Patent ID: 7474340

Claim:
A method of storing image data, comprising the steps of: obtaining image data from an image pick-up unit; recording said image data in a first recording apparatus; retrieving said image data recorded in said first recording apparatus in accordance with a predetermined retrieval condition; displaying said retrieved image data as a list of information relating to said retrieved image data on a display; and selecting a predetermined information from said list of information, reading image data related to the selected predetermined information from said first recording apparatus, by comparing the selected predetermined information to image data recorded in said first recording apparatus, selecting for read out image data related to the selected predetermined information based on the comparison and reading out the selected image data, and recording said read out image data related to the selected predetermined information in a second recording apparatus, wherein said read out image data is image data specified by said selecting as specified image data to be preserved over a long period of time, wherein when a total amount of all specified image data to be preserved over a long period of time in said second recording apparatus exceeds an unoccupied portion of said second recording apparatus, an indication of such is provided on said display, wherein said image data is further added with time information indicating when said image data is obtained and said list of information contains said time information, and wherein said image pick-up unit comprises a plurality of image pick-up devices and said image data obtained from each of said image pick-up devices is added with an identifier (ID) for identifying each of said image pick-up devices, said list of information further containing said ID.