JPH10145512A - Communication terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide communication terminal equipment in which data read by an optical character recognition(OCR) reader are transferred to an optional opposite party to improve the convenience and a general-purpose OCR reader is used for reading a special bar code to reduce the cost. SOLUTION: This terminal equipment is provided with a transmission reception part 5 that makes transmission reception via a public line, an input part (OCR) reader 12 and a control part 2 transmits data inputted from the OCR reader 12 to an optional telephone number inputted from a key input part 11 or converts the data into a PB tone and outputs it as a message to a pager. Furthermore, a specific bar code rule is received from a service company via a communication network and a pattern of a special bar code read-in from the OCR reader 12 is decoded based on the received bar code rule in this terminal equipment.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication terminal for inputting, storing, transmitting and receiving data, and making a telephone call, and more particularly to an OCR.
(Optical Character Recognition)
The present invention relates to a communication terminal capable of transmitting data read by a reader via a communication network, reading a special barcode without a dedicated device, and increasing added value.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art OCR (Optical Character Recognitio)
n; optical character recognition)
It shines light on the numbers, letters, symbols, figures, etc. written on the surface of the object, reads the light and dark patterns from the reflected light, and compares them with the stored patterns to recognize the numbers, letters, symbols, For a user, a lot of information can be read by a simple operation. Recently, portable OCR readers have also been developed.

[0003] In particular, bar code readers have become widespread. Recently, special bar codes having a large data capacity have been developed and read by a dedicated reading device.

A conventional portable OCR reader does not have a communication function, or has a function of transferring data read by the OCR reader to a specific destination even if it has a communication function. No calls or calls could be made.

Further, in a conventional communication terminal, when a free message is transmitted to a pager, characters are converted into numeric codes and key input is performed.

A conventional telephone having an automatic dial function includes a telephone number code reader having a card reader for reading a special telephone number mark card in which a telephone number is described as an auxiliary storage device and reading the mark card. There was a telephone (see JP-A-8-18643).

[0007]

However, many of the above-mentioned conventional portable OCR readers have only a function of reading data, and OCR readers having a simple data transfer function have also been developed. However, there was a problem that the input data could not be fully utilized, which was inconvenient.

In addition, the conventional communication terminal has a problem that a message input operation for a pager is troublesome.

Further, to read a special bar code,
A dedicated barcode reader (reader) corresponding to each barcode rule is required, and there is a problem that the cost is high.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned conventional telephone with a telephone number code reader has a problem that the cost is increased because a special card reader needs to be prepared and mounted.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an OCR reader and a portable communication terminal are integrated into an OCR reader.
Auto-dial using data read by reader,
By calling the pager, the data can be fully utilized to improve convenience, reduce the task of inputting messages to the pager, and use a general-purpose OCR reader to read special barcodes. It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication terminal capable of reducing the number of communication terminals.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication terminal for transmitting / receiving via a communication network, irradiating a light to a medium surface.
An input unit for reading and recognizing characters, numbers, symbols, and graphics written on the medium based on the reflected light from the medium, and transmitting the data read and recognized by the input unit via the communication network. The data read by the input unit can be transmitted to an arbitrary destination, and the data read by the input unit can be fully utilized.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication terminal which transmits / receives data via a communication network, irradiates light to a surface of a medium, and performs a process based on reflected light from the medium. The input unit reads and recognizes characters, numbers, symbols, and graphics written on the medium, and calls the data read and recognized by the input unit as a telephone number. A call can be made based on the read data, and the data read by the input unit can be fully utilized.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication terminal according to the first aspect of the invention.
The data read from the input unit is converted into PB sound and transmitted. The data read by the input unit can be transmitted as a message addressed to the pager, and the work of inputting the message can be reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication terminal according to the first or second aspect, wherein the special terminal is provided by a service company which provides a special bar code. A bar code rule as a rule for decoding a code is received and stored via a communication network, and data read by an input unit is recognized by referring to the bar code rule. A special barcode can be read and recognized even without it, and the added value of the communication terminal can be increased, and the cost can be reduced by eliminating the need for a dedicated reading device.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration and a usage method of a first communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1A, a first communication terminal (first device) according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided in a portable communication terminal such as a PHS or a mobile phone by using an OCR (Optical Charging).
acter Recognition (optical character recognition) A reader such as a reader or bar code reader is provided that reads and recognizes characters, numbers, symbols, figures, etc. written on paper (medium). As shown in the figure, by manually scanning over the information described in OCR characters (or bar codes), the OCR reader reads the OCR characters and transfers the data through a communication network or inputs the data by OCR. It is possible to make a call to the given telephone number.

The configuration of the first device will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of the first device.
As shown in FIG. 2, the first device includes an input unit 1 for inputting data, a control unit 2 for editing data, a display unit 3 for displaying data, and a storage unit 4 for storing data. , A transmission / reception unit 5 for performing transmission / reception via a public network or a private communication network. The input unit 1 further includes a key input unit 11 such as a numeric key and an OCR 12 for reading OCR characters. ing. In addition, a microphone, a speaker, and the like are also provided, but are not directly related to the present invention, and thus are omitted here.

The OCR reader 12, which is a characteristic part of the first apparatus, is a commonly used one that reads data written in OCR characters and converts it into a digital signal. The data read by the scanner is compared with a pattern stored in advance to recognize characters, numerals, symbols, figures, and the like. Even for long numeric data, the user only needs to scan with the first device, so that the input operation is reduced compared to inputting from the key input unit 11.

The key input unit 11 is provided with keys for inputting instructions such as calling, transferring, and storing, in addition to ordinary numeric keys. Alternatively, these instructions may be assigned to combinations of numeric keys.

The control unit 2 reads and holds the data input from the OCR reader 12, and furthermore,
In accordance with an instruction input from the key input unit 11, data is stored in the storage unit 4, processed and corrected, transferred to an arbitrary destination, and called as a telephone number. Further, the control unit 2 has a work area for temporarily holding data (not shown).

That is, in the first device, the OCR reader 1
2, the data can be input quickly and easily, and furthermore, the input data can be transferred to any other party, so that the data can be fully utilized and the convenience can be improved. And to be able to.

Here, the processing in the control unit 2 of the first apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process in the control unit 2 of the first device. As shown in FIG. 3, when data is input from the OCR reader 12 (100), the control unit 2 of the first device stores the input data in the work area (102) and displays it on the display unit 3 (104).

The control unit 2 determines whether the input from the key input unit 11 is "fixed" or "corrected" (106).
If it is "correction", it is added and corrected according to the input from the key input unit 11 (108), and the process returns to step 106. If the input is "determined" in the process 106, the control unit 2 stores the determined data in the work area (110).

Then, the control unit 2 determines what the input instruction is from the key input unit 11 (112), and "stores".
If so, the final data held in the work area is
It is stored in an appropriate area of the storage unit 4 (114).

If the input instruction is "calling" in the process 112, the control unit 2 outputs an instruction to the transmitting / receiving unit 5 to make a call to the telephone number of the determined data (116). Thus, the transmitting / receiving unit 5 makes a call to the telephone number.

If the input instruction is "transfer" in the process 112, the control unit 2 outputs an instruction to the transmitting / receiving unit 5 to call the input transfer destination (118) and receives the call. It is determined whether or not the call is received (120). If the call is received, the determined data stored in the work area is transmitted (12).
2). Thus, the processing in the control unit 2 of the first device is performed.

According to the communication terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention, the transmission / reception unit 5 capable of performing transmission / reception via a public line and the OCR reader 12 are provided.
Since a call is made to the telephone number input from the reader 12 and the data input from the OCR reader 12 is transmitted to an arbitrary telephone number input from the key input unit 11, the operation is simple. OCR reader 12 by operation
This makes it possible to make full use of the data input from the communication terminal, increase the added value of the communication terminal, and improve the convenience.

Also, information that is difficult to input by conventional key input, such as a name of a difficult-to-read place, can be easily input by inputting from the OCR reader 12, and has a conventional auto dial function. There is no need to make a dedicated card reader like a telephone, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, the first apparatus has been described in which an OCR reader for recognizing characters and numerals is provided.
A bar code reader may be provided instead of the CR reader 12. In this case, the read bar code data can be transferred to an arbitrary destination, and the bar code data is read by the bar code reader by using it for product management or the like. There is an effect that convenience can be improved by making full use of data.

Next, a second communication terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The second communication terminal (second device) according to the embodiment of the present invention has a function of outputting data read from the OCR reader 12 as PB sound.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a second communication terminal (second device) according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the second device has substantially the same configuration as the first device shown in FIG.
2 is different from the first device in that a tone dialer 6 for converting data read from the device 2 into a PB signal is provided.

More specifically, the control unit 2 of the second device
The pager message read from the CR reader 12 is temporarily stored and sent to the tone dialer 6 in accordance with an instruction from the key input unit 11, and the tone dialer 6 outputs the PB message.
The data is converted into sound and transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 5.

As a result, the message for the pager, which has been conventionally input by the numeric code from the key input unit, can be
It can be easily input by selecting from a dedicated message collection written in CR characters and scanning it, or writing an arbitrary message on paper and reading it from the OCR reader 12.

According to the second communication terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention, the tone dialer 6 is provided, and the OCR reader 1 is provided.
Since the message read in step 2 is converted into a PB sound in the tone dialer 6 and transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 5, the user inputs a pager call number,
Furthermore, if a message written on paper is read, the message can be converted into a PB sound and output, and the input operation can be greatly reduced as compared with the case where the message is input with a numeric code. is there.

Next, a third communication terminal (third device) according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. An ordinary bar code reader has data (general bar code rule) corresponding to a general bar code pattern, and recognizes a bar code based on this data. It cannot read special barcodes that do not follow the rules. The third device can read a special barcode in addition to a general barcode using a general-purpose barcode reader.

The configuration of the third device is almost the same as that of the first device, but the operation of the control unit is partially different from that of the first device. In the third device, when recognizing a special bar code, the third device requests a bar code rule service company for bar code rule data for recognizing the special bar code, and receives the data via a communication network. In this case, a special barcode is read based on this.

That is, in the third apparatus, the bar code reader or the OCR reader simply operates to read a pattern as a scanner, and data recognition is performed by a control unit capable of referring to a bar code rule. ing.
Therefore, by receiving data of a plurality of barcode rules from a service company, it is possible to read a plurality of types of barcodes with a single device, thereby eliminating the need for a dedicated reading device and reducing costs. It is.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control unit of the third device. As shown in FIG. 5, when the bar code rule request instruction is input from the key input unit 11 to the third device (200), the control unit calls the bar code rule service company (202). ), Requesting transmission of special barcode rule data (204), and receiving special barcode rule data (206), and storing it in the storage unit (208).

Then, the data of the pattern read by the bar code reader or the OCR reader is input (21).
0), the control unit compares the input data with the stored special barcode rule, and reads the data of the special barcode rule (212). Thereafter, in the same manner as in the first apparatus, processing such as correction, storage, and transfer is performed based on the read data in accordance with an instruction from the key input unit 11 (214). The processing in the control unit of the third device is performed in this manner.

According to the third communication terminal of the embodiment of the present invention, even a barcode based on a special bird rule
A special barcode rule is received and stored from a service company or the like via a communication network, and the control unit decodes a pattern read from the barcode reader based on the received barcode rule. Therefore, it is possible to read data of a special barcode without a dedicated barcode reader, and it is possible to reduce costs and improve convenience.

[0041]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the communication terminal is provided with the input unit for optically reading and recognizing characters and symbols and transmitting the input data via the communication network, the input terminal is provided. The data read by the unit can be sent to any destination, and the data read by the input unit can be fully utilized, improving the convenience and increasing the added value of the communication terminal. is there.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the input terminal is provided with an input section for optically reading and recognizing characters and symbols, and the input terminal is a communication terminal for calling as a telephone number, the input section reads the input data. A call can be made on the basis of the data, the data read by the input unit can be fully utilized, and the convenience can be improved and the added value of the communication terminal can be increased.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the data read from the input unit is transmitted as a PB sound, the data read by the OCR reader is transmitted as a message addressed to the pager. Thus, there is an effect that the task of inputting a message can be reduced and the convenience can be improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a special bar code rule is received via a communication network and the data read from the input section is recognized based on the special bar code rule. Since the terminal is used as a terminal, it is possible to read and recognize a special barcode without a dedicated reading device, thereby increasing the added value of the communication terminal and reducing the cost by eliminating the need for the dedicated reading device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration and a usage method of a first communication terminal (first device) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of a first device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process in a control unit 2 of the first device.

FIG. 4 is a configuration block diagram of a second communication terminal (second device) according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in a control unit of a third communication terminal (third device) according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Input part, 2 ... Control part, 3 ... Display part, 4 ... Storage part, 5 ... Transmission / reception part, 6 ... Tone dialer, 11 ...
Key input section, 12 ... OCR reader

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A communication terminal that performs transmission and reception via a communication network, irradiates light to a surface of a medium, and based on reflected light from the medium, letters, numerals, symbols,
A communication terminal, comprising: an input unit for reading and recognizing a figure, and transmitting data read and recognized by the input unit via the communication network. 2. A communication terminal that transmits and receives data via a communication network, irradiates light to the surface of the medium, and writes letters, numbers, symbols, and symbols written on the medium based on the reflected light from the medium.
A communication terminal, comprising: an input unit for reading and recognizing a figure; and calling out data recognized and read by the input unit as a telephone number. 3. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the data read from the input unit is converted into a PB sound and transmitted. 4. A bar code rule as a rule for decoding the special bar code is received and stored from a service company that provides a special bar code via a communication network, and the data read by the input unit is read. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein recognition is performed with reference to the barcode rule.