JP2007122562A - Information processor, method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to intuitively grasp a hierarchical structure of contents when contents are hierarchically managed. <P>SOLUTION: When a down key 1 is depressed only one time while attention is paid to an image of a cluster C<SB>23</SB>, the display positions of images of respective clusters displayed in a third column are moved to an upper position by one row each, and a cluster to notice is changed from the cluster C<SB>23</SB>to a cluster C<SB>31</SB>. For clusters in which a parent of the cluster C<SB>23</SB>to notice so far is different from a parent of the new cluster C<SB>31</SB>to notice, the display positions of images of hierarchies other than a hierarchy to notice are changed so as to display the image of a cluster C<SB>3</SB>of the parent next to the image of the new cluster C<SB>31</SB>to notice. This invention is applicable to a personal computer, etc., which hierarchically manages the images. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method, and a program, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus and method that allow a user to intuitively grasp the hierarchical structure when content is managed in a hierarchical manner. And the program.

  In recent years, home appliances equipped with various functions such as receiving broadcast programs, recording them on the built-in hard disk and playing them, playing music and still images recorded on the hard disk, etc. In such devices, as the menu screen for users to use various functions, icons of each category are displayed side by side in the horizontal direction of the screen, and selected in the vertical direction. There is a screen in which items of a certain category are displayed side by side (for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

  As a category for classifying items, “video” relating to program recording and reproduction of recorded programs, “photo” relating to reproduction of still images, “music” relating to reproduction of music, and the like are prepared.

  For example, when the “Photo” category is selected from a plurality of categories, all images (thumbnail images) captured in the device are displayed in a line in the vertical direction on the screen. The target image can be found only by the operation of. In a device that displays such a screen, an environment in which a user can easily find a target image is realized by making the display response time to an operation in the vertical direction quick.

  However, when the number of images becomes enormous, it becomes difficult to search for the target image from such a screen, and similar images can be grouped together to have a hierarchical structure and managed by a folder method. This is one solution for making it easy to search for images.

For example, a group that has been classified is assigned to a folder, and in one folder that represents a group in a higher hierarchy, several folders that represent groups in a lower hierarchy are stored, or images are directly stored, such a hierarchical structure. By displaying each folder and image according to (tree structure), the user can search for a target image by performing an operation of sequentially tracing the folder of interest from the root folder.
Sony Corporation, Iron Ony Wega | Experience! XMB 煤 A [Search August 31, 2005], Internet, <URL: http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/wega/xmb/index.html>

  By the way, in such a screen in which folders and images stored in the folder of interest are displayed according to a hierarchical structure, if the folder traced to the target image is mistaken due to a memory error, the user is displayed once. It is necessary to return to a folder at a higher level from a certain folder, perform an operation to move to the correct folder at that level, and then move to a lower folder.

  In addition, when searching for the correct folder, it may be necessary to move back and forth between folders without knowing which level of folder it is necessary to go back to. The user interface is difficult to understand.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and allows a user to intuitively grasp the hierarchical structure when contents are managed in a hierarchical manner.

  An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is directed to a management unit that hierarchically manages content, and information to be noted in a state where information representing each content is displayed according to a hierarchical structure managed by the management unit Is switched from the first information to the second information, the parent content whose child is the content represented by the first information and the parent content whose child is the content represented by the second information Display control means for switching the display position of the information representing the parent content in conjunction with switching the noticed information from the first information to the second information.

  The display control means displays the second information at the position where the first information was displayed, and the second information at a position adjacent to the position where the first information was displayed. The display position of the information representing the parent content can be switched so that the information representing the parent content whose child is the content represented by is displayed.

  In the display control means, when the content represented by the first information and the second information is a parent content having a child content, the information to be noticed is changed from the first information to the second information. In conjunction with switching to information, the display position of information representing child content can be switched.

  The display control means displays the second information at the position where the first information was displayed, and the second information at a position adjacent to the position where the first information was displayed. The display position of the information representing the child content can be switched so that the information representing the child content whose parent is the content represented by is displayed.

  An information processing method or program according to one aspect of the present invention is configured to manage content in a hierarchical manner, and display information to be noticed as first information in a state in which information representing each content is displayed according to the managed hierarchical structure. When switching from the first information to the second information, when the parent content whose child is the content represented by the first information is different from the parent content whose child is the content represented by the second information Switching the display position of the information representing the parent content in conjunction with switching the information to be performed from the first information to the second information.

  In one aspect of the present invention, in a state where contents are managed hierarchically and information representing each content is displayed according to the managed hierarchical structure, the information to be noticed is changed from the first information to the second information. When the parent content whose child is the content represented by the second information is different from the parent content whose child is the content represented by the second information, In conjunction with the switching from the information to the second information, the display position of the information representing the parent content is switched.

  According to an aspect of the present invention, when content is managed in a hierarchical manner, the user can intuitively grasp the hierarchical structure.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Correspondences between the constituent elements of the present invention and the embodiments described in the specification or the drawings are exemplified as follows. This description is intended to confirm that the embodiments supporting the present invention are described in the specification or the drawings. Therefore, even if there is an embodiment which is described in the specification or the drawings but is not described here as an embodiment corresponding to the constituent elements of the present invention, that is not the case. It does not mean that the form does not correspond to the constituent requirements. On the contrary, even if an embodiment is described herein as corresponding to the invention, this does not mean that the embodiment does not correspond to other than the configuration requirements. .

  An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention (for example, the information processing apparatus 1 in FIG. 1) includes a management unit (for example, the clustering apparatus 13 in FIG. 1) that manages contents (for example, still images) in a hierarchy, When the information to be noticed is switched from the first information to the second information in a state in which information (for example, thumbnail images) representing each content is displayed according to the hierarchical structure managed by the management means, the first information When the parent content whose child is the content represented by the second information and the parent content whose child is the content represented by the second information are different from the first information, Display control means for switching the display position of the information representing the parent content in conjunction with switching to the information (for example, the clustering result display unit 15 in FIG. 1) Equipped with a.

  An information processing method or program according to an aspect of the present invention manages contents (for example, still images) in a hierarchical manner, and displays information (for example, thumbnail images) representing the respective contents according to the managed hierarchical structure. When the target information is switched from the first information to the second information in a state in which the content is present, the parent content whose child is the content represented by the first information and the content represented by the second information Switching the display position of information representing the parent content in conjunction with switching the information of interest from the first information to the second information when the content of the parent is a child (for example, FIG. 34 steps S4).

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an information processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 1 includes an image input device 11, an image DB 12, a clustering device 13, a cluster tree DB 14, and a clustering result display device 15. A digital camera 2 and a display 3 are connected to the information processing apparatus 1.

  The image input device 11 captures an image captured by the digital camera 2 and recorded on an internal recording medium together with metadata such as EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) information through a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable. 2 and the read image and metadata are recorded in the image DB 12.

  The image DB 12 records the image and metadata supplied from the image input device 11 in association with each other. The images recorded in the image DB 12 are appropriately targeted for clustering or displayed on the display 3.

  The clustering device 13 reads metadata recorded in association with images from the image DB 12, and performs clustering (grouping) of each image based on the read metadata. The EXIF information as metadata describes information on the shooting date and time of the image. For example, the entire image recorded in the image DB 12 has a hierarchical structure (tree structure) based on the shooting date and time information. Grouped by having

  Further, when information representing the result of clustering performed in the past is recorded in the cluster tree DB 14, the clustering device 13 reads the information recorded in the cluster tree DB 14, Clustering is performed on the entire image as a new clustering target.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hierarchical structure generated by the clustering device 13. In FIG. 2, each node corresponds to one cluster.

  In the example of FIG. 2, two nodes, “2005” node and “2006” node, are connected to the root node as child nodes. The node of “2005”, which is one of the nodes with the Root node as the parent node, is connected to the three nodes of “04”, “05”, and “06” as child nodes. The other node “2006” is connected to two nodes “01” and “02”.

  The node “04” having the node “2005” as a parent node includes a node “01” for storing three images taken on April 1, 2005, and a node “04” on April 2, 2005. A node “02” that stores two shot images is connected as a child node. Similarly, a node “04” that stores one image taken on May 4, 2005 is connected as a child node to a node “05” having a node “2005” as a parent node. Thus, the node “06” is connected to the node “06” that stores one image taken on June 2, 2005 as a child node.

  The node “01” whose parent node is the node “2006” includes a node “02” that stores two images taken on January 2, 2006, and a node on February 3, 2006. A node “03” that stores one photographed image is connected as a child node.

  That is, FIG. 2 shows an example in which images are clustered based on the shooting date information, with the first layer below the Root node as the shooting year, the second layer as the shooting month, and the third layer as the shooting date. ing.

  Information representing such a clustering result is stored in the cluster tree DB 14 by the clustering device 13. Note that the clustering can be performed not only based on the shooting date information but also by other methods.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 1, the cluster tree DB 14 records information representing the cluster tree supplied from the clustering device 13. Information recorded in the cluster tree DB 14 is read by the clustering result display 15 as appropriate.

  The clustering result display unit 15 reads the information representing the cluster tree from the cluster tree DB 14, and in accordance with the read information, displays images (thumbnail images representing the images) of each layer constituting the cluster tree, such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). Display on the display 3.

  Further, the clustering result display unit 15 switches the display on the display 3 in accordance with an operation by the user. For example, a remote controller is prepared as an input device for the information processing apparatus 1, and this remote controller is provided with a cross key that is operated when switching an image of interest.

  Here, display of an image by the clustering result display unit 15 will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cluster tree, and a case where each image is displayed according to such a cluster tree will be described. For the sake of simplicity, it is assumed that one image is stored in each cluster at the end (leaf) in FIG.

In the example of FIG. 3, _five clusters C _{1 to} C ₅ are connected to the root node as the first layer cluster.

Further, as a cluster of the second layer, the cluster C ₁ is connected is four clusters of clusters C ₁₁ to C _14, the cluster C ₂ is coupled the three clusters of the cluster C _21, C _22, C ₂₃ Yes. The cluster C ₃ is connected two clusters of the cluster C ₃₁ and C _32, a predetermined number of clusters are connected respectively to the cluster C ₄ and the cluster C _5.

Further, as the third layer cluster, for example, five clusters C _{231 to} C ₂₃₅ are connected to the cluster C _23, and four clusters C _{311 to} C ₃₁₄ are connected to the cluster C ₃₁ . . A predetermined number of third layer clusters are also connected to the other clusters in the second layer.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an initial state of a screen displayed by the clustering result display unit 15.

  For example, when the user instructs display of an image, information representing the cluster tree of FIG. 3 is read from the cluster tree DB 14 by the clustering result display 15 and a screen as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed.

In the example of FIG. 4, four cluster images (representative images) of the clusters C _{1 to} C ₄ of the first layer clusters are displayed in the vertical direction at the display position in the third column in the approximate center of the screen. Has been. In FIG. 4, each square represents a representative image of a cluster represented by “C” and a number shown therein. In FIG. 4, the numerals 1 to 3 attached to the outside of the upper frame of the display 3 represent the column numbers serving as image display positions, and 1 to 3 attached to the outside of the left frame of the display 3. The number 5 represents the number of the row that is the display position of the image. The same applies to the other drawings.

For example, since the image at the head of each cluster (upper part of FIG. 3) is the representative image of the cluster, in the example of FIG. 3, the representative image of the cluster C ₁ is an image stored in the cluster C ₁₁₁ . A representative image of the cluster C ₂ is an image stored in the cluster C ₂₁₁ . The same applies to other clusters.

In the example of FIG. 4, the cursor c is placed on the category C ₁ image displayed at the position of the second row from the top and the third column from the left, and this cluster C ₁ is set as the cluster of interest. ing.

  For example, when the user presses the down key of the cross key provided on the remote controller only once while the screen of FIG. 4 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

In the example of FIG. 5, the display position of each cluster image is moved up by one line, and the images of clusters C _{1 to} C ₄ are displayed at the positions of the first to fourth lines, respectively. Yes. Further, at the position of the fifth row at the bottom, an image of the cluster C ₅ that has been displayed under the same hierarchy as the cluster C ₄ in the cluster tree of FIG. Yes.

In addition, the cursor c is placed on the image of the cluster C ₂ , and the cluster of interest is switched from the cluster C ₁ to the cluster C ₂ . That is, on the screen displayed by the information processing apparatus 1, the cluster of interest is changed by moving the display position of the image of each cluster without changing the vertical position (row) of the cursor c. Has been made.

  When the user presses the right key only once while the screen of FIG. 5 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

In the example of FIG. 6, the target hierarchy (the hierarchy including the cluster pointed to by the cursor c) is lowered by one hierarchy, and the clusters C ₁₄ , C ₂₁ , and C ₂₂ that are the second layer clusters are located at the third column position. , C ₂₃ , and C ₃₁ are displayed side by side in the vertical direction. Further, the images of the clusters C _{1 to} C ₅ that have been displayed at the position of the third column until then are displayed side by side in the vertical direction.

In addition, the cursor c is placed on the image of the cluster C ₂₁ , and the cluster of interest is the cluster C ₂₁ that is the first cluster among the child clusters of the cluster C ₂ that has been focused on. The newly noticed image of cluster C _{21 and} the image of cluster C ₂ which is the parent cluster of cluster C ₂₁ are displayed side by side in the same second row.

In FIG. 6, the images of the clusters C ₁ , C ₃ , C ₄ , and C ₅ are indicated by dotted lines. These images are displayed with lower luminance than other images indicated by solid lines. Represents that the image is displayed as a monochrome image.

In this way, for example, the cluster image at the same level as the cluster of interest and the image of the cluster corresponding to the parent or child of the cluster of interest are displayed more prominently than the images of the other clusters, so that the user Can perform operations by mainly checking only images directly related to the image of the cluster of interest. In FIG. 6, the images of the clusters C ₁₄ , C ₂₂ , C ₂₃ , and C ₃₁ displayed in the same third column as the image of the cluster C ₂₁ that is the cluster of interest are images of clusters in the same hierarchy as the cluster C _21. Yes, these images are shown as solid lines. The cluster C ₂ is a cluster that is the parent of the cluster C ₂₁ , and the image of the cluster C ₂ is also shown by a solid line in FIG.

In FIG. 6, a frame surrounding the images of the clusters C _{21 to} C ₂₃ indicates that these clusters are sibling clusters (clusters having the same parent).

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 6 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

In the example of FIG. 7, the display position of the image of each cluster displayed in the third column is moved up by one row, and the images of the clusters C ₂₁ , C ₂₂ , C ₂₃ , and C ₃₁ are 1 They are displayed at the positions of the second to fourth lines. Further, at the position of the fifth row at the bottom, an image of the cluster C ₃₂ that has been displayed under the same hierarchy as the cluster C ₃₁ in the cluster tree of FIG. Yes.

In addition, the cursor c is placed on the image of the cluster C ₂₂ , and the cluster of interest is switched from the cluster C ₂₁ to the cluster C ₂₂ .

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 7 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

In the example of FIG. 8, the display position of the image of each cluster displayed in the third column is moved up by one row, and the images of the clusters C ₂₂ , C ₂₃ , C ₃₁ , C ₃₂ are 1 They are displayed at the positions of the second to fourth lines. In addition, at the position of the fifth row at the bottom, an image of the cluster C ₄₁ that has been displayed under the same hierarchy as the cluster C ₃₂ in the cluster tree of FIG. Yes.

In addition, the cursor c is placed on the image of the cluster C ₂₃ , and the cluster of interest is switched from the cluster C ₂₂ to the cluster C ₂₃ .

In the screens from FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, since the parent cluster of the cluster of interest is the same as cluster C ₂ , the display changes to the second column in which the image of the parent hierarchy of the hierarchy of interest is displayed. There is no.

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 8 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

In the example of FIG. 9, the display position of the image of each cluster displayed in the third column is moved up by one row, and the images of the clusters C ₂₃ , C ₃₁ , C ₃₂ , and C ₄₁ are 1 They are displayed at the positions of the second to fourth lines. In addition, at the position of the fifth row at the bottom, an image of the cluster C ₄₂ that has been displayed under the same hierarchy as the cluster C ₄₁ in the cluster tree of FIG. Yes.

In addition, the cursor c is placed on the image of the cluster C ₃₁ and the cluster of interest is switched from the cluster C ₂₃ to the cluster C ₃₁ .

In this way, the user can switch the cluster of interest between clusters having different clusters as parents without returning to the cluster of the parent hierarchy. Since the parent cluster of the cluster C ₂₃ is the cluster C ₂ and the parent cluster of the cluster C ₃₁ newly noticed in FIG. 9 is the cluster C ₃ , these clusters (clusters C ₂₃ and C ₃₁ ) are Each cluster has a different cluster as a parent.

As a result, when the cluster of interest is switched from, for example, the cluster C ₂₃ to C ₃₁ , the user returns to the parent hierarchy, and the user needs to perform an operation to reach the cluster C ₃₁ via the cluster C _3. Does not require any extra operations.

Further, in the screen of FIG. 9, the cluster of interest is displayed so that the image of the cluster C ₃ that is the parent cluster of the cluster C ₃₁ that has been newly noticed is displayed next to the image of the cluster C _31. In conjunction with switching from cluster C ₂₃ to C ₃₁ , the display position of the image of each cluster in the first layer displayed in the second column is also moved up by one row, and cluster C ₂ , Images of C ₃ , C ₄ , and C ₅ are displayed at the positions of the first to fourth lines, respectively.

Further, an image of the same hierarchy of clusters and clusters of interest, because the parent or corresponding to child clusters of images of a cluster of interest is displayed prominently than the image of the other clusters, in Figure 9, clusters C ₃₁ The images of the clusters C ₂₃ , C ₃₂ , C ₄₁ , and C ₄₂ displayed in the same third column as the image of, and the image of the cluster C ₃ that is the parent of the cluster C ₃₁ that is the cluster of interest are indicated by solid lines. .

  In this way, in the information processing apparatus 1, when the cluster of interest is switched, the parent of the cluster that has been noticed up to now and the parent of the cluster that has been newly noticed are different. A screen display is performed so that the display position of an image in a layer other than the layer of interest is also switched so that the image of the parent cluster is displayed next to the image of the cluster that has received attention.

  Thereby, the user can easily confirm which cluster he / she is paying attention to.

  When the user presses the right key only once while the screen of FIG. 9 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

In the example of FIG. 10, the target layer is lowered by one layer, and the images of the clusters C ₂₃₅ , C ₃₁₁ , C ₃₁₂ , C ₃₁₃ , and C ₃₁₄ as the third layer are vertically displayed at the third column position. They are displayed side by side in the direction.

At the position of the second column, the images of the clusters C ₂₃ , C ₃₁ , C ₃₂ , C ₄₁ , and C ₄₂ that have been displayed at the position of the third column are displayed side by side in the vertical direction. Further, at the position of the first column, the images of the clusters C ₂ , C ₃ , C ₄ , and C ₅ that have been displayed at the position of the second column are displayed side by side in the vertical direction.

In addition, the cursor c is placed on the image of the cluster C ₃₁₁ , and the cluster of interest is the cluster C ₃₁₁ that is the first cluster among the child clusters of the cluster C ₃₁ that has been noted. The image of the cluster C ₃₁₁ to be newly noticed, the cluster C ₃₁ which is the parent cluster of the cluster C _{311 and} the image of the cluster C ₃ which is the parent cluster are displayed side by side in the same second row. ing.

Since the image of the cluster in the same hierarchy as the cluster of interest and the image of the cluster corresponding to the parent and child of the cluster of interest are displayed more conspicuously than the images of the other clusters, the image of the cluster C ₃₁₁ in FIG. The images of the clusters C ₂₃₅ , C ₃₁₂ , C ₃₁₃ , and C ₃₁₄ displayed in the same third column as in FIG. 6 and the image of the cluster C ₃₁ that is the parent of the cluster C ₃₁₁ that is the cluster of interest are shown by solid lines. In FIG. 10, the image of the cluster C ₃ corresponding to the parent of the image of the cluster C ₃₁ is indicated by a solid line. That is, not only a parent cluster directly connected to the cluster of interest but also a cluster indirectly connected to the cluster of interest via the parent cluster is displayed prominently.

  In this way, although the brightness is suppressed, the image of the parent of the cluster of interest (including the parent of the parent) and the child cluster and the image of the cluster at the same level as the parent and child cluster are also displayed. Compared to the case where only the image of the cluster at the same level as the cluster of interest is displayed, or only the images of the parent and child clusters of the cluster of interest are displayed, the list is improved, and the user can The structure can be grasped intuitively. In addition, it is possible to easily grasp the position of the cluster of interest in the entire cluster tree.

When the operation is continued from the state of FIG. 10, the screen display is similarly switched. For example, when the user presses the up key in the state of FIG. 10, the display position of the cluster image displayed in the third column moves to the lower position by one row, and the cluster of interest is changed from the cluster C _{311. Switch} to cluster C ₂₃₅ . Further, next to the image of the cluster C ₂₃₅ , the first column, the second column so that the cluster C ₂₃ that is the parent cluster of the cluster C _{235 and} the image of the cluster C ₂ that is the parent cluster are displayed side by side. The display position of the eye image can also be switched.

On the other hand, when the user presses the left key in the state of FIG. 10, the display position of each image does not change and only the display position in the horizontal direction of the cursor c moves, and the image to which the cursor c is assigned is the cluster C ₃₁ . It becomes an image.

  Next, a specific example of image display will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of a cluster tree. A case will be described in which images of each cluster are displayed according to such a cluster tree. In FIG. 11, numbers and “:” shown at the left end of each row are given for convenience of explanation.

  In FIG. 11, '[]' represents one image, and letters and numbers shown therein represent the name of the image and the shooting time. '()' Represents one cluster, and the parenthesis relationship between parentheses represents the parent-child relationship of the clusters.

  That is, in the example of FIG. 11, the root cluster (C4-img_0204) in the first row includes a “C3-img_0204-img_0229” cluster and a “C3-img_0229” cluster as shown in the second and 25th rows. The “img_0248-img_0278” cluster is connected as a child cluster of the first layer.

  As shown in the third row, the “C3-img_0204-img_0229” cluster of the first layer clusters is connected to the “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster as a child cluster of the second layer. As shown in the 26th line, the “-img_0248-img_0278” cluster is connected with the “C2-img_0248-img_0278” cluster as a child cluster of the second layer.

  The “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster of the second layer clusters includes “img_0204”, “img_0207”, “img” as shown in the fourth, ninth, fifteenth, and twentyth lines, respectively. "C1-img_0204-img_0208" cluster containing 3 images of "img_0208", "C1-img_0214-img_0221" cluster containing 4 images of "img_0214", "img_0217", "img_0219", "img_0221" “C1-img_0225-img_0228” cluster including three images “img_0225”, “img_0227”, “img_0228” and “C1-img_0229” cluster including one image “img_0229” It is linked as a child cluster.

  The “C2-img_0248-img_0278” cluster in the second layer cluster includes “img_0248” as shown in the 27th, 33rd, 41st, 44th and 48th lines, respectively. , “Img_0249”, “img_0251”, “img_0253” cluster including “C1-img_0248-img_0253” cluster, “img_0254”, “img_0255”, “img_0258”, “img_0261”, “img_0263”, “img_0265” "C1-img_0254-img_0265" cluster containing 6 images, "C1-img_0267" cluster containing 1 image of "img_0267", "C1" containing 2 images of "img_0270" and "img_0271" The “-img_0270-img_0271” cluster and the “C1-img_0277-img_0278” cluster including two images “img_0277” and “img_0278” are connected as child clusters of the third layer.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an initial state of a screen displayed by the clustering result display unit 15.

  For example, when the user instructs display of an image by selecting “Photo” from a menu screen on which icons representing categories such as “Video”, “Music”, and “Photo” are displayed side by side, FIG. Information representing the cluster tree is read from the cluster tree DB 14 by the clustering result display 15 and a screen as shown in FIG. 12 is displayed. In FIG. 12, a number indicating an image represents a number included in the file name of the image.

  In the display position of the third column in FIG. 12, three images “img_0204”, “img_0207”, and “img_0208” included in the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster in the third layer in FIG. Are displayed together without leaving a space, and an image (part) of “img_0214” is displayed at a predetermined interval from the image of “img_0208”. Since the images “img_0204”, “img_0207”, and “img_0208” are images stored in the same “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster, they are displayed together. A cursor c is placed on the image “img — 0204”, and this image is attracting attention.

  In the example of FIG. 12, “2005/06/06 22:40:26” is displayed on the right side of the screen, and this represents the shooting date and time of the image of “img_0204” which is currently attracting attention.

  In the display position of the second column, from the top, the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster, “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster, “C1-img_0225-img_0228” cluster, “C1-img_0229” of the third layer in FIG. The images of “img_0204”, “img_0214”, “img_0225”, and “img_0229”, which are representative images of the “cluster”, are displayed together.

  In the display position of the first column, from the top, “img_0204” and “img_0248” which are representative images of the “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster and the “C2-img_0248-img_0278” cluster in the second layer in FIG. Are displayed at predetermined intervals.

  The image of “img_0204”, the image of “img_0204” as the representative image of the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster, and the image of “img_0204” as the representative image of the “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster are in the same row The nesting relationship between these clusters is intuitively displayed.

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 12 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 13, the display position of the image in the third column is moved to the upper position, and the image of interest is displayed below the image of “img_0204” from the image of “img_0204” until then. The image has been switched to the “img_0207” image.

  Since the image of “img_0207” to be newly noticed and the image of “img_0204” that has been noticed until then are stored in the same “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster, There is no change in the display position of the image in the second column.

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 13 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 14, the display position of the image in the third column is moved to the upper position, and the image of interest is displayed below the image of “img_0207” from the image of “img_0207” until then. It has been switched to the image of “img_0208”.

  Since the image of “img_0208” that was newly noticed and the image of “img_0207” that had been noticed until then are stored in the same “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster, There is no change in the display position of the image in the second column.

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 14 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 15, the display position of the image in the third column is moved to the upper position, and the image of interest is spaced from the image of “img_0208” to the image of “img_0208” until then by a predetermined interval. The displayed image is “img_0214”.

  The cluster that stores the image of “img_0214” that has attracted new attention is the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster, and the cluster that stores the image of “img_0208” that has been attracting attention until now is “C1-img_0204” -img_0208 "is different from each other, and in conjunction with the movement of the display position of the image in the third column, it is stored next to the image of" img_0214 "that has been newly attracted attention. The display position of the image in the second column is also moved to the upper position so that the representative image of the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster is displayed.

  Even in this case, the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster, which is a cluster for storing the newly attracted “img_0214” image, and the “img_0208” image, which has been attracting attention until then, are stored. Since the parent cluster of the cluster “C1-img_0204-img_0208” is the same “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster, the display position of the image in the first column is not changed.

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 15 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 16, the display position of the image in the third column is moved to the upper position, and the image of interest is displayed one image below the image of “img_0214” from the image of “img_0214” until then. It has been switched to the image of “img_0217”.

  Since the image of “img_0217” to be newly noticed and the image of “img_0214” that has been noticed until then are stored in the same “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster, There is no change in the display position of the image in the second column.

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 16 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 17, the display position of the image in the third column is moved to the upper position, and the image of interest is displayed one image below the image “img_0217” from the image “img_0217” until then. The image has been switched to the “img_0219” image.

  Since the image of “img_0219” that has been newly noticed and the image of “img_0217” that has been noticed so far are stored in the same “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster, There is no change in the display position of the image in the second column.

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 17 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 18, the display position of the image in the third column is moved to the upper position, and the image of interest is displayed below the image of “img_0219” from the image of “img_0219” until then. It has been switched to the image of “img_0221”.

  Since the image of “img_0221” that has been newly noticed and the image of “img_0219” that has been noticed so far are stored in the same “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster, There is no change in the display position of the image in the second column.

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 18 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 19, the display position of the image in the third column is moved to the upper position, and the image of interest is spaced from the image of “img_0221” to the image of “img_0221” until then by a predetermined interval. The displayed image is “img_0225”.

  The cluster that stores the image of “img_0225” that has attracted new attention is the “C1-img_0225-img_0228” cluster, and the cluster that stores the image of “img_0221” that has been attracting attention until now is “C1-img_0214” -img_0221 "is different from each other, and in conjunction with the movement of the display position of the image in the third column, it is stored next to the image of" img_0225 "that has been newly attracted attention. The display position of the image in the second column is also moved to the upper position so that the representative image of the “C1-img_0225-img_0228” cluster is displayed.

  Even in this case, the “C1-img_0225-img_0228” cluster, which is a cluster that stores the newly noticed “img_0225” image, and the “img_0221” image that has been attracting attention until then are stored. Since the parent cluster of the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster that is the cluster is the same “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster, the display position of the image in the first column is not changed.

  Each time the user operates the down key from the state where the screen of FIG. 12 is displayed, the display position of each image moves as described above. When the down key is further operated, the display position moves in the same manner. For example, when the down key is operated in a state where the image of “img_0229” is focused, the image of interest is changed from the image of “img_0229”. Switch to the image “img_0248”.

  In addition, since the clusters for storing these images are different from each other, “C1-img_0248-img_0278” for storing the image of “img_0248” to be newly attracted in conjunction with switching of the image of interest. The display positions of the images in the second column are also moved so that the representative image of the cluster is displayed next to the image of “img_0248”.

  Furthermore, since the parent cluster of the “C1-img_0229” cluster storing the “img_0229” image is different from the parent cluster of the “C1-img_0248-img_0253” cluster storing the “img_0248” image, the “C1-img_0248” -img_0253 "The parent image of the" C2-img_0248-img_0278 "cluster, the representative image of the" img_0248 "image, and the representative of the" C1-img_0248-img_0253 "cluster The display positions of the images in the first column are also moved so that they are displayed side by side with the images.

  On the other hand, when the user presses the left key only once while the screen of FIG. 12 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 20, the cursor c that has been placed on the “img_0204” image in the third column until then is displayed in the “C_img_0204-img_0208” cluster displayed on the left side of the “img_0204” image. The position is moved so as to be assigned to the image “img — 0204” as the representative image.

  At this time, there is no change in the display position of the image.

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 20 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 21, the display position of the image in the second column moves to the upper position, and the image of interest is changed from the image “img_0204” as the representative image of the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster. The image has been switched to the “img_0214” image as the representative image of the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster that has been displayed one level below that representative image.

  The “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster, which is the newly drawn “img_0214” image as the representative image, and the “C1-img_0204-”, which is the “img_0204” image, which has been drawing attention until then, as the representative image Since the images stored in the “img_0208” cluster are different from each other, the representative image of the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster that has been newly noticed in conjunction with the movement of the display position of the image in the second column The display position of the image in the third row is also set to the upper position so that the image of “img_0214” that is the first image stored in the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster is displayed next to Moving.

  Even in this case, the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster with the newly drawn “img_0214” image as the representative image and the “img_0204” image, which has been attracting attention until then, are the representative images. Since the parent cluster of the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster is the same “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster, the display position of the image in the first column is not changed.

  Even when the left key is pressed once by the user while the screen of FIG. 15 is displayed, the same screen as FIG. 21 is displayed on the display 3.

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 21 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 22, the display position of the image in the second column is moved to the upper position, and the image of interest is changed from the image “img_0214” as the representative image of the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster. The image is switched to the image “img_0225” as the representative image of the “C1-img_0225-img_0228” cluster that has been displayed one level below the representative image.

  The “C1-img_0225-img_0228” cluster, which has a newly drawn “img_0225” image as a representative image, and the “img_0214” image, which has been the focus of attention until now, as a representative image “C1-img_0214- Since the images stored in the “img_0221” cluster are different from each other, the representative image of the “C1-img_0225-img_0228” cluster that has been attracting new attention in conjunction with the movement of the display position of the image in the second column Next, the display position of the image in the third column is also set to the upper position so that the image of “img_0225”, which is the first image stored in the “C1-img_0225-img_0228” cluster, is displayed. Moving.

  Even in this case, the “C1-img_0225-img_0228” cluster whose image is the newly attracted “img_0225” image and the “img_0214” image that has been attracting attention until then are the representative images. Since the parent cluster of the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster is the same “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster, the display position of the image in the first column is not changed.

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 22 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 23, the display position of the image in the second column is moved to the upper position, and the image of interest is changed from the image “img_0225” as the representative image of the “C1-img_0225-img_0228” cluster. The image has been switched to the image “img_0229” as the representative image of the “C1-img_0229” cluster that has been displayed one level below the representative image.

  "C1-img_0225-img_0228" cluster with the image of "img_0229" that has been attracting attention as the representative image and the image of "img_0225" that has been drawing attention until then Since the images stored in the cluster are different, next to the representative image of the “C1-img_0229” cluster that has been attracting new attention in conjunction with the movement of the display position of the image in the second column, The display position of the image in the third column is also moved to the upper position so that the image of “img_0229” that is an image stored in the “C1-img_0229” cluster is displayed.

  Even in this case, the “C1-img_0229” cluster whose representative image is the image of “img_0229” that has attracted new attention and the “C1- Since the parent cluster of the “img_0225-img_0228” cluster is the same “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster, the display position of the image in the first column is not changed.

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 23 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 24, the display position of the image in the second column has moved to the upper position, and the image of interest has changed from the image “img_0229” as the representative image of the “C1-img_0229” cluster to The image is switched to the “img_0248” image as the representative image of the “C1-img_0248-img_0253” cluster displayed one level below the representative image.

  The "C1-img_0229" cluster, which is the "C1-img_0248-img_0253" cluster with the newly drawn "img_0248" image as the representative image, and the "img_0229" image, which has been drawing attention until then, as the representative image Since the images stored in the cluster are different from each other, next to the representative image of the “C1-img_0248-img_0253” cluster that has been attracting new attention in conjunction with the movement of the display position of the image in the second column Further, the display position of the image in the third column is also moved to the upper position so that the image of “img_0248” that is the first image stored in the “C1-img_0248-img_0253” cluster is displayed.

  Also, in this case, the parent cluster of the “C1-img_0248-img_0253” cluster with the newly drawn “img_0248” image as the representative image is the “C2-img_0248-img_0278” cluster. The parent cluster of the “C1-img_0229” cluster, which is the image of the “img_0229” that has been attracting attention, is the “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster, which is different from each other. The first column of “img_0248” as the representative image of the “C2-img_0248-img_0278” cluster is displayed to the left of the “img_0248” image as the representative image of the “C1-img_0248-img_0253” cluster. The display position of each image is also moved to the upper position.

  On the other hand, when the user presses the left key only once while the screen of FIG. 20 is displayed (when the user presses the left key twice while the screen of FIG. 12 is displayed), The screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen shown in FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 25, the cursor c that has been assigned to the image “img_0204” as the representative image of the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster in the second column is displayed on the left side of the representative image. The position of the “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster is moved so as to be assigned to the image “img_0204” as the representative image of the cluster.

  At this time, there is no change in the display position of the image.

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 25 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 26, the display position of the image in the first column is moved to the upper position, and the image of interest is changed from the image “img_0204” as the representative image of the “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster. The image has been switched to the “img_0248” image as the representative image of the “C2-img_0248-img_0278” cluster that has been displayed one below the representative image.

  The cluster “C2-img_0248-img_0278” with the newly drawn “img_0248” image as the representative image, and the “C2-img_0204-” image with the “img_0204” image, which has been attracting attention until then, as the representative image The “img_0229” cluster has different child clusters, and the images stored in the child clusters are different, so that the “C2” has attracted new attention as the display position of the image in the first column moves. -img_0248-img_0278 Next to the image of “img_0248” as the representative image of the cluster, the representative image of the “C1-img_0248-img_0253” cluster, which is a child cluster of the “C2-img_0248-img_0278” cluster, and “C1 The display positions of the images in the second and third columns are also moved to the upper positions so that the top images stored in the “-img_0248-img_0253” cluster are displayed side by side.

  FIGS. 27 to 33 are diagrams illustrating an example of displaying an image of interest together with an image related to the image with high luminance and displaying an unrelated image with reduced luminance. 27 to 33, an image indicated by a dotted line represents that the image is displayed in a form with reduced luminance. The switching of the image display position is performed in the same manner as described with reference to FIGS.

  27 to 29 are related to the image of interest when the image of interest is the representative image of the cluster, the image of the representative image of the parent or child cluster of the cluster and the image stored in the child cluster When the image of interest is an image stored in a predetermined cluster, the representative image of the cluster storing the image and the representative image of the parent cluster of the cluster are images related to the image of interest. It is a figure which shows the example in the case of changing and displaying a brightness | luminance.

  In the example of FIG. 27, an image of “img_0204” as a representative image of the “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster is noticed, and together with the image of “img_0204”, the “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster being noticed "Img_0204", "C1-img_0204-img_0208", "C1-img_0214-img_0221", "C1-img_0225-img_0228", "C1-img_0229" as representative images of each of the child clusters The images “img_0214”, “img_0225”, and “img_0229” are displayed with high luminance.

  In addition, images “img_0204”, “img_0207”, and “img_0208” that are images stored in the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster, and “img_0214” that is an image stored in the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster. , “Img_0217” is also displayed with high luminance.

  When the user presses the right key only once while the screen of FIG. 27 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 28, the “img_0204” image as the representative image of the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster is noticed, and together with the “img_0204” image, the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster being noticed An image of “img_0204” as a representative image of the “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster that is the parent cluster is displayed with high luminance.

  The images “img_0204”, “img_0207”, and “img_0208” that are images stored in the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster are also displayed with high luminance.

  "Img_0214", "img_0225", "img_0229" as representative images of the "C1-img_0214-img_0221" cluster, the "C1-img_0225-img_0228" cluster, and the "C1-img_0229" cluster The images “img_0214” and “img_0217”, which are images stored in the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster, are displayed with reduced brightness.

  When the user presses the right key only once while the screen of FIG. 28 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 29, the image “img_0204” is noticed, and together with the image “img_0204”, the representative image “C1-img_0204-img_0208” of the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster that stores the image of interest. An image of “img_0204” and an image of “img_0204” as a representative image of the “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster which is a parent cluster of the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster are displayed with high luminance.

  The images “img_0207” and “img_0208”, which are images stored in the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster, which have been considered to be related to each other, are displayed with reduced brightness.

  In FIG. 30 to FIG. 33, when the image of interest is a representative image of the cluster, attention is paid to the representative image of the parent or sibling cluster of the cluster and the image stored in the cluster of interest and the sibling cluster. If the image is related to the image and the image of interest is an image stored in a predetermined cluster, the image is stored in the same cluster as the image of interest and the representative image of the cluster storing the image and its parent cluster. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example in which an image is displayed as an image related to an image of interest while changing luminance.

  In the example of FIG. 30, an image of “img_0204” as a representative image of the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster is noticed, and together with the image of “img_0204”, the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster being noticed An image of “img_0204” as a representative image of the “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster that is the parent cluster is displayed with high luminance.

  In addition, “img_0214” as a representative image of each of the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster, the “C1-img_0225-img_0228” cluster, and the “C1-img_0229” cluster which is a sibling cluster of the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster. , “Img_0225” and “img_0229” are displayed with high luminance.

  Furthermore, images “img_0204”, “img_0207”, and “img_0208” that are images stored in the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster, and “img_0214” that is an image stored in the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster. , The image “img_0217” is displayed with high luminance.

  When the user presses the right key only once while the screen of FIG. 30 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 31, the “img_0204” image is noticed, and together with the “img_0204” image, the “img_0204” image as the representative image of the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster that stores the noticed image. In addition, an image “img_0204” as a representative image of the “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster which is a parent cluster of the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster is displayed with high luminance.

  In addition, the images “img_0207” and “img_0208” stored in the same “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster as the image of “img_0204” that is attracting attention are also displayed with high luminance.

  When the user presses the down key only once while the screen of FIG. 30 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 32, an image of “img_0214” as a representative image of the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster is noticed, and together with the image of “img_0214”, the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster of interest An image of “img_0204” as a representative image of the “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster that is the parent cluster is displayed with high luminance.

  In addition, “img_0204” as a representative image of each of the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster, the “C1-img_0225-img_0228” cluster, and the “C1-img_0229” cluster which are siblings of the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster. , “Img_0225” and “img_0229” are displayed with high luminance.

  Furthermore, “img_0204”, “img_0207”, “img_0208” images that are stored in the “C1-img_0204-img_0208” cluster, “img_0214” that is stored in the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster, The images “img_0217”, “img_0219”, “img_0221” and “img_0225” that is an image stored in the “C1-img_0225-img_0228” cluster are displayed with high luminance.

  When the user presses the right key only once while the screen of FIG. 32 is displayed, the screen displayed on the display 3 is switched to the screen of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 33, the “img_0214” image is noticed, and together with the “img_0214” image, the “img_0214” image as the representative image of the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster that stores the noticed image. Then, an image “img_0204” as a representative image of the “C2-img_0204-img_0229” cluster which is the parent cluster of the “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster is displayed with high luminance.

  In addition, the images “img_0217”, “img_0219”, and “img_0221” stored in the same “C1-img_0214-img_0221” cluster as the image of “img_0214” that is attracting attention are also displayed with high luminance.

  In this way, an image that is not related to the image of interest is displayed with reduced brightness, so that the user can easily confirm the position of the image of interest in the entire image.

  Next, a series of processing performed by the information processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S1, the image input device 11 reads an image photographed by the digital camera 2 and recorded on an internal recording medium from the digital camera 2 together with metadata, and records the read image and metadata in the image DB 12.

  In step S2, the clustering device 13 reads metadata recorded in association with images from the image DB 12, and performs clustering of each image based on the read metadata. Thereby, for example, a cluster tree as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 11 is obtained. Information representing the cluster tree obtained by the clustering device 13 is stored in the cluster tree DB 14.

  In step S3, the clustering result display unit 15 reads information representing the cluster tree from the cluster tree DB 14, and displays the images of the respective layers constituting each cluster tree on the display 3 according to the read information. Thereby, for example, a screen as shown in FIG. 12 is displayed.

  In step S4, the clustering result display unit 15 switches the display on the display 3 according to the operation performed by the user. Here, for example, as described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 26, the display of the display 3 is switched.

  In step S5, the clustering result display unit 15 determines whether or not to end the display of the image. If it is determined that the display is not ended, the process returns to step S4, and the subsequent processing is repeated. The process is terminated.

  With the above processing, the above-described screen display is realized, and thus the user can easily find the target image while grasping the hierarchical structure.

  In addition, on the screen shown in FIGS. 12 to 33, an image of interest may be enlarged and displayed on the entire display 3 as the background of each displayed image.

  In the above, the content managed by the hierarchical structure is assumed to be a still image, but various contents such as recorded programs and music are managed by the hierarchical structure, and information such as images representing programs and music is stored. It may be displayed as described above.

  FIG. 35 is a diagram illustrating an example in which movies as contents are managed by a hierarchical structure.

  In the example of FIG. 35, all movies are classified into “action”, “comedy”, “suspense”, “drama”, and “horror” categories, and are further classified within each category. Yes. When screen display is performed according to such a hierarchical structure, screen display as described above is performed from an image representing each category, an image representing movie content, or the like.

  The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or can be executed by software. When a series of processing is executed by software, a program constituting the software executes various functions by installing a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware or various programs. For example, it is installed from a program recording medium in a general-purpose personal computer or the like.

  FIG. 36 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the personal computer 21 that executes the above-described series of processing by a program. Each configuration shown in FIG. 1 may be realized in a personal computer 21 having such a configuration.

  A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31 executes various processes according to a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32 or a storage unit 38. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 33 appropriately stores programs executed by the CPU 31 and data. The CPU 31, ROM 32, and RAM 33 are connected to each other by a bus 34.

  An input / output interface 35 is also connected to the CPU 31 via the bus 34. The input / output interface 35 is connected to an input unit 36 including a keyboard, a mouse, and a microphone, and an output unit 37 including a display and a speaker. The CPU 31 executes various processes in response to commands input from the input unit 36. Then, the CPU 31 outputs the processing result to the output unit 37.

  The storage unit 38 connected to the input / output interface 35 includes, for example, a hard disk, and stores programs executed by the CPU 31 and various data. The communication unit 39 communicates with an external device via a network such as the Internet or a local area network.

  A program may be acquired via the communication unit 39 and stored in the storage unit 38.

  The drive 40 connected to the input / output interface 35 drives a removable medium 41 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, and drives the program or data recorded therein. Get etc. The acquired program and data are transferred to and stored in the storage unit 38 as necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 36, a program recording medium for storing a program that is installed in a computer and can be executed by the computer is a magnetic disk (including a flexible disk), an optical disk (CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only). Memory, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a magneto-optical disk, a removable medium 41 that is a package medium made of semiconductor memory, or the like, a ROM 32 in which a program is temporarily or permanently stored, or a storage unit 38 It is comprised by the hard disk etc. which comprise. The program is stored in the program recording medium using a wired or wireless communication medium such as a local area network, the Internet, or digital satellite broadcasting via a communication unit 39 that is an interface such as a router or a modem as necessary. Done.

  In the present specification, the step of describing the program stored in the program recording medium is not limited to the processing performed in time series in the order described, but is not necessarily performed in time series. Or the process performed separately is also included.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the information processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a hierarchical structure. It is a figure which shows the example of a cluster tree. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the other example of a cluster tree. It is a figure which shows the other example of a screen display. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the other screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the further another screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the other example of a screen display. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen display switched from the screen of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the process of information processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of a hierarchical structure. And FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a personal computer.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information processing apparatus, 2 Digital camera, 3 Display, 11 Image input device, 12 Image DB, 13 Clustering apparatus, 14 Cluster tree DB, 15 Clustering result display

Claims (6)

A management means for managing content in a hierarchy,
When the information to be noticed is switched from the first information to the second information in a state where information representing each content is displayed according to the hierarchical structure managed by the management means, the information is represented by the first information. When the content of a parent whose content is a child is different from the content of a parent whose content is a child represented by the second information, the target information is switched from the first information to the second information. An information processing apparatus comprising: display control means for switching a display position of information representing the parent content in conjunction with. The display control means causes the second information to be displayed at a position where the first information was displayed, and at the position next to the position where the first information was displayed according to the second information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display position of the information representing the parent content is switched so that the information representing the parent content having the represented content as a child is displayed. The display control means further, when the content represented by the first and second information is a parent content having a child content, changes the noticed information from the first information to the second information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display position of the information representing the child content is switched in conjunction with switching to. The display control means causes the second information to be displayed at a position where the first information was displayed, and at the position next to the position where the first information was displayed according to the second information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display position of information representing child content is switched so that information representing child content whose parent is the represented content is displayed. Manage content in layers,
In a state where information representing each content is displayed according to the managed hierarchical structure, when the information of interest is switched from the first information to the second information, the content represented by the first information is changed to a child. When the content of the parent is different from the content of the parent whose child is the content represented by the second information, the information of interest is linked to switching from the first information to the second information. An information processing method including a step of switching a display position of information representing parent content. Manage content in layers,
In a state where information representing each content is displayed according to the managed hierarchical structure, when the information of interest is switched from the first information to the second information, the content represented by the first information is changed to a child. When the content of the parent is different from the content of the parent whose child is the content represented by the second information, the information of interest is linked to switching from the first information to the second information. A program that causes a computer to execute a process including a step of switching a display position of information representing parent content.

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