JP2008181506A - Information processor, control method, information processing system, program and computer-readable storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce an operator's workload by simultaneously retrieving a plurality of form data and relevant rectangles. <P>SOLUTION: A form server 100 receives a selection request for a plurality of form data from a client PC 101 and generates rectangle characteristic information showing characteristics of each rectangle based on preliminarily retained information related to rectangles in the plurality of form data. The form server 100 receives a retrieval condition for the plurality of form data, determines whether rectangle characteristic information of each rectangle coincides with rectangle characteristic information in the retrieval condition or not, and retrieves, when both the pieces of rectangle characteristic information are determined to be coincident with each other, the corresponding rectangle according to the retrieval condition as a retrieval object. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for retrieving form data.

  The electronic form system has the advantage that it can be easily searched compared to the paper form so far. When information is left on paper, it is not practical to search 100,000 pages of data, but by using it as electronic form data, it is easy to pick up only necessary information from a large amount of data It became possible to do.

  As the amount of data to be stored becomes large, it is natural that information necessary for a specific purpose is stored as a plurality of form data. For this reason, there is an increasing number of operations that check a plurality of form data by matching them. For example, in order to retrieve a specific customer's address and deposit balance from the electronic form system at the same time in a bank system, the information cannot be obtained unless two form data such as a customer ledger and ordinary deposit balance information are retrieved.

  However, in such a business, in order to surely pick up necessary information from a plurality of form data without omission of searching, it takes time and effort before the search. That is, it is necessary to specify a predetermined area for each single form data, and to acquire desired information using each search result. There was a work burden such as setting a search formula for each form data. Therefore, it has been required to easily set search conditions from a plurality of form data and to reliably pick up necessary information without omission.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses a technique that makes it possible to easily grasp the entire search result when a large number of rows hit the search exist, and to shorten and distribute the re-search time.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-269305

  However, the invention described in Patent Document 1 extracts all the rows that have been searched in response to a region specifying operation for outputting a search result on the form of the form to be searched. Then, a search result list form consisting only of search results having the same image as the searched form is created and output by superimposing it on the form of the search source form. Further, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, in the case of a form in which the heading character of the form column is described as print data, the print data outside the output area of the search result of the original form is output to the search result list form. A search result list form including a headline is created and output.

  Therefore, it is easy to grasp the result after the search, and does not reduce the labor of the work before the search. Further, it is not intended to reliably pick up necessary information from a plurality of form data without omission of search.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce an operator's work load by making it possible to search a plurality of form data simultaneously and related rectangles at once.

An information processing apparatus of the present invention is an information processing apparatus that executes a search process for a plurality of form data in accordance with a search request from a client terminal operated by a user, and is set on a form displayed on a display device by the form data Storage means for storing rectangular area information including at least information for identifying the form data in the rectangular area and a character string indicating the rectangular area, and a selection request for receiving a selection request for a plurality of form data to be searched A rectangular area in which a character to be searched by a user operating the client terminal is arranged is selected for the user from the rectangular area set in the receiving unit and the plurality of form data received by the selection request receiving unit. Therefore, a character string to be displayed on the display device of the client terminal is stored in the storage device with respect to the plurality of form data. An extraction means for extracting from the character string indicating the rectangular area stored in step (b), and the character string extracted by the extraction means, wherein the client terminal is operated among the character strings displayed on the display device of the client terminal. A search condition accepting unit that accepts a search condition for a character string selected by a user and a character arranged in a rectangular area corresponding to the selected character string; the character string received by the search condition accepting unit; Using the character string indicating the rectangular area stored by the storage unit for the plurality of form data received by the selection request receiving unit, the rectangular area in which the character to be searched is arranged is specified, For the form data, for the characters placed in the specified rectangular area with respect to the characters received by the search condition receiving means And having a search executing means for executing a search process in accordance with the search condition.
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus according to the present invention is a method for controlling an information processing apparatus that executes a search process for a plurality of form data in accordance with a search request from a client terminal operated by a user. A storage step for storing information for identifying at least the form data of the rectangular area set on the form to be set, and rectangular area information including a character string indicating the rectangular area, and selecting a plurality of form data to be searched A selection request receiving step for receiving a request, and a rectangular area in which characters to be searched by a user operating the client terminal are arranged from the rectangular areas set in the plurality of form data for which the selection request has been received in the selection request receiving step A plurality of character strings to be displayed on the display device of the client terminal. An extraction step for extracting form data from the character string indicating the rectangular area stored in the storage step, and a character string extracted by the extraction step, the character string displayed on the display device of the client terminal A search condition receiving step for receiving a search condition for a character string selected by a user operating the client terminal and a character placed in a rectangular area corresponding to the selected character string, and the search condition receiving step The rectangle in which the character to be searched is arranged using the received character string and the character string indicating the rectangular area stored in the storage step with respect to the plurality of form data received in the selection request receiving step. Characters to be placed in the specified rectangular area with respect to the plurality of form data by specifying the area And having a search execution step of executing a search process in accordance with the search condition for the character received by the retrieval condition reception means for.
An information processing system of the present invention is an information processing system including an information processing apparatus that executes a search process for a plurality of form data in accordance with a search request from a client terminal operated by a user, and is displayed on a display device by the form data. Storage means for storing at least information for identifying the form data of the rectangular area set on the form to be detected and rectangular area information including a character string indicating the rectangular area, and a request for selecting a plurality of form data to be searched A selection request receiving means for receiving a character, and a rectangular area in which a character to be searched by a user operating the client terminal is arranged from the rectangular areas set in the plurality of form data received by the selection request receiving means. A character string to be displayed on the display device of the client terminal for the user to select is displayed in the plurality of books. Extraction means for extracting data from a character string indicating a rectangular area stored by the storage means, and a character string extracted by the extraction means, the character string displayed on the display device of the client terminal Among them, a search condition receiving unit that receives a search condition for a character string selected by a user operating the client terminal and a character arranged in a rectangular area corresponding to the selected character string, and received by the search condition receiving unit The rectangular area in which the character to be searched is arranged using the character string and the character string indicating the rectangular area stored by the storage unit for the plurality of form data received by the selection request receiving unit. And the search condition accepting means for the characters arranged in the specified rectangular area for the plurality of form data. And having a search executing means for executing a search process in accordance with the search condition for the character that was accepted.
A program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method by an information processing apparatus that executes a search process for a plurality of form data in accordance with a search request from a client terminal operated by a user. A storage step of storing at least information for identifying the form data of the rectangular area set on the form displayed on the display device, and rectangular area information including a character string indicating the rectangular area, and a plurality of search targets A selection request receiving step for receiving a selection request for form data, and characters to be searched by a user operating the client terminal from the rectangular areas set in the plurality of form data for which the selection request has been received by the selection request receiving step are arranged. The client terminal table to allow the user to select a rectangular area to be processed. An extraction step of extracting a character string to be displayed on the device from a character string indicating a rectangular area stored in the storage step with respect to the plurality of form data, and a character string extracted by the extraction step, A search condition for a character string selected by a user operating the client terminal among the character strings displayed on the display device of the client terminal, and a character arranged in a rectangular area corresponding to the selected character string. A search condition receiving step for receiving, the character string received by the search condition receiving step, and a character string indicating a rectangular area stored by the storage step for a plurality of form data received by the selection request receiving step. Use to identify the rectangular area where the characters to be searched are placed, and for the plurality of form data , Characterized in that to execute a search execution step of executing a search process in accordance with the search condition for the character received by the retrieval condition reception step for a character that is arranged in a rectangular region which is the specified computer.

  In the present invention, the rectangular feature information of each rectangle in a plurality of form data and the rectangular feature information in the search condition are determined to be matched / mismatched, and the search processing is performed using the matched rectangle as a search target. ing. Therefore, according to the present invention, a plurality of form data can be simultaneously searched for a rectangle having coincidence (relevance) of rectangle feature information.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments to which the invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a form search system including a form server according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes a form server that records data (form data) of electronic forms (hereinafter simply referred to as forms) and allows the client PCs 101 and 102 to browse and search the forms via the network 103. And other services. The client PCs 101 and 102 are client terminals used by a person who views a form and obtains a calculation result. The client PCs 101 and 102 can transmit / receive data to / from the form server 100 via the network 103 and transmit search requests and the like. The form server is a configuration that is an application example of the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the client PC is a configuration that is an application example of the client terminal of the present invention, and the form search system is an information processing system of the present invention. This is a configuration serving as an application example.

  The network 103 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) that is a communication line, the Internet, or the like. Note that the configuration of various terminals connected to the network 103 in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and there are various configuration examples depending on applications and purposes.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the form server 100 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the form server 100 illustrated in FIG. In FIG. 2, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201 controls various devices connected to the system bus 204 and implements various functions by executing various programs.

  A RAM 202 is a main memory of the CPU 201 and functions as a work area, a temporary save area, and the like. The ROM 203 or the external memory 211 stores an operating system (OS) that is a control program of the CPU 21 and programs for realizing various functions in the form server 100.

  The input controller 205 controls input from the input unit 209. Examples of the input unit 209 include a pointing device such as a keyboard and a mouse. The display controller 206 controls display on the display unit 210. Examples of the display unit 210 include a CRT and a liquid crystal display. An external memory controller (MC) 207 controls access to the external memory 211 that stores a boot program, various applications, user files, and edit files. In addition, various tables and parameters for realizing various functions of each server or each client are stored. Examples of the external memory 211 include a hard disk (HD), a flexible disk (FD), and a magnetic tape drive.

  The communication I / F controller 208 executes communication control processing with an external device via the network 103. A program 212 for realizing various functions of the form server 100 in the present embodiment is stored in the external memory 211 and is executed by the CPU 201 by being loaded into the RAM 202 as necessary. Further, a form file 213 and an index file 214 used for processing of the program 212 are also stored in the external memory 211, and detailed description thereof will be described later.

  The form file 213 is form display data (form data), is constituted by one or a plurality of files, and contains one or a plurality of pages. Within the form server 100, the same type of a plurality of form files 213 are managed as a group, and each form file 213 is called a generation within the group.

  The index file (area information file) 214 is a file in which the data of the area specified by the user and the position (coordinates) of the data are extracted from the data of the form file 213 and stored. It is a file. Note that an image set by the user and an example of a detailed data structure created by setting the index file 214 will be described later.

  The hardware configuration of the client PCs 101 and 102 is the same as that of the form server 100. However, the program 212 in the client PCs 101 and 102 is a client module for displaying a form and is different from that of the form server 100. In the client PCs 101 and 102, the form file 213 receives only the part necessary for display by communication with the form server 100, and the client PCs 101 and 102 do not originally hold the part. It is different in point. The client PCs 101 and 102 can display a form or specify a search condition for an arbitrary form.

  Next, the setting of the index file 214 (= rectangular area information) will be described. Information for creating the index file 214 is set for a form registered in the system. FIG. 26 is an image diagram in which an area for the user to create the index file 214 is set for the form file 213 and settings are made for the area.

  The user uses the input unit 209 such as a mouse or a keyboard to specify an area in which a character string or the like is arranged (the specified area is referred to as a rectangular area). When an area is specified, an index rectangle information setting dialog A002 shown in FIG. 26 is displayed, and three types (number information) of numerical values, characters, and dates can be selected. In the case of a date, a date expression format can also be specified. it can. The name can be arbitrarily given by the user.

  In the example of FIG. 26, the area A001 is specified on the date data of the form. Further, for the index rectangle information setting dialog A002, an arbitrary character string (character string information) “handling date” is set as A003, and “date” is set as A004 as a type. Since the type is date, “YY / MM / DD” is set to A005 as the date display format.

  By the above setting operation, index rectangle information for creating the index file 214 is saved. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the index rectangle information format. The index rectangle information is recorded in the external memory 211 or the like. The form ID is an ID assigned to each form. The generation ID is an ID assigned to each generation of a certain form. The index ID is a unique ID that identifies the index rectangle information. The index name is a name arbitrarily designated by the user. Coordinate information, height, and width are recorded in the rectangular coordinates. In the rectangle type (attribute information), the type of rectangle is stored. In the present embodiment, there are three types: “character”, “numerical value”, and “date”. The date expression format is yy | mm | dd | yymm | mmdd | yymmdd | mmddyy. For example, in the setting example of FIG. 26, data as described in the example of FIG. 4 is taken.

  In this embodiment, in order to perform a search for a plurality of form data, it is necessary to set index rectangle information for a plurality of form data. For example, in order to search for a specific customer's address and deposit balance at the same time, the index rectangle information of name “account name” and type “character” is set in the two forms data of customer ledger and ordinary deposit balance information. I will keep it.

  The index file 214 is created based on the index rectangle information set as described above. The normal creation timing is when the new generation is registered in the form in which the index rectangle information is set together with the registration of the form. In addition, since the index rectangle information is set after the form is registered, an index file 214 that does not exist in the form generation can be created when necessary.

  When a new generation of a form is registered and an index file 214 is created based on the index rectangle information, the index rectangle information shown in FIG. 4 is duplicated for each generation, and the form generation registered in the generation ID is identified. ID to be stored is stored. In the acquisition of index rectangle information (S405, S411, S50405, S2201) performed in the description of the process described later, this means acquisition of index rectangle information held for each generation.

  Next, a data configuration example of the index file 214 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of the index file 214 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the index file 214 is composed of an index key file 301 and an index position file 302. These two files have data of one area on the form.

  The index key file 301 stores a character string extracted from a certain area on the form designated by the user (an area designated in the rectangular coordinate field in the index rectangular information format) as a key. The record of the index key file 301 stores a start record position and an end record position. The record position indicates the record number of the linked index position file 302.

  In the index position file 302, the page number where the key character string is found, the start position (coordinates) and the end position (coordinates) on the form are stored as records. The data is sorted in ascending order of the key string.

  FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data configuration example of FIG. 3 expressed using actual values. FIG. 27 shows an example when the type is date, and date data extracted from the area on the form is sorted in ascending order and stored in the key character string B001 of the key file. Also, it can be seen from the record numbers stored in the start record position B002 and end record position B003 that date data exists in the position information stored in the corresponding record position B004 of the position file.

  For example, when searching for data that matches “20000105” (January 5, 2000) by search processing, the key character string B001 of the key file can be scanned to confirm the presence of the data. Then, from the start record position B002 and end record position B003 stored in the record, it can be determined that it exists in the range of coordinates 120 to 130 on the first page of the form, based on the position information of the record number 3 corresponding to the position file. . Further, when the search target is “20000104”, it exists in three ranges of coordinates 50 to 60, 65 to 75, and 80 to 90 on the first page of the form.

  The index rectangle information handled in this search process is included in the index rectangle information held by each of a plurality of forms selected (requested for selection) as search targets and the search conditions stored as a search template (search template data). There are multiple index rectangle information. The index rectangle information illustrated in FIG. 4 exists for each piece of rectangle information. In the conventional search processing for a single form, the index file to be searched is specified by specifying the form ID and the index ID shown in FIG. 4, and the search is performed.

  However, in order to collectively handle index files created as synonymous information among a plurality of index files of a plurality of forms as the same search target, an index file is not identified using an index ID. It is necessary to determine whether a file is synonymous information and identify a search target.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, based on each index rectangle information, rectangular feature information for determining whether or not the information is synonymous is generated, and by comparing the features, an index that can be handled as the same search target Identifies the file. The generation of the rectangular feature information will be described later.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing of the client PC 101. In the following, only the client PC 101 will be described as an example, but it is needless to say that the client PC 102 can execute the same processing.

  In step S401, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 displays a multiple form search screen as shown in FIG. The multiple form search screen shown in FIG. 6 includes a selected form list display field 601 and a search condition display field 602. The selected form list display field 601 includes a binder ID display item, a binder name display item, and a directory display item. A binder is a form that summarizes generations. The search condition display field 602 includes a target area display item, a type display item, a condition display item, and a comparison display item.

  In step S402, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 secures the “rectangular information integrated array” holding area and the “rectangular feature information” holding area at the time of template selection in the RAM 202 or the like. The “rectangular information integrated array” is an array for uniquely holding “rectangular feature information” extracted from the index rectangular information by the processing of FIG. By using the “rectangular information integrated array”, it is possible to provide a list in which synonymous index files are collected from a plurality of index files when the user selects the search target rectangle selection control. The handling of the “rectangular information integrated array” and “rectangular feature information” indicating the features of the rectangle will be described later.

  In step S403, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 determines whether a template has been selected. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a template selection screen displayed when the user selects a template. In the example shown in FIG. 17, the name of the template and the number of cases are displayed on the template selection screen. The user can instruct selection input of a template by selecting a desired template on this screen and pressing an “apply” button. When a template showing a plurality of cases is selected, a screen showing templates corresponding to the number of cases is further displayed, from which the user can select a desired template.

  If it is determined in S403 that a template has been selected, the process proceeds to S405. If it is determined that a template has not been selected, the process proceeds to S404.

  In step S404, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 displays the form selection screen illustrated in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a form selection screen. In the example of FIG. 7, it is shown that the form is managed by the hierarchical folder structure in the form server 100. The user can select a form by designating a desired form storage position using the input unit 209 such as a mouse.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing a list display example of the form selected from the form selection screen of FIG. 7 and is displayed in the selected form list display field 601 of FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the three selected binder ID display items of the selected binder (form), the name display item of the binder (form), and the directory display item indicating the storage location of the selected binder (form). Information about the form is displayed.

  In step S405, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 acquires index rectangle information regarding the form selected in step S404 from the form server 100. Specifically, all index rectangle information having the selected form ID is acquired from the form server 100.

  By S406, rectangular feature information identification integration processing is performed. Details will be described later.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S403 that a template has been selected, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 acquires the selected template from the form server 100 in S413.

  In subsequent S411 and S412, the same processing as in S405 and S406 is executed. However, index rectangle information having a form ID already set in the template is acquired here.

  In step S407, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 determines whether a form is further selected. If it is selected, the process proceeds to S405. If it is not selected, the process proceeds to S408.

  In step S408, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 determines whether a search condition has been input. 9 and 11 to 15 are diagrams illustrating examples of screens for inputting search conditions.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of input of search conditions in the target area (rectangular) selection field. In the rectangle selection field, the index name in each index rectangle information acquired in S405 is displayed in a pull-down menu 901. The user can select a desired rectangle from the pull-down menu 901. When a desired rectangle is selected here, the rectangle type corresponding to the selected rectangle is automatically displayed in the type display column.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of inputting a character string search condition in the condition input field. A character string input screen 1101 shown in FIG. 11 is a screen displayed when “character” is displayed in the type display field. The user can input a desired character string as a search condition on the character string input screen 1101.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an input example of a numerical search condition in the condition input field. A numerical value input screen 1201 shown in FIG. 12 is a screen displayed when “numerical value” is displayed in the type display field. The user can input a desired numerical value as a search condition on the numerical value input screen 1201.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of inputting a date search condition in the condition input field. A date input screen 1301 shown in FIG. 13 is a screen displayed when “date” is displayed in the type display field. The user can input a desired date as a search condition on the date input screen 1301. Note that the display mode of the date input screen 1301 is determined according to the date expression format in the corresponding index rectangle information acquired in S405.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining an example of input of search conditions in the comparison selection field. As the specified conditions related to the contents of the search condition specified in the rectangle (target area) selection field or condition input field, "contains", "does not contain", "ends with", "matches", "does not match" "Is displayed in the pull-down menu 1401. The user can select a desired designation condition using a pull-down menu 1401.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining an input example when designating a relation between search conditions of each row. As shown in FIG. 15, “and” and “or” are displayed in a pull-down menu 1501 as conditions for associating the search conditions of each row. The user can specify a desired condition using a pull-down menu 1501.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a multiple form search screen in a state where a list of selected forms and search conditions are displayed. As shown in FIG. 16, a list of selected forms is displayed in the selected form list display column 601, and a search condition is displayed in the search condition display column 602.

  In step S <b> 409, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 determines whether a search instruction has been issued by pressing the “execute search” button 1601. If a search instruction has been issued, the process proceeds to S410. If a search instruction has not been issued, the process proceeds to S408.

  In step S <b> 410, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 issues a search instruction to the form server 100. At this time, the information specified in FIGS. 9 and 11 to 15 and the rectangular feature information of the search target rectangle generated in S406 and S412 are also transmitted.

  In step S <b> 411, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 displays the search result from the form server 100. An example of the search result display screen is shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 20 is a screen example showing a list of forms as search results. As shown in FIG. 20, in the generation display column, forms that have been found by the search are listed.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a search result display screen including the screen of FIG. When the desired form is selected by the user's operation on the screen shown in the lower left part of the screen of FIG. 21 (arrow part), the detailed information of the selected form is displayed on the right side of the screen, and the search condition Records that match are highlighted.

  In step S414, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 determines whether the search instruction is based on the template selected in step S403. If the search instruction is based on the template, the process proceeds to S415. If the search instruction is not based on the template, the process proceeds to S417.

  In step S415, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 determines whether the search target form at the time of executing the search is the same as the search target form of the template selected in step S403. If the search target form at the time of search execution is the same as the template search target form, the process proceeds to S411. If the search target form at the time of search execution is different from the template search target form, the process proceeds to S416.

  In step S416, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 performs a new template storage process including a new search target form and search conditions. As described above, by separately storing the template when the search target form is changed, when selecting the template next time, it is possible to further select the form to be searched when selecting the template.

  In step S417, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 determines whether or not an instruction to save the searched search condition as a template has been issued. If a save instruction has been given, the process proceeds to S413. If a save instruction has not been given, the process ends.

  In step S418, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 performs search condition storage processing as a template. In this way, by storing the search conditions once used for the search as a template, the template can be used in the next search for the same content, and the search operation is simplified.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing details of S406 and S412 of FIG. The integration processing of S40501 to S40512 is repeated for the number of index rectangle information acquired in S405 and S411 of FIG.

  In step S40502, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 extracts one piece from the acquired index rectangle information. In step S40503, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 secures the character string area A for holding rectangular feature information in the RAM 202.

  In step S40503, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 extracts the index name from the target index rectangle information and stores it in the area A as a character string.

  In step S40504, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 determines the type of the target index rectangle information. If the type is “character string”, the process advances to step S40506. If the type is “numeric value”, the process advances to step S40507. If the type is “date”, the process advances to step S40508.

  In step S40506, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 concatenates and stores the character string “_str” with the character string in the area A.

  In step S40507, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 concatenates and stores the character string “_num” with the character string in the area A.

In step S40508, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 concatenates and stores the character string “_date” with the character string in the area A. In step S40509, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 concatenates and stores a predetermined character string (yy | mm | dd | yymm | mmdd | yymmdd | mmddyy) in accordance with the date format.

  In step S40510, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 determines whether there is an element that matches the character string in the region A in the character string region B for holding the rectangular information integrated array provided in step S402 in FIG. If there is no element that matches the character string of area A in area B, the process proceeds to S40511. If an element that matches the character string of area A exists in area B, the process proceeds to S40512.

  In step S40511, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 stores the character string of the area A in the area B.

  FIG. 25 is a diagram schematically illustrating a state in which the character string of the area A is stored in the character string area B for holding the rectangular information integrated array. In the example of FIG. 25, information in which “_str” is linked to the index name “account number”, information in which “_num” is linked to the index name “account number”, and “_date” is linked to the index name “transaction date”. This shows a state in which stored information is stored.

  The above processing is repeatedly executed for the number of index rectangle information acquired in S405 or S411 (S40512). Thereby, the rectangular feature information obtained from the index rectangular information acquired in S405 or S411 can be integrated.

  The subsequent integration processing of S40514 to S40518 is repeated by the number of pieces of rectangular feature information stored in the template acquired in S413.

  In step S40515, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 extracts one piece of rectangular feature information from the template.

  In step S40516, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 determines whether an element that matches the rectangular feature information extracted in step S40515 exists in the area B. If there is a matching element in area B, the process proceeds to S40518. If there is no matching element in area B, the process proceeds to S40517.

  In step S40517, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 stores the rectangular feature information extracted in step S40515 in the area B.

  The above processing is repeated for the number of pieces of rectangular feature information in the template (S40518).

  By S40513, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 displays the character string of the rectangular feature information in the rectangular information integrated array stored in the area B (in this embodiment, the character string set by the user as the index name in FIG. 4). It is possible to specify with “Search target rectangle selection control” which is a pull-down menu shown in FIG.

  Through the above processing, the rectangular feature information in the template is always included in the rectangular information integrated array, and is always a search target. That is, when a rectangle is specified as a search target from the pull-down menu 901 in FIG. 9 and the menu is displayed by the rectangle feature information in the template, the search condition includes the rectangle feature information. Since a normal template has a form-specific condition (such as a search area name), it can be assumed that the condition will be lost if the form to be searched is changed. In the present embodiment, it is possible to display the pull-down menu 901 of FIG. 9 for the search instruction reflecting the rectangular feature information of the original template. Therefore, a search similar to the template is performed by changing the search condition. It is possible to reduce labor and time when performing the search process.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing details of the template storing process in S413 of FIG.
With SA01, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 displays a dialog for setting a template name.

  Through SA02, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 determines whether or not a template name has been set on the dialog by a user operation. That is, it is determined whether the “Cancel” button has been pressed or whether the template name has been input on the dialog and the “OK” button has been pressed. If the “Cancel” button is pressed, the process ends. If a template name is input on the dialog and the “OK” button is pressed, the process proceeds to SA03.

  With SA03, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 generates a template.

  In step SA04, the CPU 201 of the client PC 101 transmits a template addition request to the form server 100 together with the generated template and template name.

  Through SA05, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 receives the template addition request from the client PC 101 together with the template and the template name.

  By SA06, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 stores the template and the template name in the database in the external memory 211 in association with each other.

  By SA07, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 transmits information indicating that the template is stored in the database to the client PC 101.

  FIG. 24 is a diagram schematically showing the data structure of a template generated in SA03. The data structure of the template is information obtained by adding only the template name to the data structure of the search condition shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 24, the template includes a template name, a plurality of search target form IDs, rectangular feature information for the number of target rectangles, and search conditions. Each rectangular feature information is sequentially numbered (No.), and the search condition registered here is a search condition expressed using a number assigned to each rectangular feature information. It is a formula.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a process flow of the form server 100.
In step S501, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 receives the form information selected in steps S404 and S407, which are processes in the client PC 101.

  In step S502, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 transmits all index rectangle information corresponding to the form information received in step S501 to the client PC 101.

  In step S <b> 503, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 receives search condition data transmitted from the client PC 101. FIG. 28 is a diagram schematically showing the data structure of the search condition. As shown in FIG. 28, the search condition data includes a plurality of search target form IDs, rectangular feature information for the number of target rectangles, and search conditions. Each rectangular feature information is sequentially numbered (No.), and the search condition registered here is a search condition expressed using a number assigned to each rectangular feature information. It is a formula.

  In step S504, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 executes search processing. Details will be described later.

  In step S <b> 505, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 transmits the search result to the client PC 101. Specifically, (1) generation (2) page number (3) start position recorded in index position file 302 (4) end position recorded in index position file 302.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing details of S504 in FIG. Search processing is executed based on the search condition received in S503. The rectangular feature information specified in the search condition received in S503 is compared with the rectangular feature information generated from the index rectangular information actually held in the form specified in the search condition, and the index file 214 to be searched is determined. Identify and execute the search process. As described above, the index ID included in the index rectangle information used in the conventional search condition is not used at all in this process. Details of the processing will be described later.

  In S50401, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 is a loop process that repeats the number of forms to be searched specified by the search condition. In the example of the search condition in FIG. 28, since three form IDs 15, 18, and 24 are designated as the form IDs, the process is repeated three times for each form ID.

  In step S50402, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 performs a loop process that repeats the number of generations included in the form having the designated form ID. When the form having the form ID 15 in FIG. 28 has 10 generations, the process is repeated 10 times.

  In step S50403, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 performs a loop process that repeats for the number of pieces of rectangular feature information specified in the search condition. In the example of FIG. 28, since three pieces of rectangular feature information are designated, the processing is repeated three times.

  By S50404, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 is a loop process that repeats for the number of index rectangle information that is the form that is currently processed in the loop process in S50401 and that is held by the generation that is currently processed in the loop process in S50402. . As the target index rectangle information, from the set of index rectangle information illustrated in FIG. 4, the index rectangle information that is the form ID that is the current processing target and matches the generation ID that is the current processing target, The loop processing is executed for the number of index rectangle information or until the rectangle feature information of the search condition matches the index rectangle information held by the generation in S50406 described later.

  In step S50405, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 newly extracts rectangular feature information from the index rectangular information held by the generation currently being processed. Specifically, the extraction is performed by executing the same processing as S40501 to S40512 in the client.

  In step S50406, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 determines whether the rectangular feature information of the search condition currently processed in the loop processing in step S50403 matches the rectangular feature information extracted from the index rectangular information held in the generation in step S50405. To do.

  If they match, the index rectangle information to be searched is specified by the search condition, and the process advances to step S50421 to search for the target index file 214.

  If they do not match, the process returns to S50404, and the process is repeated to search for index rectangle information to be continuously searched.

  In addition, as a result of executing the processing for the number of index rectangle information held by the generation in the loop processing of S50404, if there is no index rectangle information to be searched, the loop processing ends at the end of the loop of S50407. become. In this case, the process proceeds to S50408, and for the form generation currently being processed, 0 search hits for the rectangular feature information of the search conditions currently being processed are handled.

  On the other hand, if the process proceeds to S50421, it is determined that the index rectangle information held by the generation is a search target, and the corresponding index file 214 is searched. The search is performed using the search condition formula for the corresponding rectangular feature information from the search condition formulas exemplified in FIG. A specific method of specifying search hit data for the index file 214 is as described in the description of FIG. 27 which is a specific example of the index file 214.

  In step S50422, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 causes the hit (1) generation (2) page number (3) start position recorded in the index position file 302 (4) end position recorded in the index position file 302 to the RAM 202. Record and accumulate.

  Then, the process proceeds to S50409. Here, the process proceeds to S50409 when the index file 214 corresponding to the one piece of rectangular feature information specified by the search condition is found and the search is executed, the rectangle feature information specified by the search condition in the generation is related. This is to skip the processing. In the example of FIG. 28, three pieces of rectangular feature information are specified in the search condition (Nos. 1 to 3). No. 2 rectangular feature information is searched, and the generation of the search target form is “No. In the case of having the index file 214 of form feature information corresponding to 2-3, No. Since the index file of the rectangle feature information corresponding to No. 2 is found, the subsequent processing (S50406 of the rectangle feature information of No. 2 to be searched and the rectangle feature information corresponding to No. 3 of the index file 214) This is to skip the comparison process in FIG.

  In step S50409, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 ends the process for the generation to be processed, and repeatedly performs the process for the next generation. In addition, when the processing for all the generations of the processing target form is completed, the repeated processing is ended.

  In step S50410, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 ends the processing for the rectangular feature information of the search target to be processed, and repeatedly performs processing for the next rectangular feature information. In addition, when the processing for all the rectangular feature information specified by the search condition is completed, the repetition processing is ended.

  At this stage, one search process for one form is completed, and all search results are recorded in the RAM 202 by S50422. In S50423, the search results recorded in the RAM 202 are sorted based on the priority of the start position recorded in (1) generation (2) page number (3) index position file 302. By performing this sort processing, the search results finally returned to the client PC 101 are arranged, and the user can easily recognize.

  In step S50411, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 ends the process for the process target form, and repeatedly performs the process for the next form. If the processing for all the forms designated by the search conditions is completed, the iterative processing is terminated and the process proceeds to S50412.

  By S50412, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 is recorded in the (1) generation (2) page number (3) start position (4) index position file 302 recorded in the RAM 202 so far. Is sent to the client PC 101.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the rectangle feature information of each rectangle in a plurality of form data and the rectangle feature information in the search condition are determined to match / not match, and the search processing is performed using the matched rectangle as a search target. Is configured to do. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, a plurality of form data can be simultaneously searched for rectangles having coincidence (relevance) of rectangle feature information and visualized in a unified manner.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a flow of operation of the form server 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 22, S501, S503, S504, and S505 are the same as the processes with the same symbols shown in FIG.

  In step S2201, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 acquires index rectangle information of the selected form received from the client PC 101 in step S501 from the external memory 211 of the form server 100 or the like. It should be noted that when the client PC 101 acquires a template, the selected form here includes a selected form included in the template.

  In step S2202, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 performs processing similar to steps S40501 to S40518 of the client PC 101 illustrated in FIG. 10 to generate a rectangular information integrated array.

  In step S2203, the CPU 201 of the form server 100 transmits the generated rectangular information integrated array to the client PC 101.

  The client PC 101 can display a pull-down menu 901 shown in FIG. 9 based on the received rectangular information integrated array. As described above, the rectangular information integrated array includes rectangular feature information. When the acquisition of the template is requested from the client PC 101, the template includes the rectangular feature information. In this way, the rectangular information integrated array is separately transmitted to the client PC 101. Even if the template is changed and a similar search is performed, the pull-down menu 901 of FIG. 9 for search instruction reflecting the rectangular feature information of the original template is based on the rectangular information integrated array. Can be displayed. In the present embodiment, it is possible to display the pull-down menu 901 of FIG. 9 for the search instruction reflecting the rectangular feature information of the original template. Therefore, a search similar to the template is performed by changing the search condition. It is possible to reduce labor and time when performing the search process.

  Another object of the present invention is to supply a recording medium recording a program code of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and a computer such as the system reads and executes the program code from the recording medium. Is also achieved.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code itself and the computer-readable recording medium storing the program code constitute the present invention. become.

  As a recording medium for supplying the program code, for example, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

  In addition, the case where the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized by performing part or all of the actual processing by an OS or the like running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code read by the computer. It is.

  Further, after the program code read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the CPU or the like performs actual processing based on the instruction of the program code, and the above-described processing is performed. The case where the functions of the embodiment are realized is also included.

  Furthermore, a configuration in which the program code is supplied to the computer via a communication medium such as the Internet is also included in the scope of the present invention.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a form search system including a form server according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the form server shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration example of an index file illustrated in FIG. 2. It is a figure which shows an index rectangle information format typically. It is a flowchart which shows the process of client PC. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a multiple form search screen. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a form selection screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a list display of the form selected from the form selection screen of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the input example of the search condition in a target area (rectangle) selection column. 6 is a flowchart showing details of S406 and S412 of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the input example of the search condition of the character string in a condition input column. It is a figure for demonstrating the input example of the search condition of the numerical value in a condition input column. It is a figure for demonstrating the input example of the search condition of the date in a condition input column. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of a search condition input in a comparison selection column. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of an input at the time of designating the relationship between the search conditions of each line. It is a figure which shows an example of the multiple form search screen of the state which displayed the list of selected forms, and search conditions. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a template selection screen. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of a form server. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of S504 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen which shows the list of forms which are search results. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen of the search result containing the screen of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of operation | movement of the form server which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the template preservation | save process of S413 of FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the data structure of the template produced | generated in SA03. It is a figure which shows typically the storage state of the character string area | region A for rectangular feature information holding | maintenance FIG. 4 is an image diagram in which a user sets an area to be an index file for a form file and performs settings for the area. It is a figure which shows the example expressed using the actual value in the data structural example of FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the data structure of search conditions.

Explanation of symbols

100 Form server 101, 102 Client PC
103 network 103
201 CPU
202 RAM
203 ROM
204 system bus 205 input controller 206 display controller 207 external memory controller 208 communication I / F controller 209 input unit 210 display unit 211 external memory 212 program 213 form file 214 index file 301 index key file 302 index position file

Claims (9)

An information processing apparatus that executes search processing for a plurality of form data according to a search request from a client terminal operated by a user,
Storage means for storing rectangular area information including information identifying at least the form data of the rectangular area set on the form displayed on the display device by the form data, and a character string indicating the rectangular area;
A selection request receiving means for receiving a selection request for a plurality of form data to be searched;
In order to allow the user to select a rectangular area in which a character to be searched for by a user operating the client terminal is selected from the rectangular areas set in the plurality of form data received by the selection request receiving unit. Extraction means for extracting a character string to be displayed on the display device of the client terminal from a character string indicating a rectangular area stored by the storage means for the plurality of form data;
A character string extracted by the extraction unit, the character string selected by the user operating the client terminal among the character strings displayed on the display device of the client terminal, and corresponding to the selected character string Search condition receiving means for receiving a search condition for characters arranged in a rectangular area to be
Characters to be searched using the character string received by the search condition receiving unit and the character string indicating the rectangular area stored by the storage unit for the plurality of form data received by the selection request receiving unit Is specified, and the search processing is performed according to the search condition for the character received by the search condition receiving unit for the character arranged in the specified rectangular area for the plurality of form data. An information processing apparatus comprising search execution means for executing. The storage means further stores attribute information of a character string indicating the rectangular area,
The extraction unit extracts the character string of the rectangular area having the same characteristics as one character string using the character string and the attribute information stored in the storage unit. The information processing apparatus described. The search condition receiving means further receives attribute information of a character string selected by the user,
The search execution means indicates a rectangular area stored by the storage means for the character string received by the search reception means, attribute information of the character string, and a plurality of form data received by the selection request reception means. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rectangular area in which a character to be searched is arranged is specified using a character string and attribute information of the character string.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the attribute information is information indicating a type of the character string. Holding means for holding as template data in order to reuse the search condition received by the search condition receiving means;
5. The transmission apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission unit configured to transmit the template data held by the holding unit in response to a request from a user who operates the client terminal. Information processing device. A control method for an information processing apparatus that executes search processing for a plurality of form data in accordance with a search request from a client terminal operated by a user,
A storage step of storing information identifying at least the form data of a rectangular area set on a form displayed on a display device by the form data, and rectangular area information including a character string indicating the rectangular area;
A selection request receiving step for receiving a selection request for a plurality of form data to be searched;
In order to allow the user to select a rectangular area in which a character to be searched for by a user operating the client terminal is selected from the rectangular areas set in the plurality of form data for which the selection request has been received by the selection request receiving step. An extraction step of extracting a character string to be displayed on the display device of the client terminal from the character string indicating the rectangular area stored by the storage step with respect to the plurality of form data;
The character string extracted by the extraction step, the character string selected by the user operating the client terminal among the character strings displayed on the display device of the client terminal, and corresponding to the selected character string A search condition receiving step for receiving a search condition for characters arranged in a rectangular area to be
Characters to be searched using the character string received by the search condition receiving step and the character string indicating the rectangular area stored by the storage step for the plurality of form data received by the selection request receiving step Is specified, and the search processing is performed according to the search condition for the character received by the search condition receiving unit for the character arranged in the specified rectangular area for the plurality of form data. And a search execution step for executing the information processing apparatus. An information processing system including an information processing apparatus that executes a search process for a plurality of form data according to a search request from a client terminal operated by a user,
Storage means for storing information identifying at least the form data of the rectangular area set on the form displayed on the display device by the form data, and rectangular area information including a character string indicating the rectangular area;
A selection request receiving means for receiving a selection request for a plurality of form data to be searched;
In order to allow the user to select a rectangular area in which a character to be searched for by a user operating the client terminal is selected from the rectangular areas set in the plurality of form data received by the selection request receiving unit. Extraction means for extracting a character string to be displayed on the display device of the client terminal from a character string indicating a rectangular area stored by the storage means for the plurality of form data;
A character string extracted by the extraction unit, the character string selected by the user operating the client terminal among the character strings displayed on the display device of the client terminal, and corresponding to the selected character string Search condition receiving means for receiving a search condition for characters arranged in a rectangular area to be
Characters to be searched using the character string received by the search condition receiving unit and the character string indicating the rectangular area stored by the storage unit for the plurality of form data received by the selection request receiving unit Is specified, and the search processing is performed according to the search condition for the character received by the search condition receiving unit for the character arranged in the specified rectangular area for the plurality of form data. An information processing system comprising search execution means for executing. A program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method by an information processing apparatus that executes a search process for a plurality of form data in accordance with a search request from a client terminal operated by a user,
A storage step of storing information identifying at least the form data of a rectangular area set on a form displayed on a display device by the form data, and rectangular area information including a character string indicating the rectangular area;
A selection request receiving step for receiving a selection request for a plurality of form data to be searched;
In order to allow the user to select a rectangular area in which a character to be searched for by a user operating the client terminal is selected from the rectangular areas set in the plurality of form data for which the selection request has been received by the selection request receiving step. An extraction step of extracting a character string to be displayed on the display device of the client terminal from the character string indicating the rectangular area stored by the storage step with respect to the plurality of form data;
The character string extracted by the extraction step, the character string selected by the user operating the client terminal among the character strings displayed on the display device of the client terminal, and corresponding to the selected character string A search condition receiving step for receiving a search condition for characters arranged in a rectangular area to be
Characters to be searched using the character string received by the search condition receiving step and the character string indicating the rectangular area stored by the storage step for the plurality of form data received by the selection request receiving step The rectangular area in which the character is arranged is specified, and a search process is performed on the plurality of form data according to the search condition for the character received in the search condition receiving step with respect to the character arranged in the specified rectangular area. A program for causing a computer to execute a search execution step to be executed.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 8 is recorded.

Images