Information storage system and information management system

• US 7,225,203 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2002
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kohno, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Anh
• Application Number:
  US10/117,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20020147730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,880 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/3, 707/200, 707/6, 707/10, 707100-1041, 707/7, 707/104.11, 368/10, 368/21, 368/95, 324/357.13, 386/95, 386/125, 370/400
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

This invention provides a system for managing information in a format that can be used based on the international standard time and local time. Upon storing and managing information (150), a) the local time (121) of a predetermined area, b) a standard difference (122) as the difference between the international standard time and the standard time of the predetermined area, and c) a season difference (122) as the difference between the standard time and the local time of the predetermined area in a corresponding season are appended.

Claims

1. An information storage system that stores image for a user so that the user can retrieve the stored image comprising:

an acquisition unit arranged to acquire the image along with a local time of a predetermined area where the image is acquired;

a calculating unit arranged to calculate a standard difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and a season difference between the standard time of the predetermined area and a local time of the predetermined area using a time library equipped in an operating system of the information storage system;

a storage unit arranged to store the image acquired by said acquisition unit, wherein the storage unit appends to the image the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference, and the season difference thereby enabling the international standard time when the image information was acquired to be determined; and

an output unit arranged to output the image stored by said storage unit, wherein the output image is appended with the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference, and the season difference.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a saving unit arranged to save the image stored by said storage unit, wherein the saved image is appended with the local time, the standard difference, and the season difference in a removable memory medium.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a search unit arranged to search the image stored by said storage unit for image which matches an arbitrary search condition.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said search unit includes a unit arranged to execute a search process for the image stored by said storage unit using the local time of the predetermined area as a key.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein said search unit includes a unit arranged to execute a search process for the image stored by said storage unit using the international standard time as a key while calculating the international standard time on the basis of the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference, and the season difference.

6. The system according to claim 3, further comprising an output unit arranged to output the retrieved by said search unit.

7. The system according to claim 3, further comprising a saving unit arranged to save the image retrieved by said search unit in a removable memory medium.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a stored information manipulation unit arranged to manipulate the image information stored by said storage unit on the basis of the local time of the predetermined area appended to the image.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said stored information manipulation unit includes a unit arranged to sort the image information stored by said storage unit on the basis of the local time of the predetermined area.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein said stored information manipulation unit includes a unit arranged to sort the image information stored by said storage unit on the basis of the international standard time.

11. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a stored information manipulation unit arranged to manipulate image information stored by said storage unit on the basis of the international standard time while calculating the international standard time on the basis of the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference, and season difference appended to the image.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein said acquisition unit includes a unit arranged to acquire information from a removable memory medium.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein said acquisition unit includes a unit arranged to acquire the image from an external apparatus.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the external apparatus includes a camera.

15. An information storage system that stores image for a user so that the user can retrieve the stored image comprising:

an acquisition unit arranged to acquire the image along with a local time of a predetermined area where the image is acquired;

a calculating unit arranged to calculate a standard difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and a season difference between the standard time of the predetermined area and a local time of the predetermined area using a time library equipped in an operating system of the information storage system;

a storage unit arranged to store the image acquired by said acquisition unit, wherein the storage unit appends to the image the international standard time, the standard difference, and the season difference, as supplemental information;

an output unit arranged to output the image stored by said storage unit, wherein the output image is appended with the international standard time, the standard difference, and the season difference.

16. An information management system that stores image for a user so that the user can retrieve the stored image comprising:

an information storage system; and

an information collection system,

said information storage system comprising;

an acquisition unit arranged to acquire the image along with a local time of a predetermined area where the image is acquired;

a calculating unit arranged to calculate a standard difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and a season difference between the standard time of the predetermined area and a local time of the predetermined area using a time library equipped in an operating system of the information management system; and

a storage unit arranged to store the image acquired by said acquisition unit, wherein the storage unit appends to the image the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference, and the season difference, as supplement information thereby enabling the international standard time when the image was acquired to be determined,

an output unit arranged to output the image stored by said storage unit, wherein the output image is appended with the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference, and the season difference, and

said information collection system comprising a collection/storage unit arranged to collect and store the image stored by said storage unit of said information storage system from said information storage system.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said information collection system further comprises a collected information search unit arranged to search the image collected and stored by said collection unit for image which matches an arbitrary search condition.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said collected information search unit includes a unit arranged to execute a search process for the image collected and stored by said collection unit using the local time of the predetermined area as a key.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein said collected information search unit includes a unit arranged to execute a search process for the image collected and stored by said collection unit using the international standard time as a key while calculating the international standard time on the basis of the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference, and the season difference.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein said information collection system further comprises a unit arranged to save the image retrieved by said collected information search unit in a removable memory medium.

21. The system according to claim 16, wherein said information collection system further comprises a collected information manipulation unit arranged to manipulate the image collected and stored by said collection/storage unit on the basis of the local time of the predetermined area appended to the image.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein said collected information manipulation unit includes a unit arranged to sort the image information collected and stored by said collection/storage unit on the basis of the local time of the predetermined area.

23. The system according to claim 16, wherein said information collection system further comprises a collected information manipulation unit arranged to manipulate the image information collected and stored by said collection/storage unit on the basis of the international standard time while calculating the international standard time on the basis of the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference, and season difference appended to the image.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein said collected information manipulation unit includes a unit arranged to sort the image information collected and stored by said collection/storage unit on the basis of the international standard time.

25. The system according to claim 16, further comprising a plurality of information storage systems equivalent to said information storage system, and wherein said collection/storage unit of said information collection system collects and stores image stored by the respective storage units of said plurality of information storage systems.

26. An information management system that stores image for a user so that the user can retrieve the stored image comprising:

an information storage system; and

an information collection system,

said information storage system comprising;

an acquisition unit arranged to acquire image along with a local time of a predetermined area where the image is acquired;

a calculating unit arranged to calculate a standard difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and a season difference between the standard time and local time of the predetermined area using a time library equipped in an operating system of the information management system;

a storage unit arranged to store the image acquired by said acquisition unit, wherein the storage unit appends to the image the international standard time, the standard difference, and the season difference, and

an output unit arranged to output the image stored by said storage unit, wherein the output image is appended with the international standard time, the standard difference, and the season difference,

wherein said information collection system comprising a collection/storage unit arranged to collect and store image stored by said storage unit of said information storage system from said information storage system, as supplemental information.

27. An information storage method that enables a user to retrieve stored image from an information storage system comprising:

acquiring the image along with a local time of a predetermined area where the image is acquired;

calculating a standard difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and a season difference between the standard time and local time of the predetermined area using a time library equipped in an operating system of the information storage system;

storing the image acquired in the acquiring step with appending, to the image, the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference, and the season difference, as supplemental information thereby enabling the international standard time when the was was acquired to be determined; and

outputting the image stored by said storing, wherein the output image is appended with the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference and the season difference.

28. An information storage method that enables a user to retrieve stored image from an information storage system comprising:

acquiring the image along with a local time of a predetermined area where the image is acquired;

calculating a standard difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and a season difference between the standard time and local time of the predetermined area using a time library equipped in an op erating system of the information storage system;

storing the image acquired in the acquiring step with appending, to the image, the international standard time, the standard difference, and the season difference, as supplemental information; and

outputting the image stored by said storing, wherein the output image is appended with the international standard time, the standard difference, and the season difference.

29. An information management method that enables a user to retrieve stored image from an information storage system comprising the steps of:

making each of a plurality of information storage systems acquire image along with a local time of a predetermined area where the image is acquired, calculate a standard difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area as well as a season difference between the standard time of the predetermined area and a local time of the predetermined area using a time library equipped in an operating system of the information storage system, store the acquired image with appending, to the image, the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference, and the season difference, as supplemental information thereby enabling the international standard time when the image was acquired to be determined; and

output the image stored by a storage unit wherein the output image is appended with the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference and the season difference, and

making an information collection system collect and store the image stored by the plurality of information storage systems.

30. An information management method that enables a user to retrieve stored image from an information storage system comprising the steps of:

making each of a plurality of information storage systems acquire image along with a local time of a predetermined area where the image is acquired, calculate a standard difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area as well as a season difference between the standard time of the predetermined area and a local time of the predetermined area using a time library equipped in an operating system of the information storage system, and store the acquired image with appending, to the image, the international standard time, the standard difference, and the season difference, as supplemental information, and output the image stored by a storage unit wherein the output image is appended with the international standard time, the standard difference and the season difference; and

making an information collection system collect and store the image stored by the plurality of information storage systems.

31. An information management method that enables a user to retrieve stored image from an information storage system comprising the steps of:

acquiring the image along with a local time of a predetermined area where the image is acquired;

calculating a standard difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and a season difference between the standard time of the predetermined area and a local time of the predetermined area using a time library equipped in an operating system of the information storage system; and

appending, to the image to be managed, the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference, and the season difference;

managing the image appended with the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference, and the season difference on the basis of the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference, and the season difference, as supplemental information thereby enabling the international standard time when the image was acquired to be determined; and

outputting the image stored by a storage unit, wherein the output image is appended with the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference and the season difference.

32. An information management method that enables a user to retrieve stored image from an information storage system comprising the steps of:

acquiring the image along with a local time of a predetermined area where the image is acquired;

calculating a standard difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and a season difference between the standard time and local time of the predetermined area using a time library equipped in an operating system of the information storage system; and

appending, to image to be managed, the international standard time, the standard difference, and the season difference, as supplemental information;

managing the information appended with the international standard time, the standard difference, and the season difference on the basis of the international standard time, the standard difference, and the season difference; and

outputting the image stored by a storage unit, wherein the output image is appended with the international standard time, the standard difference, and the season difference.

33. An information storage system that enables a user to retrieve stored image comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire the image along with a local time of a predetermined area where the image is acquired;

a calculating unit arranged to calculate a standard difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and a season difference between the standard time of the predetermined area and a local time of the predetermined area using a time library equipped in an operating system of the information storage system;

a first storage unit configured to associate the image with the local time of the predetermined area and store the image with the local time of the predetermined area;

a second storage unit configured to download the image with the local time of the predetermined area from said first storage unit and store the image with an international standard time; and

an output unit configured to output the image stored by the first and second storage units, wherein the output image is appended with the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference and the season difference,

wherein the international standard time is obtained based on the local time of the predetermined area the standard difference and the season difference.

34. The information storage system of claim 33, wherein the standard difference is a difference between an international standard time and the standard time of the predetermined area.

35. The information storage system of claim 33, wherein the season difference is a difference between the standard time of the predetermined area and the local time of the predetermined area.

36. An information storage method that enables a user to retrieve stored image from an information storage system comprising:

acquiring image along with a local time of a predetermined area where the image is acquired;

calculating a standard difference between an international standard time and a standard time of the predetermined area, and a season difference between the standard time of the predetermined area and a local time of the predetermined area using a time library equipped in an operating system of the information storage system;

associating the image with the local time of the predetermined area and store the image with the local time of the predetermined area;

downloading the image with the local time of the predetermined area from said first storage unit and store the image with an international standard time; and

outputting the image stored by a storage unit, wherein the output image is appended with the local time of the predetermined area, the standard difference and the season difference,

wherein the international standard time is obtained based on the local time of the predetermined area the standard difference and the season difference of the predetermined area.

37. The information storage method of claim 36, wherein the standard difference is a difference between an international standard time and the standard time of the predetermined area.

38. The information storage method of claim 36, wherein the season difference is a difference between the standard time of the predetermined area and the local time of the predetermined area.