JP2003188792A - Information browsing device, information browsing system and information browsing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To activate communications through browsing of images by enabling a plurality of readers to easily and comfortably refer to image information saved in an image server while being linked. <P>SOLUTION: An electronic album is connected through a radio telephone line or the like to the image server set on a communication network, desired image information is downloaded from the image server and displayed, direct communications are performed among a plurality of electronic albums by short- distance radio, and the identification information of the image information is mutually exchanged. When the identification information of the image information under browsing on the other electronic album is received, the image information corresponding to the identification information is downloaded from the image server and the image information under browsing on the other electronic album is displayed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information browsing device, an information browsing system, and an information browsing method for displaying browsing information downloaded from an information server on a network in which browsing information is stored and allowing a browsing user to browse the information. In particular, the present invention relates to an information browsing apparatus, an information browsing system, and an information browsing method that allow a plurality of browsers to browse browsing information in a linked or linked manner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, browsing information such as image data photographed by an electronic camera or the like is uploaded and stored in an information server (image server) on the Internet, and a desired image is connected to the information server by a personal computer or the like. There is known an information browsing system in which a viewer browses image data by downloading the data from the information server and displaying the image data on a CRT or a liquid crystal screen.

[0003]

Since the conventional information browsing system as described above is an information browsing system constructed on the assumption that the user browses the browsing information independently, a plurality of users can simultaneously browse the same browsing information. When communicating while browsing information, it was necessary for each user to independently connect to the same information server and independently download and browse the same browsing information. Especially when a plurality of users update and browse a plurality of browsing information one after another, it is very time-consuming and burdensome to manually synchronize and synchronize the browsing information among the users. It was difficult to browse, and as a result it was difficult to communicate comfortably. Further, when a plurality of users simultaneously browse the common browsing information, it is troublesome to connect the communication lines between the plurality of users and the communication line between the users and the information server, which must be done before the information browsing. Therefore, it was difficult to proceed to the step of enjoying communication through browsing common information.

In view of the above, according to the present invention, when a plurality of users download and browse the same browsing information by utilizing an information server on the network storing the browsing information, the burden on the system and the user is small, and it is quick and smooth. An object is to provide an information browsing device, an information browsing system, and an information browsing method that are capable of switching and interlocking browsing information, and have less restrictions on the location and connection environment for browsing information.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, in the information browsing apparatus, the information browsing system and the information browsing method according to the present invention, the information browsing apparatus (electronic album) has a function of connecting to an information server on the Internet. In addition, the same browsing information is browsed or browsed among a plurality of information browsing devices by communicating with each other with respect to browsing information browsed with other information browsing devices without going through the information server. The feature is that browsing information is switched at the same time.

In order to achieve the above object, in the information browsing apparatus, the information browsing system and the information browsing method according to the present invention, the information browsing apparatus (electronic album) has a function of connecting to an information server on the Internet, and The information server manages a plurality of information browsing devices as one group, and reflects the processing content of the browsing information according to the communication with any of the information browsing devices in the group to all the information browsing devices belonging to the group. It is characterized by

In order to achieve the above object, in the information browsing apparatus, the information browsing system and the information browsing method according to the present invention, the information browsing apparatus (electronic album) has a function of wirelessly connecting to an information server on the Internet, and Information is exchanged between the browsing devices by wireless communication.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, in which browsing information is stored in an information server on the Internet, and the browsing apparatus A connects to the information server via the Internet and specifies the information to be browsed. The control information for doing so is transmitted to the information server. The information server downloads the browsing information corresponding to the control information from the browsing apparatus A to the browsing apparatus A that has sent the control information. The browsing device A that has downloaded the browsing information displays the browsing information, and the user of the browsing device A browses it.

On the other hand, the browsing device A is equipped with short-distance wireless means (Bluetooth etc.), and the control information sent to the information server and the destination information of the information server (address of the image server on the Internet = URL: Uniform Resource).
ce Locator) to the browsing device B by short-range wireless communication. Upon receiving this, the browsing device B connects to an information server on the Internet based on the destination information,
The same control information as that of the browsing device A is sent to the information information server.
The information server downloads the browsing information corresponding to the control information from the browsing device B to the browsing device B which has sent the control information. The browsing device B that has downloaded the browsing information displays the browsing information, and the user of the browsing device B browses the browsing information.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of an information browsing system using an electronic album and an image server to which the present invention is applied.
In FIG. 2, the electronic album 100 has a wireless telephone function, and the base station 120 is connected by a wireless mobile telephone line 190.
It connects to the public telephone line network 140 via. The public telephone line network 140 is further connected to the Internet 130, and the electronic album 100 is connected to the image server 150 installed on the Internet 130. Image server 15
0 has a large capacity memory for storing image data,
It has a function of storing the image data uploaded via the Internet 130 and downloading the designated image data via the Internet 130 when a read request is made from the outside via the Internet 130. The electronic album 100 is the Internet 1
A request for downloading desired image data is sent to the image server connected via 30, and the image server 150 responds to the request by sending the corresponding image data to the electronic album 10.
Download to 0. The electronic album 100 displays the downloaded image data on the display screen.

The electronic album 100 has a short-range wireless communication function such as Bluetooth, and the short-range wireless line 18
0 communicates with another electronic album 110 having a short-range wireless communication function of the same method, and transfers information about the image data (destination information of the image server 150 and file name of the image data) to the other electronic album 110. . The electronic album 110 that receives this information is received by the information server 150
Based on the destination information of (1), the wireless mobile phone line 190, the base station 120, and the public telephone line network 140 are connected to the image server 150 on the Internet 130, and the file name of the image data is transmitted to the image server 150. Image server 1
50 downloads the image data corresponding to the file name to the electronic album 110 which has transmitted the file name.
The electronic album 110 that has downloaded the image data displays the image data on the display screen.

In this way, the electronic album 100 and the electronic album 110 display the same image data on the display screen. When new image data is downloaded from the image server and displayed in one of the electronic albums (when the image data is switched), the control information relating to the switched image data is transferred to the other electronic album from the electronic album. In the short-distance wireless communication with the electronic album, the same image data is downloaded from the image server and displayed on the display screen in the other electronic album based on the control information.

Bluetooth is a weak transmission output for short distance that covers a short distance of about 10 m by using a radio wave of 2.45 GHz band and realizes a one-to-one or one-to-many connection at a transfer rate of 1 Mbps. Mobile communication technology (for portable electronic devices). FIG. 3 shows the electronic album 1 shown in FIG.
00 is an external view of an embodiment of No. 00. As shown in FIG. 3, a power switch 17 for turning on / off the power is provided on the upper side surface of the electronic album 100, and a camera 20 for capturing a user's face image and a text / image display are provided on the front surface. A left LCD (left screen) 21 having a substantially rectangular screen and a right LCD (right screen) 22 having a substantially rectangular screen for displaying text and images are arranged.
Near the left side of 21, the up button 23 and the down button 24 for scrolling the image displayed on the left screen 21 or the right screen 22, and around the right LCD 22 and the left LCD 21, various settings of the electronic album 100 are determined. A decision button 25 for making a call, a call button 26 for making a call with a user of another electronic album, a related information button 27 for displaying the related information of the displayed image data, and a single viewing of the image data , A single / group button 28 for switching between a single browsing mode and a group browsing mode for a plurality of users to browse a plurality of electronic albums in cooperation with each other, a setting button 29 for performing various browsing settings of the electronic album 100, A speaker 31 and a microphone 32 for making a call with a user of another electronic album are arranged. A memory card slot 30 for mounting a memory card 77 for storing downloaded image data is provided on the right side surface.

The up button 23 and the down button 2
4, the enter button 25, the call button 26, the related information button 27, the single / group button 28, and the setting button 29 are all operation keys operated by the user. A so-called touch screen 66 having a function of outputting position data corresponding to a position designated by a finger touch operation is arranged on the surfaces of the left LCD 21 and the right LCD 22, and a selection item displayed on the screen or It can be used to select image data. The touch screen 66 is made of a transparent material such as glass resin, and the user can observe images and texts formed inside the touch screen 66 through the touch screen 66.

FIG. 4 shows the electronic album 100 shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal electrical configuration of each of the components. Each component is connected to each other via a data / control bus 51 for transmitting various information data and control data. Each component is roughly classified into the following 5 blocks. A short-distance wireless communication (Bluetooth) between a camera block (camera 20) centering on a shooting control circuit 60 that executes a shooting operation for shooting a face image of a user and another electronic album near the electronic album 100. Etc.), a communication block centering on a wireless communication circuit 71 for communicating with the outside and a wireless telephone circuit 72 for transmitting / receiving data to / from the outside using a wireless mobile phone line, a memory block of a memory card 77 for storing / saving an image file, A display block centering on a screen control circuit 92 that displays image data and related information, a user interface such as operation keys 65, and a CP that performs overall control of each control circuit.
It is a control block centered on U50.

The CPU 50 (central processing unit) is a means for controlling the entire electronic album 100, and includes a photographing control circuit 60 and a radio according to input information from the operation keys 65, the touch screen 66, the power switch 17, and the timer 74. Communication circuit 71, wireless telephone circuit 72, screen control circuit 92,
Various instructions are given to the power supply control circuit 64. The timer 74 has a built-in clock circuit and outputs a timer interrupt signal to the C
Supply to PU50. The CPU 50 controls each unit according to a control program stored in the ROM 67 (read only memory). The EEPROM 68 (electrically erasable and writable ROM) is a non-volatile memory, and has setting information necessary for the operation of the electronic album 100 (destination information of a plurality of image servers, identification information of a plurality of users, destination information of a default image server). , Default user identification information, default album information, default image data identification information). The RAM 70 is a volatile memory and is used as a work area of the CPU 50. CP
The U50 detects the operating state of the power switch 17 and controls the power source 63 via the power source control circuit 64.

The CPU 50 controls the C through the photographing control circuit 60.
The CD 55 is operated to take an image of the image formed by the taking lens 10. The light flux from the subject is formed as a subject image on the CCD 55 by the taking lens 10, and the subject image is captured by the CCD 55. A CCD 55 (charge coupled device) having a plurality of pixels is a charge storage type image sensor for picking up a subject image, and an image signal generated by the CCD 55 is temporarily stored in a photographing buffer memory 59. Is converted into image data and transmitted to another electronic album by the wireless communication circuit 71, or uploaded to an image server on the Internet by the wireless telephone circuit 72.

The screen control circuit 92 converts the image data received by the radio telephone circuit 72 into display image data and stores it in the frame memory 69, and the display image data is stored in the left screen 2
1 or displayed on the right screen 22. Also, the screen control circuit 9
2 obtains text display information from the CPU 50 as necessary, converts it to display text data and stores it in the frame memory 69, and displays the display text data on the left screen 21,
It is displayed on the right screen 22.

The CPU 50 inputs / outputs a radio signal from the antenna 76 by the radio telephone circuit 72, transmits image data picked up by the CCD 55 to the image server on the Internet, control information for browsing the image data, and image data to be browsed. Is received from the image server. In addition, the CPU 50 inputs / outputs a radio signal from the antenna 75 by the radio communication circuit 71 and wirelessly communicates with an electronic album in the vicinity, and the CCD 5
Image data captured in 5 and control information for viewing the image data are exchanged. Further, the CPU 50 converts the voice signal input from the microphone 32 into voice data,
The wireless communication circuit 71 or the wireless telephone circuit 72 transmits to other electronic albums or electronic devices, and the speaker 31 receives the audio data received by the wireless communication circuit 71 or the wireless telephone circuits 72 from other electronic albums or electronic devices.
To play audio. The CPU 50 saves the information (image data, voice data) received by the wireless communication circuit 71 or the wireless telephone circuit 72 in the memory card 77 as needed, and temporarily stores it in the RAM 70 for work such as data conversion. Perform image processing.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the image server 150 shown in FIG. 2, which is a communication device for communicating with the outside via the Internet, a storage device for storing and storing image information, and a communication device. And a control device for controlling the storage device. When the control device receives an image browsing request from the outside through the communication device, the control device searches the storage device for the corresponding image information and retrieves the image information from the communication device. Causes the external device (electronic album) that has transmitted the browsing request to download.

FIG. 6 shows the data structure of information stored in the memory of the storage device of the image server 150. As shown in FIG. 6, the memory is divided (folder) for each user, and a plurality of albums (folders) are formed under each user division. The category of each user is identified by user identification information (folder name), and each album is identified by album identification information (folder name). A plurality of image information (files) is stored in each album. Each image information is identified by the image identification information (file name).
The image information is composed of image data, thumbnail image data, and additional information data. The additional information data includes shooting information data (FIG. 7) indicating various settings and conditions at the time of shooting, comment data regarding image data, and browsing history data of the image data (FIG. 8).

FIG. 7 is a view showing the structure of photographing information data, which is composed of photographing date and photographing place data, photographing lens settings at the time of photographing, and setting information relating to camera settings. FIG. 8 is a view showing the structure of the browsing history data, and the history data is added each time the image data is browsed from the outside. Each history data is composed of browsing date / time, browsing user (user), communication contents at browsing, and the like.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the processing operation of the electronic album 100 (CPU 50) having the configuration shown in FIG. 4 divided into a plurality of processing blocks. When the power switch 17 is operated in S10, the power is turned on, and the image is browsed by the main processing in S20. When the power is turned on, the electronic album is set to the independent browsing mode. The following interrupt processing is performed during the main processing. First, when the single / group button 28 is operated, the mode button interrupt process of S30 is activated and the browsing mode switching process is performed. When the setting button 29 or the touch screen 66 is operated, the setting button interrupt process of S40 is activated and various settings relating to image browsing are performed. When the wireless communication circuit 71 receives information from a nearby electronic album by short-range wireless communication, the wireless reception interrupt process of S50 is activated, and the process according to the content of the received information is performed. When the call button 26 is operated, S6
Call button interrupt processing of 0 is activated and the microphone 8
The voice signal input from 0 is converted into voice data and transmitted to the outside. When the timer 74 generates an interrupt signal, S
The timer interrupt process 70 is activated and the CCD 55 captures an image. When the related information button 27 is operated, S
80 Related information button interrupt processing is activated, and information related to the image is displayed.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of the main processing subroutine. When started in S20, the browsing mode is initially set to the independent browsing mode in S201. In step S202, image browsing is initialized, and the image server, user, album, and image information are set to default data. S
At 203, the wireless telephone circuit 72 connects to the set image server. In S204, the set user identification information is transmitted to the image server. In S205, all album identification information stored in the user folder corresponding to the transmitted user identification information is received from the image server and stored. In S206, the album identification information set in S202 is transmitted to the image server. In S207, all thumbnail image data and image identification information stored in the album folder corresponding to the transmitted album identification information are received from the image server and stored. In S208, the received thumbnail image data is displayed on the right screen 22. S2
In 09, the image identification information set in S202 is transmitted to the image server. In S210, the image information corresponding to the transmitted image identification information is received from the image server, and in S211, the image data included in the image information is displayed on the left screen 21.
The process waits in step S211 until some operation is performed on the operation key of the electronic album. FIG. 11 shows a display example of the image data and the thumbnail image data.
1, the image data is displayed, and thumbnail image data is displayed on the right screen 22. Text data indicating the browsing mode is superimposed on the left screen 21, and thumbnail image data corresponding to the image data displayed on the left screen 21 is identified and displayed on the right screen 22. In FIG. 11, the text data “select” on the right screen 22 is superimposed on the thumbnail image data corresponding to the image data displayed on the left screen 21.

FIG. 12 is a detailed flowchart of the mode button interrupt processing subroutine. When started in S30, it is checked in S301 whether the currently set browsing mode is the single browsing mode. The process proceeds to S304 to switch to the group browsing mode. On the other hand, when the group browsing mode is set in S301, the wireless communication circuit 71 notifies the other electronic albums in the group to leave the group in order to switch to the single browsing mode. In S303, the browsing mode is set to the independent browsing mode, and S211 of the main processing subroutine is set.
Jump to.

In step S304, a group browsing member who performs image browsing together is selected. FIG. 13 is an example of a screen display when selecting a group browsing member, and a member candidate is displayed on the right screen 22. On the left screen 21, the image data browsed in the single browsing mode is displayed. It is assumed that the member candidates displayed on the right screen 22 are registered in the electronic album in advance. When the user selects a member on the touch screen 66, the displayed text data of the member is identified and displayed. In selecting members, it is possible to select a plurality of members. When the user finishes selecting members, he / she operates the enter button 25,
Member selection is complete. In S305, is there any intention to participate in the group browsing by communicating with the electronic album possessed by the member selected by the user (the access information of the electronic album is stored corresponding to the user) through the wireless communication circuit 71? Check.

In S306, depending on whether or not there are any members participating in the group browsing, if there is no participating member, the group browsing is impossible and the process proceeds to S303 to set the browsing mode to the independent browsing mode and jump to S211.
If there is more than one member who participates in the group browsing in S306, information regarding the image data currently being browsed in the electronic album that has called the group browsing member for group browsing in order to start the group browsing in S307 (image Identification information of the image server where the data is stored, user identification information of the folder where the image data is stored, album identification information, image identification information of the image data,
The operation information currently being performed on the image data, the information of the cursor position on the screen) and the information of the members who participated in the group browsing are transmitted. In S308, the browsing mode is set to the group browsing mode, and the process jumps to S211.

In the electronic album of the member who participated in the group browsing, based on the above information, the image data currently browsed in the electronic album called for the group browsing is designated by the designated album of the designated user folder of the designated image server. The thumbnail image data is downloaded from the folder and displayed, and the thumbnail image data is downloaded from the specified album folder and displayed. FIG. 14 is a screen display example of an electronic album in the group browsing mode. Image data commonly viewed by group browsing members is displayed on the left screen 21, and the left screen 21 is displayed on the right screen 22. Thumbnail image data is displayed for selecting image data. In addition, the right screen 22 displays members participating in the group browsing mode. The members may be displayed in text, but by displaying the face image data or icon data stored in advance, it is possible to further improve the friendliness in group browsing. In addition, by displaying the images of the members at the present time captured by the camera 6 provided in the electronic album, the facial expressions of the members can be recognized in real time, and communication between the members through image browsing is enhanced. Can be

FIG. 15 and FIG. 22 are detailed flowcharts of the setting change interrupt processing subroutine, which is S4 of FIG.
When it is started by 0, it is checked in S401 whether or not this interrupt processing is started by the operation of the setting button 29, and if it is not started by the operation of the setting button 29, S402 is executed.
Then, it is checked whether or not this interrupt processing is activated by the operation of the touch screen 66 of the left screen 21, and if it is activated by the operation of the touch screen 66 of the left screen 21, it is detected by the touch screen 66 in S403. According to the touched position, the cursor 40 is displayed on the left screen 21 as shown in FIG. 16, and when in the group browsing mode, the wireless communication circuit 71 transmits the cursor position information to the group browsing member, and S404 Return with. Touch screen 6 on the left screen 21 in S402
If it is not activated by the operation of No. 6, it is checked in S408 whether this interrupt processing is activated by the selection of the thumbnail image by the operation of the touch screen 66 of the right screen 22, and if it is activated by the selection of the thumbnail image, 22 jumps to S459 in FIG. 22 and returns to S404 if it is not activated by selecting a thumbnail image.

If the activation is performed by operating the setting button 29 in S401, the setting screen is displayed on the right screen 22 in S405 as shown in FIG. On this setting screen, it is possible to set an image server to save image data, a user folder, an album folder, and an image operation (enlargement) for the image data. The user uses the touch screen 66 and the enter button 25 to select one of the setting items displayed on the right screen 22.

In S406, it is checked whether or not the image server is selected by the user as the setting item. If the image server is selected as the setting item, in S407 the image server setting screen is displayed on the right screen 22 as shown in FIG. To display. The user touches one of the image servers displayed on the right screen 22 with the touch screen 66 and the enter button 25.
To select and jump to S451 in FIG.

If the image server is not selected as a setting item in S406, the flow advances to S409 to check whether a user folder is selected as a setting item, and if a user folder is selected as a setting item, S410.
Then, as shown in FIG. 19, a screen for user folder setting is displayed on the right screen 22. The user selects one of the user folders displayed on the right screen 22 by using the touch screen 66 and the enter button 25, and S453 in FIG.
Jump to.

If the user folder is not selected as a setting item in S409, the flow advances to S412 to check whether an album folder is selected as a setting item. If the album folder is selected as a setting item,
In S413, a screen for album folder setting is displayed on the right screen 22 as shown in FIG. The user selects one of the album folders displayed on the right screen 22 using the touch screen 66 and the enter button 25, and
2 jump to S455.

If the album folder is not selected as a setting item in S412, the flow advances to S415 to check whether the image operation is selected as the setting item. If the image operation is selected as the setting item, the process proceeds to S416. Two
As shown in FIG. 2, the image data is enlarged around the cursor position and displayed on the left screen 21, and the thumbnail image data is displayed on the right screen 22. If it is in the group browsing mode in S417, the fact that the selected image is enlarged is transmitted to the group browsing member by the wireless communication circuit 71, and S
Return at 418. When the image operation is not selected as the setting item in S415, the process returns in S418.

In FIG. 22, the wireless telephone circuit 72 connects to the set image server in S451. S45
In 2, the user information is received from the connected image server,
A screen as shown in FIG. 19 is displayed to allow the user to select a user folder. In S453, the set user identification information (user folder) is transmitted to the connected image server. In S454, the album information corresponding to the user identification information transmitted from the connected image server is received, displayed on the screen as shown in FIG. 20, and the user is allowed to select the album folder. In S455, the set album information (album folder) is transmitted to the connected image server. In S456, the thumbnail image data stored in the album folder transmitted from the connected image server is received, and the thumbnail image data received in S457 is displayed as shown in FIG. S4
In 58, the user selects the desired thumbnail image data using the touch screen 66, and in S459, the image identification information corresponding to the selected thumbnail image data is transmitted to the connected image server. In S460, in the group browsing mode, the currently set image server, user information, album information, and image identification information are transmitted to the group browsing members by the wireless communication circuit 71. In S461, the image information corresponding to the transmitted image identification information is received from the connected image server, and S211 is received.
Jump to.

FIG. 23 and FIG. 24 are detailed flowcharts of the wireless reception interrupt processing subroutine.
When it is started in 0, it is checked in S501 whether the wireless communication circuit 71 has received the start of a call from another member in the group browsing mode.
At 2, the call information received by the wireless communication circuit 71 is reproduced.
In S503, the call end is checked, and if the call is continued, the reproduction of the call information in S502 is continued, and if the call is ended, the process returns in S504.

If the call is not started in S501,
The content received by the wireless communication circuit 71 in step S505 is a group browsing mode setting request from another member (member invitation).
If it is a request for setting the group browsing mode, the reception of the group browsing mode is displayed in S506 as shown in FIG. 25, and the user accepts or rejects the solicitation of the group browsing mode. To select. In S507, it is checked whether or not the solicitation in the group browsing mode is accepted. If the solicitation in the group browsing mode is not accepted, a message that the solicitation in the group browsing mode is rejected is transmitted to the electronic album solicited in the group browsing mode in S508, and the process returns in S509. If the solicitation in the group browsing mode is accepted in S507, the process proceeds to S510 to check whether the current mode is the group browsing mode. If the current mode is not the group browsing mode, the process proceeds to S512. If the current mode is the group browsing mode, The wireless communication circuit 71 transmits a message to the effect that the current group browsing member will leave the group, and S5
Proceed to 12. In step S512, the browsing mode is set to the group browsing mode, and in step S508, the wireless communication circuit 71 transmits to the electronic album inviting the group browsing mode that the solicitation of the group browsing mode is accepted. In S514,
Image server identification information, user identification information, album identification information, image identification information, image operation information from the electronic album inviting the group browsing mode by the wireless communication circuit 71,
The cursor position information is received, the image server is connected in accordance with the received information, the same image data as the image data being browsed by the electronic album inviting the group browsing mode is displayed, and the process jumps to S211.

If the request is not a group browsing mode setting request in S505, it is checked in S515 whether the content received by the wireless communication circuit 71 is information for leaving the group browsing mode from another member. If it is, the leaving member is deleted and the group browsing member is updated in S516, and the process returns in S517. If it is not the departure information in S515, the process proceeds to S518 in FIG.

In S518 of FIG. 24, it is checked whether the content received by the wireless communication circuit 71 is cursor position information. If it is the cursor position information, the left screen 21 is displayed according to the cursor position information received in S519. The cursor is displayed, and the flow returns at S523. If the content received by the wireless communication circuit 71 in S518 is not the cursor position information, it is checked whether the content received by the wireless communication circuit 71 is image operation information (image enlargement) in S520, and the image operation information is determined. If so, the image currently displayed is enlarged and displayed on the left screen 21 in S521, and the process returns in S523.

If the content received by the wireless communication circuit 71 in S520 is not the image operation information, is the content received by the wireless communication circuit 71 in S522 an image server, user information, album information, or image identification information? Check
In the case of these pieces of information, in S524, the corresponding image server is connected based on the received information, and the thumbnail image data is received from the corresponding album folder of the corresponding user folder by the wireless telephone circuit 72, and at the same time, the image is displayed. The image information corresponding to the identification information is downloaded, the downloaded thumbnail image data and the image data corresponding to the image identification information are displayed, and the process jumps to S211. On the other hand, if the content received by the wireless communication circuit 71 in S522 is not the image server, user information, album information, or image identification information, the process returns in S523.

FIG. 26 is a detailed flow chart of the call button interrupt processing subroutine. When started in S60, it is checked in S601 whether the current mode is the group browsing mode. If there is, the wireless input circuit 71 transmits the voice input information detected by the microphone 32 to the group browsing member in S602. S603
Check the end of the call with, and if the call continues, S
The transmission of the call information of 602 is continued, and when the call ends, the process returns in S604.

FIG. 27 is a detailed flowchart of the timer interrupt processing subroutine.
In S701, it is checked whether or not the current mode is the group browsing mode. If the mode is not the group browsing mode, the process returns in S703. If the mode is the group browsing mode, the camera 6 images the user in S702, and the captured image data is transmitted by the wireless transmission circuit 71. Send to group browsing members, S604
Return with.

FIG. 28 is a detailed flowchart of the related information button interrupt processing subroutine. When started in S80, the related information of the image data currently displayed on the left screen 21 in S801 is displayed in the right screen 22 as shown in FIG. To display. In S802, the completion of the operation of the related information button 27 is waited, and after the operation is completed, the process returns in S803.

FIG. 30 shows a wireless communication operation (wireless communication circuit 7) performed between the image server and the electronic album A and the electronic album B in the single browsing mode and the group browsing mode.
1 is performed by the radio telephone circuit 72). In the single browsing mode, first, the electronic album A is activated when the power is turned on, and communication 1 (sending default user information, default album information, default image identification information) is performed to the default image server. On the other hand, the image server communicates with the electronic album A 2 (user identification information of the user folder accommodated in the image server, album information of the album accommodated in the user folder corresponding to the specified user identification information, Thumbnail image data of the image information contained in the album folder corresponding to the specified album information,
The image information corresponding to the designated image identification information is transmitted). The electronic album A displays the received thumbnail image data and the image data included in the image information.

When the setting change process (change of user setting in the case of FIG. 30) is performed in the electronic album A, the electronic album A communicates with the image server 3 (sends selected user identification information) accordingly. I do. On the other hand, the image server performs communication 4 (transmission of album information of the album accommodated in the user folder corresponding to the designated user identification information). The electronic album A receives this, selects a desired album from the plurality of album information, and performs communication 5 (sends the selected album information) to the image server. On the other hand, the image server performs communication 6 (transmits thumbnail image data of image information contained in the album folder corresponding to the designated album folder). The electronic album A displays the received thumbnail image data,
The user selects the desired thumbnail image data and performs communication 7 (transmits image identification information corresponding to the selected thumbnail image data). In contrast, the image server communicates 8
(Send image information corresponding to the specified image identification information)
Done. The electronic album A displays the received image data.

In the group browsing mode, when the electronic album A calls the electronic album B to participate in the group browsing mode, the electronic album A first communicates with the electronic album B 9 (identification information of the electronic album A and group browsing mode). Send the solicitation of)). On the other hand, the electronic album B performs the communication 10 (transmits the acceptance or rejection of the group browsing mode). When the electronic album A obtains the consent to participate in the group browsing mode from the electronic album B, the electronic album A performs communication 11 (transmission of member information, image server identification information, user identification information, album identification information, image identification information). . The electronic album B connects to the designated image server based on the received information and performs communication 12 (transmits user identification information, album identification information, and image identification information). On the other hand, the image server communicates with the electronic album B 13 (user identification information of the user folder contained in the image server, album information of the album contained in the user folder corresponding to the specified user identification information,
The thumbnail image data of the image information contained in the album folder corresponding to the designated album information and the image information corresponding to the designated image identification information are transmitted). The electronic album B displays the received thumbnail image data and the image data included in the image information.

When the setting of the electronic album A is changed (the display image is changed in the case of FIG. 30) in the group browsing mode, the electronic album A communicates with the image server 14 (transmits image identification information) and the electronic album B. Contact 15
(Sending image identification information). In response to this, the image server transmits 16 (transmits image information corresponding to the designated image identification information) to the electronic album A. The electronic album A displays the received image data. On the other hand, the electronic album B sends the image identification information received from the electronic album A to the image server through the communication 17. In response to this, the image server communicates 18 (transmits image information corresponding to the designated image identification information) to the electronic album B. The electronic album B displays the received image data. In this way, in the group browsing mode, the setting changes made in one electronic album are reflected in the electronic albums in the group in synchronization.

In the above-described embodiment (FIG. 1), in the group browsing mode, the control information relating to the browsing image data is exchanged between the group browsing members by short-distance wireless communication, so that the information server (image server) side is particularly in the group browsing mode. It is not necessary to provide software corresponding to
Group browsing can be achieved by performing the same operation as in the normal single browsing mode. Also, since the control information is directly exchanged between the browsing devices by short-distance wireless communication,
The control information can be quickly transferred regardless of congestion of the information transmission line (network line, public telephone line) or the like, or failure of the relay station. Further, since information (image data) having a large amount of data is stored in an image server on the network and the image data is downloaded from the image server for browsing, it is not necessary to provide a large-capacity memory in the browsing device itself, and an enormous amount of data is required. A large number of information (image data) can be commonly used by group browsing members,
By setting the information server on a broadband (high-speed, large-capacity communication) network, even if many members participating in the group browsing mode request to download the same image data at the same time, the image data can be quickly sent to the member. Will be able to deliver.

In the above embodiment (FIG. 1), since a plurality of browsing devices and information servers transmit information by wireless communication, the user likes wherever the other members of the group browsing are, without troublesome connection operation. Information can be viewed in groups at various locations, and information can be viewed while moving outdoors, etc., which greatly expands the scenes where image viewing can be enjoyed.

In the above-described embodiment (FIG. 14), since the face images of the members participating in the group browsing can be confirmed, it is easy to confirm the members and the degree of closeness between the members can be increased. In addition, since a face image in a situation where image data is being viewed is captured and displayed, the facial expression can be transmitted in real time, and richer communication can be performed.

In the above embodiment (FIGS. 23 and 26), since it is possible to talk with the members participating in the group browsing while browsing the image data with each other, the reaction when browsing the image data is directly transmitted. They can be exchanged, and richer communication can be conducted.

In the above-described embodiment (FIG. 16), since the cursor can be displayed at the attention portion of the image data in the group browsing mode, the cursor can be used to smoothly communicate with the members participating in the group browsing. It can be carried out. By using the cursor as a mark such as a favorite icon of each person, a reduced face image of each person, a reduced image of each portrait, etc., communication through image browsing can be made more enjoyable. (Explanation of Modifications) The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible.

In the above embodiment (FIGS. 14 and 30), in the group browsing mode, the group browsing members browse only the image data common to the group, but each group browsing member browses its own image data. At the same time, the group browsing member may be allowed to browse the image data browsed by other group browsing members simultaneously or as needed. FIG. 31 is a screen display example in such an embodiment, and the user (member 1) of the electronic album browses the desired image data on the left screen 21. The image data being viewed by other members (members 2 and 3) who are viewing the group are displayed as thumbnail images on the right screen 22. The user (member 1) displays the thumbnail image data on the left screen 21 by designating on the touch screen 66 the desired thumbnail image data viewed by another member displayed on the right screen 22. The image data can be replaced with the existing image data and displayed on the left screen 21 for viewing. For example, in FIG. 31, when the user selects thumbnail image data viewed by the member 2 on the touch screen 66, the image data viewed by the member 2 is displayed on the left screen 21 as shown in FIG. In such a case, members participating in the group browsing mode can perform various operations (change and selection of image data) only on the image data that they are browsing. Further, the operation information performed by each person on the image data that he or she is browsing is transmitted to the members participating in the group browsing mode through the wireless communication circuit 71 at any time. In this way, the group browsing members can select and browse the image data according to their own preference, and can also browse the images browsed by other members, so that the communication using the image data can be more facilitated. Can be activated.

In the above-described embodiment (FIG. 1), it is assumed that the browsing devices (electronic albums) are close to each other, and the browsing devices communicate with each other by short-distance wireless communication to control a large amount of data other than image data. When exchanging information, but the browsing device is far away, long-distance wireless or wireless LAN (Local Area Network)
Can be used. Further, as shown in FIG. 33, if the control information is exchanged between the browsing devices using the wireless telephone line, the browsing device only has the wireless telephone circuit 72 and communicates with other browsing devices or image servers. be able to.

Further, as shown in FIG. 34, in the group browsing mode, the information server (image server) is browsed by another member according to the information about the control performed by one member on one image data. If the same control is performed on the same image data, it is not necessary to exchange control information between the browsing devices. In this case, the information server is provided with software for the group browsing mode, and the software manages the entire group browsing, the group browsing members, and the browsing image data in the group browsing mode. In this way, the browsing device side can reduce the burden of a large software for group browsing member management and browsing image data management in the group browsing mode, and the portable browsing device can perform image browsing by group browsing. .

FIG. 35 is a view for explaining a group browsing mode communication operation (performed by the radio telephone circuit 72) between the image server and the electronic album A and electronic album B in the embodiment as shown in FIG. FIG. When the electronic album A desires to browse images in the group browsing mode, the electronic album A first communicates with the image server 20 (request for the group browsing mode,
The information of the group browsing member candidate and the user identification information of oneself) are performed. On the other hand, the image server sends a communication 21 (user identification information of the electronic album A that has activated the group browsing mode, solicitation of members to the group browsing mode) to the electronic album of the member candidate (only the electronic album B is shown in FIG. 35). To do. On the other hand, the electronic album B performs the communication 22 (accept or reject the invitation to the group browsing mode) to the image server. The image server, based on the communication 22 received from the candidate members of the group browsing mode, determines whether the group browsing mode is possible (with the consent of at least one member) and the group browsing mode when the group browsing mode is possible. The members are confirmed, and based on the result, the communication 23 (whether the group browsing mode is possible or not, the group browsing member) with the electronic album A is performed, and the electronic album B of the group browsing member is browsed with the electronic album A by the communication 24. The information (album information, thumbnail image data, image information) related to the image data being displayed is transmitted. The electronic album B receives the communication 24, displays the same image data as the electronic album A, and enters the group browsing mode. Next, when the setting of the image data being browsed in the electronic album A is changed (the image data is changed in FIG. 35), the electronic album A communicates with the image server 25 (the desired image in FIG. 35). Data image identification information). In response to the communication 25, the image server transmits the image information requested by the communication 26 to the electronic album A and the same image information transmitted by the communication 26 to the electronic album A to the electronic album B of the group browsing member. Send by communication 27. The electronic album A and the electronic album B are displayed as image data included in the image information received in the communication 26 and the communication 27.

In the above embodiment (FIGS. 14 and 30), in addition to the image data viewed on the left screen 21, the face images of the members participating in the group viewing mode and the viewed images are displayed. Data is displayed on the right screen 22, but when there is one screen (only the left screen 21), it is superimposed on the image data displayed on the left screen 21 as shown in FIG. Face images of other members who are participating in or thumbnail image data of image data viewed by other members may be displayed. By displaying thumbnail image data in the four corners of the screen so as not to interfere with the image data currently being viewed, or by performing image analysis on the image data being viewed, an area with a small change in contrast (for example, a sky) can be displayed. Select (or background part) to display thumbnail image data. In this way, desired image data can be browsed on one large screen, and in the group browsing mode, information of members participating in the group browsing mode can be browsed at the same time. If it is annoying to display a plurality of images superimposed on one screen, the electronic album is provided with a dedicated display switching operation member, and each time the operation member is operated by the user, the operation shown in FIG. The image data displayed on the screen 21 may be switched as shown in FIG. In FIG. 37, the image data viewed by oneself, the image data viewed by other members, and the thumbnail image data for selecting the image data viewed by oneself are sequentially switched and displayed.

FIG. 38 is an explanatory view showing a more detailed structure of the wireless communication circuit 71 incorporated in the electronic album of the above embodiment (FIG. 4). The wireless communication circuit 71 has an electromagnetic shield film 79 inside the electronic album. It is surrounded by except for one direction. Therefore, according to such a configuration, the wireless communication circuit 71 has a specific direction 4 as shown in FIG.
It is possible to provide a strong communication or communication directivity with respect to zero. When an electronic album provided with the wireless communication circuit 71 having the above-mentioned configuration is used to browse a group of electronic albums existing in a short distance, directions in which the communication directivity of the wireless communication circuit 71 is strong. Communicate in group browsing mode with the other party's electronic album coming. By doing so, the contents of the communication are not leaked to anyone other than the members during the wireless communication, so that the group can enjoy the image browsing while protecting the privacy. Note that the directivity can be adjusted by the configuration of the antenna instead of the electromagnetic shield film. For example, an example of a small directional antenna is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-278037.

In the above embodiment (FIG. 8), since the image server retains the browsing history data in the group browsing mode, by reading this from the electronic album,
It is possible to retrieve past browsing information regarding a certain image information. For example, it can be used for group browsing with members who have already browsed an image or members who have not browsed. Further, by storing the call information between the members at the time of browsing the group, the call information between the members can be reproduced and enjoyed in the single browsing mode later.

In the above embodiment (FIGS. 12 and 13), when entering the group browsing mode, each member who is invited to participate in the group browsing mode is selected. However, a plurality of groups composed of predetermined members in advance are selected. May be registered in the electronic album, and the user may select a desired group from among them according to the purpose of browsing.
By doing so, it is possible to save the trouble of selecting members when a group is browsed by a large number of members. Further, the electronic album is provided with a function of temporarily suspending the group browsing mode, and the electronic album saves the information (image information, image server, member) of the group browsing status at the time of the temporary suspension, and the electronic album is stored at a later date. When a predetermined operation (starting resume operation) is performed on the album, the members who have participated in the group browsing mode are called based on the saved information, and the group browsing mode is resumed from the suspended state. May be. In this way, the group browsing can be interrupted if necessary, and the group browsing can be restarted without trouble when resuming the group browsing, which is effective when the group browsing is performed by busy members.

In the above-described embodiment (FIGS. 12 and 13), when entering the group browsing mode, each member who invites participation in the group browsing mode is selected. It is also possible to invite people to join the group browsing mode by short-distance wireless communication, or solicit participation in the group browsing through the Internet so that members who have accepted the invitation can perform group browsing. By doing this, it is possible to browse the group with an unspecified number of people and build a friendly relationship through communication.

In the above embodiment (FIG. 14), the electronic album displays the face images of the members participating in the group browsing mode. However, when each electronic album has a positioning means such as GPS, The location information of each member may be further displayed based on the location information detected by the positioning means. In this way, since the other participating members can know the situation of the members participating in the group browsing in more detail, it is possible to further activate the communication between the members through the group browsing.

In the above embodiment (FIGS. 15 and 16), by displaying the cursor on the screen when browsing the group, the communication between the group browsing members is facilitated. May be provided. That is, a cursor (icon) having a different form is prepared for each member, and the corresponding cursor is displayed according to the electronic album which has transmitted the cursor position information. By doing so, it is possible to immediately determine who in the group viewing member is paying attention to which part of the image, so that the communication between the group viewing members can be performed more smoothly.

In the above-described embodiment (FIG. 36), the thumbnail image is used to display the image data viewed by other members by superimposing the image data viewed by the user on one screen during the group browsing. However, all the image data browsed by the group browsing members may be displayed as thumbnail images on one screen. In this way, the image server only needs to deliver the same thumbnail image data to the electronic album of each member, so that the burden of delivering image information is reduced.

In the above embodiment (FIGS. 1, 33, 34), the electronic album downloads image data from an image server on the Internet, but the image server does not necessarily have to be on the Internet. It may be an image server on a local communication network. For example, the image server is installed on a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) of the IEEE 802 standard, and the electronic album and the mobile phone (electronic device) access the image server via the wireless LAN to download the image data. it can.

In the above-described embodiments (FIGS. 1, 33, 34), the information browsing apparatus, the information browsing system, and the information browsing method in which the electronic album browses the image data from the image server are described. For example, when the information to be browsed is audio data, it is possible to perform communication with a plurality of members while reproducing the audio data by a plurality of browsing devices. The present invention is also applicable to a common screen among members or a screen viewed by each member when a plurality of members communicate while enormous amounts of document data and measurement data are viewed. Can be applied. It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied not only to still images but also to group browsing of moving images. It can also be applied to a case where so-called multimedia information including image information, voice information, and text information (such as a home page on the Internet) is browsed by a plurality of members in conjunction with each other.

In the above-described embodiment (FIGS. 1, 33, 34), the information server does not impose any particular restrictions on the downloading of information to the browsing device. Information and user identification information) may be registered to prohibit downloading of information to unregistered group browsing members. By doing this, you can prevent information from being unnecessarily downloaded from the information server,
It can prevent unauthorized use of information and protect copyright and privacy.

In the above-described embodiment (FIG. 1), control information relating to information is exchanged wirelessly (radio waves) between browsing devices located at a short distance. However, the browsing device is owned by a person other than the group browsing member. In order to prevent unreasonable communication, it is assumed that the browsing device has average reception performance, and the output level of the wireless transmission signal is limited to within a predetermined value to limit the communicable distance range. Is desirable. Although the distance range is determined in consideration of the usage of the browsing device, the presence or absence of a radio wave shield between the browsing devices, the performance of the receiver of the electronic device, etc., it is said that the browsing members browse information next to each other or facing each other. Considering the situation, it is usually desirable to stay within 2 m. Further, it is desirable that the output level of the wireless transmission signal can be adjusted automatically or manually so that the distance range can be changed as necessary.

In the above-described embodiment (FIG. 1), the browsing device communicates by short-distance wireless communication such as Bluetooth, but wireless LAN is also used for devices other than Bluetooth.
(IEEE 802.11) and infrared optical communication (IrDA)
May be used for short-distance wireless communication, or a plurality of short-distance wireless communication methods may be simultaneously used for communication. In this way, it becomes possible to select an appropriate wireless system according to the situation of group browsing and to communicate between the browsing devices. For example, if the wireless LAN is busy,
You can use Bluetooth or use the infrared method if you don't want to be intercepted by others.

In the above-described embodiment (FIGS. 1, 33, 34), information is exchanged between the browsing device and the information server by the wireless mobile telephone line (public line). It is desirable to encrypt the information in order to prevent unauthorized leakage of the information. In this case, when the group browsing mode is entered, the same encryption key is distributed from the information server to the browsing devices used by the participants in the same group browsing mode, and each browsing device receives the encryption key that received the information encrypted by the information server. Use to decrypt. Further, when the encryption key is distributed from the information server to each browsing device, the information server can further enhance the security by encrypting the encryption key by using the public key of each browsing device. Further, even in wireless communication of control information between browsing devices, the security can be improved by encrypting the control information. Further, by sharing the private key and the public key among the group browsing members, it is possible to reduce the labor of encrypting the information by the public key in the information server.

In the above embodiment (FIG. 1), the wireless communication is performed between the browsing devices. At this time, the transmission signal output level of the wireless communication (radio waves, infrared rays) is changed according to the distance between the browsing devices. The output level may be increased as the length increases. The distance between the browsing devices can be detected based on the information of positioning means (GPS, etc.) built in the browsing devices. In this way, it is possible to surely communicate with the browsing devices of the group browsing members and reduce the probability that the communications will be established with the browsing devices held by members other than the group browsing members.

In the above embodiment (FIGS. 1, 33 and 34), the browsing device downloads information to be browsed from the information server, but it is not necessary to download all the information from the information server, and the browsing device side The information stored in the memory may be distributed to the group browsing members through the short-distance wireless circuit 71 or the wireless telephone circuit 72. In this way, in the group browsing mode, various information can be browsed by the group browsing members, so that the communication can be enriched.

In the above-described embodiment (FIGS. 1, 33, 34), the browsing device that has been invited to join the group browsing mode displays that fact on the screen. Good. In this way, even when the browsing device is stored in the user's bag or the like, the member invited to the group browsing can recognize that the member has been invited to join the group browsing mode. In addition, if the pronunciation pattern of the pronunciation notification indicating that the invitation to participate in the group browsing mode has been received is set to be different from the pronunciation pattern at the time of an incoming call such as a normal call, the user can receive the content (from whom Can be acknowledged).

In the above-described embodiment (FIGS. 1, 33 and 34), the information server distributes the same information to the browsing devices of the group browsing members in the group browsing mode. When the display specification information (format, screen size, display pixel number, color / black and white, etc.) of each browsing device is received from each browsing device in advance, and the information server distributes the information stored in the information server to each browsing device, Alternatively, the information may be converted for each browsing device according to the display specification information and delivered to each browsing device. In this way, for example, since the information amount can be compressed and distributed to the browsing device having a small number of display pixels, the performance of wireless communication in the group browsing mode can be improved and the information received by each browsing device can be displayed. Since there is no need to convert the browsing device, the burden on each browsing device can be reduced.

[0075]

As described above, in the information browsing apparatus, the information browsing system and the information browsing method according to the present invention, the browsing information is stored in the information server on the network, and the browsing information is transferred from the information server. When the information is browsed by downloading it to each information browsing device, by exchanging control information related to the browsing information between the information browsing devices, the information browsing devices can interlock to browse information. It becomes possible for the users of the devices to perform dense communication with each other by browsing the information.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, when browsing the browsing information in the group browsing mode, the control information related to the browsing information is exchanged between the information browsing apparatuses by the short-distance wireless communication, so that the information browsing apparatuses relatively communicate with each other. In the case of a short distance, the control information can be exchanged reliably and promptly without imposing a burden on the information server, and a highly responsive group browsing becomes possible. Further, since the information browsing device is connected to the information server through the wireless telephone line, there is no restriction on location and the browsing information can be browsed while moving. In addition, since the information browsing devices exchange information by wireless communication, there is no need for troublesome communication line connection work, there is no need to check the connection status of group browsing members, and group browsing can be started quickly at any time. ..

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the browsing information is browsed in the group browsing mode, the control information relating to the browsing information received by the information server from one information browsing device is not included in all the group browsing modes. Since the information is immediately reflected on the information browsing devices, when the information browsing devices are located far from each other, the information browsing devices can be linked reliably and quickly without burdening the information browsing devices, and the information can be grouped with a fast response. You can browse.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a concept of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a system configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an external view of an electronic album.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an electronic album.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image server.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a memory of the image server.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of shooting information data.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of browsing history data.

FIG. 9 is a program configuration diagram of an electronic album.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a main program.

FIG. 11 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a subroutine.

FIG. 13 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 14 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a subroutine.

FIG. 16 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 17 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 18 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 19 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 20 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 21 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a subroutine.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart of a subroutine.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart of a subroutine.

FIG. 25 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart of a subroutine.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart of a subroutine.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart of a subroutine.

FIG. 29 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 30 is an explanatory diagram of a communication sequence.

FIG. 31 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 32 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 33 is an explanatory diagram showing the concept of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 34 is an explanatory diagram showing the concept of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 35 is an explanatory diagram of a communication sequence.

FIG. 36 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 37 is a display example of a screen.

FIG. 38 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a wireless circuit.

FIG. 39 is an explanatory diagram of communication directivity.

[Explanation of symbols]

21 Left LCD (left screen) 22 Right LCD (right screen) 23 Up button 24 Down button 25 decision button 26 Call button 27 Related information button 28 Single / Group Button 29 Setting button 50 CPU 51 data / control bus 55 CCD 60 Shooting control circuit 63 power supply 65 operation keys 66 touch screen 71 wireless communication circuit 72 wireless telephone circuit 100 electronic albums 104 memory card 130 Internet 150 image server

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04N 5/765 H04B 7/26 M 7/14 H04N 5/91 L H04Q 7/20 H04Q 7/04 Z F Term (reference) 5B075 KK33 KK37 ND06 NK02 PP22 5B085 AE29 BA06 BE07 BG03 BG07 5C053 FA21 FA23 FA29 GB06 HA29 JA21 KA04 KA24 LA06 LA14 5C064 BA01 BA07 BB07 BC06 BC18 BC23 BC27 BD02 BD08 BD21 BD16DD21A11B02DD08BD21 5K067 A21 FF02 FF07 FF23 HH22 HH24

Claims (48)

[Claims] 1. An information browsing device for browsing common browsing information stored in an information server installed on a communication network in cooperation with a plurality of information browsing devices, for designating the browsing information. By performing wireless communication between the information designating means for generating the identification information and another information browsing device, the identification information generated by the information designating means is transmitted to another information browsing device, and By connecting to the first communication means for receiving the identification information generated in the information browsing apparatus from another information browsing apparatus to the communication network via a wireless line and communicating with the information server, the information designating means And transmits the identification information received from another information browsing device by the first communication means to the information server,
A second communication means for receiving the browsing information corresponding to the identification information from the information server; and a display means for displaying the browsing information received from the information server by the second communication means. Information browsing device. 2. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the browsing information is image data, and the display unit has a screen for displaying the image data. apparatus. 3. The information browsing device according to claim 2, wherein the display unit corresponds to image data corresponding to the identification information generated by the information designating unit and the identification information received from another information browsing device. An information browsing device characterized by displaying simultaneously image data. 4. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display unit displays the plurality of image data with different display sizes. 5. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display unit superimposes and displays image data of a small display size on image data of a large display size. 6. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising position specifying means for generating position information for specifying a position on the screen, and the first communication means is generated by the position specifying means. While transmitting the position information to another information browsing device and receiving the position information generated in the other information browsing device from the other information browsing device, the display means displays the image data displayed on the screen. And a mark is displayed at a position on the screen corresponding to the position information generated by the position specifying means and the position information received from another information browsing device by the first communication means. Information browsing device. 7. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display unit displays a mark having a different form for each information browsing apparatus that has generated the position information. 8. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image capturing unit that generates face image data of a user who uses the information browsing apparatus, and the first communication unit includes the image capturing unit that generates the face image data. While transmitting the face image data to the other information browsing device, the face image data generated in the other information browsing device is received from the other information browsing device,
The information browsing device, wherein the display means displays the face image data received from another information browsing device by the first communication means. 9. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a voice reproducing means for reproducing voice data, and a voice input means for converting voice of a user of the information browsing apparatus to generate voice data. , The first communication means transmits the voice data generated by the voice input means to another information browsing device, and receives the voice data generated in the other information browsing device from another information browsing device, The information browsing device, wherein the audio reproduction unit reproduces the audio data received from another information browsing device by the first communication unit. 10. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning means for detecting positioning information of the information browsing apparatus, wherein the first communication means uses the positioning information detected by the positioning means as another information. While transmitting to the information browsing device, the positioning information detected by the other information browsing device is received from the other information browsing device, and the display means receives the positioning information from the other information browsing device by the first communication means. An information browsing device characterized by displaying. 11. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selection unit that selects a member who browses the common browsing information stored in the information server in association with each other. 12. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the selecting unit selects a member in a group unit including a plurality of members. 13. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first communication unit links the common browsing information stored in the information server with other information for soliciting participation. An information browsing device characterized by transmitting the information to a browsing device. 14. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first communication means participates in interlocking browsing of common browsing information stored in the information server from another information browsing apparatus. While receiving the solicitation information, the first
An information browsing device, characterized in that the communication device comprises notifying means for notifying that the participation invitation information has been received from another information browsing device. 15. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first communication unit wirelessly communicates by using a radio wave signal and limits the transmission output level of the radio wave signal to set the radio communication range to the radio communication range. An information browsing device characterized by being restricted within a predetermined distance range from the information browsing device. 16. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first communication unit wirelessly communicates by using a radio wave signal and sets the transmission output level of the radio wave signal to another information browsing apparatus. An information browsing device characterized by being changed according to the distance. 17. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the first communication unit increases the transmission output level of the radio signal as the distance from another information browsing apparatus increases. Information browsing device. 18. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first communication unit has a strong radio communication directivity in a specific direction. 19. The information browsing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first communication unit and the second communication unit share the same communication circuit. 20. An information browsing system for browsing common browsing information stored in an information server installed on a communication network in cooperation with a plurality of information browsing devices, wherein the plurality of information browsing devices are Information specifying means for generating identification information for specifying the browsing information, respectively,
By performing wireless communication with other information browsing devices,
First communication means for transmitting the identification information generated by the information designating means to another information browsing device and receiving the identification information generated in the other information browsing device from the other information browsing device; and the communication network. By connecting to the information server via a wireless line and communicating with the information server,
The identification information generated by the information designating unit and the identification information received from another information browsing apparatus by the first communication unit are transmitted to the information server, and the browsing information corresponding to the identification information is transmitted from the information server. And a display unit for displaying the browsing information received from the information server by the second communication unit, and the information server stores the browsing information in association with the identification information. And a storage unit for receiving the identification information transmitted from the information browsing device, and transmitting the identification information to the browsing information stored in the storage unit corresponding to the identification information. An information browsing system comprising: a third communication means for transmitting to a browsing device. 21. An information browsing system for browsing common browsing information stored in an information server installed on a communication network with a plurality of information browsing devices, wherein the plurality of information browsing devices are Information specifying means for generating identification information for specifying the browsing information, respectively,
By connecting to the communication network via a wireless line and communicating with the information server, the identification information generated by the information designating means is transmitted to the information server, and the information server responds to the identification information. The second communication means for receiving the browse information and the display means for displaying the browse information received from the information server by the second communication means are provided, and the information server converts the browse information into the identification information. A storage unit that stores the information in association with each other, receives the identification information transmitted from any of the plurality of information browsing devices, and stores the browsing information stored in the storage unit in association with the identification information. An information browsing system comprising: a third communication means for transmitting to a plurality of information browsing devices. 22. The information browsing system according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the browsing information is image data, and the display means has a screen for displaying the image data. Information browsing system. 23. The information browsing system according to claim 22, wherein the display unit corresponds to image data corresponding to the identification information generated by the information designating unit and the identification information generated by another information browsing device. An information browsing system characterized by simultaneously displaying image data to be displayed. 24. The information browsing system according to claim 23, wherein the display unit displays the plurality of image data with different display sizes. 25. The information browsing system according to claim 24, wherein the display means superimposes image data of a small display size on image data of a large display size and displays the image data. 26. The information browsing system according to claim 20, wherein the browsing information is image data,
The display means has a screen for displaying the image data, the information browsing device further comprises position specifying means for generating position information for specifying a position on the screen, and the first communication means is While transmitting the position information generated by the position designation means to another information browsing device and receiving the position information generated in the other information browsing device from another information browsing device, the display means displays the screen. A mark is placed on the screen corresponding to the position information generated by the position specifying unit and the position information received from the other information browsing device by the first communication unit by being superimposed on the image data displayed above. An information browsing system characterized by displaying. 27. The information browsing system according to claim 26, wherein the display unit displays a mark having a different form for each information browsing apparatus that has generated the position information. 28. The information browsing system according to claim 20, wherein the information browsing apparatus includes an image capturing unit that generates face image data of a user who uses the information browsing apparatus, and the first communication unit includes the image capturing unit. While transmitting the face image data generated by the imaging means to another information browsing device,
The face image data generated in the other information browsing device is received from the other information browsing device, and the display means is configured to receive the first image data.
An information browsing system characterized by displaying the face image data received from another information browsing apparatus by a communication means. 29. The information browsing system according to claim 20, wherein the information browsing device converts the voice of a user of the information browsing device into voice reproducing means for reproducing voice data to generate voice data. And a voice input unit, wherein the first communication unit transmits the voice data generated by the voice input unit to another information browsing device and transmits the voice data generated by the other information browsing device to another information. Receiving from the browsing device, the audio reproduction means is configured to transmit the first
An information browsing system characterized in that the voice data received from another information browsing apparatus is reproduced by a communication means. 30. The information browsing system according to claim 20, wherein the information browsing apparatus includes a positioning unit that detects positioning information of the information browsing apparatus, and the first communication unit detects the positioning unit. While transmitting the positioning information to another information browsing device, the positioning information detected in the other information browsing device is received from the other information browsing device,
The information browsing system, wherein the display means displays the positioning information received from another information browsing device by the first communication means. 31. The information browsing system according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the information browsing device has a selection unit for selecting a member who browses the common browsing information stored in the information server in conjunction with each other. An information browsing system characterized by comprising. 32. The information browsing system according to claim 31, wherein the selecting means selects a member in a group unit including a plurality of members. 33. The information browsing system according to claim 20, wherein the first communication unit links the common browsing information stored in the information server with other information for soliciting participation. An information browsing system characterized by transmitting to the browsing system. 34. The information browsing system according to claim 20, wherein the first communication unit participates in interlocking browsing of common browsing information stored in the information server from another information browsing apparatus. The information browsing system, wherein the information browsing device includes notifying means for receiving the invitation information and notifying that the first communication means has received the participation invitation information from another information browsing device. 35. The information browsing system according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the information server transmits reduced image data in which the data amount of the image data is reduced to the information browsing device by the third communication means. At the same time, the information designating means generates the identification information based on the reduced image data received from the information server by the second communication means. 36. The information browsing system according to claim 20, wherein the first communication unit wirelessly communicates using a radio wave signal, and limits the transmission output level of the radio wave signal to set the radio communication range to the radio communication range. An information browsing system characterized by being restricted within a predetermined distance range from the information browsing system. 37. The information browsing system according to claim 20, wherein the first communication unit wirelessly communicates using a radio wave signal and sets the transmission output level of the radio wave signal to another information browsing system. An information browsing system characterized by changing according to the distance. 38. The information browsing system according to claim 20, wherein the first communication unit increases the transmission output level of the radio signal as the distance from another information browsing system increases. Information browsing system. 39. The information browsing system according to claim 20, wherein the first communication unit has strong radio communication directivity in a specific direction. 40. The information browsing system according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the communication network is the Internet. 41. The information browsing system according to claim 20, wherein the first communication means and the second communication means share the same communication circuit. 42. The information browsing system according to claim 20 or 21, wherein said information browsing device transmits display specification information of said display means to said information server by said second communication means, and said information. An information browsing system, wherein the server includes an adjusting unit that adjusts the browsing information to be transmitted to the information browsing device by the third communication unit, based on the display specification information received from the information browsing device. 43. The information browsing system according to claim 21, wherein the information server includes a management unit that manages a plurality of information browsing devices that browse common browsing information in group units, and the third communication unit. An information browsing system comprising: an encryption unit that performs different encryption on the browsing information transmitted to the information browsing apparatus for each group. 44. An information browsing method for browsing common browsing information stored in an information server installed on a communication network in cooperation with a plurality of information browsing devices, wherein: By transmitting the identification information to another information browsing device by wireless communication between the information designating step for generating the identification information for designating the browsing information and another information browsing device, which is performed. And a first receiving step of receiving the identification information transmitted by another information browsing device by wireless communication, and connecting to the communication network via a wireless line,
A second transmitting the identification information generated in the information designating step and the identification information received in the first receiving step to the information server by communicating with the information server;
A transmitting step, and a second receiving step for receiving the identification information transmitted from the information browsing device in the second transmitting step, which is performed in the information server.
A third transmitting step of transmitting the browsing information corresponding to the identification information received in the second receiving step to the information browsing apparatus that has transmitted the identification information; and the step performed in the plurality of information browsing apparatuses, An information browsing method comprising: a third receiving step of receiving browsing information transmitted from the information server in the third transmitting step; and a display step of displaying the browsing information received in the third receiving step. 45. An information browsing method for browsing common browsing information stored in an information server installed on a communication network in cooperation with a plurality of information browsing devices, the information browsing device comprising: The information specifying step for generating the identification information for specifying the browsing information, which is performed, and the identification information by connecting to the communication network via a wireless line and communicating with the information server. A second transmitting step of transmitting to the information server, a second receiving step of receiving the identification information transmitted from the information browsing device in the second transmitting step, which is performed in the information server, and a second receiving step. A third transmitting step of transmitting the browsing information corresponding to the identification information received in step 3 to all of the plurality of information browsing devices; A third receiving step for receiving the browsing information transmitted from the information server in the third transmitting step, which is performed in the display device;
And a display step for displaying the browsing information received in the receiving step. 46. The information browsing method according to claim 44 or 45, wherein the browsing information is image data. 47. The information browsing method according to claim 44 or claim 45, wherein display specification information for displaying the browsing information by the display step, which is performed in the information browsing device, is stored in the information server. A fourth transmitting step of transmitting, a fourth receiving step of receiving the display specification information transmitted in the fourth transmitting step, which is performed in the information server, and the display specification information received in the fourth receiving step. And an adjusting step for adjusting the browsing information transmitted in the third transmitting step, based on the above. 48. The information browsing method according to claim 45, further comprising: a management step of managing a plurality of information browsing devices for browsing the common browsing information in group units, which is performed in the information server. 3. The information browsing method, further comprising an encryption step of performing different encryption on the browsing information transmitted in the transmitting step for each group.