JP7060931B2 - Form image processing device, form image processing system, form image processing method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a form image processing apparatus, a form image processing system, a form image processing method and a program.

Various forms of forms are used to pay various charges such as utility charges. This payment can be made by using a form processing device installed in the financial institution as well as the window of the financial institution. The form processing device reads the image of the form set by the payer with a scanner or the like, and extracts information such as the name and amount of money in the form from the read image. Then, the form processing device requests the payer to make a payment via a monitor or the like based on the extracted information. In this way, payment for the form is advanced.

In such a system, it can be assumed that the images read from the form are managed according to a predetermined rule. In this case, from the viewpoint of personal information protection, at least the personal information in the image read from the form, such as name, address, account number, telephone number, and imprint, can identify the person described in the form. Is preferably erased from the image. Therefore, in the management of the form image, the work of putting a mask on the part where the personal information is described is performed. In this operation, for example, the description portion of personal information is filled and erased. Such work is extremely complicated.

Patent Document 1 describes a method capable of saving labor in such work. In this method, whether or not the heading registered in the mask definition table in advance is included in the image of the form is determined by the character recognition process for the image of the form. Then, when the registered heading is included in the image of the form, the description information corresponding to the heading is extracted by character recognition, and the extracted description information is masked.

Japanese Patent No. 5661549

However, depending on the form, the characters of the item name or heading may be thin or the characters may be crushed small. In addition, it is possible that the circled "mark" character preprinted on the form, which corresponds to the heading of the stamped portion, is crushed by the stamped imprint. In such cases, the method described in Patent Document 1 cannot properly recognize the heading registered in the mask definition table from the image of the form, and therefore, the description information corresponding to this heading is masked. I can't. In addition, it can be assumed that the description contents of each item differ for each form. For example, regarding the item name indicating "name", there are various patterns such as "name", "name", "name", "good name", "depositor", and "transferor" for each form. Therefore, in the method described in Patent Document 1, if all of them are not registered as recognition items in the mask definition table, mask processing cannot be appropriately performed for each form. Furthermore, it can be assumed that the item name and heading characters do not exist in the first place.

In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a form image processing device, a form data processing system, a form data processing method and a program capable of efficiently and appropriately erasing the description information contained in the form. do.

A first aspect of the present invention relates to a form processing device that processes a form and a form image processing device that is communicably connected to a management device . The form processing device acquires an image of the form, and at least the reference feature information including information about the ruled line layout of the form is associated with each reference feature information, and the area in which the description information is described in the form. The description information is read from the acquired image of the form by using the registration information including the area information indicating. The management device has a function of creating the registration information. The form image processing device relates to at least the ruled line layout of the form from the image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the form transmitted from the form processing device and the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit. A control unit that acquires feature information including information and executes a process of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the acquired feature information, and a storage unit that stores the registration information. , Equipped with . The control unit confirms whether or not the reference feature information matching the feature information acquired from the image of the form has been registered in the storage unit, and if the registered confirmation cannot be obtained. , The reference feature information similar to the feature information acquired from the image of the form is extracted from the storage unit, and is acquired by the image acquisition unit based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information. The description information is deleted from the image of the form, and the image of the form from which the description information is deleted is transmitted to the management device in order to create the registration information from the image .

According to the above configuration, since the description information is automatically masked by the processing by the control unit, it is possible to save labor in masking the description information for the image of the form. Furthermore, since the area to be masked is specified based on the ruled line layout, even if the heading included in the image of the form is unclear, or the heading is expressed in various forms for each form. , The area to be masked can be specified appropriately. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the described information included in the form can be efficiently and appropriately deleted.

According to the above configuration, since the image of the form is transmitted to the outside in a state where the described information is erased, it is possible to prevent the described information from being leaked to the outside.

Further, in the form image processing apparatus according to this aspect, the control unit is acquired by the image acquisition unit by attaching a mask to the entire frame on the image of the form specified by the area information. The image of the form may be configured to erase the above-mentioned information.

According to the above configuration, since the entire frame specified by the area information is masked, it is suppressed that a part of the described information remains without being erased. Therefore, the operation of erasing the described information can be performed more efficiently. For example, if the area specified by the area information is slightly deviated from the area to be erased on the image of the form, if the area is deleted only for that area, a part of the description information such as the name is deleted. It will remain without. In this case, it is necessary to manually delete the part of the described information that remains without being deleted. According to the above configuration, even in such a case, since the entire frame is masked, it is unlikely that the described information remains without being erased. Therefore, there is almost no need to manually delete the part of the described information that remains without being deleted.

Further, the form image processing device according to this aspect may further include a display unit for displaying an image and an operation unit for performing an input operation on the image displayed on the display unit. In this case, the control unit causes the display unit to display the image of the form from which the description information has been erased, and displays the displayed image of the form on the area to be erased via the operation unit. When the operation to be corrected is accepted, the area to be erased may be changed according to the operation of the correction.

According to the above configuration, when the area to be erased is smaller than the described information or slightly deviated from the described information, and a part of the described information such as the name remains without being erased. In addition, the area to be erased can be manually adjusted to an appropriate size. Therefore, the described information can be deleted more appropriately.

Further, the form image processing device according to this aspect may further include a display unit for displaying an image and an operation unit for performing an input operation on the image displayed on the display unit. Further, the area information may include category information indicating a category of description information described in the area based on the area information. In this case, the control unit causes the display unit to display an image of the form from which the description information has been erased, and the displayed image of the form is displayed in one erasure target area via the operation unit. When the operation for canceling the erasure of the described information is accepted, the erasure of the described information for the one erasure target area is canceled, and the other area where the erasure target area and the category information are the same. However, it may be configured to eliminate the erasure of the described information.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to eliminate the erasure of the described information collectively for the areas of the same category, so that the erasure elimination work can be efficiently performed. For example, when the form is divided into two or three according to the perforations and the name, amount information, etc. are described in each divided area, the operator describes the area in one divided area (for example, the amount is described). By simply performing an operation to eliminate the deletion of the description information for the area), the deletion of the description information can be eliminated at the same time for the areas of the same category in the other divided areas.

Further, in the form image processing apparatus according to this aspect, the area information may include flag information indicating whether or not the description information described in the area based on the area information corresponds to personal information. In this case, the control unit may be configured to erase at least the description information corresponding to personal information with respect to the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit based on the flag information possessed by the area information.

According to the above configuration, only the described information corresponding to the personal information can be automatically deleted.

Further, the form image processing device according to this aspect may include a display unit for displaying an image and an operation unit for performing an input operation. In this case, the control unit performs the operation of displaying the image of the form from which the description information has been erased on the display unit and approving the deletion of the description information with respect to the displayed image of the form. Based on the acceptance through the unit, it may be configured to confirm the erasure of the form image acquired by the image acquisition unit.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent accidental erasure by accepting approval.

A second aspect of the present invention relates to a form image processing apparatus. The form image processing device according to this aspect obtains characteristic information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form from the image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the form and the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit. A control unit that acquires and executes a process of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the acquired feature information, and erases each reference feature information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form. It is provided with a storage unit for storing area information related to the target area in association with each other . In this case, the control unit extracts the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form from the storage unit, and based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information. , The description information is deleted from the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit. Further, when the control unit has a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, the respective area information is used. With respect to the defined areas that overlap each other, the processing for erasing the described information is performed on the areas where these areas overlap.

According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of the form image processing apparatus according to the first aspect can be obtained. Further, according to the above configuration, since the area for erasing the described information is limited, the risk of erasing the portion other than the described information can be suppressed.
A third aspect of the present invention relates to a form image processing apparatus. The form image processing device according to this aspect obtains characteristic information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form from the image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the form and the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit. A control unit that acquires and executes a process of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the acquired feature information, and erases each reference feature information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form. It is provided with a storage unit for storing area information related to the target area in association with each other. In this case, the control unit extracts the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form from the storage unit, and based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information. , The description information is deleted from the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit. Further, when the control unit has a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, the respective area information is used. With respect to the defined areas that overlap each other, the processing for erasing the described information is performed on the area that includes all of these areas.
According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of the form image processing apparatus according to the first aspect can be obtained. Further, according to the above configuration, since the area for erasing the described information is expanded, the risk that the described information is not erased can be suppressed.
A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to a form image processing apparatus. The form image processing device according to this aspect obtains characteristic information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form from the image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the form and the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit. It includes a control unit that executes a process of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the acquired feature information, and a communication unit for communicating with the outside. In this case, the control unit uses the communication unit to store the area information related to the area to be erased for each reference feature information including at least the information related to the ruled line layout of the form. The feature information acquired from the image is transmitted, the area information associated with the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information is acquired from the external device, and the image acquisition is based on the acquired region information. The description information is deleted from the image of the form acquired by the unit. Further, when the control unit has a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, the respective area information is used. With respect to the defined areas that overlap each other, the processing for erasing the described information is performed on the areas where these areas overlap.
According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of the form image processing apparatus according to the second aspect can be obtained.
A fifth aspect of the present invention relates to a form image processing apparatus. The form image processing device according to this aspect obtains characteristic information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form from the image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the form and the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit. It includes a control unit that executes a process of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the acquired feature information, and a communication unit for communicating with the outside. In this case, the control unit uses the communication unit to store the area information related to the area to be erased for each reference feature information including at least the information related to the ruled line layout of the form. The feature information acquired from the image is transmitted, the area information associated with the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information is acquired from the external device, and the image acquisition is based on the acquired region information. The description information is deleted from the image of the form acquired by the unit. Further, when the control unit has a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, the respective area information is used. With respect to the defined areas that overlap each other, the processing for erasing the described information is performed on the area that includes all of these areas.
According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of the form image processing apparatus according to the third aspect can be obtained.

A sixth aspect of the present invention relates to a form image processing system including a form processing device for processing a form, a management device, and a form image processing device communicably connected to the form processing device and the management device. .. The form processing device acquires an image of the form, and at least the reference feature information including information about the ruled line layout of the form is associated with each reference feature information, and the area in which the description information is described in the form. The description information is read from the acquired image of the form by using the registration information including the area information indicating. The management device has a function of creating the registration information. The form image processing device relates to at least the ruled line layout of the form from the image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the form transmitted from the form processing device and the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit. A control unit that acquires feature information including information and executes a process of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the acquired feature information, and a storage unit that stores the registration information. , Equipped with . The control unit confirms whether or not the reference feature information matching the feature information acquired from the image of the form has been registered in the storage unit, and if the registered confirmation cannot be obtained. , The reference feature information similar to the feature information acquired from the image of the form is extracted from the storage unit, and is acquired by the image acquisition unit based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information. The description information is deleted from the image of the form, and the image of the form from which the description information is deleted is transmitted to the management device in order to create the registration information from the image.

According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of the form image processing apparatus according to the first aspect can be obtained.
A seventh aspect of the present invention relates to a form image processing system. The form image processing system according to this aspect obtains characteristic information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form from the image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the form and the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit. A control unit that acquires and executes a process of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the acquired feature information, and erases each reference feature information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form. It is provided with a storage unit for storing area information related to the target area in association with each other. In this case, the control unit extracts the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form from the storage unit, and based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information. , The description information is deleted from the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit. Further, when the control unit has a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, the respective area information is used. With respect to the defined areas that overlap each other, the processing for erasing the described information is performed on the areas where these areas overlap.
According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of the form image processing apparatus according to the second aspect can be obtained.
An eighth aspect of the present invention relates to a form image processing system. The form image processing system according to this aspect obtains characteristic information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form from the image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the form and the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit. A control unit that acquires and executes a process of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the acquired feature information, and erases each reference feature information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form. It is provided with a storage unit for storing area information related to the target area in association with each other. In this case, the control unit extracts the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form from the storage unit, and based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information. , The description information is deleted from the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit. Further, when the control unit has a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, the respective area information is used. With respect to the defined areas that overlap each other, the processing for erasing the described information is performed on the area that includes all of these areas.
According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of the form image processing apparatus according to the third aspect can be obtained.

A ninth aspect of the present invention relates to a form image processing method for erasing predetermined description information from a form image. The form image processing method according to this aspect includes a step of acquiring an image of the form, a step of acquiring feature information including at least information about a ruled line layout of the form from the acquired image of the form, and a step of acquiring feature information. It includes a step of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the acquired feature information. In this case, in the step of erasing the described information, the feature information acquired from the image of the form from the database in which the area information regarding the area to be erased is associated with at least the reference feature information including the information regarding the ruled line layout of the form. The reference feature information corresponding to the above is extracted, and the description information is deleted from the image of the form based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information. Further, in the step of erasing the described information, when there are a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, each of them. With respect to the regions defined by the region information and overlapping with each other, a process of erasing the described information is performed on the region where these regions overlap.

According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of the form image processing apparatus according to the second aspect can be obtained.
A tenth aspect of the present invention relates to a form image processing method for erasing predetermined description information from a form image. The form image processing method according to this aspect includes a step of acquiring the image of the form, a step of acquiring feature information including at least information about the ruled line layout of the form from the acquired image of the form, and acquisition. A step of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the above-mentioned feature information is included. In this case, in the step of erasing the described information, the feature information acquired from the image of the form from the database in which the area information regarding the area to be erased is associated with at least the reference feature information including the information regarding the ruled line layout of the form. The reference feature information corresponding to the above is extracted, and the description information is deleted from the image of the form based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information. Further, in the step of erasing the described information, when there are a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, each of them. With respect to the regions defined by the region information and overlapping with each other, a process of erasing the described information is performed on the region including all of these regions.
According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of the form image processing apparatus according to the third aspect can be obtained.

The eleventh aspect of the present invention is a program to be executed by a computer of a form processing device for processing a form and a form image processing device communicably connected to a management device. The form processing device acquires an image of the form, and at least the reference feature information including information about the ruled line layout of the form is associated with each reference feature information, and the area in which the description information is described in the form. The description information is read from the acquired image of the form by using the registration information including the area information indicating. The management device has a function of creating the registration information. The program includes a process for acquiring an image of the form transmitted from the form processing device, and a process for acquiring feature information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form from the acquired image of the form. In order to create the registration information from the image of the form in which the predetermined description information included in the image of the form is deleted and the image of the form in which the description information is deleted is deleted based on the acquired feature information. It includes a process of transmitting to the management device. The process of erasing the described information includes a process of confirming whether or not the reference feature information matching the feature information acquired from the image of the form is registered in the database for storing the registration information, and a process of confirming whether or not the reference feature information is registered in the database for storing the registration information. When the confirmation of the above is not obtained, the process of extracting the reference feature information similar to the feature information acquired from the image of the form from the database and the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information. Based on the above, the process of erasing the described information with respect to the image of the form acquired by the process for acquiring the image is included.

According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of the form image processing apparatus according to the first aspect can be obtained.
A twelfth aspect of the present invention relates to a program for causing a computer to execute a process for erasing predetermined description information from an image of a form. The program according to this aspect has a process for acquiring the image of the form, a process of acquiring feature information including at least information about the ruled line layout of the form from the acquired image of the form, and the acquired feature information. Based on the above, a database that associates the process of erasing the predetermined description information included in the image of the form with the area information related to the area to be erased for each reference feature information including at least the information related to the ruled line layout of the form. including. In this case, the process of erasing the described information includes the process of extracting the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form from the database and the process associated with the extracted reference feature information. It includes a process of erasing the described information with respect to the image of the form based on the area information. Further, in the process of erasing the described information, when there are a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, each of them. With respect to the areas defined by the area information and overlapping with each other, the process of erasing the described information is included in the area where these areas overlap.
According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of the form image processing apparatus according to the second aspect can be obtained.
A thirteenth aspect of the present invention relates to a program that causes a computer to execute a process for erasing predetermined description information from an image of a form. The program according to this aspect has a process for acquiring the image of the form, a process of acquiring feature information including at least information about the ruled line layout of the form from the acquired image of the form, and the acquired feature information. Based on the above, a database that associates the process of erasing the predetermined description information included in the image of the form with the area information related to the area to be erased for each reference feature information including at least the information related to the ruled line layout of the form. including. In this case, the process of erasing the described information includes the process of extracting the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form from the database and the process associated with the extracted reference feature information. It includes a process of erasing the described information with respect to the image of the form based on the area information. Further, in the process of erasing the described information, when there are a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, each of them. With respect to the areas defined by the area information and overlapping with each other, the process of erasing the described information is included in the area including all of these areas.
According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of the form image processing apparatus according to the third aspect can be obtained.

According to the present invention, the described information contained in the form can be efficiently and appropriately deleted.

The effect or significance of the present invention will be further clarified by the description of the embodiments shown below. However, the embodiments shown below are merely examples for implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to those described in the following embodiments.

FIG. 1 is an environmental block diagram of a form image processing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a form image processing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a process of extracting and storing a ruled line layout according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a process of setting and storing a reading area according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an area information database according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a transition diagram showing a process of erasing the described information according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing adjustment of area information according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the form image processing according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the form image processing according to the modification example 1. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the form image processing system according to the second modification. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the form image processing according to the second modification. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing batch selection of area information according to other modification examples. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing adjustment of area information based on area information of a plurality of candidates according to other modification examples. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a process of applying the area information when there is no registration information for a part of the entire form according to another modification example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an environment block diagram of a form image processing system.

The form image processing system includes a form image processing device 1, a management server 2, a form processing device 3, an internal network 4, and an external network 5. The form image processing device 1 and the form processing device 3 are connected by an internal network 4. Further, the form image processing device 1 and the management server 2 are connected by an external network 5. The internal network 4 and the external network 5 are wired or wireless communication lines such as a LAN.

The form image processing device 1 is a device that erases the description information from the image of the form. The form image processing device 1 is installed in, for example, a business office of a financial institution or an office center of a bank. The form image processing device 1 is operated by, for example, an operator of a financial institution.

As will be described later, the form image processing device 1 receives an image of a form (payment slip for taxes, utilities, etc.) from the form processing device 3. The form image processing device 1 erases the description information of the received form image based on the reference feature information and the area information stored in the storage unit 11 (see FIG. 2). Then, the image of the form in which the described information is erased (hereinafter referred to as "erased image") is transmitted to the management server 2.

The information described here is information described in each form, such as a name or name, an address or location, a payment amount, and a receipt stamp. The reference feature information is information indicating the features of the image of the form. One reference feature information is assigned to one form type. That is, the reference feature information is stored in the storage unit 11 (see FIG. 2) of the form image processing device 1 for each type of form. The reference feature information includes, for example, information regarding the ruled line layout of each form.

The reference feature information may include information such as the background color in addition to the information regarding the ruled line layout. The reference feature information includes area information indicating an area in which the information described in each form is described, a title name for each type of form (region name, name of form type, etc.), and a form image processing device for each type of form. 1. Stored in the management server 2 and the form processing device 3. The reference feature information, the area information, and the title name of the form (hereinafter referred to as "registration information") are created in the management server 2 by the processing described later and provided to the form image processing device 1. The form image processing device 1 stores the received registration information and transmits the registration information to the form processing device 3.

The management server 2 is a management device for managing the images of the form. The management server 2 has a function of creating registration information from deleted images. As described above, the erased image is transmitted from the form image processing device 1 to the management server 2. The management server 2 is installed in, for example, an external outsourcing center to which a financial institution or the like outsources the creation of registration information.

The management server 2 creates registration information from the erased images according to the operation of the operator. The management server 2 stores the created registration information in the storage unit 23 (see FIG. 2). Further, the management server 2 transmits the created registration information to the form image processing device 1. After that, the registration information is transmitted from the form image processing device 1 to the form processing device 3.

The form processing device 3 is an automatic machine that processes forms. The form processing device 3 is installed in, for example, a store of a financial institution. The form processing device 3 stores the registration information received from the form image processing device 1. The form processing device 3 uses the registration information to read information such as the amount of money written on the form by a process described later.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1, an outline of processing in the form image processing system will be shown. For convenience, step numbers (S1 to S7) indicating the flow of processing are added to FIG. 1.

The form processing device 3 scans the form received by the form insertion slot using a built-in scanner or the like, and acquires an image of the form (step S1). The form processing device 3 determines the type of the form by using the acquired image of the form and the registration information stored in the form processing device 3 in advance.

Specifically, the form processing device 3 extracts reference feature information that matches the acquired image of the form. Further, the form processing device 3 determines whether or not the keyword associated with the extracted reference feature information is included in the corresponding area in the form image by character recognition processing for the form image. Then, the form processing device 3 specifies the reference feature information associated with the keyword matching the keyword in the image of the form to the reference feature information corresponding to the image of the form. The type of form corresponding to the specified reference feature information is determined as the type of form received.

Next, the form processing device 3 recognizes the description information of the form based on the area information of the determined type of form. Then, the form processing device 3 requests the customer to pay the fee based on the description information such as the amount information recognized by the characters, and executes the settlement process.

Here, the form processing device 3 determines that the type of the form cannot be determined when the keyword in the image of the received form does not match the keyword of any of the registered information stored in advance, and determines to the customer. Notifies that the received form cannot be processed, and processes the form to be returned. After that, when a form of the same type as such a form is accepted, it is necessary to reduce the situation where the type of the form cannot be determined. Therefore, it is necessary to create the registration information corresponding to the form.

In the present embodiment, in such a case, the work of creating the registration information is outsourced to an external outsourcing center different from the financial institution in which the form processing device 3 is installed. In this case, from the viewpoint of personal information protection, the description of personal information that can identify an individual by the information such as name, address, account number, etc. that is not directly required for creation is described from the image of the form provided to the outsourcing center. Should be erased.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, before the image of the form acquired by the form processing device 3 is transmitted to the external outsourcing center, the description information is deleted from the image of the form in the form image processing device 1 in the branch office and described. The image of the form whose information has been erased is transmitted from the form image processing device 1 to the management server 2. That is, the description of the form image is deleted by using the form image processing device 1 installed in the same business office as the form processing device 3.

The form processing device 3 transmits the image of the form acquired in step 1 to the form image processing device 1 via the internal network 4 (step S2). After that, the form image processing apparatus 1 erases at least a part of the described information from the image of the form by using the reference feature information and the area information in the registration information stored in advance (step S3). After that, the form image processing device 1 transmits the image of the form in which a part of the described information is erased (hereinafter referred to as “erased image”) to the management server 2 via the external network 5 (step). S4).

By doing so, it is possible to outsource the creation of registration information to an external outsourcing center while giving consideration to the protection of personal information.

Next, the management server 2 creates registration information from the received form image in response to the operation of the operator of the external outsourcing center (step S5). Then, the management server 2 transmits the created registration information to the form image processing device 1 via the external network 5 (step S6).

Next, the form image processing device 1 stores the registration information received from the management server 2 in the storage unit, and further transmits the received registration information to the form processing device 3 via the internal network 4 (step). S7). The form processing device 3 stores the received registration information in the storage unit. As a result, the form processing device 3 can acquire the registration information of the form for the form for which the type of the form cannot be determined. As a result, the form processing device 3 can determine the type of the form for the same type of form as the form. In this way, the form processing device 3 can recognize the description information in characters for the form of the same type as the newly stored registered information, and can execute the settlement process.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a form image processing system.

The form image processing device 1 includes a storage unit 11, a control unit 12, a communication unit 13, an operation unit 14, and a display unit 15.

The storage unit 11 includes a storage medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a hard disk. The storage unit 11 stores the operation program of the control unit 12, and is also used as a work area during the control processing of the control unit 12. The operation program is a form image processing program 114, and is a storage unit 11 via an external storage medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) or a USB memory [USB (Universal Serial Bus) flash drive]. Is remembered in.

Further, the storage unit 11 stores the form image database 111, the reference feature information database 112, and the area information database 113. The form image database 111 manages the image of the form received from the form processing device 3. The reference feature information database 112 manages the reference feature information received from the management server 2 for each type. The area information database 113 manages the area information received from the management server 2 for each type. The reference feature information and the area information are related to each other according to the type of the information.

The control unit 12 includes an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and controls each component of the communication unit 13, the operation unit 14, and the display unit 15 according to the operation program stored in the storage unit 11. The communication unit 13 transmits / receives signals (information) to / from the management server 2 and the form processing device 3 via a communication line.

The control unit 12 receives reference feature information and area information from the management server 2 via the communication unit 13 and stores them in the storage unit 11. Further, the control unit 12 receives the image of the form from the form processing device 3 via the communication unit 13 and stores it in the storage unit 11. That is, the communication unit 13 functions as an image acquisition unit for acquiring an image of a form.

The operation unit 14 includes an operation means such as a keyboard and a mouse. The operation unit 14 receives an operator's operation on the display. The display unit 15 is composed of a display. The display unit 15 displays various images (screens) on the display.

The management server 2 includes a communication unit 21, a control unit 22, a storage unit 23, an operation unit 24, and a display unit 25.

The communication unit 21 transmits and receives signals (information) to and from the form image processing device 1 via a communication line. The control unit 22 includes an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and controls each component of the communication unit 21 according to an operation program stored in the storage unit 23. The storage unit 23 includes a storage medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a hard disk.

Further, the storage unit 23 stores the erased image database 231, the reference feature information database 232, and the area information database 233. The erased image database 231 manages the erased images received from the form image processing device 1. The reference feature information database 232 and the area information database 233 manage the reference feature information and the area information created from the image of the form, respectively.

The operation unit 24 includes an operation means such as a keyboard and a mouse. The operation unit 24 receives the operator's operation on the display. The display unit 25 is composed of a display. The display unit 25 displays various images (screens) on the display. The operator operates the operation unit 24 while referring to the erased image displayed on the display unit 25 to generate registration information.

Next, a procedure of creating reference feature information and area information from the erased images using the management server 2 shown in FIG. 2 and storing them in the storage unit 23 will be described. In the following example, for convenience, it is assumed that the reference feature information is only the ruled line layout.

FIG. 3 shows a process of extracting and storing a ruled line layout from an erased image.

The management server 2 receives the deleted form image of the AAA prefecture BBB city transmitted from the form image processing device 1. The control unit 22 of the management server 2 acquires the ruled line layout 401 from the received erased image as shown in the lower part of FIG. Then, the control unit 22 stores the ruled line layout in the reference feature information database 232 as the reference feature information of the form of the AAA prefecture BBB city based on the input from the operator. Here, the type of reference feature information is set to, for example, "AAA prefecture BBB city". Along with this process, the control unit 22 executes a process of storing the erased image in the erased image database 231.

FIG. 4 shows a process of extracting area information from an erased image and storing it.

For the erased image in BBB City, AAA Prefecture, an area for reading the described information is set based on the input from the operator. Based on the setting of the area, the control unit 22 creates the area information. Then, the control unit 22 stores the created area information in the area information database 233. Here, the type of area information is set to, for example, "AAA prefecture BBB city". Along with this processing, the control unit 22 acquires a keyword (for example, BBB city in AAA prefecture) and an area in which the keyword exists based on the input from the operator, and stores it in the storage unit 23. The type of this keyword information is also set to "AAA prefecture BBB city". FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the area information database 233. FIG. 5 shows a table of area information created from an image of an erased form in BBB City, AAA Prefecture.

As shown in FIG. 5, the area information database 233 has a configuration in which read items, categories, coordinate values, flag information, and mask target flags are associated with each other.

The "reading item" is an item of information to be read from the target area by character recognition. The "category" is category information indicating the category of the description information described in the target area.

The "start X coordinate" and "start Y coordinate" are the coordinates of the lower left corner of the rectangular target area, and the "end X coordinate" and "end Y coordinate" are the coordinates of the upper right corner of the target area. Here, since the lower left corner of the form image is set to the origin of the coordinate system, the end coordinate has a value larger than the start coordinate.

The flag information is information indicating whether or not the information described in the target area corresponds to personal information. Personal information is information such as name, address, account number, etc. that can identify an individual by the information. The description information that does not correspond to personal information includes the amount of money, the date of creation, and the like.

The mask target flag is information indicating whether or not the target area is the target of erasure. In this way, by having the mask target flag for each read item, the operator can appropriately specify the area to be masked. The mask target flag may be set for each category.

In addition, the reference feature information, the area information, and the keyword information created from the image of the erased form of the AAA prefecture BBB city by the processing shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are the types of each information (for example, the AAA prefecture BBB city). ), As new registration information, is transmitted from the management server 2 to the form image processing device 1. The form image processing device 1 registers the received registration information in the reference feature information database 112 and the area information database 113, and transfers the received registration information to the form processing device 3. The configuration of the area information database 113 is the same as the configuration shown in FIG.

In FIG. 6, the form image processing device 1 acquires an image of a form in DDD city of CCC prefecture, and then applies area information of BBB city of AAA prefecture having a similar ruled line layout to create an erased image. It is a transition diagram of.

The control unit 12 acquires the ruled line layout from the image of the form in DDD City, CCC Prefecture, from the form processing device 3. After that, the control unit 12 calculates the similarity between the extracted ruled line layout and the ruled line layout of all the reference feature information stored in the reference feature information database 112, and the ruled line layout most similar to the extracted ruled line layout. To identify. Here, the ruled line layout of the form in BBB City, AAA Prefecture is specified as a similar ruled line layout.

After that, the control unit 12 acquires the area information corresponding to the specified ruled line layout (here, the area information of the form type of the AAA prefecture BBB city) from the area information database 113. After that, the control unit 12 superimposes an image (hereinafter, referred to as “mask”) in which a rectangular area specified from the acquired area information is filled on the image of DDD city in CCC prefecture. The area of the overlapped mask becomes the area for deleting the described information.

The control unit 12 controls the display unit 15 and displays an image of DDD city in CCC prefecture on which a mask as shown in SC11 of FIG. 6 is superimposed. On the display screen SC11, the black-filled area is the mask area. The display screen SC11 includes a confirmation display for asking the operator whether or not the mask area may be erased from the image of the form. The confirmation display is composed of, for example, a "yes button" and a "no button". In addition, a display for adding or deleting mask areas by the operator's operation is also included. The display is composed of, for example, a "mask addition button" and a "mask deletion button". When the "Add mask button" is pressed, an additional mask area is displayed. When the operator presses the "mask deletion button" after selecting the mask to be deleted, the selected mask area is deleted.

On the display screen SC11, the operator can adjust the mask before pressing the "yes button" or "no button".

7 (a) to 7 (c) are diagrams showing the work of adjusting the mask. Here, a case will be described in which the frame in which the information described in the "address or location" of the form of DDD city in CCC prefecture is described (hereinafter referred to as "frame to be erased") is deleted.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the mask set by the area information corresponding to the "address or location" of the AAA prefecture BBB city may not be able to erase all the areas in the frame to be erased. In such a case, for example, as shown in FIG. 7B, the control unit 12 automatically adjusts the size of the mask so that the mask spreads over all the areas within the frame to be erased. In this case, the control unit 12 acquires a ruled line layout from the image of the form in DDD City, CCC Prefecture, and specifies the frame to be erased corresponding to the position of the mask based on the acquired ruled line layout. In this case, the frame to be erased is the smallest unit frame including the mask. Then, the control unit 12 enlarges the mask according to the frame of the image of the specified form to be erased. As a result, all the images in the frame to be erased are automatically erased. Similarly, when the mask target is larger than the frame to be erased, the mask may be reduced to fit the frame to be erased. In this case, the frame to be erased is the maximum frame included in the mask.

Further, even if the mask target has almost the same size as the frame to be erased, the coordinates of the lower left corner of the area may be deviated. In this case as well, the mask may be moved according to the number of displaced pixels according to the frame to be erased.

As shown in FIG. 7A, when there is a gap between the mask and the frame to be erased, the mask may be automatically expanded to about the middle of the gap. Further, the width of the mask may be automatically adjusted so that the gap between the mask and the frame to be erased has a predetermined size (fixed value).

Further, as shown in FIG. 7 (c), the operator may operate the operation unit 14 to manually adjust the width of the mask. In this case, when the control unit 12 receives the operation of correcting the width of the mask via the operation unit 14, the control unit 12 changes the area of the mask according to the operation of the correction. By manually adjusting the mask area in this way, there is no possibility that the information described in the frame to be erased remains unerased.

When the "Yes button" is selected by the operator on the display screen SC11 of FIG. 6, the control unit 12 erases the image of the form of DDD city in CCC prefecture based on the mask area displayed on the display unit 15. The erased form image is transmitted to the management server 2 via the communication unit 13 and stored in the erased image database 231. If the "No button" is pressed on the display screen SC11, the image of the form is not deleted. In this case, the image of the form is not transmitted to the management server 2.

Next, a process of erasing at least the described information from the form image in the form image processing device 1 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of form image processing.

When an image of a form is acquired from the form processing device 3, the control unit 12 first performs an acquisition process of feature information (S101). That is, the control unit 12 acquires the feature information (here, the ruled line layout) from the received image of the form. Next, the control unit 12 performs a registration confirmation process (S102). That is, the control unit 12 compares the ruled line layout acquired in step S101 with the ruled line layout stored in the reference feature information database 112. Then, the control unit 12 confirms whether or not the ruled line layout (reference feature information) matching the ruled line layout (feature information) acquired in step S101 has already been registered in the reference feature information database 112.

Here, when the registered confirmation is obtained (S103: YES), the registration information including the reference feature information (ruled line layout) has already been obtained for the image of the same type of form as the image of the form acquired from the form processing device 3. , It is registered in the reference feature information database 112 and the area information database 113. Therefore, in this case, it is not necessary to outsource the work of creating registration information to an external outsourcing center. Therefore, in this case, the processing for the received form image is completed.

On the other hand, when the registered confirmation is not obtained (S103: NO), the control unit 12 has the ruled line layout acquired in step S101 among the ruled line layouts (reference feature information) stored in the reference feature information database 112. A ruled line layout (reference feature information) similar to (feature information) is extracted (S104). When there is no similar ruled line layout (reference feature information) (S105: NO), the control unit 12 ends the process. In step S105, the determination is NO when the reference feature information database 112 does not have a ruled line layout (reference feature information) whose similarity with the ruled line layout (feature information) acquired in step S101 exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

On the other hand, when there is a similar ruled line layout (reference feature information) (S105: YES), the control unit 12 acquires the area information corresponding to the similar ruled line layout from the area information database 113 (S106). Here, when there are a plurality of ruled line layouts (reference feature information) whose similarity with the ruled line layout (feature information) acquired in step S101 exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the ruled line layout (reference feature information) having the highest similarity is selected. The corresponding area information is acquired.

Next, the control unit 12 superimposes the mask specified by the area information whose target area is the target of erasure by the mask target flag among the area information on the image of the form acquired from the form processing device 3. , Displayed on the display unit 15 (S107). Next, the control unit 12 accepts the adjustment process of the mask by the method shown in FIG. 7 (S108). In step S107, in addition to the adjustment shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 12 may further accept the above-mentioned reduction of the mask, adjustment of the displacement of the mask, and the like. Then, the control unit 12 determines whether or not an input for permitting erasing by the mask has been received from the operator (step S109). As described above, this determination is made depending on which of the "yes button" and the "no button" is selected on the display screen SC11 shown in FIG.

If the erasure is not permitted (S109: NO), the control unit 12 ends the process. When the erasing permission is given (S109: YES), the control unit 12 executes a process of erasing the description information of the image of the form based on the mask (S110). Then, the control unit 12 transmits the image with the described information erased to the management server 2 via the communication unit 13 (S111).

The management server 2 receives the image of the form transmitted in step S111 (S112). The management server 2 creates and stores registration information for the received form image by the above-mentioned processing. In this way, the processing for the form image is completed.

If the reference feature information includes other information such as the title name and background color for each type of form in addition to the information related to the ruled line layout, the background color and the like are further calculated for similarity in step S104. It may be used as a parameter of. However, even in such a case, in step S104, the reference feature information may be extracted using only the information regarding the ruled line layout.

The image displayed on the display unit 15 in step S107 may be an image in which the mask whose size is automatically adjusted as described in FIG. 7A is superimposed on the image of the form to be erased. .. In this case, in step S108, manual adjustment from the operator is accepted for the automatically adjusted mask.

In the flowchart of FIG. 8, the transmission process is performed in step S111 as soon as the erased image is created, but the transmission timing of the erased image is not limited to this. For example, the erased images may be collectively transmitted at a predetermined timing, for example, the erased images may be collectively transmitted once a day at night or the like.

<Effect of embodiment>
According to this embodiment, the following effects are achieved.

(1) Since the description information is automatically masked by the processing by the control unit 12, it is possible to save labor in masking the description information for the image of the form. Further, since the area to be masked is specified based on the ruled line layout, the headings included in the image of the form are not clear, or the headings are expressed in various forms for each form. However, the area to be masked can be appropriately specified. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the described information included in the form can be efficiently and appropriately deleted.

(2) Further, since the image of the form is transmitted to the outside in a state where the described information is erased, it is possible to prevent the described information from being leaked to the outside.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and the embodiments of the present invention can be modified in various ways other than the above as shown below.

<Change example 1>
In the form image processing system according to the first modification, the method of acquiring the area information is different from that of the present embodiment. That is, in the process of erasing the image of the form, the form image processing device 1 manages when the reference feature information similar to the reference information acquired from the image of the form to be erased is not stored in the reference feature information database 112. Inquires about whether or not similar reference feature information is stored in the server 2. In response to this, the control unit 22 of the management server 2 extracts similar reference feature information from the reference feature information database 232. Then, the management server 2 transmits the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information to the form image processing device 1. In this way, the form image processing device 1 erases the image of the form based on the area information received from the management server 2.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the form image processing according to the modification example 1. In this flowchart, steps S113 to S118 are added as compared with the flowchart of FIG. Hereinafter, the processing in the added step will be described.

When there is no ruled line layout similar to the ruled line layout of the image of the form to be erased in the reference feature information database 112 (step S105: NO), the control unit 12 selects the ruled line layout (feature information) extracted from the form to be erased. , Is transmitted to the management server 2 via the communication unit 13 (S113). When the management server 2 receives the ruled line layout (feature information) (S114), the management server 2 extracts the ruled line layout (reference feature information) similar to the received ruled line layout (feature information) from the reference feature information database 232 (S115). Then, the control unit 12 acquires the area information corresponding to the extracted ruled line layout (reference feature information) from the area information database 233 (S116). After that, the control unit 22 transmits the acquired area information to the form image processing device 1 (S117). The form image processing device 1 receives the area information transmitted from the management server 2 (S118). The form image processing device 1 performs the processing after step S107 based on the received area information.

According to this modification example, even if the form image processing device 1 installed in the bank does not have the feature information corresponding to the image of the form to be erased, the management that manages more feature information. Similar reference feature information can be obtained from the server 2. As a result, even when the form image processing device 1 does not have the reference feature information corresponding to the image of the form to be erased, the described information can be erased efficiently and appropriately. Further, since only the feature information such as the ruled line layout is transmitted from the form image processing device 1 to the management server 2, the description information including the personal information and the like is not transmitted. Therefore, higher security can be ensured as compared with the case where the image to be erased itself is transmitted.

<Change example 2>
In the form processing system according to the second modification, the method of acquiring the area information is different from that of the embodiment. That is, in the process of erasing the image of the form, the form image processing device 1 inquires to the management server 2 whether or not the reference feature information similar to the reference information acquired from the image of the form to be erased is stored. I do. Unlike the form processing according to the modification 1, the form image processing device 1 stores the same or similar reference feature information in the reference information acquired from the image of the form to be erased before making an inquiry to the management server 2. Do not check if it is.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the form image processing system according to the second modification. In this block diagram, the reference feature information database 112 and the area information database 113 are not stored in the storage unit 11 of the form image processing device 1 as compared with the block diagram of FIG. This is because the form image processing device 1 does not confirm whether or not the same or similar reference feature information is stored in the reference information acquired from the image of the form to be erased.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the form image processing according to the second modification. In this flowchart, steps S102 to S106 are omitted as compared with the flowchart of FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 11, the control unit 12 of the form image processing device 1 extracts a ruled line layout (feature information) from the image of the form acquired from the form processing device 3, and uses the extracted ruled line layout (feature information) as a communication unit. It is transmitted to the management server 2 via the 13 (S113). The processing of steps S114 to S118 is the same as the processing flowchart of FIG. Further, the processing of steps S107 to S112 is the same as the processing flowchart of FIG.

According to this modification, the form image processing device 1 can erase the described information based on the registration information stored in the management server 2 even if the reference feature information and the area information are not stored in the storage unit 11. ..

In the case of this modification, the registration information acquired by the form image processing device 1 in the process of step S6 of FIG. 1 may be transmitted to the form processing device 3 as it is without being stored in the storage unit 11. Good (step S7).

Further, the form image processing device 1 may be configured to acquire the reference feature information corresponding to the image of the form to be erased from an external device other than the management server 2 that stores the reference feature information. In this case, the external device may be able to communicate with the form image processing device 1 via the external network 5, or may be able to communicate with the form image processing device 1 via the internal network 4. That is, the external device may be installed inside the branch office or may be installed outside the branch office.

<Other changes>
In the above embodiment, in step S2 of FIG. 1, only the image of the form for which the form type cannot be determined by the form processing device 3 is transmitted to the form image processing device 1, but the form type can be determined. The image of the form may also be transmitted to the management server 2 after the description information is erased in the form image processing device 1. This is because it is more likely that the type of form will be determined if a plurality of registered information are possessed even for one type of form.

Further, even if the form image processing device 3 can determine the type of the form but the form description information cannot be recognized as characters, the form image processing device 1 manages the form image after the description information is deleted. It may be sent to the server 2. For example, in step S5 of FIG. 1, the registration work may be insufficient. Regarding the area information, if the area including the description information is not sufficiently set, the type of the form can be determined, but the character recognition may not be possible. In such a case, by creating registration information including the description information that could not be set from the image of the form for which character recognition could not be performed and reflecting it in the form processing device 3, character recognition is subsequently performed with the same type of form. It becomes easier to do.

The form image processing device 1 may not be installed in the same business office as the form processing device 3, but may be installed in the same financial institution.

The form processing device 3 does not necessarily have to perform settlement or the like, and may be an electronic bookkeeping machine or the like.

Further, if the operator wants to eliminate a part of the area to be erased, the area may be selected via the operation unit 14.

12 (a) and 12 (b) are diagrams showing batch selection of read areas.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12 (a), the form is divided into three at the perforation, and each area (here, the receipt part is the area A, the delivery note is the area B, and the delivery has been completed. The notice is in area C) contains the same information such as name and amount information. In this case, it may be assumed that the operator wants to exclude all the information described in the "address or location" from the deletion target in the image of the form.

In this case, in this modification, the frame corresponding to the description information of any one "address or location" (here, the area of "address or location A" in the area A) may be selected. This selection is made, for example, by the operator on the display screen SC11 shown in FIG. By this selection, the control unit 12 confirms the area category (see FIG. 5) of the "address or location A" area of the area information database 233 (here, "address or location"). Then, the control unit 12 collectively selects the "address or location" area of the same area B and C as this category (here, "address or location B", "address or location C"), and these Exclude the area from erasure. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the erasure of the described information collectively for the areas of the same category, so that the erasure elimination work can be efficiently performed.

When returning the area excluded from the erasure target to the erasure target, the operator may select any one of the area A, the area B, and the area C. As a result, the control unit 12 collectively selects areas in the same category as the selected areas, and returns these areas to the target of erasure. As a result, it is possible to restore the erasure of the described information to the areas of the same category all at once, so that the erasure restoration work can be efficiently performed.

Further, in the above embodiment, the most similar reference feature information is extracted in step S104, but a plurality of similar forms may be extracted in step S104.

13 (a) to 13 (c) are diagrams showing processing in such a case.

As shown in FIG. 13A, for example, the control unit 12 has a ruled line layout similar to the ruled line layout of the form of AAA prefecture BBB city, which is an image of the form to be erased, with the layout of the form of CCC prefecture DDD city. , It is assumed that the ruled line layout of the form of FFF city in EEE prefecture is extracted.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 13B, the control unit 12 has an area specified from the area information of the form in DDD city of CCC prefecture and an area specified from the area information of the form of FFF city in EEE prefecture. The overlapping area is set as the area (mask) for erasing the image of the form to be erased. As a result, the area for erasing the described information is limited, so that the risk of erasing the portion other than the described information can be suppressed.

Instead of this processing, as shown in FIG. 13C, the control unit 12 is specified from the area specified from the form area information of the CCC prefecture DDD city and the area information of the form of the EEE prefecture FFF city. An area that includes all the areas may be set as an area (mask) for erasing the image of the form to be erased. In this case, since the area for erasing the described information is expanded, it is possible to suppress the risk that a portion where the described information is not erased remains.

Further, in the above embodiment, the registration information is created for the image of the entire form, but the registration information may be created for a part of the form.

Depending on the customer of the bank, the form may be brought directly to the bank counter without going through the form processing device 3, and the form may be processed by a bank employee. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 12A, the receipt portion of the form divided into three at the perforation is returned from the bank clerk at the counter to the customer. In this case, for the part excluding the receipt part (here, the delivery note original code and the delivery notice), if the registration information of the same type as this form has not been registered yet, the receipt It can be assumed that the registration information (hereinafter referred to as "partial registration information") is created and registered even for the image of a part of the form excluding the part.

FIG. 14 shows a process for deleting the description information from the image of the form by using the partially registered information created in this way.

Here, it is assumed that the storage unit 11 has stored a part of the registration information of the AAA prefecture BBB city as shown in the upper right figure of FIG. In addition, of the ruled line layout of the form of DDD city in CCC prefecture in the upper left figure of FIG. 14, the part excluding the receipt is similar to the ruled line layout (reference registration information) of the partial registration information of BBB city in AAA prefecture. , The receipt part shall be similar to the delivery note original part in the ruled line layout (reference registration information) of the partial registration information of AAA prefecture BBB city.

In this case, when the control unit 12 erases the image of the form of the DDD city of CCC prefecture as shown in the lower figure of FIG. 14, the control unit 12 applies the partial registration information of the BBB city of AAA prefecture to the part excluding the receipt part. However, for the receipt part, of the partial registration information of BBB City, AAA Prefecture, the registration information of the delivery note original part is applied to delete the described information. As a result, even if the registered information is only a part of the entire form, the description information can be deleted from the image of the form.

Specifically, the control unit 12 compares the partial registration information of the AAA prefecture BBB city with the ruled line layout of the CCC prefecture DDD city. As a result, the control unit 12 determines that the ruled line layout of the partial registration information of the AAA prefecture BBB city and the ruled line layout of the part excluding the receipt portion of the CCC prefecture DDD city are similar. Next, the control unit 12 compares the ruled line layout of the receipt portion of the remaining CCC prefecture DDD city with the ruled line layout of a part of the ruled line layout of the partial registration information of AAA prefecture BBB city. As a result, the control unit 12 determines that the ruled line layout of the receipt portion of the DDD city of CCC prefecture is similar to the ruled line layout of the original payment slip portion of the partial registration information of AAABBB city. After that, the control unit 12 acquires and applies the area information included in the partial registration information of the AAA prefecture BBB city from the area information database 113 for the part excluding the receipt part of the CCC prefecture DDD city. At the same time, the control unit 12 acquires, and applies the area information corresponding to the original receipt part of the partial registration information of the AAA prefecture BBB city from the area information database 113 for the receipt part of the CCC prefecture DDD city. do. As described above, the process for deleting the described information from the image of the form is performed using the partial registration information.

Contrary to this case, if there is only the registration information of the entire form and you want to delete the image of some forms such as there is no receipt part, one of the registration information. You may use the unit to erase some of the images on the form.

It should be noted that the description information does not necessarily have to be erased by the work of filling, and the description information may be erased by a method such as applying a mosaic or cutting out to the area to be erased. ..

Further, in the above embodiment, the description information is erased based on the area where the target area is the target of erasure by the mask target flag. The described information may be deleted regardless of the setting of the mask target flag. Further, regardless of the setting of the mask target flag, the described information may be deleted based on the area set by the information indicated to correspond to the personal information by the flag information. In this case, only the described information corresponding to the personal information can be automatically deleted. In this case, for information that does not correspond to personal information such as a receipt stamp, an area to be manually deleted may be specified.

In addition, the embodiments of the present invention can be appropriately modified within the scope of the claims.

1 Form image processing device (form image processing device)
2 Management server (management device)
3 Form processing device 11 Storage unit (storage unit)
114 Form image processing program (form image processing program)
12 Control unit (control unit)
13 Communication unit (image acquisition unit, communication unit)
14 Operation unit (operation unit)
15 Display unit (display unit)
22 Control unit (control unit)
23 Memory unit (memory unit)

Claims (13)

A form image processing device that is communicably connected to a form processing device that processes forms and a management device.
The form processing device acquires an image of the form, and at least the reference feature information including information about the ruled line layout of the form is associated with each reference feature information, and the area in which the description information is described in the form. Using the registration information including the area information indicating the above, the described information is read from the acquired image of the form.
The management device has a function of creating the registration information, and has a function of creating the registration information.
The form image processing device is
An image acquisition unit for acquiring an image of the form transmitted from the form processing device, and an image acquisition unit.
From the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit, feature information including at least information about the ruled line layout of the form is acquired, and based on the acquired feature information, a predetermined description included in the image of the form. A control unit that executes the process of erasing information,
A storage unit for storing the registration information is provided.
The control unit
It is confirmed whether or not the reference feature information matching the feature information acquired from the image of the form is registered in the storage unit.
When the registered confirmation cannot be obtained, the reference feature information similar to the feature information acquired from the image of the form is extracted from the storage unit.
Based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information, the description information is deleted from the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit .
An image of the form from which the described information has been erased is transmitted to the management device in order to create the registration information from the image.
A form image processing device characterized by this. An image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the form, and
From the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit, feature information including at least information about the ruled line layout of the form is acquired, and based on the acquired feature information, a predetermined description included in the image of the form. A control unit that executes the process of erasing information,
It is provided with a storage unit that stores at least the area information related to the area to be erased for each reference feature information including the information related to the ruled line layout of the form.
The control unit
The reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form is extracted from the storage unit.
Based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information, the description information is deleted from the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit .
Further, when the control unit has a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, the respective area information is used. With respect to the defined areas that overlap each other, the processing for erasing the described information is performed on the areas where these areas overlap.
A form image processing device characterized by this. An image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the form, and
From the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit, feature information including at least information about the ruled line layout of the form is acquired, and based on the acquired feature information, a predetermined description included in the image of the form. A control unit that executes the process of erasing information,
It is provided with a storage unit that stores at least the area information related to the area to be erased for each reference feature information including the information related to the ruled line layout of the form.
The control unit
The reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form is extracted from the storage unit.
Based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information, the description information is deleted from the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit .
Further, when the control unit has a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, the respective area information is used. With respect to the defined areas that overlap each other, the processing for erasing the described information is performed on the area that includes all of these areas.
A form image processing device characterized by this. An image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the form, and
From the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit, feature information including at least information regarding the ruled line layout of the form is acquired, and based on the acquired feature information, a predetermined description included in the image of the form. A control unit that executes the process of erasing information,
Equipped with a communication unit for communicating with the outside
The control unit
The feature information acquired from the image of the form is stored in the external device that stores the area information related to the area to be erased in association with each reference feature information including the information about the ruled line layout of the form at least via the communication unit. By transmitting, the area information associated with the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information is acquired from the external device.
Based on the acquired area information, the description information is deleted from the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit .
Further, when the control unit has a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, the respective area information is used. With respect to the defined areas that overlap each other, a process of erasing the described information is performed on the area where these areas overlap.
A form image processing device characterized by this. An image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the form, and
From the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit, feature information including at least information about the ruled line layout of the form is acquired, and based on the acquired feature information, a predetermined description included in the image of the form. A control unit that executes the process of erasing information,
Equipped with a communication unit for communicating with the outside
The control unit
The feature information acquired from the image of the form is stored in the external device that stores the area information related to the area to be erased in association with each reference feature information including the information about the ruled line layout of the form at least via the communication unit. By transmitting, the area information associated with the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information is acquired from the external device.
Based on the acquired area information, the description information is deleted from the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit .
Further, when the control unit has a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, the respective area information is used. With respect to the defined areas that overlap each other, the processing for erasing the described information is performed on the area that includes all of these areas.
A form image processing device characterized by this. A form image processing system including a form processing device for processing a form, a management device, and a form image processing device communicably connected to the form processing device and the management device.
The form processing device acquires an image of the form, and at least the reference feature information including information about the ruled line layout of the form is associated with each reference feature information, and the area in which the description information is described in the form. Using the registration information including the area information indicating the above, the described information is read from the acquired image of the form.
The management device has a function of creating the registration information, and has a function of creating the registration information.
The form image processing device is
An image acquisition unit for acquiring an image of the form transmitted from the form processing device, and an image acquisition unit.
From the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit, feature information including at least information about the ruled line layout of the form is acquired, and based on the acquired feature information, a predetermined description included in the image of the form. A control unit that executes the process of erasing information,
A storage unit for storing the registration information is provided.
The control unit
It is confirmed whether or not the reference feature information matching the feature information acquired from the image of the form is registered in the storage unit.
When the registered confirmation cannot be obtained, the reference feature information similar to the feature information acquired from the image of the form is extracted from the storage unit.
Based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information, the description information is deleted from the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit .
An image of the form from which the described information has been erased is transmitted to the management device in order to create the registration information from the image.
A form image processing system characterized by this. An image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the form, and
From the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit, feature information including at least information about the ruled line layout of the form is acquired, and based on the acquired feature information, a predetermined description included in the image of the form. A control unit that executes the process of erasing information,
It is provided with a storage unit that stores at least the area information related to the area to be erased for each reference feature information including the information related to the ruled line layout of the form.
The control unit
The reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form is extracted from the storage unit.
Based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information, the description information is deleted from the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit .
Further, when the control unit has a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, the respective area information is used. With respect to the defined areas that overlap each other, the processing for erasing the described information is performed on the areas where these areas overlap.
A form image processing system characterized by this. An image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the form, and
From the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit, feature information including at least information about the ruled line layout of the form is acquired, and based on the acquired feature information, a predetermined description included in the image of the form. A control unit that executes the process of erasing information,
It is provided with a storage unit that stores at least the area information related to the area to be erased for each reference feature information including the information related to the ruled line layout of the form.
The control unit
The reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form is extracted from the storage unit.
Based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information, the description information is deleted from the image of the form acquired by the image acquisition unit .
Further, when the control unit has a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, the respective area information is used. With respect to the defined areas that overlap each other, the processing for erasing the described information is performed on the area that includes all of these areas.
A form image processing system characterized by this. It is a form image processing method for erasing predetermined information from a form image.
The process for acquiring the image of the form and
A process of acquiring feature information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form from the acquired image of the form, and
Including a step of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the acquired feature information.
In the process of erasing the above-mentioned information
The reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form is extracted from the database in which the area information regarding the area to be erased is associated with at least the reference feature information including the information regarding the ruled line layout of the form.
Based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information, the description information is deleted from the image of the form.
Further, in the step of erasing the described information, when there are a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, each of them. With respect to the regions defined by the region information and overlapping with each other, a process of erasing the described information is performed on the region where these regions overlap.
A form image processing method characterized by this. It is a form image processing method for erasing predetermined information from a form image.
The process for acquiring the image of the form and
A process of acquiring feature information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form from the acquired image of the form, and
Including a step of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the acquired feature information.
In the process of erasing the above-mentioned information
The reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form is extracted from the database in which the area information regarding the area to be erased is associated with at least the reference feature information including the information regarding the ruled line layout of the form.
Based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information, the description information is deleted from the image of the form.
Further, in the step of erasing the described information, when there are a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, each of them. With respect to the areas defined by the area information and overlapping with each other, a process of erasing the described information is performed on the area including all of these areas.
A form image processing method characterized by this. It is a program to be executed by the computer of the form processing device that processes the form and the form image processing device that is communicably connected to the management device.
The form processing device acquires an image of the form, and at least the reference feature information including information about the ruled line layout of the form is associated with each reference feature information, and the area in which the description information is described in the form. Using the registration information including the area information indicating the above, the described information is read from the acquired image of the form.
The management device has a function of creating the registration information, and has a function of creating the registration information.
The program
Processing for acquiring the image of the form transmitted from the form processing device, and
A process of acquiring feature information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form from the acquired image of the form.
A process of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the acquired feature information.
Includes a process of transmitting an image of the form from which the described information has been erased to the management device in order to create the registration information from the image.
The process of erasing the above-mentioned information is
A process of confirming whether or not the reference feature information matching the feature information acquired from the image of the form has been registered in the database for storing the registration information.
A process of extracting the reference feature information similar to the feature information acquired from the image of the form from the database when the registered confirmation cannot be obtained.
A program including a process of erasing the described information with respect to the image of the form acquired by the process for acquiring the image based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information. .. It is a program that causes a computer to execute a process for erasing predetermined information from an image of a form.
The process for acquiring the image of the form and
A process of acquiring feature information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form from the acquired image of the form.
A process of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the acquired feature information.
Includes a database that associates area information about the area to be erased for each reference feature information that includes at least information about the ruled line layout of the form.
The process of erasing the above-mentioned information is
A process of extracting the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form from the database, and
It includes a process of erasing the described information with respect to the image of the form based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information.
Further, in the process of erasing the described information, when there are a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, each of them. A program including a process of erasing the described information in a region where these regions overlap with respect to the regions defined by the region information and overlapping with each other . It is a program that causes a computer to execute a process for erasing predetermined information from an image of a form.
The process for acquiring the image of the form and
A process of acquiring feature information including at least information on the ruled line layout of the form from the acquired image of the form.
A process of erasing predetermined description information included in the image of the form based on the acquired feature information.
Includes a database that associates area information about the area to be erased for each reference feature information that includes at least information about the ruled line layout of the form.
The process of erasing the above-mentioned information is
A process of extracting the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form from the database, and
It includes a process of erasing the described information with respect to the image of the form based on the area information associated with the extracted reference feature information.
Further, in the process of erasing the described information, when there are a plurality of the reference feature information corresponding to the feature information acquired from the image of the form and the area information is acquired from each of the reference feature information, each of them. A program including a process of erasing the described information for an area including all of the areas defined by the area information and overlapping with each other .

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