Patent ID: 8726162

Claim:
An audio apparatus comprising: a folder listing processing unit coupled to a display screen of an audio apparatus and coupled to a database having a plurality of files stored therein, the folder listing processing unit configured to detect and display on the display screen, playable files in a folder, the folder listing processing unit, comprising: a folder selection section configured to select a folder from the database, the database containing the plurality of files stored in hierarchically structured folders; a directly-under-folder detection section configured to detect whether a playable file exists directly under the selected folder; a folder-under-folder detection section configured to detect whether playable files exist directly under any folder located under the selected folder, if no playable file exists directly under the selected folder; a folder listing section configured to display a folder listing on the display screen based on results from a normal mode listing section, a listing mode changing section, and a hidden selection section, the folder listing including a total number of detected playable files located in each folder according to a root folder directory hierarchy; wherein the normal mode listing section determines that a selected folder is to be displayed in a normal-listing mode, if the directly-under-folder detection section has detected one or more playable files; wherein the listing mode changing section determines that a selected folder is to be displayed in a secondary-listing mode such that the selected folder is displayed dimly relative to a selected folder displayed in the normal-listing mode, if the directly-under-folder detection section has detected no playable file but the folder-under-folder detection section has detected one or more playable files; and wherein the hidden selection section determines that a selected folder is to be hidden, if the directly-under-folder detection section has detected that no playable file exists in the selected folder and the folder-under-folder detection section has detected that no playable file exists directly under any folder under the selected folder.