JP2010020719A - Content search device, method, program and system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently acquire content that meets user's preference. <P>SOLUTION: An information processing part 34 of a portable terminal 3 acquires auxiliary information of an image or meta-information of a sound file stored in a storing part 35 and transmits the meta-information to a storefront terminal 2. Upon receipt of the meta-information from the portable terminal 3, an information processing part 24 of the storefront terminal 2 receives selection of a keyword candidate for searching a desired image from the meta-information. The information processing part 24 of the storefront terminal 2 sets the selected image search keyword candidate in an image search keyword, and transmits the image search keyword candidate to a storage site 1 for storing general public images in the selected storage site 1. Upon receipt of the image search keyword, an information processing part 14 of the storage site 1 searches an image including the received image search keyword in additional information from a database 17 of the storage site 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for retrieving content related to content to be printed from an external resource.

  Patent Document 1 is a system for selling content using a computer network including at least an information terminal, a fee billing management server, an intellectual property right management server, and a content storage server. The content is stored in the information terminal, the user selects the content in the information terminals installed in various places, and when the user inserts the price of the selected content into the information terminal, it is stored on the medium via the fee billing server. A content sales system using a computer network is disclosed in which the content selected in the above is recorded on a medium, a recording medium on which the content is recorded is provided, and at the same time, the intellectual property right management server performs the intellectual property right processing is doing.

  In Patent Document 2, when an image attached to an e-mail received in the past by a user is printed, the user's mobile phone number (e-mail address) or the like is first displayed by a monitor with a touch panel of a print terminal device installed at a store or the like. Enter the user identification information. Based on the user identification information, the print terminal device captures an image attached to an e-mail addressed to the user from the mail server to the storage via the communication line interface, and displays a list of images on a monitor with a touch panel. When an image to be printed is selected on the monitor and the cash requested for charging is inserted into the coin machine, the image selected by the print engine is printed out.

  In Patent Document 3, a digital camera has a communication function with a wireless tag carried by a visitor, and acquires subject information such as a tag ID issued by the wireless tag at the time of photographing together with a captured image. In addition, the digital camera has a function of sending subject information and captured images acquired in this way to an image server via a network in the park. Based on the tag IDs of all the members of the visitor group, the request terminal searches the photograph server for a photograph image in which the member is reflected from the photographed images, and causes the visitor to select a desired photograph image. , Output to a designated medium (for example, printing by a printer, flash memory, mobile phone, etc.).

  In Patent Document 4, a print processing device configured to be able to download order data for photo print creation uploaded to a server system via a network, an order data storage unit for storing the downloaded order data, and downloading the order data A collating means for collating the orderer data included in the order data with the orderer data selected from the orderer data included in the order data stored in the order data storage unit before the download; A notification unit that performs notification based on the result of the collation.

In Patent Document 5, an image storage unit that stores image data uploaded to a server on a network, order data generation means that generates order data for requesting print processing, and an order data storage unit that stores order data The server is provided with a unique data storage unit for storing unique data such as logo data that is set by the print order service provider and used for print creation. Order data acquisition means for downloading and acquiring order data stored in the server and image data related to the order, unique data acquisition means for downloading and acquiring unique data, downloaded image data and unique data And a print processing unit for creating a photo print.
JP-A-11-120253 JP 2003-203036 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-216092 JP 2006-4172 A JP 2006-18391 A

  As described above, in an information terminal such as a storefront print terminal, content data including a photo is acquired from the storage and a print order is made, or information is transferred from the information terminal to the portable terminal, and the content is used on the portable terminal. Such a technology exists.

  However, there is no disclosure of an effective technique for acquiring an image that suits the user's preference from the storage using the content information of the mobile terminal.

  The main object of the present invention is to use the information related to the contents of one of the two types of resources connected to the information terminal, that is, the local device and the remote device, and to match the user's preference from the other resource. Is to get it efficiently. Preferably, the present invention efficiently obtains an image that suits the user's preference from an external resource other than the terminal owned by the user and creates a print based on the image. Create an image print.

  The content search apparatus according to the present invention includes a first access unit that can access one or more desired remote devices connected via a network, and a second access unit that can access one or more desired local devices. And the remote content recorded on the desired remote device accessed via the first access unit and the local content recorded on the desired local device accessed via the second access unit. A search keyword setting unit that sets a search keyword based on incidental information of the keyword setting content, and a content that excludes the keyword setting content from remote content and local content, and is related to the search keyword set by the search keyword setting unit With It comprises a search unit for searching content that is content with information.

  According to the present invention, the search keyword is set based on the supplementary information of one of the contents existing in the local device and the remote device, and the other content is searched. As a result, if content desired by the user is stored in one of the local device and the remote device, the content that matches the user's preference is searched from the content in the other device using the supplementary information of the content. it can.

  Here, the local device is an electronic device connected through a communication path that is not released to the public, such as SCSI, USB, infrared communication, and LAN, and the remote device is a communication that is open to the public, such as the Internet. An electronic device connected via a route.

  The search keyword setting unit sets a search keyword based on incidental information of internal content that is content recorded in a desired local device accessed through the second access unit, and the search unit is configured through the first access unit. The external content that is the content having supplementary information related to the search keyword set by the search keyword setting unit is searched from one or a plurality of desired content storage sites accessed.

  According to the present invention, the external content of a desired site is searched based on the incidental information of the internal content of the local device. Normally, content that matches the user's preference is stored in the local device, and therefore external content that matches the user's preference can be searched based on the accompanying information.

  Preferably, the internal content acquired from the local device via the second access unit and the external content acquired from each of one or more desired sites via the first access unit are acquired from the local device and 1 Alternatively, a display unit is provided that displays a plurality of sites separately.

  Preferably, the internal content includes at least one of an image file and an audio file, and the external content includes an image file.

  Preferably, the search keyword setting unit sets the search keyword based on at least one of shooting location information and shooting date / time information included in the incidental information of the image file of the internal content.

  Preferably, the search keyword setting unit sets the search keyword based on music information included in the incidental information of the audio file of the internal content.

  Preferably, based on the content selection unit that accepts selection of desired output content from the internal content and external content that are separately displayed on the display unit, and the internal content and external content that the content selection unit accepts selection And an output data generation unit that generates output data to an external device.

  Preferably, the output data generation unit generates print data based on image files included in the internal content and the external content received by the content selection unit.

  Preferably, the local device includes an information terminal or a portable recording medium.

  Preferably, the first access unit authenticates access to a personal content storage site that is a site storing content specific to the user of the information terminal among the content storage sites based on identification information unique to the information terminal.

  Preferably, the content selection unit selects the external content acquired from a site other than the personal content storage site based on the total number of internal content acquired from the local device and personal content that is external content acquired from the personal content storage site. Limit acceptance of selection of publicly available content.

  In this way, it is possible to prevent the publicly released content from generating more output data than the internal content and personal content.

  The search keyword setting unit sets a search keyword based on incidental information of the remote content that is the content recorded in the desired remote content storage site accessed via the first access unit, and the search unit includes the second access unit The local content that is the content having supplementary information related to the search keyword set by the search keyword setting unit may be searched from a desired local device accessed via.

  The local content includes content other than content downloaded from the remote content storage site to the local device.

  The content search method according to the present invention includes a step of accessing a desired one or a plurality of content storage sites via a network, a step of accessing a desired local device, and an internal content recorded on the desired local device. The method includes a step of setting a search keyword based on content supplementary information and a step of searching external content that is content having supplementary information related to the search keyword from one or more desired content storage sites.

  A content search program for causing a computer to execute the content search method is also included in the present invention.

  A content search system comprising the above content search device, a remote device connected to the first access unit of the content search device, and a local device connected to the second access unit of the content search device is also included in the present invention. included.

  According to the present invention, the search keyword is set based on the supplementary information of one of the contents existing in the local device and the remote device, and the other content is searched. As a result, if content desired by the user is stored in one of the local device and the remote device, the content that matches the user's preference is searched from the content in the other device using the supplementary information of the content. it can.

  Further, according to the present invention, the external content of the desired site is searched based on the incidental information of the internal content of the local device. Normally, content that matches the user's preference is stored in the local device, and therefore external content that matches the user's preference can be searched based on the accompanying information.

<First Embodiment>
[Schematic configuration]
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a content providing system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. This system includes one or a plurality of storage sites 1-A, 1-B,..., 1-X (sometimes collectively referred to as storage site 1), store terminal 2, and portable terminal 3. A mobile terminal 3 configured by a mobile phone, a PDA, or the like is connected to the storefront terminal 2 via a local network such as a LAN, SCSI, USB cable, or infrared communication. The store terminal 2 is connected to the storage site 1 via a network 5 including a public line such as a mobile telephone communication network or the Internet. An authentication server may be interposed between the storefront terminal 2 and the storage site 1. A plurality of portable terminals 3 may be connected to the store terminal 2.

  Each storage site 1-A, 1-B,..., 1-X stores public images or personal images. The public image is an image that is permitted to be used for browsing, downloading, and the like by the storefront terminal 2 connected to the storage site 1 via the network 5 or other unspecified number of electronic devices. When the storefront terminal 2 connected to the storage site 1 via the network 5 sends a specific device ID or user ID, the personal image authenticates the user according to the ID and stores the storefront according to the authentication result. It is an image that is permitted to be browsed or downloaded by the terminal 2.

  For convenience of explanation, the image stored in each storage site 1 is either a public image or a personal image, and the stored image property defined in the database 17 of the storage site 1 is the public image or personal image. It is assumed that it represents which is accumulated. For example, it is assumed that the stored image property “Public” represents a public image, “Private” represents a personal image, and “undefined” represents an image that is neither a public image nor a personal image. The storage site 1 with the stored image property “Public” can be configured with a Web server. The “Private” storage site 1 is connected to the store terminal 2 via a LAN or the like installed in a limited space such as a workplace or school, but is not connected to a public network such as the Internet. You may comprise with a server.

  However, there may be a storage site 1 that stores both public images and personal images. In this case, the stored image property (“Public” or “Private”) is associated with the supplementary information for each image, and usage is permitted unconditionally according to the image property requested by the store terminal 2 or other communication device. Or use it on the premise of user authentication.

  Further, the association of “Public” or “Private” may be compulsory to all the images in association with or irrespective of the definition of the storage site 1. For example, the information processing unit 34 of the portable terminal 3 to be described later records “Private” as the default accumulated image property in the incidental information when recording the image data obtained from the imaging unit 37 in the image file. Alternatively, the storage site 1 in which “Private” is defined records “Private” as the default stored image property in the incidental information of the image stored in the database 17. The stored image property may be arbitrarily changed.

  Although FIG. 1 shows one store terminal 2 and one information terminal 3 for convenience, two or more store terminals 2 are connected to the data center 1 via the network 5 and are different for each store terminal 2. The information terminal 3 may be connected.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the storage site 1 includes an operation unit 11 (such as a keyboard, a mouse, and other pointing devices, a touch panel), a display unit 12 (such as a liquid crystal display and an onboard graphic card), and a communication unit 13 (such as a network card). ), Information processing unit 14 (CPU, microcomputer, etc.), storage unit 15 (RAM, ROM, flash memory, hard disk, DVD, CD-RW or other computer-readable recording medium), information reading / writing unit 16 ( CD-RW drive, memory card reader / writer, etc.). The database 17 can also be constructed in the storage unit 15.

  Operations such as communication, reading / writing of information, interpretation of instructions input from the operation unit, and display of video are centrally controlled by the information processing unit 14. A program that regulates control of each unit by the information processing unit 14 is stored in the storage unit 15.

  The database 17 stores desired images or contents other than images, for example, audio files. The image may be uploaded from the portable terminal 3, but uploaded from another source, for example, a digital camera (not shown), or read from a portable recording medium connected to the information reading / writing unit 16. It may be an image. The device that should store the image on the portable recording medium may be the information reading / writing unit 36 of the portable terminal 3, but may be another device, for example, a digital camera. When reading an image from a portable recording medium, there is no necessity to connect the portable terminal 3 to the storefront terminal 2.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the store terminal 2 includes an operation unit 21 (a keyboard, a mouse and other pointing devices, a touch panel, etc.), a display unit 22 (a liquid crystal display, an onboard graphic card, etc.), a first communication unit 23 (a network). Card), information processing unit 24 (CPU, microcomputer, etc.), storage unit 25 (RAM, ROM, flash memory, hard disk, DVD, CD-RW or other computer-readable recording medium), information reading / writing unit 26 (CD-RW drive, memory card reader / writer, etc.), a second communication unit 27 (USB, etc.), and a personal computer equipped with an RTC (real time clock) 28 for outputting time information. The operation of each unit is comprehensively controlled by the information processing unit 24. A program that regulates control of each unit by the information processing unit 24 is stored in the storage unit 25.

  The first communication unit 23 of the storefront terminal 2 is connected to the network 5 and receives various information such as image data from the storage site 1. The store terminal 2 is connected to the portable terminal 3 or the printer 4 via the second communication unit 27 adopting various communication standards such as SCSI, USB port / USB cable and infrared communication. The display unit 22 displays information received from the storage site 1.

  The information processing unit 24 creates print order information in accordance with an image or template specified from the operation unit 21. Then, the information processing unit 24 converts the image specified by the print order information from the images received from the storage site 1 into print data superimposed on the specified template, and outputs the print data to the printer 4 for printing. .

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the information terminal 3 includes an operation unit 31 (such as a numeric keypad), a display unit 32 (such as a liquid crystal display), a communication unit 33 (such as a USB), an information processing unit 34 (such as a CPU and a microcomputer), Storage unit 35 (RAM, ROM, memory card, recording medium such as compact flash (registered trademark)), information reading / writing unit 36 (memory card reader / writer, etc.), imaging unit 37 (imaging lens, CCD, CMOS, etc.) A solid-state imaging device, an image processing circuit that performs A / D conversion, white balance adjustment, and the like, a voice call unit 39 (antenna connected to a mobile communication network base, a voice signal processing circuit that performs analog / digital conversion of call voice, This is composed of a camera-equipped mobile phone equipped with a speaker for voice enhancement of the other party's call and a microphone for collecting voice of the call.

  The information terminal 3 also includes an RTC 38 (real-time clock) that outputs shooting time information of the recording image by the imaging unit 37 and a GPS receiver 40 that outputs position information at the time of shooting the recording image by the imaging unit 37. Yes. The image data obtained by the imaging unit 37 is associated with the positional information obtained from the GPS receiver 40 at the time of imaging and the time information obtained from the RTC 38 as incidental information and recorded in one image file. For example, GPS position information may be recorded as tag information (GPS IFD) of an EXIF file. In addition, various shooting information (such as weather information) acquired from a data server (not shown) connected via the network 5 can also be recorded as supplementary information of the shot image.

  The communication unit 33 is connected to the storefront terminal 2 via a USB cable or the like, and can transmit the image obtained by the imaging unit 37 and the image stored in the storage unit 35 to the storefront terminal 2.

  The tag information of the image can be associated with various information such as the name of the photographer, the name of the shooting location, the name of the subject, in addition to the information of the shooting date and time and the shooting location. This information can be input from the operation unit 31 after photographing or information stored in advance in the storage unit 35.

  In the storage unit 35, in addition to the image file obtained by the imaging unit 37, an image file (wallpaper) for a standby screen downloaded from a desired site, an animation or movie to be played from a speaker when receiving a call from the other party's phone, an incoming call Various audio files such as a file for reproducing a melody and a notification sound for operation are stored. In the header of the audio file, the artist name of the melody, the copyright owner of the incoming melody, etc. are recorded as meta information.

[Print processing]
Hereinafter, the flow of print processing executed in the present system will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. A program for causing the storage site 1, the store terminal 2 or the portable terminal 3 to execute each step of this process is stored in the storage unit 15, the storage unit 25, or the storage unit 35, and the information processing unit 14, the information processing unit 24, or The information processing unit 34 reads and executes it.

  In S <b> 1, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 determines whether or not the mobile terminal 3 is connected to the second communication unit 27. The process proceeds to S2 in response to determining that the connection has been established. The number of mobile terminals 3 to be connected is arbitrary, and may be one or more.

  In S <b> 2, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 accepts selection of a desired storage site 1 from the plurality of storage sites 1 via the operation unit 21 as an image download source. If there is only one storage site 1, this step may be omitted.

  In S3, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 determines whether the image stored in the selected storage site 1 is a public image or a personal image. For example, a request is sent to each storage site 1 selected from the store terminal 2 to notify whether the stored image is a public image or a personal image, and in response to this, The storage site 1 transmits the stored image property associated with itself to the store terminal 2.

  The information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 determines whether the image stored in the selected storage site 1 is a public image or a personal image based on the stored image property received from the storage site 1. If it is a public image, the process proceeds to S4, and if it is a personal image, the process proceeds to S8. Note that one or a plurality of desired portable terminals 3 can be selected as an image download source. If the portable terminal 3 is selected as an image download source, the process proceeds to S7. Although the processes of S4-S6, S7, and S8-S9 are branched in the flowchart, they are not performed mutually exclusively but can be performed in parallel. In other words, if both a public image and a personal image are selected at a time as images stored in the storage site 1, S4-S6 and S8-S9 are performed in parallel. Further, if there is a selection instruction to use the image of the portable terminal 3, S7 is also performed in parallel.

  In S <b> 4, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 transmits an instruction to extract an image search keyword to the selected mobile terminal 3. When the information processing unit 34 of the portable terminal 3 receives this instruction from the storefront terminal 2, the information processing unit 34 acquires the additional information of the image or the meta information of the audio file stored in the storage unit 35, and sends the meta information to the storefront terminal 2. Send.

  In S5, when the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 receives the meta information from the portable terminal 3, the information processing unit 24 lists them and displays them on the display unit 22 as image search keyword candidates. Then, selection of a desired image search keyword candidate is received from the operation unit 21. For example, from a plurality of tag information such as shooting date / time, shooting location, photographer's name, shooting location name, subject name, a specific shooting date / time “2008/4/1” and a specific shooting location “Kyoto” “Kinkakuji-cho, Kita-ku” can be selected. Alternatively, the name “Fujitaro” of a specific subject can be selected. One or a plurality of image search keyword candidates may be selected.

  In S <b> 6, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 sets the selected image search keyword candidate as an image search keyword, and transmits the selected image search keyword candidate to the storage site 1 that stores public images among the selected storage sites 1. When receiving the image search keyword, the information processing unit 14 of the storage site 1 searches the database 17 of the storage site 1 for an image including the received image search keyword in the accompanying information. If such an image exists as a result of the search, the image is transmitted to the storefront terminal 2.

  For example, if the position information is included in the image search keyword, a public image having position information that is the same as or close to the position information is included in the incidental information. Searching for public images that have exactly the same location information as personal images, especially those taken at prominent spots, may result in images similar to personal images. An image having a range error (for example, a distance between position information of 1 km or more and less than 5 km) is searched.

  Alternatively, if the image search keyword includes shooting time information, search for a public image having shooting time information in the incidental information that is the same as or close to the shooting time information (for example, the date is the same and the time difference is within 2 hours). To do.

  Alternatively, if the image search keyword includes music information such as the artist name, album name, song name, and music genre of the music file, a publicly available image having a character string common to the music information as supplementary information is searched.

  If the image search keyword includes a plurality of types such as position information, time information, and music information, a public image having the same or similar additional information is searched for all of them. Alternatively, a combination of a logical sum (OR), a logical product (AND), and an exclusive logical sum (XOR) of the types of desired image search keywords may be changed to an image search keyword according to the operation of the operation unit 21. it can. Therefore, for example, it is possible to search for a public image that is photographed at the same photographing location as a personal image and has a similar composition but a different photographing time. Or you can search for public images that contain portraits of famous composers.

  The storage site 1 lists the search results for publicly available images and notifies the store terminal 2 of the results. The store terminal 2 accepts selection of a desired image from the search list and requests the storage site 1 to transmit the selected public image. The storage site 1 transmits the public image selected in response to this request to the storefront terminal 2.

  In S <b> 7, the information processing unit 34 of the mobile terminal 3 accepts selection of a desired image from the images stored in the storage unit 35 via the operation unit 31. Then, the selected image is transmitted to the store terminal 2. The storefront terminal 2 receives the image transmitted from the mobile terminal 3.

  In S8, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 accesses the specific storage site 1 (for example, the storage site 1-A) that stores the personal images, and transmits the authentication ID. This authentication ID can be, for example, a device ID (serial number or telephone number) unique to the mobile terminal 3 that has been transmitted from the mobile terminal 3 to the store terminal 2 in advance. Alternatively, it can be a user ID (password if any) input via the operation unit 21 of the store terminal 2. If importance is placed on immediacy of access without displaying the user authentication screen one by one, authentication may be performed using a device ID unique to the mobile terminal 3. The store terminal 2 may authenticate instead of the storage site 1.

  When the information processing unit 14 of the storage site 1 receives the authentication ID from the store terminal 2, it collates with the ID of the authentication table stored in advance in the DB 17, and the ID that matches the received authentication ID is stored in the authentication table. If it exists, the store terminal 2 permits access to the image stored in association with the ID. Then, the information processing unit 14 of the storage site 1 accepts selection of a desired image from the images permitted to be accessed via the operation unit 21 of the storefront terminal 2. When the storage site 1 receives notification from the store terminal 2 that the selection of the image is completed, the storage site 1 transmits the selected image to the store terminal 2.

  In S <b> 9, the store terminal 2 receives the personal image transmitted from the storage site 1.

  In S <b> 10, the store terminal 2 accumulates the public image and personal image received from the storage site 1 and the image (mobile terminal image) received from the mobile terminal 3 as print candidate images in the storage unit 25. If an instruction to backup the received public image or personal image to the portable terminal 3 is input to the operation unit 21, the information processing unit 24 carries these images in the storage unit 25 from the storefront terminal 2. Transmit to terminal 3.

  In S11, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 displays the print candidate image on the display unit 23, selects the type of print product via the operation unit 21, and prints the desired print image from the print candidate images. Accept image selection. It is basically up to the user to select how many images. The image selection (S6, S7, S9) requesting transmission to the storage 1 or the portable terminal 3 may be the same as the print image selection. In this case, it is not necessary to select an image again after receiving the image.

  However, the number of images that can be selected has an upper limit depending on the type of print merchandise, and for example, images exceeding a total of 100 cannot be selected. When the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 accepts the selection of the print image and the selection of the type of the print product from the operation unit 21, the selected image is arranged according to the layout rule corresponding to the type of the selected product. Print data for the album is created and output to the printer 4. In addition, instead of print data, an image file (for example, an MPEG file) to be reproduced on the screen like an album or a slide show is generated and sent to the information reading / writing unit 26 and recorded on a portable recording medium such as a DVD. May be. Alternatively, the selected image itself may be transmitted from the storefront terminal 2 to the portable terminal 3 and received by the portable terminal 3 and stored.

  In S 12, an instruction as to whether or not to continue printing is received from the operation unit 21. If an instruction to continue is received, the process returns to S1 (S2 if the portable terminal 3 remains connected), and if an instruction to not continue is received, this process ends.

  The types of merchandise include albums, frame prints, and calendars. The layout rule is that each of the selected images includes a plurality of (for example, four) album pages on the front and back of an album page for a double-page album, and a desired type of frame selected for each image for a frame print. Print data that synthesizes and arranges an image on a print medium of a size (A4 size or the like) that fits in a frame (photo frame) is output to the printer 4.

  As described above, the publicly available image is searched using the image or music supplementary information originally in the portable terminal 3, and the searched image is used as print data together with the image or other image (personal image) in the portable terminal 3. Therefore, an image suitable for the user's preference can be acquired from an external resource and used.

<Second Embodiment>
In S6, S7, S9, or S11 of the first embodiment, when an image received from the portable terminal 3 (portable terminal image), a personal image received from the storage site 1, or a public image is displayed in a mixed manner, the user receives an image. There is a problem of misunderstanding. Also, the screen corresponding to a certain type of image is displayed and the image of that type is selected, and after that, the screen corresponding to the next type is displayed and the image of that type is selected repeatedly. If you use a simple interactive or wizard-style image selection screen, you will not misunderstand the type of image, but if you notice an error in the image selection in the previous step, It needs to be redone and is cumbersome.

  Therefore, as in the image selection screen shown in FIG. 6, the mobile terminal image, the personal image received from the storage site 1, or the public image may be displayed separately in different areas of the display unit 23. Here, the mobile terminal image is displayed in area R-1, the personal image is displayed in area R-2, and the public image is displayed in area R-3. All images selected for print output are displayed in area R-4.

  The method of displaying the image in each area is arbitrary, and the thumbnails of the images may be arranged in a tile shape, or the file names of the images may be arranged in a tree shape along the directory structure of the image storage destination. When there are a plurality of public images, the received images may be further classified and displayed for each storage site 1 as a transmission source in the area R-3.

  The method of selecting an image is also arbitrary. The image displayed in the areas R-1 to R-3 can be dragged and dropped into the area R-4, or “this image provided in the areas R-1 to R-3” can be selected. By pressing the “Use” button, the image previously selected in the area is moved to the area R-4. It is also possible to cancel the image once selected.

  Note that the image selection screen of FIG. 6 may be displayed from the time of selection of the storage site 1 or from the time of selection of an image to be received from the mobile terminal 3.

  In area R-1, according to the directory structure of the storage unit 35, the storage positions of the images of the portable terminal 3 are shown in a tree shape, and a desired image is selected from the tree.

  In the area R-2, first, identification information (name, address, etc.) of the storage site 1 that stores personal images is listed, and a desired storage site that stores personal images by specifying desired identification information from the list. 1 selection is accepted. Then, the selected storage site 1 is accessed, thumbnails and lists of personal images are acquired, displayed, and selection of a desired personal image to be downloaded is accepted.

  In the area R-3, first, identification information (name, address, etc.) of the storage site 1 that stores public images is listed, and a desired public information is stored by specifying desired identification information from the list. The selection of the storage site 1 is accepted. Then, the selected storage site 1 is accessed, thumbnails and lists of public images are acquired, displayed, and selection of a desired public image to be downloaded is accepted.

  In this way, it is possible to easily select a desired image from a desired acquisition source, and it is possible to easily grasp which image is selected from which acquisition source.

<Third Embodiment>
In the first embodiment, if it is completely free to select which image and how much to select, the public image becomes more than the personal image or the mobile terminal image, and the album lacking originality and less user's enthusiasm is completed. End up. For this reason, the number of public images that can be selected is limited as follows.

  For example, a variable of the number of user-selected images N = the number of selected mobile terminal images + the number of selected personal images is introduced, and the number of selected mobile terminal images and personal images (user-selected images) other than the public images is determined. To grasp. The upper limit of the number of selectable publicly available images is N-1. In this way, for example, when N = 0 or 1, no public image can be selected. When N = 2, only one publicly available image can be selected. In this way, by making it possible to select public images within a range that does not exceed the total of mobile terminal images and personal images, public images occupy most of the albums, and albums that are lined up only with images that are less likely to be considered by users You can prevent it from being created.

  Alternatively, the number of publicly available images selected is limited according to the type of the selected product. For example, when album print is selected as the type of merchandise, an upper limit of public images that can be selected is set according to the total number of pages of the album (also selectable from the operation unit 11). Specifically, the maximum is 40 for a 20-page album in which four images are arranged on each page, and the maximum is 20 for a 10-page album. In this way, the number of public images does not exceed the sum of mobile terminal images and personal images.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, a restriction table that associates the number N of user-selected images and the upper limit of the number of publicly available images is stored in the storage unit 25, and a publicly available image corresponding to N is selected. The number upper limit is set according to the table. In this table, as the number N of user-selected images increases, the upper limit on the number of publicly available images to be selected decreases. This is because as the number of user-selected images increases, the necessity of selecting a publicly available image becomes relatively less. The restriction table should be created separately for each type of product.

  In this way, the upper limit on the number of publicly available images to be selected can be set according to the number of user-selected images and the type of merchandise, and the number of publicly available images can be prevented from increasing extremely.

  As shown in FIG. 6, it is convenient for the user to display the remaining number Z obtained by subtracting the number of selected public images from the upper limit of the number of public images to be selected.

<Fourth embodiment>
In S <b> 12 of the first embodiment, layout differentiation may be performed on the publicly available image and other images in the album page. For example, the information processing unit 24 creates print data in which a print size is set according to the stored image property of the image file. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the print size of the image data of the image file to which the “Private” property is attached is “large” (for example, 6 cm in length × 4 cm in width), and the image to which the “Public” property is attached. The print size of the image data of the file is “small” (for example, 3 cm long × 2 cm wide), and the “Private” image is larger than the “Public” image.

  Alternatively, the information processing unit 24 creates print data in which a print position corresponding to the stored image property of the image file is set. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the “Private” image is arranged in the center of the page, and the “Public” image is arranged in the periphery of the page.

  In this way, it is possible to prevent the public image from becoming more conspicuous than the personal image or the mobile terminal image.

<Fifth Embodiment>
In the first to fourth embodiments described above, the content of the storage site 1 is searched using the incidental information of the content acquired from the mobile terminal 3 as a search key. Conversely, the content of the mobile terminal 3 that is arbitrarily selected can be searched using the incidental information of the content downloaded from the storage site 1 as a search key.

  FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of content search processing according to the fifth embodiment. A program for causing the storage site 1, the store terminal 2 or the portable terminal 3 to execute each step of this process is stored in the storage unit 15, the storage unit 25, or the storage unit 35, and the information processing unit 14, the information processing unit 24, or The information processing unit 34 reads and executes it. Which of the present processing and the print processing of the first embodiment is to be executed can be selected from the operation unit 21, and the information processing unit 24 starts processing in response to this selection.

  In S21, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 uses a plurality of local devices (a memory card or other portable storage medium connected to the information RW unit 26, 1 or Selection of a desired local device is accepted from a plurality of portable terminals 3). If there is only one local device, this step may be omitted.

  In S <b> 22, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 acquires an image or sound (cache content) downloaded in the past as a result of accessing the storage site 1 from the storage unit 2. As cache content, cache data accessed and stored via a Web browser executed by the information processing unit 24 can be used.

  In S23, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 acquires the supplementary information or meta information of the cache content acquired from the storage unit 2.

  In S24, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 lists the acquired supplementary information or meta information, and displays it on the display unit 22 as image search keyword candidates. Then, selection of a desired image search keyword candidate is received from the operation unit 21. One or a plurality of image search keyword candidates may be selected.

  In S <b> 25, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 sets the selected image search keyword candidate as the image search keyword and transmits it to the selected mobile terminal 3. When receiving the image search keyword, the information processing unit 34 of the portable terminal 3 searches the storage unit 35 for an image including the received image search keyword in the accompanying information. If such an image exists as a result of the search, the image is transmitted to the storefront terminal 2.

  In S <b> 26, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 receives the image transmitted from the portable terminal 3 via the communication unit 33 and stores it as a print candidate image in the storage unit 35. When an electronic device having no information processing apparatus as a local device, for example, a portable storage medium, is selected, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 uses the selected portable storage medium as an image search keyword as additional information. The images included are searched, and the images extracted as a result of the search are stored in the storage unit 35 as print candidate images.

  In S27, the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 displays the print candidate image on the display unit 23, selects the type of print product via the operation unit 21, and prints the desired print image from the print candidate images. Accept image selection.

  When the information processing unit 24 of the storefront terminal 2 accepts the selection of the print image and the selection of the type of the print product from the operation unit 21, the selected image is arranged according to the layout rule corresponding to the type of the selected product. Print data for the album is created and output to the printer 4. In addition, instead of print data, an image file (for example, an MPEG file) to be reproduced on the screen like an album or a slide show is generated and sent to the information reading / writing unit 26 and recorded on a portable recording medium such as a DVD. May be. Alternatively, the selected image itself may be transmitted from the storefront terminal 2 to the portable terminal 3 and received by the portable terminal 3 and stored.

  In S28, an instruction as to whether or not to continue printing is received from the operation unit 21. If an instruction to continue is received, the process returns to S21, and if an instruction to not continue is received, the process is terminated.

<Other embodiments>
The content stored in the storage site 1 is not limited to an image file, and may be any file having meta information or supplementary information, and may be a movie file, a music file, or a script file such as a Java (registered trademark) script.

  For example, the search keyword is set based on the incidental information of the image file stored in the portable terminal 1 or the meta information of the music file or script file, and the music file in the storage site 1 is searched. The searched music file is displayed on the same screen as in FIG. 6, and a desired file is selected from the music file of the portable terminal 1 and the music file of the storage site 1. At this time, the number of music files of the storage site 1 that can be selected can be restricted using a restriction table as shown in FIG. The music album data created based on the selected music file can be stored in a recording medium such as a CD-R, or can be stored in the portable terminal 3.

Schematic configuration diagram of content providing system Storage site block diagram Block diagram of storefront terminal Mobile device block diagram Flowchart of print processing according to the first embodiment The figure which shows an example of an image selection screen The figure which shows an example of a restriction table Diagram showing print data with print size set according to the stored image properties of the image file A diagram schematically showing print data with print positions set according to the stored image properties of an image file Flowchart of print processing of fifth embodiment

Explanation of symbols

1: Storage site, 2: Shop terminal, 3: Mobile terminal

Claims (16)

A first access unit capable of accessing one or more desired remote devices connected via a network;
A second access unit accessible to the desired one or more local devices;
Either of the remote content recorded on the desired remote device accessed via the first access unit and the local content recorded on the desired local device accessed via the second access unit A search keyword setting unit for setting a search keyword based on incidental information of the keyword setting content;
A search unit that searches for content that has additional information related to a search keyword set by the search keyword setting unit, of content obtained by removing the keyword setting content from the remote content and the local content,
A content search apparatus comprising: The search keyword setting unit sets a search keyword based on incidental information of internal content that is content recorded in a desired local device accessed via the second access unit,
The search unit searches external content that is content having supplementary information related to the search keyword set by the search keyword setting unit from one or more desired content storage sites accessed via the first access unit. The content search device according to claim 1.   The internal content acquired from the local device via the second access unit and the external content acquired from each of one or more desired sites via the first access unit are acquired from the local device and 1 The content search apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a display unit configured to display the information separately for each of a plurality of sites.   The content search apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the internal content includes at least one of an image file and an audio file, and the external content includes an image file.   The content search device according to claim 4, wherein the search keyword setting unit sets a search keyword based on at least one of shooting location information and shooting date / time information included in incidental information of the image file of the internal content.   The content search device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the search keyword setting unit sets a search keyword based on music information included in incidental information of the audio file of the internal content. A content selection unit that accepts selection of desired output content from among the internal content and the external content displayed separately on the display unit;
An output data generation unit that generates output data to an external device based on internal content and external content that the content selection unit has received selection;
The content search device according to any one of claims 3 to 6.   The content search apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the output data generation unit generates print data based on image files included in the internal content and the external content received by the content selection unit.   The content search apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the local device includes an information terminal or a portable recording medium.   The said 1st access part authenticates access to the personal content storage site which is a site which stores the user specific content of the said information terminal among the said content storage sites based on the identification information specific to the said information terminal. 9. The content search device according to 9.   The content selection unit is configured to select external content acquired from a site other than the personal content storage site based on the total number of internal content acquired from the local device and external content acquired from the personal content storage site. The content search device according to claim 10, wherein reception is limited. The search keyword setting unit sets a search keyword based on incidental information of external content that is content recorded in a desired remote content storage site accessed via the first access unit,
The search unit searches for internal content, which is content having supplementary information related to a search keyword set by the search keyword setting unit, from a desired local device accessed via the second access unit. The content search device described.   The content search apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the internal content includes content other than content downloaded from the remote content storage site to the local device. Accessing one or more desired content storage sites over a network;
Accessing a desired local device;
Setting a search keyword based on incidental information of internal content that is content recorded in the desired local device;
Searching external content that is content having additional information related to the search keyword from the desired one or more content storage sites;
Content search method including   A content search program for causing a computer to execute the content search method according to claim 14. The content search device according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
A remote device connected to the first access unit of the content search device;
A local device connected to the second access unit of the content search device;
A content search system comprising:

Images