Patent ID: 8271111

Claim:
A music playback device which selects one piece of music data from a first storage section storing music data for each of a plurality of music pieces, and plays the selected piece of music data in a playback section, comprising: a second storage section storing first corresponding information about a correspondence between one of a plurality of sub categories, selected as information of music classification about the plurality of music pieces, and each piece of music data for each music piece; a third storage section storing second corresponding information about a correspondence between each of a plurality of main categories used as a high level category of the sub categories and one or more different sub categories; a fourth storage section storing main category displayed information for generating pieces of image data different for each main category, the image data being characteristic image data which expresses representation of each main category, the pieces of image data being displayed on a display section; a change section setting one sub category from among the plurality of sub categories as an initial value, setting a main category corresponding to the set sub category as an initial value by referring to the second corresponding information stored in the third storage section, and when an instruction signal for changing the main category is supplied from outside, selecting and setting one main category except a main category that is currently set as a new main category, selecting and setting one sub category corresponding to the newly set main category as a new sub category with referring to the second corresponding information; a selection section reading one piece of music data corresponding to the sub category set newly in the change section from the first storage section with referring to the first corresponding information stored in the second storage section, and allowing the playback section to play back the read piece of music data; a generation section reading the main category displayed information corresponding to the main category set newly in the change section from the fourth storage section and generating image data according to the read main category displayed information; and a fifth storage section storing sub category displayed information for generating pieces of image data different for each sub category, the image data being a decorative item decorating the characteristic image of the main category, the decorative item expressing representation of each sub category, the pieces of image data being displayed on the display section, wherein the generation section further reads the sub category displayed information corresponding to the sub category set newly in the change section from the fifth storage section, and generates image data according to the read sub category displayed information.