Searching apparatus and searching method

• US 20030105748A1
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Published: 06/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishida, Tessho, Tomizawa, Kenji, Awai, Shoichi, Kihara, Nobuyuki, Sakamoto, Ichiro, Tambata, Ippei
• Granted Patent: US 7,246,112 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting

Abstract

A searching apparatus and a searching method are disclosed whereby a storage medium containing a plurality of data items and management data for managing these data items is subjected to a sort based on a sort condition and a search based on a search condition. The data retrieved through the search are displayed in accordance with a given condition.

Claims

1. A searching apparatus for searching through a storage device which holds main data based on a search condition and for displaying data retrieved through the search, said searching apparatus comprising:

management data inputting means for inputting management data for managing said main data held on said storage device;

storing means for storing the input management data;

sorting means for sorting, based on a sort condition, said management data stored by said storing means;

searching means for searching through said management data stored by said storing means based on a search condition;

condition inputting means for inputting said sort condition and said search condition;

displaying means for displaying results of said search and said sort on a display device connected to said searching apparatus; and

controlling means for controlling a display location of said management data on said display device in accordance with a degree of relation between said management data retrieved through said search and said search condition.

2. A searching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if said degree of relation between the retrieved management data and said search condition is high, the applicable management data are centrally located among other data when displayed on said display device.

3. A searching apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said displaying means displays a background against which said management data are displayed, and wherein said background is given a lower transmission factor for the centrally displayed data than for the other data.

4. A searching apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said searching means performs said search after said sorting means has carried out said sort.

5. A searching apparatus according to claim 4, wherein if, as a result of said sort performed by said sorting means, the data item heading said management data and the data item at the end of said management data are both displayed on said display device, then the two data items are displayed adjacent to each other.

6. A searching method for searching through a storage device which holds main data based on a search condition and for displaying data retrieved through the search, said searching method comprising the steps of:

inputting management data for managing said main data held on said storage device;

storing the input said management data;

inputting a sort condition by which to sort the stored management data;

sorting said stored management data based on the input sort condition;

inputting a search condition by which to search through said stored management data;

searching through said stored management data based on the input search condition; and

displaying said management data based on results of said search and said sort and in accordance with a degree of relation between said management data retrieved through said search and said search condition.

7. A searching method according to claim 6, wherein, if said degree of relation between the retrieved management data and said search condition is high, the applicable management data are centrally located among other data when displayed on said display device.

8. A searching method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of displaying a background against which said management data are displayed, wherein said background is given a lower transmission factor for the centrally displayed data than for the other data.

9. A searching method according to claim 7, wherein if, as a result of said sort, the data item heading said management data and the data item at the end of said management data are both displayed on said display device, then the two data items are displayed adjacent to each other.