Electronic camera apparatus and operation guide

• US 7,701,500 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2005
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Aizawa, Toyokazu, Nagaoka, Shiro, Yoshihara, Hiroto, Ikehata, Tatsuhiko, Tashiro, Kei, Yoneyama, Takahisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Nhan T
• Assistant Examiner(s): DIEP, TRUNG T
• Application Number:
  US11/258,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20060146167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,637 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.1, 348/231.1, 348/333.1, 348/231.2, 348/333.01
• US Class Current: 348/333.01
• 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 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence

Abstract

A concept such as an album is introduced with respect to management and arrangement of image files, and several albums are electronically classified and managed for an electronic camera apparatus. According to one embodiment, a method comprises capturing an image, recording the image as an image file, creating a plurality of albums used for classifying and arranging the image file, and displaying album identifier information corresponding to each of the created plurality of albums during the shooting mode or the playback mode.

Claims

1. An electronic camera apparatus adapted to operate in a shooting mode and a playback mode, comprising:

a creating section configured to create a plurality of albums used for classifying and arranging an image file;

a main body of the electronic camera apparatus;

a recess configured to able to receive and open a display section;

a jog dial on the main body, the jog dial being adjacent to the display section;

the display section configured to display a shooting menu and a part of an arc image of the jog dial when the display section is opened, and various menu items of the shooting menu being scrolled on the display section according to a rotation of the jog dial, the display section being configured to display album identifier information corresponding to an album selection in the various menu items;

a capturing section configured to capture an image; and

a recording section configured to record the image as said image file to a storage, the image file being associated with at least one designated album through the displayed album identifier information when the image file is recorded.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display section displays album identifier information corresponding to each of the plurality of albums.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the album identifier information comprises a plurality of icons previously stored in the display section, the plurality of icons includes an icon to create a new album when the icon is selected.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display section displays a guide screen adapted to determine whether or not a file number is reset when the new album is created.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a selecting section configured to select the album identifier information associated with one of the plurality of albums displayed in a shooting menu to receive the image file, where the display section displays the album identifier information stored with the image file on part of a screen.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a specifying section configured to specify album identifier information corresponding to one of the plurality of albums for playback of the image file stored as part of the one of the plurality of albums.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the display section displays image files stored in a first album of the plurality of albums in a form of photo thumbnails in a playback menu, and displays a mark of a boundary of the album when scrolling the photo thumbnails and moving to a photo thumbnail of a second album of the plurality of albums.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display section displays image files stored in an album of the plurality of albums in a form of photo thumbnails in a playback menu, and displays a mark of a boundary of the album when scrolling photo thumbnails and moving to a thumbnail of a next album.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

album protection setting section configured to set protection with respect to a selected album of the plurality of albums.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the means for displaying is adapted to set a display color of the protected album to a color different from non-protected albums of the plurality of albums.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

image file protection setting section configured to set protection with respect to a selected image file of a plurality of image files stored in the selected album.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the display section is adapted to set a display color of the protected image file to a color different from non-protected image files of the plurality of image files.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a slide show performance section configured to execute slide show of image files stored in an album; and

a guide screen display section configured to display a guide screen for selecting whether slide show of all images files stored in several albums or slide show of an image file of a specific selected album is executed, as a menu before executing the slide show.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first processing block configured to execute copy or move of an image file stored of an album, and menu display means including;

a second processing block configured to display images of the image file to select the copy or move image file;

a third processing block configured to display set several pieces of album identifier information to select a copy or move destination album when the copy or move image file is selected; and

a fourth processing block configured to copy or move the copy or move image file to an album corresponding to the album identifier information selected from displayed several pieces of album identifier information.

15. An operation guide method for an electronic camera apparatus comprising:

displaying a shooting menu and a part of an arc image of a jog dial when a display section is opened, and various menus items of the shooting menu being scrolled on the display section according to a rotation of the jog dial, and displaying the album identifier information of a destination album storing an image file on part of a guide screen, the destination album being one of the plurality of albums; and

determining the destination album for the image file in a shooting menu for storage of the image file, and the image file being associated with the at least one designated album through the displayed album identifier information when the image file being recorded.

16. An operation guide method according to claim 15, wherein prior to determining the destination album, the method further comprises:

creating an album when a portion of the album identifier information is selected; and

displaying album identifier information associated with the newly created album.

17. An electronic camera apparatus adapted to operate in a shooting mode and a playback mode, comprising:

means for creating a plurality of albums used for classifying and arranging an image file;

a main body of the electronic camera apparatus;

a recess configured to able to receive and open a display means;

a jog dial on the main body, the jog dial being adjacent to the display section;

the display means for displaying a shooting menu and a part of an arc image of the jog dial when the display section is opened, and various menu items of the shooting menu being scrolled on the display section according to a rotation of the jog dial, and for displaying album identifier information corresponding to an album selection in the various menu items;

means for capturing an image; and

means for recording the image as the image file to a storage, the image file being associated with a designated album through the displayed album identifier information when the image file is recorded.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the means for displaying displays a guide screen adapted to determine whether or not a file number is reset when the new album is created.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

means for selecting the album identifier information associated with one of the plurality of albums displayed in a shooting menu to receive the image file, where the means for displaying displays the album identifier information stored with the image file on part of a screen.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the means for displaying displays image files stored in a first album of the plurality of albums in a form of photo thumbnails in a playback menu, and displays a mark of a boundary of the first album when scrolling the photo thumbnails and moving to a photo thumbnail of a second album of the plurality of albums.