JP2009259121A - Data management device, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a data management device, method and program that allow easily selection of a group of data to which additional information should be provided. <P>SOLUTION: The data management device designates one or a plurality of data from a group of data, creates an extraction rule based on additional information provided to the data designated, extracts one or a plurality of data from the group of data based on the extraction rule created, and extracts from the group of data the one or the plurality of data to which the additional information capable of varying the extraction rule has been provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for managing data based on additional information added to data.

  In recent years, simple data creation devices such as digital cameras, word processors, sound creation devices, music creation devices have been developed. Furthermore, with the development of computers having large-capacity storage devices and products incorporating computers, the accumulation of large amounts of data in the storage devices of computers and products incorporating computers has increased rapidly.

  Under such circumstances, there is a need to select desired data from a large amount of data stored in the storage device. However, it is very difficult to select desired data while checking each piece of data because it takes labor and time. Therefore, Patent Literature 1 proposes a technique of updating and displaying the number of data corresponding to the search key combination every time the selected search key combination is changed.

  However, if the data is text data, it is possible to select desired data relatively easily by using a character string search. However, if the data does not have text data, such as image data, the data can be It must be confirmed one at a time, and the work becomes complicated.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to cope with such a problem, a technique is known in which related information (metadata) is assigned to data, and data is managed or searched based on the information. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for estimating and presenting metadata having a high probability to be given from shooting scene information and shooting time given to data immediately before the shooting data when metadata is given to the shooting data. Proposed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-332960 Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-0665121

  In the technique proposed in Patent Document 1 described above, if a search key (for example, a word or data value) that serves as a search condition is known in advance, the number of searches can be confirmed by inputting the search key. However, in a case where a certain image data (photograph) is searched from an ambiguous memory of the user, a search key cannot be designated and desired data cannot be found.

  Further, since the technique proposed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2 assumes a case where shooting is performed according to a predetermined scenario, it is not possible to deal with a shooting target without a scenario.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a data management apparatus, method, and program capable of easily selecting a data group to which additional information is to be given.

  In order to achieve the above object, a data management apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first data designating unit that designates one or more data from a data group, and data designated by the first data designating unit. Creating means for creating an extraction rule based on the given additional information; second data extracting means for extracting one or more data from the data group based on the extraction rule created by the creating means; And a third data extracting means for extracting one or a plurality of data to which additional information that can change the extraction rule created by the creating means is extracted from the data group.

  The data management method according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first step of creating an extraction rule based on additional information given to one or a plurality of data designated from a data group, and the first step A second step of extracting one or a plurality of data from the data group based on the extraction rule created by 1 and additional information that can change the extraction rule created by the first step are given 1 Or a third step of extracting a plurality of data from the data group.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program that adds a computer to first data designating means for designating one or a plurality of data from a data group and to data designated by the first data designating means. Creation means for creating an extraction rule based on information, second data extraction means for extracting one or more data from the data group based on the extraction rule created by the creation means, and extraction created by the creation means It is made to function as a 3rd data extraction means which extracts the 1 or several data provided with the additional information which can change a rule from the said data group.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily select a data group to which additional information is to be given. As a result, when a large amount of data is classified, the classification intended by the user can be easily performed without requiring specialized knowledge or familiarity.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a data management apparatus, method, and program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following embodiments, a case where the data management apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a remote controller will be described as an example.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  A digital TV 1 includes a display unit, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an HD, a recording medium insertion slot, a network interface, and the like. For example, software that displays and reproduces data (hereinafter referred to as content) such as still images and moving images stored in other devices on the network is incorporated in the digital TV 1.

  Reference numeral 2 denotes a general local area network. The digital TV 1 is connected to the media server 3 and a moving / still image recording / storage device such as a hard disk recorder through the network 2.

  A general media server 3 is connected to the digital TV 1 or the like via a local area network or the like. The media server 3 records still images and moving images, and responds to the request source with data such as still images in response to a data transmission request sent via the local area network.

  Reference numeral 4 denotes a general AV remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller), which includes a display unit, a key switch, a CPU, a memory, a wireless LAN chip, and the like. The remote controller 4 is associated with the digital TV 1, and can give various instructions to the digital TV 1 by user operations from the remote controller 4.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the remote controller 4 shown in FIG.

  The remote controller 4 includes an instruction input unit 6, a display unit 7, a CPU 8, a RAM 9, a ROM 10, a flash memory 11, and a wireless LAN 12. These units are connected via the system bus 5.

  The instruction input unit 6 includes key switches (including an arrow key, an OK button, a menu button, and the like) and the like, and inputs a key input code from the key switch to the CPU 8 via the system bus 5. For example, the cursor displayed on the display unit 7 can be moved by pressing an arrow key. For example, a menu screen or the like can be displayed on the display unit 7 by pressing an OK button, a menu button, or the like.

  The display unit 7 includes a liquid crystal display element, a liquid crystal control circuit, a display memory, and the like, and displays various images based on instructions from the CPU 8.

  The CPU 8 executes a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 10 using a RAM (Random Access Memory) 9 as a work area, and performs overall control of operations in the remote controller 4.

  The flash memory 11 stores various information and is connected to the CPU 8 via the system bus 5. The flash memory 11 stores content such as still images and moving images, setting information, and the like.

  A wireless local area network (LAN) 12 is a communication interface that manages communication with a personal computer and AV equipment. For example, data exchange between the remote controller 4 and the digital TV 1 or the media server 3 is realized by the wireless LAN 12. Note that the communication interface is not limited to a wireless LAN, and may be, for example, infrared rays, or may be wired without being limited to wireless.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the remote controller 4 shown in FIG. Note that the functional configuration of the remote controller 4 is realized by the CPU 8 executing a control program stored in the ROM 10, for example.

  The remote controller 4 includes a first data specifying unit 51, an extraction rule creation unit 52, a second data extraction unit 53, a third data extraction unit 54, a display processing unit 55, and a control unit 56. Configured.

  The first data designating unit 51 designates (selects) the content from which the extraction rule is created in accordance with an instruction from a selection key or the like on the remote controller 4. This content designation is performed from, for example, a content group stored in the media server 3.

  The extraction rule creation unit 52 creates an extraction rule based on additional information (details will be described later) of one or more contents designated by the first data designation unit 51. Further, the second data extraction unit 53 extracts content that matches the extraction rule created by the extraction rule creation unit 52.

  The third data extraction unit 54 extracts content that can change the extraction rule created by the extraction rule creation unit 52. That is, content having additional information different from the content specified by the first data specifying unit 51 is extracted.

  The display processing unit 55 displays various screens including content. In the present embodiment, a case where display by the display processing unit 55 is performed on the display unit 7 of the remote controller 4 will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, various screens may be displayed on the screen of the digital TV 1.

  The control unit 56 comprehensively controls operations related to content processing in the remote controller 4. The functional configuration shown in FIG. 3 operates in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 56. The control unit 56 also controls input / output of data generated between the functions, for example.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a content capturing screen displayed on the display unit 7 of the remote controller 4 shown in FIG.

  The content capture screen is roughly divided into a thumbnail display area 20 and a menu display area 21. The thumbnail display area 20 is an area in which thumbnails of content captured from a digital camera or the like are displayed. Reference numeral 25 denotes a scroll bar for scrolling the display of the thumbnail display area 20.

  The menu display area 21 is displayed when a menu button is pressed from the remote controller 4, for example. The menu display area 21 is provided with a metadata creation button 22, a delete button 23, a print button 24, and the like. When the metadata creation button 22 is pressed, the content selected in the thumbnail display area 20 is selected as the content for creating metadata. When the delete button 23 is pressed, the content selected in the thumbnail display area 20 is deleted. When the print button 24 is pressed, the selected content is printed.

  Here, a process when the metadata creation button 22 is pressed will be briefly described. When this button is pressed, the content having the same condition as the content selected by the user in the thumbnail display area 20 is searched by the extraction rule created based on the selected content. Then, information desired by the user is given to the searched content. For example, if two photographed photographs of a Finnish trip are selected in the thumbnail display area 20 and entered as a Finnish trip, the metadata “Finland” is applied to the photograph having the same conditions as the selected photograph, for example, the photographed date. "Travel" can be set. In addition to this, for example, when a group photo taken by the self-timer in the thumbnail display area 20 is selected and entered as a group photo, metadata called group photo can be set for all the photos taken by the self-timer. .

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing when creating an extraction rule based on one or a plurality of contents.

  In the content capture screen shown in FIG. 4, for example, when one or more photos are selected from the thumbnail display area 20 by a remote control operation by the user and the metadata creation button 22 is pressed, this process is started.

  When this processing is started, the remote controller 4 first determines in the control unit 56 whether the number of contents selected by the user is one or more. This determination is made because the processing contents differ between the case where there is one selected content and the case where there are a plurality of selected contents.

  As a result of the determination, if there is one selected content (YES in step S5-1), the remote controller 4 reads additional information from the selected content in the control unit 56 (step S5-3). . Additional information refers to information given to content such as attribute information and metadata. In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which the content is JPEG and EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is additional information. The EXIF includes information such as shooting date information, shooting location GPS information, shooting model information, lens information, aperture and ISO sensitivity information, flash ON / OFF information, shooting distance, and the like. In the present embodiment, to simplify the description, it is assumed that the selected content is JPEG, and the shooting date and time, the shooting model, and GPS information are read as additional information.

  When the additional information is read, the remote controller 4 causes the extraction rule creation unit 52 to create an extraction rule from the read additional information (step S5-4). For example, if the shooting date is January 1, 2007 and the shooting model is Camera A, an extraction rule is created to extract content that is the same as the date and model and that has the same GPS information. To do. Note that the extraction rule may be created with some tolerance. For example, in the case of shooting date / time information, the extraction rule may be created by cutting off the time information and using only the date information. Similarly, in the case of GPS information, an extraction rule may be created while allowing a range of about 1 km from the position indicated by the information.

  If it is determined in step S5-1 that there are a plurality of selected contents (NO in step S5-1), the remote controller 4 determines whether or not the control unit 56 is in the common condition mode. To do. In this determination, the common condition mode is determined when a plurality of contents are initially selected, and the non-common condition mode is determined when a different content is selected in addition to the selected contents.

  If it is determined that the common condition mode is selected (YES in step S5-2), the remote controller 4 reads additional information from a plurality of contents selected by the user in the control unit 56 (step S5-5). ). Then, common information (common information) is acquired from the additional information read from the plurality of contents (step S5-6). For example, if all of the plurality of contents are taken by the camera A, the shooting model: camera A is acquired as common information. When the common information is acquired, an extraction rule is created based on the common information (step S5-7). Thereafter, the work area and the like are released, and this process ends.

  When it is determined in step S5-2 that the mode is not the common condition mode (NO in step S5-2), the remote controller 4 reads additional information from the plurality of contents selected by the user in the control unit 56 ( Step S5-8). Then, both common information (common information) and non-common information (non-common information) are acquired from the additional information read from the plurality of contents (steps S5-9 and S5-10). The common information is the same as the information acquired in step S5-6. Non-common information is, for example, information that includes two contents and is photographed with camera A and camera B, respectively, and the photographing model is camera A and camera B, but is not common. is there.

  When the common information and the non-common information are acquired in this way, the remote controller 4 creates an extraction rule based on both pieces of information in the extraction rule creation unit 52 (step S5-11). In the case of non-common information, an extraction rule is obtained by enclosing each condition with a logical sum (OR condition). Then, after the work area or the like is released, this process ends.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a content correction instruction screen displayed on the display unit 7 of the remote controller 4 shown in FIG.

  The content correction instruction screen is roughly divided into a first area 26, a second area 27, and a third area 28. On the content correction instruction screen, an extraction rule is created based on the content displayed in the first area 26. Content that matches the created extraction rule is displayed in the second area 27. The extraction rule is created by the procedure described with reference to FIG.

  In the third area 28, content having additional information that can change the created extraction rule is displayed. That is, when the content displayed in the third area 28 is moved to the first area 26 and a new extraction rule is created in that state, an extraction rule different from that before the content movement is created. become.

  Reference numeral 29 denotes a cursor display. In this case, the cursor points to the third area 28. Reference numeral 30 denotes a scroll bar, and when this is moved, the display of the third area 28 is scrolled.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing when content is displayed in the third area 28.

  When this process is started, the remote controller 4 first initializes a work area such as the RAM 9 in the control unit 56 and develops content that does not match the current extraction rule in the work area (step S7-1). . For example, if the current extraction rule is shooting date and time: January 4, 2007, all other shooting date contents are expanded in the work area. Note that the current extraction rule refers to an extraction rule created based on the content currently displayed in the first area 26.

  Next, the remote controller 4 acquires one content from the content expanded in the work area in the control unit 56 (step S7-2). Then, the extraction rule creation unit 52 creates an extraction rule from the acquired content and the content displayed in the first area 26 (step S7-3). For example, the current extraction rule is shooting date / time: January 1, 2006, shooting model: camera A, and additional information of the read content is shooting date / time: January 2, 2006, shooting model information: camera B, GPS Information: Suppose there was none. In this case, in the extraction rules based on these contents, the shooting date and time is from January 1 to January 2, 2006, and the shooting model is camera A or camera B.

  When the extraction rule is created in this way, the remote controller 4 checks in the control unit 56 whether the same extraction rule as the created extraction rule already exists. This determination is performed in order to prevent a plurality of contents for changing to the same extraction rule from being displayed in the third area 28.

  If there is no identical extraction rule (NO in step S7-4), the remote controller 4 associates the created extraction rule with the thumbnail of the content acquired in step S7-2 in the control unit 56 in the RAM 9 (Step S7-5).

  Subsequently, the remote controller 4 sorts the stored extraction rules and content thumbnails based on the change amount of the extraction rules in the control unit 56 (step S7-6). Here, this sort will be briefly described. For example, it is assumed that the current extraction rule is shooting date: January 1, 2007, shooting model: camera A, and contents A to C are contents that can change the extraction rule. Here, for example, when the extraction rule is created by adding the content A, it is assumed that the shooting date is changed from January 1 to 2, 2007. In addition, when the extraction rule is created by adding the content B, it is assumed that the shooting date is changed from January 1 to 7, 2007. Further, when the extraction rule is created by adding the content C, the shooting date is January 1 to January 10, 2007, and the shooting model is changed to the camera A or the camera B. In this case, if these contents are sorted in the order of the change amount of the extraction rule, the contents are sorted in the order of contents A, B, and C. That is, in this sorting process, the contents are rearranged in the order from the smallest change amount of the extraction rule.

  After sorting, the remote controller 4 checks the control unit 56 for unprocessed content. If there is unprocessed content (YES in step S7-7), the process returns to step S7-2 again. On the other hand, if all the contents have been processed (NO in step S7-7), the remote controller 4 displays the contents stored in step S7-5 in the order sorted in step S7-6 in the display processing unit 55. (Step S7-8). That is, content having additional information that can change the current extraction rule in the third area 28 shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the display unit 7 of the remote controller 4. Thereafter, the work area is released, and this process ends.

  In the above description, the case of sorting by the change amount of the extraction rule has been described. However, the sorting may be performed by the number of contents that match the extraction rule stored in step S7-5.

  In the above description, all contents that do not match the current extraction rule are expanded in the work area in step S7-1. However, conditions may be provided for the expanded contents. For example, if there is a shooting date and time in the current extraction rule, the user may be instructed to indicate the hour before and after that date, within 3 days, within 1 year, etc., and narrow down the content to be developed. For example, if there is a shooting model in the current extraction rule, the user may be prompted to specify the model name, and the content to be developed may be narrowed down. In addition, for example, if there is a condition of a red image in the current extraction rule, a user interface for selecting an additional color is provided, and the user is instructed to add an image color to narrow down contents to be developed. You may do it. In addition, a user interface for inputting a threshold value for the number of contents that matches the extracted extraction rule is provided, and a number of contents that fall within the threshold value input via the interface are displayed in the third area 28. It may be.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when displaying the changed extraction rule as a temporary extraction rule.

  When this processing is started, the remote controller 4 first initializes the work area such as the RAM 9 in the control unit 56 and whether any or all of the content displayed in the first area 26 is in a selected state. Determine whether or not.

  Here, if any or all of the content displayed in the first area 26 is in the selected state (YES in step S8-1), the remote controller 4 shifts to the content replacement mode (step S8-2). Otherwise (NO in step S8-1), the remote controller 4 shifts to the content addition mode (step S8-3). In the content replacement mode, the content in the first area 26 in the selected state is replaced with the content specified by the user with a cursor or the like. Further, in the content addition mode, content specified by the user with a cursor or the like is added to the first area 26.

  The remote controller 4 is in a standby state until the display button is pressed after the content displayed in either the second area 27 or the third area 28 is selected by a key operation by the user (step S8-). No at 4). If the content of the second area 27 is selected, it is expected that the content to be extracted is narrowed down from the current state. Moreover, if the content of the 3rd area | region 28 is selected, it is anticipated that a new extraction rule will be added and extraction content will increase.

  Here, when content is selected by a user's key operation and the display button is pressed (YES in step S8-4), the remote controller 4 causes the extraction rule creation unit 52 to set an extraction rule based on the selected content. Create (step S8-5). In addition, the extraction rule according to the mode in transfer is produced. Specifically, in the content replacement mode, an extraction rule is created when the content selected in the first area 26 and the content selected in step S8-4 are replaced. In addition, in the content addition mode, an extraction rule is created when the content selected in step S8-4 is added to the first area 26.

  The remote controller 4 that has created the extraction rule in this way causes the display processing unit 55 to display it as a temporary extraction rule on the screen, that is, on the display unit 7 (step S8-6). For example, as shown in FIG. 9, an overlap window is displayed, and information on the temporary extraction rule created by the content selected in step S8-4 and the content in the selected area is displayed. For example, in this case, a provisional extraction rule indicating that the shooting model information is DXX1, the shooting date is 2000 to 2007, and the lens is 70 mm to 200 mm is displayed.

  If the user presses the cancel button from the remote controller 4 (NO in step S8-7), the process in step S8-4 is performed again. On the other hand, when the user presses the enter button from the remote controller 4 (YES in step S8-7), the remote controller 4 replaces the content selected in step S8-4 with the first area 26, or to add. As described above, whether the content is replaced or the content is added is switched according to the mode set in step S8-2 and step S8-3.

  After this processing, the remote controller 4 uses the extraction rule created in step S8-5 as the current extraction rule in the display processing unit 55, and the contents of the second region 27 and the third region 28 based on the extraction rule. The display is updated (step S8-8). For example, in the extraction rule before the change, it is assumed that the shooting date is from January 1, 2007 to January 4, 2007, and the shooting model is the camera A. Assuming that the content having additional information indicating that the shooting date is April 1, 2007 and the shooting model is Camera B is added to the first area 26, the changed extraction rule is that the shooting date is January 2007. From 1st to April 1st, 2007, the camera model is Camera A or Camera B.

  After the update display, the remote controller 4 performs a confirmation display as to whether or not this extraction rule is acceptable (step S8-9). When the user who confirms the display presses the cancel button on the remote controller 4 (NO in step S8-10), the process returns to step S8-1 again. On the other hand, when the user presses the OK button on the remote controller 4 (YES in step S8-10), the remote controller 4 displays a metadata setting screen for the user to input metadata in the display processing unit 55. This is displayed on the part 7 (step S8-11).

  When metadata is input by a remote control operation by the user, the remote controller 4 causes the control unit 56 to input the metadata input to one or a plurality of contents displayed in the second area 27 based on the changed extraction rule. Is added (step S8-12). For example, if the shooting date of the content extracted by the changed extraction rule is from January 1, 2007 to January 2, 2007, “2007 New Year” or the like is input from this metadata setting screen. The input metadata is given to the extracted content. As a result, it is possible to search for content by the keyword “New Year” or “2007 New Year”.

  In the description of the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, the extraction rule cannot be changed unless the temporary extraction rule is displayed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the extraction rule is changed without displaying the temporary extraction rule. You may do it.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, an extraction rule is created based on content additional information, content corresponding to the rule is displayed, and candidate content that can change the created extraction rule Is displayed. Then, when a user operation for giving an instruction to change the created extraction rule (change instruction using candidate content) is made, the temporary extraction rule is used as information indicating the change before and after the change before actually making the change. (Extraction rule after change) is displayed. Thus, the user can easily select a target data group when adding additional information such as metadata.

  Although description is omitted in the first embodiment, the extraction rule may be directly edited by a menu or an editing operation. For example, a general text box or the like may be displayed, and the extraction rule may be edited according to the contents input to the text box by the user.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, Embodiment 2 will be described. In the first embodiment, the case where the extracted extraction rule is displayed in advance as a temporary extraction rule has been described. In the second embodiment, the case where the number of contents extracted after the change is displayed will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the remote controller 4 according to the second embodiment. In addition, since what has the same code | symbol as FIG. 3 in Embodiment 1 is the same, it abbreviate | omits about the description. Here, only differences will be described.

  In addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, the remote control 4 is newly provided with an extraction number counting unit 57. The extraction number counting unit 57 counts the number of contents that match the temporary extraction rule. That is, the user can recognize the number of contents that match the temporary extraction rule before changing the extraction rule.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a content correction instruction screen according to the second embodiment. Since the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 6 in the first embodiment are the same, the description thereof is omitted. Here, only differences will be described.

  Content extraction numbers (35a to 40a) are displayed in association with the contents (35 to 40) displayed in the second area 27 and the third area 28, respectively. The number of content extraction basically indicates the number of content extracted when the content is moved to the first area 26 and a new extraction rule is created in that state. Here, as shown in FIG. 11, when the content 34 is selected in the area of the first area 26, the contents 33 in the non-selected state in the first area 26 and the contents in the other areas, respectively. The number of content extractions when the extraction rule is created is displayed. For example, in the case of the content 38, when the content 33 in the non-selected state and the extraction rule are created, 50 content items are displayed in the second area 27.

  Next, the flow of processing when content is displayed in the second area 27 will be described with reference to FIG.

  When this process is started, the remote controller 4 first initializes a work area such as the RAM 9 in the control unit 56 and develops content that matches the current extraction rule in the work area (step S12-1). . For example, it is assumed that the content 33 is shooting date and time: January 1, 2007, GPS information: Finland, and the content 34 is shooting date: January 4, 2007, and GPS information: Greece. In this case, the current extraction rule is that the shooting date is January 1, 2007 to January 4, 2007, and the GPS information is Finland or Greece.

  Next, the remote controller 4 acquires one content from the content expanded in the work area in the control unit 56 (step S12-2). Then, the extraction rule creation unit 52 creates an extraction rule from the acquired content and the non-selected content displayed in the first area 26 (step S12-3). For example, in the example shown in FIG. 11, the content 34 is selected from the content displayed in the first area 26, and the content 33 is not selected.

  When the extraction rule is created in this way, the remote controller 4 checks in the control unit 56 whether the same extraction rule as the created extraction rule already exists. This determination is performed in order to prevent a plurality of contents for changing to the same extraction rule from being displayed.

  If there is no identical extraction rule (NO in step S12-4), the remote controller 4 associates the created extraction rule with the thumbnail of the content acquired in step S12-2 in the control unit 56 in the RAM 9. (Step S12-5).

  Subsequently, the remote controller 4 checks in the control unit 56 whether there is unprocessed content. If there is unprocessed content (YES in step S12-7), the process returns to step S12-2 again. On the other hand, if the processing for all the contents has been completed (NO in step S12-7), the remote controller 4 causes the display processing unit 55 to display the content stored in the RAM 9 or the like in step S12-5 in the second area 27. (Step S12-8). Normally, content that matches the extraction rule created based on the content of the first region 26 is displayed in the second region 27. In this case, not all content that matches the extraction rule is displayed. Absent. That is, only the content whose extraction rule can be changed when it is replaced with the content displayed in the first area 26 among the content extracted by the current extraction rule is displayed. Here, the processing for displaying content in the third area 28 is not described here, but the display processing for this area can be performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  Next, the flow of processing when displaying the number of extracted contents will be described with reference to FIG. Here, it is assumed that the processing described with reference to FIG. 12 and FIG. 7 of the first embodiment is performed, and content is already displayed in the second area 27 and the third area 28.

  When this process is started, the remote controller 4 first initializes the work area such as the RAM 9 in the control unit 56 and develops the content in the non-selected state in the first area 26 into the work area (step S13). -1). For example, in the example shown in FIG. 11, the content 33 is read into the work area.

  Further, the remote controller 4 expands the content displayed in the second area 27 and the third area 28 into one work area in the control unit 56 (step S13-2). For example, in the example shown in FIG. 11, the contents 35, 36, 37, 39.

  Here, the remote controller 4 uses the extraction rule creating unit 52 to create an extraction rule from the non-selected content expanded in the work area in step S13-1 and the content expanded in the work area in step S13-2 (step S13). -3). The extraction rule is created in the same procedure as the process described with reference to FIG. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 11, an extraction rule is created from the content 33 and each of the content (35-40). For example, it is assumed that the content 33 is shooting date: January 1, 2007, GPS information: Finland, and the content 35 is shooting date: January 2, 2007, GPS information: Finland. In this case, the extraction rule is shooting date: January 1 to January 2, 2007, shooting location: GPS information: Finland.

  When the extraction rule is created in this way, the remote controller 4 causes the control unit 56 to store the created extraction rule in the RAM 9 or the like as a temporary extraction rule (step S13-4). Then, it is checked whether or not all contents have been processed. If there is still unprocessed content (NO in step S13-5), the process in step S13-2 is executed again. If all the contents have been processed (YES in step S13-5), the remote controller 4 performs an extraction number counting process in the extraction number counting unit 57 (step S13-6). Although details of this process will be described later, as an outline of the process, the number of contents matching one or more temporary extraction rules stored in the RAM 9 or the like in the process of step S13-4 is derived.

  Thereafter, the remote controller 4 displays the number of extracted contents in association with each content displayed in the second area 27 and the third area 28 in the display processing unit 55 (step S13-7), and then performs this process. finish. For example, as in the example shown in FIG. 11, the number of content extractions is displayed in an area immediately below each content. In this case, the content extraction number of each content when the content 34 in the first area 26 is replaced is displayed. For example, the content 35 displays the content 33 and the content extraction number that matches the temporary extraction rule created based on the content 35 in association with each other. In addition, the contents are sorted and displayed based on the number of extracted contents displayed in association with each content. If the content 35 is selected and determined here, the contents 33 and 35 are displayed in the first area 26, and three contents are displayed in the second area 27.

  Next, details of the extraction number counting process in step S13-6 in FIG. 13 will be described with reference to FIG.

  When this process is started, the remote controller 4 first acquires one temporary extraction rule stored in the RAM 9 or the like in step S13-4 of FIG. 13 in the control unit 56 (step S14-1). Then, the content that matches the acquired temporary extraction rule is searched (step S14-2). For example, if the provisional extraction rule is shooting date: January 1 to January 2, 2007, and GPS information: latitude and longitude of Finland, content corresponding to the rule is searched. The search location for the matching content may be local, a server connected via a network, or a storage medium of a digital camera connected via a network. Also good. In addition, when private settings are made and the search cannot be freely performed, the search may be performed within the range. The search location is not particularly limited to the above-exemplified locations, and may be a specific server on the Internet, a specific image storage service, or the like.

  When the search for matching content is completed, the remote controller 4 causes the extraction number counting unit 57 to count the number of matching content and store the count number in the RAM 9 or the like (step S14-3). Then, the control unit 56 checks whether or not all the temporary extraction rules have been processed. If there is an unprocessed temporary extraction rule (NO in step S14-4), the process of step S14-1 is executed again. To do. If all the temporary extraction rules have been processed (YES in step S14-4), the remote controller 4 sorts the contents stored in the RAM 9 or the like in step S14-3 in the control unit 56 by the extraction count number, and the count number Sort in ascending order (step S14-5). Then, this process ends.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the number of content extractions extracted by the temporary extraction rule is displayed. As a result, as in the first embodiment, when adding additional information such as metadata, the target data group can be easily selected.

  In the second embodiment, the number of content extractions is displayed based on the provisional extraction rule between the non-selected content displayed in the first area 26 and the contents displayed in the other areas (27, 28) (contents). The replacement mode) has been described, but is not limited thereto. That is, the content displayed in the first area 26 does not necessarily have to be selected. If none of the contents in the first area 26 is selected (content addition mode), the contents are created by all the contents in the first area 26 and the contents in the other areas (27, 28). What is necessary is just to display the content extraction number based on the temporary extraction rule.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, Embodiment 3 will be described. In the third embodiment, a case where an extraction rule that is a difference between the current extraction rule and the temporary extraction rule is displayed will be described.

  FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the remote controller 4 according to the third embodiment. In addition, since what has the same code | symbol as FIG. 3 in Embodiment 1 is the same, it abbreviate | omits about the description. Here, only differences will be described.

  The remote controller 4 is newly provided with a difference extraction unit 58 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment. The difference extraction unit 58 extracts an extraction rule (hereinafter referred to as a difference rule) that is a difference between the current extraction rule and the temporary extraction rule. In the present embodiment, the case where the difference between extraction rules is displayed as the difference rule will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the difference between the number of contents matching the current extraction rule and the number of contents matching the temporary extraction rule may be displayed.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a content correction instruction screen according to the third embodiment. Since the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 6 in the first embodiment are the same, the description thereof is omitted. Here, only differences will be described.

  Content (38 to 42) is displayed in the third area 28, and the difference rule (38a to 42a) is displayed immediately below the thumbnail image of each content. In the difference rule, when the content is moved to the first area 26 and a new extraction rule is created in that state, an extraction rule that is a difference from the current extraction rule is displayed.

  Next, the flow of processing when displaying the difference rule will be described with reference to FIG. Here, it is assumed that the processing described in FIG. 7 of the first embodiment is performed and content is already displayed in the third area 28.

  When this process is started, the remote controller 4 first initializes the work area such as the RAM 9 in the control unit 56 and develops the current extraction rule in the work area (step S17-1). For example, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 16, the extraction rule based on the contents (33, 34) displayed in the first area 26 is read into the work area.

  Subsequently, the remote controller 4 causes the control unit 56 to develop content that does not match the current extraction rule in the work area (step S17-2). For example, in the example shown in FIG. 16, the contents (38 to 42) displayed in the third area 28 are read into the work area. Note that the content read here may be a local content only if the reading speed is taken into account, for example.

  Here, the remote controller 4 uses the control unit 56 to acquire one content from the content expanded in the work area in step S17-2 and read additional information from the content (step S17-3). For example, information such as the shooting date, shooting model, GPS information, user meta information, shutter speed, aperture and ISO sensitivity, flash ON / OFF, shooting distance, focus area, shooting distance, and the like of the content is read.

  When the content is read, the remote controller 4 uses the extraction rule creation unit 52 to create an extraction rule from the acquired content and the content displayed in the first area 26 (step S17-4). The extraction rule is created in the same procedure as the process described with reference to FIG. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 16, first, an extraction rule is created based on the contents (33, 34) in the first area 26 and the contents 38 in the third area 28. Here, the content 33 is the shooting date: December 12, 2004, the shooting model: XX1, the content 34 is the shooting date: December 12, 2004, the shooting model: XX1, and the content 39 is the shooting date: 20058. It is assumed that the shooting model: XX1 on the first day of the month. In this case, the extraction rule is shooting date: December 12, 2004 or shooting date: August 1, 2005, and shooting model: XX1.

  Subsequently, the remote controller 4 causes the difference extraction unit 58 to extract a difference between the extraction rule created in step S17-4 and the current extraction rule (step S17-5). The difference to be extracted includes, for example, shooting information, image feature information, and the like, but even if the data is the same type, if the value is different, the value is extracted as the difference. If the data types are different, the fact that the types are different is extracted as a difference.

  After extracting the difference rule, the remote controller 4 causes the control unit 56 to store the content and the difference rule in the RAM 9 or the like in association with each other (step S17-6). Subsequently, the remote controller 4 checks in the control unit 56 whether there is unprocessed content. If there is unprocessed content (YES in step S17-7), the process returns to step S17-3 again. On the other hand, if all the content has been processed (NO in step S17-7), the remote controller 4 causes the display processing unit 55 to associate the content with the content (38 to 42) displayed in the third area 28. The difference rule is displayed on the display unit 7 (step S17-8). Thereafter, this process ends. That is, as in the example shown in FIG. 16, the difference data is displayed under the thumbnail image display of the content.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, since the difference between the current extraction rule and the temporary extraction rule is displayed, it is possible to make the user recognize the extraction condition that changes according to the temporary extraction rule. As a result, as in the first embodiment, when adding additional information such as metadata, the target data group can be easily selected.

  In the third embodiment, the difference rule is displayed for the content displayed in the third area 28. However, as in the second embodiment, the difference rule is displayed for the content displayed in the second area 27. Alternatively, the difference rule may be displayed.

(Embodiment 4)
Next, Embodiment 4 will be described. In the first to third embodiments described above, the case of adding or replacing content in the first area 26 has been described. However, in the fourth embodiment, the contents in the first area 26 are deleted (content designation (selection) is canceled). ) Will be described. The functional configuration of the remote controller 4 according to the fourth embodiment is the same as that of FIG. 15 in the third embodiment.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a content correction instruction screen according to the fourth embodiment.

  Reference numeral 44 denotes a menu for instructing deletion. Reference numeral 45 denotes a menu for canceling the instruction. The deletion menu 44 displays the difference in the number of contents extracted before and after the content to be deleted is deleted. In the content correction instruction screen shown in FIG. 18, when the content 34 is deleted, it is displayed that 20 extracted contents are added.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating another example of the content correction instruction screen according to the fourth embodiment. In the content correction instruction screen shown in FIG. 19, the deletion menu 44 displays extraction rule differences that change before and after the content to be deleted is deleted. Here, if the extracted rule to be changed is acceptable, the delete menu 44 is selected, and if not, the cancel menu 45 is selected.

  Next, the flow of processing when deleting content in the first area 26 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, a process after the content in the first area 26 to be deleted is selected by the user will be described.

  When this process is started, the remote controller 4 first initializes the work area such as the RAM 9 in the control unit 56 and develops the current extraction rule in the work area such as the RAM 9 (step S20-1). For example, in the example shown in FIG. 18, an extraction rule created based on the contents (33, 34) is read.

  Subsequently, in the control unit 56, the remote controller 4 develops the content that is not selected in the first area 26 in the work area (step S20-2). In the example shown in FIG. 18, the content 33 is in a non-selected state among the contents (33, 34) in the first area 26, so an extraction rule is created based on the content 33.

  The remote controller 4 uses the extraction rule creation unit 52 to create an extraction rule based on the content developed in step S20-2, that is, the content that is not selected in the first area 26 (step S20-3). The extraction rule is created in the same procedure as the process described with reference to FIG.

  Here, the remote controller 4 switches the subsequent processing depending on which of the extraction rule that becomes the difference and the content extraction number that becomes the difference is displayed on the deletion menu 44 as the difference rule. For example, the processing is branched based on a preset operation setting. When displaying the difference rule (YES in step S20-4), the remote controller 4 causes the difference extraction unit 58 to extract the difference between the extraction rule created in step S20-3 and the current extraction rule (step S20- 5). Then, after the extracted difference is displayed in the display processing unit 55 (step S20-7), this process is terminated. In this case, a display such as a delete menu 44 shown in FIG. 19 is made. For example, in this case, the extraction rule created based on the contents (33, 34) is the shooting date: 2002-2003. If the content 34 is deleted from this state, the shooting date: March 4, 2002 Will be replaced.

  On the other hand, when displaying the difference content extraction number (NO in step S20-4), the remote controller 4 causes the difference extraction unit 58 to determine the number of contents that match the extraction rule created in step S20-3 and the current extraction. Find the number of content that matches the rule. And the difference of each content number is calculated | required from the calculated | required result (step S20-6). When the difference content extraction number is derived in this way, the remote controller 4 displays the extracted difference in the display processing unit 55 (step S20-7). Thereafter, this process ends. In this case, a display like a delete menu 44 shown in FIG. 18 is made.

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, when the contents in the first area 26 are deleted, the extraction rules that change due to the deletion and the number of extracted contents are displayed. Thereby, the user can delete the content after confirming the change after the deletion.

  The above is an example of a typical embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings, and can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention. .

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where still image data, particularly JPEG data is content, has been described. However, the content may be anything regardless of a still image, a moving image, or a compression format thereof. For example, if the content is data obtained by recording a moving image or a TV program, the program name of the program information, the recording date and time, the performer name, the genre information of the program, and the like can be additional information.

  In addition, the additional information may include information such as an average value for each RGB in the image. If information such as an average value for each RGB is used, for example, it may be possible to classify a photograph of the sea with many blue images, a photograph of a forest with many greens, and the like by color. Depending on the image, the average value for each RGB in the focus area may be specified. Depending on the lens information, it may be possible to classify a telephoto photograph = bird, motor sports, wide-angle photograph = landscape, macro lens = insect, flower, etc. Or if it is the data which recorded TV program, it is the program name of program information, recording date and time, performer name, the genre information of a program, etc.

  It should be noted that the present invention can take the form of, for example, a system, apparatus, method, program, or recording medium. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device. That is, in the first to fourth embodiments described above, the present invention is implemented by the remote controller 4, but the present invention may be implemented by the remote controller 4 and the digital TV 1, for example. For example, instead of the display unit 7 of the remote controller 4, various displays may be displayed on the digital TV 1 and instructions for the display may be given from the remote controller 4.

  Further, the present invention achieves the functions of the embodiments by supplying a software program directly or remotely to a system or apparatus, and reading and executing the supplied program code by a computer incorporated in the system or apparatus. This includes cases where In this case, the supplied program is a computer program corresponding to the flowchart shown in the drawings in the embodiment.

  Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes a computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention. In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, it may be in the form of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to an OS (Operating System), or the like.

  Examples of the computer-readable recording medium for supplying the computer program include the following. For example, floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, MO, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD- R).

  As another program supply method, a client computer browser is used to connect to a homepage on the Internet, and the computer program of the present invention is downloaded from the homepage to a recording medium such as a hard disk. In this case, the downloaded program may be a compressed file including an automatic installation function. It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the present invention.

  Further, the program of the present invention may be encrypted, stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, and distributed to users. In this case, a user who has cleared a predetermined condition is allowed to download key information for decryption from a homepage via the Internet, execute an encrypted program using the key information, and install the program on the computer. You can also.

  In addition to the functions of the above-described embodiment being realized by the computer executing the read program, the embodiment of the embodiment is implemented in cooperation with an OS or the like running on the computer based on an instruction of the program. A function may be realized. In this case, the OS or the like performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  Furthermore, the program read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, so that part or all of the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized. May be. In this case, after a program is written to the function expansion board or function expansion unit, the CPU (Central Processing Unit) provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit is a part of the actual processing or based on the instructions of the program. Do everything.

It is a figure which shows an example of the whole structure of the system concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the remote control 4 shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a functional structure in the remote control 4 shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the content acquisition screen displayed on the display part 7 of the remote control 4 shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process at the time of creating an extraction rule based on 1 or several content. It is a figure which shows an example of the content correction instruction | indication screen displayed on the display part 7 of the remote control 4 shown in FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing when content is displayed in a third region 28. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process at the time of displaying the extraction rule after a change as a temporary extraction rule. It is a figure which shows an example of the display mode of a temporary extraction rule. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a remote controller 4 according to Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the content correction instruction | indication screen concerning Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing when content is displayed in a second area 27. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process at the time of displaying the number of content extraction. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the extraction number count process in step S13-6 of FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a remote controller 4 according to a third embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the content correction instruction | indication screen concerning Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process at the time of displaying a difference rule. It is a figure which shows an example of the content correction instruction | indication screen concerning Embodiment 4. FIG. It is a figure which shows another example of the content correction instruction | indication screen concerning Embodiment 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing when deleting content in a first area 26;

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital TV
2 Local Area Network 3 Media Server 4 Remote Control 5 System Bus 6 Instruction Input Unit 7 Display Unit 8 CPU
9 RAM
10 ROM
11 Flash memory 12 Wireless LAN
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 51 1st data designation part 52 Extraction rule preparation part 53 2nd data extraction part 54 3rd data extraction part 55 Display processing part 56 Control part 57 Extraction number count part 58 Difference extraction part

Claims (14)

First data specifying means for specifying one or more data from the data group;
Creating means for creating an extraction rule based on additional information given to the data designated by the first data designating means;
Second data extraction means for extracting one or more data from the data group based on the extraction rules created by the creation means;
And third data extraction means for extracting from the data group one or a plurality of data to which additional information that can change the extraction rule created by the creation means is provided. apparatus. The data management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an adding unit that adds additional information based on a user instruction to the data extracted by the second data extracting unit. The display processing means for displaying on a screen data including the data extracted by the second data extraction means and the data extracted by the third data extraction means is further provided. The data management device described. The display processing means includes
The information indicating the change before and after the change is displayed on the screen before the change when the user is instructed to change the data specified by the first data specifying means. Data management device. The display processing means includes
The extraction rule created by the creation means is displayed on the screen when the data designated by the first data designation means is changed as the information indicating the change. The data management device described. The display processing means includes
When the data specified by the first data specifying means is changed as the information indicating the change, the number of data extracted by the second data extracting means is displayed on the screen. The data management device according to claim 4. The display processing means includes
As information indicating the change, a difference in the number of data extracted by the second data extraction unit before and after the data specified by the first data specification unit is changed is displayed on the screen. 5. The data management apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The display processing means includes
The difference between the extraction rules created by the creating means before and after the data designated by the first data designating means is changed is displayed on the screen as the information indicating the change. 4. The data management device according to 4. The first data specifying means includes
The data to be specified is changed by specifying any of the data extracted by the second data extracting means or the third data extracting means in addition to the already specified data. The data management apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 8. The first data specifying means includes
The data to be specified is changed by specifying one of the data that has already been specified and the data extracted by the second data extracting means or the third data extracting means. The data management apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 8. The first data specifying means includes
The data management apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the data to be designated is changed by canceling the designation of any data that has already been designated. The third data extraction means includes
When extracting one or more data to which additional information that can change the extraction rule created by the creating means is extracted, there are a plurality of data to which additional information that can be changed to the same extraction rule is provided. In this case, one of the data is extracted from the data. A first step of creating an extraction rule based on additional information given to one or more data designated from the data group;
A second step of extracting one or more data from the data group based on the extraction rule created by the first step;
And a third step of extracting from the data group one or a plurality of data to which additional information that can change the extraction rule created in the first step is added. . Computer
First data designating means for designating one or more data from the data group;
Creating means for creating an extraction rule based on additional information given to the data designated by the first data designating means;
Second data extraction means for extracting one or more data from the data group based on the extraction rule created by the creation means;
The program for functioning as a 3rd data extraction means which extracts the 1 or several data to which the additional information which can change the extraction rule produced by the said creation means was provided from the said data group.

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