IP Library Granted Patent US 7,870,137
Granted Patent B2
US 7,870,137 · App. 12/214,402 · Granted Jan 11, 2011

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,870,137
App. No.
12/214,402
Granted
Jan 11, 2011
Kind
B2
Abstract

An information processing apparatus for grouping plural contents into clusters, the apparatus includes: an acquisition portion configured to acquire metadata of each of the plurality of contents; and a clustering portion configured to group the plural contents into the clusters based on the metadata, such that each of the clusters has N or less contents, N being a predetermined number. The clustering portion calculates a distance d(n) according to a predetermined distance scale between an nth content and an (n+1)th content with respect to first N+1 contents in a content sequence, and determines a greatest distance d(k), groups first k contents in the content sequence into one cluster, and with a (k+1)th content in the content sequence as a new top content in the content sequence, repeats the determining of the greatest distance d(k) and the grouping of the first k contents in the content sequence into one cluster.

Claims (31)

1. An information processing apparatus for grouping a plurality of contents into clusters, the apparatus comprising:

an acquisition portion configured to acquire metadata of each of the plurality of contents; and

a clustering portion configured to group the plurality of contents into the clusters based on the metadata, such that each of the clusters has N or less contents, N being a predetermined number, wherein

said clustering portion

calculates a distance d(n) according to a predetermined distance scale between an nth content and an (n+1)th content with respect to first N+1 contents in a content sequence, and determines a greatest distance d(k) of all the distances d(n), the content sequence being a sequence of the plurality of contents as arranged according to a predetermined standard based on the metadata,

groups first k contents in the content sequence into one cluster, and

with a (k+1)th content in the content sequence as a new top content in the content sequence, repeats the determining of the greatest distance d(k) and the grouping of the first k contents in the content sequence into one cluster.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

each of the contents is image data of an image taken with a photographing device,

the metadata includes a photographing date/time and a photographing location of the image data,

the content sequence is a sequence of the pieces of image data as arranged according to the photographing date/time, and

as the distance d(n) according to the predetermined distance scale, said clustering portion calculates a time interval between the photographing date/time of the nth content and the photographing date/time of the (n+1)th content or a distance between the photographing location of the nth content and the photographing location of the (n+1)th content.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a scrapbook generation portion configured to generate a scrapbook with pages each of which has arranged thereon the contents belonging to a separate one of the clusters, the scrapbook being an electronic album.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the predetermined number N is a maximum number of contents that can be arranged on one page of the scrapbook.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:

a scrapbook display control portion configured to allow the scrapbook to be displayed.

6. An information processing method for grouping a plurality of contents into clusters, the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring metadata of each of the plurality of contents; and

grouping the plurality of contents into the clusters based on the metadata, such that each of the clusters has N or less contents, N being a predetermined number, wherein

said grouping step includes

calculating a distance d(n) according to a predetermined distance scale between an nth content and an (n+1)th content with respect to first N+1 contents in a content sequence, and determining a greatest distance d(k) of all the distances d(n), the content sequence being a sequence of the plurality of contents as arranged according to a predetermined standard based on the metadata,

grouping first k contents in the content sequence into one cluster, and

with a (k+1)th content in the content sequence as a new top content in the content sequence, repeating the determining of the greatest distance d(k) and the grouping of the first k contents in the content sequence into one cluster.

7. A storage media having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to function as an information processing apparatus for grouping a plurality of contents into clusters, the program causing the computer to function as:

an acquisition portion configured to acquire metadata of each of the plurality of contents; and

a clustering portion configured to group the plurality of contents into the clusters based on the metadata, such that each of the clusters has N or less contents, N being a predetermined number, wherein

said clustering portion

calculates a distance d(n) according to a predetermined distance scale between an nth content and an (n+1) th content with respect to first N+1 contents in a content sequence, and determines a greatest distance d(k) of all the distances d(n), the content sequence being a sequence of the plurality of contents as arranged according to a predetermined standard based on the metadata,

groups first k contents in the content sequence into one cluster, and

with a (k+1) th content in the content sequence as a new top content in the content sequence, repeats the determining of the greatest distance d(k) and the grouping of the first k contents in the content sequence into one cluster.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 13, 2017
From: SONY CORPORATION
To: SATURN LICENSING LLC
Reel/Frame 043177/0794 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 30, 2008
From: OHWA, TSUNAYUKI
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 021614/0790 →