File transfer method, file transfer apparatus, and file transfer program

• US 8,949,723 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2008
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nomura, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): LONG, ANDREA NATAE
• Application Number:
  US12/287,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20090106666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,307 Days
• Field of Search: 715/748, 715/769
• US Class Current: 715/748
• 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

Abstract

A method for transferring a content data file stored in a storage unit from a file transfer apparatus to an external device is provided. The method includes displaying a file display window and a file transfer window on a display unit so that the file transfer window is viewable at any time, where the file display window includes at least one file identification image for identifying one of at least one data file and the file transfer window is used for receiving a request for transferring a data file to the external device, and, upon detecting a drag and drop operation of a file identification image displayed in the file display window into the file transfer window, reading the data file corresponding to the file identification image from the storage unit and writing the data file to the external device using a transfer processing unit of the file transfer apparatus.

Claims

1. A method for transferring a content image file stored in a storage unit from a file transfer apparatus to a storage area of an external device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a file display window and a file transfer window on a display unit using display processing unit of the file transfer apparatus so that the file transfer window is displayed at a location where the file transfer window is not hidden by the file display window, the file display window displaying at least one file identification image for identifying one of at least one image file stored in the storage unit, the file transfer window being used for receiving a request for transferring an image file to the external device; and

upon detecting a drag and drop operation of a file identification image displayed in the file display window into the file transfer window using input detecting unit of the file transfer apparatus, (b) reading the image file corresponding to the file identification image from the storage unit and writing the readout image file to the storage area of the external device using transfer processing unit of the file transfer apparatus,

wherein whenever both the file display window and file transfer window are displayed, the file transfer window is automatically displayed in the foreground of the file display window and is automatically displayed in a size that is smaller than the size of the file display window,

wherein the file transfer window includes a setting button which a user can select to cause display of a transfer setting window, and wherein the transfer setting window presents the user with a plurality of selectable folder creation conditions, each of the folder creation conditions specifying a respective criterion for automatically creating a folder in the external device for storing an image file to be transferred to the external device,

wherein automatically creating a folder comprises automatically creating a folder based on attribution information of the image file, the attribution information being acquired when the image file was captured, and

wherein the size of the file transfer window is changed according to a view of the file display window.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the attribution information is positional information indicating a photograph location at a photograph time.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the attribution information is identification information regarding a person captured in an image corresponding to the image file.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the transfer processing unit determines the name of the folder into which the image file is to be written on the basis of a creation date of the image file included in the header.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, when the image file to be transferred is an image file, the transfer processing unit determines the name of the folder into which the image file is to be written on the basis of photograph date and time information included in the header.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the transfer processing unit sets the name of the folder into which the image file is written to be the same as a name of a folder in which the image file to be transferred is originally stored in a directory structure of the storage unit for managing a location of a stored file in the storage unit.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in step (b), when drag and drop operations of a plurality of the file identification images displayed in the file display window are continuously performed, a process for detecting an input of the drag and drop operation using the input detecting unit and a process for writing the image file to be transferred to the storage area of the external device using the transfer processing unit are executed in parallel.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein step (b) involves:

each time the input detecting unit detects an input of a drag and drop operation of a file identification image displayed in the file display window into the file transfer window, sequentially registering identification information about the image file corresponding to the file identification image in a transfer list;

occasionally monitoring the step of registering identification information; and

writing, to the storage area of the external device, the image file corresponding to the identification information that is not subjected to a transfer process.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in step (b), the transfer processing unit converts an image file to be transferred into a an image file capable of being successfully played back by the external device connected to the transfer processing unit in accordance with specification information about the external device and writes the converted image file into the storage area of the external device.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, if the image file to be transferred is an image file, the transfer processing unit converts an image size of the image file into an image size reproducible and displayable on the external device.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in step (a), the display processing unit extracts the image file that satisfies a predetermined extraction condition from the storage unit and displays the file identification image corresponding to the extracted image file in the file display window in a list format.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer-readable file transfer program for transferring a content image file stored in a storage unit to a storage area of an external device, the file transfer program comprising program code for causing a computer to function as:

display processing unit to display a file display window and a file transfer window on a display unit so that the file transfer window is displayed at a location where the file transfer window is not hidden by the file display window, the file display window including at least one file identification image for identifying one of at least one image file stored in the storage unit, the file transfer window being used for receiving a request for transferring an image file to the external device;

input detecting unit to detect an input of a drag and drop operation of a file identification image displayed in the file display window into the file transfer window; and

transfer processing unit to read the image file corresponding to the file identification image from the storage unit and writing the readout image file to the storage area of the external device when the input detecting unit detects an input of a drag and drop operation of the file identification image,

wherein whenever both the file display window and file transfer window are displayed, the file transfer window is automatically displayed in the foreground of the file display window and is automatically displayed in a size that is smaller than the size of the file display window,

wherein the file transfer window includes a setting button which a user can select to cause display of a transfer setting window, and wherein the transfer setting window presents the user with a plurality of selectable folder creation conditions, each of the folder creation conditions specifying a respective criterion for automatically creating a folder in the external device for storing an image file to be transferred to the external device,

wherein automatically creating a folder comprises automatically creating a folder based on attribution information of the image file, the attribution information being acquired when the image file was captured, and

wherein the size of the file transfer window is changed according to a view of the file display window.

13. A file transfer apparatus for transferring a content image file stored in a storage unit to a storage area of an external device, the apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to operate as;

a display processing unit configured to display a file display window and a file transfer window on a display unit so that the file transfer window is displayed at a location where the file transfer window is not hidden by the file display window, the file display window including at least one file identification image for identifying one of at least one image file stored in the storage unit, the file transfer window being used for receiving a request for transferring an image file to the external device;

an input detecting unit configured to detect input of a drag and drop operation of a file identification image displayed in the file display window into the file transfer window; and

a transfer processing unit configured to read the image file corresponding to the file identification image from the storage unit and write the readout image file to the storage area of the external device when the input detecting unit detects an input of a drag and drop operation of the file identification image,

wherein whenever both the file display window and file transfer window are displayed, the file transfer window is automatically displayed in the foreground of the file display window and is automatically displayed in a size that is smaller than the size of the file display window,

wherein the file transfer window includes a setting button which a user can select to cause display of a transfer setting window, and wherein the transfer setting window presents the user with a plurality of selectable folder creation conditions, each of the folder creation conditions specifying a respective criterion for automatically creating a folder in the external device for storing an image file to be transferred to the external device,

wherein automatically creating a folder comprises automatically creating a folder based on attribution information of the image file, the attribution information being acquired when the image file was captured automatically creating a folder comprises, and

wherein the size of the file transfer window is changed according to a view of the file display window.