JPH07200625A - Electronic file device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To reduce the work of document registration and make it easier to search for registered documents. [Structure] The CPU unit 5 includes a maximum font character string search unit 2
When a character string of maximum character size is searched from the image data stored in the image memory 2 by 0, image data of a predetermined area including the searched character string of maximum character size is extracted and stored in the image memory 2. The stored image data is added to the image data compressed by the image processing unit 3 as a document title and registered in the compressed data memory 4.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic file device for registering image data of a document in a storage medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electronic filing apparatus for reading a manuscript on which characters or figures are written by an image input means such as a scanner and storing the image data in a large-capacity storage medium such as an optical disk can store a large amount of documents in a small space. It is advantageous in that it can be saved and the desired document can be searched quickly.

Image data read by a scanner is stored in document units, which is a set of one or more originals, and a unique document title is given to each document. The document title is indispensable when searching for a stored document. However, if the registrant is requested to perform the title assignment work for that purpose, the registration work becomes complicated. From such a background,
Although there are many needs for electronic file devices, it is considered that this is a factor that has hindered their widespread use.

Conventionally, when a registrant selects a character string of an arbitrary search title from a display image of a document to be registered, an electronic file device for converting the character string into a character code and registering the document (for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 3-276260 gazette). Further, there is also an electronic file device (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-292569) in which when a registrant sets an arbitrary area, characters in the area are extracted and recognized to register a document.

[0005]

However, in the conventional electronic file device described above, the annoyance of the titleing work at the time of document registration is eliminated to some extent, but it is described larger than other characters, for example. It seems that the title of the document in question is the most appropriate as the title of the document, but there is a risk that the document title will be added according to the preference of the registrant, and the document title will be used when the registrant himself searches for the registered document. There is a problem that it is difficult to search because of forgetting, or when a third party searches for the registered document, it is difficult to find the document title and thus difficult to search.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to reduce the work of document registration and make it easy to retrieve the registered document.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an electronic file device according to the present invention stores image data input by image input means for inputting image data of an image of a document. An image storage means, a search means for searching the image data stored in the means, and a display means for displaying the image data searched by the means are provided.

Further, a maximum character size searching means for searching a character string having the maximum character size from the image data stored in the image storing means, and a predetermined area including the character string having the maximum character size searched by the means. Document title automatic giving means for extracting image data and registering it as a document title is provided.

Further, the document title automatic giving means is
It is preferable to have a means for enlarging or reducing the extracted image data of the predetermined area to a predetermined area size.

Alternatively, in the electronic file device including the image input means, the image storage means, the search means, and the display means, the maximum character for searching a character string of the maximum character size from the image data stored in the image storage means A size search means, a means for converting image data of a predetermined area including a character string searched by the means into code data, and a means for registering the code data converted by the means as a document title are provided. .

Further, the document title automatic giving means is
When the maximum character size searching means cannot find a character string of the maximum character size from the image data, a means for causing the display means to perform a display prompting the user to input a title from the keyboard, and a character string input thereafter are documented. It is advisable to provide a means for registering the title of as the document title.

Further, it is preferable that the document title automatic giving means has means for causing the display means to clearly indicate image data of a predetermined area including a character string of the maximum character size searched by the maximum character size searching means.

Furthermore, it is preferable to provide means for changing a predetermined area of the image data to be clearly displayed on the display means.

Further, it is preferable that the registration of the image data of the predetermined area clearly displayed on the display means is invalidated, and document title input means for inputting the character string of the title of the document is provided.

[0015]

The electronic file device according to the present invention searches the image data for a character string having the maximum character size, extracts the image data of a predetermined area including the searched character string having the maximum character size, and registers it as a document title. So
When registering a document, a character string with the maximum character size in the document can be automatically registered as the document title.

Further, if the extracted image data of the predetermined area is enlarged or reduced to a predetermined area size, the document title can be automatically registered at a size easy to refer to at the time of document registration. .

Alternatively, a character string having a maximum character size is searched for from the image data, the image data in a predetermined area including the searched character string is converted into code data, and the converted code data is registered as a document title. By doing so, when the document is registered, the document title can be automatically converted from the image data to the code data and registered.

When a character string having the maximum character size cannot be searched from the image data, a display prompting the user to input a title from the keyboard is displayed, and then the input character string is registered as the document title. With this setting, when the document is registered and there is no character string of the maximum character size in the document, an arbitrary document title can be input by the keyboard.

Further, if the image data of the predetermined area including the searched character string of the maximum character size is made explicit, the character string registered as the document title at the time of document registration can be referred to.

Furthermore, by changing the predetermined area of the image data to be clearly displayed, it is possible to change the predetermined area including the image data to be the document title in the document at the time of document registration.

If the registration of the image data of the specified predetermined area as the document title is invalidated and the character string of the document title is input,
When registering a document, an arbitrary document title can be input even if the document has a character string of the maximum character size.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic file device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This electronic filing apparatus is equipped with a scanner 1 which is an image input means for optically reading a document original in which characters and figures are written and inputting image data of an image of the document.

A keyboard 7 for inputting various operation instructions and a mouse 8 for inputting positional information on the screen of the CRT 9 are provided.
And a CRT 9 which is a display device for displaying a document image and various messages. An LCD may be provided instead of the CRT 9.

Further, various functional units realized by a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM control the entire apparatus system and also have a control unit for performing various processes according to the present invention.

The image memory 2 temporarily stores the image data input by the scanner 1. Image processing unit 3
Compresses the image data in the image memory 2. In addition, the image data of the extracted predetermined area is enlarged or reduced to a predetermined area size. The compressed data memory 4 is an image storage unit such as an optical disk that stores and stores the image data compressed by the image processing unit 3.

The program memory 6 stores various control and processing programs used by the CPU section 5. The video memory 10 develops image data such as a document to be displayed on the CRT 9. The OCR function processing unit 11 converts the image data of a predetermined area including the character string searched by the maximum font character string searching unit 20 into code data. The maximum font character string search unit 20 searches the image data stored in the image memory 2 for a character string having the maximum character size.

The CPU section 5 controls the entire apparatus and performs a process for searching the image data stored in the compressed data memory 4. Further, the image data of a predetermined area including the character string of the maximum character size searched by the maximum font character string searching unit 20 is extracted and registered as a document title. Further, the code data converted by the OCR function processing unit 11 is registered as a document title.

When the maximum font character string searching unit 20 cannot find the character string of the maximum character size from the image data, the CRT 9 is caused to display a prompt for inputting a title from the keyboard 7, and then the input character string is displayed. Is registered as the document title. Further, the image data of the predetermined area including the character string of the maximum character size searched by the maximum font character string searching unit 20 is C
It is made clear by RT9.

The keyboard 7 and the mouse 8 invalidate the means for changing the predetermined area of the image data specified by the CRT 9 and the registration of the image data of the predetermined area specified by the CRT 9 as the document title. It also corresponds to a document title input means for inputting a character string.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a document registered by this electronic file device. In this figure, 30 is a document original, 31 is a character string, 32 is a character string of maximum character size, and 33 is a predetermined area including the character string 32. A character string 32 of the maximum character size is automatically detected from the document to be registered, and a predetermined area 33 including the character string 32 of the maximum size is detected.
Image data of is used as the document title.

Therefore, as a general rule, the operation for the registrant to input the document title at the time of registration is unnecessary, and since the document title uses the character string in the document, the title is easy for a third party to search. Becomes

Next, the process of automatic document registration in this electronic file device will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process of automatic document registration in this electronic file device. When instructed to read a document from the keyboard 7, the CPU unit 5 activates the scanner 1. When the scanner 1 is activated by the CPU unit 5, the scanner 1 reads the image of the document 30 and transfers the image data to the image memory 2 (step S1).

The maximum font character string search unit 20 searches the image data (image data) in the image memory 2 for a character string having the maximum character size (maximum font) (step S2). A known technique may be used for recognizing the character size at that time. After searching for the maximum character size string,
The image data of a predetermined area including it is specified by the CRT 9.

In step S3, it is determined whether or not the user has confirmed the document title. Here, it is also determined whether the document title has been input or changed by the user from the keyboard 7. Where is OK
If it is determined, that is, if the user inputs an OK instruction, the process proceeds to step S4 to execute document registration.

In this document registration, the image processing unit 3 compresses the image data stored in the image memory 2 by the CPU 5, and a character string of the maximum character size searched from the image data is added as a document title and compressed. Stored in the data memory 4.

Further, another automatic title assigning process will be described. (1) The CPU unit 5 enlarges or reduces the extracted image data of the predetermined area 33 to a predetermined area size, adds it to the image data of the document, and registers the document. This enlarged or reduced image data is CR when searching documents
It is displayed on the document title list screen of T9. This is useful during image editing work.

(2) The CPU section 5 uses the OCR function processing section 1 for the image data of a predetermined area including the character string of the maximum character size searched by the maximum font character string searching section 20.
The data is converted into code data by 1, and the code data is added to the image data of the document to register the document. This is useful when code data is easier to process than image data.

(3) When the maximum font character string searching unit 20 cannot detect the character string of the maximum character size from the image data, the CPU unit 5 uses the keyboard 7 to display the character string to be the document title on the CRT 9. When a character string is input from the keyboard 7 by the user, a character string is added to the image data as a document title and the document is registered. This is useful when registering a document with only graphics or images without character strings.

(4) The CPU section 5 specifies on the CRT 9 the image data of a predetermined area including the character string of the maximum character size searched by the maximum font character string searching section 20. This is useful for letting the registrant know what the title of an automatically registered document is.

(5) The CPU section 5 specifies on the CRT 9 the image data of the predetermined area including the character string of the maximum character size searched by the maximum font character string searching section 20, and then the user uses the mouse 8 (or the keyboard 7). )
When a change is designated to the area other than the predetermined area 33, the image data in the changed designated area is used as the document title instead of the image data of the character string of the maximum character size included in the predetermined area. Add the data and register the document. This is useful when the registrant wants to use a character string in an area other than the maximum font character string as a title.

(6) The CPU section 5 specifies on the CRT 9 the image data of the predetermined area containing the character string of the maximum character size searched by the maximum font character string searching section 20, and then the user selects the document title from the keyboard 7 by the user. When the character string is input, invalidating the image data of the character string of the maximum character size included in the predetermined area as the document title is invalidated, and the code data of the character string input from the keyboard 7 is used as the document title as the image data. And register the document. This is useful when the registrant wants to input a character string other than the maximum character size (maximum font character string) from the outside as a title.

[0042]

As described above, according to the electronic file device of the present invention, a character string having the maximum character size that is most likely to characterize the contents of a document automatically registered at the time of document registration is a document title. Since the document is registered as, the operability at the time of registering the document can be significantly improved. Moreover, the task of assigning the document title can be performed almost automatically, and the title of the document can be assigned so that the registrant himself or a third person can easily search the registered document.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic file device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a document registered by this electronic file device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process of automatic document registration in this electronic file device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Scanner 2: Image memory 3: Image processing unit 4: Compressed data memory 5: CPU unit 6: Program memory 7: Keyboard 8: Mouse 9: CRT 10: Video memory 11: OCR function processing unit 20: Maximum font character string Search unit 30: Document original 31: Character string 32: Character string of maximum character size 33: Predetermined area

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An image input means for inputting image data of an image of a document, an image storing means for storing the image data input by the means, and a searching means for searching the image data stored in the means. An electronic file device comprising a display means for displaying the image data searched by the means, a maximum character size searching means for searching a character string having a maximum character size from the image data stored in the image storage means, An electronic file device, comprising: a document title automatic giving means for extracting image data of a predetermined area including a character string of the maximum character size searched by the means and registering it as a document title. 2. The electronic file device according to claim 1, wherein the automatic document title giving means has means for enlarging or reducing the image data of the extracted predetermined area to a predetermined area size. 3. An image input means for inputting image data of an image of a document, an image storing means for storing the image data input by the means, and a searching means for searching the image data stored in the means. An electronic file device comprising a display means for displaying the image data searched by the means, a maximum character size searching means for searching a character string having a maximum character size from the image data stored in the image storage means, A means for converting image data of a predetermined area containing the character string searched by the means into code data;
An electronic file device comprising: means for registering the code data converted by the means as a document title. 4. The document title automatic assigning means, when the maximum character size searching means is unable to search the image data for a character string of the maximum character size, displays on the display means a prompt to input a title from a keyboard. 4. The electronic file device according to claim 1, further comprising: a means for performing the operation, and a means for registering a character string inputted thereafter as a document title as a document title. 5. The automatic document title giving means has means for causing the display means to clearly indicate image data of a predetermined area containing a character string of the maximum character size searched by the maximum character size searching means. The electronic file device according to claim 1. 6. The electronic file device according to claim 5, further comprising means for changing a predetermined area of the image data to be clearly displayed on the display means. 7. The electronic file device according to claim 5, wherein the registration of the image data of the predetermined area clearly displayed on the display means is invalidated, and the character string of the document title is input. An electronic filing device comprising means.