JP6921652B2 - Information processing equipment and information processing methods and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention particularly relates to information processing devices, information processing methods and programs suitable for use in performing processing using a plurality of applications.

Information processing devices such as smartphones can realize various functions by installing an OS and a plurality of applications and operating using each application. For example, a camera connection application can be used to connect to a camera to capture an image, or an image editing application can be used to edit an image. Patent Document 1 discloses a communication device that communicates with a digital camera by a camera connection application.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-86844

These multiple applications may support different data formats.

For example, a first application for executing an image acquisition process from a camera and a second application for executing an image editing process on an information processing device will be described. When the second application starts the first application in order to acquire the data to be edited, the information processing apparatus captures the image from the camera. Here, if the second application is not in a compatible format, the image cannot be edited and the captured image is wasted.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent unnecessary data capture processing when data is fetched from an external device in cooperation with a plurality of applications.

In order to solve the above problems, one of the inventions according to the present application is an information processing apparatus, which operates according to the first application, requests means for requesting the activation of the second application, and responds to the request. Then, by starting the second application and operating according to the second application, a receiving means for executing a process of receiving data held by the external device from the external device, and the first By operating according to the second application and the acquisition means for acquiring the information indicating the data format that the application can support, it is possible to identify whether or not the data is in the data format that the first application can support. The present invention is characterized by comprising a display control means for controlling the display of attribute information related to the data held by the external device on the screen.

According to the present invention, when data is fetched from an external device in cooperation with a plurality of applications, it is possible to prevent unnecessary data fetching processing, and usability is improved.

It is a figure for demonstrating the configuration example of the network including the communication apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware configuration example of the communication device in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the software structure example of the communication device in embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware configuration example of the image pickup apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which showed the example which started Write-app from Read-app in the 1st Embodiment of this invention, acquired the image in a camera by Write-app, and passed it to Lead-app. It is a figure which shows the structure example of the data sharing place and the data list in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the display screen of the Read-app in the embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the display screen of Write-app in embodiment of the invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail, exemplary, with reference to the drawings. However, the components described in this embodiment are merely examples, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to them.

(First Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which a user operates a communication device (smartphone) which is an information processing device to start an image editing application and start a data acquisition application. In addition, as "launching" of the application in this embodiment, there are a case where an unstarted application is started and a case where an application running in the background is moved to the foreground.

(Network configuration)
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a system including the communication device 101 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the communication device 101 can be connected to the image pickup device 102 by using a data acquisition application, and can capture an image from the image pickup device 102 via the network 103. The communication used for connecting to the image pickup apparatus 102 may be wired communication or wireless communication.

(Communication equipment configuration)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the communication device 101 according to the present embodiment.

In FIG. 2, the CPU 201 controls the processing of the entire communication device 101. Various control programs, data, and the like executed by the CPU 201 are stored in the ROM 202. The RAM 203 has a work area of the CPU 201, a data save area at the time of error processing, a control program load area, and the like. The HDD (hard disk drive) 204 stores each control program, content, and data executed in the OS (operating system), various applications, and the communication device 101.

The input device 205 is composed of various buttons such as a button for switching the power ON / OFF. The BMU (bit move unit) 206 transfers data between memories (for example, between VRAM 207 and another memory) and data transfer between the memory and each I / O device (for example, NETI / F209). To control. Image data for display on the display device 211 is drawn on the VRAM 207. The image data drawn on the VRAM 207 is transferred to the display device 211 according to a predetermined specification, whereby the image is displayed on the display device 211. Further, the display device 211 is equipped with a touch panel, and when the user touches the display surface of the display device 211, an instruction related to the icon displayed at the position is input. The NETI / F209 communicates with the image pickup apparatus 102 and the like via the network 103. Bus 212 includes an address bus, a data bus and a control bus.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a software configuration example of the communication device 101 according to the present embodiment.

A predetermined OS 301 is mounted on the communication device 101, and a data acquisition application (hereinafter, Write-app) 302 and an image editing application (hereinafter, Read-app) 303 are installed. The CPU 201 of the communication device 101 starts the OS 301 to perform basic processing performed by the communication device 101, as well as a process of linking installed applications and a process of recording data in the HDD 204 or the like. Further, the CPU 201 of the communication device 101 activates the Write-app 302 and performs a process of capturing an image from, for example, the image pickup device 102 via the NETI / F209. Further, the CPU 201 of the communication device 101 activates the Read-app 303 to process the captured image and instruct the printing device to print the image. Here, Write-app 302 is an input application and can be said to be an output application. It should be noted that the communication device 101 can install a plurality of Read-app 303s, and in the present embodiment, one of them will be described as an example.

(Configuration of imaging device)
FIG. 4A is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the image pickup device 102, which is an example of the external device of the present embodiment. Although the image pickup device is described here as an example of the external device, the external device is not limited to this. For example, the external device may be an information processing device such as a portable media player, a so-called tablet device, or a personal computer.

The control unit 401 controls each unit of the image pickup apparatus 102 according to the input signal and a program described later. Instead of the control unit 401 controlling the entire device, a plurality of hardware may share the processing to control the entire device.

The image pickup unit 402 is, for example, an optical lens unit, an optical system for controlling aperture, zoom, focus, etc., and an image pickup element for converting light (image) introduced through the optical lens unit into an electrical image signal. It is composed. As the image sensor, CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) or CCD (Charge Coupled Device) is generally used. By being controlled by the control unit 401, the image pickup unit 402 converts the subject light imaged by the lens included in the image pickup unit 402 into an electric signal by the image pickup element, performs noise reduction processing, and performs digital data as an image. Output as data. In the image pickup apparatus 102 of the present embodiment, the image data is recorded on the recording medium 410 according to the DCF (Design Rule for Camera File system) standard.

The non-volatile memory 403 is a non-volatile memory that can be electrically erased and recorded, and stores a program or the like described later executed by the control unit 401.

The work memory 404 is used as a buffer memory for temporarily holding the image data captured by the image pickup unit 402, an image display memory of the display unit 406, a work area of the control unit 401, and the like.

The operation unit 405 is used for the user to receive an instruction to the image pickup apparatus 102 from the user. The operation unit 405 includes, for example, a power button for instructing the user to turn on / off the power of the image pickup apparatus 102, a release switch for instructing shooting, and a reproduction button for instructing reproduction of image data. Further, it includes an operation member such as a dedicated connection button for starting communication with an external device via the communication unit 411 described later. The operation unit 405 also includes a touch panel formed on the display unit 406, which will be described later. The release switch has SW1 and SW2. When the release switch is in the so-called half-pressed state, SW1 is turned on. As a result, instructions for performing shooting preparations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (autoexposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing are received. Further, when the release switch is in the so-called fully pressed state, SW2 is turned on. As a result, instructions for taking a picture are received.

The display unit 406 displays a viewfinder image at the time of shooting, displays captured image data, displays characters for interactive operation, and the like. The display unit 406 does not necessarily have to be built in the image pickup apparatus 102. The image pickup apparatus 102 can be connected to the internal or external display unit 406, and may have at least a display control function for controlling the display of the display unit 406.

The recording medium 410 can record the image data output from the imaging unit 402. The recording medium 410 may be configured to be detachable from the image pickup device 102, or may be built in the image pickup device 102. That is, the image pickup apparatus 102 may have at least a means for accessing the recording medium 410.

The communication unit 411 is an interface for connecting to an external device. The imaging device 102 of the present embodiment can exchange data with an external device via the communication unit 411. For example, the image data generated by the imaging unit 402 can be transmitted to an external device via the communication unit 411. Further, the imaging by the imaging unit 402 can be controlled from an external device via the communication unit 411. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 411 includes an interface for communicating with an external device by a so-called wireless LAN according to the standard of IEEE802.11. The control unit 401 realizes wireless communication with an external device by controlling the communication unit 411.

The proximity wireless communication unit 412 is composed of, for example, an antenna for wireless communication, a modulation / demodulation circuit, and a communication controller for processing wireless signals. The proximity radio communication unit 412 outputs a modulated radio signal from the antenna and demodulates the radio signal received by the antenna to perform short-range radio communication in accordance with the IEEE802.15 standard (so-called Bluetooth®). Realize. In the present embodiment, Bluetooth communication adopts version 4.0 (hereinafter referred to as BLE) of Bluetooth Low Energy, which has low power consumption. This BLE communication has a narrower communicable range (that is, a shorter communicable distance) than wireless LAN communication. Further, the communication speed of BLE communication is slower than that of wireless LAN communication. On the other hand, BLE communication consumes less power than wireless LAN communication. The imaging device 102 of the present embodiment can exchange data with an external device via the proximity wireless communication unit 412. For example, the imaging by the imaging unit 402 can be controlled from an external device via the communication unit 411. However, since the communication speed is slow, the image data generated by the imaging unit 402 is not transmitted.

The communication unit 411 of the image pickup apparatus 102 in the present embodiment has an AP mode that operates as an access point in the infrastructure mode and a CL mode that operates as a client in the infrastructure mode. Then, by operating the communication unit 411 in the CL mode, the image pickup apparatus 102 in the present embodiment can operate as a CL device in the infrastructure mode. When the image pickup device 102 operates as a CL device, it is possible to participate in the network formed by the AP device by connecting to a peripheral AP device. Further, by operating the communication unit 411 in the AP mode, the imaging device 102 in the present embodiment operates as a simple AP (hereinafter, simple AP) which is a kind of AP but has more limited functions. Is also possible. When the image pickup device 102 operates as a simple AP, the image pickup device 102 forms a network by itself. The devices around the image pickup device 102 recognize the image pickup device 102 as an AP device and can participate in the network formed by the image pickup device 102. It is assumed that the program for operating the image pickup apparatus 102 as described above is held in the non-volatile memory 403.

Although the imaging device 102 in this embodiment is a type of AP, it is a simple AP that does not have a gateway function for transferring data received from a CL device to an Internet provider or the like. Therefore, even if data is received from another device participating in the network formed by the own machine, it is not transferred to a network such as the Internet.

Next, the appearance of the image pickup apparatus 102 will be described. 4 (b) and 4 (c) are views showing an example of the appearance of the image pickup apparatus 102. The release switch 405a, the play button 405b, the direction key 405c, and the touch panel 405d are operation members included in the above-mentioned operation unit 405. Further, the display unit 406 displays an image obtained as a result of imaging by the imaging unit 402. Further, the image pickup apparatus 102 of the present embodiment has an antenna portion of the proximity wireless communication unit 412 on the side surface of the camera housing. Proximity wireless communication can be established with other devices by bringing the proximity wireless communication units 412 close to each other at a certain distance. As a result, communication is possible in a non-contact manner without using a cable or the like, and the communication partner can be limited according to the user's intention.

(Processing procedure for communication equipment)
Next, the processing procedure of the communication device 101 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. In the present embodiment, a process in which the CPU 201 of the communication device 101 starts the Read-app, receives a user's instruction on the screen for performing the process by the Read-app, and calls the Write-app will be described.

FIG. 5 shows, in the present embodiment, the CPU 201 of the communication device 101 starts the Read-app, then starts the Write-app, acquires an image from an external device, and obtains an image acquired for image editing processing. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the processing procedure to pass to Read-app. The processing described below is realized by the CPU 201 of the communication device 101 starting the OS 301, Write-app 302, and Read-app 303, operating according to these as appropriate, and controlling each part.

In the following, for the sake of simplicity, T501 to T509 will be described as a cooperation start phase, T510 to T516 as a connection phase, T517 to T527 as an image storage phase, and T528 to T531 as a cooperation end phase. do.

First, the cooperation start phase of T501 to T509 will be described.

In T501, the CPU 201 of the communication device 101 receives a Read-app activation request by a user operation.

Subsequently, in the T502, the processing is started by the CPU 201 starting the Read-app in response to the start request in the T501. When the CPU 201 starts the Read-app, the display device 211 displays a screen as shown in FIG. 7A. On the screen shown in FIG. 7A, the user selects the editing content to be executed via the touch panel of the display device 211.

For example, when "process photo" is selected, the screen shown in FIG. 7B is displayed on the display device 211, and when "print photo" is selected, the display device 211 displays the screen shown in FIG. 7B. The screen shown in (c) is displayed. When "Send Photograph" is selected, the screen shown in FIG. 7D is displayed on the display device 211. On the screens shown in FIGS. 7 (b) to 7 (d), an image to be edited can be selected from the images stored in the HDD 204 or the like. On the other hand, if you want to edit an image that is not held by the communication device 101, you can import the image from an external device by selecting the "Add photo from Lite-app" button 702. The process shown in FIG. 5 is started when the "Add photo from Write-app" button 702 is selected by the user.

In T503 of FIG. 5, the CPU 201 refers to the data sharing location 500, and Read-app determines whether or not there is a format list indicating the corresponding data format. If the Read-app format list exists, the Read-app format list stored in the shared location 500 is compared with the information indicating the compatible data formats set in the Read-app. , Determine if there is a change. The information indicating the format set in the Read-app is not only stored in the HDD 204 when the Read-app is installed, but also received from the outside via the Internet or the like when the version of the Read-app is upgraded. Will be updated.

Here, the data sharing location 500 and the format list will be described in detail.

First, the data sharing location is a predetermined storage area that can be read and written by each application, and will be described with reference to FIG. 6A. FIG. 6A shows an example of a directory configuration in HDD 204. In FIG. 6A, the data sharing location folder is 601. In this embodiment, the format list 602 of each linked application such as Read-app and Write-app is written directly under this. The shared folder 601 and the format list 602 can be read and written from linked applications such as Read-app and Write-app. In addition, each linked application stores the file path of the format list 602 (/ root / a / share / format in the example of FIG. 6), and each linked application stores the file path destination when the linked application is started. Refer to the file in format list 602. Then, it is compared with the latest compatible data format set for each linked application, and if there is a difference, it is determined that there is a change.

The above is the description of the data sharing location 500.

Subsequently, the format list will be described with reference to FIG. 6 (b). FIG. 6B shows an example of the format list 602. The format list is composed of an array 652 of data formats corresponding to the application ID 651. The application ID 651 is an application-specific ID recorded in the HDD 204 when the application is installed in the communication device 101. For example, the data formats supported by the application 653 having the application ID 0x41 are JPG and MP4, indicating that other data formats are not supported. The above is the explanation about the format list. In this embodiment, the format list describes the case where each application (for example, Read-app) indicates the "supported" data format, but the format list may indicate the "not supported" data format. good.

Returning to the description of the sequence in FIG. 5 again.

Then, in T503, when the CPU 201 does not have the Read-app format list 602 in the data sharing location 500, or the Read-app format list 602 exists and it is determined that there is a change, the CPU 201 executes T504 and T505. do.

In T504, the CPU 201 generates a format list based on the supported data formats set in Read-app. In T505, the format list generated in T504 is associated with the unique ID of Read-app and written to the data sharing location 500.

At this time, if it is determined in T503 that the Read-app format list 602 does not exist in the data sharing location 500, the list generated in T504 is associated with the unique ID of Read-app and written. On the other hand, in T503, when the format list 602 exists in the data sharing location 500 and it is determined that there is a change, the existing format list associated with the unique ID of Read-app is converted into the format list generated by T504. Overwrite and save with.

In T506, the CPU 201 detects that the user has pressed the cooperation button displayed on the Read-app. In the example shown in FIG. 7B, the "add photo button from Write-app" 702 corresponds to the cooperation button.

In T507, the CPU 201 detects that the user has pressed the cooperation button, and transmits a Write-app startup request by Read-app to the OS. At this time, the start-up request includes the Ready-app application ID as information indicating the request source for cooperation, and the CPU 201 stores the received Read-app application ID in the RAM 203. In T508, the CPU 201 receives a Write-app startup request from the OS. In this embodiment, the start request includes the Read-app application ID in the start request, but the start request is not limited to this. For example, the application ID of Read-app is stored in a temporary location of HDD204 as information indicating the request source of cooperation, and the path to the storage destination is included in the start request of Write-app and transmitted to the OS. May be good. Then, the CPU 201 stores the Ready-app application ID acquired according to the path in the RAM 203.

Subsequently, in T509, the CPU 201 activates Write-app. When started, the screen of Write-app shown in FIG. 8A is displayed. As shown in FIG. 8A, when the Write-app is started for the purpose of cooperation according to the request from the Read-app, the CPU 201 shifts the Write-app to the cooperation mode. If the Write-app is already started and is operating in the background, the CPU 201 switches the Write-app to the foreground operation and operates it in the cooperation mode. Then, while the Write-app is operating in the cooperation mode, the status bar 801 is displayed so as to indicate to the user. When the Write-app operates in the cooperative mode, the purpose of the Write-app is to prioritize the operation of capturing the image in the image pickup device 102, and therefore, as shown in FIG. 8A, to connect to the camera. It is limited to the guide function of and the image list function in the camera. On the other hand, in the activation in the normal mode in which the user simply activates Write-app, all the functions shown in FIG. 8A can be used, and the UI display is adjusted accordingly. When it is detected that the user presses the release button 802, the CPU 201 releases the Write-app cooperation mode and shifts to the normal mode operation.

The above is the cooperation start phase.

Subsequently, the connection phases of T510 to T516 will be described.

In T510, when the image pickup device 102 sets the communication mode to ON in response to the user operating the image pickup device 102, the image pickup device 102 activates the access point in T511.

Subsequently, in T512, the communication device 101 connects to the access point of the image pickup device 102 in response to the user operating the communication device 101.

In T513, the CPU 201 receives a notification from the OS that the image pickup device 102 has been detected in the Write-app, and in T514, transmits a connection request to the image pickup device 102.

At T515, the image pickup device 102 authenticates the communication device 101, and the connection between the image pickup device 102 and the communication device 101 is established.

In T516, the CPU 201 reads the Ready-app application ID acquired in T508 from the RAM 203, and refers to the format list of the data sharing location 500 based on the application ID. The CPU 201 acquires a compatible data format corresponding to Read-app from the format list and stores it in the RAM 203.

The above is the connection phase. Although the case where the processing of the T516 is performed at the timing when the connection with the image pickup apparatus 102 is completed has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be the timing when the Write-app of T509 is started, or the timing of updating the drawing of T520, which will be described later.

Subsequently, the image preservation phase of T517 to T527 will be described.

At T517, the CPU 201 detects that the image list button 803 in the camera in FIG. 8A is pressed.

In T518, the CPU 201 receives the button pressing event of T517 and requests the attribute information corresponding to the captured image (original image) recorded on the recording medium 410 of the image pickup device 102 via the NETI / F209. Send to 102. In the present embodiment, the case of a thumbnail image will be described as the attribute information, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a file name.

Further, the data formats of the original image and the attribute information may be different from the same case. For example, when the original image and the thumbnail image are the same JPEG format still image file, or when the original image is an MP4 format video file and the attribute information is a JPEG format still image file extracted from the video file. There is. In the present embodiment, at least the format of the attribute information of the original image can be supported by Write-app regardless of whether the format of the original image can be supported by Read-app.

In T519, the CPU 201 receives the thumbnail image and information indicating the format of the original image corresponding to each thumbnail image from the image pickup apparatus 102 via the NETI / F209 and stores the information in the HDD 204. In T520, the thumbnail image stored in HDD 204 is read out and displayed on the display device 211. At this time, the UI shown in FIG. 8B is displayed on the Write-app.

Note that T518 to T520 are repeatedly executed for the thumbnail image displayed in the drawing area of the display device 211. That is, every time the user scrolls the display range up and down to move the thumbnail image, T518 to T520 are repeatedly executed for the newly drawn thumbnail image.

In T521, the CPU 201 detects that the user presses the selection button 804 in FIG. 8B.

In T522, the CPU 201 shifts the Write-app to the operation of the selection mode and updates the screen display. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8C, a thumbnail image list screen in which a plurality of thumbnail images are arranged is displayed on the Write-app. At this time, the CPU 201 refers to the Read-app format list stored in the RAM 203 in the T516 and collates it with the data format of the original image corresponding to each thumbnail image received in the T519. As a result of collation, the CPU 201 superimposes and displays the diagonal line 805 on the original image in the format not supported by Read-app and the thumbnail image corresponding to the thumbnail image, so that the format of the original image is Read. It is controlled to display each thumbnail image by making it possible to identify whether or not it can be handled by -app.

Here, when the user selects a thumbnail image corresponding to the original image in the non-corresponding format on which the diagonal line 805 is superimposed, the CPU 201 corresponds to the selected image in the Read-app as shown in FIG. 8 (d). A warning dialog 808 stating that this is not done is displayed. Then, the information about the selected thumbnail image is not added to the list of images to be saved. On the other hand, when the user selects a thumbnail image of the original image in a format supported by Read-app, the CPU 201 adds information about the selected thumbnail image to the list of images to be saved and makes it readable from Write-app. Save in RAM 203. Then, as shown in FIG. 8C, the CPU 201 controls to display the check mark 806 indicating that the selection has been made on the thumbnail image.

When the CPU 201 detects in T523 that the user has pressed the save start button 807 shown in FIG. 8C, in T524, the CPU 201 makes a request for the original image based on the storage schedule image list stored in the RAM 203. It is transmitted to the image pickup apparatus 102 via F209. At this time, the CPU 201 controls to switch the display from the screen of FIG. 8 (c) to the screen as shown in FIG. 8 (e).

At T525, the CPU 201 receives the original image requested at T524 from the image pickup apparatus 102 via NETI / F209. Here, the thumbnail image has a lower resolution than the original image, and the data size is small. Therefore, when displaying the "list of images in the camera", the thumbnail image can be received from the image pickup device 102 and quickly displayed on the display device 211. Then, when the original image having a larger data size than the thumbnail image is captured from the image pickup apparatus 102, only the original image selected by the user in the format supported by the Read-app is received. As a result, it is possible to prevent the reception of useless data that is not processed by the Read-app, and it is possible to reduce the communication load.

When the reception of the original image is completed, in T526, the CPU 201 performs the saving process of the original image by Write-app. That is, the CPU 201 saves the file of the original image received at T525 in the HDD 204 or the like, and assigns an image ID to the newly saved original image at T527. The image ID will be described as a code associated with the file path of the save destination of the original image. The image ID may be the file path of the save destination.

The processing from the request for the original image at T524 to the processing for receiving the original image at T525, the processing for saving the original image at T526, and the processing for issuing the image ID for the original image at T527 are thumbnails selected by the user. Repeated for the number of images. While performing this series of image storage processes, the CPU 201 displays the storage progress screen shown in FIG. 8E on the display device 211.

The above is the image storage phase. In this embodiment, regarding the original image in the non-compatible format in T522, the case where a predetermined mark such as a diagonal line is displayed in the vicinity of the thumbnail image has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, on the thumbnail list screen in the selection mode, the thumbnail image corresponding to the original image in the non-compatible format may be hidden. Alternatively, conversely, the mark may be displayed in the vicinity of the thumbnail image of the original image in the format supported by Read-app.

Subsequently, the cooperation end phase of T528 to T531 will be described.

As described in T524 to T527, when the saving process of all the original images corresponding to the thumbnail image selected by the user is completed, the CPU 201 displays the saving completion screen shown in FIG. 8F on the display device 211. .. When it is detected that the user has pressed the close button 809, the CPU 201 returns to the display of the image list screen in the camera of FIG. 8B without executing the image ID list generation process described later. As a result, the sharing of the captured original image with the Read-app can be stopped this time.

On the other hand, when the user detects that the button 810 for returning to Read-app is pressed on the save completion screen shown in FIG. 8 (f), the CPU 201 starts the process of T528. At T528, the CPU 201 performs an image ID list generation process. Specifically, first, in Write-app, an image ID list associated with the image ID of the original image saved in T527 and the save destination is generated, made readable by the OS, and stored in the HDD 204. As a result, in T531 described later, the Read-app can acquire the image ID list from the OS, and the original image can be acquired according to the image ID list and used for the Read-app process.

In T529, the CPU 201 transmits a Read-app startup request by Write-app to the OS. Further, the CPU 201 causes Write-app to cancel the cooperation mode at this timing, and switches to the normal mode for operation. Specifically, the CPU 201 releases the restriction on the functions that can be used, updates the function restricted in FIG. 8A to a selectable display, and returns to the normal mode state.

Subsequently, in T530, the CPU 201 makes a start request to the Read-app from the OS to start the Read-app. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 5, since the Read-app is still running in the background even after the processing of the T507, the CPU 201 switches the Read-app to the operation in the foreground in the processing of the T530. .. After the processing of T507 is performed, the CPU 201 may temporarily stop the start of the Read-app and restart the Read-app in response to the start request of the T530.

Then, in T531, the CPU 201 receives the image ID list generated by Write-app in T528 by Read-app via the OS.

The CPU 201 acquires the original image from the HDD 204 based on the image ID list acquired in the Read-app, adds it to the list display screen of the Read-app, and displays it. For example, when "Add a photo from Write-app" is selected on the screen shown in FIG. 7B and linked with Write-app, the image is captured by Write-app as a new image in the image list display area 701. The original image acquired from the device 102 is additionally displayed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the Write-app linked from the Read-app, when the image in the image pickup apparatus 102 is captured, the original image in a format not supported by the Read-app is described as a Write-. The save process by application is not executed.

For example, regarding the original image in a format not supported by Read-app, when the thumbnail images corresponding to the original image in the image pickup apparatus 102 are displayed in a list by Write-app, the thumbnail image corresponding to the original image in the non-supported format is displayed. The image is displayed so that it can be identified whether it is an image or not.

As a result, when writing-app is started for the purpose of editing an image with Read-app and the original image is captured from the image pickup apparatus 102, it is not necessary to capture an unnecessary original image that cannot be edited, which is wasteful. Communication traffic can be avoided. In addition, since it is clearly known on the list screen of the thumbnail images of Write-app that the original image is not supported by Read-app, the user does not have to select an unnecessary image, and usability is improved. ..

(Other embodiments)
In each of the above-described embodiments, the example in which the Write-app is an application used by the communication device 101 to capture an image from the image pickup device 102 has been described, but the Write-app can also be used for applications for other purposes. Can be applied. For example, as Write-app, an application for searching an image from a database or an application for performing a shooting process may be applied. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the data to be handled is image data, but the data is not limited to image data and may be other data such as audio data.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the smartphone has been described as an example of the communication device 101, but the device is not particularly limited as long as it is a device in which an application can be installed. For example, the communication device 101 can be similarly applied to a mobile phone, a tablet, a personal computer (PC), or the like. Further, when Read-app and Write-app are applications that do not require a communication function, they do not necessarily have to have a communication function and can be widely implemented by an information processing device.

The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be performed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Claims (9)

A requesting means that operates according to the first application and requests the start of the second application,
A receiving means for executing a process of receiving data held by an external device from the external device by invoking the second application in response to the request and operating according to the second application.
An acquisition means for acquiring information indicating a data format supported by the first application, and
By operating according to the second application, it is possible to identify whether or not the first application has data in a compatible format, and the attribute information regarding the data held by the external device is displayed on the screen. An information processing device provided with display control means for controlling. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data is an image, and the attribute information is a thumbnail image corresponding to the image. The first or second claim, wherein the attribute information is in a format compatible with the second application, regardless of whether the data is in a format compatible with the first application. Information processing equipment. The display control means is characterized in that it controls to display a mark indicating whether or not the format of the data is a format compatible with the first application in the vicinity of the attribute information of the data. The information processing apparatus according to any one of 1 to 3. The display control means displays the attribute information of the data whose data format is compatible with the first application on the screen, and the data format is data in a format not compatible with the first application. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the attribute information of the above is controlled so as not to be displayed on the screen. Any of claims 1 to 5, further comprising means for writing information indicating a data format compatible with the first application into a predetermined storage area readable and writable by the second application. The information processing apparatus according to item 1. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a communication means that operates according to the second application and establishes communication with the external device. The step of requesting the start of the second application by the first application, and
In response to the request, the second application is started, and the second application executes a process of receiving data held by the external device from the external device.
The step of acquiring information indicating the data format supported by the first application, and
The second application is provided with a step of making it possible to identify whether or not the first application is data in a compatible format and controlling the attribute information regarding the data held by the external device to be displayed on the screen. An information processing method characterized by the fact that. On the computer
A step of executing a process of starting in response to a start request by the first application and receiving data held by the external device from the external device, and
The step of acquiring information indicating the data format supported by the first application, and
A program that makes it possible to identify whether or not the first application has data in a compatible format, and executes a step of controlling to display attribute information regarding data held by the external device on a screen.

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