Apparatus, system and method for providing contents and user interface program

• US 8,671,100 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2009
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kitayama, Tomoya
• Primary Examiner(s): BOWEN, RICHARD L
• Application Number:
  US12/576,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20100100550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,614 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/741
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures

Abstract

A character folder generator generates one or more character folders, each of which corresponds to a specific character, at each layer of a hierarchical folder structure, and provides a terminal with information of said one or more character folders generated at each layer. A folder ID obtainer obtains identification information of the selected character folders from the terminal, when one of the character folders at each layer is selected at the terminal. A character sequence generator generates a character sequence identified based on a sequence of the character folders, each of which has been selected at each layer. A searcher searches for files by using as a keyword the generated character sequence and generates one or more files retrieved by search in the character folder finally selected at a certain layer and providing the terminal with information of the generated files in the finally selected character folder.

Claims

1. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable recording medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program comprising:

a code module for initializing a hierarchical directory folder structure by propagating one or more folders of an initial hierarchical layer;

a code module for providing a terminal with identification information of said one or more folders propagated at the initial hierarchical layer, any intervening hierarchical layers, and a current hierarchical layer to be displayed by the terminal, wherein the identification information of each folder includes an indication of a respective character;

a code module for receiving input from the terminal of a selected folder of the current hierarchical layer;

a code module for identifying the respective character of the selected folder input from the terminal;

a code module for evaluating a folder path by concatenating the respective character of the selected folder of the current hierarchical layer with any respective characters of any folders of any of the initial hierarchical layer and intervening hierarchical layers to create a character sequence;

a code module for searching a memory for files using the character sequence as a search keyword;

a code module for propagating one or more folders for a next hierarchical layer and for submitting the results of searching using the search keyword to be displayed at the next hierarchical layer; and

a code module for referencing a folder ID table storage, wherein, when one of the folders of the current hierarchical layer is selected by the terminal, the respective character of the selected folder is identified by referencing the folder ID table storage and is concatenated onto the character sequence to be used as the search keyword.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, the program further comprising:

a code module for predicting a candidate word that contains the character sequence created at the current hierarchical layer;

a code module for propagating the one or more folders at the next hierarchical layer including a candidate folder and providing the terminal with identification information of the candidate folder including an indication of a respective character string;

a code module for, upon receiving input from the terminal of a selected candidate folder, identifying a character string corresponding to the selected candidate folder, wherein the character string contains the candidate word;

a code module for, when the candidate folder is selected at the terminal, searching for files by using as the search keyword the character string corresponding to the selected candidate folder in lieu of the character sequence previously created and generating one or more files retrieved by the search in the selected candidate folder and for providing the terminal with information of the generated files at the hierarchical layer of the selected candidate folder.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, the program further comprising:

a code module for storing in a memory a character sequence history including a character sequence that has been previously used as a search keyword;

a code module for propagating one or more candidate folders corresponding to the character sequence history in a search history folder and providing the terminal with identification information of the one or more candidate folders;

a code module for, when a candidate folder is selected at the terminal, identifying a respective character sequence corresponding to the selected candidate folder;

a code module for searching for files by using as the search keyword the respective character sequence, for generating one or more files retrieved by the search, and for providing the terminal with information of the generated files at the hierarchical layer of the selected candidate folder.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the code module for providing the terminal with information of the candidate folder propagates in the search history folder the one or more candidate folders corresponding to the character sequence history that at least partially contains a previous character sequence and provides the terminal with identification information of the one or more candidate folders.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the terminal is provided selection recognition of a folder through selection input by means other than with use of a pseudo device interface or a physical input device in which characters are presented.

6. A content providing apparatus comprising:

a content storage that stores files;

a folder propagator, which initializes a hierarchical directory folder structure by propagating one or more folders of an initial hierarchical layer, and which provides a terminal with identification information of said one or more folders propagated at the initial hierarchical layer, any intervening hierarchical layers, and a current hierarchical layer to be displayed by the terminal, wherein the identification information of each folder includes an indication of a respective character;

a folder identification information obtainer, which obtains input from the terminal of a selected folder of the current hierarchical layer;

a character sequence generator, which identifies the respective character of the selected folder input from the terminal and which creates a character sequence by concatenating the respective character of the selected folder of the current hierarchical layer with any respective characters of any folders of any of the initial hierarchical layer and intervening hierarchical layers, the character sequencing generator referencing a folder ID table storage, wherein, when one of the folders of the current hierarchical layer is selected by the terminal, the respective character of the selected folder is identified by referencing the folder ID table storage for the concatenation onto the character sequence; and

a searcher, which searches for files in the content storage by using as a search keyword the created character sequence and which submits to the terminal the results of searching using the search keyword,

wherein the folder propagator propagates one or more folders for a next hierarchical layer to provide to the terminal, which displays the one or more folders for the next hierarchical layer together with the results of searching using the search keyword.

7. A content providing system comprising:

a content providing apparatus; and

a terminal connected to communicate with the content providing apparatus,

(i) the content providing apparatus comprising;

a character folder propagator, which initializes a hierarchical directory folder structure by propagating one or more folders of an initial hierarchical layer, and which provides a terminal with identification information of said one or more folders propagated at the initial hierarchical layer, any intervening hierarchical layers, and a current hierarchical layer to be displayed by the terminal, wherein the identification information of each folder includes an indication of a respective character;

a folder identification information obtainer, which obtains input from the terminal of a selected folder of the current hierarchical layer;

a character sequence generator, which identifies the respective character of the selected folder input from the terminal and which creates a character sequence by concatenating the respective character of the selected folder of the current hierarchical layer with any respective characters of any folders of any of the initial hierarchical layer and intervening hierarchical layers, the character sequencing generator referencing a folder ID table storage, wherein, when one of the folders of the current hierarchical layer is selected by the terminal, the respective character of the selected folder is identified by referencing the folder ID table storage for the concatenation onto the character sequence; and

a searcher, which searches for files by using as a search keyword the created character sequence and which submits the results of searching using the search keyword to the terminal, and

(ii) the terminal comprising;

a user interface for receiving an operation of a user, the user interface comprising;

a means for displaying the hierarchical folder directory structure on the terminal with the identification information on said one or more folders of the current hierarchical layer;

a means for receiving an operation for selecting one of the folders at the current hierarchical layer;

a means for receiving from the content providing apparatus the results of searching and one or more folders of a next hierarchical layer; and

a means for displaying the one or more folders for the next hierarchical layer together with the results of searching.

8. A content providing method comprising:

initializing a hierarchical directory folder structure by propagating one or more folders of an initial hierarchical layer;

providing a terminal with identification information of said one or more folders propagated at the initial hierarchical layer, any intervening hierarchical layers, and a current hierarchical layer to be displayed by the terminal, wherein the identification information of each folder includes an indication of a respective character;

receiving input from the terminal of a selected folder of the current hierarchical layer;

identifying the respective character of the selected folder input from the terminal;

of the current hierarchical layer with any respective characters of any folders of any of the initial hierarchical layer and intervening hierarchical layers to create a character sequence;

searching a memory for files using the character sequence as a search keyword;

propagating one or more folders for a next hierarchical layer and submitting the results of searching using the search keyword to be displayed at the next hierarchical layer; and

referencing a folder ID table storage, wherein, when one of the folders of the current hierarchical layer is selected by the terminal, the respective character of the selected folder is identified by referencing the folder ID table storage and is concatenated onto the character sequence to be as the search keyword.