Electronic apparatus having data playback function, database creation method for the apparatus, and database creation program

• US 7,870,165 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shike, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones; Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ortiz; Belix M
• Application Number:
  US11/832,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20080077550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems

Abstract

An electronic apparatus having a data playback function may include a display; a connection unit through which the electronic apparatus is connected to an external medium storing data that can be played back; a database creation unit that extracts retrieval information used for retrieving the data stored in the external medium from the external medium in response to the connection of the external medium to create a temporary database on the basis of the extracted retrieval information; and a display unit that displays the content of the temporary database in the display.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus having a data playback function, the electronic apparatus comprising:

a display;

a connection unit through which the electronic apparatus is connected to an external medium storing data that is configured to be played back;

a database creation unit that is configured to extract, in response to the connection of the external medium, retrieval information from a hierarchical structure of the data stored in the external medium for use in retrieving the data stored in the external medium from the external medium to create a temporary database on the basis of the extracted retrieval information, and is configured to, after creating the temporary database, extract retrieval information from each piece of data stored in the external medium and create a normal database that includes information that is not included in the temporary database on the basis of the retrieval information extracted from each piece of data stored in the external medium; and

a display unit that is configured to display the content of the temporary database in the display and is configured to display the content of the normal database in the display after displaying the contents of the temporary database in the display.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein to create the temporary database, the database creation unit is configured to extract the retrieval information from file names or folder names in the hierarchical structure.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 2,

wherein the retrieval information extracted to create the temporary database comprises at least one of artist names, album names, and titles indicated in audio data.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 3,

wherein the temporary database comprises items corresponding to the hierarchical levels in the hierarchical structure.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 4,

wherein the database creation unit refers to certain data stored in the external medium, extracts retrieval information that has not been extracted from the hierarchical structure from the certain data, and registers the extracted retrieval information in the temporary database.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

an input unit; and

a changing unit that changes the content of the temporary database in response to an input with the input unit.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a data retrieval unit that retrieves the data stored in the external medium on the basis of the temporary database in response to the input with the input unit.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the external medium does not have a data playback function.

9. A method of creating a database of data that is configured to be played back and that is stored in an external medium, the method comprising the steps of:

extracting, in response to a connection of the external medium to an electronic apparatus having a playback function, retrieval information from a hierarchical structure of the data stored in the external medium for use in retrieving the data stored in the external medium;

creating a temporary database on the basis of the extracted retrieval information;

after creation of the temporary database, extracting retrieval information from each piece of data stored in the external medium; and

creating a normal database that includes information that is not included in the temporary database on the basis of retrieval information extracted from each piece of data stored in the external medium.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the retrieval information extracted to create the temporary database is extracted from file names or folder names in the hierarchical structure.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

receiving an input used for changing the content of the created temporary database.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

retrieving the data stored in the external medium on the basis of the temporary database in response to the received input.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

displaying the content of the created temporary database in a display of the electronic apparatus.

14. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions for creating a database of data that is configured to be played back and that is stored in an external medium, the set of instructions to direct a processor to perform acts of:

extracting, in response to a connection of the external medium to an electronic apparatus having a playback function, retrieval information from a hierarchical structure of the data stored in the external medium for use in retrieving the data stored in the external medium;

creating a temporary database on the basis of the extracted retrieval information;

after creation of the temporary database, extracting retrieval information from each piece of data stored in the external medium; and

creating a normal database that includes information that is not included in the temporary database on the basis of retrieval information extracted from each piece of data stored in the external medium.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14,

wherein the retrieval information extracted to create the temporary database is extracted from file names or folder names in a hierarchical structure of the data stored in the external medium.