Patent ID: 7058282

Claim:
A data recording/reproduction apparatus with a built-in camera having a cabinet containing a semiconductor memory and adapted to record data of the picked up image in the tape-shaped recording medium contained in the cabinet and reproduce the recorded data of the picked up image from the tape-shaped recording medium, said apparatus comprising: an image pickup section; an image display section for displaying images; a recording means for recording the data of the picked up image obtained by the image pickup operation of said image pickup section in said tape-shaped recording medium; a reproduction means for reproducing the data of the picked up image recorded in said tape-shaped recording medium; a recording information acquisition means for acquiring recording information on the data of each picked up image in said tape-shaped recording medium and storing them in an internal storage means; an index-related image generating means for reading out the data of each picked up image recorded in said tape-shaped recording medium on the basis of said recording information recorded in said internal storage means and generating index-related images for recognizing the data of the picked up images on the basis of said data of the picked up images; a retrieval-serving image generating means for generating retrieval-serving image data to be used for retrieving the data of the picked up images recorded in said tape-shaped recording medium, said retrieval-serving image data containing those of the index-related image generated by said index-related image generating means and the recording information of the data of said picked up images corresponding to said index-related image; a retrieval-serving image conservation means for conserving the retrieval-serving image data generated by said retrieval-serving image generating means at least in a retrieval-serving image data storage means and, if possible, also in said semiconductor memory; a retrieval-serving image retrieving means for retrieving the recorded data in said semiconductor memory or said retrieval-serving image data storage means and displaying a retrieval-serving image formed on the basis of the retrieval-serving image data conserved in said semiconductor memory or said retrieval-serving image data storage means; and a reproduction control means for retrieving the data of the picked up image corresponding to the index-related image selected by means of the retrieval-serving image displayed on the image display section by said retrieval-serving image retrieving means on the basis of said recording information and performing a reproducing operation by means of said reproduction means.