JPH0126088B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for searching information such as documents, and more particularly to an information searching device suitable for searching documents that include ideographic characters such as kanji and charts in document search index items.

[Background of the invention]

Conventionally, for example, when searching for documents such as bills, checks, customers, specific persons, business office management, etc., personal names, corporate names, place names, etc. are often used as index items. Such index entries typically include Kanji characters.

The above document registration and search methods are as follows:
Currently, there is a method of registering all index items, such as personal names and corporate names, in kana characters, and using kana characters when searching for them. This has the disadvantage that there are many input items and it is complicated. Another method is to use a kanji processing device and use kanji directly from document registration to search. but,
Although this method requires fewer input items, the input work is complex and time-consuming. Furthermore, this method has a major weakness in processing external characters. Alternatively, for the search, there is a method of displaying guide image data corresponding to the input search item and finally specifying the desired document information based on this guide image data. Regarding this method, the applicant has proposed (1) a device that automates the creation of guide image data (Japanese Patent Application No.
125405), and (2) a device that minimizes key input for index items (Japanese Patent Application No. 55-137). However, these inventions are mainly effective when the index items are known accurately, but generally when searching for information, for example, the last name is known but the first name is unknown. There are many cases where people can understand the sounds of the case and the surname, but not the kanji. The above invention could not be said to be able to adequately cope with these cases.

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve these problems and provide an information retrieval device using guide images that can retrieve desired information even when only a portion of index items is known.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, an information retrieval device according to the present invention includes a first storage means that divides document information consisting of a plurality of feature items into partial images for each item and stores the divided images, and a second storage means for storing an index record consisting of a search code and a partial image address for each characteristic item, and information on at least a part of the search code for specifying document information to be searched and a feature desired to be displayed. an input means for inputting items; a display means for displaying search results; a means for selecting a specific guide image from among the guide images displayed on the display means; An index record having a search code corresponding to the input search code information is searched from the second storage means, and based on the partial image address in the index record, the search code corresponds to the feature item desired to be displayed. control means operable to read a partial image from the first storage means and display it as the guide image, and to display the entire image of the document corresponding to the guide image when the guide image is selected by the selection means; It is characterized by consisting of. The above guide image is 1
Although each item may be displayed sequentially, partial images for a plurality of items may be displayed in a list at the same time, and a corresponding one may be selected from among them.

The present invention allows the operator to select items to be displayed as guide images. Also,
Even if the search code is partially entered, the search operation can be performed. Therefore, for example, in a case where only a part of the search code is known, but it is possible to determine whether or not it is the target document by looking at a certain characteristic item, according to the present invention, the known part of the search code and the above-mentioned characteristics can be determined. By specifying the item, the target document can be easily found from the guide image.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to Examples.

FIG. 1 shows one of the documents to be registered. This document 10 is a card in which information regarding a customer with the name "Ichiro Nakamura" is written, and has an area 11 in which the name is written, an area 12 in which the address is written, and other areas. After registering a large number of documents related to such customer information, the name of each customer in kana is used as the first index item for searching one of the documents. When searching, if only part of the name (for example, only the last name) is known, address, place of work, etc. are used as second index items to specify the desired information. For example, when searching for the customer information shown in FIG. 1, if only "Nakamura living in Chiyoda Ward" is found, the name in kana is specified as "Nakamura*" as the first index item. Here, the symbol "*" represents a meaning that will be abbreviated below. As the second index item, "address" is specified. For the search, for all records whose name matches "Nakamura*", the handwritten name and data related to "address" specified as the second index item (also handwritten character data) are
Display as a guide screen. Figure 2 shows the guide screen 2.
An example of 0 is shown. The guide screen 20 includes an area 21 for displaying kana names, which are the first index items, and areas 22A to 22 for displaying the corresponding handwritten names.
2E, areas 23A to 23E that display data related to "address", which is the second index item, and area 24 that displays the number of each area. In searching, desired information is specified by editing and displaying this guide screen and selecting the number corresponding to one name on the screen.

FIG. 3 shows the structure of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is an image input device such as a television camera or a facsimile, which images a Kanji document to be processed and outputs document image data. This image data is divided into a name field, an address field, etc., and stored in a predetermined location of the image storage device 2. Reference numeral 4 denotes a known code input device that can input a name in kana, second index items such as "address" and "place of work," and a number corresponding to the name on the guide screen. 5 indicates a processing device, which includes an address search device 50 and a search information memory 5.
1, a cutout format table 52, a cutout control section 53, an image cutout device 54, buffer memories 55 and 59, a composition format table 56, a composition control section 57, an image composition device 58, and the like. 3 is a display device that displays image information read from the image storage device 2 under the control of the processing device 5.

Next, the operation of inputting the document information shown in FIG. 1 will be explained.

First, the document information shown in FIG.
Enter from. The image data is sent to the image cutting device 54 and the cutting control section 53. The image cutting device 54 and the cutting control unit 53 cut out a partial image from the image data that is sent. In this case, the partial images to be cut out include names, addresses,
This is the place of work, etc. This image cutting is performed based on a signal from the cutting format table 52. This table 52 stores data regarding the positions and sizes of entry frames for names, addresses, workplaces, etc. in the document information shown in FIG.

The cropping control unit 53 receives image data from the image input device 1, but since it is sent as screen scan data, it counts the number of scanning lines and refers to the cropping format table 52. This makes it possible to detect boundaries of entry frames for names, addresses, etc. on a scanning line basis.
When the cutting control unit 53 detects the starting point of the entry frame,
A gate in the image cutting device 54 is opened, and when the end point is detected, the gate is closed. As a result, the buffer memory 55 stores only partial image data regarding names, addresses, etc. of the document information shown in FIG.

On the other hand, from the code input device 4, the name of the document information to be registered is input in kana, and a code corresponding to the name is input. The address search device 50 stores the generated code in the search information memory 51, manages the empty area of the image storage device 2, and determines the address of the image storage device 2 where the currently input document information should be stored. The search information is stored in the search information memory 51. The search information memory 51 stores search information as shown in FIG. This search information memory 5
1 consists of an area in which each line corresponds to one sheet of document information, and each area is divided into two areas, a and b. Area a stores a code corresponding to the kana name input from the code input device 4, and area b stores the address of the image storage device 2 where image information is stored. for example,
In the example of FIG. 4, the fourth line is the area for "Ichiro Nakamura" shown in FIG. 1, and the image data regarding that name is stored at address "2583" on the image storage device. Similarly, image data such as addresses and workplaces are stored at addresses "2605", "2653", etc., respectively.

As described above, the partial image data in the buffer memory 55 is stored in the image storage device 2 according to the storage address determined by the address search device 50.

Next, the operation of searching document information registered using the above method will be explained. Here, as an example,
Suppose that information about "Mr. Nakamura, resident of Chiyoda Ward" is to be searched. First, the kana name "Nakamura*" is inputted from the code input device 4, and a code corresponding to this is generated. Here, the symbol "*" means "unknown" as described above. Furthermore, "address" is designated as the second index item using the code input device 4.

The address search device 50 includes a search information memory 51
For all lines, the kana name code stored in area a and the code "9686" corresponding to the kana name "Nakamura" input from the code input device 4.
Find a match with. For all data that matches this, the storage address of the name image and the second
The "address" designated as the index item of the image data is paired with the storage address of the image data, and the pair is sent to the image storage device 2.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the second and fourth lines match the input kana name code, so the name and address storage addresses "1326" and "1398" are stored in the image storage device 2. "2583" and "2605" are sent. At this time, the address search device has a copy table for sequentially copying and storing all of the address data in column b of FIG. 4 for the names for which a match has been detected, starting from the name for which a match has been found.

The image storage device 2 sequentially reads image data based on the address sent from the address search device 50 and sends it to the image composition device 58 and composition control section 57. Similar to the extraction control section 53, the composition control section 57 refers to the composition format table 56, opens and closes the gate in the image composition device 58, and stores the image on the buffer memory 59 according to the format shown in FIG. , name, and address image data.
The format table 56 is connected to the code input device 4
It stores several formats of guidance screens for combinations of search items input from . In the present example, the format table 56 includes name fields such as areas 22A to 23E in FIG.
A document pattern such as 3E in which the address field is left blank is stored as one of the formats, and the name and address images read from the image storage device 2 are embedded in this format. The image display device 3 is
The combined guide screen is displayed on the buffer memory 59. Desired document information can be obtained by referring to the guide screen displayed on the image display device 3 and specifying item number 4 corresponding to "Mr. Nakamura, resident of Chiyoda Ward."

In other words, when item 4 on the guidance screen shown in FIG. Send the data to the image storage device 2, "Ichiro Nakamura"
Read image information for. Image composition device 58
In accordance with a predetermined format (not shown) in a format table, the images read out from the device 2 are combined and made displayable by the image display device. By looking at this displayed image, the operator can obtain necessary information regarding "Ichiro Nakamura."

In the above example, the second index item is "address", but in exactly the same way, "place of work", "imprint", "date of birth", "map", etc. can be used as the second index item. , you can also choose. In this case, instead of the address column on the guide screen shown in Figure 2, image data corresponding to "work place", "imprint", "date of birth", "map", etc. are displayed. .

Although the embodiment of the search device using the first and second index items has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to search using the third, fourth, etc. items in the same manner.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) When registering and searching document information, including handwritten characters, diagrams, seal impressions, etc., it is not necessary to encode all information that can be used as index items.

(2) Even if all of the index items are not known (for example, if only the last name is known among the first and last names), it is possible to obtain the desired information by arbitrarily selecting the second index item. can.

(3) Homophones (lines 2 and 4 in Figure 2),
Even if there are homonyms (lines 4 and 5 in FIG. 2), desired information can be obtained without error.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are explanatory diagrams of an embodiment of document information handled by the present invention, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the device of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the search information memory in the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the information configuration of .

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A first storage means for dividing and storing document information consisting of a plurality of feature items into partial images for each item;
a second storage means for storing an index record consisting of a search code and a partial image address for each characteristic item in correspondence with each of the above document information; and at least one part of the search code for specifying the document information to be searched. an input means for inputting information and characteristic items desired to be displayed; a display means for displaying search results; and a display means for selecting a specific guide image from among the guide images displayed on the display means. and an index record having a search code corresponding to the search code information inputted from the input means is searched from the second storage means, and based on the partial image address in the index record, the search code and the above display are generated. A partial image corresponding to the desired feature item is read from the first storage means and displayed as the guide image, and when a guide image is selected by the selection means, the entire image of the document corresponding to the guide image is displayed. An information retrieval device characterized by comprising a control means that operates to display information. 2. The control unit according to item 1, wherein the control means displays a plurality of guide images on one screen in a listable form for a plurality of search records having search codes corresponding to the input search code information. Information retrieval device.