Video searching method and apparatus, video information producing method, and storage medium for storing processing program thereof

• US 6,449,608 B1
• Filed: 11/26/2001
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ishida, Tomoyuki, Onodera, Takeshi, Morita, Koichi, Asai, Mitsuo, Takiyasu, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOULES, JACK M
• Application Number:
  US09/991,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20020034373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 288 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/104.1, 348/564, 348/552, 382/232, 345/716, 345/719, 345/720, 345/721, 386/83
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/739 in form of a video summary, e.g. the video summary being a video sequence, a composite still image or having synthesized frames
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/743 a collection of video files or sequences
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/745 the internal structure of a single video sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A video searching method, and apparatus, having a function of representing a video file are provided such that the contents of video files stored in a storage device may be recognized definitely and rapidly. The video searching apparatus includes a computer, a storage device, a device for controlling them, and a display device. The apparatus includes a software resource for producing a group image formed of at least two still images of scenes representing the contents of each of video files stored in the storage device. In the apparatus, the size of the group image is changed at any time. In response to manipulation of the group image, file operation such as deletion, movement or name change of a corresponding video file is performed.

Claims

1. A video searching method for storing a plurality of video images in a storage device as respective video files, and searching and displaying the video files, the video searching method comprising the steps of:

extracting, from each of the plurality of video files stored in the storage device, a plurality of images for representing contents of the video file at predetermined intervals beforehand;

producing one group image file for each of the video files from the plurality of images extracted from the video file, the one group image file storing a group image corresponding to the video file, the group image being an image obtained by arranging the extracted plurality of images in a predetermined arrangement and lumping the extracted plurality of images together in the predetermined arrangement; and

displaying at least one of the group images respectively corresponding to the video files stored in the storage device on a display device using at least one of the group image files storing the at least one of the group images.

2. A video searching method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

prompting a user to select a desired video file from the plurality of video files stored in the storage device using a directory, the directory having a hierarchy structure provided by a file system to facilitate management by the user of the plurality of video files stored in the storage device;

extracting a plurality of images from the selected1 video file at predetermined intervals beforehand;

displaying the extracted plurality of images on the display device; and

displaying one of the video images corresponding to the video file selected by the user beginning from a position of an arbitrary one of the extracted plurality of images selected by the user.

3. A video searching method for storing a plurality of video images in a storage device as respective video files, and searching and displaying the video files, the video searching method comprising the steps of:

prompting a user to select a desired video file from the plurality of video files;

extracting a plurality of images from the selected video file at predetermined intervals beforehand;

displaying the extracted plurality of images corresponding to the predetermined intervals on a display device;

extracting a plurality of images from a portion of the selected video file corresponding to extracted images of an arbitrary one of the predetermined intervals selected by the user at desired intervals;

displaying the extracted plurality of images corresponding to the desired intervals on a display device; and

displaying a portion of one of the video images corresponding to the selected video file beginning from a position of an arbitrary one of the extracted plurality of images corresponding to the desired intervals selected by the user.

4. A video searching apparatus for storing a plurality of video images in a storage device as respective video files, and searching and displaying the video files, the video searching apparatus comprising:

group image producing means for extracting, from each of the plurality of video files stored in the storage device, a plurality of images for representing contents of the video file at predetermined intervals beforehand, and producing one group image file for each of the video files from the plurality of images extracted from the video file, the one group image file storing a group image corresponding to the video file, the group image being an image obtained by arranging the extracted plurality of images in a predetermined arrangement and lumping the extracted plurality of images together in the predetermined arrangement; and

group image display means for displaying at least one of the group images respectively corresponding to the video files stored in the storage device using at least one of the group image files storing the at least one of the group images, the group image display means being associated with the group image producing means.

5. A video searching apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

means for storing video images in a storage device2 as respective video files;

a storage device for storing the video files therein; and

means for communicating with the storage device.

6. A video searching apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising means for editing the video files stored in the storage device.

7. A video searching method for storing a plurality of video images in a storage device as respective video files, and producing auxiliary video searching images to search the video files, the video searching method comprising the steps of:

extracting, from each of the plurality of video files stored in the storage device, a plurality of images for representing contents of the video file at predetermined intervals beforehand;

producing one group image file for each of the video files from the plurality of images extracted from the video file, the one group image file storing a group image corresponding to the video file, the group image being an image obtained by arranging the extracted plurality of images in a predetermined arrangement and lumping the extracted plurality of images together in the predetermined arrangement.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing a video searching program for storing a plurality of video images in a storage device as respective video files, and searching and displaying the video files, the video searching program comprising:

an instruction for extracting, from each of the plurality of video files stored in the storage device, a plurality of images for representing contents of the video file at predetermined intervals beforehand;

an instruction for producing one group image file for each of the video files from the plurality of images extracted from the video file, the one group image file storing a group image corresponding to the video file, the group image being an image obtained by arranging the extracted plurality of images in a predetermined arrangement and lumping the extracted plurality of images together in the predetermined arrangement; and

an instruction for displaying at least one of the group images respectively corresponding to the video files stored in the storage device on a display device using at least one of the group image files storing the at least one of the group images.

9. A computer program product including a storage medium, the storage medium storing a video information producing program for storing a plurality of video images in a storage device as respective video files, and producing auxiliary video searching images to search the video files by using a computer, the computer program product comprising:

program means recorded on the storage medium for causing the computer to extract, from each of the plurality of video files stored in the storage device, a plurality of images for representing contents of the video file at predetermined intervals beforehand; and

program means recorded on the storage medium for causing the computer to produce one group image file for each of the video files from the plurality of images extracted from the video file, the one group image file storing a group image corresponding to the video file, the group image being an image obtained by arranging the extracted plurality of images in a predetermined arrangement and lumping the extracted plurality of images together in the predetermined arrangement.