Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing – Local trick play processing – With randomly accessible medium
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-27
2002-07-09
Chevalier, Robert (Department: 2615)
Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing
Local trick play processing
With randomly accessible medium
C386S349000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06418272
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus, a computer readable recording medium and a method for preparing an audio file.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 13
is a rear view of a conventional electronic camera provided with audio information recording function, wherein shown are a view finder
21
for confirming the object or the image to be recorded; a shutter button
105
for instructing image recording to the camera; a recording button
106
for instructing audio information recording to the camera; and a microphone
107
for fetching the voice.
When the shutter button
105
is depressed, the electronic camera captures the image displayed on the view finder
21
and stores it as a file in a memory device in the electronic camera.
Also, by speaking into the microphones
107
during depression of the recording button
106
, audio information can be stored as a file in the memory device of the electronic camera. The recording of the audio information is terminated when the recording button
106
is released.
The audio information is recorded as complementary information to the most recently recorded image. Audio information cannot be recorded in a state in which no image has been captured.
A new file is prepared in two cases, namely:
1) when image data is captured by the depression of the shutter button; and
2) when audio data is captured by the depression of the recording button.
The image file name has “jpg” as a suffix accompanying the final dot “.”, while the audio file name has “wav” as a suffix.
In the following there will be explained steps
30
-
37
in FIG.
11
. At first a step
30
initializes the variable FileNo, by searching the files stored in a memory device
104
and employing the largest value of the prefixes of the stored image files. For example, if the memory device
104
stores five files, 1.jpg, 2.jpg, 3.jpg, 3.wav and 4.jpg, the variable FileNo is initialized to “4”. If no image files are stored, it is initialized to “0”. The method of searching the files stored in the memory device is already well known and will not be explained in detail.
Then a step
31
executes an increment of the variable FileNo by one. Then a step
32
discriminates whether the file to be prepared is an audio file or an image file, and, in the case of an image file, a step
33
prepares an image file with a file name File No. jpg. On the other hand, if the file to be prepared is an audio file, a step
34
judges the value of the file number in order to discriminate whether any image file has been prepared, and, if the value of the file number is “1”, indicating that no image has been captured, the audio file is not prepared but the sequence proceeds to a step
37
to terminate the process. On the other hand, if an image already has been captured, a step
35
prepares an audio file with a file name FileNo.wav. The prepared file is registered in a management file in a step
36
.
In summary, in the above-described flow, a new file is prepared in response to every capture of image or audio data and the prepared file is registered in the management file. The management file indicates the image file to which each audio file is complementary.
FIG. 12
is a flow chart showing the procedure of registration into the management file.
The management file contains the file name of an image file and the name of the audio file which is complementary information to the image file. The management file is represented by a name such as 1.ctg or 2.ctg, in which the suffix ctg is an identifier indicating a management file.
Referring to
FIG. 12
, a step
40
at first initializes a variable CtgNo by searching the files stored in the memory device
104
and employing the largest value of the prefixes of the stored management files. For example if the memory device
104
contains four files 1.ctg, 2.ctg, 3.ctg and 4.ctg, the variable FileNo is initialized to “4”. If no management file has been recorded, it is initialized to “0”.
Then a step
41
discriminates whether the file to be registered is an audio file or an image file, and, if it is an image file, a step
42
executes an increment of the value of the variable CtgNo by one. The variable CtgNo has an initial value “0”. Then a step
43
prepares a management file with a name “CtgNo.ctg” and registers the image file name in thus prepared management file “CtgNo.ctg”. If the step
41
identifies that the file to be registered is an audio file, a step
45
registers the audio file name in the management file “CtgNo.ctg”. In the management file there are registered an image file name and the name of an audio file which is prepared within a period from the preparation of an image file to the immediately succeeding preparation of another image file.
In a conventional electronic camera, if an image is recorded by depression of the shutter button in a state without any recorded information in the memory device, and voice is thereafter recorded three times in succession as complementary information for the recorded image, there are prepared four image/audio files which are 1.jpg, 2.wav, 3.wav and 4.wav, and a management file 1.ctg. The management file 1.ctg registers four file names, i.e., the image file 1.jpg and the three audio files 2.wav, 3.wav and 4.wav, and 4.wav as complementary information files to the image file 1 jpg.
In the conventional configuration explained in the foregoing, a new file is prepared for every audio recording, and plural audio files may be prepared as the complementary information to an image file.
The preparation of a new audio file for every recording of audio information in the conventional art results in a drawback in that a number of audio files are prepared. Also, there results a drawback in that plural audio files are prepared as complementary information to a single image.
As a result, in order to enable satisfactory reproduction of the audio information relative to the image, there has to be prepared a link management file which contains information indicating the correspondence between the audio files and the image file.
Also, in the case of erasing an image file, there is required a cumbersome procedure, as the link management file has to be referred to at the time of erasure of the audio file.
Also, in case of searching audio files recorded in a computer readable recoding medium, for example, at a renewal time, the link management file has to be referred to in order to identify the image to which the searched audio files are complementary or to identify the presence or absence of other audio files constituting complementary information to the image to which the searched audio files are complementary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an image pickup device, a computer readable recording medium and an audio file preparing method which solve the aforementioned drawbacks.
The above-mentioned object can be attained, according to the present invention, by an image pickup apparatus capable of recording image information and audio information, entered from audio input means, where the apparatus comprises:
audio file preparing means for executing a process of preparing an audio file containing the above-mentioned entered audio information and causing memory means to store such audio file; and
control means for adding, when new audio information is entered, such audio information to the stored audio file.
Another object of the present invention is to enable efficient preparation of an audio file corresponding to an image file.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an image pickup device, a computer readable recording medium and an audio file preparing method, enabling, at the deletion of an image file, easy deletion of the audio file corresponding to the image file.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an image pickup device, a computer readable recording medium and an audio file preparing method, having a novel function.
Still other objects of the present invention, and the fe
Chevalier Robert
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
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