JP2000103183A - Calling card and calling card decoding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a calling card that can record at least a part of the content contained in a character display part and the member information of the person himself of the calling card with codes or audio-signals, and a calling card decoder. SOLUTION: As the code display part of a calling card 1 is passed through the slit 12 of a reading part 11, a dot pattern printed on the calling card is irradiated by means of a light source installed in one side of the slit 12, and reflected lights thereof are read by a sensor. The output is converted in a character code at a character reading part 13 and stored in a memory for a time, and a character string is indicated by a display 16 such as liquid crystal or a CRT monitor driven by a display driver 15. Also, the output of the reading part 11 is sent to a D/A converter 17 of the reading part 11 to thereby be converted into an analogue data and amplified by an amplifier 18, resulting in reproduction as audio-signals by means of a speaker or an earphone.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a business card on which character display information such as a name, affiliation name, address, telephone number, etc. is printed, and encodes and displays at least a part of the character display information and additional information as necessary. Business cards printed as copies, and
The present invention relates to a business card decoding device that obtains character information or voice information by decoding a code display portion of the business card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Business cards are for introducing individuals or individuals belonging to companies and organizations, and it is important to organize and use them effectively, but in general there are very many business cards to be exchanged. The reality was that people were so busy that they had to sort them out. There are various ways of organizing business cards, but the most common one is to put the business card you received in a business card book or put it in a case. However, as the number increased, it took time and effort to retrieve the necessary items, and a storage space was also required. Therefore, the name of the business card, company name, affiliation, post, address, telephone number, fax number, etc. are visually read and made a list using a word processor or personal computer database software, so that you can make a call automatically, It was also used for mailing addresses.

[0003]

Various attempts have been made to reduce the burden of this input operation. For example, there is a type in which an optical pattern is read by a scanner and this is stored as image data. However, this method only saves the image of the business card itself as image data, so that the contents of the business card cannot be used as it is for a sealed letter or direct mail destination, and since it is image data, a large amount of storage capacity is required for storage. It is necessary, and it is difficult to adopt it to portable terminals and the like in terms of storage capacity.

[0004] Next, there is a method in which characters written on a business card are read as an optical pattern by a scanner, and the characters are decoded one by one by character decoding software to be taken in as text data. However, the fonts and the size and description of the characters on business cards, such as the placement of departments and titles, vary widely, and there are also things such as company emblems and portraits that make it difficult to decode 100%. Yes, and misleading characters and special characters that are not in the character code must be manually corrected, which requires a lot of time and effort to correct them. The fact is that there are many.

In order to solve such a problem, if the contents to be described on the business card are printed at a predetermined position in a predetermined font and character size, misreading will be extremely reduced. This hinders the intention of expressing the individuality of the person and the uniqueness of the company, and it is not feasible to create such a business card in a national standard.

[0006] In order to solve these problems, what can be considered technically is, for example, to attach a magnetic tape, an IC, or the like to a business card and record the business card description items as data in a specific format. However, such a configuration cannot be realized only by printing and is expensive, and is hardly adopted for business cards that are distributed and exchanged in large numbers on a daily basis, which is also practically difficult.

There is also an attempt to read a character or code printed on a business card and, in the case of Japanese, pronounce the pronunciation of the pre-recorded 50 sounds corresponding to the read content. In the flow of words, accents were different, and the timing of pronunciation between notes was different, so that only unnatural pronunciations could be obtained.

[0008] The present invention solves many of the conventional problems described above,
Just adding the print contents does not cost much extra creation cost,
An object of the present invention is to provide a business card that can insert information about a business card and content for introducing the person as information and can be extracted as character data or voice information, and a business card decoding device that can decode the business card.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a business card comprising a name, an affiliation, and an address at least by letters or symbols at only the front surface or at any position on the front surface and the back surface. A character display portion on which visible information such as a telephone number is printed, and at least a part of the visible information and, if necessary, personal information other than the visible information in a predetermined format only at the front surface or at predetermined positions on the front and back surfaces. And a code display section printed in the same manner as the character display section.

[0010] With this configuration, the character display portion of the business card can display characters in any position, font, size, and typeface in the same manner as in the past, and each person or each company / organization creates a business card with free characteristics. It is possible to encode and record at least a part of the visible information and, if necessary, personal information other than the visible information in a predetermined format on a code display unit, and to provide a business card at a low cost by printing once. Can be.

According to a second aspect of the business card of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the information recorded in the code display section includes at least voice information. Thus, at least a part of the visible information of the character display unit and, if necessary, personal information other than the visible information can be recorded as voice.

According to a third aspect of the business card of the present invention, the business card according to the first or second aspect is characterized in that at least a base of the code display portion is coated with a material for smoothing the cloth. In the business card according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to any one of the first to third aspects, at least a colored portion on which a code of the code display portion can be clearly identified is formed on a base of the code display portion. It is characterized by the following.

[0013] Of these, the configuration of claim 3 is erroneous because, for example, when Japanese paper or paper embossed with a leather pattern is used as a material for a business card, it is not printed well or a part of dots is missing. Recognition and claim 4
The configuration of the business card paper itself is colored,
Erroneous recognition due to low contrast between a dot and a non-dot portion can be eliminated.

Next, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a business card decoding device, comprising reading out information encoded and printed on a code display portion of a business card according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and reading character data. The business card decoder according to claim 6 of the present invention reads information encoded and printed on a code display section of a business card in the configuration according to claim 5. A reading unit, a character decoding unit that converts information read by the reading unit into character information, a storage unit that temporarily stores a character string decoded by the character decoding unit, and information stored in the storage unit. And a display means for visually displaying.

With this configuration, the code information can be visually displayed and viewed, so that a large amount of storage is not required for storing characters as image information after decoding, and conversion from image information to code information is not required. The character information can be input into the database without any trouble when converting.

According to a seventh aspect of the business card decoding device of the present invention, the audio information encoded and printed on the code display section of the business card according to any one of the second to fourth aspects is read to reproduce the audio. Further, according to the configuration of claim 8 of the business card decoding device of the present invention, in the configuration of claim 7, the audio information encoded and recorded on the code display section of the business card is read. A reading unit, a digital-to-analog (D / A) converting unit that converts the audio information read by the reading unit into an audio signal, and reproduces the audio information converted to the audio signal by the D / A converting unit. And reproducing means for performing the operation.

According to this configuration, at least a part of the visible information of the character display unit and, if necessary, personal information other than the visible information can be heard by voice, so that characters that are difficult to read are not erroneously read. If necessary, the voice of the person can be included, and self-appeal that cannot be made with a conventional business card can be made.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a business card and a decoding device for the same according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing printed contents of a business card according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a business card decoding device for reading character data and voice information from the business card of FIG. 1 and displaying or reproducing the same.

Referring to FIG. 1, an example of a business card of an individual belonging to a company will be described.
Character display section 9 displaying company name 3, section 4 of affiliation and title, name 5, zip code 6, address 7, telephone / fax number 8, etc. has an arbitrary font, character size, and conventionally known printing at an arbitrary position. Printing is performed by a method such as intaglio printing, letterpress printing, offset printing, or the like. The printing includes printing using a method such as a photograph, a thermal printer, and an ink jet printer. In addition, a code display unit 10 in which character information or voice information is encoded in the same manner as the character display unit 9 displaying each display item is printed at a predetermined position.

The code printed on the code display section 10 may be a one-dimensional bar code that is generally used,
Since the amount of information that can be accommodated per unit area is small, for example, a two-dimensional code pattern (hereinafter, referred to as a “code printing device”) disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. This is suitable for arranging a large amount of information such as voice information in an area where the dot pattern is small. The voice information stored in the code display unit 10 includes at least a part of the content displayed on the character display unit 9, and may further include personal information such as personal characteristics and voice of the user. .

In FIG. 2, a reading unit 11 has a slit 12 for passing the code display unit 10 of the business card 1 of FIG.
A light source (not shown) that irradiates the code display unit 10 and a sensor (not shown) that receives reflected light from the code display unit 10 are arranged on one side of the slit 12. Sign display unit 10
Is read by a reading unit 11, converted into a character code by a character decoding unit 13, temporarily stored in a memory 14, and the stored character string is displayed on a display such as a liquid crystal or a CRT monitor driven by a display driver 15. It is displayed at 16. Although not shown, the output of the character decoding unit 13 can be sent to a computer and accumulated as a database.

The output of the sampling unit 11 is a D / A converter 17
The digital data is converted to analog data, amplified by the amplifier 18 and then transmitted to the speaker or earphone 1.
9 can be reproduced as audio.

When a dot code is used for the code display section 10 of the present invention, each dot of the code is extremely fine, so that when a business card material such as Japanese paper or leather embossed paper is used, for example. , The code may not be printed properly or some of the dots may be missing, and may not be recognized correctly. Therefore, this embodiment is characterized in that a material for smoothing the surface of the paper is coated in advance with a material for smoothing the surface of the paper by printing on a base on which the code display section is printed, and a code is printed thereon, thereby eliminating such a defect. I do.

The coating for smoothing the surface of the paper is as follows:
For example, in woodworking, it is the same image as dissolving fine earth powder called so-called abrasive powder with water, rubbing it with a cloth or the like into the grain of wood, and smoothing the surface of the wood. In order to print thicker, a mixture of pigments for coloring that gives contrast with the printing ink as a base for dot code printing, substances that prevent ink bleeding, binders that adhere to paper, etc.
For example, printing may be performed by a method such as intaglio printing. The base material is not limited to the soil powder, and may be a base material such as calcium carbonate. If the substrate is of an appropriate color, coloring or the like becomes unnecessary. The material is not limited as long as it is used for such a purpose, and the printing method is not limited to the above example as long as the purpose can be achieved.

If the paper of the business card is smooth even if the paper itself is colored, the dot code is also difficult to recognize because the contrast between the dot and the non-dot portion is low, so that at least the code is used. Display 1
A colored portion in which the dot code can be clearly identified can be formed in the 0 portion by printing or the like.

Only the character information may be indicated by the dot code printed in this way, and it is possible to clear the problem caused by the conventional technique by using only the dot information. Alternatively, only audio information may be recorded instead of text information. By reading aloud at least a part of the contents described in the character display section of the business card, for example, visually impaired persons can also know what kind of person is the main person of the business card, and the voice information is If the voice of the person, and if a photo of the person is printed on the business card, the impression of meeting with the photograph and voice will be revived, and it will be able to appeal to the person very much more than the conventional business card it can.

Of course, character information and voice information may be mixed. A sign indicating the start and end of the character information is added before and after the character information, and a sign indicating the start and end of the sound information is added before and after the sound information. Reference numeral 17 indicates whether the information is character information or voice information. The character information is stored as a database and can be used for creating a mailing address or a directory, and the telephone number and fax number are automatically stored. It can be used when making a telephone call or facsimile to the other party.

In this embodiment, all the character display portions and the code display portions are displayed on only one side of the business card. However, the character display portions may be provided on the front and back sides. It may be only on the back side, or naturally on both sides. Also, information other than characters and symbols such as photographs may be recorded.

[0029]

As described above, according to the business card of the present invention, the character display portion of the business card can display characters in any position, font, size, and typeface in the same manner as in the prior art.
Each person or each company / organization creates a business card with free characteristics, and encodes and records at least a part of the visible information and, if necessary, personal information other than the visible information in a predetermined format on the code display unit. Can print well at once and provide business cards at a low price.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, at least a part of the visible information of the character display unit and, if necessary, personal information other than the visible information can be recorded in voice.

According to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, when a business card material is made of Japanese paper or embossed paper with a leather pattern, an erroneous printing due to poor printing or a missing part of dots occurs. The recognition and the erroneous recognition due to the low contrast between the dots and the non-dot portions can be eliminated by coloring the business card paper itself.

Next, the business card decrypting apparatus of the present invention can display the decrypted contents according to the constitutions of claims 5 and 6, and does not require a large storage amount for storing characters as image information after decryption. In addition, the character information can be stored in a database without error conversion when converting the image information into the code information.

Further, according to the constitutions of claims 7 and 8, at least a part of the visible information of the character display portion and, if necessary, personal information other than the visible information can be heard by voice, and characters which are difficult to read are erroneously read. Without any need, the voice of the person himself can be entered if necessary, and self-appeal that cannot be made with a conventional business card becomes possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a business card of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a business card decoding device for reading character data and voice information from the business card and displaying or reproducing the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 business card 9 character display section 10 code display section 11 reading section 13 character decoding section 14 memory 15 display driver 16 display section 17 D / A converter 18 amplifier 19 speaker or earphone

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A character display unit in which visible information such as a name, affiliation name, address, telephone number, etc. is printed at least by letters or symbols at any position on the front side or on the front side and the back side; A code display unit at a predetermined position, wherein at least a part of the visible information and, if necessary, personal information other than the visible information are encoded and printed in a predetermined format, the code display unit is the same as the character display unit. A business card printed by a printing method. 2. The business card according to claim 1, wherein the information recorded on the code display section includes at least audio information. 3. The business card according to claim 1, wherein at least a base of the code display portion is provided with a coating for smoothing the fabric. 4. The business card according to claim 1, wherein a colored portion is formed on at least a base of the code display portion so that the code of the code display portion can be clearly identified. 5. A business card decoding device, wherein information encoded and printed on the code display section of the business card according to claim 1 is read out and converted into character data. 6. A reading section for reading information encoded and printed on a code display section of a business card, a character decoding section for converting the information read by the reading section into character information, and the character decoding section. The business card decoder according to claim 5, further comprising: a storage unit that temporarily stores a character string decoded by the unit; and a display unit that visually displays information stored in the storage unit. 7. A business card decoding device, characterized by reading out audio information encoded and printed on the code display part of the business card according to any one of claims 2 to 4, and reproducing the audio. 8. A reading section for reading voice information encoded and recorded on a code display section of a business card, and a digital / digital converter for reading the voice information read by the reading section.
8. The business card according to claim 7, further comprising: a D / A converter that converts the analog signal into an audio signal; and a reproducing unit that reproduces the audio information converted into the audio signal by the D / A converter. Decryption device. [0001]