JP2003076457A - Device for inputting electronic form and support program for inputting electronic form - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device and a program for inputting an electronic form added with convenience by enabling customizing the electronic form for every user. SOLUTION: Input interface specifications including image specifications of the electronic form for the user are previously set in a using environment information setting section 23. When using the electronic form, the electronic form is customized for every user by reading out the input interface specifications including the image specifications previously set by an electronic form generating section 26 and reflecting them in the electronic form to be used.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic form input device and its program suitable for use in a procedural system for carrying out procedures such as various applications and notifications using a communication network such as the Internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various procedures such as application to a public office, notification, application to a company, registration, contract, etc. have been basically performed using paper documents. In other words, the procedure is carried out by a procedure in which a procedure person fills in a required form on a form prepared in advance, stamps it if necessary, attaches the necessary documents, and submits it to the recipient.

On the other hand, with the recent progress of network technology and the trend toward paperless, electronic documents data, rather than paper documents, are exchanged on a communication network such as the Internet, so that various kinds of data can be obtained. It is becoming possible to carry out procedures efficiently.

[0004]

By the way, when the above-mentioned electronic form is read out and displayed through the terminal device possessed by the user, the display style generally has the specifications of the electronic form or the terminal device possesses. It is fixedly displayed depending on the specifications. Therefore, the electronic form is reduced and displayed, or the input field is
There is a problem in that the entire electronic form cannot be viewed unless scrolling or switching pages is displayed across lines or pages, which adversely affects the input work.

Further, when inputting data into each input field of an electronic form, for example, a certain input field is set with a selection item in a list box, but some users dislike the selection in the list box and check boxes are selected. There was also the problem of user preference such as wanting to make a selection by.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an input interface specification including a screen specification of a user's electronic form is set in a file in advance so that the user can use the electronic form first. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic form input device and a program for the same, which enables customization of an electronic form for each user by reading an input interface specification including a set screen specification and reflecting it in an electronic form to be used. .

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in an electronic form input device, use environment information setting means for setting and storing use environment information of a user for each electronic form, and the electronic form input device. When using the form,
Electronic form generating means for reading the use environment information set for the electronic form from the use environment information setting means, and generating an electronic form customized according to the read use environment information.

According to the electronic form input device, the use environment information including the screen specifications of the electronic form for the user is set in advance in the use environment information setting means, and the electronic form is generated when the electronic form is used. By reading the use environment information previously set by the means and reflecting it in the electronic form to be used, the electronic form can be customized for each user. Therefore, it is possible to always provide the electronic form optimized to the preference of the user interface, and it is possible to provide the electronic form input device with improved operability and convenience.

In one aspect of the electronic form input device,
The use environment information set by the use environment information setting means is information indicating the type of the selection object used when the user is prompted to make a selection input, the input field of the electronic form, or the page is moved. It is at least one piece of information indicating the type of each moving object used at times.

According to this aspect, the types of the selection object and the moving object can be arbitrarily set, and the electronic form having the input interface optimized to the user's preference can be provided, so that the operability and convenience are improved. A costly electronic form input device can be provided.

In another aspect of the electronic form input device, the use environment information setting means associates the use environment information with user identification information and a unique electronic form ID attached to the electronic form. save.

According to this aspect, when a certain user uses an electronic form, the electronic form is always presented in a predetermined specification environment, and the user creates an electronic document in an environment suitable for himself. Can be done efficiently.

In still another aspect of the electronic form input device, the use environment information setting means stores the use environment information in a storage section in the electronic form input device.

[0014] In still another aspect of the electronic form input device, the use environment information setting means stores the use environment information in a server connected to the electronic form input device via a communication network. .

Further, in still another aspect of the electronic form input device, the use environment information setting means includes:
The usage environment information is stored in a portable storage medium from which stored information can be read by the electronic form input device.

According to these aspects, the use environment setting information is set and stored in any one of the electronic form input device, the server, and the storage medium, and is read and generated from any place when the electronic form is used. It is possible to provide an electronic form having an input interface optimized to the user's preference by reflecting it on the.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronic form input support program is a means for reading an electronic form stored in a server or a recording medium connected via a communication network, and displaying the electronic form on a screen. A means for displaying, a means for taking in the data input by the user, creating a desired form, a setting environment information setting means for setting and storing the usage environment information of the user for each electronic form, and using the electronic form At this time, the computer is caused to function as a customization unit that reads out the use environment information set for the electronic form from the use environment information setting unit and customizes the electronic form according to the read use environment information.

By executing the above electronic form input support program on a computer, the use environment information including screen specifications of the electronic form for the user is set in advance in the use environment information setting means, and the electronic form is used. In doing so, the use environment information previously set by the electronic form generation means is read out and reflected in the used electronic form, and the electronic form can be customized for each user. Therefore, it is possible to always provide the electronic form optimized to the user interface preference, and the operability,
An electronic form input device with improved convenience can be provided.

In one mode of the above program, the use environment setting means obtains an electronic form including a plurality of input fields and displays it on a screen, and inputs the user's input to input data into the input fields. And means for setting and storing the use environment information including the screen specifications at the time of data input in association with the identification information of the user and the identification information of the electronic form.

According to this aspect, since the electronic form input support program is executed on the electronic form input device, the electronic form and the use environment setting information are set and stored in association with each other for each user. At this time, by reading this out and reflecting it in the generated electronic form, it becomes an electronic form having an input interface optimized to the user's preference.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually showing the structure of a procedure system in which the electronic form input device of the present invention is adopted.

The procedural system shown here is, for example,
It has a function of executing various procedures including an insurance contract, product purchase, etc. online and providing various related information on the completed procedure to the user.

As shown in FIG. 1, the procedure main body 2, the procedure destination 3, the form production company 5, the external function provider 10, and the application / notification platform 15 (hereinafter simply referred to as “platform”) are the Internet or the like. It is connected via the communication network 1.

The procedure main body 2 is a person who performs various procedures such as application, and includes individuals and companies. The procedures include, for example, various applications, notifications and registrations made by individuals and companies to public offices, as well as applications, registrations and contracts made by individuals and companies to private companies.

The procedure destination 3 is a party to whom the procedure subject 2 performs predetermined procedures, and includes private companies such as banks and insurance companies in addition to public offices. Further, although only one procedure destination 3 is shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of procedures 3 are actually connected to the communication network 1.

The form production company 5 is a company that creates and provides electronic forms of documents required for various procedures performed by the procedure subject 2 with respect to the procedure destination 3. Conventional procedures such as applications have been performed using paper documents, but in the procedure system shown here, procedures are executed using electronic forms.

Here, the "electronic form" means the procedure subject 2
Is electronic data for an application form in a state before the necessary items are entered. The electronic form includes a document name, an input item name, an input field, and the like in advance, and the procedure subject 2 uses the input screen displayed on his / her terminal device to input necessary items into the input field. The data which the procedure subject 2 has entered using the electronic form to input necessary items and can be submitted to the destination of the procedure may be referred to as an “electronic document” below to distinguish it from the electronic form which has not been entered.

The form manufacturing company 5 creates electronic forms to be used for various procedures in response to requests from the procedure destination 3 and the like,
It has a role of providing and registering to the platform 15.

The platform 15 is operated by the company A and enters between the procedure main body 2 and the procedure destination 3 to perform various processes associated with the execution of the procedure.

The external function provider 6 is a company, an organization, or the like that provides various specialized processes, services, etc. in connection with the execution of procedures by the platform 15. With such a configuration, the procedure is executed between the procedure subject 2 and the procedure destination 3.

In this embodiment, the Internet is used as the communication network 1, and the procedure subject 2 is the electronic form input device 20 as the terminal device and the procedure destination 3
Will be described below assuming that the electronic form providing server is installed in the destination server, the platform 15 or the form manufacturing company 5.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram functionally showing the internal structure of the electronic form input device of the present invention.

Specifically, each block shown below is C
CPU composed of hardware including PU and memory
Reads the electronic form input support program recorded in the memory and sequentially executes it to realize the function of each block.

The electronic form input device 20 of the present invention includes a communication interface unit 21 and an electronic form acquisition unit 22.
A use environment information setting unit 23 and an electronic form generation unit 2
4, an input / output interface unit 25, a display data generation unit 26, and an input data acquisition unit 27.

The communication interface section 21 is configured so that the electronic form providing server 40 installed in the form manufacturing company 5 or the platform 15 can change the screen specifications and input interface specifications of the electronic form according to the data read from the outside. It has a function of receiving an electronic form to which a program is attached or an electronic form configured so that it can be changed and providing it to the electronic form acquisition unit 22. Further, the communication interface unit 21 has a function of transmitting an electronic document created using an externally connected keyboard, mouse, display, etc. to the destination server 30 of the procedure destination 3, and here, as the communication network 1, To use the internet,
TCP / IP (Transport Control Protocol / Intern)
et Protocol).

In the use environment information setting section 23, the use environment information of the user is set for each electronic form. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2, this usage environment information is composed of a user ID, a unique electronic form ID attached to an electronic form, and usage environment information, and these Information is stored in the electronic form support device 20 as a use environment setting information table (TBL) 230.

The use environment setting information TBL230 is
In addition to the electronic form input device 20, it may be stored in an electronic form providing server connected to the electronic form input device 20 via the communication network 1, or stored in the IC card 200 as described later. I don't mind.

The use environment information is the size of characters to be displayed,
It consists of input interface specifications including screen specifications such as screen color tone and saturation. The input interface specifications include mouse and keyboard priority, selection objects such as radio buttons, list boxes, check boxes, etc., as described later. There is setting data etc.

On the other hand, when using the electronic form, the electronic form generator 24 has a function of reading the use environment information from the use environment information TBL 230 using the user ID and generating an electronic form according to the use environment information. 3, and its specific processing procedure is shown in FIG. 3 and subsequent figures.

The input / output interface section 25 is used as an input / output device for the electronic form input device 20 of the present invention.
Is an interface for inputting or displaying a keyboard, a mouse, and a display connected to, and displays the display data generated by the display data generating unit 26 on the display screen. The path is a path for supplying the input data input and input by the input data capturing unit 27 to the display data generating unit 26 or the use environment information setting unit 23.

3 and 4 are diagrams quoted for explaining the operation of the present embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure of the electronic form input support program of the present invention, FIG. 3 (a) shows an example of a method of acquiring usage environment information, and FIG. Show. Further, FIG. 4 schematically shows the operation of the electronic form input device of the present invention.

In FIG. 4, the usage environment information TBL 230 is set to I
By holding the C card 200 and reading it through the IC card reader 201 connected as one of the input / output devices of the electronic form input device 20, the input interface specifications most suitable for the user who owns the IC card 200. An example of creating an electronic form with is shown.

The operation of this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

In the operation described below, the screen specifications and input interface specifications of the electronic form of each user are set and stored in the use environment information setting unit 23 as use environment information in advance. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, for an electronic form,
Screen size 800 x 600, dark color tone, no image display, input device priority is mouse priority, selected object priority is radio button if alternative
In the case of multiple selection, the use 100 of the user interface is defined as giving priority to the list box, and this is stored in the use environment information TBL 230 together with the user's own user ID. Here, this usage environment information TBL230
Further, a copy of the above is stored in the IC card 200.

First, an example of a method of acquiring the usage environment information will be described with reference to FIG. After logging in to the electronic form providing server (step S31), the user obtains a desired electronic form (step S32) and creates a form such as an application form using the electronic form (step S33). The use environment information used by the user at that time is the electronic form input device 20 together with the user ID of the user and the electronic form ID used at that time.
Saved in any storage area of
L230 is automatically set and held (step S3)
4). As a result, the usage environment information is stored for the electronic form that the user has used once. Therefore, when the same user uses the same electronic form, the electronic form can be used by the stored use environment information.

As another method of acquiring the usage environment information, when the user uses the electronic form, the user pre-designates the specifications desired by the user with the electronic form providing server. Data designated by the user may be set and stored in the usage environment information TBL 230. These controls are performed by the use environment information setting unit 2
3 does.

Next, FIG. 3 shows the processing when the user uses the electronic form using the electronic form input device of the present invention.
This will be described with reference to (b). On the electronic form providing server 40 side, it is possible to change the screen specifications and the input interface specifications of the provided electronic forms with respect to the data read from the outside, or to make such changes. Provide a set electronic form.

When the electronic form input device 20 receives the electronic form as described above at the electronic form acquisition unit 22 via the communication interface unit 21 (step S40),
Use environment information TBL2 via the use environment information setting unit 23
30, the electronic form I of the received electronic form
It is determined whether or not the usage environment information corresponding to D is set (step S41). When the corresponding usage environment information is set, the electronic form generation unit 24 is activated,
The electronic form is customized in a form according to the use environment information set in the use environment information TBL 230 (step S42). On the other hand, if the use environment information corresponding to the electronic form ID is not set in the use environment information TBL 230, the electronic form generation unit 24 generates the received electronic form in a mode according to the default specifications (step S43). ).

As shown in FIG. 4, when the use environment information set for each user is recorded in the IC card 200, after the user performs personal authentication using the IC card 200. The electronic form data provided by the electronic form providing server 40 and having variable screen settings and input interfaces is displayed. At that time, the electronic form input device 20 displays the electronic form in which the user interface is set for each user according to the use environment information included in the specification environment information setting TBL 230 in the IC card 200.

For example, regarding the priority order of the selected object in the default state, it is assumed that the radio button is selected at the time of selection, and the list box is set as the priority order through the use environment information setting unit 23. , A list box that suits the user's preference will be displayed at the alternative input location included in the electronic form. The same applies to other specifications.

As described above, an electronic form customized for each user or a default electronic form is generated (step S42 or S43), and the user selects a keyboard, mouse, display, etc. connected as an input / output device. By operating, the data is sequentially filled in the input fields according to the electronic form, and an electronic document such as a desired application form is created (step S4).
4).

As described above, according to the present invention, the input environment specifications including the screen specifications of the electronic form of the user are set in advance in the use environment information setting unit 23, and when the electronic form is used, the input interface specifications are set. It is possible to customize the electronic form for each user by reading the input interface specification set corresponding to the electronic form and reflecting it in the electronic form to be used. Therefore, it is possible to always provide an electronic form that is easy for the user to handle.

Further, the use environment information TBL is stored in the electronic form input terminal 20 as well as I carried by the user.
It can also be saved in the C card. As a result, the user can obtain the customized electronic form according to the usage environment information read from the IC card, regardless of which terminal device is used to perform the input process of the electronic form.

The above IC card is merely an example, and various other portable storage media can be used.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, only the example of obtaining the electronic form from the electronic form providing server 40 and customizing the electronic form into a user-friendly electronic form has been described, but the electronic form recorded in the recording medium is described. The same applies when customizing. That is, an electronic form that is programmed so that the screen specifications and input interface specifications of the electronic form can be changed with respect to the data read from the outside, or an electronic form that is set so that such changes can be made. The present invention can be similarly applied regardless of the source (source) of.

[0057]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By customizing the user interface of the electronic form for each user, it is possible to obtain an optimized electronic form based on the work environment of the user and the input interface specifications of the user's preference, and work efficiency is improved due to improved operability. Is improved and convenience can be provided to the user.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually showing a configuration of a procedure system in which an electronic form input device of the present invention is adopted.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram functionally showing the internal configuration of the electronic form input device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of an electronic form input support program of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an operation conceptual diagram schematically showing an operation of the electronic form input device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Communication network (Internet) 2 ... Procedure body 3 ... Procedure destination 5 ... Form production company 10 ... External function provider 15 ... Application / Notification Platform 20 ... Electronic form input device 21 ... Communication interface section 22 ... Electronic form acquisition unit 23 ... Use environment information setting section 24 ... Electronic form generation unit 25 ... Input / output interface section 26 ... Display data generation unit 27 ... Input data capturing section 30 ... Destination server 30 40 ... Electronic form providing server 230 ... Use environment information table (TBL)

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. Use environment information setting means for setting and storing use environment information of a user for each electronic form, and use environment information set for the electronic form when the electronic form is used. And an electronic form generating means for generating an electronic form customized in accordance with the read use environment information. 2. The use environment information set by the use environment information setting means is information indicating a type of a selection object used when a user is prompted to make a selection input, an input field of the electronic form, or The electronic form input device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic form input device is at least one piece of information indicating a type of each moving object used when moving a page. 3. The use environment information setting means stores the use environment information in association with user identification information and a unique electronic form ID attached to an electronic form. Or the electronic form input device according to 2. 4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the use environment information setting unit stores the use environment information in a storage unit in the electronic form input device. Form input device. 5. The use environment information setting means stores the use environment information in a server connected to the electronic form input device via a communication network. The electronic form input device according to the item 1. 6. The use environment information setting means stores the use environment information in a portable storage medium from which stored information can be read by the electronic form input device. An electronic form input device according to claim 1. 7. A server connected via a communication network, a means for reading out an electronic form stored in a recording medium, a means for displaying the electronic form on a screen, and a data input by a user to obtain a desired data. A means for creating an electronic document, a usage environment information setting means for setting and storing user's usage environment information for each electronic form, and a usage environment set for the electronic form when the electronic form is used An electronic form input support program that causes a computer to function as a customization unit that reads information from the usage environment information setting unit and customizes the electronic form according to the read usage environment information. 8. The use environment setting means obtains an electronic form including a plurality of input fields and displays the electronic form on a screen, a means for receiving an input from a user and inputting data in the input field, 8. The electronic form according to claim 7, further comprising: means for setting and storing usage environment information including screen specifications at the time of data input in association with user identification information and identification information of the electronic form. Input support program.