JP5387086B2 - Information collation support system and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information collation support system and program.

Techniques for displaying handwritten character image data and text data resulting from character recognition side by side are known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 displays a public document invoice in which handwritten character image data is pasted on format data of an official document public invoice and an official document public invoice in which image data is converted into text data. By doing so, it is possible to accept a handwritten public document public invoice as electronic data.
In the technique of Patent Document 2, in a correction screen that displays a character image handwritten on a form with a digital pen and text data of a character recognition result of the character image, partial character images are arranged at predetermined time intervals in the order in which the characters are written. By displaying in order, the handwritten characters can be reliably read.

JP 2003-308479 A JP 2007-079943 A

  An object of the present invention is to accurately extract print information when displaying print information for a print medium and writing information for a writing medium in association with each other.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a print command acquisition unit that acquires a print command for an electronic document, and print information for a specific print position on a print medium from the print command acquired by the print command acquisition unit. Print information extracting means for extracting; writing information acquiring means for acquiring writing information obtained by digitizing writing for a specific writing position on the writing medium; and the printing information and writing information extracted by the printing information extracting means. Instruction means for instructing display in association with the writing information acquired by the acquisition means, character recognition means for performing character recognition on the writing information acquired by the writing information acquisition means, and the print information extraction with said printing information extracted by the means, and coincidence degree acquiring means for acquiring degree of coincidence between the results of character recognition by said character recognition means, the instruction means, the It is information matching support system characterized by further instructing been displayed in the matching degree obtained by致度acquisition means.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, correspondence information in which each print position on the printing medium is associated with print information for each print position based on the print command acquired by the print command acquisition unit is provided. The print information extraction unit further includes a generation unit configured to generate the print information associated with the specific print position in the correspondence information generated by the generation unit. 1. An information collation support system according to 1.
The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the print information extraction means extracts the print information for the specific print position predetermined for the type of the electronic document. Information collation support system.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided correspondence information in which each print position on the printing medium is associated with print information for each print position based on the print command acquired by the print command acquisition unit. When the generation means to generate and the correspondence information generated by the generation means include specific correspondence information in which a predetermined print position is associated with predetermined print information, the specific correspondence 4. The information collation support system according to claim 3, further comprising a determining unit that determines a predetermined type for information as a type of the electronic document.
The invention according to claim 5 is the information collation support system according to claim 1, wherein the specific printing position and the specific writing position are associated in advance.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer having a function of acquiring a print command for an electronic document, a function of extracting print information for a specific print position on a print medium from the print command, and a writing medium. A function for acquiring writing information obtained by digitizing writing for a specific writing position, a function for instructing display in which the printing information and the writing information are associated with each other, and a function for performing character recognition on the writing information. A program for realizing the function of acquiring the degree of coincidence between the print information and the result of the character recognition and instructing the display is a program for further instructing the display of the degree of coincidence .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the printing information is accurately extracted when the printing information for the printing medium and the writing information for the writing medium are displayed in association with each other as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided. It is also possible to grasp the degree of coincidence between the printing information for the printing medium and the writing information for the writing medium .
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to extract print information for a specific print position from the print command by a simple process as compared with the case where this configuration is not provided.
According to the invention of claim 3, the print information for the print position corresponding to the type of the electronic document can be extracted from the print command.
According to the invention of claim 4, the type of the electronic document can be specified without performing a special process other than the process of referring to the print command.
According to the invention of claim 5, the printing information for the printing medium and the writing information at the position previously associated with the position where the printing information is printed among the writing information for the writing medium can be displayed in association with each other. it can.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the print information is accurately extracted when displaying the print information for the print medium and the write information for the writing medium in association with each other as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided. It is also possible to grasp the degree of coincidence between the printing information for the printing medium and the writing information for the writing medium .

It is the figure which showed the system configuration | structure with which embodiment of this invention is applied. It is the figure which showed the outline | summary of the information collation assistance process in embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the function structure of the document server in embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the function structure of the identification information server in embodiment of this invention. It is the sequence diagram which showed the operation | movement at the time of the printing document output in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the code | symbol image produced | generated by embodiment of this invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus in the embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the mechanism of the digital pen in embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the function structure of the control circuit of the digital pen in embodiment of this invention. It is the sequence diagram which showed the operation | movement at the time of writing in the printed document in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the handwriting management information memorize | stored in embodiment of this invention, and handwriting information. It is the sequence diagram which showed the operation | movement at the time of the display of the comparison screen in embodiment of this invention. It is a hardware block diagram of the computer which can implement | achieve embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, the overall configuration of the computer system in the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a computer system according to the present embodiment.
As shown in the figure, this computer system is configured by connecting a terminal device 10, a document server 20, an identification information server 30, an image forming device 40, and a terminal device 50 to a network 80. A digital pen 60 is connected to the terminal device 50 via a communication device 70.

The terminal device 10 is a computer device that requests the document server 20 to print an electronic document. Here, for example, a personal computer, a workstation, or another computer may be used as the terminal device 10.
The document server 20 is a computer device that stores and manages electronic documents. Also, when there is a print request for an electronic document from the terminal device 10, an image of the electronic document and a code image representing identification information and position information are generated, and a print command for printing a composite image obtained by synthesizing the image on a medium is generated. Output to the forming apparatus 40. In this case, the identification information is information for uniquely specifying the medium, and the position information is information for specifying the coordinate position on the medium. Here, as the document server 20, for example, a personal computer, a workstation, or another computer may be used.

The identification information server 30 is a computer device that issues identification information to be given to a medium. The issued identification information is stored in association with the electronic document printed on the medium to which the identification information is assigned. Here, as the identification information server 30, for example, a personal computer, a workstation, or another computer may be used.
The image forming apparatus 40 is an apparatus that prints an image on a medium and outputs it as a print document. The image forming apparatus 40 may be a single printer or printing machine, or may be a so-called multifunction machine having a scanner or a communication function. Here, as an image forming method in the image forming apparatus 40, for example, an electrophotographic method may be used, but other methods may be used. In the following description, the identification information to be given to the medium is described as being issued by the identification information server 30, but the identification information may be issued by any apparatus as long as it can be issued without duplication in the system. It may be issued by the device 40. In this case, for example, a combination of the machine number of the image forming apparatus 40 and the print count value in the image forming apparatus 40 may be used as the identification information.

  In order to reflect information obtained by digitizing writing on a print document (hereinafter referred to as “handwriting information”) in an electronic document that is a source of an image recorded in the print document, the terminal device 50 uses the identification information server. 30 to the computer device. Alternatively, the electronic document to be reflected in the handwriting information may be displayed on the display, and the handwriting information may be displayed on the display. Here, as the terminal device 50, for example, a personal computer, a workstation, or another computer may be used. In the present embodiment, handwriting information is used as an example of writing information obtained by digitizing the contents of writing. The handwriting information is mainly described as handwritten information. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be information mechanically drawn by a plotter that is a device that outputs drawing data such as architecture and machinery.

The digital pen 60 is an example of an electronic writing instrument, and is a pen device used for writing characters or figures on a printed document. An image sensor that reads a code image printed on the medium is provided. Then, position information is detected from the code image read by the image sensor, and handwriting information obtained by converting written characters or figures into image data is generated and stored based on the position information.
The communication device 70 is a device that acquires handwriting information from the digital pen 60 and transmits it to the terminal device 50. For example, an insertion port into which the digital pen 60 is inserted may be provided, and when the digital pen 60 is inserted into the insertion port, handwriting information stored in the digital pen 60 may be transmitted to the terminal device 50. Here, as a method of communication with the terminal device 50, various methods such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and an infrared communication function are conceivable. Further, in the figure, the communication device 70 is shown as a separate body from the digital pen 60, but it is not necessarily a separate body and may be configured integrally.

In this specification, electronic data that is the basis of an image to be recorded on a medium is referred to as “electronic document”. However, this does not mean only data obtained by digitizing a “document” including text. For example, "electronic document" including image data such as pictures, photos, figures (regardless of raster data or vector data), data recorded by database management software or spreadsheet software, and other printable electronic data It is said.
In the present specification, the “medium” may be any material as long as it can print an image. A typical example is paper, but an OHP sheet or a metal plate may be used.
Further, in this specification, processing is performed using identification information for uniquely identifying each of the electronic document, the medium, and further the digital pen 60 and the user. It shall mean the identification information of the medium.

By the way, there are cases where the items described in a form printed by such a computer system (hereinafter referred to as “printed form”) must be copied to a handwritten form (hereinafter referred to as “handwritten form”). is there. For example, a form is output from the backbone system, but a form designated by the customer must be used in a transaction with the customer.
In such a case, it is necessary that the description items in the printed form are correctly transferred to the handwritten form.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to check what information is printed at which position of the printed form, and check the handwritten form with the handwritten items.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic operation of the present embodiment.
As shown in the figure, in the present embodiment, the document server 20 that holds the form data created in the backbone system sends a form print command to the image forming apparatus 40. This print command includes, for example, a description that “Fuji” should be printed at coordinates (0, 0) and a description that “123” should be printed at coordinates (20, 20). Therefore, the image forming apparatus 40 cuts out these pieces of information when outputting the print form.
In the present embodiment, the transcriber transcribes necessary items to the handwritten form while looking at the printed form. Transcription is performed with the digital pen 60 capable of recognizing coordinates by irradiating infrared light. Here, an entry field for necessary items is provided in the handwritten form, and is described in the coordinates (0, 0) and (20, 20) of the printed form in the system (for example, the identification information server 30). It is assumed that setting information indicating that the entry field for the selected item is provided at the coordinates (10, 10) and (30, 15) of the handwritten form is input. As a result, the identification information server 30 acquires information cut out from the print command by the image forming apparatus 40 and handwritten information for the entry fields of the coordinates (10, 10) and (30, 15). Then, a comparison screen arranged so that these pieces of information can be easily checked is displayed on the display of the terminal device 50, for example. In the figure, since the information extracted from the print command and the handwritten information match, it can be determined that there is no problem.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment that performs such a schematic operation will be specifically described.
In the present embodiment, the document server 20 manages the electronic data of the print form, and when the display of the comparison screen is instructed, the identification information server 30 generates display information for displaying the comparison screen.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the document server 20 and the identification information server 30 operate mainly, and the configuration of these servers will be described in detail. As the handwritten form, a medium in which a code for reading a handwritten coordinate is embedded and an entry field or the like printed by a system other than the present system may be used. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that a handwritten form is also printed by this computer system.
First, the configuration of the document server 20 will be described.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the document server 20.
As illustrated, the document server 20 includes a reception unit 21 and an identification information acquisition unit 22. In addition, an identification code generation unit 25a, a position code generation unit 25b, a code arrangement unit 25c, a pattern image storage unit 25d, and a code image generation unit 25e are provided. Furthermore, a document image generation unit 26, an image composition unit 27, and a transmission unit 29 are provided.

The receiving unit 21 receives a print request from the terminal device 10. Here, the print request includes identification information (hereinafter referred to as “document ID”) of electronic documents (electronic data of print forms and handwritten forms) to be printed, and various settings relating to printing (hereinafter referred to as “print settings”). ) And In the present embodiment, a printed form is used as an example of a printing medium, and a handwritten form is used as an example of a writing medium.
The identification information acquisition unit 22 acquires the document ID and print settings from the reception unit 21, passes them to the transmission unit 29 to instruct transmission of an identification information issuance request, passes this to the document image generation unit 26, and sends the document Instructs generation of an image. Also, identification information is acquired from the receiving unit 21, and this is passed to the identification code generation unit 25a to instruct generation of the identification code.

The identification code generation unit 25a encodes identification information for specifying the medium to generate an identification code.
The position code generation unit 25b generates position codes by encoding position information indicating coordinate positions on the medium.
The code arrangement unit 25c arranges the identification code generated by the identification code generation unit 25a, the position code generated by the position code generation unit 25b, and the like on a two-dimensional plane according to a predetermined layout. Is generated.
The pattern image storage unit 25d stores a pattern image corresponding to the code value of each code stored in the code array.
The code image generation unit 25e refers to the two-dimensional code array generated by the code arrangement unit 25c, selects a pattern image corresponding to each code value, and generates a code image.

The document image generation unit 26 acquires a document ID and print settings from the identification information acquisition unit 22, reads an electronic document specified by the document ID from a storage unit (not shown), and generates a document image of the electronic document according to the print settings. To do.
The image composition unit 27 synthesizes the code image generated by the code image generation unit 25e and the document image generated by the document image generation unit 26 to generate a composite image.
The transmission unit 29 transmits an identification information issuance request to the identification information server 30. Also, an image print command for the medium is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 40.

Next, the configuration of the identification information server 30 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the identification information server 30.
As illustrated, the identification information server 30 includes a receiving unit 31, a medium management unit 32, a medium management information storage unit 33, and a display information generation unit 34. The handwriting management unit 35, the handwriting management information storage unit 36, and the transmission unit 39 are provided.

  The receiving unit 31 receives an identification information issue request from the document server 20. In addition, the receiving unit 31 receives identification information and handwriting information from the terminal device 50 when writing is performed on the printed document. Furthermore, when the display of the comparison screen is instructed, the terminal device 50 receives the identification information for specifying the print form and the identification information for specifying the handwritten form, and from the image forming apparatus 40, Receives information cut out from the print command of the print form.

  When there is a request for issuing identification information, the medium management unit 32 issues the identification information without duplication, and stores the document ID and print settings specified at that time in association with the identification information. In the present embodiment, the identification information of the print form is also stored in association with the address of the image forming apparatus 40 that printed the print form. Further, when the display of the comparison screen is instructed, the address of the image forming apparatus 40 that printed the print form of the specified identification information is acquired.

The medium management information storage unit 33 includes identification information, a document ID of an electronic document printed on the medium to which the identification information is assigned, a print setting when the electronic document is printed on the medium to which the identification information is assigned, This is a database that stores the address of the image forming apparatus 40 that has printed the electronic document on the medium to which it is attached.
When the display of the comparison screen is instructed, the display information generation unit 34 displays display information for displaying the comparison screen based on the information acquired from the image forming apparatus 40 and the information acquired from the handwriting management unit 35. Is generated.

The handwriting management unit 35 acquires the identification information and handwriting information received by the receiving unit 31 and registers them in the handwriting management information storage unit 36. When the display of the comparison screen is instructed, the handwriting information corresponding to the specified identification information is taken out from the handwriting management information storage unit 36, and the handwriting information of the part specified by the setting information is extracted from the handwriting information. cut. In this embodiment, as an example of writing information obtained by digitizing writing at a specific writing position on a writing medium, handwriting information of a part specified by setting information is used, and writing information is acquired to acquire writing information. As an example of the means, a handwriting management unit 35 is provided.
The handwriting management information storage unit 36 stores handwriting management information managed by the handwriting management unit 35.

  The transmission unit 39 transmits identification information issued in response to a request from the document server 20 to the document server 20. When the display of the comparison screen is instructed, the identification information of the print form is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 40 and the display information is transmitted to the terminal device 50. In the present embodiment, a transmission unit 39 is provided as an example of an instruction unit that instructs a display in which print information and writing information are associated with each other.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.
The operation in the present embodiment can be broadly divided into output of a printed form and handwritten form, writing on a handwritten form, and display of a comparison screen, and will be described separately below.

A. Output of Print Form and Handwritten Form FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing operations of the document server 20 and the identification information server 30 at this time.
In the document server 20, first, the receiving unit 21 receives a print request for an electronic document (electronic data of a printed form and a handwritten form) from the terminal device 10 (step 211). Among these, a print request for an electronic document includes a document ID and print settings. Here, as the document ID, for example, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) may be used, but other information may be used as long as the electronic document can be uniquely identified. The print setting includes settings such as a page, the number of copies, a paper size, an enlargement / reduction ratio, a function for outputting a plurality of pages in a single medium, and a margin.
When receiving the information, the receiving unit 21 passes the information to the identification information acquiring unit 22. Then, the identification information acquisition unit 22 passes the document ID and print settings of the received information to the transmission unit 29, and the transmission unit 29 transmits the information to the identification information server 30, thereby identifying the information. Information issuance is requested (step 212).

Thereby, in the identification information server 30, the receiving unit 31 receives the document ID and the print setting (step 311). Then, the document ID and the print setting are transferred to the medium management unit 32, and the medium management unit 32 extracts unused identification information from the medium management information storage unit 33 (step 312). Here, the number of pieces of identification information to be extracted is determined according to print settings. In other words, basically, the number of pieces of identification information obtained by multiplying the number of pages to be printed by the number of copies is extracted. However, if the setting information includes designation of a function for outputting a plurality of pages on a single medium, this is also taken into consideration. For example, when 10 pages of an electronic document are collectively printed on a single medium by two pages, 25 (= 10 ÷ 2 × 5) pieces of identification information are extracted.
Next, the medium management unit 32 stores the identification information, the document ID, and the print setting in association with each other in the medium management information storage unit 33 (step 313). Then, the identification information issued in step 312 is transferred to the transmission unit 39, and the transmission unit 39 transmits the identification information to the document server 20 (step 314).

As a result, in the document server 20, the receiving unit 21 receives the identification information (step 213). Then, the reception unit 21 passes the received identification information to the identification information acquisition unit 22.
Then, the document server 20 generates a code image representing the identification information and the position information (Step 214). The generation of the code image is specifically performed by the following process.
That is, first, the identification information acquisition unit 22 passes the identification information acquired in step 213 to the identification code generation unit 25a, and the identification code generation unit 25a generates an identification code by encoding the identification information. Details of the encoding of the identification information will be described later.
Further, the position code generation unit 25b receives the print setting from the reception unit 21, and generates a position code by encoding position information in a range corresponding to the print setting. Details of the encoding of the position information will be described later.
Thereafter, the code arrangement unit 25c arranges the identification code and the position code according to a predetermined layout, and the code image generation unit 25e converts the image into an image using the pattern image stored in the pattern image storage unit 25d. A code image is generated by.

In the document server 20, the document image generation unit 26 generates a document image of the electronic document (step 215). At that time, the document image generation unit 26 receives the document ID acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 22 in step 211, and reads the target electronic document from a storage unit (not shown) based on the document ID. In addition, the print setting acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 22 in step 211 is received, and a document image is generated based on the print setting.
Then, the image composition unit 27 synthesizes the code image generated in step 214 and the document image generated in step 215 to generate a composite image (step 216).
Thereafter, the composite image is transferred to the transmission unit 29, and the transmission unit 29 transmits a print command for the composite image to the image forming apparatus 40 (step 217). Here, the composite image print command is transmitted, for example, in a PDL format in which the content to be printed as a code image is set as a PDL command to a PDL (Page Description Language) file including a sequence of document image print commands. .

Accordingly, the image forming apparatus 40 prints the document image on a medium using, for example, C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow) toner. The code image is printed on a medium using, for example, K (black containing carbon) toner or special toner.
Here, as the special toner, an invisible toner having a maximum absorption rate of 7% or less in the visible light region (400 nm to 700 nm) and an absorption rate of 30% or more in the near infrared region (800 nm to 1000 nm) is exemplified. . Here, “visible” and “invisible” are not related to whether they can be recognized visually. “Visible” and “invisible” are distinguished depending on whether or not an image in a printed document can be recognized by the presence or absence of color development due to absorption of a specific wavelength in the visible light region. Also, “invisible” includes those that have some color developability due to absorption of a specific wavelength in the visible light region but are difficult to be recognized by human eyes.

  Here, the code image is combined with the image of the electronic document and printed. However, the code image may be printed on a white paper (notebook, tag, etc.). In that case, the document ID is not included in the print request received in step 211, the identification information is not associated with the document ID and the print setting in step 313, and the generation of the document image in step 215 is not executed. What should I do?

  In the present embodiment, the identification information server 30 also manages the address of the image forming apparatus 40 to which the document server 20 has transmitted the print command in step 217, including the medium management information. The address of the image forming apparatus 40 may be included in the print request received by the document server 20 in step 211, or the document server 20 or the identification information server 30 may select from a plurality of image forming apparatuses 40 according to some criteria. It may be determined.

Next, the code image generated in the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image or the like constituting the code image.
First, unit patterns constituting a code image will be described.
FIG. 6A shows an example of a unit pattern.
The unit pattern is the minimum unit for embedding information. In the figure, the black area and the shaded area are areas where dots can be arranged, and the white area between them is an area where dots cannot be arranged. In addition, among the areas where dots can be arranged, dots are arranged in black areas, and dots are not arranged in hatched areas. That is, the figure shows an example in which a unit pattern is configured by arranging dots at two locations selected from nine locations where dots can be arranged. Here, since there are 36 (= ₉ C ₂ ) combinations for selecting two locations out of nine locations, there are 36 types of unit patterns. Of these, four types of unit patterns are used as synchronization patterns. The synchronization pattern is a pattern for detecting the rotation of the image and specifying the relative positions of the identification code and the position code. In particular, since it is necessary to detect the rotation of the image, the four types of synchronization patterns are selected such that when one of the synchronization patterns is rotated 90 degrees, another synchronization pattern is obtained. Further, the 32 types of unit patterns other than the 4 types of unit patterns are used as information patterns expressing the identification code and the position code, and 5-bit information is expressed.

  By the way, the dots shown in FIG. 6A are only for information representation, and do not necessarily match the dots that mean the minimum points that constitute the image. In the present embodiment, the dots for information expression (the minimum square in FIG. 6A) have a size of 2 dots × 2 dots at 600 dpi. Since the size of one dot at 600 dpi is 0.0423 mm, one side of a dot for information expression (the minimum square in FIG. 6A) is 84.6 μm (= 0.0423 mm × 2). The smaller the dots for information expression, the more likely it is to be noticeable. However, if it is too small, printing with a printer becomes impossible. Therefore, the above values larger than 50 μm and smaller than 100 μm are employed as the size of dots for information expression. However, the above value 84.6 μm is a numerical value to the last, and is about 100 μm in the actually printed toner image. It should be noted that the term “dot” in this specification refers to a dot for information expression, not a dot that means the minimum point constituting an image, unless otherwise specified.

Next, a code block composed of such unit patterns will be described.
FIG. 6B shows an example of the layout of the code block. Here, not the image but the code arrangement immediately before being replaced by the pattern image is shown. That is, a unit pattern (any one of 36 unit patterns) as shown in FIG. 6A is arranged in the smallest square (hereinafter referred to as “unit block”) in FIG. Will be formed.
In the layout of FIG. 6B, the synchronization code is arranged in one unit block at the upper left of the code block. Further, the X position code is arranged in the four unit blocks on the right side of the unit block in which the synchronization code is arranged, and the Y position code is arranged in the four unit blocks on the lower side of the unit block in which the synchronization code is arranged. . Furthermore, identification codes are arranged in 16 (= 4 × 4) unit blocks surrounded by unit blocks in which these position codes are arranged.

Here, encoding of identification information will be described.
When encoding identification information, the bit string which comprises identification information is divided | segmented into a some block in order to perform RS encoding. Although there are several methods for encoding, RS encoding is suitable in this embodiment. This is because the RS code is a multi-value coding method, and in this case, the value represented by the unit block corresponds to the multi-value of the RS code. For example, when 5-bit information is expressed by one unit block, the 60-bit identification information is divided into 12 blocks having a block length of 5 bits. If an RS code capable of correcting two blocks of errors is adopted, the code length is 16 blocks, which can be accommodated in the unit block in which the identification code in the code block of FIG. 6B is arranged. The encoding method is not limited to the RS code, and other encoding methods such as a BCH code may be used.

Next, encoding of position information will be described.
For encoding the position information, an M-sequence code, which is a kind of pseudo-random sequence, is used. Here, the M sequence refers to a sequence having the longest period among code sequences generated by a shift register having a certain length and feedback. When K is the number of stages in the shift register, the sequence length of the M sequence is 2 ^K −1. Arbitrary consecutive K bits extracted from the M sequence have a property that they do not appear at other positions in the same M sequence. Therefore, the position information is encoded using this property.
By the way, in the present embodiment, a necessary M-sequence order is obtained from the length of position information to be encoded, and an M-sequence is generated. However, if the length of the position information to be encoded is known in advance, it is not necessary to generate the M sequence each time. That is, a fixed M sequence may be generated in advance and stored in a memory or the like.
For example, it is assumed that an M sequence (K = 13) having a sequence length of 8191 is used. In this case, since the position code is also embedded in units of 5 bits, 5 bits are taken out from the M sequence having a sequence length of 8191 and blocked.

  In this specification, the identification information and the position information are clearly distinguished and used for the sake of simplicity. However, there is a technique in which a wide range of position information is prepared, the position information is cut out and embedded from different ranges for each medium, and the medium is identified by the difference in position information. Therefore, in such a method, it is assumed that the position information has a function for identifying the medium, and the position information is also considered as the identification information.

Now, when a print command is transmitted in step 217 of FIG. 5, the image forming apparatus 40 prints an image based on this print command.
First, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 40 will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the image forming apparatus 40.
As illustrated, the image forming apparatus 40 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 41, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 42, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 43, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 44, and an operation panel 45. An image reading unit 46, an image forming unit 47, and a communication interface controller (hereinafter referred to as “communication I / F controller”) 48.

The CPU 41 implements each function to be described later with reference to FIG. 8 by loading various programs stored in the ROM 43 or the like into the RAM 42 and executing them.
The RAM 42 is a memory used as a working memory for the CPU 41.
The ROM 43 is a memory that stores various programs executed by the CPU 41.
The HDD 44 is, for example, a magnetic disk device that stores image data read by the image reading unit 46 and image data used for image formation in the image forming unit 47.
The operation panel 45 is, for example, a touch panel that displays various types of information and receives operation inputs from the user.

  The image reading unit 46 reads an image recorded on a recording medium such as paper. Here, the image reading unit 46 is, for example, a scanner, and a CCD system in which reflected light with respect to light irradiated from a light source to a document is reduced by a lens and received by a CCD (Charge Coupled Devices), or an LED light source is sequentially irradiated onto a document It is preferable to use a CIS system that receives reflected light with respect to the received light with a CIS (Contact Image Sensor).

The image forming unit 47 forms an image on a recording medium such as paper. Here, the image forming unit 47 is, for example, a printer, and forms an image by transferring the toner attached to the photosensitive member to a recording medium to form an image, or ejecting ink onto the recording medium. An ink jet type may be used.
The communication I / F controller 48 transmits / receives various information to / from other devices via the network.

Next, a functional configuration example realized by the CPU 41 operating in the image forming apparatus 40 will be described. In the following description, PDL data described in PDL will be described as an example of the print command transmitted in step 217 of FIG.
As illustrated, the image forming apparatus 40 includes a receiving unit 401, a PDL interpretation unit 402, an interpretation result storage unit 403, a document determination table storage unit 404, and a document determination unit 405. Further, it includes a cut-out table storage unit 406, a cut-out unit 407, a cut-out result storage unit 408, and a transmission unit 409.

The receiving unit 401 receives PDL data from the document server 20. In the present embodiment, a receiving unit 401 is provided as an example of a print command acquisition unit that acquires a print command.
The PDL interpretation unit 402 is a so-called PDL interpreter. By interpreting the PDL data received by the receiving unit 401, data such as characters, numbers, and symbols to be printed (hereinafter referred to as “print data”) and coordinates for printing the print data (hereinafter referred to as “print coordinates”). ) And the correspondence information between the print data and the print coordinates is stored in the interpretation result storage unit 403 as an interpretation result. In the present embodiment, print data is used as an example of print information, and print coordinates are used as an example of a print position. Further, a PDL interpretation unit 402 is provided as an example of a generation unit that generates correspondence information in which each print position is associated with print information for each print position.
The interpretation result storage unit 403 stores the interpretation result obtained by the PDL interpretation unit 402. Specifically, as shown in the figure, correspondence information that associates print data extracted from PDL data with print coordinates on which the print data is to be printed is stored. However, in the figure, “print data” is simply expressed as “data”, and “print coordinates” is simply expressed as “coordinates”.

The document discrimination table storage unit 404 stores a document discrimination table for discriminating whether an electronic document to be printed is an electronic document from which print data and print coordinates should be extracted. More specifically, as shown in the drawing, print data serving as a clue for determining that the print data and the print coordinates are to be cut out, and an electronic document from which the print data and the print coordinates are to be cut out are determined. The correspondence between the print coordinates on which the print data is to be printed and the template number of the electronic document on which the print data is printed at the print coordinates is stored.
Based on the document discrimination table stored in the document discrimination table storage unit 404, the document discrimination unit 405 determines whether the electronic document to be printed is an electronic document from which print data and print coordinates are to be extracted, and print data and print For an electronic document whose coordinates are to be cut out, a template number is acquired. In this embodiment, a document determination unit 405 is provided as an example of a determination unit that determines the type of electronic document.

The cut-out table storage unit 406 stores a cut-out table for determining which print coordinate of the PDL data should be cut out. Specifically, as shown in the figure, a list of print coordinates to be cut out (coordinate list) is defined for each template.
The cutout unit 407 cuts out the print data from the PDL data based on the cutout table stored in the cutout table storage unit 406, associates the cutout result with the identification information of the print form set in the PDL data, and the cutout result Store in the storage unit 408. In the present embodiment, a cutout unit 407 is provided as an example of a print information extraction unit that extracts print information.
The cutting result storage unit 408 stores the result of cutting by the cutting unit 407. Specifically, as shown in the figure, the correspondence between the identification information of the print form set in the PDL data, the cut out print data, and the print coordinates where the print data is to be printed is stored.
When the receiving unit 401 receives a print data transmission request extracted from PDL data from the identification information server 30 when a comparison screen described later is displayed, the transmission unit 409 includes the extraction result stored in the extraction result storage unit 408. The information corresponding to the identification information of the print form designated from the identification information server 30 is extracted and transmitted to the identification information server 30.

Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 40 will be described.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the image forming apparatus 40.
In the image forming apparatus 40, first, the receiving unit 401 receives PDL data from the document server 20 (step 411). Then, the PDL interpretation unit 402 interprets the PDL data, extracts the correspondence between the print coordinates and the print data from the PDL data, and stores it in the interpretation result storage unit 403 (step 412). For example, in the example of FIG. 8, the print data “Fuji” is printed at the print coordinates (0, 0), the print data “order” is printed at the print coordinates (10, 10), and “123” is printed at the print coordinates (20, 20). Information for printing is stored.

Next, the document determination unit 405 refers to the document determination table stored in the document determination table storage unit 404, and the electronic document instructed to be printed with the PDL data is an electronic document whose print data and print coordinates are to be cut out. It is determined whether or not there is (step 413). For example, in the example of FIG. 8, print data “order” or “order” is stored for the print coordinates (10, 10) in the document determination table. Accordingly, it is checked whether or not the print data “order” or “order” is printed at the print coordinates (10, 10).
As a result, if it is determined that the electronic document for which printing is instructed by the PDL data is not the electronic document from which the print data and the print coordinates are to be extracted, the process proceeds to step 418 as it is.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the electronic document for which printing is instructed by the PDL data is an electronic document whose print data and print coordinates are to be extracted, the document determination unit 405 stores the document determination stored in the document determination table storage unit 404. With reference to the table, the template No. corresponding to the print data and print coordinates focused in step 413 is acquired (step 414). Next, the cutout unit 407 refers to the cutout table stored in the cutout table storage unit 406, and obtains a list of print coordinates (coordinate list) corresponding to the template No acquired by the document determination unit 405 in step 414 (coordinate list) ( Step 415). If there is a print coordinate included in the interpretation result stored in the interpretation result storage unit 403 that matches the print coordinate in the coordinate list, the print coordinate and the corresponding print data are extracted (step S3). 416). Thereafter, the extracted print coordinates and print data are set, stored in the cutout result storage unit 408 in association with the identification information of the print form set in the PDL data (step 417), and the process proceeds to step 418.
Finally, the PDL interpretation unit 402 outputs the interpretation result to the image forming unit 47, and the image forming unit 47 prints an image on a print form (step 418). At this stage, the contents of the interpretation result storage unit 403 can be deleted.

B. Handwriting Form Writing In this embodiment, handwriting information for a handwritten form is transmitted from the digital pen 60 to the terminal device 50 via the communication device 70 and registered in the document server 20.
First, the mechanism of the digital pen 60 will be described.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the digital pen 60.
As illustrated, the digital pen 60 includes a control circuit 61 that controls the operation of the entire pen. The control circuit 61 includes an image processing unit 61a that processes the read code image, and a data processing unit 61b that extracts identification information and position information from the processing result.
The control circuit 61 is connected to a pressure sensor 62 that detects a writing operation by the digital pen 60 by a pressure applied to the pen tip 69. Further, an infrared LED 63 that irradiates the medium with infrared light and an infrared CMOS 64 that reads a code image by detecting reflected light are also connected. Furthermore, an information memory 65 for storing identification information and position information, a communication circuit 66 for communicating with an external device, a battery 67 for driving a pen, and pen identification information (pen ID) are stored. A pen ID memory 68 is also connected.

Next, the functional configuration realized in the control circuit 61 will be described in more detail.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the control circuit 61. In the figure, a functional configuration example is shown separately for the image processing unit 61 a and the data processing unit 61 b in the control circuit 61.
As illustrated, the image processing unit 61 a includes an image acquisition unit 611 and a dot array generation unit 612. The data processing unit 61b includes a code array generation unit 613, an identification information acquisition unit 614, a position information acquisition unit 615, a handwriting information generation unit 616, and a communication control unit 619.

The image acquisition unit 611 acquires a code image read from the print document by the infrared CMOS 64. Moreover, the noise contained in a code image is removed as needed.
The dot array generation unit 612 generates a dot array with reference to the dot positions in the code image. That is, on a two-dimensional array, for example, “1” is stored at a position where there is a dot and “0” is stored at a position where there is no dot, thereby replacing the dot detected as an image with digital data. Then, this two-dimensional array is output as a dot array.

  The code array generation unit 613 detects a block corresponding to the unit pattern in the code block on the dot array. Specifically, a frame having the same shape and size as the block in which the unit pattern is arranged is moved on the dot array, and the frame is fixed at a position where the number of dots in the frame becomes equal. For example, if the unit pattern shown in FIG. 6A is used, a frame having a size corresponding to 3 dots × 3 dots is moved, and the frame is fixed at a position where the number of dots included in the frame is two. Then, a code array is generated that stores code values determined from dot positions in each block delimited by the frame. When this code array is generated, the position of the synchronization code is specified by searching for a code value of a predetermined synchronization code.

The identification information acquisition unit 614 detects the identification code based on the position of the synchronization code from the code array. Then, the identification code is decoded using the parameters used in the RS encoding process at the time of image generation, and identification information is acquired.
The position information acquisition unit 615 detects the position code based on the position of the synchronization code from the code array. Then, an M-sequence partial sequence is extracted from the position code, the position of this partial sequence in the M-sequence used at the time of image generation is referenced, and a value obtained by correcting this position with an offset using a synchronization code is acquired as position information. The reason why the correction is made by the offset is that a synchronization code is arranged between the position codes.

The handwriting information generation unit 616 generates handwriting information by connecting the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 615. Here, the handwriting information includes at least data obtained by digitizing the locus of the pen tip of the digital pen 60, but may include other information. Information other than the locus of the pen tip includes, for example, information on the color set for the pen when writing, information on writing pressure, and the like.
The communication control unit 619 implements information transmission to the communication device 70 by passing the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 614 and the handwriting information generated by the handwriting information generation unit 616 to the communication circuit 66.

Next, an operation when the digital pen 60 generates handwriting information and registers it in the identification information server 30 will be described.
In the digital pen 60, first, the infrared LED 63 irradiates the medium with infrared light, and the infrared CMOS 64 receives the reflected light to read the code image. Then, the image acquisition unit 611 acquires the read code image. If the code image contains noise, it is removed. Next, the dot array generation unit 612 converts the dot positions included in the code image into digital data, and generates a dot array.

FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing operations of the digital pen 60 and the identification information server 30 thereafter.
The digital pen 60 acquires identification information and handwriting information (step 621). Specifically, the following processing is performed. That is, first, the code array generation unit 613 detects a block from the dot array, and generates a code array that stores a code value for each block. Then, the position of the synchronization code is specified in the code array. Thereafter, the identification information acquisition unit 614 detects the identification code based on the position of the synchronization code, decodes it, and acquires the identification information. Further, the position information acquisition unit 615 detects a position code based on the position of the synchronization code, decodes this, and acquires position information. The handwriting information generation unit 616 generates handwriting information by connecting the position information.
Thereafter, the communication control unit 619 transmits these pieces of information to the identification information server 30 via the communication device 70 and the terminal device 50 (step 622).

Thereby, in the identification information server 30, the receiving part 31 receives identification information and handwriting information first (step 321). Next, these pieces of information are handed over to the handwriting management unit 35, and the handwriting management unit 35 stores the handwriting information passed to the handwriting management information storage unit 36 in association with the passed identification information (step 322). . When the handwriting information registration process ends normally, the handwriting management unit 35 notifies the transmission unit 39 of the fact, and the transmission unit 39 transmits a handwriting information registration report to the digital pen 60 (step 323).
Then, the digital pen 60 receives the handwriting information registration report (step 623).

Here, specific contents of the handwriting management information stored in the handwriting management information storage unit 36 will be described.
FIG. 13A is a diagram illustrating a specific example of handwriting management information.
As shown in the drawing, the handwriting management information associates identification information with handwriting information.
Among these, the identification information is information for uniquely identifying the handwritten form.
The handwriting information is information obtained by digitizing the contents of writing on a handwritten form as already described. However, since the handwriting information is image data, it is not associated as it is, but the storage location of the handwriting information is associated. In the figure, the file name of handwriting information is shown as the storage location of handwriting information. For example, if handwriting information is stored under the same folder, the handwriting information can be uniquely specified by the file name. Alternatively, for example, a URL may be associated as information on the storage location of handwriting information.
In the figure, for example, it is shown that the handwriting information for the handwritten form with the identification information “101” is stored as a file named “Scr1”. Further, it is shown that the handwriting information for the handwritten form having the identification information “102” is stored as a file named “Scr2”.

FIG. 13B is a diagram showing a specific example of handwriting information managed by the handwriting management information of FIG.
Here, handwriting information stored as a file named “Scr1” is shown. That is, the writing represented by such image data is made on the handwritten form of the identification information “101”. The image data is managed, for example, with coordinates in a coordinate system in which the upper left point of the frame of the figure is the origin, the upper side is the X axis, and the left side is the Y axis. (Hereinafter referred to as “writing coordinates”), the portion of the handwriting information at the writing coordinates can be cut out. In the present embodiment, handwritten coordinates are used as an example of the handwriting position.

C. Display of Comparison Screen In this embodiment, a comparison screen for comparing information cut out from the print command and information cut out from the handwriting information is displayed based on the cutout result of A and the handwriting management information of B.
In that case, the user first designates a print form and a handwritten form with the digital pen 60. Then, the digital pen 60 reads the identification information of each form and outputs it to the terminal device 50 via the communication device 70.
Then, the terminal device 50 transmits the identification information of each form transmitted from the digital pen 60 to the identification information server 30.

FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram illustrating operations of the identification information server 30 and the image forming apparatus 40 thereafter.
In the identification information server 30, the receiving unit 31 first receives identification information of each form from the terminal device 50, the identification information of the printed form is sent to the medium management unit 32, and the identification information of the handwritten form is sent to the handwriting management unit 35, respectively. Deliver (step 331).

Next, the medium management unit 32 refers to the medium management information stored in the medium management information storage unit 33 and acquires the address of the image forming apparatus 40 corresponding to the print form identification information passed in step 331. Then, the identification information of the print form and the address of the image forming apparatus 40 are passed to the transmission unit 39. Then, the transmission unit 39 transmits the identification information of the print form to the image forming apparatus 40 with this address (step 332).
As a result, in the image forming apparatus 40, the receiving unit 401 receives the identification information of the print form (step 431). Then, the identification information is transferred to the transmission unit 409, and the transmission unit 409 refers to the extraction result stored in the extraction result storage unit 408, and at least one of the print coordinates and the print data corresponding to the received identification information. One set is extracted (step 432). Thereafter, the transmission unit 409 transmits these pieces of information to the identification information server 30 (step 433).
Thereby, in the identification information server 30, the receiving unit 31 receives at least one set of print coordinates and print data (step 333). These pieces of information are passed to the display information generation unit 34.

  On the other hand, the handwriting management unit 35 refers to the handwriting management information stored in the handwriting management information storage unit 36, and acquires handwriting information corresponding to the identification information of the handwritten form passed in step 331 (step 334). Then, based on the setting information in which the correspondence between each print coordinate on the print form and each hand-written coordinate on the handwritten form is set, the handwriting information portion is cut out (step 335). Specifically, the handwriting information of the part specified by the handwriting coordinates included in the setting information is cut out from the handwriting information acquired in step 334. Note that the setting information may be given from the outside by the user when displaying the comparison screen, or included in a print request, for example, when printing a printed form or handwritten form, and this is included in the identification information server 30. May be retained. The cut handwriting information is passed to the display information generating unit 34.

Thereafter, the display information generation unit 34 displays a comparison screen in which the print data received in step 333 and the handwriting information cut out in step 335 are arranged for each correspondence between the print coordinates set in the setting information and the handwriting coordinates. Display information is generated for this (step 336).
Then, the display information generation unit 34 passes the display information generated in this way to the transmission unit 39, and the transmission unit 39 transmits the display information to the terminal device 50 (step 337).
Thereby, in the terminal device 50, the comparison screen is displayed on the display.

In this example of operation, the identification information of the print form and the identification information of the handwritten form are obtained by the digital pen 60, but only the identification information of one form may be obtained by the digital pen 60. . For example, if the identification information assigned to these is managed in association with the identification information server 30 when printing a printed form or handwritten form, only the identification information of one of the forms can be given. However, the identification information of the other form can be specified.
This is the end of the description of the operation of the present embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, a code image capable of recognizing position information is also printed on the print form. However, since it is not always necessary to provide the print form with a function for digitizing written contents, the print form is not necessarily required. However, such a code image may not be printed. That is, it is sufficient to print a code image that can recognize the identification information of the print form. In this case, the layout of the code image does not have to be as shown in FIG. 6, and may be, for example, a barcode, a QR code (registered trademark), or the like.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the digital pen 60 produced | generated the whole handwriting information with respect to a handwritten form and the identification information server 30 cut out the part for comparison from it, it is not restricted to this. For example, the comparison target portion may be transmitted in advance to the digital pen 60, and handwriting information may be generated by digitizing only the writing for that portion of the writing on the handwritten form. Alternatively, when handwriting information is generated by such a method, a flatbed scanner may be used instead of the digital pen 60. In other words, it is preferable to scan a written handwritten form with a flatbed scanner, cut out a part of the comparison target that has been transmitted in advance from the scanned image, and generate handwriting information.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the print data and handwriting information are displayed in association with each other, and the user visually confirms whether or not they match. However, for example, a character recognition unit (not shown) of the identification information server 30 performs character recognition on the handwriting information, and a coincidence degree acquisition unit (not shown) of the identification information server 30 receives from the image forming apparatus 40. The degree of coincidence (for example, coincidence / mismatch information) between the received print data and the character recognition result may be acquired, and the transmission unit 39 may transmit this coincidence to the terminal device 50.

By the way, in the present embodiment, the digital pen 60 generates handwriting information, the identification information server 30 cuts out a designated portion of the handwriting information, and the image forming apparatus 40 cuts out print data from the print command. However, various variations can be considered as to which apparatus performs these processes. For example, the handwriting information portion may be cut out by the terminal device 50 or the image forming apparatus 40, and the print data may be cut out by a print server (not shown).
Therefore, the hardware configuration of the computer 90 will be described assuming that these processes are performed by the computer 90.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the computer 90.
As shown in the figure, the computer 90 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 91 as a calculation means, a main memory 92 as a storage means, and a magnetic disk device (HDD: Hard Disk Drive) 93. Here, the CPU 91 executes various types of software such as an OS (Operating System) and applications to realize the above-described functions. The main memory 92 is a storage area for storing various software and data used for execution thereof, and the magnetic disk device 93 is a storage area for storing input data for various software, output data from various software, and the like. .
Further, the computer 90 includes a communication I / F 94 for performing communication with the outside, a display mechanism 95 including a video memory and a display, and an input device 96 such as a keyboard and a mouse.

  The program for realizing the present embodiment can be provided not only by communication means but also by storing it in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,50 ... Terminal device, 20 ... Document server, 30 ... Identification information server, 40 ... Image forming device, 60 ... Digital pen, 80 ... Network

Claims (6)

A print command acquisition means for acquiring a print command of an electronic document;
Print information extraction means for extracting print information for a specific print position on a print medium from the print instruction acquired by the print instruction acquisition means;
Writing information acquisition means for acquiring writing information obtained by digitizing writing for a specific writing position on a writing medium;
Instruction means for instructing a display in which the print information extracted by the print information extraction means and the writing information acquired by the writing information acquisition means are associated with each other ;
Character recognition means for performing character recognition on the writing information acquired by the writing information acquisition means;
A degree of coincidence obtaining unit that obtains a degree of coincidence between the print information extracted by the print information extraction unit and a result of character recognition by the character recognition unit ;
The information collation support system , wherein the instruction unit further instructs display of the degree of coincidence acquired by the degree of coincidence acquisition unit . Based on the print command acquired by the print command acquisition means, further comprising: generating means for generating correspondence information in which each print position on the printing medium is associated with print information for each print position;
The information collation support system according to claim 1, wherein the print information extraction unit extracts the print information associated with the specific print position in the correspondence information generated by the generation unit. .   The information collation support system according to claim 1, wherein the print information extraction unit extracts the print information for the specific print position predetermined for the type of the electronic document. Generating means for generating correspondence information associating each print position on the printing medium with print information for each print position based on the print instruction acquired by the print instruction acquisition means;
When the correspondence information generated by the generation unit includes specific correspondence information in which a predetermined printing position is associated with predetermined printing information, the specific correspondence information is predetermined. 4. The information collation support system according to claim 3, further comprising a determining unit that determines the determined type as the type of the electronic document.   The information collation support system according to claim 1, wherein the specific printing position and the specific writing position are associated in advance. On the computer,
A function for obtaining a print instruction of an electronic document;
A function of extracting print information for a specific print position on the print medium from the print command;
A function for acquiring writing information obtained by digitizing writing for a specific writing position on a writing medium;
A function for instructing display in which the print information and the writing information are associated with each other;
A function of performing character recognition on the written information;
Realizing a degree of coincidence between the print information and the character recognition result ;
The program for instructing the display further instructs the display of the degree of coincidence .

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