JP5020011B2 - Content processing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a content processing apparatus, and more particularly to a content processing apparatus that transfers content acquired through, for example, a communication network to another apparatus.

An example of this type of device is disclosed in Patent Document 1. According to this background art, the addresses of the plurality of image servers are stored in the flash memory of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus refers to these addresses, accesses each image server at regular intervals, and downloads new image data. In an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), image data managed by each image server is collectively stored from old to new. When the user selects desired image data from the HDD, the selected image data is printed.
JP 2002-268834 A [G06F 3/12, B41J 29/38, G06F 3/13, 13/00]

    However, in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to register an address of a desired image server in a flash memory in order to acquire image data. In other words, the image data managed by the image server at the unregistered address cannot be acquired. Further, Patent Document 1 does not disclose any operation for transferring image data acquired by the image forming apparatus to another apparatus.

  Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a novel content processing apparatus.

    Another object of the present invention is to provide a content processing device that can easily transfer content managed at an arbitrary address to an external device.

  The present invention employs the following configuration in order to solve the above problems. Note that reference numerals in parentheses, supplementary explanations, and the like indicate correspondence with embodiments to be described later in order to help understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention.

  The content processing apparatus according to the first invention is designated by the designation means for designating an arbitrary address on the communication network, the acquisition means for obtaining the content managed at the address designated by the designation means through the communication network, and the designation means. First display means for displaying the first visible information indicating the address in the display area in relation to the acquisition process of the acquisition means, and second visible information for indicating the external apparatus in the display area in response to the connection of the external apparatus. 2 display means, change means for changing at least one display position of the first visible information and the second visible information in response to the position change operation, and the first visible information and the second visible information after the change processing by the change means Transfer that transfers at least part of the content acquired by the acquisition means to the external device when the relative position of the content satisfies the position condition Equipped with a stage.

  In the content processing apparatus (200) according to the first invention, an arbitrary address on the communication network (400) is designated by the designation means (S17). The acquisition unit (S25) acquires the content managed at the address designated by the designation unit through the communication network. The first visible information (26A, 26C) indicating the address designated by the designation means is displayed in the display area (26) by the first display means (S7) in association with the obtaining process of the obtaining means. The second visible information (26B) indicating the external device (300) is displayed in the display area by the second display means (S45) in response to the connection of the external device. The changing means (S55) changes the display position of at least one of the first visible information and the second visible information in response to the position changing operation. When the relative position of the first visible information and the second visible information after the changing process by the changing unit satisfies the position condition, the transfer unit (S87) transfers at least a part of the content acquired by the acquiring unit to the external device. Forward.

  Thus, the first visible information and the second visible information are displayed in the display area. When the relative position between the first visible information and the second visible information satisfies the position condition by the position changing operation, the content is transferred to the external device. That is, the content acquired from an arbitrary address is transferred to the external device by a simple operation such as a position change operation.

  The content processing device according to the second invention is dependent on the first invention, and the content transferred by the transfer means is content adapted to the processing method of the external device.

  In the second aspect of the invention, only the content that conforms to the processing method of the external device is transferred, so the load of the transfer process is reduced.

  A content processing apparatus according to a third invention is dependent on the second invention, and a first determination means and a first determination means for determining whether or not the content acquired by the acquisition means is compatible with the processing method of the external device. Conversion means for applying a conversion process for adapting to the processing method of the external device to at least a part of the content for which a negative determination result is indicated by.

  In the third invention, it is determined by the first determining means (S75) whether or not the content acquired by the acquiring means is compatible with the processing method of the external device. The conversion means (S79) performs a conversion process for adapting to the processing method of the external device to at least a part of the content for which the negative determination result is shown by the first determination means.

  Therefore, even content that does not conform to the processing method of the external device can be transferred. Thereby, various contents can be transferred.

  A content processing apparatus according to a fourth invention is dependent on the third invention, and determines whether or not the content whose negative determination result is indicated by the first determination means is compatible with the conversion method of the conversion means. It further includes a determination unit, and the transfer unit excludes the content for which a negative determination result is shown by the second determination unit from the transfer target.

  In the fourth invention, the second discriminating means (S77) discriminates whether or not the content whose negative discrimination result is shown by the first discriminating means is compatible with the conversion method of the converting means. Content for which a negative discrimination result is indicated by the second discrimination means is excluded from the transfer targets of the transfer means.

  Therefore, content that conforms to the conversion method of the conversion unit among content that conforms to the processing method of the external device and content that does not conform to the processing method of the external device becomes a transfer target of the transfer unit. On the other hand, among the contents that do not conform to the processing method of the external device, the contents that do not conform to the conversion method of the converting means are excluded from the transfer target, so that efficient transfer processing is realized.

  The content processing apparatus according to the fifth invention is dependent on the third or fourth invention, and further includes an excluding unit that excludes the content satisfying the transfer unnecessary condition from the discrimination target of the first discrimination unit.

  In the fifth invention, content satisfying the transfer unnecessary condition is excluded from the discrimination target of the first discrimination means by the exclusion means (S75).

  As described above, by narrowing down the determination target of the first determination unit by the transfer unnecessary condition, at least the processing amount of the first determination unit can be suppressed, and the processing amount of the subsequent units can also be suppressed. In addition, the amount of transferred content can be reduced.

  A content processing device according to a sixth invention is dependent on the fifth invention, and the transfer unnecessary condition includes a condition that the content is the same as the content held by the external device.

  According to the sixth aspect, there is no waste of transferring the same content as the content held by the external device.

  The content processing apparatus according to the seventh invention is dependent on any one of the first to sixth inventions, and the position condition is that the display area of the first visible information and the display area of the second visible information overlap at least partially. including. Therefore, the position changing operation includes an operation of overlapping the display area of the first visible information and the display area of the second visible information.

  A content processing device according to an eighth invention is dependent on any one of the first to seventh inventions, and the external device is a camera device including an image sensor.

  The camera device exclusively performs processing of a captured image (for example, a JPEG image) based on the output of the image sensor (42), but an image other than the captured image (such as a GIF image) is also included in the content acquired through the communication network. included. For this reason, especially when the external device is a camera device, there is a strong demand for transferring content that conforms to the processing method. According to the eighth aspect of the invention, such a request can be met.

  The content processing device according to the ninth invention is dependent on any one of the first to eighth inventions, and stores the address notified from the external device, and stores the address specified by the specifying device by the storing device. Third determining means for determining whether or not the address matches the transferred address, and the transfer means executes the transfer process without waiting for the position change operation when it is determined that the address matches by the third determining means.

  In the ninth invention, the address notified from the external device is stored by the storage means (S52b, 32e). The third determining means (S52c) determines whether or not the address specified by the specifying means matches the address stored by the storage means. The transfer process of the transfer means is executed without waiting for a position change operation when the third determination means determines that they match.

  According to the ninth aspect, the number of position change operations can be reduced.

  The control program according to the tenth aspect of the invention is managed by the designation step (S17) for designating an arbitrary address on the communication network (400) to the processor (24) of the content processing device (200), at the address designated by the designation step. Acquisition step (S9, S25) for acquiring the obtained content through the communication network, and the first visible information (26A, 26C) indicating the address specified by the specification step is displayed in the display area in association with the acquisition process of the acquisition step. A first display step (S7), a second display step (S45) for displaying the second visible information (26B) indicating the external device in the display area in response to the connection of the external device, the first visible information and the second visible information A change step of changing at least one of the display positions in response to the position change operation (S55), And a transfer step of transferring at least a part of the content acquired by the acquisition step to the external device when the relative positions of the first visible information and the second visible information after the change processing by the change step satisfy the position condition (S87). Is executed.

  In the tenth invention as well, as in the first invention, content acquired from an arbitrary address is transferred to an external device by a simple operation such as a position change operation.

  According to the present invention, content managed at an arbitrary address can be easily transferred to an external device.

  The above object, other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

  Referring to FIG. 1, PC 200 of this embodiment is connected to each of digital camera 300 and network 400. One or more (three in this case) servers 100, 100,... Are connected to the network 400. A configuration example of each server 100 is shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 2, server 100 includes a main storage device 10, a CPU 12, a DRAM 14, and a communication I / F 16. The communication I / F 16 cooperates with the network 400 to connect the CPU 12 to the PC 200 so as to be communicable.

  The main storage device 10 stores a data file for realizing one or more web pages, specifically, an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) file and an image file. A unique address is assigned to each web page. When the CPU 12 accesses the PC 200 through the network 400 and the communication I / F 16 to specify an address, a data file managed by this address is transferred from the main storage device 10. The data is read to the DRAM 14 and the read data file is downloaded to the PC 200 through the communication I / F 16 and the network 400. A configuration example of the PC 200 is shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 3, PC 200 includes communication I / F 20, DRAM 22, CPU 24, LCD monitor 26, keyboard 28, mouse 30, main storage device 32, and USB terminal 34. The communication I / F 20 cooperates with the network 400 to connect the CPU 24 to each of the servers 100, 100,.

  The HP address area 32c (see FIG. 6) of the main storage device 32 stores the address of a web page that should be displayed first when the PC 200 is connected to the network 400, that is, a home page. When the PC 200 is connected to the network 400, the CPU 24 reads an address from the HP address area 32c and accesses the corresponding server 100.

  The data file downloaded from the server 100 (hereinafter “DL data file”) is taken into the DL area 22a (see FIG. 5) of the DRAM 22 through the communication I / F 20. The CPU 24 creates management information (DL management information) related to the DL data file stored in the DL area 22a. The created LD management information is stored in the DL management area 32a (see FIG. 6) in the main storage device 32. An example of DL management information is shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 7, in DL management information, an address, a file name, and a file attribute are described for each file. Each data file in the DL area 22a is identified by an address and a file name. The file attribute is information indicating the attribute of each data file, and is read from, for example, a file name extension (jpg, gif, etc.).

  The CPU 24 also configures a web page based on the data file stored in the DL area 22a, and writes bitmap data of the configured web page in the display area 22b (see FIG. 5) of the DRAM 22. The bitmap data stored in the display area 22b is given to the LCD monitor 26, whereby a web page is displayed on the monitor screen. A display example of the web page is shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 8, the web page displayed at the center of the monitor screen includes a JPEG image based on a JPEG file, a GIF image based on a GIF file, and a flash movie image based on a flash movie file. An address icon 26A and an address character string 26C are displayed at the upper end of the monitor screen, that is, above the web page. Each of the address icon 26A and the address character string 26C is associated with an address of the web page being displayed, for example, an address (see FIG. 7) stored in the DL management area 32a.

  Thereafter, when an address change operation is performed with the keyboard 28 or the mouse 30, the CPU 24 designates a new address for the corresponding server 100, and the server 100 downloads a data file managed at the designated address to the PC 200. The contents of each of the DL area 22a, the display area 22b, and the DL management area 32a are updated, and the display screen is also updated. The address changing operation is, for example, an operation of inputting a character string describing a desired page address with the keyboard 28 or clicking a link in the display screen with the mouse 30.

  Referring to FIG. 4, the digital camera 300 includes an optical lens 40. The optical image of the object scene is irradiated to the image sensor 42 through the optical lens 40 and subjected to photoelectric conversion. Thereby, a raw image signal representing the scene is generated. When a recording operation is performed by the key input device 58, the CPU 56 instructs the image sensor 42 to output a raw image signal and instructs the JPEG codec 64 to perform JPEG compression.

  The image sensor 42 outputs a raw image signal. The output raw image signal is subjected to processing such as A / D conversion by the camera processing circuit 44 and converted into image data. The converted image data is written in the SDRAM 46. The JPEG codec 64 reads the image data stored in the SDRAM 46, compresses the read image data by the JPEG method, and writes the compressed image data, that is, JPEG data to the SDRAM 46. The JPEG data obtained in this way is then read out by the CPU 56 and recorded in the content area 54b (see FIG. 10) of the recording medium 54 in the file format via the I / F 52. The CPU 56 gives file names such as “0001.jpg”, “0002.jpg”,... To the recorded JPEG file.

  Here, the content area 54b is hierarchized like the directory tree of FIG. 12, and JPEG files based on the output to the image sensor 42, that is, “0001.jpg”, “0002.jpg”,. Is stored in “Camera” subordinate to “Camera”.

  When a reproduction operation is performed by the key input device 58, a reproduction process of a desired JPEG file is executed. The CPU 56 accesses the recording medium 54 through the I / F 52 and reads JPEG data stored in a desired JPEG file. The read JPEG data is written into the SDRAM 46.

  The JPEG codec 64 reads JPEG data from the SDRAM 46, expands the read JPEG data, and writes the expanded image data to the SDRAM 46. The LCD driver 48 reads the image data stored in the SDRAM 46 and drives the LCD monitor 50 with the read image data. As a result, the reproduced image is displayed on the monitor screen.

  As described above, the digital camera 300 can process the JPEG data and display the reproduced image. However, it is assumed that still image data (for example, GIF data) and moving image data (for example, flash movie data) other than JPEG cannot be processed.

  By the way, the digital camera 300 includes the USB terminal 62. When the digital camera 300 is connected to the PC 200 with the web page displayed on the monitor screen of the PC 200, the digital camera 300 captures an image in the web page. Can do. That is, the PC 200 transfers the data file corresponding to the image in the web page to the digital camera 300, and the digital camera 300 records the transferred data file.

  Specifically, when the USB terminal 62 on the camera side and the USB terminal 34 on the PC side are connected by a USB cable, the CPU 24 on the PC side acquires camera information from the CPU 56 on the camera side. The camera information describes the model number of the digital camera 300, the processing method (here, “JPEG”), and the like.

  When the CPU 24 recognizes the digital camera 300, a camera icon 26B indicating connection with the digital camera 300 is displayed at the lower end of the screen of the LCD monitor 26, that is, below the web page (see FIG. 8). The camera icon 26B is deleted from the monitor screen when the connection is released.

  The address icon 26 </ b> A on the monitor screen is a target of a drag and drop operation with the mouse 30. When the user operates the mouse 30 to drag the address icon 26A and drop it at a position overlapping the camera icon 26B (see FIG. 9), a part of the data file corresponding to the displayed web page is digitally displayed. Transferred to the camera 300.

  Specifically, the CPU 24 determines whether or not the display area of the address icon 26A and the display area of the camera icon 26B overlap, and when it is determined that at least a part of both areas overlaps, Execute the transfer process.

  First, for each of the data files managed by the address (for example, “http://www.AAA”: see FIG. 7) stored in the DL management area 32a, the JPEG format that can be processed by the digital camera 300 and the conversion to this It is determined whether or not the GIF format is applicable.

  Then, a data file determined to be in the JPEG format (for example, “aaa.jpg”) is copied from the DL area 22a to the transfer area 22c (see FIG. 5), while a data file determined to be in the GIF format (for example, For “bbb.gif”), format conversion processing to JPEG is performed, and the converted data file (ie, “bbb.jpg”) is copied to the transfer area 22c.

  The JPEG files (“aaa.jpg” and “bbb.jpg”) stored in the transfer area 22 c are then transferred to the digital camera 300 through the USB terminal 34. The transferred file name (for example, “http // www.AAA / aaa.jpg”) obtained by combining the download source address and the original file name is given to the transferred JPEG file by the CPU 24.

  In the digital camera 300, the JPEG file transferred from the PC 200 is written into the SDRAM 46 through the USB terminal 62. The JPEG file stored in the SDRAM 46 is then read from the SDRAM 46 by the CPU 56 and recorded in the content area 54b (see FIG. 10) of the recording medium 54 through the I / F 52.

  When recording, the CPU 56 assigns to each JPEG file a file name indicating that it is a JPEG file based on an image (captured image) captured from a web page, for example, “capt001”, “capt002”,. JPEG files “capt001”, “capt002”,... Are stored in “NetCapture” different from “Camera” in the directory tree of FIG.

  Hereinafter, a file name given at the time of recording in the digital camera 300 is referred to as a “recording file name”. Accordingly, each of the JPEG files stored in the content area 54b has two types of file names: a transfer file name and a recording file name (see FIG. 11: described later).

  In this way, the JPEG file stored in “NetCapture” is also reproduced in the same manner as the JPEG file stored in “Camera”, that is, the JPEG file based on the image taken by the image sensor 42.

  The CPU 56 also creates management information (hereinafter referred to as “NC management information”) related to the JPEG file stored in “NetCapture” in the NC management area 54 a (see FIG. 10) in the recording medium 54. An example of the NC management information is shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 11, in the NC management information, a transfer file name and a recording file name are described for each file.

  A part of such NC management information is provided from the digital camera 300 to the PC 200 prior to file transfer from the PC 200 to the digital camera 300. Specifically, the CPU 24 on the PC side sends a management information request to the digital camera 300 in response to the drag and drop operation, and the CPU 56 on the camera side transfers the transfer file of the NC management information stored in the NC management area 54a. A part indicating the name is returned to the PC 200.

  The CPU 24 on the PC side writes the transfer file name provided from the digital camera 300 in the transfer management area 32b (see FIG. 6) of the main storage device 32. Accordingly, each time a drag and drop operation is performed, the latest transfer file name stored in the NC management area 54 on the camera side is provided to the PC 200, and the old transfer file name stored in the transfer management area 32b on the PC side is The result is updated with the latest transfer file name.

  The transfer file name stored in the transfer management area 32b is used for narrowing down transfer targets. Specifically, the CPU 24 compares the file name in the DL management area 32a (see FIG. 7) with the transfer file name in the transfer management area 32b (see FIG. 6 and FIG. 11). Excluding the extension indicating the file format).

  The transfer file name in the transfer management area 32b indicates a file that the digital camera 300 currently holds. Therefore, the CPU 24 selects a file name having the same file name in the transfer management area 32b from the file names in the DL management area 32a. Then, among the files in the DL area 22a, the file corresponding to the selected file name is regarded as a transfer unnecessary file and excluded from the transfer target. This eliminates the waste of transferring the same JPEG file as the JPEG file held by the digital camera 300.

  When browsing the web page on the network 400 with the PC 200, the CPU 24 on the PC side executes the search control task of FIG. A control program corresponding to this flowchart is stored in the main storage device 32.

  Referring to FIG. 13, first, “0” is set to flag Fadrs in step S1, and a start operation is waited in step S3. When a start operation with the keyboard 28 or the mouse 30 is detected, YES is determined in step S3, and a series of processing in steps S5 to S13 is executed.

  In step S5, "1" is set to the flag Fadrs. That is, the flag Fadrs indicates whether the search process is being executed (whether the browser is activated). In step S7, an address icon 26A (see FIG. 8) is displayed on the monitor screen. In step S9, an address registered in the HP address area 32c (see FIG. 6) is accessed, and contents (HTML file and image file) are acquired (downloaded) from the corresponding server 100. In step S11, the acquired content is displayed on the LCD monitor 26. In step S13, management information (DL management information) related to acquired content is registered in the DL management area 32a (see FIG. 6).

  Thereafter, in steps S15 and S17, an end operation and an address change operation are awaited, respectively. When the end operation is detected, YES is determined in step S15, and a series of processes in steps S19 to S23 is executed. In step S19, the display of the address icon 26A is terminated, in step S21, the content display is terminated, and in step S23, "0" is set to the flag Fadrs. Then, it returns to step S3.

  If an address change operation is detected, “YES” is determined in the step S17, and a series of processes of the steps S25 to S29 are executed. In step S25, the content is acquired from the designated address, in step S27, the display content on the monitor screen is updated, and in step S29, the information (see FIG. 7) in the DL management area 32a (see FIG. 6) is updated. Therefore, the DL management area 32a stores the latest DL management information, that is, DL management information related to the currently browsed web page. Thereafter, the process returns to the loop of steps S15 and S17.

  When the image in the web page being browsed is transferred from the PC 200 to the digital camera 300, the CPU 24 on the PC side executes the transfer control task of FIGS. 14 to 16, and the CPU 56 on the camera side is in the transfer mode according to the flow of FIG. Operate. On the PC side, the control program corresponding to FIGS. 14 to 16 is stored in the main storage device 32, and on the camera side, the control program corresponding to FIG. 17 is stored in the memory 60.

  First, the operation of the CPU 24 on the PC side will be described. Referring to FIG. 14, in the first step S41, it waits for the digital camera 300 to be connected. When the USB terminal 34 on the PC side and the USB terminal 62 on the camera side are connected via the USB cable, YES is determined in step S41, and the process proceeds to steps S43 and S45. In step S43, camera information is received from the CPU 56 on the camera side through the USB terminal 34, and is registered in the camera information area 32d (see FIG. 6). In step S45, the camera icon 26B (see FIG. 8) is displayed on the LCD monitor 26.

  Thereafter, in step S47, it is determined whether or not the digital camera 300 is disconnected. If YES is determined, the display of the camera icon 26B is terminated in step S49, and the process returns to step S41. If NO is determined in the step S47, it is determined whether or not the flag Fadrs is “1” in a step S51, and if NO is determined, that is, if Fadrs = 0, the process returns to the step S47.

  If YES is determined in the step S51, it is determined whether or not there is an icon moving operation in a step S53, and if NO is determined, the process returns to the step S47. If a drag operation targeting the address icon 26A is detected, YES is determined in the step S53, and the address icon 26A is moved to a step S55. In step S57, it is determined whether or not the operation is canceled in a state where the address icon 26A overlaps the camera icon 26B. If NO, the process returns to step S47.

  Note that the series of processing in steps S47 to S57 is executed during the drag operation, that is, in a period in which the determination result in step S57 is NO, for example, at a period of 1/30 seconds, so that the address icon 26A moves smoothly on the screen. To do.

  If the icon movement operation is canceled (that is, the drop operation is detected) in a state where the display area of the address icon 16A and the display area of the camera icon 26B overlap, it is determined YES in step S57, and the process proceeds to step S59. A part of the content corresponding to the display page is transferred to the digital camera 300. After the transfer, the process returns to step S47.

  The transfer process in step S59 follows the subroutines shown in FIGS. Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, in the first step S61, a management information request is transmitted to the digital camera 300, and in the next step S63, a response from the digital camera 300 is awaited. 11 is stored in the NC management area 54a on the camera side, and the CPU 56 on the camera side stores the transfer file name (http://www.AAA/aaa) included in this NC management information. .Jpg, http: //www.BBB/bbb.jpg,...) Is returned to the PC 200.

  When the transfer file name is received, the CPU 24 determines YES in step S63, moves to step S65, and registers the received transfer file name in the transfer management area 32b (see FIG. 6).

  Thereafter, whether or not there is unselected content in the DL area 22a (see FIG. 6) is determined in step S67. If YES is determined here, one of the unselected contents is selected in step S69. Then, referring to the DL management area 32a and the transfer management area 32b in step S71, it is determined whether the selected content is transferred as it is, transferred after format conversion, or excluded from the transfer target. The determination is made through S77.

  That is, in step S73, it is determined whether or not the selected content does not need to be transferred. Specifically, first, the file name of the selected content is extracted from the DL management area 32a. Next, the transfer management area 32b is searched with the extracted file name, and when the same transfer file name as the extracted file name (excluding the extension portion) is registered, it is determined that the selected content is not required to be transferred. . If YES is determined here, the process returns to the step S67.

  If NO is determined in step S73, that is, if the same content as the selected content does not exist on the camera side, it is determined in step S75 whether or not the selected content is compatible with the processing method (here, JPEG method) of the digital camera 300. To do. If YES is determined here, the process proceeds to a step S81.

  If NO is determined in the step S75, it is determined in a step S77 whether or not the format of the selected content is a format that can be converted into JPEG. Specifically, if the selected content is in the GIF format, YES is determined, and if the selected content is in a format other than GIF, such as a flash movie format, NO is determined. If NO is determined in the step S77, the process returns to the step S67. If YES is determined in the step S77, the process shifts to a step S79 to perform format conversion processing to JPEG on the selected content. Then, the process proceeds to step S81.

  In step S81, the selected content or the format-converted selected content is copied to the transfer area 22c. In the next step S83, the transfer file name (“http //) is added to the copied content based on the address and file name of the DL management area 32a. /Www.AAA/aaa.jpg "). Thereafter, the process returns to step S67.

  If NO is determined in the step S67, it is determined whether or not the content is stored in the transfer area 22c in a step S85, and if NO is determined again, the process returns to the upper layer routine. If “YES” is determined in the step S85, the process proceeds to a step S87 to transfer the content stored in the transfer area 22c to the digital camera 300. Thereafter, the process returns to the upper layer routine.

  Next, the operation of the CPU 56 on the camera side will be described. Referring to FIG. 17, in the first step S91, it waits for PC 200 to be connected. When the USB connection is established with the PC 200, “YES” is determined in the step S91, and the process shifts to a step S93. In step S93, information about the digital camera 300 itself (camera information) is transmitted to the PC 200. In the camera information, a model number, a processing method (here, “JPEG”) and the like are described.

  In a succeeding step S95, it is determined whether or not the connection of the PC 200 is released. If YES is determined, the process returns to the step S91. If NO is determined in the step S95, the process proceeds to steps S97 and S99 to determine whether or not the management information request is received and whether or not the content is received. If NO is determined in each of steps S97 and S99, the process returns to step S95.

  If YES is determined in the step S97, the process shifts to a step S101 to transmit the transfer file name (see FIG. 11) stored in the NC management area 54a to the PC 200, and then returns to the step S95. If “YES” is determined in the step S99, the process proceeds to a step S103 to store the received content in the content area 54b (see FIG. 10), and the information in the NC management area 54a is updated in a step S105. Thereafter, the process returns to step S95.

  In the storage process in step S103, each content to be stored is given a recording file name such as “capt001.jpg” and stored in a dedicated directory “NetCapture” (see FIG. 12). In the NC management information update process in step S105, the transfer file name and the recording file name are added to the NC management area 54a for the content thus saved.

  As is apparent from the above, in this embodiment, the PC 200 is connected to each of the network 400 and the digital camera 300. The CPU 24 of the PC 200 designates an arbitrary address on the network 400 (S17), and acquires a data file managed at the designated address through the network 400 (S25).

  The CPU 24 also displays an address icon 26A indicating the designated address on the screen in connection with the acquisition process (S7), while displaying a camera icon 26B indicating the digital camera 300 on the screen in response to the connection of the digital camera 300. (S45). Then, the display position of the address icon 26A is changed in response to the position change operation (S55), and when the relative position of the address icon 26A and the camera icon 26B after the change process satisfies the position condition, the acquired data file At least a part is transferred to the digital camera 300 (S87).

  Thus, the address icon 26A and the camera icon 26B are displayed on the screen. When the relative position of the address icon 26A and the camera icon 26B satisfies the position condition by the position change operation, the data file is transferred to the digital camera 300. That is, a data file acquired from an arbitrary address is transferred to the digital camera 300 by a simple operation such as a position change operation.

  In the transfer, the CPU 24 determines whether or not the acquired data file is compatible with the processing method of the digital camera 300, that is, the JPEG method (S75), and transfers the data file determined to be compatible, that is, the JPEG file. For the data file determined to be incompatible, it is further determined whether or not conversion to the JPEG format is possible (S77), and the format conversion processing to JPEG is performed on the data file determined to be convertible, for example, a GIF file (S79). . Data files determined to be incapable of conversion, such as flash movie files, are excluded from transfer targets.

  The CPU 24 also receives a transfer file name from the digital camera 300 prior to execution of the transfer process. Then, it is determined whether or not the file name of the data file to be transferred is included in the provided transfer file name, and the data file having a positive determination result is held by the digital camera 300. The data file is regarded as the same data file as the existing data file, and is excluded from the determination target whether or not it conforms to the JPEG system (S73).

  In this embodiment, the file in the flash movie format is excluded from the transfer target. However, for example, when the digital camera 300 is compatible with the MPEG system, a conversion process from the flash format to the MPEG format is executed. The converted file may be transferred to the digital camera 300.

  In this embodiment, the PC 200 narrows down the transfer target based on the transfer file name provided from the digital camera 300. In addition to or in place of such narrowing, the following manual operation is performed. You may narrow down based on. For example, an operation for designating a necessary image or an unnecessary image among the images to be transferred is accepted prior to the position changing operation, and the objects to be transferred are narrowed down based on the selection result. As a result, only images that can be displayed by the digital camera 300 and recognized as necessary by the user can be transferred.

  The narrowing process as described above may be performed on the digital camera 300 side. In this case, DL management information (see FIG. 7) on the PC 200 side is provided to the digital camera 300. Based on the DL management information provided from the PC 200, the CPU 56 of the digital camera 300 selects an image suitable for the processing method of the digital camera 300 itself from the images downloaded to the PC 200, and transfers the selected image to the PC 200. To request. Manual operation for narrowing down is also accepted by the key input device 58 of the digital camera 300.

  In this embodiment, an image included in a web page being browsed is transferred. However, an image included in another web page (link page) linked to this web page may be further transferred. In this case, the CPU 24 searches the HTML file stored in the DL area 22a, extracts the address of the link page, and downloads the data file managed by this address from the corresponding server 100.

  The data file downloaded in this way is also taken into the DL area 22a (see FIG. 5), and the DL management area 32a (see FIG. 6) stores the link page address and the file name and file related to the data file downloaded from there. The attribute is added.

  In this embodiment, the address icon 26A is dragged and dropped on the camera icon 26B (see FIG. 9), but the address character string 26C may be dragged and dropped on the camera icon 26B (see FIG. 18). ). Alternatively, the camera icon 26B may be dragged and dropped onto the address icon 26A or the address character string 26C.

  Other embodiments will be described below. In this embodiment, an automatic update function for images stored on the camera side is added to the previous embodiment. Specifically, an automatic update address area 32e is added to the main storage device 32 (see FIG. 6) of the PC 200 (see FIG. 19).

  Regarding the processing of the PC 200, steps S52a to S52c are added between steps S51 and S53 in the transfer control task (see FIG. 14) (see FIG. 20). Regarding the processing of the digital camera 300, steps S94a and S94b are added between steps S93 and S95 in the transfer mode (see FIG. 17) (see FIG. 21).

  Except for the above, this embodiment is the same as the previous embodiment, and FIGS. 1 to 5, 7 to 13, 15, 16, and 18 are also used in this embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 20, if the determination result of step S51 is YES, it is determined whether or not there is a registration request from the camera side in step S52a. If the determination result is YES, first in step S52b, the designated address, that is, the address of the currently displayed web page is registered in the automatic update address area 32e, and then, the process proceeds to step S52c. If the determination result of step S52a is NO, the process immediately proceeds to step S52c.

  In step S52c, it is determined whether the designated address matches the address registered in the automatic update address area 32e. If the determination result is NO, the process proceeds to step S53. If the determination result of step S52c is YES, it will progress to step S59. Therefore, when a registration operation is performed on the digital camera 300, the transfer process in step S59 is executed without waiting for an icon movement operation on the PC 200. If the designated address is registered in the automatic update address area 32e when reconnected later, the transfer process is executed without waiting for the icon moving operation.

  Referring to FIG. 21, after the camera information is transmitted in step S93, it is determined in step S94a whether or not an automatic update address registration operation has been performed. If this determination result is NO, the process returns to the step S91, and if YES, a registration request is transmitted to the PC 200 in a step S94b. After the transmission, the process proceeds to step S95.

  According to this embodiment, by adding the automatic update function, it is possible to reduce the number of times the icon moving operation is performed.

  Although the PC 200 has been described above as an example, the present invention can be applied to a content processing apparatus that acquires content through a communication network and transfers the acquired content to an external device. The content includes image data, audio data, text data, program data, and the like. Typical examples of the external device include a digital camera 300, a portable communication terminal with a camera, a portable audio player, and the like.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of one Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the server applied to the FIG. 1 Example. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of PC applied to the FIG. 1 Example. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital camera applied to the FIG. 1 Example. It is an illustration figure which shows the memory map applied to DRAM of PC. It is an illustration figure which shows the memory map applied to the main memory device of PC. It is an illustration figure which shows an example of DL management information. It is an illustration figure which shows an example of the display screen of PC. It is an illustration figure which shows another example of the display screen of PC. It is an illustration figure which shows the memory map applied to the recording medium of a digital camera. It is an illustration figure which shows an example of NC management information. It is an illustration figure which shows the directory structure applied to the recording medium of a digital camera. It is a flowchart which shows a part of CPU operation | movement by the side of PC. It is a flowchart which shows another part of CPU operation | movement by the side of PC. It is a flowchart which shows the other part of CPU operation | movement by the side of PC. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing yet another part of the CPU operation on the PC side. It is a flowchart which shows a part of CPU operation | movement by the side of a camera. It is an illustration figure which shows another example of the display screen of PC. It is an illustration figure which shows the memory map applied to the main memory device of PC in another Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of CPU operation | movement by the side of PC in the FIG. 19 Example. It is a flowchart which shows a part of CPU operation | movement by the side of a camera in the FIG. 19 Example.

Explanation of symbols

16, 20 ... Communication I / F
14, 22 ... DRAM
12, 24, 56 ... CPU
26, 50 ... LCD monitor 32 ... Main storage device 34, 62 ... USB terminal 42 ... Image sensor 46 ... SDRAM
54 ... Recording medium 64 ... JPEG codec 100 ... Server 200 ... PC
300 ... Digital camera 400 ... Network

Claims (10)

A designation means for designating an arbitrary address on the communication network,
Obtaining means for obtaining content managed at the address designated by the designation means through the communication network;
First display means for displaying first visible information indicating an address designated by the designation means on a display area in association with the acquisition process of the acquisition means;
Second display means for displaying second visible information indicating the external device in the display area in response to the connection of the external device;
Changing means for changing a display position of at least one of the first visible information and the second visible information in response to a position changing operation, and the first visible information and the second visible after the changing process by the changing means Transfer means for transferring at least part of the content acquired by the acquisition means to the external device when the relative position of the information satisfies a position condition ;
The content processing apparatus is a camera apparatus including an image sensor . A designation means for designating an arbitrary address on the communication network,
Obtaining means for obtaining content managed at the address designated by the designation means through the communication network;
First display means for displaying first visible information indicating an address designated by the designation means on a display area in association with the acquisition process of the acquisition means;
Second display means for displaying second visible information indicating the external device in the display area in response to the connection of the external device;
Changing means for changing a display position of at least one of the first visible information and the second visible information in response to a position changing operation;
Transfer that transfers at least a part of the content acquired by the acquisition unit to the external device when the relative position of the first visible information and the second visible information after the changing process by the changing unit satisfies a position condition means,
Storage means for storing an address notified from the external device; and
Comprising: first determination means for determining whether an address designated by the designation means matches an address stored by the storage means;
A content processing apparatus that executes a transfer process without waiting for the position change operation when the transfer unit determines that the transfer unit matches with the first determination unit. The content processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content transferred by the transfer unit is content that conforms to a processing method of the external device. Second determination means for determining whether the content acquired by the acquisition means conforms to the processing method of the external device; and
4. The content processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising conversion means for performing conversion processing for adapting to a processing method of the external apparatus to at least a part of the content for which a negative determination result is indicated by the second determination means. . A third discriminating unit that discriminates whether or not the content whose negative discrimination result is indicated by the second discriminating unit is compatible with the conversion method of the converting unit;
5. The content processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the transfer unit excludes a content for which a negative determination result is indicated by the third determination unit from a transfer target. The content processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: an excluding unit that excludes content satisfying a transfer unnecessary condition from a determination target of the second determining unit. The content processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the transfer unnecessary condition includes a condition that the content is the same as the content held by the external apparatus. 8. The content processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position condition includes a condition that the display area of the first visible information and the display area of the second visible information overlap at least partially. In the processor of the content processing device,
A specification step that specifies any address on the communication network,
An acquisition step of acquiring content managed at the address specified in the specifying step through the communication network;
A first display step of displaying first visible information indicating an address designated in the designation step in a display area in association with the acquisition process of the acquisition step;
  A second display step of displaying second visible information indicating a camera device including an image sensor in the display area in response to connection of the camera device;
A changing step of changing a display position of at least one of the first visible information and the second visible information in response to a position changing operation; and
Transfer that transfers at least a part of the content acquired by the acquisition step to the camera device when the relative position of the first visible information and the second visible information after the changing process by the changing step satisfies a position condition A control program for executing steps. A system in which a content processing device and a camera device can be connected,
The content processing apparatus includes:
A designation means for designating an arbitrary address on the communication network,
Obtaining means for obtaining content managed at the address designated by the designation means through the communication network;
First display means for displaying in the display area a display page based on the first visible information indicating the address specified by the specifying means and the content acquired by the acquiring means;
Second display means for displaying second visible information indicating the camera device in the display area in response to the connection of the camera device;
Changing means for changing a display position of at least one of the first visible information and the second visible information in response to a position changing operation; and
Transfer means for transferring at least a part of information corresponding to the display page to the camera device when a relative position between the first visible information and the second visible information after the changing process by the changing means satisfies a position condition. With
The camera device displays at least a part of information corresponding to the display page on a display unit included in the camera device based on information transferred from the content processing device.

Images