keyboard). 
     Window  800  may include quick group shortcuts  810 , which may be assigned only to the keywords that have become quick groups. The user may change an existing quick group shortcut  810  using any suitable approach, including for example placing highlight region  804  over a quick group shortcut  810  and providing an instruction to change the shortcut (e.g., selecting on-screen SHORTCUT option  812 ). Once the user has selected a quick group shortcut  810 , the user may provide an input for another shortcut key (e.g., using input mechanism  106 ). If the user selects a shortcut key that has already been assigned, the electronic device may, for example, inform the user of the conflict and prevent the assignment of the requested shortcut key to the selected quick group. As another example, the electronic device may assign the shortcut key to the selected quick group, and assign a new shortcut key to the quick group that was previously assigned to the selected shortcut key (e.g., automatically, or the electronic device may prompt the user to provide a new shortcut key). 
     In some embodiments, the user may create new quick groups using window  800 . For example, if the user assigns a shortcut key to a keyword  802  that initially did not have a shortcut key assigned, the electronic device may form a quick group from the keyword (e.g., and move the keyword from keyword portion  310  to quick group portion  320 ,  FIG. 3 ). The user may add a shortcut to a keyword using any suitable approach, including for example placing highlight region  804  over a keyword  802  and providing an instruction to add a shortcut (e.g., selecting on-screen SHORTCUT option  812 ). The user may then provide an input defining a shortcut key (e.g., using input mechanism  106 ). 
     In some embodiments, the user may edit keywords and quick groups without needing to access window  800 .  FIG. 9  is an illustrative display screen of a quick group window in response to a user request to edit keywords and quick groups in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The user may provide an edit request using any suitable approach, including for example selecting an on-screen EDIT option (e.g., EDIT option  314 ,  FIG. 3 ). Window  900  may include keywords portion  910  and quick groups portion  920 . Keywords  912  and quick groups  922  in keywords portion  910  and quick group portion  920 , respectively, may be identified by icon  930  as accessible for editing. 
     In response to selecting a keyword or quick group, the electronic device may allow the user to edit the selected keyword or quick group.  FIG. 10  is an illustrative display screen of the quick group window of  FIG. 9  in response to a user request to edit a keyword in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Window  1000  may include keyword portion  1010 , in which keyword  1012  has been selected for editing. The electronic device may highlight keyword  1012  with highlight region  1014  to indicate to the user that the keyword may be edited. The user may provide an input using an input mechanism (e.g., input mechanism  106 ,  FIG. 1 ) to change selected keyword  1012 . In some embodiments, the user may also edit quick groups of quick group portion  1020  using the same approach. In some embodiments, the user may cancel editing keyword  1012  by providing a CANCEL or ESCAPE instruction (e.g., using input mechanism  106 ). 
       FIG. 11  is an illustrative display screen of the quick group portion of  FIG. 9  in response to a user request to edit a shortcut key in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Window  1100  may include quick group portion  1120 , in which shortcut key  1122  has been selected for editing. The electronic device may identify that shortcut key  1122  has been selected for editing using icon  1124  (e.g., a question mark icon). The user may provide a new shortcut key  1122  using an input mechanism (e.g., input mechanism  106 ,  FIG. 1 ). In some embodiments, the user may cancel editing shortcut key  1122  by providing a CANCEL or ESCAPE instruction (e.g., using input mechanism  106 ). 
     In some embodiments, quick groups may be used in the context of music or audio. For example, quick groups may be used to define the content of playlists (e.g., where each playlist is associated with or is defined as a quick group).  FIG. 12  is an illustrative display screen for organizing audio in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Display screen  1200  may include playlist portion  1202  and audio portion  1210 . Playlist portion  1202  may include several playlists  1204 , each a collection of audio. Audio portion  1210  may include listings  1212  of music and other audio available to the user of the electronic device. Listings  1212  may be displayed in any suitable order, including by name, audio length, artist, album, or any other suitable order. In response to selecting a listing  1212 , the electronic device may play the audio of the selected listing. 
     The user may place audio from audio portion  1210  in playlists  1204  using any suitable approach. In some embodiments, the user may drag and drop a listing  1212  into a playlist  1204 . In some embodiments, the electronic device may define quick groups associated with each playlist (e.g., each quick group is a playlist). The electronic device may display pop-up window  1220  that includes keywords  1222  and quick groups  1224 . Although keywords  1222  and quick groups  1224  are provided in a pop-up window in  FIG. 12 , it will be understood that any other approach (e.g., new screen, tool bar, or new icons) may be used to provide keywords  1222  and quick groups  1224  to the user. To associate a quick group (e.g., and thus a playlist) with a listing, the user may select a listing and press the shortcut key associated with the quick group (e.g., shortcut key  1225 ). 
     The following flow charts serve to illustrate processes involved in some embodiments of this invention. Although the following flow charts may include references to the letters or numbers being used as shortcut key, it will be understood that in that context, the terms “letter” and “number” may include any character that may be used as a shortcut key. In addition, it will be understood that image may be substituted for any other suitable media (e.g., audio or music).  FIG. 13  is an illustrative flow chart of a process for associating a quick group with an image in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Process  1300  may begin at step  1302 . At step  1304 , the electronic device may receive a selection of an image. For example, the user may select an image displayed on display  108  using input mechanism  106  ( FIG. 1 ). As another example, electronic device  102  ( FIG. 1 ) may automatically select an image. At step  1306 , the electronic device may determine whether quick groups are enabled. For example, the electronic device may determine whether a quick groups window is displayed and/or selected. As another example, the electronic device may determine whether the user has provided an instruction to enable quick groups (e.g., whether the user has entered an input, such as a key or key sequence, using input mechanism  106  to enable quick groups). 
     If the electronic device determines that quick groups are not enabled, process  1300  may move to step  1308 . At step  1308 , the electronic device may ignore quick group shortcut keys entered by the user. For example, the electronic device may ignore inputs provided by input mechanism  106  that correspond to quick group shortcut keys. As another example, the electronic device may perform operations other than associating a quick group with a selected image in response to receiving an input of a shortcut key from input mechanism  106 . Process  1300  may then end at step  1310 . 
     If, at step  1306 , the electronic device instead determines that quick groups are enabled, process  1300  may move to step  1312 . At step  1312 , the electronic device may receive a quick group shortcut key. For example, the electronic device may receive an input from input mechanism  106  that corresponds to a quick group shortcut key. At step  1314 , the electronic device may identify the quick group assigned to the quick group shortcut key received at step  1312 . For example, the electronic device may identify the quick group assigned to the received shortcut key using the data structure used to store the quick group and shortcut key assignments (e.g., a table). 
     At step  1316 , the electronic device may associate the selected image with the identified quick group. For example, electronic device  102  may associate the image selected at step  1304  with the quick group identified at step  1314 . The electronic device may perform the association using any suitable approach, including for example changing or adding metadata to the selected image to reflect the association of the quick group with the image. Process  1300  may then end at step  1310 . 
       FIG. 14  is a flow chart of an illustrative process for assigning a shortcut key to a quick group in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Process  1400  may begin at step  1402 . At step  1404 , the electronic device may receive a selection of a keyword. For example, the user may provide an instruction to select a keyword using input mechanism  106  (e.g., the user may place a highlight region over a keyword using input mechanism  106 ,  FIG. 1 ). At step  1406 , the electronic device may receive an instruction to assign a shortcut key to the selected keyword. For example, the electronic device may receive an instruction from input mechanism  106  to move a keyword into a quick groups portion (e.g., quick groups portion  420 ,  FIG. 4 ). As another example, the electronic device may receive an instruction from input mechanism  106  to enter a shortcut key assigned to a selected keyword (e.g., using window  800 ,  FIG. 8  or window  1100 ,  FIG. 11 ). 
     At step  1408 , the electronic device may determine whether the first letter of the selected keyword has been used as a shortcut key for an existing quick group. For example, the electronic device may determine whether the both the lowercase and uppercase first letter of the selected keyword have been assigned to an existing quick group. In some embodiments, the electronic device may compare the first letter of the selected keyword with the quick group and shortcut key assignments stored in memory to determine whether the first letter of the selected keyword has already been used. 
     If the electronic device determines that the first letter of the selected keyword has not been used as the shortcut key for an existing quick group, process  1400  may move to step  1412 . At step  1412 , the electronic device may assign the first letter of the selected keyword as the shortcut key of the new quick group. For example, the electronic device may create a new assignment in memory of the selected keyword and the shortcut key. In some embodiments, if both the lowercase and uppercase first letter are available as a shortcut key, the electronic device may prefer the lowercase shortcut key (e.g., reducing the number of keystrokes required to associate the quick group with an image). Process  1400  may then end at step  1414 . 
     If, at step  1408 , the electronic device instead determines that the first letter of the selected keyword has been used as a shortcut key for an existing quick group, process  1400  may move to step  1416 . At step  1416 , the electronic device may determine whether all of the keyword break letters have been used by as a shortcut key for existing quick groups. For example, the electronic device may determine whether the keyword has a break (e.g., a keyword that includes several words, for example Lands End, or a keyword that includes an intermediate upper case letter, for example LaVache). If the electronic device determines that the keyword has a break, the keyword may determine whether the letter at the break (e.g., “e” for Lands End, or “v” for LaVache”) has already been used as a keyword for an existing quick group. In some embodiments, the electronic device may compare the keyword break letters with the quick group and shortcut key assignments stored in memory to determine whether the next letter of the selected keyword has already been used. 
     If the electronic device determines that a keyword break letter was not used, process  1400  may move to step  1418 . At step  1418 , the electronic device may assign the keyword break letter as the shortcut key of the selected keyword for the new quick group. For example, the electronic device may create a new assignment in memory of the selected keyword and the shortcut key. In some embodiments, if both the lowercase and uppercase next letter are available as a shortcut key, the electronic device may prefer the lowercase shortcut key (e.g., reducing the number of keystrokes required to associate the quick group with an image). Process  1400  may then end at step  1414 . 
     If, at step  1416 , the electronic device instead determines that all of the keyword break letters were used, or that there are not keyword break letters, process  1400  may move to step  1420 . At step  1420 , the electronic device may determine whether the next letter in the keyword has been used as a shortcut key for a quick group. For example, the electronic device may determine whether the both the lowercase and uppercase next letter of the selected keyword have been assigned to an existing quick group. In some embodiments, the electronic device may compare the next letter of the selected keyword with the quick group and shortcut key assignments stored in memory to determine whether the next letter of the selected keyword has already been used. 
     If the electronic device determines that the next letter of the selected keyword has not been used as a shortcut key for an existing quick group, process  1400  may move to step  1422 . At step  1422 , the electronic device may assign the next letter of the keyword as the shortcut key of the selected keyword for the new quick group. For example, the electronic device may create a new assignment in memory of the selected keyword and the shortcut key. In some embodiments, if both the lowercase and uppercase next letter are available as a shortcut key, the electronic device may prefer the lowercase shortcut key (e.g., reducing the number of keystrokes required to associate the quick group with an image). Process  1400  may then end at step  1414 . 
     If, at step  1420 , the electronic device instead determines that the next letter of the selected keyword has been used as a shortcut key for an existing quick group, process  1400  may move to step  1424 . At step  1424 , the electronic device may determine whether there are any letters remaining in the selected keyword. For example, the electronic device may determine whether all of the letters used in the keyword have been compared to shortcut keys assigned to existing quick groups. If the electronic device determines that letters are remaining in the selected keyword, process  1400  may move back to step  1420  and select the next letter of the selected keyword. 
     If, at step  1424 , the electronic device instead determines that no letters are remaining in the selected keyword, process  1400  may move to step  1426 . At step  1426 , the electronic device may identify the next available shortcut key. For example, the electronic device may identify the next letter in the alphabet that has not yet been assigned to a quick group. At step  1428 , the electronic device may assign the identified letter as the shortcut key of the selected keyword to form the new quick group. For example, the electronic device may create a new assignment in memory of the selected keyword and the shortcut key. In some embodiments, if both a lowercase and uppercase letter are available as a shortcut key, the electronic device may prefer the lowercase shortcut key (e.g., reducing the number of keystrokes required to associate the quick group with an image). Process  1400  may then end at step  1414 . 
     In some embodiments, the electronic device may periodically update quick group shortcut key assignments. For example, the electronic device may update quick group shortcut key assignments at scheduled or arbitrary intervals. As another example, each time a new quick group is created, the electronic device may review its current quick group shortcut key assignments (e.g., instead of moving directly to step  1416  after step  1408 ). The electronic device may first determine whether the first letter of the selected keyword has been used as the shortcut key of another quick group that does not begin with the same first letter. For example, the electronic device may determine whether the first letter of the selected keyword has been assigned to another quick group because it is a subsequent letter of the other quick group. As another example, the electronic device may determine whether the first letter of the selected keyword was assigned because it was the next available letter arbitrarily chosen for an existing quick group (e.g., whether the first letter of the selected keyword was assigned to a quick group at a prior instance of step  1428 ). If the electronic device determines that the first letter of the selected keyword was assigned to another group that does not begin with the first letter of the selected keyword, the electronic device may, automatically or in response to a user instruction, assign the first letter of the keyword as the shortcut key of the new quick group, and change the shortcut key assigned to the other quick group (e.g., using process  1400 ). 
     The above described embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation, and the present invention is limited only by the claims which follow.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20070803
Publication Date: 20160405
Grant Date: 20160405
Priority Date: 20070803
Inventors: FAGANS JOSHUA
MARTIN TIMOTHY B.
EVANS MATT
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F17/3028", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F16/51", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F16/51", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0482", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04842", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 40339108