File management system of image data

• US 20020191962A1
• Filed: 08/12/2002
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hatanaka, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 7,639,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/241
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2158 using a detachable storage unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras

Abstract

In a system for file managing image data of an electronic camera, so long as the image data is recorded by the same image pickup apparatus, a peculiar file name which is not overlapped is generated and in order to prevent that a plurality of files of the same name exist, when an electronic camera is connected to a main body of a computer, a storage device in the electronic camera is examined from a host application of the computer, and when a file of a file name including numerical values exceeding a predetermined value is found, a message is displayed for the user in a manner such that after all of the files having the file names which had automatically been formed were transferred to the computer, all of the contents in the storage device are deleted or formatted. When the detachable storage device is loaded or a power source is turned on, if the file having the unique file name which was automatically generated does not exist in the storage device, the numerical values held in the electronic camera are initialized.

Claims

1. A file management system for managing photographed image data as a file, comprising:

a counter for updating numerical values every image recording; and

generating means for generating a file name on the basis of the numerical values of said counter,

wherein when said recording image data is stored as a file, even in the case where all of image data photographed by a same image pickup apparatus is recorded to different recording media, when the image data is recording by the same image pickup apparatus, an individual file name which is not overlapped is generated.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein when the numerical values of said counter lie within a preset range, a warning and a predetermined countermeasure method are displayed.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the numerical values are sequentially included in the file names from the smaller numerical value, said included numerical values or numerical values to be subsequently included are stored into said counter, and said preset range is equal to or larger than a predetermined value based on said stored numerical values.

4. A system according to claim 2, wherein the numerical values are sequentially included in the file names from the larger numerical value, said included numerical values or numerical values to be subsequently included are stored into said counter, and said preset range is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value based on said stored numerical values.

5. A system according to claim 2, wherein when the numerical values of said counter lie within the preset range and a file which was previously formed does not exist in a storage device in which the file is formed, the numerical values of the counter are initialized.

6. A system according to claim 2, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, the file with the file name among the files included in the storage device serving as a target is deleted.

7. A system according to claim 3, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, the file with the file name among the files included in the storage device serving as a target is deleted.

8. A system according to claim 4, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method the file with the file name among the files included in the storage device serving as a target is deleted.

9. A system according to claim 2, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, a storage device serving as a target is formatted.

10. A system according to claim 3, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, a storage device serving as a target is formatted.

11. A system according to claim 4, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, a storage device serving as a target is formatted.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein when the numerical values of said counter lie within a preset range, a warning and a predetermined countermeasure method are displayed.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the numerical values are sequentially included in the file names from the smaller numerical value, said included numerical values or numerical values to be subsequently included are stored in said counting step, and said preset range is equal to or larger than a predetermined value based on said stored numerical values.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the numerical values are sequentially included in the file names from the larger numerical value, said included numerical values or numerical values to be subsequently included are stored in said counting step, and said preset range is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value based on said stored numerical values.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein when the numerical values in said counting step lie within the preset range and a file which was previously formed does not exist in a storage device in which the file is formed, the numerical values in the counting step are initialized.

17. A method according to claim 13, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, the file with the file name among the files included in the storage device serving as a target is deleted.

18. A method according to claim 14, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, the file with the file name among the files included in the storage device serving as a target is deleted.

19. A method according to claim 15, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, the file with the file name among the files included in the storage device serving as a target is deleted.

20. A method according to claim 13, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, a storage device serving as a target is formatted.

21. A method according to claim 14, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, a storage device serving as a target is formatted.

22. A method according to claim 15, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, a storage device serving as a target is formatted.

24. A medium according to claim 23, wherein when the numerical values in said counting step lie within a preset range, a warning and a predetermined countermeasure method are displayed.

25. A medium according to claim 24, wherein the numerical values are sequentially included in the file names from the smaller numerical value, said included numerical values or numerical values to be subsequently included are stored in said counting step, and said preset range is equal to or larger than a predetermined value based on said stored numerical values.

26. A medium according to claim 24, wherein the numerical values are sequentially included in the file names from the larger numerical value, said included numerical values or numerical values to be subsequently included are stored in said counting step, and said preset range is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value based on said stored numerical values.

27. A medium according to claim 24, wherein when the numerical values in said counting step lie within the preset range and a file which was previously generated does not exist in a storage device in which the file is formed, the numerical values in the counting step are initialized.

28. A medium according to claim 23, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, the file with the file name among the files included in the storage device serving as a target is deleted.

29. A medium according to claim 24, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, the file with the file name among the files included in the storage device serving as a target is deleted.

30. A medium according to claim 25, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, the file with the file name among the files included in the storage device serving as a target is deleted.

31. A medium according to claim 23, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, a storage device serving as a target is formatted.

32. A medium according to claim 24, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, a storage device serving as a target is formatted.

33. A medium according to claim 25, wherein in said predetermined countermeasure method, a storage device serving as a target is formatted.

35. A system according to claim 34, wherein the n is 50.

37. A method according to claim 36, wherein the n is 50.

39. A medium according to claim 38, wherein the n is 50.

12. A file management method of managing photographed image data as a file, comprising:

a counting step of updating numerical values every image recording; and

a generating step of generating a file name on the basis of the numerical values in said counting step,

wherein when said recording image data is stored as a file, even in the case where all of image data photographed by a same image pickup apparatus is recorded to different recording media, when the image data is recording by the same image pickup apparatus, an individual file name which is not overlapped is generated.

23. A medium in which a file management method of managing photographed image data as a file has been recorded, said method comprising:

a counting step of updating numerical values every image recording; and

a generating step of generating a file name on the basis of the numerical values in said counting step,

wherein when said recording image data is stored as a file, even in the case where all of image data photographed by a same image pickup apparatus is recorded to different recording media, when the image data is recording by the same image pickup apparatus, an individual file name which is not overlapped is generated.

34. A file management system for managing photographed image data as a file, comprising:

a counter for updating numerical values every image recording;

file name generating means for generating a file name on the basis of the numerical values of said counter; and

directory name generating means for generating a directory name on the basis of a dirNo calculated by the following equation with substitution of the numerical values of said counter,

dirNo=(counter value−

1)/n

where n is an integer, and round down figures blow decimal point,

wherein even in the case where all of image data photographed by a same image pickup apparatus is recorded to different recording media when the recording image data is stored as a file, an individual file is not overwritten if the image data is recorded by the same image pickup apparatus.

36. A file managing method of managing photographed image data as a file, comprising:

a count step of updating numerical values every image recording;

a file name generating step of generating a file name on the basis of the numerical values of said count step; and

a directory name generating step of generating a directory name on the basis of a dirNo calculated by the following equation with substitution of the numerical values of said count step,

dirNo=(counter value−

1)/n

where n is an integer, and round down figures blow decimal point,

wherein even in the case where all of image data photographed by a same image pickup apparatus is recorded to different recording media when the recording image data is stored as a file, an individual file is not overwritten if the image data is recorded by the same image pickup apparatus.

38. A medium on which a file managing method for managing photographed image data as a file is recorded, comprising:

a count step of updating numerical values every image recording;

a file name generating step of generating a file name on the basis of the numerical values of said count step; and

a directory name generating step of generating a directory name on the basis of a dirNo calculated by the following equation with the numerical value of said count step,

dirNo=(counter value−

1)/n

where n is an integer, and round down figures blow decimal point,

wherein even in the case where all of image data photographed by a same image pickup apparatus is recorded to different recording media when the recording image data is stored as a file, an individual file is not overwritten if the image data is recorded by the same image pickup apparatus.