JP2006277089A - Document processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a document processor capable of enhancing user convenience. <P>SOLUTION: The document processor processes documents each containing character information, and specifies a portion matching a designated search character string from the character information contained in each document. Information specifying the portion matching the search character string is held as matching portion specification information in association with the documents. When at least a portion of each document to be processed is displayed as a list, a predetermined display process based on the matching portion specification information held in association with each document is implemented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a document processing apparatus that processes a document including character information.

  In order to grasp the outline of a document including character code data, a part of the electronic document is widely displayed. According to this technology, the user can easily grasp the outline of the document without displaying all the contents of the electronic document.

In addition, it is widely performed that a thumbnail of a document is created, a list of the thumbnails is displayed, and document selection is supported (for example, Patent Document 1). At this time, only thumbnails of documents including the specified search keyword are displayed as a list.
JP 2004-356831 A

  However, in the above conventional technique, only a list of thumbnails is displayed for documents including the specified search keyword, and the contents of each document are displayed once to determine where the search keyword is actually included. It will be done after letting it go, and convenience is low.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one of its purposes is to provide a document processing apparatus capable of improving user convenience.

  The present invention for solving the problems of the conventional example described above is a document processing apparatus, which processes a document including character information as a processing target and matches a specified search character string from character information included in the document. Means for identifying a portion to be matched, and means for retaining information for identifying a portion matching the search character string in association with the document as matching portion identification information, and at least a part of the document to be processed Is displayed in a list, a predetermined display process based on the matching portion specifying information held in association with each document is performed.

  Here, when the document to be processed includes the character information as image data, an area including the character information is specified in the image data, and character recognition processing is executed on the specified area. It is also possible to generate character string data and use the character string data to perform processing for specifying a portion that matches the search character string.

  Furthermore, the document processing method according to an aspect of the present invention includes a step of specifying a portion that matches a specified search character string from character information included in the document, with a document including character information as a processing target. When the information that identifies the part that matches the search character string is stored in association with the document as matched part specifying information, and when displaying at least a part of the document that is the processing target, It is characterized in that a predetermined display process based on the matching part specifying information held in association with each document is performed.

  Furthermore, a program according to another aspect of the present invention includes a procedure for identifying a part that matches a specified search character string from character information included in the document, using a document including character information as a processing target. A procedure for storing information for identifying a portion matching the search character string in association with the document as matching portion identification information, and when displaying at least a part of the document to be processed as a list. And a procedure for performing a predetermined display process based on the matching portion specifying information held in association with each other.

  A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the document processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an image reading unit 13, a display unit 14, and an operation unit 15. ing.

  Here, the control part 11 is comprised, for example with CPU etc., and operate | moves according to the program stored in the memory | storage part 12. FIG. The control unit 11 executes a search process for specifying a part matching each of the designated search character strings from the character information included in the document, with the document including the character information as a processing target. For each column, information for identifying a matching part is held in association with the document as matching part specifying information. Then, when displaying at least a part of the document to be processed as a list, a predetermined display process (list display process) based on the matching part specifying information held in association with each document is executed. The details of the processing of the control unit 11 will be described in detail later.

  The storage unit 12 includes a memory element such as a RAM and a ROM and / or a disk device. The storage unit 12 stores a program executed by the control unit 11. The storage unit 12 also operates as a work memory for the control unit 11.

  The image reading unit 13 is a scanner or the like, for example, and outputs image data obtained by reading an image formed on a medium to the control unit 11. The display unit 14 is a display or the like, and displays information according to an instruction from the control unit 11. The operation unit 15 is a keyboard, a mouse, or the like, receives a user's instruction operation, and outputs the content of the instruction operation to the control unit 11.

[Generate Document]
Here, the specific processing contents of the control unit 11 will be described. In the present embodiment, a document to be processed is read and input by, for example, the image reading unit 13. Note that the document may include a plurality of pages.

  That is, the control unit 11 receives a set of image data for each page from the image reading unit 13 and executes a separation process on each image data. In this separation process, first, image data is binarized with a threshold value of luminance, a continuous portion (pixel block) of black pixels is specified, and a label is assigned to each. For this process, a process widely known as a labeling process can be used.

  A circumscribed rectangle circumscribing each identified pixel block is defined, and an area in which the circumscribed rectangle is continuously arranged on the image data is identified as an area including character information. The control unit 11 further executes character recognition processing on the identified area, and generates character code data as a recognition processing result for each character image in each circumscribed rectangle.

  Since these processes are widely known as layout recognition and optical character recognition (OCR), detailed description thereof is omitted. One of the characteristic features of this embodiment is that the coordinate information of the circumscribed rectangle corresponding to the character image (hereinafter referred to as the corresponding coordinate information) is stored in association with each character code data that is the result of the character recognition process. It is to let you.

  The control unit 11 also sets each pixel corresponding to the pixel block in each circumscribed rectangle on the original image data for the circumscribed rectangle in the region identified as the region including the character information by the layout recognition process. It changes based on the surrounding pixel values. For example, each pixel of the original image data is scanned in the raster scan order. If the target pixel selected by scanning is not a pixel corresponding to the pixel block, the pixel value of the target pixel is left as it is, and the pixel value of the target pixel is stored as the previous pixel value.

  When the pixel of interest selected by scanning is a pixel corresponding to the pixel block, the pixel value of the pixel of interest is set to the immediately preceding pixel value stored. As a result, the value of the pixel corresponding to the pixel block becomes the same as the previous pixel value in the raster scan order. Since the image generated in this manner includes a pattern portion, it is hereinafter referred to as a pattern image.

  Further, the control unit 11 determines a representative color for each pixel block in the circumscribed rectangle on the original image data, the representative color, the shape of the pixel block (binarized significant pixel pattern), and the circumscribed rectangle. A character image in which the coordinate information on the original image data is associated is generated, and the character string data, the pattern image, and the character image are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit 12 as document data. The data stored in the storage unit 12 is data including an image obtained by separating a character and a pattern, and character string data obtained by recognizing a character portion.

  Although an example in which a representative color is determined for each circumscribed rectangle has been described here for a character image, the character image is replaced with a foreground image representing the character color, for example, as in MRC (Mixed Raster Content). And a selector serving as a mask for the foreground image. In this case, the pattern image is used as a background image, and the background image, the foreground image, the selector, and the character string data are stored in the storage unit 12 as a document in a multilayer format associated with each other.

  When the image input from the image reading unit 13 covers a plurality of pages, the control unit 11 generates a pattern image, a character image (in the case of MRC, two layers), and character string data for each page. And hold them in association with each other.

  MRC is an ITU-T recommendation T.30. Since the format is standardized as 44, detailed description is omitted.

  Further, the control unit 11 according to the present embodiment reduces the original image data to generate thumbnail images having a predetermined size or less for list display. When there are a plurality of pages, only the thumbnail image of the first page may be generated, or the thumbnail image of each page may be generated. The generated thumbnail image data is stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the document.

[Search processing]
When a search keyword is input from the user, the control unit 11 specifies the search keyword as the specified search character string from the character string data of each page of each document stored in the storage unit 12. Search for the part that matches the search string.

  When a portion matching the search character string is found, matching portion specifying information for specifying the portion is generated and stored in association with document data. The matching part specifying information may be, for example, a set of coordinate values (coordinate information) of each circumscribed rectangle of the part that matches the search character string on the page. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 11 generates search result data including an entry in which the search character string (A) and the coordinate information (B) are associated with each other, and the pattern image of the corresponding page. And stored in the storage unit 12 in association with a character image or the like. In addition, the control unit 11 does not generate search result data for each page, but generates coordinate information by associating a page with a set of coordinate values of a circumscribed rectangle, and generates a search character string (A) and page information. Search result data including an entry associated with the coordinate information (B) that is included may be generated and associated with the entire document data.

  Further, the control unit 11 does not generate search result data for a document in which a portion matching the search character string is not found.

  Here, the association between the document data and the search result data can be performed by including the search result data as one layer when the document data is in a multi-layer format such as MRC.

[List display processing]
The control unit 11 processes the thumbnail image of each document based on the search result data, and generates a corrected thumbnail image.

  For example, the control unit 11 uses the document associated with the search result data as a display target document, and performs the following processing for each display target document. The control unit 11 reads out a thumbnail image of one of the display target documents as a target document. Further, the search result associated with the data of the document of interest is read out, and the coordinate information of each entry is read out. The control unit 11 multiplies the Y coordinate value on the thumbnail by multiplying, for example, the Y coordinate value (the vertical coordinate value of the document) by the reduction ratio r of the thumbnail image with respect to the original document among the read coordinate information. Calculate. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a rectangle (P) of a predetermined color (for example, yellow) is drawn at a position represented by the coordinate value adjacent to the right end of the thumbnail image. The drawn rectangle is displayed as if it were a tag attached to the thumbnail image. The control unit 11 repeats the above-described processing for each display target document, and adds a “tag” image to the thumbnail image for each display target document.

  The control unit 11 displays the thumbnail images to which the “sticky notes” are added in this manner arranged in a matrix, for example. At this time, the control unit 11 counts the number of entries included in the search result data (the number of portions matching the search character string, that is, the number of search hits), and the thumbnail image of the document is based on the count result. The display order may be rearranged and displayed.

  In addition, when the search result data includes coordinate information related to the page corresponding to the thumbnail image to be displayed, the control unit 11 performs a thumbnail for the original document with respect to the coordinate information (coordinate information corresponding to each circumscribed rectangle). Multiplying by the image reduction ratio r may be used to calculate the coordinate information on the thumbnail image and to perform a predetermined process for enhancing the position of the calculation result. Here, as the emphasis processing, for example, a red frame is drawn, or a filled rectangle of a predetermined color is semitransparently synthesized (synthesized while leaving the low luminance side among the pixel values to be synthesized).

  Further, when the user performs an operation of moving the mouse pointer, the control unit 11 refers to the position after the movement and checks whether the mouse pointer is positioned on any thumbnail image. If the mouse pointer is positioned on any thumbnail image, at least a part of the entries included in the search result data is displayed as a character string. This display can be performed, for example, by displaying an overlay window image W on each thumbnail image and drawing a character string on the window image (FIG. 4A).

  Moreover, the control part 11 is good also as a result of counting the number of entries for each page as a character string drawn here. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the total number may be displayed together, and may be displayed as “total number of hits: three, one on the second page, etc.”.

  According to the present embodiment, when a thumbnail image is displayed for a document including a specified search character string, an image indicating a position (such as a tag or highlight) is also displayed. User convenience can be improved.

1 is a configuration block diagram illustrating an example of a document processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of search result data. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of the thumbnail image of the document at the time of the list display by the document processing apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure showing the example of a display of the document at the time of the list display by the document processing apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

11 control unit, 12 storage unit, 13 image reading unit, 14 display unit, 15 operation unit.

Claims (4)

A means for processing a document including character information as a processing target, and identifying a portion that matches a specified search character string from character information included in the document;
Means for associating information specifying a portion matching the search character string with the document as matched portion specifying information;
Including
A document processing apparatus, wherein when displaying at least a part of the document to be processed as a list, a predetermined display process based on matching part specifying information held in association with each document is performed. The document processing apparatus according to claim 1,
When the document to be processed includes the character information as image data, an area including the character information is specified in the image data, and character recognition processing is performed on the specified area to execute a character string. A document processing apparatus that performs processing for generating data and specifying a portion that matches the search character string using the character string data. Specifying a portion that matches a specified search character string from character information included in the document, with a document including character information as a processing target;
Holding information identifying a portion matching the search character string in association with the document as matching portion specifying information;
Run
A document processing method characterized in that when displaying at least a part of a document to be processed as a list, a predetermined display process based on matching part specifying information held in association with each document is performed. On the computer,
A procedure for specifying a portion that matches a specified search character string from character information included in the document, with a document including character information as a processing target,
A procedure for storing information for identifying a portion matching the search character string in association with the document as matching portion specifying information;
A procedure for performing a predetermined display process based on the matching part specifying information held in association with each document when displaying a list of at least a part of the documents to be processed;
A program characterized by having executed.

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