JP2004171178A - Image processing system and readable storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To use HTML format to store images read with an image scanner, thereby making it possible to browse the images not with dedicated software but with a Web browser, and eliminating the need to select the kinds of PC and OS software, while improving quick viewability. <P>SOLUTION: This image processing system comprises an image reader with an image reading procedure capable of reading documents and with an interface means for inputting and outputting read images and control signals to an information processing terminal; and a readable storage medium in which a read instruction procedure for providing instructions to read the images into the image reader, an input procedure for inputting image data or the like from the image reader, and an image storage procedure for converting the images received from the input procedure into a universal format for storage are recorded in HTML format whereby information about the received images is associated with the location of storage of the received images, etc. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a data processing device connected to an image processing device that handles image data, a data processing method in a data processing system having the image processing device and the data processing device, and a computer-readable medium.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In order to handle an image on a personal computer (hereinafter, PC), an image reading device reads an image from a medium on which characters and images are printed, and inputs the image data to the PC.
[0003]
The read image is passed to the application that handles the image on the PC, and the user saves the image with a name every time the user reads the image, or saves the read image with a name directly without using the application. The image is dealt with above.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Each time a read image is read, the user designates a hard disk drive or a folder in the PC, and saves the image with a name. Therefore, the image is scattered in the PC and management becomes difficult.
[0005]
If only the read image is stored in a general-purpose format, the image can be browsed by many image processing applications, but information such as the read date, time, and resolution is lost. However, if such information is stored together with the image, it becomes a dedicated format, and can be viewed only by a dedicated application.
[0006]
When a number of read images are accumulated, it becomes very difficult to search for a target image unless the relation between the image and the date is known.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The original is read from the apparatus by the image reading means to the image reading apparatus, and the image data is sent to the PC by the interface means. The PC receives data such as an image from the image reading device according to the input procedure.
Character information, image information, and their layout information are extracted from the received image by an OCR procedure, and the extracted image is converted into a general format distributed on the Internet by an image storage procedure and stored. The text storage procedure is a general-purpose hypertext format that can be distributed on the Internet in which all the character information extracted by the OCR procedure, the layout information, and the location information of the image stored by the image storage procedure are associated. Create and save in format.
[0008]
With these image processing systems, it is possible to browse images read from originals using Internet browsing software generally attached to the OS of a PC, and manage data such as date and image data in a unified manner. Will be possible. Also, if the character can be recognized by the OCR procedure, the size of storing the data becomes smaller than simply storing it as an image, and a search using a keyword or the like becomes easy.
[0009]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
(Example)
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC) used as an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0010]
In FIG.
101 CPU
The entire image processing system, which is a system control unit, is controlled.
[0011]
102 SRAM
It is mainly used as a cache memory.
[0012]
103 DRAM
It is used as a main memory for storing various data.
[0013]
104 Network adapter Used for network connection.
[0014]
105 Graphic controller Used to control image information and the like.
[0015]
106 is for displaying and notifying predetermined information to a display operator, and is connected to the CPU 101 via the graphic controller 105.
[0016]
107 IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) controller for controlling an IDE hard disk.
[0017]
108 One of storage devices for storing a hard disk application program and the like, and is connected to the CPU 101 via the IDE controller 107.
[0018]
109 I / O controller The I / O controller controls each I / O device, through which a floppy disk controller 110, a mouse 111, a keyboard 112, a serial interface 114, and a parallel interface 113 are connected to the CPU 101.
[0019]
110 Floppy disk controller Writes and reads to and from a floppy disk which is an external storage device.
[0020]
111 is for the mouse operator to operate various inputs.
[0021]
112 The keyboard operator performs various input operations.
[0022]
113 USB (Universal serial bus) interface This is an interface for communicating and connecting USB format packet data with external peripheral devices.
[0023]
In this facsimile system, an image scanner (200) is connected.
[0024]
200 Image scanner Has an interface to connect to a personal computer and reads images.
[0025]
In this embodiment, an image processing system is realized by using a PC (100) as an image processing apparatus. Then, the image processing system realizes functions according to the present invention by executing a program stored in the hard disk (108).
[0026]
An instruction procedure for instructing the image reading apparatus to read, an input procedure for inputting data such as an image from the image reading apparatus through an interface on the PC (100) side, and converting and storing a received image. In this embodiment, the procedure for saving an image to be stored and the procedure for saving text associated with the information of the image are stored in a floppy disk (110B) which is a readable storage medium, and are read by a PC (100). This is realized by storing and executing various procedures on the hard disk (108).
[0027]
Further, an image scanner (200) is used as an image reading device.
[0028]
The hypertext format that is versatile and can be distributed on the Internet and that is described in the claims uses HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) and a grammar "tag".
[0029]
First, in the reading instruction procedure, the GUI (FIG. 4) causes the image reading means to start reading a document in accordance with a user instruction. In the reading instruction procedure, the user can specify settings for reading the document such as the number of colors, resolution, and reading size on each tab (401), and compress the image read on the storage format tab (403). The storage format can be specified. At this time, the procedure of the present invention is executed by specifying the HTML.
[0030]
When the scan button (402) is clicked with the mouse cursor (404) while the HTML tab (403) is selected, the reading instruction procedure instructs the image scanner (200) to read the document together with the reading setting. Similarly, the read setting is passed to the text storage procedure.
[0031]
In the image scanner (200), the original (300) is moved by the motor control unit (205), and the entire original (300) is read by the reading unit (210) as image reading means. At this time, the reading unit (210) may be moved by the motor control unit (205).
[0032]
In the present embodiment, the read image is stored in the DRAM (203) of the image scanner in part or all of the image data and sent from the USB interface (204) as the interface means to the PC (100). (203) may be sequentially transferred.
[0033]
When transferring images and other reading settings from the image scanner (200) to the PC (100), the PC (100) inputs images and other data by an input procedure.
[0034]
The date and time when the image was read is acquired by the image storing procedure (FIG. 5) of the entire read image (S501), and the file name is changed from the date and time to a name that does not overlap with other scan results, and extended according to the image format. Create from child (S502). The read image is compressed and converted into a general-purpose format that can be distributed on the Internet (S503). The file is saved under the file name (S504). The storage location and file name of the file are notified to the text storage procedure (S505).
[0035]
In the text saving procedure (FIG. 6), first, it is checked whether or not to scan for the first time this time, based on the presence or absence of a file in the past scan result list in HTML format (S601). If there is no such template, a new template (701 in FIG. 7) is created. Then, a search is made before the last tag of the file (702) (S603), and the storage location received from the reading instruction procedure, input procedure, image storage procedure, current date and time, number of colors to be read, resolution, Created in HTML format from related information such as read size (703) and added (S605)
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
With these image processing systems, an image obtained by reading a document can be browsed by most Internet browsing applications without requiring a dedicated application. Further, since the Internet browsing application is compatible with the HTML grammar, the browsing application is not selected. In addition, Internet browsing software is provided in almost all OSs, and does not select a PC model and OS. Further, since recent OSs are often attached from the beginning, there is no need for troublesome installation of software. In addition, it is possible to associate data such as a date with image data and manage them in a unified manner. Further, if the character is recognized by the OCR procedure, the size of storing the data is smaller than that of storing the character as an image. Further, if the character is recognized as a character by the OCR procedure, it becomes easy to search for a keyword or the like from a read image that tends to be enormous.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a PC according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image scanner according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the appearance of a system having a personal computer (100) and an image reading device (200).
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display form of a reading instruction procedure.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an image storage procedure.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of processing of a text storage procedure.
FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of an HTML document indicating output data of a text storage procedure.
[Explanation of symbols]
In FIG. 1, 101 CPUs
102 SRAM
103 DRAM
104 network adapter 105 graphic controller 106 display 107 IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) controller 108 hard disk 109 input / output controller 110 floppy disk controller 111 mouse 112 keyboard 113 USB interface 200 image scanner 200 image scanner 201 in FIG. CPU
202 ROM
203 DRAM
204 USB interface 205 Motor control unit 206 Rotary encoder 207 A / D conversion circuit unit 208 Analog output amplification circuit unit 209 CCD line sensor 100 in FIG. 3 100 Personal computer (PC)
110A floppy disk drive (FDD)
110B floppy disk (FD)
200 image scanner 300 manuscript

Claims (13)

Image reading means capable of reading an original,
Interface means for inputting and outputting a read image, a control signal, and the like to and from the information processing terminal;
An image reading device having
A reading instruction procedure for instructing the image reading apparatus to read an image,
An input procedure for inputting data such as an image from the image reading device;
An image saving procedure for converting the received image from the input procedure to a general-purpose format and saving the image,
A text saving procedure for creating and saving information about the received image and a storage location of the received image and the like in a general-purpose format that can be distributed on the Internet, and
A readable storage medium, characterized in that the above procedure is recorded;
An image processing system comprising integrated management of read images in a general-purpose form. Image reading means capable of reading an original,
Interface means for inputting and outputting a read image, a control signal, and the like to and from the information processing terminal;
An image reading device having
A reading instruction procedure for instructing the image reading apparatus to read an image,
An input procedure for inputting data from the image reading device;
An OCR procedure for extracting character information, image information, and their layout information from a received image according to the input procedure, an image saving procedure for converting the image extracted by the OCR procedure into a general-purpose format, and saving the image;
A layout text saving procedure for creating and saving the text information and the location information of the image extracted by the OCR procedure and their layout information in a general-purpose format that can be distributed on the Internet;
A text saving procedure for creating and saving a general-purpose format that can be distributed on the Internet and associated with information about the text consisting of the layout from the received image and the storage location of the text consisting of the layout,
A readable storage medium, characterized in that the above procedure is recorded;
An image processing system comprising integrated management of read images in a general-purpose form. A reading instruction procedure for instructing an image reading apparatus capable of reading an original to read an image,
An input procedure for inputting data such as an image from the image reading device,
An image saving procedure for converting the received image from the input procedure to a general-purpose format and saving the image,
A text saving procedure for creating and saving information about the received image and a storage location of the received image and the like in a general-purpose format that can be distributed on the Internet, and
A readable storage medium characterized by recording the above procedure. A reading instruction procedure for instructing an image reading apparatus capable of reading an original to read an image,
A reading instruction procedure for instructing the image reading apparatus to read an image,
An input procedure for inputting data from the image reading device;
An OCR procedure for extracting character information, image information, and their layout information from a received image according to the input procedure, an image saving procedure for converting the image extracted by the OCR procedure into a general-purpose format, and saving the image;
A layout text saving procedure for creating and saving the text information and the location information of the image extracted by the OCR procedure and their layout information in a general-purpose format that can be distributed on the Internet;
A text saving procedure for creating and saving a general-purpose format that can be distributed on the Internet and associated with information about the text consisting of the layout from the received image and the storage location of the text consisting of the layout,
A readable storage medium, characterized in that the above procedure is recorded; In the text saving procedure, if you have scanned more than once in the past, add the current scan result to the text with past scan information and save it. If you have never scanned once, a template of scan information 5. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein: 6. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein a reading instruction procedure is started from the image reading device side to start a reading operation. 2. The image storage procedure according to claim 1, wherein only a conventional image storage format can be selected, but a general-purpose format such as an html format that can be distributed on the Internet can be selected. The image processing system according to claim 4 or claim 5. 3. The simple scan which omits the GUI of the reading instruction procedure in the image storing procedure, automatically selects a general-purpose format such as html format which can be distributed on the Internet. The image processing system according to claim 3, claim 4, claim 5, claim 6, or claim 7. 3. A character string generated from a date and time is used for a file name when saving in a general-purpose format such as html format that can be distributed on the Internet in an image saving procedure. The image processing system according to claim 3, claim 4, claim 5, claim 6, claim 7, or claim 8. In the image saving procedure, when saving in a general-purpose format that can be distributed on the Internet such as the html format, a number is used for the file name, and a character string consisting of numbers consecutive to the previously saved file name is used. The image processing system according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, claim 5, claim 6, claim 7, claim 8, or claim 9. In the text saving procedure, a character string that allows the user to refer to the association with the received image saved in the image saving procedure, or a character string generated from the settings such as the number of colors, resolution, and reading size of the image in the title of the character string The image processing according to claim 1, wherein the image processing is performed by using the image processing method according to claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3 or claim 4. system. In the reading instruction procedure, if there is a function to pre-read an image at a rough resolution before reading to be passed to the image storage procedure, this image shall be displayed together with a character string that allows the user to refer to the association with the image in the text storage procedure The image according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, claim 5, claim 6, claim 7, claim 8, claim 9, claim 10, or claim 11, wherein Processing system. 3. The text saving procedure according to claim 1, wherein an object to which the user refers to the association with the received image saved by the image saving means is used, or a reduced image of the reference destination is used as the title of the object. The image processing system according to claim 3, claim 4, claim 5, claim 6, claim 7, claim 8, claim 9, claim 10, claim 11, or claim 12.

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