JPH0384681A - Input processing method for business card information - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure and facilitate the filing of business card information by laying out picture information of cards in a unified form through the use of structure inherent to the cards so as to attain filing. CONSTITUTION:A business card input scanner part 1 sets the upper part of the card to be filed as a head and reads it as card picture data and gives it to a processing control part 2. The processing control part 2 uses the peripheral outer frame parts of respective characters in card picture information and the structural characteristic of the card, uniformly changes a layout and stores it in a file part 3. In a vertical type business card, respective characters are rotated by 90 degrees and the card is corrected to a horizontal type. Respective characters are integration-processed in the size of a character frame, and the layout is changed to the form in which the areas of respective character frames are unified. Then, the character display of the changed layout is corrected interactively if necessary, information required for retrieval is added and it is stored in a data base. Thus, business card information securely and easily is filed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A. Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a business card information management system, and more particularly to a business card information input processing method.

B1 Overview of the Invention The present invention is a business card information management system that creates a database of a large number of business cards.The present invention is a business card information management system that creates a database of a large number of business cards. This is to ensure and facilitate the

C1 Conventional technology A business card information management system that stores and manages a large number of business cards is
A large amount of business card information is stored in a file device and is searched and displayed as needed.

Among these, the keyboard input method and the input method using character recognition processing can be considered for storing business card information.

In the keyboard input method, the content printed on the business card is entered manually using a keyboard using a word processing function or using card processing software on a computer. In the character recognition processing method, a business card is read as image information using an image scanner, characters in the input image are recognized using a personal computer, and the recognized characters are stored in a file.

D1 Problems to be solved by the invention In the conventional keyboard input method, the user enters the information from the keyboard while reading the information printed on the business card, which is very difficult for people who are not familiar with personal computers or word processors. However, there was a problem that it was complicated and prone to human error.

On the other hand, character recognition processing methods require character recognition processing software, and because complete character recognition is extremely difficult and automatic identification of character string attributes is not possible, some processing is required after character recognition processing. Requires conversation processing. Furthermore, there remains the problem that a computer-level processing device requires a large amount of recognition processing time.

An object of the present invention is to provide an input processing method that ensures and facilitates filing of business card information.

E9 Means and Effects for Solving Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a business card information management system that creates a database of a large number of business cards, reads each business card as binary image information, and cuts out the outer frame of characters. , identifies horizontal business cards and vertical business cards from the XY coordinate data of the outer frame, rotates each character by 90 degrees for vertical business cards, corrects them to horizontal format, and integrates each character using the size of the character frame. ,
Change the area of each character frame to a unified layout, interactively modify the character display of this changed layout as necessary, add information necessary for search, store it in a database, and print it on business cards. The characters displayed are captured as image information, and the layout is changed to cut out frames for each character, type reading, and arrange frames in a consistent manner, and then store the layout in a database.

F. Embodiment FIG. 1 is an apparatus configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. A business card scanner unit 1 reads a business card to be filed, with its upper part at the beginning, as business card image data, and provides it to a processing control unit 2. The processing control unit 2 changes the layout into a unified shape using the peripheral outer frame of each character of the business card image information and the structural characteristics of the business card, and stores the layout in the file unit 3.

A display section 4 and a keyboard 5 are provided as conversation means for changing the layout necessary for this storage.

FIG. 2 shows a filing flowchart of the processing control section 2. The business card image data read by the scanner unit 1 is first subjected to black and white binarization processing (step S1), and then character frame cutting processing is performed from the image (step S2).
. This process extracts the circumscribed rectangle of each character component from the business card image, and then merges adjacent circumscribed rectangles to obtain the outer frame of the character. This character extraction process can be easily and automatically performed using known image processing techniques.

Next, it is determined whether the business card is horizontal or vertical based on the outer frame structure of the characters (steps S3 and S4).

This determination is performed using the X and Y coordinate data of the outer frame of each character, and from the respective maximum values X l1ax, Y wax and minimum values X win, Y l1in, (X wax
-X win) > (Y a+ax -Y m1n
), it is determined to be a horizontal business card, and if the inequality sign is reversed, it is determined to be a vertical business card.

The character frame cutting and type determination described above utilizes the unique structure of business cards. For example, the publication "Basic Information Science - Basic Engineering of Communication and Processing - 1PP.

254-257, published by Coronasha, 1982, the following items are described as characteristics of business cards, and examples of horizontal and vertical business card structures are shown in FIG.

■Standard size is 55xx x 90xm.

■There are two types of printing: horizontal writing type (horizontal type) and vertical writing type (vertical type).

■The typefaces used are square, and character strings with the same attributes often use typefaces of the same size.

■The name is printed in the largest type, almost in the center.

■On horizontal business cards, the company name is often printed above the name (on the right side on vertical business cards), and the address, telephone number, etc. are often printed below the name (on the left side on vertical business cards).

Additionally, the position and qualifications are printed to the left of the name (at the top of the vertical business card).

■Symbols such as company emblems are printed at the four corners.

Also, from the above business card structure, 8
If input using a scanner with a resolution of about 1/xi, a horizontal business card will have an image of 720 pixels (horizontal) x 440 pixels (vertical), and a vertical business card will have an image of 440 pixels (horizontal) x 720 pixels (vertical).
(vertical) image, and can be processed using the image memory equivalent to this number of pixels. In addition, to display business card images, the display capacity of the computer terminal display is 640 dots (horizontal) x
400 dots (vertical), and when a pixel and dot are matched one-to-one, the display is partially cut out, but it is possible to extract only the text printing area from the business card image and convert a vertical business card to a horizontal business card. By unifying them, they can be displayed on the relevant display.

Returning to FIG. 2, when the type determination result in step S4 is a vertical business card, each character of the business card image is rotated 90 degrees clockwise to make the same character arrangement as the horizontal business card (step S5 ). Through this processing, all business card images are unified into horizontal business cards as shown in FIG. 3(a), and subsequent processing is performed as horizontal business cards.

In the character frame integration process (step S6), the character strings with the same attributes in the above-mentioned publication section often use typefaces of the same size, and the character frames are integrated. conduct. As an example of this, FIG. 4 shows the processing results for the business card shown in FIG. 3(a). Subsequently, in the layout change process (step S7), the name area is identified using the business card structure (characteristic of publication ■) in which each character frame has the largest width in the Y-axis direction and is located almost at the center. , and further identify the company area, address/telephone number area, and position/qualification area using the characteristics of the publication ■. The layout of these areas is changed to have a uniform shape, and the results are output and displayed on the display section 4. An example of this display is shown in FIG.

Note that, in the business card structure, symbol areas such as the company emblem, which are characteristic of the publication ■, are deleted as unnecessary information.

Through the processing described above, only the character frames of the horizontal or vertical business card image information are cut out and unified into horizontal format, and then character frame integration processing and layout unification processing are performed.

In the processing so far, the characteristics of the publications ■～■ mentioned above are utilized, but business cards do not necessarily have the company name printed above the name, and there are cases where the company name is printed below the name. . Then, in steps S8 and S9, the business card image after the layout change is displayed on the display unit 4, and a visual check is performed to see if the layout is appropriate.If the business card is a special business card that requires modification, the conversation is corrected. Correct the layout through processing. The code, name, company name, etc. required for the search are entered into the character frame information of the corrected business card from the keyboard 5 (step 510), and stored in the file section 3 as a database.

Therefore, each business card can be inputted as image information using a scanner, and general business cards can be filed using only the key manual of search information.Furthermore, it is possible to file and search and display using a unified layout and type, and this filing can be done without errors. There are almost no occurrences. Further, for special business cards, similar effects can be obtained by only partially modifying the layout.

G0 Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, the characters printed on a business card are captured as image information and laid out in a unified shape by cutting out the outer frame around each character and utilizing the structural characteristics of the business card. Since the data is stored after being changed, it eliminates input errors compared to the conventional word processor input method by an operator.
Moreover, most of the processing can be done automatically, except for special business cards. Furthermore, compared to character recognition methods, there is no possibility of unrecognizability, and conversational processing is extremely reduced, and conversational processing can be performed using a personal computer terminal.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a device configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a filing flowchart in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 (
3A and 3B are diagrams showing an example of the structure of a business card, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a mode of character frame integration processing, and FIG. 5 is a diagram of a mode of layout change processing. 1...Business card input scanner unit, 2...Processing control unit,
3...File section, 4...Display section, 5...Keyboard. Fig. 1 Device configuration of the embodiment Fig. 5: Keyboard Fig. 2 Filing flowchart of the embodiment Fig. 3 (a) Structure diagram of a horizontal business card Fig. 3 (b) Structure diagram - 55u - Figure 4 Figure 5 B-style diagram of layout change processing

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In a business card information management system that creates a database of a large number of business cards, each business card is read as binary image information, the outer frame of the characters is cut out, and horizontal business cards and vertical business cards are identified from the XY coordinate data of the outer frame. The vertical business card is rotated 90 degrees and corrected to horizontal format, each character is integrated using the size of the character frame, the area of each character frame is changed to a unified layout, and this changed layout is A method for inputting and processing business card information, characterized in that the character display is interactively corrected as necessary, information necessary for search is added, and the information is stored in a database.