Abstract:
An image managing method of an image managing apparatus which includes a display device and which manages a plurality of original images, the method includes displaying the plurality of images obtained by reducing the original images, indicating conditions on which display orders of the plurality of images are determined, setting the display orders of the plurality of images displayed in the display device or hidden by the displayed images in accordance with the indicated conditions, and updating the display in accordance with the set display orders, wherein the setting of the display orders of the plurality of images is to set the display orders of the plurality of images displayed based on information imparted during photographing of the images or information of display states of the images in the display device in accordance with the conditions indicated to determine the display orders of the plurality of images.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-311558, filed Oct. 26, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to an image managing apparatus, an image managing method and a storage medium in which it is possible to efficiently refer to displayed images overlapping one another in a list display screen of images displayed in free positions on the screen.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     When a plurality of images are displayed in a free arrangement on a screen, the images overlap one another sometimes. At this time, owing to a difference of a display size among the images, some images become completely hidden from view by the other images. Even if a part of the hidden image can be recognized, to operate this image, such an operation as to move the image displayed on the hidden image is necessary, which is laborious.  
         [0006]     On the other hand, a technology is disclosed in which when a mouse is operated in a multi window system, a dialogue balloon, an icon or the like is generated for a hidden window (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-293673).  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     A first aspect of the present invention is directed to an image managing apparatus which includes a display device to display an image and which manages a plurality of original images, the image managing apparatus comprising: an image display unit which displays in the display device a plurality of images obtained by reducing the original images; a display order indication unit which indicates conditions to determine display orders of the plurality of images; an order setting unit which sets the display orders of the plurality of images displayed in the display device or hidden by the displayed images in accordance with the conditions indicated by the display order indication unit; and a display update unit which updates the display of the display device in accordance with the display orders set by the order setting unit, wherein the order setting unit sets the display orders of the plurality of images displayed in the display device based on information imparted during photographing of the images or information of display states of the images in the display device in accordance with the conditions indicated by the display order indication unit.  
         [0008]     A second aspect of the present invention is directed to an image managing method of an image managing apparatus which includes a display device to display a plurality of images and which manages a plurality of original images, the method comprising: displaying in the display device the plurality of images obtained by reducing the original images; indicating conditions on which display orders of the plurality of images are determined; setting the display orders of the plurality of images displayed in the display device or hidden by the displayed images in accordance with the indicated conditions; and updating the display of the display device in accordance with the set display orders, wherein the setting of the display orders of the plurality of images is to set the display orders of the plurality of images displayed in the display device based on information imparted during photographing of the images or information of display states of the images in the display device in accordance with the conditions indicated to determine the display orders of the plurality of images.  
         [0009]     A third aspect of the present invention is directed to a storage medium in which a program is stored, the program being executed by an image managing apparatus which includes a display device to display a plurality of images and which manages a plurality of original images, the program executing: an image display step of displaying in the display device the plurality of images obtained by reducing the original images; a display order indication step of indicating conditions on which display orders of the plurality of images are determined; an order setting step of setting the display orders of the plurality of images displayed in the display device or hidden by the displayed images in accordance with the conditions indicated in the display order indication step; and a display update step of updating the display of the display device in accordance with the display orders set in the order setting step, wherein the order setting step sets the display orders of the plurality of images displayed in the display device based on information imparted during photographing of the images or information of display states of the images in the display device in accordance with the conditions indicated in the display order indication step.  
         [0010]     Advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a diagram showing a list display screen;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a sort menu;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a diagram showing a list display screen;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a diagram showing a list display screen;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a diagram showing a list display screen;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a diagram showing classifications of groups;  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a block diagram showing a constitution of an image managing apparatus;  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  is a flow chart showing an image display processing procedure;  
         [0020]      FIG. 9  is a flow chart showing an index image sort processing procedure; and  
         [0021]      FIG. 10  is a flow chart showing a processing procedure to acquire an original image. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     First Embodiment  
       [0022]     There will be described an outline of an image managing method in the present embodiment.  
         [0023]      FIG. 1  is a diagram showing a list display screen  1 .  
         [0024]     In the list display screen  1 , a tool menu area  2  and a data display area  3  are disposed.  
         [0025]     In the tool menu area  2 , a sort button  2   a  and an end button  2   b  are arranged. In the data display area  3 , a plurality of images for indexes indicating original images can be displayed. Each index image is displayed in a size which reflects a size of the original image. In the data display area  3  shown in  FIG. 1 , a plurality of index images “image 1” to “image 6” and a mouse pointer  4  are displayed.  
         [0026]     In  FIG. 1 , since the “image 5” is hidden by the “image 6”, a user cannot visually recognize the “image 5”.  
         [0027]     In this case, when the user clicks the sort button  2   a,  a sort menu  6  shown in  FIG. 2  is displayed.  
         [0028]     When the user selects “ascending-order sort by photographing date” or “descending-order sort by photographing date” from the sort menu  6 , dates when image data have been photographed are compared with each other, and display orders of the images are changed. In consequence, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the list display screen  1  is updated and displayed.  
         [0029]     As a result of the sorting, since the display order of the “image 5” is at the rear of the “image 6”, the user can visually recognize the “image 5”.  
         [0030]     When the user selects “sort by image size (the smaller the image size is, the higher the order becomes)” from the sort menu  6 , the sizes of the index images are compared with each other, and the display orders of the images are changed. In consequence, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the list display screen  1  is updated and displayed.  
         [0031]     As a result of the sorting, since the display order of the “image 5” is at the rear of the “image 6”, the user can visually recognize the “image 5”.  
         [0032]     When the user selects “sort by display area (the smaller the display area is, the higher the order becomes)” from the sort menu  6 , the display areas of the image data at a time when the sort menu is selected are compared with each other, and the display orders of the images are changed. Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the list display screen  1  is updated and displayed.  
         [0033]     As a result of the sorting, since the display order of the “image 5” is at the rear of the “image 6”, the user can visually recognize the “image 5”. Since the display area of the “image 4” is smaller than that of the “image 2”, the whole “image 4” is displayed.  
         [0034]     Similarly, the user can select “sort by exposure time”, “sort by aperture value”, “sort by subject distance” or the like from the sort menu  6  to change the display order of the image data.  
         [0035]     Moreover, the above change of the display orders can be performed for not only all the index images displayed in the data display area  3  but also the images which belong to a specific group.  
         [0036]      FIG. 6  is a diagram showing classifications of the groups.  
         [0037]     A plurality of index images which overlap one another or come into contact with one another form one group. When one index image is selected with a mouse, a group including the selected index image is specified. When the user designates the above sort operation, the display orders of index images which belong to the specified group are changed.  
         [0038]      FIG. 7  is a block diagram showing a constitution of an image managing apparatus  20  for realizing the above image managing method.  
         [0039]     The image managing apparatus  20  is provided with an operation unit  21 , a display unit  22 , a communication unit  24 , a processing unit  25 , an image memory  26 , a database  27 , a program memory  28  and a temporary memory  29 .  
         [0040]     The operation unit  21  includes input members such as a mouse and a keyboard for operating various functions and inputting instructions. The display unit  22  displays the list display screen  1  or the like. The communication unit  24  is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving information such as the image data with respect to an external apparatus (not shown). The processing unit  25  executes image processing of reducing the original image to prepare the index image or the like, and generally controls the respective components of the image managing apparatus  20 .  
         [0041]     The image memory  26  is a storage medium for storing the image data of the original image. The database  27  is a storage medium for storing, as management information, attribute information such as Exif data which accompanies the original image. The program memory  28  is a storage medium for storing a program which operates in the image managing apparatus  20 . The temporary memory  29  is a buffer memory which temporarily stores data for the display order change processing.  
         [0042]     Next, an image display procedure using the image managing apparatus  20  will be described with reference to FIGS.  8  to  10 . It is to be noted that image display functions which will below be described are concerned with main functions of the present image display method. Therefore, functions which are not mentioned in the following description but which are described with reference to FIGS.  1  to  7  are included in the functions regarding the present image display method.  
         [0043]      FIG. 10  is a flow chart showing a processing procedure for the image managing apparatus  20  of the present embodiment to acquire the original image as a management object from the external apparatus.  
         [0044]     In a step U 01 , the processing unit  25  detects that an external apparatus (not shown) such as a digital camera is connected to the communication unit  24 . When the connection of the external apparatus is detected, an image transmission request command is transmitted to the external apparatus. In a step U 02 , the processing unit receives an image transmitted from the external apparatus in response to the image transmission command.  
         [0045]     In a step U 03 , the processing unit  25  reduces each received image as the original image at a predetermined ratio to prepare a reduced image for the index. Then, in a step U 04 , the processing unit stores the original image and the index image in the image memory  26 , and registers, in the database  27 , management information including the Exif data accompanying the original image, a size of the index image and information for referring to the original image and the index image.  
         [0046]     The processing to acquire the image as the management object is ended by the above processing.  
         [0047]     It is to be noted that in the step U 03 , the original image is reduced at a ratio which is proportional to the size of the original image, a ratio of a square or a ½ square, or the like to prepare the reduced image so that the size of the original image is reflected.  
         [0048]     In the step S 01  of  FIG. 8 , the user starts the image managing apparatus  20 , so that the processing unit  25  initializes an internal table and the like, and in the step S 02 , it displays the list display screen  1  in the display unit  22 . Then, in response to user&#39;s operation for displaying the image data, in the step S 03 , the processing unit reads the corresponding index image from the image memory  26  to display the image in the data display area  3  of the list display screen  1 .  
         [0049]     Then, the processing unit waits for the next user&#39;s operation input.  
         [0050]     In a step S 10 , when the user performs a drag and drop operation to change a display position of the index image displayed in the data display area  3 , the processing unit changes the display order so that the index image is displayed in the top in a step S 11 .  
         [0051]     Subsequently, in a step S 12 , the processing unit updates the display of the index image in accordance with the changed display order. Then, the processing unit waits for the next user&#39;s operation input.  
         [0052]     In a step S 15 , when the user clicks one of the index images displayed in the data display area  3  to select the image, the processing unit changes the display order so that the index image is displayed in the top in the step S 11 .  
         [0053]     Subsequently, in the step S 12 , the processing unit updates the display of the index image in accordance with the changed display order. Then, the processing unit waits for the next user&#39;s operation input.  
         [0054]     In a step S 20 , when the user operates the sort button  2   a  of the tool menu area  2 , the processing unit executes index image sort processing ( FIG. 9 ) in a step S 21 .  
         [0055]     In a step T 01  of  FIG. 9 , the processing unit specifies the group in which the selected index image is included, and acquires a list of the index images which belong to the group. In a step T 02 , the processing unit registers the index images which belong to the group as sort objects in a sort object table (not shown) of the temporary memory  29 .  
         [0056]     In a step T 03 , the processing unit displays the sort menu  6 , and waits for user&#39;s selecting operation.  
         [0057]     In a step T 10 , when the user selects the update of the display orders based on the photographing dates from the sort menu  6 , the processing unit sorts the index images as the sort objects based on the photographing dates in a step T 11 .  
         [0058]     Next, in a step T 19 , the processing unit registers the display orders of the sorted index images in a display information table (not shown) of the temporary memory  29 , and ends the index image sort processing.  
         [0059]     In a step T 13 , when the user selects the update of the display orders based on the display image sizes from the sort menu  6 , the processing unit sorts the index images as the sort objects based on the display image sizes in a step T 14 .  
         [0060]     Next, in the step T 19 , the processing unit registers the display orders of the sorted index images in the display information table (not shown) of the temporary memory  29 , and then ends the index image sort processing.  
         [0061]     In a step T 16 , when the user selects the update of the display orders based on the display areas from the sort menu  6 , the processing unit sorts the index images as the sort objects based on the display image areas in a step T 17 .  
         [0062]     Next, in the step T 19 , the processing unit registers the display orders of the sorted index images in the display information table (not shown) of the temporary memory  29 , and then ends the index image sort processing.  
         [0063]     Turning back to  FIG. 8 , in the step S 12 , the processing unit updates the display of the index images in accordance with the changed display orders, and waits for the next user&#39;s operation input.  
         [0064]     In a step S 25 , when the user operates the end button  2   b  of the tool menu area  2 , the processing unit executes end processing in a step S 26  to end the image display processing.  
         [0065]     It is to be noted that the functions described above in the embodiment may be constituted using hardware, or realized using software by allowing a computer to read a program in which the functions are described. The respective functions may be constituted by appropriately selecting either the software or the hardware.  
         [0066]     Furthermore, the respective functions can be realized by allowing the computer to read a program stored in a storage medium (not shown). Here, the storage medium of the present embodiment may have any recording form, as long as the storage medium can record the program and is a computer-readable storage medium.  
         [0067]     Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general invention concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.