Moving picture processing method and apparatus, and computer program product having processing procedure recorded therefore

• US 6,278,497 B1
• Filed: 01/26/1999
• Issued: 08/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Denshi Kabushiki Kaisha, Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitashi Denshi Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Miyatake, Takafumi, Ueda, Hirotada, Sumiyoshi, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Natnael, Paulos M.
• Application Number:
  US09/236,604
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 345/328, 345/327, 345/341, 345/973, 345/348, 345/349, 345/357, 345/354, 345/339, 348/722, 348/564, 348/616, 348/700, 358/335, 386/52, 386/111, 386/95, 386/77
• US Class Current: 348/722
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/973 Scroll tool, e.g. window scroll bar

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing a moving image displayed on a display unit. Images representative of sets of frame images forming said moving image to be processed are displayed on a display unit. The moving image includes a plurality of scene images. Each of said scene images is divided into a cut image which comprises a set of frame images, and each cut image is divided into a plurality of sub-areas. The representative frame images of said respective sub-area of the frame images are designated as representative images. Data of the representative images are linked to respective predetermined keys of an input device. In response to an operation of one of the keys, the representative image linked to the operated one of said keys is displayed on the display unit.

Claims

1. A method for processing a moving image displayed on a display unit, comprising the steps of:

displaying images representative of sets of frame images forming said moving image to be processed on said display unit, said moving image comprising a plurality of scene images;

dividing each of said scene images into cut images each of which comprises a set of frame images, and dividing each cut image into a plurality of sub-areas;

designating representative frame images of respective sub-areas of the sets of frame images as representative images;

linking data of said representative images to respective predetermined keys of an input device; and

in response to an operation of one of said keys, displaying on said display unit a representative image linked to the operated one of said keys,

wherein, in said dividing step, numeric values indicative of ratios of the number of frames of the sub-areas to the number of all frames of said cut images are specified.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1,

wherein each of said representative frame images is a head frame image of one of said sets of frame images, and

wherein said head frame image is displayed on said display unit in the order of said cut images produced from said scene images.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said keys are provided as icons indicative of a keyboard displayed on a screen of said display unit.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1,

wherein an editing area and a video material area are provided on the screen of said display unit, said representative images of the sets of frame images of the moving picture material are displayed in said video material area, the edited moving picture is displayed in the form of a tree structure having the representative images selected from said video material area and arranged in said editing area, so that, when an operator specifies one of said representative images with use of said input device and operates one of the specific keys, the head frame images of sub-areas for the designated representative image are displayed as overlapped with the designated representative images in said video material area.

5. A method as set forth in claim 1,

wherein each of said representative frame images is a head frame image of one of said sets of frame images, and

wherein head frame images are displayed only during the operation of a specific key.

6. A method as set forth in claim 1,

wherein each of said representative frame images is a head frame image of one of said sets of frame images, and

wherein, after the operation of a specific key, head frame images are successively displayed.

7. An apparatus for processing a moving image displayed on a display unit, comprising:

means for displaying images representative of sets of frame images forming said moving image to be processed on said display unit, said moving image comprising a plurality of scene images;

means for dividing each of said scene images into cut images each of which comprises a set of frame images, and dividing each cut image into a plurality of sub-areas;

means for designating representative frame images of respective sub-areas of the sets of frame images as representative images;

means for linking data of said representative images to respective predetermined keys of an input device; and

means, in response to an operation of one of said keys, for displaying on said display unit a representative image linked to the operated one of said keys,

wherein, in said dividing means, numeric values indicative of ratios of the number of frames of the designated representative frame images to the number of all frames of said cut images are specified.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7,

wherein each of said representative frame images is a head frame image of one of said set of the frame image, and

wherein said head frame image is displayed on said display unit in the order of said cut images produced from said scene images.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7,

wherein said keys are provided as icons indicative of a keyboard displayed on a screen of said display unit.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7,

wherein an editing area and a video material area are provided on the screen of said display unit, said representative images of the sets of frame images of the moving picture material are displayed in said video material area, the edited moving picture is displayed in the form of a tree structure having the representative images selected from said video material area and arranged in said editing area, so that, when an operator specifies one of said representative images with use of an input device and operates one of the specific keys, the head frame images for the designated representative image are displayed as overlapped with the specified representative images in said video material area.

11. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7,

wherein each of said representative frame images is a head frame image of one of said sets of frame images, and

wherein, in response to a specific key operation, one of head frame images of frame images of said designated representative image is displayed.

12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7,

wherein each of said representative frame images is a head frame image of one of said sets of frame images, and

wherein head frame images are displayed only during the operation of a specific key.

13. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7,

wherein each of said representative frame images is a head frame image of one of said sets of frame images, and

wherein, after the operation of a specific key, head frame images are successively displayed.

14. A method for processing a moving image displayed on a display unit, comprising the steps of:

reading out said moving images to be processed from a memory device, said moving image comprising a plurality of scene images;

dividing each of said scene images into a plurality of cut images in response to a different image information value between frame images;

dividing each of said cut images into a plurality of p sub-areas, where p is a natural number;

designating representative frame images of said cut images and of said representative p sub-areas;

linking said representative frame images of said respective p sub-areas to respective predetermined keys of an input device; and

displaying said representative frame images of said respective p sub-areas on a screen of a display unit in response to an operation of said keys,

wherein, in said dividing step of said cut images, numeric values indicative of ratios of the number of frames of the sub-areas to the number of all frames of said cut images are selected by an operator.

15. A method as set forth in claim 14, wherein said representative frame of said sub-area image is a head frame image of each of said p sub-areas.

16. A method as set forth in claim 15, wherein said head frame image is displayed on said display unit in the order of said p sub-areas divided from said cut image.

17. A method as set forth in claim 14, wherein said representative frame image of said cut image and of said sub-area is a reduced image of said frame image.

18. A method as set forth in claim 14, wherein said keys are provided as icons indicative of a keyboard displayed on the screen of said display unit.

19. A method as set forth in claim 14, wherein an editing area and a video material area are provided on the screen of said display unit, said representative frame images of said cut images of the moving image are displayed in said video material area, and the edited moving image is displayed in the form of a tree structure having the representative frame images selected from said video material area in said editing area, so that, when an operator specified one of said representative frame images of said cut image with the operation of the specific key of said input device, the head frame image of said p sub-areas for the designated representative frame image are displayed as overlapped with the designated representative frame image of said cut image in said video material area.

20. A method as set forth in claim 14, wherein, in response to the operation of the specific key of said input device, all of the head frame images of said selected representative frame image are displayed at the same time.

21. A method as set forth in claim 14, wherein, in response to the operation of the specific key of said input device, one of the head frame images of said designated sub-area is displayed.

22. A method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the head frame images of said designated sub-area are displayed only during the operation of the specific key of said input device.

23. An apparatus for processing a moving image displayed on a display unit, comprising:

means for reading out said moving images to be processed from a memory device, said moving image comprising a plurality of scene images;

means for dividing each of said scene images into a plurality of cut images in response to a different image information value between frame images;

means for dividing each of said cut images into a plurality of p sub-areas, where p is a natural number;

means for designating representative frame images of said cut images and of respective p sub-areas;

means for linking said representative frame images of said respective p sub-areas to respective predetermined keys of an input device; and

means, in response to an operation of one of said keys, for displaying on a screen of a display unit, a representative frame image of a respective p sub-area linked to the operated one of said keys,

wherein an editing area and a video material area are provided on said screen of said display unit, said representative frame images of said cut images of the moving image are displayed in said video material area, and the edited moving image is displayed in the form of a tree structure having the representative frame images selected from said video material area in said editing area, so that, when an operator specified one of said representative frame images of said cut image with the operation of the specific key of said input device, the head frame image of said p sub-areas for the designated representative frame image are displayed as overlapped with the designated representative frame image of said cut image in said video material area.

24. An apparatus as set forth in claim 23, wherein, in said dividing means of said cut images, numeric values indicative of ratios of the number of frames of the sub-areas to the number of all frames of said cut images are selected by an operator.

25. An apparatus as set forth in claim 24, wherein each of said representative frame images of said p sub-areas is a head frame image of each of said p sub-areas.

26. An apparatus as set forth in claim 25, wherein said head frame image is displayed on said display unit in the order of said p sub-areas divided from said cut image.

27. An apparatus as set forth in claim 24 wherein each of said representative frame images of said cut images and of said p sub-areas is a reduced image of a frame image.

28. An apparatus as set forth in claim 24, wherein said keys are provided as icons indicative of a keyboard displayed on said screen of said display unit.

29. An apparatus as set forth in claim 24, wherein, in response to the operation of a specific key of said input device, all of head frame images of a selected representative frame image are displayed at the same time.

30. An apparatus as set forth in claim 24, wherein, in response to the operation of a specific key of said input device, one of head frame images of said designated p sub-areas is displayed.

31. An apparatus as set forth in claim 24, wherein head frame images of said designated p sub-areas are displayed only during operation of a specific key of said input device.

32. An apparatus as set forth in claim 24, wherein, after the operation of a specific key of said input device, head frame images of said designated p sub-areas are successively displayed.

33. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer program code embodied in said medium for causing a computer to process a moving image with use of an input device based on an image displayed on a display unit,

said computer program when executed causes the computer to perform the steps of;

displaying images representative of sets of frame images forming said moving image to be processed on said display unit, said moving image comprising a plurality of scene images;

dividing each of said scene images into a plurality of cut images each of which comprises a set of frame images in response to a different image information value between frame images;

dividing each of said cut images into a plurality of p sub-areas, where p is a natural number;

designating representative frame images of respective sub-areas of the sets of frame images as representative images;

linking data of said representative images to respective predetermined keys of an input device; and

in response to an operation of one of said keys, displaying on said display unit a representative frame image linked to the operated one of said keys,

wherein, in said dividing step, numeric values indicative of ratios of the number of frames of the sub-areas to the number of all frames of said cuts are specified.