JP2024072113A - Information processing device, processing method and program for information processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To facilitate the determination of which character string in a scanned document corresponds to which tag for a cloud service to create. [Solution] An information processing device has a detection means for detecting character strings from a scanned document, a first display control means for controlling to display a mark indicating the area of the detected character string, a second display control means for controlling to display a character string in the detected character strings that matches the name of a tag for a cloud service, indicating that the character string matches the name of the tag for the cloud service, a first request means for requesting the cloud service to create a tag corresponding to a character string selected from the detected character strings, and a transmission means for transmitting the scanned document corresponding to the tag to the cloud service. [Selected Figure] Figure 10

Description

This disclosure relates to an information processing device, a processing method for the information processing device, and a program.

When scanning paper documents and saving them to a cloud service, attribute information called metadata can be added at the same time as the scanning operation. Adding metadata helps to make document searches more convenient. For example, when an invoice is scanned, the scan date and time and the save date and time are automatically added to the file's metadata. On the other hand, if a user wants to add the date the invoice was approved, which is not directly related to the scanning operation, as "date metadata," the user can manually add the approval date as "date metadata" at their discretion. If a user wants to find a relevant invoice based on its approval date, they can search by approval date to find the invoice based on the "date metadata."

Conventionally, when adding metadata to scanned documents, users manually enter values for various metadata. As mentioned above, there are many different types of metadata, such as those related to "dates," "amounts," and "people," and entering all of them manually is very time-consuming and laborious.

For example, Patent Document 1 provides a countermeasure to this problem by making it possible to automatically extract various metadata based on pixel information printed on scanned documents. For example, an invoice is scanned, and the date, amount, name of a person, and other information printed on the invoice is read from the pixel information, and the user is presented with the option of storing this as file metadata when saving to a cloud service. However, in this case, the date, amount, name of a person, etc. are not judged, and the criteria for this judgment are left to the user.

JP 2012-53911 A

However, the method of Patent Document 1 only extracts character strings read by character recognition (date, amount, person's name, type of document, processing number, address, etc.) and prompts the user to decide whether to add them as metadata for the file. If the number of character strings written on a document is huge, the user must carefully examine each of the extracted character strings and decide whether to add them as metadata.

Here, SharePoint Online, a representative cloud service, has a property called the "tag field" as metadata. This involves creating tags in advance on SharePoint Online, and then selecting one or more tags that are appropriate for a file from among those tags. Tags created on SharePoint Online can grow to several hundred, as users need to create new tags as needed in response to the diversification of document saving tasks. When a user saves a file, they need to find the appropriate tag for that file from among the many tags available and link it to it.

The purpose of this disclosure is to make it easier to determine which strings in a scanned document correspond to which cloud service tags to create.

The information processing device has a detection means for detecting a character string from a scanned document, a first display control means for controlling to display a mark indicating the area of the detected character string, a second display control means for controlling to display a character string among the detected character strings that matches the name of a tag of a cloud service, indicating that the character string matches the name of the tag of the cloud service, a first request means for requesting the cloud service to create a tag corresponding to a character string selected among the detected character strings, and a transmission means for transmitting the scanned document corresponding to the tag to the cloud service.

The present disclosure makes it easy to determine which character strings in a scanned document correspond to which cloud service tags to create.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of an image processing system. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an MFP. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a client PC and an MFP cooperation service. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an image processing system. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing a processing flow of the image processing system. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by a client PC. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by a client PC. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by a client PC. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by a client PC. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation of creating or attaching a tag.

The following describes the embodiments with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution.

<Overall composition>
1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image processing system 100 according to this embodiment. The image processing system 100 includes an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) 110, a client PC 111, an MFP linkage service 120, and a cloud service 130. The MFP 110 and the client PC 111 are connected to servers that provide various services on the Internet 140 via a LAN (Local Area Network) so as to be able to communicate with each other.

The MFP 110 is a multifunction device with multiple functions such as a scanner and a printer, and is an example of an image processing device. The client PC 111 is a computer (or application) that receives a requested service from the MFP linkage service 120. The MFP linkage service 120 is an example of an information processing device that has the function of saving an image file scanned by the MFP 110 on its own server, or transferring it to a service that allows file saving, such as another storage service. The cloud service 130 is a service that allows files to be saved via the Internet 140, or files to be retrieved using a web browser.

Image processing system 100 has a configuration including MFP 110, client PC 111, MFP collaboration service 120, and cloud service 130, but is not limited to this. For example, MFP 110 may also serve as both client PC 111 and MFP collaboration service 120. Furthermore, MFP collaboration service 120 may be connected to a server on a LAN, rather than on the Internet 140. Furthermore, cloud service 130 may be replaced by a mail server, etc., and scanned images may be attached to emails and sent.

<MFP Hardware Configuration>
2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the MFP 110. The MFP 110 has a control unit 210, an operation unit 220, a printer unit 221, a scanner unit 222, and a modem 223. The control unit 210 has a CPU 211, a ROM 212, a RAM 213, a HDD 214, an operation unit I/F 215, a printer I/F 217, a modem I/F 218, and a network I/F 219, and controls the overall operation of the MFP 110.

The CPU 211 reads out the control program stored in the ROM 212 and executes and controls various functions of the MFP 110, such as reading, printing, and communication. The RAM 213 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of the CPU 211. Note that in this embodiment, one CPU 211 executes each process shown in the flowcharts described below using one memory (RAM 213 or HDD 214), but this is not limited to this. For example, each process may be executed by multiple CPUs or multiple RAMs or HDDs working together. The HDD 214 is a large-capacity storage unit that stores image data and various programs.

The operation unit I/F 215 is an interface that connects the operation unit 220 and the control unit 210. The operation unit 220 is equipped with a touch panel, a keyboard, etc., and accepts operations/inputs/instructions from the user.

The printer I/F 216 is an interface that connects the printer unit 221 and the control unit 210. Image data for printing is transferred from the control unit 210 to the printer unit 221 via the printer I/F 216 and printed on a recording medium.

The scanner I/F 217 is an interface that connects the scanner unit 222 and the control unit 210. The scanner unit 222 reads an original placed on a platen or ADF (Auto Document Feeder) (not shown), generates image data, and inputs the image data to the control unit 210 via the scanner I/F 217. The MFP 110 can print (copy) the image data generated by the scanner unit 222 from the printer unit 221, as well as send the image data as a file or by email.

The modem I/F 218 is an interface that connects the modem 223 to the control unit 210. The modem 223 transmits image data by facsimile between a facsimile device on the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

The network I/F 219 is an interface that connects the control unit 210 (MFP 110) to a LAN. The MFP 110 uses the network I/F 219 to send image data and information to each service on the Internet 140 and to receive various information.

<Hardware configuration of client PC and MFP linkage service>
3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of each of the client PC 111 and the MFP collaboration service 120. Each of the client PC 111 and the MFP collaboration service 120 has a controller 310. The controller 310 has a CPU 311, a ROM 312, a RAM 313, a HDD 314, and a network I/F 315.

The CPU 311 controls the overall operation by reading out the control programs stored in the ROM 312 and executing various processes. The RAM 313 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of the CPU 311. The HDD 314 is a large-capacity storage unit that stores image data and various programs. The network I/F 315 is an interface that connects the MFP collaboration service 120 or the client PC 111 to the Internet 140. The MFP collaboration service 120 and the client PC 111 receive processing requests from other devices (such as the MFP 110) via the network I/F 315 and send and receive various information.

<Functional configuration of image processing system>
4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the image processing system 100 according to this embodiment. The image processing system 100 includes an MFP 110, an MFP cooperation service 120, and a cloud service .

The MFP 110 has a native function unit 410 and an additional function unit 420. The native function unit 410 is a function unit that is provided as standard in the MFP 110. The additional function unit 420 is a function unit of an application that is additionally installed in the MFP 110. The additional function unit 420 is a function unit of an application based on Java (registered trademark), and makes it easy to add functions to the MFP 110. Note that other additional applications (not shown) may also be installed in the MFP 110.

The native function unit 410 has a scan execution unit 411 and an image data storage unit 412. The additional function unit 420 has a display control unit 421, a scan instruction unit 422, and a linkage service request unit 423.

The display control unit 421 displays a UI screen for accepting operations by the user on the liquid crystal display unit having a touch panel function of the operation unit 220 of the MFP 110. For example, the display control unit 421 displays UI screens such as input of authentication information for accessing the MFP linkage service 120, scan settings, operation for starting scanning, and a preview screen. The scan instruction unit 422 requests the scan execution unit 411 to perform scanning processing together with scan settings according to user instructions input via the UI screen.

The scan execution unit 411 receives a scan request including scan settings from the scan instruction unit 422. In accordance with the scan request, the scan execution unit 411 generates scan image data by reading a document placed on the document glass platen with the scanner unit 222 via the scanner I/F 217. The generated scan image data is sent to the image data storage unit 412. The scan execution unit 411 sends a scan image identifier that uniquely identifies the saved scan image data to the scan instruction unit 422. The scan image identifier is a number, symbol, alphabet, etc. that uniquely identifies an image scanned in the MFP 110 (not shown). The image data storage unit 412 stores the scan image data received from the scan execution unit 411 in the HDD 214.

The scan instruction unit 422 obtains from the image data storage unit 412 the scan image data corresponding to the scan image identifier received from the scan execution unit 411. The scan instruction unit 422 requests the cooperation service request unit 423 to instruct the MFP cooperation service 120 to process the obtained scan image data.

The collaboration service request unit 423 requests various processes from the MFP collaboration service 120. For example, the collaboration service request unit 423 requests login, analysis of a scanned image, transmission of a scanned image, etc. Protocols such as REST and SOAP are used for communication between the collaboration service request unit 423 and the MFP collaboration service 120, but other communication means may also be used.

The MFP collaboration service 120 has a request control unit 431, an image processing unit 432, a cloud service access unit 433, a data management unit 434, and a display control unit 435.

The request control unit 431 waits in a state in which it can receive requests from external devices. When the request control unit 431 receives a processing request, it instructs the image processing unit 432, cloud service access unit 433, and data management unit 434 to perform the processing as appropriate in response to the request.

The image processing unit 432 performs image recognition and processing such as optical character recognition, similar form determination (described in the process of S510 in FIG. 5 below), and image rotation and tilt correction. Hereinafter, optical character recognition will be referred to as OCR.

The cloud service access unit 433 makes processing requests to the cloud service 130. The cloud service 130 generally publishes various interfaces using protocols such as REST and SOAP for saving files to the cloud service 130 and retrieving saved files. The cloud service access unit 433 uses the published interfaces of the cloud service 130 to operate the cloud service 130.

The data management unit 434 holds user information and various setting data managed by the MFP collaboration service 120.

The display control unit 435 receives a request from a web browser running on a PC (personal computer) or another terminal (not shown) such as a mobile device connected via the Internet 140, and returns screen configuration information (HTML, CSS, etc.) required for screen display. Through the screen displayed by the web browser, the user can check the user information registered in the MFP linkage service 120 and change the settings for scanning.

Note that in FIG. 4, an example of a configuration in which the additional function unit 420 is installed in the MFP 110 is described, but this configuration is not limited thereto, and the functions of the additional function unit 420 may be included in the client PC 111.

<Overall processing flow>
5 is a sequence diagram showing the process flow of the image processing system 100, and shows the process flow between each device when an image scanned by the MFP 110 is converted into a file and transmitted to the cloud service 130. Here, the description focuses on the exchange between each device. In FIG. 5, the MFP 110 and the client PC 111 exchange with the MFP collaboration service 120, and the client PC 111 and the MFP collaboration service 120 exchange with the cloud service 130.

In normal operation, the MFP 110 displays on the touch panel a main screen with an array of buttons for implementing each of the functions it provides. By installing an additional application (hereafter referred to as a scan app) for sending scanned forms to the cloud service 130 on the MFP 110, a button for using the application's functions is displayed on the main screen of the MFP 110. When this button is pressed, a screen for sending the scanned form to the cloud service 130 is displayed, and the process shown in the sequence of FIG. 5 is performed.

In step S501, the MFP 110 uses the scan app to display a login screen for inputting authentication information for accessing the MFP collaboration service 120. In step S502, the MFP 110 sends a login request including a user name and password to the MFP collaboration service 120 in response to a user operation.

In step S503, the request control unit 431 of the MFP linkage service 120 verifies whether the user name and password included in the login request are correct, and if so, returns an access token to the MFP 110. This access token is sent along with each subsequent request made from the MFP 110 to the MFP linkage service 120, and this information makes it possible to identify the user to be processed. User authentication is performed using a commonly known method (Basic authentication, Digest authentication, authorization using OAuth, etc.).

In step S504, once the login process is complete, the MFP 110 displays a scan settings screen. The user configures various scan reading settings, places the paper document to be scanned on the platen glass or ADF, and presses the "Start Scan" button.

Then, in step S505, the MFP 110 executes a scan to generate image data by digitizing the paper document. Then, in step S506, the MFP 110 transmits a request to the MFP collaboration service 120 to analyze the scanned image together with the image generated by the scan process. The received scanned image is held in the HDD 314 in the MFP collaboration service 120 until it is transmitted to the cloud service 130.

In step S507, when the MFP collaboration service 120 receives the request to analyze the scanned image, the image processing unit 432 of the MFP collaboration service 120 starts image analysis. After that, the MFP collaboration service 120 returns to the MFP 110 a "processId" that is an identifier that uniquely indicates the analysis requested to the MFP collaboration service 120, without waiting for the image analysis process to finish.

After receiving the request, the MFP linkage service 120 performs image analysis processing in the image processing unit 432. In step S508, the image processing unit 432 analyzes the character areas present in the image. In step S509, the image processing unit 432 performs character recognition processing on all character areas. In step S510, the image processing unit 432 uses the layout information of the character areas in the form to compare the layout information of the image scanned in the past with the layout information of the image scanned this time, and determines whether an image with a similar layout of character areas has been scanned. This process is called similar form determination. If the image processing unit 432 finds an image similar to the image scanned in the past in the similar form determination, it returns the input information for that form as an analysis result. If there is no similar image, the image processing unit 432 saves the information on the character areas of the entire scanned image and information indicating that it has not been scanned before, and returns information indicating that it has not been learned as an analysis result.

In step S511, the MFP 110 uses the "processId" received in the response of step S506 to periodically request the MFP collaboration service 120 to check the processing status of the image analysis of "processId." "Periodic" means, for example, every several hundred milliseconds to every few milliseconds. Although not shown in FIG. 5, the processing of step S511 continues until a response indicating completion of image processing from the MFP collaboration service 120 is obtained (until the timing of step S512). When the request control unit 431 of the MFP collaboration service 120 receives the request to check the processing status of step S511, it checks the processing status of "processId" and returns a response.

In the response, a string indicating the current processing status is stored in "status". For example, when "status" is "processing", this indicates that processing is currently being performed by the MFP linkage service 120. When "status" is "completed", this indicates that processing has been completed. Note that if processing fails, other statuses such as "failed" may be returned as "status". In addition to the status, the response when processing is complete (when status is completed) includes information such as the results of analyzing the scanned image and the scan settings.

In step S512, the MFP 110 requests the MFP collaboration service 120 to confirm the processing status, and receives a response indicating that processing is complete. Then, in step S513, the MFP 110 obtains the result information from the URL in which the result information included in the response is stored. After obtaining the result from the request control unit 431 of the MFP collaboration service 120, the MFP 110 displays a message indicating that scanning is complete on the screen of the MFP 110, and returns to displaying the scan setting screen in step S504.

Then, the user performs a process on client PC 111 to set a file name for the scanned document. Before performing the process on client PC 111 to set a file name, if there are multiple forms to be scanned, the user can repeatedly scan multiple copies of the forms (repeatedly perform the processes from steps S504 to S513). In addition, the user can scan multiple forms at once and divide them into multiple forms by instructing settings to divide the scanned document using a fixed number of pages or dividers before scanning.

In step S514, the client PC 111 selects a destination library in the cloud service 130 through a user operation. A library refers to a hierarchy in the cloud service 130 that can store multiple folders.

In step S515, when the client PC 111 selects a destination library, it requests the request control unit 431 of the MFP collaboration service 120 for library information about the selected destination library. The library information here refers to metadata information associated with the library. Metadata refers to "text", "numbers", "tag" fields, etc., and here information about the "tag" field is mainly requested.

In step S516, the request control unit 431 requests the cloud service 130 for library information of the selected destination library. In step S517, when the request control unit 431 receives the library information of the destination library from the cloud service 130, it analyzes the tag character string of the library information, compares it with the character string on the scanned form, and transmits the comparison result to the client PC 111.

In step S518, when an operation to create a new tag is performed on the client PC 111 with respect to the cloud service 130, the client PC 111 makes a request to the destination library of the MFP collaboration service 120 to create a tag. Then, in step S519, the request control unit 431 of the MFP collaboration service 120 makes a request to the destination library of the cloud service 130 to create a tag. The cloud service 130 creates a tag for the destination library and returns a completion status to the MFP collaboration service 120. Then, the request control unit 431 of the MFP collaboration service 120 returns the completion status to the client PC 111.

In step S520, when an operation to add a tag created on the client PC 111 is performed, the client PC 111 makes a request to the destination library of the MFP collaboration service 120 to add a tag. Then, in step S521, the request control unit 431 of the MFP collaboration service 120 makes a request to the destination library of the cloud service 130 to add a tag. The cloud service 130 adds a tag to the destination library and returns a completion status to the MFP collaboration service 120. Then, the request control unit 431 of the MFP collaboration service 120 returns the completion status to the client PC 111.

In step S522, after completing the series of tasks of creating and attaching tags, the client PC 111 sends a request to send the scan file to the MFP collaboration service 120 at the user's instruction.

In step S523, upon receiving the transmission request, the request control unit 431 of the MFP collaboration service 120 generates a file of the scanned form. In step S524, after generating the file, the request control unit 431 transmits the file to the destination library of the cloud service 130. Upon receiving the file from the destination library, the cloud service 130 transmits a notification to the MFP collaboration service 120 informing it of the completion of transmission.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen 600 displayed by the client PC 111. The screen 600 in Figure 6 forms one UI in combination with a screen 700 in Figure 7 described below. The MFP collaboration service 120 generates information for the screen 600 in Figure 6 and transmits the information for the screen 600 in Figure 6 to the client PC 111 for display. The screen 600 is a preview screen for a scanned form, and has a tag block 601 and a non-tag block 602.

A tag block 601 refers to a rectangular area (hereinafter referred to as an OCR block) for character strings that match tags registered in cloud service 130 among the character strings written on the scanned form. A non-tag block 602 refers to an area surrounded by an OCR block for character strings that do not match tags registered in cloud service 130 among the character strings written on the scanned form. Tags can be added to the scanned form by dragging and dropping tag blocks 601 and non-tag blocks 602 into the tag editing area 701 in FIG. 7.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen 700 displayed by the client PC 111. The MFP collaboration service 120 generates the information for the screen 700 in Figure 6 and transmits the information for the screen 700 in Figure 7 to the client PC 111 to display it. The screen 700 is a metadata property editing screen, and has a tag editing area 701, a tag token 702, a close button 703, a created tag area 704, a created tag 705, a recently used tag area 706, and a recently used tag 707.

The tag block 601 and non-tag block 602 dragged and dropped into the tag editing area 701 are added to the scanned document. The tag block 601 is automatically added as it is, since the tag has already been created on the cloud service 130 side. On the other hand, the non-tag block 602 is not a tag created on the cloud service 130 side, so a tag is automatically created via the API of the cloud service 130 when it is dragged and dropped.

Tag token 702 refers to the tag that has been dragged and dropped into tag editing area 701. When close button 703 is pressed, the tag corresponding to close button 703 is deleted from tag editing area 701, and the tag will no longer be added when the file is sent or saved. It is possible to add the tag again by dragging and dropping it into tag editing area 701 again.

The created tag area 704 lists only those tags created on the cloud service 130 side that have a matching string on the scanned form. For example, the created tags 705 are "Accounting Department", "Sato", "Marketing Department", "Suzuki", and "Advertising Section". The tags "Accounting Department", "Sato", "Marketing Department", "Suzuki", and "Advertising Section" have been created on the cloud service 130 side, and the strings "Accounting Department", "Sato", "Marketing Department", "Suzuki", and "Advertising Section" are also entered on the scanned form. In this case, the created tag 705 is displayed in the created tag area 704.

In the recently used tags area 706, tags that have been applied to files are listed according to certain rules. Examples of certain rules include a rule that displays tags that were applied in the last three file transmissions, or a rule that displays the top five tags that have been applied most frequently, but not all of the rules will be described here. Furthermore, certain rules are not limited to the rules mentioned above. In other words, recently used tags 707 refer to tags that follow certain rules.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen 810 displayed by the client PC 111. The basic configuration of the screen 810 is the same as that of the screen 700 in Figure 7. The tag editing area 800 allows tags to be nested. Because tags can also be nested on the cloud service 130 side, the MFP collaboration service 120 also supports the creation of nested structures. In Figure 8, the tag editing area 800 has a parent tag 801, a nested structure line 802, a child tag 803, a scroll up button 804, a scroll bar 805, and a scroll down button 806.

When the child tag 803 is dragged so as to overlap the parent tag 801, a nesting structure line 802 is displayed under the block of the parent tag 801, so that the block of the child tag 803 can be made into a nested structure. The block of the parent tag 801 and the block of the child tag 803 in the nested structure have a 1:many relationship, and the upper limit of the blocks of the child tag 803 is set to 200. This is a restriction of the MFP linkage service 120. Although only one nesting structure is displayed in FIG. 8, multiple nesting structures can be created. When the tag block is placed outside the tag editing area 800, a scroll up button 804, a scroll bar 805, and a scroll down button 806 are displayed on the right side of the tag editing area 800. When the scroll up button 804 is pressed, the tag editing area 800 moves to the top, and when the scroll down button 806 is pressed, the tag editing area 800 moves to the bottom. When the scroll bar 805 is dragged, the tag editing area 800 can be moved up and down.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen 900 displayed by the client PC 111. The basic configuration of screen 900 is the same as screen 600 in Figure 6. Screen 900 is a preview screen for a scanned form. In screen 900, tag blocks 901 and non-tag blocks 902 that are dragged and dropped into the tag editing area 701 in Figure 7 are grayed out. The inside of the tag block 901 is colored gray within a square. When the created tag 705 or recently used tag 707 in Figure 7 is dragged and dropped into the tag editing area 701, the tag block 901 on the preview screen 900 that corresponds to that tag is grayed out accordingly.

Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the processing method of the MFP collaboration service 120, and shows details of the property assignment function performed by the MFP collaboration service 120.

First, in step S1001, the CPU 311 acquires tag information of the cloud service 130. Step S1001 corresponds to the processing of step S516 in FIG. 5. Specifically, the CPU 311 acquires the character string of the tag created on the cloud service 130 side, and stores it in the RAM 313 for later use in step S1004.

Next, in step S1002, the CPU 311 uses OCR technology to detect character strings from the scanned form on the preview screen 600 of the scanned form. The OCR technology used is the same as that used in step S508 of FIG. 5.

In step S1003, when CPU 311 detects characters, it surrounds the character string with a black rectangular frame (OCR block). If OCR misjudges the character string and the OCR block is placed in an incorrect location, CPU 311 can manually reposition the OCR block to the correct position via a user operation. CPU 311 can also manually change the width of the OCR block via a user operation. In this case, CPU 311 allows the user to adjust the width by hovering over the vertical line part of the frame and dragging it.

In step S1004, the CPU 311 determines whether the character string on the scanned form matches the character string (name) of the tag of the cloud service 130. If they match, the character string on the scanned form is a tag block 601, and processing proceeds to step S1005. If they do not match, the character string on the scanned form is a non-tag block 602, and processing proceeds to step S1006.

In step S1005, the CPU 311 displays the matching character string of the scanned form in a specified area. For example, the CPU 311 displays the matching character string of the scanned form in the created tag area 704 in FIG. 7. Then, the process proceeds to step S1006.

In step S1006, the CPU 311 detects that the tag block 601 on the preview screen 600 has been dragged and dropped into the tag editing area 701 by a user operation. In this case, the CPU 311 displays the tag block 601 as a tag token 702 in the tag editing area 701. Similarly, if a created tag 705 or a recently used tag 707 has been dragged and dropped into the tag editing area 701 by a user operation, the CPU 311 displays the tag as a tag token 702 in the tag editing area 701.

In step S1007, the CPU 311 grays out the tag block 601 and the non-tag block 602 on the preview screen 600 that correspond to the tag token 702 displayed in the tag editing area 701. Similarly, the CPU 311 grays out the created tag 705 and the recently used tag 707 that correspond to the tag token 702 displayed in the tag editing area 701.

In step S1008, the CPU 311 requests the API of the cloud service 130 to create a tag corresponding to the tag token 702 displayed in the tag editing area 701 as metadata for the cloud service. Step S1008 corresponds to the processing of steps S519 and S520 in FIG. 5. The cloud service 130 creates a tag corresponding to the tag token 702 as metadata for the cloud service.

In step S1009, the CPU 311 reads the information of the tag token 702 placed in the tag editing area 701 and determines whether there is a parent tag 801 and a child tag 803 linked by a nested structure line 802. If there is a parent tag 801 and a child tag 803, the process proceeds to step S1010, and if there is no parent tag 801 or child tag 803, the process proceeds to step S1011.

In step S1010, the CPU 311 requests the API of the cloud service 130 to make the parent tag 801 and the child tag 803 have a nested structure. The cloud service 130 sets the parent tag 801 and the child tag 803 to have a nested structure. Then, the process proceeds to step S1011.

In step S1011, a scanned form file is generated with the tag token 702 set and linked, and the scanned form file is sent to the cloud service 130. Step S1011 corresponds to the processing of step S524 in FIG. 5.

As described above, in step S514 of FIG. 5, a library is selected. In step S1001 of FIG. 10, the CPU 311 functions as a receiving unit and receives, from the cloud service 130, the tag name and the like of a library selected from among multiple libraries of the cloud service 130.

In step S1002, the CPU 311 functions as a detection unit and detects a character string from the scanned document. The document is, for example, a form. In step S1003, the CPU 311 functions as a display control unit and displays a mark indicating the area of the detected character string. For example, the mark is a black rectangular frame (OCR block).

In step S1005, the CPU 311 functions as a display control unit and controls the display of any character strings among the detected character strings that match the tag name of the cloud service 130 to indicate that the character string matches the tag name of the cloud service 130. For example, the CPU 311 controls the display of the character string that matches the tag name of the cloud service 130 in a first area. The first area is, for example, the created tag area 704.

In step S1006, the CPU 311 functions as a display control unit and controls the display of the character string selected by drag and drop in the second area. The second area is, for example, the tag editing area 701. The selected character string is the character string that has been dragged and dropped from the character string area into the tag editing area 701.

In step S1007, the CPU 311 functions as a display control unit, and controls the display of the area of the selected character string in a grayed-out manner to indicate that the selected character string cannot be selected. For example, the CPU 311 controls the display of the tag block 901 in FIG. 9 in a grayed-out manner.

In step S1008, the CPU 311 functions as a request unit and requests the selected library of the cloud service 130 to create a tag corresponding to the string selected from among the detected strings.

In step S1009, as shown in FIG. 8, if a nested structure of multiple character strings selected from the detected character strings is instructed, the process proceeds to step S1010. The nested structure is a nested structure of parent tags 801 and child tags 803. In step S1006, if a nested structure of multiple character strings selected from the detected character strings is instructed, the CPU 311 controls the tag editing area 701 to display the nested structure of the selected character strings.

In step S1010, the CPU 311 functions as a request unit and requests the cloud service 130 to create a nested structure for tags corresponding to the specified multiple character strings.

In step S1011, the CPU 311 functions as a transmission unit and transmits the scanned document corresponding to the above tag to the selected library in the cloud service 130.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the MFP linkage service 120 determines which tag should be linked to the scanned document, and displays only the appropriate tag in the created tag area 704. This saves the user the trouble and time of finding and applying the appropriate tag to the scanned document, leading to more efficient document storage operations.

Other Embodiments
The present disclosure can also be realized by a process in which a program for realizing one or more functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. Also, the present disclosure can be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) for realizing one or more functions.

The above-mentioned embodiments are merely illustrative examples of how the present disclosure may be implemented, and the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted in a limiting manner. In other words, the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms without departing from its technical concept or main features.

The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration, method, and program.
(Configuration 1)
A detection means for detecting a character string from a scanned document;
a first display control means for controlling to display a mark indicating the area of the detected character string;
a second display control means for controlling a display indicating that a character string that matches a tag name of a cloud service among the detected character strings matches the tag name of the cloud service;
a first request means for requesting the cloud service to create a tag corresponding to a character string selected from the detected character strings;
a sending unit that sends the scanned document corresponding to the tag to the cloud service.
(Configuration 2)
2. The information processing apparatus according to configuration 1, wherein the second display control means controls so that a character string that matches a tag name of the cloud service is displayed in the first area.
(Configuration 3)
3. The information processing apparatus according to configuration 1 or 2, further comprising a third display control means for controlling so that the selected character string is displayed in a second area.
(Configuration 4)
4. The information processing apparatus according to configuration 3, wherein the selected character string is a character string that has been dragged and dropped from the character string area to the second area.
(Configuration 5)
The information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, further comprising a fourth display control means for controlling to display an area of the selected character string in a grayed-out manner to indicate that the selected character string cannot be selected.
(Configuration 6)
The information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, further comprising a second request means for, when a nested structure of a plurality of character strings selected from the detected character strings is instructed, requesting the cloud service to nest tags corresponding to the instructed plurality of character strings.
(Configuration 7)
a second request means for requesting the cloud service to nest tags corresponding to the specified plurality of character strings when a nest structure of the selected plurality of character strings from among the detected character strings is instructed;
The information processing device described in configuration 3, wherein the third display control means, when a nested structure of a plurality of character strings selected from the detected character strings is instructed, controls so that the nested structure of the selected plurality of character strings is displayed in the second area.
(Configuration 8)
8. The information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, further comprising a receiving means for receiving a tag name of the cloud service from the cloud service.
(Configuration 9)
The receiving means receives, from the cloud service, a tag name of a library selected from a plurality of libraries of the cloud service;
the first requesting means requests the selected library to create a tag corresponding to a selected string from among the detected strings;
9. The information processing apparatus according to configuration 8, wherein the transmitting means transmits the scanned document corresponding to the tag to the selected library.
(Method 1)
a detection step of detecting a character string from the scanned document;
a first display control step of controlling to display a mark indicating the area of the detected character string;
a second display control step of controlling a display indicating that a character string that matches a tag name of a cloud service among the detected character strings matches the tag name of the cloud service;
a first request step of requesting the cloud service to create a tag corresponding to a string selected from the detected strings;
and transmitting the scanned document corresponding to the tag to the cloud service.
(Program 1)
A program for causing a computer to function as the information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 9.

110 MFP, 111 Client PC, 120 MFP linkage service, 421 Display control unit, 431 Request control unit, 432 Image processing unit, 434 Data management unit, 435 Display control unit

Claims (11)

A detection means for detecting a character string from a scanned document;
a first display control means for controlling to display a mark indicating the area of the detected character string;
a second display control means for controlling a display indicating that a character string that matches a tag name of a cloud service among the detected character strings matches the tag name of the cloud service;
a first request means for requesting the cloud service to create a tag corresponding to a character string selected from the detected character strings;
a sending unit that sends the scanned document corresponding to the tag to the cloud service. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second display control means controls to display a character string that matches the name of the tag of the cloud service in the first area. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a third display control means for controlling the display of the selected character string in the second area. The information processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that the selected character string is a character string that has been dragged and dropped from the character string area to the second area. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth display control means for controlling the display of the area of the selected character string in a grayed-out manner to indicate that the selected character string cannot be selected. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a second request means for, when a nested structure of multiple character strings selected from the detected character strings is instructed, requesting the cloud service to nest tags corresponding to the instructed multiple character strings. a second request means for requesting the cloud service to nest tags corresponding to the specified plurality of character strings when a nest structure of the selected plurality of character strings from among the detected character strings is instructed;
The information processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that the third display control means, when a nested structure of a plurality of character strings selected from the detected character strings is instructed, controls so that the nested structure of the selected plurality of character strings is displayed in the second area. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a receiving means for receiving the name of the tag of the cloud service from the cloud service. The receiving means receives, from the cloud service, a tag name of a library selected from a plurality of libraries of the cloud service;
the first requesting means requests the selected library to create a tag corresponding to a selected string from among the detected strings;
9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the transmitting means transmits the scanned document corresponding to the tag to the selected library. a detection step of detecting a character string from the scanned document;
a first display control step of controlling to display a mark indicating the area of the detected character string;
a second display control step of controlling a display indicating that a character string that matches a tag name of a cloud service among the detected character strings matches the tag name of the cloud service;
a first request step of requesting the cloud service to create a tag corresponding to a string selected from the detected strings;
and transmitting the scanned document corresponding to the tag to the cloud service. A program for causing a computer to function as an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images