Image retrieving apparatus and method

An image retrieving method comprising:

• an image obtaining step of obtaining a plurality of images and storing the obtained plurality of images in a storage device;
• a category obtaining step of obtaining respective categories to which the plurality of images obtained in the image obtaining step belongs;
• a basic searching step of searching for a specific image, which is an image that includes a specific object, from among the images stored in the storage device;
• a counting step of counting a number of the specific images that include the specific object for each category obtained in the category obtaining step;
• a determining step of determining whether or not an additional search for the specific image that includes the specific object is to be performed for a category among the categories obtained in the category obtaining step, based on the number of the specific images that include the specific object of each category counted in the counting step;
• and
• an additional searching step of searching for the specific image that includes the specific object from among the images, stored in the storage device, which belong to the category for which it has been determined in the determining step that the additional search is to be performed, the category for which it has been determined in the determining step that the additional search is to be performed including no specific images including the specific object based on a result of the search performed in the basic searching step.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform:

• an image obtaining step of obtaining a plurality of images and storing the obtained plurality of images in a storage device;
• a category obtaining step of obtaining respective categories to which the plurality of images obtained in the image obtaining step belongs;
• a basic searching step of searching for a specific image, which is an image that includes a specific object, from among the images stored in the storage device;
• a counting step of counting a number of the specific images that include the specific object for each category obtained in the category obtaining step;
• a determining step of determining whether or not an additional search for the specific image that includes the specific object is to be performed for a category among the categories obtained in the category obtaining step, based on the number of the specific images that include the specific object of each category counted in the counting step;
• and
• an additional searching step of searching for the specific image that includes the specific object from among the images, stored in the storage device, which belong to the category for which it has been determined in the determining step that the additional search is to be performed, the category for which it has been determined in the determining step that the additional search is to be performed including no specific images including the specific object based on a result of the search performed in the basic searching step.