Image processing apparatus, control method therefor, computer program, and computer-readable storage medium

• US 7,949,209 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2009
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoshino, Hiroaki, Nakase, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, KANJIBHAI B
• Application Number:
  US12/638,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20100094898A1
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 382/282, 382/291, 382/305, 382/312, 707/3, 707/6, 707/104.1, 707/200, 707/205, 707/705, 707/706, 707/752, 707/769, 707/792, 707/802, 711/100
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00384 Key input means, e.g. buttons or keypads electromechanical details of key input means in general H01H13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00458 Sequential viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. browsing or scrolling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3254 Orientation, e.g. landscape or portrait; Location or order of the image data, e.g. in memory
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

In this invention, when images, in image files managed according to photographing dates, which match a search condition are to be displayed, the images matching the search condition are sequentially displayed such that the positions or distribution of the image files, of all image files, which match the search condition can be checked. For this reason, when the search condition is changed by operating upper and lower keys provided on the back face of a digital camera, a search is made for images matching the condition after the change. Indicators indicating the relative positions of the images matching the search condition in the list of image files arranged in the order of photographing dates are displayed. When the left and right keys are operated, one of images matching the search condition is displayed in the image display area.

Claims

1. An information searching apparatus which searches for a file having a specific attribute indicating a changing point, from a plurality of files which are managed by a plurality of groups having a specific order, where files in each group are managed in accordance with a predetermined order, said apparatus comprising:

a memory constructed to store, for each group, changing point presence/absence information indicating whether the group includes a file having the specific attribute indicating the changing point;

a reception unit constructed to receive an instruction for searching for, among files having the specific attribute indicating the changing point different from a specific attribute of a file designated as a search start file, a file nearest to the search start file in the predetermined order;

a determination unit constructed to determine, among groups subsequent to the group including the search start file, an objective group including a file having the specific attribute indicating the changing point in accordance with the changing point presence/absence information stored in said memory; and

a control unit constructed to control so as to acquire the attribute from files included in the objective group determined by the determination unit, and output a file firstly found whose specific attribute indicates the changing point, as the searching result for the instruction received by said reception unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit excludes, from search target files, files included in a next group subsequent to the group including the search start file, if a first file in the next group has the same attribute as that of a last file in the group including the search start file and the next group does not include a file having the specific attribute indicating the changing point.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said memory also stores, for each group, items in the specific attribute of the first and last files in the predetermined order among files included in a group;

wherein said control unit comprises;

a second determination unit constructed to determine whether or not a first file in a next group subsequent to the group including the search start file has the same attribute as that of the last file in the group including the search start file and determine whether or not the next group has a file having the specific attribute indicating the changing point in accordance with the information stored by said memory.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if the group including the search start file includes a file, among files subsequent to the search start file, having a different attribute from that of the search start file, said determination unit skips the determination process.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said file is an image file.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the specific attribute indicates a photographing date of the image file.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus is a camera having an image sensing unit.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the changing point is a date changing point.

9. A method for controlling an information searching apparatus to search for a file having a specific attribute indicating a changing point from a plurality of files which are managed by a plurality of groups having a specific order, where files in each group are managed in accordance with a predetermined order, said method comprising:

storing for each group, changing point presence/absence information indicating whether the group includes a file having the specific attribute indicating the changing point;

receiving an instruction for searching for, among files having the specific attribute indicating the changing point different from a specific attribute of a file designated as a search start file, a file nearest to the search start file in the predetermined order;

determining, among groups subsequent to the group including the search start file, an objective group including a file having the specific attribute indicating the changing point in accordance with the stored changing point presence/absence information; and

controlling the information searching apparatus so as to acquire the attribute from files included in the objective group determined in the determining step, and output a file firstly found whose specific attribute indicates the changing point, as the search result for the instruction received in said receiving step.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said controlling step excludes, from search target files, files included in a next group subsequent to the group including the search start file, if a first file in the next group has the same attribute as that of a last file in the group including the search start file, and the next group does not include a file having the specific attribute indicating the changing point.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said storing step also stores, for each group, items in the specific attribute of the first and last files in the predetermined order among files included in a group;

wherein said controlling step comprises;

a second determining step of determining whether or not a first file in a next group subsequent to the group including the search start file has the same attribute as that of the last file in the group including the search start file and determining whether or not the next group has a file having the specific attribute indicating the changing point in accordance with the stored information.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein, if the group including the search start file includes a file, among files subsequent to the search start file, having a different attribute from that of the search start file, said determining step skips the determining process.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the specific attribute indicates a photographing date of the image file.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the information searching apparatus is a camera having an image sensing unit.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein said file is an image file.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the changing point is a date changing point.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium on which is retrievably stored computer-executable process steps for causing an information searching apparatus to search for a file having a specific attribute indicating a changing point, from a plurality of files which are managed by a plurality of groups having a specific order, where files in each group are managed in accordance with a predetermined order, said process steps comprising:

storing for each group, changing point presence/absence information indicating whether the group includes a file having the specific attribute indicating the changing point;

receiving an instruction for searching for, among files having the specific attribute indicating the changing point different from a specific attribute of a file designated as a search start file, a file nearest to the search start file in the predetermined order;

determining, among groups subsequent to the group including the search start file, an objective group including a file having the specific attribute indicating the changing point in accordance with the stored changing point presence/absence information; and

controlling the information searching apparatus so as to acquire the attribute from files included in the objective group determined in the determining step, and output a file firstly found whose specific attribute indicates the changing point, as the search result for the instruction received in said receiving step.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium according to claim 17, wherein said controlling step excludes, from search target files, files included in a next group subsequent to the group including the search start file, if a first file in the next group has the same attribute as that of a last file in the group including the search start file and the next group does not include a file having the specific attribute indicating the changing point.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium according to claim 18, wherein said storing step also stores, for each group, items in the specific attribute of the first and last files in the predetermined order among files included in a group;

wherein said controlling step comprises

a second determining step of determining whether or not a first file in a next group subsequent to the group including the search start file has the same attribute as that of the last file in the group including the search start file and whether or not the next group has a file having the specific attribute indicating the changing point in accordance with the stored information.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium according to claim 17, wherein, if the group including the search start file includes a file, among files subsequent to the search start file, having a different attribute from that of the search start file, said determining step skips the determining process.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium according to claim 17, wherein said file is an image file.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium according to claim 21, wherein the specific attribute indicates a photographing date of the image file.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium according to claim 22, wherein the information search apparatus is a camera having an image sensing unit.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium according to claim 17, wherein the changing point is a date changing point.

25. An information searching apparatus which searches data having attribute including date information indicating a date changing point, from a plurality of data which are managed by a plurality of groups having a specific order, where data in each group are managed in accordance with a predetermined order, the apparatus comprising:

a memory constructed to store, for each group, changing point presence/absence information indicating whether or not the group includes data, as the date changing point, whose date information in the attribute is different from that of the other data in the group;

a reception unit constructed to receive an instruction for searching for, among data whose date information in the attribute is different from that of data designated as search start data, a data whose date information is nearest to the date information of the search start data in the predetermined order;

a determination unit constructed to determine, among groups subsequent to the group including the search start data, an objective group including the date changing point in accordance with the changing point presence/absence information stored in said memory; and

a control unit constructed to control so as to acquire the attribute of data included in the objective group determined by said determination unit, and output data firstly found whose created date in the attribute is different from that of the search start data, as the searching result for the instruction received by said reception unit.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said control unit excludes a group of interest, from groups including search target data, if the created date represented by the date information in the attribute of first data in the group of interest is the same of that of last data in a group immediately before the group of interest in the order of created date and the group of interest does not include the date changing point.

27. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said memory also stores, for each group, the date information in the specific attribute of first data and last data in the specific order in a group,

wherein said apparatus further comprises a second determination unit constructed to determine whether the created date represented by the date information in the attribute of first data in a group of interest is the same of that of last data in a group immediately before the group of interest, and determine whether or not the group of interest does not include the date changing point.

28. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the data is image data.

29. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the date information in the attribute indicates a photographed date.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium retrievably storing a computer-executable program causing a computer, by reading and executing the program, to function as the information searching apparatus according to claim 25.

30. The apparatus according to clam 25, wherein the information searching apparatus is a digital camera.

32. A method of controlling an information searching apparatus which searches data having attribute including date information indicating a date changing point, from a plurality of data which are managed by a plurality of groups having a specific order, where data in each group are managed in accordance with a predetermined order, the method comprising:

a storing step of storing, for each group, changing point presence/absence information indicating whether or not the group includes data, as the date changing point, whose date information in the attribute is different from that of the other data in the group;

a receiving step of receiving an instruction for searching for, among data whose date information in the attribute is different from that of data designated as search start data, a data whose date information is nearest to the date information of the search start data in the predetermined order;

a determining step of determining, among groups subsequent to the group including the search start data, an objective group including the date changing point in accordance with the stored changing point presence/absence information; and

a control step of controlling the information searching apparatus so as to acquire the attribute of data included in the objective group determined in said determination step, and output data firstly found whose created date in the attribute is different from that of the search start data, as the searching result for the instruction received in said reception step.