JP2002229904A - Data storing and regenerating method and batch data processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system that enables a user to obtain corrected image data and the like on a Web server only by uploading the image data prepared by user itself and selecting a file desired to be corrected without having any hardware on which a specific graphic data correction function is mounted and also without purchasing and fully using any software, and without being axious about version up. SOLUTION: This is a method to store data into a Web server's storage and regenerate them from it, and consists of a memorizing step to store the data into the Web server storage, a management step to manage file structures according to the memorizing step, a display step to display an extracted directory structure, a selecting step to select a position of a specified directory shown on a display, a conversion step to convert the data stored in the selected directory, and a regenerative output step to write the regenerative converted data.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to, for example, storing image data in a storage medium (Web page) of a Web server of an Internet provider.
The present invention relates to a data storage / reproduction method and a data batch processing system for reproducing the data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of the Internet, image data and the like owned by a user have been transferred to a Web server of a provider via a network.
Increasingly, it is stored on a page or published as a Web page.

[0003] For example, the image data can be corrected in image quality on hardware conventionally used for photographing or on a personal computer incorporating the same. This is realized by a function mounted on the hardware or by performing processing using software installed on a personal computer.

[0004]

However, the user does not always use hardware equipped with an image quality correction function for shooting, and does not always use a personal computer on which software for performing image quality correction processing is installed. . For example, if you have multiple digital still cameras, and you have to take a picture with a camera that does not have the desired function, naturally the benefits of the image quality correction function that is equipped with a high-performance digital still camera If you want to upload image data taken outdoors with the camera attached to the mobile terminal to a web server on the Internet as it is, even if the image quality correction processing software is installed on the personal computer, You cannot use this.

[0005] In general, whether the image quality correction function is installed in hardware or realized by software, there is a disadvantage that an expensive amount is paid at the time of purchase regardless of whether the image quality correction function is used or not. Furthermore, if the user forgets to use the image quality correction function or uses the image quality correction function, the user cannot use the function sufficiently.

Furthermore, when a new version with improved correction performance comes out, if this is a function on hardware, this hardware must be replaced, and if it is a software function, the version must be replaced. There is an inconvenience of having to perform the up.

That is, in order to fully receive the benefits of the image quality correction function, it is necessary to have considerable knowledge, and it can be said that it is not suitable for general users.

In view of the above, the present invention does not require the user to particularly have hardware equipped with an image quality correction function and the like, does not need to purchase and master software, and further cares about upgrading. It is not necessary to upload the image data etc. prepared by the user himself to the web server and select the file to be corrected, so that the corrected image data etc. can be obtained on the web server. The purpose is to do.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A data storage / reproduction method of the present invention is a data storage / reproduction method for storing data in a storage medium of a web server and reproducing the data. A storage step for storing data, a management step for managing a file structure associated with the storage step, a display step for displaying a directory structure extracted in accordance with the management step, and a display step for displaying the directory structure. A selected directory location, a conversion step of converting data stored in the selected directory, and a reproduction output step of reproducing and outputting the converted data. .

According to the present invention, since data, for example, image data stored in the storage medium of the web server is selected and data conversion, for example, image quality correction is performed, the user needs hardware especially equipped with an image quality correction function. Without doing
Also, there is no need to purchase and master software,
Further, there is no need to worry about upgrading, uploading data such as image data prepared by the user himself to the web server, and simply selecting a file for which data conversion, for example, image quality correction is to be performed, can perform data conversion on the web server, for example. Data such as image data subjected to image quality correction can be obtained.

[0011]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a data storage / reproduction method and a data batch processing system according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows an overall system in which the image data storage / reproduction method according to the present embodiment is used. Reference numeral 1 denotes a server of a provider, and 2a, 2b, 2c} request services from the server 1, respectively. It is a computer of a client (user) connected to the server 1 by the communication line 3 and provided with a service from the server 1.

The number of the client computers 2a, 2b, 2c # as viewed from the server 1 is an arbitrary number set from the memory of the server 1 and the arithmetic capacity of the central control unit (CPU).

The computers 2a, 2b, 2c # owned by the client (user) are personal computers and the like.
b, 2c}, a browser program is prepared at least as shown in FIGS. This browser program is currently widely used, for example, Netscape Navigator
r), Microsoft Internet Explorer (Microsoft Internet Explorer)
er) or the like.

Here, in the example in which the client (user) personal computer 2a, 2b, 2c # uses this browser program, the provider server 1
URL (Uniform Resource Loc)
open the web (W) stored in the URL.
eb) A screen corresponding to the description of the page is displayed on a display connected or integrated with the user's personal computer 2a, 2b, 2c #.

The client (user) personal computer 2a, 2b, 2c # can start a transfer program arbitrarily and upload image data to the server 1 of the provider.

The server 1 is a workstation or the like, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
WWW (World Wide Web) server, We
A b-page group, a management program group, user data, original image data, processed image data, and log data are stored.

This image processing program is a program for correcting image quality of one image of image data.

This WWW server is currently widely used, for example, Apache, Netscape Server, Microsoft Internet Information Server.
migration Server).

This Web page group is html (type
r text markup language), and a collection of various files such as graphics and image files inserted therein.

The management program group is a program group for controlling the execution of image quality correction of image data in accordance with the flow shown in FIG.

The user data includes, at least, data for grasping a user who has an account on the server 1, data owned by each user, and data for grasping whether or not each image file has already been subjected to image quality correction. Consisting of

The original image data is image data before image quality correction that has already been uploaded by the user.

The processed image data is image data after image quality correction, and the log data is an execution record of image quality correction of the image data.

The data uploaded from the client (user) personal computer 2a, 2b, 2c # side includes auxiliary data relating to the image data in addition to the image data. The auxiliary data is information on the image data and unique information assigned to, for example, the electronic still camera that created the image data. The image processing program on the server 1 side of the provider sends the unique information to the uploaded image data. When attached, if it is based on this unique information, optimal image processing is performed based on this unique information.

For example, browser software running on the client personal computers 2a, 2b, 2c # reads the unique data stored on the server 1 of the provider and manages the display of the client (user). By displaying a menu on the screen and selecting the name of the electronic still camera used by the client (user), the unique information corresponding to the electronic still camera can be selected.

In this case, the transfer program is stored in the personal computers 2a, 2b, 2c # and the program for transferring the unique information data to be used. It is possible to select the name of the electronic still camera used by the client (user) on the display screen of the personal computer 2a, 2b, 2c # of the user) and select the unique information. With this transfer program, the unique information can be transferred together with the image data.

In the case where the unique information is used, if the image processing program running on the server 1 has an image processing optimization routine corresponding to the image data, the unique information needs to be transferred. There is no.

The image data uploaded as described above has its image processing program optimized by the unique information or the image processing optimization routine, and is stored and held on the server 1 as processed data.

The communication circuit 3 is a public line, a dedicated line, the Internet, or the like that connects the user's personal computers 2a, 2b, 2c # and the server 1 of the provider.

Next, image quality correction of image data by the management program group of the server 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, as one of the Web pages, for example, a button 10 or the like displayed as "Photo quality correction" is provided on the home page of the server 1 of the provider as shown in FIG. The user clicks the button 10 on the browser to start the image quality correction process.

The WWW server of the provider's server 1 is connected to the user's personal computer 2 via the communication line 3.
Upon receiving an instruction to display a start page for image quality correction from a, 2b, 2c}, the WWW server displays a login page, which is one of the Web pages, on the user's browser (step S1). That is, the “photo image quality correction” button 10 as shown in FIG. 5 is linked to the login page, and when the “photo image quality correction” button 10 is clicked, the user jumps to the login page.

This login page is a page provided with two text input fields of a user ID 11 and a password 12, a send button 13 and a reset button 14, as shown in FIG. These are realized by the form function. The user inputs a user ID and a password on this login page (step S2), and then presses (clicks) the send button 13. Then, the browser transmits this data to the WWW server.

The WWW server receives this data,
CGI (Common Gateway Interf)
ace) Start a first management program which is a program. The first management program performs user authentication (step S3). If the authentication is successful, the first management program refers to the user data and grasps a structure under the home directory of the user. Then, a tree structure under the user's home directory is displayed on the user's browser (step S4).

At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, a check box 16 and a send button 1
7. The reset button 18 is also displayed. The check box 16, the transmission button 17, and the reset button 18 are also realized by the form function. However, the tree structure displayed by the first management program does not necessarily have to be the tree structure of the directory. For example, a site map having a logical structure may be used.

The user selects a directory for which image quality correction is to be performed this time from the tree structure, clicks on a corresponding check box 16 to enter a check mark (step S5), and then sends a transmission button 17
Send by clicking.

The WWW server receives this data,
Activate a second management program, which is a CGI program. The second management program refers to the user data and picks up, from the image files existing in the selected directory, those other than the image files whose image quality has already been corrected (step S6). Specifically, for example, one text file is placed in each directory. This text file will be referred to as a first text file. As shown in FIG. 8, the contents of the first text file are a row of lines each of which is a pair of a file name and a processing time (date and time).

The second management program compares the image file currently existing in the directory with each line of the first text file, and if the file name is not included in the first text file, the object to be picked up And If the file name is written in the first text file, the file creation time is compared with the processing time written in the first text file. If the creation time of the file is later than the processing time, the file is picked up.
Otherwise, they are not picked up.

The second management program starts the image processing program for all the picked-up files to perform image quality correction processing (step S7), and gives a temporary name to the processing result. Then, the images before and after the processing are displayed side by side on the user's browser as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 (step S8).

In this case, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the radio buttons 19a, 19b,
By displaying the transmission button 20 and the reset button 21 and clicking the radio buttons 19a and 19b,
The user is caused to select either before or after the processing (step S9). This radio button 19a, 1
9b, the send button 20, and the reset button 21 are also realized by the form function.

This selection means a user-owned web (Web)
b) When the data is to be displayed on the page in the future, the user selects whether to display the data before processing as it is or to display the data after processing. The user makes a selection for all image pairs and transmits the image by clicking a transmission button 20.

The WWW server receives the user's selection information data and activates a third management program which is a CGI program. The third management program refers to the user's selection information data, and, when the processed image is selected, processes the processed image data, that is, the image data stored under a temporary file name. The previous image file is overwritten (step S10).

Further, the fact that the file has already been processed is recorded in the user data. For example, in the case of the above-described realization method, the first text file for each directory is referred to, and if the image file name has already been written in the first text file, the line is deleted,
Further, the pair of the image file name and the current time is additionally recorded as one line. Then, the third management program deletes the temporarily named file generated by the second management program.

In this example, the third management program further counts the number of times the above-described overwriting is performed, records the number in the user data, and charges the user in accordance with the number.

However, the third management program is not limited to the above operation, and may perform another operation. For example, if you do not want to discard the original image file before processing, create an original storage directory under another directory, for example, the current directory, save the original image file, and then save the processed data May be stored in the original directory with the same name as the image file before processing.

Alternatively, the processed data is stored under a name different from that of the original file before the processing, and the part that refers to the image data before the processing described in the html file owned by the user is stored in the file. Rewriting may be performed so as to refer to the processed image data.

Each time the management program executes the processing of each step, it writes the execution result in a log file.

Thus, the processing is completed, and the above-described login session is completed. At this time, the third management program records the number of sessions in the user data if overwriting with the post-processing data has been performed at least once,
Charging is performed according to the number of times. Further, for the convenience of the user, the third management program may jump to the user's home page at this time.

In the present embodiment, the image data uploaded (stored) on the Web page (storage medium) of the web server 1 is selected and the image quality is corrected (data conversion). Therefore, the user is particularly provided with an image quality correction function and the like. Uploading the image data prepared by the user to the web server 1 and correcting the image quality without the need for the necessary hardware, the need to purchase and use the software, There is an advantage that image data corrected for image quality can be obtained on the web server 1 only by selecting a file for which the user wants to perform.

In the above example, data processing (data conversion)
Although the target is image data, the present invention is not limited to image data, and may be, for example, audio data. If the data processing target is audio data, in the above example, the image processing program is changed to the audio processing program, and the data targeted by the management program is not an image file but an audio file, and the same processing can be performed. it can.

For grammar correction such as spell check and style check for html files, the image processing program is changed to a spell check and style check program, and the data targeted by the management program is not an image file. , Html files. Further, the present invention can be similarly applied to automatic correction of a layout in an html file.

In the above description, to simplify the description,
Although the image quality correction process is performed under the control of the second management program, if the amount of calculation of the image quality correction program is large and it takes a long processing time, the process is performed only on the thumbnail images necessary for the user to select for the time being. The image quality correction processing may be performed later only for the image processing that the user has actually selected for image processing. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 11, 12, 13, and 14. FIG.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are a block diagram and a functional diagram corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively. Similarly, the uploaded image data is processed by a thumbnail creation program and an image processing program. The thumbnail image data is stored and held on the server.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, after the user logs in and is authenticated, the directory in which the uploaded image is recorded and held is displayed, and based on the user's directory instruction for image processing. Extract the unprocessed image from the storage area indicated in the corresponding directory.

In FIG. 13, a thumbnail image composed of a processed image and a corresponding unprocessed image is displayed by selecting five unprocessed images at a time, and after asking the user to determine which image is to be selected, Then, a selection screen for the next five unprocessed images is displayed. After all the images have been selected, image processing is performed only on the original image corresponding to the selected thumbnail image, and the processed image data is replaced with unprocessed image data.

FIG. 14 is different from the processing for a plurality of images shown in FIG. 13 in that the selection is made for each of the five image data, the image processing is performed after the selection, and the unprocessed image data stored and held Replace.

In FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, since each image to be thumbnailed is an image obtained by compressing or thinning out the original image, the processing load of the arithmetic unit (CPU) required for image processing is reduced, and the overall software There is an advantage that the processing speed is faster.

In the above example, to simplify the description,
In the first management program, only the directory structure is displayed. However, a list of image files existing in each directory and a check box for each image file are further displayed here, and the image file to be processed there is provided to the user. You may choose.

The data processing program may have a plurality of processing methods. In this case, instead of the alternatives shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the selection may be made from data before processing, data after processing according to the first processing method, data after processing according to the second processing method, or the like.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and it goes without saying that various other configurations can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0062]

According to the present invention, data, for example, image data stored (uploaded) stored in the storage medium (web page) of the web server is selected and data conversion, for example, image quality correction is performed. Uploads data such as image data prepared by the user to the web server without the need for onboard hardware, no need to purchase and use software, and no need to worry about version upgrades However, there is an advantage that data such as image data subjected to data conversion, for example, image quality correction, can be obtained on the web server only by selecting a file for which data conversion, for example, image quality correction is desired.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram for explaining an example of an embodiment of a data storage / reproduction method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram for explaining an example of an embodiment of a data storage / reproduction method of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for describing the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for describing the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for describing the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram for explaining another example of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram for explaining another example of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... server, 2a, 2b, 2c ... computer, 3
…… Communication line, 10… “Photo quality correction” button, 1
1 ... User ID, 12 ... Password, 13, 17,
20 ... Send button, 14, 18, 21 ... Reset button, 16 ... Check box, 19a, 19b ...
Radio buttons

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] February 27, 2001 (2001.2.2)
7)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0058

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In FIGS. 13 and 14, since each image to be thumbnailed is an image obtained by thinning out the pixels of the original image, the processing load of the arithmetic unit (CPU) required for image processing is reduced, and the waiting time of the user is reduced. It has the advantage of being shorter.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A data storage and reproduction method for storing data in a storage medium of a web server and reproducing the data, wherein: a storage step of storing data in a storage medium of the web server; Accompanying, a management step of managing a file structure, a display step of displaying a directory structure extracted with the management step, and a selection step of selecting a specific directory position shown in the display of the directory structure, A data storage / reproduction method, comprising: a conversion step of performing data conversion on data stored in the selected directory; and a reproduction / output step of reproducing / outputting the converted data. 2. The data storage / reproduction method according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction / output step of reproducing / outputting the data further outputs data before data conversion together with data after data conversion. Data storage and playback method. 3. The data storage / reproduction method according to claim 2, wherein one of the data before the data conversion and the data after the data conversion is selected, and the selected data is stored in the storage medium. A data storage / reproduction method characterized by the above-mentioned. 4. The data storage / reproduction method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said data is image data. 5. The data storage / reproduction method according to claim 1, wherein a login step of inputting a user ID and logging in is performed, and the number of times of data conversion after the data conversion or the case where the data conversion is performed even once after login. Data comprising: a counting step of counting the number of logins; and a charging step of charging a user having the input user ID in accordance with the number of data conversions and / or the number of logins. Memory playback method. 6. A step of selecting the image data from the image data stored on the storage medium of the web server, and selecting the selected image data and image data obtained by performing image processing on the image data. Displaying, selecting one of the images from the selected image and the image-processed image data, and, if the selected image is a processed image, an image together with data indicating that the image has been processed. A data storage / reproduction method, wherein the processed image data is stored on the recording medium. 7. A first image processing means for performing first image processing on image data; a second image processing means for performing second image processing on thumbnail image data; Extracting means for extracting, from one or more image data, one or more image data which has not been subjected to the first image processing, and means for creating a thumbnail image of the extracted image data; Means for performing the second image processing on the thumbnail image data; means for allowing a user to select at least two of the pre-processing thumbnail image data and the post-processing thumbnail image data; Means for performing the first image processing on the image data from which the thumbnail was created, for the selected thumbnail image data after processing; In the image data subjected to the first image processing, the first
Means for replacing the data before the image processing. 8. The data batch processing system according to claim 7, wherein said first image processing means and said second image processing means are the same means. 9. The data batch processing system according to claim 7, wherein a thumbnail is created only for a certain number of image data, the second image processing is performed on the thumbnail, and at least two of the thumbnail image processing before and after the image processing are performed. A data collective processing system having a step of performing selective presentation by a user, wherein the step is repeated a plurality of times for a plurality of image data on which the first image processing has never been performed.