JP2008077271A - Electronic device having content storage function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily recover a content file by setting a deletion level of the content file which has needed data processing in storing the content file to a recoverable deletion level. <P>SOLUTION: An electronic device having a content storage function includes a control section 11 for controlling deletion processing of the content file, sets a first deletion level for a content list 19 for a content file applied with data processing by a data processing section 15 and stored in a content storage memory 24, sets a second deletion level for the list 19 for a content file stored in the memory 24 without being applied with data processing. If the content file which has been applied with the deletion processing by an operation section is set to the first deletion level, the device moves the content file from the memory 24 to a deletion memory section 18 to store the content file, and if the content file is set to the second deletion level, the device deletes the content file from the memory 24. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus such as a music player or a DVD player having a content storage function for storing music and image content files, and in particular, sets a deletion level of stored content files to any one of a plurality of levels. In an electronic apparatus having a deletion level that can restore a content file that has been once deleted, the deletion level of the content file that has been processed and processed among the content files to be stored is set to a recoverable deletion level. The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus having a content storage function.

  Recently, various electronic devices such as a navigation device, a music player, a DVD player, and a television receiver compatible with analog broadcasting and digital broadcasting have been miniaturized and provided as portable devices or in-vehicle devices. In particular, as a vehicle-mounted device, an electronic device having a combination of the various functions described above is also provided.

  In particular, in an electronic device that can be connected to a network such as the Internet and receive a data communication service, when it has a function such as a music player or a DVD player, it accesses various content providing servers via the network, There is also provided a configuration in which a desired content file can be selected, downloaded for a fee and free of charge, and stored in a storage device in the device itself.

  In addition, even if the electronic device does not have a data communication function, the portable recording medium is connected to a personal computer if the electronic device has an input / output interface with a portable recording medium such as an SD card or a flash memory device. Then, use the data communication function of the personal computer to access various content providing servers, select the desired content file, download it free of charge, gratuitously, and temporarily store it on a portable recording medium. A content file temporarily stored by connecting a medium to an electronic device having a function such as a music player or a DVD player can be read and stored in the electronic device.

  By the way, in such an electronic device, there is a limitation on the storage capacity of the storage device for storing the content file. Therefore, if the desired content file is stored one by one, the storage capacity is insufficient. In this case, it is not possible to save a new content file unless the content files that are less likely to be used for reproduction are sequentially deleted from the saved content files to secure a free space in the storage device.

  Generally, when a content file stored in an electronic device is deleted, an operation for deleting a necessary content file may be mistakenly performed. For this reason, not only a content file but also a data file created by a user is deleted by a method of deleting data by a two-stage process. That is, at the stage where data is simply deleted, the data is moved from the data storage area where the data is stored to a deleted file area called a trash can. It can be selected and returned to the original storage area. The data is completely deleted when the final deletion process is performed again on the data in the deletion file area.

  In such a data file deletion method, the used storage capacity does not change in the storage capacity of the entire storage device only by performing one-stage deletion processing, and data in the deletion file area is used to increase the unused storage area. It is necessary to perform a process for complete deletion. This operation must be performed by the user for each piece of data in the deleted file area, and is complicated when the number of data is large.

  Therefore, by assigning a data deletion level to each content file, data can be completely deleted by a single deletion process, and data can be moved to the deletion file area and restored when necessary. A deletion method is proposed in which the data is classified into data to be deleted. For example, the following Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 11-232840) discloses a “storage device” employing such a deletion method.

  That is, in the storage device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the erasure level is divided into three levels of 1 to 3, and data that is frequently used for each content file can be restored based on the frequency of use of each content file. The data that is not used frequently is completely erased. Erase level 1 is assigned to frequently used data and is temporarily erased in the trash box 1. Erase level 2 is assigned to data with a relatively high frequency of use and is temporarily deleted in the trash box 2. The erasure level 3 is assigned to data that is used infrequently and is classified as a level for complete erasure.

The erasure level 0 is assigned to an active content file and stored in a reproducible storage area. In addition, the erasure level is determined by recording the usage history of each content file, setting a slice level that determines the frequency of use, and automatically changing the usage level depending on the usage status of the content file. ing.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-232840 (FIGS. 12, 13, and 15)

  By the way, when storing a content file in an electronic device such as a music player or a DVD player, the content file data itself has already been converted into a data format that can be played back on the electronic device. There are cases where the data format is reproducible in the electronic device and can be stored as it is without a process of converting the data format.

  For example, if the music player is a device that supports MP3 (MPEG Audio-Layer 3) or ATRAC3 (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding), the digital music source (data) is compressed according to a format such as MP3 or ATRAC3. You need to save the data as a content file. If the content file itself is already compressed according to a format such as MP3 or ATRAC3, it can be stored as it is.

  Therefore, when a content file is stored in an electronic device, the content file is deleted when the content file is stored after being compressed and encoded into a data format supported by the electronic device and then deleted. If the data is to be stored again in the electronic device, it is necessary to process the electronic device again into a corresponding data format and store it. On the other hand, if the data format of the content file has already been processed according to the data format supported by the electronic device, there is no need to process the content file again when deleting the content file and saving the content file again.

  In general, content files such as the former are often used by users to select desired content from various sources, process it, and save it in an electronic device. In the latter case, the content file provided in advance by the server is downloaded as is. There are many. Therefore, the former has a problem that, after deleting the content file, to reproduce it, the user has to perform the operation of acquiring the content again, which is troublesome. In some cases, it cannot be re-acquired. On the other hand, in the latter case, there is no need for data processing when the content file is stored again, and it is not time-consuming, and it is often relatively easy to acquire the content file again.

  It is preferable that processing for deleting a content file stored in the electronic device can be handled according to the data format of the content file as described above. For example, it is preferable that a user can restore a content file that has been processed by encoding or compressing data, and the user can restore the content file. If a content file acquired from outside without data processing is deleted, Even if it cannot be restored, it is easy to re-acquire the content file, so there is no problem.

  In such a content file deletion process, when a deletion method such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applied, the deletion level is determined by the frequency of use of the content file, so data encoding processing, compression processing, etc. Even a content file that has been processed and saved has a problem that the deletion level is changed to the lowest level (complete deletion) if the frequency of use within a predetermined period is low.

  The inventor of the present application has made various studies in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. As a result, the deletion level of the saved content file is set to any one of a plurality of levels, and a deletion level at which the deleted content file can be restored is set. It is conceived that the above-mentioned problems can be solved if the deletion level of the content file processed and processed among the content files to be stored is set to a recoverable deletion level among the content files to be stored. Thus, the present invention has been completed.

  That is, the present invention sets a deletion level of a saved content file to any one of a plurality of levels, and in an electronic apparatus having a deletion level that can restore a content file that has been deleted once, when the content file is saved, It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic apparatus having a content storage function that makes it possible to easily restore a content file by setting the deletion level of a file that requires processing processing to a recoverable deletion level.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is
Content storage memory, a list of content files stored in the content storage memory, a deletion memory unit that moves and stores deleted content files from the content storage memory, and data processing is required when saving content files A data processing unit that performs predetermined data processing on a content file, an operation unit that performs a deletion process by specifying a content file stored in the content storage memory, a control unit that controls a deletion process of the content file, A content file that has been processed by the data processing unit and stored in a content storage memory, the first deletion level is set in the content list, and the content file is stored in the content storage memory without data processing For the content list When the second deletion level is set and the content file that has been deleted by the operation unit is set to the first deletion level, the corresponding content file is transferred from the content storage memory to the deletion memory unit. The content file is moved and stored, and when the second deletion level is set, the corresponding content file is deleted from the content storage memory.

  The invention according to claim 2 of the present application is the electronic device having the content storage function according to claim 1, wherein the content list further includes a data size, a storage date and time, and a usage for each content file stored in the content storage memory. The frequency is stored, and the control unit sets the deletion priority from the data size, the storage date and time, and the usage frequency for all the content files for which the second deletion level is set. When the deletion operation is performed, the control unit performs the deletion process corresponding to each deletion level based on the deletion level set for each content file to be deleted and the deletion priority. It is characterized by performing.

  Furthermore, the invention according to claim 3 of the present application is characterized in that, in the electronic device having the content storage function according to claim 2, the deletion priority sets the usage frequency to the first priority.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic apparatus having the content storage function according to the second aspect, the deletion priority sets the data size to the first priority.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic apparatus having the content storage function according to the second aspect, the deletion priority sets the storage date and time to the first priority.

  Furthermore, in the invention according to claim 6 of the present application, in the electronic apparatus having the content storage function according to claim 1, the content file moved to the deletion memory unit and designated and stored is deleted from the operation unit. When the control is performed, the control unit performs a complete deletion process on the designated content file.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, for a content file that has been processed and stored in a content storage memory, a content stored in the content storage memory without setting the first deletion level is set in the content list. For a file, a second deletion level is set in the content list, and during the content file deletion process, the content file with the first deletion level set is moved to the deletion memory unit, and the second deletion level is set. The content file to which is set is completely deleted from the apparatus.

  According to such a configuration, when storing music content in an electronic device having a music player function, the content file processed and stored in a data format compatible with the music player function has a first deletion level. When the content file deletion process is set and the content file is deleted, the content file is moved from the content storage memory to the deletion memory. For this reason, if you want to reproduce the content file, you can reproduce it from the deletion memory, save the work of data processing, and even if the content is lost from an external source, It can be reproduced.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electronic device having the content storage function according to the first aspect, the content list further includes a data size, a storage date, and a use frequency for each content file stored in the content storage memory. The control unit sets the deletion priority from the data size, the storage date and time, and the usage frequency for all the content files for which the second deletion level is set, and the operation unit sets a plurality of content files. When a deletion operation is performed, the control unit performs a deletion process corresponding to each deletion level based on the deletion level set for each content file to be deleted and the deletion priority. Do.

  According to such a configuration, when deletion processing of a plurality of content files is performed, the deletion priority of each content file to which the second deletion level that is completely deleted immediately is set is the data size, the storage date, Since the deletion priority is set according to the frequency of use and the deletion level of the high priority content file is changed to the first deletion level, it can be easily reproduced when the high priority content file is deleted. It becomes like this.

  Further, in the inventions according to claims 3 to 5, in the electronic device having the content storage function according to claim 2, respectively, the deletion priority is set with the use frequency or the data size or the storage date as the first priority. Is done. Therefore, if priority is given to content files that are used frequently, content files that have a small data size, or new content files that have been saved, the content files can be easily reproduced if they are deleted.

  In the invention according to claim 6, when a deletion process is performed from the operation unit by specifying a content file that has been moved and stored in the deletion memory unit, the control unit performs the specified content file Is deleted completely. Therefore, it becomes possible to completely delete the content file by designating the content file in which the first deletion level is set.

  Hereinafter, specific examples of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples and drawings. However, the embodiment described below exemplifies an electronic apparatus having a content storage function for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention is applied to the electronic apparatus having a content storage function of this embodiment. The present invention is not intended to be specified, and is equally applicable to electronic devices having content storage functions of other embodiments included in the scope of claims.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic device 10 having a content storage function according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device 10 is an in-vehicle electronic device and includes a map storage unit 16, a GPS receiving unit 17, a music player unit 21, a DVD player unit 22, and a broadcast receiving unit 23, and includes a navigation function, a music player function, a DVD player function, This is a composite electronic device having a receiving function for radio broadcasting and television broadcasting.

  Although not shown, the control unit 11 is a microprocessor having a RAM, a ROM, and a processor, and controls the operation of each unit by a control program stored in the ROM. The operation unit 12 is for operation / input including numeric keys, alphabet keys, cursor operation keys, other function keys, selection keys, scroll keys, and the like, and a menu displayed on the display unit 13 as output means. Various input operations are performed by selecting a desired menu from the screen or operating keys. Therefore, the display unit 13 also functions as a part of the operation unit 12.

  Each function such as each navigation function is switched by operating a function key provided on the operation unit 12. When the navigation function is selected, the distance between the two points or the required time is the smallest with reference to the road data stored in the map storage unit 16 according to the position information of the departure place and the destination set by the operation unit 12 The optimum route is searched, and the optimum route is displayed on the display unit 13 together with the map. The GPS receiver 17 receives a GPS satellite signal, calculates a current position, and draws a current position mark on the map.

  In addition, the electronic device 10 includes a data input unit 14, a data processing unit 15, a deletion memory unit 18, a content list 19, and a content storage memory 24. The data input unit 14 is for inputting data to the electronic apparatus 10 and includes a communication interface for acquiring data via a network, an interface for inputting data from a portable recording medium, and the like.

  The music player unit 21 reproduces music content in a predetermined data format, and is a player that supports, for example, MP3 (MPEG audio-layer 3) and ATRAC3 (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding). When a content file in which a music source (data) is recorded from the data input unit 14 is stored in the content storage memory 24, if the data recorded in the content file is recorded in a data format corresponding to MP3 or ATRAC3, the data file is stored as it is. The content file is stored in the content storage memory 24. The content storage memory 24 is composed of a hard disk unit.

  On the other hand, when the data recorded in the content file input from the data input unit 14 is not recorded in a data format corresponding to MP3 or ATRAC3, the control unit 11 corresponds to the data format corresponding to MP3 or ATRAC3 in the data processing unit 15. Processing into a data format, for example, processing such as conversion of a compression format, is performed and stored in the content storage memory 24. A list of contents stored in the content storage memory 24 is recorded in the content list 19. The content file stored in the content storage memory 24 can be deleted by operating the operation unit 12.

  The structure of data recorded in the content list 19 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the content list 19 records a file name, a content title, a deletion level, a data size, a storage date and time, and a usage frequency for each content file. There are two deletion levels, “1” and “0”, and the first deletion level “1” is set for the content file stored in the content storage memory 24 after data processing in the data processing unit 15. A second deletion level “0” is set for the content file stored in the content storage memory 24 without data processing.

  When the deletion process of the content file set to the first deletion level “1” is performed, the corresponding content file is moved from the content storage memory 24 to the deletion memory unit 18. Therefore, if the content file moved to the deletion memory unit 18 is returned to the content storage memory 24, the deleted content file can be restored. On the other hand, when the deletion process of the content file set at the second deletion level “0” is performed, the corresponding content file is deleted from the content storage memory 24 and is completely deleted from the electronic device 10.

  Further, every time a content file is selected and reproduced by the music player unit 21 or the like, the frequency of use of the content list 19 is updated. The control unit 11 sets the deletion priority for each content file set to the second deletion level “0” based on the data size, the storage date and time, and the usage frequency recorded in the content list 19. For example, the content file having a frequency equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold is changed to the first deletion level “1” with the usage frequency as the first priority. On the other hand, content data that is frequently used has a higher deletion level, and even if it is deleted, it is moved to the deletion memory unit 18 so that it can be restored. Note that the deletion priority may be set by giving priority to the data size and setting the content file having a small data size with the first priority, or giving priority to the storage date and time. Furthermore, the deletion priority can be set by a combination of weighted usage frequency, storage date and time, and data size.

  In this way, when a plurality of content files are specified and the deletion process is performed, not only the content file at the first deletion level but also the content file originally at the second deletion level, Since a content file having a high deletion priority is moved from the content storage memory 24 to the deletion memory unit 18, when there is a content file desired to be restored, it can be returned from the deletion memory 18 to the content storage memory 24.

  Next, content file storage processing and deletion processing procedures in the electronic apparatus described above will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of content file storage processing. If there is an instruction to fetch the content file from the data input unit 14 in the process of step S11 and store it in the content storage memory 24, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the data recorded in the content file needs to be processed in the process of step S12. Determine.

  If data processing is necessary, the data processing unit 15 performs the necessary data processing in step S13, and the file name, content title, and storage date and time of the content file are recorded in the content list 19 in the processing of step S14. At this time, since data processing is being performed, the first deletion level “1” is set, the content file is stored in the content storage memory 24 in the process of step S16, and the process ends.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in the determination process in step S12 that the data processing of the content file is not necessary, the file name, content title, and storage date / time of the content file are recorded in the process in step S15. At this time, since data processing is not performed, the second deletion level “0” is set, the content file is stored in the content storage memory 24 in the process of step S16, and the process ends.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of content file deletion processing. When there is an instruction to designate a content file from the operation unit 12 and delete the content file from the content storage memory 24 in the process of step S21, the control unit 11 refers to the content list 19 in the process of step S22 and the corresponding content file. The deletion level is acquired, and it is determined whether or not the deletion level is the first deletion level “1” in the process of step S23.

  When the deletion level of the content file designated for deletion is the first deletion level “1”, the control unit 11 moves the content file from the content storage memory 24 to the deletion memory unit 18 and ends the process. On the other hand, when the deletion level of the content file specified for deletion is not the first deletion level “1” (when the deletion level is “0”), the control unit 11 specifies the content file specified from the content storage memory 24. Is deleted and the processing ends. The content file is completely deleted from the electronic device 10 by this deletion process.

  In the above description, the procedure for storing and deleting content files in which music data to be played back by the music player unit 21 is recorded has been described. However, image data to be played back by the DVD player unit 22 is recorded. The same applies to content files.

  As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to adopt a deletion mode that can be restored depending on whether or not it is easy to restore a deleted content file, and a deletion mode that cannot be restored.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electronic device which has a content storage function concerning the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the content list which memorize | stores the list of the content files preserve | saved at the electronic device. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the preservation | save process of the content file in the electronic device which has a content preservation | save function concerning the Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the deletion process of the content file in the electronic device which has a content preservation | save function concerning the Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Electronic device 11 ... Control part 12 ... Operation part 13 ... Display part 14 ... Data input part 15 ... Data processing part 16 ... Map Storage unit 17 ... GPS receiver 18 ... Delete memory unit 19 ... Content list 21 ... Music player unit 22 ... DVD player unit 23 ... Broadcast receiver 24 .... Content storage memory

Claims (6)

  Content storage memory, a list of content files stored in the content storage memory, a deletion memory unit that moves and stores deleted content files from the content storage memory, and data processing is required when saving content files A data processing unit that performs predetermined data processing on a content file, an operation unit that performs a deletion process by specifying a content file stored in the content storage memory, a control unit that controls a deletion process of the content file, A content file that has been processed by the data processing unit and stored in a content storage memory, the first deletion level is set in the content list, and the content file is stored in the content storage memory without data processing For the content list When the second deletion level is set and the content file that has been deleted by the operation unit is set to the first deletion level, the corresponding content file is transferred from the content storage memory to the deletion memory unit. An electronic device having a content storage function, wherein the electronic device has a content storage function, wherein the electronic device has a content storage function that moves and stores and deletes a corresponding content file from the content storage memory when the second deletion level is set.   The content list further stores a data size, a storage date / time, and a usage frequency for each content file stored in the content storage memory, and the control unit is configured to store all the content files for which the second deletion level is set. A deletion priority is set based on the data size, storage date / time, and usage frequency, the deletion level of the content file having a high priority is changed to the first deletion level, and a plurality of content files are deleted from the operation unit. 2. The electronic apparatus having a content storage function according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs a deletion process according to the deletion level set for each content file to be deleted. .   3. The electronic apparatus having a content storage function according to claim 2, wherein the deletion priority sets a usage frequency to a first priority.   3. The electronic apparatus having a content storage function according to claim 2, wherein the deletion priority sets a data size to a first priority.   3. The electronic apparatus having a content storage function according to claim 2, wherein the deletion priority sets a storage date and time as a first priority.   The control unit performs a complete deletion process on the specified content file when a deletion process is performed from the operation unit by designating a content file that has been moved and stored in the deletion memory unit. An electronic device having the content storage function according to Item 1.

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