JPH022461A - Electronic file system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To omit operator's operation by recognizing the specific pattern information of received information received from an opposite facsimile, retrieving an image data file by using the recognized result as a retrieving information and then transmitting the retrieved image data to the opposite facsimile. CONSTITUTION:When an original is received from the opposite facsimile 17 through a public line network 16, the received data are transferred to an image memory 11 to extend the received data. The extended data are recognized by a character recognizing part 21. A CPU 9 retrieves the data base of index information stored in a hard disk 18 or a program memory 10 by using the recognized character and finds out the address information of the image data in the optical disk 8. Then, the image data in the optical disk 8 are transferred to an image memory 22 on the basis of the address information to contract the image data. After completing the contraction, the retrieved image data are transmitted to the opposite facsimile 17.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to an electronic file system that includes an image data file and has a facsimile communication function.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in an electronic file system having a facsimile communication function, when a user desires image data stored in the electronic file system, the user informs the electronic file system of this in advance by telephone or the like. The user would contact the operator and have the operator send the desired image data to the facsimile machine based on the operator's search.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] However, when a user desires image data,
An operator is always required to be present on the electronic file side, and if the operator is absent, the user cannot obtain timely information.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide an electronic file system that transmits image data without the intervention of an operator of the electronic file system when a user desires image data. purpose.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the electronic file system of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, the electronic file system is equipped with an image data file and has a facsimile communication function, and includes a recognition means for recognizing specific pattern information in received information received from the other party's facsimile machine, and an image recognition result of the recognition means as search information. The apparatus includes a search means for searching a data file, and a transmission means for transmitting the image data searched by the search means to the other party's facsimile machine.

[Action Recognizes specific pattern information in the received information received from the other party's facsimile machine, and searches the image data file using the recognition result as search information. It then operates to send the retrieved image data to the other party's facsimile.

[Embodiment] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Description of Configuration (Figure 1)] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic file system in this embodiment, where 1 is a display unit (CRT) that is a high-resolution CRT display, and 2 is a CRTI.
3 is a pit manipulation unit (BMU) that performs bit manipulation of image data; 4 is an interface (R, PI) for a printing device 6 (printer) and a reading device 5 (reader);
/F), 5 is the reader, 6 is the printer, 7 is the optical disk device 8 interface (ODI/F), 8 is the optical disk device, 9 is the CPU that performs the main control of the system, and tO is the processing procedure of the CPU 9, which will be described later. 11 is an image memory (IMEM), 12 is a general communication interface (GCI/F) for communicating with the outside,
13 sends data from the communication board to telephone network 1
The adapter connected to 6 is shown. 14 is a companding circuit (MMR/RL) that compresses and expands image data, 15 is I10
16 is a telephone network, 17 is a facsimile, 18 is a hard disk, 19 is a keyboard (KB) for inputting data such as operation commands, and 20 is a pointing device (PD) for indicating coordinates on the CRTI. . 21 is the first copy of a literary magazine.

[Description of Processing Procedures (FIGS. 2 and 3)] Next, FIG. 2 shows an example of a document to be sent to the electronic file system when the user desires image data in this embodiment. This manuscript describes search information that the electronic file system requires when searching for image data. As shown in the figure, 31 is a tag for character recognition,
The box 32 indicates that characters need to be written in it, and the box 33 represents the written index information. Then, the character recognition unit 21 recognizes the received document shown in FIG. 2 as characters, and uses the recognition result as search information for desired image data. In this embodiment, the other party's facsimile 1, which is the user,
The operation of receiving the document from 7, searching it, and transmitting the image data to the user will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S10, the CPU 9 is in a state of waiting for the end of received data from the general communication board (GCI/F) 12.

On the other hand, when a call is received from the other party's facsimile 17 via the public line network 16, the general communication board 12 receives the document via the adapter 13 according to the standard facsimile protocol. Then, the end of reception is output to the CPU 9 in response to a transmission end signal from the other party's facsimile machine.

Based on this output signal, the CPU 9 detects an incoming call from the other party's facsimile. Upon receipt of this call, the waiting state is canceled and the process proceeds to step 312. Note that the telephone number of the other party's facsimile machine is stored in the general communication board 12 for use when transmitting the image data after the search.

Next, in step S12, the image memory (■MEM)
11, and activates BMU 3 and MMR/RL 14 to decompress the received data. Then, in step 31, the decompression of the received data is completed.
Wait at 4. This expansion is performed in order to transmit and receive data compressed using the MH method when the facsimile transmission/reception data is in G III mode, for example.
The MR/RL 14 performs decompression, and upon completion, outputs a completion message to the CPU 9. The expanded data developed on the image memory 11 is the above-mentioned transmission document shown in FIG.

Next, in step S16, the character recognition unit 21 is activated,
The end of character recognition of the decompressed data is waited for in step 318. On the other hand, the character recognition unit 21 recognizes whether or not a tag 31 indicating that the data is character string data of index information exists at a specific position on the data shown in FIG. 2, and if the tag 31 is attached, Recognize the following data as characters. Then, when recognition of the entire area of the image data is completed, a completion signal is output to the CPU 9. Upon termination from the character recognition unit 21, in step S20, the characters recognized by the character recognition unit 21 are used as keywords for the index information for the image, and the index information existing in the hard disk 18 or program memory (ROM) 10 is used as the keyword for the index information for the image. The database is searched to obtain address information in the optical disk 8, which is the storage location of the image data corresponding to the index information. Next, in step S22, the image data in the optical disk 8 is transferred to the image memory 22 based on the address information, and in order to compress the image data, an 8M
Start U3 and MMR/RL14. Then, the process waits for the completion of compression in step S24, and if it is completed, the searched image data is transmitted to the other party's facsimile in step S26. Note that the destination telephone number is a telephone number stored in the general communication board 12.

According to this embodiment, when a user in a remote location desires image data stored in an electronic file system,
Facsimile to electronic file system without operator intervention.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, specific pattern information in received information received from the other party's facsimile machine is recognized,
The image data file is searched using the recognition result as search information. Then, the searched image data can be sent to the other party's facsimile.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic file system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a received document, and FIG. 3 is an operation flowchart showing the processing procedure of this embodiment. In the figure, 9...CPU, 11...Image memory, 3
. . . adapter, 14 . . . companding circuit, 17 . . . destination facsimile, 21 . Patent applicant Canon Co., Ltd. agent Patent attorney Yasunori Otsuka (and 1 other person) Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] An electronic file system comprising an image data file and a facsimile communication function, comprising a recognition means for recognizing specific pattern information in received information received from a recipient's facsimile machine, and an image data file using the recognition result of the recognition means as search information. 1. An electronic file system comprising: a search means for searching; and a transmission means for transmitting image data searched by the search means to the other party's facsimile machine.