Information processing apparatus, method and program

• US 8,041,154 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohwa, Tsunayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): CARTER, AARON W
• Application Number:
  US11/901,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20080089593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,491 Days
• Field of Search: 382225-228, 382/305, 707821-831, 358/403
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes clustering means for performing clustering on multiple images so as to more strongly connect the images at a closer distance based on the distances determined by metadata of the images, and grouping means for grouping the images such that the number of images of each group can be equal to or lower than a predetermined number of images in accordance with the strength of connection among the images.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

clustering means for performing clustering on multiple images so as to more strongly connect the images at a closer distance based on distances determined by metadata of the images;

grouping means for grouping the images such that a number of images of each group can be equal to or lower than a predetermined number of images in accordance with a strength of connection among the images;

the metadata describes shot times when the images are shot,

the distance refers to a time interval between the shot times,

the clustering means performs clustering on the images by connecting the images in a binary tree structure so as to reduce a number of nodes among the images with smaller time intervals between the shot times based on the shot times when the images are shot, and

the grouping means groups the images by dividing the binary tree to which the images are connected into subtrees to which a predetermined or smaller number of images are connected; and

correcting means for correcting the numbers of images contained in adjacent subtrees of the divided subtrees when the numbers of images, which are shot within a predetermined time range and are contained in the adjacent subtrees, are unbalanced.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein;

the metadata describes shot places where the images are shot; and

the distance refers to a physical distance between the shot places.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the metadata describes a keyword relating to each of the images; and

the distance refers to a degree of similarity between the keywords.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

creating means for creating contents in which grouped images are laid out in groups.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the creating means defines the layout of the images in the contents to display the contents based on the number of the grouped images.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

display control means for controlling display of contents.