Information processing apparatus capable of displaying maps and position displaying method

First Embodiment

[0032]FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a hardware structure of an information processing apparatus having a digital camera function in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0033]The information processing apparatus includes a photographing section 101 that is equipped with a function to take pictures through a charge coupled device (CCD) or the like, and a picture processing section 102 that controls the photographing section 101 and processes picture data that is provided from the photographing section 101.

[0034]A central processing unit (CPU) 103 controls overall operations of the information processing apparatus, and a memory 104 stores programs that may be executed by the CPU 103. The memory 104 stores a character recognition application 105, a position information database 106, a current position search application 107, a map database 115 and a map application 116.

[0035]A display section 108 may be equipped with a liquid crystal display (LCD),

Second Embodiment

[0047]In the first embodiment described above, the entire processings are performed by the information processing apparatus. However, if the apparatus is to be equipped with a position information database and a map database on the global scale, a huge memory capacity is required. In this respect, in accordance with the second embodiment, instead of equipping the information processing apparatus with these databases, the databases are provided in a sever apparatus that is provided independently of the information processing apparatus, and the information processing apparatus may be equipped with a communications device to communicate with the server apparatus to perform the processings.

[0048]FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a hardware structure of an information processing apparatus in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. The hardware structure is similar to the structure described above with reference to FIG. 1, but additionally includes a comm

Third Embodiment

[0059]In the embodiments described above, the apparatus is operated when the user wants to know the current position. However, by storing a history of such operations performed by the apparatus, a variety of additional functions may be increased. In accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, a locus (or loci) can be displayed on a map based on the history.

[0060]FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a hardware structure of an information processing apparatus in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0061]The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that the memory 104 stores a history database 801 that records search results.

[0062]FIG. 9 shows a flow chart of operations performed by the third embodiment.

[0063]Operations from step S201 to a character recognition processing in step S206 may be the same as those in the operation flow indicated in FIG. 2. A character recognition result is sent to the position sea