Information managing method, information managing apparatus, information managing program and storage medium

• US 7,818,689 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2004
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Wada, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu; Tadeese
• Application Number:
  US10/951,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20050144190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,212 Days
• Field of Search: 715200-204, 715/853, 707/634, 707/705, 707/737
• US Class Current: 715/853
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/908 using metadata automatically derived from the content

Abstract

There is disclosed an information managing method in which a plurality of information files are set as managing objects, the method includes (a) acquiring one or two classification standards which are standards to classify the information files, (b) selecting one of classification units of each of the acquired classification standards, (c) classifying the information files objects for each of the acquired classification standards and the selected one of the classification units, (d) producing a file object which represents each classified information file, (e) disposing and displaying the file object produced for each classification unit in another one-dimensional direction on a display screen, in a case where one classification standard is acquired, and (f) disposing and displaying the produced file object of the information file in each of two-dimensionally divided regions in a case where two classification standards are acquired.

Claims

1. An information managing method of managing a plurality of information files stored in at least one of information storage sections of an information processing apparatus or another information processing apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus via a network,

wherein the plurality of information files are managing objects,

the method comprising:

(a) acquiring one or two classification standards which are standards to classify the information files;

(b) selecting one of classification units of each of the acquired classification standards;

(c) classifying the information files which are managing objects for each of the acquired classification standards and the selected one of the classification units;

(d) producing a file object which represents each classified information file;

(e) disposing and displaying the classification unit in a one-dimensional direction on a display screen of a display device, and disposing the file object produced for each classification unit in another one-dimensional direction, in a case where one classification standard is acquired;

(f) disposing and displaying the produced file object of the information file in each of two-dimensionally divided regions in a case where two classification standards are acquired, the two-dimensionally divided regions being obtained by dividing the display screen for each classification unit of one classification standard in a predetermined one-dimensional direction and for each classification unit of the other classification standard in the other predetermined one-dimensional direction;

(g) producing a list of items including the file attributes or the data attributes of a plurality of information files which are the managing objects as a classification standard list;

(h) selecting at least one item as the classification standard from the classification standard list;

(i) limiting a range of values of the attribute with respect to the selected file attribute or data attribute;

(j) selecting an information file having the attribute value in the limited range from a plurality of information files which are the managing objects, and setting the information file as a new second managing object;

executing the process of (a) to (f) with respect to the second managing object;

selecting a plurality of second file objects from a plurality of first file objects classified and displayed on the display screen;

setting a plurality of information files corresponding to the plurality of selected second file objects as new managing objects; and

executing the process of (a) to (f) again,

wherein the file object representing the information file is an icon representing the information file by a diagram or a file name displayed by a text, and

wherein the classification unit includes items divided by at least a file attribute of the information file or a data attribute of data included in the information file.

2. The information managing method according to claim 1, wherein the classification standard includes at least a storage position which specifies a storage position of information of the information storage section of the information processing apparatus or the other information processing apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus via the network, and the classification unit is a folder in a case where the storage position is acquired as the classification standard.

3. The information managing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

producing a second classification standard list obtained by deleting the selected item from the classification standard list as a new classification standard list, and executing the process of (h) to (j).

4. The information managing method according to claim 1, wherein the information file is an image file, and

the classification unit includes at least items divided by a value of photographing information of an image included in the image file.

5. The information managing method according to claim 4, wherein the icon is a reduced image of the image.

6. The information managing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a file object representing a plurality of other file objects incapable of being displayed in a case where the two-dimensionally divided regions on the display screen cannot display all file objects corresponding to all the classified file objects.

7. The information managing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

designating one or a plurality of folders on the information processing apparatus or the other information processing apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus via the network; and

setting information files included in the designated one or plurality of folders as managing objects.

8. The information managing method according to claim 7, further comprising:

setting information files which exist in a sub-folder also as managing objects in a case where the selected one or plurality of selected folders include the sub-folder.

9. An information managing apparatus of managing a plurality of information files stored in at least one of an information storage section or an information storage section of another information processing apparatus connected to a network via a communication interface, comprising:

a managing object setting section which sets the plurality of information files as managing objects;

a classification standard acquisition section which acquires one or two classification standards which are standards to classify the information files;

a classification unit selection section which selects one of classification units of each of the acquired classification standards;

an information classification section which classifies the information files which are managing objects for the classification standards acquired by the classification standard acquisition section and for each selected one of the classification units;

an object production section which produces a file object which represents each classified information file;

a display section which disposes and displays the classification unit in a one-dimensional direction on a display screen of a display device, and disposes the file object produced for each classification unit in another one-dimensional direction, in a case where the classification standard acquisition section acquires one classification standard, and which disposes and displays the produced file object of the information file in each of two-dimensionally divided regions in a case where the classification standard acquisition section acquires two classification standards, the two-dimensionally divided regions being obtained by dividing the display screen for each classification unit of one classification standard in a predetermined one-dimensional direction and for each classification unit of the other classification standard in the other predetermined one-dimensional direction;

an object selection section which selects a plurality of second file objects from a plurality of first file objects displayed in the display;

a re-setting section which allows the managing object setting section to set a plurality of information files corresponding to the plurality of second file objects selected by the object selection section as new managing objects;

a classification standard list production section which produces a list of items including the file attributes or the data attributes of a plurality of information files which are the managing objects as a classification standard list;

an attribute value limiting section which limits a range of values of the attribute with respect to the file attribute or the data attribute corresponding to at least one item selected from the classification standard list by the classification standard acquisition section; and

a second re-setting section to select an information file having the attribute value in the range limited by the attribute value limiting section from a plurality of information files which are the managing objects and to allow the managing object setting section to set the information file as a new managing object,

wherein the file object representing the information file produced by the object production section is an icon representing the information file by a diagram or a file name displayed by a text, and

wherein the classification unit includes items divided by a file attribute of the information file or a data attribute of data included in the information file.

10. The information managing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the classification standard includes at least a storage position which specifies a storage position of information of the information storage section of the information processing apparatus or the other information processing apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus via the network, and the classification unit is a folder in a case where the storage position is acquired as the classification standard.

11. The information managing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a classification standard list production section which produces a second classification standard list obtained by deleting the selected item from the classification standard list as a new classification standard list.

12. The information managing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the information file is an image file, and

the classification unit includes at least items divided by a value of photographing information of an image included in the image file.

13. The information managing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the icon is a reduced image of the image.

14. The information managing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a file object representing a plurality of other file objects incapable of being displayed is displayed in a case where the two-dimensionally divided regions on the display cannot display all file objects corresponding to all the classified file objects.

15. The information managing apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:

a folder designation section which designates one or a plurality of folders of the information storage section or the information storage section of the other information processing apparatus connected to the network via the communication interface; and

a second re-setting section which allows the managing object setting section to set information files included in the one or the plurality of folders designated/selected by the folder designation section as the managing objects.

16. The information managing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein information files which exist in a sub-folder are also set as managing objects in a case where the folder designated by the folder designation section includes the sub-folder.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing an information managing program which manages a plurality of information files stored in at least one of information storage sections of an information processing apparatus or another information processing apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus via a network, the information managing program allowing a computer to execute:

a step of setting a plurality of information files as managing objects;

(a) a step of acquiring one or two classification standards which are standards to classify the information files;

(b) a step of selecting one of classification units of each of the acquired classification standards;

(c) a step of classifying the information files which are managing objects for each of the acquired classification standards and the selected one of the classification units;

(d) a step of producing a file object which represents each classified information file;

(e) a step of disposing and displaying the classification unit in a one-dimensional direction on a display screen of a display device, and disposing the file object produced for each classification unit in another one-dimensional direction, in a case where one classification standard is acquired;

(f) a step of disposing and displaying the produced file object of the information file in each of two-dimensionally divided regions in a case where two classification standards are acquired, the two-dimensionally divided regions being obtained by dividing the display screen for each classification unit of one classification standard in a predetermined one-dimensional direction and for each classification unit of the other classification standard in the other predetermined one-dimensional direction;

a step of selecting a plurality of second file objects from a plurality of first file objects classified and displayed on the display screen;

a step of setting a plurality of information files corresponding to the plurality of selected second file objects as new managing objects, and executing the process of (a) to (f) again;

a step of producing a list of items including the file attributes or the data attributes of a plurality of information files which are the managing objects as a classification standard list;

a step of selecting at least one item as the classification standard from the classification standard list;

a step of limiting a range of values of the attribute with respect to the selected file attribute or data attribute;

a step of selecting an information file having the attribute value in the limited range from a plurality of information files which are the managing objects, and setting the information file as a new second managing object; and

a step of executing the process of (a) to (f) with respect to the second managing object,

wherein the file object representing the information file is an icon representing the information file by a diagram or a file name displayed by a text, and

wherein the classification unit includes items divided by at least a file attribute of the information file or a data attribute of data included in the information file.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the classification standard includes at least a storage position which specifies a storage position of information of the information storage section of the information processing apparatus or the other information processing apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus via the network, and the classification unit is a folder in a case where the storage position is acquired as the classification standard.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, which records the program further allowing the computer to execute:

a step of producing a second classification standard list obtained by deleting the selected item from the classification standard list as a new classification standard list, and executing the process of (h) to (j).

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the information file is an image file, and

the classification unit includes at least items divided by a value of photographing information of an image included in the image file.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein the icon is a reduced image of the image.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, which records the program further allowing the computer to execute:

a step of displaying a file object representing a plurality of other file objects incapable of being displayed in a case where the two-dimensionally divided regions on the display screen cannot display all file objects corresponding to all the classified file objects.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, which records the program further allowing the computer to execute:

a step of designating one or a plurality of folders on the information processing apparatus or the other information processing apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus via the network; and

a step of setting information files included in the designated one or plurality of folders as managing objects.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 23, which records the program further allowing the computer to execute:

a step of setting information files which exist in a sub-folder also as managing objects in a case where the selected one or plurality of selected folders include the sub-folder.