AU2004203472A1 - A Method for Selecting Data Files from a Heterogeneous Group - Google Patents

Description

S&F Ref: 683446

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, of 30-2, Shimomaruko 3chome, Ohta-ku, Tokyo, 146, Japan Suren Ephraim Richard Jacobs Kevin Kai Shan Toh Spruson Ferguson St Martins Tower Level 31 Market Street Sydney NSW 2000 (CCN 3710000177) A Method for Selecting Data Files from a Heterogeneous Group ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION DETAILS [33] Country [31] Applic. No(s) AU 2003905053 [32] Application Date 15 Sep 2003 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5815c -1- A METHOD FOR SELECTING DATA FILES FROM A HETEROGENEOUS

GROUP

FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for searching a collection of media files and associated metadata files.

BACKGROUND

Computers are often used for managing and storing digital photos, videos, audio files and other similar media. There are several computer applications that are used for browsing and managing such media on a computer. Some applications allow searching of files in general, within a particular folder or drive hierarchy. The user must select a parent folder; the search is restricted to this parent folder, but in general is across all files in this folder and any nested sub-folders within the parent folder hierarchy, without any ability to discriminate between files and folders to be searched, and those not to be searched. In some applications the user can restrict the search to a subset of file types only within a single parent folder hierarchy; for example the user can specify to search only JPEG files (those files with a .jpg extension). However, the user is not easily able to restrict the search to media files, such as digital image (photos) and digital video files. Further it is difficult for the user to restrict the search to a subset of the system media files, requiring in each case the selection of a parent folder within which to conduct the search. In particular it is difficult to select a number of media files deep within the folder hierarchy, at the same time as a folder higher up the hierarchy that is not a parent of these media files. In many applications it can be difficult to determine the exact search criteria required to find a desired set of media files.

These disadvantages make it difficult, particularly for the novice or inexperienced user, to search a set of media files.

683446.doc -2-

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present invention to ameliorate these disadvantages of the existing applications.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of selecting a plurality of data files on a computer system having a display device and an input device, comprising the steps of: displaying on said display device a plurality of representations, each said representation representing at least one data file, arranged into a plurality of groups according to a predetermined group structure; selecting, using said input device, from a least two of said groups a plurality of representations indicative of a selection of desired data files, wherein the selection is independent of said group structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Notwithstanding any other forms, which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred forms of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a flowchart showing a searching process according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 shows a Current Folder and a number of different selection examples in accordance with the embodiment; Fig. 3 shows the search criteria in accordance with the embodiment; Fig. 4. shows a flowchart of the process of applying the search criteria of Fig. 3 to a selection of media files; Fig. 5 shows an example of the search results folder; and 683446.doc -3- Fig. 6 shows a schematic representation of a general purpose computer upon which the disclosed embodiments can be practised.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The methods of Figs. 1 to 5 are preferably practised using a conventional general-purpose computer system 102, which is illustrated in Fig. 6. The processes of Figs. 1 to 5 can be implemented as software, such as an application program executing within the computer system 102. In particular, the steps of the methods of Figs. 1 to 5 are effected by instructions in the software that are carried out by the computer 102. The software can be divided into two separate parts; one part for carrying out the methods; and another part to manage the user interface between the latter and the user. The software can be stored in a computer readable medium, including the storage devices described below, for example.

The software is loaded into the computer from the computer readable medium, and then executed by the computer. A computer readable medium having such software or computer program recorded on it is a computer program product. The use of the computer program product in the computer preferably effects an advantageous apparatus for carrying out the embodiments of the present invention. The computer system 102 takes the form of a computer module 801, input devices such as a keyboard 804 and mouse 803, output devices including the printer 807 and the display device 802. A Modulator-Demodulator (Modem) transceiver device 816 is used by the computer module for communicating to and from a communications network 820, for example connectable via a telephone line 821 or other functional medium. The modem 816 can be used to obtain access to the Internet, and other network systems, such as a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN). The computer module 801 typically includes at least one processor unit 805, a memory unit 806, for example formed from semiconductor random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM), input/output interfaces including a video interface 807, and an I/O interface 813 for the keyboard 804 and mouse 803, a write device digitizing tablet) 815, and an interface 808 for the modem 816 and printer 807. A storage device 809 is provided and typically includes a hard disk drive 810 and a floppy disk drive 811. A magnetic tape drive (not illustrated) can also be used. An optical disk writer reader 812 is the device which is used in step 109 of Fig. 1, for example, to write 683446.doc media file and other associated file onto an optical disk. The optical disk writer reader 812 can also be used to read data (media files and associated data) from an optical disk.

The components 805 to 813 of the computer module 801, typically communicate via an interconnected bus 804 and in a manner that results in a conventional mode of operation of the computer system 102 known to those in the relevant art. Typically, the application program of the present embodiment is resident on the hard disk drive 810 and read and controlled in its execution by the processor 805. Intermediate storage of the program and any data fetched from the network 820 may be accomplished using the semiconductor memory 806, possibly in concert with the hard disk drive 810. In some instances, the application program will be supplied to the user encoded on a CD-ROM or floppy disk and read via the corresponding drive 812 or 811, or alternatively may be read by the user from the network 820 via the modem device 816. Still further, the software can also be loaded into the computer system 102 from other compute readable medium including magnetic tape, a ROM or integrated circuit, a magneto-optical disk, a radio or infra-red transmission channel between the computer module 810 and another device, a computer readable card such as a smart card, a PCMCIA card, and the Internet and Intranets including email transmissions and information recorded on websites and the like. The foregoing is merely exemplary of relevant computer readable media. Other computer readable media are able to be practised without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

As described above, the present embodiment is an application running on a generalpurpose (personal) computer. The application software is a program for displaying and managing data files, in particular digital images and other related media. The application enables a user to view a heterogeneous collection of media files, such as digital images, digital videos and associated metadata files. The files may be arranged in groups, or folders. Groups may be "nested", i.e. groups can contain other groups, thus creating a hierarchical group structure. In the preferred embodiment the application provides a hierarchical view of a Current Folder, which enables the user to quickly zoom in and out of nested sub-folders (sub-groups). A visual representation of each of the files and subfolders is displayed on the display device 802 within the current folder. In the present 683446.doc embodiment the visual representation of the folders, sub-folders, and data files are in the form of graphical icons. However, alternative forms of representation are possible. For instance, an image data file can be represented by a small "thumbnail" image representing the image stored in the corresponding data file. The user can change the Current Folder at any time via a tree display of the folder and drive hierarchy of the computer system 102.

Alternatively the Current Folder changes as the user navigates the hierarchical view of nested folders of a Current Folder.

The application enables a user to search set of files, and in particular image and video media files, and folders thereof. The interface to the application preferably comprises a set of menu options on the far left of the screen, a view of the folder and drive hierarchy of the system (a list of folders and drives) in the middle-left and a display of images and folders, in a currently selected folder from the middle-left screen portion, on the middle and right of the screen.

While the application is running, a user can select a "Search" menu option. Upon selection of this menu option a new menu comprising of a panel of steps is displayed on the screen. These steps preferably include "Select Search Region", "Specify Search Conditions", "Start Search", "Finish" and "Return to Main Menu" menu options.

Referring to Fig. 1 there is shown the steps taken to perform a search on a set of files and/or folders. The search shown in Fig. 1 is over media files, preferably image files and video files and in particular the metadata associated with such files. However, other data files can be searched using this technique. The process flow in Fig. 1 has been simplified in order to facilitate the description and make clearer the process flow of the searching.

Having selected the "Search" menu option, the user is allowed to select the icon representations of media files and/or folders in Step 105. By this action, the represented files and/or folders are themselves selected.

An example of the selection process is described below with reference to Fig. 2.

Processing remains in Step 105, while a user is selecting media files and/or folders, until the user selects another menu option. When a user selects the "Specify Search Conditions" menu option, processing continues in Step 110. In Step 110, the system 102 683446.doc -6checks whether one or more media items are selected. If no items are selected, in Step 115 the system 102 provides a default selection. This is explained below with reference to Fig.

2. Processing continues in Step 120 when either the user has selected some items, or the system 102 has made a default selection. In Step 120 the user can select various search criteria that are to be applied to the selected items. Step 120 is explained in more detail below with reference to Fig. 3. In Step 125, the system 102 waits until the user specifies the next action. If the user selects the menu "Start Search", processing continues in Step 130. If the user selects the menu "Select Search Region", processing continues in Step 105 where the selection of media files and/or folders can be changed. In Step 130, the system 102 applies the search criteria specified in Step 120, to the items selected in either Step 105 or Step 115. Step 130 is described in more detail below with reference to Fig. 4.

In Step 132, a preview of the results of the search is shown to the user. Preferably, a window containing the search results is presented on the display 802. In Step 135, the system 102 waits until the user specifies the next action from the displayed menu options.

If the user selects the menu option "Finish", processing continues in Step 140. If the user selects the menu option "Select Search Region", processing returns to Step 105 where the selection of media files and/or folders can be changed. If the user selects the menu option "Specify Search Conditions", processing returns to Step 120, where the search conditions can be modified. In Step 140, the system 102 takes the search results from Step 130, and makes them persistent in a virtual folder until either the next Search is completed or the application is re-started. In Step 140, the system 102 also displays the contents of this virtual folder, which are the current search results.

Fig. 2 shows an example of some possible selection sets labelled "Selection Selection B" and "Selection C" as applicable to Step 105 in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is intended to only be representative in order to provide examples of possible selection sets. Media files are shown labelled etc, and folders (or groups) are shown labelled "Folder 1", "Folder etc. The top level folder which is displayed in the area where media files are displayed is the Current Folder, also shown in Fig. 2, which is the highest level folder in the user's hierarchical view, just prior to selecting the "Search" menu option. As described above the user can change this Current Folder in a number of ways. In the example shown, media files and are contained in the Current Folder. Folder 683446.doc 1, Folder 2 and Folder 3 are sub-folders of the Current Folder. The user interface allows the user to select one or more media files and/or one or more folders. Three different example possible selections are shown in Fig. 2. For Selection A two media files and are selected (and are indifferent folders, Current Folder and Folder 4 respectively).

For Selection B two folders, Folder 2 and Folder 3, are selected. For Selection C two images and (from different folders Current Folder and Folder 4 respectively) are selected as well as Folder 2. When a folder is selected, the application, during searching step 130, recursively traverses the folder hierarchy underneath the selected folder and processes the items within these folders. Selected folders do not need to be in the Current Folder; also the selected media files do not have to be in the Current Folder or any subfolder thereof. The user can use the hierarchical view and/or the tree view of the system folders and drives to navigate the collection of media files, selecting media files and folders during the navigation. Thus searching can be constrained to be within the Current Folder, outside of the Current Folder, or in a subset of both. In an alternate embodiment the user is constrained to select items only within the Current Folder; although the user is free to select different folders as the Current Folder.

In Step 115 of Fig. 1 a default selection preferably contains all media files as well as folders which are contained within the Current Folder. The equivalent action by the user would be the selection of a single folder at step 105, namely the Current Folder. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the default selection would contain media files and "c" as well as folders "Folderl", Folder 2" and "Folder 3".

Fig. 3 illustrates a user interface for defining a search using multiple search criteria according to the preferred embodiment. In Step 120 of Fig. 1, search criteria relevant to searching over media files are presented to the user, as illustrated in Fig. 3. In the preferred embodiment, a method of specifying boolean operators between search criteria is made available in order to facilitate complex searches. A user is able to specify the search criteria to be included in the search: these include "favourite mark" (315),"modification date" (320), "shooting date" (325), "keywords" (330) and "comments" (335). Simple boolean "AND" (305) and "OR" (310) operations can be specified. For example, the specification of the "AND" operation is illustrated in Fig. 3 by the highlighted or filled-in 683446.doc check item 305. In this case, the search will find media files that match all specified search criteria. Alternatively, if the "OR" operation is specified, the search will find media files that match any of the specified search criteria.

The ability to search the "favourite mark" 315 provides the user a convenient way of finding media files. For example, each time a user goes on a holiday and takes a number of photos and videos, and stores them as files on the computer system 102, the user could mark a number of these files with the "favourite mark". This marking is stored as part of the metadata associated with each image. At some later stage, the user can then perform a search on the collection of media files, or some convenient subset thereof, and quickly find and display the favourite (or best) photos and videos from a number of holidays; for example to present an edited selection of photos and videos to family and friends at a family gathering.

In Fig. 3, the search would find all media identified by a "favourite mark", and that contained the keywords "Family" and "Christmas Party".

In alternate embodiments, it may be possible for the user to specify other search criteria, with more detailed search value(s) and using more complex boolean expressions. For example, the "favourite mark" could be extended to allow the user to specify a star rating (out of or even a range of star ratings to search, such as all 3 stars to 5 stars media.

Fig. 4 shows the process involved in applying the search criteria specified in Step 120 to the items selected in either Step 105 or Step 115, as in step 130 of Fig. 1. In Step 405 the system 102 gets the next item to which the search criteria are applied. This may be an item from within the selection specified in Step 105 or Step 115 or it could be an item from within a folder which is being recursively traversed. In Step 410, the system 102 checks if an item is found. If an item is found, processing continues in Step 415.

Otherwise there are no more items and processing terminates. In Step 415 the system 102 checks whether the item is a media file. If the item is not a media file, then it is a folder in the preferred embodiment and processing continues in Step 130 where this folder is recursively traversed and the search process applied to this folder. Following the recursive search of this folder, processing continues to Step 405, in order to search any more items.

683446.doc -9- If the item is a media file, processing continues in Step 420. In Step 420 the search criteria specified in Step 120 are applied to the media file and any associated metadata files, and processing continues in Step 425. In Step 425, the system 102 checks whether the media file has met the search criteria. If the search criteria have not been met, processing continues in Step 405. If the search criteria have been met, a reference to the media file is added to a collection of successful search results items in Step 435 and processing continues in Step 405.

Fig. 5 shows a hierarchy containing the Search Results Folder. On entering Step 140 of Fig. 1, the media files found during execution of the search in Step 130 are made available in the Search Results Folder. As with a normal folder, the Search Results Folder may be selected, or media files within the folder may be selected. The previous contents of the Search Results Folder are only replaced when entering Step 140. This therefore makes it possible to search within the Search Results Folder. The preferred embodiment is able to search the Search Results Folder without having the contents of that folder change as part of performing Step 130 and Step 132 (that is previewing the new search results). This also makes it possible to perform more complex search operations; the user is able to refine a search by searching the Search Results Folder. In the preferred embodiment, the contents of the Search Results Folder is discarded when the current session of the application program closes. Alternate embodiments may instead retain the results of the search across sessions. In addition, alternate embodiments may choose to append the results of a search to the Search Results Folder rather than replacing the contents. This would make it possible to perform several unrelated searches and combine these into a single result set.

Other such options include removing the results of a search from the Search Results Folder, effectively allowing a user to view the union and/or intersection of several searches.

The foregoing only describes an embodiment of the present invention, however, modifications and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, the searched data files need not only be media files, but can include other types of files, including text files, database files, spreadsheet files, etc. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects to be 683446.doc illustrative and restrictive. In the context of this specification, the word "comprising" means "including principally but not necessarily solely" or "having" or "including" and not "consisting only of'. Variations of the word comprising, such as "comprise" and "comprises" having corresponding meanings.

683446.doc

Claims (4)

1. A method of selecting a plurality of data files on a computer system having a display device and an input device, the method comprising the steps of: displaying on said display device a plurality of representations, each said representation representing at least one data file, arranged into a plurality of groups according to a predetermined group structure; selecting, using said input device, from a least two of said groups a plurality of representations indicative of a selection of desired data files, wherein the selection is independent of said group structure.

2. The method of selecting a plurality of data files as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selecting from at least two groups includes selecting at least one group to select all the representation within the group.

3. The method of selecting a plurality of data file as claimed in claim 1, wherein said group structure is a hierarchical group structure comprising groups and subgroups.

4. The method of selecting a plurality of data file as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the selecting step further includes searching from said selection of desired data files a subset of data files. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the data files are media files.

683446.doc a -12- 6. The method as claimed claim 3, wherein the subset of data files is a subset of media files. Dated this TWENTY-EIGHTH day of JULY 2004 CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA Patent Attorneys for the Applicant Spruson&Ferguson 683446.doc