Information processing apparatus and recording medium

Abstract

An information processing apparatus provides for continuous reproduction of audio data that has been added to and associated with image data. After a table of data sets recorded on a memory card (for example) is displayed, a data set is selected, e.g., by pressing a display associated with that data set. When an audio recording button is depressed, the sound is collected by a microphone while the button is depressed. The audio data corresponding to the sound is recorded on the memory card as second audio data of the data set when the selected data set already includes audio data. When the data set is reproduced, the image corresponding to the image data of that data set is displayed and the sound corresponding to each of the first and second audio data is output from the speaker in a continuous sequence.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An information processing apparatus, comprising: 
 storage means for storing data sets having plural types of correlated data therein;    selection means for selecting a data set from the data sets stored in said storage means;    audio collecting means for collecting sound and converting said sound into audio data; and    control means for storing second audio data collected and converted by the audio collection means in said storage means, said control means storing said second audio data correlated to first audio data of the data set selected by said selection means.    
     
     
         2 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said data sets include at least one of an image data, an audio data and a line drawing data.  
     
     
         3 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 light collecting means for collecting light from an object being photographed;    photoelectric conversion means for converting the collected light into an electrical signal; and    conversion means for converting said electric signal into the image data, the image data being stored in said storage means.    
     
     
         4 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 outputting means for outputting a signal, said signal indicating a pressed position on a pressure detection unit of predetermined surface area; and    conversion means for converting the signal output by said outputting means into the line drawing data, the line drawing data being stored in said storage means.    
     
     
         5 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 display means for displaying a list of the data sets stored in said storage means; and    display control means for computing a total length of recording time of audio data belonging to said data sets stored in said storage means and for displaying the total on said display means.    
     
     
         6 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said control means updates a time information of a data set when the stored second audio data is stored correlated to the data set.    
     
     
         7 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said audio data is digital data.  
     
     
         8 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein when new image data is stored, said selection means selects a data set having the new image data for a preset time interval.  
     
     
         9 . An information processing apparatus, comprising: 
 audio collecting means for collecting sound and converting the sound into audio data;    storage means for storing audio data;    selection means for selecting a data set stored in said storage means; and    control means for controlling said storage means so that second audio data collected and converted by said audio collecting means is stored correlated to first audio data of the data set selected by said selection means.    
     
     
         10 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein said control means updates a time information of said first audio data in accordance with the second audio data.  
     
     
         11 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein: 
 said control means causes the second audio data to be stored in said storage means without being correlated to said first audio data when said data set is not selected by said selection means.    
     
     
         12 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein said control means updates a time information of said first audio data in accordance with the second audio data when said second audio data and said first audio data are stored in said storage means correlated to each other, and said control means stores time information of said second audio data when the second audio data is not correlated to the first audio data.  
     
     
         13 . An information processing apparatus, comprising: 
 a memory that stores data sets having plural types of correlated data therein;    a selector that selects a data set from the data sets stored in said memory;    a microphone that collects sound and converts said sound into audio data; and    a controller coupled to the memory, the selector and the microphone, to store second audio data collected and converted by the microphone in said memory, said controller storing said second audio data correlated to first audio data of the data set selected by said selector.    
     
     
         14 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein said data sets include at least one of an image data, an audio data and a line drawing data.  
     
     
         15 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising: 
 a lens system that collects light from an object being photographed;    a photoelectric converter that receives the light collected by the lens system to convert the collected light into the image data, the image data being stored in said memory.    
     
     
         16 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising: 
 a touch tablet coupled to the controller to output a signal indicating a pressed position on a the touch tablet, the controller converting the signal output by said touch tablet into the line drawing data, the line drawing data being stored in said memory.    
     
     
         17 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 13 , further comprising: 
 a display that displays a list of the data sets stored in said memory; and    a display controller that computes a total length of recording time of audio data belonging to said data sets stored in said memory and that displays the total on said display.    
     
     
         18 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein: 
 said controller updates a time information of a data set when the stored second audio data is stored correlated to the data set.    
     
     
         19 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein said audio data is digital data.  
     
     
         20 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein when new image data is stored, said selector selects a data set having the new image data for a preset time interval.  
     
     
         21 . An information processing apparatus, comprising: 
 a microphone that collects sound and converts the sound into audio data;    a memory that stores audio data;    a selector that selects a data set stored in said memory; and    a controller coupled to the microphone, the memory and the selector, to control said memory so that second audio data collected and converted by said microphone is stored correlated to first audio data of the data set selected by said selector.    
     
     
         22 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein said controller updates a time information of said first audio data in accordance with the second audio data.  
     
     
         23 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein: 
 said controller causes the second audio data to be stored in said memory without being correlated to said first audio data when said data set is not selected by said selector.    
     
     
         24 . The information processing apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein said controller updates a time information of said first audio data in accordance with the second audio data when said second audio data and said first audio data are stored in said memory correlated to each other, and said controller stores time information of said second audio data when the second audio data is not correlated to the first audio data.  
     
     
         25 . A method of processing information, comprising the steps of: 
 storing data sets having plural types of correlated data therein in memory;    selecting a data set from the data sets stored in said memory;    collecting sound and converting said sound into audio data; and    storing collected and converted second audio data in said memory correlated to first audio data of the selected data set.    
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein said data sets include at least one of an image data, an audio data and a line drawing data.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising: 
 collecting light from an object being photographed; and    converting the collected light into the image data, the image data being stored in said memory.    
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising: 
 outputting a signal indicating a pressed position on a pressure detection unit of predetermined surface area; and    converting the output signal into the line drawing data, the line drawing data being stored in said memory.    
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising: 
 displaying a list of the data sets stored in said memory; and    computing and displaying a total length of recording time of audio data belonging to said data sets stored in said memory.    
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising: 
 updating a time information of a data set when the stored second audio data is stored correlated to the data set.    
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein said audio data is digital data.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein when new image data is stored, said selected data set is, for a preset time interval, the data set having the new image data.  
     
     
         33 . A method of processing information, comprising the steps of: 
 collecting sound and converting the sound into audio data;    storing audio data in memory;    selecting a data set stored in said memory; and    storing collected and converted second audio data correlated to first audio data of the selected data set.    
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising updating a time information of said first audio data in accordance with the second audio data.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein: 
 the second audio data is stored in said memory without being correlated to said first audio data when said data set is not selected.    
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , further comprising updating a time information of said first audio data in accordance with the second audio data when said second audio data and said first audio data are stored in said memory correlated to each other, and storing time information of said second audio data when the second audio data is not correlated to the first audio data.  
     
     
         37 . A recording medium that stores a computer-readable control program having instructions that are executable by an information processing apparatus to perform the steps of: 
 storing data sets comprising a plurality of types of correlated data in memory;    selecting a data set from the data sets stored in said storing step;    collecting sound and converting the sound to audio data; and    storing second audio data collected and converted in the collecting step in the memory correlated with first audio data of the data set selected in the selecting step.    
     
     
         38 . A recording medium that stores a computer-readable control program having instructions that are executable by an information processing apparatus to perform the steps of: 
 collecting sound and converting the sound into audio data;    storing audio data in memory;    selecting a data set stored in said memory; and    storing collected and converted second audio data correlated to first audio data of the selected data set.