JP2007156680A - File management device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that a large amount of time and labor is requird for sorting images without a certain image sorting means, concerning image data captured in a recorder with a large capacity. <P>SOLUTION: A file management device is provided, in which files in the same group can be easily browsed by retrieval using meaningful group names imparted to folders. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a file management apparatus capable of retrieving specific data from a database storing a large amount of image data.

  In recent years, digital cameras that electrically record images have been widely used as cameras for photographing landscapes, people, and other subjects. As a feature of the digital camera, it is possible to store the captured image data up to the maximum storage capacity of a storage memory mounted in the digital camera.

  Further, the image data can be stored in a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk storage device (HDD) included in a personal computer (PC).

  However, image data taken in a large-capacity recording apparatus takes a great deal of time to organize images unless some sort of image organizing means is used.

  In order to easily organize images after shooting, for example, in Patent Document 1, if an image shot with a digital camera is pressed on a monitor screen provided in the camera and the mark button is pressed, the image file of the playback image is displayed. It is described that a mark is recorded in the header part, and when a classification instruction is given, the image file with the mark is classified and stored in a corresponding folder to facilitate image management. ing.

Further, in Patent Document 2, image data in a database is obtained by, for example, image data corresponding to an image of a person photographed as a subject image based on teacher data representing the characteristics of a person's face, and other image data. An image data search method is described in which image data can be searched efficiently so as to be identified.
JP 2005-117249 A JP 2001-357067 A

  However, as described in Patent Document 1, a mark button adds a mark to the header portion of an image file, and the means for classifying only by a mark creates a folder according to the user's convenience and sorts the file. There are many cases. For example, if the folder name has a person name, only the person who created the folder knows whether it is the name of the person associated with the contents of the file, the file provider, or a completely different meaning. Absent.

  In other words, only the creator can know what the folder name means. In addition, when the folder structure is changed or when a file is extracted and copied to another location, there is a problem that the path of the classified state is lost and the search hint is lost.

  Furthermore, when contents are automatically classified by folders manually, folders in the same hierarchy often have a common meaning. For example, in the case of an image, the shooting date and time, the subject, in the case of music, the genre, artist name, album name, and the like.

  If there is a subject layer below the shooting month layer and you want to change it to the shooting month layer below the subject layer, the conventional file management method is cumbersome to move and duplicate folders, etc. If you try to return, you have to repeat the same work.

  Further, in the image data search method described in Patent Document 2, the candidate for the subject must be known. Furthermore, it is necessary to prepare teacher data corresponding to those candidates. It is difficult to attach specific keywords to subjects that deviate from candidates prepared in advance.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a file management apparatus that facilitates browsing of files in the same group by assigning a meaningful group name to a folder and performing a search using the group name.

The above object can be achieved by the invention described below.
1. In a file management device that records files in a hierarchical folder structure,
Group folders or files,
A file management apparatus comprising group name assigning means for assigning a group name to a group.
2. 2. The file management apparatus according to 1, further comprising metadata recording means for recording the file or a group name assigned to the folder to which the file belongs as metadata in the file.
3. 3. The file management apparatus according to 2, wherein the metadata recording unit also records the group name when the group name is assigned to the folder included in the path of the file.
4). 4. The file management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the group name assigning unit assigns the same group name to the folder or the file in the same hierarchy.
5. 5. The file management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising folder information recording means for recording as folder information together with the group name assigned with the folder structure.
6). 6. The file management apparatus according to 5, wherein the folder information recording unit records the folder information in an XML format.
7). 7. The file management apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising folder information display means for displaying the folder information according to the recorded folder information.
8). 8. The file management apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: folder information editing means for editing the folder information; and folder update means for updating the folder information in accordance with the edited folder information.
9. 9. The file management apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising metadata update means for updating the metadata assigned to the file in accordance with the updated folder information.
10. 9. The file management apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a folder structure configuring unit that configures the folder structure according to the updated folder information.

  According to the present invention, a folder or file is given a meaning by giving a group name to the folder or file. When searching for a folder, if there are folders with the same name but different meanings, the desired folder can be searched by using the group name.

  Also, by describing the file itself or the group name of the folder to which the file belongs in the file, the file name can be searched using the group name.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a computer device (referred to as a personal computer) in which the file management device of this embodiment is installed, and FIG. 2 shows a directory tree (directory hierarchy diagram) displayed by a user using the file management device. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure for assigning metadata (that is, data describing storage of other data) by dragging the mouse to select the same group, and FIG. 3 is an example of the screen display. Is a screen display example when a user inputs characters from the keyboard and assigns a group name. FIG. 5 is a flowchart at that time.

  In FIG. 1, a main body 1 includes a system control unit 5 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory) composed of a rewritable semiconductor, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) composed of a nonvolatile semiconductor memory. And an internally mounted hard disk (HDD) 6 for installing the file management device. Furthermore, it includes a display device 2 that is a display, an input device 3 that is a keyboard, an external storage device 4, and an interface I / F that transfers data from the main body 1 to the external storage device 4.

  The external storage device 4 includes a memory card, a compact desk (CD), a digital video disk (DVD), an external HDD, and the like.

  The configuration in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and any configuration capable of executing the file management apparatus is sufficient. In addition to the configuration in the drawing, a connection terminal such as a USB that reads a file from a digital camera or a camera-equipped mobile phone, Various media such as smart media, compact flash (registered trademark), memory stick (registered trademark), SD memory card, multimedia card (hereinafter referred to as CD-R and other information recording media). An information recording medium is called a medium.) A media slot for reading a file from a medium, a CD-R drive for reading a file from an information recording medium such as a CD-R that records image data read by scanning a negative film, the Internet, etc. For capturing image data via other communication networks It may be provided with means like. Further, the file recorded by the file management program does not necessarily need to be recorded in the storage means, but is stored in another storage means of the personal computer, or stored in a storage means such as a home server or a web server connected to the personal computer. It is good also as a structure to be.

  In addition, for ease of explanation, Microsoft (registered trademark) Windows (registered trademark) “95/98 / 98SE / 2000 Professional / XP Home Edition / XP Professional, etc.” is installed as a basic OS for operating a personal computer. A description will be given on the assumption that a personal computer is used.

  In FIG. 2, the personal computer is started up and a directory tree is displayed (step S101). The directory tree is a structure displayed by an application (for example, Explorer) so that the user can easily understand it. The user creates a folder on, for example, the C drive of the internally mounted HDD (unless otherwise noted), gives it a name such as “My Picture”, creates a subfolder below it, and names it “200507” etc. And create a sequential directory tree.

  In step S102, for example, a plurality of subfolders in the directory tree are dragged using the mouse to instruct selection.

  In step S103, a screen for inputting a name to the selected group is displayed.

  In step S104, the group name is input at the location displayed on the screen.

  In step S105, it is determined whether or not a group name has been input. When S105 is YES, metadata is assigned to the group (step S106).

  FIG. 3 shows a directory tree. The user can create a subfolder under the folder and a subsubfolder under the subfolder. Here, in order to clarify the name, the folder is numbered in the order of the first hierarchy, and the subfolder is numbered in the order of the second hierarchy.

  In FIG. 3, “MY Picture” is in the first layer, and “200507” and “200508” are in the second layer below. Further, the third hierarchy below “200507” is a directory tree in which “yuu” and “dan” are displayed, and “200507151316.jpg” and the like are displayed on the fourth hierarchy below “yuu”.

  However, the user who created this directory tree can understand the meaning of each hierarchy, but it is unclear whether a third party can understand by looking at this hierarchy diagram. Therefore, FIG. 4 shows that a screen for inputting a group name appears by dragging and clicking “200507” and “200508” in the second hierarchy with the mouse. Here, for example, “shooting date” can be input from an input device such as a keyboard.

  Another way of assigning names will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Step S201 is the same as FIG. 2, but a group name input screen is displayed in step S202. This displays a screen in which the first hierarchy, the second hierarchy,... In step S203, a group name is input. In step S204, it is determined whether or not a group name has been input. When S204 is YES, metadata is assigned to the group (step S205).

  FIG. 6 shows a directory tree at that time. For example, the name “content type” can be input to the first layer, “shooting date” can be input to the second layer, and “subject” can be input to the third layer. By assigning names to each hierarchy in this way, the meaning of the group becomes clear.

  In this case, the same group name is automatically associated with nodes in the same hierarchy of the tree. When a new folder is created or when a file is recorded, the folder or file is automatically given a group name given to the hierarchy to which the folder or file belongs.

<Group name assigning means>
Next, group name assigning means will be described.

The group name assigning method (1-1) displays a file tree, and drags the mouse to specify an area including a folder to be the same group.
(1-2) Display a file tree, and move folders in the same group by drag and drop to a specific area.
(1-3) It has a table of folder names or file names and group names, and is automatically classified by referring to the table by a program.
(1-4) The same hierarchy of folders is set to the same group.
Etc.

Enter the group name
(2-1) The user inputs a character string from the keyboard.
(2-2) A list of group names is displayed and selected by the user with a mouse or the like.
(2-3) Having a table of folder names or file names and group names, and automatically classifying by a program with reference to the table.

<Metadata recording means>
The metadata recording means records the group name given to the file or the folder to which the file belongs, or in addition to the group name of the folder included in the path of the file.

As a recording method,
(3-1) Record in the header of the file.
If there is a recordable area in the existing file format, the group name may be recorded there, and if possible, a new group name area may be created.
(3-2) Record in a separate file, and record the recording location of the file in which the metadata is recorded in the header of the file.
(3-3) A metadata file with a link to the file (file name is written) is recorded in association with the file.
Etc.

<Example of group name assignment>
FIG. 7 shows an example in the case of performing a keyword search for an image to which a metafile is assigned.

  If only the folder name is given as metadata without grouping or group name, for example, if you want to search for an image where “dan” is the subject, search for the keyword “subject” & “dan”. However, since the keyword “subject” is not included in the metadata, the image cannot be picked up.

  However, if only “dan” is searched, all images with “dan” will be picked up. Also, in the picked-up image, people other than the person who created the folder do not know what “dan” means the subject, the owner of the image, or what else. Even if the folder name is “subject dan”, the same keyword “subject” must be assigned to the folder name as “subject dan” in other folders, which is troublesome.

When grouping or group name is given and folder or file name is given as metadata,
The group name included in the metadata of the image to be searched is listed in the group name box. The user selects “Subject” from the list of group names. Then, the folder name or file name included in the “subject” group is listed in the keyword box. The user selects “dan” from the list in the same way as the group name.

  In this manner, the group name, that is, the meaning of the keyword and the keyword can be associated with each other and input as a search key, so that a file of “subject is dan” can be extracted. Keyword input can also be grouped to reduce the number of keyword candidates shown to the user, and by selecting a group name from there, the keyword candidates can be further narrowed down to folders or file names belonging to the group. Can do.

  Therefore, it is efficient because a keyword can be input simply by selecting a keyword from a list of candidates.

<Folder information>
Next, folder information will be described.

  In addition to the existing folder structure, the folder information is a record of the information if a group name is assigned to the folder.

  This recording format is preferably recorded in the XML format. This is because the XML format is described in a text format file, so that the meaning and structure of the data are very easy to understand and edit, and the tag definition can be freely set to be easy to handle.

The recording method in the XML format is, for example, (4-1) using a folder name as a tag and a group name as its attribute.
(4-2) A group name is a tag and a folder name is an element thereof. If there is no group name, add the depth of the hierarchy.
There is a way.

  Although a detailed description of the XML format is omitted, an example of (4-1) is shown as a conceptual diagram in FIG.

<Folder information display means>
The folder information display means is means for displaying a folder structure by a group name. For example, when a group name is given as shown in FIG. 6, a display example is as shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 9, clicking + on the left of “Subject” displays a folder with the group name “Subject”. If you click the + on the left of “yuu”, the display means extracts the file whose attribute is “subject” and the element is included in “yuu” from the XML data, so that it is included in the “yuu” folder included in all shooting months. Displayed.

<Folder information editing method>
The folder information editing means is to change the hierarchical relationship of groups, to delete or add groups, or to change group names. FIG. 8B shows a state in which <shooting month> is replaced with <subject>.

<Folder information correction method>
The folder information correction means deletes all of the attribute gr = “subject” from the XML data, for example, and the metadata correction means simultaneously deletes the file having the group name “subject” added to the metadata from the metadata. Delete the group name.

As a result, in the folder information display means, the “subject” group is deleted, and the folder “200507” to which the group name “shooting month” is assigned is directly displayed under “shooting month”. (See Figure 10)
FIG. 11 shows an example in which the order of “photographing month” − “subject” is changed to “subject” − “photographing month”.

  For example, drag “Shooting Month” and drop it on the subject. In this case, the folder information correction unit corrects the XML data. This correction preferably uses a style sheet. In other words, it is possible to easily modify a style sheet by preparing a style sheet in the case where the upper and lower relations of the groups are switched as in this example and applying it.

  In this example, the metadata correction means does nothing because the included group name has not changed.

  As a result, in the folder information display means, for example, when the 200507 folder is clicked, the display means extracts the file included in the attribute “month” and the element “200507” from the XML data, so that the month information is displayed. Both “yuu” and “dan” images are displayed.

<Folder structure configuration means>
The folder structure configuring means is a means for configuring the folder structure according to the updated folder information. For example, if there is a folder to which the group name “subject” is assigned below the folder to which the group name “shooting month” is assigned (see FIG. 12), the upper group is set as the subject name, and the lower part thereof is the shooting month group. This is a means for changing the folder structure when the folder structure is changed.

  In the file management program of the present invention having the above-described means, it is possible to easily search even if a third party browses the folder structure by assigning a group name to the file, and further edit the group name. Therefore, the folder structure can be easily changed.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure when a group name is provided. It is a directory tree figure when designating a group name. It is a directory tree figure when giving a group name. It is a flowchart figure which shows the other Example when a group name is provided. It is a figure when giving a group name collectively to the same hierarchy. It is a figure which shows the example in the case of performing a keyword search about the image to which the metafile was provided. It is a conceptual diagram of an XML format. It is the figure which displayed folder information. It is a figure which shows when a group name is deleted. It is a figure which shows the example when it is desired to make "subject"-"photographing month" in the order of "photographing month"-"subject". It is a figure which shows an example when using a folder structure structure means.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Display device 3 Operating device 4 External storage device 5 System control part 6 Internally attached hard disk

Claims (10)

In a file management device that records files in a hierarchical folder structure,
Group folders or files,
A file management apparatus comprising group name assigning means for assigning a group name to a group. 2. The file management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising metadata recording means for recording the file or a group name assigned to the folder to which the file belongs as metadata in the file. The file management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the metadata recording unit records the group name when the group name is assigned to the folder included in the path of the file. 4. The file management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the group name assigning unit assigns the same group name to the folder or the file in the same hierarchy. 5. 5. The file management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a folder information recording unit configured to record as folder information together with the group name assigned with the folder structure. 6. The file management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the folder information recording unit records the folder information in an XML format. 7. The file management apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising folder information display means for displaying the folder information in accordance with the recorded folder information. 8. The file according to claim 5, further comprising: folder information editing means for editing the folder information; and folder updating means for updating the folder information according to the edited folder information. Management device. 9. The file management apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising metadata updating means for updating the metadata assigned to the file in accordance with the updated folder information. 9. The file management apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a folder structure configuration unit configured to configure the folder structure according to the updated folder information.

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