User terminal and file list providing method therefor

Abstract

A user terminal and a file list providing method therefore, the user terminal having a driver installed to control an image forming apparatus, wherein the driver includes a user interface unit to input a specified folder and a list providing method from a user; a list creation unit to create a list of files in the inputted specified folder; and a control unit to control the created list to be outputted according to the inputted list providing method. Thus, the efficiency of managements on mass storage media can be provided.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram to show a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view to explain the functions of the user interface unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view to illustrate a list created on the user terminal of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart to show a file list providing method according to aspects of the present invention.

Claims

1. A driver installed in a user terminal, the driver comprising: a user interface unit to receive an input of a specified folder and a type of list providing method;a list creation unit to create a list of files in the inputted specified folder; anda control unit to control the created list to be outputted according to the inputted list providing method, and to control a printing operation of an image forming apparatus.

2. The driver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the list creation unit creates the list in a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format and/or an Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.

3. The driver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit creates the list as a file when the list providing method is a store method, and instructs a printout of the list when the list providing method is a print method.

4. The driver as claimed in claim 3, further comprising: a storage unit to store the created file, wherein the control unit adds modified information to attribute information of the created file when the created file is already stored in the storage unit of the user terminal.

5. The driver as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control unit determines if the created file is already stored by comparing a file name of the created file to a file name of a stored file.

6. The driver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user interface unit inputs a sorting method of files in the specified folder from a user, and the list creation unit sorts the files according to the inputted sorting method and creates the list.

7. The driver as claimed in claim 6, wherein the user can input a sorting method to sort the files in file name order, date order, size order, or combinations thereof.

8. The driver as claimed in claim 6, wherein the user can input a sorting method to sort the files in an ascending order or a descending order with respect to another sorting method inputted by the user.

9. The driver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user interface unit provides various menus to a user to input settings of the list of files created by the list creation unit, and the various menus comprise: a specified folder setting menu to input the specified folder; anda list providing method setting menu to input the list providing method.

10. The driver as claimed in claim 9, wherein the various menus further comprise a sorting method setting menu to input a sorting method of files in the specified folder.

11. The driver as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: an image decision unit to decide whether the files in the specified folder are image files; anda thumbnail creation unit to create thumbnails of files decided as image files in the files of the specified folder, wherein the list creation unit links the created thumbnails to corresponding files in the list.

12. The driver as claimed in claim 11, wherein the image decision unit decides the files in the specified folder to be image files if extensions of the files in the specified folder are image file extensions.

13. A file list providing method, comprising: inputting a specified folder and a list providing method from a user;creating a list of files in the inputted specified folder; andoutputting the created list according to the inputted list providing method.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the creating of the list comprises creating the list in any of a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format and/or a Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the outputting of the created list comprises creating the list as a file when the list providing method is a store method, and instructing printout of the list when the list providing method is a print method.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising adding modified information to attribute information of the created file if the list providing method is the store method and the created file is already stored.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising comparing a file name of the created file to a file name of a stored file to determine if the created file is already stored.

18. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the inputting of the specified folder comprises inputting a sorting method of files in the specified folder from the user, and the creating of a list comprises sorting the files according to the inputted sorting method and creating the list.

19. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising: deciding whether the files in the specified folder are image files; andcreating thumbnails of files decided as image files in the files of the specified folder, wherein the creating of a list comprises linking the created thumbnails to corresponding files in the list.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the deciding of whether the files in the specified folder are image files comprises determining whether extensions of the files in the specified folder are image file extensions.

21. A user terminal comprising: a storage unit to store files of the user terminal; anda driver to control a creation and output of a list of files in a specified folder according to an input list providing method for the list, to store the list in the storage unit when the list providing method is a store method, and to control a printing operation of an image forming apparatus.

22. The user terminal as claimed in claim 21, wherein the driver comprises: a user interface unit to receive an input of the specified folder and a type of the list providing method;a list creation unit to create the list of the files in the inputted specified folder; anda control unit to control the created list to be outputted according to the inputted list providing method and to control the printing operation of the image forming apparatus.

23. The user terminal as claimed in claim 22, wherein the list creation unit creates the list in a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format and/or an Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.

24. The user terminal as claimed in claim 22, wherein the control unit creates the list as a file and stores the file in the storage unit when the list providing method is the store method, and instructs a printout of the list when the list providing method is a print method.

25. The user terminal as claimed in claim 24, wherein the control unit adds modified information to attribute information of the created file if the created file is already stored in the storage unit.

26. The user terminal as claimed in claim 25, wherein the control unit determines if the created file is already stored by comparing a file name of the created file to a file name of a stored file.

27. The user terminal as claimed in claim 22, wherein the user interface unit inputs a sorting method of files in the specified folder, and the list creation unit sorts the files according to the inputted sorting method and creates the list.

28. The user terminal as claimed in claim 27, wherein the sorting method is selectable between sorting the files in file name order, date order, size order, or combinations thereof.

29. The user terminal as claimed in claim 27, wherein the sorting method is selectable between sorting the files in an ascending order or a descending order with respect to another sorting method inputted by the user.

30. The user terminal as claimed in claim 22, wherein the user interface unit provides various menus to input settings of the list of files created by the list creation unit, and the various menus comprise: a specified folder setting menu to input the specified folder; anda list providing method setting menu to input the list providing method.

31. The user terminal as claimed in claim 30, wherein the various menus further comprise a sorting method setting menu to input a sorting method of files in the specified folder.

32. The user terminal as claimed in claim 22, further comprising: an image decision unit to decide whether the files in the specified folder are image files; anda thumbnail creation unit to create thumbnails of files decided as image files in the files of the specified folder, wherein the list creation unit links the created thumbnails to corresponding files in the list.

33. The user terminal as claimed in claim 32, wherein the image decision unit decides the files in the specified folder to be image files if extensions of the files in the specified folder are image file extensions.

34. The user terminal as claimed in claim 21, further comprising an image forming apparatus interface unit to support an interface between the user terminal and an image forming apparatus which are connected, wherein the driver instructs the image forming apparatus, through the image forming apparatus interface unit, to print the list if the list providing method is a print method.

35. A computer readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing the file list providing method of claim 13 performed by one or more computers.