Patent ID: 7733385

Claim:
An image file reproducing apparatus comprising: first reading means for reading first image data, first header data and extension data from a recording medium on which have been recorded one image file and the extension data, which corresponds to the first image data and serves as data representing an extension of the image file, wherein the image file includes a first recording area and a second recording area, which have been specified in such a manner that the second recording area follows an end of the first recording, area, each having a header recording area and an image data recording area, respectively, the first header data is recorded in the header recording area of the first recording area, the first image data is recorded in the image data recording area of the first recording area, second header data is recorded in the header recording area of the second recording area and second image data is recorded in the image data recording area of the second recording area, the first image data has a data structure which is independent of a data structure of the second image data, and the second image data includes a format which is different than a format of the first image data; first reproducing means for reproducing the first image data, which has been read by said first reading means, based upon the first header data and the extension data; first display control means for controlling a display unit so as to display a first image represented by the first image data reproduced by said first reproducing means; determination means for determining whether the second header data and the second image data have been recorded in the header recording area and image data recording area, respectively, of the second recording area; second reading means, responsive to a determination by said determination means that the second header data and the second image data have been recorded in the header recording area and image data recording area, respectively, of the second recording area, for reading the second header data that has been recorded in the header recording area of the second recording area and the second image data that has been recorded in the image data recording area of the second recording area; second reproducing means for reproducing the second image data, which has been read by said second reading means, based upon the second header data; and second display control means for controlling the display unit so as to display the second image represented by the second image data reproduced by said second reproducing means. wherein one of: the second image data comprises a compression format which is different than a compression format of the first image data; one of the first and second image data comprises corn pressed image data and the other of the first and second image data comprises uncompressed image data; and one of the first and second image data comprises image data representing a 3D image and the other of the first and second image data comprises image data representing other than a 3D image.