JPH10177573A - Method and device for processing document - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and device for processing document by which a description can be prepared efficiently without mistake. SOLUTION: A retrieving means 24 retrieves a figure described behind a 'Claim Clause' in the claim section of a description stored in a document storing means as a clause number and a replacing means 26 replaces the clause number retrieved by the retrieving means 24 with the figure indicating the arranging order in the claim clause in the title of the claim clause containing the clause number retrieved by the retrieving means 24 based on a converting table 32 prepared in a memory 16 in advance. In addition, a clause 'Brief Description of the Drawings' is prepared by means of a beginning discriminating means which discriminates the beginning of the description, an end discriminating means which discriminates the end of the description, and a composition writing means which writes the description. Moreover, end-of-paragraph numbers are inputted by means of an paragraph length discriminating means, a number inserting means, etc.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a document processing method and apparatus, and more particularly to a document processing method for preparing a specification (herein, also simply referred to as "specification") of an invention and device relating to a patent application and a utility model registration application. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A word processor (hereinafter simply referred to as a word processor) is widely used as a means for efficiently creating a document, and the creation of a specification is no exception. In a word processor, characters and symbols are represented by a code, and thus a document such as a description is represented by a sequence of codes. A document created by a word processor is printed on paper or the like based on the above-described code string, and is also stored and stored as a code string data on a floppy disk or the like.

[0003] The specification includes claims or utility model registration claims (herein, also simply referred to as claims).
Are described, and the respective claims are arranged in the column of the claims in the order of the item numbers such as 1 and 2 under the headings of the claims such as [Claim 1] and [Claim 2]. In this case, the JIS codes represent "[" and "]" respectively as 215A.
And 215B (hexadecimal) instead of parentheses. Further, in the claims other than the first claim, a claim having a smaller claim number than that claim is cited as necessary, for example, "...". . ".

By the way, in the description of claims, new addition or deletion of claims may be required as a result of elaboration or the like. However, when such a claim is added or deleted, in all claims following the claim, the item number needs to be corrected in the heading section and the above cited section. This operation is extremely troublesome, especially when the number of claims is large, and the description error is likely to occur.

[0005] In particular, when a description is prepared by a word processor, the cursor displayed on the screen is moved to a changed portion by operating the up, down, left, and right direction keys, and a key for deleting characters is operated. The operation of deleting the item number and then inputting a new item number is performed for each item number to be corrected, which is extremely troublesome.

[0006] Further, the specification includes [Brief description of drawings]
, And text that briefly describes the drawings cited in the “Detailed description of the invention” is described under the figure number heading such as [FIG. 1] or [FIG. 2]. . By the way, the description of such drawings is described in [Detailed Description of the Invention]
In the fields such as [Prior Art] and [Embodiments of the Invention] in the column of (1), prior arts and examples are often described prior to the description when referring to the drawings. Therefore, in such a case, the description of the drawing is described in the column of [Prior Art] or [Embodiment of the Invention], and the same drawing is described in the column of [Brief Description of the Drawings]. Will be described. This is a troublesome task, and if the description can be written only once, this leads to an increase in the efficiency of the preparation of the specification. Furthermore, it is also effective to reduce the possibility of a description error.

[0007] In the column of [Detailed description of the invention] in the specification, a paragraph number of Arabic numerals of four digits with respect to the paragraph is described sandwiched between "[" and "]". However, inputting such a paragraph number is troublesome and troublesome. Therefore, if the paragraph number can be automatically entered, it is very effective to improve the efficiency of preparing the specification. It is also useful for eliminating mistakes such as writing the wrong number.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for processing a document so that a specification can be created efficiently and without errors. Is to provide.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 expresses the claims in the claims or utility model registration claims field of the specification stored in the document storage means. The word to be composed or 1 that constitutes this word
A search step of searching for one or a plurality of characters, and searching for the number described after the phrase as an item number;
A substituting step of replacing the item number searched in the search step with a numeral representing the order of the array in the claim, of the heading of the claim including the item number searched in the search step. And

[0010] Further, the invention according to claim 2 is a claim that expresses a claim or one form of the phrase in the field of claims or utility model registration claims stored in the document storage means. Or a search means for searching for a plurality of characters and searching for a number described after the word as an item number, and a heading of a claim including the item number searched by the search means. And a replacement unit that replaces the item number searched by the search unit with a number representing the order of the array in.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the document stored in the document storage means, a head identification step of searching for a phrase including a figure character and a figure number for identifying a drawing, A step of searching for the character of the figure or the name of the drawing first described after the drawing specific phrase searched in the document in the document stored in the document storage means; A main part or the whole of a character string from the searched drawing specific phrase to the characters of the figure or the name of the figure searched in the end identification step is read from the document storage means, and a sentence having the read character string as a main part And a sentence creating step of creating

Further, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the document stored in the document storage means, a head identification means for searching for a phrase including a figure character and a figure number for specifying a drawing, and the head identification means The tail identification means for searching the document stored in the document storage means for the character of the figure or the name of the drawing first described after the drawing specific phrase searched by the means, and the head identification means for searching From the drawing specific phrase, the main part or the whole of the character string described between the characters of the figure or the name of the drawing searched by the end identification means is read from the document storage means,
Sentence creating means for creating a sentence having the read character string as a main part.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paragraph length determining step for finding a paragraph in a document stored in a document storage means and determining whether the length is longer than a reference length, and the paragraph length determining step. A number insertion step of inserting a different and continuous paragraph number for each paragraph before or after the paragraph in the document stored in the document storage means when it is determined that the length of the paragraph is longer than the reference length. ,
It is characterized by including.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paragraph length determining means for finding a paragraph in a document stored in a document storage means and determining whether the length is longer than a reference length, and the paragraph length determining means. However, when it is determined that the length of the paragraph is longer than the reference length, number insertion means for inserting a different and consecutive paragraph number for each paragraph before or after the paragraph in the document stored in the document storage means And characterized in that:

The invention according to claim 7 is a code search step for searching for a predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of a paragraph in a document stored in the document storage means. When the predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of the paragraph can be searched, a different and continuous paragraph before or after the paragraph in the document stored in the document storage means. A number inserting step of inserting a number.

The invention according to claim 8 is a code search means for searching a document stored in the document storage means for a predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of a paragraph, and the code search means comprises: When the predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of the paragraph can be searched, a different and continuous paragraph before or after the paragraph in the document stored in the document storage means. Number inserting means for inserting a number.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a code search step for searching for a predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of a paragraph in a document stored in the document storage means. Except when searching for the predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of the paragraph, in the document stored in the document storage means, before or after the paragraph, different for each paragraph and continuous Inserting a paragraph number to be inserted.

The invention according to claim 10 is a code search means for searching for a predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of a paragraph in a document stored in the document storage means, and the code search means comprises: Except when searching for the predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of the paragraph, in the document stored in the document storage means, before or after the paragraph, different for each paragraph and continuous Number inserting means for inserting a paragraph number to be inserted.

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, a word expressing the claim or one of the words constituting the word is included in the claims or utility model registration claims section of the specification stored in the document storage means. Alternatively, a search is made for a plurality of characters, and the number described after the phrase is searched for as an item number. Then, the item number searched in the search step is replaced with a numeral indicating the order of the array in the claim in the heading of the claim including the searched item number.

According to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, in a document stored in the document storage means, a drawing for specifying a drawing is provided.
A search is made for a phrase that includes the characters of the drawing and the drawing number, and then searches for the drawing character or drawing name that is first described after the drawing-specific phrase. Then, a sentence is created in which the main part or the whole of the character string from the drawing specific word to the character of the above drawing or the name of the drawing is the main part.

According to the fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention, a paragraph is found in a document stored in the document storage means, and it is determined whether or not the length is longer than a reference length. When determined, a paragraph number that is different and continuous for each paragraph is inserted before or after the paragraph.

According to the seventh and eighth aspects of the present invention, a predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of a paragraph is searched for in a document stored in the document storage means. Insert a different and consecutive paragraph number before or after each paragraph.

According to the ninth and tenth aspects of the present invention, a predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of a paragraph is searched for in a document stored in the document storage means. Insert a different and consecutive paragraph number before or after a paragraph.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on embodiments with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a document processing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing executed by the document processing apparatus of FIG. Hereinafter, an example of the document processing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to these drawings, and at the same time, an embodiment of the document processing method of the present invention will be described. Here, the specification relating to the patent application is processed. However, even if the specification relates to a utility model registration application, the configuration and operation of this document processing apparatus are basically the same.

The document processing apparatus 2 shown in FIG.
Specifically, the present invention can be realized using, for example, a personal computer (hereinafter, also referred to as a personal computer). FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the personal computer. As shown in FIG. 3, the personal computer 4 includes a personal computer body 6, a keyboard 8 connected to the personal computer body 6, and a CR.
It comprises a T monitor 10 and a printer 12. The personal computer body 6 includes a CPU 14, a main memory 16 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a memory 16), a hard disk drive 18 (HDD), and a floppy disk drive 20.
(FDD). In such a configuration, necessary program data is loaded from, for example, the hard disk drive 18 to the memory 16 and the CPU 14 is operated based on the program data, thereby realizing the functions of each unit of the document processing apparatus 2 described below. it can.

As shown in FIG. 1, the document processing apparatus 2 of this embodiment includes a document reading unit 22, a search unit 24, a replacement unit 26, and an output unit 28. The document reading means 22 includes a floppy disk drive 20.
The specification stored as a file on the floppy disk set in FIG. 3 is read from the floppy disk and stored in the document area 30 secured in the memory 16. The memory 16 is constituted by, for example, an IC memory. In this case, the document area 30 of the memory 16 serves as a document storage unit according to the present invention.

The specification includes characters such as kanji, hiragana, katakana, alphabets, and numbers, and symbols, and is represented as a sequence of these characters and symbols. The specification is stored on the floppy disk as a sequence of codes (for example, shift JIS codes) representing each character or symbol.
The specification stored in 6 is stored as a code string of characters and symbols.

Then, the search means 24 searches for a phrase (here, “claim”) expressing the claim in the field of claims (also simply referred to as “claim”) of the specification stored in the document storage means. Search and search for the number after the word as the item number.

The replacement means 26 replaces the item number searched by the search means 24 with a numeral representing the order of the array in the claims in the heading of the claim including the item number searched by the search means 24. The output means 28 reads out the statement whose item number has been correctly corrected from the document area 30 of the memory 16, outputs it to the printer 12 for printing, and outputs it to a floppy disk set in the floppy disk drive 20. Retain it as a file.

Next, the operation of the document processing apparatus 2 configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The creator of the statement prepares the statement by a word processor, stores the prepared statement in a floppy disk, and sets the floppy disk in the floppy disk drive 20. The word processor that creates the specification may be a dedicated word processor mainly equipped with the functions of a word processor, or may be a personal computer in which word processing software (software that realizes the functions of the word processor on a personal computer) is incorporated. . Note that, in the specification prepared by the word processor, the characters are represented by, for example, shift JIS codes.

In this specification, a plurality of claims are described. More specifically, as shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. Claim 20 is described as Claim 20. In Claim 2, the control device according to Claim 20 is provided at the end with "...". On the other hand, in the twentieth aspect, the control device according to the first aspect is "...".
Is quoted.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2, first, the document reading means 22 reads the specification stored as a file on the floppy disk set in the floppy disk drive 20 from the floppy disk and secures it in the memory 16. It is stored in the document area 30 (FIG. 1) (step A1). The specification is represented as a code string as described above, and each code is stored in the order of arrangement of each character constituting the specification, for example, from a small address of the memory 16 to a large address.

Next, the replacement means 26 creates a replacement table 32 to be used in the subsequent replacement process on the memory 16 (step A2). That is, the replacement means 26 determines the [Claims] of the specification stored in the document area 30.
, The heading of the claim is searched in order, and the number included in the heading, that is, the item number is extracted. Each time the item number is extracted, the number indicating the item number and the number indicating the order of the array in the claims of the heading including the item number are stored in the memory 16 in association with each other. As a result, as for the example sentence shown in FIG. 4, 1 is stored for 1; 2 is stored for 20; 3 is stored for 2; The replacement unit 26 searches for the headline of the claim by, for example, searching for the character string "[claim]". The item number is extracted by extracting a number stored following the word in the claim. At this time, if the number is composed of a plurality of digits, all digits are extracted by extracting all the individual numbers stored in succession.

Next, the search means 24 first finds each code stored at each address of the memory 16 in the column of the claims stored in the document area 30 of the memory 16 by the smaller address. By searching in the order from the largest to the next, a phrase expressing a claim, that is, a "claim" is searched (step A3). If "claims" can be searched within the range of [Detailed Description of the Invention] (if YES in step A4), the process proceeds to step A5, while
If "claims" cannot be searched within the range up to [Detailed Description of the Invention], the process proceeds to step A7 (step A4).
If no).

In this case, as can be seen from FIG. 4, since the "claims" included in the heading of claim 1 can be searched, the search means 24 proceeds to step A5 and follows the searched "claims". (That is, stored in the memory 16), that is, "1".

The replacement means 26 checks the replacement table 32 stored in the memory 16 and finds the number associated with "1" as the item number, that is, the number "1" indicating the order of the heading array. To get ". Then, this number is used as a new item number, and the above "1" is replaced with this item number (step A6). However, in this case, the result does not change because the new item number is also “1”.

Thereafter, the search means 24 searches for the next "claim" (step A3). As a result, the "claim" included in the heading of claim 20 in the specification shown in FIG. Search, and furthermore, the number “20” following this phrase
Is extracted (step A5). And the replacement means 26
Is the replacement table 32 stored in the memory 16
To obtain a number associated with “20” as an item number, that is, a number “2” representing the order of the heading array. Then, this number is used as a new item number, and the above “2”
"0" is replaced with this item number "2" (step A6).

The searching means 24 and the replacing means 26 repeatedly execute such processing until a "claim" cannot be searched. As a result, in the example of the specification of FIG.
As a result, the item number included in the quoted part of the original claim 20 remains “1”, but the item number “2” included in the heading of the subsequent claim is replaced with “3”, and the reference number is further changed. The item number “20” included in the section is replaced with “2”, and all the item numbers included in the claims are replaced with correct item numbers.

After that, the output means 28 reads out the specification with the corrected item number from the document area 30 of the memory 16 and
Output to the printer 12 for printing, and output to a floppy disk set in the floppy disk drive 20 and hold it as a file (step A).
7).

Therefore, even when a new claim is added in the middle of the scope of the claims, the creator of the specification inserts the added claim into a section number that can be distinguished from other claims and inserts it at the position where it should be added. In addition, by performing the processing by the document processing apparatus of the present embodiment, the item number can be corrected very easily and without mistake. As a result, it is possible to efficiently prepare a specification, and it is possible to eliminate a description error.

In this embodiment, the case where a claim is added in the middle has been described as an example. However, when a claim in the middle is deleted, the search means 24 and the replacement means 26 are each provided in the same manner as in the above case. By operating, each item number is corrected to a correct item number. Further, when searching for "claims", the search means 24 can perform the same function even when searching for only some of the characters included in the phrase. For example, a search may be made for "request" to extract a number to be continued, or "search" may be searched for to extract a number described two characters after the word.

In this embodiment, the replacement means 26
The item number included in the heading and the order of the array of the heading including the item number are stored in the memory 16 in association with each other, and the replacement table 32 is created. Can be replaced by storing them in the memory 16 in this order. In that case, the order of the heading array including the item number may be identified by the order in which the item numbers are stored in the memory 16.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. The document processing apparatus according to the second embodiment relates to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the document processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a process executed based on the document processing method of FIG. In FIG. 5, the same elements as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

This document processing device 34 is also described in detail in FIG.
Can be configured by the personal computer 4 shown in FIG. Since the personal computer 4 has already been described in detail, the description is omitted here. Then, necessary program data is loaded from, for example, the hard disk drive 18 to the memory 16 and the CPU
By operating the computer 14 based on the program data, the functions of each unit of the document processing apparatus 34 described below can be realized.

The document processing apparatus 34 according to the second embodiment has a structure shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the document reading means 22, the head identification means 3
6, the end identification means 38, the text creation means 40, the text writing means 42, and the output means 28. The head identifying means 36 searches for the characters of the figure (also referred to as “figure”) in the “Detailed description of the invention” section of the specification stored in the document area 30 of the memory 16 and writes the description following this character. By searching for the number that has been done, that is, the figure number,
A phrase that specifies a drawing such as “FIG. 1” or “FIG. 10” (here, also referred to as a drawing-specific phrase) is searched, and in this embodiment, the position following this phrase is identified as the head position of the text to be extracted. The tail identification means 38 searches for the character of the figure described first after the head position identified in the head identification step, and identifies that position as the tail position.

The sentence creating means 40 creates a sentence whose main part is the main part of the character string from the head position identified by the head identification means 36 to the end position identified by the end identification means 38. Although the text explaining the drawings may include reading marks and other symbols, it is assumed that such characters are included in the character string. The sentence writing means 42 writes the sentence created by the sentence creation means 40 at a predetermined location in the document.

Next, the document processing apparatus 3 configured as described above
The operation of No. 4 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The creator of the specification prepares the specification by a word processor, stores the prepared specification on a floppy disk, and sets the floppy disk in the floppy disk drive 20 in the same manner as described above. It is assumed that the description stored on the floppy disk contains a description related to the drawing as shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6, first, the document reading means 22 reads the specification stored as a file on the floppy disk set in the floppy disk drive 20 in the same manner as described above.
The data is read from the floppy disk and stored in the document area 30 (FIG. 5) secured in the memory 16 (step B).
1).

Thereafter, the text writing means 42 secures a column of [Brief Description of the Drawings] in the specification (step B2). That is, in the specification stored in the document area 30, the column of [Effect of the Invention] is searched, and the end of the column is identified. Then, the heading of [Brief description of drawings] is written in the line following the end.

Next, the head identification means 36 first searches for a "drawing" in the "detailed description of the invention" section of the specification stored in the document area 30 of the memory 16 (step B).
3). Then, if a “figure” is found (step B4
If yes in step B4, the process proceeds to step B5, and if not found (if no in step B4), the process ends.

More specifically, referring to the example sentence shown in FIG.
Since “FIG. 1” is found in the sentence “FIG. 1,” the head identifying unit 36 searches for the number described after “FIG.”. This means that the drawing-specific phrase “FIG. 1” has been searched. And head identification means 3
6 identifies the character described first after the retrieved drawing specific phrase, that is, the position of "ha" as the head position, and stores the address in a predetermined area of the memory 16 (step B5). The head identifying means 36 also stores the drawing-specific phrase “FIG. 1” retrieved as described above in the drawing-specific phrase area (not shown) of the memory 16.

Next, the end identification means 38 reads the address from the predetermined area of the memory 16, and searches for a "drawing" after the address (step B6).
Then, if a "figure" is found (YES in step B7), the process proceeds to step B8, and if not (NO in step B7), the process ends.

In the example sentence of FIG. 7, the first thing to be found after the above address (head position) is "... block diagram"
The end identification means 38 retrieves the "diagram", identifies the position as the end position, and stores the address in a predetermined area of the memory 16 (step B).
8).

Subsequently, the sentence preparation means 40 reads the address of the head position and the address of the end position from the predetermined areas of the memory 16 respectively, and reads the character string written between these addresses from the document area 30. , In a buffer area (not shown) of the memory 16. Then, in this buffer area, the character string "" at the beginning of the character string is deleted, while "" is at the end of the character string.
Is added to complete the description sentence "FIG. 1" is a block diagram showing an example of the control device according to the present invention (step B9).

Thereafter, the document writing unit 22 reads the phrase of “FIG. 1” stored by the head identification unit 36 from the drawing specific phrase region of the memory 16 and adds parentheses before and after “[FIG. 1]”. And this drawing number heading is
Write at the beginning of the line following the heading [Brief description of drawing] written in step 2. Further, the description of the drawing is read from the buffer area and written in the next line (step B10).

Thereafter, the process returns to step B3, and the head identifying means 36 searches for the next "figure" and the following "2" in the example sentence of FIG. Is identified as the start position (step B5), and the end search means searches the "drawing" of "..circuit diagram" (step B6) and identifies the position as the end position (step B8). .

The sentence creating means 40 is based on the character string from the start position to the end position, and is "a circuit diagram showing an error determination circuit constituting the control device" in the same manner as described above. Is completed. Then, the text writing unit 42 writes this description together with the heading “[FIG. 2]” in the specification stored in the document area 30 in the line following the description of FIG.

Then, the head identifying means 36 again searches for the next "drawing" (step B3). Here, in the specification stored in the document area 30, only FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are referred to as drawings, and the description of FIG. 2
If no citation (eg, “as shown in FIG. 1”) is described, the head identification means 36
Could not be found (No in step B4), and step B11
Is performed.

When the process of extracting and processing the explanatory text of the drawing is completed in this way, the output means 28 reads the specification from the document area 30 of the memory 16 and outputs it to the printer 12 for printing. Floppy disk drive 2
The data is output to the floppy disk set to 0 and stored as a file (step B11). Here, in the specification output by the output unit 28, as a result of the above-described processing, as shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG.
Column is described.

Accordingly, when the creator of the specification writes the description of the drawing in the “Detailed description of the invention” column,
There is no need to create a column of [Brief Description of the Drawings], and the specification can be efficiently created without the need for twice.
Further, since there is no need to describe the column of [Brief Description of the Drawings], the possibility of a description error is reduced.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the document is a specification. However, the present invention is not limited to the specification, and a description about a drawing is described in the document, and the description of each drawing is listed. It can be widely applied in such cases. Further, in this embodiment, an explanatory note in which "FIG. 1" is removed is created, but an explanatory note including this part, for example, "FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a control device according to the present invention. "Can be easily created and described as an explanatory note of the drawing, for example, at a predetermined location in a document.

Then, in the description of the drawings, as shown in "FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a control device according to the present invention,...", Each figure is expressed by ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second". The present invention is effective even if are distinguished from each other or are described as “FIG. 1” or “FIG. 2”. In this case, “FIG. 1”, “FIG. 1”, and the like are drawing-specific phrases according to the present invention.

Further, in this embodiment, the end identification means 3
8 is to search for characters in the figure, but “block diagram”,
Of course, it is of course possible to search for a drawing name such as “circuit diagram” or “timing chart” to identify the end position of the text to be extracted. In that case, for example,
General drawing names may be stored in the memory 16 in advance, and these may be sequentially read out from the memory 16 and searched in a document.

Next, a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a document processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the document processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a process executed based on the document processing method of FIG. In FIG. 9, the same elements as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

This document processing device 44 is also described in detail in FIG.
Can be configured by the personal computer 4 shown in FIG. Since the personal computer 4 has already been described in detail, the description is omitted here. Then, necessary program data is loaded from, for example, the hard disk drive 18 to the memory 16 and the CPU
By operating the computer 14 based on the program data, the functions of each unit of the document processing device 44 described below can be realized.

The document processing apparatus 44 according to the third embodiment has the configuration shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the document reading means 22, paragraph length determining means 46, code searching means 48, number inserting means 50, output means 28, and operation mode switching means 52 are included. The paragraph length determining means 46 finds a paragraph in the column of “Detailed description of the invention” of the specification stored in the document area 30 of the memory 16 and determines whether or not the length is longer than the reference length. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the paragraph length determining means 46 counts the number of lines in the paragraph, and the number of lines is 2 as an example.
Determines whether to cross the line. The reference number of rows may be variously set as needed, and is not limited to two rows. The paragraph length determining means 46 also notifies the number input means 50 of the paragraph end position.

The code search means 48 finds a paragraph in the [Detailed description of the invention] section of the specification stored in the document area 30 of the memory 16, and finds the first or second paragraph described at the end thereof. Search for an identification symbol (ie, a predetermined code). In this embodiment, as an example, it is assumed that the first identification symbol is “&” and the second identification symbol is “*”. The code search means 48 also notifies the number input means 50 of the paragraph end position. The paragraph length determining means 46 and the code searching means 48 also have a function of searching for a heading, which will be described later in detail. The number inserting means 50 receives the notification of the paragraph end position from the paragraph length determining means 46 or the code retrieving means 48 and secures a blank line next to the last line of the paragraph. Enter the paragraph number you want to use.

The document processing device 44 operates in one of three operation modes A, B, and C. The operation mode A particularly relates to the inventions of claims 5 and 6, the mode B particularly relates to the inventions of claims 7 and 8, and the mode C particularly relates to the inventions of claims 9 and 10. Then, the operation mode switching unit 52 controls the code search unit 48 and the number insertion unit 50 to switch the operation mode of the document processing device 44 according to the key operation performed on the keyboard 8. More specifically, when the mode is set to mode A, the paragraph length determination means 46 is activated, while the code search means 48 stops its operation. When setting to mode B,
While the code search means 48 is activated to search for the first identification symbol, the operation of the paragraph length determination means 46 is stopped. When the mode is set to the mode C, the code searching means 48 is activated to search for the second identification symbol, while the paragraph length determining means 46 stops its operation.

Next, the operation of the document processing apparatus 44 thus configured will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The creator of the statement prepares the statement by a word processor and, as in the first and second embodiments,
The prepared statement is stored on a floppy disk, and the floppy disk is stored in a floppy disk drive 20.
Set to. It is assumed that the specification stored in the floppy disk includes a paragraph-structured sentence as shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. 11, and the following description will be given with reference to this example sentence as appropriate. As shown in the flowchart of FIG.
First, the document reading unit 22 performs the same operation as described above,
The specification stored as a file on the floppy disk set in the floppy disk drive 20 is read from the floppy disk and stored in the document area 30 (FIG. 5) secured in the memory 16 (step C1).

The operation mode of the document processing apparatus 44 is set by the operation mode switching means 52 based on the operation on the keyboard 8 as described above. In the following, each of the modes A, B, and C thus set will be described. The operation will be described sequentially. First, the operation in the mode A will be described. In this mode, the paragraph length determining means 46 first finds a paragraph in the column of "Detailed description of the invention" in the specification stored in the document area 30 of the memory 16 (step C2). At this time, the paragraph length determining means 46 determines whether the paragraph is a paragraph based on one of the following two conditions. The first condition is that the sentence ends with a period "." And is line feed, and the second condition is that a headline is described.

Then, the paragraph length determining means 46
If the paragraph can be identified under the condition (if YES in step C3), it is determined whether or not the heading is at the end of the processing range based on whether or not the heading matches "[Brief description of drawings]". (Step C4). If the result of the determination is no, the position of the end of the found paragraph, that is, the memory 16
Is notified to the number insertion means 50. Whether or not a heading is described can be determined by searching the entire heading such as "[Embodiment of the Invention]" or by searching for only "[" described at the head of the heading.

On the other hand, if a paragraph can be identified under the first condition instead of the second condition (No in step C3), the number of lines in the paragraph is counted (step C5), and the number of lines is reduced to two. It is determined whether the number of lines exceeds the line (step C6). If the number of lines exceeds two lines, the position of the end of the paragraph, that is, the address of the end of the paragraph in the memory 16 is notified to the number insertion means 50 (step C6). If yes). On the other hand, if the number of lines does not exceed two lines (if no), the process returns to step C2 to find the next paragraph. When a paragraph is identified under the first condition, the paragraph length determining means 46 determines whether or not the text is line-breaked, based on whether or not the line-break code is stored after “.”.

When notified of the address of the end of the paragraph, the number insertion means 50 adds “[” to the line next to the notified end of the paragraph in the specification stored in the document area 30 of the memory 16. , "]", A four-digit Arabic numeral paragraph number is inserted. The number insertion means 50
There is a counter whose initial value is 1, and the paragraph number is determined based on the value of this counter. After the paragraph number is inserted once, the value of the counter is increased by 1 in preparation for insertion of the next paragraph number.

More specifically, referring to the example sentence of FIG.
The paragraph length determining means 46 determines that the first line of the example sentence ends with a punctuation and is line-breaked, and that the heading “[Embodiment of the invention]” is described in the next line. Find a paragraph (step C2). Then, in this case, since the heading is described in the next line, the process proceeds from step C3 to step C4 to determine whether or not the processing range is at the end. Since the heading in this case is [Embodiment of the Invention] as described above, the determination result is no, and therefore,
The paragraph length determination unit 46 notifies the number insertion unit 50 of the end position of the first paragraph in the example sentence.

Thus, the number inserting means 50 sets the paragraph next to the notified end of the paragraph based on the value of the counter, based on the value of the counter, as a four-digit Arabic numeral between "[" and "]". Insert a number. As a result, for example, a paragraph number “[0023]” is inserted in the example sentence of FIG. 11, as shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. At this time, the number inserting means 50 also adds 1 to the value of the counter to obtain 24. In this embodiment, when inputting a paragraph number, the number inserting means 50 inserts a space of three characters before "[".

Thereafter, the paragraph length determining means 46 searches for the paragraph again (step C2), and this time, the third paragraph of the example sentence of FIG.
Because the sentence on the line ends with a period and has been broken,
Identify paragraphs from the heading to the text on this line. In this case, since the determination result in step C3 is no,
The paragraph length determining means 46 counts the number of lines in this paragraph (step C5). Then, since the number of rows is two, the determination result in step C6 is NO, and the process returns to step C2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, no paragraph number is inserted in this paragraph.

The paragraph length determining means 46 returns to step C2 and searches for a paragraph again. This time, since the sentence on the seventh line in the example sentence of FIG. The line from the line to the sentence of this line is identified as a paragraph.
Also in this case, since the result of the determination in step C3 is NO, the paragraph length determining means 46 counts the number of lines in this paragraph (step C5). Then, since the result of counting the number of lines is four, the result of the determination in step C6 is YES, and the paragraph length determining means 46 notifies the end position of this paragraph to the number inserting means 50.

Thus, the number inserting means 50 sets the four-digit Arabic numeral paragraph sandwiched between "[" and "]" on the line following the notified end of the paragraph based on the value of the counter. Insert a number. As a result, as shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. 12, the example sentence of FIG.
24] "is inserted. The number inserting means 50 also adds 1 to the value of the counter at this time.

By the processing by the paragraph length determining means 46 and the number inserting means 50, the paragraph number “[0” is also added to the line following the last paragraph (three lines) in the example sentence of FIG.
025] ". At the end of the last paragraph in the column of [Detailed description of the invention], the paragraph length determining means 46 detects the heading of [Brief description of drawings] on the next line. The result of the determination in step C4 is YES, and the paragraph length determining means 46 notifies the output means 28 that the input processing of the paragraph number has been completed.

The output means 28 reads the specification from the document area 30 of the memory 16 and outputs it to the printer 12 for printing.
The data is output to the floppy disk set to 0 and stored as a file (step C8). Here, the specification output by the output unit 28 has a paragraph number inserted as shown in the example sentence of FIG.

Therefore, by using the document processing apparatus 44, the creator of the specification does not need to input the paragraph number himself / herself in the specification, and can efficiently prepare the specification. In addition, mistakes such as writing an incorrect number can be eliminated. And in this mode,
Since the paragraph numbers are not inserted for short paragraphs, there is no case where more paragraph numbers than necessary are described in the document. In the present embodiment, the length of a paragraph is determined based on the number of lines. However, the length may be determined based on the number of characters and symbols constituting the paragraph, in addition to the number of lines.

Next, the operation in mode B will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when the document processing device 44 of the third embodiment operates in mode B. This flowchart differs from the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 in that the processing contents in steps D2, D5, and D6 are different from those in step C2 in the flowchart shown in FIG.
2, C5 and C6. The processing contents of steps D1, D3, D4, D7, D8 are the same as the processing contents of steps C1, C3, C4, C7, C8.

In this mode B, the code search means 48 is activated in place of the paragraph length determination means 46, and the code search means 48 first reads the detailed description of the specification stored in the document area 30 of the memory 16. In the column of [Description], a paragraph is found (step D2). Here, the code search means 48
Identifies a paragraph on the basis of the second condition and the third condition that a line feed is made with one character after the period "."

When a paragraph is detected under the third condition, the code search means 48 sets the document area 30
At step D5, a code stored at the end of the paragraph, that is, after "." Is extracted (step D5), and it is determined whether or not the code is a code representing the first identification symbol "&" (step D5). Step D6). If the result of the determination is yes, the first identification symbol is deleted and the position of the end of the paragraph is notified to the number insertion means 50. As a result, the number inserting means 50 inserts the paragraph number in the line next to the notified end position of the paragraph as in the case of the mode A (step D).
7).

If the decision result in the step D6 is no,
As in the case of mode A, the code search means 48 returns to step D2 to search for the next paragraph. Step D3
In the case where the judgment result is yes, as in the case of mode A,
It is checked whether or not it is the end of the processing range (step D4).
0, on the other hand, if it is at the end of the processing range, the completion of the paragraph number input process is notified to the output means 28 to output the result (step D8). Therefore, for example, as in the example sentence shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. 14, if "&" is described at the end of the sentence on the seventh line,
By the above-described processing in mode B, a paragraph number is inserted into this example sentence as shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG.

Therefore, by using the document processing device 44, the creator of the specification need only input the first identification symbol in the specification, and himself / herself can enter the paragraph number in the specification. Since there is no need to input the information, the specification can be efficiently created. In addition, mistakes such as writing an incorrect number can be eliminated. And this mode B
In such a case, the first identification symbol is described only for the paragraph to which the paragraph number is to be assigned, so that the paragraph number can be input only to a necessary part.

Next, the operation in the mode C will be described. In the mode C, only the processing contents in steps D2 and D6 shown in FIG. 13 are different from the modes A and B, and these points will be described in detail. In step D2, the code search means 48 searches for a paragraph based on the first to third conditions. Then, after extracting the code stored after the end of the paragraph in step D5, it is determined in step D6 whether the code is a code representing the second identification symbol "*". If the result of the determination is yes, the second identification symbol is deleted, and the process returns to step D2 to search for the next paragraph.
On the other hand, if the determination result is no, the position of the end of the paragraph is notified to the number inserting means 50. As a result, the number inserting unit 50 inserts the paragraph number in the line next to the notified end position of the paragraph as in the case of the mode A (step D7).

Therefore, in this mode C, if the second identification symbol is not described after the end of the paragraph,
Although the paragraph number is inserted, the paragraph number is not inserted when the second identification symbol is described. Therefore, for example, if "*" is described at the end of the text on the third line as in the example sentence shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG.
No paragraph number is inserted in the line following the paragraph containing this sentence, and the result is as shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. Therefore, by using the document processing device 44, the creator of the specification does not need to input the paragraph number himself / herself in the specification, and can efficiently prepare the specification.
In addition, mistakes such as writing an incorrect number can be eliminated. In this mode C, the paragraph number is not inserted by writing the second identification symbol at a place where the paragraph number is unnecessary, and it is possible to input a more accurate paragraph number. Become.

Various symbols can be used as the first and second identification symbols, and are not limited to the above “&” and “*”. Instead of a single symbol such as "&", it is also possible to use an identification symbol composed of a plurality of symbols such as "**". further,
Instead of the first and second identification symbols used in the above-described embodiment, it is also possible to use some code that does not represent characters or symbols, such as a control code. Also in that case, the code search means 48 searches for those codes inserted at the end of the paragraph, so that the insertion and non-insertion of the paragraph number can be accurately controlled.

In this embodiment, the paragraph number is inserted after the identified paragraph. For example, a blank line is secured on one line of the first line of the identified paragraph, and the paragraph number is input to that line. As described above, it is possible and easy to insert a paragraph number before a paragraph. And in this embodiment,
Although the first and second identification symbols are described at the end of the paragraph, they may be described at the beginning of the paragraph, for example, before the first character of the paragraph. Can be identified basically in the same manner as described above. Furthermore, the first and second identification symbols are described following the terminating point at the end of the paragraph. In addition, the first and second identification symbols are described at the end of the paragraph, for example, at the beginning of the line following the last line of the paragraph. May be described starting from the line. Similarly, in the case where the identification symbol is described at the head of the paragraph, a line for describing the identification symbol may be secured as the head of the paragraph, for example, in a line one line above, and may be described at the head. In this embodiment, the code search means 48 searches for the first or second identification symbol after finding the paragraph. However, the code search means 48 first searches for the identification symbol and then determines whether or not it is a paragraph. Even if you do, the result is the same.

It is also possible to operate in a mode in which a plurality of the above three modes are combined. For example, by combining all the modes A, B, and C, a paragraph number is basically given when a paragraph exceeds two lines, but even in this case, if the second identification symbol is described, The paragraph number is not input, and even when the paragraph has two lines or less, the paragraph number can be assigned when the first identification symbol is described. In this embodiment, the document is a specification. However, the present invention is not limited to the specification but can be widely applied to a case where a paragraph number needs to be described in the document.

[0092]

As described above, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the words or phrases expressing the claims in the fields of claims or utility model registration claims in the specification stored in the document storage means are described. One or a plurality of characters constituting this word are searched for, and the number described after the word is searched for as an item number. Then, the searched item number is replaced by a numeral indicating the order of the array in the claims in the heading of the claim including the searched item number.

Therefore, in the column of claims or claims of utility model in the specification, claims with item numbers that do not match the order of the arrangement are added in the middle, or claims in the middle are deleted. Even so, the item number can be corrected very easily and without error by the present invention. As a result, it is possible to efficiently prepare a specification, and it is possible to eliminate a description error.

According to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, in a document stored in the document storage means, a drawing for specifying a drawing is provided.
A search is made for a phrase that includes the characters of the drawing and the drawing number, and then searches for the drawing character or drawing name that is first described after the drawing-specific phrase. Then, a sentence is created in which the main part or the whole of the character string from the drawing specific word to the character of the above drawing or the name of the drawing is the main part.

Therefore, for example, when a description of a drawing is described in any part of the column of “Detailed description of the invention” in the specification, it is described in the column of “Detailed description of the invention” by the present invention. The column of [Brief description of the drawings] can be automatically created from the description of the drawings. For this reason, the creator of the specification does not need to prepare the column of [Brief description of drawings], and can efficiently prepare the specification without having to perform the work twice. Also, [Brief description of drawings]
Column need not be described, the possibility of a description error being reduced by that amount is reduced.

According to the fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention, a paragraph is found in the document stored in the document storage means, and it is determined whether or not the length is longer than the reference length. When determined, a paragraph number that is different and continuous for each paragraph is inserted before or after the paragraph.

Therefore, according to the present invention, for example, the creator of the specification does not need to input the paragraph number himself / herself in the specification, and can efficiently prepare the specification.
In addition, mistakes such as writing an incorrect number can be eliminated. According to the present invention, since paragraph numbers are not inserted into short paragraphs, there is no possibility that a paragraph number that is more than necessary is described in a document.

According to the seventh and eighth aspects of the present invention, a predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of a paragraph in a document stored in the document storage means is searched. Insert a different and consecutive paragraph number before or after each paragraph.

Therefore, according to the present invention, for example, the creator of the specification does not need to input the paragraph number himself / herself in the specification, and can efficiently prepare the specification.
In addition, mistakes such as writing an incorrect number can be eliminated. By inputting a predetermined code only for a paragraph to which a paragraph number is to be assigned, the paragraph number can be described only in a necessary place.

According to the ninth and tenth aspects of the present invention, a predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of a paragraph in a document stored in the document storage means is searched. Insert a different and consecutive paragraph number before or after a paragraph.

Therefore, according to the present invention, for example, the creator of the specification does not need to input the paragraph number himself / herself in the specification, and can efficiently prepare the specification.
In addition, mistakes such as writing an incorrect number can be eliminated. By inputting a predetermined code in a place where a paragraph number is unnecessary, it is possible to prevent the paragraph number from being inserted, and to input a more accurate paragraph number.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a document processing apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of processing executed by the document processing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a personal computer.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example sentence processed by the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a document processing apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of processing executed by the document processing apparatus of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example sentence to be processed by the document processing device of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing result of the example sentence of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a document processing apparatus according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of processing executed by the document processing apparatus of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example sentence processed in mode A of the third embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing result of the example sentence of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure when the document processing apparatus according to the third embodiment operates in mode B;

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example sentence processed in mode B of the third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing result of the example sentence of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an example sentence processed in mode C of the third embodiment.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing result of the example sentence of FIG. 16;

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Document processor 4 Personal computer 6 Personal computer body 8 Keyboard 10 CRT monitor 12 Printer 14 CPU 16 Main memory (memory) 18 Hard disk drive 20 Floppy disk drive 22 Document reading means 24 Search means 26 Replacement means 28 Output means 30 Document area 32 Replacement table 34 Document processing device 36 Head identification means 38 End identification means 40 Text creation means 42 Text writing means 44 Document processing device 46 Paragraph length determination means 48 Code search means 50 Number insertion means 52 Operation mode switching means

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. Searching a claim or a utility model registration claim of a specification stored in a document storage means for a phrase expressing a claim or one or a plurality of characters constituting the phrase. A search step of searching for the number described after the word as an item number, and a number representing the order of the array in the claims in the heading of the claim including the item number searched in the search step A replacement step for replacing the item number searched in the search step. 2. Searching a claim or a utility model registration claim of a specification stored in a document storage means for a word or phrase that expresses the claim or one or more characters constituting the word or phrase. A search unit that searches for the number described after the word as an item number, and a number representing the order of the array in the claim, of the heading of the claim that includes the item number searched by the search unit. And a replacing unit that replaces the item number searched by the searching unit. 3. A head identification step of searching a document stored in a document storage means for a phrase including a figure character and a figure number for specifying a drawing, and the drawing specification searched in the head identification step. From the end identification step of searching for the character of the figure or the name of the drawing first described after the word in the document stored in the document storage means, from the drawing specific word searched in the head identification step Reading a main part or the whole of a character string up to the character of the figure or the name of the figure searched in the end identification step from the document storage means, and forming a sentence having the read character string as a main part; A document processing method, comprising: 4. A head identification unit for searching a word stored in a document storage unit for a phrase including a figure character and a figure number for identifying a drawing, and the drawing identification searched by the head identification unit. A character of the figure or a name of the drawing first described after the word, a tail identification means for searching in the document stored in the document storage means, and from the drawing specific words searched by the head identification means Reading the main part or the whole of the character string described between the characters of the figure or the name of the figure retrieved by the end identification means from the document storage means, and writing a sentence having the read character string as the main part. A document processing apparatus, comprising: a document creation unit to be created; 5. A paragraph length determining step of finding a paragraph in a document stored in a document storage unit and determining whether or not the length is longer than a reference length; A number insertion step of inserting a different and continuous paragraph number for each paragraph before or after the paragraph in the document stored in the document storage means when it is determined that the length is longer than the length. Document processing method to be performed. 6. A paragraph length determining means for finding a paragraph in a document stored in a document storage means and determining whether or not the paragraph length is longer than a reference length; A number insertion unit that inserts a different and continuous paragraph number for each paragraph before or after the paragraph in the document stored in the document storage unit when it is determined that the length is longer than a reference length. Document processing device. 7. A code search step for searching for a predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of a paragraph in a document stored in the document storage means. In the code search step, a head or end of the paragraph is obtained. A number insertion step of inserting a different and continuous paragraph number for each paragraph before or after the paragraph in the document stored in the document storage means when the predetermined code stored in the section can be searched. And a document processing method comprising: 8. A code search means for searching a document stored in the document storage means for a predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of a paragraph, and the code search means comprises a head or end of the paragraph. When the predetermined code stored in the section can be searched,
A document processing apparatus, comprising: a number insertion unit that inserts a different and continuous paragraph number for each paragraph before or after the paragraph in the document stored in the document storage unit. 9. A code search step for searching for a predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of a paragraph in a document stored in the document storage means; A number that inserts a different and continuous paragraph number for each paragraph before or after the paragraph in the document stored in the document storage unit, except when the predetermined code stored in the section is searched. A document processing method, comprising: an inserting step. 10. A code search means for searching for a predetermined code stored at the beginning or end of a paragraph in a document stored in a document storage means, and said code search means comprises a head or end of said paragraph. A number that inserts a different and continuous paragraph number for each paragraph before or after the paragraph in the document stored in the document storage unit, except when the predetermined code stored in the section is searched. A document processing apparatus comprising: an insertion unit.