Apparatus, System and Method For Providing Contents and User Interface Program

• US 20100100550A1
• Filed: 10/09/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kitayama, Tomoya
• Granted Patent: US 8,671,100 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/741
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures

Abstract

A character folder generator generates one or more character folders, each of which corresponds to a specific character, at each layer of a hierarchical folder structure, and provides a terminal with information of said one or more character folders generated at each layer. A folder ID obtainer obtains identification information of the selected character folders from the terminal, when one of the character folders at each layer is selected at the terminal. A character sequence generator generates a character sequence identified based on a sequence of the character folders, each of which has been selected at each layer. A searcher searches for files by using as a keyword the generated character sequence and generates one or more files retrieved by search in the character folder finally selected at a certain layer and providing the terminal with information of the generated files in the finally selected character folder.

Claims

1. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable recording medium, having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program comprising:

a code module for generating one or more character folders, each of which corresponds to a specific character, at each layer of a hierarchical folder structure;

a code module for providing a terminal with information of said one or more character folders generated at each layer;

a code module for, when one of the character folders at each layer is selected at the terminal, obtaining identification information of the selected character folders from the terminal;

a code module for searching for files by using as a keyword a character sequence identified based on a sequence of the character folders, each of which has been selected at each layer; and

a code module for generating one or more files retrieved by a search in the character folder finally selected at a certain layer and providing the terminal with information of the generated files in the finally selected character folder.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, the program further comprising:

a code module for predicting a candidate word that contains the character sequence identified based on the sequence of the character folders, each of which has been selected at each layer;

a code module for generating a candidate folder corresponding to the predicted candidate word and providing the terminal with information of the candidate folder; and

a code module for, when the candidate folder is selected at the terminal, searching for files by using as a keyword the word corresponding to the selected candidate folder and generating one or more files retrieved by the search in the selected candidate folder and for providing the terminal with information of the generated files in the selected candidate folder.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, the program further comprising:

a code module for memorizing as a character sequence history the character sequence that has been used as a search keyword;

a code module for generating a candidate folder corresponding to the character sequence history in a search history folder and providing the terminal with information of the candidate folder; and

a code module for, when the candidate folder is selected at the terminal, searching for files by using as a keyword the character sequence history corresponding to the selected candidate folder and generating one or more files retrieved by the search in the selected candidate folder and for providing the terminal with information of the generated files in the selected candidate folder.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the code module for providing the terminal with information of the candidate folder generates in the search history holder the candidate folder corresponding to the character sequence history that at least partially contains the character sequence identified based on the sequence of the character folders, each of which has been selected at each layer and provides the terminal with information of the candidate folder.

5. A computer readable medium storing a computer program thereon, the program comprising:

a code module for providing one or more character folders, each of which corresponds to a specific character, at each layer of a hierarchical folder structure;

a code module for receiving an operation for selecting one of the character folders while the folder hierarchy is traced layer by layer; and

a code module for displaying in the character folder finally selected at a certain layer one or more files searched by using as a keyword a character sequence identified based on a sequence of the character folders, each of which has been selected at each layer.

6. A content providing apparatus comprising:

a character folder generator which generates one or more character folders, each of which corresponds to a specific character, at each layer of a hierarchical folder structure, and provides a terminal with information of said one or more character folders generated at each layer;

a folder identification information obtainer that, when one of the character folders at each layer is selected at the terminal, obtains identification information of the selected character folders from the terminal;

a character sequence generator that generates a character sequence identified based on a sequence of the character folders, each of which has been selected at each layer; and

a searcher that searches for files by using as a keyword the generated character sequence and that generates one or more files retrieved by a search in the character folder finally selected at a certain layer and that provides the terminal with information of the generated files in the finally selected character folder.

7. A content providing system comprising:

a content providing apparatus; and

a terminal connected to communicate with each other,

the content providing apparatus comprising;

a character folder generator which generates one or more character folders, each of which corresponds to a specific character, at each layer of a hierarchical folder structure, and provides a terminal with information of said one or more character folders generated at each layer;

a folder identification information obtainer that, when one of the character folders at each layer is selected at the terminal, obtains identification information of the selected character folders from the terminal;

a character sequence generator that generates a character sequence identified based on a sequence of the character folders, each of which has been selected at each layer; and

a searcher that searches for files by using as a keyword the generated character sequence and generates one or more files retrieved by a search in the character folder finally selected at a certain layer and that provides the terminal with information of the generated files in the finally selected character folder, and

the terminal comprising a user interface for receiving an operation of a user, and

the user interface comprising;

a means for providing one or more character folders, each of which corresponds to a specific character, at each layer of a hierarchical folder structure;

a means for receiving an operation for selecting one of the character folders while the folder hierarchy is traced layer by layer;

a means for displaying in the character folder finally selected at a certain layer one or more files searched by using as a keyword a character sequence identified based on a sequence of the character folders, each of which has been selected at each layer.

8. A content providing method comprising:

generating one or more character folders, each of which corresponds to a specific character, at each layer of a hierarchical folder structure and providing a terminal with information of said one or more character folders generated at each layer;

obtaining identification information of the selected character folders from the terminal, when one of the character folders at each layer is selected at the terminal;

generating a character sequence identified based on a sequence of the character folders, each of which has been selected at each layer; and

searching for files by using as a keyword the generated character sequence and generating one or more files retrieved by search in the character folder finally selected at a certain layer and providing the terminal with information of the generated files in the finally selected character folder.