Information storage system and information management system

• US 20020147730A1
• Filed: 04/05/2002
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kohno, Akihiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,225,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

This invention provides a system for managing information in a format that can be used based on the international standard time and local time. Upon storing and managing information (150), a) the local time (121) of a predetermined area, b) a standard difference (122) as the difference between the international standard time and the standard time of the predetermined area, and c) a season difference (122) as the difference between the standard time and the local time of the predetermined area in a corresponding season are appended.

Claims

1. An information storage system comprising:

an acquisition unit arranged to acquire information; and

a storage unit arranged to store the information acquired by said acquisition unit while appending, to the information, deficient information of a) a local time of a predetermined area including a location where the information is obtained, b) a standard difference as a difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and c) a season difference as a difference between the standard time and a local time of the predetermined area in a corresponding season.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an output unit arranged to output the information stored by said storage unit, i.e., the information appended with the local time, the standard time, and the season difference.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a saving unit arranged to save the information stored by said storage unit, i.e., the information appended with the local time, the standard time, and the season difference in a removable memory medium.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a search unit arranged to search the information stored by said storage unit for information which matches an arbitrary search condition.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said search unit includes a unit arranged to execute a search process for the information stored by said storage unit using a local time as a key.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein said search unit includes a unit arranged to execute a search process for the information stored by said storage unit using the international standard time as a key while calculating the international standard time on the basis of the local time, the standard difference, and the season difference.

7. The system according to claim 4, further comprising an output unit arranged to output the information retrieved by said search unit.

8. The system according to claim 4, further comprising a saving unit arranged to save the information retrieved by said search unit in a removable memory medium.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a stored information manipulation unit arranged to manipulate the information stored by said storage unit on the basis of the local time appended to the information.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said stored information manipulation unit includes a unit arranged to sort the information stored by said storage unit on the basis of the local time.

11. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a stored information manipulation unit arranged to manipulate the information stored by said storage unit on the basis of the international standard time while calculating the international standard time on the basis of the local time, the standard difference, and season difference appended to the information.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein said stored information manipulation unit includes a unit arranged to sort the information stored by said storage unit on the basis of the international standard time.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein said acquisition unit includes a unit arranged to acquire information from a removable memory medium.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein said acquisition unit includes a unit arranged to acquire information from an external apparatus.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the external apparatus includes a camera.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein information acquired by said acquisition unit includes an image.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said information collection system further comprises a collected information search unit arranged to search the information collected and stored by said collection unit for information which matches an arbitrary search condition.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein said collected information search unit includes a unit arranged to execute a search process for the information collected and stored by said collection unit using the local time as a key.

21. The system according to claim 19, wherein said collected information search unit includes a unit arranged to execute a search process for the information collected and stored by said collection unit using the international standard time as a key while calculating the international standard time on the basis of the local time, the standard difference, and the season difference.

22. The system according to claim 19, wherein said information collection system further comprises a unit arranged to output the information retrieved by said collected information search unit.

23. The system according to claim 19, wherein said information collection system further comprises a unit arranged to save the information retrieved by said collected information search unit in a removable memory medium.

24. The system according to claim 18, wherein said information collection system further comprises a collected information manipulation unit arranged to manipulate the information collected and stored by said collection/storage unit on the basis of the local time appended to the information.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein said collected information manipulation unit includes a unit arranged to sort the information collected and stored by said collection/storage unit on the basis of the local time.

26. The system according to claim 18, wherein said information collection system further comprises a collected information manipulation unit arranged to manipulate the information collected and stored by said collection/storage unit on the basis of the international standard time while calculating the international standard time on the basis of the local time, the standard difference, and season difference appended to the information.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein said collected information manipulation unit includes a unit arranged to sort the information collected and stored by said collection/storage unit on the basis of the international standard time.

28. The system according to claim 18, further comprising a plurality of information storage systems equivalent to said information storage system, and wherein said collection/storage unit of said information collection system collects and stores information stored by the respective storage units of said plurality of information storage systems.

36. A computer program for controlling a general computer to operate as an information storage system of claim 1.

37. A computer program for controlling a general computer to operate as an information storage system of claim 17.

17. An information storage system comprising:

an acquisition unit arranged to acquire information; and

a storage unit arranged to store the information acquired by said acquisition unit while appending, to the information, deficient information of a) an international standard time, b) a standard difference as a difference between the international standard time and a standard time of a predetermined area including a location where the information is acquired, and c) a season difference as a difference between the standard time and a local time of the predetermined area in a corresponding season.

18. An information management system comprising:

an information storage system; and

an information collection system,

said information storage system comprising;

an acquisition unit arranged to acquire information; and

a storage unit arranged to store the information acquired by said acquisition unit while appending, to the information, deficient information of a) a local time of a predetermined area including a location where the information is acquired, b) a standard difference as a difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and c) a season difference as a difference between the standard time and a local time of the predetermined area in a corresponding season, and

said information collection system comprising a collection/storage unit arranged to collect and store information stored by said storage unit of said information storage system from said information storage system.

29. An information management system comprising:

an information storage system; and

an information collection system,

said information storage system comprising;

an acquisition unit arranged to acquire information; and

a storage unit arranged to store the information acquired by said acquisition unit while appending, to the information, deficient information of a) an international standard time, b) a standard difference as a difference between the international standard time and a standard time of a predetermined area including a location where the information is acquired, and c) a season difference as a difference between the standard time and a local time of the predetermined area in a corresponding season, and

said information collection system comprising a collection/storage unit arranged to collect and store information stored by said storage unit of said information storage system from said information storage system.

30. An information storage method comprising:

the acquisition step of acquiring information; and

the storage step of storing the information acquired in the acquisition step while appending, to the information, deficient information of a) a local time of a predetermined area including a location where the information is acquired, b) a standard difference as a difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and c) a season difference as a difference between the standard time and a local time of the predetermined area in a corresponding season.

31. An information storage method comprising:

the acquisition step of acquiring information; and

the storage step of storing the information acquired in the acquisition step while appending, to the information, deficient information of a) an international standard time, b) a standard difference as a difference between the international standard time and a standard time of a predetermined area including a location where the information is acquired, and c) a season difference as a difference between the standard time and a local time of the predetermined area in a corresponding season.

32. An information management method comprising the steps of:

making each of a plurality of information storage systems acquire information and store the acquired information while appending, to the information, deficient information of a) a local time of a predetermined area including a location where the information is acquired, b) a standard difference as a difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and c) a season difference as a difference between the standard time and a local time of the predetermined area in a corresponding season; and

making an information collection system collect and store the information stored by the plurality of information storage systems.

33. An information management method comprising the steps of:

making each of a plurality of information storage systems acquire information and store the acquired information while appending, to the information, deficient information of a) an international standard time, b) a standard difference as a difference between the international standard time and a standard time of a predetermined area including a location where the information is acquired, and c) a season difference as a difference between the standard time and a local time of the predetermined area in a corresponding season; and

making an information collection system collect and store the information stored by the plurality of information storage systems.

34. A computer program for controlling a computer to store information, comprising:

the acquisition step of acquiring information; and

the storage step of storing the information acquired in the acquisition step while appending, to the information, deficient information of a) a local time of a predetermined area including a location where the information is acquired, b) a standard difference as a difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and c) a season difference as a difference between the standard time and a local time of the predetermined area in a corresponding season.

35. A computer program for controlling a computer to store information, comprising:

the acquisition step of acquiring information; and

the storage step of storing the information acquired in the acquisition step while appending, to the information, deficient information of a) an international standard time, b) a standard difference as a difference between the international standard time and a standard time of a predetermined area including a location where the information is acquired, and c) a season difference as a difference between the standard time and a local time of the predetermined area in a corresponding season.

38. An information management method comprising the steps of:

appending, to information to be managed, deficient information of a) a local time of a predetermined area including a location where the information is acquired, b) a standard difference as a difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and c) a season difference as a difference between the standard time and a local time of the predetermined area in a corresponding season; and

managing the information appended with the local time, the standard difference, and the season difference on the basis of the local time, the standard difference, and the season difference.

39. An information management method comprising the steps of:

appending, to information to be managed, deficient information of a) an international standard time, b) a standard difference as a difference between the international standard time and a standard time of a predetermined area including a location where the information is acquired, and c) a season difference as a difference between the standard time and a local time of the predetermined area in a corresponding season; and

managing the information appended with the international standard time, the standard difference, and the season difference on the basis of the international standard time, the standard difference, and the season difference.