JP4556998B2 - Image management apparatus and image management program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image management apparatus and an image management program for managing a plurality of image data.

  There is an image management apparatus that manages image data by storing shooting environment information, keywords, and the like in association with image data. The conventional image management apparatus can search and extract image data from shooting environment information, keywords, and the like.

  However, when a large amount of image data is accumulated in the conventional image management apparatus, it is very difficult to find predetermined image data from the accumulated image data. Further, in order to easily find out, it is necessary to register keywords and the like carefully and in detail when registering image data in the image management apparatus. The present invention provides an image storage device that can easily search for predetermined image data without requiring complicated registration work or the like.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the image management apparatus, registration means for registering, as management data, image data information recorded in an Exif tag of image data generated in an Exif format file in the camera, and the Exif format obtaining means for obtaining information in order to register the management data for managing the image data of the file is added to the Exif tag of the image data of the Exif format file the information acquired by the acquisition means as the image data information The information acquired by the acquisition means is registered in the management data, and is recorded in the Exif tag of the image data of the Exif format file by the detection means. when it is detected that has acquired the information that can be said adding means, the Exif format It has a configuration that adds the acquired information to Exif tag of the image data file.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image management apparatus according to the first aspect, the adding unit adds the acquired information when the acquired information is not added to the Exif tag of the image data of the Exif format file. did.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image management apparatus according to the first aspect, the acquisition unit is a unit that allows a user to manually input information regarding image data.

The invention according to claim 4, in the image management device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit, when the information needed to manage the data can not be obtained, the configuration for displaying a screen for prompting an input of information did.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image management apparatus according to the first aspect, the image management apparatus further includes a connection unit that is communicably connected to another device, and the acquisition unit is connected to the other device connected by the connection unit Information registered in management data is acquired.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image management apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the other device is a portable device.

The invention described in claim 7 is configured such that the control executed by the image management apparatus described in claims 1 to 6 is described in the image management program.

Each configuration is described below.

  Various functions are provided, and image data can be managed without causing the user to perform complicated operations.

  The image management apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an image management apparatus 1 and various devices connected to the image management apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A monitor 2, a digital camera 3, an electronic notebook 4, a mobile phone 5, a portable storage device 6, a printer 7, a server computer 8, and the like are communicably connected to the image management apparatus 1.

The image management apparatus 1 is an apparatus for managing image data generated by a digital camera or the like. The monitor 2 is a device that displays a video based on a video signal output from the image management device 1. The digital camera 3 is a camera that generates digital image data. The electronic notebook 4 is a portable terminal provided with schedule management function software. The mobile phone 5 is a phone having a call function, an e-mail function, a schedule management function, and the like. The portable storage device 6 is a portable storage device incorporating a hard disk with a certain amount of memory capacity. The portable storage device 6 is a device that is taken outdoors together with a terminal such as a digital camera and stores data generated by the terminal.

The printer 7 is a device that prints based on an output signal from the image management apparatus 1. The server computer 8 is a computer that is communicably connected to the image management apparatus 1 via a network such as the Internet and performs data communication such as image data. The server computer 8 communicates with the digital camera 2 via a network such as the Internet, and receives and accumulates image data generated by the digital camera 2.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the image management apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The image management apparatus 1 includes a CPU 101, a hard disk 102, a disk drive 103, a memory card slot 104, a connection terminal 105, and a communication circuit 106. The CPU 101 executes various functions executed by the image management apparatus 1. The hard disk 102 is a large-capacity memory that stores image data. The hard disk 102 stores various programs executed by the image management apparatus.

The disk drive 103 is a drive for reproducing image data recorded on a mounted CD, CD-R, CD-RW, or the like. The disk drive 103 can write image data and the like on a CD-R and CD-RW as well as playback. In addition to a CD, a CD-R, and a CD-RW, the present invention can be realized by a DVD standard disc. The memory card slot 104 is a slot for recording and reproducing image data and the like recorded on a memory card loaded. Memory cards include rewritable memories and non-rewritable write-once memories.

The connection terminal 105 is a terminal for connecting to other devices such as a digital camera and an electronic notebook so that they can be wired or wirelessly communicated. The communication circuit 106 is a circuit for communicating with a server computer or the like via the Internet.

The image management apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment may be a dedicated image management apparatus in which an image management program is installed in advance, or an apparatus equivalent to a personal computer on which a user installs the image management program later. It may be. For example, the image management program is provided by downloading from a CD-ROM or the Internet.

Next, a management method for managing image data in the image management apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram conceptually showing the image data management method of the image management apparatus 1.

It consists of original image data, management data, and thumbnail image data. Original image data is image data generated by a digital camera or the like. The management data and the thumbnail image data are created by registration work by the image management apparatus 1.

The thumbnail image is management image data to be displayed as a list on the image management apparatus 1. The thumbnail image data is composed of an Exif (Exchangeable Image File) format file, and has the same shooting information as the original image data in the Exif tag of the file header portion.

As management data, information acquired from image data, input information, information generated by an operation, and the like are registered for each image data. The management data also registers storage location information of the original image data.

These data are stored in the hard disk 102. The original image data may be stored in a medium such as a CD-R without being stored in the hard disk 102.

Next, various controls executed by the image management apparatus 1 in the present embodiment will be described. First, image data management control executed by the image management apparatus 1 will be described. Different control is executed depending on the device connected to the connection terminal of the image management apparatus, or the memory installed in the disk drive 103 and the memory card slot 104.

In the image management control executed by the image management apparatus 1, the type of the disk loaded in the disk drive 103 is determined and different control is performed. Disc type discriminating not only disc type such as CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, etc., but also disc contents such as commercial photo collection CD, lab-created CD-R, personal-created CD-R Determine until. These are discriminated from the type of data recorded in the disc, the volume label of the disc, the serial number, and the like.

Here, the laboratory created CD-R will be described. A laboratory that handles development and printing of silver salt film provides a service that digitizes film image data and records it on a storage medium such as a CD-R. A lab-created CD-R is a disc created by a lab by the above service. With this service, a silver halide camera user can easily handle image data taken by a personal computer or the like.

In the image management control executed by the image management apparatus 1, for example, when the loaded disc is a CD-R, the volume label or serial number attached to the CD-R and the image data are detected. It is determined whether or not it has already been registered. In the determination using only the serial number, if there is image data added from the previous registration, it may be determined that the image has already been registered because the serial number is the same. There may also be disks with the same serial number. If it is a disc that has not been detected and stored, it is detected whether a volume label created according to a specific rule that the lab seems to have attached is attached. Judge whether it is a CD-R created in the laboratory from the volume label. Also, the creation lab is identified from the volume label. When the lab is specified, the image storage device 1 stores the trend information of the image data for each lab in advance. Therefore, when executing display, printing, etc., correction processing is performed according to the specified lab. Can be applied.

Also, in the laboratory created CD-R, dedicated browsing software for browsing image data is recorded. When this software is activated, automatic activation of the dedicated browsing software recorded in the CD-R is prohibited. Also, the setup work of the dedicated browsing software that is activated when the CD-R is mounted in an environment where the dedicated browsing software is not set up is prohibited. That is, when the management software is activated, the auto-run function when the disk is loaded is stopped.

The image management control executed by the image storage device 1 will be specifically described below. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing image management control executed by the image management apparatus. This flow starts by detecting that a disc having image data recorded thereon is loaded in the disc drive 103.

First, in step S101, the auto-run function that automatically starts a predetermined program in response to the loading of the disk is stopped. Thereby, when the image management control is functioning, unnecessary programs are not automatically started, and the user does not feel bothered.

Next, in step S102, it is detected whether or not all the image data in the loaded disk has already been registered in the image management data in the hard disk 102. Here, the serial number and the volume label are first detected to detect whether the disk is already registered in the management data. If registered, the image data stored in the disk is further searched. For example, if the loaded disc is a CD-R, CD-RW, etc., image data can be added, so even if the disc serial number and volume label have already been registered, unregistered image data can be stored. This is because it may exist. Such processing is executed, and if all the image data stored in the disc has already been registered, the process proceeds to step S107, and if there is unregistered image data, the process proceeds to step S103.

In step S103, it is detected whether the loaded disc is a CD such as a commercial photo album. If it is a commercially available CD, the process proceeds to step S107 assuming that it is not necessary to register the image data in the management data. If not, the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S107, it is displayed on the monitor that it has already been registered or that it is a commercially available photo album. Also, a display for inquiring whether to store the image data in the hard disk is displayed. Here, the reason for inquiring whether to store is that the already-registered disk is mounted in the disk drive 103 again means that not only management data registration but also image data recorded in the disk is stored in the hard disk. Because there is a possibility of wanting to. In the case of a commercially available CD, for the same reason, a display asking whether to store the image data in the hard disk is performed.

In step S108, it is detected whether or not there is an instruction to store in the hard disk in response to the inquiry. If there is an instruction to store, the process proceeds to step S109, and if there is an instruction not to store, this flow ends. .

In step S109, the image data in the disc is stored in a predetermined location in the hard disk. Subsequently, in step S110, it is detected whether or not the storage operation has been completed. If the storage operation has been completed, this flow is terminated. If not, the flow returns to step S109 to continue the storage operation.

On the other hand, in step S104, it is detected whether or not the disc loaded in the disc drive 103 is a write-once medium such as a CD-R. If the loaded disc is a CD-R, the process proceeds to step S105. If not, the process proceeds to step S106. In step S105, registration control for write-once media is executed. The registration control for write-once media will be described with reference to FIGS.

In step S106, registration control for normal media that is not write-once is executed. Here, the normal medium is a medium such as a CD-RW that can rewrite recorded image data. The registration control for normal media will be described with reference to FIG.

Next, registration control executed by the image management apparatus 1 will be described. First, an example of registration control in the write-once medium executed in step S105 of the flow shown in FIG. 4 will be described.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing registration control for image data recorded in a write-once medium. First, in step S201, management data registration work is performed. The registration work performed here creates a thumbnail image of the original image data, and registers the shooting time information and the thumbnail image added to the original image data at the time of shooting in the management data. Management data is stored in the hard disk 102. When the original image data is generated in an Exif format file, the shooting time information is recorded as an Exif tag in the header of the file. More detailed registration work will be described later.

In step S202, an inquiry is displayed as to whether or not the original image data recorded in the disc is to be stored in the hard disk 102. Here, the reason for inquiring whether to store in the hard disk is, for example, that original image data recorded on a write-once medium such as a CD-R cannot be overwritten with new image data and is therefore erased. There is nothing. Therefore, if the CD-R is owned by the user, it is sufficient to mount the CD-R in the disk drive 103 without storing the original image data in the hard disk. Further, since it is registered in the management data, it is possible to search and extract image data recorded in the CD-R even when the CD-R is not attached.

In step S203, it is detected whether or not the inquiry is instructed to be stored in the hard disk 102. If so, the process proceeds to step S204. If not, the process proceeds to step S207.

In step S204, the copying operation of the original image data in the CD-R is executed. In step S205, the downloaded original image data is stored in a predetermined location in the hard disk 102. In step S206, it is detected whether or not the siphoning and storing operations have been completed. If it is detected that this operation has been completed, this flow ends. If not, the process returns to step S204.

On the other hand, in step S207, an input form for inputting where to store the mounted CD-R is displayed. In the input form, not only the storage location but also information such as the owner can be input. Subsequently, in step S208, it is detected whether or not information such as a storage location and an owner has been input to the input form by the user. If it is input, the process proceeds to step S209. If not, the process proceeds to step S210. .

In step S209, the input storage location and owner information are additionally registered in the management data. On the other hand, in step S210, an inquiry is made as to whether to create and print a label or CD jacket to be attached to the CD-R. The reason for creating the label and CD jacket will be explained. Since the original image data is not stored in the hard disk 102, when the image data in the CD-R is searched and extracted based on the registered management data, the image management apparatus 1 is searched and extracted. An instruction is given to mount the CD-R on which the image data is recorded. The user needs to find out the instructed CD-R and mount it on the disc drive 103, but the label and the CD jacket are helpful when searching. Information such as a serial number and a title is printed on the label and the CD jacket.

In step S211, it is determined whether or not an instruction to create a label has been issued. If an instruction to create a label is given, the process proceeds to step S212. If no instruction is given, this flow ends. In step S212, label creation processing is performed. In step S213, it is detected whether or not the label producing process is finished. If finished, this flow is finished, and if not finished, the process returns to step S212.

Next, another example of registration control for write-once media executed in step S105 in FIG. 4 will be described. In this example, the original image data recorded in the disc loaded in the disc drive 103 is not downloaded.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing registration control for image data recorded in a write-once medium. First, in step S301, management data registration work is performed. In step S302, an input form for registering the storage location and owner of the CD-R which is a write-once medium is displayed. Subsequently, in step S303, it is detected whether or not information such as a storage location and an owner has been input to the input form by the user. If input, the process proceeds to step S304. To do. In step S304, the input information is additionally registered in the management data.

As described above, when the loaded disk is a write-once medium, only the registration operation is performed and the original image data is not stored in the hard disk 102, so the capacity of the hard disk 102 is not reduced.

Furthermore, another example of the registration control for the write-once medium executed in step S105 of FIG. 4 will be described. In this example, even when the disk loaded in the disk drive 103 is a write-once medium such as a CD-R, the image data is automatically taken up and stored in the hard disk 102 for storage as backup image data.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing registration control for image data recorded in a write-once medium. First, in step S401, copying of image data in the write-once medium is executed. In step S <b> 402, the downloaded image data is stored in the backup area in the hard disk 102 as backup image data. In step S403, management data registration work is executed.

Next, the registration work in the case of normal media that is not write-once media executed in step S106 of FIG. 4 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing registration control executed in the image management apparatus 1.

First, in step S501, image data in the disc is sucked up. In step S502, the image data collected for image database registration is stored in a predetermined location in the hard disk 102. Further, in step S503, the image data sucked in the backup area of the hard disk 102 is stored as backup image data.

In step S504, a thumbnail image is generated, management information is created from the information added to the image data, and is registered as management data. In step S505, an inquiry is displayed as to whether image data in the disc is to be deleted. In step S506, it is detected whether or not an instruction to delete has been issued. When deleting, the process proceeds to step S507, and when not deleting, this flow is ended. In step S507, the image data in the disc is deleted.

As described above, the control shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 causes the image management apparatus 1 to create a backup in which original image data is copied. As a result, even if a defect occurs in the original image data, there is no problem because it is backed up. Further, as described with reference to FIG. 7, when the loaded medium is a write-once medium, the remaining capacity of the hard disk 102 is not reduced unnecessarily because the medium is stored in the hard disk 102 only for backup.

Next, the registration work executed in step S201 in FIG. 5, step S301 in FIG. 6, step S403 in FIG. 7, and step S504 in FIG. 8 will be described. An operation for registering management data to be recorded in association with image data will be described. When shooting time information is recorded in the Exif tag of the header portion of the image file recorded in the Exif format at the time of registration, registration is performed based on that. For example, on the APS film, shooting environment information at the time of shooting is recorded in the magnetic recording portion. Shooting environment information and the like recorded in the magnetic recording portion are recorded in the tag of the image file. On the other hand, in the case of 135 film, information at the time of shooting is not recorded, and thus is not recorded on the tag.

Registration processing is automatically performed for image files in which tag information is recorded. If there is no tag information, an input screen is displayed to prompt the user to input information. Of the information registered here, the information in the Exif standard is not only stored in the database of the image management apparatus, but also added to the tag of the original image data if it is a rewritable memory. Thereby, the information added when the image data is handled by another management apparatus other than the image management apparatus 1 can be utilized.

Hereinafter, the registration work in the image management apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be specifically described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing registration work executed by the image management apparatus 1.

First, in step S601, information added to image data in the disc is examined. In step S602, it is detected whether all information necessary for registration is added as management data of image data. If all the information has been added, the process proceeds to step S607, and if not, the process proceeds to step S603.

In step S603, information that has not been added is displayed, and a prompt for inputting information necessary for registration is displayed. In step S604, it is detected whether or not information is input. If it is input, the process proceeds to step S605. If not, the process proceeds to step S607.

In step S605, it is determined whether there is information that can be added to the header portion of the Exif format image file in the input information. If there is information that can be added, the process proceeds to step S606, and if there is no information that can be added, the process proceeds to step S607. In step S606, information is added to the header portion of the Exif format file of the original image data.

In step S607, a thumbnail image is created from the original image data. Here, the thumbnail image is created in an Exif format file, and Exif information equivalent to the original image data is added. Also, the Exif information and information input by the user are registered as management data. Naturally, the storage location of the original image data, thumbnail image data, and backup image data is also registered as management data. Note that independent management data and thumbnail images are not generated in the backup image data.

As described above, the image management apparatus 1 shows an example in which original image data is not stored in the image management apparatus 1 when stored in a write-once medium such as a CD-R. This prevents the hard disk 102 from being wasted by preventing the same image data from being stored in two locations in the CD-R and the hard disk 102.

As another example, the CD-R may be damaged or lost. Therefore, an example is shown in which image data in the CD-R is stored in the hard disk 102 as backup image data.

When the image data stored on the CD-R is instructed to print or the like, it cannot be instantaneously handled unless the CD-R is loaded in the disk drive 103. However, when the image data in the CD-R is backed up to the hard disk 102 and the image data stored in the CD-R is instructed to be printed, the CD-R is not mounted. This can be dealt with by using backup image data.

Hereinafter, the control for using the backup image data in the image management apparatus according to the present embodiment will be specifically described. The case where there is an instruction to print image data will be described as an example. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to not only printing but also an instruction for viewing and the like.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing print control executed by the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts when a predetermined image data is instructed to be printed.

First, in step S610, the storage location of the image data instructed to be printed is detected from the management data. In step S611, it is determined whether it is stored in the hard disk 102. If it is stored in the hard disk 102, the process proceeds to step S616, and if it is not stored, the process proceeds to step S612.

In step S612, it is determined whether the stored media is loaded in the disk drive 103, the memory card slot 104, or the like. If it is loaded, the process proceeds to step S616. . In step S613, the backup image data in the hard disk 102 is searched. In step S614, printing is performed on the monitor using the backup image data.

In step S615, the image data for backup cannot be read out from the storage destination, so the backup image data is read out. In step S616, image data is read from the storage location. In step S617, the read image data is printed.

By controlling as described above, printing can be easily performed without performing complicated operations such as searching for and mounting media such as a CD-R storing image data to be printed.

Next, functions other than registration in the image management apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. Recording control for recording image data managed by the image management apparatus 1 on a storage medium such as a CD-R will be described.

When the image data recorded in the image management apparatus 1 is to be burned on a CD-R, an inquiry is made as to whether to create it for delivery to another person or to organize it. Alternatively, information on the CD-R is registered, and after burning to the CD-R is finished, an inquiry is made as to whether or not to delete the burned image data in the hard disk. Re-register to the CD-R from within the hard disk. If the image data deletion operation has not been performed, the copy destination information is used to register the CD-R information, and the registration operation is completed.

When one or a plurality of image data to be copied or moved are selected, the image data having the same event and the same shooting date and time as the selected image data are automatically selected in accordance with the free space of the loaded medium. The automatically selected image data is candidate image data to be recorded on the CD-R and can be changed.

By automatically selecting the number of image data that can be recorded on the copy destination medium in this way, the operation of selecting a large number of images can be omitted. Also, by dividing according to the event and the shooting date and time, it is possible to create related image data in the same medium, such as a collection for each event.

Specific control will be described below. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating recording control executed by the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts by designating one piece of image data and executing a copy wizard for the loaded media.

First, in step S701, the type and capacity of the loaded media are investigated. In step S702, image data as a writing candidate is selected according to the free space of the medium. As the candidate image data, an image data group that is likely to be related to the designated image data is selected in consideration of the event, the shooting date, and the like based on the management data. The candidate selection control executed here will be described later with reference to FIG.

In step S703, the selected image data group is displayed as a list. In addition, a display for inquiring whether or not the selected image data can be written on the loaded medium is performed. Subsequently, in step S704, it is detected whether or not there is a write instruction. If there is a write instruction, the process proceeds to step S707, and if there is no write instruction, the process proceeds to step S705.

In step S705, a display asking whether to change the selected image data is performed. In step S706, it is detected whether or not there is a change instruction. If there is a change instruction, the process returns to step S703 to display a list of image data groups including the changed image data again. If there is no change instruction, the process returns to step S705.

In step S707, writing to the loaded medium is executed. Subsequently, in step S708, it is detected whether or not the writing has been completed. If the writing has been completed, this flow ends. If the writing has not been completed, the process returns to step S707 to continue the writing. To do.

Next, control executed following the flow of FIG. 11 will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the image management apparatus 1 after the writing is completed. This flow is executed following the flow of FIG.

First, in step S710, an inquiry is made as to whether or not to delete the original image data in the hard disk 102 corresponding to the image data copied to the loaded medium. Here, the reason for deleting the original image data in the hard disk 102 is that the image data in the hard disk 102 may become unnecessary for the user due to copying to the loaded medium.

In step S711, it is detected whether or not the user is instructed to delete the inquiry. If instructed to delete, the process proceeds to step S713. If instructed not to delete, the process proceeds to step S713. Proceed to step S712.

In step S712, the management data of the copied image data is registered as having been copied to the medium. In step S713, the original image data in the hard disk 102 corresponding to the image data copied to the medium is deleted. In step S714, the storage destination information of the original image data in the management data is registered and changed to the medium copied from the hard disk 102.

In step S715, an inquiry is made as to whether the registration information of the image data copied to the loaded medium is to be deleted from the management data. In step S716, it is detected whether or not the user has been instructed to delete the inquiry. If instructed to delete, the process proceeds to step S717. Exit. In step S717, the registration information of the image data copied to the medium is deleted from the management data.

Next, the write candidate selection control executed in step 702 of FIG. 11 will be described. The control executed here is to extract an image data group related to the designated image data. Another object is to extract an image data group according to the free space of the loaded media.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing write candidate selection control executed by the image management apparatus 1. First, in step S720, condition setting information such as a preset search condition and priority order is acquired. The condition setting information is information set in advance by the user, and indicates under what conditions the image data group to be written on the medium is selected.

For example, the user sets search conditions used when selecting image data. Specifically, an item to be a search condition is set from information registered in the management data. Items include the camera model name, shooting date, image owner, shooting location, image title, keyword, and the like. In addition, the user can select and set items to be emphasized when generating a search expression for selecting image data.

By setting the search items in this way, image data groups such as the same camera, the same owner, the same location, the same title, and within a predetermined shooting interval can be extracted as candidates.

In addition to the search items, the user can set theme emphasis and capacity emphasis. The theme emphasis and capacity emphasis will be described later. Next, in step S721, a search expression is generated. In step S722, the management data is searched using a search formula, and the hit image data information is acquired.

In step S723, the total capacity of the image data hit in the search is calculated from the acquired image data information. In step S724, it is determined whether or not the calculated total capacity is equal to or less than the free capacity of the loaded medium. If the total capacity is equal to or less than the free capacity, the process proceeds to step S726. Advances to step S725.

In step S725, in order to prevent the total capacity from exceeding the free capacity of the medium, the number of selected image data is narrowed down with strict search conditions. In step S726, it is determined whether the difference obtained by subtracting the total capacity from the free capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined capacity. Here, the value of the predetermined capacity used as a criterion for determination varies depending on whether the user sets the theme or the capacity. The value of the predetermined capacity is set to be large when the theme is important, and the value is set to be small when the capacity is important. When theme emphasis is set, for example, only image data taken at a certain event is extracted without worrying about the free space of the media. In this way, only image data with high relevance is extracted, and image data with low relevance is prevented from being extracted. If capacity emphasis is set, image data is extracted so that the free space of the medium is filled. If the difference is equal to or larger than the predetermined capacity, the process proceeds to step S727. If the difference is equal to or smaller than the predetermined capacity, the process proceeds to step S728.

In step S727, in order to bring the total capacity close to the free capacity of the medium, a process of increasing the number of selected image data by loosening the search condition is executed. In step S728, thumbnail image data of the hit image data is extracted.

In the above example, the search formula for searching for the selected image is generated taking into consideration the theme of the image data and the free space of the media. However, since it is possible that the image group of the consistent theme may be lost by trying to fill up the free space, it may not be possible to control the search range forcibly.

Further, in order to eliminate the waste of the loaded media, the image data may be simply selected by capacity while ignoring the image theme. The items used for the search may be other than the items described above.

Further, after writing to the medium, a label and a jacket to be attached to the medium may be created and printed from the image title, shooting date and time, and the like. As described above, when the managed image data is copied to the medium, control is performed so that related image data groups are gathered. Further, since control is performed so that image data is selected in accordance with the free space of the medium, it is not necessary to select image data while checking the free space each time.

Hereinafter, another management function of the image management apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. As described above, the image management apparatus 1 manages the storage destination and owner of a medium such as a CD-R in the management data in addition to the shooting information of the image data.

The image management apparatus 1 further has a function of registering and managing storage location information of a silver salt film in association with the image data when the image data is image data obtained by scanning and digitizing a silver salt film.

Further, in the case of a laboratory created CD-R, the image data are arranged in the order of photographing frames of the silver halide film, so that the frame number corresponding to the silver halide film is automatically input. Further, it is desirable to supply the image data with a frame number attached to the image data on the lab side.

Hereinafter, specific control executed by the image management apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts when a storage medium such as a CD-R is loaded and a registration operation is executed.

First, in step S730, the mounted and connected storage medium is investigated. Subsequently, in step S731, it is determined whether or not it is a lab-created CD-R. If it is a lab-created CD-R, the process proceeds to step S732; Whether or not it is a lab-created CD-R can be determined from the CD-R serial number, volume label, and Exif information of the image data. For example, date information digitized from a silver salt film is input to the Exif information.

In step S732, the lab information and the frame number are registered in the management data. In step S733, the monitor prompts the user to input information that could not be automatically determined. Here, in addition to the information related to the image data such as the frame number, information such as the owner of the silver halide film and the storage location is input. Next, in step S734, it is detected whether or not the input is completed. If the input is completed, the process proceeds to step S735, and if the input is not completed, the process returns to step S733. In step S735, the input silver salt film information is registered in the management data.

By performing registration control as described above, the user can search for the owner and storage location of the silver salt film. Further, managing the silver salt film information and the frame number of the image data in the film can be used for searching at the time of reprinting from a silver salt film that is not printed via the Internet. In addition, when an image to be reprinted is selected and the order form is printed, an order form to be sent to the photographer is created.

Below, the silver salt film storage location search and order form printing functions of the image management apparatus 1 will be specifically described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the silver halide film management control executed by the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts by operating the silver halide film management in the management menu in the image management apparatus 1.

First, in step S740, management data is searched. Subsequently, in step S741, a thumbnail image of image data in which silver salt film information is registered in the management data is extracted. In step S742, the extracted thumbnail images are displayed as a list on the monitor 2. In step S743, it is detected whether or not selection of image data has been completed. If completed, the process proceeds to step S744, and if not completed, the process returns to step S742.

In step S744, a screen for inquiring whether to print or to search for a storage location is displayed. In step S745, it is detected whether printing is instructed. In the case of printing, the process proceeds to step S746, and in the case of storage location search, the process proceeds to step S750.

Next, in step S746, the user is prompted to input the laboratory and store information for printing. In step S747, it is determined whether lab / store information has been input. If it has been input, the process proceeds to step S748. If not, the process returns to step S746. In step S748, information such as extra print, order date, order lab, and the like is registered in the management data of the selected image data. In step S749, an order form template corresponding to the lab and the store is acquired by connecting to the site of the lab and the store input using the Internet. The order form template may be stored in the image management apparatus 1 in advance. In step S750, the scheduled print finish date / time information is downloaded from the site, and the planned finish date / time is displayed.

In step S751, an order form in which an order is input to the order form acquired so that the selected image data is printed in the laboratory is created. In step S752, the printer 7 is instructed to print an order form. Next, in step S753, the management data is searched, and the storage location of the silver salt film corresponding to the selected image data is extracted. In step S754, the storage location of the silver salt film is displayed on the monitor 2.

As described above, the image management apparatus 1 not only manages image data that is digital data, but also manages silver halide films and the like. In addition, order forms for printing from silver halide films will be created.

Next, cooperative control with other function software executed by the image management apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The image management apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a function of cooperating with software in a portable terminal such as an electronic notebook 4. Here, cooperation with schedule data of schedule software used in the electronic notebook 4 will be described.

The image management apparatus 1 automatically generates information such as an image title and a shooting location from schedule data. When titles and keywords are not attached to the downloaded image file, titles and keywords of the image data are created from the schedule data. This helps the image management apparatus 1 when searching for image data.

Hereinafter, cooperative control executed by the image management apparatus 1 will be described. When the image management apparatus 1 sucks image data from a memory card or the like, it compares the shooting date / time data of the Exif information added to the image data with the schedule data. If there is schedule data corresponding to the shooting date and time, the schedule contents are displayed. Then, give a title. Or add a title automatically. Then, a part or all words of the schedule data corresponding to the shooting date and time are registered as keywords.

Also, without creating a title from the text of the schedule, simply add it to the keyword. The content of the image data and the content of the schedule may be completely different. It is necessary to confirm whether or not the contents of the image data match the schedule text.

In addition, there is a merit just by using keywords without confirmation. For example, “Mr. A's wedding” is described in the schedule, and “Mr. A's wedding” is added to the keyword of image data taken on a date other than the wedding taken on the same day. By doing this, even if you do not remember the shooting date and time of the image data you want to see, you can search for “Mr. it can.

Hereinafter, the cooperation control executed by the image management apparatus 1 will be specifically described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing cooperation control with schedule software executed by the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts when the registration work is executed.

First, in step S801, shooting information of image data to be registered is searched. Subsequently, in step S802, shooting date / time information of the image data is acquired. Next, in step S803, it communicates with the electronic notebook 4 and searches for schedule data. Then, it is detected whether there is schedule data corresponding to the shooting date / time information of the acquired image data. Next, in step S804, it is determined whether there is schedule data corresponding to the shooting date / time information of the image data. If there is corresponding schedule data, the process proceeds to step S805, and if there is no corresponding schedule data, this flow is performed. finish.

In step S805, the word extracted from the schedule data is displayed with the title and the keyword, respectively, and a display asking whether to register with the word is performed. For example, when the schedule data includes “Mr. A's wedding at the hotel H”, “Mr. A's wedding” is extracted as the title word. Also, “hotel H”, “Mr. A”, and “wedding” are extracted as keyword words.

In step S806, it is detected whether or not an instruction to register for the inquiry is given. Here, when an instruction to register is given, the extracted word is registered as a title or a keyword. If the user instructs not to register, a screen for manually inputting the title and keyword is displayed. When an instruction to register is given, the process proceeds to step S809, and when an instruction not to register is given, the process proceeds to step S807.

In step S807, an input screen for manually inputting a title and a keyword is displayed. In step S808, it is detected whether data is input. If it is input, the process proceeds to step S809. If it is not input, nothing is registered, and this flow ends.

In step S809, the title or keyword is registered in the management data in association with the image data. As described above, when the schedule data of the schedule software corresponding to the shooting date / time of the image data exists, the schedule data can be used for the title, keyword, etc. of the image data.

In the above example, when there is schedule data corresponding to the shooting date and time of the image data to be registered, the image management apparatus 1 registers it in the management data as the title and keyword of the image data.

In the control described above, a search is made as to whether or not there is data that matches the shooting date and time. However, data that is close to the date and time may be extracted even if the data does not completely match. For example, if there is schedule data before and after the shooting date and time, the data ahead is prioritized.

The image management apparatus 1 has a function of using schedule data when searching and extracting image data without registering the management data. For example, when a search is made with the keyword “Mr. A's wedding”, the date and time of “Mr. A's wedding” is acquired from the schedule software, and image data of the shooting date and time is extracted.

The control executed by the image management apparatus 1 will be specifically described below. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing search and extraction control executed by the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts when a predetermined keyword is input and search and extraction are executed.

First, in step S901, management data of registered image data is searched. In step S902, it is detected whether there is image data having the input keyword. When it exists, it progresses to step S906, and when it does not exist, it progresses to step S903.

In step S903, since there is no keyword image data input to the management data, the schedule data is searched by communicating with the electronic notebook 4. The image management apparatus 1 can search the schedule data used by the schedule software.

In step S904, it is detected whether or not the input keyword exists in the schedule data. When it exists, it progresses to step S906, and when it does not exist, it progresses to step S905. In step S905, it is displayed that the corresponding image data does not exist. On the other hand, in step S906, the corresponding image data is displayed as a list.

In the above example, the schedule data is retrieved by communicating with the electronic notebook 4. However, instead of linking with the schedule software in the electronic notebook 4, it may be linked with the schedule software in the image management apparatus 1.

Instead of communicating with the electronic notebook 4 each time a search is executed, the image management apparatus 1 may suck up schedule data into the image management apparatus 1 when a mobile terminal is connected.

Moreover, although the example which cooperates with the schedule data of schedule software was shown in the said control, not only schedule data but other data may be sufficient. For example, it may be linked with e-mail data in the mobile phone 5 or the like.

The cooperation between the image management apparatus 1 and the mobile phone 5 will be described in detail below. The mobile phone 5 stores various information such as call records and schedule data in addition to e-mail data. The image management apparatus 1 uses such information as management data. Further, the image management apparatus 1 gives priority to information in the mobile phone 5 and uses it for management data.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing registration control in cooperation with the mobile phone 5 executed in the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts when the registration work is executed.

First, in step S910, the photographing information of the image data to be registered is searched. Subsequently, in step S911, shooting date / time information of the image data is acquired. Next, in step S912, communication with the mobile phone 5 is performed to search for schedule data. Then, it is detected whether there is schedule data corresponding to the shooting date / time information of the acquired image data. Next, in step S913, it is determined whether there is schedule data corresponding to the shooting date / time information of the image data. If there is corresponding schedule data, the process proceeds to step S918, and if there is no corresponding schedule data, the process proceeds to step S914. move on.

In step S914, communication with the mobile phone 5 is performed to search for e-mail data. Then, it is detected whether there is e-mail data received or transmitted at the shooting date and time of the acquired image data. Next, in step S915, it is determined whether there is e-mail data received or transmitted at the shooting date and time of the image data. If there is corresponding e-mail data, the process proceeds to step S918, and if there is no corresponding e-mail data. Advances to step S916.

Next, in step S916, communication with the mobile phone 5 is performed to search for call history data. Then, it is detected whether there is data that has been called at the shooting date and time of the acquired image data. Next, in step S917, it is determined whether there is data that has been called at the shooting date and time of the image data. If there is a call, the process proceeds to step S918. If there is no call, there is no data to be newly registered. This flow ends.

In step S918, the word extracted from the mobile phone 5 is registered in the management data as a title or a keyword. The word extracted from the e-mail data may be a word extracted from the mail title or a word extracted from the mail body. Further, the data of the other party is extracted from the call history data.

Next, the control for the portable storage device 6 executed in the image management device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The image management apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a function of acquiring and registering image data stored in the portable storage device 6. Here, the portable storage device 6 has a built-in hard disk for storing data, and includes a connection unit that is communicably connected to the image management device 1 and the digital camera. Furthermore, the portable storage device 6 includes a card slot that acquires image data captured by a digital camera via a memory card. The portable storage device 6 is taken outdoors together with the digital camera, and stores the image data captured by the digital camera through the connection unit or the card slot.

By erasing the image data stored in the portable storage device 6 from the memory in the digital camera, it is possible to continuously shoot by increasing the free space of the memory. Further, the hard disk in the portable storage device 6 has a sufficient capacity for image storage in an event such as a single trip.

The image management apparatus 1 is connected to the portable storage device 6 to register and store the image data stored in the portable storage device 6 in the hard disk 102.

The portable storage device 6 may uniquely manage the stored image data. The image management apparatus 1 includes a program that converts management information of various portable storage devices 6 into data that can be used by the image management apparatus 1. The conversion program is stored in the hard disk 102.

Therefore, the image management apparatus 1 can manage image data more finely in cooperation with the portable storage device 6. Obtain management information and convert and use the management information for your software. For example, in the case where the portable storage device 6 is equipped with a GPS element, the position information when the image is stored can be obtained.

Then, the image management apparatus 1 receives the image registration data managed by the portable storage device 6, converts it for use by itself, and registers it. Thereby, data attached to all the image data is not extracted one by one, and new information can be acquired by inputting information not attached to the image data.

Hereinafter, image data registration control in the portable storage device 6 executed by the image management device 1 when connected to the portable storage device 6 will be described. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts when the portable storage device 6 and the image management device 1 are connected.

First, in step S1101, information on the portable storage device 6 is acquired, and a search is made as to whether the portable storage device 6 can be linked. The portable storage device 6 that can be linked here is a device that can use management data for managing stored image data in the image management device 1. Naturally, the portable storage device 6 that does not own the management data determines that cooperation is impossible.

In step S1102, it is determined whether the connected portable storage device 6 can cooperate with the image management device 1. If cooperation is possible, the process proceeds to step S1103. If cooperation is not possible, the process proceeds to step S1105.

In step S1103, the management data in the portable storage device 6 is downloaded. In step S1104, a management data program corresponding to the management data that has been downloaded is activated to convert the management data.

In step S 1105, the image data is downloaded and stored in the hard disk 102. In step S1106, it is detected whether or not the siphoning work has been completed. If it has been completed, the process proceeds to step S1107. If not completed, the process returns to step S1105 to continue the siphoning work.

In step S1107, the image data in the portable storage device 6 is erased. It is also possible to inquire whether or not to delete the sucked image data without deleting the automatically sucked image data. In addition, the management data in the portable storage device 6 is rewritten. In step S1108, the registered image data is registered.

As described above, when the device connected to the image management apparatus 1 performs unique image management, the image management data is acquired from the device, and the registration work is performed based on the acquired image management data. Detailed management registration can be performed easily.

Next, functions of the image management apparatus 1 in a system for transferring image data captured by the digital camera 3 to the server computer 8 and the like will be described. Before transferring the image data to the transfer destination such as the server computer 8, the digital camera 3 creates reduced image data for display to be reproduced and displayed on the monitor of the digital camera 3, and transfers the image data to the transfer destination. The information is stored in a memory in the digital camera 3 together with information.

Further, the reduced image remaining in the digital camera 3 is stored in the Exif format, and information such as shooting date / time, shutter speed, presence / absence of a strobe has the same information as the original image data. Further, since the information such as the image data size is the size of the reduced image, it is different from the original image data. Information indicating that the image data is not original image data is also held.

The registration control executed by the image management apparatus 1 will be specifically described below. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing registration control executed by the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts when the digital camera 3 is connected to the connection terminal 105 of the image management apparatus 1. The digital camera 3 has transferred image data to the server computer 8.

First, in step S1201, transfer destination information is acquired from the digital camera 3. Subsequently, in step S1202, an attempt is made to connect to the server computer 8 that is the transfer destination based on the acquired transfer destination information. In step S1203, it is determined whether or not connection to the server computer 8 has been established. If connection is established, the process proceeds to step S1204. If connection cannot be established, the process proceeds to step S1205.

In step S1204, all the image data corresponding to the transfer destination information in the digital camera 3 is connected, and shooting information added to the Exif tag of the original image data is acquired. In step S1205, for the image that cannot be connected to the original image data, photographing information recorded in the Exif tag of the reduced image in the digital camera 3 is acquired.

In step S1206, management data is registered based on the acquired information. In step S1207, the thumbnail image data in the digital camera 3 corresponding to the image data in which the management data is registered is deleted.

In the above control, an example is shown in which the registration work is performed without downloading the original image data stored in the server computer 8. However, some server computers have a time limit in which image data can be stored in the server computer. Image data that exceeds this time limit is automatically deleted. In addition, there may be a capacity limit for storing image data. Image data larger than the capacity that can be stored cannot be stored. In such a server computer, the original image data is downloaded to the hard disk 102 in the image management apparatus 1 and the image data in the server computer is deleted.

Hereinafter, the control in the image management apparatus 1 will be described in detail. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts when the server computer 8 is connected.

First, in step S1210, usage condition information of the server computer 8 is acquired. Subsequently, in step S1211, it is determined whether or not the storage period of the image data in the server computer 8 is within a predetermined period. If it is within the predetermined period, the process proceeds to step S1212. The process proceeds to S1214.

In step S1212, image data whose accumulation time limit is within a predetermined period is downloaded to the hard disk 102, and the image data downloaded from the server computer 8 is deleted. Subsequently, in step S1213, the registration content of the management data regarding the storage location of the downloaded image data is changed.

In step S1214, it is determined whether the capacity of the image data stored in the server computer 8 is greater than or equal to a predetermined capacity. If the capacity is greater than the predetermined capacity, the process proceeds to step S1215. End the flow. In step S1215, predetermined image data is downloaded to the hard disk, and the image data downloaded from the server computer 8 is deleted. Subsequently, in step S1216, the registered content of the management data relating to the storage location of the downloaded image data is changed, and the process returns to step S1214.

By controlling as described above, image data stored in the server computer is not lost. In addition, a memory capacity that can be newly stored in the server computer at any time can be secured.

Next, another function in the image management apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described. One image management apparatus 1 may be shared and used by a plurality of people such as family members. If the image data registered by another person can be accessed, privacy will be infringed.

In addition, one digital camera 3 may be shared by a plurality of people such as family members or friends. When the digital camera 3 is used in this way, privacy infringement can be prevented by each of a plurality of people using their own memory card. However, the memory built in or attached to the digital camera 3 has a large capacity, and it is conceivable that one memory is shared by a plurality of people. When the digital camera 3 is used by a plurality of people, if all the image data in the digital camera 3 is automatically picked up and registered, the image data taken by another person is also registered.

One digital camera 3 may be shared for business and private use. Also in this case, it is inconvenient that the image data taken by the business is automatically registered in the personally owned image management apparatus.

The image management apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has various functions in order to solve the above problems. The function will be specifically described below. The image management apparatus 1 has a function of preventing access to image data registered by others in order to protect privacy. When there are a plurality of users implemented on a personal computer or the like, a login ID and a password are given to each user, and the user logs in when using the image management apparatus 1. This distinguishes users and restricts access to image data. In the image management apparatus 1, image data registered while a certain user is logged in can be realized by making it accessible only when the same user is logged in.

Further, the image management apparatus 1 has a function of distinguishing and registering the owner of the image data from the image data taken by a plurality of persons. The image management apparatus 1 has a function of inputting image data extraction conditions for specifying an owner and registering only image data that meets the conditions. Conditions that can be input include Exif tag information such as a manufacturer name, a shooting model name, an image title, a keyword, an image size, a shooting date, and a user name, in addition to file management information such as a folder name and a file name.

Hereinafter, specific control executed by the image management apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts when the connection of the digital camera 3 to the connection terminal 105 or the attachment to the memory card slot 104 is detected. The following description shows a case where the digital camera 3 is connected.

First, in step S2001, a login person of the image management apparatus 1 is detected. In step S2002, the image data in the connected digital camera 3 is searched.

In step S2003, as a result of searching the image data in the digital camera 3, it is determined whether there is image data that matches the conditions set by the logged-in person, and when there is image data that matches the conditions of the logged-in person. Advances to step S2004, and if there is no matching image data, this flow ends. In step S2004, only image data that matches the conditions set by the logged-in user is downloaded and registered.

If the digital camera 3 has a function of logging in to identify a user as in the image management apparatus 1, the login information is automatically set without setting the condition input or the like in the image management apparatus 1. Can be registered.

In the above control, an example is shown in which the image data of the logged-in person is detected, and only the image data of the logged-in person is downloaded and registered. In the control described below, all image data in the digital camera 3 is downloaded and registered. Then, at the time of registration, the login user information is registered in the management data. Then, access other than the image data of the login person is disabled.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing registration control executed by the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts when the connection of the digital camera 3 to the connection terminal 105 or the attachment to the memory card slot 104 is detected. The following description shows a case where the digital camera 3 is connected.

First, in step S2010, a login person of the image management apparatus 1 is detected. Next, in step S2011, all the image data in the digital camera 3 is downloaded, and shooting information data of the image data is registered in the management data. Further, information such as the photographer and owner of the image data is also registered in the management data.

In step S2012, the registered image data is searched. In step S2013, it is determined whether there is image data in which the log-in person of the image management apparatus 1 is the photographer or the owner. If there is, the process proceeds to step S2014. If there is no image data, there is no image data that can be handled. This flow ends. In step S2014, thumbnail images of image data whose log-in is the photographer and owner are displayed in a list so that they can be handled.

By performing registration control as described above, image data can be registered efficiently, and privacy of others is not infringed. Next, an example in which only the registration to the management data is performed without downloading the original image data will be described. For example, it is executed when the memory card attached to the digital camera 3 is a write-once medium.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts when a digital camera equipped with a write-once medium is connected to the image management apparatus 1.

First, in step S2020, a login person of the image management apparatus 1 is detected. In step S2021, the image data in the connected digital camera 3 is searched. In step S2022, as a result of searching the image data in the digital camera 3, it is determined whether there is image data that matches the conditions set by the login user, and there is image data that matches the conditions of the login user. In this case, the process proceeds to step S2023. If there is no matching image data, this flow ends. In step S2023, only the image data that matches the conditions set by the login user is registered in the management data.

Next, a description will be given of control corresponding to a case where image data captured by the digital camera 3 is transmitted to a server computer and stored using a network such as the Internet.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the control executed in the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts when a digital camera having a function of transferring to the server computer 8 is connected to the image management apparatus 1.

First, in step S2031, a login person of the image management apparatus 1 is detected. Subsequently, in step S2032, transmission data in the digital camera 3 is searched. The transmission data includes image data transmission destination information, photographer information, and the like. In step S2033, it is determined whether or not the log-in person's image data exists as a result of the search. If image data exists, the process proceeds to step S2034;

Next, in step S2034, an attempt is made to connect to the destination server computer 8 based on the destination information of the transmission data. Subsequently, in step S2035, it is detected whether or not the server computer 8 is connected. If it is connected, the process proceeds to step S2037. If it is not connected, the process proceeds to step S2036 to display that connection is not possible. . In step S2037, the image data taken by the login person is downloaded from the server computer 8. In step S2038, management data for the downloaded image data is created, and the management data is registered in the hard disk 102 together with the image data.

By controlling as described above, the user's image data can be easily obtained from the image data transferred from the digital camera to the server computer.

Next, another function of the image management apparatus 1 in the embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition to the fixed hard disk 102, the image management apparatus 1 can be mounted with a removable hard disk that can be removed and replaced using the connection terminal 105. The removable hard disk can be used as a large-capacity replacement medium.

FIG. 26 to FIG. 28 are diagrams for explaining a removable hard disk installation example and a data management method in the hard disk. In the example shown in FIG. 26, management data is not recorded on the mounted removable hard disk, but the management data is stored in the fixed hard disk 102 in a centralized manner. The advantage of adopting this management method is that the removable hard disk can be managed in the same manner as other media such as CD-R. Further, management data is not lost by centrally storing it in the fixed hard disk 102.

Some devices have no fixed hard disk and only a removable hard disk. In the example shown in FIG. 27, management data is centrally stored on a hard disk in which a management program is recorded. The advantage of adopting this management method is that management data is centrally stored on the same hard disk as the management program, so that management data always exists every time the program is started, so that it is possible to prevent double creation of management data. .

In the example shown in FIG. 28, management data is stored for each individual hard disk including a fixed hard disk. When the management program is activated, all management data stored for each hard disk can be searched. Management data stored in a plurality of hard disks in a predetermined hard disk may be temporarily converted to one management data only while the image management apparatus 1 is activated.

Hereinafter, specific control executed in the image management apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, the startup control executed by the image management apparatus 1 will be described.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing start-up control executed by the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts when the image management function is activated in the image management apparatus 1.

First, in step S3001, all mounted discs are searched. Subsequently, in step S3002, management data recorded on each disc is extracted. In step S3003, management data obtained by combining the extracted management data is generated in the hard disk storing the management program. The management data combined here is temporarily used data and disappears when the image management function is stopped. Naturally, when new image data is registered, it is registered in the combined management data and also in the management data in each disk.

Next, the control at the time of registration executed by the image management apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing registration control executed by the image management apparatus 1. This flow starts when an instruction to register image data is given by the user.

First, in step S3010, the disc designated to store the original image data is searched. Subsequently, in step S3011, it is determined whether or not management data exists. If management data exists, the process proceeds to step S3012. If management data does not exist, the process proceeds to step S3013.

In step S3012, the information of the image data to be registered this time is additionally registered in the management data, the management data is updated, and the image data is stored in a predetermined folder. In step S3013, management data is newly generated in a predetermined path, and image data is stored in a predetermined folder. Here, the place where the management data is generated and stored is stored in a folder with a predetermined path so that the image management apparatus 1 can identify it. In step S3014, the image data information is also registered in the combined management data.

By managing in this way, for example, it becomes possible to manage by simply mounting a removable hard disk managed by another image management apparatus on its own management apparatus 1.

As described above, the image management apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention has various functions, and can manage image data without causing the user to perform complicated operations.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an image management apparatus 1 and various devices connected to the image management apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the image management apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram conceptually showing the image data management method of the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing image management control executed by the image management apparatus. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing registration control for image data recorded in a write-once medium. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing registration control for image data recorded in a write-once medium. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing registration control for image data recorded in a write-once medium. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing registration control executed in the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing registration work executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing print control executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating recording control executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the image management apparatus 1 after the writing is completed. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing write candidate selection control executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the silver halide film management control executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing cooperation control with schedule software executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing search and extraction control executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing registration control in cooperation with the mobile phone 5 executed in the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing registration control executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing registration control executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the control executed in the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 26 is a diagram for explaining a mounting example of a removable hard disk and a data management method in the hard disk. FIG. 27 is a diagram for explaining a removable hard disk installation example and a data management method in the hard disk. FIG. 28 is a diagram for explaining a mounting example of a removable hard disk and a data management method in the hard disk. FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing start-up control executed by the image management apparatus 1. FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing registration control executed by the image management apparatus 1.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image management apparatus 2 ... Monitor 3 ... Digital camera 4 ... Electronic notebook 5 ... Cellular phone 6 ... Portable storage device 7 ... Printer 8 ... Server computer 101 ... CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 102 ... Hard disk 103 ... Disk drive 104 ... Memory card slot 105 ... Connection terminal 106 ... Communication circuit

Claims (7)

Registration means for registering, as management data, image data information recorded in an Exif tag of image data generated in an Exif format file in the camera ;
Acquisition means for acquiring information for registering in management data for managing image data of the Exif format file ;
Adding means for adding the information acquired by the acquisition means to the Exif tag of the image data of the Exif format file as image data information;
Detection means for detecting the acquired information;
With
Information acquired by the acquisition means is registered in the management data,
When the detecting means detects that information that can be recorded in the Exif tag of the image data of the Exif format file is acquired, the adding means adds the acquired information to the Exif tag of the image data of the Exif format file. An image management apparatus. The image management apparatus according to claim 1,
The image adding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adding unit adds the acquired information when the acquired information is not added to the Exif tag of the image data of the Exif format file . The image management apparatus according to claim 1,
The image management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition means is means for allowing a user to manually input information relating to image data. The image management apparatus according to claim 1,
The acquisition unit, when the information needed to manage the data can not be acquired, an image management apparatus and displaying a screen for prompting an input of information. The image management apparatus according to claim 1,
It has a connection part that connects to other devices so that it can communicate,
The image management apparatus, wherein the acquisition unit acquires information to be registered in management data from another device connected by the connection unit. The image management apparatus according to claim 5.
The image management apparatus, wherein the other device is a portable device. Image management program characterized by describing the control executed by the image management device according to claims 1 6.

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