Image storage apparatus, image storage method, and control program executed in image storage apparatus

Abstract

An image storage apparatus which is capable of finding a desired image among a large number of images easily. Image quality of an image to be recorded on a storage medium ( 200, 210 ) is determined by an operation unit ( 70 ). A system control circuit ( 50 ) stores a first image having an image quality determined by the operation unit ( 70 ) in a first folder on the storage medium ( 200, 210 ), and stores a second image having an image quality determined by the operation unit ( 70 ) and different from the image quality of the first image in a second folder on the storage medium ( 200, 210 ).

1 . An image storage apparatus comprising:
 a shooting unit that shoots a subject and outputs image information;   an image processing unit that processes the image information as an image;   a system control unit that stores the processed image in a storage medium;   a display unit that displays the image information output from said shooting unit;   a recording mode selection unit having at least a first selectable recording mode and a second selectable recording mode,   wherein in the first selectable recording mode, said system control unit stores a first image following a digital camera format in a first folder in the storage medium, and stores at least one of second images not following the digital camera format in a second folder in the storage medium,   wherein in the second selectable recording mode, said system control unit does not store the first image but stores the at least one of second images in the storage medium and the at least one of second images is the same shot image as the first image but a different version of the first image;   a designation control unit that allows a user in each of the first and second selectable recording modes to designate the number of the second images not following the digital camera format to be stored in the storage medium while said display unit displays the image information output from said shooting unit.   
     
     
         2 . The image storage apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said system control unit creates the first folder and the second folder in the storage medium when the processed image is stored in the storage medium. 
     
     
         3 . The image storage apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the structure of the first folder and the stored-image name of the first image stored in the first folder follow the digital camera format, and   the structure of the second folder and the stored-image name of the second image stored in the second folder do not follow the digital camera format.   
     
     
         4 . The image storage apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the second image stored in the second folder has at least one of a smaller size, a higher sharpness, a higher color saturation, or a different aspect ratio, compared to the first image stored in the first folder. 
     
     
         5 . The image storage apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the second image stored in the second folder has date and time information embedded therein. 
     
     
         6 . The image storage apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the second image stored in the second folder has a predetermined upper limit value on a data size. 
     
     
         7 . The image storage apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a display mode selection unit that has a first and second display modes,   wherein said display unit also displays an image shot by said shooting unit, and   wherein said display mode selection unit displays the first image and the second image in the first display mode and only the second image in the second display mode.   
     
     
         8 . The image storage apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein when the first image or the second image is being displayed, said display unit simultaneously displays indication information that indicates whether the information being displayed is the first image or the second image. 
     
     
         9 . The image storage apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising an image deletion unit that deletes at least one of the first image or the second image stored in the storage medium. 
     
     
         10 . The image storage apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein said image deletion unit simultaneously deletes the second image corresponding to the first image when the first image is deleted from the storage medium. 
     
     
         11 . The image storage apparatus according to  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a connection unit that connects to an external apparatus; and   a transmission unit that transmits at least one of the first image or the second image stored in the storage medium to the external apparatus via said connection unit,   wherein said image deletion unit deletes from the storage medium the image transmitted to the external apparatus.   
     
     
         12 . The image storage apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein when the second image is transmitted to the external apparatus from said transmission unit, said image deletion unit deletes from the storage medium the second image transmitted to the external apparatus and the first image corresponding to the second image. 
     
     
         13 . The image storage apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 said display unit also displays an image shot by said shooting unit,   the image storage apparatus further comprises:   a storage instruction unit that instructs to store the second image in the second folder when the first image is being replayed on said display unit; and   a second image generation unit that generates the second image from the first image being replayed on said display unit according to an instruction of said storage instruction unit.   
     
     
         14 . A method of storing an image in an imaging apparatus having a shooting unit that shoots a subject and outputs image information, an image processing unit that processes the image information as an image, a system control unit that stores the processed image in a storage medium, and a display unit that displays the image information output from the shooting unit, said method comprising:
 a recording mode selection step of selecting one recording mode from at least a first selectable recording mode and a second selectable recording mode,   wherein in the first selectable recording mode, the system control unit stores a first image following a digital camera format in a first folder in the storage medium and stores at least one of second images not following the digital camera format in a second folder in the storage medium,   wherein in the second selectable recording mode, the system control unit does not store the first image but stores the at least one of second images in the storage medium and the at least one of second images is the same shot image as the first image but a different version of the first image; and   a designation control step of allowing a user in each of the first and second selectable recording modes to designate the number of the second images not following the digital camera format to be stored in the storage medium while the display unit displays the image information output from the shooting unit.