JP2014021541A - Information processing equipment and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide information processing equipment and a program that can perform processing on document information through an easy operation.SOLUTION: Featured processing on a document and a next-execution processing candidate to be executed next on the document are stored associatively in a storage device 22, and a controller 11 of information processing equipment 20 acquires information on featured processing which was executed on the document in the past, specifies a next-execution processing candidate corresponding to the acquired information on the featured processing based upon storage contents of the storage device 22, and displays the next-execution processing candidate specified for the document at a UI part 30 when the document is specified.

Description

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

  Patent Document 1 discloses a holding unit that holds a partial area set in a target image representing a target object and an attribute value defined in advance for the partial area, displays the target image, and Receiving means for receiving an input of a document image in which a partial area is designated by drawing for separating an object image; and an attribute value corresponding to the partial area designated by drawing for a target image in the received document image, An image registration apparatus comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires an image by referring to a holding unit; and a registration unit that registers the received document image in a storage device in association with the acquired attribute value. Has been.

JP 2009-053737 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus and program capable of performing processing on document information with a simple operation.

  In order to achieve the above object, the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 includes a storage unit that stores a characteristic process for a document in association with a next execution process candidate that can be executed next on the document, The acquisition means for acquiring characteristic processing information executed in the past on the document, and the next execution processing candidate corresponding to the characteristic processing information acquired by the acquisition means are stored in the storage means And a display control means for displaying a next execution processing candidate specified by the specifying means in the document on the display means when the document is specified.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the specifying means selects one next execution process candidate having the highest priority, or a plurality of next execution process candidates in descending order of priority. The next execution processing candidate corresponding to the characteristic processing information is specified.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the storage means includes the plurality of types when the characteristic process and the next execution process candidate are plural. The higher-priority process corresponding to each of the plurality of next execution process candidates associated with each of the characteristic processes is stored with a larger score, and the specifying means specifies a plurality of the documents. The total value of the points of the same next execution process candidate in the characteristic process corresponding to each of the specified plurality of documents is calculated, and the characteristic process information in descending order of the total value The next execution process candidate corresponding to is specified.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the characteristic processing includes a reading process for reading a document and obtaining document information, and an image in the document information. This is at least one of image processing to be processed and communication line acquisition for obtaining document information via the communication line.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the next execution processing candidate is at least one of transmission, deletion, and printing of the document information. There is something.

  Furthermore, the invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the characteristic processing is a latest processing performed most recently on the document. Is.

On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, the program according to claim 7
An acquisition unit that acquires information on characteristic processing executed in the past on the document, and a next execution processing candidate corresponding to the characteristic processing information acquired by the acquisition unit Specifying means based on the storage contents of a storage means for associating and storing a process and a next execution process candidate that can be executed next to the document; and when the document is specified, the specifying means in the document It is for functioning as a display control means for displaying the next execution processing candidate specified by the above on the display means.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to function as an acquisition unit, an identification unit, and a display control unit in the information processing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects.

  According to the first, seventh, and eighth aspects of the invention, it is possible to obtain an effect that the document information can be processed with a simple operation as compared with the case where the present invention is not applied.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain an effect that the document information can be processed with a simple operation according to the priority.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 3, even when a plurality of document information is designated, it is possible to obtain an effect that the document information can be processed with a more efficient and simple operation.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the processing for document information based on the case where the characteristic document processing executed in the past is at least one of reading processing, image processing, and communication line acquisition, The effect that it can carry out by simple operation is acquired.

  According to the fifth aspect of the invention, it is possible to obtain an effect that at least one of transmission, deletion, and printing can be performed on the document information with a simple operation.

  Furthermore, according to the sixth aspect of the invention, it is possible to obtain an effect that the document information can be processed with a simple operation when the characteristic processing is the latest processing.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the document management system which concerns on embodiment. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a multifunction machine according to an embodiment. 3 is a plan view illustrating a configuration example of a display screen in a UI unit of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the document management data based on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the corresponding | compatible table which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the next process execution process program which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structural example of the display screen of UI part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows another structural example of the display screen of UI part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the corresponding | compatible table which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the next process execution process program which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structural example of the display screen in UI part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the corresponding | compatible table which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the next process execution process program which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the display screen of UI part which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the next process execution process program which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the document management data based on 5th Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the corresponding | compatible table which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the next process execution process program which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structural example of the display screen of UI part which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is a top view which shows another structural example of the display screen of UI part which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a part of process of the next process execution process program which concerns on 6th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a part of process of the next process execution process program which concerns on 6th Embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
First, the configuration of the document management system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, in the document management system 10 according to the present embodiment, the multifunction machine 20 is connected to a document management apparatus 60 that registers and manages document data via a network 40 that is a communication line. In the document management system 10, another information processing apparatus such as a multifunction machine 99, a server 42, and a personal computer 44 (indicated as a PC in FIG. 1) is connected to the network 40, and the multifunction machine 20 is connected via the network 40. Then, transmission / reception of document data and the like with these other information processing apparatuses is performed.

  The multifunction machine 20 according to the present embodiment includes a document management function, an image input function, an image output function, an image processing function, a facsimile (hereinafter referred to as “FAX”) function, a mail function, and the like as functions. ing.

The document management function stores a document created or processed in the multifunction device 20 or document data obtained from the document management device 60 or the like via the network 40 in a storage device 22 (see also FIG. 2) described later, or This is a function of taking out from the storage device 22.
The image input function is a scanner function for reading an image of a document or the like, and the image output function is a print function for printing document data or the like on a recording medium (paper medium or the like).
The image processing function is a function for performing various image processing such as difference extraction described later on document data.

  The FAX function is a function for transmitting / receiving document data or the like by facsimile communication with another information processing apparatus via the network 40, and the mail function is a function for transmitting document data or the like to another information processing apparatus via the network 40. It is a function to send and receive by mailer between.

The above-described functions cooperate with each other in the multifunction device 20, so that the multifunction device 20 executes various services.
For example, a paper document is scanned with the image input function and stored in the storage device 22 as an electronic document. Alternatively, document data is input to the multifunction device 20 via the network 40, or a document scanned by the image input function and input to the multifunction device 20 is processed by the image processing function, and the obtained document data is stored. The data is stored in the device 22 and printed out by an image output function. Also, a plurality of document data acquired via the network 40 is stored in the storage device 22, and the document data is selected and extracted from the storage device 22 as necessary, and is printed out by the image output function.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2, an electrical configuration of the multifunction machine 20 according to the present embodiment will be described.

The multi-function device 20 according to the present embodiment includes a controller 11, a memory 12, a UI (user interface) unit 30, a storage device 22, and a communication control unit 14.
The controller 11 controls the overall operation of the multifunction machine 20. The memory 12 includes a ROM and a RAM (not shown). The ROM stores a function program for executing the various functions and various programs such as a control program for managing the function programs. The RAM is a memory for securing a work area used when the controller 11 executes various programs.

  The UI unit 30 includes a touch panel that receives an input instruction and various types of information, and a display panel on which the touch panel is provided on the display screen and displays various types of information, and functions as a control panel. The UI unit 30 may be provided with an input unit composed of various key switches. In the UI unit 30, processing to be executed by the multi-function device 20, selection of parameters and the like when executing each processing, execution timing instructions, and the like are accepted according to user operation input.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the display screen 200 of the UI unit 30 in the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the display screen 200 according to the present embodiment has an operation area 201 and a selection area 202. Here, the operation area 201 is an area for displaying various operation buttons such as “Send” and “Print”. The selection area 202 is an area for displaying a list of documents stored in the storage device 22 to be described later and allowing the user to select a document, and displays the name (file name) of the document data.

  The document management function in the present embodiment is realized by linking the controller 11 and the storage device 22, and the storage device 22 stores document data that has been created or variously processed. Document data is stored in association with management data constituted by attribute information or the like. The storage device 22 is composed of, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The document management function of the multi-function device 20 transmits / receives various data such as document data to / from an external device such as the document management device 60 via the network 40.

  Here, the management items of the management data according to the present embodiment include, for example, the file name of the document data, the update date / time, the file size, and the processing performed most recently on the document data. The document data in this embodiment includes text data, image data, and the like, and is not particularly limited.

  On the other hand, the communication control unit 14 performs control related to communication such as data communication with an external apparatus such as the document management apparatus 60 via the network 40, transmission / reception of various data by facsimile communication, and transmission / reception of mail. Each component of the multifunction machine 20 is connected to the communication control unit 14 via the input / output port 15.

  The multifunction device 20 includes a scanner unit 23, a printer unit 24, an image processing unit 25, a FAX unit 27, and a mail unit 28.

  The scanner unit 23 is configured to include a reading mechanism that reads a document image (not shown), and drives the reading mechanism to acquire image data indicating the document image as digital image data. The printer unit 24 includes an image forming unit that forms an image. The printer unit 24 forms an image on a recording medium based on document data for image formation generated by the multifunction machine 20 and outputs the image as a document.

  The image processing unit 25 performs image processing on the image data received via the network 40, the image data acquired via the scanner unit 23, or the image data read from the storage device 22, and is used for image formation. Data is generated or stored in the storage device 22. Specific examples of the image processing include at least one of a difference extraction process for extracting and displaying a difference between two image data, a noise removal process for removing unnecessary noise components in document data, and an OCR (Optical Character Reader) process. There are two treatments.

On the other hand, the FAX unit 27 has a function of transmitting / receiving document data or the like to / from another multifunction machine 99 or a facsimile (not shown) via the network 40.
Further, the mail unit 28 has a function of transmitting / receiving document data to / from an external device such as a personal computer 44 via the network 40.

  In the MFP 20 according to the present embodiment having various document processing functions as described above, in order to avoid the complexity of the selection operation of the process to be executed, Based on information (hereinafter referred to as “most recent processing information”) related to the processing performed most recently (hereinafter referred to as “most recent processing information”), a candidate of processing expected to be executed next (hereinafter referred to as “next processing”). .) Is specified and processed by analogy. For this purpose, the latest processing information is included in the management data of the document data.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the multi-function device 20 according to the present embodiment having various document processing functions has a variety of processes to be selected. On the other hand, since the display area of the UI unit 30 is limited, A process of displaying only a small number (one in the present embodiment) of predetermined high-order processes is executed. Therefore, in order to be able to select a process other than the specified next process, other processes may be simultaneously displayed in a pull-down menu format, a shortcut key format, or the like. In this case, pull-down menus, shortcuts, and the like are displayed on a part of the display screen 200, for example, at the bottom of the operation area 201 in FIG.

FIG. 4 shows an example of document management data according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the document management data is stored in the storage device 22. The document management data according to the present embodiment includes “document ID (IDentification)” individually assigned to identify a document, “most recent processing information” indicating processing executed most recently on the document data, document data The “file name” indicating the document name, the “update date / time” indicating the date and time when the document data was updated, and the “file size” indicating the size of the corresponding document data. For example, the most recent processing information of the document data assigned with the document ID “10001” is “scan”, the file name of the document data obtained by the scan is “Scan201012270549.pdf”, and the update date of the document data is “ The file size is “241 KB” on May 13, 2012, 13:45 ”.
As a method of associating the latest processing information with the document data, it is possible to wrap the document data and record the latest processing information or the like in the wrapped portion.

  FIG. 4 shows, as an example, a case where “scan”, “image processing”, and “network acquisition” indicating a document acquired via a network are employed as the latest processing information.

On the other hand, FIG. 5 shows a correspondence table according to the present embodiment, which is table information indicating a combination of the latest processing information and the next processing. In the present embodiment, the correspondence table is stored in the storage device 22. In the example of FIG. 5, “transmission”, “deletion”, and “print” are associated with the latest processing information “scan”, “image processing”, and “network acquisition” as the next processing. That is, for example, in a document that has been “scanned” as the most recent process, it is assumed that “transmission” is likely to be selected as the next process. Therefore, when the document is selected, the operation area 201 of the UI unit 30 is selected. Displays a “Send” button.
Here, the correspondence table may be created in advance by obtaining processing having a high priority based on, for example, past empirical rules, statistical data on the frequency of operations in the past, and the like, and may be stored in the storage device 22. For example, when the latest processing is image processing, information indicating the processing result is usually stored as log information and the processing is terminated, so that the original document data is likely to be deleted.

In the present embodiment, the next process is displayed based on the document management data shown in FIG. 4 and the correspondence table shown in FIG.
By the way, the MFP 20 according to the present embodiment is configured to execute a “next process execution process” which is a process for specifying and displaying the next process as described above, and the process executes a program. Thus, it may be realized by a software configuration using a computer. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the software configuration, and may be realized by, for example, a hardware configuration employing ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or a combination of the hardware configuration and the software configuration.

  Hereinafter, a case will be described in which the MFP 20 according to the present embodiment realizes various processes by executing the above-described program. In this case, the program is installed in advance in a ROM as a storage medium (not shown) in the memory 12, or is provided in a state stored in a computer-readable storage medium, wired or wireless communication means A form distributed via the Internet may be applied.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the operation of the multifunction machine 20 according to the present embodiment when performing the next process execution process will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the next process execution process program executed by the controller 11 when the power switch of the multifunction machine 20 is turned on. This program is not shown in the memory 12. It is stored in a predetermined area in the ROM.
Here, in order to avoid complications, a case where the display screen 200 shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the UI unit 30 will be described as an example.

First, in step S300 in FIG. 6, the user waits for the input of a document name indicated by one of the file names displayed in the selection area 202 of the display screen 200 of the UI unit 30, so that the user can select a desired document. Wait for selection.
In the next step S302, the latest processing information corresponding to the selected document is acquired from the document management data (see FIG. 4).

  In the next step S304, the next process is determined by obtaining next process information corresponding to the latest process information obtained in step S302 from the correspondence table (see FIG. 5). Thereafter, in the next step S306, the UI unit 30 is controlled to display information indicating the next process determined in step S304.

  In the next step S308, it is determined whether or not the timing for ending the main process execution processing program has come. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step S300, but the main process is performed when the determination is affirmative. The execution processing program is terminated. In the next process execution process program according to the present embodiment, the timing at which the power switch of the multi-function device 20 is turned off is applied as the timing for ending the next process execution process program. It is not a thing. For example, another timing may be applied, such as a timing at which the multifunction device 20 shifts to the power saving mode or a timing at which the user inputs an instruction to stop execution of the next processing execution processing program.

  7 and 8 show an example of the display screen 200 obtained as a result of the next process execution process.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, document data having a file name “Scan201012270549.pdf” is selected by the user, and as a result, a “Send” button 230 is displayed. That is, in this case, “scan” is identified from the document management data (see FIG. 4) as the latest processing information corresponding to the document data selected by the user. Then, after “transmission” is determined from the correspondence table (see FIG. 5) as the next process corresponding to the “scan”, a “transmission” button 230 is displayed.

  On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the document data with the file name “DSC10103.pdf” is selected by the user, and as a result, the “print” button 231 is displayed. That is, in this case, “network acquisition” is specified from the document management data (see FIG. 4) as the latest processing information corresponding to the document data selected by the user. Then, after “print” is determined from the correspondence table (see FIG. 5) as the next process corresponding to the “network acquisition”, a “print” button 231 is displayed.

  When the display screen 200 as described above is displayed on the UI unit 30, the user can display the displayed button ("Send" button 230 in the example shown in FIG. 7 and "Print" button 231 in the example shown in FIG. ) Is specified by touching (pressing). In response to this, the multi-function device 20 executes processing corresponding to the designated button.

  At this time, if the button indicating the processing desired by the user is not displayed, as described above, the button indicating the desired processing is operated by operating the pull-down menu displayed on the display screen 200 or the shortcut key. May be selected.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, even if the document data is given the same extension (pdf in the examples shown in FIGS. 7 and 8) as the attribute information, the next processing is different if the latest information is different. ("Transmission" in the example of FIG. 7, "Print" in the example of FIG. 8).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the document information is processed with a simple operation.

[Second Embodiment]
The present embodiment is an example in which a plurality of processes are displayed as the next process, and the correspondence table in the first embodiment is changed.
FIG. 9 shows an example of the correspondence table in the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, in the present embodiment, a plurality of next processes prioritized for each latest process information are associated. In the figure, for example, when the latest process information is “scan”, “send” is the next process 1 with the highest priority, “print” is the next process 2 with the highest priority, and the next priority is “Delete” is associated as the next processing 3 with a higher rank. The priorities are the same when the latest processing information is “image processing” or “network acquisition”. In the present embodiment, the next process execution process is executed based on this priority order. In this embodiment, the same document management data as in FIG. 4 is used.

With reference to FIG. 10, the operation of the multifunction machine 20 according to the present embodiment when performing the next process execution process will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the next processing execution processing program executed by the controller 11 in the present embodiment, and the program is stored in a predetermined area in the ROM (not shown) of the memory 12. Has been.
Here, in order to avoid complications, a case where the display screen 200 shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the UI unit 30 will be described as an example.

In the figure, step S400, step S402, and step S408 are the same as step S300, step S302, and step S308 in FIG.
In step S404, the priority order of the next process is determined based on the correspondence table in FIG. 9 for the latest processing information corresponding to the selected document data specified with reference to the document management data in FIG. 4 in step S402. To do. Thereafter, in the next step S406, the UI unit 30 is controlled to display information indicating the next process in the operation area 201 of the display screen 200 based on the priority.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a display screen 200 obtained as a result of the next process execution process according to this embodiment.
In the figure, document data having a file name “Scan201012270549.pdf” is selected by the user, and as a result, a “Send” button, a “Print” button, and a “Delete” button are displayed in this order. That is, in this case, “scan” is identified from the document management data (see FIG. 4) as the latest processing information corresponding to the document data selected by the user. After that, “transmission”, “print” and “deletion” are determined from the correspondence table (see FIG. 9) in this priority order as the next processing corresponding to “scan”, and then “transmission” button 232, “print” A button 233 and a “delete” button 234 are displayed in the operation area 201 of the display screen 200 in this order.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the document information is processed with a simple operation. Further, according to the present embodiment, the range of selection for the next process is expanded.
In the above embodiment, an example in which all the next processes ("Next Process 1", "Next Process 2", and "Next Process 3" in FIG. 9) are displayed in order of priority has been described. Some of the next processes (for example, “next process 1” and “next process 2”) may be displayed.

[Third Embodiment]
This embodiment is an example of a case in which a plurality of document data associated with different latest processes are selected in the selection of document data by the user, and an example in which the correspondence table is changed in the second embodiment It is.
FIG. 12 shows an example of the correspondence table in the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, in the present embodiment, a plurality of next processes prioritized for each latest process information are associated with each other, and points (points) are given to each subsequent process. In the present embodiment, the document management data shown in FIG. 4 is used as the document management data as in the second embodiment.

In the same figure, for example, when the latest processing information is “scan”, 3 points for “transmission” of the next processing 1, 2 points for “print” of the next processing 2, and 1 for “deletion” of the next processing 3 Points are given. The same applies to the points when the latest processing information is “image processing” and “network acquisition”.
In the present embodiment, the next processing when a plurality of document data is selected is displayed based on this score.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 13, the operation of the multifunction machine 20 according to the present embodiment when performing the next process execution process will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the next processing execution processing program executed by the controller 11 in the present embodiment, and the program is stored in a predetermined area in a ROM (not shown) of the memory 12. Has been. Here, in order to avoid complications, a case where the display screen 200 shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the UI unit 30 will be described as an example. Here, a case where two pieces of document data are selected as a plurality of pieces of document data will be described as an example.

First, in step S500 of FIG. 13, the input wait state for any two document names among the document names displayed in the selection area 202 of the display screen 200 of the UI unit 30, and the user selects a desired document. Wait until is selected.
In the next step S502, the latest processing information corresponding to each selected document data is acquired from the document management data (see FIG. 4).

In the next step S504, each next process corresponding to each latest process information acquired in step S502 is specified from the correspondence table (see FIG. 12), and a priority order is determined.
Thereafter, in the next step S506, a total value of points for the same next process corresponding to each of the plurality of latest process information is obtained.
In the next step S508, the total value of the scores of the respective next processing obtained above is compared to determine the priority of the next processing. In the next step S510, the next processing is performed in the priority order determined in step S508. The UI unit 30 is controlled to display the information to be displayed.

  In the next step S512, it is determined whether or not the timing for ending the main processing execution processing program has come. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step S500, and again enters the document data selection acceptance standby state. On the other hand, if the determination is affirmative, the program ends. The determination as to whether or not the end timing has come may be made in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 14 shows an example of a display screen 200 obtained as a result of the next process execution process according to this embodiment.
In the example shown in FIG. 14, when two document data whose file names are “Scan201012270549.pdf” and “Image ABC.xyz” are selected by the user, a “Send” button 235, a “Delete” button 236, A “print” button 237 is displayed in this order. That is, in this case, by referring to FIG. 4, “scan” is acquired as the latest processing information of document data whose file name is “Scan201012270549.pdf”. Further, “image processing” is acquired as the latest processing information of the document data whose file name is “image ABC.xyz” (corresponding to step S502).

  Next, the correspondence table in FIG. 12 is referred to based on the latest processing information acquired above. As a result, when the latest processing information is “scan”, the priority order of the next processing is “transmission”, “print”, “deletion”, and the score of each next processing is “send” three points, It is specified that “print” is 2 points and “delete” is 1 point. Further, when the latest process is “image processing”, the priority order is “delete”, “send”, and “print”, and the score of each subsequent process is “delete” 3 points, “send” Two points and one “print” point are specified. (Corresponding to step S504)

  Next, when the point values for the same next process in each of the most recent processes are summed, “send” 5 points (3 points + 2 points), “print” 3 points (2 points + 1 point), “delete” 4 points (1 Point + 3 points). Then, the priority order of the next process is “transmission” is the next process 1, “delete” is the next process 2, and “print” is the next process 3 (corresponding to step S508). In the operation area 201, a “Send” button 235, a “Delete” button 236, and a “Print” button 237 are displayed in this order. (Corresponding to step S510)

Here, as the next processing to be displayed in the operation area 201, only the “Send” button having the highest score may be displayed as in the first embodiment.
In addition, when the total value of the scores for the same next process is the same, it may be determined in advance which one is selected. Further, when the user selects two document data and a document associated with the same latest process is selected, the next process prioritized in the same manner as in the second embodiment is displayed. It is natural to be good.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when a plurality of documents are designated, the document information is processed with a more efficient and simple operation.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The present embodiment is an example applied to the case where the next process is actually executed (activated) as the execution of the next process after document data selection. Assume that FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are used for the document management data and the correspondence table in the present embodiment, respectively.

With reference to FIG. 15, the operation of the multifunction machine 20 according to the present embodiment when the next process execution process is performed will be described.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the next processing execution processing program executed by the controller 11 in the present embodiment. The program is a predetermined area in a ROM (not shown) of the memory 12. Is remembered.
Here, in order to avoid complications, a case where the display screen 200 shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the UI unit 30 will be described as an example.

  Steps S600 to S604 and S608 are the same as steps S300 to S304 and 308 in FIG.

  In this embodiment, after the next process is determined in step 604, the next process is executed (actually activated) in step S606. For example, when “deletion” is determined as the next process, the deletion is actually executed without displaying the “deletion” button in the operation area 201 of the UI unit 30. In this case, for example, a message such as “Do you want to delete?” May be displayed on the display screen 200 of the UI unit 30.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, processing for document information is executed in a shorter time.

[Fifth Embodiment]
In the present embodiment, the latest processing in each of the above-described embodiments is changed to a characteristic processing. Characteristic processing refers to processing or processing groups that have been performed on document data in the past and that can predict the next processing to be executed based on the processing. Therefore, the characteristic processing may be one or a series of processing steps indicated by processing steps. Examples of the single characteristic process include an OCR process and a noise removal process.

With reference to FIGS. 16 to 19, the present embodiment will be described by taking as an example a case where characteristic processes are two consecutive processes.
FIG. 16 shows an example of document management data in the present embodiment, which differs from the document management data shown in FIG. 4 only in that the latest processing information is changed to a characteristic process. The document management data shown in FIG. 16 is also stored in the storage device 22 of the multi-function device 20 as in the above-described embodiments.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the characteristic processing in the present embodiment includes processing 1 executed in advance and processing 2 executed subsequent to processing 1. In the present embodiment, the process 2 corresponds to the latest process in each of the above-described embodiments. However, the process 1 and the process 2 are not necessarily limited to the process executed most recently, and may be any two of the processes executed in the past.

  With reference to FIG. 16, the characteristic processing will be specifically described. For example, in the document data with the file name “2008.efg” having the document ID “10003”, “FAX” is used as the processing 1 of characteristic processing. "" Indicates that "OCR" processing has been executed in the past as processing 2. Further, in the document data with the file name “GUI.xyz” of the document ID “10006”, it is indicated that “scan” processing has been executed as characteristic processing 1 and “OCR” processing has been executed as processing 2 in the past. ing. The same applies to the document data of other document IDs.

Also in the present embodiment, as in the above-described embodiments, the next execution process candidate that is a candidate for the process that is predicted to be executed next in response to the characteristic process is determined in advance as a correspondence table. . FIG. 17 shows an example of the correspondence table. This correspondence table is also stored in the storage device 22 of the multifunction machine 20.
In the figure, when the process 1 is “FAX” transmission and the process 2 is an “OCR” process, the next execution process candidate (shown as “next process” in the table) is “print”. When the “scan” process and the process 2 are the “OCR” process, the next process is “delete”. In the figure, only two examples are shown as characteristic processes, but it is of course possible to prepare a correspondence table assuming various combinations of processes.

Next, with reference to FIG. 18, the operation of the multifunction machine 20 according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the flow of the next process execution processing program in the present embodiment. Here, in order to avoid complications, a case where the display screen 200 illustrated in FIG. 3 is displayed on the UI unit 30 will be described as an example.

First, in step S700 of FIG. 18, the user waits for a designated input of a document name indicated by one of the file names displayed in the selection area 202 of the display screen 200 of the UI unit 30, so that the user can select a desired document. Wait for selection.
When any document is selected in step S700, characteristic processing information corresponding to the selected document is acquired from the document management data (see FIG. 16) in the next step S702.

  In the next step S704, the next process is specified by acquiring the next process information corresponding to the characteristic process information acquired in step S702 from the correspondence table (see FIG. 17). Thereafter, in step S706, the UI unit 30 is controlled to display information indicating the next process specified in step S704.

  In the next step S708, it is determined whether or not the timing for ending the main process execution process program has come. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step S700. The execution processing program is terminated.

  19 and 20 show an example of the display screen 200 obtained as a result of the next process execution process.

  In the example shown in FIG. 19, document data whose file name is “2008.efg” is selected by the user, and as a result, a “print” button 238 is displayed. That is, in this case, the characteristic processing information corresponding to the document data selected by the user is specified from “FAX” for processing 1 and “OCR” for processing 2 and document management data (see FIG. 16). Thereafter, “print” is determined from the correspondence table (see FIG. 17) as the next process corresponding to the characteristic processing information, and then the “print” button 238 is displayed on the display screen 200.

  On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 20, the document data with the file name “GUI.xyz” is selected by the user, and as a result, a “delete” button 239 is displayed. That is, in this case, characteristic processing information corresponding to the document data selected by the user is specified from “scan” for process 1 and “OCR” for process 2 and document management data (see FIG. 16). Then, after “deletion” is determined from the correspondence table (see FIG. 17) as the next process corresponding to the characteristic processing information, a “deletion” button 239 is displayed on the display screen 200.

  When the display screen 200 as described above is displayed on the UI unit 30, the user can display the displayed button ("print" button 238 in the example shown in FIG. 19 and "delete" button 239 in the example shown in FIG. 20). ) Is specified by touching (pressing). In response to this, the multi-function device 20 executes processing corresponding to the designated button.

  At this time, if the button indicating the processing desired by the user is not displayed, as described above, the button indicating the desired processing is operated by operating the pull-down menu displayed on the display screen 200 or the shortcut key. May be selected.

  As described above, according to the multifunction machine 20 according to the present embodiment, processing for document information is performed with a simple operation. In the multi-function device 20 according to the present embodiment, the next execution process candidate is determined more finely.

[Sixth Embodiment]
In each of the above-described embodiments, an example has been described in which the multi-function device 20 executes various processes (storage of document management data and correspondence table, next process execution process, etc.) according to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the document management apparatus 60 may share all or part of the processing, for example. The present embodiment relates to such a document processing system by cooperation of the multifunction machine 20 and the document management apparatus 60. Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to an example in which the document management data, the correspondence table, and the flowchart according to the first embodiment are applied.

In this embodiment, the document management device 60 stores document data and document management data, the multifunction device 20 stores a correspondence table, and the document management device 60 and the multifunction device 20 cooperate to execute a next process execution processing program. It is a form which performs.
That is, a storage device (not shown) included in the document management device 60 stores the document data and the document management data shown in FIG. The multi-function device 20 stores the correspondence table shown in FIG. Data and processing results are exchanged between the document management device 60 and the multifunction device 20 by communication via the network 40 through a communication IF (interface) unit (not shown) of the document management device 60 and the communication control unit 14 of the multifunction device 20. Is done.

  With reference to FIGS. 21 and 22, the operation of the document processing system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the next process execution processing program executed by the controller 11 of the multifunction machine 20 in the document processing system according to the present embodiment. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the next process execution process program performed by CPU.

In step S800 of FIG. 21, the MFP 20 first waits for the input of a document name indicated by one of the file names displayed in the selection area 202 of the display screen 200 of the UI unit 30 so that the user can Wait until the desired document is selected.
In the next step S802, the document name selected above is transmitted to the document management apparatus 60.

Since the document management apparatus that has received the document name sends back the latest processing information, the MFP 20 waits for reception of the latest processing information in the next step S804.
When the latest processing information is received in step S804, in the next step S806, the multifunction machine 20 determines the next processing with reference to the correspondence table shown in FIG. 5, and displays the next processing together with the corresponding document data in step S808. .

  In the next step S810, it is determined whether or not it is time to end this program. If it is not the end timing (if negative determination), the process returns to step S800, and if it is the end timing (if positive determination), this program. Exit.

On the other hand, the CPU (not shown) of the document management apparatus 60 waits for reception of a document name selection result by the multifunction machine 20 in step S900 of FIG.
When the document name selection result is received in step S900, in the next step S902, the latest process information corresponding to the document data of the selected document name is acquired with reference to the document management data shown in FIG. In step S904, the latest processing information and corresponding document data are transmitted to the multi-function device 20.

  In the next step S906, it is determined whether or not it is time to end the program. If it is not the end timing (if negative determination), the process returns to step S900, and if it is the end timing (if positive determination), the program. Exit.

  Hereinafter, the flow of the next processing execution processing program will be specifically described. As shown in FIG. 7, when the user selects, for example, document data having a file name “Scan201012270549.pdf” on the display screen 200 of the multifunction device 20 (step S800), the selection result is sent to the document management apparatus 60. It is transmitted (step S802). Upon receiving the selection result (step S900), the document management apparatus 60 refers to the document management data shown in FIG. 4 and acquires the latest processing information “scan” corresponding to the document data (step S902). The latest processing information is transmitted to the multi-function device 20 together with the corresponding document data (step S904). The multi-function device 20 that has received the latest processing information (step S804) refers to the correspondence table shown in FIG. 5 stored in the storage device 22, and determines “transmission” as the next processing (step S806). . Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7, the multi-function device 20 displays a “Send” button 230 as a next execution process candidate on the display screen 200 and also displays the corresponding document data (not shown). When the user designates a process by touching (pressing) the displayed “Send” button 230, the multi-function device 20 executes a process corresponding to the designated “Send” button 230.

<Modification of Sixth Embodiment>
The document management device 60 stores document data, document management data, a correspondence table, and a next process execution process program, and executes the next process execution process program. The multi function device 20 calls these functions as necessary, and outputs the results. It is a form to acquire.
That is, a storage device (not shown) included in the document management device 60 stores document data, document management data shown in FIG. 4, a correspondence table shown in FIG. 5, and a next process execution processing program. A display screen 200 shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the UI unit 30 of the multifunction machine 20. Data and processing results are exchanged between the document management device 60 and the multifunction device 20 by communication via the network 40 through a communication IF (interface) unit (not shown) of the document management device 60 and the communication control unit 14 of the multifunction device 20. Is done.

  Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the user selects, for example, document data having a file name “Scan201012270549.pdf” on the display screen 200 of the multifunction machine 20, the selection result is the document management. The data is transmitted to a CPU (not shown) of the device 60. Upon receiving the selection result, the document management device 60 stores the next processing execution processing program shown in FIG. 6 in the document management data shown in FIG. 4 and the correspondence table shown in FIG. Execute while referring. Then, after “transmission” is determined as the next processing, the determination result is transmitted to the multi-function device 20 together with the corresponding document data. The multi-function device 20 that has received the determination result displays a “send” button 230 as shown in FIG. 7 and also displays the corresponding document data (not shown). When the user designates a process by touching (pressing) the displayed “Send” button 230, the multi-function device 20 executes a process corresponding to the designated “Send” button 230.

  As described above, according to the document processing system of the present embodiment, processing for document information is performed with a simple operation. In the document processing system according to the present embodiment, the load on the multifunction machine 20 is further distributed and the burden is reduced.

  In the above description, the sixth embodiment has been described by applying the first embodiment. However, the same may be applied to other embodiments.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. Various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment without departing from the gist of the invention, and embodiments to which such modifications or improvements are added are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in each of the above embodiments, the document management system has been described in which the multifunction peripheral and the document management apparatus are connected via a network. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and document management is included in the multifunction peripheral. An apparatus may be included and configured as an integrated type. In this case, for example, the document management function of the multifunction peripheral may be configured as a server including an independent CPU and storage device.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case has been described where the next process is specified using the latest process information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the next process is specified by the acquisition path of the document data. It is good also as a structure. In this case, as an acquisition route, for example, acquisition via FAX, acquisition via a removable medium, acquisition via a client terminal, and the like are prepared. Furthermore, it may be configured such that the next processing is specified by application software executed most recently for the document data.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the cases where the latest processing information is “scan”, “image processing”, and “network acquisition” have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, “ Attribute information of document data such as “transmitted” and “difference extracted” may be added according to the purpose. In this case, it is conceivable that the attribute information is added to the document management data and the correspondence table in each of the above embodiments, and for example, the next process with a higher priority is set to “delete”.

In each of the above embodiments, the cases where “transmission”, “deletion”, and “printing” are performed as the next processing have been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a range of a plurality of image processings The next process may be specified within. In this case, for example, “difference extraction processing”, “noise removal processing”, “OCR processing”, and the like are prepared as the next processing. The association between the latest process information and the next process is considered to be the “noise removal process” when the latest process information is “scan”, for example.
Alternatively, the next process may be specified within a range of a plurality of transmission processes. In this case, for example, “FAX transmission”, “mail transmission”, “file transfer”, etc. are prepared as the next processing. For example, when the latest processing information is “image processing”, the next processing is “file transfer”, and when the latest processing information is “scan”, the next processing is associated with the next processing. Or “FAX transmission”.
Further, the next process is displayed in a hierarchical structure, the next process in the first stage is displayed by the latest process information, and a plurality of image processes are prioritized as the next process in the second stage when, for example, image processing is selected in the first stage. You may rank and display. Alternatively, the first stage may be configured to identify the next process by the acquisition path, and the second stage may be identified as the next process based on the latest process information.

  In each of the above embodiments, the correspondence table is stored in the storage device in advance. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, based on the purpose, use state, etc. by the user. It is good also as a structure which inputs. In this case, for example, the correspondence table is input on the display screen of the UI unit of the multifunction machine. Furthermore, the MFP may count the frequency of use of the next process selected for each latest process, and update the initial correspondence table at a predetermined time. In this case, the MFP is provided with a learning function.

  In the third embodiment, a case has been described in which two pieces of document data that have been subjected to different latest processing are selected. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and three pieces of document data are included. The above may be selected. The execution method of the next process in this case may be the same as the method described in the third embodiment, for example.

  In addition, the configuration of the MFP 20 described in the above embodiment (see FIGS. 1 and 2) is merely an example, and unnecessary portions may be deleted or new portions may be deleted without departing from the gist of the present invention. And may be added.

  Furthermore, the processing flow of the various programs described in the above embodiment (see FIGS. 6, 10, 13, and 15) is also an example, and unnecessary steps are deleted without departing from the gist of the present invention. Or a new step may be added, or the processing order may be changed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Document management system 11 Controller 12 Memory 14 Communication control unit 15 Input / output port 20 Multifunction machine 22 Storage device 23 Scanner part 24 Printer part 25 Image processing part 27 FAX part 28 Mail part 30 UI part 40 Network 42 Server 44 Personal computer 60 Document Management device 99 MFP 200 Display screen 201 Operation area 202 Selection area 230 to 239 Next processing

Claims (8)

Storage means for storing a characteristic process for a document and a next execution process candidate that can be executed next for the document in association with each other;
An acquisition means for acquiring characteristic processing information executed in the past on the document;
A specifying unit that specifies a next execution processing candidate corresponding to the characteristic processing information acquired by the acquiring unit based on the storage content of the storage unit;
Display control means for displaying a next execution process candidate specified by the specifying means in the document on the display means when the document is designated;
An information processing apparatus.   The identification means identifies one next execution process candidate with the highest priority, or a plurality of next execution process candidates in descending order of priority, as next execution process candidates corresponding to the characteristic process information. The information processing apparatus according to 1. The storage means corresponds to each of the plurality of next execution process candidates associated with each of the plurality of characteristic processes when there are a plurality of types of the characteristic process and the next execution process candidates. The higher the priority processing, the larger the score is stored,
In the case where a plurality of the documents are specified, the specifying unit calculates a total value of the scores of the same next execution processing candidates in the characteristic processing corresponding to each of the specified plurality of documents, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a next execution process candidate corresponding to the characteristic process information is specified in descending order of value.   2. The characteristic processing is at least one of reading processing for reading a document to obtain document information, image processing for performing image processing on document information, and communication line acquisition for obtaining document information through a communication line. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 4.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the next execution process candidate is at least one of transmission, deletion, and printing of the document information.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic process is a latest process performed most recently on the document. Computer
An acquisition means for acquiring characteristic processing information executed in the past on the document;
The next execution process candidate corresponding to the characteristic process information acquired by the acquisition unit is stored in association with the characteristic process for the document and the next execution process candidate that can be executed next for the document. Specifying means for specifying based on the storage contents of the storage means;
Display control means for displaying a next execution process candidate specified by the specifying means in the document on the display means when the document is designated;
Program to function as.   A program for causing a computer to function as an acquisition unit, an identification unit, and a display control unit in the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.