JP2004110499A - Time information input system, time information acquiring device and program, and business form for electronic pen - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an application procedure system capable of making time input on an application document easy and accurate by using an electronic pen as an input device. <P>SOLUTION: A user appoints the time according to a plan for appointing the time printed on the application document. The application document is formed with a dot pattern corresponding to positional information, and when the user specifies a time appointing area with the electronic pen, the time corresponding to the appointing area is specified. A receiving server registers data of each application item and appointed time inputted by the user, in a database, gives a receipt number and completes receiving processing by notifying the user by a telephone, facsimile, e-mail, or the like. Since time entry in the application document can be performed only by specifying with the electronic pen, input of time data can be accurately performed even by the user with little knowledge on a personal computer, and time data expressed in various formats can be accurately inputted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for inputting time information using a printed matter and an electronic pen.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, users fill in necessary items using application such as ballpoint pen in various documents such as application forms and application forms (hereinafter referred to as “various application documents”) submitted to government offices and financial institutions, etc. Documents had been submitted. On the other hand, in recent years, instead of a conventional paper form, an electronic form in which the form is digitized has been used. The electronic form is electronic data including entry items of a paper form as a plurality of fields. A user who creates a document such as an application reads an electronic form into a personal computer or the like, displays the electronic form on a display device, and operates an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse to input necessary items in the electronic form. The input items are acquired as electronic data, and can be transmitted to an organization to which the form is submitted through a network or the like.
[0003]
However, when preparing various documents to be submitted to government offices and financial institutions, users who do not have sufficient knowledge of how to operate personal computers or users who are not good at keyboard input are required to use the above electronic form. It is often difficult to make good use of. It is easiest for such a user to make a pen input on a paper form, as is conventionally done.
[0004]
In recent years, as input devices effective in such a case, pen-type input devices called “electronic pens” and “digital pens” have appeared (hereinafter, referred to as “electronic pens” in this specification). As a representative example, “Anotopen” developed by Anoto of Sweden is known. The anoto pen is used as a pair with special paper on which a predetermined dot pattern is printed (hereinafter, referred to as “special paper”). The Anoto pen is equipped with a small camera for reading a dot pattern on dedicated paper and a Bluetooth compatible communication unit in addition to a normal ink type pen tip. When a user writes characters or the like on an exclusive paper with an anoto pen, the small camera detects a dot pattern on the exclusive paper as the pen moves, and input data such as characters written by the user is acquired. The input data is transmitted from the Anoto pen to a nearby terminal device such as a personal computer or a mobile phone by a Bluetooth-compatible communication unit. The system using the anoto pen can be used as an input device instead of a keyboard, and is very easy to use for a user who has difficulty using the personal computer and the keyboard described above. On the other hand, even when submitting documents such as government offices, the user's entry can be obtained as input data instead of a paper document as in the past, so that subsequent electronic processing can be performed as it is There is a merit.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Some of the various procedures described above require time information management, such as the submission time of the document, and if the user can obtain time information as data by filling in the document, It is effective in time management thereafter. In this regard, the above-described anotopen has a function of recognizing text input only for alphanumeric characters and the like, but the recognition accuracy is not always perfect. If the input time information is incorrectly recognized, problems occur in the progress of the procedure and management.
[0006]
In addition, the time information is not limited to simply inputting numbers such as hours and minutes, and information other than numbers such as morning and afternoon may be input. Further, depending on the type of document, it is desired that the user can input time information by a method that is intuitive and easy to recognize, instead of inputting numbers such as time.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and enables a user to easily and accurately input time information in various documents and slips by using an electronic pen as an input device. That is the task.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In one aspect of the present invention, the time information input system optically reads the dot pattern from the electronic pen form on which a predetermined dot pattern is printed to correspond to the content written on the electronic pen form. An electronic pen that acquires user entry data and transmits the user entry data to the terminal device by wireless communication;
A terminal device for receiving the user entry data transmitted from the electronic pen,
The form has a time information entry column on which a dot pattern associated with the time information is printed,
The terminal device includes a time information acquisition unit that receives the user entry data in the time information entry column and acquires corresponding time information.
[0009]
According to the above time information input system, a time information entry field is provided in the electronic pen form, and a dot pattern corresponding to the time information is printed in each time information entry field. When the user makes an entry in a specific time information entry field on the electronic pen form using the electronic pen, the dot pattern is read and transmitted to the terminal device as user entry data. The terminal device acquires time information corresponding to the time information entry field from the received user entry data. In this way, the user can transmit the designation of the corresponding time information as data to the terminal device by filling in the time information entry field on the electronic pen form.
[0010]
In another aspect of the present invention, the time information acquiring device optically reads the dot pattern from an electronic pen form having a time information entry field on which a dot pattern associated with time information is printed. Receiving means for receiving, from the electronic pen, user entry data corresponding to the content entered in the pen form,
And a time information acquisition unit that receives the user entry data for the time information entry column and acquires corresponding time information.
[0011]
According to the above time information acquisition device, when the user uses the electronic pen to fill in a specific time information entry field on the electronic pen form, the dot pattern is read and transmitted as user entry data. Is done. The time information acquisition device receives the user entry data, and acquires time information corresponding to the time information entry column from the received user entry data. In this way, the user can transmit the designation of the corresponding time information as data to the terminal device by filling in the time information entry field on the electronic pen form.
[0012]
In another aspect of the present invention, a time information acquisition program executed by a computer optically converts the computer from an electronic pen form having a time information entry field in which a dot pattern associated with time information is printed. Receiving means for receiving the user entry data corresponding to the content entered in the electronic pen form by reading the dot pattern from the electronic pen, receiving the user entry data for the time information entry column, It functions as time information acquisition means for acquiring corresponding time information.
[0013]
By executing the above-described time information acquisition program on a computer, the above-described time information acquisition device can be realized.
[0014]
In another aspect of the present invention, a form for an electronic pen written by an electronic pen including an ink pen unit and a reading unit that optically reads a dot pattern is provided on the dot pattern, and each form is associated with time information. It has a plurality of time information designation areas. Thus, the user can input the time information by filling in the time information designation area with the electronic pen. The electronic pen transmits data corresponding to the time information designated area in which the entry has been made to the terminal device, and the terminal device acquires the corresponding time information.
[0015]
In one aspect of the electronic pen form described above, the time information designation area may include an area corresponding to morning and afternoon, an area formed for each time, and an area formed for every predetermined number of minutes.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention makes it possible for a user to easily input a form by using an electronic pen as an input device. It should be noted that the present invention is characterized in that a method for easily and accurately inputting time-related information using an electronic pen is provided during the application procedure. First, an outline of an electronic pen used as an input device in the system of the present invention will be described.
[0017]
[Electronic pen]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a usage form of the electronic pen, and FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a structure of the electronic pen. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic pen 10 is used in combination with a special paper 20 on which a dot pattern is printed. The electronic pen 10 has a pen tip 17 similar to a normal ink pen, and a user writes characters and the like on the special paper 20 in the same manner as a normal ink pen.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic pen 10 includes a processor 11, a memory 12, a Bluetooth transceiver 13, a battery 14, an infrared LED 15, a camera 16, and a pressure sensor 18 therein. The electronic pen 10 has an ink cartridge (not shown) as a component similar to a normal ink pen.
[0019]
The electronic pen 10 does not convert the locus of the ink drawn on the special paper 20 by the pen tip portion 17 into data, but converts the locus coordinates of the movement of the electronic pen 10 on the special paper 20 into data. While the infrared LED 15 illuminates the vicinity of the pen tip 17 on the dedicated paper 20, the camera 16 reads the dot pattern printed on the dedicated paper 20 and converts it into data. That is, the electronic pen 10 can acquire, as image data or vector data, a stroke generated when the user moves the electronic pen 10 on the special paper 20.
[0020]
The pressure sensor 18 detects the pressure applied to the pen tip portion 17 when the user writes a character or the like on the special paper with the electronic pen 10, that is, the pen pressure, and supplies the detected pressure to the processor 11. The processor 11 switches on / off the infrared LED 15 and the camera 16 based on the pen pressure data provided from the pressure sensor 18. That is, when a user writes a character or the like on the dedicated paper 20 with the electronic pen 10, pen pressure is applied to the pen tip portion 17. Therefore, when the writing pressure equal to or more than the predetermined value is detected, it is determined that the user has started the description, and the infrared LED 15 and the camera 16 are operated.
[0021]
The camera 16 reads the dot pattern on the special paper 20 and supplies the pattern data to the processor 11. The processor 11 calculates X / Y coordinates on the dedicated paper 20 from the supplied dot pattern.
[0022]
The processor 11 acquires the pen pressure array data and the X / Y coordinate data while the user is being described, and stores them in the memory 12 in association with the time stamp (time information). Therefore, data corresponding to the description content of the user is stored in the memory 12 in chronological order. The capacity of the memory 12 can be, for example, about 1 Mbyte.
[0023]
All acquired data is held in the memory 12 until a transmission instruction is issued by the user. When the user gives a transmission instruction, the data in the memory 12 is transmitted by the Bluetooth transceiver 13 to the terminal device 25 located within a predetermined distance from the electronic pen 10. Basically, once a transmission instruction is given, the electronic pen 10 transmits all data stored in the memory 12 to the terminal device 25, so that the memory 12 is cleared. Therefore, when the user wants to transmit the same information to the terminal device 25 again after the transmission, the user needs to write the information on the special paper 20 again. In this case, the user only has to trace characters written with the ink pen on the dedicated paper 20.
[0024]
The electronic pen 10 itself does not have a function button such as a transmission button, and a transmission instruction and other instructions are provided by a user checking a special box provided at a predetermined position on the special paper 20 with the electronic pen 10. Be executed. A transmission instruction is previously associated with the position coordinates of the dedicated box. When the processor 11 receives the position coordinates of the dedicated box, the processor 11 supplies the data in the memory 12 to the Bluetooth transceiver 13 and transmits the data to the terminal device 25. Let it do. Note that the electronic pen 10 does not have a display, buttons, or the like, but the completion of data transmission can be indicated by vibration of the electronic pen.
[0025]
The battery 14 is for supplying power to each element in the electronic pen 10, and for example, the power of the electronic pen 10 itself can be turned on / off by a cap (not shown) of the electronic pen.
[0026]
As described above, the electronic pen 10 has a function of acquiring coordinate data and writing pressure data corresponding to characters written on the dedicated paper 20 by the user and transmitting the data to the nearby terminal device 25. Since the pen tip portion 17 is a normal ink pen, the contents described on the special paper 20 remain as original originals. That is, at the same time as describing the original paper, the contents can be digitized in real time in the form of coordinate data or the like.
[0027]
According to the standard functions of the electronic pen 10, the data obtained by the electronic pen 10 is in principle in the form of coordinate data or vector data, not text data. However, the electronic pen 10 has a function of converting only alphanumeric characters into text by describing it in a dedicated area provided on the dedicated paper 20 as a standard function. In the terminal device 25 and the like, it is of course possible to obtain text data from the coordinate data and vector data transmitted from the electronic pen 10 using a character recognition application.
[0028]
The electronic pen 10 can hold property information (pen information and pen owner information) on the pen itself and its owner, and can be referred to from an application. As the pen information, a battery level, a pen ID, a pen manufacturer number, a pen software version, a subscription provider ID, and the like can be held. The pen owner information can include a nationality, a language, a time zone, an email address, a free memory capacity, a name, an address, a fax / telephone number, a mobile phone number, and the like.
[0029]
Next, a method of acquiring X / Y data of the content described by the user using the electronic pen will be described. As described above, a predetermined dot pattern is printed on the dedicated paper 20. The camera 16 of the electronic pen 10 reads a dot pattern on the special paper 20 instead of reading a locus of ink written on the special paper 20 by the user. Actually, as shown in FIG. 1, the illumination area by the infrared LED 15 and the imaging area of the camera 16 (located in the illumination area) are shifted from the position where the pen tip 17 contacts the special paper 20.
[0030]
The dot pattern is printed with a special ink containing carbon or the like, and the camera 16 can recognize only the pattern using the special ink. Even when the ruled lines and frames are printed on the special paper with an ink (not including carbon) other than the special ink, the electronic pen does not recognize them. Therefore, when creating forms such as various application forms using the special paper, input frames, ruled lines, notes, and the like are printed with ink other than the special ink.
[0031]
In the dot pattern, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the position of each dot is associated with data. In the example of FIG. 3, two-bit information of 0 to 3 is displayed by shifting the position of the dot vertically and horizontally from the grid reference position (the intersection of the vertical line and the horizontal line). The position coordinates on the dedicated paper are determined by the combination of the information thus expressed. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, 36 dots are arranged in a grid within a range of 2 mm in length and width, and an array of data indicated by these dots (FIG. 4B) is printed on the dedicated paper. Are associated with the position coordinates. Therefore, when the camera 16 of the electronic pen 10 captures a dot pattern as shown in FIG. 4A, the processor 11 changes the data array shown in FIG. The acquired position coordinates on the dedicated paper (that is, the position of the dot pattern on the dedicated paper) corresponding thereto are calculated in real time. Note that the minimum unit for recognizing the dot pattern is 2 mm × 2 mm, and the camera 16 shoots about 100 times per second.
[0032]
Next, the special paper will be described. FIG. 5 shows an example of the structure of the special paper. As shown in the drawing, the special paper 20 has a dot pattern 32 printed on a backing sheet 30, and a pattern 34 such as a ruled line printed thereon. The backing paper 30 is usually paper, and the dot pattern 32 is printed with a special ink containing carbon as described above. In addition, the design 34 is printed with ordinary ink or the like. The dot pattern and the design may be printed at the same time, or one of them may be printed first.
[0033]
An example of the design 34 is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows an example of a certain application form 36 in which a plurality of entry fields 38 and a transmission box 39 are printed. Although not clearly shown in FIG. 6, a dot pattern is actually printed on the entire surface of the application form 36, and an entry field 38 and a transmission box 39 are printed thereon with ordinary ink. The user may use the electronic pen 10 to fill in the required items in the entry fields 38 of the application form 36 in the same manner as a conventional application form, without being conscious of the dot pattern.
[0034]
The area on the special paper 20 can be roughly divided into two types of areas. One is an entry area, in which the contents described by the electronic pen 10 are directly handled as information. In the example of FIG. 6, a plurality of entry fields 38 correspond to this. The other is a functional element, which executes an action, an instruction, and the like defined in advance for the area when the corresponding area is checked with the electronic pen 10. The transmission box 39 in the example of FIG. 6 corresponds to this.
[0035]
The transmission box 39 is used when giving an instruction to transmit data stored in the electronic pen 10 to the nearby terminal device 25 as described above. When the user checks the transmission box 39 with the electronic pen 10, the electronic pen 10 reads the dot pattern in the transmission box. The pattern is associated with the transmission instruction, and the processor 11 in the electronic pen 10 issues a transmission command of the data stored in the memory 12 to the Bluetooth transceiver 13.
[0036]
The assignment of the dot pattern is usually performed for each application (type of paper). That is, the dot patterns in a certain application do not overlap in one sheet, but the same application is printed with the same dot pattern. Therefore, when the user inputs necessary items with the electronic pen 10, it is possible to specify which item of the application is for the input item from the coordinate data on the application.
[0037]
As described above, by printing a predetermined design on the special paper on which the dot pattern is printed, various applications using the special paper can be created. If the user uses the electronic pen 10 to fill in the necessary items in the usual manner, the electronic data is automatically obtained.
[0038]
In the above example, the dot pattern is printed on the dedicated paper with ink containing carbon, but it is also possible to print the dot pattern on ordinary paper using a printer and ink containing carbon. Further, the design on the special paper can be formed not by printing but by a printer. When dot patterns are formed on paper by a printer, different dot patterns can be formed on each sheet. Therefore, it is possible to identify and discriminate these sheets one by one based on the difference between the formed dot patterns.
[0039]
In the present specification, the term “print” is a concept that includes not only normal printing but also printing by a printer.
[0040]
Next, transmission processing of data acquired by the electronic pen will be described. As described above, the communication function of the electronic pen 10 is based on Bluetooth. The communication function of the electronic pen 10 is based on a service server that handles data input to the dedicated paper 20 (in the case of a specific application, the application server is the server of the application). Therefore, data cannot be transmitted directly from the electronic pen 10. Therefore, the data acquired by the electronic pen 10 is transmitted from the terminal device 25 to the service server.
[0041]
The process at that time will be described with reference to FIG. The data obtained by the electronic pen 10 is mainly data of items input by the user, but usually does not include information on the service server to which the data is transmitted. Instead, information for specifying an application or service related to the special paper is included in a dot pattern on the special paper, and the information is obtained from the special paper during a user input operation. Therefore, the terminal device 25 that has received the input data from the electronic pen 10 first makes an inquiry to the inquiry server 26 to which service server 27 the data input for the dedicated paper should be transmitted. The inquiry server 26 has information of a corresponding service server for each dedicated paper, and in response to an inquiry from the terminal device 25, stores information (a URL or the like) of the service server 27 that performs services related to the dedicated paper. Reply to terminal device 25. Then, the terminal device 25 transmits the input data obtained from the electronic pen to the service server 27.
[0042]
In the above example, the terminal device 25, the inquiry server 26, and the service server 27 are configured separately, but some or all of them may be configured as one device.
[0043]
[Application procedure]
Next, a series of application procedure processing in which a user uses an electronic pen to input an application created using the above-described dedicated paper and accepts input data at a server will be described. It should be noted that the present invention is characterized in that a method for easily and accurately inputting time-related information using an electronic pen is provided during the application procedure.
[0044]
(Procedure system)
FIG. 7 shows a schematic configuration of the procedure system according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the procedure system according to the present embodiment, the user makes a delivery request using the electronic pen 10 and the delivery request slip 4 configured as the above-described dedicated paper. The reception server receives the data of the delivery request from the terminal device 25 and performs a reception process.
[0045]
As illustrated, the procedure system includes an electronic pen 10 and a terminal device 25 that are roughly used by a user, and a reception server 3. The terminal device 25 can be, for example, a mobile phone, a PDA, a personal computer, or the like. The terminal device 25 is communicably connected to the reception server 3 via the network 2. The reception server 3 is a server that receives a delivery request based on a delivery request form 4 created by a user, and stores a database 8 for storing delivery request data and the like, and XY coordinates read from a time specification column of the delivery request form 4. A time conversion table 7 for converting data into time data is provided.
[0046]
FIG. 8 shows functional blocks of the procedure system shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the reception server 3 functionally includes a reception processing program 10 and a time management program 9. The reception server 3 executes a reception process and a time management process by executing each program.
[0047]
To briefly explain the flow of the procedure by the procedure system, first, the user uses the electronic pen 10 to input the delivery request form 4. The input data is transmitted to the terminal device 25 via Bluetooth communication as delivery request data, and is transmitted from the terminal device 25 to the delivery request reception server 3 via the network 2. The reception server 3 receives the delivery request data and performs a predetermined reception process. At that time, extraction and processing of time information included in the delivery request data are performed.
[0048]
(Delivery request slip)
FIG. 9A is a specific example of a form 4 having a time designation field as an entry field. In this example, the form 4 is a delivery request slip 4 for requesting delivery of a courier service. A time specification column 41 is provided so that the user can specify the delivery time of the article. In the delivery request slip 4 illustrated in FIG. 9A, a dot pattern 32 is printed on a backing sheet 30 as shown in FIG. 5, and a pattern 34 is printed thereon with ordinary ink. That is, the pattern shown in FIG. 9A is printed with normal ink, but below it is printed a dot pattern as shown in FIG. 9B with a special ink containing carbon or the like. In FIG. 9B, for convenience of explanation, only an area of the delivery request slip 4 corresponding to an entry field for the user to fill in is shown with diagonal lines or the like, but actually, as shown in FIG. In general, a dot pattern is generally provided on the entire surface of the delivery request slip 4. Of course, as shown in FIG. 9B, it is also possible to provide a dot pattern only in the area corresponding to the entry column.
[0049]
(Procedure flow)
The user first creates a new delivery request form 4. That is, necessary items are input to the delivery request form 4 using the special paper using the electronic pen 10. At this time, the desired delivery time is input in the time specification entry field 41 in accordance with the time input method described later.
[0050]
Next, when the user completes the entry of necessary items in the delivery request form 4, the user inputs a check mark or the like in the transmission box 39 to transmit the input data as delivery request data. Thereby, the input data is transmitted from the electronic pen 10 to the reception server 3 via the terminal device 25. The time conversion program 9 included in the reception server 3 is based on the XY coordinate data indicating the input state of the time specification field input in the delivery request form 4 and data indicating which area of the time specification field has been input (hereinafter, referred to as “hereinafter”). (Designated area data) is generated and converted into time data using the time conversion table 7.
[0051]
The reception server 3 performs the reception processing by the reception processing program 10 and notifies the applicant of the reception number. This is performed, for example, by transmitting the reception number issued by the reception server 3 to the applicant by various methods such as facsimile, telephone, and e-mail.
[0052]
This completes a series of receiving processes. Here, the present system using an electronic pen provides a method that can easily and accurately input information on time that can be assumed as an input item on an application form by taking advantage of the electronic pen.
[0053]
Hereinafter, a specific input method thereof will be described. Each time input method is realized by the function of the time conversion program as shown in FIG. 8, and the different points of each input method are the design and input method of the time designation column 41 arranged in the delivery request form 4, and the time conversion. This means the configuration and contents of the table.
[0054]
Hereinafter, four modes will be described as specific examples of the time input method that can be realized by combining the input design of the time designation field 41 with the time conversion table.
[0055]
(First time input method)
FIG. 10A shows a time input pattern in the first input method. As shown in FIG. 10A, the first input method includes a design 61 for designating “am / pm”, a design 62 for designating “time”, and a design 63 for designating “minute”. . The time designation area of the design shown in FIG. 10A is defined as shown in FIG. 10B.
[0056]
In the design 61 designating "am / pm", the area 1-1 corresponding to the upper half of the circle is designated as "am" and the area 1-2 corresponding to the lower half is designated as "pm". . By using the electronic pen 10 to check the area 1-1 in the morning and the area 1-2 in the afternoon, the electronic pen 10 identifies the dot pattern in the area where the check mark is input. The input position is stored in the memory 12 in the electronic pen 10 as XY coordinate data.
[0057]
Similarly, in the design 62 for designating “time”, a circle is equally divided into 12 to represent 12 hours, and the area 2-1 to the area 2-12 are configured as areas for designating 0:00 to 11:00. Is done. When the user uses the electronic pen 10 to place a check mark on the area representing the "time" to be specified on the circle, the electronic pen 10 identifies the dot pattern in the area where the check mark has been entered, and enters the input position. Is stored in the memory 12 as XY coordinate data.
[0058]
Similarly, in the pattern 63 designating “minute”, the circle is divided into four equal parts to represent “minute” in units of 15 minutes, and the areas 3-1 to 3-4 are 0 minutes, 15 minutes, It is configured as an area that specifies 30 minutes and 45 minutes. When the user uses the electronic pen 10 to place a check mark on the area representing the "minute" to be designated on the circle, the electronic pen 10 identifies the dot pattern in the area where the check mark has been entered, and enters the input position. Is stored in the memory 12 as XY coordinate data. In this case, the input area is divided into four in 15-minute units. Of course, the area is divided into arbitrary units such as six in ten-minute units and two in 30-minute units according to the required time unit. Can be printed.
[0059]
The XY coordinate data recorded on the electronic pen 10 is transmitted to the reception server 3 via the mobile terminal 25 when the user finishes inputting all items including the time designation field and issues a transmission instruction.
[0060]
Next, processing of the time conversion program in the case of the first time input method will be described. The time conversion program 9 generates designated area data based on the XY coordinate data acquired from the electronic pen 10. The designated area data is data indicating which area defined by FIG. 10B corresponds to the XY coordinate data input from the electronic pen 10. Next, the time conversion program 9 collates the generated designated area data with the designated area data of the time conversion table shown in FIG. 10C prepared in advance, and extracts a time unit and a value from a matching row. The time conversion program 9 generates time data by combining the extracted value with the time unit. The above is the first time input method.
[0061]
(Second time input method)
FIG. 11 shows a time input field in the second input method. As shown in FIG. 11, in the second input method, the appearance is similar to that of a normal analog timepiece. In this input method, “time” is specified by inputting the radius of the small circle 73, and “minute” is specified by inputting the radius of the great circle 72. In the example shown in FIG. 11, 10:10 is specified.
[0062]
When the user inputs the radius 75 of the small circle 73, the electronic pen 10 identifies the dot pattern and reads the start point coordinates 76 and the end point coordinates 77 of the input straight line 75. In addition, the electronic pen 10 reads an angle 81 between the radii 79 and the radius 77 when the radius 79 is 0 degree. Similarly, when the user inputs the radius 74 of the great circle 72, the electronic pen 10 identifies the dot pattern and reads the start point coordinates 76 and the end point coordinates 78 of the radius 74. The electronic pen 10 reads an angle 80 between the radius 79 and the radius 74 when the radius 79 is 0 degree.
[0063]
The data of the start point / end point coordinates and the angle data of the radius straight line of the circle 73 representing the time and the data of the start point / end point coordinates and the angle data of the radius straight line of the circle 72 representing the minute recorded on the electronic pen 10 are provided by the user. When the input of all items including the time designation field is completed and a transmission instruction is issued, the data is transmitted to the reception server 3 via the mobile terminal 25.
[0064]
Next, FIG. 11B shows an example of the time conversion table in the case of using the above input method. The time conversion program 9 calculates the “length” of the straight line from the start point / end point coordinates of the two sets of straight lines acquired from the electronic pen 10. The time conversion program combines the "length" and "angle" data, compares the data with a time conversion table as shown in FIG. 11B, and extracts a matching value and a time unit. The time conversion program 9 generates time data by combining the extracted value with the time unit. The above is the second time input method.
[0065]
(Third time input method)
FIG. 12A shows a time input field in the third input method. In the third input method as shown in FIG. 12A, instead of inputting characters such as “AM” and “PM”, a numerical value representing time, and a numerical value representing minute, a check box is arranged in an input field, Specify the time by inputting a check mark in the corresponding check box. In this example, “month” and “day” are also provided with check boxes as units for specifying time. The first digit of “day” is designated in the upper part of “day”, and the second digit of “day” is designated in the lower part. Similarly, the first digit of “minute” is specified in the upper part of “minute”, and the second digit of “minute” is specified in the lower part. In the input example of FIG. 12A, 6:37 pm on April 28 is shown.
[0066]
When the user inputs a check mark in the check box, the electronic pen 10 identifies the dot pattern and stores the input position in the memory 12 as XY coordinate data. The XY coordinate data stored in the electronic pen 10 is transmitted to the reception server 3 via the mobile terminal 25 when the user finishes inputting all items including the time designation field and issues a transmission instruction.
[0067]
Next, processing of the time conversion program in the case of using the input method will be described. The time conversion program 9 generates designated area data based on the XY coordinate data acquired from the electronic pen 10. The designated area data is data indicating which area specified by FIG. 12B corresponds to the XY coordinate data input from the electronic pen 10. Next, the time conversion program 9 collates the generated designated area data with the designated area data of the time conversion table shown in FIG. 12C prepared in advance, and extracts a time unit and a value from a matching row. The time conversion program 9 generates time data by combining the extracted value with the time unit. The above is the third time input method.
[0068]
(Fourth time input method)
FIG. 13A shows a time input field in the fourth input method. In the fourth input method as shown in FIG. 13A, the appearance of a digital timepiece is a pattern. A numerical value from 0 to 9 is designated by drawing a line on the area arranged as shown in FIG. 13B or by filling the area. In this example, the left two digits represent “time” and the right two digits represent “minute”. In this figure, 7:15 is designated.
[0069]
When the user draws or fills a line in the area, the electronic pen 10 identifies the dot pattern and records the input position in the memory 12 as XY coordinate data. The XY coordinate data stored in the electronic pen 10 is transmitted to the reception server 3 via the mobile terminal 25 when the user finishes inputting all items including the time designation field and issues a transmission instruction.
[0070]
Next, processing of the time conversion program in the case of using the input method will be described. The time conversion program 9 generates designated area data based on the XY coordinate data acquired from the electronic pen 10. The designated area data is data indicating which area specified by FIG. 13B corresponds to the XY coordinate data input from the electronic pen 10. Next, the time conversion program 9 collates all the generated combinations of designated area data with the combinations of designated area data of the time conversion table shown in FIG. Take out. The time conversion program 9 generates time data by combining the extracted values. The above is the fourth time input method.
[0071]
In the present system, the time conversion program and the time conversion table are provided in the reception server 3. However, as another aspect, the conversion program and the conversion table are mounted on the portable terminal 25, and the time is converted on the portable terminal 25 side. After extracting the information, it is also possible to transmit the information to the reception server 3.
[0072]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the time can be easily and accurately input by designating the design for time designation printed on the form with the electronic pen. Therefore, even a user who is not accustomed to operating a personal computer can easily input time, and can accurately input "time" data expressed in various formats.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a usage pattern of an electronic pen.
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a structure of an electronic pen. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a method of expressing information by a dot pattern printed on a dedicated paper.
FIG. 4 shows an example of a dot pattern and information corresponding to the dot pattern.
FIG. 5 shows a structure of a form formed of dedicated paper.
FIG. 6 shows an example of a form.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an application procedure system according to the present invention.
8 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the application procedure system shown in FIG.
9 shows an example of the form 4 shown in FIG.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a pattern, an example of an area definition, and an example of a time conversion table in a time input field in the first input method.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a design of a time input field and an example of a time conversion table in the second input method.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a pattern, an example of an area definition, and an example of a time conversion table in a time input field in the third input method.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a pattern, an example of an area definition, and an example of a time conversion table in a time input field in a fourth input method.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 network 3 reception server 4 report 7 time conversion table 8 reception database 9 time conversion program 10 electronic pen 11 processor 12 memory 13 transceiver 14 battery 25 terminal device

Claims (5)

By reading the dot pattern optically from the electronic pen form on which the predetermined dot pattern is printed, user entry data corresponding to the contents entered in the electronic pen form is obtained, and the user entry data is acquired. An electronic pen for transmitting to the terminal device by wireless communication,
A terminal device for receiving the user entry data transmitted from the electronic pen,
The form has a time information entry field on which a dot pattern associated with the time information is printed,
The time information input system, wherein the terminal device includes time information acquisition means for receiving the user entry data in the time information entry column and acquiring corresponding time information. A user entry corresponding to the contents entered in the electronic pen form by optically reading the dot pattern from the electronic pen form having a time information entry field on which a dot pattern associated with time information is printed. Receiving means for receiving data from the electronic pen,
A time information acquisition unit that receives the user entry data for the time information entry column and acquires corresponding time information. A time information acquisition program executed by a computer, the computer comprising:
A user entry corresponding to the contents entered in the electronic pen form by optically reading the dot pattern from the electronic pen form having a time information entry field on which a dot pattern associated with time information is printed. Receiving means for receiving data from the electronic pen,
A time information acquisition program that functions as time information acquisition means for receiving the user entry data in the time information entry column and acquiring corresponding time information. An electronic pen form written by an electronic pen including an ink pen unit and a reading unit that optically reads a dot pattern, wherein a plurality of pieces of time information provided on the dot pattern and each associated with time information An electronic pen form having a designated area. 5. The electronic pen form according to claim 4, wherein the time information designation area includes an area corresponding to morning and afternoon, an area formed for each time, and an area formed for each predetermined number of minutes.

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