JP2017021654A - Document management server and system - Google Patents

Abstract

When a handwritten addition is made to a paper document, the handwritten portion of the paper document after the addition is stored, including who added the contents.
A document in which a second image different for each user and a third image corresponding to an image added by the user are added to a first image corresponding to the original document to identify the user. The third image is stored as postscript information by the user specified by the second image based on the first image and information derived from the first image.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a document management server and system, and more particularly, to a technique for storing information added to a printed document together with information of an adder.

  In recent years, digitization of documents has progressed. The document is created by a computer and printed out as necessary. A document (paper document) printed on a paper medium is often read by a scanner and converted into electronic data. There is already known a technique in which when a paper document is additionally written by hand, the post-added paper document is read and digitized by a scanner, and only the portion added by handwriting is extracted and stored as another electronic file. However, although the prior art can manage the version of the handwritten additional history for one paper document, there is a problem that it is not possible to hold who added the information.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic file held by a server for the purpose of saving as an electronic file that can be reused and re-edited without losing information on a paper document including handwritten characters added by a user. A technique for acquiring and outputting an electronic file corresponding to a manuscript specified from the inside is disclosed. In the image processing system of Patent Document 1, first, image data representing an original is input, and an electronic file corresponding to the input image data is searched from electronic files held by the server. Then, difference information between the retrieved electronic file and the input image data is extracted, and the electronic file and the difference information are associated with each other and stored in a predetermined storage location.

  The disclosure of Patent Document 1 is a technique relating to saving handwritten information added by a user as an electronic file, and the version history of handwritten additional writing on one paper document could be managed. However, the problem of not being able to hold who added the information has not been solved.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to save a portion of a paper document that has been additionally written by handwriting, including who added the content when the paper document is additionally written by hand.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a second image that differs for each user and a third image corresponding to an image added by the user are specified on the first image corresponding to the original document. The third image is stored as additional information by the user specified by the second image and information derived from the first image based on the image of the original document to which the first image is added. And

  According to the present invention, when a paper document is additionally written by hand, it is possible to save the portion of the paper document after the additional writing that has been additionally written, including who added the content.

It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the environment where the system of this embodiment is used. It is a figure for demonstrating the image printed with the system of this embodiment. In this embodiment, it is a figure for demonstrating a mode that each user adds to the printed document. In this embodiment, it is a figure for demonstrating how the additional writing content of each user is hold | maintained electronically. It is a figure which shows the flow which performs printing using the system of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flow which reads handwritten information using the system of this embodiment, and performs version management. It is a screen example (the 1) of this embodiment. It is a screen example (the 2) of this embodiment. In this embodiment, it is a figure for demonstrating the method of extracting the information added to the original. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a version is created by further branching from the version configuration of FIG. 5 in the present embodiment.

The embodiment of the present invention disclosed below has the following features when saving information on a paper document including handwritten characters added by a user as an electronic file that can be reused and re-edited without being lost. Have
-User authentication is performed during printing, and a unique two-dimensional code is embedded in the print image according to the authentication data.
The user writes on the printed paper by hand, and when reading the written paper with the image reading apparatus, the two-dimensional code added at the time of printing is read to identify the user.
-Compare the original print data with the additional contents other than the two-dimensional code, and extract only the information overwritten by handwriting.
・ Link handwritten information and users and save handwritten information.

In short, when user-written additional information is printed, the user authentication is performed using an IC card, the user authentication information is included in the document, and the document is embedded when the handwritten content is read by the image reading apparatus. However, it is characterized by identifying who made the postscript by reading the user authentication information at the same time.
The features of the present invention described above will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration>
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a system including a document management server 100 according to this embodiment. The document management server 100 is communicably connected to the multifunction peripheral 120 and the authentication management server 110 via a network. The multifunction device 120 is a multi-function multifunction device and also has a function as a so-called printer or copier. In this embodiment, the MFP 120 includes an image reading unit 121, an image forming unit 122, an image processing unit 123, a two-dimensional code reading unit 124, a two-dimensional code generation unit 125, an IC card reading unit 126, a user interface 127, A network interface 128 is provided.

The image reading unit 121 is a device that reads information written on a sheet and converts it into electronic data. In this system, it is used to read a document added by a user and convert it into electronic data.
The image forming unit 122 is a device that prints electronic data on paper. In this system, it is used for printing a document designated by the user, which is added later by handwriting.

The user interface 127 is an interface for the user to operate the multifunction machine 120. The system provides an interface to the user mainly for the following two procedures.
The first is a print mode screen for version management. This is a screen that triggers a user to select a document whose version is managed by this system, prompts the user to contact the IC card for specifying the user, and requests the image forming unit 122 to print.
Second, a read mode screen for version management: a screen that is operated after the user makes additional writing on the printed paper obtained by the user after operating the print mode screen for the first version management. A trigger that prompts the user to set a sheet of paper added by handwriting in the image reading unit 121, prompts the user to request an image reading start command, and adds the user's additional information to the version management of the system; It is the screen which becomes.

The two-dimensional code generation unit 125 is a device that converts and generates input information into a two-dimensional code. In this system, when the user prints a document managed by the system, the following two pieces of information are given to the two-dimensional code.
The first is a hash tag that is managed by the authentication management server 110 and identifies a user. This is used to identify the user who printed.
The second is an ID that is managed by the document management server 100 and identifies the version of the document. This is used to specify the original document of the printed paper added by the user.

The two-dimensional code reading unit 124 is a device that extracts information embedded in the two-dimensional code from the information of the two-dimensional code.
The image processing unit 123 is a device that combines an image and an image to generate one image.

  The IC card reading unit 126 is a device for reading user identification information (hash tag managed by the authentication management server) embedded in the IC card when the user brings the IC card close.

  The network interface 128 is an interface for the MFP 120 to connect to the network.

  The authentication management server 110 is a server that manages user authentication information. The authentication management server 110 holds the following information in a hash table. In the table, information (name, affiliation, user ID, etc.) that can identify a user and a hash tag are associated with each other.

  The document management server 100 is a server having a function of holding a document generated by the present system and electronic data of a handwritten description part and providing information managed when a request is received.

  An environment in which the present system is used will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the multifunction device 1 of this system has a device for reading an IC card (a specific example of the IC card reading unit 126 in FIG. 1). Further, in this system, it is assumed that a plurality of users use it, and each user holds an individual IC card.

An image printed by this system will be described with reference to FIG.
First, a user (SHINJI, ICHIRO, KEI in the example of FIG. 3) brings the IC card into contact with the multi function peripheral 120, and the multi function peripheral 120 recognizes which user is using it.
Next, the user selects an original document from the user interface 127 of the multifunction machine 120 and executes printing.
Then, the multi function peripheral 120 converts the user authentication information and the information of the original document into a two-dimensional code, adds it to the original document, and prints it.
As a result, each user has a sheet on which a different two-dimensional code is printed.

With reference to FIG. 4, how each user adds information to a printed document will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, each user adds a handwriting to a sheet that he / she has printed using the multifunction device 120. In the example of FIG. 4, SHINJI adds “AAA” to the lower right, ICHRO adds “BBB” to the upper left, and KEI adds “CCC” to the lower left.

  With reference to FIG. 5, description will be given of how each user's postscript content is electronically held. In FIG. 5, V1.0 indicates the original document in FIG. When each user prints this version 1.0 document, and additionally writes and reads the difference, the additional information for each user is managed as a version derived from V1.0.

  This will be explained using the example shown in FIG. 4. The information “AAA” added in the lower right of SHINJI is derived from V1.0 as the contents added by SHINJI to the original version of V1.0. Create a modified version. (In FIG. 5, the SHINJI initial is taken as V1.0.S as an example)

  The additional contents of ICHIRO and KEI are managed as different versions from the contents added by ICHIRO and the contents added by KEI to the original V1.0 document, as in the example shown in FIG. 5).

<Operation>
FIG. 6 shows a flow of printing using this system.
When printing, the user selects a print mode for version management from the user interface (S101, screen example is FIG. 8A).
The system displays the IC card on the user interface 127 so as to contact the IC card reading unit 126 (S102, an example screen is FIG. 8B).

The user brings his IC card into contact with the IC card reading unit 126 (S103).
The system connects to the authentication server 110 and specifies a hash tag for identifying the user from the read IC card information (S104).
The system accesses the document management server 100 and displays a list of files whose version is managed by this system (S105, screen example is FIG. 9).
The user designates the printed file and the version of the file (S106).
The user requests printing (S107).

The system generates user information (a hash tag that can uniquely identify a user) acquired in advance, a two-dimensional code in which a file selected by the user and its version are embedded (S108). Then, the file selected by the user and the handwritten information whose version is managed (the handwritten information whose version is managed are information added by handwriting to the original image read in the reading mode of this system. And the generated two-dimensional code are combined by the image processing unit 123 to generate a print image (S108).
The system prints the generated image (S109).

  In S108, the place where the generated two-dimensional code is synthesized is preferably a blank area of the document, such as the margin of the document. The blank page portion can be detected by the image processing unit 123 reading the image signal of the document and finding a portion where pixels having a low density or almost zero are spread uniformly.

With reference to FIG. 7, the flow of performing version management by reading handwritten information using this system will be described.
The user selects a read mode for version management from the user interface 127 (S110, screen example is FIG. 8A).
The user sets a document on the image reading unit 121 (S111, screen example is FIG. 8C).
The user requests to start reading a document (S112).

The system reads a document set on the image reading unit 121 (S113).
The system extracts the two-dimensional code from the image read by the image reading unit 121, the two-dimensional code reading unit 124 analyzes the two-dimensional code, and the original image (original version) of the document and the owner of the document (authentication at the time of printing) Specified user) (S114).
The system extracts the difference between the read image and the original image, and generates only the added difference as electronic data (S115).
The system accesses the document management server 100 and saves the difference electronic data and the owner information as a new version (S116).

  FIG. 9C shows an example of a screen displayed on the user interface 127 when a document added to the document management server 100 is stored using the version management reading mode of this system. FIG. 9C shows an example in which the reading mode is executed after the original document is printed by ICHIRO and added by handwriting.

<Image processing>
A method for extracting information added to a document will be described with reference to FIG.
The additional information is extracted by subtracting the image information of the original document from the read document. FIG. 10A is an original document. FIG. 10B is an original document in which B and C are additionally written by hand after printing (1). When reading, in order to extract only handwritten additional information, the image of (1) was subtracted from the image of (2) (the difference was taken for each pixel), and the information was added in (2). Only the information of B and C in (3) is extracted. At this time, if the additional writing of B in (2) is overlapped with the information A printed as the original document, the additional writing B is stored in the applied state.

  The MFP 120 shown in FIG. 1 uses an image read by the image reading unit 121 (corresponding to FIG. 10 (2)) and performs image processing as described above to an image of a document before printing and an image of a two-dimensional code ( (Corresponding to FIG. 10 (1)). As a result, additional writing (corresponding to FIG. 10 (3)) remains. In the present embodiment, “original document before printing” does not mean only “original document”. This includes cases where additional notes are handwritten. This will be described below with reference to FIG.

<When the original manuscript includes someone's postscript>
FIG. 11 shows an example in which a version is created by further branching from the version configuration of FIG. In the example of FIG. 11, SHINJI, ICHIRO, and KEI are additionally written on the paper printed by adding information added by SHINJI to the original V1.0 document, and read by the image reading unit 121. Shows the case. As illustrated in FIG. 11, in the present embodiment, a version is created whose parent is a document obtained by adding contents added by SHINJI to a V1.0 document.

  The document management server 100 stores the child version document together with information that the document is derived from the parent version document. Note that there is no limitation on how to provide “information that the document is derived from the document of the parent version”. It may be stored and managed in a metafile, or may have information on which version each document is derived from.

  The document management server 100 stores version information having a tree structure as shown in FIG. When printing by specifying a version, the original document and the specified version are combined in the image processing unit 123, and the two-dimensional code generated by the two-dimensional code generation unit 125 is added to form an image. Printing is performed by the unit 122.

<Effect>
In the embodiment described above, when the handwritten additional information is printed, the user authentication is performed using an IC card, and the user authentication information is included in the document and printed. Further, when the handwritten content is read by the image reading unit 121, the user's authentication information embedded in the document is read at the same time, thereby identifying the person who performed the additional writing.
Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, when a paper document is added by handwriting, a portion of the paper document after the additional writing, including the content added by the handwriting, can be saved. .
Furthermore, since the document management server 100 stores the added part together with version information having a tree structure, it is possible to include a part that was added by handwriting in the past when printing. By further reading what has been added to this, what someone has added to the additional writing can be stored separately from the additional writing by another person as what the person has added.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Document management server 110 Authentication management server 120 MFP 121 Image reading part 122 Image forming part 123 Image processing part 124 Two-dimensional code reading part 125 Two-dimensional code generation part 126 IC card reading part 127 User interface 128 Network interface

JP 2005-149097 A

Claims (8)

Based on an original image in which a second image different for each user and a third image corresponding to an image added by the user are added on the first image corresponding to the original document. And
The document management server, wherein the third image is additional information by a user specified by the second image and is stored as information derived from the first image. Using an external image processing device
The document management server according to claim 1, wherein the second image and the stored third image are combined on the first image.   3. The document management server according to claim 2, wherein the second image is combined on a blank portion of the first image when combining. 4. Using the external image processing device,
4. The document management server according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of stored third images are combined with an original image not including information derived from another image. 5.   The second image is a user who has performed printing when printing a document with the second image and the third image added on the first image, and the second authentication server 5. The document management server according to claim 1, wherein the document management server is an image corresponding to a user authenticated by using the image management server. A document management system including an image processing apparatus and a document management server,
The image processing apparatus includes:
An image of a document in which a second image different for each user and a third image corresponding to an image added by the user are added on the first image corresponding to the original document is read. An image reading unit;
A user identifying unit that identifies the user who added the third image based on the second image;
An image processing unit for extracting a difference between the image of the document read by the image reading unit and the first image and the second image;
A control unit that associates the difference extracted by the image processing unit as the third image with the user specified by the user specifying unit;
Have
The document management server
The document management system, wherein the third image is additional information added by a user associated with the control unit and is stored as information derived from the first image. An image of a document in which a second image different for each user and a third image corresponding to an image added by the user are added on the first image corresponding to the original document is read. An image reading unit;
A user identifying unit that identifies the user who added the third image based on the second image;
An image processing unit for extracting a difference between the image of the document read by the image reading unit and the first image and the second image;
A control unit that associates the difference extracted by the image processing unit as the third image with the user specified by the user specifying unit;
Document management means for storing additional information by a user associated with the third image by the control unit and storing the information as information derived from the first image;
A document management system comprising:   The second image is a user who has performed printing when printing a document with the second image and the third image added on the first image, and the second authentication server The document management system according to claim 6, wherein the document management system is an image corresponding to a user authenticated by using the image management system.

Images