JPS6229357A - Slip processing system applied with facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain on-line slip processing by sending the 2nd picture image formed by a picture image information processing means to a designated facsimile equipment in response to the transmission request from the said means. CONSTITUTION:A facsimile system output section 36 extracts output slip forming information and an output destination identifier from an output spool file 23 and transfers them to a picture information processing unit 41. When the unit 41 receives them, a picture image of an output slip is formed in a bit map memory in the equipment according to character information, control information and form overlay information included in output slip forming information. A FIP 14 receives a sending command from the unit 41, then the FIP 14 calls an opposite facsimile equipment 11 by using a commanded facsimile number. When the connection is finished, a connection end notice is issued, and the icture image of the output slip formed in the bit map memory in the unit 41 is sent to the facsimile equipment 11. Thus, the on-line slip processing using the facsimile equipment is attained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a facsimile-applied slip processing system that uses a facsimile machine as an input/output terminal for processing slips.

[Technical Background of the Invention and Problems Therewith] Generally, the connection form between a computer system and a facsimile machine has been realized as a facsimile image storage/exchange system. Furthermore, stand-alone systems such as FAX-OCR that directly receive transmitted images from a facsimile and convert them into character codes have also been known.

However, the facsimile machine in the conventional system described above is simply used as an image transmitter/receiver.

For this reason, even in online systems for processing slips, facsimile machines are only used to send and receive images of slips, and no facsimiles have been known that can be used as data input terminals in online systems.

[Purpose of the Invention] This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a facsimile application in which a facsimile machine can be applied as an input/output terminal for processing slips, thereby enabling online processing of slips using facsimile machines. Our goal is to provide a slip processing system.

[Summary of the Invention] The present invention includes a facsimile interface processor that connects a facsimile network and a computer system and performs interface processing between the facsimile network and the computer system. A reception interrupt from the facsimile interface processor is notified to the facsimile receiving means. Thereby, the facsimile receiving means receives the first image of the first slip having the slip format identifier area from the facsimile via the facsimile network.

In this invention, first and second reading means having an image recognition function, an output slip creation means, and an image information processing means are provided. The first reading means reads the slip format identifier from the slip format identifier area of the first image received by the facsimile receiving means. Further, the second reading means reads the image of the corresponding slip area of the first image image according to the slip format indicated by the slip format identifier read by the first reading means. The output slip creating means generates a second slip for output corresponding to the first slip according to the image reading result of the second VT capturing means.
An output destination identifier indicating the slip creation information of the slip and the second slip output destination facsimile is created. The image information creation means is
A second image of the second slip is created based on the slip creation information created by the output slip creation means, and a request is made to the facsimile interface processor to transmit it to the facsimile indicated by the output destination identifier. In response to a transmission request from the image information processing means, the facsimile interface processor receives the second
Sends the image to the specified facsimile.

[Embodiment of the Invention] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a facsimile-applied slip processing system according to an embodiment of the invention. In the same figure, 11.1
1 is a facsimile machine for inputting and outputting slips, and 12 is a facsimile network. 13 is a computer that forms the center of the facsimile application slip processing system, 14.14...
Is computer 13 7? A facsimile interface processor (hereinafter referred to as F) for connecting to the facsimile network 12
(referred to as IP).

The computer 13 includes a digital image character recognition device 15 that performs character recognition on the image of a document (slip image) transmitted from the facsimile 11 and converts it into code data, and a video display terminal (hereinafter referred to as VDT). ) 16 are connected. V.D.
The terminal T 16 has a keyboard 16a, which is used to display slips whose characters cannot be completely recognized by the digital image character recognition device 15 so that the terminal operator can correct the slips.

Also connected to the computer 13 are an error log output device 17 for outputting image slips whose characters cannot be completely recognized by the digital image character recognition bag M15, and an external storage bag W118 such as a magnetic disk.

The external storage device 18 includes an input spool file 21 that temporarily stores image slips sent from the facsimile 11, a slip format library 22 that stores various slip formats applied in the system in correspondence with slip format identifiers, and Facsimile 1
An output spool file 23 is prepared that temporarily stores output slip creation information, which is configuration information of a slip (output slip) to be sent to the sender. Furthermore, the external storage device 18 includes a character data file 24 that stores code conversion data of a voucher (code data voucher), an unrecognized image file 25 that temporarily stores image images of unrecognized character parts and candidate characters of unrecognized characters, Also prepared is an unmodified data file 26 that stores code data in which unrecognizable characters are represented by reject pattern codes (code data slips containing reject pattern codes).

31, 31... are facsimile receiving units that receive image data (specifically, image images of slips) from facsimile machines 11, 11..., and 32 is a digital image character m.
A digital image character conversion unit converts an image form slip into a code data form using the device 15, and 33 is a format loader that loads a form format into the digital image character recognition device 115 in response to a request from the digital image character recognition device ji115. be. 34 is a data correction unit that corrects a document for which the conversion from an image document to a code data document has not been completed (i.e., a document including unrecognizable characters);
35 is a data processing unit that creates output slip creation information, which is configuration information of a response slip (output slip) for the code data slip stored in the character data file 24, in code data (code image) format; 36
is a facsimile system output unit for outputting the output slip creation information created by the data processing unit 35 to the facsimile 11. Facsimile receiving section 31゜31...,
Digital image character conversion unit 32, format loader 3
3. The data correction section 34, the data processing section 35, and the system output section 36 are functional blocks realized by the computer 13. In particular, the data processing section 35 is realized by the processing function of the computer 13 based on an application program.

41 is an image information processing device having a bitmap memory (not shown). The image information processing device 41 is used to convert output slip creation information from the facsimile system output section 36 into a digital image (output image image) and output it to the facsimile 11.

Next, the operation of one embodiment of the present invention will be explained.

First, when a call is made from the facsimile 11 to one of the FI PIs 3.14 through the facsimile network 12,
The corresponding FIP 14 issues an interrupt signal to the corresponding facsimile receiving section 31 (in the computer 13). Upon receiving an interrupt from the FIP 14, the facsimile receiving unit 31 issues a reception acceptance to the FIP 14, and receives the image-based slip (slip image) transmitted from the facsimile 11. Then, the facsimile receiving unit 31 inputs the received image slip into the queue of the input spool file 21.

The digital image character conversion unit 32 extracts the oldest image document from the queue of the input spool file 21 at that time, and converts the image document into digital image character IF! Transfer to device 15.

The digital image character recognition device 15 performs character recognition in the slip format identification section (slip format identifier area R) of the slip image transferred from the digital image character conversion section 32. This slip format identification section is provided in a predetermined area of the slip, and a slip format identifier for identifying the format of the corresponding slip is set in advance in the same area. The character recognition device 15 reads the slip format identifier by character recognition in the slip format identification section, and performs character recognition in an area set in the same format according to the slip format indicated by the identifier.

In this embodiment, not all slip formats are prepared in the character recognition device 15.

Therefore, if the corresponding format is not prepared in the character recognition device 15, the character recognition device 15 issues an interrupt using the slip format identifier to the format loader 33 to request loading of the slip format. When the format loader 33 receives an interrupt from the character recognition device 15, the format loader 33 extracts a corresponding slip format from the slip format library 22 based on the slip format identifier and loads it into the character recognition device 15.

The character recognition device 15 converts the character conversion unit 32 according to the document format prepared within the device or the document format loaded by the format loader 33.
Character recognition is performed on the image image slip from , and it is converted into code data (code data slip). The character recognition device 15 then transfers the code data, which is the character recognition vA result, to the character conversion unit 32. On the other hand, if there is an unrecognizable character in the character recognition process, the character recognition device 15 uses that character part as a reject pattern code,
The corresponding part of the image slip is cut out and transferred to the character conversion section 32 together with the candidate characters.

If there is no unrecognizable character in the character recognition operation of the character recognition device 150 on the image document to be processed, that is, if the conversion from the image document to the code data document has been completed, the character conversion unit 32 performs character recognition. The code data slip transferred from the device 15 is stored in the character data file 24.

If an unrecognizable character exists in the character recognition work of the character recognition device 15, that is, if the conversion from the image image slip to the code data slip is incomplete, the character conversion unit 32 converts the (reject pattern) from the character recognition device 15 into a The code data (including codes) is stored in the unmodified data file 26, and the candidate characters and cutout image image slips are stored in the unrecognized image file 25.

The data correction unit 34 inputs code data including reject pattern codes from the uncorrected data file 26, and converts candidate characters and cutout image image slips in the unrecognized image file 25 corresponding to the reject pattern codes into V.
DT 16 and the terminal operator's keyboard 1
Corrected by operation 6a.

When the data correction unit 34 completes the correction of the reject pattern characters, it stores the code-converted slip data (code data slip) in the character data file 24.

Data processing $35 extracts the (code-converted) slip data corresponding to the image slip sent from the facsimile 11 from the character data file 24, performs data processing, and processes the slip data (for example, the code corresponding to the order slip). Output slip creation information, which is configuration information of a response slip (for example, a delivery slip) for a data slip), is created in code data format.

This output slip creation information includes character information, control information (character size, character position information, etc.), and form overlay information (ruled lines, fixed characters, etc. that constitute the slip format). Then, the data processing unit 35 stores the created output slip creation information in the output spool file 23 together with an output destination identifier indicating the output (transmission) destination facsimile 11 of the output slip corresponding to the information.

The facsimile system output unit 36 extracts the output slip creation information and the output destination identifier from the output spool file 23 and transfers them to the image information processing device 41. When the image information processing device 41 receives the output slip creation information and the output destination identifier from the facsimile system output unit 36, the image information processing device 41 stores the output slip creation information in the bitmap memory in the device according to the character information, control information, and form overlay information included in the output slip creation information. Create an image of the output document. Then, the image information processing device 41 sends the facsimile 11 indicated by the output destination identifier to one of the F I PI3.14...
Issue instructions to send via facsimile number.

When the FIP 14 receives the transmission instruction from the image information processing bag jl 141, it calls the other party's facsimile machine 11 using the facsimile number instructed by the same device 41. When the connection with the facsimile 11 is completed, the FIP 14 issues a connection completion notification to the image information processing device 41 and transmits the image of the output slip created in the bitmap memory in the device 41 to the facsimile 11.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a facsimile can be applied as an input/output terminal for processing slips, so it is possible to process slips online using a facsimile.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a 7-kushimiri applied slip processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11.11...Facsimile, 12...Facsimile network, 13...Computer, 14.14...Facsimile interface processor (FIP), 15.
...Digital image character recognition device, 31.31...Facsimile receiving section, 35...Data processing section, 41...
・Image information department 3! Place v7.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A facsimile interface processor connects a facsimile network and a computer system and performs interface processing between the facsimile network and the computer system; a facsimile receiving means for receiving one image from a facsimile via the facsimile network; a first reading means for reading a slip format identifier from a slip format identifier area of the first image received by the facsimile receiving means; a second reading means for reading an image of a corresponding slip area of the first image image according to the slip format indicated by the slip format identifier read by the reading means; Output slip creation means for creating slip creation information for a second slip for output corresponding to the slip and an output destination identifier indicating the second slip output destination facsimile; and based on the slip creation information created by this output slip creation means. image information processing means for creating a second image of the second slip and requesting the facsimile interface processor to transmit it to the facsimile indicated by the output destination identifier; A facsimile-applied slip processing system characterized by being configured to transmit a second image created by the image information processing means to a designated facsimile machine in response to a transmission request from the information processing means.