JP2024096654A - Information processing method, information processing system, and information processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a more useful information processing method and the like.
[Solution] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method. This information processing method includes the following steps: In the receiving step, a plurality of image data are received; In the identifying step, meta information of each image data is compared with a standard related to meta information, and a meta information of interest of interest image data that is the most deviant from the standard is identified; In the generating step, a conversion rule for converting the interest meta information into standard meta information that at least satisfies the standard is applied to the interest image data and other image data other than the interest image data, thereby generating a plurality of image files including meta information that all satisfy the standard.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing method, an information processing system, and an information processing program.

Patent Document 1 discloses a document creation support program, a document creation support method, and a submitted document management device. In this known technology, document extraction element information in which multiple document extraction elements that require document submission are set is prepared in advance, and document extraction elements related to the construction work are extracted from the document extraction element information based on construction information related to the content of the construction work. Next, document information that is previously associated with the document extraction elements extracted from the construction information is obtained. Then, a submitted document list is created for the obtained document information.

JP 2003-82853 A

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a more useful information processing method, etc.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an information processing method is provided. This information processing method includes the following steps: In the receiving step, a plurality of image data are received. In the identifying step, meta information of each image data is compared with a standard related to meta information, and the meta information of the target image data that is the most deviant from the standard is identified. In the generating step, a conversion rule for converting the target meta information into standard meta information that at least satisfies the standard is applied to the target image data and other image data other than the target image data, thereby generating a plurality of image files including meta information that all satisfy the standard.

One aspect of the present invention provides a more useful information processing method.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an information processing system 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an information processing device 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a user terminal 3. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional unit included in a control unit 23. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a document file 4 in which image data D is embedded. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a document file 4 in which image data D is embedded. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a document file 4 in which image data D is embedded. FIG. 1 is an activity diagram showing an example of the flow of information processing executed in an information processing system 1. FIG. FIG. 11 is an activity diagram showing an example of an algorithm for determining a reduction ratio s.

The following describes embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. The various features shown in the following embodiments can be combined with each other.

The program for implementing the software used in this embodiment may be provided as a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, or may be provided so that it can be downloaded from an external server, or may be provided so that the program is started on an external computer and its functions are implemented on a client terminal (so-called cloud computing).

In this embodiment, a "unit" may also include, for example, a combination of hardware resources implemented by a circuit in the broad sense and software information processing that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. In addition, this embodiment handles various types of information, which may be represented, for example, by physical values of signal values representing voltage and current, high and low signal values as a binary bit collection consisting of 0 or 1, or quantum superposition (so-called quantum bits), and communication and calculations may be performed on a circuit in the broad sense.

In the broad sense, a circuit is a circuit realized by at least appropriately combining a circuit, circuitry, a processor, and memory. In other words, it includes application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (e.g., simple programmable logic devices (SPLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), etc.

1. Hardware Configuration This section describes the hardware configuration.

<Information Processing System 1>
1 is a configuration diagram showing an information processing system 1. The information processing system 1 includes an information processing device 2 and a user terminal 3. The information processing device 2 and the user terminal 3 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a telecommunications line. In one embodiment, the information processing system 1 is made up of one or more devices or components. For example, if the information processing system 1 is made up of only the information processing device 2, the information processing system 1 can be the information processing device 2. These components will be described below.

<Information processing device 2>
2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the information processing device 2. The information processing device 2 includes a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23, and these components are electrically connected via a communication bus 20 inside the information processing device 2. Each component will be further described.

The communication unit 21 is preferably a wired communication means such as USB, IEEE 1394, Thunderbolt (registered trademark), wired LAN network communication, etc., but may also include wireless LAN network communication, mobile communication such as 3G/LTE/5G, BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) communication, etc. as necessary. In other words, it is more preferable to implement it as a collection of multiple communication means. In other words, the information processing device 2 may communicate various information from the outside via the communication unit 21 and the network.

The memory unit 22 stores various information defined by the above description. This can be implemented, for example, as a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) that stores various programs and the like related to the information processing device 2 executed by the control unit 23, or as a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily required information (arguments, arrays, etc.) related to the program calculations. The memory unit 22 stores various programs, variables, etc. related to the information processing device 2 executed by the control unit 23.

The control unit 23 processes and controls the overall operation related to the information processing device 2. The control unit 23 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) not shown. The control unit 23 realizes various functions related to the information processing device 2 by reading out a predetermined program stored in the storage unit 22. That is, information processing by the software stored in the storage unit 22 can be specifically realized by the control unit 23, which is an example of hardware, and executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 23. These will be described in more detail in the next section. Note that the control unit 23 is not limited to being single, and may be implemented with multiple control units 23 for each function. Also, a combination of these may be used.

<User terminal 3>
3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the user terminal 3. The user terminal 3 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, a control unit 33, a display unit 34, and an input unit 35, and these components are electrically connected via a communication bus 30 inside the user terminal 3. Descriptions of the communication unit 31, the storage unit 32, and the control unit 33 are omitted because they are similar to the descriptions of the respective units in the information processing device 2.

The display unit 34 may be included in the housing of the user terminal 3 or may be attached externally. The display unit 34 displays a screen of a graphical user interface (Graphical User Interface: GUI) that can be operated by the user. This is preferably implemented by using display devices such as a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and a plasma display, depending on the type of the user terminal 3.

The input unit 35 may be included in the housing of the user terminal 3, or may be externally attached. For example, the input unit 35 may be implemented as a touch panel integrated with the display unit 34. A touch panel allows the user to input tapping, swiping, and the like. Of course, a switch button, a mouse, a QWERTY keyboard, and the like may be used instead of a touch panel. That is, the input unit 35 accepts operation inputs made by the user. The input is transferred as a command signal via the communication bus 30 to the control unit 33, and the control unit 33 can execute predetermined control or calculations as necessary.

2. Functional configuration of the information processing device 2 Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a functional unit included in the control unit 23. As described above, information processing by software stored in the storage unit 22 is specifically realized by hardware (specifically, the control unit 23), and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 23. In other words, the information processing system 1 including at least one device includes at least one processor, exemplified by the control unit 23, capable of executing a program to perform each functional unit.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 23 includes a reception unit 231, an identification unit 232, a generation unit 233, an output unit 234, and a calculation unit 235.

The reception unit 231 is configured to be able to execute a reception step. Specifically, the reception unit 231 is configured to be able to receive information via the communication unit 21 or the storage unit 22 and read this information into the working memory. In particular, the reception unit 231 receives various inputs from the user via the input unit 35 of the user terminal 3. As an example, the reception unit 231 receives, as a reception step, a plurality of image data D, a document file 4 (see Figures 5 to 7), and meta information of the image data D. Details will be described later.

The identification unit 232 is configured to be able to identify various types of information. As an identification step, the identification unit 232 is configured to compare the meta information of each piece of image data D with a standard related to meta information, thereby identifying the meta information of interest of the image data of interest D' that is the meta information that deviates most from the standard. Details will be described later.

The generating unit 233 is configured to be able to generate various types of information. In a generation step, the generating unit 233 applies a conversion rule for converting the attention meta information into reference meta information that at least satisfies a criterion to the attention image data and other image data D other than the attention image data D', thereby generating a plurality of image files, all of which include meta information that satisfies the criterion. Details will be described later.

The output unit 234 is configured to output various information or electrical signals associated with information processing. The various output information may be output to a local environment, or may be output via a network to a directory of a user terminal 3, which is a device different from the information processing device 2. As an output step, the output unit 234 places the image file in a directory associated with the document file 4, and generates an output file in a format different from that of the document file 4. Details will be described later.

The calculation unit 235 is configured to perform various information processing calculations.

3. Information Processing Flow In this section, an overview of the flow of the information processing method executed by the information processing system 1 will be described.

3.1 Example of Conditions As an example, assume that the document file 4 is a Microsoft Word file. The contents of the document file 4 are a draft for a design registration application to be submitted to the Japan Patent Office, and the document file 4 includes the design registration application and drawings attached thereto. The drawings include a front view, a back view, a right side view, a left side view, a plan view, a bottom view, and a perspective view, which are views for specifying the scope of rights, and further include reference views that do not directly affect the scope of rights. In the following description, a six-sided view or the like for specifying the scope of rights is referred to as a "rights view." In addition, the rights view or the reference view is referred to as a "view type."

Figures 5 to 7 are schematic diagrams showing an example of a document file 4 in which image data D is embedded. As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the document file 4 includes, for example, diagram types 41 to 48 as category information indicating the category of the image data D. Furthermore, the document file 4 includes image data D1 to D8 embedded directly below each diagram type 41 to 48. Specifically, diagram type 41 is a column for front views indicated with corner brackets. Diagram type 42 is a column for back views indicated with corner brackets. Diagram type 43 is a column for right side views indicated with corner brackets. Diagram type 44 is a column for left side views indicated with corner brackets. Diagram type 45 is a column for plan views indicated with corner brackets. Diagram type 46 is a column for bottom views indicated with corner brackets. Diagram type 47 is a column for oblique views indicated with corner brackets. Diagram type 48 is a column for reference oblique views indicated with corner brackets. That is, diagram types 41 to 47 are rights diagrams, and diagram type 48 is a reference diagram.

In this way, each of the image data D1 to D8 is embedded in the document file 4. Assume that the image data D1 to D8 are image-captured one by one by a patent attorney or the like from the original data provided by the applicant wishing to file a design registration application, and pasted into the document file 4. Here, it is assumed that the six-sided drawings of the object from each direction contained in the provided original data are all of the same scale. Therefore, the objects contained in the image data D1 to D7 corresponding to the right drawings are all of the same scale. However, as mentioned above, the pasting work itself is performed manually by the patent attorney or the like, so the number of pixels of the image data D itself, including the margins, varies. A more detailed example will be given later.

,
The following describes the process for generating an HTML file and image files such as JPEG files used in a design registration application from such a document file 4. The information processing device 2 in the information processing system 1 is an example of a server that generates the HTML files and image files such as JPEG files described below, and the user terminal 3 is an example of a computer that generates the document file 4 as a draft for a design registration application through the user's operation.

3.2 Overview of the Flow FIG. 8 is an activity diagram showing an example of the flow of information processing executed in the information processing system 1. As shown in the figure, first, a document file 4 to be processed is selected through a predetermined operation screen (not shown) related to a program pre-installed in the user terminal 3, and an "execute button" which is an example of an operation object for starting the process is displayed. In other words, the reception unit 231 displays an operation screen as a reception step, and an operation object exemplified by the execute button is displayed on the operation screen. The execute button is pressed by the user (activity A001). The execute button is an example, and any form is acceptable as long as it is an object having visual information that the user can instruct and operate. After that, multiple image data D are received based on an operation instruction for the operation object, which will be described later.

Next, the document file 4 to be processed and selected in activity A001 is uploaded from the user terminal 3 to the information processing device 2 via the communication unit 31 and the network (activity A002). As a result, the uploaded document file 4 is stored in the storage unit 22 of the information processing device 2. In other words, the reception unit 231 receives the document file 4 as a reception step. Then, the types of views 41 to 48 contained in the document file 4 are obtained in the order in which they are written in the document file 4 (activity A003). For example, the front view, rear view, right side view, left side view, plan view, bottom view, oblique view, and reference oblique view are stored in the storage unit 22 in order as the types of views 41 to 48 in the document file 4.

Next, the reception unit 231 receives multiple image data D embedded in the document file 4 (activity A004).

Next, the reception unit 231 acquires the resolution and number of pixels, which are elements of the meta information of each image data D received in activity A004. In other words, the meta information included in the image data D includes the resolution and number of pixels of the image data D. Here, a supplementary explanation of meta information is provided. In addition to the resolution and number of pixels, meta information also includes items such as the number of bits, image file format, and file size. The number of pixels is the number of dots or pixels of the image data D, and is defined by the number of horizontal pixels and the number of vertical pixels. The resolution is the number of pixels per unit area, and is, for example, 200 dpi, 300 dpi, 400 dpi, etc. The number of horizontal pixels and the number of vertical pixels can be converted into horizontal length and vertical length via the resolution.

Next, as an identification step, the identification unit 232 compares the resolution and number of pixels (an example of meta information) of each image data D with a preset standard to identify the target image data D' whose resolution and number of pixels deviate the most from the standard (activity A005). More specifically, this standard is a standard for image files specified for submitting documents to the Patent Office, and specifies a predetermined resolution, which is mainly specified as 200 dpi to 400 dpi, and the maximum number of pixels at the predetermined resolution. Then, the identification unit 232 identifies the resolution and number of pixels, which are an example of the target meta information, of the target image data D'. In other words, as an identification step, the identification unit 232 performs a comparison process to compare the number of pixels of each image data D with the maximum number of pixels set as the standard, thereby identifying the target meta information of the target image data D'. Note that the target image data D' is selected from the image data D related to the right image excluding the reference image (for example, the image data D1 to D7 in Figures 5 to 7).

Next, the calculation unit 235 determines an image reduction ratio s (an example of a conversion rule or a predetermined magnification) for bringing the target image data D', which is the image data D related to the rights map that deviates the most from the standard, into the standard (activity A006). In other words, the conversion rule exemplified by the reduction ratio s is a rule for converting the target meta information into standard meta information that at least satisfies the standard. The reduction ratio s is expressed, for example, as a ratio and may be expressed as a number between 0 and 1, or as a percentage between 0 and 100%. An example of the processing of activities A004 to A006 will be described in detail later.

Next, as a generation step, the generation unit 233 generates individual image files corresponding to the image data D embedded in the document file 4 (activity A007). Various methods for generating image files are conceivable, but are not particularly limited. For example, since the document file 4, which is typified by a Word file, has a data structure including text data and image data D, the image data D embedded in the document file 4 may be extracted as an individual image file by analyzing this data structure. Alternatively, an individual image file may be generated by generating a copy window (not shown) of the document file 4, which is typified by a Word file, excluding the text from the copy window to generate a state in which only the image data D is displayed, and performing a process of newly cutting out the image from this state.

Next, the calculation unit 235 reduces the image file related to the right diagram among the generated image files at the reduction ratio s (activity A008). As a result, image files that satisfy the criteria are generated for the right diagrams excluding the reference diagram. Since the reduction ratio s is an example of a predetermined magnification for conforming the attention image data D', which is the most deviant from the criteria, to the criteria, even if the reduction ratio s is applied to image data D other than the attention image data D', the image data D or image file after the reduction ratio s is applied will satisfy the criteria. For example, when an image file with 2000 dots of pixels horizontally and 1500 dots of pixels vertically is reduced at a reduction ratio of 0.3, an image file with 600 dots of pixels horizontally and 450 dots of pixels vertically is generated. In other words, the generation unit 233 applies the reduction ratio s, which is an example of a conversion rule for converting the attention meta information into reference meta information that at least satisfies the criteria, to the attention image data D' and other image data D other than the attention image data D' as a generation step, thereby generating multiple image files including a resolution and pixel count that all satisfy the criteria.

The reference meta information is meta information that at least satisfies a standard. For example, if the reference meta information is related to the number of pixels as in this embodiment, it does not necessarily have to match the maximum or minimum number of pixels that is the standard, and the numerical values of these maximum or minimum values may be given some leeway.

Next, the calculation unit 235 executes a process of reducing the image files related to the reference drawings among the generated image files by the reduction ratio determined for each reference drawing (activity A009). That is, for the rights drawings, an image file that meets the criteria is generated while maintaining the scale ratio between each rights drawing in the state in which it is pasted into the document file 4, and for the reference drawings, it is preferable that the scale ratio is not maintained and an image file with as large a number of pixels as possible is generated while taking visibility into consideration.

Next, the generating unit 233 generates an HTML file, which is an example of an output file having a format different from that of the document file 4. The HTML file, which is an example of an output file, is used for a procedural document to be submitted to the Patent Office. Finally, the output unit 234 transmits the generated HTML file and image file to the user terminal 3 via the network, and outputs them to a specified directory of the user terminal 3. That is, the HTML file and the image file are downloaded to the storage unit 32 of the user terminal 3 (activity A010). This directory may be the same directory as the document file 4 first selected in activity A001 or a directory related thereto. In other words, the output unit 234 places the output file exemplified in the HTML file and the image file in a directory related to the document file 4, respectively, as an output step. At this time, the HTML file may include tags for displaying each image in a relative path. As a result, when the user opens the HTML file using the user terminal 3, the layout of the document related to the design registration application can be confirmed via a web browser. In other words, the output file exemplified by the HTML file is associated with an image file arranged in a directory. According to this embodiment, documents required for submission to the Patent Office can be created efficiently. In particular, an HTML file in a format to be submitted to the Patent Office, which is associated with an image file, can be efficiently obtained.

In summary, this information processing method includes the following steps: In the reception step, multiple image data are received. In the identification step, meta information for each image data is compared with a standard for meta information to identify meta information of the target image data that deviates the most from the standard. In the generation step, a conversion rule for converting the target meta information into standard meta information that at least meets the standard is applied to the target image data and image data other than the target image data to generate multiple image files that all include meta information that meets the standard.

When submitting procedural documents using image files over the Internet, standards may be set for the image files that can be submitted. For example, in patent applications and design applications, there are standards for the number of pixels, resolution, bit rate, image file format, etc. of image files that can be submitted. Here, if the number of pixels, etc. is converted for each image file so that it meets the standards, there is a possibility that the scale of multiple drawings in the same procedural document will differ. According to the above-mentioned aspect, an image file that meets the standards can be generated by applying a conversion rule that focuses on the target image data D' that is the most deviant from the standards to multiple image data D. In particular, by focusing on the resolution and number of pixels in the meta information, an image file with a number of pixels that meets the standards for submission to the Agency can be generated. In particular, an image file that meets the set standards can be generated for each image data D embedded in the document file 4.

As described above, in this embodiment, the reduction process at reduction ratio s is applied not to all image data D included in document file 4, but to image data D related to the rights diagram. In other words, as a generation step, the generation unit 233 applies a conversion rule exemplified by the reduction process at reduction ratio s to image data D that includes the same category information as the target image data D' (in one example, a rights diagram rather than a reference diagram) among other image data D other than the target image data D', thereby generating multiple image files. According to this aspect, an image file that meets the criteria can be generated by applying a conversion rule that focuses on the target image data D' that deviates the most from the criteria to image data in the same category as the target image data D'.

4. Details of Information Processing This section provides additional details on the information processing outlined above.

4.1 Criteria for Meta Information Criteria for meta information are criteria established for the meta information of image data D of procedural documents. Criteria for meta information can be established based on the regulations required for image data D by the party to which the procedural documents are to be submitted. For example, in the case of procedural documents to be submitted to the Japan Patent Office, the specification unit 232 can specify criteria based on regulations specified by the Japan Patent Office. The specification unit 232 may use the criteria for meta information established in the Japan Patent Office's image file regulations as the criteria as is, or may determine additional criteria. The criteria may have a certain range, and maximum and minimum values, etc. may be set as reference values.

For example, in the case of patent applications, based on the standards required by the Japan Patent Office, it is preferable that when the resolution is 200 dpi, the width should be 1338 dots or less and the height should be 2007 dots or less, when the resolution is 300 dpi, the width should be 2007 dots or less and the height should be 3011 dots or less, and when the resolution is 400 dpi, the width should be 2677 dots or less and the height should be 4015 dots or less. In the case of design registration applications, based on the standards required by the Japan Patent Office, it is preferable that when the file format is JPEG and the bit count is 24 bits, when the resolution is 200 dpi, the width should be 1181 dots or less and the height should be 889 dots or less, and when the resolution is 400 dpi, the width should be 2362 dots or less and the height should be 1779 dots or less.

4.2 Algorithm for determining reduction ratio s FIG. 9 is an activity diagram showing an example of an algorithm for determining reduction ratio s. In this algorithm, w_max, h_max, and k are defined as integer type variables. w_max is a variable that stores the maximum number of horizontal pixels of image data D. h_max is a variable that stores the maximum number of vertical pixels of image data D. k is a variable that stores the serial number of image data D, and in the example shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, k is an integer between 0 and 7 based on image data D1 to D7 related to the right diagram. In addition, Table 1 shows the type of diagram and the number of horizontal and vertical pixels of each image data D1 to D8. The resolution is 200 dpi for each diagram, and it is assumed that the diagram is a color diagram. As mentioned above, the work of pasting from the original data to the document file 4 is performed manually by a patent attorney or the like, so it should be noted that the number of pixels of the image data D itself, including the margins, varies.

First, the calculation unit 235 inputs the value 0 to w_max, h_max, and k (activity A101). Next, the calculation unit 235 inputs the value k+1 to k to increase the value of k by 1 (activity A102). Next, the reception unit 231 reads out the kth image data D (for example, the first image data D1) (activity A103).

Next, the reception unit 231 acquires the horizontal pixel count w_k of the kth image data D (activity A104). If the pixel count w_k acquired here is greater than the value currently stored in w_max, the value w_k is input to w_max. That is, the value of w_max is updated (activity A105). Similarly, the reception unit 231 acquires the vertical pixel count h_k of the kth image data D (activity A106). If the pixel count h_k acquired here is greater than the value currently stored in h_max, the value h_k is input to h_max. That is, the value of h_max is updated (activity A107). The above processes related to activities A103 to A107 correspond to the above-mentioned comparison process. That is, the pixel count in the reference is defined by the horizontal pixel count and the vertical pixel count, respectively, and the comparison process is performed on the horizontal pixel count and the vertical pixel count of each image data D.

Then, the calculation unit 235 executes a process to determine whether the value of k has reached N. Here, N is the maximum value of k, which may be 7 in this embodiment. That is, the value of k is incremented by 1, and when it is determined in activity A108 that the value of k is N, the comparison process loop is exited and the process proceeds to activity A109. At this stage, the maximum number of horizontal pixels among the image data D1 to D7 is stored in w_max, and the maximum number of vertical pixels among the image data D1 to D7 is stored in h_max. According to Table 1, the image data D' of interest in the comparison process regarding the number of horizontal pixels is image data D4, and the value of w_max is 2688. Similarly, the image data D' of interest in the comparison process regarding the number of vertical pixels is image data D5, and the value of h_max is 3720.

Next, the calculation unit 235 calculates a horizontal reduction ratio α based on the ratio of the maximum reference number of horizontal pixels to the value of w_max (activity A109). Similarly, the calculation unit 235 calculates a vertical reduction ratio β based on the ratio of the maximum reference number of vertical pixels to the value of h_max (activity A110). The reduction ratios α and β may be the ratios of the maximum reference number of horizontal pixels to the values of w_max and h_max themselves, or may each be a value with some leeway. An example of a value with some leeway is a calculation to round down to a specific decimal point.

For example, in the case of a design registration application, if the file format is JPEG, full color (i.e., the bit number is 24 bits) and the resolution is 200 dpi, the maximum number of horizontal pixels is 1181 dots and the maximum number of vertical pixels is 889 dots. As mentioned above, the value of w_max is 2688, so the value of reduction ratio α is 1181 divided by 2688, which is 0.43 if rounded down to the third decimal place. Similarly, the value of h_max is 3720, so the value of reduction ratio β is 889 divided by 3720, which is 0.23 if rounded down to the third decimal place.

Finally, the smaller of the values α and β is input to the reduction ratio s (activity A111). In the above example, the reduction ratio s is 0.23. In this way, the reduction ratio s, which is an example of a conversion rule, is determined. In other words, the predetermined magnification exemplified as the reduction ratio s is preferably the smaller of the ratio of the number of horizontal pixels that is a reference to the number of horizontal pixels of the target image data D' (e.g., reduction ratio α) and the ratio of the number of vertical pixels that is a reference to the number of vertical pixels of the target image data D' (e.g., reduction ratio β). According to this aspect, it is possible to generate an image file with a number of pixels that reliably meets the criteria after comparing the vertical and horizontal directions.

5. Modifications The information processing system 1 according to the above embodiment may be modified as follows.

In this embodiment, only image data D related to the rights diagram (e.g., image data D1 to D7) are selected to identify the image data of interest D' and to determine the conversion rule exemplified by the reduction ratio s, but all image data D may be targeted regardless of whether it is a rights diagram or a reference diagram. In other words, the generation unit 233 may generate multiple image files by applying the reduction ratio s (an example of a conversion rule) to all image data D as a generation step. According to this aspect, an image file that meets the criteria can be generated by applying a conversion rule that focuses on the image data of interest D' that deviates the most from the criteria to all image data D.

The criteria may be set for each content type of the document file 4. The content type of the document file 4 is a type that indicates the content of the document file 4. For example, the content types of procedural documents to be submitted to the Patent Office include patent applications, utility model registration applications, design registration applications, trademark registration applications, opinions, procedural amendments, and appeal requests. Each content type corresponding to the criteria set by the Patent Office may be stored in advance in the storage unit 22 as reference information, and the identification unit 232 may identify the corresponding criteria for each document file 4 based on the content type of the document file 4 and the reference information stored in the storage unit 22. Furthermore, since the consistency of scale is mainly emphasized in design registration applications, the above-mentioned information processing may be adopted only when the content type is a design registration application. According to this aspect, an image file that meets the criteria can be generated by applying a conversion rule that focuses on the target image data D' that is the most deviant from the criteria set for each content type of the document file 4 to multiple image data D.

A single image file may be output after deleting the margins of the image data D embedded in the document file 4. Alternatively, the margins may be adjusted to unify the number of pixels, particularly horizontally, of each image data D. Note that the margins in this embodiment are margins located outside the smallest rectangle that encloses the item included in the drawing data D. At this time, the reduction ratio s may be calculated before the margins are deleted or adjusted, or after the margins are deleted or adjusted. In either case, the scale of each drawing, particularly the right drawing in a design registration application, can be guaranteed.

The criteria may be set for each category of image data D. For example, categories of image data D submitted to the Patent Office include drawings, mathematical formulas, chemical formulas, tables, etc., in addition to the types of figures 41 to 48 outlined above. Furthermore, a design registration application is just one example, and the information processing according to this embodiment can be applied to various procedures at the Patent Office, such as patent applications, utility model registration applications, trademark registration applications, submission of opinions to the Patent Office, submission of amendments to the Patent Office, and submission of requests for appeal to the Patent Office.

The criteria may be set for each number of bits of the image data D. As a specifying step, the identification unit 232 may identify the meta information of interest corresponding to the number of bits of the image data of interest D'. In fact, the criteria for image files that can be submitted to the Japan Patent Office vary for each number of bits. The criteria for each number of bits set by the Japan Patent Office may be stored in advance in the storage unit 22 as reference information, and the identification unit 232 may identify the corresponding criteria for each document file 4 based on the number of bits of the document file 4 and the reference information stored in the storage unit 22. According to this aspect, an image file that satisfies the criteria can be generated by applying a conversion rule corresponding to the number of bits of the image data of interest D' to multiple image data D.

In the above embodiment, the reception unit 231 received the image data D embedded in the document file 4, but multiple image files prepared in advance and separately from the document file 4 may also be received as image data before the application of the reduction ratio s (an example of a conversion rule).

The reception unit 231 may convert image data D in a format other than the file format specified by the Patent Office, such as AI data, EPS data, or CAD data, into the file format specified by the Patent Office before accepting it. According to this embodiment, data in a file format other than that specified by the provisions of the procedural document can be used as is.

The conversion rule exemplified by the reduction ratio s is related to the number of pixels in the meta information, but other conversion rules may be adopted. For example, when the standard bit number is 8 bits for grayscale and at least some of the image data D is 24 bits for full color, which deviates from the standard, a conversion rule may be applied that converts full-color image data to grayscale image data. Such bit number conversion can be performed using existing image processing libraries such as OpenCV, ImageMagik, and nconvert. Even in such a case, an image file that meets the standard can be generated by applying a conversion rule that focuses on the target image data D' that deviates the most from the standard to multiple image data D.

The overall configuration shown in FIG. 1 is an example and is not limited to this. For example, the information processing device 2 may be distributed across two or more devices, or may be replaced by a cloud computing system. In addition, the user terminal 3 may install an application, and the user terminal 3 and the information processing device 2 may work together to execute the above-mentioned processing.

The information processing system 1 may execute information processing only on the user terminal 3. In other words, it is a configuration that does not include the information processing device 2 and the network. No information may be sent or received between the user terminal 3 and the information processing device 2 via the network, and all processing may be performed on the user terminal 3. In particular, the above-mentioned information processing may be realized in the local environment of the user terminal 3 by a macro function implemented in VBA that comes with MSWord.

Another aspect of the embodiment may be a program. The information processing program causes a computer to execute each step of the information processing method.

It may be provided in the following ways:

(1) An information processing method including the following steps: in the receiving step, a plurality of image data are received; in the identifying step, meta information of each of the image data is compared with a standard for the meta information to identify meta information of a target image data that is the most deviant from the standard; in the generating step, a conversion rule for converting the target meta information into standard meta information that at least satisfies the standard is applied to the target image data and other image data other than the target image data, thereby generating a plurality of image files including the meta information that all satisfy the standard.

According to this aspect, by applying a conversion rule that focuses on the image data of interest that deviates most from the standard to multiple image data, an image file that meets the standard can be generated.

(2) In the information processing method described in (1) above, the meta information includes the resolution and number of pixels of the image data, the criterion specifies a predetermined resolution and the maximum number of pixels at the predetermined resolution, the identification step performs a comparison process that compares the number of pixels of each of the image data with the maximum number of pixels set as the criterion to identify the target meta information of the target image data, and the generation step applies a reduction process of a predetermined factor, which is the conversion rule, to the target image data and other image data other than the target image data to generate multiple image files.

According to this aspect, by applying a conversion rule that focuses on the image data of interest that deviates most from the standard to multiple pieces of image data, an image file with a number of pixels that meets the standard can be generated.

(3) In the information processing method described in (2) above, the pixel count in the reference is defined by the number of horizontal pixels and the number of vertical pixels, the comparison process is performed on the number of horizontal pixels and the number of vertical pixels of each of the image data, and the specified magnification is the smaller of the ratio of the number of horizontal pixels of the reference to the number of horizontal pixels of the target image data and the ratio of the number of vertical pixels of the reference to the number of vertical pixels of the target image data.

In this manner, an image file can be generated that reliably meets the criteria by comparing the vertical and horizontal dimensions.

(4) In the information processing method described in any one of (1) to (3) above, the receiving step further receives a document file, and each of the image data is embedded in the document file.

According to this aspect, it is possible to generate an image file that meets the defined criteria for each piece of image data embedded in a document file.

(5) In the information processing method described in any one of (1) to (4) above, the receiving step further receives a document file, the document file including category information indicating a category of the image data, and the generating step applies the conversion rule to image data other than the target image data that includes the same category information as the target image data, thereby generating a plurality of the image files.

According to this aspect, by applying a conversion rule that focuses on the target image data that deviates the most from the standard to image data in the same category as the target image data, an image file that meets the standard can be generated.

(6) In the information processing method described in any one of (1) to (5) above, the receiving step further receives a document file, and the criteria are determined for each content type of the document file.

According to this aspect, by applying a conversion rule that focuses on the image data of interest that deviates most from the criteria set for each content type of document file to multiple image data, an image file that meets the criteria can be generated.

(7) In the information processing method described in any one of (1) to (6) above, the receiving step further receives a document file, the generating step generates an output file having a format different from that of the document file, and the output step further places the output file and the image file in a directory associated with the document file, where the output file is associated with the image file placed in the directory.

This allows for efficient document creation.

(8) In the information processing method described in (7) above, the output file is in HTML format.

According to this aspect, it is possible to efficiently obtain an HTML file associated with an image file.

(9) In the information processing method described in (7) or (8) above, the output file is used for procedural documents to be submitted to the Japan Patent Office.

This aspect makes it possible to efficiently obtain HTML files in a format suitable for submission to the Patent Office.

(10) In the information processing method described in any one of (1) to (9) above, the meta information includes the number of bits of the image data, the criteria are determined for each number of bits of the image data, and in the identifying step, the target meta information corresponding to the number of bits of the target image data is identified.

According to this aspect, an image file that meets the criteria can be generated by applying a conversion rule corresponding to the bit number of the target image data to multiple image data.

(11) An information processing system having at least one device, the system having at least one processor capable of executing a program to perform each step of the information processing method described in any one of (1) to (10) above.

According to this aspect, by applying a conversion rule that focuses on the image data of interest that deviates most from the standard to multiple image data, an image file that meets the standard can be generated.

(12) An information processing program that causes a computer to execute each step of the information processing method described in any one of (1) to (10) above.

According to this aspect, by applying a conversion rule that focuses on the target image data that deviates most from the standard to a plurality of image data, an image file that satisfies the standard can be generated.
Of course, this is not the case.

Finally, although various embodiments of the present invention have been described, these are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. New embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The embodiments and their modifications are within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

1: Information processing system 2: Information processing device 20: Communication bus 21: Communication unit 22: Storage unit 23: Control unit 231: Reception unit 232: Identification unit 233: Generation unit 234: Output unit 235: Calculation unit 3: User terminal 30: Communication bus 31: Communication unit 32: Storage unit 33: Control unit 34: Display unit 35: Input unit 4: Document file 41: Type of view (front view)
42: Type of view (rear view)
43: Type of diagram (right side view)
44: Type of diagram (left side view)
45: Type of drawing (plan view)
46: Type of diagram (bottom view)
47: Type of figure (perspective view)
48: Type of diagram (reference perspective view)
D: Image data D1: Image data (front view)
D2: Image data (rear view)
D3: Image data (right side view)
D4: Image data (left side view)
D5: Image data (plan view)
D6: Image data (bottom view)
D7: Image data (perspective view)
D8: Image data (reference perspective view)
D': Image data of interest s: Reduction ratio

Claims (12)

1. An information processing method, comprising:
It includes the following steps:
In the receiving step, a plurality of image data are received,
In the identification step, meta information of each of the image data is compared with a criterion for the meta information to identify meta information of the image data of interest that is the most deviant from the criterion among the meta information;
In the generation step, a conversion rule for converting the target meta information into reference meta information that at least satisfies the criteria is applied to the target image data and other image data other than the target image data, thereby generating multiple image files each containing the meta information that satisfies the criteria. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1,
The meta information includes a resolution and a number of pixels of the image data,
the criteria define a predetermined resolution and a maximum number of pixels at the predetermined resolution;
In the identification step, a comparison process is performed to compare the number of pixels of each of the image data with a maximum value of the number of pixels defined as the reference, thereby identifying the attention meta information of the attention image data;
A method in which, in the generating step, a reduction process at a predetermined magnification, which is the conversion rule, is applied to the target image data and other image data other than the target image data, thereby generating a plurality of the image files. 3. The information processing method according to claim 2,
The number of pixels in the reference is defined by the number of horizontal pixels and the number of vertical pixels,
the comparison process is performed on the horizontal pixel count and the vertical pixel count of each of the image data;
A method in which the predetermined magnification is the smaller of a ratio of the reference number of horizontal pixels to the number of horizontal pixels of the target image data and a ratio of the reference number of vertical pixels to the number of vertical pixels of the target image data. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1,
The receiving step further receives a document file;
A method, wherein each of the image data is embedded in the document file. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1,
The receiving step further receives a document file;
the document file includes category information indicating a category of the image data,
A method in which, in the generation step, a plurality of image files are generated by applying the conversion rule to image data other than the target image data, the image data including the same category information as the target image data. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1,
The receiving step further receives a document file;
The method, wherein the criteria are determined for each content type of the document file. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1,
The receiving step further receives a document file;
In the generating step, an output file having a format different from that of the document file is generated;
The method further includes, in the output step, placing the output file and the image file in a directory associated with the document file, respectively, where the output file is associated with the image file placed in the directory. 8. The information processing method according to claim 7,
The method wherein the output file is in HTML format. 8. The information processing method according to claim 7,
The output file is used in a procedural document to be submitted to a patent office. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1,
the meta information includes a bit number of the image data,
the criteria are determined for each bit number of the image data,
In the specifying step, the target meta information corresponding to the number of bits of the target image data is specified. An information processing system including at least one device,
A system comprising at least one processor capable of executing a program to perform each step of the information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 10. An information processing program,
A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.