JP6028813B2 - Information processing system, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the fields of an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program.

  When a company applies for a patent, etc., it may request a patent office to create application documents (specifications, etc.). When the invention is completed, the invention registration form (inventor) submits an invention notification form to the intellectual property department, and the intellectual property department requests the patent office to prepare an application document together with the invention notification form.

  When the patent office prepares the application documents, it sends the application documents (draft) to the intellectual property department, and the intellectual property department confirms and accepts the application documents. If there is a correction, the intellectual property department transmits the correction contents to the patent office, and the patent office performs the correction work based on the correction contents. When the contents of the application documents are finalized, the patent office will apply to the Patent Office and deliver the applied application documents with the application number to the IP department.

  Here, a lot of documents are exchanged between the intellectual property department (company) and the patent office until the contents of the application documents are finalized and the application documents are filed with the JPO. (Draft, revised manuscript) often goes back and forth between the two.

  Conventionally, FAX has been the mainstream for document exchange between the IP department (company) and the patent office from the viewpoint of confidentiality of application documents. In this case, when the patent office prepares the application documents, the patent department faxes the application documents to the intellectual property department. I do. The patent office will make corrections based on the corrections.

  In recent years, with the spread of the Internet, it has become possible to exchange documents as electronic files using this network. For example, by simply attaching a document to an e-mail, it is possible to easily exchange documents between the IP department and the patent office (however, encryption).

  In general, the Internet disk service on the Internet is also known, and there are some that securely exchange documents by uploading and downloading documents to the HDD of the server.

  In addition, a document exchange system that can exchange and exchange electronic documents safely via a network is also used, and a document exchange program (tool) is installed in the terminal on both sides that perform transmission and reception to securely exchange documents. Yes (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Most document exchange systems have a management function, so if this is used for document exchange between the intellectual property department and the patent office, project management for each patent office can be performed on the document exchange system. Can also be done. This is because the intellectual property department makes a request to the patent office in accordance with the field of special handling, etc., so it is necessary to exchange (trade) with a plurality of patent offices.

  However, the conventional document exchange has merits and demerits. From the viewpoint that documents of application documents are handled between the intellectual property department (company) and the patent office, there are the following problems.

  (A) The document exchange method by FAX is simpler than any other advantage, and ensures a certain level of safety. In addition, when there is a correction in the application document, the intellectual property department corrects the FAX manuscript of the application document by handwriting, but handwriting correction is often better than direct correction to an electronic file. For example, the text of the specification may be corrected directly on the electronic file, but it is easier to correct the complicated drawing by handwriting. On the other hand, however, the disadvantage of FAX is that application documents are exchanged many times on a paper basis, so that handling is complicated and the burden of storing paper documents is increased. These are inherent disadvantages not found in electronic files. In addition, although certain safety is ensured on the FAX line, there is a risk of erroneous transmission due to misidentification or incorrect input of the FAX number. Although handwriting correction is good, the correction color does not appear even though the correction is often corrected in red.

  (B) Document exchange methods by e-mail (encryption) and Internet disk service are easy as advantages, secure a certain level of security, and have a low risk of erroneous transmission. There is no need to worry about the complexity and storage of paper documents. However, as a disadvantage, it is not enough in terms of document management. In other words, the IP department needs to communicate with multiple patent offices, and patent applications that are based on a prior application need to be filed promptly, so that deadline management is essential. As long as there are not enough management functions, it can be said that the document exchange between the IP department and the patent office cannot be used.

  (C) The document exchange method using the document exchange system ensures certain safety as an advantage, there is no risk of erroneous transmission, and unlike FAX, there is no complication due to handling of paper base and worry about storage of paper documents. Also, if it has a certain management function, it is easy to manage. However, in the document exchange between the IP department (company) and the patent office, for example, the following needs are still strong from the viewpoint that the application documents are handled, and the conventional document exchange system still improves. There was a point.

  (C1) Regarding the correction of application documents, the intellectual property department wants not only to make corrections directly to electronic files, but also to make corrections with handwriting and colors (especially drawings). However, it is desirable to eliminate the complexity and paper document storage caused by paper-based handling such as when using FAX. On the other hand, the patent office also wants to accurately recognize the corrections and complete the corrections.

  (C2) Regarding the exchange of application documents, the intellectual property department exchanges documents with multiple patent offices, but easily eliminates the risk of erroneous transmission (error transmission to other patent offices). I want to send and receive documents.

  (C3) Regarding the management of application documents, the IP department and the patent office handle a large number of applications, but deadline management is essential, and we want to eliminate the risk of forgetting.

Therefore , in one embodiment of the present invention , in view of the above points, for example, through the drafting of highly confidential application documents and the exchange of amended manuscripts between companies and patent offices, until the filing of a firm application is completed. It is an object to provide an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program that support the above. More specifically, the company can easily make corrections to the corrected manuscript, and then transmit the data to the patent office safely and reliably. By such as the Patent Office can easily recognize the modified portion and applications deadline modification document, an information processing system or the like to help to ensure correct application deadlines without omission modify the application projects the present invention one Proposed by the embodiment .

In order to solve the above problem, in claim 1 of the present application , an attribute information including information on a first terminal, which is an information processing system including a plurality of terminals and one or more information processing apparatuses connected via a network. Attribute storage means storing first attribute data, first reception means for receiving first document data from the first terminal, and attribute information of the first document data received by the first reception means in the attribute storage. Generating means for generating second document data including code information acquired from the acquired attribute information, document data storage means for storing the generated second document data, and a second terminal to a first transmission means for transmitting the second document data, the third document de generated by reading by the second terminal A second receiving means for receiving data, said extracting means for extracting the converted the attribute information was from the code information, extracted the third on the basis of the attribute information included in the third document data received A second transmission means for specifying the transmission destination of the document data and transmitting the received third document data to the first terminal which is the transmission destination; and the second transmission means stored in the document data storage means and second document data, by collating the pre Symbol third document data received from said second terminal comprises a modified detection means for detecting modified portions, wherein the second transmission means When a correction location is detected by the correction detection means, the fact is notified together with the third document data.

  In addition, what applied the arbitrary combination of the component of this invention, expression, or a component to a method, an apparatus, a system, a computer program, a recording medium, etc. is also effective as an aspect of this invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, for example, an information processing system that supports a reliable application completion of an application case through a draft of a highly confidential application document and an exchange of a revised manuscript between a company and a patent office, An information processing method and program can be provided.

It is a system configuration figure (the 1) concerning this embodiment. It is a system configuration figure (the 2) concerning this embodiment. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram showing a main configuration of an embodiment of a document exchange server 1. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating main functions of an embodiment of a document exchange server 1. FIG. An example of a patent office master is shown. An example of an IP department master is shown. An example of an application matter management table is shown. An example of an application document file management table is shown. An example of a registration flow of attribute information of an application project (application document) is shown. An example of a draft transmission flow of an application document is shown. An example of the flow of printing application documents is shown. An example of a paper document of a printed application document (“application specification.doc”) is shown. An example of a paper document ("drawing.pdf") of a printed application document is shown. An example of a revised manuscript for a handwritten amended application document is shown below. An example of a revised manuscript for a handwritten amended application document is shown below. An example of the flow of sending a revised application manuscript is shown. An example of detecting a correction location in the specification will be shown. An example of detecting a corrected portion of the drawing is shown. The report example for “Application specification (amendment) .pdf” is shown. Here is an example of “Application specification (amendment) .pdf” sent to the patent office. Here is an example report for "Drawing (Correction) .pdf". An example of “drawing (correction) .pdf” sent to the patent office.

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

[System configuration]
(overall structure)
First, before describing specific contents of the present invention, an overall configuration for carrying out the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram (part 1) according to the present embodiment. As shown in the drawing, in the document exchange system 100 according to the present embodiment, a document exchange server 1, an IP department terminal 2, an MFP 3, and a patent office terminal 4 are connected via a network 5.

  The document exchange server 1 is a document exchange server for exchanging documents (for example, application documents) between the intellectual property department and the patent office. When one side sends a document to the other side, when the document is sent (uploaded) to the document exchange server 1, a notification to that effect is sent to the other side. Document exchange is performed by receiving (downloading). The document exchange server 1 can be installed in a data center or the like.

  The terminal 2 is a user terminal in the intellectual property department, and is a PC (Personal Computer), for example. The terminal 2 includes at least a mailer for receiving notifications by e-mail and a browser for accessing the document exchange server 1 as necessary.

  An MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral) 3 is a digital multi-function peripheral in which a plurality of functions such as a printer, a copy, and a scanner are housed in a single casing, and is a device known as an image forming apparatus. Note that the MFP 3 of this embodiment includes a browser for accessing the document exchange server 1.

  The terminal 4 is a user terminal of a patent office and is, for example, a PC. The terminal 4 includes at least a mailer for receiving notifications by e-mail and a browser for accessing the document exchange server 1 as necessary.

  The network 5 is a network (including wired and wireless) that connects each device. Since the document exchange server 1, the intellectual property department, and the patent office are physically located at remote locations, specifically, for example, they can be realized on the Internet.

  FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram (part 2) according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the document exchange system 100 according to this embodiment includes a document exchange server 1, an IP department terminal 2, an MFP 3, and a patent office terminal 4 connected via a network 5. Shows the business flow between the three parties in more detail.

  In this embodiment, documents of invention notification, application documents (draft), and application documents (corrected manuscript) are performed between the intellectual property department and the patent office. As shown in the figure, (1) the intellectual property department sends an invention notification form (other request form etc.) to the patent office. (2) Upon receipt of the invention notification form, the patent office creates an application document draft (hereinafter simply referred to as an application document) upon request through interviews.

  (3) When the application documents are completed, the patent office transmits and uploads the application documents to the document exchange server 1 in order to transmit the application documents to the intellectual property department. (4) When the application document is uploaded, the document exchange server 1 performs a file conversion process on the application document file as necessary, and generates a barcode (detailed later) and embeds it in the application document file. Do. It is also sent to the notification mail terminal 2 that the application document has been uploaded.

  (5) When the IP department terminal 2 recognizes that the application document has been uploaded by receiving the notification mail, it operates the MFP 3 to access the document exchange server 1 and receives and downloads the application document file. The application documents will be printed and printed out. Here, it goes without saying that the application document (electronic data) can be received and downloaded by accessing the document exchange server 1 from the terminal 2, but here, the application document will be described as being printed by the MFP 3.

  (6) The intellectual property department or the inventor confirms and verifies the contents of the manuscript of the printed application document. If there is a correction, the original is corrected by handwriting directly. (7) The IP department operates the MFP 3 to scan the corrected document and upload the scanned image (electronic data) to the document exchange server 1 in order to send the corrected document of the application document to the patent office. .

  (8) When the corrected document is uploaded, the document exchange server 1 recognizes the transmission destination by reading the barcode in the image, and notifies the transmission destination (patent office) that the corrected document has been uploaded. Transmit to terminal 4. Further, the document exchange server 1 creates a report regarding the corrected manuscript and adds it to the cover of the corrected manuscript. The report describes information such as the corrected part and the application deadline, and details will be described later.

  (9) When the patent office recognizes that the corrected manuscript has been uploaded by receiving the notification mail, the patent office operates the terminal 4 to access the document exchange server 1 to receive / download the revised manuscript. (10) The patent office confirms the amendment of the amended manuscript and the application deadline by referring to the report attached to the cover, and corrects the amended part within the application deadline without omission. After the amendment, the application documents may be sent again to the IP department in the same flow for confirmation and acceptance, or the application process will be completed with the JPO according to instructions from the IP department. The details will be described below.

(hardware)
Here, the hardware configuration of the document exchange server 1 according to the present embodiment will be briefly described. FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram showing the main configuration of one embodiment of the document exchange server 1. The document exchange server 1 includes, as main components, a CPU 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, an auxiliary storage device 104, a storage medium reading device 105, an input device 106, a display device 107, and a communication. The configuration includes the device 108.

  The CPU 101 is composed of a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits, and is a circuit that controls the entire apparatus. The ROM 102 is a memory that stores a predetermined control program (software component) executed by the CPU 101. The RAM 103 executes various control operations by the CPU 101 executing a predetermined control program (software component) stored in the ROM 102. This is a memory used as a work area (work area) when performing.

  The auxiliary storage device 104 is a device for storing various information including a general-purpose OS (Operating System) and programs, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), which is a nonvolatile storage device, is used. Information from the outside can be acquired by setting a portable medium such as a USB memory in the storage medium reader 105.

  In addition to the auxiliary storage device 104, the various types of information described above are stored in various storage media such as portable media such as CD-ROM (Compact Disk-ROM), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and USB memory, and other media. Various information stored in these storage media can be read via a drive device such as the storage medium reader 105.

  The input device 106 is a device for the user to perform various input operations. The input device 106 includes a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel switch provided so as to be superimposed on the display screen of the display device 107, and the like. The display device 107 is a device that displays various data on a display screen. For example, it is composed of LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and the like.

  The communication device 108 is a device that communicates with other devices via a network. Supports communication according to various network forms including wired and wireless networks.

  Since the terminal 2 and the terminal 4 are user terminals such as a PC as described above, the terminal 2 and the terminal 4 can be realized with the same configuration as in FIG. 3, and the MFP 3 can be realized with a conventional digital multi-function peripheral. Omitted.

(function)
Next, the functional configuration of the document exchange server 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the main functions of one embodiment of the document exchange server 1. The document exchange server 1 includes an attribute registration unit 111, a storage unit 112, a reception unit 113, a code generation unit 114, a transmission unit 115, an attribute extraction unit 116, a correction detection unit 117, and a report creation unit 118 as main functions. It is.

  The attribute registration unit 111 is a functional unit that registers attribute information of application documents in the storage unit 112 in advance. When the invention is completed and the intellectual property department requests the patent office to create application documents, the intellectual property department manages the application projects. (Same as case management information) and register it to the server. For example, invention NO, invention (name), inventor (name), requested patent office, request date, application deadline, etc. (specific examples will be described later).

  The storage unit 112 is implemented by, for example, the HDD 17 and stores registered application document attribute information, application document files, reports, various masters, and the like. These pieces of information are managed by a DB (database), and a data configuration example in the DB will be described later.

  The receiving unit 113 is a communication unit that receives various information from the intellectual property department and the patent office. Specifically, application documents (drafts, revised manuscripts, etc.) are received.

  When receiving the application document (draft) from the patent office, the code generation unit 114 acquires attribute information of the application document from the storage unit 112, and converts the acquired attribute information into a code image (for example, a two-dimensional barcode). Then, a code-added application document in which the code image is embedded in the received application document is generated. This code-added application will be sent to the IP department.

  The transmission unit 115 is a communication unit that transmits various types of information from the intellectual property department and the patent office. Specifically, application documents (draft, revised manuscript, etc.) are transmitted. Of course, when the transmission unit 115 is ready for transmission, the transmission unit 115 can voluntarily perform transmission to the transmission destination. However, in the present embodiment, the transmission unit 115 first performs mail notification to the transmission destination. When the transmission destination recognizes that the application document has been uploaded and is in an acquirable state by this mail notification and makes an acquisition request (download) to the transmission unit 115, the transmission unit 115 transmits the application document to the transmission destination.

  When the attribute extraction unit 116 receives an application document with code in image data format (an amended manuscript with handwritten correction) from the intellectual property department, the attribute extraction unit 116 decodes and converts the code image in the application document with code into attribute information. Extract document attribute information. This is because the attribute information of the application document is embedded in the code image by the code generation unit 114.

  The correction detection unit 117 performs correction by comparing and collating the application document (draft) received from the patent office with the application document with code in the image data format (corrected manuscript with handwritten correction) received from the intellectual property department. A part (handwritten correction part) is detected. The application document with code in the image data format mentioned here is image data obtained by the MFP 3 confirming / accepting the application document (draft) and reading it with the MFP 3 after correction by handwriting. It will be described later.

  The report creation unit 118 creates a report including the attribute information of the application document extracted by the attribute extraction unit 116 and the information regarding the correction part extracted by the correction detection unit 117. This report will be attached to the application file with code in the form of image data received from the IP department. That is, attribute information and information regarding correction are added to the application document (corrected manuscript with handwritten correction) transmitted from the intellectual property department, and then transmitted (transferred) to the patent office. Details will be described later.

  Note that these functions described above are actually realized by programs executed by the CPU 101.

(DB data configuration example)
As described above, the storage unit 112 stores registered attribute information of application documents, application document files, reports, various masters, and the like. A data configuration example in the DB will be described below.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a patent office master. The document exchange server 1 holds information on the requested patent office in advance. As shown in the figure, information such as “patent office ID” to “password” is registered in the patent office master. Among these, the “patent office ID” is an identifier that is uniquely (uniquely) issued to the patent office in the system. The “login ID” and “password” are used for authentication when the patent office accesses the document exchange server 1. Although only one is registered in the figure, it is of course possible to register a plurality.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of an intellectual property department master. Information such as “member name” to “IC identifier” is registered in the IP department master. Among these, the “login ID” and “password” are used for authentication when the intellectual property member of the intellectual property department accesses the document exchange server 1. The “IC identifier” is an identifier of its own IC card held by a member, and this enables authentication using the IC card.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of an application matter management table. When the invention is completed and the IP department requests the patent office to create application documents, the IP department in charge of the IP department manages the application cases for each case. Information). Therefore, the application matter table is registered for the number of cases. Among these, the “invention ID” is an identifier that is uniquely (uniquely) issued in the system for the application case. The “patent office ID” is the patent office ID of the requesting patent office requesting the application. For example, in the case of an application whose “invention ID” is “13” shown in the figure, the “patent office ID” is “1”. Therefore, referring to the patent office master (FIG. 5), “I International Patent Office” It can be seen that the place is the client.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of an application document file management table. When the application documents are completed, the patent office uploads the application documents to the document exchange server 1 in order to transmit the application documents to the intellectual property department. Further, the IP department operates the MFP 3 to scan the corrected manuscript and transmit the scanned image (electronic data) to the document exchange server 1 in order to send the amended manuscript of the application document to the patent office. In this process, a document exchanged between the intellectual property department and the patent office is stored in the storage unit 112 of the document exchange server 1, and the document is managed by the application document file management table. In addition, reports such as attribute information and correction information are attached to the application documents (with handwritten correction) transmitted from the IP department, and the attached reports are also managed here.

  For example, the first line of the table in the figure means that for an application with an “invention ID” of 13, a patent office with a “patent office ID” of “20100823 15:03” ( 2 files of “application specification.doc” and “drawing.pdf (registered trademark)” are uploaded to the server to be transmitted to the intellectual property department on the date and time, and the actual storage destination of these two files is “D: \ 1/13 / ". In addition, the fourth line of the table in the figure means that after correcting the drawing for an application with an “invention ID” of 13, the “IP office ID” 1 from the IP department at “20100823 15:03” (date) The file of “drawing (correction) .pdf” is uploaded to the server to be transmitted to the patent office, and the actual storage destination of this file is “D: \ 1/13 /” of the HDD 17. It also indicates that the report file “drawing (modification) -report.pdf” is attached to the file.

[Business flow]
(Attribute registration)
FIG. 9 shows an example of a registration flow of attribute information of an application case (application document). When the invention is completed and the intellectual property department requests the patent office to create application documents, the intellectual property department manages the application, so attribute information is linked to the application documents that will be created in the patent office. At the same time, it is registered in the document exchange server 1 (attribute registration unit 111).

  S1: The intellectual property department (member) operates the terminal 2 to access the document exchange server 1. Specifically, the browser may be opened to access the URL of the document exchange server 1. Then, input his own “login ID” and “password”. The document exchange server 1 performs user authentication by collating with the IP department master (FIG. 6).

  S2: After logging in, the IP department (member) presses the “Register New Invention” button to register the application.

  S3: The intellectual property person in the intellectual property department inputs the attribute information of the application item in accordance with the input items on the screen. For example, invention NO, invention (name), inventor (name), requested patent office, request date, application deadline, and so on. In addition, the intellectual property person in charge of the intellectual property department “sends the file” of the invention notification form to the patent office.

  4: The document exchange server 1 stores the registered attribute information in the above-mentioned application matter management table (FIG. 8). In addition, an invention notification form from the IP department is “file transmitted” to the patent office.

(Sending application documents)
FIG. 10 shows an example of a draft transmission flow of an application document. The patent office receives a request for preparation of application documents from the intellectual property department and prepares application documents based on the invention notification form from the intellectual property department. Once the application document is drafted, it will be sent to the IP department for confirmation and acceptance.

  S21: The person in charge of the patent office operates the terminal 4 and accesses the document exchange server 1. Specifically, the browser may be opened to access the URL of the document exchange server 1. Then, input his own “login ID” and “password”. The document exchange server 1 performs user authentication by collating with the patent office master (FIG. 5).

  S22: Since a list of application projects that have been requested to the patent office is displayed on the screen after login, the person in charge of the patent office has attribute information (for example, Invention No., Invention No., After specifying by the invention name, etc., the “file name” of the application document (draft) is designated (multiple) and transmitted (uploaded) to the document exchange server 1. At this time, a “comment” can be attached as necessary. In general, in the case of a patent application, an application document is a set of application, specification, claims, abstract, drawing, but here, "application specification (including claims) .doc", "drawing.pdf" 2 files are sent.

  S23: The document exchange server 1 stores the application document file in the application document file management table (FIG. 8). Further, the document exchange server 1 refers to the application case management table (FIG. 7), and among the attribute information of the application documents, the “patent office ID” (for example, 1) of the case request destination and the “application deadline” of the case. (For example, 20100831) is obtained, converted into a barcode, and this barcode is embedded in the application document (draft). Furthermore, the document exchange server 1 sends an email notification to the IP department that is the transmission destination.

  S24: The intellectual property person in the intellectual property department receives the mail notification at the terminal 2, and recognizes that the application document (draft) is uploaded and is available for acquisition. As shown in the figure, since “document download URL” is described in the mail, the application document (draft) can be easily taken into the terminal 2 from the document exchange server 1 by clicking here.

(Printing application documents)
FIG. 11 shows an example of a print flow of application documents. An intellectual property person in the intellectual property department uses the MFP 3 to print an application document (draft). This is for confirmation and acceptance.

  S31: The person in charge of intellectual property moves in front of the MFP 3 and operates the MFP operation panel to access the document exchange server 1. Specifically, a browser on the operation panel may be opened to access the URL of the document exchange server 1. Then, input his own “login ID” and “password”. In place of this, or alternatively, authentication is performed by holding its own IC card over the MFP 3. The document exchange server 1 performs user authentication by comparing the “login ID”, “password”, and IC identifier with the intellectual property department master (FIG. 6).

  After logging in, the person in charge of intellectual property presses the “print application document” button on the operation menu, and then selects a patent office. Here, when “I International Patent Office” is pressed, a list of application document files relating to the I International Patent Office is displayed. Select a file to be printed from this list and press the “Print” button. Here, two files of “application specification.doc” and “drawing.pdf” are printed.

  S 32: The document exchange server 1 transmits the selected application document file “application specification.doc” and “drawing.pdf” to the MFP 3. As a result, the MFP 3 acquires (downloads) the selected application document file from the document exchange server 1 and prints it out on a paper medium. The above barcode is also printed on the printed paper document of the application document.

  FIG. 12 shows a paper document example (“application specification.doc”) of a printed application document. Since the document exchange server 1 embeds the barcode in the application document (draft) sent by the patent office as described above, the barcode is also printed on, for example, the first page of the paper document of the application document. (The upper left of the first page). This barcode is used when sending paper documents of application documents from the IP department to the patent office. FIG. 13 is an example in which only the drawings 1 and 2 are extracted from the drawings showing the paper document examples (“drawings.pdf”) of the printed application documents. For example, a barcode is printed on the first page in the same manner.

  S33: The person in charge of intellectual property checks the printed application document (draft) paper document, and confirms / accepts it. If there is correction, handwriting correction is performed directly on the paper document with a red pen or the like.

  14 and 15 show examples of corrected manuscripts of application documents that have been handwritten. In this example, the person in charge of intellectual property makes a handwritten correction to the paper document directly with a red pen or the like on the second page of “application specification.doc” and drawing 2 of “drawing.pdf”.

  Note that if the person in charge of intellectual property once captures the application document (draft) from the document exchange server 1 at the terminal 2 (S23 in FIG. 10), it can be printed out from the terminal 2 to the MFP 3. .

(Send revised manuscript)
FIG. 16 shows an example of a flow of sending a revised application manuscript. In order to send the revised manuscript of the application document to the patent office, the IP person in charge operates the MFP 3, scans the amended manuscript of the application document, and uploads the scanned image (electronic data) to the document exchange server 1. All you need to do is

  S41: The person in charge of intellectual property moves to the front of the MFP 3 and sets the corrected document of the application document on the scanner. Then, the MFP operation panel is operated to access / log in the document exchange server 1. After logging in, the person in charge of intellectual property presses the “application document answer” button on the operation menu, and then performs reading setting. Here, parameters are set for the file name “application specification (correction)” and “drawing (correction)”, file format “PDF”, scanning condition “monochrome normal (300 dpi)”, manuscript “single side” and “left and right open”. Then, the “Start” button on the MFP operation panel is pressed. In addition, here, parameters are set to the correction points “report” and “6 divisions” (described later).

  When the “Start” button is pressed, the MFP 3 scans the corrected document set in the scanner, and the document data “server application (correction) .pdf” and “drawing (correction) .pdf”, which are the image data, are stored in the document exchange server 1. Send (upload) to. Here, the designation operation of the destination patent office of the person in charge of intellectual property is not necessary.

  S42: When the image data of the corrected manuscript is uploaded, the document exchange server 1 recognizes the transmission destination by reading and decoding the barcode (“patent office ID”, “application deadline”) in the image, To the transmission destination (patent office ID), it transmits to the notification mail terminal 4 that the corrected manuscript with the following report is uploaded.

  Now, in S22 of FIG. 10, the document exchange server 1 receives the application document received from the patent office (further embedded with a barcode) and the image data of the corrected manuscript received from the intellectual property department ( A corrected portion (handwritten correction portion) is detected by comparing and comparing with a corrected manuscript with handwritten correction. In other words, the part in which the intellectual property person in the intellectual property department has corrected the handwriting is detected, which will be described later again.

  When the document exchange server 1 detects the corrected part, it creates a report on the corrected part (handwritten corrected part) and receives the corrected manuscript ("application specification (correction) .pdf" and "drawing (correction)" received from the intellectual property department. .pdf "), for example, at the cover position. The report also includes information on the “application deadline” read from the barcode. This point will be described later again.

  S43: The person in charge of the patent office receives the mail notification at the terminal 4, and recognizes that the corrected manuscript file has been uploaded and is available for acquisition.

  S44: Since the “document download URL” is described in the mail as shown in the figure, click here, and after the authentication, the document exchange server 1 sends the amended manuscript file (“application specification (amendment) ) .Pdf ”and“ drawing (correction) .pdf ”).

  S45: The person in charge of the patent office confirms the amendment content (handwritten amendment) of the amended manuscript ("application specification (amendment) .pdf" and "drawing (amendment) .pdf") on the terminal 4. At the same time, check the report attached to each cover and correct the corrections within the time limit without omission. After the amendment, the application documents may be sent again to the IP department in the same flow for confirmation and acceptance, or the application process will be completed with the JPO according to instructions from the IP department.

  The business flow of the document exchange system 100 according to the present embodiment has been described above. Next, description will be made by paying attention to each process performed by the document exchange server 1 in this business flow. That is, the barcode processing (S23, S42), the correction location detection processing (S42), and the report creation processing (S42) will be described.

[Barcode processing]
When receiving the application document (draft) from the patent office, the code generation unit 114 of the document exchange server 1 acquires attribute information of the application document from the storage unit 112, and converts the acquired attribute information into a two-dimensional barcode. Then, a code-added application document in which the barcode image is embedded in the received application document is generated. This code-added application will be sent to the IP department.

  Since the attribute information of the application document is stored in the application case management table (FIG. 7) as described above, the code generation unit 114 acquires the attribute information of the application document from the application case management table. Here, it is assumed that at least “patent office ID” and “application deadline” information is acquired from the attribute information, these information is converted into a barcode, and the barcode image is embedded in the received application document, Generate an application document with a barcode.

  On the other hand, the person in charge of intellectual property receives an application document (draft) with a barcode from the patent office, and confirms and accepts the contents. If there is a correction, the handwriting correction is performed as described above. Thereafter, the person in charge of intellectual property uploads the scanned image via the MFP 3 to the document exchange server 1 in order to transmit the corrected manuscript to the patent office.

  Upon receiving the corrected manuscript file, the attribute extraction unit 116 of the document exchange server 1 extracts the attribute information of the application document by decoding and converting the barcode image in the application document into the attribute information. The previous code generation unit 114 embeds application document attribute information (“patent office ID”, “application deadline”) in the barcode image.

  Of these, the “patent office ID” is used to specify the transmission destination. If the “patent office ID” is 1, it can be seen that the file is transmitted to the “I international patent office” by referring to the patent office master (FIG. 5). Notifying the “patent office” that the corrected manuscript has been uploaded, registering the amended manuscript file in the application document file management table (FIG. 8), and storing the amended manuscript file itself in the storage unit of the document exchange server 1 112 (file path position).

  The extracted “application deadline” is used as information included in the report. Therefore, the code generation unit 114 passes the extracted “application deadline” information (for example, 20100831) to the report creation unit 118. The report is a report that is referred to by the patent office that received the revised manuscript. However, the reason why the application deadline information is described in the report is that it is expected to raise the attention of the patent office to the deadline. . Therefore, the attribute information of the application documents is as shown in the application case management table (FIG. 7). If there is useful information other than the “application deadline”, it is converted into a barcode including that information and embedded. Good. In this case, the information can be included in the report.

  In the attribute information, we explained that at least “patent office ID” and “application deadline” information is converted into a barcode and embedded. It is also possible to embed one of the identifiable information by converting it into a barcode. In other words, if “invention No” can be acquired from the barcode, the information on “patent office ID” and “application deadline” is specified from the application management table (FIG. 7) by bridging the paper correction manuscript and the electronic information. It is also possible. However, even in this case, the necessary information is “patent office ID” and “application deadline” information itself, and “invention No” can be said to be merely an identifier that plays a role of bridging.

[Correction location detection process]
In S42 of FIG. 16, the correction detection unit 117 of the document exchange server 1 receives the application document (draft) received from the patent office in S22 of FIG. 10 and the encoded application document in the image data format received from the intellectual property department. By comparing and comparing (with handwritten correction), a corrected portion (handwritten corrected portion) is detected.

  FIG. 17 shows an example of detecting a correction location in the specification. FIG. 17A shows the second page of “application specification.doc” of the application document received from the patent office, and FIG. 17B shows “application specification (amendment) of the application document received from the intellectual property department. The second page of “pdf” is shown. That is, the image data before correction and the image data after correction with the handwritten correction added.

  As shown in the figure, the correction detection unit 117 detects the correction for each page of the file by comparing the pixel color of the page before correction with the pixel color after correction. First, a page is divided into a predetermined number for detection. For example, as shown in the figure, the page is divided into six areas of upper left, upper right, middle left, middle right, lower left, and lower right. Then, the pixel colors are compared for each region, and if there is a difference, it is detected as a correction portion.

  In the case of area division, the parameter setting in FIG. 16 (S41) may be performed by setting the parameters to the correction points “report” and “6 divisions”.

  In FIG. 17, there are correction points on the middle left and the middle right. In the second page of “Application Specification (Correction) .pdf”, the two areas of the middle left and the middle right are corrected with the red pen, so the white pixel part is changed to the red pixel, and the black pixel part is changed to the red pixel. has been changed. Therefore, it is detected that there is a corrected portion in the two areas of the middle left and the middle right. The correction detection unit 117 performs such processing not only on the second page but also on all the pages from the first page, the third page, and the subsequent pages, and detects a correction location from the entire file. When the correction detection unit 117 detects the correction point, the correction point detection unit 117 passes information on the detected correction point (for example, the middle left of page 2 and the middle right) to the report creation unit 118.

  Next, FIG. 18 shows an example of detecting a correction location in the drawing. 18A shows Drawing 2 of “drawing.doc” of the application document received from the patent office, and FIG. 18B shows drawing 2 of “drawing (correction) .pdf” of the application document received from the IP department. Indicates.

  As shown in the figure, the correction detection unit 117 detects the correction for each page of the file by comparing the pixel color of the page before correction with the pixel color after correction. First, for detection, the page is divided into a predetermined number of areas. In the case of the drawing, it is desirable that the area division is 0, that is, the area is not divided. This is because, in the case of the drawing, the correction location can be generally grasped at a glance without specifying the correction position, for example, to the middle right. Moreover, even if the area is divided, it is assumed that the corrected portion may straddle the areas, and the processing in that case may be complicated. Therefore, in the case of a drawing, for example, as shown in the drawing, pixel colors are compared for each page, and if there is a difference, it is detected that there is a correction portion.

  If the region is not divided, the parameter setting in FIG. 16 (S41) may be performed by setting the parameter to the report “report” and “0 division”.

  In FIG. 18, since there is a correction location in drawing 2, it is detected that there is a correction location in drawing 2 of “drawing (correction) .pdf”. The correction detection unit 117 performs such processing not only on the drawing 2 (2 pages) but also on all the drawings after the drawing 1 and the drawing 3, and detects the correction drawing from the entire file. When the correction detection unit 117 detects the correction drawing, it passes information (for example, two pages) of the detected correction part to the report creation unit 118.

[Report creation process]
The report creation unit 118 creates, for each file, a report that includes the attribute information of the application document extracted by the attribute extraction unit 116 and the information regarding the correction part extracted by the correction detection unit 117. This report will be attached to the application file with code in the form of image data received from the IP department. In other words, attribute information and information relating to correction are added to the application document (with handwritten correction) transmitted from the IP department, and then transmitted (transferred) to the patent office.

  Specifically, when creating a report for “application specification (correction) .pdf”, the code generation unit 114 in the above-described barcode processing detects the extracted “application deadline” information (for example, 20100831), and detects a correction location. In the processing, the correction detection unit 117 passes information of the detected correction portion (for example, the middle left of page 2 and the middle right) to the report creation unit 118. Then, the report creating unit 118 creates a report including information on the “application deadline” and information on the correction part (for example, the middle left of page 2 and the middle right).

  In addition, when creating a report for “drawing (correction) .pdf”, the code generation unit 114 in the barcode processing described above detects correction of the extracted “application deadline” information (for example, 20100831) in the correction location detection processing. The unit 117 passes information (for example, two pages) of the detected correction portion to the report creation unit 118. Then, the report creating unit 118 creates a report including the “application deadline” information and the information on the correction part (for example, two pages).

  FIG. 19 shows a report example for “application specification (amendment) .pdf”. This is also “application specification (amendment) -report.pdf” in FIG. As shown in the drawing, the report includes information on “application deadline” and information on the correction part (for example, 2 pages / middle left and middle right). The application document attribute information is as shown in the application case management table (FIG. 7), but if there is useful information in addition to the “application deadline”, it will be included in the report if it is embedded in the barcode as described above. It is also possible. However, if too much is included, the most important “application deadline” and correction information may be overlooked.

  FIG. 20 shows an example of “application specification (amendment) .pdf” transmitted to the patent office. That is, as described above, a report is created by the document exchange server 1, and this report is added to, for example, the cover position of the corrected manuscript received from the intellectual property department. The patent office imports the amended manuscript file ("application specification (amendment) .pdf") from the document exchange server 1 into the terminal 4, confirms the report attached to the cover, and presents amendments (handwritten amendments). It is possible to actually confirm and correct the corrected part while paying attention to the deadline.

  FIG. 21 shows a report example for “drawing (correction) .pdf”. This is also “drawing (correction) -report.pdf” in FIG. As shown in the figure, the report includes information on “application deadline” and information on the correction part (for example, two pages). In the case of the drawing, since the area is not divided, only the page having the correction portion is shown, and the position (area division) is not shown.

  FIG. 22 shows an example of “drawing (correction) .pdf” transmitted to the patent office. That is, as described above, a report is created by the document exchange server 1, and this report is added to, for example, the cover position of the corrected manuscript received from the intellectual property department. As with the description, the patent office imports the revised manuscript file ("drawing (modification) .pdf") from the document exchange server 1 into the terminal 4, confirms the report attached to the cover, and the amendment (handwriting amendment). Can be corrected while paying attention to the deadline without omission.

[Summary]
As described above, in the document exchanging system 100 according to the present invention, the intellectual property department eliminates the complexity and paper document storage caused by the paper-based handling as in the case of using the FAX, and the electronic document is used to correct the application document. Not only can it be corrected directly, but sometimes it can also be corrected with handwriting and color. On the other hand, since the patent office can accurately recognize the correction part by the above-mentioned report, the application document can be corrected without fail.

  In addition, regarding the exchange of application documents, the intellectual property department exchanges documents with multiple patent offices, in particular, sends revised manuscripts with multiple patent offices. Information on the destination is embedded in the barcode. Therefore, it is possible to transmit a document with a simple operation by simply scanning with the MFP, and to eliminate the risk of erroneous transmission (error transmission to other patent offices).

  Regarding the management of application documents, the IP department and the patent office handle many applications, but the above reports can accurately recognize deadline management (application deadline), thus preventing the risk of forgetting due to deadline labor. it can.

  That is, for example, it is possible to provide a document exchange system or the like that supports the secure application completion of an application case through the exchange of highly confidential application documents and revised manuscripts between companies and patent offices. . More specifically, the company can easily make corrections to the corrected manuscript, and then transmit the data to the patent office safely and reliably. The patent office proposes a document exchange system, etc. that supports the application to ensure that the application can be completed within the time limit without omission by making it easy to recognize the amended part of the revised manuscript and the application deadline. Yes.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.

1 Document exchange server 2, 4 Terminal 3
5 Network 100 Document exchange system 101 CPU
102 ROM
103 RAM
104 Auxiliary storage device 105 Storage medium reading device 106 Input device 107 Display device 108 Communication device 111 Attribute registration unit 112 Storage unit 113 Reception unit 114 Code generation unit 115 Transmission unit 116 Attribute extraction unit 117 Correction detection unit 118 Report creation unit

JP-A-2005-135072

Claims (11)

An information processing system comprising a plurality of terminals and one or more information processing devices connected via a network,
Attribute storage means storing attribute information including information of the first terminal;
First receiving means for receiving first document data from the first terminal;
Generating means for acquiring attribute information of the first document data received by the first receiving means from the attribute storage means, and generating second document data including code information converted from the acquired attribute information;
Document data storage means for storing the generated second document data;
First transmission means for transmitting the second document data to a second terminal;
Second receiving means for receiving third document data generated by reading with the second terminal;
Extraction means for extracting the attribute information converted from the code information included in the received third document data;
Based on the extracted the attribute information specifying the destination of the third document data, to the first terminal which is the destination, a second transmission means for transmitting the received third document data ,
By comparing with the second document data stored in the document data storage means, and said SL before received from the second terminal a third document data, and the corrected detection means for detecting modified portions, Have
The second transmission means includes
If a correction location is detected by the correction detection means, the third document data is notified to that effect,
An information processing system characterized by this. The second document data includes a code image converted from the attribute information of the first document data,
The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the third document data is the second document data in an image data format.   The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the attribute storage unit further stores in advance attribute information of the first document data including an application deadline. The correction detection means compares the second document data stored in the document data storage means with the third document data received from the second terminal, and compares the corresponding pixel colors. , When there is a difference in the pixel color, to detect as a correction location,
The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. When the correction detection unit compares the second document data stored in the document data storage unit with the third document data received from the second terminal, a predetermined number of pages corresponding to each other are compared. Dividing the region into regions, comparing pixel colors corresponding to each other in each divided region, and detecting a divided region as a correction portion when there is a difference in the pixel color,
The information processing system according to claim 4. An information processing method in an information processing system comprising a plurality of terminals and one or more information processing devices connected via a network,
The information processing apparatus includes:
Attribute storage procedure for storing attribute information including information of the first terminal in the attribute storage means;
A first receiving procedure for receiving first document data from the first terminal;
A generation procedure for acquiring attribute information of the first document data received by the first reception procedure from the attribute storage unit, and generating second document data including code information converted from the acquired attribute information;
A document data storage procedure for storing the generated second document data in a document data storage means;
A first transmission procedure for transmitting the second document data to a second terminal;
A second receiving procedure for receiving third document data generated by reading with the second terminal;
An extraction procedure for extracting the attribute information converted from the code information included in the received third document data;
Based on the extracted the attribute information specifying the destination of the third document data, to the first terminal which is the destination, a second transmission step of transmitting the third document data received ,
By comparing with the second document data stored in the document data storage means, and said SL before received from the second terminal a third document data, and the corrected detection procedure for detecting the corrected portion, Have
The second transmission procedure is:
When a correction location is detected by the correction detection procedure, the fact is notified together with the third document data.
An information processing method characterized by the above. The second document data includes a code image converted from the attribute information of the first document data,
The information processing method according to claim 6, wherein the third document data is the second document data in an image data format.   The information processing method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the attribute storing procedure further stores in advance attribute information of the first document data including an application deadline. The correction detection procedure compares the second document data stored in the document data storage means with the third document data received from the second terminal, and compares the corresponding pixel colors. , When there is a difference in the pixel color, to detect as a correction location,
The information processing method according to any one of claims 6 to 8. In the correction detection procedure, when comparing the second document data stored in the document data storage means and the third document data received from the second terminal, a predetermined number of pages corresponding to each other are compared. Dividing the region into regions, comparing pixel colors corresponding to each other in each divided region, and detecting a divided region as a correction portion when there is a difference in the pixel color,
The information processing method according to claim 9.   A program for causing an information processing apparatus to execute the information processing method according to any one of claims 6 to 10.

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