JP4757225B2 - Business card information management program, business card information management device, and business card information management method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To support electronic use of information contained in a user's business card actually exchanged in business card exchange. <P>SOLUTION: A registered business card information storage means 11 stores registered business card information 11a which is information related to a user and registered as character information shown by a character string on the user's business card 21a. A read business card information receiving means 12 receives read business card information 21b for obtaining a character string by character recognition from an image obtained by optically reading a business card via a network. A complementary information output means 12 compares, based on the read business card information 21b received by the receiving means 12, the character string read from the business card 21a with a character string shown in the registered business card information 11a stored in the storage means 11 to generate complementary information for complementing the read card name information 21b, and outputs the generated complementary information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a business card information management program, a business card information management device, and a business card information management method for managing a business card, and in particular, a business card information management program, a business card information management device, and a business card information management program for managing information written on a business card received by a user. It relates to a business card information management method.

  Conventionally, so-called business card exchanges have been widely performed in business and other situations where first meeting people exchange their name, affiliation, contact information, etc., with business cards printed on a print medium such as paper. This allows you to exchange information such as the affiliation and contact information of the people who exchanged business cards, and by saving the business card, the information that was written on the business card later when contacting the other party Can be used.

  In addition, the system users exchange information such as name and affiliation as described on conventional business cards, and keep the provided user information up to date via the network, An information exchange management system that determines whether or not to send user information according to a set degree of disclosure has been considered (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Thereby, the change of the user information which may change with the passage of time from the time of receiving the information can be provided while being controlled according to the relationship with the other party. Also, for example, when exchanged information usually changes at various time intervals, such as changes in affiliation and contact information associated with organizational changes, the change is notified and the electronic business card in each user terminal Can also reflect that change.
JP 2000-32033 A

  However, even at the present time when IT technology is widely spread, “business card exchange” which is actually performed face-to-face is widely performed on a daily basis. Thus, from the ritual aspect rooted in daily business card exchange, the technology described in Patent Document 1 and other information systems have not yet been replaced by this paper business card exchange.

  On the other hand, since it is more convenient for information management and retrieval compared to the case where it is managed as it is with a business card of a print medium, it is generally performed that information is digitized and stored. However, it is time-consuming and error-prone to input and digitize the information on the business card received by exchange by manual input using a keyboard or the like. It is also possible to digitize business card information using OCR (Optical Character Recognition), but due to the complexity of kanji used in Japan, the recognition capability of OCR is limited. There is.

  Furthermore, when an information system is used and the name, affiliation, etc. can be accessed by anyone with unlimited access, convenience and convenience increase, but there are problems in terms of protection of personal information and prevention of abuse.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides business card information that supports electronic use of information described in a user's business card that has been actually exchanged through daily business card exchange. An object is to provide a management program, a business card information management device, and a business card information management method.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a business card information management program as shown in FIG. The business card information management program according to the present invention complements information described on a business card of a user actually exchanged by a business card exchange widely performed on a daily basis through a network.

A computer 10 that executes this business card information management program includes a registered business card information storage unit 11, a read business card information reception unit 12, and a complementary information output unit 13.
The registered business card information storage means 11 stores registered business card information 11a that is information about the user and is registered as character information indicated by a character string on the business card 21a of the user. The read business card information receiving means 12 sends the read business card information 21b for obtaining a character string by character recognition from the image obtained by optically reading the business card 21a transmitted from the other computer 20 via the network. Receive at. The supplementary information output means 13 adds the character string read from the business card 21 a and the registered business card information 11 a stored in the registered business card information storage means 11 based on the read business card information 21 b received by the read business card information receiving means 12. Comparing with the displayed character string, complementary information for complementing the read business card information 21b is generated, and the generated complementary information is output to the transmission source of the read business card information 21b via the network. The generated complementary information is transmitted to the computer 20 via the network.

According to the computer that executes such business card information management, the read business card information receiving means 12 receives the read business card information. Then, the complementary information output means 13 generates complementary information for complementing the read business card information based on the read business card information, and the generated complementary information is sent to the computer of the user who has passed the business card via the communication line. Are output.

  In the present invention, the character information of the business card read using optical character recognition is compared with the original information written on the business card via the network, and complementary information that complements the recognition error is generated and generated. The completed information is output to the user who received the business card. This makes it possible to automatically correct reading errors due to optical character recognition character recognition when electronically managing business cards. Therefore, there is no mistake in character recognition, and electronic management can be easily performed as compared with manual input.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, an outline of the present invention will be described, and then specific contents of the embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the present embodiment. The computer 10 shown in FIG. 1 compares the text information of the business card read by the user who has received the business card using the OCR with the original information written on the business card via the network. Complement information that complements recognition errors is generated, and the generated supplement information is output to the computer 20.

  The computer 10 includes a registered business card information storage unit 11, a read business card information reception unit 12, and a complementary information output unit 13. The computer 20 also includes a reading business card information generation unit 21 and a complementary business card information generation unit 22.

  The registered business card information storage means 11 stores registered business card information 11a that is information about the user and is registered as character information indicated by a character string on the business card 21a of the user. The registered business card information 11a is stored in the registered business card information storage unit 11 in advance. When another user who receives the business card 21a causes the business card management system of the present invention to read the business card 21a, the business card 21a is supplemented based on the registered business card information 11a.

  When the business card 21a is optically read based on the operation of another user who has received the business card 21a, the read business card information generation unit 21 generates read business card information 21b. Then, the reading business card information generating means 21 transmits it to the computer 10 via the network. The read business card information 21b is information for obtaining a character string by character recognition from an image obtained by optically reading a business card.

The read business card information receiving means 12 receives the read business card information 21b transmitted from the computer 20 by another user who has received the business card via the network.
Note that the character recognition of the character string written on the business card from the image obtained by reading the business card 21a may be performed on the computer 20 side after the image of the business card 21a is read, while the computer 10 side , The supplementary information output means 13 may perform this before the character recognition result is supplemented.

  The supplementary information output means 13 adds the character string read from the business card 21 a and the registered business card information 11 a stored in the registered business card information storage means 11 based on the read business card information 21 b received by the read business card information receiving means 12. Comparing with the displayed character string, complementary information for complementing the read business card information 21b is generated, and the generated complementary information is output to the computer 20 that is the transmission source of the read business card information 21b via the network. .

  According to such a computer 10, the read business card information receiving unit 12 receives the read business card information. Then, the complementary information output means 13 generates complementary information for complementing the read business card information based on the read business card information, and outputs the generated complementary information to the computer 20 of the user who has passed the business card via the network. Is done.

  The complementary information may be all or part of the registered business card information 11a stored in the registered business card information storage unit 11. By using all of the registered business card information 11a as complementary information, the computer 20 that has received the complementary information can store the complementary information as it is as complementary business card information. Further, by making information for correcting only a portion that does not match the read business card information 21b in the registered business card information 11a as complementary information, compared to the case where all of the registered business card information 11a is set as the read business card information 21b, Data transfer amount can be reduced.

  The complementary business card information generating means 22 of the computer 20 that has received the complementary information generates complementary business card information by complementing the read business card information 21b based on this complementary information. The generated complementary business card information 22 a is stored in the computer 20. The stored complementary business card information 22a can be used by using an existing information management technique such as an address book.

  That is, the character information of the business card read using the OCR is compared with the original information written on the business card via the network to generate complementary information that complements the recognition error. Output to the user who received the business card. This makes it possible to automatically correct reading errors due to OCR character recognition when electronically managing business cards. Therefore, there is no mistake in character recognition, and electronic management can be easily performed as compared with manual input. In addition, since only the person who receives the business card of the print medium can acquire the complementary information, personal information is also protected.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration according to the first embodiment. The business card information management system of the present embodiment complements characters written on a business card recognized by the OCR via a network.

  The business card information management system according to the first embodiment includes user terminal devices 100, 100a, 100b, 100c, and a network 60. The user terminal devices 100, 100a, 100b, and 100c are connected to the network 60 and can communicate with each other.

  The user terminal devices 100, 100a, 100b, and 100c are terminal devices used by the user X600, the user A600a, the user B600b, and the user C600c of the business card information management system, respectively. When the user terminal device 100a of the user who has received the business card (hereinafter referred to as user A 600a) captures the business card received by the user A 600a as image data, the image data captured from the business card is converted into character information by OCR. The read business card information is transmitted to the user terminal device 100 of the user (hereinafter referred to as user X600) who has given the business card via the network 60, using the mail address written on the business card. At this time, there is a possibility that the reading business card information generated by the OCR has a conversion error during character recognition.

  When the user terminal device 100 receives the read business card information, the user terminal device 100 compares the read business card information with the registered business card information of the user A 600a stored in advance, and generates complementary information for complementing conversion errors due to OCR. To do. Then, the user terminal device 100 outputs the generated complementary information to the user terminal device 100a.

Note that the user terminal devices 100, 100a, 100b, and 100c of the present embodiment may be personal computers or small information terminal devices such as mobile phones.
The user terminal devices 100, 100a, 100b, and 100c according to the present embodiment transmit the character data obtained after performing the character recognition after capturing the business card as the image data. Not limited to this, a business card may be captured as image data, the captured image data may be transmitted via a network, and character recognition may be performed on the receiving side.

Next, the hardware configuration of the user terminal device will be described.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the user terminal device. The user terminal device 100 is entirely controlled by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101. A random access memory (RAM) 102, a hard disk drive (HDD) 103, a graphic processing device 104, an input interface 105, and a communication interface 106 are connected to the CPU 101 via a bus 107.

  The RAM 102 temporarily stores at least part of an OS program and application programs to be executed by the CPU 101. The RAM 102 stores various data necessary for processing by the CPU 101. The HDD 103 stores an OS program and application programs.

  A monitor 50 is connected to the graphic processing device 104. The graphic processing device 104 displays an image on the screen of the monitor 50 in accordance with a command from the CPU 101. A keyboard 41 and a mouse 42 are connected to the input interface 105. The input interface 105 transmits signals sent from the keyboard 41 and the mouse 42 to the CPU 101 via the bus 107. The communication interface 106 is connected to the network 60.

  A scanner 31 for reading a business card is connected to the external connection interface 108. The external connection interface 108 transmits a signal sent from the scanner 31 to the CPU 101 via the bus 107. The external connection interface 108 may be connected to a digital camera instead of the scanner 31 to read a business card.

With the hardware configuration as described above, the processing functions of the present embodiment can be realized.
Next, the module configuration of the user terminal device 100 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the user terminal device according to the first embodiment. The user terminal device 100 includes a registered business card information storage unit 110, a read business card information receiving unit 120, a complementary information output unit 140, a registered business card information update unit 160, in order to transmit complementary information to another user terminal device 900. And a confirmation information receiving unit 170.

  The registered business card information storage unit 110 stores information on a user, and is registered business card information registered as character information indicated by a character string on the user's business card. The registered business card information is stored in advance in the registered business card information storage unit 110 by the user. Then, when another user who receives the business card of the user causes the user terminal device 900 of the user connected via the network 60 to read the business card, the user terminal device 100 is provided. It is complemented based on the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 110.

  The read business card information receiving unit 120 receives the read business card information transmitted from the user terminal device 900 via the network 60 by another user who has received the business card. This read business card information is information for obtaining a character string by character recognition from an image obtained by optically reading a business card.

  The complementary information output unit 140 is indicated by the character string read from the business card and the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 110 based on the read business card information received by the read business card information receiving unit 120. Complement information for complementing the read business card information is generated by comparing with the character string, and the generated supplement information is output to the user terminal device 900 that is the transmission source of the read business card information via the network 60. To do. As a result, complementary business card information in which the read business card information held by the user terminal device 900 of the user who received the business card is complemented is generated, and the conversion error of the character information written on the business card by OCR is corrected.

  The supplementary information output unit 140 suspends the output of the supplementary information when the user's terminal device 100 has not generated the reading card information of the user who is the transmission destination of the supplementary information. The complementary information is output only when the reading business card information is generated. The supplemental information that has been put on hold is output when the reading card information of the user who is the transmission destination of the supplemental information is generated.

  As a result, the user's personal information is included because the supplementary information of the user is output only to the partner whose reading card information is generated by the user himself / herself reading the exchanged partner's business card. The transmission destination of the supplement information is limited to the user indicated on the business card read by the user. Therefore, information is transmitted only to the other party who actually exchanged the business card, and no supplementary information is transmitted to the business card information read by other persons. From this, the user can control the destination of his / her personal information, and can prevent the act of forging the other person's business card and sending the read business card information and obtaining the complementary information by guesswork. Personal information can be protected.

  In order to determine whether or not the other party's read business card information has been generated, for example, the read business card information or the complementary business card information based on the other party's business card is stored in the user terminal device 200 of the user who has given the business card. It can be determined by whether or not

  The registered business card information update unit 160 accepts input of update information for updating the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 110, and updates the registered business card information based on the received update information. Thus, when the information to be written on the business card changes due to a change in his / her situation, the user can input the registered business card information to be updated and can update the registered business card information in the registered business card information storage unit 110.

  Then, the complementary information output unit 140 outputs the content updated based on the update of the registered business card information by the registered business card information update unit 160 as complementary information. Thereby, when the registered business card information is updated, the update can be reflected in the complementary business card information of the user who has given the business card.

  Further, the read business card information may be transmitted by e-mail, and in this case, the complementary information output unit 140 outputs the complementary information and the transmission source of the read business card information transmitted by e-mail. Using the e-mail address, an e-mail with a content to notify the update of the registered business card information may be output to the user who has read the received business card. As a result, for example, when there is a change in the status of the person who handed the business card and the read business card information is updated, this can be automatically and simultaneously notified to the users who received the business card.

  The confirmation information receiving unit 170 is a registration in which the complementary business card information stored in the user terminal device 900 and transmitted from the user terminal device 900 is stored in the registered business card information storage unit 110 of the user terminal device 100. Confirmation information for confirming whether the information is the latest compared with the business card information is received. For example, the confirmation information may include a time stamp of complementary information previously received for the business card.

  Then, when the confirmation information receiving unit 170 receives the confirmation information, the complementary information output unit 140 provides the latest registration to the user terminal device 900 that has output the confirmation information if the complementary business card information is not the latest. Complement information is generated based on the contents of the business card information, and the generated supplement information is output. Based on this, the user terminal device 900 updates the complementary business card information. On the other hand, if the complementary business card information is the latest, the complementary information output unit 140 outputs a confirmation response indicating that it is the latest. Thereby, it is notified that the said complementary business card information of the user terminal device 900 is the latest.

  For example, when the confirmation information includes the time stamp of the complementary information previously received for the business card, the confirmation information receiving unit 170 compares the time stamp of the complementary information with the time stamp of the registered business card information to obtain the complementary information. If the time stamp is newer, it is determined that the supplemental business card information of the user terminal device 900 is the latest, while if the time stamp of the registered business card information is newer, the supplementation of the user terminal device 900 is completed. It is determined that the business card information is not the latest.

In addition, the user terminal device 100 includes a reading business card information generation unit 181, a complementary business card information generation unit 182, and a complementary business card information storage unit 190.
The read business card information generation unit 181 generates read business card information from an image obtained by reading the business card with the scanner 31, and transmits the read business card information to the user terminal device of the other party who has received the business card via the network 60. The complementary business card information generation unit 182 stores the complementary business card information generated based on the complementary information received from the partner user terminal device via the network 60 in the complementary business card information storage unit 190. The complementary business card information storage unit 190 stores the complementary business card information generated by the complementary business card information generation unit 182. Thereby, the information described in the exchange card is electronically stored.

Next, registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 110 will be described.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data structure example of registered business card information according to the first embodiment. The registered business card information 111 includes a field 111b indicating the name, a field 111c indicating the company name, a field 111d indicating the affiliation, and a field 111e indicating the mail address.

  In the field 111b, the name of the user who passes the business card is set. In the field 111c, a work place such as a company name where the user set in the field 111b works is set. In the field 111d, the department to which the user set in the field 111b belongs is set. In the field 111e, the mail address of the user set in the field 111b is set.

  Other information included in the registered business card information 111 includes an address, a telephone number, a FAX number, a title, a title, and the like indicating the location of the user's work place set in the field 111b.

The registered business card information 111 is input by the registered business card information update unit 160 and stored or updated in the registered business card information storage unit 110.
Next, the read business card information before complementing, which is converted by the OCR from the image data read from the business card in the user terminal device 100 of the user who has received the business card, will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the read business card information. Similar to the registered business card information, the read business card information 121 includes a field 121b indicating a name, a field 121c indicating a company name, a field 121d indicating a affiliation, and a field 121e indicating an e-mail address.

  In the field 121b, the name of the user who has given the business card, which is described in the received business card, is set. In the field 121c, a work place such as a company name where the user set in the field 121b works is set. In the field 121d, the department to which the user's workplace set in the field 121b belongs is set. In the field 121e, the mail address of the user set in the field 121b is set.

  Here, in the reading business card information of FIG. 6, compared to the registered business card information of FIG. 5, the field 121b (“Fuji Taro” → “Fuji Kiro”) and the field 121d (“Media Division” → “Medido Business”) A character conversion error due to OCR has occurred as shown in FIG.

  The other information included in the read business card information 121 includes, as with the registered business card information 111, an address, a telephone number, a FAX number, a title, a title, and the like indicating the work location of the user set in the field 121b. There is.

Next, processing for managing business card information based on the data having the above configuration and data structure will be described.
FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating a procedure of processing for complementing the read business card information according to the first embodiment. In the following, the process illustrated in FIG. 7 will be described in order of step number.

In the reading terminal device, the following processing is executed.
[Step S111] Upon receiving a business card, the user terminal device 900 (reading side terminal device) of the user who has received the business card captures the image of the read business card as image data.

[Step S112] The user terminal device 900 performs character recognition of characters written on the business card by OCR from the captured image data, and extracts the character information indicated on the business card.
[Step S113] The user terminal device 900 uses the character information extracted from the image data of the business card as the read business card information, and the user terminal device 100 of the user who has passed the business card via the network 60 (complement side terminal device). Output to.

  [Step S114] If the user terminal device 900 has received the complementary information transmitted from the user terminal device 100, the process proceeds to step S115. On the other hand, if the complementary information transmitted from the user terminal device 100 has not been received, the process ends.

[Step S115] The user terminal device 900 generates complementary business card information based on the received complementary information, and stores the generated complementary business card information.
In the complementary terminal device, the following processing is executed.
[Step S <b> 121] The read business card information receiving unit 120 receives the read business card information transmitted from the user terminal device 900.

[ Step S <b> 122] If the user of the user terminal device 100 has read the reading card information of the user who uses the user terminal device 900 that is the transmission destination of the generated complementary information, the complementary information output unit 140 reads the supplementary information output unit 140. Then, the process proceeds to step S123. On the other hand, if the read business card information of the user who uses the user terminal device 900 has not been read by the user of the user terminal device 100, the process is terminated.

  [Step S123] The complementary information output unit 140 corrects an OCR conversion error in the read business card information received by the read business card information receiving unit 120 based on the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 110. Generate information. Then, the complementary information output unit 140 transmits the generated complementary information to the user terminal device 900 via the network 60.

Here, the complementary information is data including all of the registered business card information. The user terminal device that has received the complementary information generates complementary business card information based on this.
Note that the complementary information may compare the read business card information with the registered business card information and indicate correct data for items that differ. For example, in the example of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in the reading business card information 121 of FIG. 6, a conversion error occurs in the name of the field 121b and the affiliation of the field 121d. Therefore, in this case, the complementary information is configured by fields 111b and 111d, which are corresponding fields of registered business card information.

  In this way, the user terminal device 100 uses the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 110 to read the business card information read by the user terminal device 900 and converted by OCR. To correct.

  In the present embodiment, the user terminal device 100 transmits the complementary information for complementing the read business card information to the user terminal device 900 to which the read business card information has been transmitted. You may transmit to the other user terminal device defined beforehand. For example, a user transmits a business card information generated by reading a business card at a destination with a user terminal device of a mobile phone type to the user terminal device 100 of the user who has given the business card. The supplementary information including all of the registered business card information may be transmitted to the personal computer at the user's home.

FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure for updating the complementary business card information. In the following, the process illustrated in FIG. 8 will be described in order of step number.
In the reflection side terminal device, the following processing is executed.

[Step S <b> 211] The user terminal device 900 (reflection terminal device) receives the complementary information transmitted from the complementary information output unit 140.
[Step S212] The user terminal device 900 updates the stored complementary business card information based on the received complementary information.

The update side terminal device executes the following processing.
[Step S221] The registered business card information update unit 160 included in the user terminal device 100 (update side terminal device) receives an input of the update information when the update information for updating the registered business card information is input by the user. .

[Step S222] The registered business card information update unit 160 updates the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 110 with the update information received.
[Step S223] The complementary information output unit 140 generates complementary information based on the updated registered business card information. Then, the supplementary information output unit 140 transmits the supplementary information to the other user terminal device that stores the supplementary business card information based on the registered business card information before the update, such as the user terminal device 900, via the network 60. Send to. In addition, the complementary information output unit 140 notifies other users by e-mail of a message notifying that the registered business card information has been updated.

In this way, the user terminal device 100 updates the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 110, and reflects the updated contents in the complementary business card information of other users.
FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure of processing for confirming update of registered business card information. Hereinafter, the process illustrated in FIG. 9 will be described in order of step number.

In the confirmation side terminal device, the following processing is executed.
[Step S311] The user terminal device 900 (confirming terminal device) of the user who received the business card confirms whether or not the stored complementary business card information is the latest by the user who received the business card. When the execution of the confirmation process is instructed, or when a predetermined period (for example, one year) has elapsed since the last complementary information was received, the user terminal device 100 (responding terminal device) via the network 60 To send confirmation information.

  [Step S <b> 312] If the user terminal device 900 has received complementary information based on the update of the registered business card information transmitted from the complementary information output unit 140, the process proceeds to step S <b> 313. On the other hand, if the confirmation response is received without receiving the complementary information, the process ends.

[Step S313] The user terminal device 900 updates the stored complementary business card information based on the received complementary information.
In the responding terminal device, the following processing is executed.

[Step S321] The confirmation information receiving unit 170 receives the confirmation information transmitted from the user terminal device 900.
[Step S322] The complementary information output unit 140 uses the registered business card information stored in the user terminal device 900 based on the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 110 as the registered business card information storage unit 110. Complement information to be updated so as to coincide with the registered business card information stored in is generated. Then, the complementary information output unit 140 transmits the generated complementary information to the user terminal device 900 via the network 60.

  In this way, the user terminal device 100 confirms that the complementary information for updating the complementary business card information or the complementary business card information is the latest in response to the confirmation of the complementary business card information from the user terminal device 900. Is transmitted to the user terminal device 900 via the network 60.

The user terminal device 100 that manages information shown on a business card delivered from a user has a complementary business card table 191 that represents a list of complementary business card information.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a data structure example of the complementary business card information stored in the complementary business card table. In the complementary business card table 191, the complementary business card information is stored as a table for each business card. The complementary business card table 191 is provided with a field 191a indicating a serial number, a field 191b indicating a name, a field 191c indicating a company name, a field 191d indicating affiliation, and a field 191e indicating a mail address. Information arranged in the horizontal direction of each field is associated with each other to form complementary business card information. This complementary business card table stores complementary business card information.

In this way, the complementary business card information supplemented by other user terminal devices is managed in the user terminal device 100.
By using such a user terminal device 100, the character information of the business card read using the OCR is compared with the original information written on the business card via the network, and the complement that complements the recognition error is performed. Generate information and output the generated complementary information to the user who received the business card. This makes it possible to automatically correct reading errors due to optical character recognition character recognition when electronically managing business cards. Therefore, there is no mistake in character recognition, and electronic management can be easily performed as compared with manual input.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and description of similar matters will be omitted.

  Similar to the business card information management system of the first embodiment, the business card information management system of the second embodiment complements characters written on the business card recognized by the OCR via a network. . Here, the business card information management system according to the second embodiment is provided with a management server. The management server 500 manages registered business card information of all users.

  FIG. 11 illustrates a system configuration according to the second embodiment. The business card information management system according to the present embodiment supplements characters written on a business card recognized by the OCR at the user terminal using a management server connected to the network.

  The business card information management system according to the second embodiment includes user terminal devices 200, 200a, 200b, 200c, a management server 500, and a network 60. User terminal devices 200, 200a, 200b, 200c and management server 500 are connected to network 60 and can communicate with each other.

  User terminal devices 200, 200a, 200b, and 200c are terminal devices used by the user X800, user A800a, user B800b, and user C800c of the business card information management system, respectively. When the user terminal device 200 of the user who has received the business card (hereinafter referred to as user X800) captures the business card received by the user X800 as image data, the image data captured from the business card is converted into character information by OCR. The read business card information is transmitted to the management server 500 via the network 60. At this time, there is a possibility that the reading business card information generated by the OCR has a conversion error during character recognition.

  Upon receiving the read business card information transmitted from the user terminal device 200, the management server 500 of the present embodiment receives the read business card information as a user who has given a pre-stored business card (hereinafter referred to as user A 800a). Complement information for complementing conversion errors due to OCR is generated in comparison with the registered business card information. Then, the management server 500 outputs the generated complementary information to the user terminal device 200.

  Here, the user terminal devices 200, 200a, 200b, and 200c and the management server 500 of this embodiment can be realized by the same hardware configuration as the user terminal device 100 of the first embodiment.

  Note that the user terminal devices 200, 200a, 200b, and 200c of the present embodiment may be personal computers or small information terminal devices such as mobile phones as in the first embodiment. Good.

  Note that the user terminal devices 200, 200a, 200b, and 200c of the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, capture the business card as image data, and then perform character recognition after character recognition. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a business card may be captured as image data, the captured image data may be transmitted via the network, and character recognition may be performed on the receiving side.

Next, the module configuration of the management server 500 will be described.
FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the management server according to the second embodiment. The management server 500 includes a registered business card information storage unit 510, a read business card information reception unit 520, a registered business card information determination unit 530, a complementary information output unit 540, a registered business card information update unit 560, and a confirmation information reception unit 570.

  The registered business card information storage unit 510 stores registered business card information of all users. The registered business card information is stored in the registered business card information storage unit 510 in advance by an administrator of the system upon receiving an application from each user. Then, for example, when another user X800 who received the business card of the user A causes the user terminal device 200 of the user X800 connected via the network 60 to read the received business card of the user A800c, Supplementation is performed based on registered business card information stored in a registered business card information storage unit 510 included in the management server 500.

The reading business card information receiving unit 520 receives the reading business card information transmitted from the user terminal device 200 via the network 60 by the user X 800 that has received the business card.
The registered business card information determination unit 530 is indicated by the character string indicated on the business card and the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 510 based on the read business card information received by the read business card information receiving unit 520. The registered business card information having the highest similarity of the character strings is determined from the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 510 by comparing with the registered character strings.

  Based on the read business card information received by the read business card information receiving unit 520, the complementary information output unit 540 and the character string read from the business card and the characters shown in the registered business card information determined by the registered business card information determination unit 530 Complement information for complementing the read business card information is generated by comparing with the columns, and the generated supplement information is output to the user terminal device 200 of the user X 800 via the network 60. Thereby, the read business card information held by the user X800 who received the business card is complemented, and the conversion error of the character information written on the business card by OCR is corrected.

  In addition, when the business card receipt flag for the user X 800 of the user A 800a is not set to ON in the management server 500, the complementary information output unit 540 holds the output without outputting the complementary information, while the user A 800a The complementary information is output only when the business card receipt flag for the user X800 is set to ON. The supplementary information that has been put on hold is output when the corresponding business card receipt flag is set on.

  Here, the business card receipt flag for the user X 800 of the user A 800 a is already generated by the user terminal device 200 a used by the user A 800 a for the reading business card information of the business card of the user X 800 using the user terminal device 200. It is a flag indicating that it has been performed.

  For example, when the user A 800 receiving the business card of the user X 800 causes the user terminal device 200 a to read the business card of the user X 800, the read business card information of the business card of the user X 800 is transmitted to the management server 500 via the network 60. Sent. The management server 500 that has received the read business card information indicates that the business card of the user X800 has been handed over to the user A800a, and the read business card information of the business card of the user X800 has already been generated. The business card receipt flag for the user X800 is set to ON.

  As a result, the user's personal information is included because the supplementary information of the user is output only to the partner whose reading card information is generated by the user himself / herself reading the exchanged partner's business card. The transmission destination of the supplement information is limited to the user indicated on the business card read by the user. Therefore, information is transmitted only to the other party who actually exchanged the business card, and no supplementary information is transmitted to the business card information read by other persons. From this, the user can control the destination of his / her personal information, and can prevent the act of forging the other person's business card and sending the read business card information and obtaining the complementary information by guesswork. Personal information can be protected.

  The registered business card information update unit 560 receives an input of update information for updating the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 510 by the user via the network 60, and based on the update information received as input. Update registered business card information. Thus, when the information to be written on the business card changes due to a change in his / her situation, the user can input the registered business card information to be updated, and can update the registered business card information in the registered business card information storage unit 510.

  Then, the complementary information output unit 540 outputs the content updated based on the update of the registered business card information by the registered business card information update unit 560 as complementary information, as in the first embodiment. Thereby, when the registered business card information is updated, the update can be reflected on the read business card information of the user who has given the business card.

  Further, the supplement information output unit 540 outputs the supplement information and uses the mail address extracted from the read business card information, and uses the e-mail whose content is notified of the update of the registered business card information in which the business card receipt flag is on. Output to the user. As a result, for example, when there is a change in the status of the person who handed the business card and the read business card information is updated, this can be automatically and simultaneously notified to the users who received the business card.

  As in the first embodiment, the confirmation information receiving unit 570 stores the registered business card information stored in the user terminal device 200, which is transmitted from the user terminal device 200, in the registered business card information of the management server 500. Confirmation information for confirming whether the information is the latest compared with the registered business card information stored in unit 510 is received.

  Then, as in the first embodiment, when the confirmation information receiving unit 170 receives the confirmation information, the complementary information output unit 540 receives the read business card information from the user terminal device 200 that has output the confirmation information. If it is not the latest, complementary information is generated based on the contents of the latest registered business card information, and the generated complementary information is output. Based on this, the user terminal device 200 updates the read business card information. On the other hand, if the read business card information is the latest, the complementary information output unit 540 outputs a confirmation response indicating that it is the latest. Thereby, it is notified that the read business card information of the user terminal device 200 is the latest.

Next, the registered business card table stored in the registered business card information storage unit 510 will be described.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a registered business card table according to the second embodiment. The registered business card table 511 stores registered business card information in a table for each user. The registered business card table 511 includes a field 511a indicating a registration number, a field 511b indicating a name, a field 511c indicating a company name, a field 511d indicating an affiliation, and a field 511e indicating an e-mail address.

  A registration number of registered business card information is set in the field 511a. The name of the user indicated by the registered business card information is set in the field 511b. In the field 511c, a work place such as a company name where the user set in the field 511b works is set. In the field 511d, the department to which the user's work place set in the field 511b belongs is set. In the field 511e, the mail address of the user set in the field 511b is set.

  The other information included in the registered business card table 511 includes an address, a telephone number, a FAX number, a title, a title, and the like indicating the location of the user's office set in the field 511b.

The registered business card information is input by the registered business card information update unit 560. The registered business card information storage unit 510 stores or updates registered business card information of all users.
Next, the exchange relation table stored in the registered business card information storage unit 510 will be described.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of an exchange relation table according to the second embodiment. In the exchange relation table 512, exchange relation information indicating complementary business card information held by a user by exchanging business cards is stored in a table for each user. The exchange relation table 512 includes a field 512a indicating a registration number, a field 512b indicating a name, and a field 512c indicating complementary business card information to be held.

  When the user updates his / her registered business card information, based on this exchange relation table 512, the transmission destination of the supplement information by the update is determined. Then, since the determined mail address of the destination is stored in the registered business card information storage unit 510, the supplement information by the update is transmitted using this mail address.

  FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 are sequence diagrams illustrating a procedure of processing for complementing the read business card information according to the second embodiment. Hereinafter, the processing illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16 will be described in order of step number.

In the terminal device, the following processing is executed.
[Step S411] When the business card is read by the user who has received the business card, the user terminal device 200 captures the image of the read business card as image data.

[Step S412] The user terminal device 200 performs character recognition of characters written on the business card by OCR from the captured image data, and extracts the character information indicated on the business card.
[Step S413] The user terminal device 200 outputs the character information extracted from the image data of the business card to the management server 500 via the network 60 as read business card information.

  [Step S <b> 414] If the user terminal device 200 has received the complementary information transmitted from the management server 500, the process proceeds to step S <b> 415. On the other hand, if the complementary information transmitted from the management server 500 has not been received, the process ends.

[Step S415] The user terminal device 200 corrects a reading error of the stored reading card information based on the received supplemental information.
In the management server, the following processing is executed.

[Step S <b> 421] The read business card information receiving unit 120 receives the read business card information transmitted from the user terminal device 200.
[Step S422] The registered business card information determination unit 530 compares the character strings of the read business card information received by the read business card information receiving unit 120 and the character strings of all registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 510. The registered business card information with the highest similarity of the character strings is specified. For example, the Levenshtein distance can be used as a scale for determining the similarity of character strings.

  [Step S423] If there is no registered business card information in which the similarity of the character string determined in step S422 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the complementary information output unit 140 ends the process. If there is registered business card information whose similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the process proceeds to step S424.

  [Step S424] If the received business card flag relating to the read business card information to be complemented by the user who is the transmission destination of the generated complementary information is on, the complementary information output unit 140 proceeds to step S425. On the other hand, if the received business card flag regarding the read business card information to be complemented by the user who is the transmission destination of the generated complementary information is not on, the process is terminated.

  [Step S425] The supplementary information output unit 140 acquires and transmits the mail address of the supplementary information transmission destination from the read business card information. At this time, the user who has transmitted the read business card information can specify a different user terminal device other than the user terminal device that has transmitted the read business card information as the transmission destination of the complementary information. For example, when a user receives a business card at a business trip destination or the like, the camera of a mobile phone type user terminal device captures the business card image and transmits the read business card information to the management server 500. It can also be received by a PC.

  [Step S426] The complementary information output unit 140 corrects an OCR conversion error in the read business card information received by the read business card information receiving unit 120 based on the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 510. Generate information. Then, the complementary information output unit 140 transmits the generated complementary information to the user terminal device 200 via the network 60 to the transmission destination acquired in step S425.

  In this way, the management server 500 uses the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit 510 to correct a conversion error in the read business card information read by the user terminal device 200 and converted by OCR. To do.

  In the present embodiment, the management server 500 transmits complementary information that complements the read business card information to the user terminal device 200 to which the read business card information has been transmitted. You may transmit to other defined user terminal devices. For example, a user transmits a read business card information generated by reading a business card at a destination with a mobile phone type user terminal device to the management server 500, and the management server 500 sends the business card to the personal computer at the user's home. Supplementary information including all of the registered business card information may be transmitted.

  By using such a management server 500, the same effect as when the user terminal device 100 of the first embodiment is used can be obtained. Furthermore, by using the management server 500, the functions of each user terminal device can be simplified, which is very useful for improving the efficiency during system construction and operation.

  The business card information management program, business card information management device, and business card information management method of the present invention have been described based on the illustrated embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of each unit is the same. It can be replaced with any configuration having the above function. Moreover, other arbitrary structures and processes may be added to the present invention. Further, the present invention may be a combination of any two or more configurations (features) of the above-described embodiments.

  The above processing functions can be realized by a computer. In that case, a program describing processing contents of functions that the user terminal device 100 and the management server 500 should have is provided. By executing the program on a computer, the above processing functions are realized on the computer. The program describing the processing contents can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, and a semiconductor memory. Examples of the magnetic recording device include a hard disk device (HDD), a flexible disk (FD), and a magnetic tape (MT). Examples of the optical disc include a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a DVD-RAM, a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), and a CD-R (Recordable) / RW (ReWritable). Examples of the magneto-optical recording medium include an MO (Magneto-Optical disk).

  When distributing the program, for example, a portable recording medium such as a DVD or a CD-ROM in which the program is recorded is sold. It is also possible to store the program in a storage device of a server computer and transfer the program from the server computer to another computer via a network.

  A computer that executes a business card information management program stores, for example, a program recorded on a portable recording medium or a program transferred from a server computer in its own storage device. Then, the computer reads the program from its own storage device and executes processing according to the program. The computer can also read the program directly from the portable recording medium and execute processing according to the program. Further, each time the program is transferred from the server computer, the computer can sequentially execute processing according to the received program.

The main technical features of the embodiment described above are as follows.
(Supplementary Note 1) A computer that can access registered business card information storage means for storing character information indicated by a character string on a user's business card as registered business card information.
Reading name card information receiving means for receiving reading name card information for obtaining a character string by character recognition from an image obtained by reading a name card via a network;
Based on the read business card information received by the read business card information receiving means, the character string shown on the business card, and the character string shown on the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage means, Complement information for generating the supplement information for complementing the read business card information recognized by the character recognition and outputting the generated supplement information to the transmission source of the read business card information via the network Output means,
Business card information management program characterized by functioning as

(Appendix 2) The registered business card information storage means stores a plurality of registered business card information,
Said computer further
Based on the read business card information received by the read business card information receiving means, the character string shown on the business card, and the character string shown on the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage means, A registered business card information determination unit that determines the registered business card information having the highest similarity of the character string among the plurality of registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit,
Function as
The complementary information output means generates complementary information for complementing the read business card information recognized by the character recognition based on the registered business card information determined by the registered business card information determination means, and generates the generated complementary Outputting the information to the sender of the read business card information via the network;
The business card information management program according to supplementary note 1, wherein

(Supplementary Note 3) The complementary information output means outputs the complementary information only when the reading business card information of the user of the output destination of the complementary information is generated in the computer.
The business card information management program according to supplementary note 1, wherein

(Supplementary note 4)
A registered business card information updating unit that receives an input of update information for updating the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit, and updates the registered business card information based on the update information received;
Function as
The complementary information output means outputs the content updated based on the update of the registered business card information by the registered business card information update means as complementary information.
The business card information management program according to supplementary note 1, wherein

(Supplementary Note 5) The complementary information output unit outputs the complementary information and outputs a message notifying the update of the registered business card information.
The business card information management program according to appendix 4, characterized in that:

(Supplementary note 6)
Confirmation from other computer that the read business card information stored in the computer is the latest compared with the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage means Confirmation information receiving means for receiving information,
Function as
When the confirmation information receiving means receives the confirmation information, the supplementary information output means, for the other computer that has output the confirmation information, if the read business card information is not the latest, the latest registration Generating the complementary information based on the contents of the business card information, and outputting the generated complementary information, and if the read business card information is the latest, outputting a confirmation response indicating that it is the latest.
The business card information management program according to supplementary note 4, characterized by:

(Supplementary note 7) In a business card information management device for managing information written on a business card received by a user,
Registered business card information storage means for storing character information indicated by a character string on the business card of the user as registered business card information,
Reading name card information receiving means for receiving reading name card information for obtaining a character string by character recognition from an image obtained by reading a name card via a network;
Based on the read business card information received by the read business card information receiving means, the character string shown on the business card, and the character string shown on the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage means, Complement information for generating the supplement information for complementing the read business card information recognized by the character recognition and outputting the generated supplement information to the transmission source of the read business card information via the network Output means;
A business card information management device characterized by comprising:

(Supplementary Note 8) A computer capable of accessing registered business card information storage means for storing character information indicated by a character string on a user's business card as registered business card information,
A reading business card information receiving step for receiving, via a network, reading business card information for obtaining a character string by character recognition from an image obtained by reading the business card;
Based on the read business card information received in the read business card information receiving step, the character string shown on the business card and the character string shown on the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage means And generating complementary information for complementing the read business card information recognized by the character recognition, and outputting the generated complementary information to the source of the read business card information via the network An information output step;
A business card information management method characterized by that.

It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the system configuration | structure of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of a user terminal device. It is a block diagram which shows the function of the user terminal device of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the data structural example of the registered business card information of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of reading business card information. It is a sequence diagram which shows the procedure of the process which complements the reading business card information of 1st Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the procedure of the process which updates complementary business card information. It is a sequence diagram which shows the procedure of the process which confirms the update of registration business card information. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of the complementary business card information stored in the complementary business card table. It is a figure which shows the system configuration | structure of 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the function of the management server of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of the registration business card table of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of the exchange relation table of 2nd Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram (first half) which shows the procedure of the process which complements the reading business card information of 2nd Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram (latter half) which shows the procedure of the process which supplements the reading card information of 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Computer 11 Registered business card information storage means 11a Registered business card information 12 Reading business card information receiving means 13 Complementary information output means 20 Computer 21 Reading business card information generation means 21a Business card 21b Reading business card information 22 Complementary business card information generation means 22a Complementary business card information

Claims (6)

A computer accessible to registered business card information storage means for storing character information indicated by a character string on a user's business card as registered business card information,
Reading name card information receiving means for receiving reading name card information for obtaining a character string by character recognition from an image obtained by reading a name card via a network;
Based on the read business card information received by the read business card information receiving means, the character string shown on the business card, and the character string shown on the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage means, And generating supplementary information for complementing the read business card information recognized by the character recognition. In the computer, the read business card information of the user to whom the generated supplemental information is output is generated. If it is only complementary information output means for outputting via the network complementary information the generating the transmission source of the read card information,
Business card information management program characterized by functioning as The registered business card information storage means stores a plurality of registered business card information,
Said computer further
Based on the read business card information received by the read business card information receiving means, the character string shown on the business card, and the character string shown on the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage means, A registered business card information determination unit that determines the registered business card information having the highest similarity of the character string among the plurality of registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit,
Function as
The complementary information output means generates complementary information for complementing the read business card information recognized by the character recognition based on the registered business card information determined by the registered business card information determination means, and generates the generated complementary Outputting the information to the sender of the read business card information via the network;
The business card information management program according to claim 1.   Said computer further
  A registered business card information updating unit that receives an input of update information for updating the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage unit, and updates the registered business card information based on the update information received;
  Function as
  The complementary information output means outputs the content updated based on the update of the registered business card information by the registered business card information update means as complementary information.
  The business card information management program according to claim 1.   Said computer further
  Confirmation from other computer that the read business card information stored in the computer is the latest compared with the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage means Confirmation information receiving means for receiving information,
  Function as
  When the confirmation information receiving means receives the confirmation information, the supplementary information output means, for the other computer that has output the confirmation information, if the read business card information is not the latest, the latest registration Generating the complementary information based on the contents of the business card information, and outputting the generated complementary information, and if the read business card information is the latest, outputting a confirmation response indicating that it is the latest.
  The business card information management program according to claim 3.   In a business card information management device for managing information written on a business card received by a user,
  Registered business card information storage means for storing character information indicated by a character string on the business card of the user as registered business card information,
  Reading name card information receiving means for receiving reading name card information for obtaining a character string by character recognition from an image obtained by reading the name card, via a network;
  Based on the read business card information received by the read business card information receiving means, the character string shown on the business card, and the character string shown on the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage means, , And generates supplementary information for complementing the read business card information recognized by the character recognition. In the business card information management device, the read business card information of the user to whom the generated supplemental information is output Only when the generated supplemental information is output via the network to the source of the read business card information, the supplementary information output means,
  A business card information management device characterized by comprising:   A computer capable of accessing registered business card information storage means for storing character information indicated by a character string on a user's business card as registered business card information,
  A reading business card information receiving step for receiving, via a network, reading business card information for obtaining a character string by character recognition from an image obtained by reading the business card;
  Based on the read business card information received in the read business card information receiving step, the character string shown on the business card and the character string shown on the registered business card information stored in the registered business card information storage means And generating supplementary information for complementing the read business card information recognized by the character recognition, and generating the read business card information of the user to whom the generated supplemental information is output in the computer. A complementary information output step of outputting the generated complementary information to the transmission source of the read business card information via the network only when
  A business card information management method characterized by:

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