Metadata processing method, metadata storing method, metadata adding apparatus, control program and recording medium, and contents displaying apparatus and contents imaging apparatus

• US 20050044112A1
• Filed: 08/18/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ohno, Tomoyuki, Yamamoto, Takashi, Yoshikawa, Tomoyasu
• Granted Patent: US 7,599,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• 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

The present invention enables to select necessary metadata from presumed metadata candidates that are more likely to be added and to easily select metadata desired by a user, thereby reducing working load on a user largely, and facilitating the operation of adding shooting scene information even to a large amount of shot data recorded in a large-capacity recording medium. In order to achieve these objects, the present invention comprises: a processing process of detecting metadata associated with second contents data from the second contents data which is in a same category as first contents data; and a processing process of selectably outputting candidates of non-time information metadata to be stored, associated with the first contents data, in storing means, based on time information metadata and non-time information metadata associated with the second contents data and time information metadata associated with the first contents data which is to be added metadata next.

Claims

1. A metadata processing method comprising the steps of:

detecting metadata associated with data of second contents from the data of the second contents which are in a same category as data of first contents; and

selectably outputting candidates of non-time information metadata to be stored associated with the data of the first contents in storing means, based on time information metadata and non-time information metadata associated with the data of the second contents and time information metadata associated with the data of the first contents which are to be added metadata next.

2. A metadata storing method comprising the steps of:

detecting metadata associated with data of second contents from the data of the second contents which are in a same category as data of first contents; and

storing at least one piece of non-time information metadata in storing means as associated with the data of the first contents, based on time information metadata and non-time information metadata associated with the data of the second contents and time information metadata associated with the data of the first contents which are to be added metadata next, and

wherein at least one metadata candidate associated with the data of the first contents is selected, and at least one piece of metadata selected from the at least one metadata candidate is stored in the storing means as associated with the data of the first contents.

3. A metadata storing method according to claim 2, wherein after data of plural contents is recorded, the non-time information metadata is stored in the storing means as associated with each of the data of the plural contents recorded.

4. A metadata storing method according to claim 2, wherein after the data of the second contents is stored in the storing means and before the data of the first contents is stored in the storing means, the non-time information metadata is associated with the data of the first contents.

5. A metadata adding apparatus comprising:

metadata adding means for selecting metadata candidates including at least one piece of metadata associated with first contents and storing, as associated with the first contents, at least one piece of metadata selected from the metadata candidates,

wherein the metadata adding means includes;

a detecting portion for detecting metadata associated with second contents from data of the second contents which are in a same category as data of the first contents; and

a storing portion for storing at least one piece of non-time information metadata as associated with the data of the first contents, based on time information metadata and non-time information metadata associated with the data of the second contents and time information metadata associated with the data of the first contents which are to be added metadata.

6. A control program comprising the steps of:

detecting metadata associated with data of second contents from the data of the second contents which are in a same category as data of first contents; and

storing at least one piece of non-time information metadata as associated with the data of the first contents, based on time information metadata and non-time information metadata associated with the data of the second contents and time information metadata associated with the data of the first contents which are to be added metadata, and

wherein the control program makes a computer execute processing of selecting at least one metadata candidate associated with the first contents and storing at least one piece of metadata selected from the at least one metadata candidate, as associated with the first contents.

7. A computer-readable recording medium comprising:

a metadata adding step of selecting at least one metadata candidate associated with contents and storing, as associated with the contents, at least one piece of metadata selected from the at least one metadata candidate, the metadata adding step including;

a step of detecting metadata associated with second contents from data of the second contents which are in a same category as data of the first contents; and

a step of storing at least one piece of non-time information metadata as associated with the data of the first contents, based on time information metadata and non-time information metadata associated with the data of the second contents and time information metadata associated with the data of the first contents which are to be added metadata,

wherein a control program for making a computer execute the metadata adding step is stored in the contents.

8. A contents displaying apparatus comprising:

displaying means configured to be able to display contents; and

metadata adding means for selecting at least one metadata candidate associated with the contents and storing, as associated with the contents, at least one piece of metadata selected from the at least one metadata candidate,

wherein the metadata adding means includes;

a detecting portion for detecting metadata associated with data of second contents from the data of the second contents which are in a same category as data of first contents; and

a storing portion for storing at least one piece of non-time information metadata as associated with the data of the first contents, based on time information metadata and non-time information metadata of the metadata associated with the data of the second contents and time information metadata associated with the data of the first contents which are to be added non-time information metadata, and

the first contents with which the metadata is associated is displayed on the displaying means.

9. A contents displaying apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

at least one of a display layout of the contents, a display effect of the contents, a switching effect in switching a display of the contents to a display of other contents and audio information and/or speech information replayed in displaying the contents is changeable based on the non-time information metadata associated with the contents.

10. A contents imaging apparatus comprising:

imaging means for generating data of contents by imaging an object; and

metadata adding means for selecting at least one metadata candidate associated with the contents and storing, as associated with the contents, at least one piece of metadata selected from the at least one metadata candidate,

wherein the metadata adding means includes;

a detecting portion for detecting metadata associated with data of second contents from the data of the second contents which are in a same category as data of first contents; and

a storing portion for storing at least one piece of non-time information metadata as associated with the data of the first contents, based on time information metadata and non-time information metadata associated with the data of the second contents and time information metadata associated with the data of the first contents which are to be added metadata.

11. A contents imaging apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein an imaging condition of the first contents is changeable based on the non-time information metadata stored associated with the first contents.

12. A contents imaging apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein candidates of a shooting condition of the first contents are selected based on the non-time information metadata stored associated with the first contents and an output is produced so that a user can select from the candidates.