Apparatus and method of providing user interface

1. A method of providing a user interface (UI), comprising:

selecting a main thumbnail;

searching thumbnails related to the main thumbnail;

displaying the searched thumbnails on radial axes according to a preset arrangement criterion, and displaying the main thumbnail at a center of the radial axes;

receiving an axis separation command for a selected axis among the radial axes; and

displaying, upon receiving the separation command, the searched thumbnails of the selected axis on a separate screen area from the radial axes and removing the searched thumbnails of the selected axis from the searched thumbnails on the radial axes so that the main thumbnail is displayed in the separate screen area and in the center of the radial axes.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving an operation command with respect to at least one axis among the radial axes; and

searching thumbnails related to a changed main thumbnail when the received operation command is a change command with respect to the main thumbnail.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the radial axes are axes which are classified according to any one category among a time, a face, a location and a continuous shooting relation, and a number of the radial axes is changeable.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the main thumbnail is disposed in a region in which the radial axes cross each other.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving an axis addition command; and

displaying thumbnails corresponding to the axis addition command on a radial axis corresponding to the axis addition command.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: after anyone of the radial axes is selected,

receiving a category change command; and

changing the selected axis from a first category to a second category according to the received category change command.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising, when the searched thumbnails are selected, displaying images corresponding to the selected thumbnails.

8. A display apparatus, comprising:

a storage configured to store a plurality of images;

an operator configured to receive an operation command;

a display; and

a controller configured to search thumbnails related to a selected main thumbnail and display the searched thumbnails on the radial axes according to a preset arrangement criterion, and display the selected main thumbnail at a center of the radial axes;

wherein the operator receives an axis separation command for a selected axis among the radial axes to separate at least one axis from the radial axes, and the controller displays the searched thumbnails of the selected axis on a separate screen area from the radial axes and removes the searched thumbnails of the selected axis from the searched thumbnails on the radial axes so that the selected main thumbnail is displayed in the separate screen area and in the center of the radial axes.

9. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the operator receives an operation command with respect to at least one among a plurality of thumbnail axes sharing the selected main thumbnail, and

the controller searches thumbnails related to a changed main thumbnail when a received operation command is a change command with respect to the selected main thumbnail.

10. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the controller classifies the radial axes into axes corresponding to any one category among a time, a face, a location, and a relation, and a number of the radial axes is changeable.

11. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the selected main thumbnail is positioned in a region in which the radial axes cross each other.

12. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the operator receives an axis addition command, and

the controller controls thumbnails corresponding to the axis addition command to be displayed on the radial axes.

13. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the operator receives a category change command after any one thumbnail axis is selected among the plurality of thumbnail axes, and

the controller controls an axis of the selected one thumbnail axis to be changed from a first category to a second category according to the received category change command.

14. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the second category is a sub-category of the first category.

15. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the controller controls an image corresponding to the selected main thumbnail to be displayed when one of a plurality of thumbnails displayed is selected.

16. A display apparatus comprising:

an allocation unit to allocate each of a plurality of thumbnails to categories associated with respective radial axes;

an operator configured to receive an operation command;

a first search unit to select a main thumbnail and simultaneously search the main thumbnail and the plurality of thumbnails on a basis of the main thumbnail and a preset criterion; and

a display to display, on a first axis of a user interface, images of the main thumbnail and thumbnails obtained by searching the plurality of thumbnails using the main thumbnail and the preset criterion, so that the image of the main thumbnail is displayed in a region where the radial axes cross each other,

wherein the operator receives an axis separation command for a selected axis among the radial axes to separate the selected axis from the radial axes, and a controller displays thumbnails obtained by searching and displayed on the selected axis on a separate screen area from the radial axes and removes the thumbnails obtained by searching and displayed on the selected axis from the searched thumbnails on radial axes so that the main thumbnail is displayed in the separate screen area and in the region where the radial axes cross each other.

17. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 16 , further including a second search unit to search at least a first sub-category of a first category thumbnail.

18. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 17 , wherein images of thumbnails obtained in the at least first sub-category are displayed on a second axis of the user interface, and an image of the first category thumbnail is displayed in a region in which the first radial axis crosses the second axis.

19. A display apparatus comprising:

a display including a touchscreen that senses a touching operation; and

an operator configured to receive an operation command;

a controller in electrical communication with the display unit to search a selected main thumbnail and first thumbnails arranged along a first selected radial axis and, in response to the touching operation, to search a second selected radial axis having the selected main thumbnail and second thumbnails different from the first thumbnails arranged therealong,

wherein the display displays the selected main thumbnail, the searched first thumbnails along the first selected radial axis and the searched second thumbnails along the second selected radial axis so that an image of the selected main thumbnail is displayed in a region where the first selected radial axis and the second selected radial axis cross each other, and

wherein the operator receives an axis separation command for a selected separation axis among the first selected radial axis and the second selected radial axis to separate the selected separation axis from the first selected radial axis and the second selected radial axis, and the controller displays thumbnails of the selected separation axis on a separate screen area from the first selected radial axis and the second selected radial axis and removes thumbnails of the selected separation axis from the searched first thumbnails on the first selected radial axis or the searched second thumbnails on the second selected radial axis so that the main thumbnail is displayed in the separate screen area and in the region where the first selected radial as and the second selected radial axis previously crossed each other.

20. The display apparatus of claim 19 , wherein an emphasis is applied to the first selected radial axis, and the emphasis is applied to the second selected radial axis in response to the touching operation.

21. The display apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the emphasis includes at least one of a highlight, a greater size, and a color.

22. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the second category is a sub-category of the first category.