Information processing apparatus, information recording system, information recording method, and computer-readable medium storing program

• US 7,958,135 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2006
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kemmochi, Eiji, Katoh, Masayoshi, Nagatsuka, Tetsuro, Iga, Soichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Hung Q
• Application Number:
  US11/516,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20070051793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/758
• 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 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/951 Calendar or scheduling

Abstract

An information processing apparatus is disclosed that that acquires image/audio information in response to an operations command and generates predetermined electronic data from the acquired information. The information processing apparatus includes a user information storing unit that stores and manages information for identifying an operator issuing the operations command, a personal information storing unit that stores and manages personal information of the operator, a gathering information storing unit that stores or describes a personal information managing service managing personal information that is subject to processing, and an information extracting unit that analyzes the personal information managing service of the gathering information storing unit and extracts relevant personal information from the personal information of the operator stored in the personal information storing unit corresponding to the personal information managing service.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus that includes a processor and a computer readable medium embedded with software components executable by the processor, the executable software components comprising:

an image data generating unit that acquires image/audio information and generates a data file from the acquired image/audio information, in response to an operations command;

a user information storing unit that stores and manages information for identifying an operator issuing the operations command;

a personal information storing unit that stores and manages personal information of the identified operator;

a gathering information storing unit that manages the stored personal information using personal information managing services, said gathering information storing unit stores key words, each of the stored key words corresponding to a particular personal information managing service;

a recording command unit that selects a personal information managing service, generates a character string representing the selected personal information managing service according to a predetermined description rule, wherein the generated character string comprises at least one stored keyword corresponding to the selected personal information managing service, and inserts the generated character string into a meta information storage area of the generated data file;

an information extracting unit that analyzes the selected personal information managing service and extracts relevant personal information from the stored personal information of the identified operator, and associating at least a portion of the extracted relevant personal information with the generated data file,

wherein the relevant personal information is extracted based on the at least one key word of the inserted character string in the meta information storage area and relevant personal information is not extracted for the generated data file if a keyword according to the predetermined description rule does not exist in the meta information storage area.

3. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a relevant information generating unit that associates east one portion of the relevant personal information extracted by the information extracting unit with the generated data file.

4. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein

the relevant information generating unit stores said at least one portion of the extracted relevant personal information as relevant recording information, and embeds reference information for accessing the stored relevant recording information in meta information of the generated data file.

5. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein

the relevant information generating unit embeds said at least one portion of the extracted personal relevant information in meta information of the generated data file.

6. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

ion adding unit that adds the relevant recording information to the generated data file when the relevant personal information is acquired.

7. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

a meta information erasing unit that erases at least one portion of the meta information when the generated data file is to be distributed.

2. The information processing apparatus as claimed in 1, wherein the gathering information storing unit stores reference information for accessing the personal information managing service.

8. The information processing apparatus as claimed in 1, further comprising:

a relevant information acquiring unit configured to search for personal information of a designated operator; and

a relevant information acquisition determining unit that searches the meta information storage area for a prefix preceding the keyword, according to the predetermined description rule, extracts the keyword from the meta information storage area, and transmits the extracted keyword to the information extracting unit, wherein

the information extracting unit forwards the keyword received from the relevant information acquisition determining unit, along with designated operator information and search key information, to the relevant information acquiring unit, and

the relevant information acquiring unit searches for information matching the search key information in the personal information, stored in the personal information storing unit, of user identified by the designated operator information, and extracts information corresponding to a predetermined item that matches with the search key information, as the relevant personal information, and returns said relevant personal information to the information extracting unit.

9. The information processing apparatus as claimed in 1, wherein the character string inserted in the meta information storage area of the predetermined electronic data includes a predetermined reserved prefix as metadata.

10. An information recording system comprising:

an information processing terminal that acquires image/audio information and generates a data file from the acquired image/audio information, in response to an operations command;

an information processing apparatus that receives the generated data file from the information processing terminal and stores the received data file; and

a network that interconnects the information processing terminal and the information processing apparatus;

wherein

the information processing terminal includes;

a user information storing unit that stores and manages information for identifying an operator issuing the operations command,

a gathering information storing unit that manages personal information using personal information managing services, said gathering information storing unit stores key words, each of the stored key words corresponding to a particular personal information managing service,

a recording command unit that selects a personal information managing service, generates a character string representing the selected personal information managing service according to a predetermined description rule, wherein the generated character string comprises at least one stored key word corresponding to the selected personal information managing service, and inserts the generated character string into a meta information storage area of the generated data file, and

a forwarding unit that transmits the stored information for identifying the operator, the generated data file, and the selected personal information managing service to the information processing apparatus; and

the information processing apparatus includes

a receiving unit that receives the transmitted information for identifying the operator, the data file, and the personal information managing service from the information processing terminal,

a personal information storing unit that stores and manages personal information of the identified operator, and

an information extracting unit that analyzes the personal information managing service received from the information processing terminal and acquires relevant personal information from the personal information of the identified operator stored in the personal information storing unit, and associating at least a portion of the extracted relevant personal information with the generated data file,

wherein the relevant personal information is extracted based on the at least one key word of the inserted character string in the meta information storage area of the data file received by the receiving unit, and relevant personal information is not extracted for the generated data file if a keyword according to the predetermined description rule does not exist in the meta information storage area.

12. The information recording system as claimed in claim 10, wherein

the information processing apparatus further includes a relevant on generating unit that associates at least one portion of the relevant personal information extracted by the information extracting unit with the data file received by the receiving unit.

13. The information recording system as claimed in claim 12, wherein

the relevant information generating unit stores said at least one portion of the extracted relevant personal information as relevant recording information, and embeds reference information for accessing the stored relevant recording information in meta information of the data file received by the receiving unit.

14. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein

the relevant information generating unit embeds said at least one portion of the extracted personal relevant information in meta information of the data file received by the receiving unit.

15. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein

the information processing apparatus further includes an information adding unit that adds the relevant recording information to the data file received by the receiving unit when the relevant persona information is acquired.

16. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein

the information processing apparatus further includes a meta information erasing unit that erases at least one portion of the meta information when the data file is to be distributed.

11. The information recording system as claimed in 10, wherein the gathering information storing unit stores reference information for accessing the personal information managing service.

17. A computer-readable medium storing a program of instructions, a computer executing the program of instructions performing the steps of:

(a) acquiring image/audio information and generating a data file from the acquired image/audio information, by an information processing apparatus, in response to an operations command;

(b) storing and managing user information for identifying an operator issuing the operations command and personal information of the identified operator within a personal information managing unit;

(c) managing the stored personal information using personal information managing services, and storing key words, each of the stored key words corresponding to a particular personal information managing service;

(d) selecting a personal information managing service, generating a character string representing the selected personal information managing service according to a predetermined description rule, wherein the generated character string comprises at least one stored key word corresponding to the selected personal information managing service, and inserting the generated character string into a meta information storage area of the generated data file;

(e) analyzing the selected personal information managing service, acquiring relevant personal information from the personal information of the identified operator stored in the personal information storing unit, and associating at least one portion of the acquired relevant personal information with the generated data file; and

(f) extracting the relevant personal information, based on the at least one key word of the inserted character string in the meta information storage area, wherein relevant personal information is not extracted for the generated data file if a keyword according to the predetermined description rule does not exist in the meta information storage area.

18. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 17, wherein

when the relevant personal information is acquired, said at least one portion of the acquired relevant personal information is stored in an information managing unit as relevant recording information, and reference information for accessing the stored relevant recording information is added to the information managing unit.

19. An information processing apparatus that includes a processor and a computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to acquire image/audio information and generate predetermined electronic data from the acquired information, in response to an operations command, the apparatus including the processor configured by said program of executable instructions comprising:

a user information storing unit that stores and manages information for identifying an operator issuing the operations command;

a personal information storing unit that stores and manages personal information of the operator;

a gathering information storing unit that stores or describes a personal information managing service managing personal information that is subject to processing, said gathering information storing unit storing key words, each of the key words corresponding to the personal information managing service;

a recording command unit that selects the personal information managing service, generates a character string representing the selected personal information managing service according to a predetermined description rule by using the key words, and inserts the character string in a meta information storage area of the predetermined electronic data;

an information extracting unit that analyzes the personal information managing service of the gathering information storing unit and extracts relevant personal information from the personal information of the stored in the personal information storing unit corresponding to the personal information managing service; and

a relevant information acquisition determining unit that determines whether a keyword written according to the predetermined description rule is recorded in the meta information storage area of the predetermined electronic data, and if it is determined that the keyword written according to the predetermined description rule is not recorded in the meta information storage area, causes the information extracting unit not to extract the relevant personal information from the personal information stored in the personal information storing unit, wherein

if the relevant information acquisition determining unit determines that the keyword written according to the predetermined description rule is recorded in the meta information storage area, the relevant information acquisition determining unit extracts the keyword from the meta information storage area and transmits the extracted keyword to the information extracting unit, and

the information extracting unit causes the relevant personal information to be extracted, based at least in part on the keyword received from the relevant information acquisition determining unit, and to be linked to the generated data file.