Method and apparatus for image retrieval

• US 20020063895A1
• Filed: 12/28/2001
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Agata, Hideyuki, Bando, Hiroyuki, Fujiwara, Yoshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 6,681,061 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• 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 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 2201/3247 Data linking a set of images to one another, e.g. sequence, burst or continuous capture mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/325 Modified version of the image, e.g. part of the image, image reduced in size or resolution, thumbnail or screennail
• 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: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data

Abstract

An image retrieval method and an image retrieval apparatus are disclosed in which it is possible to identify in which image-information recording medium or in which group an image to be retrieved is included. The image retrieval apparatus has a recording controller for recording image information on a disk drive or a hard disk drive. A reduction/expansion controller generates an index picture of a predetermined group of the image information. A retrieval-information storage unit generates index picture IDs, medium IDs, and folder IDs while correlating the above different types of IDs with each other, and stores the IDs together with the index pictures. With this arrangement, a desired item of image information is retrieved by using the index pictures, the index picture IDs, the medium IDs, and the folder IDs. It is thus possible to obtain a target image by sequentially checking the index picture visually.

Claims

1. An image management apparatus comprising:

image-information recording means for recording a plurality of items of image information on an image-information recording medium; and

reduced-image generating means for generating a reduced image of a predetermined group of the image information recorded on each predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium;

wherein the generated reduced image is stored in the image-information recording medium.

2. An image management method comprising the steps of:

recording a plurality of items of image-information on an image-information recording medium; and

generating a reduced image of a predetermined group of the image information recorded on each predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium;

wherein the generated reduced image is stored in the image-information recording medium.

3. A storage medium for storing a program implementing an image management method, said image management method comprising the steps of:

recording a plurality of items of image information on an image-information recording medium; and

generating a reduced image of a predetermined group of the image information recorded on each predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium;

wherein the generated reduced image is stored in the image-information recording medium.

4. An image retrieval apparatus comprising:

image-information recording means for recording a plurality of items of image information on an image-information recording medium;

reduced-image generating means for generating a reduced image of a predetermined group of the image information recorded on each predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, the generated reduced image being stored in the image-information recording medium;

image-group ID-code generating means for generating an ID code of the reduced image, an ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and an ID code of the predetermined group while correlating the ID code of the reduced image with the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium and the ID code of the predetermined group; and

retrieval-information storage means for storing, together with the reduced image, the ID code of the reduced image, the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the ID code of the predetermined group;

wherein a desired item of image information is retrieved by using the ID code of the reduced image, the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the ID code of the predetermined group.

5. An image retrieval apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the ID code of the reduced image, the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the ID code of the predetermined group are recorded on the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium.

6. An image retrieval apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the ID code of the reduced image, the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the ID code of the predetermined group are printed on a label, and the label is attached to the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium.

7. An image retrieval method comprising the steps of:

recording a plurality of items of image information on an image-information recording medium;

generating a reduced image of a predetermined group of the image information recorded on each predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, the generated reduced image being stored in the image-information recording medium;

generating an ID code of the reduced image, an ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and an ID code of the predetermined group while correlating the ID code of the reduced image with the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium and the ID code of the predetermined group; and

storing the ID code of the reduced image, the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the ID code of the predetermined group together with the reduced image;

wherein a desired item of image information is retrieved by using the ID code of the reduced image, the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the ID code of the predetermined group.

8. An image retrieval method according to claim 7, wherein the storing step stores a retrieval word in correspondence with the reduced image, the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the predetermined group, and the ID code of the reduced image, the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the ID code of the predetermined group are output in correspondence with the retrieval word.

9. An image retrieval method according to claim 7, wherein the reduced image is stored by selecting a desired item of image information.

10. A storage medium for recording a program implementing an image retrieval method, said image retrieval method comprising the steps of:

recording a plurality of items of image information on an image-information recording medium;

generating a reduced image of a predetermined group of the image information recorded on each predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, the generated reduced image being stored in the image-information recording medium;

generating an ID code of the reduced image, an ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and an ID code of the predetermined group while correlating the ID code of the reduced image with the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium and the ID code of the predetermined group; and

storing the ID code of the reduced image, the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the ID code of the predetermined group together with the reduced image;

wherein a desired item of image information is retrieved by using the ID code of the reduced image, the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the ID code of the predetermined group.

11. A storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the storing step stores a retrieval word in correspondence with the reduced image, the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the predetermined group, and the ID code of the reduced image, the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the ID code of the predetermined group are output in correspondence with the retrieval word.

12. A storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the reduced image is stored by selecting a desired item of image information.

13. An image printing apparatus comprising:

image-information recording means for recording a plurality of items of image information on an image-information recording medium;

reduced-image generating means for generating a reduced image of a predetermined group of the image information recorded on each predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, the generated reduced image being stored in the image-information recording medium;

image-group ID-code generating means for generating an ID code of the reduced image, an ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and an ID code of the predetermined group while correlating the ID code of the reduced image with the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium and the ID code of the predetermined group;

retrieval-information storage means for storing the ID code of the reduced image, the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the ID code of the predetermined group together with the reduced image; and

printing means for printing the ID code of the reduced image, the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the ID code of the predetermined group on a label, the label being attached to the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium;

wherein a desired item of image information is retrieved by using the ID code of the reduced image, the ID code of the predetermined unit of the image-information recording medium, and the ID code of the predetermined group.