Information processing method, information processing apparatus, information processing system, multimedia presentation system, file update method, multimedia presentation method, and storage medium

• US 7,302,428 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2003
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Ikuo, Iwabuchi, Yoshitsugu
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi; Diane D
• Application Number:
  US10/630,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20040073583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,580 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-206, 714/23
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99957 Garbage collection

Abstract

In a system for recording scenario and material files into a storage unit and reproducing the material files based on the scenario file, an information processing method capable of easily and surely preventing that the unnecessary material files are accumulated in the storage unit is provided. When the scenario file recorded in a hard disk is deleted, the unnecessary material files in this hard disk are automatically deleted. Namely, in the hard disk, the scenario file to be deleted and the scenario file to be remained are compared with each other, and the material files which are used in the scenario file to be deleted and from which the material files used in the remaining scenario file are excluded are deleted.

Claims

1. A computer implemented information processing method in which material files, and scenario files which control the material files, are recorded on a computer-readable medium in a storage means and in which a set of material files is reproduced automatically in a presentation form according to a corresponding scenario file, said method comprising:

a first processing step executed by the computer, of instructing to make a predetermined scenario file in the storage means nonreadable;

a determination step executed by the computer, of determining unnecessary material files from among the material files in the storage means, wherein the unnecessary material files are material files that are not controlled by any scenario file other than the predetermined scenario file that has been instructed in said first processing step to be made nonreadable; and

a second processing step executed by the computer, of making the unnecessary material files, controlled by the predetermined scenario file, nonreadable.

2. An information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the scenario file is comprised of link information to the material file to be controlled.

3. An information processing method according to claim 2, wherein the material file does not consist of link information to the scenario file.

4. An information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the scenario file is a scenario file that describes a sequence for controlling each material file in a time series.

5. An information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the material file is comprised of one or more of image data, voice data and character data.

6. A computer implemented information processing method in which material files, and scenario files which control the material files, are recorded on a computer-readable medium in a storage means and in which a set of material files is reproduced automatically in a presentation form according to a corresponding scenario file, said method comprising:

a comparison step executed by the computer, in which, in a case of making a predetermined scenario file in the storage means nonreadable, the predetermined scenario file is compared with the scenario files other than the predetermined scenario file; and

a determination step executed by the computer, of determining, based on a result obtained in said comparison step, one of the material files that shall be a target to be made nonreadable from mong the material files controlled by the predetermined scenario file, wherein any material file included in both a first set of material files controlled by the predetermined scenario file and a second set of material files controlled by the scenario files other than the predetermined scenario file is eliminated as a candidate for being made the target to be made nonreadable.

7. An information processing method according to claim 6, wherein the scenario file is comprised of link information to the material file to be controlled.

8. An information processing method according to claim 7, wherein the material file does not consist of link information to the scenario file.

9. A computer implemented information processing method in which material files, and scenario files which control the material files, are recorded on a computer-readable medium in a storage means and in which a set of material files is reproduced automatically in a presentation form according to a corresponding scenario file, said method comprising:

a first processing step executed by the computer, of instructing to make a predetermined scenario file in the storage means nonreadable; and

a second processing step executed by the computer, of making nonreadable, from among the material files in the storage means, any material files controlled by the predetermined scenario file and not controlled by the scenario files other than the predetermined scenario file.

10. An information processing method according to claim 9, wherein the scenario file is comprised of link information to the material file to be controlled.

11. An information processing method according to claim 10, wherein the material file does not consist of link information to the scenario file.

12. A computer implemented information processing apparatus which records material files, and scenario files which control the material files, on a computer-readable medium in storage means and automatically reproduces a set of material files in a presentation form according to a corresponding scenario file, comprising:

first processing means for instructing to make a predetermined scenario file in the storage means nonreadable;

determination means for determining unnecessary material files from among the material files in the storage means, wherein the unnecessary material files are material files that are not controlled by any scenario file other than the predetermined scenario file that has been instructed by said first processing means to be made nonreadable; and

second processing means for making the unnecessary material files, controlled by the predetermined scenario file, nonreadable.

13. An information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the scenario file is comprised of link information to the material file to be controlled.

14. An information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the material file does not consist of said link information to the scenario file.

15. An information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the scenario file is a scenario file that describes a sequence for controlling each material file in a time series.

16. An information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the material file is comprised of one or more of image data, voice data and character data.

17. A computer-implemented information processing apparatus which records material files, and scenario files which control the material files, on a computer-readable medium in storage means and automatically reproduces a set of material files in a presentation form according to a corresponding scenario file, comprising:

comparison means for, in a case of making a predetermined scenario file in said storage means nonreadable, comparing the predetermined scenario file with the scenario files other than the predetermined scenario file; and

determination means for determining, based on a result provided by said comparison means, a material file that shall be a target to be made nonreadable, from among the material files controlled by the predetermined scenario file, wherein any material file included in both a first set of material files controlled by the predetermined scenario file and a second set of material files controlled by the scenario files other than the predetermined scenario file, is eliminated as a candidate for being the target to be made nonreadable.

18. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the scenario file is comprised of link information to the material file to be controlled.

19. An information processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the material file does not consist of link information to the scenario file.

20. A computer-implemented information processing apparatus which records material files, and scenario files which control the material files, on a computer-readable medium in storage means and reproduces a set of material files in a presentation form according to a corresponding scenario file, comprising:

first processing means for instructing to make a predetermined scenario file in the storage means nonreadable; and

second processing means for making nonreadable, from among the material files in the storage means, any material files, controlled by the predetermined scenario file and not controlled by the scenario files, other than the predetermined scenario file.

21. An information processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the scenario file is comprised of link information to the material file to be controlled.

22. An information processing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the material file does not consist of link information to the scenario file.

23. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a program executable by a computer to achieve an information processing method in which material files, and scenario files which control the material files, are recorded in a storage means and in which a set of material files is automatically reproduced in a presentation form according to a corresponding scenario file, said method comprising:

a first processing step, of instructing to make a predetermined scenario file in the storage means nonreadable;

a determination step, of determining unnecessary material files from among the material files in the storage means, wherein the unnecessary material files are material files that are not controlled by any scenario file other than the predetermined scenario file that has been instructed in said first processing step to be made nonreadable; and

a second processing step, of making the unnecessary material files, controlled by the predetermined scenario file, nonreadable.

24. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a program executable by a computer to achieve an information processing method in which material files, and scenario files which control the material files, are recorded in a storage means and in which a set of material files is automatically reproduced in a presentation form according to a corresponding scenario file, said method comprising:

a comparison step, in which, in a case of making a predetermined scenario file in the storage means nonreadable, the predetermined scenario file is compared with the scenario files other than the predetermined scenario file; and

a determination step, of determining, based on a result obtained in said comparison step, one of the material files that shall be a target to be made nonreadable from among the material files controlled by the predetermined scenario file, wherein any material file included in both a first set of material files controlled by the predetermined scenario file and a second set of material files controlled by the scenario files other than the predetermined scenario file is eliminated as a candidate for being made the target to be made nonreadable.

25. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a program executable by a computer to achieve an information processing method in which material files, and scenario files which control the material files, are recorded in a storage means and in which a set of material files is automatically reproduced in a presentation form according to a scenario file, said method comprising:

a first processing step, of instructing to make a predetermined scenario file in the storage means nonreadable; and

a second processing step, of making nonreadable, from among the material files in the storage means, any material files controlled by the predetermined scenario file and not controlled by the scenario files other than the predetermined scenario file.