JP2001075995A - Information processing unit and method and medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain retrieval of an image by using a time for a key and management of images and other information while synchronizing them by retrieving a generation history of image information on the basis of time information. SOLUTION: A dialog of a photo viewer is displayed by an image display section (program) of an image management program. This dialog has an image display area 142 and an operation time display section 143. When the image display section (program) is executed, the program receives file information in an image history folder from a file information management section and generates a list of image files in the inside. The image display section (program) selects an image on the basis of time displayed on the operation time display section 143 and displays the image on the image display area 142. Furthermore, in the case of retrieving, e.g., an image, other information relating to a photographing time of the image (such as files handled by an application program) can synchronously be extracted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, method, and medium, and more particularly, to an information processing apparatus, method, and medium suitable for managing files and managing access to various information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image management program (software) for managing, on a computer, an image photographed by a digital still camera or a digital video camera, or an image scanned by a film scanner, a flat head scanner, or the like, has been used. For example, by organizing images in chronological order (by shooting time or by image file creation time) or by name (by image file name),
A plurality of images can be managed.

In a conventional image management program, when a desired image is extracted from a plurality of images, for example, a search is performed using a file name of the image as a key, and thumbnail images of the plurality of images are displayed on a desktop screen. A method of displaying and visually finding a desired image from the plurality of thumbnail images has been adopted.

[0004]

On the other hand, when a desired image is extracted from a plurality of images, it is assumed that there is a request such as "want to extract an image taken at what time of the year, month, and day." However, at present, there is no conventional image management program that can satisfy such a demand.

Further, the conventional image management program only manages each image individually. For example, when searching for an image, other information related to the shooting time of the image (for example, when another application program is used). Such as files to be handled, etc.), or, conversely, when searching for other information related to the shooting time of an image, extracting the image in synchronization with the search for that information time I can't do that.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and makes it possible to search for an image using time as a key and to manage the image in synchronization with other information.
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method, and a medium.

[0007]

An information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes recording means for recording the generation history of image information, and retrieval means for retrieving the generation history of the image information based on time information. To solve the above-mentioned problem.

An information processing method according to the present invention solves the above-mentioned problem by recording a generation history of image information and searching the generation history of the image information based on time information.

[0009] The medium of the present invention executes a program for an information processing apparatus, the program including a step of recording a generation history of image information and a step of searching the generation history of the image information based on time information. By doing so, the problem described above is solved.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 4 show the appearance of a notebook personal computer as an example to which the information processing apparatus and method and the medium of the present invention are applied. This notebook personal computer 1 basically includes a main body 2 and
The main body 2 comprises a display unit 3 which can be opened and closed freely. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a state where the display unit 3 is opened with respect to the main body 2. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the main body 2,
FIG. 3 shows a jog dial 4 described later provided on the main body 2.
It is an enlarged view of the vicinity. FIG. 4 is a side view of the main body 2 on the jog dial 4 side.

The main body 2 includes a keyboard 5 operated when inputting various characters and symbols, a touch pad 6 operated as a pointing device for moving a pointer (mouse cursor), and a power switch 8.
Is provided on the upper surface, and the jog dial 4
And an IEEE 1394 input / output port 101 are provided on the side surface. Note that a stick-type pointing device can be provided instead of the touch pad 6.

An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 7 for displaying an image is provided in front of the display unit 3. In the upper right part of the display unit 3, a power lamp PL, a battery lamp BL, a message lamp ML as required, and other lamps including LEDs are provided. Further, for example, a CCD (solid-state imaging device)
Video camera 102 with microphone and microphone 10
The shutter button 105 of the video camera 102 is provided at, for example, the upper right end of the main body 2. The CCD video camera 102 is provided on a rotary movement mechanism 103 that allows the camera lens unit to be rotatable with respect to, for example, the display unit 3. The power lamp PL, the battery lamp BL, the message lamp ML
And the like can be provided below the display unit 3.

Next, the jog dial 4 is, for example,
It is incorporated between the keys A and B (the rightmost key) of the upper keyboard 5 and is mounted so as to be almost the same height as the keys A and B. Jog dial 4
A predetermined process is executed in response to a rotation operation indicated by an arrow a in FIG. 3, and a process corresponding to a movement operation indicated by an arrow b in FIG. The jog dial 4 may be arranged on the left side of the main body 2. The jog dial 4 may be arranged on the left side or right side of the display unit 3 provided with the LCD 7, or the G key and the H key of the keyboard unit 5.
It may be arranged vertically between the keys. The jog dial 4 may be arranged at the center of the front surface so that the touch pad 6 can be operated with the thumb while operating the touch pad with the index finger, or the jog dial 4 may be arranged in the horizontal direction along the upper edge or the lower edge of the touch pad 6. , Or between the right and left buttons of the touch pad 6 in the vertical direction. further,
The jog dial 4 is not limited to the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and may be arranged at a predetermined angle in an oblique direction that is easy to operate with each finger. In addition, the jog dial 4 can be arranged at a position operable with the thumb on the side of the mouse as a pointing device. A jog dial is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-108 filed by the present applicant and a joint applicant.
It is possible to use a rotary operation type electronic component with a push switch disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 203387.

Next, an example of the electrical configuration of the notebook personal computer 1 of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The central processing unit (CPU) 51 includes, for example,
It is composed of a Pentium (trademark) processor manufactured by Intel Corporation and connected to a host bus 52. A north bridge (AGP Host Bridge Controller) 53 is further connected to the host bus 52. The north bridge 53 is connected to an AGP (Accelerated Graph).
phics Port) 50 and a PCI bus 56. The north bridge 53 is, for example, an Intel 4
00BX and the like, and controls around the CPU 51 and the main memory 54. Further, the north bridge 53 is connected to the video controller 57 via the AGP 50. The north bridge 53 and the south bridge (PCI-ISA Bridge) 58
Thus, a so-called chipset is configured.

The north bridge 53 is further connected to a main memory 54 and a cache memory 55. The cache memory 55 caches data used by the CPU 51. Although not shown, the CPU 51 also includes a primary cache memory.

The main memory 54 is, for example, a DRAM
(Dynamic Read Only Memory).
Are stored, and data necessary for the operation of the CPU 51 are stored. Specifically, the main memory 54 stores, for example, an e-mail program 54A, an auto-pilot program 54B, a jog dial status monitoring program 54
C, a jog dial driver 54D, an operating system program (OS) 54E, a label creation management program (label software) 54F, a capture program 54G, an image management program 54H of the present embodiment described later, and other application programs 54I as application programs. The data is transferred from the HDD 67 and stored.

The video controller 57 is connected to the PCI bus 5
6 to control the display of the LCD 7 on the display unit 3 based on the data supplied via the PCI bus 56, and to send the video data from the CCD video camera 102 to the PCI bus. Has been made.

A sound controller 64 is connected to the PCI bus 56 to receive an audio input from a microphone 66 or to supply an audio signal to a speaker 65. A modem 75 is also connected to the PCI bus 56.

The modem 75 can be connected to a communication network 80 such as the Internet, a mail server 78, and the like via a public telephone line 76 and an Internet service provider 77.

A south bridge 58 is also connected to the PCI bus 56. The south bridge 58 is composed of, for example, PIIX4E manufactured by Intel Corporation, and controls various I / Os (Input / Output). That is, the south bridge 58
(Integrated Drive Electronics) A device that includes a controller / configuration register 59, a timer circuit 60, an IDE interface 61, and is connected to the IDE bus 62, and an ISA / EIO (Indu
stry Standard Architecture / Extended Input Outpu
t) Control of devices connected via the bus 63 and the embedded controller 68 is performed.

The IDE controller / configuration register 59 has two IDs, a so-called primary IDE controller and a secondary IDE controller.
It is composed of an E controller, a configuration register and the like (both not shown).

The primary IDE controller is an IDE
It is connected to a connector (not shown) via a bus 62, and an HDD 67 is connected to the connector. Also, the secondary IDE controller can be connected to a CD-ROM drive (not shown) via another IDE bus or the like,
When a bay device, which is a so-called IDE device, such as a second HDD or FDD, is mounted, a connector of the mounted bay device is electrically connected.

The ISA / EIO bus 63 is further connected to an embedded controller 68. The embedded controller 68 comprises a microcontroller and is used as an I / O controller. That is, the embedded controller 68 is configured by connecting the I / O interface 69, the ROM 70, the RAM 71, and the CPU 72 to each other.

The ROM 70 includes an LED control program 70A, a touch pad input monitoring program 70B, a key input monitoring program 70C, a wake-up program 70D, a jog dial status monitoring program 70E,
The IEEE 1394 I / F program 70G and the like are stored in advance.

The LED control program 70A is a program for controlling lighting of a power lamp PL, a battery lamp BL, a message lamp ML as required, and other lamps including LEDs. The touchpad input monitoring program 70B is a program that monitors a user input from the touchpad 6. Key input monitoring program 7
0C is a program for monitoring inputs from the keyboard 5 and other key switches. The wake-up program 70D is connected to the timer circuit 60 in the south bridge 58.
It checks whether or not a preset time is reached based on the current time data supplied from the server. When the preset time comes, the management of each chip power supply to start a predetermined process (or program) or the like is performed. Is a program that performs IEEE 1394 I / F program 70G is IEEE
I transmitted / received via E1394 input / output port 101
This is a program for I / F of data conforming to EEE1394. The jog dial status monitoring program 70E
This is a program for constantly monitoring whether the rotary encoder unit 12 of the jog dial 4 has been rotated or pressed.

The BIOS 70F is further written in the ROM 70. BIOS (Basic Input / Output Sys
The term “tem” refers to a basic input / output system, and is a software program that controls data transfer (input / output) between an OS or application program and peripheral devices (display, keyboard, HDD, etc.).

The RAM 71 includes registers for LED control, touch pad input status, key input status, and set time, an I / O register for monitoring a jog dial state, an IEEE 1394 I / F register, and the like.
1A to 71F. For example, the LED control register controls lighting of a message lamp ML that displays the instantaneous start-up state of an e-mail when the jog dial 4 is pressed. The key input status register stores an operation key flag when the jog dial 4 is pressed (pushed). The set time register can arbitrarily set a certain time.

The embedded controller 68
Are connected to a jog dial 4, a touch pad 6, a keyboard 5, an IEEE 139 via a connector (not shown).
4 input / output port 101, shutter button 105, etc., are connected to each other, and output signals corresponding to the respective operations of the jog dial 4, touch pad 6, keyboard 5, and shutter button 105 to the ISA / EIO bus 63. Also, IEEE 1394 input / output port 1
01, data is transmitted to and received from the outside. Further, the embedded controller 68 includes a power lamp P
L, a battery lamp BL, a message lamp ML, a power control circuit 73, and other lamps including LEDs are connected.

The power supply control circuit 73 is connected to the built-in battery 74 or the AC power supply, supplies necessary power to each block, and controls the charging of the built-in battery 74 and a second battery of a peripheral device. Has been made to do. Also, the embedded controller 68
Power switch 8 operated when turning power on or off
Is monitoring.

The embedded controller 68 includes a power supply 8
, The above programs 70A, 70B, 70C, 70D, 70E, 70G can always be executed by the internal power supply. That is, each of the above programs
Even if no window is open on the LCD 7 of the display unit 3, it is always working. That is, the embedded controller 68 has the power switch 8 turned off and the OS 54E
1, the jog dial state monitoring program 70E is always executed, and the notebook personal computer 1 is provided with a programmable power key (PPK) function without providing a dedicated key. Jog dial 4 when power is off or power is off
It allows users to launch their favorite software or script files simply by pressing.

The HDD 67 stores an electronic mail program 6
7A, autopilot program 67B, jog dial status monitoring program 67C, jog dial driver 67D, OS (basic program software) 67
E, Label creation management program (label software) 67F, capture program 67G, image management program 54 of the present embodiment as application programs
I, other plural application programs 67I
Etc. are stored. Each of the programs 67A, 67B, 67C, 67D, 67E, 67F, 6 in the HDD 67
7G, 67H, 67I, etc. are sequentially transferred and stored in the RAM 54 in the course of the startup (boot-up) processing.

Here, the e-mail program 67A is:
This is a program for sending and receiving communication messages from a communication line such as a telephone line 76 via a modem 75 via a network. The electronic mail program 67A has an incoming mail acquisition function as a specific function. This incoming mail acquisition function checks whether a mail addressed to the user (user) has arrived in the mailbox 79 with respect to the mail server 78 provided in the provider 77, and if there is mail addressed to the user, Execute the acquisition process.

The autopilot program 67B includes a plurality of processes (or programs) set in advance.
This is a program that is started and processed sequentially in a preset order.

OS (basic program software) 67
E controls the basic operation of a computer represented by, for example, so-called Windows 95 and 98 (both trademarks) of Microsoft Corporation and so-called Mac OS (trademark) of Apple Computer Corporation.

Jog dial status monitoring program 67C
Receives notification from the application programs as to whether or not it is compatible with the jog dial, and operates, for example, to display what can be performed by operating the jog dial 4 if it is compatible. The jog dial status monitoring program 67C is usually waiting for an event of the jog dial 4, and also has a list for receiving a notification from the application program. The jog dial driver 67D executes various functions in response to the operation of the jog dial 4.

The capture program 67G may be, for example, a moving image or a still image from a digital video camera or digital still camera, a still image from a flat head scanner or a film scanner, a semiconductor memory housed in a stick-shaped or card-shaped housing, or the like. Still images and moving images recorded on recording media such as magnetic disks and optical disks, and still images and moving images supplied via communication lines can be captured. Still image files (for example, JPEG files) or moving images An application program having a function that can be saved as a file or transferred via a network, such as Smart Capture (trademark).

As an example of other application programs 67I stored in the HDD 67, for example, a media bar (Me
diaBar) (trademark) or a smart pad (Smart Pad) which is a handwriting memo tool using, for example, the touch pad 6.
(Trademark), a schedule management tool, such as creating a document based on input from the keyboard 5 or handwriting input from the touch pad 6, and creating and editing a still image, a moving image, and an HTML file to which sound is pasted. Smart Write (trademark) as an application program. In the music-related operation tool, for example, scrolling with a jog dial or a keyboard is used to select the reproduction of the next song or the previous song, to pause the song, or to record a sound. Further, in this handwritten memo tool, the touchpad 6 is used as an absolute coordinate detecting means, and a handwritten memo input from the touchpad 6 is processed by a drawing application program and displayed.

Further, as an example of an application program, Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 11-10 proposed earlier by the present applicant.
No. 8535 (National priority application of Japanese Patent Application No. 10-321772) discloses an application program for displaying a label, which will be described later, as a tag on a desktop and realizing a desktop environment capable of moving over time, which is disclosed in the specification and drawings of Japanese Patent Application No. 10-321772. is there. FIG. 6 shows an example of a display screen when a time-based cooperation is performed between an application that realizes a desktop environment capable of moving in time and an application program of an image browser. In FIG. 6, it is assumed that a search is first performed on the desktop by an application program for realizing the desktop environment capable of moving in time, for example, and the character is moved in time until a certain character string or icon appears on the desktop. In this example, for example, a character string "wearable" is input to the search character input space 125, and the character string "wearable" is searched for by an application program that realizes a desktop environment capable of moving over time.
It is assumed that an icon, a character string, and the like used at the time of the meeting related to the character string “le” are displayed on the time-movable desktop window 200. In this example, as can be seen from the display content of the date and time display unit 127,
The desktop environment at the time of the meeting held at 15:00 on Friday (Fri) on January 20 is displayed on the window 200. As described above, by the application program for realizing the desktop environment capable of moving in time,
When the “time of the application” is determined, the time information is notified to a capture program having a function as an image browser. The capture program that received the time information sets the time (during the meeting)
, An image taken by the CCD video camera 102 or an image taken by a video camera or the like externally connected through the IEEE 1394 input / output port 101 is displayed on the window 201. In this example, the creation time display unit 203 of the image file
As can be seen from the display contents, a photographic image taken at 16:00 on November 20, 1998 is displayed in the window 201. Conversely, when the capture program is operated, the state of the desktop at the time when the photographic image was taken is reproduced. Therefore, even if the photographic image has no special caption (description),
It will be possible to understand under what circumstances the picture was taken. If, for example, the event operation of the jog dial 4 is associated with such an application program, the time movement direction and amount of the time movable desktop 200 can be operated with the jog dial 4. That is, for example, the jog dial window 90 is displayed at the lower right of the time-movable desktop 200, and the time movement operation to the past and the future can be performed in response to the scroll of the jog dial 4.

Here, as an application for displaying a label as a tag on the desktop, in the present embodiment, the label creation management program 67F is used by the HDD 6
7 is held. The label creation management program 6
7F is an application that reproduces, on a desktop screen of a personal computer, a sticky note attached to a paper document as a mark, and writing a memo on the sticky note, pasting it somewhere, and using it as a reminder. It is a program. In this embodiment, one sticky note displayed on the desktop screen is called a label, and an application program for displaying the label on the desktop is called label software.
The label software (label creation management program) 67F
Is an object that can be pasted on the label, which is one sticky note displayed on the desktop,
Text such as characters and symbols, images such as still images and moving images,
A function to handle sounds such as voices and musical sounds, a function to edit text to be pasted on labels, a function to record / play sounds to be pasted into labels, a function to capture / display images including videos to be pasted into labels, and a digital camera And a link program with an application program (capture program) for capturing an image from a CCD camera attached to a personal computer, and the label software 67F has a schedule management and a change history as a time management function. A function to create timed labels, a function to receive time information from other application programs, and a function to supply time information to other application programs; a function to fully support a jog dial for the time management function; Object to paste And a function of dealing with the link as a door.

The data structure handled by the label software 67F having these functions includes the following three items: project, label, and object. FIG. 7 shows the mutual relationship between these data.

The project is a set of all label data. Usually, only one project is created. In one project, past, present,
It has all future label information. However, in order to provide, for example, sample contents and exchange project information via the Internet, the label software supports switching and addition of projects.

The label corresponds to one sticky note on the desktop. The label has information from generation to destruction. This information includes all actions performed by the user on the label from the time the label was created to the time it was destroyed, including label resizing, color changing, text modification, image modification, sound modification, etc. Information. However, the position information of the label on the screen always has an attribute for displaying the near side, but does not hold information on the vertical relationship between labels, between windows, or between labels and windows. Further, the labels can be divided into three types: a current label, a past label, and a future label. The current label is a label whose label creation time is before the current time and has not been deleted at the current time. The relationship between the creation time, the current time, and the end (deletion) time in this current label is
(Creation time ≦ current time <end (deletion) time). The past label is a label that has already been deleted at the current time. Creation time in this past label,
The relationship between the end (delete) time and the current time is (creation time <end (delete) time ≦ current time). What is a future label?
This is a label that has not yet been created at the current time, and has a future set for the creation time.
The relationship between the current time, the creation time, and the end (deletion) time in this future label is (current time <creation time <end (deletion) time). Details of the label will be described later.

The object is data to be pasted into a label, and specifically includes a text object, an image object, a sound object, a link object, and the like.

Next, main components of the desktop screen when the label software is executed will be described. First, the overall configuration of the screen will be described.

The state of the label software (the state of the application) is roughly classified into the following two states: a normal mode and a time view mode.

The normal mode is a state in which the time view mode is not set and a label is attached on the desktop. FIG. 8 shows an example of the desktop screen in the normal mode. The label indicated by the reference symbol L in FIG. 8 is a label. In the normal mode, the label software icon IL is displayed on the task tray TT of the task bar TB on the desktop screen, and the icon IL is accessed (clicked) by, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse. Thus, all functions of the label software application can be controlled.

The time view mode is a mode in which time operation can be performed by label software, and is divided into the following three modes: a current mode, a past mode, and a future mode. FIG. 9 shows an example of a desktop screen in a present mode, FIG. 10 shows an example of a desktop screen in a past mode, and FIG. 11 shows an example of a desktop screen in a future mode. An example of the configuration is shown. As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, in each of the current mode, past mode, and future mode, the current state, past state, and future state of the label included in the project are displayed. 9 to 11, the characters “Present” indicating the current mode, the characters “Past” indicating the past mode, and the characters “Past” indicating the future mode are displayed on the desktop screens of FIGS. “Future” is displayed near the center and at the four corners, respectively, so that the user can visually recognize whether the current mode, the past mode, or the future mode is in. Also in this time view mode, a label software icon IL is displayed on the task tray TT of the task bar TB on the desktop screen.

When the mode is switched to the time view mode, all areas on the desktop (if there are a plurality of monitors, on all monitors) are covered with the image by the label software, and the labels are displayed thereon. At this time, a time view console TVC for displaying / changing the currently operated time is displayed on the screen. Note that the time view console TVC is displayed at the upper part of the screen by default, but FIGS. 9 to 11 show an example displayed at the lower part of the screen. Hereinafter, the time during which the desktop is displayed in the time view mode is referred to as operation time.

The time view console TVC has two states: a window in a bar state shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 and 12 and a window in a floating state as shown in FIG. In other words, the time view console TVC can be dragged with a pointing device such as a mouse, and when the time view console TVC is moved up or down on the screen by the dragging, the bar state shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 and FIG. Window
Otherwise, the window is in a floating state as shown in FIG. The screen configuration is different between the bar state and the floating state, but the function of the time view console TVC is the same.

The window of the time view console TVC in a bar state as shown in FIG. 12 includes a window title part wt, a year gauge part cg, a current button bb,
Operation time display section ot i, up / down buttons tu and tdb, time increase / decrease step selection list box ssl, time increase / decrease step selection menu button sb, menu button mb, close button cb
, A help button hb, and a rotation animation unit ra. Note that the rotation animation units ra are provided at both ends of the window of the time view console TVC in the bar state.

The window title portion wt is a portion for displaying the title of the window (time view in this example), and only the title is displayed. That is, the window title part wt is provided in order to clarify that the application program that currently controls the entire screen function is label software.

The above-mentioned year gauge section cg is provided to make it easy for the user to determine which time the label currently displayed corresponds to in the year. This year gauge part cg is displayed so that the time when the label is displayed on the screen is always at the center of the gauge,
Further, for example, a yellow vertical line le is also displayed to clearly indicate this time. That is, the corresponding year gauge part cg
Is the real time (real world current time)
Instead, it is a time corresponding to the past or future (or current time) label displayed on the desktop screen. The year gauge part cg in the example of FIG. 12 is the time when the label is displayed on the screen (time at the center of the gauge).
Is a display example in the case of November 1999, for example.
A yellow vertical line le is displayed at the center of the gauge. Further, for example, a red vertical line lr is displayed on the year gauge part cg to indicate the actual time (not the time corresponding to the displayed label, but the current time in the real world). In the example of FIG. 12, the red vertical line lr indicating that the real time (current time in the real world) is, for example, May 1999 is displayed on the Christian gauge part cg. Thus, according to the year gauge part cg,
The time corresponding to the displayed label (for example, 1999)
(November, 1999) and the actual time (for example, May, 1999) can be easily recognized.

The current button bb is a button for instructing a return to the actual time (current time in the real world) from the time corresponding to the displayed label. Therefore, by clicking the current button bb with, for example, a mouse or the like, the operation time returns to the current time (current time in the real world). Note that, even if the current time (the current time in the real world) is returned by the current button bb, the state of the label software (the state of the application) maintains the time view mode.

The operation time display unit ti
This is a part for displaying at what time the state where the label is displayed on the screen is. In the example of FIG. 12, the state of the label at 15:27:09 on November 11, 1999 is displayed on the screen.

The up / down buttons tub and tdb
Is a button for increasing / decreasing the time displayed on the operation time display section oti in a designated time increment / decrement unit (time increment / decrement step). Here, for example, the focus is on the operation time display unit otti, and the year, month,
When any one of the day, hour, minute, and second is in the active state, when the up button tub is pressed, the value of the part in the active state is changed to a designated time increment / decrement unit (time increment / decrement step). ), And conversely, when the down button tdb is pressed, the value of the portion in the active state decreases in the designated time increment / decrement unit (time increment / decrement step). In the label software, the same function as the up / down buttons tub and tdb can be realized by rotating the wheel of a mouse with a wheel, moving the cursor key up and down, rotating the jog dial 4, and the like. In other words, in this case, the focus is on the operation time display unit oti, and the year, month, day, hour, minute,
When any of the seconds is in the active state, for example, when the wheel of a mouse with a wheel is rotated, the up / down cursor key on the keyboard is pressed, or the jog dial 4 is rotated, the active state is set. The value of the part that is present increases or decreases (increases or decreases the time) in the designated time increment or decrement unit (time increment or decrement step).

The time increase / decrease step selection list box ssl is a part for displaying the time increase / decrease unit (time increase / decrease step) when increasing / decreasing the time of the operation time display section otii. In other words, in the time increase / decrease step selection list box ssl, the year, month, day, hour,
A time increment / decrement unit (time increment / decrement step) corresponding to the active time display portion among minutes, seconds, and the like is displayed. In the example of FIG. 12, “*” appended to the character of the time increment / decrement unit (time increment / decrement step) displayed in the time increment / decrement step selection list box ssl indicates the time with the “*” appended. This indicates that the increase / decrease unit (time increase / decrease step) is currently selected. Here, in the present embodiment, for example, 100 years, 10
There are year, year, month, hour, minute, second, change point, etc., and the time increase / decrease step selection list box ssl shows any of these time increase / decrease steps. Is displayed. The time increase / decrease in units of change points is defined as a point in time when the user changes the label by performing some operation on the label (for example, a point in time when the label is moved, the size is changed, or the object is corrected; This means that the time is increased or decreased in a unit from the time when the state changes) to the time when the next change occurs. Therefore, when the time is increased or decreased in the unit of the change point, the time interval that changes by one increase or decrease of the time at the change point is not constant.

The time increase / decrease step selection menu button sb is operated in the time increase / decrease step selection list box ss.
A button for designating a time increase / decrease step displayed in 1 by menu selection. In other words, the time increase / decrease step selection menu button sb displays the year, month, day,
It is a button for selecting a time display portion desired to be activated from among hours, minutes, seconds and the like. When the time increase / decrease step selection menu button sb is pressed (clicked), the time increase / decrease step selection menu button sb is pressed.
Below b, 100 years, 1
0 years, 1 year, 1 month, 1 hour, 1 minute, 1
The time increment / decrement unit (time increment / decrement step) such as a unit of seconds or a change point is displayed. Therefore, by selecting a desired time increase / decrease step from this pull-down menu, the year, month,
The corresponding time display portion is selected from the day, hour, minute, and second displays, and the display becomes active. That is, for example, when a month unit is selected from the pull-down menu of the time increase / decrease step selection menu button sb, for example,
Year, month, day,
The month display portion of the hour, minute, and second displays is in an active state. In this state, the rotation of the up / down buttons tub and tdb, the rotation of the wheel of the mouse with a wheel, the depression of the up / down cursor key, the rotation of the jog dial 4, and the like are performed. By doing so, the value of the month can be changed.

In the label software, the same function as the time increase / decrease step selection function by the time increase / decrease step selection menu button sb is used, for example, pressing the left and right cursor keys on the keyboard, rotating the wheel of a mouse with a wheel, and jog dial. 4 can be realized. That is, in this case, for example, by rotating the wheel of a mouse with a wheel, pressing the left or right cursor key, or rotating the jog dial 4 in a state where the focus is on the operation time display area oti, the operation time is changed. Display unit ti
One of the time display parts arranged in the left and right direction above,
That is, any of the time display portions of year, month, day, hour, minute, and second can be selected as the active state.

When the time is increased or decreased by operating the mouse, keyboard and jog dial 4 with a wheel, for example, the continuous operation of the keyboard, the rotation speed of the wheel of the mouse with wheel, and the rotation speed of the jog dial are detected. Depending on the detection result, it is also possible to change how to advance or return the time at an accelerated rate. Thereby, it is possible to easily move to a target time. When the function of selecting the time increase / decrease step is realized by rotation of the wheel of the mouse with a wheel or rotation of the jog dial, the function of selecting the time increase / decrease step is provided for the rotation of the wheel of the mouse with the wheel or the rotation of the jog dial. It is necessary to set up the environment to make it work.

The menu button mb is a button for displaying all operation menus related to the project such as file, addition of new label, time, label and the like. When this menu button mb is pressed (clicked), an operation menu such as a file, addition of a new label, time, and a label is displayed as a pull-down menu near the menu button mb.
In each part of the time view console TVC, when the right mouse button is clicked, or when an application key is pressed with the focus (context menu), the menu button m
The menu items are displayed in the same manner as when the button b is clicked.

The close button cb is a button for instructing to close the time view console.

The help button hb is a button for instructing the display of a help window used for checking unclear points when the user operates the label software.

The rotation animation unit ra is changed according to the change of the operation time.
This is a part for visually displaying to the user that time is moving by displaying an animation of rotating the time, and the rotation direction is reversed when the time goes to the future and when the time returns to the past. become. As described above, by performing the animation display in which the rotation animation unit ra rotates, it is possible for the user to recognize that the time is changing.

A window of the time view console TVC in a floating state as shown in FIG. 13 has a window title portion wt which displays the title of the window (in this example, the time view console).
And a window menu section wm in which operation menus related to the project such as file, addition of new label, time, label, help, etc. are displayed, a year gauge section cg similar to that in the window in a bar state, and a current button. bb, an operation time display section oti, up / down buttons tub and tdb, a time increase / decrease step selection list box ssl, and a time increase / decrease step selection menu button sb. In the case of FIG. 13, there is an "x" button as a close button for instructing to close the time view console.

Next, the window screen of the label displayed on the desktop includes a play button, a stop button, a link button, a menu button, and an object (text, text, It is composed of components such as images and sounds) and icons (alarms and repetitions).

FIG. 14 shows an example of the window screen of the label L. In the example of the label L shown in FIG. 14, a play button PB, a stop button SB, a link button LB, and a menu button MB are displayed, and further, a text, a sound, an image, and a link are pasted in the label L. Is represented. Note that the example of FIG. 14 particularly shows a state when an image is displayed.

When the label L includes a sound object, the play button PB serves as a button for instructing reproduction start and pause of the sound, while the label L includes an image (moving image) object. If it is, it is a button for instructing the reproduction start and pause of the reproduction of the moving image. That is, when the play button PB is pressed (for example, clicked with a mouse or the like) while the label L includes a sound object, the sound is played, and the play button PB is pressed during the play of the sound. When pressed (clicked), playback of the sound is paused. When the play button PB is pressed (for example, clicked with a mouse or the like) while the label L includes an image (moving image) object, the moving image is reproduced, and further, the reproduction is performed during reproduction of the moving image. When the button PB is pressed (clicked), the reproduction of the moving image is paused.

The stop button SB is a button for stopping the reproduction of the sound or the moving image being reproduced. When the stop button SB is pressed (clicked) during the reproduction of the sound, the reproduction of the sound is stopped. Then, the stop button SB is pressed (clicked) during the reproduction of the moving image.
And the playback of the video stops.

The link button LB is used to open a link destination file associated with the label L,
A button for displaying an L (HyperText Markup Language) format window. That is, when a file path is set as the link destination address in the label L, when the link button LB in the label window in FIG. 14 is pressed (clicked), the file set in the file path is changed. The URL is opened and the label L is linked to the URL (Uniform Resource
If the link button LB is pressed (clicked), the HTML (Hyce Locator) is specified.
A window in the format of perText Markup Language) is displayed. Further, the link button LB is used to display the HTML format window,
P (File Transfer Protocol) site (for example, ftp: //
ftp.sony.co.jp), a window for accessing this FTP site is displayed, or an e-mail destination address (eg, mailto: h
(ana@sony.co.jp), it is possible to display a window for sending an e-mail. Further, the link button LB is associated with a tool tip TCl indicating link contents (a file path or a URL of a link destination) as shown in FIG. 15, for example, when the pointer MC moves over the link button LB. A tool tip TCl indicating the contents of the link is displayed on the screen.

The menu button MB arranged at the upper right of the label window is a button for displaying a menu of all operations related to the label (for example, file, addition of new label, time, label, help, etc.). It is. When the menu button MB is pressed (clicked), the menu items (file, addition of new label, time, label, help, etc.) are displayed as a pull-down menu near the menu button MB, for example. In addition, in each part on the label L, for example, when the right button of the mouse is clicked, or when the application key is pressed with the focus,
Menu (context menu) items are displayed in the same manner as when the menu button MB is clicked.

An icon indicating the current state is displayed at the upper right of the label L (for example, to the left of the menu button MB) depending on the status and setting of the label. The icons include types such as an alarm icon IA and a repetition icon IR as shown in FIG. The alarm icon IA is an icon that is displayed when an alarm is set for a label, and is a repetitive icon IR.
Is an icon displayed when the repeated display is set.

Further, according to the label software, in addition to the label time management function described above, a function of importing schedule data from another schedule software or the like and a function of exporting schedule data to another schedule software or the like are provided. Have.

The above other schedule software is
It is an application program called a scheduler that can handle the concept of time on a personal computer and manages various schedules. According to the scheduler, for example, an image imitating a schedule book, calendar, timetable, etc. Displayed on the desktop screen, the user can use these schedule books, calendars,
Various schedule management can be realized by writing the schedule and the like in the timetable and the like. That is, in this scheduler, when a future schedule is written in a schedule book, calendar, timetable, or the like, the written contents remain in the schedule book, calendar, timetable,
If the scheduler is started later, the written contents can be confirmed. As a scheduler, Microsoft Outlook 97/98/2000 and Lotus (L) are generally known.
otus) Lotus Organizer (Lotus O)
rganizer 2000, Netscape
pe) Netscape Calenda
r). ver.4.6 etc. (all are trademarks).

The above-mentioned label software is compatible with file formats used by various general schedule software in order to enable import and export with these other schedule software.

By the way, the above-mentioned label software has a time search function. The time search function of the label software searches and displays a history of operations on labels (sticky notes) created by the user in units of time. Can be done. Thus, using the time as a key, it is possible to see what label was put on the desktop screen at a certain time. However, with the above label software, only the history of labels can be searched for time.For example, the user can use the time key to search for images taken with a digital still camera or digital video camera, or images scanned with a film scanner or flat head scanner. In such a case, it is necessary to attach an image to the label (that is, make the image an object of the label).

In the present embodiment, for example, a user can search for an image captured or captured by using time as a key, or, for example, when searching for an image, use other information (for example, Synchronous retrieval of files handled by other application programs) and conversely, when searching for other information related to the image shooting time, An image management program 67H is an application program capable of realizing image retrieval.
Is stored in the HDD 67.

Hereinafter, the image management program 67H according to the present embodiment will be described.

The image management program 67H of the present embodiment
Has a function of recording an image history of a user and searching for a shooting history (generation history) using time as a key.

The image management program 67H of this embodiment synchronizes by receiving the search time of an application program that can search for information linked to another time, such as the above-mentioned label software, and synchronizes with the time. Related images can be displayed.

Further, the image management program 67H according to the present embodiment synchronizes by transmitting the search time to an application program such as the label software, which can search for information linked to another time, by transmitting the search time. The program can also retrieve information related to that time.

The other application program is not limited to the label software, but may be another application program as long as it is capable of searching for time and receiving notification of time information.

Here, the image management program 67H of the present embodiment mainly includes an image folder described below,
The program includes an image history folder, an image folder monitoring unit, a file information management unit, and an image display unit.

The image folder is a folder for storing user images. For example, a still image folder of the capture program 67G, a my picture folder of Windows 98 (trademark) which is an OS of Microsoft Corporation, a my document folder of Internet Explorer 5.0 (trademark) of Microsoft Corporation, for example, a semiconductor memory An image folder (a folder for detecting the insertion of the memory stick) used by the driver software of the Memory Stick (trademark) in which the memory stick is held in a stick-shaped casing. The image files in the image folder can be freely added or deleted.

The image history folder is a folder for storing copies of the image files in the image folder. Each time an image file is added to the image folder, the image file is copied to the image history folder. The files in the image history folder are not deleted in principle.

The image folder monitoring section is a program part for monitoring the image folder. The image folder monitoring unit is always running as a background process, and when a change occurs in an image folder due to addition or deletion of an image file, notifies the file information management unit of the change.

The file information management section is a program portion for managing image files handled by the image management program 67H of the present embodiment. The file information management unit is always started as a background process, similarly to the image folder monitoring unit. The file information management unit has an image folder table that stores information (file name, shooting date and time, file size, etc.) of files in the image folder and the image history folder. Upon receiving the folder change notification from the image folder monitoring unit, the file information management unit first compares the image folder with the image folder table. For example, when an image is added or deleted, the file information management unit updates the image folder table, copies the image to the image history folder, and updates the image history folder table. In addition, when there is an image display unit, the file information management unit notifies the image display unit of information on the content of the change.

The image display section displays a dialog of the photo viewer as shown in FIG. 17, displays images in the image history folder in the dialog of the photo viewer, and performs a time search operation. This is a program part that can provide functions.

The dialog of the photo viewer, which is displayed on the desktop screen by the image display unit, is composed of components as shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 17, in the example of the dialog of the photo viewer, the path display section 141,
Image display area 142, operation time display unit 14
3. Synchronization button 150, "Link with label software operation time" check box 145, "Display only in time view mode" check box 14
6. Consists of a close button 147.

The operation time display section 143 displays the current operation time. The operation time set in the operation time display section 143 can be directly input as a numerical value or can be set and changed by operating the operation operation buttons 148 and 149.

In the image display area 142, an image having a history that matches the current operation time set in the operation time display section 143 or has a history closest to the operation time before that time is displayed.

The path display section 141 displays the full path of the image file currently displayed in the image display area 142. In the example of FIG. 17, "C: \ WIN \ Desktop \ gazou.jpg" is displayed as the full path of the image file.

A check box 145 which is linked with the operation time of the label software indicates that the photo viewer always keeps synchronizing with the operation time of the label software when the label software is activated.
This part is checked when the user gives an instruction.

"Display only in time view mode"
The check box 146 is a portion that is checked when the user instructs to display the photo viewer only when the label software is in the time view mode.

The synchronization button 150 is a button that is pressed when the user instructs to reflect the operation time of the photo view on the label software, and the check box 145 of “linked with the operation time of the label software” is checked. For example, when the label software is pressed (clicked by the user) in the time view mode in a state where the label software is not in operation, the operation time of the photo view can be reflected on the label software.

The close button 147 is a button that is pressed when the user instructs to close the photo viewer.

According to the image management program 67H, for example, when the image display unit is executed, first, the file information in the image history folder is received from the file information management unit, and the table of the image file is stored therein. create. Next, the image display unit of the image management program 67H
An image is selected based on the time displayed on the operation time display section 143 and displayed in the image display area 142. Further, upon receiving the change notice of the image history folder from the file information management unit, the image display unit of the image management program 67H updates the internally stored image history folder table.

Hereinafter, the flow of processing in the CPU 51 when the above-described image management program 67H of the present embodiment is started will be described.

FIG. 18 shows the image management program 67
H operates as the image folder monitoring unit,
1 shows the flow of processing when the processing is executed.

In FIG. 18, the CPU 51 determines whether or not to end the processing of the image folder monitoring unit as the processing of step S1. finish. On the other hand, if the CPU 51 determines that the processing is not to be ended in the processing of step S1, the CPU 51 proceeds to the processing of step S2.

When the process proceeds to step S2, the CPU 51
Monitors the image folder, and then determines whether or not the content of the image folder has changed as the process of step S3. In the process of step S3, the CPU 51
Returns to the processing of step S1 if it is determined that the contents of the image folder have not changed, and proceeds to the processing of step S4 if it determines that the contents of the image folder have changed.

When the process proceeds to step S4, the CPU 51
Notifies the file information management unit of the content of the change in the image folder, and then returns to the process of step S1.

Next, FIG. 19 shows the operation of the image management program 67H as the file information management section,
The flow of processing when the PU 51 executes the processing is shown.

In FIG. 19, the CPU 51 creates an image folder table as the processing of step S11, and then creates an image history folder table as the processing of step S12.

Next, the CPU 51 performs an image file copy process in step S13, and then determines in step S14 whether to end the file information management process. If it is determined in step S14 that the file information management process is to be ended, the process of the file information management unit ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the processing is not to be ended in the processing of step S14, the CPU 51 proceeds to the processing of step S15.

When the process proceeds to step S15, the CPU 5
In step S14, it is determined whether or not there is a notification from the image folder monitoring unit.
When it is determined that the notification has been received, the process returns to step S
Proceed to step 16.

When the process proceeds to step S16, the CPU 5
1 performs a process of changing the image folder, and thereafter,
The process returns to step S14.

Next, FIG. 20 shows step S1 of FIG.
6 shows a detailed flow of the folder change process of No. 6.

In FIG. 20, when performing the folder change process, the CPU 51 compares all the files in the image folder with the contents of the image folder table as the process of step S21, and then newly adds the file as the process of step S22. It is determined whether or not the specified file exists.

In the process of step S22, the CP
If U51 determines that the newly added file does not exist, the U51 ends the folder change process. If U51 determines that the newly added file exists, the process proceeds to step S23.

When the process proceeds to step S23, the CPU 5
1 executes copy processing of an image file.

Next, FIG. 21 shows step S1 of FIG.
3 and the detailed flow of the image file copy process in step S23 in FIG.

In FIG. 21, when performing the copying process of the image file, the CPU 51 compares the size of the image and the photographing time for each entry of the image folder table and the image history file table as the process of step S31.

Next, as a process of step S32, the CPU 51 determines whether or not there is an image file that exists in the image folder but does not exist in the image history folder. If it is determined that there is no image file, the image file copy process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is, the process proceeds to step S33.

When the process proceeds to step S33, the CPU 5
1 copies all files not in the image history folder from the image folder.

Next, the CPU 51 determines whether or not there is an image display unit as a process in step S34. In the process of step S34, if the CPU 51 determines that the image display unit does not exist, the CPU 51 ends the image file copy process, and proceeds to the process of step S35 if it determines that the image display unit exists.

When the process proceeds to step S35, the CPU 5
1 notifies the image display unit of the change information. After that, CP
U51 ends the image file copy process.

Next, FIG. 22 shows the operation of the image management program 67H as the image display section by the CPU 51.
5 shows the flow of processing when is executed.

In FIG. 22, the CPU 51 first performs initialization as processing in step S41, and after this initialization, performs event processing in the image display unit as processing in step S42. After the end of the event processing in step S42, the CPU 51 ends the processing of the image display unit.

Next, FIG. 23 shows step S4 of FIG.
1 shows a detailed flow of an initialization process.

In FIG. 23, when performing the initialization processing of the image display unit, the CPU 51 first receives all the history information from the file information management unit and creates the table as the processing of step S51.

Next, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the above-described label software is being activated, as the processing in step S52. In the process of step S52, when it is determined that the label software has not been activated, the CPU 51 sets the operation time to the current time as the process of step S54, and then proceeds to the process of step S55. On the other hand, if it is determined in the process of step S52 that the label software is running, the CPU 51 proceeds to step S52.
Proceed to 53.

When the process proceeds to step S53, the CPU 5
After adjusting the operation time to the operation time of the label software, the process proceeds to step S55.

When the process proceeds to step S55, the CPU 5
1 selects an image that matches the operation time or is closest to the operation time before that based on the operation time set in step S53 or step S54, and displays the image in the image display area 142. I do.

After the processing in step S55, the CPU 51
Ends the image display unit initialization process, and proceeds to the event process of step S42 in FIG.

FIGS. 24 and 25 show step S in FIG.
42 shows a detailed flow of the event processing of No. 42.

Referring to FIG. 24, when performing the event processing of the image display unit, the CPU 51 first selects an image based on the operation time as the processing of step S61.
It is displayed in the image display area 142.

Next, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the “linked with the operation time of the label software” check box 143 is checked in the process of step S62. The event processing ends, and if it is determined that the event has been checked, the process proceeds to step S63.

When the process proceeds to step S63, the CPU 5
1 determines whether or not the label software is in the time view mode. If it is determined that the time is not the time view, the event processing is ended. On the other hand, if it is determined that the time is the time view, the process proceeds to step S64. move on.

When the process proceeds to step S64, the CPU 5
1 notifies the label software of the operation time, and then ends the event processing.

FIG. 25 shows the flow of processing when the operation time is notified from the label software.

In FIG. 25, when the operation time is notified from the label software, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the “linked with the operation time of the label software” check box 145 is checked in the process of step S71. Is performed, and if it is determined that it is not checked, the process is terminated, while if it is determined that it is checked, the process proceeds to step S72.

At step S72, the CPU 5
1 sets the operation time to the operation time of the label software, and displays the operation time on the operation time display section 143 of the photo viewer.

Next, as a process of step S73, the CPU 51 selects an image based on the operation time, and ends the process.

FIG. 26 shows a detailed flow of the image selection processing based on the operation time in step S73 of FIG.

In FIG. 26, the CPU 51 first determines whether or not an image file exists in the image history folder as a process of step S81, and terminates the process if it determines that there is no image file. If it is determined that an image file exists, the process proceeds to step S82.

At step S82, the CPU 5
1 determines whether there is an image file satisfying (operation time ≧ photographing time). If it is determined that there is no image file, the process proceeds to step S84 to select the image file with the oldest photographing time. , Image display area 14
After the display at 2, the process is terminated.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S82 that there is an image file that satisfies (operation time ≧ shooting time), the CPU 51 proceeds to the process in step S83, where (operation time ≧ shooting time). After selecting the image file with the latest shooting time from the image files and displaying it in the image display area 142,
The process ends.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to record the user's image history and search the shooting history (generation history) using time as a key. It is possible to synchronize by receiving the search time of the application that can search for information linked to other times, to display the image used at that time, and also to use it at other times such as label software The linked information is synchronized by transmitting the search time to the searchable application, and the other application can extract information related to the time.

As a medium used to install a program for realizing the above-described series of processes in a computer and to make it executable by the computer, for example, a floppy disk, a CD-RO
It may be realized not only by package media such as M and DVD, but also by a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk in which a program is temporarily or permanently stored, and may be realized by a cable such as a local area network, the Internet, or digital satellite broadcasting. And a wireless communication medium, and various communication interfaces such as a router and a modem for transferring or receiving a program provided through these communication media. Means a broad concept including.

[0143]

As is apparent from the above description, in the information processing apparatus, method, and medium of the present invention, the generation history of image information is recorded, and the image is searched based on the time information, so that the time can be set. It is possible to search for images as keys,
In addition, by acquiring / supplying time information with an application program that can use time-related information, it is possible to manage an image in synchronization with other information.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a notebook personal computer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main body of the notebook personal computer shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a jog dial of the notebook personal computer shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the jog dial side of the notebook personal computer shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block circuit diagram showing an electrical configuration inside the notebook personal computer whose external appearance is shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a window display of an application for realizing a desktop environment capable of moving in time, as a specific example of a jog dial-compatible application program.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a mutual relationship among three data of a project, a label, and an object handled by the label software.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a desktop screen in a normal mode.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a desktop screen in a current (Present) mode.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a desktop screen in a past (Past) mode.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a desktop screen in a future mode.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a time view console window in a bar state.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a time view console window in a floating state.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a label window screen.

FIG. 15 is a diagram used to explain a tooltip indicating the link contents (link destination file path and URL) associated with the link button.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of an alarm icon and a repetition icon.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a dialog display example of a photo viewer in the image management program according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart used to describe the operation of the image folder monitoring unit.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart used to describe the operation of the file information management unit.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart used to describe the operation of a folder change process of the file information management unit.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart used to describe an operation of an image file copy process of the file information management unit.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart used to describe the operation of the image display unit.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart used to describe the operation of an initialization routine of the image display unit.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart used to describe the operation of an event (operation time change) of the image display unit.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart used to explain the operation of an event (label software notifies operation time) of the image display unit.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart used to explain the operation of a routine for selecting an image based on the operation time of the image display unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 notebook personal computer, 2 main unit,
3 display unit, 4 jog dial, 5 keyboard, 6 touch pad, 7 LCD, L label,
TT task tray, IL icon, TVC
Time view console, L label, 141 path display section, 142 image display area, 143 operation time display section, 145 "Linked with label software operation time" check box, 146
"Display only in time view mode" check box, 147 close button, 150 synchronization button

Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Junichi Karimoto 3-14-13 Higashi Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo F-term (reference) in Sony Computer Science Laboratory 5B050 AA09 BA10 FA02 FA12 GA08 5B075 MM01 MM11 ND06 ND12 NK02 NK10 PP03 PP13 PP22 PP30 PQ02 PQ29 PR03 UU35 UU40 5C052 AB04 AB10 AC08 CC20 DD02 DD04

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An information processing apparatus comprising: a recording unit that records a generation history of image information; and a search unit that searches the generation history of the image information based on time information. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the search unit searches the generation history of the image information based on information relating to time of information of a predetermined unit. 3. A time information setting means capable of setting time information, wherein the search means searches the generation history of the image information based on the time information set by the time information setting means. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. 4. An acquisition unit for acquiring time information from an application program capable of using time-related information, wherein the retrieval unit retrieves the generation history of the image information based on the acquired time information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 5. A time information supply means for supplying time information to an application program which can use time-related information.
An information processing apparatus according to claim 1. 6. An information processing method comprising: recording a generation history of image information; and searching the generation history of the image information based on time information. 7. The information processing method according to claim 6, wherein a search of the generation history of the image information is performed based on information relating to time of information of a predetermined unit. 8. The information processing method according to claim 6, wherein time information is set, and the generation history of the image information is searched based on the set time information. 9. The method according to claim 6, wherein time information is obtained from an application program capable of using time-related information, and the generation history of the image information is searched based on the obtained time information. Information processing method. 10. The information processing method according to claim 6, wherein the time information is supplied to an application program that can use time-related information. 11. A medium for causing an information processing apparatus to execute a program, comprising: a step of recording a generation history of image information; and a step of searching the generation history of image information based on time information.