JP4835764B2 - Form design device and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for designing and printing a form using an electronic pen.

  Conventionally, users have filled in necessary items using ball-point pens and other documents such as applications submitted to government agencies, financial institutions, private companies and others (hereinafter referred to as “various application documents”). The documents were submitted. On the other hand, in recent years, electronic forms obtained by digitizing forms have been used in place of conventional paper forms. The electronic form is electronic data including a plurality of fields such as paper form entries. A user who creates a form reads an electronic form on a personal computer or the like and displays it on a display device, and inputs necessary items on the electronic form by operating an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse. The input items are acquired as electronic data and can be transmitted to the organization to which the form is submitted through a network or the like.

  However, when preparing various application documents to be submitted to public offices, financial institutions, private companies, etc., for users who do not have enough knowledge about how to operate personal computers, users who are not good at keyboard input, etc. It is often difficult to use the above-mentioned electronic form well. For such users, the method of pen input to a paper form is the easiest, as is conventionally done.

  In recent years, pen-type input devices called “electronic pen”, “digital pen”, and the like have appeared as effective input devices in such cases (hereinafter, referred to as “electronic pen” in this specification). A representative example is “Anot pen” developed by Swedish company Anoto. Anotopen is used in a pair with dedicated paper (hereinafter referred to as “dedicated paper”) on which a predetermined dot pattern is printed. In addition to the normal ink-type pen tip, the Anoto pen is equipped with a small camera for reading the dot pattern on the dedicated paper and a data communication unit. When a user writes characters on the special paper with an anotopen or checks an image that is designed on the special paper, the small camera detects the dot pattern on the special paper as the pen moves, and the user Entry data (also referred to as “stroke data”) such as written characters and images is acquired. This entry data is transmitted from the Anotopen to a terminal device such as a nearby personal computer or mobile phone by the data communication unit.

  At this time, as a specification of the electronic pen, a peripheral area having a certain width surrounding the outside of the arranged dot pattern is an unreadable area where stroke data cannot be acquired. This unreadable area is not a big design problem when the dot pattern is arranged on the entire surface of the dedicated paper, but various problems occur when the dot pattern is arranged on a part of the dedicated paper.

  Specifically, in order to solve the problem, it is conceivable to arrange a dot pattern in a peripheral area of an area to be actually arranged as a correspondence to the unreadable area. In addition, a black halftone dot pattern is also printed in the peripheral area that is disposed in excess, which causes a design problem. Such an adverse effect due to the unreadable area becomes larger as the arranged area becomes smaller.

  A technique for performing printing with a concealing ink on an ink that absorbs infrared light is described in Patent Document 1.

JP-A 63-307996

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points. The electronic pen can be easily designed, printed with a dot pattern larger than the peripheral area, and further printed with the concealing ink on the peripheral area. It is an object of the present invention to provide a form design apparatus that can improve the recognition rate of the image and solve design problems.

In one aspect of the present invention, a dot design recognizable by an electronic pen is printed, and is a form design device using a form for an electronic pen composed of a plurality of items, in a region where the dot pattern is printed. Item position relating to at least one of the position and size of the item specified by the user, comprising a dot plate to be arranged and a mask plate arranged in a region where a concealing ink that transmits infrared rays is printed Item position information acquisition means for acquiring information, and dot plate creation for creating a dot plate that is arranged in an item area for the item and a peripheral area surrounding the item with a certain width based on the item position information And a mask plate creating means for creating the mask plate to be further arranged on the dot plate in the peripheral area based on the item position information, Based on the dot plate and the mask plate, and a display means for displaying a design screen of the form.

  In the form design apparatus configured as described above, the user performs design by designating the positions of items constituting the form by using a GUI (Graphical User Interface) or the like. Here, the user is a designer who designs a form. Specifically, the user performs design by arranging a block whose size can be freely changed using a mouse at an arbitrary position. Then, the form design apparatus acquires information on the position and size of the item specified by the user as item position information. Further, the form design device creates dot plates to be arranged in the item area and the peripheral area based on the acquired item position information. This indicates that the dot pattern is printed not only in the item area but also in the peripheral area during actual printing. The electronic pen acquires stroke data entered by the user by reading a dot pattern. However, as a specification of the dot pattern, an area outside the arranged dot pattern and having a certain width is an unreadable area where the stroke data of the electronic pen cannot be acquired. Therefore, the recognition rate of the electronic pen can be increased by printing the dot pattern not only in the item area but also in the peripheral area.

  Further, the form design apparatus creates a mask plate to be arranged in the peripheral area based on the acquired item position information. This indicates that the concealing ink is further printed on the dot pattern in the peripheral area that protrudes from the item area during actual printing. In this way, by printing the concealing ink that transmits infrared rays, it is possible to solve the design problem of the form while increasing the recognition rate of the electronic pen. The form design apparatus displays a form design screen based on the created dot plate and mask plate. According to the present invention, the user can easily recognize on the design screen where the dot pattern or the concealing ink is printed on the form in order to improve the recognition rate of the electronic pen and solve the design problem. Can do.

  In one form of the form design apparatus, the display unit displays the dot plate and the mask plate so that they can be distinguished, and further displays the dot plate frame with a broken line. Accordingly, the user can easily and clearly recognize at which position on the form the dot pattern or the concealing ink is printed.

  In another aspect of the form design apparatus, the electronic pen has a camera for acquiring a stroke generated by moving the electronic pen by reading the dot pattern, and surrounds the item. The certain width is a deviation width between the position of the pen tip of the electronic pen and the photographing range of the camera.

  The electronic pen used in the form design apparatus configured as described above has a camera, and the stroke data is acquired by detecting the dot pattern on the form as the electronic pen moves. To do. A camera is usually provided in the vicinity of the pen tip of an electronic pen, but when the electronic pen is used, a certain error occurs between the pen tip portion and the shooting range of the camera. Therefore, there is a deviation width between the actual stroke of the electronic pen and the stroke read by the camera. Therefore, the constant width surrounding the items constituting the electronic pen form is a deviation width between the position of the pen tip of the electronic pen and the photographing range of the camera.

  In still another aspect of the form design device, when it is determined that the duplication determination unit that determines whether there is a portion where the dot plates overlap and the duplication determination unit overlap based on the item position information And a warning display means for displaying a warning. According to this, when the user has designed such that the dot versions overlap, the user can change the design by displaying a warning. This is because the dot plate indicates that a dot pattern is printed, and the dot pattern is different for each dot plate and cannot be overlapped.

  In another aspect of the present invention, a dot pattern recognizable by an electronic pen is printed, and is a program executed by a computer using an electronic pen form composed of a plurality of items, the dot pattern being printed At least one of the position and size of the item specified by the user, and a dot plate disposed in the region where the concealing ink that transmits infrared rays is printed. Item position information acquisition means for acquiring item position information related to one or more, and based on the item position information, create a dot version that is arranged in an item area for the item and a peripheral area surrounding the item with a certain width A dot plate creating means for creating a mask plate to be further arranged on the dot plate in the peripheral area based on the item position information; Edition creation means, on the basis of the dot plate and the mask plate created, display means for displaying a design screen of the form, as to function the computer.

  By executing the above program by a computer, the above-described form design apparatus can be realized. Moreover, each aspect of the above-described form design apparatus can be realized in the same manner.

  According to the present invention, the design of a form is facilitated, the dot pattern is printed larger than the peripheral area, the peripheral area is further printed with a concealing ink, and the recognition rate of the electronic pen is improved. The above problem can be solved.

It is a figure which shows the usage pattern of an electronic pen typically. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of an electronic pen. It is a figure explaining the expression method of the information by the dot pattern printed on the exclusive paper. It is an example of a dot pattern and the information corresponding to it. The structure of a form composed of dedicated paper is shown. An example of an electronic pen form is shown. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the dot area | region printed on the form, the unreadable area | region, and an electronic pen. It is a figure which shows the printing method of a form typically. It is a figure which shows typically the process of overlapping and printing a dot plate and a mask plate. It is a figure which shows typically the conventional printing order and the printing order of this embodiment , respectively. It is an example of the design screen displayed at the time of form design. It is a functional block diagram of a form design device. It is a flowchart of the design process in a form design apparatus.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, an outline of an electronic pen used as an input device in the system of the present embodiment will be described.

[Electronic pen]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing how the electronic pen is used, and FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of the electronic pen. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic pen 10 is used in combination with a dedicated paper 20 on which a dot pattern is printed. The electronic pen 10 includes a pen tip portion 17 similar to a normal ink pen, and a user writes characters on the dedicated paper 20 in the same manner as a normal ink pen.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic pen 10 includes a processor 11, a memory 12, a data communication unit 13, a battery 14, an LED 15, a camera 16, and a pressure sensor 18 therein. The electronic pen 10 includes an ink cartridge (not shown) as a component similar to a normal ink pen.

  The electronic pen 10 does not convert the locus of the ink drawn on the dedicated paper 20 by the pen tip unit 17, but converts the locus coordinates of the movement of the electronic pen 10 on the dedicated paper 20 into data. While the LED 15 illuminates the vicinity of the pen tip 17 on the dedicated paper 20, the camera 16 reads the dot pattern printed on the dedicated paper 20 and converts it into data. That is, the electronic pen 10 can acquire a stroke generated when the user moves the electronic pen 10 on the dedicated paper 20 as image data or vector data.

  Although details will be described later, as a specification of the electronic pen 10, an area having a certain width surrounding the outside of the arranged dot pattern is an unreadable area where stroke data of the electronic pen 10 cannot be acquired.

  The pressure sensor 18 detects the pressure applied to the pen tip portion 17 when the user writes characters on the dedicated paper with the electronic pen 10, that is, the writing pressure, and supplies the detected pressure to the processor 11. The processor 11 switches the LED 15 and the camera 16 on and off based on the writing pressure data given from the pressure sensor 18. That is, when the user writes characters or the like on the dedicated paper 20 with the electronic pen 10, writing pressure is applied to the pen tip portion 17. Therefore, when the writing pressure exceeding the predetermined value is detected, it is determined that the user has started the description, and the LED 15 and the camera 16 are operated.

The camera 16 reads the dot pattern on the dedicated paper 20 and supplies the pattern data to the processor 11. The processor 11 calculates X and Y coordinates on the dedicated paper 20 from the supplied dot pattern.

The processor 11 acquires writing pressure array data and X 1 , Y coordinate data and stores them in the memory 12 in association with a time stamp (time information) while the user is described. Therefore, data corresponding to the description content of the user is stored in the memory 12 in time series. The capacity of the memory 12 can be about 1 Mbyte, for example.

  All the acquired data is held in the memory 12 until a transmission instruction is given by the user. When the user issues a transmission instruction, the data communication unit 13 transmits the data in the memory 12 to the terminal device 25 within a predetermined distance from the electronic pen 10. Basically, once a transmission instruction is given, the electronic pen 10 transmits all the data stored in the memory 12 to the terminal device 25, so that the memory 12 is cleared. Therefore, when it is desired to transmit the same information to the terminal device 25 again after transmission, the user needs to write the description on the dedicated paper 20 again. In this case, the user only has to trace characters written on the dedicated paper 20 with an ink pen.

  The electronic pen 10 itself does not include a function button such as a transmission button, and a transmission instruction and other instructions are performed by a user checking the dedicated box provided at a predetermined position on the dedicated paper 20 with the electronic pen 10. Executed. A transmission instruction is associated with the position coordinates of the dedicated box in advance. When the processor 11 receives the position coordinates of the dedicated box, the processor 11 supplies data in the memory 12 to the data communication unit 13 and transmits the data to the terminal device 25. To do. The electronic pen 10 can indicate completion of data transmission by vibration of the electronic pen.

  The battery 14 is for supplying power to each element in the electronic pen 10, and the electronic pen 10 itself can be turned on / off by a cap (not shown) of the electronic pen, for example.

  As described above, the electronic pen 10 has a function of acquiring coordinate data and writing pressure data corresponding to characters and the like described on the dedicated paper 20 by the user and transmitting them to the nearby terminal device 25. Since the pen tip portion 17 is a normal ink pen, the content described on the dedicated paper 20 remains as an original original. That is, at the same time as describing the original paper, its contents can be digitized in the form of coordinate data in real time.

  According to the standard function of the electronic pen 10, data obtained by the electronic pen 10 is in principle in the form of coordinate data or vector data, and is not text data. However, as a standard function, the electronic pen 10 has a function of converting text into alphanumeric characters by describing it in a dedicated area provided on the dedicated paper 20.

  Also, the electronic pen 10 can hold property information (pen information and pen owner information) regarding the pen itself and its owner, and can be referred to from an application. As the pen information, a battery level, a pen ID, a pen manufacturer number, a pen software version, a subscription provider ID, and the like can be held. The pen owner information can hold nationality, language, time zone, email address, free memory capacity, name, address, fax / phone number, mobile phone number, and the like.

  In the data communication unit 13 in the above example, the electronic pen 10 is transferred from the electronic pen 10 to the terminal device 25 by various methods such as wireless transmission of Bluetooth (registered trademark), wired transmission using a USB cable, and data transmission by contact with a terminal. It is conceivable to perform data transmission.

Next, a method for acquiring X and Y coordinate data of the contents described by the user with the electronic pen will be described. As described above, a predetermined dot pattern is printed on the dedicated paper 20. The camera 16 of the electronic pen 10 does not read the locus of ink described on the dedicated paper 20 by the user, but reads the dot pattern on the dedicated paper 20. Actually, as shown in FIG. 1, the illumination area by the LED 15 and the shooting area of the camera 16 (located in the illumination area) are deviated from the position where the pen tip portion 17 contacts the dedicated paper 20.

  The dot pattern is printed with a special ink containing carbon, and the camera 16 can recognize only the pattern with the special ink. Even if ruled lines or frames are printed on dedicated paper with inks other than dedicated ink (not including carbon), the electronic pen does not recognize them. Therefore, when creating forms such as various application forms using dedicated paper, input frames, ruled lines, cautions, etc. are printed with ink other than dedicated ink.

  In the dot pattern, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the position of each dot is associated with data. In the example of FIG. 3, the 2-bit information of 0 to 3 is displayed by shifting the dot position vertically and horizontally from the reference position (intersection of vertical and horizontal lines) of the grid. The position coordinates on the dedicated paper are determined by the combination of information expressed in this way. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, 36 dots are arranged in a grid within a range of 2 mm in length and width, and the data array (FIG. 4B) indicated by these dots is displayed on the dedicated paper. Are associated with the position coordinates. Therefore, when the camera 16 of the electronic pen 10 captures a dot pattern as shown in FIG. 4A, the processor 11 changes the data array shown in FIG. 4B based on the dot pattern data input from the camera 16. The position coordinates on the dedicated paper (that is, where the dot pattern is located on the dedicated paper) corresponding to the acquired position are calculated in real time. The minimum unit for recognizing the dot pattern is 2 mm × 2 mm, and the camera 16 takes about 100 shots per second.

  Next, the dedicated paper will be described. An example of the structure of the dedicated paper is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the dedicated paper 20 has a dot pattern 32 printed on a mount 30 and a design 34 such as a ruled line printed thereon. The mount 30 is usually paper, and the dot pattern 32 is printed with dedicated ink containing carbon as described above. Further, the design 34 is printed with normal ink or the like. The dot pattern and the design may be printed at the same time, or one of them may be printed first.

  An example of the design 34 is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows an example of a certain application form 36 in which a plurality of entry fields 38 and a transmission box 39 are printed. Although it is not clearly shown in FIG. 6 and will be described in detail later, a dot pattern is actually printed on the entire surface of the application form 36, and an entry box 38 and a transmission box 39 are formed on the entire surface using ordinary ink. It is printed. The user can enter the necessary items in each entry field 38 of the application form 36 using the electronic pen 10 in the same manner as a conventional application form without being aware of the dot pattern.

  The area on the dedicated paper 20 can be roughly divided into two types. One is an entry area, in which the content described by the electronic pen 10 is handled as information as it is. In the example of FIG. 6, a plurality of entry fields 38 correspond to this. The other is a functional element, and when the corresponding area is checked with the electronic pen 10, actions, instructions, etc. defined in advance for the area are executed. The transmission box 39 in the example of FIG. 6 corresponds to this.

  The transmission box 39 is used when giving an instruction to transmit data stored in the electronic pen 10 to the nearby terminal device 25 as described above. When the user checks the transmission box 39 with the electronic pen 10, the electronic pen 10 reads the dot pattern in the transmission box. The pattern is associated with a transmission instruction, and the processor 11 in the electronic pen 10 issues a command to transmit data stored in the memory 12 to the data communication unit 13.

  The assignment of dot patterns is usually performed for each application (paper type). In other words, the dot patterns in a certain application form do not overlap in one sheet, but the same dot pattern is printed on the same application form. Therefore, when the user inputs necessary items with the electronic pen 10, it can be specified from the coordinate data on the application form which item of the application form the input item is for.

  As described above, by printing a predetermined design on the dedicated paper on which the dot pattern is printed, various application forms using the dedicated paper can be created. If the user uses the electronic pen 10 and fills in necessary items in a normal manner, the electronic data is automatically acquired.

  In the above example, the dot pattern is printed on the dedicated paper with carbon-containing ink. However, the dot pattern can be printed on ordinary paper using a printer and carbon-containing ink. Furthermore, the design on the dedicated paper can also be formed by a printer instead of printing. When dot patterns are formed on paper by a printer, different dot patterns can be formed on each sheet. Therefore, it is possible to identify and distinguish each of these sheets by the difference in the formed dot patterns.

  In the present specification, the term “printing” has a concept including not only normal printing but also printing by a printer.

  Next, transmission processing of data acquired by the electronic pen will be described with reference to FIG. The data acquired by the electronic pen 10 is mainly data of items input by the user, but usually does not include information on where the service server that is the transmission destination of the data is. Instead, information specifying the application or service related to the dedicated paper is included in the dot pattern on the dedicated paper, and the information is acquired from the dedicated paper during the user's input operation. Therefore, the terminal device 25 that has received the entry data from the electronic pen 10 first makes an inquiry to the inquiry server 26 to which service server 27 the data input to the dedicated paper should be transmitted. The inquiry server 26 has information on a corresponding service server for each dedicated paper, and in response to an inquiry from the terminal device 25, information (such as a URL) of the service server 27 that performs a service related to the dedicated paper. Reply to the terminal device 25. Then, the terminal device 25 transmits the entry data acquired from the electronic pen to the service server 27.

  In the above example, the terminal device 25, the inquiry server 26, and the service server 27 are separately configured. However, some or all of them may be configured as one device.

[Unreadable area]
Next, the unreadable area will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 7A shows a dot pattern area (hereinafter referred to as “dot area”) printed on an electronic pen form (hereinafter referred to as “form”) and an unreadable area. is there. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the electronic pen and the width of the unreadable area.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, a peripheral region surrounding the outside of the dot region 52 indicated by hatching with a width d is an unreadable region 41 where the electronic pen 10 cannot acquire stroke data. This is due to the configuration of the electronic pen 10 in which the camera 16 detects a dot pattern on the form and acquires stroke data as the electronic pen 10 moves. The camera 16 is provided in the vicinity of the pen tip of the electronic pen 10, but as shown in FIG. An error of width d occurs. Therefore, there is a deviation width d between the actual stroke of the electronic pen 10 and the stroke read by the camera 16. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7A, there is an unreadable region 41 that surrounds the outer side with the width d with respect to the dot region 52.

[Printing method]
Next, with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, an outline of a form printing method in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating a form printing method. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing a process of printing a dot plate and a mask plate which will be described later. Note that the form is created as the above-described dedicated paper, and a dot pattern is arranged so as to recognize entry for the item.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the form has an item for entering a name with the electronic pen 10. Here, an area for an item is called an item area 50, and a frame surrounding the item is called an item frame 51. In this case, if the dot pattern is arranged only in the item region 50, the peripheral region (width d) of the item 50 is an unrecognizable region as described above, and thus accurate stroke data cannot be acquired. Therefore, in order to obtain accurate stroke data, as shown in FIG. 8B, it is necessary to arrange a dot pattern larger in width d, that is, in the peripheral area. Then, as indicated by diagonal lines, a dot pattern is printed on both the item area 50 and the peripheral area larger by the width d. Here, a region where the dot pattern is arranged is referred to as a dot region 52, and a frame surrounding the dot region 52 is referred to as a dot plate frame 53. That is, the dot region is a region obtained by combining the item region 50 and the peripheral region. A dot pattern arranged in the dot area is called a dot plate. When the electronic pen 10 is an anotopen, the specific value of the width d is about 7 mm.

  Since a black halftone dot is printed in the area where the dot pattern is arranged, a black halftone dot is printed so as to protrude from the item frame 10 as it is, which causes a design problem. Therefore, the dot pattern arranged in the peripheral region of the width d surrounded by the item frame 51 and the dot plate frame 53 is masked with, for example, white concealing ink having the same color as the form as shown in FIG. 8C. That is, the dot pattern is further printed with a concealing ink. Here, the area where the concealing ink is arranged is called a mask area 54, and the outer frame surrounding the mask area is called a mask plate frame 55. A mask made of concealing ink disposed in the mask area 54 is called a mask plate.

  In the present embodiment, the peripheral area and the mask area are the same area. Further, since the mask plate has the same color as the form and the mask plate frame 55 cannot be visually recognized by humans, it is indicated by a broken line in FIG.

  Here, the concealing ink will be described in detail. The concealing ink has the same color as the form and is an ink that transmits infrared rays, and specifically includes white ink containing titanium. The electronic pen 10 can recognize a dot pattern printed with carbon-filled black ink, but cannot recognize ink that does not contain carbon (hereinafter referred to as “carbonless ink”). Therefore, by printing with the concealing ink that transmits infrared rays from above the dot pattern, the electronic pen 10 can recognize the dot pattern, although it becomes invisible to human eyes.

  That is, in order to create a form, first, a dot plate corresponding to a dot area 52 that is larger than the item area 50 by the peripheral area (width d) is created. Also, a mask plate corresponding to the mask region 54 is created. Then, by printing the mask plate on the dot plate as shown in FIG. 9A, the peripheral area of the item region 50 can be recognized by the electronic pen 10 as shown in FIG. 9B. A form that is assimilated with the same color as the form can be created. Therefore, it is possible to solve the problem of design that occurs when a dot pattern is arranged on a part of a form, and to solve the problem of the recognition rate of the electronic pen 10 that obtains an accurate stroke.

Next, the printing order of the form will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a conventional printing order and a printing order of the present embodiment .

  In the conventional printing, as shown in FIG. 10A, a dot plate having a width d larger than the item region 50 is created, and after a dot pattern that can be recognized by the electronic pen 10 is printed with a process ink containing carbon, Ruled lines and the like that cannot be recognized by the electronic pen 10 are printed in the order of “C (cyan)”, “M (magenta)”, “Y (yellow)”, and “spot color black (carbonless)”. Here, the special color black is black carbonless ink that the electronic pen 10 cannot recognize.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10B, in the printing of this embodiment , first, a dot plate having a width d larger than the item region 50 is created, and the electronic pen 10 can be recognized by the process ink containing carbon. Print the pattern. Further, a mask plate corresponding to the peripheral region that is surrounded by the item frame 51 and the dot plate frame 53 and that protrudes from the item 50 is created, and the peripheral region is concealed and printed with concealing ink of the same color as the form. After that, printing of ruled lines and designs that cannot be recognized by the electronic pen 10 is performed in the order of “C (cyan)”, “M (magenta)”, “Y (yellow)”, and “black of special color (carbonless)”. Do.

According to the form of the present embodiment , the dot pattern is printed larger than the peripheral area, and the peripheral area is further printed with the concealing ink, thereby improving the recognition rate of the electronic pen and solving the design problem. be able to.

[Form design device]
Next, with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13, a form design apparatus capable of easily designing a form to be printed using a dot plate and a mask plate will be described. FIG. 11 is an example of a design screen displayed at the time of form design. FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of the form design device. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of design processing in the form design apparatus.

  When printing with the above-described dot plate and mask plate, a user, for example, a form designer, intentionally sets the dot region 52 to be larger than the item region 50 by the width d, and the dot region 52 and the original are designed. It is necessary to create a mask plate corresponding to the difference from the item area 50. Therefore, in order to reduce the burden on the designer, the form design device has a function to automatically create a dot plate and a mask plate based on the items specified by the designer at the time of design and to display them explicitly as a design screen. Have.

  On the form design device, the designer designates an item constituting the form by the GUI, that is, a position where a dot pattern that can be recognized by the electronic pen 10 is to be arranged. Specifically, the designer specifies an item by arranging a block whose size can be freely changed using a mouse at an arbitrary position. The corresponding item is displayed in a region as indicated by shading in FIG. 11, and a mask region 54 corresponding to the width d is indicated by a broken line on the outer side. As shown in the upper right of FIG. 11, the dot version composition data is automatically created up to the broken line. Specifically, the portion up to the broken line refers to a portion outside the dot region 52 by a width d (in the case of anotopen, the width d is about 7 mm). In addition, as shown in the lower right of FIG. 11, the mask plate composition data for concealing the mask area 54 is also automatically created. Note that the composition data of the mask plate 54 is actually created in the same color as the form, but is black in FIG. 11 for clarity.

  Next, functions of the form design apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. As illustrated, the form design apparatus includes a form design program 100, an item designation information acquisition function 101, a dot version creation function 102, a mask version creation function 103, a warning display function 104, and an item display function 105. Each function is realized by executing a program prepared in advance by a CPU included in the form design apparatus.

  The form design program 100 is a program that creates a dot plate and a mask plate based on items specified by the designer through the GUI and displays them on the design screen so that they can be visually distinguished from each other. As a result, the designer can easily design a form with a high recognition rate of the electronic pen 10 and few design restrictions.

  The item designation information acquisition function 101 is a function for acquiring information on the position and size of an item designated by the designer using the GUI as item designation information.

  The dot version creation function 102 is a function that creates a dot version for placement in a dot area 52 that is larger than the item area 50 by a width d based on the item designation information acquired by the item designation information acquisition function 101.

  The mask version creation function 103 is a function that creates a mask version for concealing the mask area 54 that protrudes from the item area 50 based on the item designation information acquired by the item designation information acquisition function 101.

  Based on the item designation information acquired by the item designation information acquisition function 101, the warning display function 104 determines whether or not a predetermined dot version overlaps with other dot versions. Is a function for displaying on the screen. Specifically, when the items designated by the designer are closer than twice the width d, the dot plates overlap. This is because the dot patterns corresponding to the respective dot plates are different and cannot be overlapped.

  The design screen display function 105 is a function for displaying a design screen as shown in FIG. 11 using a dot plate and a mask plate created based on the item designation information.

  Next, the form design process executed by the form design apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. First, the designer operates the form design apparatus and designates the position of the items constituting the form by using the GUI. As a result, the form design apparatus acquires item designation information (step S1). Further, the form design device creates a dot plate and a mask plate based on the acquired item designation information (steps S2 and S3). Then, the form design device determines whether or not the dot plates corresponding to a plurality of items overlap (Step S4). If they overlap (step S4; Yes), the form design apparatus displays a warning to that effect (step S6). On the other hand, when there is no overlap (step S4; No), the form design apparatus displays a design screen as shown in FIG. 11 based on the dot plate and the mask plate (step S5). Thereby, the form design process is completed.

As described above, according to this embodiment , the form is easily designed, the dot pattern is printed larger than the peripheral area, and the peripheral area is further printed with the concealing ink, thereby improving the recognition rate of the electronic pen. And the design problem can be solved.

  With the printed form and the form design apparatus printed in this way, the form can be easily designed and the design problem can be solved by printing the unreadable area with the concealing ink.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Network 10 ... Electronic pen 11 ... Processor 12 ... Memory 13 ... Data communication unit 14 ... Battery 25 ... Terminal device 26 ... Inquiry server 27 ... Service server

Claims (8)

A form design device that uses a form for electronic pens that is printed with a dot pattern that can be recognized by an electronic pen and is composed of a plurality of items,
A dot plate disposed in a region where the dot pattern is printed and a mask plate disposed in a region where a concealing ink that transmits infrared rays is printed;
Item position information acquisition means for acquiring item position information related to at least one of the position and size of the item specified by the user;
Based on the item position information, a dot plate creating means for creating a dot plate to be arranged in an item region for the item and a peripheral region surrounding the item with a certain width;
Based on the item position information, a mask plate creating means for creating the mask plate to be further arranged on the dot plate in the peripheral area;
A form design apparatus comprising: display means for displaying a design screen of the form based on the created dot plate and the mask plate. The form design apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit displays the dot plate and the mask plate so that they can be distinguished from each other, and further displays a frame of the dot plate with a broken line. The electronic pen has a camera for acquiring a stroke generated by moving the electronic pen by reading the dot pattern,
Constant width surrounding the item, and the pen-tip position of the electronic pen, the form design apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a shift width of the imaging range of the camera. Based on the item position information, a duplication determination unit that determines whether there is a portion where the dot plates overlap,
The form design device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a warning display unit that displays a warning when it is determined that the duplication determination unit is duplicated. A program that is printed by a dot pattern that can be recognized by an electronic pen and that is executed by a computer that uses a form for an electronic pen composed of a plurality of items,
A dot plate disposed in a region where the dot pattern is printed and a mask plate disposed in a region where a concealing ink that transmits infrared rays is printed;
Item position information acquisition means for acquiring item position information related to at least one of the position and size of the item specified by the user;
Based on the item position information, a dot plate creating means for creating a dot plate to be arranged in an item region for the item and a peripheral region surrounding the item with a certain width;
Based on the item position information, a mask plate creating means for creating the mask plate to be further arranged on the dot plate in the peripheral area,
A program for causing the computer to function as display means for displaying a design screen of the form based on the created dot plate and the mask plate. 6. The program according to claim 5 , wherein the display means displays the dot plate and the mask plate so that they can be distinguished from each other, and further displays a frame of the dot plate with a broken line. The electronic pen has a camera for acquiring a stroke generated by moving the electronic pen by reading the dot pattern,
The program according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein the fixed width surrounding the item is a shift width between a position of a pen tip of the electronic pen and a shooting range of the camera. Based on the item position information, duplication determination means for determining whether or not there is a portion where the dot plates overlap,
The overlap when the determining means determines that overlap, further program according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the causes the computer to function as a warning display means for displaying a warning.

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