Patent ID: 7231144
Filing Date: 2007-06-12
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An element layout apparatus to lay out a plurality of layout elements, comprising: a layout-element storage device to store the layout elements therein; a path-information storage device to store therein path information items indicative of paths to arrange the layout elements therealong; a temporal-information generation device to generate temporal information items which indicate streams of time and which are to be associated with the layout elements; and an element arrangement device to calculate difference time periods between the layout elements on the basis of the temporal information items generated by said temporal-information generation device, and to arrange the layout elements along the paths of the path information items at arrangement intervals between the layout elements that correspond to the calculated difference time periods, wherein the element arrangement device bringing the difference time period between a starting-point element being the layout element whose time point specified by the temporal information item is earliest among the layout elements, and an end-point element being the layout element whose time point specified by the temporal information item is latest among the layout elements, into correspondence with the arrangement interval between the starting-point element and the end-point element along the path, to calculate the arrangement interval between the starting-point element and a subject element being the layout element to-be-laid-out, on the basis of the difference time period between the starting-point element and the subject element, and to arrange the subject element at the arrangement interval calculated along the path, wherein the element arrangement device including: a difference-time-period calculation device to calculate the difference time period between the starting-point element and the subject element, an arrangement-interval calculation device to calculate the arrangement interval between the starting-point element and the subject element on the basis of the difference time period between the starting-point element and the end-point element, the arrangement interval between the starting-point element and the end-point element along the path, and the difference time period calculated by the difference-time-period calculation device, an element-arrangement-position calculation device to calculate as an element arrangement position of the subject element, a position whose distance from a starting point along the path, the starting point being that position on the path at which the starting-point element is arranged, becomes the arrangement interval calculated by the arrangement-interval calculation device, and a positional-information generation device to generate positional information of the subject element so that the element arrangement position calculated by the element-arrangement-position calculation device may become a central position of the subject element.