File management system of image data

Abstract

In a system for file managing image data of an electronic camera, so long as the image data is recorded by the same image pickup apparatus, a peculiar file name which is not overlapped is generated and in order to prevent that a plurality of files of the same name exist, when an electronic camera is connected to a main body of a computer, a storage device in the electronic camera is examined from a host application of the computer, and when a file of a file name including numerical values exceeding a predetermined value is found, a message is displayed for the user in a manner such that after all of the files having the file names which had automatically been formed were transferred to the computer, all of the contents in the storage device are deleted or formatted. When the detachable storage device is loaded or a power source is turned on, if the file having the unique file name which was automatically generated does not exist in the storage device, the numerical values held in the electronic camera are initialized.

1 .- 39 . (Canceled)  
     
     
         40 . A file management method of managing photographed image data in a form of a file, comprising: 
 an image input step of inputting the photographed image data;    an image file storing step of automatically giving a file name which includes a predetermined file number, to the image data input in said image input step and then storing the image data into a predetermined folder as an image file;    an audio information obtaining step of obtaining audio information associated with the image file stored in said image file storing step; and    an audio information storing step of storing as an audio file the audio information obtained in said audio information obtaining step into the folder same as that of the image file and automatically giving to the audio file a file name which includes the file number same as that of the image file and has an extension different from that of the image file.    
     
     
         41 . A file management method according to  claim 40 , further comprising a file deleting step of, in case that the image file is deleted, automatically deleting the audio file which is stored in the same folder as the image file to be deleted and has the sane file number as the image file to be deleted.  
     
     
         42 . A file management method according to  claim 40 , further comprising a file deleting step of, in case that the audio file is deleted, automatically deleting the image file which is stored in the same folder as the audio file to be deleted and has the same file number as the audio file to be deleted.  
     
     
         43 . A file management method according to  claim 40  or  41 , further comprising: 
 a discriminating step of, in case that one of the image file and the audio file, both of which have the same file number, is deleted, discriminating whether or not one of the image file and the audio file, both of which have the same file number, is protected from being deleted; and  
 a deletion inhibiting step of, in case that said discriminating step discriminates that one of the image file and the audio file is protected from being deleted, inhibiting the other from being deleted.  
 
     
     
         44 . A file management method according to  claim 40 , wherein said image file storing step gives a serial number as the file name having the predetermined file number, to the image data input in said image input step, by using a counter and then stores the image data into the predetermined folder as the image file, and said image file storing step includes a detection step of, when a memory is changed to other one, detecting the maximum file number in a storage directory in the other memory, and a comparison step of comparing a value of the counter and the file number detected in said detection step so that said image file storing step uses said detection step and said comparison step to give the file numbers which do not overlap with each other.  
     
     
         45 . An image pickup apparatus which manages photographed image data in a form of a file, comprising: 
 image input means for inputting the photographed image data;    image file storing means for automatically giving a file name which includes a predetermined file number, to the image data input by said image input means and then storing the image data into a predetermined folder as an image file;    audio information obtaining means for obtaining audio information associated with the image file stored by said image file storing means; and    audio information storing means for storing as an audio file the audio information obtained by said audio information obtaining means into the folder same as that of the image file and automatically giving to the audio file a file name which includes the file number same as that of the image file and has an extension different from that of the image file.    
     
     
         46 . An image pickup apparatus according to  claim 45 , further comprising file deleting means for, in case that the image file is deleted, automatically deleting the audio file which is stored in the same folder as the image file to be deleted and has the same file number as the image file to be deleted.  
     
     
         47 . An image pickup apparatus according to  claim 45 , further comprising file deleting means for, in case that the audio file is deleted, automatically deleting the image file which is stored in the same folder as the audio file to be deleted and has the same file number as the audio file to be deleted.  
     
     
         48 . An image pickup apparatus according to  claim 45  or  46  further comprising: 
 discriminating means for, in case that one of the image file and the audio file, both of which have the same file number, is deleted, discriminating whether or not one of the image file and the audio file, both of which have the same file number, is protected from being deleted; and  
 deletion inhibiting means for, in case that said discriminating step discriminates that one of the image file and the audio file is protected from being deleted, inhibiting the other from being deleted.  
 
     
     
         49 . An image pickup apparatus according to  claim 45 , wherein said image file storing means gives a serial number as the file name having the predetermined file number, to the image data input by said image input means, by using a counter and then stores the image data into the predetermined folder as the image file, and said image file storing means include detection means for, when a memory is changed to other one, detecting the maximum file number in a storage directory in the other memory, and comparison means for comparing a value of the counter and the file number detected by said detection means so that said image file storing step uses said detection means and said comparison means to give the file numbers which do not overlap with each other.