Providing an album to a communication terminal via a network

• US 20030217118A1
• Filed: 05/09/2003
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Makoto, Maeda, Kenji, Yamaguchi, Kotaro, Sunata, Jin
• Granted Patent: US 7,603,409 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

An information processing apparatus on a network stores data in the form of albums in each of which a plurality of data are archived, and the information processing apparatus provides stored albums to communication terminals via the network in an efficient manner. The information processing apparatus detects the device type of a communication terminal and determines whether a part or all of data included in an album should be provided at a time to the communication terminal, depending on the detected type of the communication terminal. This makes it possible even for a communication terminal having low communication performance to receive data via the network without encountering an error.

Claims

1. An information processing system for storing a plurality of data in the form of an album and providing the album to a communication terminal via a network, comprising

outputting means for selectively outputting first information or second information, said first information being for providing a part of data included in the album to the communication terminal, said second information being for providing all data included in the album to the communication terminal;

detection means for detecting a type of the communication terminal; and

control means for controlling the outputting means so as to selectively output either the first information or the second information depending on the type detected by the detection means.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein

the communication terminal has a Web browsing capability;

and

the first information and the second information are described in a Web page description language.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the outputting means in such a manner that in a case in which the type of communication terminal is detected as being a portable communication terminal, the outputting means outputs the first information, while in a case in which the type of communication terminal is detected as being a personal computer, the outputting means outputs the second information.

4. A system according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for storing a date/time of output of the first information;

wherein the control means disables the outputting means to output the first information depending on the date/time stored in the storage means.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the outputting means outputs information for providing detailed information about the data.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein the detailed information about the data includes at least a name of the data, the number of times information for providing the data to the communication terminal has been outputted, and a comment associated with the data.

7. A system according to claim 1, further comprising copying means for copying a thumbnail image of the part of the data included in the album,

wherein the outputting means outputs information for providing the thumbnail image of the data copied to the communication terminal.

8. An information processing apparatus comprising:

connection means for making a connection with a server for storing a plurality of data in the form of an album; and

outputting means for outputting information for providing a part of data included in the album stored in the server to a communication terminal,

wherein the connection means makes a connection with the server depending on a type of the communication terminal, and the information processing apparatus further comprises;

second connection means for making a connection with a data conversion apparatus for converting the information, depending on the type of the communication terminal; and

transmission means for transmitting information output to the data conversion apparatus connected by the second connection means.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the communication terminal has a Web browsing capability;

and

the outputting means outputs the information in a Web page description language.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the connection means makes the connection with the server in a case in which the type of the communication terminal is a portable communication terminal.

11. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the outputting means is disabled to output the information depending on a date/time of output of the information.

12. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the outputting means outputs information for providing detailed information about the data to the communication terminal.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the detailed information about the data includes at least a name of the data, the number of times information for providing the data to the communication terminal has been outputted, and a comment associated with the data.

14. An apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising copying means for copying a thumbnail image of a part of the data included in the album,

wherein the outputting means outputs information for providing the thumbnail image of the data copied to the communication terminal.

15. An information processing method for storing a plurality of data in the form of an album and providing the album to a communication terminal, comprising the steps of:

detecting a type of the communication terminal; and

outputting information in a mode selected from a plurality of modes depending on the detected type of the communication terminal, said plurality of modes including a mode in which a part of data included in the album is output and a mode in which all data included in the album is output.

16. A program for implementing on a computer an information processing method for storing a plurality of data in the form of an album and providing the album to a communication terminal, the information process method comprising the steps of:

detecting a type of the communication terminal; and

outputting information in a mode selected from a plurality of modes depending on the detected type of the communication terminal, said plurality of modes including a mode in which a part of data included in the album is output and a mode in which all data included in the album is output.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having a program stored thereon for implementing on a computer an information processing method for storing a plurality of data in the form of an album and providing the album to a communication terminal, the information processing method comprising the steps of:

detecting a type of the communication terminal; and

outputting information in a mode selected from a plurality of modes depending on the detected type of the communication terminal, said plurality of modes including a mode in which a part of data included in the album is output and a mode in which all data included in the album is output.

18. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

making a connection with a server storing a plurality of data in the form of an album, the connection depending on a type of a communication terminal being communicated with via a network;

outputting information for providing a part of data included in the album stored in the server to the communication terminal;

making a connection with a data conversion apparatus for converting the information, depending on the type of the communication terminal; and

transmitting information output to the data conversion apparatus connected in the step of making the connection with the data conversion apparatus.

19. A program for implementing an information processing method on a computer, said information processing method comprising the steps of:

making a connection with a server storing a plurality of data in the form of an album, the connection depending on a type of a communication terminal being communicated with via a network;

outputting information for providing a part of data included in the album stored in the server to the communication terminal;

making a connection with a data conversion apparatus for converting the information, depending on the type of the communication terminal; and

transmitting information output to the data conversion apparatus connected in the step of making the connection with the data conversion apparatus.

20. A storage medium having a program stored thereon for implementing an information processing method on a computer, said information processing method comprising the steps of:

making a connection with a server storing a plurality of data in the form of an album, the connection depending on the type of a communication terminal being communicated with via a network;

outputting information for providing a part of data included in the album stored in the server to the communication terminal;

making a connection with a data conversion apparatus for converting the information, depending on the type of the communication terminal; and

transmitting information output to the data conversion apparatus connected in the step of making the connection with the data conversion apparatus.