APPARATUS PROVIDING SEARCH SERVICE, METHOD AND PROGRAM THEREOF

• US 20090297067A1
• Filed: 11/11/2008
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: YANG, Pil-seung
• Application Number:
  US12/268,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20090297067A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/325
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

An apparatus providing a search service, a search service method, and a program providing the search service method are provided. The apparatus providing the search service includes a display unit which displays a map image; and a control unit which, if a certain spot is selected on the map image, searches for a photographic image having a photographic range in which the selected spot is included and controls the display unit to display the photographic image.

Claims

1. An apparatus providing a search service comprising:

a display unit which displays a map image; and

a control unit which, if a certain spot is selected on the map image, searches for a photographic image having a photographic range in which the selected spot is included and controls the display unit to display the photographic image.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the photographic range is determined by at least one of a location, a direction, and a view angle of a photographing apparatus at a time of capturing the photographic image.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the display unit to display a location at a time the photographic image was captured, together with the selected spot on the map image.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit searches for a photographic image, in which a horizontal direction and a vertical direction face the selected spot, and the selected spot is included in a horizontal view angle or a vertical view angle, from among pre-stored photographic images captured within a predetermined radius of the selected spot.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a communication unit which communicates with an external server,

wherein the control unit matches photographic images with photographic ranges of the respective photographic images and transfers the photographic images to the external server through the communication unit.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit,

wherein the control unit matches photographic images with photographic ranges of the respective photographic images and stores the photographic images in the storage unit.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an external apparatus connection unit which receives photographic images and photographic ranges of the respective photographic images from an external photographing apparatus.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an instruction input unit through which the photographic range of the photographic image is input.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit detects a view angle by parsing metadata of the photographic image, checks the photographic range of the photographic image using the detected view angle, and determines whether the checked photographic range includes the selected spot.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit detects view angle information of the photographic image having the photographic range in which the selected spot is included and controls the display unit to display the photographic image on the map image.

11. A search service method comprising:

displaying a map image; and

if a certain spot is selected on the map image, searching and displaying a photographic image having a photographic range in which the selected spot is included.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the photographic range is determined by at least one of a location, a direction, and a view angle of a photographing apparatus at a time of capturing the photographic image.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the searching and the displaying comprises displaying a location at a time of capturing the photographic image, together with the selected spot on the map image.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the searching and the displaying comprises searching for a photographic image, in which a horizontal direction and a vertical direction face the selected spot, and the selected spot is included in a horizontal view angle or a vertical view angle, from among pre-stored photographic images captured within a predetermined radius of the selected spot.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising, prior to the displaying, matching photographic images with photographic ranges of the respective photographic images and transferring the photographic images to an external server.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising, prior to the displaying,

receiving photographic images and photographic ranges of the respective photographic images;

and

matching the photographic images with the photographic ranges of the respective photographic images and storing the photographic images.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the searching and the displaying comprises detecting a view angle by parsing metadata of the photographic image, checking the photographic range of the photographic image using the detected view angle, and determining whether the checked photographic range include the selected spot.

18. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the searching and the displaying comprises detecting view angle information of the photographic image having the photographic range in which the selected spot is included and displaying the photographic image on the map image.

19. A computer readable medium which stores a program providing a searching service, the searching service comprising:

displaying a map image; and

if a certain spot is selected on the map image, searching for and displaying a photographic image having a photographic range in which the selected spot is included.

20. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 19, wherein the photographic range is determined by at least one of a location, a direction, and a view angle of a photographing apparatus at a time of capturing the image.

21. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 19, wherein the searching and the displaying comprises displaying a location at a time of capturing the photographic image, together with the selected spot on the map image.

22. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 19, wherein the searching and the displaying comprises searching for a photographic image in which a horizontal direction and a vertical direction face the selected spot, and the selected spot is included in a horizontal view angle or a vertical view angle, from among pre-stored photographic images captured within a predetermined radius of the selected spot.

23. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 19, further comprising, prior to the displaying, matching photographic images with photographic ranges of the respective photographic images and transferring the photographic images to an external server

24. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 19, further comprising, prior to the displaying,

receiving photographic images and photographic ranges of the respective photographic images;

and

matching the photographic images with the photographic ranges of the respective photographic images and storing the photographic images.