File management apparatus, control method therefor, computer program, and computer-readable storage medium

• US 20060282417A1
• Filed: 06/05/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Isoda, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,921,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34

Abstract

This invention allows a user to play back desired information even in the form of an icon indicating a file, check the contents of the file, and open the file. The invention stores, in a search attribute file written in a structured format, location information indicating the location of a management target file, search item information used for searching, icon image for brief display created from the target file, and brief playback information for brief playback of a desired portion in the target file. When search key is input, a search attribute file matching the key is searched so that the attribute file is displayed as an icon based on icon image in the file. When right-clicking a desired icon, brief playback information in the attribute file is played back. When left-clicking the icon, the target file is opened according to location information in the attribute file.

Claims

1. A file management apparatus which manages a management target file stored in a storage device, comprising:

storage means for storing search information used for search of the management target file and brief playback information for brief playback of a desired portion of the management target file in association with each other;

search means for searching search information stored in said storage means on the basis of a desired search key; and

playback means for playing back brief playback information associated with search information searched by said search means,

wherein said storage means can store a plurality of different pieces of search information and brief playback information in association with each other with respect to one management target file on the basis of an instruction from a user, and

when a plurality of pieces of search information are searched by said search means, said playback means plays back pieces of brief playback information respectively associated with said plurality of pieces of searched search information.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage means stores the search information, the brief playback information, location information indicating a location of the management target file, and icon image information created on the basis of the management target file, in association with each other,

said search means displays the search results as an icon list on the basis of icon image information associated with search information searched on the basis of the search key,

said playback means plays back brief playback information associated with an icon designated by a user in the displayed icon list, and

the apparatus further comprises file opening means for, upon inputting of an instruction to open an icon designated by the user in the displayed icon list, opening the management target file on the basis of the location information associated with the icon image information.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the brief playback information comprises

text information of a page desired by the user if the management target file is a document file,

image information of a page desired by the user if the management target file is an image file,

audio information in an interval desired by the user if the management target file is an audio file, and

moving picture information in an interval desired by the user if the management target file is a moving picture file.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the search information contains a predefined attribute item and a user attribute item arbitrarily set by the user.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising character string search means for performing text search by using text information contained in the brief playback information.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage means stores the search information and the brief playback information in association with each other by writing the search information and the brief playback information in an XML file.

7. A control method for a file management apparatus which manages a management target file stored in a storage device, comprising:

a storage step of storing search information used for search of the management target file and brief playback information for brief playback of a desired portion of the management target file in the storage device in association with each other;

a search step of searching search information stored in the storage device on the basis of a desired search key; and

a playback step of playing back brief playback information associated with search information searched in the search step,

wherein the storage device can store a plurality of different pieces of search information and brief playback information in association with each other with respect to one management target file on the basis of an instruction from a user, and

when a plurality of pieces of search information are searched in the search step, in the playback step, pieces of brief playback information respectively associated with said plurality of pieces of searched search information can be played back.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein in the storage step, the search information, the brief playback information, location information indicating a location of the management target file, and icon image information created on the basis of the management target file are stored in the storage device in association with each other,

in the search step, the search results are displayed as an icon list on the basis of icon image information associated with search information searched on the basis of the search key,

in the playback step, brief playback information associated with an icon designated by a user in the displayed icon list is played back, and

the method further comprises a file opening step of, upon inputting of an instruction to open an icon designated by the user in the displayed icon list, opening the management target file on the basis of the location information associated with the icon image information.

9. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a computer program for management of a management target file stored in a storage device, the program including program codes for causing a computer to execute:

a storage step of storing search information used for search of the management target file and brief playback information for brief playback of a desired portion of the management target file in the storage device in association with each other;

a search step of searching search information stored in the storage device on the basis of a desired search key; and

a playback step of playing back brief playback information associated with search information searched in the search step, and further including a computer program for causing the computer to execute

the storage step to store a plurality of different pieces of search information and brief playback information in association with each other with respect to one management target file, and

when a plurality of pieces of search information are searched in the search step, the playback step to play back pieces of brief playback information respectively associated with the plurality of pieces of searched search information.

10. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein in the storage step, the search information, the brief playback information, location information indicating a location of the management target file, and icon image information created on the basis of the management target file are stored in the storage device in association with each other,

in the search step, the search results are displayed as an icon list on the basis of icon image information associated with search information searched on the basis of the search key,

in the playback step, brief playback information associated with an icon designated by a user in the displayed icon list is played back, and

the program further includes a program code for causing the computer to execute a file opening step of, upon inputting of an instruction to open an icon designated by the user in the displayed icon list, opening the management target file on the basis of the location information associated with the icon image information.