Patent ID: 7373021

Claim:
A storage medium which stores a computer readable program allowing a computer to execute: a symbol providing step of determining whether predetermined images are similar to or dissimilar from first images and storing symbols for each of the predetermined images in data regions which are categories, in association with one first image, each symbol representing similarity or dissimilarity; a reference-image retrieving step of retrieving some of the first images stored in a storage section, which are similar to a reference image, thereby retrieving primary selected images; an accumulating step of accumulating the values of the symbols stored in each category, for secondary selected images included in the primary selected images and being more similar to the reference image than the remaining primary selected images; a category selecting step of selecting some of the categories, each having accumulated a symbol value greater than the other categories, thereby selecting a first number of categories; and a symbol-provided image retrieving step of retrieving some of the first images having symbols representing similarity and stored in a second number of categories included in the first number of categories.