JP2010231441A - Writing information processing device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To relate the writing performed within a time limit to a medium on which electronic document is printed, to the electric document in distinction from the writing performed after the time limit. <P>SOLUTION: In an identifying information server 30, a receiving section 31 receives the identifying information of the medium, writing information obtained by digitizing the writing, and a pen ID of a digital pen used in writing, a medium management section 32 determines whether the date of the writing is within an expire date corresponding to the identifying information of the medium or not, a writing information dividing section 35 divides the writing information into a valid writing information relating to the writing within the expire date and an invalid writing information relating to the writing out of the expire date, and a transmitting section 39 transmits the valid writing information and the invalid writing information to a document server so that they are independently managed. When the termination of registration of writing information is reported by the document server thereafter, and the invalid writing information is registered, an alert setting section 36 sets an alert, and the alert is transmitted to the digital pen. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a writing information processing apparatus and a program.

  A technique is known in which a printout surface is manually edited to change an electronically stored document (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the technique of Patent Document 1, first, an electronically stored document is printed on a surface provided with a position coding pattern. Next, the printout surface is manually edited with a digital pen provided with position-coding pattern reading means and a pen point for marking the surface. The marking is then transferred to the computer, interpreted within the computer, and the stored document is modified based on the interpretation.

Special table 2003-528388 gazette

  An object of the present invention is to associate writing performed within a time limit on a medium on which an electronic document is printed, with the electronic document in a manner different from writing performed after the time limit.

The invention according to claim 1 is an identification information acquisition means for acquiring the identification information read from the medium on which the identification information of the electronic document and the medium and the position information on the medium are printed, and writing on the medium The writing is acquired in advance based on the identification information acquired by the writing information acquisition means for acquiring the writing information digitized based on the position information read from the medium and the identification information acquisition means. A determination means for determining whether or not the writing has been performed by the deadline; and when the determination means determines that the writing has been performed by the deadline, the writing information is acquired by the writing information acquisition means. A first process for associating the writing information with the electronic document, and when the determination means determines that the writing is not performed by the deadline, The said first processing as a processing relating to a writing information processing apparatus characterized by comprising a processing means for performing different second processing.
The invention according to claim 2 further includes position information acquisition means for acquiring the position information read from the medium, wherein the determination means is further based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means. The writing information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not the writing has been performed before the deadline.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, as the second process, the processing unit performs a process for storing the writing information acquired by the writing information acquiring unit without associating the writing information with the electronic document. The writing information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the writing information processing apparatus is a writing information processing apparatus.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, as the second process, the processing unit performs a process of associating the electronic document with a restriction on the writing information acquired by the writing information acquiring unit. The writing information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the writing information processing apparatus is a writing information processing apparatus.
5. The writing information according to claim 4, wherein the restriction attached to the writing information includes a restriction on a method of outputting the writing information in association with the electronic document. It is a processing device.
The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that the restriction attached to the writing information includes a restriction on a condition to be satisfied in order to output the writing information in a specific method in association with the electronic document. The written information processing apparatus according to claim 4.
In the invention according to claim 7, the condition is a condition that at least one of information specifying the electronic writing instrument used for the writing and information specifying the writer who performed the writing is input. The writing information processing apparatus according to claim 6, comprising:
The invention according to claim 8 is a time limit information acquisition means for acquiring the time limit information read from the medium on which the electronic document, the time limit information indicating a predetermined time limit and the position information on the medium are printed, Based on the time limit information acquired by the time limit information acquired by the handwriting information acquisition means for acquiring handwritten information obtained by digitizing the writing on the medium based on the position information read from the medium, the writing is performed. Obtained by the writing information obtaining means when the judging means judges whether or not the writing has been done by the deadline, and the judging means judges that the writing has been done by the deadline A first process for associating the written information with the electronic document, and when the determining means determines that the writing has not been performed by the deadline, The said first processing as a processing relating to writing a writing information processing apparatus characterized by comprising a processing means for performing different second processing.
The invention according to claim 9 is a function for acquiring the identification information read from the medium on which the identification information of the electronic document and the medium and the position information on the medium are printed, and writing on the medium. Whether or not the writing is performed by a predetermined time limit based on the identification information and the function of acquiring electronically written writing information based on the position information read from the medium A determination function, and a first process for associating the writing information with the electronic document when the writing is determined to be performed by the deadline, and the writing is performed by the deadline. This is a program for realizing a function of performing a second process different from the first process as a process related to the writing when it is determined that the process is not.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, writing performed on the medium on which the electronic document is printed within the time limit can be distinguished from writing performed after the time limit and associated with the electronic document.
According to the invention of claim 2, it is possible to set a writing deadline according to the position on the medium.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to distinguish writing performed within the time limit by not associating writing performed after the time limit on the medium on which the electronic document is printed with the electronic document.
According to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to distinguish from writing performed within the time limit by associating writing performed after the time limit to the medium on which the electronic document is printed with the electronic document with a limit.
According to the invention of claim 5, it is possible to limit the method of outputting the writing performed after the deadline.
According to the invention of claim 6, it is possible to request that the condition is satisfied in order to output the writing performed after the deadline by a specific method.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, writing performed after the deadline can be called by the electronic writing instrument or the writer's information.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, writing performed on the medium on which the electronic document is printed within the time limit can be distinguished from writing performed after the time limit and associated with the electronic document.
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, writing performed on the medium on which the electronic document is printed within the time limit can be distinguished from the writing performed after the time limit and associated with the electronic document.

It is the figure which showed the system configuration | structure with which embodiment of this invention is applied. It is the figure which showed the outline | summary of the process of handwriting information in embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the function structure of the document server in embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the function structure of the identification information server in embodiment of this invention. It is the sequence diagram which showed the operation | movement at the time of the printing document output in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the code | symbol image produced | generated by embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the medium management information memorize | stored in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the mechanism of the digital pen in embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the function structure of the control circuit of the digital pen in embodiment of this invention. It is the sequence diagram which showed the operation | movement at the time of writing in the printed document in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the handwriting management information memorize | stored in embodiment of this invention. It is the sequence diagram which showed the operation | movement at the time of the display of the handwriting information in embodiment of this invention. It is a hardware block diagram of the computer which can implement | achieve embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, the overall configuration of the computer system in the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a computer system according to the present embodiment.
As shown in the figure, this computer system is configured by connecting a terminal device 10, a document server 20, an identification information server 30, an image forming device 40, and a terminal device 50 to a network 80. A digital pen 60 is connected to the terminal device 50 via a communication device 70.

The terminal device 10 is a computer device that requests the document server 20 to print an electronic document. Here, for example, a personal computer, a workstation, or another computer may be used as the terminal device 10.
The document server 20 is a computer device that stores and manages electronic documents. Also, when there is a print request for an electronic document from the terminal device 10, an image of the electronic document and a code image representing identification information and position information are generated, and a print command for printing a composite image obtained by combining these on a medium Output to the forming apparatus 40. In this case, the identification information is information for uniquely specifying the medium, and the position information is information for specifying the coordinate position on the medium. Here, as the document server 20, for example, a personal computer, a workstation, or another computer may be used.

The identification information server 30 is a computer device that issues identification information to be given to a medium. The issued identification information is stored in association with the electronic document printed on the medium to which the identification information is assigned. Here, as the identification information server 30, for example, a personal computer, a workstation, or another computer may be used.
The image forming apparatus 40 is an apparatus that prints an image on a medium and outputs it as a print document. The image forming apparatus 40 may be a single printer or printing machine, or may be a so-called multifunction machine having a scanner or a communication function. Here, as an image forming method in the image forming apparatus 40, for example, an electrophotographic method may be used, but other methods may be used. In the following description, the identification information to be given to the medium is described as being issued by the identification information server 30, but the identification information may be issued by any apparatus as long as it can be issued without duplication in the system. It may be issued by the device 40. In this case, for example, a combination of the machine number of the image forming apparatus 40 and the print count value in the image forming apparatus 40 may be used as the identification information.

  The terminal device 50 transmits information obtained by digitizing writing on the print document (hereinafter referred to as “handwriting information”) to the identification information server 30 in order to reflect the information in the electronic document that is the basis of the image recorded in the print document. A computer device. Further, the electronic document to be reflected in the handwriting information may be displayed on a display (not shown), and the handwriting information may be displayed on the display. Here, as the terminal device 50, for example, a personal computer, a workstation, or another computer may be used. In the present embodiment, handwriting information is used as an example of writing information obtained by digitizing the contents of writing. The handwriting information is mainly described as handwritten information. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be information mechanically drawn by a plotter that is a device that outputs drawing data such as architecture and machinery.

The digital pen 60 is an example of an electronic writing instrument, and is a pen device used for writing characters or figures on a printed document. An image sensor that reads a code image printed on the medium is provided. Then, position information is detected from the code image read by the image sensor, and handwriting information obtained by converting written characters or figures into image data is generated and stored based on the position information.
The communication device 70 is a device that acquires handwriting information from the digital pen 60 and transmits it to the terminal device 50. For example, an insertion port into which the digital pen 60 is inserted may be provided, and when the digital pen 60 is inserted into the insertion port, handwriting information stored in the digital pen 60 may be transmitted to the terminal device 50. Here, as a method of communication with the terminal device 50, various methods such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and an infrared communication function are conceivable. Further, in the figure, the communication device 70 is shown as a separate body from the digital pen 60, but it is not necessarily a separate body and may be configured integrally.

In this specification, electronic data that is the basis of an image to be recorded on a medium is referred to as “electronic document”. However, this does not mean only data obtained by digitizing a “document” including text. For example, "electronic document" including image data such as pictures, photos, figures (regardless of raster data or vector data), data recorded by database management software or spreadsheet software, and other printable electronic data It is said.
In the present specification, the “medium” may be any material as long as it can print an image. A typical example is paper, but an OHP sheet or a metal plate may be used.
Further, in this specification, processing is performed using identification information for uniquely identifying each of the electronic document, the medium, and further the digital pen 60 and the user. It shall mean the identification information of the medium.

Incidentally, it may be useful to set an expiration date (writing expiration date) for writing on a printed document output by such a computer system.
For example, when the electronic document that is the source of the printed document is the electronic document to be checked or proofread, and the check or proofreading by writing on the printed document after the set deadline does not make sense is there.
In addition, an electronic document that is a source of a printed document is an electronic document that may be upgraded such as a specification document or an ISO (International Organization for Standardization) document, and the printed document after the electronic document is upgraded This is a case where writing in is meaningless as writing on an old version of a printed document.

  Normally, writing on a printed document is digitized and stored as handwriting information in association with the electronic document that is the origin of the printed document. In contrast, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether writing has been performed within the writing expiration date, and if it is within the writing expiration date, normal processing for associating handwriting information with the electronic document that is the origin of the printed document is performed. If the writing expiration date has passed, processing different from this normal processing is performed.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic operation of the present embodiment.
(A) is an example which prohibits writing itself with the digital pen 60 when the writing expiration date has passed. That is, it is assumed that a print document with a code image is prepared as shown in (a-1) and writing is started on the print document with the digital pen 60 as shown in (a-2). Then, the writing expiration date is inquired, and if it is within the writing expiration date, the writing content is digitized and reflected in the electronic document as in (a-3), but the writing expiration date has passed. For example, as shown in (a-4), the pen is locked to prevent writing. Here, as a specific method for locking the pen so that writing cannot be performed, for example, it is possible to prevent ink from being discharged.

  Moreover, (b) is an example in which the written content is not reflected in the electronic document when the writing expiration date has passed. In this case, the written content may be digitized without being reflected in the electronic document. That is, assume that a print document with a code image is prepared as shown in (b-1), and writing is started on the print document with the digital pen 60 as shown in (b-2). Then, the writing expiration date is inquired, and if it is within the writing expiration date, the writing content is digitized and reflected in the electronic document as shown in (b-3), but the writing expiration date has passed. For example, as shown in (b-4), although the written content is digitized, it is not reflected in the electronic document. At this time, the fact that the written content is not reflected in the electronic document may be displayed on a display provided in the digital pen 60.

  In addition, as a process when the writing expiration date has passed, in (a), a process for prohibiting writing on the printed document is adopted, and in (b), the writing on the printed document is digitally recorded and the writing is valid. Although the process of storing separately from the digital recording of the writing within the time limit is adopted, another process may be adopted. For example, it is possible to adopt a process in which writing on a printed document is not prohibited, but writing is not digitally recorded.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment that performs such a schematic operation will be specifically described.
In the present embodiment, when the document server 20 manages handwriting information and an instruction to display handwriting information is given, the identification information server 30 generates display information for displaying the handwriting information.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the document server 20 and the identification information server 30 operate mainly, and the configuration of these servers will be described in detail.
First, the configuration of the document server 20 will be described.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the document server 20.
As illustrated, the document server 20 includes a reception unit 21, an identification information acquisition unit 22, a handwriting management unit 23, and a handwriting management information storage unit 24. In addition, an identification code generation unit 25a, a position code generation unit 25b, a code arrangement unit 25c, a pattern image storage unit 25d, and a code image generation unit 25e are provided. Furthermore, a document image generation unit 26, an image composition unit 27, and a transmission unit 29 are provided.

The receiving unit 21 receives a print request from the terminal device 10. Here, the print request includes identification information of an electronic document to be printed (hereinafter referred to as “document ID”) and various settings relating to printing (hereinafter referred to as “print setting”). In addition, when writing is performed on the print document, the receiving unit 21 digitizes the document ID and page number of the electronic document that is the origin of the print document and the content of the writing on the print document from the identification information server 30. The handwriting information and identification information (hereinafter referred to as “pen ID”) of the digital pen 60 used for writing on the printed document are received. It is assumed that information on the date and time when writing was performed (hereinafter referred to as “writing date and time information”) is added to the position information of each point constituting the handwriting information.
The identification information acquisition unit 22 acquires the document ID and print settings from the reception unit 21, passes them to the transmission unit 29 to instruct transmission of an identification information issuance request, passes this to the document image generation unit 26, and sends the document Instructs generation of an image. Also, identification information is acquired from the receiving unit 21, and this is passed to the identification code generation unit 25a to instruct generation of the identification code.

The handwriting management unit 23 acquires the document ID, page number, pen ID, and handwriting information received by the receiving unit 21 and registers them in the handwriting management information storage unit 24. When the display of handwriting information is instructed, handwriting information corresponding to the designated document ID, page number, and pen ID is extracted from the handwriting management information storage unit 24.
The handwriting management information storage unit 24 stores handwriting management information managed by the handwriting management unit 23.

The identification code generation unit 25a encodes identification information for specifying the medium to generate an identification code.
The position code generation unit 25b generates position codes by encoding position information indicating coordinate positions on the medium.
The code arrangement unit 25c arranges the identification code generated by the identification code generation unit 25a, the position code generated by the position code generation unit 25b, and the like on a two-dimensional plane according to a predetermined layout. Is generated.
The pattern image storage unit 25d stores a pattern image corresponding to the code value of each code stored in the code array.
The code image generation unit 25e refers to the two-dimensional code array generated by the code arrangement unit 25c, selects a pattern image corresponding to each code value, and generates a code image.

The document image generation unit 26 acquires a document ID and print settings from the identification information acquisition unit 22, reads an electronic document specified by the document ID from a storage unit (not shown), and generates a document image of the electronic document according to the print settings. To do.
The image composition unit 27 synthesizes the code image generated by the code image generation unit 25e and the document image generated by the document image generation unit 26 to generate a composite image.
The transmission unit 29 transmits an identification information issuance request to the identification information server 30. Also, an image print command for the medium is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 40. Further, when the display of handwriting information is instructed, the electronic document and handwriting information are transmitted to the identification information server 30.

Next, the configuration of the identification information server 30 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the identification information server 30.
As shown in the figure, the identification information server 30 includes a reception unit 31, a medium management unit 32, a medium management information storage unit 33, a display information generation unit 34, a handwriting information division unit 35, an alert setting unit 36, A transmission unit 39.

  The receiving unit 31 receives an identification information issue request from the document server 20. The receiving unit 31 receives identification information, handwriting information, and a pen ID from the terminal device 50 when writing is performed on the print document. That is, in the present embodiment, the receiving unit 31 is provided as an example of an identification information acquisition unit that acquires identification information and as an example of a writing information acquisition unit that acquires writing information. In addition, since the handwriting information includes position information, the receiving unit 31 is provided as an example of position information acquisition means for acquiring position information. Further, when the display of handwriting information is instructed, the terminal device 50 receives identification information and a pen ID, which are keys for extracting handwriting information to be displayed, and the electronic document and handwriting from the document server 20. Receive information and.

  When there is a request for issuing identification information, the medium management unit 32 issues the identification information without duplication, and stores the document ID and print settings specified at that time in association with the identification information. In addition, information for specifying an area on the print document (hereinafter referred to as “area information”) and an expiration date of writing for the area are stored in the identification information. Further, when the identification information is designated, the document ID, print setting, area information, and expiration date corresponding to the identification information are extracted. Then, for each point constituting the handwriting information, the position information and writing date / time information are compared with the area information and the expiration date extracted here, and it is determined whether or not the writing has been performed by the expiration date. That is, in the present embodiment, an expiration date is used as an example of a predetermined time limit, and the medium management unit 32 is an example of a determination unit that determines whether writing has been performed by the time limit. Is provided.

The medium management information storage unit 33 includes identification information, a document ID of an electronic document printed on the medium to which the identification information is assigned, a print setting when the electronic document is printed on the medium to which the identification information is assigned, It is a database that stores medium management information in which area information on a medium is associated with an expiration date of writing for an area specified by the area information.
The display information generation unit 34 generates display information for displaying the handwriting information based on the information acquired from the document server 20 when the display of the handwriting information is instructed. As this display information, for example, data serving as a source for generating an image to be displayed on the terminal device 50 is generated.

  The handwriting information dividing unit 35 uses the handwriting information received by the receiving unit 31 based on the determination result by the medium management unit 32 as to whether the writing is within the expiration date (hereinafter referred to as “valid” And handwriting information written after the expiration date (hereinafter referred to as “invalid handwriting information”). Then, the handwriting information is passed to the transmission unit 39. In the present embodiment, as an example of a first process for associating writing information with an electronic document, a process for generating effective handwriting information is used. As an example of a second process different from the first process for writing, A process for generating invalid handwriting information is used. Further, a processing unit that performs the first process when it is determined that the writing has been performed before the deadline and performs the second process when it is determined that the writing has not been performed by the deadline. As an example, a handwriting information dividing unit 35 is provided.

  When the receiving unit 31 receives from the document server 20 a report indicating that the registration of handwriting information has been completed (hereinafter referred to as “handwriting information registration completion report”), the alert setting unit 36 invalidates the handwriting information registration completion report. If information indicating that the information has been registered is included, alert information is set in the handwriting information registration completion report and passed to the transmission unit 39.

  The transmission unit 39 transmits identification information issued in response to a request from the document server 20 to the document server 20. Further, when writing is performed on the print document, the document ID and page number (included in the print settings), pen ID, and handwriting information corresponding to the identification information are transmitted to the document server 20. Further, when the display of handwriting information is instructed, the document ID, the page number (included in the print settings), and the pen ID are transmitted to the document server 20, and the display information is transmitted to the terminal device 50. .

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.
The operation in the present embodiment is roughly divided into output of a print document, writing on the print document, and display of handwriting information, and will be described separately below.

A. Output of Print Document FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing operations of the document server 20 and the identification information server 30 at this time.
In the document server 20, the receiving unit 21 first receives a print request for an electronic document from the terminal device 10 (step 211). Among these, a print request for an electronic document includes a document ID and print settings. Here, as the document ID, for example, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) may be used, but other information may be used as long as the electronic document can be uniquely identified. The print setting includes settings such as a page, the number of copies, a paper size, an enlargement / reduction ratio, a function for outputting a plurality of pages in a single medium, and a margin.
When receiving the information, the receiving unit 21 passes the information to the identification information acquiring unit 22. Then, the identification information acquisition unit 22 passes the document ID and print settings of the received information to the transmission unit 29, and the transmission unit 29 transmits the information to the identification information server 30, thereby identifying the information. Information issuance is requested (step 212).

Thereby, in the identification information server 30, the receiving unit 31 receives the document ID and the print setting (step 311). Then, the document ID and the print setting are transferred to the medium management unit 32, and the medium management unit 32 extracts unused identification information from the medium management information storage unit 33 (step 312). Here, the number of pieces of identification information to be extracted is determined according to print settings. In other words, basically, the number of pieces of identification information obtained by multiplying the number of pages to be printed by the number of copies is extracted. However, if the setting information includes designation of a function for outputting a plurality of pages on a single medium, this is also taken into consideration. For example, when 10 pages of an electronic document are collectively printed on a single medium by two pages, 25 (= 10 ÷ 2 × 5) pieces of identification information are extracted.
Next, the medium management unit 32 stores the identification information, the document ID, and the print setting in association with each other in the medium management information storage unit 33 (step 313). Then, the identification information issued in step 312 is transferred to the transmission unit 39, and the transmission unit 39 transmits the identification information to the document server 20 (step 314).

As a result, in the document server 20, the receiving unit 21 receives the identification information (step 213). Then, the reception unit 21 passes the received identification information to the identification information acquisition unit 22.
Then, the document server 20 generates a code image representing the identification information and the position information (Step 214). The generation of the code image is specifically performed by the following process.
That is, first, the identification information acquisition unit 22 passes the identification information acquired in step 213 to the identification code generation unit 25a, and the identification code generation unit 25a generates an identification code by encoding the identification information. Details of the encoding of the identification information will be described later.
Further, the position code generation unit 25b receives the print setting from the reception unit 21, and generates a position code by encoding position information in a range corresponding to the print setting. Details of the encoding of the position information will be described later.
Thereafter, the code arrangement unit 25c arranges the identification code and the position code according to a predetermined layout, and the code image generation unit 25e converts the image into an image using the pattern image stored in the pattern image storage unit 25d. A code image is generated by.

In the document server 20, the document image generation unit 26 generates a document image of the electronic document (step 215). At that time, the document image generation unit 26 receives the document ID acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 22 in step 211, and reads the target electronic document from a storage unit (not shown) based on the document ID. In addition, the print setting acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 22 in step 211 is received, and a document image is generated based on the print setting.
Then, the image composition unit 27 synthesizes the code image generated in step 214 and the document image generated in step 215 to generate a composite image (step 216).
Thereafter, the composite image is transferred to the transmission unit 29, and the transmission unit 29 transmits a print command for the composite image to the image forming apparatus 40 (step 217). Here, the composite image print command is transmitted, for example, in a PDL format in which the content to be printed as a code image is set as a PDL command to a PDL (Page Description Language) file including a sequence of document image print commands. .

Accordingly, the image forming apparatus 40 prints the document image on a medium using, for example, C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow) toner. The code image is printed on a medium using, for example, K (black containing carbon) toner or special toner.
Here, as the special toner, an invisible toner having a maximum absorption rate of 7% or less in the visible light region (400 nm to 700 nm) and an absorption rate of 30% or more in the near infrared region (800 nm to 1000 nm) is exemplified. . Here, “visible” and “invisible” are not related to whether they can be recognized visually. “Visible” and “invisible” are distinguished depending on whether or not an image in a printed document can be recognized by the presence or absence of color development due to absorption of a specific wavelength in the visible light region. Also, “invisible” includes those that have some color developability due to absorption of a specific wavelength in the visible light region but are difficult to be recognized by human eyes.

  Here, the code image is combined with the image of the electronic document and printed. However, the code image may be printed on a white paper (notebook, tag, etc.). In that case, the document ID is not included in the print request received in step 211, the identification information is not associated with the document ID and the print setting in step 313, and the generation of the document image in step 215 is not executed. What should I do?

Next, the code image generated in the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image or the like constituting the code image.
First, unit patterns constituting a code image will be described.
FIG. 6A shows an example of a unit pattern.
The unit pattern is the minimum unit for embedding information. In the figure, the black area and the shaded area are areas where dots can be arranged, and the white area between them is an area where dots cannot be arranged. In addition, among the areas where dots can be arranged, dots are arranged in black areas, and dots are not arranged in hatched areas. That is, the figure shows an example in which a unit pattern is configured by arranging dots at two locations selected from nine locations where dots can be arranged. Here, since there are 36 (= ₉ C ₂ ) combinations for selecting two locations out of nine locations, there are 36 types of unit patterns. Of these, four types of unit patterns are used as synchronization patterns. The synchronization pattern is a pattern for detecting the rotation of the image and specifying the relative positions of the identification code and the position code. In particular, since it is necessary to detect the rotation of the image, the four types of synchronization patterns are selected such that when one of the synchronization patterns is rotated 90 degrees, another synchronization pattern is obtained. Further, the 32 types of unit patterns other than the 4 types of unit patterns are used as information patterns expressing the identification code and the position code, and 5-bit information is expressed.

  By the way, the dots shown in FIG. 6A are only for information representation, and do not necessarily match the dots that mean the minimum points that constitute the image. In the present embodiment, the dots for information expression (the minimum square in FIG. 6A) have a size of 2 dots × 2 dots at 600 dpi. Since the size of one dot at 600 dpi is 0.0423 mm, one side of a dot for information expression (the minimum square in FIG. 6A) is 84.6 μm (= 0.0423 mm × 2). The larger the dot for information expression, the more likely it is to be noticeable. However, if it is too small, printing with a printer becomes impossible. Therefore, the above values larger than 50 μm and smaller than 100 μm are employed as the size of dots for information expression. However, the above value 84.6 μm is a numerical value to the last, and is about 100 μm in the actually printed toner image. In the present specification, the term “dot” refers to a dot for representing information, not a dot representing the minimum point constituting an image, unless otherwise specified.

Next, a code block composed of such unit patterns will be described.
FIG. 6B shows an example of the layout of the code block. Here, not the image but the code arrangement immediately before being replaced by the pattern image is shown. That is, a unit pattern (any one of 36 unit patterns) as shown in FIG. 6A is arranged in the smallest square (hereinafter referred to as “unit block”) in FIG. Will be formed.
In the layout of FIG. 6B, the synchronization code is arranged in one unit block at the upper left of the code block. Further, the X position code is arranged in the four unit blocks on the right side of the unit block in which the synchronization code is arranged, and the Y position code is arranged in the four unit blocks on the lower side of the unit block in which the synchronization code is arranged. . Furthermore, identification codes are arranged in 16 (= 4 × 4) unit blocks surrounded by unit blocks in which these position codes are arranged.

Here, encoding of identification information will be described.
When encoding identification information, the bit string which comprises identification information is divided | segmented into a some block in order to perform RS encoding. Although there are several methods for encoding, RS encoding is suitable in this embodiment. This is because the RS code is a multi-value coding method, and in this case, the value represented by the unit block corresponds to the multi-value of the RS code. For example, when 5-bit information is expressed by one unit block, the 60-bit identification information is divided into 12 blocks having a block length of 5 bits. If an RS code capable of correcting two blocks of errors is adopted, the code length is 16 blocks, which can be accommodated in the unit block in which the identification code in the code block of FIG. 6B is arranged. The encoding method is not limited to the RS code, and other encoding methods such as a BCH code may be used.

Next, encoding of position information will be described.
For encoding the position information, an M-sequence code, which is a kind of pseudo-random sequence, is used. Here, the M sequence refers to a sequence having the longest period among code sequences generated by a shift register having a certain length and feedback. When K is the number of stages in the shift register, the sequence length of the M sequence is 2 ^K −1. Arbitrary consecutive K bits extracted from the M sequence have a property that they do not appear at other positions in the same M sequence. Therefore, the position information is encoded using this property.
By the way, in the present embodiment, a necessary M-sequence order is obtained from the length of position information to be encoded, and an M-sequence is generated. However, if the length of the position information to be encoded is known in advance, it is not necessary to generate the M sequence each time. That is, a fixed M sequence may be generated in advance and stored in a memory or the like.
For example, it is assumed that an M sequence (K = 13) having a sequence length of 8191 is used. In this case, since the position code is also embedded in units of 5 bits, 5 bits are taken out from the M sequence having a sequence length of 8191 and blocked.

  In this specification, the identification information and the position information are clearly distinguished and used for the sake of simplicity. However, there is a technique in which a wide range of position information is prepared, the position information is cut out and embedded from different ranges for each medium, and the medium is identified by the difference in position information. Therefore, in such a method, it is assumed that the position information has a function for identifying the medium, and the position information is also considered as the identification information.

Here, specific contents of the medium management information stored in the medium management information storage unit 33 will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a specific example of the medium management information.
As shown in the figure, the medium management information is stored in association with identification information, document ID, print settings, area information, and expiration date.
Among these, the identification information is information for uniquely identifying the medium as described above.
The document ID is information for uniquely identifying the electronic document as already described.
Furthermore, as described above, the print setting is information such as a page, a paper size, and an enlargement / reduction ratio set when the terminal device 10 requests printing of an electronic document.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, area information and an expiration date are stored for identification information. The area information is information for specifying an area on the medium as described above. In the figure, the area is rectangular, and the area is indicated by “(X coordinate of upper left point, Y coordinate of upper left point) − (X coordinate of lower right point, Y coordinate of lower right point)”. On the other hand, the entire area on the medium is indicated by “all”. The expiration date is information on the writing expiration date (writing expiration date) for the area on the medium, as described above.

In the figure, for example, the first page of an electronic document with a document ID “DocA” is printed at 100% on an A4 size medium with identification information “000101”, and “(X11, Y11) − ( X12, Y12) ”is the writing expiration date for the region specified by“ March 2, 2009 ”, and the writing expiration date for the region specified by“ (X13, Y13) − (X14, Y14) ” Is “March 9, 2009”.
Also, the first and second pages of the electronic document with the document ID “DocB” are printed together on an A4 size medium with identification information “000102” (indicated as “2-up” in the figure), and on the medium, It is shown that the expiration date of writing for all areas is “March 4, 2009”.

By the way, in the above, the timing for setting the expiration date for each area on the medium is not particularly mentioned, but the following method can be considered for this timing.
The first is a method of setting an expiration date in advance in an electronic document. In this case, when the medium management information is stored in step 313, the expiration date set in the electronic document may be stored as it is in the medium management information. At that time, if an expiration date is set for each area of the electronic document, the area on the medium corresponding to the area of the electronic document is calculated based on the print settings, and the area is valid for each calculated area. Set a deadline. Note that when an expiration date is set for an electronic document in this way, there are a case where an expiration date common to all users is set and a case where a different expiration date is set for each user. Among these, the latter is useful, for example, when proofreading a document, and when the expiration date differs between a proofreader and a proofreader.

  Second, when printing an electronic document, for example, it is set as one of print settings on a printer driver. In this case, the print setting including the expiration date for each area is received in step 211, and the expiration date for each area included in the received print setting is stored in the medium management information storage unit 33 in step 313.

B. Writing to a Print Document In this embodiment, handwriting information for a print document is transmitted from the digital pen 60 to the terminal device 50 via the communication device 70 and registered in the document server 20.
First, the mechanism of the digital pen 60 will be described.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the digital pen 60.
As illustrated, the digital pen 60 includes a control circuit 61 that controls the operation of the entire pen. The control circuit 61 includes an image processing unit 61a that processes the read code image, and a data processing unit 61b that extracts identification information and position information from the processing result.
The control circuit 61 is connected to a pressure sensor 62 that detects a writing operation by the digital pen 60 by a pressure applied to the pen tip 69. Further, an infrared LED 63 that irradiates the medium with infrared light and an infrared CMOS 64 that reads a code image by detecting reflected light are also connected. Furthermore, an information memory 65 for storing identification information and position information, a communication circuit 66 for communicating with an external device, a battery 67 for driving a pen, and pen identification information (pen ID) are stored. A pen ID memory 68 is also connected.

Next, the functional configuration realized in the control circuit 61 will be described in more detail.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the control circuit 61. In the figure, a functional configuration example is shown separately for the image processing unit 61 a and the data processing unit 61 b in the control circuit 61.
As illustrated, the image processing unit 61 a includes an image acquisition unit 611 and a dot array generation unit 612. The data processing unit 61 b includes a code array generation unit 613, an identification information acquisition unit 614, a position information acquisition unit 615, and a handwriting information generation unit 616. Further, a pen ID acquisition unit 617, a display control unit 618, and a communication control unit 619 are provided.

The image acquisition unit 611 acquires a code image read from the print document by the infrared CMOS 64. Moreover, the noise contained in a code image is removed as needed.
The dot array generation unit 612 generates a dot array with reference to the dot positions in the code image. That is, on a two-dimensional array, for example, “1” is stored at a position where there is a dot and “0” is stored at a position where there is no dot, thereby replacing the dot detected as an image with digital data. Then, this two-dimensional array is output as a dot array.

  The code array generation unit 613 detects a block corresponding to the unit pattern in the code block on the dot array. Specifically, a frame having the same shape and size as the block in which the unit pattern is arranged is moved on the dot array, and the frame is fixed at a position where the number of dots in the frame becomes equal. For example, if the unit pattern shown in FIG. 6A is used, a frame having a size corresponding to 3 dots × 3 dots is moved, and the frame is fixed at a position where the number of dots included in the frame is two. Then, a code array is generated that stores code values determined from dot positions in each block delimited by the frame. When this code array is generated, the position of the synchronization code is specified by searching for a code value of a predetermined synchronization code.

The identification information acquisition unit 614 detects the identification code based on the position of the synchronization code from the code array. Then, the identification code is decoded using the parameters used in the RS encoding process at the time of image generation, and identification information is acquired.
The position information acquisition unit 615 detects the position code based on the position of the synchronization code from the code array. Then, an M-sequence partial sequence is extracted from the position code, the position of this partial sequence in the M-sequence used at the time of image generation is referenced, and a value obtained by correcting this position with an offset using a synchronization code is acquired as position information. The reason why the correction is made by the offset is that a synchronization code is arranged between the position codes.

The handwriting information generation unit 616 generates handwriting information by connecting the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 615. Here, the handwriting information includes at least data obtained by digitizing the locus of the pen tip of the digital pen 60, but may include other information. Information other than the locus of the pen tip includes, for example, information on the color set for the pen when writing, information on writing pressure, and the like.
The pen ID acquisition unit 617 acquires a pen ID that is identification information of the digital pen 60 from the pen ID memory 68 (see FIG. 8).

The display control unit 618 controls display on a display (not shown) based on the handwriting information registration completion report sent from the document server 20.
The communication control unit 619 passes the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 614, the handwriting information generated by the handwriting information generation unit 616, and the pen ID acquired by the pen ID acquisition unit 617 to the communication circuit 66. The information transmission to the communication device 70 is realized. The registration completion report is received from the communication circuit 66 that has received the handwriting information registration completion report from the document server 20.

Next, an operation when the digital pen 60 generates writing information and registers it in the document server 20 will be described.
In the digital pen 60, first, the infrared LED 63 irradiates the medium with infrared light, and the infrared CMOS 64 receives the reflected light to read the code image. Then, the image acquisition unit 611 acquires the read code image. If the code image contains noise, it is removed. Next, the dot array generation unit 612 converts the dot positions included in the code image into digital data, and generates a dot array.

FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating operations of the digital pen 60 and the document server 20 thereafter.
The digital pen 60 acquires identification information, handwriting information, and a pen ID (step 621). Specifically, the following processing is performed. That is, first, the code array generation unit 613 detects a block from the dot array, and generates a code array that stores a code value for each block. Then, the position of the synchronization code is specified in the code array. Thereafter, the identification information acquisition unit 614 detects the identification code based on the position of the synchronization code, decodes it, and acquires the identification information. Further, the position information acquisition unit 615 detects a position code based on the position of the synchronization code, decodes this, and acquires position information. The handwriting information generation unit 616 generates handwriting information by connecting the position information. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the pen ID acquisition unit 617 acquires a pen ID from the pen ID memory 68 (see FIG. 8).

  Then, the communication control unit 619 passes these pieces of information to the communication circuit 66, and the communication circuit 66 transmits these pieces of information to the identification information server 30 via the communication device 70 and the terminal device 50 (step 622).

Thereby, in the identification information server 30, the receiving part 31 receives identification information, handwriting information, and pen ID first (step 321).
Next, these pieces of information are transferred to the medium management unit 32, and the medium management unit 32 stores the document ID, page number (included in the print settings), area information, and expiration date associated with the passed identification information. The data is taken out from the management information storage unit 33 and the expiration date is determined (step 322). Here, the determination of the expiration date is specifically performed as follows. That is, first, the position information and the writing date / time information are acquired from the handwriting information for the points constituting the handwriting information. Next, area information indicating an area including the point is identified from the area information extracted in step 322 based on the position information. Here, if there is no area information indicating the area including the point, the expiration date is not set for the point, so it is determined that the writing was made within the expiration date. On the other hand, if there is area information indicating the area including the point, the expiration date corresponding to the area information is compared with the writing date information, and if the writing date information is before the expiration date, it is written within the expiration date. If the writing date and time information is after the expiration date, it is determined that the writing has passed after the expiration date.

  Then, the handwriting information division unit 35 uses the handwriting information received from the receiving unit 31 as the handwriting information (valid handwriting information) written in the area within the expiration date and the handwriting information written in the area where the expiration date has passed ( (Invalid handwriting information) (step 323). Specifically, the result of the expiration date determination by the medium management unit 32 for each point constituting the handwriting information is received, the point determined to be written within the expiration date is included in the effective handwriting information, and the expiration date has passed. The points determined to have been written are included in the invalid handwriting information.

  Thereafter, these pieces of information are passed to the transmission unit 39, and the transmission unit 39 transmits the document ID, page number, valid handwriting information, invalid handwriting information, and pen ID to the document server 20 (step 324). Here, when there are a plurality of document servers 20, the destination document server 20 may be identified from the document ID. If the document ID is not associated with the used identification information in the medium management information storage unit 33, it is considered that the identification information is assigned to a blank sheet (note or tag). In that case, the document server 20 that manages the handwriting information for the white paper may be determined as the transmission destination.

Then, the document server 20 stores valid handwriting information and invalid handwriting information separately. When the registration of handwriting information is completed, a handwriting information registration completion report is sent from the document server 20 to the identification information server 30.
Thereby, in the identification information server 30, the receiving unit 31 receives the handwriting information registration completion report (step 325). In this handwriting information registration completion report, the registered handwriting information is only valid handwriting information, invalid handwriting information, or both valid handwriting information and invalid handwriting information. Information shall be included. Therefore, the alert setting unit 36 receives the handwriting information registration completion report from the receiving unit 31, and determines whether or not the information indicating that invalid handwriting information has been registered is included (step 326). If information indicating that invalid handwriting information has been registered is included, alert information is added to the handwriting information registration completion report (step 327), and if information indicating that invalid handwriting information has been registered is not included, Does not add alert information.

  Thereafter, the handwriting information registration completion report is passed from the alert setting unit 36 to the transmission unit 39, and the transmission unit 39 transmits the handwriting information registration completion report to the digital pen 60 via the terminal device 50 and the communication device 70 (step 328). ).

  Thereby, in the digital pen 60, the communication circuit 66 receives the handwriting information registration completion report, and the communication control unit 619 receives this from the communication circuit 66 (step 623). The handwriting information registration completion report is passed from the communication control unit 619 to the display control unit 618, and the display control unit 618 determines whether alert information is set in the handwriting information registration completion report (step 624). If the alert information is set, the display control unit 618 displays an alert on the display (not shown) of the digital pen 60 (step 625). Alternatively, instead of displaying the alert, the digital pen 60 may be vibrated.

Here, specific contents of the handwriting management information stored in the handwriting management information storage unit 24 will be described.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of handwriting management information.
First, (a) shows handwriting management information related to effective handwriting information.
As shown in the figure, the handwriting management information in this case is a correspondence between a document ID, a page number, and handwriting information.
Among these, the document ID is information for uniquely identifying the electronic document as described above.
The page number is a page number in the electronic document.
Furthermore, handwriting information is information obtained by digitizing the contents of writing on a medium, as already described. However, since the handwriting information is image data, it is not associated as it is, but the storage location of the handwriting information is associated. In the figure, the file name of handwriting information is shown as the storage location of handwriting information. For example, if handwriting information is stored under the same folder, the handwriting information can be uniquely specified by the file name. Alternatively, for example, a URL may be associated as information on the storage location of handwriting information.
In the figure, for example, the handwriting information “ScrA” is written on the first page of the electronic document with the document ID “DocA”. Further, it is shown that handwriting information “ScrB” is written on the second page of the electronic document with the document ID “DocB”.

Next, (b) shows handwriting management information related to invalid handwriting information.
As shown in the drawing, the handwriting management information in this case associates a document ID, a page number, a pen ID, and handwriting information.
Among these, the document ID, page number, and handwriting information have been described in (a), and thus description thereof is omitted here.
The pen ID is identification information of the digital pen 60 used for writing.
In the figure, for example, it is shown that handwriting information “ScrA — 001” has been written with the digital pen 60 with the pen ID “P001” on the first page of the electronic document with the document ID “DocA”. In addition, handwriting information “ScrB — 002” is written with the digital pen 60 with the pen ID “P002” on the second page of the electronic document with the document ID “DocB”, and the handwriting information “ScrB_003” is written with the digital pen 60 with the pen ID “P003”. It is shown that it was written.

  Thus, in this embodiment, valid handwriting information and invalid handwriting information are managed separately. Here, if handwriting information is regarded as a layer superimposed on the electronic document, it can be said that the valid handwriting information and the invalid handwriting information are stored in different layers. In the figure, invalid handwriting information corresponding to the same document ID is managed in the same table even if the pen ID is different. However, considering that only the invalid handwriting information corresponding to the designated pen ID is superimposed on the electronic document, it can be said that the invalid handwriting information is stored in a layer for each pen ID.

C. Display of handwriting information In the present embodiment, handwriting information associated with the original electronic document on a certain print medium is displayed based on the above handwriting management information. At this time, for invalid handwriting information that has been expired, only information related to writing with the digital pen 60 of the specified pen ID is displayed.
In that case, the user first instructs the print medium with the digital pen 60. Then, the digital pen 60 reads the identification information and outputs it to the terminal device 50 via the communication device 70. On the other hand, the user inputs a pen ID to the terminal device 50.
Then, the terminal device 50 transmits the identification information transmitted from the digital pen 60 and the input pen ID to the identification information server 30.

  Alternatively, the user may input user identification information (user ID) to the terminal device 50. In that case, the pen ID of one or a plurality of digital pens 60 used by the user is acquired using the digital pen 60 main body or a personal authentication device provided outside. Thereby, the terminal device 50 transmits the identification information transmitted from the digital pen 60 and the pen ID acquired here to the identification information server 30.

FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing subsequent operations of the identification information server 30 and the document server 20.
In the identification information server 30, the receiving unit 31 first receives identification information and a pen ID from the terminal device 50 (step 331). Next, the identification information and the pen ID are passed to the medium management unit 32, and the medium management unit 32 refers to the medium management information storage unit 33 and acquires the document ID and print settings corresponding to the identification information (step 332). . The print settings are passed to the display information generation unit 34, the document ID and page number (included in the print settings), the pen ID is passed to the transmission unit 39, and the transmission unit 39 receives the document ID, page number, and pen ID. Is transmitted to the document server 20 (step 333).

  Thereby, in the document server 20, the receiving unit 21 receives the document ID, page number, and pen ID (step 231). These pieces of information are transferred to the handwriting management unit 23. The handwriting management unit 23 refers to the handwriting management information related to the effective handwriting information stored in the handwriting management information storage unit 24, and passes the document ID and the page number. The effective handwriting information corresponding to is extracted (step 232). Further, the handwriting management information related to the invalid handwriting information stored in the handwriting management information storage unit 24 is referred to, and the invalid handwriting information corresponding to the passed document ID, page number, and pen ID is extracted (step 233). Thereafter, the extracted information is transferred to the transmission unit 29, and the transmission unit 29 transmits these pieces of information to the identification information server 30 together with the electronic document specified by the document ID (step 234).

Thereby, in the identification information server 30, the receiving unit 31 receives the electronic document, valid handwriting information, and invalid handwriting information (step 334). These pieces of information are passed to the display information generation unit 34.
Thereafter, the display information generation unit 34 generates display information that is a print image of the electronic document in consideration of the print settings retrieved and passed by the medium management unit 32 in step 332 (step 335). Also, the valid handwriting information and invalid handwriting information received in step 334 are added to the print image of the electronic document (step 336). Then, the display information generation unit 34 passes the display information generated in this way to the transmission unit 39, and the transmission unit 39 transmits the display information to the terminal device 50 (step 337).
This is the end of the description of the operation of the present embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, both the expiration date for each medium and the expiration date for each area on the medium can be provided. However, only one of the expiration dates may be provided. For example, when the configuration is such that only the expiration date for each medium can be provided, first, the area information column is eliminated from the medium management information in FIG. The determination of the expiration date in step 322 in FIG. 10 determines whether the writing date and time information of each point constituting the handwriting information is before or after the expiration date associated with the identification information of the medium on which writing has been performed. It should be.

  In the above-described embodiment, when handwriting information is displayed, only invalidity handwriting information related to writing with the digital pen 60 of the specified pen ID is displayed. You may make it display only the thing regarding writing by the user (writer) of ID (information which specifies a writer). In this case, for example, prior to writing, the pen ID of the digital pen 60 used for writing and the user ID of the user of the digital pen 60 are registered in association with each other. Then, when writing is performed, a corresponding user ID is specified from the pen ID of the digital pen 60, and this user ID may be stored instead of the pen ID in FIG. Or you may make it display only the invalid handwriting information regarding the writing which satisfy | fills other conditions. In other words, the invalid handwriting information may be restricted with respect to a condition that should be satisfied in order to output (display) it in a specific method.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, only the case where handwriting information is displayed is assumed. However, when handwriting information is printed, invalid handwriting information may be limited. The restriction may be, for example, a restriction on a method of outputting handwriting information such that invalid handwriting information can be displayed but cannot be printed. Alternatively, invalid handwriting information may be printed, and it may be requested to satisfy the same conditions as requested when displaying the invalid handwriting information. In other words, the invalid handwriting information may be restricted with respect to conditions that should be satisfied in order to output (print) the invalid handwriting information in a specific method.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the expiration date is managed by the server, but the expiration date may be embedded in the medium as additional information separately from the identification information and the position information. In that case, an additional information acquisition unit that acquires additional information from the code array generation unit 613 is provided in the digital pen 60, and the writing date and time information of each point constituting the handwriting information is acquired as additional information by the additional information acquisition unit. It may be determined whether it is within the expiration date. Here, the additional information acquisition unit is an example of a time limit information acquisition unit that acquires time limit information.

By the way, in the present embodiment, the digital pen 60 generates handwriting information, the identification information server 30 determines whether the handwriting information is within the expiration date, and the document server 20 determines whether the handwriting information is within the expiration date. The effective handwriting information and the invalid handwriting information are stored separately. However, various variations can be considered as to which apparatus performs these processes. For example, the digital pen 60 or the terminal device 50 may determine whether or not the handwriting information is within the expiration date, and the handwriting information is generated based on the position information sent from the digital pen 60. It may be performed by the server 30 or the document server 20. Further, the identification information server 30 may store the handwriting information.
Therefore, the hardware configuration of the computer 90 will be described assuming that these processes are performed by the computer 90.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the computer 90.
As shown in the figure, the computer 90 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 91 as a calculation means, a main memory 92 as a storage means, and a magnetic disk device (HDD: Hard Disk Drive) 93. Here, the CPU 91 executes various types of software such as an OS (Operating System) and applications to realize the above-described functions. The main memory 92 is a storage area for storing various software and data used for execution thereof, and the magnetic disk device 93 is a storage area for storing input data for various software, output data from various software, and the like. .
Further, the computer 90 includes a communication I / F 94 for performing communication with the outside, a display mechanism 95 including a video memory and a display, and an input device 96 such as a keyboard and a mouse.

  The program for realizing the present embodiment can be provided not only by communication means but also by storing it in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,50 ... Terminal device, 20 ... Document server, 30 ... Identification information server, 40 ... Image forming device, 60 ... Digital pen, 80 ... Network

Claims (9)

Identification information acquisition means for acquiring the identification information read from the medium on which the identification information of the electronic document and the medium and the position information on the medium are printed;
Writing information acquisition means for acquiring writing information obtained by digitizing writing on the medium based on the position information read from the medium;
A determination unit that determines whether the writing is performed by a predetermined time limit based on the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit;
When the determination unit determines that the writing has been performed by the deadline, a first process is performed to associate the writing information acquired by the writing information acquisition unit with the electronic document, And a processing unit that performs a second process different from the first process as a process related to the writing when the determination unit determines that the writing is not performed by the deadline. Written information processing device. Further comprising position information acquisition means for acquiring the position information read from the medium;
2. The writing information processing according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not the writing has been performed before the deadline, based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit. apparatus.   The processing means performs a process for storing the writing information acquired by the writing information acquisition means without associating it with the electronic document as the second processing. The written information processing apparatus.   3. The processing according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit performs processing associated with the electronic document after limiting the writing information acquired by the writing information acquisition unit as the second processing. The written information processing apparatus.   The writing information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the restriction attached to the writing information includes a restriction on a method of outputting the writing information in association with the electronic document.   5. The writing information according to claim 4, wherein the restriction attached to the writing information includes a restriction on a condition to be satisfied in order to output the writing information in a specific method in association with the electronic document. Processing equipment.   The condition includes a condition that at least one of information for specifying an electronic writing instrument used for the writing and information for specifying a writer who has performed the writing is input. Written information processing device described in 1. Time limit information acquisition means for acquiring the time limit information read from the medium on which the electronic document and the time limit information indicating a predetermined time limit and the position information on the medium are printed;
Writing information acquisition means for acquiring writing information obtained by digitizing writing on the medium based on the position information read from the medium;
Based on the time limit information acquired by the time limit information acquisition means, a determination means for determining whether or not the writing is performed by the time limit;
When the determination unit determines that the writing has been performed by the deadline, a first process is performed to associate the writing information acquired by the writing information acquisition unit with the electronic document, And a processing unit that performs a second process different from the first process as a process related to the writing when the determination unit determines that the writing is not performed by the deadline. Written information processing device. On the computer,
A function of acquiring the identification information read from the medium on which the identification information of the electronic document and the medium and the position information on the medium are printed;
A function of acquiring writing information obtained by digitizing writing on the medium based on the position information read from the medium;
Based on the identification information, a function of determining whether the writing is performed by a predetermined time limit;
When it is determined that the writing has been performed by the deadline, a first process for associating the writing information with the electronic document is performed, and it is determined that the writing has not been performed by the deadline. A program for realizing a function of performing a second process different from the first process as a process related to the writing.

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