Information processing apparatus and method

Abstract

Information on handwriting characteristics of each operator is registered in an operator database (108). The control unit (104) receives the job report data from the portable terminal (300), and then transfers the handwritten signature data of the customer included in the job report data to the handwriting determination unit (106). A handwriting determination unit (106) determines whether or not the characteristics of the handwriting of the handwritten signature data match the characteristics of the handwriting of any one of a specific operator (e.g., a producer of a work report) or all of the operators registered in the operator database (108). When the handwriting determination unit (106) determines that the handwritten signature data is "consistent", the control unit (104) determines that the handwritten signature data is invalid as the signature of the customer, and executes error processing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for determining the validity of a handwritten signature input as a customer's signature. Background Art

[0002] In the past, when a worker visited a customer and performed work for them, the customer would confirm the work and sign a document to indicate their approval. Furthermore, with the recent trend toward electronic documents, there has been an increase in systems where a confirmation document is displayed on a portable device such as a tablet computer, and the customer signs the document displayed on the device screen by handwriting. In such systems, a document containing the customer's handwritten signature is transmitted from the terminal to a server via a network such as the Internet and stored there.

[0003] As conventional technologies related to checking the authenticity of handwritten signatures, there are the following technologies.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a device that determines whether the user who is supposed to record a document is actually recording it when using an electronic pen. The device authenticates the user using the electronic pen, obtains recording information such as handwriting, and then determines whether this recording information matches stored past recording information for the user. If not, the device determines that the recording is not being made by the authenticated user (e.g., paragraphs 0060-0065 of the document).

[0005] Patent Document 2 describes a device that uses handwriting information, such as that obtained when a user writes their name in an electronic pen, to authenticate the user. The device stores the user's previous name entries in association with their user identification information. The device then receives the user identification information, for example, when the user begins a new entry, along with the name entry information written in the electronic pen. The device then determines whether the received entry matches the previously stored entry information associated with the user identification information (see, for example, paragraphs 0077-0078 of the patent document).

[0006] Patent document 3 describes a system in which a handwriting image of a customer's name, etc., which is recorded in an account opening application form, is pre-registered, and a handwriting image of the name, etc. which is recorded by the requester in a refund request form when a refund is subsequently made is compared with the registered handwriting image (for example, refer to paragraphs 0032-0038 of the document).

[0007] Patent Document 4 describes a system in which a user inputs handwriting using an electronic pen. In this system, a handwriting identification unit compares newly input handwritten characters with images stored in a user information storage unit, thereby identifying user information that matches the newly input handwritten characters (see, for example, paragraphs 0116-0121 of the document).

[0008] Prior art literature

[0009] Patent Literature

[0010] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-271714

[0011] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-211340

[0012] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-31444

[0013] Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-175509 Summary of the Invention

[0014] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0015] In a conventional system in which a customer writes a handwritten signature on a worker's terminal, even if the worker writes a handwritten signature on behalf of the customer, for example, by impersonating the customer, the system cannot detect this.

[0016] Of course, if each customer's handwritten signature data can be registered in the system in advance, the customer's handwritten signature input into the terminal can be compared with the handwritten signature data registered in the system. However, it is often believed that handwritten signatures are not registered in advance from customers.

[0017] An object of the present invention is to provide a device that does not recognize a signature written by an operator on behalf of a customer as a valid signature even when there is no data registered for the customer's handwritten signature.

[0018] Means used to solve problems

[0019] The information processing device of the present invention comprises: a holding unit which holds characteristic information representing the characteristics of the handwriting of each operator; a determination unit which uses the characteristic information to determine whether the characteristics of the handwriting shown in the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature are consistent with the characteristics of the operator's handwriting; and a control unit which, when the determination unit determines that they are consistent, executes control corresponding to the situation where the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is invalid.

[0020] In one embodiment, when the determination unit determines that there is no coincidence, the control unit executes control corresponding to a case where the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is valid.

[0021] In another embodiment, when the control unit determines that there is inconsistency, if the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature for the first time, the control unit stores the handwritten signature data as the customer's provisional handwritten signature data in the storage unit; and when the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature for the second time, if the handwritten signature data is consistent with the customer's provisional handwritten signature data stored in the storage unit, the provisional handwritten signature data in the storage unit is changed to the customer's confirmed handwritten signature data.

[0022] In another embodiment, when the control unit determines that the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is inconsistent with the provisional handwritten signature of the customer stored in the storage unit, the control unit executes control corresponding to the situation where the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is invalid.

[0023] In another embodiment, the control corresponding to the case where the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is valid is a process of registering the document data input corresponding to the handwritten signature data in the database, and the control unit executes a process of setting the document data registered in the database when the handwritten signature data was first input as the customer's signature as a verification object when the judgment unit determines that there is inconsistency, when the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is inconsistent with the provisional handwritten signature of the customer stored in the storage unit.

[0024] In another embodiment, when the control unit stores the confirmed handwritten signature data of the customer in the storage unit, the judgment performed by the judgment unit is omitted, and the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is compared with the confirmed handwritten signature data of the customer.

[0025] In another embodiment, the information processing device further includes: a unit for storing residence information indicating the residence of the customer; and a unit for obtaining information on the input position of the handwritten signature data input as the signature of the customer, and even if the determination unit determines that it is inconsistent, the control unit also performs control corresponding to the situation where the handwritten signature data input as the signature of the customer is invalid when the input position is inconsistent with the residence indicated by the residence information.

[0026] Effects of the Invention

[0027] According to the present invention, even when there is no registered data of the customer's handwritten signature, it is possible to prevent a signature written by an operator on behalf of the customer from being recognized as a valid signature. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a work report management system according to the embodiment.

[0029] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an example of data registered in the worker DB.

[0030] Figure 3 It is a diagram showing an example of data registered in the customer DB.

[0031] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing an example of management data registered in the work report DB.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the procedure of processing executed by the control unit.

[0033] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of a modified example using NN (neural network).

[0034] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of a modified example using position information.

[0035] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating a schematic hardware configuration of a computer that can serve as a basis for the work report management system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Hereinafter, a method for implementing the present invention (hereinafter referred to as an "embodiment") will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the device structures and processing procedures shown below are merely illustrative. For example, the hardware structure and functional structure of the device may be other structures that achieve the same functions as the illustrated examples, and the processing procedures may be other processes that achieve the same functions.

[0037] Figure 1The structure of the system of the embodiment is illustrated. Figure 1 In the system shown, a work report management system 100 and a portable terminal 300 carried by each worker are communicatively connected via a network 200 such as the Internet. The work report management system 100 is an example of an information processing device of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 1 The system is used by a worker who is an employee of a service provider to visit a customer to perform work and register document data representing the content of a report on the work (hereinafter referred to as a "work report") with the service provider. The work report is registered from a portable terminal 300 via a network 200 in a work report management system 100 managed by the service provider.

[0039] As an example of a work report, there is a work report made by an operator of a provider of maintenance services for buildings, equipment or machinery, etc. In this example, the operator goes to the customer's building, equipment or machinery, etc. to perform inspection or maintenance operations, makes a work report indicating the results of the inspection or maintenance, and displays the work report on the screen of the portable terminal 300 and prompts it to the customer. When the customer agrees with the content of the work report, he or she enters a handwritten signature indicating confirmation of the work report in the prescribed signature column in the work report. The work report is not limited to this example. For example, when an employee of a distribution company delivers goods to a customer (i.e., the recipient of the goods in this case), when the customer enters a handwritten signature confirming receipt on the receipt displayed on the screen of the terminal, the receipt is also an example of a work report. In addition, the system of this embodiment can also be applied to work reports on various operations.

[0040] The portable terminal 300 is, for example, a tablet terminal or a smartphone. The portable terminal 300 includes a mechanism for accepting input of the contents of a work report from a worker, a screen for displaying the work report, etc., and a mechanism for accepting entry of a handwritten signature in a predetermined signature field in the displayed work report.

[0041] The mechanism for accepting input of the contents of a work report is not particularly limited. For example, the mechanism may be an application for creating work reports. This application may, for example, be one that displays a fixed format for work reports and accepts input from the user, in this case, the worker, for each field in the format. Furthermore, the work report management system 100 may provide this format to the web browser of the portable terminal 300, for example, in the form of a web page or web application.

[0042] The mechanism for accepting handwritten signature input may be, for example, a mechanism using the touch input function of the touch panel screen of the portable terminal 300. In this example, the customer writes his or her name or surname on the touch panel screen by handwriting using the tip of a stylus pen or a fingertip (hereinafter referred to as a pen tip).

[0043] In this case, for example, data representing the time-series changes in the position of the pen tip on the screen can be used as the handwritten signature data representing the handwritten signature. If the touch panel screen can detect pressure applied to the screen from the pen tip, information representing the time-series changes in pressure can also be included in the handwritten signature data. Furthermore, an electronic pen capable of detecting various characteristics of the writing action, such as writing pressure or pen tilt, can be combined with the touch input function of portable terminal 300, so that information about the various characteristics detected by the electronic pen can be included in the handwritten signature data.

[0044] Furthermore, the input of a handwritten signature is not limited to the method using a touch panel screen, and other methods may be used.

[0045] The generated work report includes the identification information of the customer who is the subject of the work report (hereinafter referred to as the customer ID), the identification information of the operator who generated the work report (hereinafter referred to as the operator ID), the date the work was performed, and various items related to the work. Furthermore, the work report may include handwritten signature data representing the handwritten signature entered in the signature field.

[0046] The portable terminal 300 associates the handwritten signature data representing the handwritten signature entered in the signature field with the work report data (e.g., incorporates it into the work report data as a single element) and transmits it to the work report management system 100. The handwritten signature data transmitted at this time may be any of various types of data used in existing handwritten signature recognition technologies.

[0047] For example, as handwritten signature data, data showing the time series change of the writing position (i.e., the position on the screen where the pen tip or the like contacts) can also be used. In this case, the position of the pen tip or the like on the screen at time t is defined as (x t ,y t ), the handwritten signature data consists of (t, x t ,y t ) sequence. In addition, the moment t at which the pen tip leaves the screen is replaced by the position of the pen tip (x t ,y t ), a predetermined value indicating that the pen tip or the like is not touching the screen is recorded in the handwritten signature data. In addition, the format of the handwritten signature data is only an example.

[0048] Furthermore, when information on writing pressure or the angle of the pen tip during writing is obtained, the handwritten signature data may include data indicating time-series changes in the writing pressure or angle.

[0049] Alternatively, instead of using time-series data such as writing position data, handwriting features can be obtained from this time-series data, and a combination of handwritten signature image data and handwriting feature data can be used as handwritten signature data. The handwriting feature data here can be the same type of data as the handwriting feature data registered in the operator DB (database) 108 described later.

[0050] The handwritten signature data exemplified above is merely illustrative. In the system of this embodiment, various forms of handwritten signature data, existing or to be developed, can be used.

[0051] The work report management system 100 is a server composed of a single computer or a plurality of computers capable of communicating with each other, and stores and manages the work reports sent from the portable terminals 300 of the workers.

[0052] The work report management system 100 includes a data receiving unit 102 , a control unit 104 , a handwriting determination unit 106 , an operator DB (database) 108 , a customer signature determination unit 110 , a customer DB 112 , a registration unit 114 , and a work report DB 116 .

[0053] The data receiving unit 102 receives work report data transmitted from the portable terminal 300. For example, the data receiving unit 102 may provide a web page or web application for inputting work reports to the browser of the portable terminal 300 and receive the work report as a result of the input from the browser. Furthermore, the data receiving unit 102 may authenticate the operator operating the portable terminal 300 and identify the operator from whom the work report originated.

[0054] The control unit 104 controls the overall processing of the work report management system 100, including storage and management of work reports. As a characteristic process, the control unit 104 causes the handwriting determination unit 106 to determine whether the handwriting of the handwritten signature data in the signature field of a work report received by the data reception unit 102 does not match the handwriting of the operator. Furthermore, the control unit 104 may cause the customer signature determination unit 110 to further determine the handwritten signature data.

[0055] The handwriting recognition unit 106 determines whether the handwriting characteristics indicated by the handwritten signature data in the signature field of the work report sent from the mobile terminal 300 match those of the operator's handwriting registered in the operator DB 108. If the handwriting characteristics indicated by the handwritten signature data match those of the operator's handwriting, the handwritten signature data is not the customer's own handwritten signature that should have been entered in the signature field and is therefore determined to be invalid. The handwritten signature data entered in the signature field is an example of handwritten signature data entered as the customer's signature.

[0056] The worker DB 108 stores information on each worker registered by the service provider. Figure 2 An example of the data content stored in the operator DB 108 is shown. In this example, in the operator DB 108, items such as the operator's "name", identification information of the branch to which the operator belongs ("affiliated branch" in the figure), authentication information, and handwriting characteristics are registered corresponding to the operator ID as the identification information of the operator. In addition, Figure 2 The items shown are just examples.

[0057] The authentication information is used for user authentication when the worker logs in to the work report management system 100 from the portable terminal 300 , and examples thereof include a password, biometric authentication information such as a fingerprint, and the like.

[0058] Handwriting features are information that represents the features of the operator's handwriting. As features of handwriting, there are, for example, the order of writing, the features of the strokes, the length of time it takes to write each stroke (i.e., each stroke), the time interval from writing one stroke to writing the next stroke, etc. In addition, a stroke refers to each stroke that constitutes a handwritten character. For example, the strokes of Chinese characters and kana characters include "はね", "とめ", "はらい", etc. The features of a stroke are, for example, the shape features of the stroke. In addition, when it is possible to obtain information on the writing pressure when writing from a touch panel or an electronic pen, the distribution of writing pressure within each stroke (which can also be captured as the temporal change in writing pressure when writing the stroke) can also be used as one of the features of the stroke. The above is just an example, and as features of handwriting, features used in previous handwritten signature recognition technologies can be used.

[0059] When registering workers, the service provider has them write various characters (e.g., Chinese characters, kana) by hand, and measures the writing progress to obtain the handwriting characteristics of each character or the individual strokes that make up each character. This handwriting characteristics acquisition can be achieved using the same mechanism used to accept handwritten signature input via the portable terminal 300. This mechanism can capture the time-series changes in the position of the pen tip (or fingertip) touching the writing surface and the writing pressure, and the handwriting characteristics can be determined based on this time-series information.

[0060] The worker DB 108 is an example of a holding unit that holds feature information indicating features of a worker's handwriting.

[0061] The customer signature determination unit 110 determines whether the handwritten signature recorded in the signature column of the work report sent from the portable terminal 300 matches the customer's handwritten signature data registered in the customer DB 112. In this embodiment, the customer is not required to register his or her handwritten signature in advance, but the handwritten signature entered by the customer in the signature column of the work report is registered in the customer DB 112.

[0062] The customer DB 112 stores information on customers of the service provider. Figure 3 An example of customer information stored in customer DB 112 is shown. In this example, customer DB 112 includes items such as the customer's name ("Customer Name" in the figure), customer signature data, and signature status, all registered in association with a customer ID, which serves as customer identification information. Although not shown, customer DB 112 may also register the customer's address and the latitude and longitude of the address.

[0063] The customer signature data is the customer's handwritten signature data included in the work report sent from the portable terminal 300, or data representing the characteristics of the customer's handwritten signature generated based on one or more past handwritten signatures of the customer. The customer signature data stored in the customer database 112 may also be obtained by combining handwritten signature data from multiple work reports for the same customer. For example, in the case of a regular inspection service, the equipment of the same customer is regularly inspected and work reports are generated. Since the handwritten signature is obtained from the customer each time, the number of samples of the same customer's handwritten signature increases. It is also possible to obtain data that better represents the characteristics of the customer's handwritten signature from multiple handwritten signatures obtained in this way, and to register this data as the customer signature data in the customer database 112.

[0064] The signature status is the status of the signature data registered in the customer signature data item of customer DB 112. The signature status includes "tentative" and "confirmed." "Tentative" is a status in which the customer signature data is only temporarily determined to be the signature of the corresponding customer, and the possibility that a signature was written by an operator impersonating the customer cannot be ignored. "Confirmed" is a status indicating that the customer signature data has been confirmed with a sufficiently high degree of reliability to be the signature written by the corresponding customer himself. As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, the signature data initially submitted as the handwritten signature data of a certain customer is saved in customer DB 112, and the signature status of the signature data is set to "tentative." Then, when the signature data submitted as the handwritten signature data of the customer next time is confirmed to be the signature data of the same person as the initially saved customer signature data, the signature status of the customer signature data of the customer is set to "confirmed."

[0065] The control unit 104 controls the operation of the registration unit 114 based on the judgment results of the handwriting judgment unit 106 or the customer signature judgment unit 110. Furthermore, the control unit 104 may transmit instructions and information (e.g., an error screen) corresponding to these judgment results to the portable terminal 300, which is the source of the work report. These controls will be described in detail later.

[0066] The registration unit 114 registers the data of the work report received from the portable terminal 300 in the work report DB 116. The work report DB 116 is a database that stores the data of the work report. In addition to storing the work report sent from the portable terminal 300, the work report DB 116 also stores accompanying information. The accompanying information may include, for example, the date and time of receipt of the work report, the identification information of the operator who sent the work report (hereinafter referred to as the operator ID), and the identification information of the portable terminal 300 that sent the work report (hereinafter referred to as the terminal ID). In addition, the accompanying information may also include the location information of the portable terminal 300 at the time when the work report was registered.

[0067] Figure 4An example of management data maintained by the work report DB 116 is shown. This management data includes, for each registered work report, a report ID, a link to the work report, a receipt date and time, a customer ID, a responsible worker ID, a source terminal ID, and location information. The report ID is identification information that uniquely identifies the work report. The link to the work report is link data to the entity data of the work report stored in the work report DB 116. This link is described in the form of a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), but this is merely an example. The receipt date and time is the date and time when the work report management system 100 receives the work report from the portable terminal 300. The customer ID is identification information of the customer to whom the worker provided the work related to the work report. This customer ID can be extracted from the work report or sent from the portable terminal 300 along with the work information. The responsible worker ID is identification information of the worker who sent the work report to the work report management system 100 (in other words, created the work report). The transmission source terminal ID is identification information of the portable terminal 300 that has transmitted the work report to the work report management system 100 .

[0068] The location information is, for example, the location information of the portable terminal 300 at the time the work report is registered with the work report management system 100. When the portable terminal 300 registers the work report with the work report management system 100, the location information is acquired from a built-in positioning system and transmitted to the work report management system 100 in association with the work report. The positioning system may be, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System), but is not limited thereto.

[0069] As another example, the portable terminal 300 may obtain the location information of the time when the handwritten signature was entered in the signature field of the work report from the built-in positioning system and manage this location information in association with the work report. In this example, when the work report is registered from the portable terminal 300 to the work report management system 100, the location information is registered in association with the work report.

[0070] Next, refer to Figure 5 ,right Figure 1 An example of a processing procedure executed by the work report management system 100 shown in FIG.

[0071] This process is triggered, for example, by a worker who has performed a job while visiting a customer and registering a work report regarding the job in the work report management system 100 using a portable terminal 300. For example, the work report is created by an application running on the portable terminal 300 and uploaded to the work report management system 100. In another example, the worker creates the work report using a work report creation environment provided by the work report management system 100, such as a web page or a web application. Of course, these are merely examples, and the methods for creating and registering work reports are not limited to these. The data receiving unit 102 accepts registration of work report data from the worker via the portable terminal 300 (S10). In this case, in addition to obtaining the data for the registered work report, the data receiving unit 102 may also obtain the worker's worker ID and the terminal ID of the portable terminal 300, and manage these worker IDs and terminal IDs in association with the work report. For example, the worker ID may be determined based on the worker's login authentication when logging into the work report management system 100. Furthermore, when the portable terminal 300 transmits the work report data to the work report management system 100, it may also transmit the terminal ID. Furthermore, the data reception unit 102 may also manage the date and time when the work report was accepted and the location information of the portable terminal 300 at that time, in association with the work report. Here, the location information of the portable terminal 300 may be obtained by obtaining location information obtained by a positioning system built into the portable terminal. Alternatively, instead of managing the location information of the portable terminal 300 at the time the work report was registered in association with the work report, the data reception unit 102 may manage the location information of the portable terminal 300 at the time the handwritten signature was entered in the signature field of the work report in association with the work report. For example, when the application of the portable terminal 300 detects a handwritten signature in the signature field, it may obtain the location information of the portable terminal 300 at the time of detection from the positioning system, store it in association with the work report, and notify the work report management system 100 of this location information along with the work report.

[0072] The control unit 104 extracts the handwritten signature data representing the signature entered in the signature column from the work report received by the data receiving unit 102, and passes the handwritten signature data to the handwriting recognition unit 106. In response, the handwriting recognition unit 106 determines whether the handwriting characteristics shown in the handwritten signature data match the handwriting characteristics of the operator registered in the operator DB 108 (S12).

[0073] In the determination at S12, the handwriting recognition unit 106 uses a known algorithm for determining handwriting characteristics to determine the handwriting characteristics of the handwritten signature data. As described above, the handwriting characteristics determined here include the writing order, stroke characteristics, the length of time each stroke takes, and the time interval between one stroke and the next. At this point, the handwriting recognition unit 106 may, for example, recognize each character in the user's handwritten signature and determine the handwriting characteristics of that character. The handwriting recognition unit 106 then determines whether the handwriting characteristics determined from the handwritten signature data in the work report are consistent with the handwriting characteristics of the operator registered in the operator DB 108.

[0074] In one example, in S12, the handwriting recognition unit 106 determines whether the handwriting characteristics shown in the handwritten signature data match those of the operator who registered the work report. In this example, the determination is made as to whether the operator who registered the work report signed the handwritten signature on behalf of the customer. If the handwriting characteristics of the two coincide, the result of S12 is "yes." If they do not, the result of S12 is "no."

[0075] In another example, in S12, the handwriting recognition unit 106 checks the handwriting features of each worker registered in the worker DB 108 to see whether there is a handwriting feature that matches the handwriting feature indicated by the handwritten signature data. If a matching handwriting feature is found, the result of S12 is "Yes." If no matching handwriting feature is found, the result of S12 is "No." In this example, even if a worker other than the worker who registered the work report impersonates the customer and enters a handwritten signature, this can be detected.

[0076] Regarding the determination result of S12, if the determination result of S12 notified to the control unit 104 by the handwriting determination unit 106 is "Yes," the handwritten signature data in the signature column of the customer in the work report was not written by the customer but by the worker. In this case, the control unit 104 determines that the handwritten signature data is invalid as the customer's handwritten signature data and performs error processing (S14).

[0077] As error handling in S14, the control unit 104 controls the registration unit 114, for example, so as not to register the work report obtained in S10 in the work report DB 116. The data of the work report not registered in this case may be pre-stored in a storage area for verification target data within the storage device of the work report management system 100, which is provided for storing work reports to be verified.

[0078] As another example of error handling, the control unit 104 may also perform the following control. Specifically, the control unit 104 may control the registration unit 114 to register the work report obtained in S10 in the work report DB 116, in association with information indicating that the work report is a verification target. The work report marked as a verification target in this manner is subsequently verified by the administrator, and actions are taken based on the results of the verification.

[0079] Furthermore, during the error handling process in S14, the control unit 104 may further send a warning notification to a pre-defined administrator. This warning notification may, for example, include a message indicating that the customer's signature on the work report may be illegal, as well as information identifying the work report. This identifying information may also be, for example, a link pointing to the work report being verified within the storage area for verification target data or within the work report DB 116. In this case, when the administrator clicks the link in the notification to open the target link, the work report in the storage area is displayed on the administrator's terminal screen. The administrator can view this screen, confirm the contents of the work report and the handwritten signature in the signature field, and take necessary action.

[0080] The warning notification may also include the operator ID of the operator who sent the work report to the work report management system 100. Furthermore, the warning notification may also include the operator ID of the operator whose handwriting, as determined by the handwriting recognition unit 106 in S12, matches the handwritten signature data in the signature field of the work report. The operator ID information included in the warning notification may also be in the form of link information to the operator data corresponding to the operator ID registered in the personnel information management system. The administrator uses this link information to view the operator's information in the personnel information management system and take appropriate action against the operator.

[0081] The method of issuing the warning notification is not particularly limited. In one example, the control unit 104 may send the warning notification to the administrator via email. Furthermore, in another example, the control unit 104 may store the warning notification in association with the administrator's account in the work report management system 100. In this case, the work report management system 100 displays the warning notification on the screen when the administrator logs in. As another example, the control unit 104 may send the warning notification to the administrator's account in a system separate from the work report management system 100, such as a personnel management system.

[0082] The process performed in S14 is an example of control corresponding to a case where the handwritten signature data in the work report is invalid.

[0083] When the process of S14 is completed, a series of processes related to the work report acquired in S10 are completed.

[0084] If the result of the determination in S12 is "No," the control unit 104 determines whether this is the first time a work report has been received from the customer for whom the work report obtained in S10 was received (S16). To make this determination, the control unit 104 checks, for example, the work report DB 116 to see whether there is a past work report with the customer ID included in the work report obtained in S10. If such a work report exists in the past, the result of the determination in S16 is "No," otherwise, it is "Yes."

[0085] If the result of determination in S16 is "Yes", the control unit 104 sends the customer DB 112 (see Figure 3 ) temporarily registers the handwritten signature data in the work report (S18). More specifically, the control unit 104 identifies the customer ID included in the work report and registers the handwritten signature data included in the work report in the customer signature data column of the record for the customer ID in the customer DB 112. Furthermore, the control unit 104 sets the value of the signature status column of the record to "tentative."

[0086] Next, control unit 104 instructs registration unit 114 to register the work report in work report DB 116 (S20). In response to this instruction, registration unit 114 registers the work report in work report DB 116. The processing performed in S20 is an example of control corresponding to the case where the handwritten signature data in the work report is valid. This completes the series of processing related to the work report obtained in S10.

[0087] If the result of S16 is "No," that is, if the work report obtained in S10 is the second or later work report for the customer for whom the work report is intended, the process proceeds to S22. In S22, the control unit 104 causes the customer signature determination unit 110 to compare the customer's handwritten signature data in the signature field of the work report with the customer signature data registered in the customer DB 112 to determine whether the former matches the latter (S22). This comparison can be performed using a known method for comparing handwritten signatures.

[0088] If the result of S22 is "Yes," meaning that the handwritten signature data in the work report matches the customer signature data registered in customer DB 112, control unit 104 changes the status of the customer's signature in customer DB 112 from "Tentative" to "Confirmed" (S24). Control unit 104 instructs registration unit 114 to register the work report in work report DB 116 (S20). If the result of S22 is "Yes," and the customer's signature status is already "Confirmed," S24 is skipped.

[0089] If the result of determination in S22 is "No", the control unit 104 determines that the handwritten signature data in the work report is invalid as the signature of the customer, and executes error processing (S26).

[0090] In the error handling process of S26, the control unit 104 performs a first process on the work report obtained in S10, and a second process on the work report for the customer to whom the work report is applied, which has already been registered in the work report DB 116. Specifically, at the time of executing S26, the first work report for the customer has already been registered in the work report DB 116, so the second process is executed on the first work report.

[0091] However, the first process may be the same process as the error process in S14.

[0092] Meanwhile, in the second process, control unit 104, for example, deletes the registered work report from work report DB 116 and stores it in the aforementioned storage area for verification target data. As another example, control unit 104 may also register information indicating that the registered work report is a verification target in work report DB 116. The work report marked as a verification target in this manner is subsequently verified by the administrator, and actions are taken based on the verification results.

[0093] Furthermore, the control unit 104 may also send a warning notification to the administrator during the error handling process in S26, similar to the case of S14. This warning notification includes, in addition to the information included in the warning notification issued during the error handling process in S14, information for identifying the work reports already registered in the work report DB 116 for the customer for whom the work report was obtained in S10. The administrator who receives the warning notification uses the information included in the warning notification to access the work report in question, previously registered work reports for the same customer, and information about the operator, and takes necessary action based on this information.

[0094] The process performed in S26 is an example of control corresponding to a case where the handwritten signature data in the work report is invalid.

[0095] The series of processes related to the work report acquired in S10 is completed by the process of S26.

[0096] exist Figure 5 The reason why the processes of S22 to S26 are performed in the processing procedure of the present embodiment shown is as follows, for example.

[0097] Specifically, in this embodiment, if the handwriting characteristics of the signature entered in the signature field of a work report do not match those of the worker's handwriting registered in worker DB 108, the signature is provisionally determined to be the customer's. Therefore, if a worker intentionally alters their handwriting to make it unrecognizable and enters a customer's name, the entry is provisionally determined to be the customer's signature. However, even if a worker successfully forges a customer's signature on a work report by altering their handwriting in this way, it would be extremely difficult to forge the same customer's signature in the next work report using the same handwriting. It would be virtually impossible to remember how the handwriting was altered the previous time and reproduce it the next time.

[0098] So, in Figure 5 In the process of determining whether the handwritten signature in the second and subsequent work reports for the same customer is consistent with the handwritten signature included in the previous work reports for the customer who is the subject of the work report (refer to Figure 5 If the result of this determination is "inconsistent," it is determined that the handwritten signature in at least one of the current work report and the previous work report is invalid as the customer's signature (see S26). On the other hand, if the result of S22 is "consistent," it is highly likely that the handwritten signatures in both the current and previous work reports are the customer's own handwritten signatures. Therefore, the status of the customer signature data in the customer DB 112 is set to "confirmed" (see S24).

[0099] Figure 5 The processing procedure shown is merely an illustrative procedure, and various variations are contemplated within the scope of the present invention. For example, for a customer whose customer signature data has become "confirmed" in S24, the determination in S12 may be omitted, and the handwritten signature in the signature column of the work report may be directly compared with the customer signature data of the customer in the customer DB 112. In this case, after obtaining the work report in S10, the control unit 104 first retrieves the signature status corresponding to the customer ID included in the work report from the customer DB 112. Then, if the retrieved signature status is blank or "tentative", the execution Figure 5 On the other hand, if the signature status is "Confirmed," the steps following S12 and beyond are replaced with a determination as to whether the handwritten signature in the work report matches the customer signature data in customer DB 112. If they match, the work report is registered in work report DB 116. If they do not match, the handwritten signature in the work report is determined to be invalid as the customer's handwritten signature, and error handling is performed.

[0100] Next, refer to Figure 6 Modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described.

[0101] Figure 6 The illustrated work report management system 100a is a system that Figure 1 The handwriting determination unit 106 in the work report management system 100 shown is replaced with a handwriting determination NN (neural network) 120 .

[0102] The handwriting determination NN 120 is a neural network that determines whether the characteristics of the handwriting indicated by the input handwritten signature data match the characteristics of the worker's handwriting.

[0103] In one example of the handwriting recognition NN 120 structure, a handwriting recognition NN 120 is prepared for each worker belonging to a service provider. In this example, when a handwriting recognition NN 120 corresponding to a particular worker is input with handwritten signature data, it outputs a result indicating whether the handwriting characteristics of the handwritten signature data match those of the worker. This handwriting recognition NN 120 learns using handwritten text from a large number of people, including the worker, as input. During this learning process, for example, training data indicating a value of "match" is provided to the NN in association with the worker's handwritten text input, and training data indicating a value of "mismatch" is provided to the NN in association with the handwritten text input from people other than the worker. If the NN output for the input handwritten text matches the training data, positive feedback is provided; if it does not match, negative feedback is provided, thereby enabling the NN to learn. Known methods can be used for NN learning. Furthermore, handwritten text from people other than the worker can be used, for example, from other workers belonging to the service provider.

[0104] In this structural example, when the control unit 104 receives a work report from the data receiving unit 102, it performs the following control, for example. That is, the control unit 104 inputs the handwritten signature data in the work report to the handwriting determination NN120 corresponding to the operator who produced the work report. The handwriting determination NN120 outputs a value of "consistent" or "inconsistent" based on the input. If the output value is "consistent", it means that the characteristics of the handwriting of the handwritten signature data are consistent with the characteristics of the operator's handwriting. If the output value is "inconsistent", it means that the characteristics of the handwriting of the handwritten signature data are inconsistent with the characteristics of the operator's handwriting. In this way, it is determined whether the characteristics of the handwriting of the handwritten signature data in the work report are consistent with the characteristics of the handwriting of the operator who produced the work report.

[0105] In another example of control by the control unit 104 in this configuration example, the handwritten signature data in the received work report is input into the handwriting recognition NN 120 corresponding to each worker. If the handwritten signature data was entered by any worker, the handwriting recognition NN 120 corresponding to that worker outputs a value indicating "match." The control unit 104 determines that the worker corresponding to the handwriting recognition NN 120 that outputs the value indicating "match" entered the handwritten signature data. In this example, even if a worker other than the worker who created the work report entered the handwritten signature, this fact can still be detected.

[0106] In another structural example, a single handwriting determination NN120 is made to learn the characteristics of the handwriting of each operator. In one example, the handwriting determination NN120 is configured to accept handwritten signature data as input and output information (such as an operator ID) for determining an operator having handwriting characteristics consistent with the handwritten data. For example, in the learning of the handwriting determination NN120 in this example, multiple pairs of handwritten text data and information for determining the operator who wrote the handwritten text are prepared as learning data. The handwritten text data in the pair is used as input data, and the information for determining the operator is used as training data, which are provided to the handwriting determination NN120. The handwriting determination NN120 learns according to a known learning algorithm so as to reduce the error between its own output and the training data relative to the provided input data.

[0107] Furthermore, as another example, the handwriting recognition NN120 can be configured to output the probability that each operator has written the handwritten signature data, relative to the input handwritten signature data. For example, in the case where there are three operators A, B, and C, the handwriting recognition NN120 in this example outputs the probability that operator A has written the handwritten signature data, the probability that operator B has written the handwritten signature data, and the probability that operator C has written the handwritten signature data, relative to the input handwritten signature data. The control unit 104 extracts the probabilities corresponding to each operator output by the handwriting recognition NN120 that are above a predetermined threshold value, and determines the operator corresponding to the highest probability as the person who has written the signature corresponding to the handwritten signature data. The threshold value used here is a value with a sufficiently high probability to determine that the operator has written the handwritten signature. As in the above example, the handwriting recognition NN120 in this example can be learned using the handwritten text data as input data and the information used to identify the operator as training data.

[0108] The handwriting determination NN120 is an example of a holding unit that holds feature information representing features of the operator's handwriting, and is also an example of a determination unit that uses the feature information to determine whether the features of the handwriting shown in the input handwritten signature data are consistent with the features of the operator's handwriting.

[0109] In the example using the handwriting determination NN 120 , information on the characteristics of each worker's handwriting is implicitly held in the handwriting determination NN 120 . Therefore, there is no need to separately prepare a DB storing the characteristics of each worker's handwriting.

[0110] The handwriting determination NN120 described above is Figure 5 It is used instead of the handwriting determination unit 106 in S12 of the processing procedure.

[0111] As described above, the work report management system 100 of this embodiment determines whether the handwritten signature in the signature field, intended for the customer, is the pre-registered handwriting of the operator. If the handwritten signature in the signature field is determined to match the operator's handwriting, the work report management system 100 determines that the handwritten signature is invalid and performs prescribed error handling, such as notifying the administrator of a problem with the customer's signature. This method can detect instances where a worker has forged a customer's handwritten signature, even if the customer's handwritten signature has not been previously registered.

[0112] Next, refer to Figure 7 , an example of using the position information of the portable terminal 300 attached to the work report for control is described.

[0113] In a framework where a signature is obtained from a customer for a work report on work done at a customer's facility, the work report is usually prepared and signed in the signature field at the customer's facility. Figure 7 In the process of registering the work report or signing the work report, it is determined whether the location of the portable terminal 300 at the time of signing the work report is consistent with the customer's residence. If they are inconsistent, the signature is considered to be forged. In order to make this determination, Figure 7 The process of Figure 5 In order to avoid tediousness, the illustrations of the steps after S14 and S16 are omitted. For the omitted steps, please refer to Figure 5 .

[0114] exist Figure 7 During the process, if the control unit 104 determines in S12 that the handwritten signature in the work report does not match the handwriting of the worker who created the work report, the control unit 104 executes the process of S30. In S30, the control unit 104 determines whether the location indicated by the location information sent from the portable terminal 300 and accompanying the work report matches the residence of the customer to whom the work report is submitted. More specifically, the control unit 104 retrieves information about the customer's residence (e.g., latitude and longitude) from the customer DB 112 and determines whether this location is within a predetermined error range relative to the location indicated by the location information received from the portable terminal 300. If it is within the error range, the result of S30 is "yes", otherwise "no". The location information accompanying the work report, in one example, indicates the location of the portable terminal 300 at the time the work report was registered from the portable terminal 300 to the work report management system 100, or in another example, indicates the location of the portable terminal 300 at the time the customer signed the work report.

[0115] If the result of determination in S30 is "Yes," there is no problem with the handwritten signature in the work report from the perspective of the location where the work report was registered or the handwritten signature was entered. In this case, the control unit 104 executes the processes from S16 onwards.

[0116] On the other hand, if the result of the determination in S30 is "No," the work report has not been registered or the handwritten signature has not been entered at the customer's facility. In this case, the handwritten signature is deemed not to be the customer's correct signature. Therefore, the control unit 104 proceeds to S14 and executes the error handling process described above.

[0117] For example, consider a situation where a worker forges a work report without visiting a customer's facility and then has an acquaintance of the worker sign the work report on the customer's behalf. In such a situation, it is unlikely that the worker would bother traveling to the customer's facility with the acquaintance and having the acquaintance sign the work report there.

[0118] In this case, Figure 5 In the process of S12, the result of the judgment is "No", and the signature is regarded as the customer's signature. Figure 7 In such a case, even if the result of the determination in S12 becomes "No", such signature forgery is further detected in the determination in S30, and the error processing in S14 is performed.

[0119] exemplified above Figure 5 and Figure 7 The process is executed when a work report is sent from the operator's portable terminal 300, but this is just an example. For example, in another example, the work report management system 100 only saves the work report in a temporary storage location when the work report is sent from the portable terminal 300. Then, the work report management system 100 executes the process for each work report saved in the temporary storage location through batch processing at a predetermined timing. Figure 5 or Figure 7 Steps after S12.

[0120] The work report management system 100 or the portable terminal 300 of the above embodiment is configured using, for example, a general-purpose computer. Figure 8 As illustrated, the computer has a circuit configuration comprising a processor 1002, a memory (primary storage device) 1004 such as random access memory (RAM), an auxiliary storage device 1006 serving as a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory, an SSD (solid state drive), or an HDD (hard disk drive), interfaces with various input / output devices 1008, and a network interface 1010 for controlling connections to a network such as a local area network, all connected via a data transmission path such as a bus 1012. A program describing the processing of the above-described embodiment is installed in the computer via a network or the like and stored in the auxiliary storage device 1006. The program stored in the auxiliary storage device 1006 is executed by the processor 1002 using the memory 1004, thereby forming the work report management system 100 or the portable terminal 300 of this embodiment.

[0121] Typically, the processor 1002 is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). However, this is just an example. The processor 1002 may also be a dedicated processor. For example, a dedicated processor includes a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc. The actions performed by the processor 1002 are not limited to those performed according to the CPU. Figure 5 and Figure 7 Execute in the order shown.

[0122] Alternatively, a plurality of computers capable of communicating with each other may cooperate to form one work report management system 100. In this case, the set of processors included in these computers can be considered as a generalized processor responsible for information processing in the work report management system 100.

[0123] In the above example, the object for receiving a handwritten signature from a customer is a work report. However, the method of the above embodiment can be applied to any object for receiving a customer's handwritten signature other than a work report.

[0124] Description of Reference Numerals

[0125] 100 Work report management system, 102 Data reception unit, 104 Control unit, 106 Handwriting determination unit, 108 Worker DB, 110 Customer signature determination unit, 112 Customer DB, 114 Registration unit, 116 Work report DB, 200 Network, 300 Portable terminal.

Claims

1. An information processing device, wherein: The information processing device comprises: a holding unit that holds characteristic information representing characteristics of each worker's handwriting; a determination unit that uses the feature information to determine whether features of handwriting indicated by handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature match features of the operator's handwriting; as well as A control unit that, when the determination unit determines that the signature data match, executes control corresponding to the fact that the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is invalid.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein The control unit executes control corresponding to the fact that the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is valid, when the determination unit determines that there is no coincidence.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that When the determination unit determines that the determination unit does not match, the control unit When the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature for the first time, the handwritten signature data is stored in a storage unit as the customer's provisional handwritten signature data. When the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature for the second time, if the handwritten signature data is consistent with the provisional handwritten signature data of the customer stored in the storage unit, the provisional handwritten signature data in the storage unit is changed to the customer's confirmed handwritten signature data.

4. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein The control unit executes control corresponding to the situation where the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is invalid when the judgment unit judges that the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is inconsistent with the provisional handwritten signature of the customer stored in the storage unit.

5. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein The control corresponding to the case where the handwritten signature data input as the signature of the customer is valid is a process of registering the document data input corresponding to the handwritten signature data in a database, The control unit executes a process for setting the document data registered in the database when the handwritten signature data was first input as the customer's signature as a verification object when the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is inconsistent with the provisional handwritten signature of the customer stored in the storage unit, when the judgment unit determines that there is inconsistency.

6. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein If the confirmed handwritten signature data of the customer is stored in the storage unit, the control unit skips the determination by the determination unit and compares the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature with the confirmed handwritten signature data of the customer.

7. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The information processing device further comprises: a unit storing address information indicating the address of the customer; and means for acquiring information on an input position of handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature, Even when the determination unit determines that there is a mismatch, the control unit performs control corresponding to the fact that the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is invalid if the input position does not match the address indicated by the address information.

8. A method, characterized in that Using the characteristic information representing the characteristics of each operator's handwriting stored in the storage unit, it is determined whether the characteristics of the handwriting indicated by the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature match the characteristics of the operator's handwriting. If it is determined that they match, control corresponding to the fact that the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is invalid is executed.

9. A program, characterized in that Make the computer execute the following processing: Using the characteristic information representing the characteristics of each operator's handwriting stored in the storage unit, it is determined whether the characteristics of the handwriting indicated by the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature match the characteristics of the operator's handwriting. If it is determined that they match, control corresponding to the fact that the handwritten signature data input as the customer's signature is invalid is executed.

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