1. An electronic album display system for displaying a plurality of images included in an electronic album comprising:
an image storing unit in which the plurality of images are stored;
a person recognizing unit for automatically identifying, by face recognition, a plurality of persons included in each of the plurality of images, each of the persons corresponding to a person identification number, the result of the person recognition comprising image identification numbers that correspond to different combinations of a plurality of person identification numbers;
an image grouping unit for classifying all of the plurality of images into a plurality of different groups based on the result of the person recognition, the images that belong to the same group including persons that correspond to the same combination of the person identification numbers, the result of the image grouping comprising group identification numbers, each of which corresponding to each of the combinations of the person identification numbers;
a representative image selecting unit for selecting a representative image from the images that correspond to the same group identification number; and
an image display unit for displaying each of the selected representative images consecutively.
2. The electronic album display system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of representative images selected from images belonging to a first group that includes more images is greater than the number of representative images selected from images belonging to a second group that includes images.
3. The electronic album display system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said representative image selecting unit selects a representative image for each of the groups, while selecting no representative image when the number of the images belonging to said each group is less than a predetermined reference number.
4. The electronic album display system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a ratio of the number of representative images selected from images belonging to a first group that includes less images to the number of the images of the first group is greater than a ratio of the number of representative images selected from images belonging to a second group that includes more images to the number of the images of the second group.
5. The electronic album display system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, for each group, said representative image selecting unit selects images as representative images of the each group when a difference between said images in at least one of an image capturing date and time and an image capturing place is greater than a predetermined reference value.
6. The electronic album display system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image grouping unit classifies the plurality of images on the basis of the combinations of the person identification numbers, the persons corresponding to which being selected by excluding a person the number of images including whom is smaller than a predetermined reference number from all the persons included as objects in any of said plurality of images.
7. The electronic album display system as claimed in claim 6, further comprising an image processing unit for performing blurring on a part of each representative image showing a person the number of images including whom is smaller than a predetermined reference number, wherein said image display unit displays the representative image on which blurring is performed.
8. An image grouping apparatus for classifying a plurality of images comprising:
an image storing unit in which the plurality of images are stored;
a person recognizing unit for automatically identifying, by face recognition, a plurality of persons included in each of the plurality of images, each of the persons corresponding to a person identification number, the result of the person recognition comprising image identification numbers that correspond to different combinations of a plurality of persons identification numbers; and
an image grouping unit for classifying all of the plurality of images into a plurality of different groups based on the result of the person recognition, the images that belong to the same group including persons that correspond to the same combination of the person identification numbers, the result of the image grouping comprising group identification numbers, each of which corresponding to each of the combinations of the person identification numbers.
9. An electronic album display method for displaying a plurality of images included in an electronic album comprising:
a person recognizing step of automatically identifying, by face recognition, a plurality of persons included in each of the plurality of images, each of the persons corresponding to a person identification number, the result of the person recognition comprising image identification numbers that correspond to different combinations of a plurality of person identification numbers;
an image grouping step of classifying all of the plurality of images into a plurality of different groups based on the result of the person recognition, the images that belong to the same group including persons that correspond to the same combination of the person identification numbers, the result of the image grouping comprising group identification numbers, each of which corresponding to each of the combination of the person identification numbers;
a representative image selecting step of selecting a representative image from the images including the same group identification number; and
an image display step of displaying each of the selected representative images consecutively.
10. A computer readable medium storing thereon a computer program for making a computer display a plurality of images included in an electronic album, wherein the computer comprises:
an image storing unit in which the plurality of images are stored;
a person recognizing unit for automatically identifying, by face recognition, a plurality of persons included in each of the plurality of images, each of the persons corresponding to a person identification number, the result of the person recognition comprising image identification numbers that correspond to different combinations of a plurality of person identification numbers;
an image grouping unit for classifying all of the plurality of images into a plurality of different groups based on the result of the person recognition, the images that belong to the same group including persons that correspond to the same combination of the person identification numbers, the result of the image grouping comprising group identification numbers, each of which corresponding to each of the combinations of the person identification numbers;
a representative image selecting unit for selecting a representative image from the images that correspond to the same group identification number; and
an image display unit for displaying each of the selected representative images consecutively.
11. An image grouping method for grouping a plurality of images comprising:
a person recognizing step of automatically identifying, by face recognition, a plurality of persons included in each of the plurality of images, each of the persons corresponding to a person identification number, the result of the person recognition comprising image identification numbers that correspond to different combinations of a plurality of person identification numbers; and
an image grouping step of classifying all of the plurality of images into a plurality of different groups based on the result of the person recognition, the images that belong to the same group including persons that correspond to the same combination of the person identification numbers, the result of the image grouping comprising group identification numbers, each of which corresponding to each of the combinations of the person identification numbers.
12. A computer readable medium storing thereon a computer program for making a computer classifies a plurality of images, wherein the computer comprises:
an image storing unit in which the plurality of images are stored;
a person recognizing unit for automatically identifying, by face recognition, a plurality of persons included in each of the plurality of images, each of the persons corresponding to a person identification number, the result of the person recognition comprising image identification numbers that correspond to different combinations of a plurality of person identification numbers; and
an image grouping unit for classifying all of the plurality of images into a plurality of different groups based on the result of the person recognition, the images that belong to the same group including persons that correspond to the same combination of the person identification numbers, the result of the image grouping comprising group identification numbers, each of which corresponding to each of the combinations of the person identification numbers.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A drive mechanism for use in a drug delivery device comprising:
a housing having a proximal and distal end;
a drive sleeve non-rotatable with respect to said housing;
a piston rod engaged with the said drive sleeve optionally by engagement means; wherein the said piston rod further comprises a distal helical thread portion threadedly engaged with the said housing and a means located at the proximal end of the said piston rod for releasable engagement to the said drive sleeve;
characterized in that,
a) when the said drive sleeve moves proximally without rotating with respect to the said housing the said piston rod does not move with respect to the said housing;
b) when the said drive sleeve moves distally the said piston rod rotates with respect to the said housing so that a force is transferred in the longitudinal direction to the distal end of the said drug delivery device.
2. A drug delivery device comprising the drive mechanism as defined in claim 1.
3. Use of a drug delivery device as defined in claim 2 for dispensing a medicinal product.
4. The use of a drug delivery device according to claim 3 for dispensing a pharmaceutical formulation comprising an active compound selected from the group consisting of insulin, growth hormone, low molecular weight heparin, their analogues, and their derivatives.
5. The drug delivery device according to claim 2, which is a pen-type device.
6. The drug delivery device according to claim 2, which is an injector-type device.
7. The drug delivery device according to claim 2, which comprises a needle.
8. The drug delivery device according to claim 2, which is a needle-free device.
9. The drive mechanism according to claim 1, comprising non-return features which prevent rotation of the piston rod at least in one direction with respect to the housing when the drive sleeve moves proximally with respect to the housing.
10. The drive mechanism according to claim 9, wherein the non-return features comprise an engaging feature which is designed to engage a stopping feature on the piston rod.
11. The drive mechanism according to claim 10, wherein the engaging feature is at least one feature selected from the group consisting of
a) at least one arm with a flexible section which is in constant engagement with a helical groove on the piston rod and which is designed to axially engage a step in the helical groove which is the stopping feature,
b) at least one engaging element with a cross section of essentially a parallelogram in constant engagement with a helical groove on the piston rod which is designed to engage a section in the helical groove with a smaller helix angle which is the stopping feature,
c) at least one non-flexible engaging element which is connected to the drive sleeve which is designed to abut at least one of a plurality of raised sections on an outer surface of the piston rod which is the stopping feature,
d) at least one ratchet arm which is connected to the drive sleeve or the housing and which is designed to engage at least one of a plurality of engaging sections on an outer surface of the piston rod which is the stopping feature and
e) at least one guiding feature of the drive sleeve which is designed to longitudinally guide a raised element on the outer surface of the piston rod which is the stopping feature.
12. The drive mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the said means located at the proximal end of the said piston rod for releasable engagement to the said drive sleeve consists of one or more flexible regions.
13. The drive mechanism according to claim 12, wherein the said one or more flexible regions are releasably engaged with a helical thread on the said drive sleeve.
14. The drive mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the said means located at the proximal end of the said piston rod for releasable engagement to the said drive sleeve consists of unidirectional rotational coupling means.
15. The drive mechanism according to claim 14, wherein the said unidirectional rotational coupling means are engaged with a helical thread on the said drive sleeve.
16. An assembly for use in a drug delivery device comprising the drive mechanism as defined in claim 1.
17. A method of manufacturing a drug delivery device, comprising the step of providing a drive mechanism as defined in claim 1.
18. A drive mechanism for a delivery device comprising:
a housing having a proximal and distal end;
a non-rotatable drive sleeve;
a piston rod comprising a distal thread and a proximal thread, the proximal thread of the piston rod threadedly engaged with the drive sleeve and the distal thread of the piston rod threadedly engaged with the housing;
wherein
when the non-rotatable drive sleeve moves proximally, the piston rod does not rotate; and
when the non-rotatable drive sleeve moves distally, the piston rod rotates with respect to the housing so that a force is transferred in the longitudinal direction to the distal end of the said housing.
19. The drive mechanism of claim 18 wherein the drive mechanism is used to administer at least one pre-set dose of a medicinal product.
20. The drive mechanism of claim 18 wherein the distal thread and the proximal thread are oppositely disposed.