JP2007143017A - Correction of date information of image file - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately arrange an image file by easily correcting the date information of the image file. <P>SOLUTION: Thumbnails Ds are displayed on a working field FL3 of an application window WD as a list in the order of date information, a thumbnail Ds having no date information in the working field FL3 is moved to a required position in the displayed array of thumbnails Ds in accordance with operator's drug & drop operation. When the movement processing is performed, date information data Dt are respectively read from two image files Fp corresponding to the thumbnails Ds arranged on both the sides of the moved thumbnail Ds and the date information Dt of the image file Fp corresponding to the moved thumbnail Ds is changed on the basis of both the date information data Dt. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for correcting date / time information of an image file.

  In recent years, electronic still cameras, so-called digital cameras, have been developed and are in widespread use. Information indicating the shooting date and time is added to the image file of the photograph taken by the digital camera. For this reason, image files are often organized by shooting date and time (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  On the other hand, with the widespread use of scanners, silver salt photographs taken with a silver salt camera are often converted into electrical image information. The image information thus obtained is generally stored as an image file having the same file format as the image file obtained by the digital camera.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-242004

  When trying to organize together the image file obtained from the above digital camera and the image file obtained from the scanner, the image file obtained from the scanner does not have the shooting date / time information accurately recorded (such as null data) Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to organize image files because it cannot be organized according to shooting date / time information.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to make it possible to accurately organize image files by making it possible to easily correct the date and time information of image files.

  As means for solving at least a part of the problems described above, the following configuration is adopted.

The first image file date and time information correction apparatus of the present invention includes:
A date and time information correction device for correcting date and time information of an image file,
Image file storage means for storing a plurality of image files in which the date and time information is recorded;
Reduced image display means for displaying a list of reduced images for a plurality of image files stored in the image file storage means on a display device in the order of the date and time information;
Target image file associating means for associating one or a plurality of target image files to be corrected with a desired position in the list of reduced images displayed based on an operation command from an operator;
From the list of reduced images displayed in the list, two adjacent reduced images closest to the desired position to which the correspondence has been made are selected and recorded in the corresponding image files of the selected reduced images. And a date / time information changing means for changing the date / time information of the target image file based on the date / time information.

  Here, “change” in the date / time information changing means refers to a target image file in which date / time information is not stored, as well as a configuration in which date / time information already stored in the target image file is changed to another value. A configuration for adding date and time information is included.

  According to the date / time information correcting device for image files having the above-described configuration, the target image file is associated with the target image file at the desired position intended by the operator in the list of reduced images listed in the order of the date / time information. It will be matched. Two adjacent reduced images closest to the associated position are selected by the date / time information changing unit, and the target image is based on the date / time information recorded in the corresponding image files of the selected reduced images. The date and time information of the file is changed.

  For this purpose, the operator looks at each of the reduced images displayed in the list and associates the target image file with a position between two adjacent reduced images that are considered to be close to the actual shooting date and time of the target image file. Thus, the date / time information of the target image file can be corrected between the date / time information of both reduced images. Therefore, even for an image file whose date / time information is completely inaccurate like an image file obtained from a scanner, the date / time information can be corrected to an almost accurate value. As a result, almost accurate date and time information can be set for all the image files, so that a secondary effect that the image files according to the date and time information can be organized is produced.

  The target image file association unit selects one or a plurality of reduced images from the plurality of reduced images displayed as a list by the reduced image display unit as the target image file based on an operation command from an operator. The reduced image moving means for performing the association by moving the reduced image of the selected target image file to the desired position based on an operation command from an operator may be provided.

  According to this configuration, the operator can search for a target image file for which date information is to be corrected or added from among the reduced images displayed in a list. In addition, the operator can correct the date and time information simply by moving the reduced image as the target image file in the displayed screen. Therefore, it is excellent in operability.

  The operation command from the operator in the reduced image moving means may be a command in accordance with a drag and drop mouse operation. According to this configuration, the date information can be corrected only by a simple mouse operation, so that the operability is further improved.

The second image file date and time information correction apparatus of the present invention is:
A date and time information correction device for correcting date and time information of an image file,
Image file storage means for storing a plurality of image files in which the date and time information is recorded;
Image display means for displaying a list of reduced images for a plurality of image files stored in the image file storage means on a display device in the order of the date and time information;
A selection is made based on an operation command from the operator so that at least one reduced image is sandwiched between two reduced images from the list of reduced images displayed in the list. A date and time designation means for designating a first date and time to one of the two reduced images and a second date and time to the other based on an operation command from the operator;
The date and time information of the image file corresponding to the reduced image on the one side is changed to the first date and time, the date and time information of the image file corresponding to the reduced image on the other side is changed to the second date and time, and Date / time information changing means for changing date / time information of an image file corresponding to each reduced image sandwiched between two reduced images to a date / time between the first date / time and the second date / time. Is the gist.

  Here, “change” in the date / time information changing means refers to a target image file in which date / time information is not stored, as well as a configuration in which date / time information already stored in the target image file is changed to another value. A configuration for adding date and time information is included.

  According to the date and time information correction device for the second image file having the above-described configuration, at least two reduced images are arranged between the reduced images listed in the order of the date and time information in accordance with an operation command from the operator. One reduced image is selected to be sandwiched, and in accordance with an operation command from the operator, the first date and time are specified for one of the two reduced images and the second date and time are specified for the other. Thereafter, the date / time information changing means sets the date / time information of the image file corresponding to each reduced image sandwiched between the two reduced images to the date / time between the first date / time and the second date / time. Be changed.

  For this reason, the first and second dates and times are correctly specified by the operator, so that the images corresponding to the respective reduced images sandwiched between the two reduced images that specify the first and second dates and times. The date and time information of the file can be corrected to an almost accurate value. As a result, almost accurate date and time information can be set for all the image files, so that a secondary effect that the image files according to the date and time information can be organized is produced.

  In the date / time information correction device for the second image file, the date / time information changing means includes the first date / time and the second date / time when there are a plurality of reduced images sandwiched between the two reduced images. A change date calculation means for calculating date information for changing the image file may be provided so that the plurality are allocated at equal intervals within a period between the date and time. According to this configuration, even when there are a plurality of reduced images sandwiched between the two reduced images, the date / time information can be easily changed.

  In the date and time information correction apparatus for the first and second image files, the image display means may display date and time information together with the reduced image. According to this configuration, the operator can know accurate date and time information about the reduced images displayed as a list for reference.

  In the date and time information correction apparatus for the first and second image files, the image file includes an image data portion for storing image data, thumbnail data representing the reduced image, and an attached data portion for storing the date and time information. It may be an Exif format file. According to this configuration, it is possible to use a highly versatile Exif format image file, which is excellent in convenience.

The date and time information correction method for a first image file of the present invention includes:
A date and time information correction method for correcting image file date and time information,
Prepare in advance a plurality of image files in which the date and time information is recorded,
Each reduced image for the prepared plurality of image files is displayed in a list on the display device in the order of the date and time information,
Associating one or a plurality of target image files to be corrected with a desired position in the list of reduced images displayed in a list based on an operation command from an operator,
From the list of reduced images displayed in the list, two adjacent reduced images closest to the desired position to which the correspondence has been made are selected and recorded in the corresponding image files of the selected reduced images. The date and time information of the target image file is changed based on the date and time information.

The first computer program of the present invention is:
A computer program for correcting date and time information of an image file,
A function for storing in advance in a storage device an image file in which the date and time information is recorded;
A function of displaying a list of reduced images of the plurality of stored image files in a display device in the order of the date and time information;
A function of associating one or a plurality of target image files to be corrected with a desired position in the list of reduced images displayed based on an operation command from an operator;
From the list of reduced images displayed in the list, two adjacent reduced images closest to the desired position to which the correspondence has been made are selected and recorded in the corresponding image files of the selected reduced images. And a function of changing the date and time information of the target image file based on the date and time information.

  The date / time information correction method and the first computer program of the first image file of the present invention also provide the date / time information like the image file obtained from the scanner, as in the date / time information correction apparatus of the first image file of the present invention. However, it is possible to correct the date / time information to an almost accurate value even for an image file that is completely inaccurate.

The second image file date and time information correction method of the present invention includes:
A date and time information correction method for correcting image file date and time information,
Prepare in advance a plurality of image files in which the date and time information is recorded,
Each reduced image for the prepared plurality of image files is displayed in a list on the display device in the order of the date and time information,
A selection is made based on an operation command from the operator so that at least one reduced image is sandwiched between two reduced images from the list of reduced images displayed in the list. The first date and time are specified for one of the two reduced images and the second date and time are specified for the other based on an operation command from the operator,
The date and time information of the image file corresponding to the reduced image on the one side is changed to the first date and time, the date and time information of the image file corresponding to the reduced image on the other side is changed to the second date and time, and The date and time information of the image file corresponding to each reduced image sandwiched between two reduced images is changed to a date and time between the first date and time and the second date and time.

The second computer program of the present invention is:
A computer program for correcting date and time information of an image file,
A function for storing in advance in a storage device an image file in which the date and time information is recorded;
A function of displaying a list of each reduced image of the plurality of stored image files on a display device in the order of the date and time information;
A selection is made based on an operation command from the operator so that at least one reduced image is sandwiched between two reduced images from the list of a plurality of reduced images displayed in the list. A function for designating a first date and time for one of the two reduced images and a second date and time for the other based on an operation command from the operator;
The date and time information of the image file corresponding to the reduced image on the one side is changed to the first date and time, the date and time information of the image file corresponding to the reduced image on the other side is changed to the second date and time, and Causing the computer to realize a function of changing date / time information of an image file corresponding to each reduced image sandwiched between two reduced images to a date / time between the first date / time and the second date / time. It is characterized by.

  The date / time information correction method and the second computer program of the second image file according to the present invention also provide the date / time information like the image file obtained from the scanner in the same manner as the date / time information correction apparatus of the second image file according to the present invention. However, it is possible to correct the date / time information to an almost accurate value even for an image file that is completely inaccurate.

  The recording medium of the present invention is characterized by a computer-readable recording medium that records the first or second computer program of the present invention. This recording medium has the same operations and effects as the computer program of the present invention.

  The present invention includes other aspects as follows. The 1st aspect is an aspect as a program supply apparatus which supplies the 1st or 2nd computer program of this invention via a communication path. In this first aspect, the above-described method and apparatus are realized by placing a computer program on a server or the like on a computer network, downloading a necessary program to a computer via a communication path, and executing the program. Can do.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described based on examples. This embodiment will be described in the following order.
I. First Embodiment A. First Embodiment Device configuration:
B. Computer processing:
C. Action / Effect Variation:
B. Second Example E. Computer processing:
F. Action and effect c. Other embodiments

I. First Embodiment A. First Embodiment Device configuration:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a computer system to which the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. The computer system of this embodiment mainly includes a personal computer 10 that constitutes an image file date / time information correction apparatus of the present invention, and includes a display 20, a keyboard 22, and a mouse 24 as its peripheral devices. Further, a digital camera 26 and a scanner 28 are connected to the personal computer 10.

  The personal computer 10 includes a memory 13, a hard disk drive 14, an input control unit 15, a display control unit 16, and the like connected to each other by a bus 12 around a CPU 11 as a central processing unit. The memory 13 stores various data and becomes a work area of the CPU 11. The hard disk drive 14 stores a computer program Pr as software of the image file date / time information correction apparatus. The hard disk drive 14 stores a large number of image files Fp of photographic images taken by the digital camera 26.

  The image file Fp obtained by photographing with the digital camera 26 is in the Exif format, which is an image file format standard for digital cameras. Exif file specifications are defined by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA).

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram simply showing the data structure of the Exif format image file Fp. As shown in the figure, the image file Fp includes an image data storage area A1 for storing image data and an auxiliary data storage area A2 for storing various auxiliary data related to the stored image data. In the image data storage area A1, image data in JPEG format is stored. In the attached data storage area A2, various shooting information including date and time information Dt indicating the shooting date and time when the photograph image was taken, and thumbnails Ds of the image data stored in the image data storage area A1 are stored as attached data. Has been.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the scanner 28 is a device that converts an image drawn on paper or film into electrical image information. Here, it is assumed that a silver salt photograph taken by a silver salt camera is taken into the personal computer 10 by the scanner 28. Note that the image file Fp obtained by the scanner 28 (which has the same code as the image file Fp obtained by the digital camera 26) is also in the Exif format, like the image file Fp obtained by the digital camera 26. The date / time information Dt stored in the image file Fp obtained by the scanner 28 is null. The image file Fp obtained by the scanner 28 is also stored in the hard disk drive 14. The hard disk drive 14 corresponds to the image file storage means of the present invention.

  Here, an Exif format image file is used as the image file Fp obtained by the digital camera 26 and the scanner 28. However, the image file format according to the present invention is not limited to the Exif format. Any type of image file may be used as long as the image file can include information.

  The input control unit 15 is a control unit that captures an input operation from the keyboard 22 or the mouse 24 and also captures the image file Fp from the digital camera 26 or the scanner 28. The display control unit 16 is a control unit that controls signal output to the display 20.

  The computer program Pr is originally stored in a CD-ROM (not shown) as a recording medium, and is installed in the hard disk drive 14 from the CD-ROM by starting a predetermined installation program. is there. When the CPU 11 executes this computer program Pr, various constituent requirements of the image file date / time information correction apparatus of the present invention are realized.

  In FIG. 1, various constituent requirements are indicated by functional blocks implemented in the CPU 11. The CPU 11 includes the reduced image display unit 31, the target image file association unit 32, and the date / time information change unit 33 as functions by executing the computer program Pr. The function of each part 31, 32, 33 will be described in detail later. The computer program Pr is actually album software for organizing images. Each of the above-described reduced image display unit 31, target image file association unit 32, and date / time information change unit 33 is controlled by some of the modules. The function is realized in the personal computer 10.

  The computer program Pr is provided as a configuration stored in another portable recording medium (portable recording medium) such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, and an IC card in place of the CD-ROM. It can be. Further, the computer program Pr can be provided via a network from a specific server connected to an external network. The network may be the Internet or a computer program obtained by downloading from a specific homepage. Alternatively, it may be a computer program supplied in the form of an email attachment.

B. Computer processing:
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing executed by the computer program Pr. As shown in the figure, when the process is started, the CPU 11 of the personal computer 10 first executes a thumbnail display process for displaying a list of thumbnails of a plurality of image files Fp stored in the hard disk drive 14 on the display 20 ( Step S100). Specifically, the list is displayed in an application window which is a display area displayed on the display 20.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the application window WD. The application window WD constitutes a graphical user interface (GUI). As shown in the figure, the application window WD is provided with a toolbar FL1, a file designation field FL2, and a work field FL3. . The file designation field FL2 is a field for designating the storage location of the image file Fp using “folder” or “film”. This designation follows the input operation of the mouse 24 by the operator. In addition to the hard disk drive 14, a storage location on other recording media such as a CD-ROM can be designated.

  The work field FL3 displays a list of image files Fp stored in the folder or film designated in the file selection field FL2 as thumbnails Ds, and displays the list when the operator clicks the mouse 24. This is a field for selecting a desired image file from the image file Fp. Note that the selected image file Fp receives actual image data instead of thumbnails in another dialog box in response to an operation that the operator clicks on the [Open] button BT1 provided on the toolbar FL1. In the list display, the date information Dt stored in the image file Fp in which the thumbnails Ds are stored is displayed below each thumbnail Ds.

  In step S100, in detail, the CPU 11 converts the thumbnails Ds stored in the attached data storage area A2 from the plurality of image files Fp stored in the storage location designated by the file designation field FL2 into the attached data. It reads together with the date / time information Dt stored in the storage area A2, rearranges the order of the thumbnails Ds according to the date / time information Dt (sorts), and lists the thumbnails Ds together with the date / time information Dt in the order after the rearrangement. indicate. As shown in FIG. 4, the oldest date / time information Dt (in the illustrated example, 15:05:37 on Oct. 12, 2005) is displayed in the upper left corner of the work field FL3. Are displayed in order from the oldest to the right. When it is displayed to the right end, it is displayed in order from the left end with the step down.

  In the illustrated example, the date and time information Dt is displayed below each of the six thumbnails Ds from “Photo A” to “Photo F”. Below each of the thumbnails Ds of “Photo H”, a field for displaying the date / time information Dt is blank. The blank is because the date and time information Dt stored in the image file Fp is null. In this embodiment, the thumbnail Ds of the image file Fp whose date / time information Dt is null is displayed after the thumbnail Ds of the latest image file Fp (“Picture F” in the illustrated example). The processing in step S110 corresponds to the reduced image display unit 31 (FIG. 1).

  Returning to FIG. 3, when the thumbnail display process is completed in step S100, the CPU 11 next determines whether the [automatic date and time setting] button BT2 is in an on state or an off state (step S110). As shown in FIG. 4, the “automatic date and time setting” button BT2 is provided below the file designation field FL2 of the application window WD, and is turned on / off by a click operation using the mouse 24 by the operator. Once clicked, it changes to the on state (at this time, the display color of the button itself changes to a dark color: see FIG. 5), and when clicked again, it returns to the off state (at this time, the display of the button itself) The color returns to a light color: see FIG. When the operator wants to instruct the personal computer 10 to correct the date / time information Dt, the operator clicks the [Auto Date / Time Setting] button BT2 to turn it on. The CPU 11 executes a process of receiving a click operation by the operator in another routine, and in step S110, determines whether the [automatic date and time setting] button BT2 is currently in an on state or an off state. .

  If it is determined that the [automatic date / time setting] button BT2 is in the ON state, the CPU 11 shifts the processing to step S120. In step S120, the CPU 11 selects one or more thumbnails Ds selected from among the plurality of thumbnails Ds displayed in the work field FL3 in accordance with the drag and drop operation using the mouse 24 by the operator. A process of moving to another position in the sequence of thumbnails Ds is performed.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the drag and drop operation in step S120. As shown in the figure, the operator drags a plurality of thumbnails Ds displayed in the work field FL3 with date / time information Dt blank (in the example shown, thumbnails Ds of “Photo G”), To the desired position (in the example shown, the position between the thumbnail Ds of “Photo B” and the thumbnail Ds of “Photo C”). Note that the drag and drop operation is not limited to the movement of one thumbnail Ds, and may be an operation of dragging and dropping a plurality of thumbnails Ds simultaneously with a plurality of thumbnails Ds selected.

  In response to the drag and drop operation, the CPU 11 changes the display position of the thumbnail Ds dragged on the work field FL3. In the example of FIG. 5, since “Photo G” is a drag and drop operation for moving between “Photo B” and “Photo C”, as shown in FIG. The arrangement of the thumbnails Ds is changed in the order of “photo B”, “photo G”, “photo C”, “photo D”, “photo E”, “photo F”, “photo H”. The processing in step S120 corresponds to the target image file associating unit 32 (FIG. 1).

  Subsequently, the CPU 11 performs a process of changing the date / time information Dt for each image file Fp of the one or more thumbnails Ds moved in step S120 (step S130). Specifically, the CPU 11 performs thumbnails Ds (“Photo B” and “Photo C” in the example of FIG. 6) located on both sides of the thumbnail Ds (“Photo G” in the example of FIG. 6) moved in step S120. Date and time information Dt is read from the two image files Fp corresponding to), a writing date and time is calculated based on both the date and time information Dt, and the writing date and time is the date and time for each image file Fp of the moved thumbnail Ds. Write information Dt. When the number of moved thumbnails Ds is one as in the example of FIG. 6, the writing date / time is an intermediate date / time of both date / time information Dt, and when there are a plurality of moved thumbnails Ds, the writing date / time is both It is determined that the plurality is allocated at equal intervals within the period between the date and time information Dt.

  For example, in the case of the example of FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. 7, the date and time information Dt of the moved “photo G” is displayed on both sides as [October 12, 2005 16:36:10 (hereinafter, Since the date is the same, the description is omitted)], and [16:56:20], the writing date is [16:46:15], which is an intermediate date. For example, if both neighbors are [16:26:10] and [16:56:40], and the number of moved thumbnails Ds is two, the writing date / time is between the date / time information. [16:36:20] and [16:46:30] are the dates and times for dividing the period into three equal parts. Note that the date / time information Dt in step S130 is changed together with data stored in the image file Fp stored in the hard disk drive 14 and display in the application window WD. The processing in step S130 corresponds to the date / time information changing unit 33 (FIG. 1).

  After execution of step S130, the process returns to “RETURN” to end the routine once. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S110 that the [automatic date and time setting] button BT2 is in the OFF state, the process immediately returns to “RETURN” without executing steps S120 and S130, and this routine is once ended.

C. According to the first embodiment configured as described above, the thumbnails Ds are listed in the order of the date and time information in the work field FL3 of the application window WD, and the thumbnails that do not contain the date and time information in the work field FL3. A process of moving Ds to a desired position in the displayed list of thumbnails Ds according to the drag and drop operation by the operator is performed. When the moving process is performed, the date / time information Dt is read from the two image files Fp corresponding to the thumbnails Ds located on both sides of the moved thumbnail Ds, and the date / time information Dt is moved based on the date / time information Dt. The date information Dt of the image file Fp corresponding to the thumbnail Ds is changed.

  For this reason, the operator looks at each of the thumbnails Ds displayed as a list, and the adjacent two thumbnails Ds that do not contain date / time information and are close to the actual shooting date / time of the image file to which the date / time information is to be added. By selecting and moving the thumbnail Ds of the image file to which the date / time information is to be added to a position between both thumbnails Ds, the date / time information Dt can be added to the image file to which the date / time information is to be added. . Therefore, it is possible to add substantially accurate date / time information Dt to an image file that does not contain date / time information, such as an image file obtained from the scanner 28. As a result, it is possible to set almost accurate date and time information Dt for all the image files Fp, so that it is possible to organize the image files Fp according to the date and time information Dt.

In the above description, the operator performs the moving process of the thumbnail Ds in step S120 on the image file Fp to which the date / time information is not added but does not include the date / time information. And is not necessarily limited to the image file Fp that does not contain date and time information. For example, even if the date / time information is included, when it is desired to change the date / time information (for example, when the internal clock of the digital camera is out of order), the thumbnail Ds in step S120 is moved to the image file Fp to be changed. By performing the process, the date / time information Dt of the image file Fp to be changed can be changed. That is, the image file date / time information correction apparatus of the present invention can add / change date / time information to / from the image file.
D. Variation:

(1) In the first embodiment, by dragging and dropping the thumbnail Ds of the corrected image file (hereinafter referred to as “target image file”), the target image file is moved into the thumbnail Ds sequence. Since the process of associating with the desired position is performed, the thumbnails Ds located on both sides of the thumbnail Ds of the target image file after the movement are referred to as “two adjacent reduced images closest to the desired position” in the present invention. Asking. Instead, when the operator receives a drag and drop operation command, the two thumbnails (adjacent thumbnails) Ds closest to the drop position are selected and recorded in the image files corresponding to both thumbnails. The date and time information of the target image file may be changed based on the date and time information that has been changed, and then the thumbnail Ds of the target image file whose date and time information has been changed may be moved according to the drag and drop operation.

(2) In the first embodiment, the thumbnail Ds listed in the order of the date and time information and the thumbnail Ds of the target image file are configured to be displayed in the same field called the work field FL3. The thumbnails of the target image file may be displayed in another field, and the thumbnails of the target image file may be moved from that field into the list of thumbnails Ds displayed in the work field FL3.

(3) In the first embodiment, the moving of the thumbnail of the target image file is performed by drag and drop operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this operation. Any operation may be used as long as the operation is designated. For example, the operator may input the file name of the target image file from the keyboard 22 and then allow the operator to click a desired position in the list of thumbnails displayed in a list. . Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which a desired position in the list of thumbnails displayed in the list is clicked, and then the file name of the target image file is input. In short, any configuration may be used as long as it specifies one or a plurality of target image files to be corrected and specifies a desired position in the list of thumbnails displayed in a list.

B. Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Compared with the computer system of the first embodiment, the computer system to which the second embodiment is applied has the same hardware configuration, only a part of the software configuration is different, and the other parts are the same. Here, the different parts will be described. The hardware configuration is given the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment.

E. Computer processing:
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the computer program Pr in the second embodiment. As shown in the figure, when the process is started, the CPU 11 of the personal computer 10 first executes a thumbnail display process for displaying a list of thumbnails of a plurality of image files Fp stored in the hard disk drive 14 on the display 20 ( Step S200). This thumbnail display process is the same as step S100 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a list display result in step S200. As shown in the drawing, a plurality of thumbnails Ds are displayed side by side in the order of the date and time information Dt in the work field FL3 of the application window WD (the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts as in the first embodiment). In the illustrated example, date information Dt is displayed below the thumbnails Ds of “Photo I” and “Photo J”, respectively, but in contrast to this, from “Photo K” to “Photo P”. Below each of the six thumbnails Ds, a field for displaying the date / time information Dt is blank. The blank is because the date and time information Dt stored in the image file Fp is null.

  Returning to FIG. 8, after executing step S200, the CPU 11 performs a process of determining whether the [automatic date and time setting] button BT2 is in an on state or an off state (step S210). This process is the same as step S110 in the first embodiment. If it is determined in step S210 that the [automatic date and time setting] button BT2 is in the OFF state, the process immediately returns to “RETURN” and this routine is once ended. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S210 that the [Auto Date / Time Setting] button BT2 is on, the process proceeds to step S220.

  In step S220, the CPU 11 performs a process of determining whether or not there is data input from the operator for the date / time information Dt field located below the thumbnails Ds displayed in the list in step S200. In this data input, the operator clicks the field and then inputs a numerical value as date / time information using the keyboard 22. If it is determined that there is no data input, the process returns to “RETURN” and the routine is temporarily terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S220 that there is data input, the CPU 11 advances the process to step S230, and inputs the date / time information Dt of the image file Fp corresponding to the field in which the data is input. Based on the value (step S230), the input value is stored as the first date / time variable t1 (step S240). In step S230, the display of the work field FL3 is updated together with the change of the date / time information Dt of the image file Fp.

  Thereafter, the CPU 11 further performs a process of determining whether or not there is data input from the operator for the date / time information Dt field located below the thumbnail Ds (step S250). This determination process is the same as that in step S220, and after execution of steps S220 to S240, it is determined whether or not data has been input to another date / time information field. If it is determined that there is no data input, the process returns to “RETURN” and the routine is temporarily terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S250 that there is data input, the CPU 11 advances the process to step S260, and inputs the date / time information Dt of the image file Fp corresponding to the field in which the data is input. Based on the value (step S260), the input value is stored as the second date / time variable t2 (step S270). In step S260, the display of the work field FL3 is updated together with the change of the date / time information Dt of the image file Fp.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the display of the work field FL3 after executing the processing up to step S270. This display example shows a change from the state shown in FIG. As shown in the drawing, for the date and time information field Fds below the thumbnail Ds of “Photo K”, [October 15, 2005, 12:00:00 (hereinafter, the date is described as being the same). The date / time information of [17:00] 00 is input to the field Fde of the date / time information below the thumbnail Ds of “Photo P”. It is input by a command from the operator. The first input corresponds to step S220, and the subsequent input corresponds to step S250.

  Returning to FIG. 8, after executing step S270, the CPU 11 counts the number of thumbnails Ds positioned between the two thumbnails (hereinafter referred to as “date and time designation thumbnails”) Ds to which the date and time information has been input in steps S220 and S250. Processing for calculating n is performed (step S280). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the calculated number n is greater than 0 (step S290). Here, when it is determined that the number n is not greater than 0, that is, no thumbnail exists between the two date / time designation thumbnails Ds, the first and second date / time variables t1 and t2 are cleared to 0. (Step S300), the process returns to “RETURN” to end the routine once.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S290 that the number n is greater than 0, that is, at least one thumbnail exists between the two date / time designation thumbnails Ds, n write dates / times WD1 to WDn are expressed by the following formula ( A process of calculating based on 1) is performed (step S310).

WDk = k · (t2−t1) / (n + 1) (1)
However, k is 1 to n.

  After execution of step S310, the CPU 11 calculates in step S310 n image files (hereinafter referred to as “target image files”) corresponding to the thumbnails existing between the two date / time designation thumbnails Ds. A process of writing each of the n writing dates and times WD1 to WDn is performed (step S320). Here, the display of the work field FL3 is updated together with the change of the date / time information Dt of the target image file Fp.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the display of the work field FL3 after executing the processing up to step S320. This display example shows a change from the state shown in FIG. As shown in the drawing, since the two date / time designation thumbnails Ds correspond to the thumbnail of “Photo K” and the thumbnail of “Photo P”, “Photo L” and “Photo M” are present between the two designated thumbnails Ds. , “Photo N” and “Photo O” have four thumbnails Ds. In the date and time information fields Fd1 to Fd4 of these four thumbnails Ds, writing dates and times WD1 to WD4 are displayed, respectively. That is, since the date and time of “Photo K” is [12:00:00] and the date and time of “Photo P” is [17:00:00], “Photo L”, “Photo M”, Each date of the four photos “Photo N” and “Photo O” is a quotient obtained by dividing the period from 12:00 to 17:00 by the value 5 so that the four pictures are equally allocated. Are changed (added) to [13:00:00], [14:00:00], [15:00:00], [16:00:00].

  Returning to FIG. 8, after the execution of step S220, the process returns to “RETURN” to end the routine once.

F. According to the second embodiment configured as described above, the thumbnails Ds are displayed in a list in the order of the date and time information in the work field FL3 of the application window WD. According to the operation command, two thumbnails Ds are selected so that at least one thumbnail Ds is sandwiched between them. Similarly, according to the operation command from the operator, the two thumbnails are set to the first date and time (first date and time). And a second date and time (stored as a second date and time variable t2) are designated. Thereafter, the date / time information of the image file corresponding to the thumbnail existing between the two thumbnails with the specified date / time is changed to the date / time between the first date / time variable t1 and the second date / time variable t2. .

  For this reason, the date and time information of the image file corresponding to each thumbnail sandwiched between the two date and time designation thumbnails can be obtained by specifying the first and second date and time accurately by the operator. There is an effect that it can be corrected. As a result, almost accurate date and time information can be set for all the image files, so that a secondary effect that the image files according to the date and time information can be organized is produced.

C. Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described first and second embodiments and modifications thereof, and can be carried out in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention. The following modifications are possible.

(1) In the first and second embodiments, thumbnail images Ds stored in the attached data storage area A2 of the image file Fp are used as the reduced images to be displayed as a list. The stored real image data may be reduced and the reduced images may be displayed as a list.

(2) In the above embodiment, the image file is taken by the digital camera 26 or read by the scanner 28. However, the image file need not be limited to this, and can be any image file having date and time information. Such an image file may be used. For example, it may be imported from outside via a network.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the computer system to which 1st Example of this invention is applied. It is explanatory drawing which shows simply the data structure of the image file Fp of an Exif format. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed with the computer program Pr. It is explanatory drawing which shows the application window WD. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of operation of drag & drop in step S120. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a display of the work field FL3 after drag and drop. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a display of the work field FL3 after date / time information was changed. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed with the computer program Pr in 2nd Example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the result of the list display by step S200. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a display of the work field FL3 after performing the process to step S270. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a display of the work field FL3 after date / time information was changed.

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Personal computer 11 ... CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Bus 13 ... Memory 14 ... Hard disk drive 15 ... Input control part 16 ... Display control part 20 ... Display 22 ... Keyboard 24 ... Mouse 26 ... Digital camera 28 ... Scanner 31 ... Reduced image display part 32 ... Target image file matching part 33 ... Date and time information change unit Fp ... Image file A1 ... Image data storage area A2 ... Attached data storage area Pr ... Computer program WD ... Application window FL1 ... Toolbar FL2 ... Field FL3 ... Work field Ds ... Thumbnail BT1 ... [Open] button BT2 ... [Auto Date / Time Settings] button

Claims (13)

A date and time information correction device for correcting date and time information of an image file,
Image file storage means for storing a plurality of image files in which the date and time information is recorded;
Reduced image display means for displaying a list of reduced images for a plurality of image files stored in the image file storage means on a display device in the order of the date and time information;
Target image file associating means for associating one or a plurality of target image files to be corrected with a desired position in the list of reduced images displayed based on an operation command from an operator;
From the list of reduced images displayed in the list, two adjacent reduced images closest to the desired position to which the correspondence has been made are selected and recorded in the corresponding image files of the selected reduced images. A date / time information correction device for an image file, comprising: date / time information changing means for changing the date / time information of the target image file based on the date / time information. The image file date and time information correction apparatus according to claim 1,
The target image file association means includes:
One or more reduced images are selected from the plurality of reduced images displayed as a list by the reduced image display means as the target image file based on an operation command from an operator, and the selected target image file is selected. An image file date / time information correction device comprising reduced image moving means for performing the association by moving the reduced image to the desired position based on an operation command from an operator.   3. The image file date / time information correction apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an operation command from an operator in the reduced image moving means is a command in accordance with a drag-and-drop mouse operation. A date and time information correction device for correcting date and time information of an image file,
Image file storage means for storing a plurality of image files in which the date and time information is recorded;
Image display means for displaying a list of reduced images for a plurality of image files stored in the image file storage means on a display device in the order of the date and time information;
A selection is made based on an operation command from the operator so that at least one reduced image is sandwiched between two reduced images from the list of reduced images displayed in the list. A date and time designation means for designating a first date and time to one of the two reduced images and a second date and time to the other based on an operation command from the operator;
The date and time information of the image file corresponding to the reduced image on the one side is changed to the first date and time, the date and time information of the image file corresponding to the reduced image on the other side is changed to the second date and time, and Date / time information changing means for changing date / time information of an image file corresponding to each reduced image sandwiched between two reduced images to a date / time between the first date / time and the second date / time. File date / time information correction device. The image file date and time information correction apparatus according to claim 4,
The date information changing means is
When there are a plurality of reduced images sandwiched between the two reduced images, the plurality are allocated at equal intervals within a period between the first date and time and the second date and time. An image file date / time information correction apparatus comprising: a change date / time calculating means for calculating date / time information to be changed for an image file.   6. The date and time information correction device for an image file according to claim 1, wherein the image display means is configured to display date and time information together with the reduced image.   7. The Exif format file according to claim 1, wherein the image file is an Exif format file having an image data portion for storing image data, thumbnail data representing the reduced image, and an attached data portion for storing the date / time information. Image file date / time information correction device. A date and time information correction method for correcting image file date and time information,
Prepare in advance a plurality of image files in which the date and time information is recorded,
Each reduced image for the prepared plurality of image files is displayed in a list on the display device in the order of the date and time information,
Associating one or a plurality of target image files to be corrected with a desired position in the list of reduced images displayed in a list based on an operation command from an operator,
From the list of reduced images displayed in the list, two adjacent reduced images closest to the desired position to which the correspondence has been made are selected and recorded in the corresponding image files of the selected reduced images. A date / time information correction method for an image file, wherein the date / time information of the target image file is changed based on the date / time information. A date and time information correction method for correcting image file date and time information,
Prepare in advance a plurality of image files in which the date and time information is recorded,
Each reduced image for the prepared plurality of image files is displayed in a list on the display device in the order of the date and time information,
A selection is made based on an operation command from the operator so that at least one reduced image is sandwiched between two reduced images from the list of reduced images displayed in the list. The first date and time are specified for one of the two reduced images and the second date and time are specified for the other based on an operation command from the operator,
The date and time information of the image file corresponding to the reduced image on the one side is changed to the first date and time, the date and time information of the image file corresponding to the reduced image on the other side is changed to the second date and time, and A date / time information correction method for an image file, wherein the date / time information of an image file corresponding to each reduced image sandwiched between two reduced images is changed to a date / time between the first date / time and the second date / time. A computer program for correcting date and time information of an image file,
A function for storing in advance in a storage device an image file in which the date and time information is recorded;
A function of displaying a list of reduced images of the plurality of stored image files in a display device in the order of the date and time information;
A function of associating one or a plurality of target image files to be corrected with a desired position in the list of reduced images displayed based on an operation command from an operator;
From the list of reduced images displayed in the list, two adjacent reduced images closest to the desired position to which the correspondence has been made are selected and recorded in the corresponding image files of the selected reduced images. A computer program that causes a computer to realize a function of changing the date and time information of the target image file based on the date and time information. A computer program according to claim 10,
The function of associating the target image file is as follows:
One or more reduced images are selected as the target image file from the list-displayed reduced images, based on an operation command from an operator, and a reduced image of the selected target image file is selected. A computer program comprising a function of performing the association by moving to the desired position based on an operation command from an operator. A computer program for correcting date and time information of an image file,
A function for storing in advance in a storage device an image file in which the date and time information is recorded;
A function of displaying a list of reduced images of the plurality of stored image files in a display device in the order of the date and time information;
A selection is made based on an operation command from the operator so that at least one reduced image is sandwiched between two reduced images from the list of reduced images displayed in the list. A function for designating a first date and time for one of the two reduced images and a second date and time for the other based on an operation command from the operator;
The date and time information of the image file corresponding to the reduced image on the one side is changed to the first date and time, the date and time information of the image file corresponding to the reduced image on the other side is changed to the second date and time, and A computer that realizes a function of changing date / time information of an image file corresponding to each reduced image sandwiched between two reduced images to a date / time between the first date / time and the second date / time. program.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the computer program according to any one of claims 10 to 12 is recorded.

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