FILE MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, FILE MANAGEMENT METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20100146450A1
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Harada, Takaaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,527,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/838
• 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

Abstract

In a screen for displaying thumbnail images, a background image is displayed on an entire portion of a specific area, translucent lanes are displayed on the background, and thumbnail images are displayed on a lane located in the center of the screen. When a mouse pointer is put on a lane on the right side of the lane located in the center, a symbol image that is arranged on the right side of a symbol image corresponding to the thumbnail images on a place map screen, and a file name of the symbol image are displayed on the lane that is specified by the mouse pointer.

Claims

1. A file management apparatus comprising:

a storage device that stores therein pieces of file management information, each of which serves as a unit for managing files, and files managed by each piece of the file management information, in an associated manner;

a first display control unit that displays respective symbol images of the files in a matrix form on a display unit;

a receiving unit that receives information corresponding to operation performed by a user;

a second display control unit that displays, upon receiving a command for selecting one symbol image from among the symbol images displayed on the display unit, thumbnail images of respective files that are stored in association with a piece of the file management information that is corresponding to the selected symbol image, on the display unit; and

a third display control unit that displays information at a position adjacent to the thumbnail images being displayed on the display unit, wherein the information indicates a symbol image arranged adjacent to a symbol image corresponding to the thumbnail images being displayed among the symbol images displayed by the first display control unit.

2. The file management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the information that indicates the symbol image corresponds to an icon and a name of the symbol image.

3. The file management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the third display control unit operates as a result of reception of a command for specifying a position adjacent to the thumbnail images being displayed on the display unit.

4. The file management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second display control unit displays the thumbnail images in a three-dimensional manner.

5. The file management apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the second display control unit displays images in a plurality of lanes in a three-dimensional manner, and arranges the thumbnail images on a lane displayed in center on the display unit.

6. A file management apparatus comprising:

a storage device that stores therein pieces of file management information, each of which serves as a unit for managing files, and files managed by each piece of the file management information, in an associated manner;

a first display control unit that displays respective symbol images of the files in a matrix form on a display unit;

a receiving unit that receives information corresponding to operation performed by a user;

a second display control unit that displays, upon receiving a command for selecting one symbol image from among the symbol images displayed on the display unit, thumbnail images of respective files that are stored in association with a piece of the file management information that is corresponding to the selected symbol image, on the display unit; and

a background setting unit that stores, upon reception of setting information of a background image of a screen for displaying the thumbnail images, the setting information in association with a corresponding symbol image.

7. The file management apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

when a symbol image corresponds to a file that is shared by a plurality of users, the background setting unit uniformly sets a background image that has been set by a specific user, for all the users.

8. The file management apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

when a symbol image corresponding to a file that is shared by a plurality of users, the background setting unit sets a background image for each of the user.

9. The file management apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the second display control unit displays the thumbnail images in a three-dimensional manner.

10. The file management apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the second display control unit displays images in a plurality of lanes in a three-dimensional manner, and arranges the thumbnail images on a lane displayed in center on the display unit.

11. A file management apparatus comprising:

a storage device that stores therein pieces of file management information, each of which serves as a unit for managing files, and files managed by each piece of the file management information, in an associated manner;

a first display control unit that displays respective symbol images of the files in a matrix form on a display unit;

a receiving unit that receives information corresponding to operation performed by a user;

a second display control unit that displays, upon receiving a command for selecting one symbol image from among the symbol images displayed on the display unit, thumbnail images of respective files that are stored in association with a piece of the file management information that is corresponding to the selected symbol image, on the display unit; and

a thumbnail-image-display-number setting unit that stores, upon reception of setting information about maximum number of thumbnail images to be displayed on the display unit, the setting information.

12. The file management apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the second display control unit displays the thumbnail images in a three-dimensional manner.

13. The file management apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the second display control unit displays images in a plurality of lanes in a three-dimensional manner, and arranges the thumbnail images on a lane displayed in center on the display unit.