Information processing apparatus and method and computer program

• US 8,312,374 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2009
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ozawa, Hiroyuki, Takaoka, Ryo, Furue, Nobuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Theriault, Steven B
• Application Number:
  US12/508,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20100053408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 715/838, 715/702, 715/769, 715/788, 715/848, 715/850, 715/852, 345/157, 345/173
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/532 Query formulation, e.g. graphical querying
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00392 Other manual input means, e.g. digitisers or writing tablets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00461 marking or otherwise tagging one or more displayed image, e.g. for selective reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes: display means for displaying an image; operation-input receiving means for receiving operation input of a user; and display control means for performing, when the operation-input receiving means receives predetermined operation for a root image displayed on the display means, display control for causing the display means to display a related image related to the root image.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a display unit configured to display an image;

an operation-input receiving unit configured to receive an operation input of a user; and

a display control unit configured to perform, when the operation-input receiving unit receives a predetermined operation for a root image displayed on the display unit, display control for causing the display unit to display one or more related images related to the root image, wherein

the display control unit calculates degrees of relation between all images that could be the root image or one of the related images on the basis of one or more classification items,

the display control unit retrieves the one or more related images on the basis of the degrees of relation between the root image and the related images and causes the display unit to display the retrieved one or more related images, and

when the operation-input receiving unit receives a contact operation for the root image by a finger of the user, the display control unit analyzes the root image based on a position in the root image where the contact operation is performed, specifies the classification item on the basis of a result of the analysis, and retrieves the one or more related images on the basis of a degree of relation calculated on the basis of the specified classification item.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the classification items are determined in advance on the basis of additional information concerning the images.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit retrieves the one or more related images when the display control unit causes the display unit to display the root image.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

an operation by the user of moving a finger in a predetermined direction by a predetermined distance while keeping the finger in contact with the display means is represented as a stroking operation; and

the display control unit causes the display unit to display the related image when the operation-input receiving unit receives the stroking operation.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display control unit causes the display unit to display the related image in a position where the stroking operation ends.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

a predetermined classification item, of the one or more classification items, is associated with one of a plurality of possible directions of the stroking operation, and

the display control unit retrieves the one or more related images on the basis of degrees of relation calculated on the basis of the classification items corresponding to the direction, of the plurality of possible directions, of the stroking operation.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the display control unit causes the display unit to sequentially display new related images every time the operation-input receiving unit receives the stroking operation.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the display control unit sets, when the operation-input receiving unit receives the stroking operation for the related image, the related image as a new root image and causes the display means to display a new related image related to the new root image.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the stroking operation is performed starting from the root image or the related image.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit is further configured to:

when the operation-input receiving unit receives contact operation for the root image by the finger of the user, cause the display unit to display classification item images indicting the respective one or more classification items; and

retrieve, when contact operation by the finger of the user for a predetermined one of the one or more classification item images is detected, the one or more related images on the basis of a degree of relation calculated on the basis of the classification item indicated by the classification item image for which the contact operation is performed.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storing unit configured to store history information of the display control by the display control means.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the display control unit is further configured to:

cause, when the operation-input receiving unit receives contact operation for the root image or the related image by the finger of the user, the display unit to display the history information stored in the storing unit.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the display control unit retrieves, when the operation-input receiving unit receives contact operation by the finger of the user for an image included in the history information, the one or more related images with the image set as the root image and causes the display unit to display the related images.

14. An information processing method comprising:

allowing an information processing apparatus that displays an image and receives operation input of a user to perform, when a predetermined operation for a displayed root image is received, display control for causing a display unit to display one or more related images related to the root image;

calculating, on the basis of one or more classification items, degrees of relation between all images that could be the root image or one of the related images;

receiving the one or more related images out of all the images on the basis of the degrees of relation between the root image and the related images and causing the display means to display the retrieved one or more related images;

analyzing, when a contact operation for the root image is received by a finger of the user, the root image based on a position in the root image where the contact operation is performed;

specifying the classification item on the basis of a result of the analysis of the root image; and

retrieving the one or more related images on the basis of a degree of relation calculated on the basis of the specified classification item.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored therein for causing a computer that controls an information processing apparatus that displays an image and receives operation input of a user to:

execute, when predetermined operation for a displayed root image is received, display control for causing a display unit to display a related image related to the root image;

calculating, on the basis of one or more classification items, degrees of relation between all images that could be the root image or one of the related images;

receiving the one or more related images out of all the images on the basis of the degrees of relation between the root image and the related images and causing the display means to display the retrieved one or more related images;

analyzing, when a contact operation for the root image is received by a finger of the user, the root image based on a position in the root image where the contact operation is performed;

specifying the classification item on the basis of a result of the analysis of the root image; and

retrieving the one or more related images on the basis of a degree of relation calculated on the basis of the specified classification item.

16. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a display means for displaying an image;

an operation-input receiving means for receiving an operation input of a user; and

a display control means for performing, when the operation-input receiving means receives a predetermined operation for a root image displayed on the display means, display control for causing the display means to display one or more related images related to the root image, wherein

the display control means calculates degrees of relation between all images that could be the root image or one of the related images on the basis of one or more classification items,

the display control means retrieves the one or more related images out on the basis of the degrees of relation between the root image and the related images and causes the display means to display the retrieved one or more related images, and

when the operation-input receiving means receives a contact operation for the root image by a finger of the user, the display control means analyzes the root image based on a position in the root image where the contact operation is performed, specifies the classification item on the basis of a result of the analysis, and retrieves the one or more related images on the basis of a degree of relation calculated on the basis of the specified classification item.