JPH05303596A - File information generating system and electronic file device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To store even code data together with image information, etc., to facilitate the classification and retrieval of the information, and to solve the problem of compatibility by adding subordinate data which are useful for the classification and retrieval to body data of the image information, etc., and generating file information. CONSTITUTION:The file information consists of the body data MD, subordinate data SD, and a rear header RH, which is postprocessing information for error detection, reproduction, etc., and included in the body data MD. The subordinate data SD is information which is useful for the data structure, classification, and retrieval of the body data MD. When a file is processed, classified, and retrieved, the subordinate data SD are used and only when the body data MS are required, the body data MD are read out to speed up the processing. Further, the subordinate data SD are constituted by incorporating even information on the five organs of human sense to enable retrieval with good man-machine interface. Further, output limiting information, etc., is added to the subordinate data SD to solve the problem of compatibility.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a file information creating method suitable for use in an electronic file device, DTP (desk top publishing), etc., and file information created by the method, and a file created. The present invention relates to an electronic file device that performs classification, retrieval, and other processing on information and uses it.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, offices, factories, research laboratories, government offices,
To reduce the storage space for a large number of documents created and accepted in schools, etc., and to make it easy for many people to use the information, characters, figures, or photographs recorded or printed on paper Computerized image information such as magnetic disks and optical disks (magneto-optical disks)
An electronic file device for registering and storing a document in a large-capacity information storage medium has been developed and used.

A general hardware configuration of such a conventional electronic file device is shown in FIG. This electronic file device includes an information processing device (main body) 1 for processing image information and classification / search information, a keyboard 2 for an operator to input information, and a scanner 3 for capturing image information such as a document from the outside. A display device 4 such as a CRT for displaying image information, a printer 5 such as a laser printer for printing the image information processed by the information processing device 1 on a sheet and outputting it to the outside, and the image information The communication device 6 transmits and receives using a communication line such as a LAN or a public line.

A computer having a CPU, ROM, RAM and the like (not shown) in the information processing apparatus 1 and a magnetic disk device (HD) 7 for storing a search database.
And an optical disk drive device (O for reading / writing a writable / readable optical disk (magneto-optical disk) 9
DD) 8.

In such an electronic file device, when registering image information (image data), when the image information is read by the information processing device 1 from the communication device 6 such as the scanner 3, LAN, FAX, etc. Information is displayed on the screen of the display device 4. When the operator confirms this and presses the confirmation key on the keyboard 2, the image information is written on the optical disc 9 by the optical disc drive device 8.

At this time, the search information corresponding to the image information is written on the magnetic disk (hard disk) by the magnetic disk device 7, but it may be written on the optical disk 9 at the same time as the image information. Normally, in order to increase the search speed, it is usually written on the magnetic disk of the magnetic disk device 7, and when the optical disk 9 is taken out from the information processing apparatus 1, the search information is usually written on the optical disk 9 in the form of take-out processing. Is.

In this case, the image information and the search information thereof are separately registered on both the optical disk 9 and the magnetic disk in the information processing apparatus 1, and the identification information (hereinafter "I") is registered.
"D number"). As a method of bringing out the image information to the outside, there are a method of bringing out the image information with the optical disk 9 as described above, a method of printing out on paper by the printer 5 and bringing out, and a method of bringing out by the communication by the communication device 6.

[0008] Since the printing and the carrying out by communication are only the image information, the compatibility problem due to the difference of the device does not occur, but other information (search information etc.) is not held and cannot be held. Taking out with an optical disk causes a compatibility problem due to a difference in reading device.
That is, when the data physically written on the optical disc is read, compatibility (or standardization) at the time of reading application level information (search information etc.) cannot be read.

FIG. 3 is a block configuration diagram for explaining the operation of the information processing apparatus 1 of such an electronic file device in more detail, and the portions corresponding to those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals. .. Here, the CPU 10 and the program memory (ROM) 11, the image memory (RAM) 12, the video memory (video RAM) 13 and the like are connected by a bus line 14 to form a computer. In this example, the keyboard 2 is connected to the mouse 15, which is a pointing device.

The program memory 8 has a CPU
10 reads the image information from an image reader such as the scanner 3, writes the information as file information on the optical disk 9 by the optical disk drive device 8 or reads the information written on the optical disk 9, and Stores software (programs) for classifying and searching image information.

Therefore, when registering the image information, the image information read from the scanner 3 or the image information transferred from the communication device 6 is temporarily stored in the image memory 12. At that time, low-level information (brightness, resolution, size, vertical / horizontal direction scanner information, etc.) attached to the image information is also attached to the header of the image information and input, and the image memory 12 according to the specifications.
Be deployed to.

Information in the image memory 12 is stored in the CPU.
Video memory 1 for displaying on display device 4 by 10
Expanded to 3. The operator looks at the image information displayed on the display device 4 and decides whether to save the image information on the optical disc 9 or discard it, and further decides to which classification destination the image information is registered when the image information is kept. ..

In this state, the image information is in the image memory 12, the classification information is in the magnetic disk device 7, and when the optical disk device 8 registers it in the optical disk 9, only the image information is transferred from the image memory 21 to the optical disk 9. Written in. The low-level information and the classification / retrieval information attached to the image information are kept physically stored in the magnetic disk device 7. ID of the connection between classification / search information and image information
By keeping numbers with each other, we maintain a relationship.

Therefore, when the optical disk 9 needs to be taken out and read by an external device, or when a crash occurs in the magnetic disk device 7, the classification / search information is lost and the image information cannot be read. In order to prevent this, it is common in electronic file devices to collectively write classification / search information on the magnetic disk of the magnetic disk device 7 on the optical disk 9 for a certain period and under certain conditions. Even in that case, the classification / search information and the image information are written in different places on the optical disk 9, and the classification / search information and the image information are treated separately.

When the necessary image information is searched for and taken out, first, the search application is operated and the CPU 1
0 searches the database in the magnetic disk device 7. The search result is an ID number indicating the storage location of the image information. Using this ID number, the optical disk 9 as the storage location is searched to see if there is image information having the same ID number. If so, the image data is read, and the CPU 10 reads the image memory 12 according to the low level information. Then, the image information is expanded and further expanded in the video memory 13 to be displayed on the display device 4.

By the way, as the classification / retrieval information (index information), a keyword by a character code, a date by a numerical value, a document number, a classification table by an ID, etc. are used. As a modification of the classification table, a method of facilitating a search operation by arranging the classification table two-dimensionally and visually memorizing not only the contents of the table but also the layout on the display screen is also used. There is. Further, there is also known a method in which the classification table itself is stored as an image and the classification table image can be changed to change the classification body shape and classification accuracy (see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-36583). ).

Also, as can be seen in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-36867 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-41559, a bookmark function is provided, which has functions for registering / deleting a bookmark in a document, searching for a bookmark, and printing. Electronic filing devices are also known. This is to use bookmark information as identification information of each document in place of the original document name in order to easily search and read out the registered document.

[0018]

However, such a conventional electronic file device has various problems as described below. (1) Since the system was designed only for storing image information, useful information that the image information itself has is cut off from the image information. For example, when the image information is extracted to the outside by the environmental information when the classification / search information or the image information is created (LAN
Or when the image is transmitted by FAX or output by a printer).

(2) When the image information is obtained, it is not possible to refer to the information originally possessed by the image information by simply obtaining the image, and therefore the work such as classification cannot be automated, and the image information is not obtained. Will be classified according to the judgment of the operator who is trying to handle the. Therefore, not only can the classification be automated, but there are also problems such as duplicate registration due to different classification methods depending on the person.

(3) Since the image information on one optical disk is recorded and stored on the optical disk on the assumption that the hardware and software for processing it are the same, the compatibility of the hardware and the software is maintained. Is very important and not versatile. (4) If the image information is processed to create another information, the information becomes completely new image information, which may cause a problem of unknown origin or copyright.

(5) There are two types of information, one that is open to the public and one that restricts disclosure. Although the method of limiting the extraction of the information on the latter is generally adopted in the application software, in that case, the problems mentioned in the above (3) and (4) occur.

(6) A problem common to the conventional registration / retrieval methods is that it is difficult to use attributes that are difficult to quantify or attributes based on the subjectivity of individuals as classification / retrieval information. There is also a problem that if the numerical value or the value distributed in a plane is forcibly digitized, the information becomes difficult to understand intuitively.

(7) In the conventional electronic file device with the bookmark function, when the registered document has a reply deadline or the document needs to be used in a meeting at a certain date and time, the date is surely set. In order to know the arrival of, there is a problem that the operability is deteriorated because it is necessary to perform individual management.

The present invention solves these problems and makes it possible to store image information and code data of a document created by a word processor or the like by an electronic file device, and dramatically improve the storage and its usability. , For example, to facilitate classification and search of entered or created information, and to automate it, to be able to know the origin and editing history of each information, restriction of information disclosure (billing and confidentiality at the time of disclosure) ) Is ensured and compatibility problems are eliminated.

Furthermore, an attribute that is difficult to express as a numerical value or an ambiguous attribute such as a subjective tendency is replaced with a geometric condition such as a position, a range, or a distance on a plane, or an attribute that is originally distributed in a plane. It is also an object to improve the operability and the search efficiency by making it possible to directly search for. Further, it is also an object to make it possible to easily and surely manage the due date of information having a due date such as an expiration date.

[0026]

The present invention provides a file information creating method for achieving the above object and an electronic file device for creating and using the file information creating method. That is, in the file information creation method according to the present invention, data input or created by using a peripheral device such as a scanner in an electronic file device is used as main data, and information useful for classification and retrieval of the main data is used as sub-data. It is basically to add and create file information.

The sub data information is composed of a combination of the date and time when the main body data was created, the editing application used, and the creator's five senses information (temperature, humidity, document thickness, color, stain condition, etc.). Good. In addition to this sub-data, information for controlling the output of the created image information, classification information by external operations, change history data when created by external operations, and information that restricts changes , Information specifying the application software used can be added.

The body data of the created file information may be encrypted, and the decryption information may be added to the sub data. Further, new file information can be created by extracting a part of the body data of the file information created by the above file information creating method and generating and adding necessary sub-data to the extracted body data. ..

Alternatively, a part of the extracted body data is edited together with the body data of other file information to generate new body data, and at the same time, a part of the body data is extracted from the sub-data of the file information. It is also possible to create a new file information by incorporating the sub-data of other file information as edit information to generate new sub-data, and adding the sub-data to the new body data. In this way, when extracting a part of the body data of the created file information and creating new file information, the body data is omitted, and information that can automatically create or retrieve the body data is created as necessary. It is also possible to create the file information included in the sub data.

On the other hand, the electronic file device according to the present invention has means for creating file information composed of main data and sub data by the above file information creating method, and main data and sub data of file information created by the means. And a means for automatically classifying the file information based on the sub-data. Further, it is preferable to include means for transmitting the created file information to the outside, and means for adding data (source data) peculiar to the apparatus to the sub data when the file information is transmitted to the outside by the means.

Further, with respect to the file information created by the file information creating method according to the present invention, it is preferable to provide a sub data control means for controlling the arrangement and increase / decrease of the information constituting the sub data. In that case, it is desirable to provide means for adding the sub data control information by the sub data control means to the file information taken out when the file information is taken out.

When the file information added with the sub data control information is brought in, the sub data conversion means for analyzing the sub data control information and converting the sub data of the file information into the sub data of the apparatus. Should be provided. Further, a means for associating and separating each sub-data of the plurality of file information created by the file information creation method according to the present invention from the main body data and a means for classifying only each sub-data may be provided. .. Instead of the above-mentioned means for classifying only the sub-data, a means for classifying each sub-data and adding a part of the body data or data obtained by simplifying the body data to the sub-data may be provided.

A means for creating or retrieving main body data from the information of sub data of a plurality of file information without main data created by such an electronic file device is provided, or a plurality of sub data is provided regardless of presence or absence of sub data. By combining the sub-data of the file information, it is possible to provide a means for creating completely new body data from the respective information.

Further, each of the sub-data items of the plurality of file information is provided with sub-data managing means for horizontally rearranging each information element constituting each sub-data item or for connecting the common parts, or each of them. Sub-data management means that separates into sub-data constituent information elements and collects them for each common information element, and has an identification code for each related main data from which the related original sub-data is created Also provided is an electronic file device provided with.

In this electronic file device, means for creating search information indicating a combination of the common information elements summarized at the time of search, and each common information element is searched by the search information, and each information of the search result is searched. It is preferable to provide sub data reproducing means for reconstructing sub data by grouping the elements by the identification code.

In this case, it is advisable to provide means for ranking the sub-data reconstructed by the sub-data reproducing means by the degree of coincidence at the time of retrieval. Further, among the sub-data reconstructed by the sub-data reproducing means, one having a high search frequency is stored without being decomposed, and means for deleting the stored sub-data when it is not searched for a certain period may be provided. ..

Further, according to the present invention, the image information reading means for reading the image information, the image storing means for registering and storing the image information together with the search information, the image displaying means for displaying the image information, and the image displaying means. In an electronic file device provided with position information input means for indicating a position on the screen,
When registering the image information read from the upper image information reading means, a background image for registration / search is displayed on the screen of the display means, and the coordinate value of one point designated by the position information input means on the image, Alternatively, a means for creating file information by adding the coordinate value indicating the range and the identification information (ID) of the background image as sub-data to the main body data composed of the image information is provided.

In the electronic file device, when the main data is searched using the sub-data of the file information registered in the image storage means as an index, the background image for registration / search is displayed on the screen and A search means is provided for searching the body data of the file information in which the distance between the coordinate value of one point designated by the position information input means on the image and the coordinate value of one point added as the sub data is shorter than a certain value. Good. Further, it is advisable to provide means for further classifying the search results of the search means by using the distance as a key, and searching the body data of the file information assuming that the shorter the distance, the higher the importance.

When the main data is searched by using the sub-data of the file information registered in the image storage means as an index, the background image for registration / search is displayed on the screen, and the image is displayed on the image. A search means for searching the body data of the file information including the coordinate value of one point added as the sub data may be provided in the range designated by the position information input means.

Alternatively, similarly, a background image for registration / retrieval is displayed on the screen, and a shared portion exists in the range designated by the position information input means and the coordinate range added as sub data on the image. A search means for searching the body data of the file information may be provided.

Furthermore, the data input or created by using a peripheral device such as a scanner is used as the main body data, and when the main body data has a due date such as an expiration date, the date information is added as sub-data to obtain file information. There is also provided an electronic file device having means for creating and means for registering the file information created by the means in a storage device.

Then, in this electronic file device,
During operations such as power-on or search / registration, the current date and time is compared with the due date information that is added as sub data to each file information registered in the storage device, and the deadline file information is detected. It is preferable to provide a due date detecting means and a means for displaying at least a part of the body data of the file information detected by the due date detecting means together with the due date information on the screen.

Further, when the due date information is added as the sub data of the file information, the means for adding the due date designation bookmark and the body data of the file information to which the due date designation bookmark is added have not yet reached the due date. It is advisable to provide a means for simultaneously displaying the date designation bookmark added to the data when it is displayed on the screen at that time.

[0044]

According to the file information creation method and the electronic file device of the present invention, the file information is created by adding sub-data useful for classification and retrieval to the main body data such as image information. On the other hand, when performing processing, classification, retrieval, etc., the pre-work or preparatory work is performed by the sub-data, and the main body data may be read out only when the main body data is really needed. Can be processed with data.

The body data and sub-data of this file information are always paired except when the body data is omitted, and are never used separately. In addition, when the information is taken in, the information (five sense information) matched to the human sense is also taken in at the same time to compose the sub data.
A good search for I (Man Machine Interface) is possible. Furthermore, various information (data) is added to the sub data.
By adding, it is possible to have various functions, to make it possible to understand the source of information, editing history, etc., appropriately limit the disclosure of information, and solve compatibility problems. it can.

Further, since the file information itself can have a procedure for processing such as processing in the sub-data and active information for controlling the processing, the information necessary to start the necessary program of the electronic file device is provided. Can be collected or the terminal can be activated and the operator can be requested to input the information, which dramatically facilitates the management and processing of information.

Further, when registering the image information read from the image information reading means, a background image for registration / search is displayed on the display screen, and the coordinate value or range of one point designated on the image is displayed. It is also possible to perform the search quickly and easily by adding the indicated coordinate values and the identification information (ID) of the background image as sub-data to the main body data composed of the image information to create the file information. it can.

That is, an attribute that is difficult to express as a numerical value or an ambiguous attribute such as a subjective tendency is replaced with a geometric condition such as a position, range, or distance on a plane, or an attribute that is originally distributed in a plane. Can be directly searched for, which can improve operability and search efficiency. For example, the attributes corresponding to the values shown on the graph, the information on the relative positional relationship that is non-quantitative but expressed on the plane, the information corresponding to the position on the map or the structural diagram, etc. It can be used as search information.

Furthermore, the data input or created by using a peripheral device such as a scanner is used as the main body data, and when the main body data has a due date such as an expiration date, the date information is added as sub-data and file information is added. You can also create and register. Then, at the time of operations such as power-on or search / registration, the current date and time is compared with the due date information added as sub data to each registered file information, and the deadline file information is detected. , At least a part of the main data of the detected file information can be displayed on the screen together with the due date information.

As a result, it becomes possible to easily and surely manage the due date of information having a due date such as the expiration date. .. The operation corresponding to each claim will be described in the description of each embodiment of the present invention described later.

[0051]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. The hardware configuration of the electronic filing device which is the subject of the present invention is almost the same as that described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted and FIGS. 2 and 3 will be used to explain the embodiment of the present invention. Incorporate.

First, the structure of file information created by the file information creation method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
Explained by. As a file information format related to the present invention, there is a TIFF format proposed by Microsoft Corporation. This is the definition of the file structure of the image information, and the tag is attached to the image information, which is information such as who the image information itself is, and editing, outputting, The information is information close to the physical level that does not include active information for controlling retrieval (for example, scanner type, resolution, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 1, the file information created by the method of the present invention is composed of main data MD, sub data SD, and a rear header RH.
Is post-processing information such as error detection and reproduction. Since this is a part of a known technique, it will be considered to be included in the main body data MD in the following description.

Therefore, according to the present invention, image information or code information (2-byte information) input or created by using a peripheral device such as a scanner in the electronic file device is used as the body data MD, and the body data MD is stored.
Further, information useful for the classification and search is added as sub data SD to create file information.

The sub-data SD indicates not only the data structure of the main body data but also information useful for classification and retrieval of all main body data including control information and the like described below.
Further, in the sub-data, information that is not clearly used for retrieval / classification and that is closely related to the main body data may be captured in the main body data.

For example, information indicating the situation when the main body data is input or created, that is, creation date, time, editing application used, creator's (human) five senses information (temperature, humidity, brightness, document color, (Thickness, etc.) and the like.

As described above, the information is composed of the main body data and the sub-data for the classification / search, so that the classification can be automated regardless of the human operation. The configuration information of the sub data will be described more specifically. In the case of date information, that date is a date or a due date related to the body data, and is a date required as search information. The file information can be directly searched from this date, or the date can be estimated indirectly from the contents in the schedule, for example, the conference name.

The information of the editing application can be searched from the application name that created the file information, and can also be used as information for displaying or changing / adding the information. In this way, by adding the information of which application is used for the main body data in the form of the sub data to the main body data, management and processing of the information can be dramatically facilitated.

The human senses information is the information about the human being and the machine.
This is information for searching that is added to facilitate the machine interface. In addition, information that controls the output of part or all of the main body data, the application name of the search application and the source information of the search information or information (the ID number of the created device), etc. are added to the main body data as sub-data. It

Considering the case where file information is newly created, the date when it was created, the name of the application software used for editing, the information that could be mechanized by the information about the human senses, the device name at the time of creation (ID number) ) Low-level information (file structure information of body data, etc.) is automatically written as sub-data. Further, when the application software is used to perform the output control information method of the printer or the like and the ranking of the importance, the information is also taken into the sub data.

The output control information is information for controlling the output of the body data of the file information wholly or partially. For example, when the body data is image information, a part of the image screen (a secret portion) When it is desired to display or print) in white, the white information and the coordinate information of the white range are added to the sub data. In that case, output control information can be added so that a certain portion can be output and displayed on the display screen but cannot be printed.

Furthermore, information for controlling the output of data by ranking each part (coordinates and rank information of each part whose output of the image screen is desired to be controlled) can be added to the sub-data. Then, by inputting the password of the user, display and printing can be controlled according to the rank such as the position.

When the information is received from the outside, the file information is obtained in the form of the sub data. Therefore, if the same system (electronic file device) can read the contents of the sub data, it is automatically being classified. Also, in different systems, application information or application software is added to the sub-data, so when file information is registered in the electronic file device, conversion software is run based on the sub-data to perform conversion. If it is the same search application software, it is automatically registered. Since different systems have different sub-data structures, the sub-data control for controlling the sub-data is passed together with the information at this time to rearrange and delete / change the sub-data.

Next, the electronic file device according to the present invention will be described. The hardware configuration is almost the same as that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 as described above, but since the function is different, first, the function related to the file information creation is shown in FIG.
Is shown in the functional block diagram. That is, the system control unit 20, the sub data control unit 21, the sub data collection unit 22,
The internal sub-data generating means 23, the five sense information detecting means 24, the sub-data input means 25, the sub-data editing means 26, the input control means 27, the input means 28, the storage control means 29 and the storage means 30.

The system control means 20 is the CPU 1 of FIG.
This is a function as a controller that controls the entire apparatus by a computer including 0 and the program memory 11. Under the control of the system control unit 20, the sub-data control unit 21 takes in sub-data when inputting an image file (main body data) or combines sub-data of a plurality of file information to generate new sub-data. Control sub-data editing.

Further, when the sub information control means 21 inputs the file information created by the method of the present invention by the input means 28 to be described later, the sub data is taken in and the information forming the sub data is arranged. And sub data control means for controlling increase / decrease, and when sub data control information (software for controlling the arrangement of sub data information) is added to the captured sub data, it is analyzed and captured. Also has a function of a sub-data conversion means for converting the sub-data into sub-data of the device (sub-data of the standard format peculiar to the system) and passing it to the sub-data editing means 26 described later. This facilitates the management of a wide variety of sub-data.

Under the control of the sub data control means 21, the sub data collection means 22 collects the information of the sub data taken in from the internal sub data generation means 23, the five senses information detection means 24, and the sub data input means 25, and will be described later. It is transferred to the sub data editing means 26 and the storage means 30.

The internal sub-data generating means 23 has a calendar and a clock function, a memory storing an ID number (code) indicating its own model name, a function for discriminating the resolution of input image data, etc., and counts the internal clock. Generates sub data information that the device itself has or can generate, such as information of year, month, day, day of the week, time of day, own ID number, resolution when reading image data, name of application software used, and the like.

The five-sense information detecting means 24 is a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an optical sensor (illuminance sensor), a color sensor, or the like, and detects information (mainly environmental information) that can be automatically detected from the human five-sense information. This is the part that detects the temperature, humidity, brightness at the time of creating the main body data, and the color of the paper when reading the document information with a scanner, and uses it as sub-data information.

The sub-data input means 25 is an input means operated by a person such as the keyboard 2 and the mouse 15, and is information that is difficult to automatically detect among the human sense information, such as the thickness of a document. Further classification information such as dirt and texture,
You can add various information such as importance, purpose of use, output condition, disclosure restriction (billing at the time of disclosure, password for confidentiality protection), deletion condition, change restriction, creator name, etc. to the sub data. ..

The sub-data editing means 26 is controlled by the sub-data control means 21 and receives the sub-data edited by the sub-data control means 21 separated from the input file information in some cases, and stores a plurality of file information. Sub data of new file information is created and stored by combining and separating sub data, and by editing the combination of the sub data newly created by the sub data collecting means 22 and the sub data of other file information. Pass to means 30.

The input control means 27 controls the input of image information (image file) or document information (character code file) by the input means 28. The input means 28 is a CC
Scanner 3 using D line sensor, video camera, F
A communication device 6 such as AX or LAN, or an optical disk drive device (ODD) 8 or the like, which receives image information by scanning or photographing a document or from the outside (FAX, personal computer, word processor, OCR, etc.) or by a built-in ODD. The data (image or code, which may be file information including sub-data) read from the optical disc 9 is input.

The storage control means 29 also controls read / write to the storage means 30, DMA (direct memory access) control, and control of storage devices such as FDD, HDD, and ODD. The storage means 30 is a semiconductor memory such as RAM, FDD (floppy disk drive device), HD.
File memory such as D (hard disk drive device), ODD (optical disk drive device), etc. Under the control of the storage control means 29, image information or document information input by the input means 28 is used as main data, and sub data collecting means. The sub data collected in 22 or the sub data edited by the sub data editing means 26 is added and stored as file information in the same file in either storage device.

Now, the operation of creating and registering the file information by this electronic file device will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6. When the registration process is started, first, in this example, the image information is acquired from the scanner of the input unit 28 or the video camera (the image information or the code information or the mix information thereof may be acquired from the communication device), and at the same time, the internal sub-data is generated. Means 2
The environmental information (date, temperature, humidity, brightness, etc.) at the time of input is automatically acquired by the three and five sense information detecting means 24 and temporarily recorded in the image memory and the environmental storage memory (RAM) of the storage means 30, respectively. The image information may be input one by one or in a large amount collectively.

Then, it is displayed on the display device 4 as to whether or not to store it as it is, and the operator waits for an instruction (key input). When the storage is instructed as it is, the process proceeds to A of FIG.
The image information temporarily stored in the storage means 30 is used as the main body data, the sub-data is created from the environment information and added to the main data, and the sub-data is recorded in the same file of the medium as the file information, and the process ends.

If it is not stored as it is, it waits for an instruction as to whether or not to perform the registration work, and if there is an instruction not to do so, the temporarily recorded information is discarded (erased) and the processing ends, but the registration work is performed. Command, the temporarily stored image information is displayed on the display device (CRT) and an instruction to register on the recording medium is waited. If not, the temporarily recorded information is discarded. Ends the process.

When there is an instruction to register, the process proceeds to B in FIG. 6 and waits for an instruction as to whether or not to manually add the environment at the time of input. When adding, an operator is input from the sub data input means 25 such as the keyboard 2. Environmental information by input operation of (the place where the above-mentioned five senses information and materials that cannot be detected automatically were obtained)
Is additionally input to write additional environmental information to the memory.

Then, waiting for an instruction as to whether or not to perform manual classification, if not, the process proceeds to a judgment as to whether or not to register as it is. Therefore, classification is performed, and the classification information is written in the memory and temporarily stored. After that, it is determined whether or not to register, and if not registered, the process proceeds to C of FIG. 5 to discard the temporarily stored information and ends the process. However, when registered, the environmental information and the classification temporarily stored in the memory are registered. Sub data is created from the information, added to the image information that is the main data, recorded in the same file on the medium as file information, and the processing ends.

Next, a process for cutting out a part of the image information, which is the body data of the file information created and registered as described above, and editing it to create new file information will be described with reference to FIGS. It will be described according to the flowchart of FIG. 7 shows the clipping process. First, the external input device (external HDD, ODD, etc.) or the built-in optical disc device (ODD) is searched for the file information having the necessary image information, and the image information as the main body data is retrieved. Store it in memory and display it on the screen of the display device,
Temporarily store sub data in memory.

Then, it is checked whether clipping is possible. That is, the restriction items included in the sub-data of the searched file information are checked (even if restricted, it can be cut out depending on the position of the searcher). As a result, if it is not possible, the stored image information is discarded and the process ends. When possible, when the operator inputs an instruction to cut out a necessary portion using the mouse 15 or the like, the image information to be cut out is stored in the memory and the cutting is completed, and the coordinates of the portion to be cut out are stored in the memory.

Next, the source information (the ID of the device that created the original file information, the editing application, the lower layer information such as the resolution, the cut-out position, the time attribute, etc., based on the sub-data of the cut-out source and the coordinate information of the cut-out portion stored in the memory Etc.) as sub-data, and the cut-out image data is temporarily stored together with the sub-data as cut-out information, and the process ends.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a process of creating and registering new file information by pasting. When the pasting operation of FIG. 8 is started, first, as in the case of the above-mentioned clipping process, an external input device (external HDD, ODD, etc.) or a built-in optical disk device (ODD) is searched for file information having necessary image information, the image information as the main body data is displayed on the screen of the display device, and the sub-data is stored in the memory. Temporarily store in. When the image information of the new file is created only by the cut-out image information, the blank image information is stored in the memory and displayed on the screen.

Then, the cut-out information that has been cut out and temporarily stored is searched, the cut-out image information is displayed on the screen of the display device, and the sub-data added to the cut-out information is stored in the memory.

After that, when the sticking position is designated by the operator using the mouse 15 or the like, the cut-out image information is stuck to the position, the image information is stored in the memory, and the coordinates of the sticking position portion are stored in the memory. .. At that time, if the low-layer information (the information for reproducing the image excluding the classification information and the control information, hereinafter referred to as “low-layer information”) of the clipping source and the pasting destination is different,
It is necessary to pass conversion software to match it.

Then, it is judged whether or not the pasting is completed, and when the pasting is required for a plurality of times, the above-mentioned processing is repeated by the number of pasting, and when the pasting is completed, the process proceeds to G in FIG. 9 and the completed image information is temporarily stored. To do. On the other hand, new sub data is created from the sub data of the file information of the pasting destination stored in the memory, the sub data of the cutout information, and the coordinate information of the pasting position portion and stored in the memory.

After that, the operator waits for an instruction as to whether or not the environment at the time of editing is manually added, and if not added, the process proceeds directly to the determination as to whether or not to classify. When the environmental information is additionally input, the environmental information is stored in the memory, and it is determined whether or not to manually classify. If not, the process directly proceeds to the process of creating the sub data, but in that case, when the operator manually inputs the classification information from the keyboard 2 or the like, the classification information is stored in the memory and then the process of creating the sub data proceeds.

Therefore, the sub-data of the pasting destination, the sub-data of the cutout information, the coordinate information of the pasting position portion, the environment information and the classification information manually input, the application name used for editing, the environment automatically generated at the time of editing Sub-data is reconstructed and created based on information.

Then, when a registration instruction is given, the image information created by pasting and the sub-data created by reconstruction are merged, stored as new file information in a predetermined recording medium and registered, and the processing ends. To do. When there is an instruction not to register (cancel), the created image information and sub-data are discarded and the process ends.

As described above, when the file information composed of the main body data and the sub data created by the method according to the present invention is manipulated and changed externally, only the sub data remains or is deleted, and the changed main body data Is attached with sub-data to which a new change history is added, and when the history is not taken, new sub-data is generated as new information and attached to the changed main body data. The new sub-data is
It is generated by using a part of the sub-data of the file information before change (information excluding classification information and control information).

By doing so, the source of the image information can always be managed by the information itself, and if the information is changed, the change history is taken, so that the reliability and restoration of the information can be improved. When the history is not taken, it is possible to clarify the responsibility sharing of the source of the information handled as new information and prohibit the information from walking alone.

The change is made by the application software, and page addition, deletion, partial change, etc. are performed without writing the main body data by writing in the sub data, and at the time of output, print output or display output is performed according to the changed content of the sub data. There is a method and a method of changing the body data itself.

Here, regarding the creation of the file information by the above-mentioned cutting and pasting processing, FIG. 10 to FIG.
This will be explained with reference to 9. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the cutout process, and the file information of the cutout source is sub-data consisting of main data MD1 of image information and information 0 to 8 forming the image screen S1 of the rectangular area shown by the solid line in (a). The rectangular area indicated by the broken line in the image screen S1 is the cutout portion C, which is constituted by SD1.

0 to 8 forming the sub data SD1 are the following information, respectively. 1: Control software management 2: Source information 3: Importance level information 4: Output rank control
5: Search information 6: Date 7: Application 8: Low layer information (resolution of image information, contrast, etc.)

The control software management consists of the following information A and B as shown in FIG. A: Software version B: Revision (revised)

As for the source information, as shown in FIG.
It consists of C, D, ... Information. A: Diversion of information No: 0, Yes: 1 B: Number of places C: Cutout source information and placement of the first source: 0 Other: 1 Information ID page Coordinate editing application information (Not required if the main data is not attached) Low layer Information (Not required if the main data is not attached) Placement page: 0 Partial attachment: 1 Additional page position or attachment coordinates D: Cutout Second source information and placement Same as below (omitted)

As shown in FIG. 13, the importance is as follows.
It consists of information. A: Importance rank None: 0 Yes: 1 B: Level 1 locations and locations C: Level 2 locations and locations D: Level 3 locations and locations

The output rank control is composed of information A to D shown in FIG. A: No rank: 0 Yes: 1 B: Level 1 locations and locations C: Level 2 locations and locations D: Level 3 locations and locations

The retrieval information is, as shown in FIG.
I information. A: Search information None: 0 Yes: 1 BI: Search item The date consists of the following information A to D, as shown in FIG. A: Date attribute None: 0 Yes: l B: Specified creation date C: Body data creation date D:
Sub data creation date

As shown in FIG. 17, the application consists of the following information A to D. A: Information editing application No: 0 Yes:
1 B: ID No. C: Search application ID None: 0 Yes:
1 D: ID No.

As shown in FIG. 18, the lower layer information includes the following A to
It consists of each information of F. A: Resolution B: Reading size C: Contrast D: Brightness E: TEXT / PHOT processing F:
Compression type

Then, as shown in FIG. 10B, the file information of the cutout result includes the main body data MD2 of the image information constituting the image image of the cutout portion C and 0 to 0.
The sub data SD2 is composed of 8 pieces of information.
The types of each of the information items 1 to 8 forming the sub-data SD2 are the same as the sub-data SD1 of the cut-out source information described above, but their contents are changed.

1: Control software management is omitted 2: Source information A: Utilization of information Yes: 1 B: Number of locations 1 C: Cropout first source information and location Self: 0 Information ID page Coordinate editing application ID No. Low-rise information Layout Cutout Paste XY coordinates

3, 4: Important information, output rank control None (if the information is ranked, only those who are allowed to cut out) 5: Search information None 6: Date Date attribute None: 0 7: Application A: With editing application: 1 B: ID No. 8: Lower layer information Only the read size is changed, other information is the same as the sub data of the cutout source.

FIG. 19 shows a configuration example in which the cut-out image information is pasted to the image information of other file information to create new file information. This file information is displayed on the image screen S2 of the rectangular area shown by the solid line.
Main body data M forming image information in which an image screen of a cutout portion C is attached to a rectangular area indicated by a broken line in
The sub data SD3 is composed of D3 and the sub data SD3 including the information of 0 to 8. The types of the respective information of 1 to 8 that compose the sub data SD3 are the sub data SD of the information of the cutout source described above.
Same as 1, but the contents change.

1: Control software management is omitted 2: Source information A: Utilization of information Yes: 1 B: Number of locations 1 C: Cutout source information and layout of the other 1: Information ID page Coordinate editing application ID No. Low-rise information Placement Partial sticking Sticky coordinates

3, 4: Important information, output rank control None 5: Search information None 6: Date Date attribute None: 0 7: Application A: Editing application Yes: 1 B: ID No. 8: Lower layer information Only the read size is changed, other information is the same as the sub data of the pasting destination.

As in the above-mentioned example, by adding information (ID No.) designating the application software used when the body data was created to the sub data, the body data cannot be seen without the application software. Information (code information or the like) or information that cannot be changed / deleted / edited in the main body data can be included, and the compatibility and editability of information can be improved.

For example, it is possible to take in the information created by a commercially available word processor software or spreadsheet software as the main data and create the file information in which the ID No. of the software is added to the sub data, and the data of the application software is created. If the amount is small, it can be added to the sub data. Further, when changing the information in which the above-mentioned cutout information is put, it can be easily changed by activating the application information added to the sub data.

Furthermore, by inserting a condition for discarding the information into the sub data of the file information thus created, the file information is automatically discarded when the condition is satisfied. You can also In this case, as the disposal information, for example, disposal date, disposal warning, usage frequency information for disposal according to the usage frequency (information not used frequently) is added. In this way, if unnecessary file information is automatically discarded, information management becomes easier, and the memory capacity of the storage device can always be used effectively.

Further, it is also possible to encrypt the main body data and add information for decrypting it to the sub data. Since the main body data is usually a standardized structure, it is possible to read it without sub-data, but it is possible to prevent reading of confidential information whose output is restricted. Alternatively, in order to limit the output of the main body data, password information is added to the sub-data, whereby the confidentiality of the information whose output (display, print, transmission, etc.) is limited can be maintained.

Further, when the sub data control means of FIG. 4 is provided with a sub data control means for controlling the arrangement and increase / decrease of the information of the sub data, the created file information is the ODD8 shown in FIGS. When the optical disk 9 is taken out and stored in the optical disk 9 or taken out by a method such as being transmitted by the communication device 6, a part or all of the sub data control software used by the sub data control means is converted into the file information. It is desirable to add. In that case, the addition may be included in the sub-data, or may be set separately from the sub-data.

Basically, the information taken out cannot be read even if it is taken to an independent device of another different system. This is because the structure of body data is unknown. However, if the body data is not encrypted and is created in an industry standard format such as TIFF, it can be read at the lower layer level. However, it was extremely difficult to use because the delivery of information was not managed.

Therefore, by adding the sub data control information (software) as described above, the system side brought in the file information from the external system,
By using the sub data control information, the sub data of the brought-in file information can be analyzed and converted into the sub data of the system. As a result, compatibility of file information is ensured, processing speed is increased, and information management is facilitated.

The conversion information is written in the sub-data control information, and the information that should not be rewritten at the time of conversion, the structure information of the main body data, the source, etc. are basically changed in arrangement and will not be described. Further, for information that cannot be converted at the application level, an analysis tool may be provided for inquiring the operator whether to delete or change the information when registering or reading the information.

Next, FIG. 20 is a functional block diagram showing functions related to file information classification and retrieval in the embodiment of the electronic file device according to the present invention. This is the system control means 20, the storage control means 29 and the storage means 30, which are also shown in FIG. 4, the search control means 31, the search means 32, the search information input means 33, the output control means 34 and the output means 35.
Main body data retrieval / creation means 36 and sub data management means 3
It consists of 7.

System control means 20, storage control means 29
Although the storage means 30 is a means that performs each function related to the creation of file information in FIG. 4, it performs each function related to classification and search of file information here. The search control means 31 controls the search information input means 33 such as a keyboard or a mouse, inputs the information of the search condition by the operator and controls the search means 32 to search the requested file information.

The search means 32 searches the table created in advance or the sub data managed by the sub data management means 37 described later in response to the search command from the search control means 32, and as a result, the necessary file information is searched. The main body data is searched or created by the main body data searching / creating means, which will be described later, or information of the search result is sent to the storage control means to read necessary file information into the storage means 30.

The output means 35 is means for outputting data including the display device 4, the printer 5, and the communication device 6 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and is controlled by the output control means 34 to be read by the storage means 30. The body data of the issued file information is displayed or printed out, and sub data is added and transmitted.

The main body data searching / creating means 36 searches or creates the main body data from the information of the sub-data of a plurality of file information without the main body data. Further, by combining the sub-data of a plurality of file information with each other, completely new body information is created from the respective information.

The sub-data managing means 37 automatically classifies a large number of file information consisting of the main body data and the sub-data created as described above based on the respective sub-data. Therefore, a means for associating each sub-data of a plurality of file information with the main body data by an identification code and separating, a means for classifying only the separated sub-data, or a method for classifying each of the separated sub-data It has a means for adding a part of the body data or data obtained by simplifying the body data to the sub data.

Further, each sub-data of a plurality of file information is rearranged horizontally for each information element forming each sub-data, or a process for connecting common parts, or each sub-data of a plurality of file information. Data is divided into information elements that make up each of the sub-data, collected for each common information element, and each main body data has an identification code for creating related original sub-data from the common information element. Means can be included.

When the search means creates search information indicating a combination of the common information elements summarized above at the time of search,
Searching for each common information element by the search information,
It is also possible to provide a sub data reproducing means for reconstructing sub data by grouping each information element of the search result by an identification code. In that case, a means for ranking the sub-data reconstructed by the sub-data reproducing means according to the degree of coincidence at the time of retrieval, and the re-constructed sub-data with a high search frequency are stored without being decomposed, and It is also possible to provide means for deleting the stored sub-data when it is not searched for a certain period.

According to this embodiment, the file information read in the same system is separated by associating the sub data and the main data with the ID which is the identification code. For example, the sub data is in the RAM and the main data is on the magnetic disk. Stored in the device. When processing such as classification and retrieval is performed, only the sub-data and the main data does not move. The body data is called up via the ID only when necessary. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the processing of the main body data having a large capacity, and it is possible to increase the processing speed such as classification and search.

As described above, when only sub-data is classified, a part of the main data (for example, only the first page) or a simplified data of the sub-data is added to the sub-data (for example, the resolution is changed from 600 dpi to 100 dpi). It may be possible to further increase the processing speed by adding (lowering the data amount to reduce the data amount).

Even if there is no main body data, the main body data can be automatically created or retrieved based on the information of the sub data, whereby the sub data and the main body data are always 1
There is no need to exist in a one-to-one relationship, the sub data can share all or part of the main data, the same information is not stored redundantly, memory capacity can be effectively used, and more File information can be stored.

For example, when a part of the body data of certain file information is cut out as described above to create body data of new file information, the information ID of the cutout source
If the sub-data of the new file information has the coordinate information of the cut-out position and the sub-data, the cut-out source can be read by reading the sub-data information when it is necessary for screen display or print output, etc. All you have to do is extract the body data of. Such clipping is the same in the case of diverting all the body data in page units.

Further, new main body data can be automatically created or retrieved based on the information of the sub-data of a plurality of file information. That is, by specifying the necessary items, it is easy to edit the necessary information to automatically create new body data and print it out on paper.

For example, when the present invention is applied to an electronic file device for managing patent information, 1961 to 1990
Patents related to "Bookmark Search" during the year If you specify that you want to cut out the names, classifications, and claims of all inventions and combine them into one document in A4 size, you can easily create it. . When the created document is registered as new file information, the main body data is unnecessary as described above, and it is sufficient to register the file information as only the sub data.

Next, as a method of classifying the sub-data, instead of arranging the sub-data of a large number of file information in a tree structure, the sub-data are rearranged horizontally for each information of the contents of the sub-data, or common parts are shared. You can increase the search speed by creating a table by connecting (grouping).

Further, the sub data is separated for each information element,
By grouping common information elements of each sub-data together and giving each information element of the sub-data for each main body data an ID for making the related original sub-data from the common information element, The search speed can be further increased.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory view of the sub-data classification method, in which a large number of sub-data A, B, C, ... (ID) respectively have a plurality of information elements 1, 2, 3 ,. The information elements are separated into pieces and collected for each common information element, and a plurality of groups G1, G2, G3, G4, ... Are created and classified as shown by a solid line.

For example, if some of the information elements forming the sub-data A and the sub-data B include information "cold" which is environmental information and "dirty" which is human sense information, the respective sub-data The information element "cold" is classified into group G2, and "dirty" is classified into group G3.

Therefore, suppose that some search information includes "cold" and "dirty" as shown in FIG.
Instead of searching for all registered file information, a group G2 that is a set of "cold" environmental information and a group G3 that is a set of "dirty" five senses information are searched,
ID of sub-data that has information element (ID) in both of them
Each information element is collected from, the sub data is reconstructed, and the main data is extracted.

In this example, since the IDs A and B exist in both groups G2 and G3, the sub-data A is reconstructed by collecting the information elements of all the groups in which the ID A exists.
It is possible to collect the information elements of all the groups in which the ID of B exists and reconstruct the sub data B, and retrieve the body data of A and the body data of B as the search result.

In this way, each time the sub-data is reconstructed, the search matching degree for the sub-data may be counted, and the search matching degree may be ranked for each sub-data. Furthermore, if the reconstructed sub-data that is frequently searched is saved (stored in the RAM) without being decomposed, the process of reconstructing the sub-data when it is searched again later can be omitted to improve the search speed. It can be further enhanced. If the sub-data is deleted when it has not been used for a certain period of time, the memory can be effectively used.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention, that is, an electronic file device in which planar information can be taken in as sub-data by using a background image will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment corresponds to the invention of claims 31 to 36.

FIG. 32 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the document registration / retrieval device which is the electronic file device of this embodiment. The control device 41, the image information input / output device 42, the document storage device 43 for images, etc. Document storage device for registration / search 4
4, an image display device 45, an image storage device 46, a keyboard 47, a position information input device (mouse) 48, and a system bus 49.

The hardware configuration of this document registration / retrieval device is as follows:
The electronic file device of the above-described embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is basically the same as the electronic file device of FIG.
The image information input / output device 42 corresponds to the scanner 3 for inputting the image information, the printer 5 for outputting the image information, and the communication device 6 for input / output, and the image recording device 46 corresponds to the image memory 12, respectively, in the computer unit including the ROM 11. Then, the control device 41 causes the control device 41 to be described later with reference to FIGS.
0, and the processing peculiar to this embodiment shown in the flowchart of FIG. 32 is performed.

Therefore, first, the registration and
The background image for search will be described. The background image may be an attribute corresponding to a value shown on the graph or information corresponding to a position on a map or a structural diagram, but an example thereof is shown here. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the background image for the registration / search, which is the five figures a to.
The case where e and two orthogonal straight lines f and g are displayed is shown.

Each figure or straight line is a mark for the operator to know the coordinate position, and its size and arrangement may be arbitrary. In short, any image can be used as the background image for registration / retrieval as long as the image can be used to determine the approximate coordinate position. It is possible to use a plurality of types of such background images.

Next, the document (image information) according to this embodiment
The operation when registering will be described. First, in order to input a document with a scanner or register a document created in the document registration / retrieval apparatus, the operator selects a background image for registration / retrieval and obtains its ID. In a system that uses only one type of background image, such an operation is unnecessary, and for example, a predetermined background image shown in FIG. 24 is displayed on the screen of the image display device 45.

When there are a plurality of types of background images for registration / search, the selected background image is displayed on the screen of the image display device 45, and at the same time, the cursor for position designation is displayed.
FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the background image for registration / search and the cursor for position designation are displayed, and K indicates an arrow cursor.

On the screen of FIG. 25, the operator operates the position information input device (mouse) 48 to specify a point on the image and obtains the coordinate value. In this case, the coordinate value of one point designated by the arrow cursor K becomes the coordinate value of the document attribute.

Alternatively, the operator operates the mouse 48 to specify two points on the image and obtain the respective coordinate values. In that case, the area (range) L of the document attribute is designated as shown in FIG. 26, and the coordinate values of the two diagonal points designating the area L become the coordinate values of the document attribute.
The designation of this range does not necessarily have to be a simple rectangular area.

In this manner, when one or two points on the image are designated, the image (ID) information that is input or created is used with the image ID, which is the identification information of the background image used together with the coordinate values, as the sub data. File information is added to the main body data, and the file information is stored in the same file of the document storage device 43 by the HDD or ODD. be registered. Index information such as keywords can be added to the sub data.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the image ID of the background image and the coordinate value on the image are added to the sub-data which is the index information of the main body data, one kind or a plurality of kinds of registration / search Background image is prepared, the same type of background image as that used at the time of registration is displayed at the time of search, and the target document (main body) instructed as shown in FIG. 25 or 26 on the screen is displayed. Data) file information. The background image in this case is a simple background other than being used as an ID, and only functions as a clue for coordinate designation.

FIG. 27 is a flow chart showing the flow of main processing at the time of document registration by the control device 41 shown in FIG. When the document registration is started, the processing of FIG. 27 is started, and first, the registration / search image (background image) is selected. If there is only one type of background image, this operation is omitted.

Next, the image ID of the selected registration / retrieval image is acquired, and the registration / retrieval image and the cursor for position designation are simultaneously displayed on the screen of the image display device 45. Therefore, when the operator specifies a point on the image, the coordinate value is acquired, and the coordinate value and the image ID of the background image are added as sub-data to the main body data that is the document (image) information to be registered, and the file information is added. The document is created, the document is registered thereby, and the process is terminated.

Further, in the case of the registration operation by designating two points, it becomes as shown in the flowchart of FIG. In this case as well, the processing is basically the same as that described above with reference to FIG.
When the registration / search image is displayed on the screen of the image display device 45, two points are designated on the screen, that is, the starting point coordinates and the diagonal coordinates are designated, and the two points are set as diagonal points. The difference is that the coordinate value indicating the area (range) is added to the main body data as sub data together with the image ID to create file information.

Next, the operation at the time of search according to this embodiment will be described. When searching, first register the target
The operator selects a search image (background image) to obtain the image ID. It should be noted that such an operation is not necessary in a system that uses only one type of background image as described above. Next, as shown in FIG. 29, the cursor K for position designation is displayed on the screen of the image display device 45 at the same time as the registration / search image.

On the screen at the time of search shown in FIG. 29, the operator operates the mouse 48 to designate a point on the image, and the coordinate value is obtained. In this case, the coordinates in the circle indicated by the broken line in the drawing designated by the cursor K are the extraction target range. The file information is searched with the image ID and the coordinate value on the image as a search condition together with other indexes such as keywords set at the time of registration. In this case, it is necessary to be able to describe the numerical operation between items as a conditional expression.

After that, the documents are sorted by using the distance between the coordinate value in the sub data of the retrieved file information and the coordinate value designated at the time of retrieval as a key. Finally, the search result is output.

FIG. 30 shows the control device 41 for this document retrieval.
5 is a flowchart showing a main processing flow by the.
When the search process is started, first, a registration / search screen is displayed, and the operator is prompted to select a registration / search image (background image) corresponding to the registered document. If there is only one type of image, this operation is omitted.

Next, the ID of the selected registration / search image
Is acquired, and an image for registration / search and a cursor for position designation are displayed at times. Therefore, when the operator specifies one point on the image, the coordinate value is acquired as the search coordinate.

Next, a search condition expression is created and file information is searched. That is, the main data (document) of the file information in which the distance between the designated coordinate value and the coordinate value in the sub-data is shorter than a certain value is searched, and the searched file information is classified using the distance as a key, and the distance is The shorter the value, the higher the importance. Then, the search result (at least a part of the main body data) is displayed, and the process ends.

Here, an inter-item numerical operation expression as a search condition will be described. The coordinates in the sub data of the file information are p1: (x1, y1). Further, the coordinate value designated as the search condition is P1: (X1, Y1). The search condition in this case is Equation 1. Here, R is a constant (radius of the circle of the broken line in FIG. 29).

[0157]

## EQU1 ## (X1-x1) ² + (Y1-y1) ² <R ²

Next, another operation example at the time of retrieval according to this embodiment will be described. In the previous example, the search target range was specified by one point, but in this example, it is specified by two points. FIG. 31 shows a screen display example at the time of search in this case, and is a view showing a state in which a background image for registration / search and an extraction target range designated by the cursor are displayed.

As shown in FIG. 31, the operator designates two points of diagonal points of the area L of the search target range on the screen at the time of search, and the coordinate values are obtained. Therefore, the position designation by the cursor K is performed twice as in the case of registration, but other operations are the same as in the case of the previous example.

When the rectangular extraction target range is designated as shown in FIG. 31, the item function value arithmetic expression as the retrieval condition is as follows. Here, the coordinates in the sub data of the file information are p1: (x1, y1) and p2: (x2,
y2). Note that x2> x1 and y2> y1.
In addition, the coordinate value specified as the search condition is P1: (X
1, Y1) and P2: (X2, Y2). Note that X
2> X1 and Y2> Y1.

The search condition of the file information in which the coordinate value of one point added as the sub-data is included in the range designated at the time of the search is Formula 2, and these two conditions must be satisfied. Note that p2: (x2, y2) is not used among the coordinate values in the sub data.

[0162]

## EQU00002 ## X1 <x1 <X2 Y1 <y1 <Y2

Further, the search condition (inter-item numerical operation formula) of the file information in which the shared portion exists in the range designated at the time of the search and the coordinate range added as the sub-data is any one of Expressions 3.

[0164]

(3) (X1 <x1 <X2 and Y1 <y1 <Y
2) or (X1 <x1 <X2 and Y1 <y2
<Y2) or (X1 <x2 <X2 and Y1 <
y1 <Y2) or (X1 <x2 <X2 and Y
1 <y2 <Y2)

FIG. 32 is a flow chart showing the main processing flow in the case of designating the extraction target range by designating two points at the time of retrieval as described above. This process is basically the same as the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 30, but differs from the previous example in that the operator sets two points on the image to set the extraction target range.

In other words, as the search coordinates for the operator,
Specify two points, a starting point and a diagonal point, on the background image. In the subsequent process, the above-described search condition expression is created, file information is searched, and the search result is displayed. In this way, in this embodiment, when searching, an area such as a rectangle is designated as the extraction target range on the background image, and the file information of the search target can be searched from the coordinate values.

Next, an electronic file device with a date specifying bookmark function according to still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 33 to 35. This embodiment corresponds to the invention of claims 37 to 39.

FIG. 33 is a functional block diagram showing the main structure of the electronic file device with a date specifying bookmark function of this embodiment. The hardware configuration of this embodiment is basically the same as that of the electronic file device shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and only the functions of the CPU 10 and the like are different.

As shown in FIG. 33, the electronic file device of this embodiment includes an input section 51, a bookmark recording section 52 retrieval circuit 53, a control section 54, a display section 55, an image recording section 56, and a due date checking section 57. I have it. The input unit 51 has a function of receiving characters, commands, positions and the like from input means such as a keyboard and a pointing device (mouse), and receiving image information from the scanner, and bookmark information provided from the outside and We also accept search conditions.

The bookmark recording section 52 is a medium for recording title information and bookmark information of documents and images registered in the image recording section 56. The search circuit 53 has a function of searching the file information (image of the document) registered in the image recording unit according to the search condition from the input unit 51.

The control section 54 has a function of controlling each section constituting the system of the electronic file device. The display unit 55 is a display such as a CRT or LCD, and visualizes and displays information such as a document image and a bookmark.

The image recording section 56 includes a hard disk drive device (HDD) and an optical disk drive device (OD).
D), etc., and file information and the like created by adding sub-data, which is information for classification / search, to main body data, which is image information of a document, are recorded (registered) on a hard disk or an optical disc.

The due date check circuit 57 is for displaying the current date and time and the image recording section 5 when the power is turned on or when an operation such as searching / registering is performed.
By comparing the due date information added as sub-data to each file information registered in 6 or the due date setting bookmark information, the deadline file information is detected, and the deadline file information is detected. Sometimes, it has a function of notifying it to the control unit 54.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. When the image of the document to be registered, which is read and input by the scanner or created in the electronic file device, is displayed on the display unit 55, the input unit 51 is operated by an input unit such as a keyboard or a pointing device. When the instruction for setting the bookmark is obtained, the control unit 54 is notified of that fact.

In response to this, the control unit 54 passes the information such as the document No. and the page No. to the bookmark recording unit 52.
After that, the control unit 54 instructs the display unit 55 to display the bookmark, and displays the bookmark mark on the screen together with the image. In this case, if the bookmark setting condition is accepted, in the case of a normal bookmark, the bookmark recording unit 5 is transmitted via the control unit 54.
Information such as the document No. and page No., and the type of bookmark that has been set is passed to 2.

Next, the control unit 54 instructs the display unit 55 to display a bookmark, and the normal bookmark mark is displayed on the screen together with the image. Further, in the case of a bookmark with a memo, the fact that the memo is included and the content of the memo are input from the input unit 51.

Then, the bookmark recording section 5 is operated via the control section 4.
Information such as the document No. and page No., the type of bookmark and the memo content that have been set are passed to 2. After that, the control unit 5
4 instructs the display unit 55 to display a bookmark, and the bookmark mark with a memo is displayed together with the image on the screen.

Further, in the case of the due date setting bookmark, the fact that the due date is set and the information regarding the due date are input from the input unit 51. Then, the bookmark recording unit 52 via the control unit 4
Information such as document No. and page No., and information such as the type and date of the set bookmark are passed. After that, the control unit 54 instructs the display unit 55 to display the bookmark, and the mark of the date-set bookmark is displayed on the screen together with the image.

At the time of setting the date designation bookmark, the designated date information is added as sub-data to the main body data which is the document image to be registered to create file information, which is registered in the image recording unit 56.

FIG. 34 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing of the control unit 54 and the like when setting such a bookmark. In this figure, 1 to 15 indicate processing steps. When this process starts, first, the image to be registered is displayed in step 1, and in the next step 2, the input from the input unit 51 is monitored. If the input is an instruction for another process, step 3 is performed.
Proceed to and perform the other processing specified.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 2 that the instruction for other processing has not been input, the process proceeds to step 4, and it is determined whether the instruction is a bookmark setting instruction. As a result, if it is not a bookmark setting instruction, the process returns to the previous step 2 and the same processing is repeated.

If it is determined in step 4 that the instruction is a bookmark setting instruction, the flow advances to step 5 to check whether or not the bookmark setting is normal. If the normal bookmark is set, the bookmark information is recorded in step 6 in the bookmark recording unit 5.
Set to 2 and proceed to step 7, set so as to display a normal bookmark as a bookmark mark, and proceed to step 15.

If it is determined in step 5 that the normal bookmark is not set, the flow advances to step 8 to check whether or not the bookmark with memo is set. If you have a bookmark with notes,
Proceed to step 9 to enter the contents of the memo. Then, in step 10, the information of the bookmark with the memo is recorded in the bookmark recording unit 52.
Set to step 11 and set to display a bookmark with a memo as a bookmark mark and then step 1
Go to 5.

If it is determined in step 8 that the bookmark with memo is not set, it is determined that the due date is set as the bookmark, and the process proceeds to step 12 to perform the setting by inputting the due date. Then, in the next step 13, the information of the due date setting is set in the bookmark recording unit 52. At this time, the due date information of the due date setting bookmark is added as sub-data to the body data of the document image to be registered to create file information, which is registered in the image recording unit 56. This sub data may include information useful for other classification / search.

Thereafter, in step 14, the bookmark is set as a bookmark mark so that the bookmark is set, and the process proceeds to step 15. In step 15, the image is set so that the bookmark mark is displayed, and the process returns to step 1. Through the processing of steps 1 to 15 described above, the processing at the time of setting the bookmark by the electronic file device with the designated date bookmark function of this embodiment is performed.

Next, the operation of displaying file information with a deadline according to this embodiment will be described. When the power is turned on, or when displaying images such as search or registration, the input unit 5
When 1 receives an input to that effect, the due date check circuit 57 is activated via the control unit 54.

The due date check circuit 57 shown in FIG.
The current date and time and the date information set in the date setting bookmark provided in the bookmark recording unit 52 or the date information added as sub-data to the file information registered in the image recording unit 56 are compared. However, if there is one within the preset period, the control unit 54 is notified of that.

Upon receiving this notification, the control section 54 reads out a part of the image which is the main data of the corresponding file information from the image recording section 56 and instructs the display section 55 to always display the image. Therefore, the user can know from the display screen that the due date of the document has expired when the power is turned on or when an image is displayed for search or registration.

FIG. 35 is a flow chart showing the flow of main processing at the time of activation of this embodiment. When this process is started, it is constantly checked whether or not an instruction such as power-on or search or registration is input from the input unit 51. If there is an instruction to power on or search or register,
The due date check circuit 57 is activated via the control unit 54.

Then, the due date check circuit 57 presents the present date and time and the due date information provided in the bookmark recording section 2, or the due date information added as sub data to the file information registered in the image recording section 56. If there is one within a preset period such as one week, a part of the body data of the corresponding file information is read from the image recording unit 56 and the image is constantly displayed. If there is nothing within the preset period, the process is terminated without doing anything.

With the above processing, at least a part of the image of the file information within the preset period is displayed when the power is turned on or when an operation such as search or registration is performed, so that the user has a deadline. You can know the information.

[0192]

As described above, according to the file information creating method and electronic file device of the present invention, file information is created by adding sub-data useful for classification and retrieval to body data such as image information. Therefore, when the created file information is used after being processed, classified, searched, etc., the pre-work or preparatory work is performed by the sub-data, and the main data can be read only when the main data is really needed. Most of the work can be done with sub-data. Therefore, it is possible to effectively use the memory in the device and speed up the processes such as classification and search.

Not only the image information but also the code data of a document created by a word processor or the like can be stored in the same manner, and the storage and utilization of the document can be dramatically improved, and the input or created information can be classified and searched. It becomes easy and the automation becomes possible.

Further, when the information is taken in, the information (five sense information) adapted to the human sense is also taken in at the same time to compose the sub data, so that a good MMI (man-machine interface) search can be performed. Furthermore, by adding various information (data) to the sub-data, it is possible to have various functions so that the source of information, editing history, etc. can be known, and information disclosure can be appropriately restricted. , Can solve compatibility problems or.

Further, since the file information itself can have a procedure to be processed such as processing and active information for controlling it in its sub-data, it is possible to set up a program necessary for itself to collect information, It is also possible to activate the terminal and request the operator to input the information, which dramatically facilitates information management and processing. Since the effects corresponding to each claim up to claim 30 have been described in the description of each of the above-mentioned embodiments, description thereof will be omitted.

Further, in the inventions of claims 31 to 36, the position or range on the image is converted into the coordinates (x, y) on the image plane to be the sub-data which is an index into the file information and is searched. By similarly converting the conditions into coordinates on the image plane, it is possible to perform the search / registration process by directly using the geometric conditions such as the position, the range, and the distance on the image as condition keys.

Therefore, by projecting on the plane an ambiguous attribute such as an attribute which is difficult to be expressed as a numerical value or a subjective tendency which has been difficult with the conventional electronic file device, the object can be intuitively operated. be able to.
In this way, it is possible to search documents quickly and easily by replacing the unclear attributes that are difficult to express as numerical values and the ambiguous attributes that are subjective tendencies with the geometrical conditions such as the position, range and distance on the plane. It becomes possible and the operability is improved.

Further, in the inventions of claims 37 to 39, due date information such as a due date when the main body data is used is added as sub-data, so that the file information with the due date when the power is turned on or the operation is started. Can be automatically searched and the image can be displayed on a part of the screen. Therefore, the user does not need to be particularly concerned about the document until the preset date, and when the deadline is reached, the fact is displayed on the screen, so do not forget.
The filing system can be stably used.

If a bookmark for setting the due date is added to the file information, a bookmark indicating that the due date is set is displayed even when the main body data is displayed when the due date is not overdue. Can be made Therefore, the user can be sure that the document has been set to the due date, and the anxiety about whether or not the due date is set is eliminated, and the bookmark allows general bookmarks such as bookmark search and bookmark turning. Functions are also available.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of file information created by a file information creation method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of an electronic file device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the same.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration relating to file information creation of the electronic file device which is an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart showing an operation when file information is created and registered by the electronic file device shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the same continuation.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process in the case of cutting out a part of the file information created by the electronic file device of FIG. 4 to create cutout information.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process when the cutout information created by the process of FIG. 7 is pasted to other file information to create new file information.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the same continuation.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of sub-data of the same clipping process, a clipping source, and a clipping result.

11 is an explanatory diagram showing the content of "1: control software management" of the sub data shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of “2: source information”.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram similarly showing the content of “3: importance”.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram similarly showing the content of “4: output rank control”.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of “5 :: search information”.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram similarly showing the content of “6: date”.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of “7: application”.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram similarly showing the content of “7 :: Lower layer information”.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of sub data of the pasting process and the pasting result.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example related to file information classification / search of the electronic file device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

21 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a method of classifying sub-data of a large number of file information by the electronic file device shown in FIG.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of search information in that case as well.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a document registration / retrieval device which is an electronic file device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a registration / search background image used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a state in which the background image and the cursor for specifying the position are displayed on the screen of the image display device.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a state in which two points are designated by the cursor on the displayed background image and the extraction target range is displayed.

27 is a flowchart showing an example of the main processing flow at the time of registration according to the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing another example of the main processing flow during registration as well.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a background image and a cursor K for position designation are displayed during the search according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 23.

FIG. 30 is a flow chart showing an example of the main processing flow during the search.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a background image and an extraction target range designated by a cursor are displayed during the search according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 23.

FIG. 32 is a flow chart showing another example of the main processing flow during the search.

FIG. 33 is a functional block diagram showing a main configuration of an electronic file device showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing a main processing flow when setting a bookmark according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 33;

FIG. 35 is a flow chart showing a main processing flow at startup.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Information processing device (main unit) 2 Keyboard 3
Scanner 4 Display 5 Printer 6
Communication device 7 Magnetic disk device (HD) 8 Optical disk drive device (ODD) 9 Optical disk 10 CPU 11 Program memory (ROM) 12 Image memory (RAM) 13 Video memory (RAM) 14 Bus line 14 Mouse 20 System control means 21
Sub data control means 22 Sub data collection means 23 Internal sub data generation means 24 Five senses data detection means 25 Sub data input means 26 Sub data editing means 27 Input control means 28 Input means 29 Storage control means 30 Storage means 31 Search control means 32 Search Means 33 search information input means 34 output control means 35 output means (display device,
Printer, communication device) 36 Main body data search / creation means 37 Sub data management means MD Main body data SD Sub data RH Rear header 41 Control device 42 Image information input / output device 43 Document storage device for images 44 Registration / search document storage device 45 Image display device 46 Image storage device 47 Keyboard 48 Position information input device 49 System bus 51 Input part 52 Bookmark recording part 53 Search circuit 54 Control part 55 Display part 56 Image recording part 57 Date check circuit

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Reiko Ito 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Stock company Ricoh Company (72) Inventor Jun Ebata 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Stock Company Ricoh

Claims (39)

[Claims] 1. In an electronic file device, data input or created by using a peripheral device such as a scanner is used as main data, and information useful for classification and retrieval is added to the main data as sub data to provide file information. File information creation method characterized by creating. 2. The file information creation method according to claim 1, wherein the information of the sub-data is configured by a combination of a date and time when the main body data was created, an editing application used, five senses information of the creator, and the like. Characteristic file information creation method. 3. A means for creating file information by the file information creating method according to claim 1 and a means for storing main data and sub data of the file information created by the means in the same file of a storage device. An electronic filing device characterized by being provided. 4. An electronic file device, comprising means for automatically classifying file information created by the file information creating method according to claim 1 or 2 based on its sub-data. File device. 5. A means for creating file information by the file information creating method according to claim 1, and a means for sending the file information created by the means to the outside.
An electronic file device comprising means for adding data specific to the device to the sub-data when the file information is transmitted to the outside by the device. 6. The file information creating method according to claim 1, wherein information for controlling the output of the created file information is added to the sub data of the file information. 7. The file information creating method according to claim 1, wherein the file information is information for controlling the output of the created file information by ranking each part. File information creation method characterized by being added to sub data of. 8. The file information creating method according to claim 1, 2, 6 or 7, wherein when the created file information is classified by an operation from the outside, the classification information is stored in the file information. A file information creation method characterized by being added as sub-data. 9. The electronic file device further comprises means for automatically classifying the file information created by the file information creating method according to claim 8 based on the classification information of the sub-data thereof. Electronic file device. 10. The file information creation method according to claim 1, 2, 6, 7, or 8, when the created file information is changed by an external operation, a new file after the change is created. A file information creation method characterized by adding change history data to sub-data of file information. 11. The file information creating method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 and 10, wherein information for restricting modification of created file information is added to sub-data of the file information. A file information creation method characterized by: 12. A part of the main body data of the file information created by the file information creation method according to claim 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, or 11, and the extracted main body. A file information creation method characterized in that new file information is created by creating necessary sub-data and adding it to the data. 13. A part of the body data of the file information created by the file information creation method according to claim 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 or 11 is extracted and other file information is extracted. The new main body data is generated by editing the main body data together with the sub data of the file information obtained by extracting a part of the main body data as the edit information into the sub data of the other file information. A file information creating method characterized by creating sub-data and adding the sub-data to the new body data to create new file information. 14. The file information creating method according to claim 1, wherein the sub information of the created file information is used to create the file information. A file information creation method characterized by adding information designating the specified application software. 15. The file information creating method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 to 14, wherein information on conditions for discarding main data in sub-data of created file information. A file information creation method characterized by adding. 16. The file information creating method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 to 15, wherein the body data of the created file information is encrypted,
A file information creation method characterized by adding the decryption information to sub-data. 17. The file information creation method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 to 15, wherein output of body data is restricted to sub data of created file information. A file information creation method characterized by adding password information for 18. An electronic filing apparatus for sub-data of file information created by the file information creation method according to claim 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 to 17. An electronic file device, characterized in that a sub data control means for controlling the arrangement and increase / decrease of the information constituting the above is provided. 19. The electronic file device according to claim 18, further comprising means for adding sub-data control information by the sub-data control means to the file information to be taken out when the file information is taken out to the outside. Characteristic electronic filing device. 20. When the file information to which the sub data control information is added is brought in by the electronic file device according to claim 19, the sub data control information is analyzed and the sub data of the file information is stored in the device. An electronic file device, characterized in that a sub-data conversion means for converting the sub-data is provided. 21. In an electronic file device, each sub-data of a plurality of file information created by the file information creating method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 to 17 An electronic file device comprising: means for associating and separating main body data with an identification code; and means for classifying only each sub-data thereof. 22. In an electronic file device, each sub-data of a plurality of file information created by the file information creating method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 to 17 A means for associating and separating the main body data with an identification code and a means for classifying each sub-data and adding a part of the main body data or a simplified data of the main body data to the sub-data are provided. Characteristic electronic filing device. 23. A new file by extracting a part of the body data of the file information created by the file information creating method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 to 15. When creating information, a file information creation method characterized by omitting the body data and creating file information in which sub data has information that can automatically create or retrieve the body data as needed. 24. The electronic file device according to claim 2,
3. An electronic file device comprising means for creating or retrieving body data from information of sub-data of a plurality of file information without body data created by the file information creation method described in 3. 25. In an electronic file device, a plurality of file information sub-items created by the file information creating method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 to 15 or 23. An electronic filing device characterized in that means for creating completely new body data from each piece of information by combining the data is provided. 26. In an electronic file device, each of a plurality of file information created by the file information creating method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 to 15 or 23. An electronic file device comprising sub-data management means for horizontally rearranging sub-data for each information element forming each sub-data or for connecting common parts. 27. In an electronic file device, each of a plurality of file information created by the file information creating method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 to 15 or 23. The sub-data is separated into information elements that make up each sub-data, collected for each common information element, and an identification code for creating related original sub-data from the common information element is provided for each body data. An electronic filing device characterized in that a sub data management means is provided. 28. In the electronic file device according to claim 27, means for creating search information indicating a combination of the common information elements collected at the time of search, and searching the respective common information elements by the search information. And an auxiliary file reproducing means for reconstructing auxiliary data by grouping each information element of the search result by the identification code. 29. The electronic file device according to claim 28, further comprising a unit for ranking the sub-data reconstructed by the sub-data reproducing unit according to the degree of coincidence at the time of retrieval. .. 30. The electronic file device according to claim 28, wherein among the sub-data reconstructed by the sub-data reproducing means, a sub-data having a high search frequency is stored without being decomposed, and the stored sub-data is stored. An electronic file device, characterized in that it is provided with means for erasing when is not searched for a certain period. 31. Image information reading means for reading image information, image storage means for registering and storing the image information together with search information, image display means for displaying the image information, and on the screen of the image display means. In an electronic filing device having position information inputting means for designating a position, when registering the image information read from the image information reading means, a background image for registration / search is displayed on the screen, and the image is displayed. A means for creating file information by adding the coordinate value of one point designated by the position information inputting means and the identification information of the background image as sub-data to the body data consisting of the image information is provided. Characteristic electronic filing device. 32. Image information reading means for reading image information, image storage means for registering and storing the image information together with search information, image display means for displaying the image information, and on the screen of the image display means. In an electronic filing device having position information inputting means for designating a position, when registering the image information read from the image information reading means, a background image for registration / search is displayed on the screen, and the image is displayed. A means for creating file information by adding the coordinate value indicating the range designated by the position information input means and the identification information of the background image as sub-data to the main body data including the image information is provided. Electronic file device characterized by. 33. The electronic file device according to claim 31, wherein when the main body data is searched using the sub-data of the file information registered in the image storage means as an index, the registration / searching is performed on the screen. The background data of the file information is displayed, and the distance between the coordinate value of one point designated by the position information input means on the image and the coordinate value of one point added as the sub data is shorter than a fixed value. An electronic filing device characterized in that a search means for searching for is provided. 34. The electronic file device according to claim 33, wherein the search results of the search means are further classified by using the distance as a key, and the shorter the distance is, the higher the importance is, and the body data of the file information is searched. An electronic filing device characterized in that it is provided with means for performing. 35. The electronic file device according to claim 31, wherein when the main data is searched using the sub-data of the file information registered in the image storage means as an index, the registration / searching is performed on the screen. The background image of the above is displayed, and the search means is provided for searching the main body data of the file information including the coordinate value of one point added as the sub data in the range designated by the position information input means on the image. An electronic file device characterized by the above. 36. The electronic file device according to claim 32, wherein when the main body data is searched using the sub-data of the file information registered in the image storage means as an index, the registration / searching is performed on the screen. And a searching means for displaying the background image of the file and searching the body data of the file information in which a shared portion exists in the range designated by the position information inputting means and the coordinate range added as the sub-data on the image. An electronic filing device characterized in that 37. In an electronic file device, data input or created by using a peripheral device such as a scanner is used as main data, and when the main data has a due date such as expiration date, the due date information is added as sub data. An electronic file device comprising: means for creating file information by means of the means; and means for registering the file information created by the means in a storage device. 38. The electronic file device according to claim 36, wherein the current date and time and each file information registered in the storage device are added as sub-data during an operation such as power-on or search / registration. A due date detecting means for comparing the due date information with the due date information to detect the deadline file information and a means for displaying at least a part of the main body data of the file information detected by the means together with the due date information on the screen are provided. An electronic filing device characterized in that 39. The electronic file device according to claim 37, wherein when the due date information is added as sub-data of the file information, means for adding a due date designation bookmark, and the main body of the file information to which the due date designation bookmark is added. An electronic file device comprising: means for simultaneously displaying a date designation bookmark added to the data when the data is displayed on the screen when the date has not yet expired.