Information processing apparatus and control method for the same, and program

Abstract

To allow a user, in making data, such as a scan image of a document and a received facsimile into files and storing the files, to more easily set a rule related to the assigning of the files to folders and the naming of the files.SOLUTION: A user interface screen for setting a rule related to property information used in assigning and storing files into folders is provided with at least a first area for editing the rule and a second area for displaying items that can be selected by a user. The item is a unit element for the user to set a character string constituting the property information and corresponding to a character string in an arbitrary attribute that can be set by the user. The rule is created by the item selected by the user from the second area being arranged at a predetermined position in the first area designated by the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for setting rules for sorting files into folders. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in information processing devices such as MFPs (Multifunction Peripherals), a method has been widely used in which image data obtained by scanning a document or received fax data is converted into a file and sent to a storage server on a network for storage. When the filed data is saved, the data is automatically sorted into folders. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for automatically creating folders and sorting fax data into folders according to a folder naming rule set in advance. As the folder naming rule in the technology of Patent Document 1, the attribute name "Registered Name" is set for the first layer folder name, the attribute name "Fax Number" is set for the second layer folder name, and the attribute name "Received Date" is set for the third layer folder name. In this case, when a new fax is received, a new folder is created by applying information (Registered Name, Fax Number, and Received Date) specified from the received fax data as attribute values ​​to the corresponding attribute names. Then, the received fax data file is saved in the created folder. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-169951 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the case of the technology of the above Patent Document 1, the input fields for the attribute name (first to third hierarchies) are predefined for each hierarchy. For example, suppose that the user inputs the attribute value "A" in the input field for the folder of the first hierarchy and the attribute value "B" in the input field for the folder of the second hierarchy. Furthermore, suppose that the user wants to create a new folder using the attribute value "C" between the first hierarchy and the second hierarchy. In such a case, in the technology of the above Patent Document 1, it was necessary to change all the input fields for the folders of the second hierarchy and onward. Specifically, it was necessary to change the input contents from the attribute value "B" to "C" in the input field for the new folder of the second hierarchy, and further to input the attribute value "B" in the input field for the new folder of the third hierarchy (old second hierarchy). In other words, in the case of the technology of the above Patent Document 1, since the hierarchy of the folder and its input field are fixed, a complicated operation was required when inserting a new folder between a folder of the Nth hierarchy and a folder of the N+1th hierarchy.

[0005] In addition, in the case of Patent Document 1, the attribute name is configured to be selected from a pull-down menu in each input field, but the user cannot create a new attribute name and apply it to folder allocation rules or file naming rules.

[0006] Therefore, the technology disclosed herein aims to enable users to more easily set rules regarding folder allocation and file naming when converting and saving data such as scanned images of documents and received faxes into files. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The information processing device of the present disclosure is an information processing device having a means for providing a user interface screen for receiving operations from a user regarding settings for generating a file name, and a setting means for making settings for generating the file name based on the operations received from the user on the user interface screen, wherein the user interface screen includes a first area in which a plurality of items selected by the user are arranged side by side, and the plurality of items arranged in the first area can include a first item for using an OCR result of characters included in a selected area in the scanned image for the file name, and further, for the first item, it is possible to set a rule for using the OCR result of some characters among the plurality of characters included in the selected area as the OCR result to be used for the file name, and the setting means makes settings for generating the file name based on the arrangement order of the plurality of items arranged in the first area. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the technology disclosed herein, it becomes possible to more easily set rules regarding folder allocation and file naming when converting and saving data such as scanned images of documents and received faxes into files. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] A diagram showing the overall configuration of an image processing system. [Diagram 2] Block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the MFP [Diagram 3] Block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the MFP linkage server and storage server [Figure 4] Block diagram showing the software configuration of the image processing system [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a folder sorting rule setting screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a folder sorting rule setting screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a folder sorting rule setting screen. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a folder sorting rule setting screen. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a folder sorting rule setting screen. [Figure 10] A diagram showing an example of displaying the set folder sorting rules. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a folder sorting rule setting screen. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a folder sorting rule setting screen. [Figure 13] A diagram showing an example of a file naming rule setting screen. [Figure 14] An example of a property setting screen [Figure 15] Flowchart showing the process for setting properties [Figure 16] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of a folder allocation rule setting screen, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of a file naming rule setting screen. [Figure 17] Flowchart showing details of the property setting screen display process [Figure 18] 13 is a diagram showing how attribute values ​​of a custom token are entered on a property setting screen. FIG. [Figure 19] A diagram showing an example of a scan profile setting screen. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for editing a scan profile. [Figure 21] A diagram showing an example of a screen for adding a scan profile. [Figure 22] A diagram showing an example of a screen for adding a scan profile. [Figure 23] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a destination setting screen. [Figure 24] A diagram showing an example of a custom token normalization rule setting screen. [Diagram 25] 11 is a flowchart showing details of a process for inputting attribute values ​​of a custom token on a property setting screen. [Figure 26]Figure showing how to select a custom token normalization rule on the folder distribution rule setting screen [Figure 27] Figure showing how to select a custom token normalization rule on the property settings screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0011] [Embodiment 1] <System configuration> 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system according to this embodiment. The information processing system includes an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) 110, a client PC 111, and server devices 120 and 130 that provide cloud services over the Internet. The MFP 110 and the client PC 111 are connected to various devices that provide various services over the Internet via a LAN (Local Area Network) so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0012] The MFP110 is an example of an information processing apparatus having a scanning function. The MFP110 is a multifunction peripheral having a plurality of functions such as a printing function and a BOX storage function in addition to the scanning function. The client PC111 is an information processing apparatus such as a desktop terminal or a mobile terminal that can receive the provision of cloud services via the Internet. The server apparatuses 120 and 130 are both information processing apparatuses that provide cloud services. The server apparatus 120 of the present embodiment provides a cloud service that performs image analysis on a scanned image received from the MFP110 or transfers a request from the MFP110 to the server apparatus 130 that provides another service. Hereinafter, the cloud service provided by the server apparatus 120 will be referred to as the "MFP cooperation service". The server apparatus 130 provides a cloud service (hereinafter referred to as the "storage service") that stores file data sent via the Internet in a predetermined folder or provides a stored file in response to a request from the web browser of the client PC111. In the present embodiment, the server apparatus 120 that provides the MFP cooperation service will be referred to as the "MFP cooperation server", and the server apparatus 130 that provides the storage service will be referred to as the "storage server".

[0013] The information processing system of the present embodiment is configured to include the MFP110, the client PC111, the MFP cooperation server 120, and the storage server 130, but is not limited thereto. For example, the MFP110 may also serve as the client PC111 or the MFP cooperation server 120. Further, the MFP cooperation server 120 may be arranged on a LAN instead of on the Internet. Further, the storage server 130 may be replaced with a mail server or the like and applied to a scenario where a scanned image of a document is attached to and sent by mail.

[0014] <Hardware Configuration of MFP110> FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the MFP 110. The MFP 110 includes a control unit 210, an operation unit 220, a printer unit 221, a scanner unit 222, and a modem 223. The control unit 210 is composed of the following units 211 to 219, and controls the operation of the entire MFP 110. The CPU 211 reads out and executes a control program (a program corresponding to various functions shown in a software configuration diagram described later) stored in the ROM 212. The RAM 213 is used as a temporary storage area such as a main memory and a work area of ​​the CPU 211. Note that, in this embodiment, one CPU 211 executes each process shown in a flowchart described later using one memory (RAM 213 or HDD 214), but is not limited to this. For example, each process may be executed by cooperating multiple CPUs and multiple RAMs or HDDs.

[0015] The HDD 214 is a large-capacity storage unit that stores image data and various programs. The operation unit I / F 215 is an interface that connects the operation unit 220 and the control unit 210. The operation unit 220 is equipped with a touch panel, a keyboard, and the like, and accepts operations / inputs / instructions from a user. Note that touch operations on the touch panel include operations with a person's finger and operations with a touch pen. The printer I / F 216 is an interface that connects the printer unit 221 and the control unit 210. Image data to be printed is transferred from the control unit 210 to the printer unit 221 via the printer I / F 216, and is printed on a recording medium.

[0016] The scanner I / F 217 is an interface that connects the scanner unit 222 and the control unit 210. The scanner unit 222 reads an original placed on a platen or an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) (not shown) to generate scanned image data, and inputs the scanned image data to the control unit 210 via the scanner I / F 217. The scanned image data generated by the scanner unit 222 can be printed (copy output) by the printer unit 221, stored in the HDD 214, or transmitted as a file or e-mail to an external device such as the MFP linkage server 120 via a LAN. The modem I / F 218 is an interface that connects the modem 223 and the control unit 210. The modem 223 communicates image data by facsimile with a facsimile device (not shown) on the PSTN. The network I / F 219 is an interface that connects the control unit 210 (MFP 110) to a LAN. The MFP 110 uses the network I / F 219 to transmit image data and information to each service on the Internet, and to receive various information. The hardware configuration of MFP 110 described above is one example, and other configurations may be included as necessary, or some of the configurations may be omitted.

[0017] <Hardware configuration of client PC and server device> 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of client PC 111, MFP collaborative server 120, and storage server 130. Client PC 111, MFP collaborative server 120, and storage server 130 are each composed of a CPU 311, a ROM 312, a RAM 313, a HDD 314, and a network I / F 315. CPU 311 controls the overall operation by reading out a control program stored in ROM 312 and executing various processes. RAM 313 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of ​​CPU 311. HDD 314 is a large-capacity storage unit that stores image data and various programs. Network I / F 315 is an interface that connects client PC 111 / MFP collaborative server 120 / storage server 130 to the Internet. MFP collaborative server 120 and storage server 130 receive various processing requests from other devices (such as MFP 110 and client PC 111) via network I / F 315, and return processing results according to the requests.

[0018] <Software configuration of information processing system> 4 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of an information processing system according to this embodiment. Below, the software configurations corresponding to the respective roles of MFP 110, MFP linked server 120, and storage server 130 will be described in order. Note that, of the various functions of each device, the following description will focus on functions related to processing from scanning a document with MFP 110 to creating a file of the scanned image and storing it in storage server 130 via MFP linked server 120.

[0019] <MFP software configuration> The function modules of the MFP 110 are roughly divided into two: a native function module 410 and an additional function module 420. The native function module 410 is an application that is provided as standard in the MFP 110, whereas the additional function module 420 is an application that is additionally installed in the MFP 110. The additional function module 420 is an application based on Java (registered trademark), and can easily realize the addition of functions to the MFP 110. Note that other additional applications (not shown) may be installed in the MFP 110.

[0020] The native function module 410 includes a scan execution unit 411 and a scan image management unit 412. The additional function module 420 includes a display control unit 421, a scan control unit 422, a cooperative service request unit 423, and an image processing unit 424.

[0021] Display control unit 421 displays a user interface screen (UI screen) for receiving various user operations on the touch panel of operation unit 220. The various user operations include, for example, input of login authentication information for accessing MFP linkage server 120, scan settings, setting rules related to folder allocation and file naming, an instruction to start scanning, an instruction to save a file, and the like.

[0022] In response to a user operation (e.g., pressing a "Start Scan" button) performed on the UI screen, scan control unit 422 instructs scan execution unit 411 to execute a scan process together with information on scan settings. In accordance with the instruction to execute a scan process from scan control unit 422, scan execution unit 411 causes scanner unit 240 to execute a document reading operation via scanner I / F 217, and generates scan image data. The generated scan image data is stored in HDD 214 by scan image management unit 412. At this time, information on a scan image identifier that uniquely identifies the stored scan image data is notified to scan control unit 422. The scan image identifier is a number, symbol, alphabet, or the like for uniquely identifying an image scanned in MFP 110. Scan control unit 422 acquires, for example, scan image data to be converted into a file from scan image management unit 412 using the above-mentioned scan image identifier. Then, scan execution unit 411 instructs cooperation service request unit 423 to make a request for processing required for the file to MFP cooperation server 120.

[0023] Cooperation service request unit 423 makes various processing requests to MFP cooperation server 120 and receives the responses. The various processing includes, for example, login authentication, analysis of a scanned image, transmission of scanned image data, etc. Communication protocols such as REST and SOAP are used for communication with MFP cooperation server 120.

[0024] The image processing unit 424 performs predetermined image processing on the scanned image data to generate an image to be used on the UI screen displayed by the display control unit 421.

[0025] <Server device software configuration> First, the software configuration of MFP collaborative server 120 will be described. MFP collaborative server 120 has a request control unit 431, an image processing unit 432, a storage server access unit 433, a data management unit 434, and a display control unit 435. The request control unit 431 waits in a state in which it can receive a request from an external device, and instructs image processing unit 432, storage server access unit 433, and data management unit 434 to execute a predetermined process according to the content of the received request. The image processing unit 432 performs image analysis processes such as character region detection process, character recognition process, and similar document determination process, as well as image processing processes such as rotation and tilt correction, on the scanned image data sent from MFP 110. The storage server access unit 433 makes a processing request to storage server 130. Cloud services use protocols such as REST and SOAP to publish various interfaces for saving files to storage servers and retrieving saved files. The storage server access unit 433 makes a request to storage server 130 using the published interface. Data management unit 434 holds and manages user information and various setting data managed by MFP link server 120. Display control unit 435 receives requests from a web browser running on MFP 110 or client PC 111 connected via the Internet, and returns screen configuration information (HTML, CSS, etc.) required for screen display. Via the screen displayed on the web browser, the user can check registered user information and change rule settings related to scan settings, folder allocation, and file naming.

[0026] Next, the software configuration of storage server 130 will be described. Storage server 130 has request control unit 441, file management unit 442, and display control unit 443. Request control unit 441 waits in a state in which it can receive a request from an external device, and in this embodiment, instructs file management unit 442 to save the received file or read the saved file in response to a request from MFP linked server 120. Then, it returns a response in response to the request to MFP linked server 120. Display control unit 443 receives a request from a web browser running on MFP 110 or client PC 111 connected via the Internet, and returns screen configuration information (HTML, CSS, etc.) required for screen display. A user can check or obtain saved files via a screen displayed on the web browser.

[0027] Although not shown in FIG. 4, the client PC 111 also includes the same function module as the additional function module 420 described above.

[0028] <Folder sorting rule settings> Next, a description will be given of the setting of rules for sorting destination folders when a scanned image of a document is converted into a file and saved in storage server 130. In this embodiment, a description will be given of various settings, including the setting of folder sorting rules, being made in client PC 111. Note that control such as displaying various UI screens described below and saving the set rules is realized by the aforementioned additional function module 420 provided in client PC 111. In other words, the contents described below can also be performed by MFP 110 provided with additional function module 420.

[0029] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a UI screen (hereinafter referred to as a "folder allocation rule setting screen") that is displayed on the display (not shown) of client PC 111 and allows the user to set rules regarding file allocation destinations (destination folders). Folder allocation rule setting screen 500 shown in Fig. 5 shows an initial display state, and has four areas: rule editing area 501, system token area 502, delimiter token area 503, and custom token area 504. Rule editing area 501 has a token drop area 507, and at the bottom of the screen has a "Save" button 505 for finalizing and saving the set rule.

[0030] In this specification, a "token" refers to a unit item that allows a user to specify a character string (including symbols) used in property information required for saving a file in the storage server 130, taking into account its attributes. Tokens include general tokens (general items) that correspond to character strings with predetermined attributes, and special tokens (special items) that correspond to character strings with any attributes that can be customized and freely set by the user. The system tokens and delimiter tokens described below correspond to general tokens, and the custom tokens described below correspond to special tokens. These tokens are represented as UI elements that are the target of user operations such as dragging and dropping in the various setting screens that will appear below.

[0031] Various tokens are displayed in a list in the system token area 502, the delimiter token area 503, and the custom token area 504. Folder allocation rules created using various tokens are displayed in the rule editing area 501. Here, the folder allocation rules include information on the folder path of the destination (save folder) of the scan data and the hierarchical structure of the folder, and are set in advance by the user.

[0032] ≪Token Settings≫ The user can select one of the tokens displayed in the system token area 502, the delimiter token area 503, and the custom token area 504 by dragging it, and drop it into the token drop area 507. As a result, a new folder is pseudo-expressed, whose folder name (folder path) includes a character string corresponding to the token selected by dragging.

[0033] The system token area 502 is an area where tokens whose attribute values ​​are user environment variables such as "login user's display name," "time," and "date" are displayed. The delimiter token area 503 is an area where tokens whose attribute values ​​are delimiters (symbols) such as "underscore" and "hyphen." The custom token area 504 is an area where tokens whose attribute values ​​are any character strings selected (or manually entered) from the OCR result (recognized character string) of a scanned image are displayed. Custom tokens can be freely created by the user. For example, when a token 506 of "drag to create token" displayed in the custom token area 504 is dropped into the token drop area 507, an input field for inputting an attribute name representing the token is displayed. In other words, the character string of "drag to create token" displayed on the token 506 has a different meaning from the character strings displayed on the system token and the delimiter token. In the case of the token 506, it is not the attribute name itself that represents the content of the token, but serves as an explanatory text that prompts the user to input an attribute name and create a new token. Details of custom tokens, such as a specific method for setting an attribute name to be assigned to a custom token, will be described later.

[0034] The rule information displayed in rule editing area 501 is sent to MFP linked server 120 in response to pressing of "Save" button 505, and is managed by data management unit 434. When the "Back" button is pressed, the rule being displayed in rule editing area 501 is discarded, and the setting process ends.

[0035] Here, the allocation rules for destination folders in this embodiment will be reviewed. First, no particular restrictions are placed on the combination or order of tokens that can be set as folder allocation rules. For example, a rule may be created in which a folder name is configured only with the delimiter tokens in the delimiter token area 503, or a rule using only the same system tokens may be created. However, the contents of each token displayed in the system token area 502 and the delimiter token area 503 cannot be changed. On the other hand, with regard to custom tokens, the attribute names of the custom tokens displayed in the custom token area 504 can be freely changed, and the custom tokens themselves can be deleted.

[0036] FIG. 6 shows the state of the folder allocation rule setting screen 500 when the user drags and drops an arbitrary system token in the system token area 502 to the rule editing area 501. Specifically, it shows the state when a system token 511 having an attribute name of "login user display name" among the multiple system tokens displayed in the system token area 502 is dropped into the token drop area 507. Looking at the rule editing area 501 in FIG. 6, a new token 508 having an attribute name of "login user display name" is placed at the position of the token drop area 507 where the user performed the drop operation (see FIG. 5), and new token drop areas 514 and 515 are generated at the same time. In the state shown in FIG. 6, if one of the tokens present in the various token areas 502 to 504 is selected and dragged and dropped into the token drop area 514, a new token drop area will be generated (not shown). Then, if another arbitrary token is dragged and dropped into the newly generated token drop area, a further token drop area will be generated. FIG. 7 shows the state of the folder allocation rule setting screen 500 after such operations are repeated. In the rule editing area 501 in FIG. 7, two new tokens (a token 516 with an attribute name of "{space}" and a token 517 with an attribute name of "scan profile name") are added, and a token drop area 518 is generated. In this case, the three tokens 508, 516, and 517 are set as the folder names of the folders in the first hierarchy (top hierarchy). According to the example in FIG. 7, a folder with "(login user's display name) (scan profile name)" as the folder path is created as the top hierarchy folder. On the other hand, in the rule editing area 501 shown in FIG. 6, when an arbitrary token is dragged and dropped into the token drop area 515 existing in the second hierarchy, a new token drop area is also generated. In the rule editing area 501 in FIG. 7, a token 519 with "date (year, 4 digits)" is added, and two more token drop areas 520 and 521 are generated.The token drop area 521 is used when adding a new token to a second-level folder for which it has been decided that a token 519 will be used. The token drop area 520 is used when setting the first token for a third-level folder.

[0037] As is clear from the above explanation, a folder using the three tokens 508, 516, and 517 in its folder name and a folder using the token 519 in its folder name are in different hierarchical levels (see FIG. 7). In other words, in terms of the folder structure, a folder using the token 519 in its folder name is located at a lower level than a folder using the three tokens 508, 516, and 517 in its folder name. Note that even tokens set in the rule editing area 501 as described above can be rearranged by dragging them, for example, by swapping adjacent tokens with each other or inserting tokens between tokens.

[0038] Deleting a token Next, a case where a user deletes a token for each folder hierarchy set as described above will be described. When a user hovers the mouse over any of the tokens displayed in the rule editing area 501, a "x" button is displayed on the token (not shown). The user can delete any token by pressing this "x" button. FIG. 8 shows the state of the folder sorting rule setting screen 500 after a token set in the rule editing area 501 is deleted by the above-mentioned deletion operation. In the rule editing area 501 in FIG. 8, UI blocks 522 and 523 marked "deleted" are displayed at the location where the token was deleted. The UI blocks 522 and 523 marked "deleted" function as a token drop area, and when a new token is dragged and dropped onto the UI blocks, the new token is set at the location marked "deleted". In this way, in this embodiment, even if a token displayed in the rule editing area 501 is deleted, the area where the token existed is maintained. However, the area where the token was deleted may be displayed by filling it up without displaying the "deleted" UI block so that a new token can be placed there. When the user presses the "Save" button 505 in the state shown in FIG. 8, the folder sorting rule setting screen 500 transitions to the state shown in FIG. 9, and the "Deleted" UI block is no longer displayed.

[0039] <Check the folder sorting rules> FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a folder sorting rule created and saved by a user via the above-mentioned folder sorting rule setting screen 500 is displayed on a main screen (not shown). In the example shown in FIG. 10, a folder path 1001 is displayed in which the delimiters of folder hierarchies are represented by slashes. The folder path 1001 shown in FIG. 10 corresponds to the result of setting a predetermined token for each of the folders in the first to third hierarchies, as in the rule editing area 501 in FIG. 12 described later. If the token set in the rule editing area 501 shown in FIG. 8 is followed, the content of the displayed folder path will be "{display name of logged-in user} / date (month)". That is, in the case of FIG. 8, the token for the folder in the second hierarchical level is deleted, and the folder path according to the tokens set for the folders in the first and third hierarchical levels is displayed. In this way, when the token for a folder in a specific hierarchical level no longer exists due to the deletion of the set token, the folder path in a state in which the folders in that hierarchical level are filled is displayed.

[0040] <Custom token> Next, a user operation and the accompanying transition of the UI screen when setting a folder sorting rule using a custom token, which is a feature of this embodiment, will be described. FIG. 11 shows the state of the folder sorting rule setting screen when a custom token 506 is dropped into the third-level token drop area in the rule editing area 501. Now, the text 1100 "Adding..." is displayed in the token drop area where the custom token 506 is dropped, and further, the character string "Company name" is input in a text field 1101 that is popped up in response to the drop operation. The character string thus input in the text field 1101 is set as the attribute name of the token for the third-level folder by pressing a "Save" button 1102 in the text field 1101. The "Cancel" button is used to cancel the setting of the custom token.

[0041] FIG. 12 shows the state of the folder sorting rule setting screen 500 after a custom token is set by pressing the "Save" button 1102 by the user. A token 1201 having the character string "company name" input in the above-mentioned text field 1101 as an attribute name is displayed as a token for a folder in the third hierarchy in the rule editing area 501. Furthermore, in the custom token area 504, a custom token 1202 having the character string "company name" as an attribute name is displayed so that the custom token created this time can be reused. Note that the timing at which the character string input in the text field 1101 is saved as the attribute name of a reusable custom token may be immediately after the attribute name is input in the text field 1101 (i.e., before the "Save" button 1102 is pressed). Also, when a token with the same content as an attribute name that already exists as a system token or a delimiter token is newly created as a custom token, it is added to the custom token area 504 as a new custom token. However, even if a character string identical to an attribute name of a custom token already existing in the custom token area 504 is entered in the text field 1101, a custom token having the same attribute name will not be duplicated and displayed in the custom token area 504. When a character string that is already used as an attribute name of an existing custom token is entered in the text field 1101, the user may be notified by displaying a message to the effect that the character string cannot be used as an attribute name. Alternatively, the input of the used character string in the text field 1101 and the setting of a custom token based on the input may be permitted, but the addition to the custom token area 504 may not be performed. Furthermore, even if a custom token having the same attribute name as a system token or delimiter token is created, it may not be possible to register or use it as a custom token.

[0042] <Settings for custom token extraction rules and validation rules> A method for setting string extraction rules and string verification rules for a custom token will be described. In this embodiment, the case where the string extraction rules and string verification rules are also set on the client PC 111 will be described as an example.

[0043] String extraction rules are rules that normalize (extract or delete) values ​​entered in attribute value input fields when setting properties. In other words, they are rules that are referenced when extracting or deleting specific strings from values ​​entered in attribute value input fields. On the other hand, string validation rules are rules that validate values ​​entered in attribute value input fields when setting properties. If the result of validating the string validation rules shows that the string entered in the attribute value input field does not conform to the prescribed format, a warning to that effect is issued to the user.

[0044] FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a UI screen (hereinafter referred to as a "custom token normalization rule setting screen") for a user to set string extraction rules and string verification rules displayed on the display of the client PC 111. The custom token normalization rule setting screen 2400 shown in FIG. 24 shows an initial display state. There are no particular limitations on the method of displaying the custom token normalization rule setting screen 2400. For example, it is displayed when a registered custom token is selected on the folder sorting rule setting screen 500 of FIGS. 11 and 12. Alternatively, a custom token registration screen (not shown) may be provided separately, and displayed when the "Add" button in the custom token registration screen is pressed and an attribute name is subsequently input.

[0045] The custom token normalization rule setting screen 2400 has the following setting items: display name 2401, default value 2402, data extraction rule 2403, and data validation rule 2404. The setting value for each setting item is determined by inputting any character string into the text field corresponding to each setting item. In the display name 2401, an attribute name is set. In the default value 2402, a value to be input by default in the attribute value input field can be set. In the data extraction rule 2403, the above-mentioned character string extraction rule can be set. In the data validation rule 2404, the above-mentioned character string validation rule can be set. The default value 2402, the data extraction rule 2403, and the data validation rule 2404 may be left blank, or values ​​may be input in any combination.

[0046] In addition, the format of inputting the setting values ​​into the data extraction rule 2403 and the data validation rule 2404 is not limited. For example, a user may directly input a regular expression, or may display options in a pull-down format and select from among them. For example, when a rule for deleting the character string "Kaisho" included in a trade name is to be set as a string extraction rule, ".+(?=Kaisho)|(?<=Kaisho).+" may be directly input into the data extraction rule 2403. When a rule for verifying whether an input character string is composed only of half-width numbers is to be set as a string validation rule, "[0-9]+" may be directly input into the data validation rule 2404. As an example of displaying options instead of such direct input, for example, for the string extraction rule, an option such as "Delete trade name such as Kaisho" may be displayed. Alternatively, for the string validation rule, an option such as "Date format: YYYYMMDD" or "Date format: YYYY year MM month DD day" may be displayed.

[0047] <File naming rule settings> Next, the setting of a naming rule for a file name given when a scanned image or the like is converted into a file will be described. In this embodiment, the setting of the file naming rule will be described by taking as an example a case where the file naming rule is also set by the client PC 111. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a UI screen (hereinafter referred to as a "file naming rule setting screen") that is displayed on a display (not shown) of the client PC 111 and that allows a user to set a file naming rule. The file naming rule setting screen 1300 shown in FIG. 13 shows an initial display state, and has a screen configuration similar to that of the above-mentioned folder allocation rule setting screen 500. That is, the file naming rule setting screen 1300 also has four areas, namely, a rule editing area 1301, a system token area 1302, a delimiter token area 1303, and a custom token area 1304. The rule editing area 1301 has a token drop area 1305, and furthermore, at the bottom of the screen, there is a "save" button 1306 for confirming and saving the set file naming rule. Below, the differences from the folder allocation rule setting screen 500 will be mainly described.

[0048] File naming rules are also created by dragging and dropping various tokens displayed in the system token area 1302, delimiter area 1303, and custom token area 1304, and arranging them in the rule editing area 1301. The difference from the folder allocation rule setting screen 500 is that there is no hierarchical structure for file names, and therefore multiple token drop areas are not displayed even if a new token is added to the rule editing area 1301.

[0049] One or more tokens placed in the rule editing area 1301 become components of a single file name. In other words, when multiple tokens are set, a single file name is generated by concatenating the attribute values ​​of each token.

[0050] Now, a custom token 1311 having an attribute name of "company name" and a custom token 1312 having an attribute name of "quote" are displayed in a custom token area 1304 of a file naming rule setting screen 1300 shown in FIG. 13. Of these two custom tokens, the custom token 1311 of "company name" corresponds to the custom token 1202 created on the above-mentioned folder allocation rule setting screen 500. That is, the custom token created when setting the folder allocation rule is displayed as a custom token that can be used when setting the file naming rule. Similarly, the custom token 1312 of "quote" displayed in the custom token area 1304 of the file naming rule setting screen 1300 will also be displayed in the custom token area 504 when the folder allocation rule setting screen 500 is opened after its creation. In this way, custom tokens can be shared between the folder allocation rule setting screen and the file naming rule setting screen.

[0051] <Property settings when creating a file> Next, a specific process flow for setting properties when converting a scanned image or the like into a file will be described. Here, the properties refer to a file name, folder path, metadata, and the like required for each data to be converted into a file. For example, when scanning a document, converting it into a file, and saving it in the storage server 130, the user sets the required properties via a property setting screen that reflects the sorting rules for the destination folder and the file naming rules set as described above.

[0052] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a property setting screen. The property setting screen 1400 shown in FIG. 14 is in an initial display state, and has a two-pane configuration of a preview pane 1401 and a property pane 1402. A scanned image of the "quote" form is currently displayed in the preview pane 1401. In the preview pane 1401, the scanned image can be scrolled and zoomed to display any position in the scanned image. The property pane 1402 is a pane for displaying and editing properties to be assigned to the scanned image to be processed. Currently, in the property pane 1402, a folder path display area 1403, a file name display area 1404, an attribute value input field 1405 corresponding to the folder path, and an attribute value input field 1406 corresponding to the file name are displayed. The " / tokita / {company name} / 2020.02.27" displayed in the folder path display area 1403 is based on the folder allocation rule set in the folder allocation rule setting screen 500 described above. Also, "{quotation}_20200227_{company name}_1" displayed in the file name display area 1404 is based on the file name naming rules set on the file naming rule setting screen 1300. Details of the display of folder paths and file names based on each rule will be described later.

[0053] <Property setting process flow> 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when a user sets file properties via the above-mentioned property setting screen 1400 on the MFP 110. Execution of this flow is triggered by the display control unit 421 of the MFP 110 accepting a user instruction to open the property setting screen 1400. It is assumed that the following folder allocation rules and file naming rules are set on the setting screens in FIGS. 16(a), (b), and (c), respectively.

[0054] <Folder sorting rule settings> "'Login user's display name' (system token) / 'Company name' (custom token) / 'Year' (system token) 'Period' (delimiter token) 'Month' (system token) 'Period' (delimiter token) 'Day' (system token)" <File naming rule settings> "'Quote (Custom Token)', 'Underscore (Delimiter Token)', 'Year (System Token)', 'Month (System Token)', 'Day (System Token)', 'Underscore (Delimiter Token)', 'Company Name (Custom Token)'" <<Custom token normalization rule settings for company name (custom token)>> "Display name: Company name, Default value: Empty, Data extraction rule: ".+(?=Inc.)|(?<=Inc.).+" (remove "Inc." from the beginning and end), Data validation rule: ".+" (not empty)" A detailed explanation will be given below along the flow in Figure 15. In the following explanation, the symbol "S" represents a step.

[0055] First, in S1501, information on the folder allocation rule set by the user is acquired. In the following S1502, information on the file naming rule set by the user is acquired. In the following S1503 and S1504, the process of acquiring the attribute value is repeated for the number of system tokens included in the information acquired in S1501 and S1502. Specifically, a character string corresponding to the user's environmental variable corresponding to the system token is acquired from data management unit 434 of MFP linkage server 120. For example, for the system tokens "year", "month", and "day", character strings "2020", "2", and "27" representing the scanned date are acquired, respectively. Also, for the system token "login user's display name", a character string "tokita" representing the user name of the user registered in the system is acquired. In the above example, since the folder allocation rule includes four system tokens and the file naming rule includes three system tokens, the acquisition of the attribute value is repeated seven times. If the acquired rules do not include a system token, the processes of S1503 and S1504 are skipped and the process proceeds to S1505. Unlike custom tokens and delimiter tokens, the attribute values ​​of system tokens change dynamically depending on the system settings. Therefore, the corresponding character strings (attribute values) for each system token must be updated every time the system settings are changed.

[0056] In S1505, a folder path is generated using the folder sorting rule acquired in S1501 and the character string for each system token acquired in S1504. In the following S1506, a file name is generated using the file naming rule acquired in S1502 and the character string for each system token acquired in S1504. At this time, for the delimiter token, the corresponding delimiter such as a period or space is inserted. For the custom token, the character string of the corresponding attribute name is provisionally inserted.

[0057] In the next step S1507, the above-mentioned property setting screen 1400 is displayed on the display (not shown) of the client PC 111. Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing the details of the property setting screen display process. A detailed explanation will be given below along the flow of Fig. 17.

[0058] In S1701, the folder path generated in S1505 is displayed in the folder path display area 1403 of the property setting screen 1400. As described above, in the example of FIG. 14, " / tokita / (company name) / 2020.02.27" is displayed. In this case, the character string "tokita" is entered for the system token having the "login user display name" as its attribute name. Also, for the custom token having the "company name" as its attribute name, a character string is entered by selecting a desired text block from the scanned image, for example, so at this stage, the character string "company name" indicating the attribute name is provisionally entered. And, for each system token having the attribute names "year", "month", and "day", the numbers "2020", "02", and "27", which indicate the date when the scanned image in the preview pane 1401 was acquired, are entered between the delimiter token "." (period). If the date when the scan is performed changes, the numbers assigned to these system tokens will change each time.

[0059] In S1702, it is determined whether or not the folder sorting rule acquired in S1501 includes a custom token. If a custom token is included, the process proceeds to S1703, and if not, the process proceeds to S1705. In the above example, a custom token with the attribute name "company name" is included, so the process proceeds to S1703.

[0060] In S1703 and S1704, the process of displaying the attribute value input field 1405 for the custom token is repeated the number of times equal to the number of custom tokens included in the folder sorting rule. In the above example, since the folder sorting rule contains one custom token, only one attribute value input field is displayed (see FIG. 14), but if multiple custom tokens are included, multiple attribute value input fields will be displayed. Note that if the folder sorting rule does not contain a custom token (No in S1702), the attribute value input field is not displayed.

[0061] In the next step S1705, the file name generated in step S1506 is displayed in the file name display area 1404 of the property setting screen 1400. As described above, in the example of FIG. 14, "{quotation}_20200227_{company name}_1" is displayed. In this case, for the system tokens of "year," "month," and "day," the numbers "2020," "02," and "27," which indicate the date when the scanned image in the preview pane 1401 was acquired, are displayed connected together without using delimiters. In addition, for the custom tokens with "quotation" and "company name" as attribute names, character strings indicating the respective attribute names are provisionally entered, as described above.

[0062] In S1706, it is determined whether or not the file naming rule acquired in S1502 includes a custom token. If a custom token is included, the process proceeds to S1707, and if not, the process ends. In this case, as described above, a custom token with the attribute names "quote" and "company name" is included, so the process proceeds to S1707.

[0063] In S1707 and S1708, the process of displaying the attribute value input field 1406 for the custom token is repeated the number of times equal to the number of custom tokens included in the file naming rule. In the above example, since the number of custom tokens included in the file naming rule is two, the number of displayed attribute value input fields 1406 is also two (see FIG. 14). Note that if the file naming rule does not include a custom token (No in S1706), the attribute value input field 1406 is not displayed.

[0064] The above is the content of the property setting screen display process. In this manner, in this embodiment, when creating rules for folder paths and file names, common tokens (custom tokens, system tokens) can be used. Even if common tokens are used, folder paths and file names are displayed separately in the property pane 1402.

[0065] 18 shows how the user inputs attribute values ​​of a custom token in the property setting screen 1400 after the above-mentioned property setting screen display process has ended. An attribute name 1801, an attribute value 1802, and a clipped image 1803 corresponding to the attribute value are displayed in the attribute value input field 1405 / 1406 corresponding to each custom token. When the user does not select a text block including the attribute value (character string) of the custom token from the preview pane 1401, the attribute value 1802 displays "none (empty)", as in the attribute value input field 1406 of a custom token with the attribute name "quote". The clipped image 1803 corresponding to the attribute value is also blank.

[0066] A user who inputs an attribute value of a custom token first selects an attribute value input field of the target custom token from among the attribute value input fields displayed in the property pane 1402. In FIG. 18, the attribute value input field 1405 is selected and highlighted. In this state, the user specifies (for example, by clicking) a text block including an attribute value (character string) of the custom token from the scanned image displayed in the preview pane 1401. The text block that has been clicked is highlighted in the preview pane 1401 by adding a border or color. At the same time, the character string included in the specified text block is displayed as an attribute value 1802 in the selected attribute value input field 1405 in the property pane 1402. At this time, the attribute value 1802 displays a value after the data extraction rule and data validation rule set in the above-mentioned "Custom Token Normalization Rule Setting Screen" are applied. Furthermore, the image portion corresponding to the text block is displayed as a clipped image 1803 corresponding to the attribute value. When an attribute value is thus input to the custom token, the content is reflected in the folder path display area 1403 and the file name display area 1404 .

[0067] Here, a process for inputting the value of a text block selected by a user into an attribute value input field will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 25. In the following description, the symbol "S" represents a step.

[0068] First, in S2501, a selection operation of a text block by the user is detected. In the following S2502, it is determined whether an attribute value input field is selected. If it is not selected, the process returns to S2501. If it is selected, the process proceeds to S2503.

[0069] In S2503, the OCR character string of the text block selected by the user is acquired. Specifically, an analysis request for the text block related to the selection is transmitted from the cooperation service request unit 423 to the MFP cooperation server 120, and the image processing unit 432 executes OCR processing based on the request. Then, the execution result of the OCR processing is returned to the cooperation service request unit 423, and the display control unit 421 acquires the execution result. For example, in a state in which the attribute value input field 1405 of a custom token having an attribute name of "Company Name" is selected in the property pane 1402, the user clicks on the text block 1804 of "Plastic Mold Co., Ltd." in the preview pane 1401. Then, the OCR processing is executed on the text block 1804 as described above, and "Plastic Mold Co., Ltd." is acquired as the OCR character string.

[0070] Next, in S2504, it is determined whether a character string extraction rule is set for the selected attribute value input field. If not set, the process proceeds to S2507, and if set, the process proceeds to S2505.

[0071] In S2505, the set string extraction rule is obtained. In this case, it is assumed that the string extraction rule obtained is one that states "delete 'Kaisho' from the trade name." In the following S2506, data that will become attribute values ​​is extracted from the OCR string obtained in S2503 in accordance with the string extraction rule. Currently, the OCR string for "Plastic Mold Co., Ltd." has been obtained, so "Plastic Mold" will be extracted from it with "Kaisho" removed.

[0072] In the next step S2507, an attribute value is input to the attribute value input field. Here, the character string "plastic mold" is input as the attribute value to the attribute value input field 1405. When the attribute value is input in this manner, the "{company name}" portion in the folder path display area 1403 is replaced with "plastic mold". Also, since a custom token with the attribute name "company name" is set in the file naming rule, a synchronization process is performed on the attribute value input field 1406. That is, the "{company name}" portion in the file name display area 1404 is also replaced with "plastic mold". Note that the synchronization process is also performed when a method other than specifying an arbitrary text block from the preview pane 1401, for example, when a character string to be the attribute value is manually input using a soft keyboard (not shown), etc. That is, the same attribute value is set for all common custom tokens regardless of the input method of the attribute value. Note that if you select an attribute value input field for a custom token for which an attribute value has already been set and specify a text block other than the currently specified text block, the existing attribute value will be overwritten by the newly entered attribute value.

[0073] Next, in S2508, it is determined whether a string verification rule has been set for the selected attribute value input field. If not, the process ends. If set, the process transitions to S2509. In S2509, the set string verification rule is acquired. Then, in S2510, the attribute value input in S2507 is verified in accordance with the string verification rule acquired in S2509. If the verification result shows that the attribute value is invalid, the process transitions to S2511, where a message indicating that the input attribute value is invalid is displayed (not shown). On the other hand, if there is no problem with the verification result, the process terminates.

[0074] After completing the above-mentioned process for all custom tokens, the user presses “Send” button 1805. As a result, the data of the scanned image is sent from MFP 110 to MFP cooperation server 120 together with the information of the folder path and file name set on property setting screen 1400. Then, in MFP cooperation server 120, storage server access unit 433 uses the received information and data to assign a specified file name to the data of the scanned image, file it, and save it in a specified folder of cloud server 130. Note that if the user presses “Send” button 1805 in an empty state in which no attribute value is set for the custom token, a folder path and file name are generated and saved with the attribute value part left empty. For example, in property setting screen 1400 in FIG. 18, no attribute value is set for a custom token with the attribute name “quote”. When “Send” button 1805 is pressed in this state, MFP cooperation server 120 requests that the data of the scanned image being displayed in preview pane 1401 be saved in storage server 130 under the following conditions.

[0075] Destination folder: " / tokita / Plastic Mold Co., Ltd. / 2020.02.27" File name: "_20200227_Plastic Mold Co., Ltd._1" <Scan profile> The folder allocation rules and file naming rules set as described above can be set for each of various scan workflows. Here, a scan workflow means a workflow for transmitting scanned image data obtained by scanning a document such as a form to a specific destination (e.g., storage server 130) under specific conditions. The conditions and destination information for each scan workflow are managed by a scan profile. By creating a scan profile in advance, a user can easily realize a desired scan workflow.

[0076] FIG. 19 shows an example of a UI screen (hereinafter referred to as a "scan profile setting screen") for setting a scan profile, which is displayed on the operation unit 220 of the MFP 110 (or the client PC 111). The scan profile setting screen 1900 shown in FIG. 19 is composed of a side menu area 1901 and a menu area 1902. When "Scan" is selected from the items displayed in the side menu area 1901, the screen transitions to a UI screen (hereinafter referred to as a "scan profile editing screen") for performing editing operations such as adding and deleting a scan profile, which will be described later. In the menu area 1902, a plurality of icons corresponding to scan profiles are displayed. Every time the user creates a scan profile, an icon corresponding to the scan profile is added to the menu area 1902. When a button 1903 at the bottom of the menu area 1902 is pressed, an icon of another scan profile that could not be displayed is displayed and can be viewed.

[0077] 19 is a UI screen that is displayed when a user having a user ID of "user a" logs in to the MFP 110. The scan profile displayed may differ depending on the logged-in user, or there may be a scan profile that is commonly available to multiple users.

[0078] Assume that the user selects an icon corresponding to an arbitrary scan profile on the scan profile setting screen 1900 and instructs execution of a scan. Then, the property setting screen 1400 is displayed for determining a folder name and a file name according to a folder allocation rule and a file naming rule corresponding to the selected scan profile. For example, assume that the following folder allocation rule and file naming rule are associated with the scan profile indicated by the icon 1904.

[0079] Folder sorting rule: " / {Login user's display name} / {Company name} / {Year}{Month}{Day} / " File naming rule: "{quote}_{year}{month}{day}_{company name}" In this case, the scanned image generated after the icon 1904 is selected is displayed in the preview pane 1401 of the property setting screen 1400. Then, the folder allocation rule of the above content associated with the scan profile corresponding to the selected icon 1904 is displayed in the folder path display area 1403. Also, the file naming rule of the above content associated with the same scan profile is displayed in the file name display area 1404.

[0080] <Creating a scan profile> Next, a method of creating a scan profile will be described. A user logs in to MFP linkage server 120 via client PC 111, for example, and can display a UI screen for editing a scan profile (hereinafter, referred to as an "edit screen") as shown in FIG. 20 by screen transition from a main screen (not shown) displayed after login. Edit screen 2000 shown in FIG. 20 includes menu list area 2001, profile list area 2002, and profile setting area 2003. Profile list area 2002 displays a list of scan profiles that are being created or have been created. Profile setting area 2003 displays the setting contents of a scan profile selected by the user from the list displayed in profile list area 2002. Profile list area 2002 and profile setting area 2003 are displayed by selecting an item "scan profile" in menu list area 2001.

[0081] In addition, when a button 2004 at the top of the edit screen 2000 is pressed, a UI screen for adding a scan profile as shown in FIG. 21 (hereinafter, referred to as an "add screen") is displayed superimposed on the edit screen 2000, and a new scan profile can be added. The add screen 2100 shown in FIG. 21 has a plurality of setting tabs 2102, and when one tab is selected from the plurality of tabs, a plurality of setting items included in the tab are displayed. In the example of FIG. 21, a state in which setting items are displayed when the "output setting" tab is selected is shown. Among the displayed setting items, "file name prefix" 2101 has a "file naming rule setting" button 2103 displayed. When this "file naming rule setting" button 2103 is pressed, the above-mentioned file naming rule setting screen 1300 is displayed, and a file naming rule can be created and edited.

[0082] Fig. 22 shows the state in which the setting items are displayed when the "Workflow Settings" tab is selected in the addition screen 2100 of Fig. 21. The displayed setting items include a "Set rules for destination folder" button 2201, and selecting this button 2201 displays the folder allocation rule setting screen 500 described above. At this time, if folder allocation rules have already been created, the created folder allocation rules are displayed around the "Set rules for destination folder" button 2201 (directly above it in the example of Fig. 10 described above).

[0083] Furthermore, after setting various types of information for the scan profile, pressing an "Add" button 2104 in the addition screen 2100 causes the addition screen 2100 to close and switch to a UI screen for setting a destination for the filed scanned image data (hereinafter referred to as a "destination setting screen"). Fig. 23 shows an example of the destination setting screen. A list of multiple destinations is displayed on the destination setting screen 2300 shown in Fig. 23, and when one of the destinations is selected, information on the destination related to the selection is saved in association with the scan profile being created.

[0084] When the minimum information required to realize the scan workflow has been set as described above, the screen returns to the edit screen 2000 in Fig. 20. At this time, the newly created scan profile is added and displayed in the profile list area 2002.

[0085] <Modification> Next, a modified example will be described that makes it easier for a user to set string verification rules and string extraction rules for custom tokens that have specific attribute names that are frequently used, such as "company name" and "date." Here, the specific custom token according to this modified example will be called an "attribute type custom token."

[0086] FIG. 26 shows the state of the folder sorting rule setting screen 500 when an attribute type custom token 2601 with an attribute name of "company name" is dropped into the token drop area. A context menu 2602 is now displayed in a pull-down format below the dropped custom token. This context menu 2602 has radio buttons 2602a to 2602c. The radio buttons correspond to "Set data normalization rule", "Remove trade name (remove characters such as "Inc." included in the trade name)", and "Do not set data normalization rule". For example, a user who wants to set a data normalization rule selects the radio button 2602a. Then, a string verification rule and / or a string extraction rule that are pre-associated with the attribute type custom token are set. This allows the user to easily set a desired custom token with a string verification rule or a string extraction rule attached without going through the custom token normalization rule setting screen 2400. On the other hand, when the radio button 2602c is selected, a normalization rule is not set for the dropped attribute type custom token. When radio button 2602b is selected, a setting is made for the dropped attribute type custom token so that characters such as "Inc." included in the trade name are automatically deleted.

[0087] The display mode of this attribute type custom token may be changed depending on the scan profile selected by the user or the document type to be scanned. For example, when creating a scan profile for scanning business cards, the attribute type custom tokens that can be used in the folder sorting rule or file name sorting rule may be set to display only "company name," "department," "name," "phone number," and "email address." In addition, a text field may be provided so that the user can freely customize regular expressions, etc., if the desired rule is not available in the options in the context menu.

[0088] Furthermore, a normalization rule may be set for a custom token when a text block is selected in the preview pane 1401 of the property setting screen 1400. FIG. 27 shows the property setting screen 1400 when an attribute type custom token with "company name" as its attribute name is set as a folder allocation rule and a file name rule. Now, the attribute value input field 2701 is selected and highlighted. When the user hovers the mouse over a text block 2702 in this state, a pop-up menu 2703 is displayed under the text block 2702. At this time, the contents displayed in the pop-up menu 2703 are the character string verification rule and / or character string extraction rule that are previously associated with the attribute type custom token of "company name". In this example, the user can set a normalization rule for deleting the characters "Kaisho" included in the trade name by selecting "Remove Trade Name" from the displayed pop-up menu. In this way, a normalization rule may be set when inputting an attribute value.

[0089] According to this modified example, the effort required for setting normalization rules for custom tokens can be eliminated, making it easier for users to use string verification rules and string extraction rules.

[0090] As described above, according to this embodiment, a user can easily create and edit folder allocation rules and file naming rules that are required when converting scanned images of documents and the like into files and saving them.

[0091] The object of the present invention can also be achieved by executing the following process: A storage medium on which program code of software that realizes the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments is stored is supplied to a system or device, and a computer (or a CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads out the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code read out from the storage medium itself realizes the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments, and the program code and the storage medium on which the program code is stored constitute the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 110 MFP 111 Client PC 120 MFP Collaboration Server 130 Storage Server 420 Additional Function Module 421 Display control unit

Claims

1. a means for providing a user interface screen for receiving an operation related to settings for generating a file name from a user; a setting means for performing settings for generating the file name based on an operation received from the user on the user interface screen; An information processing device having the user interface screen includes a first area in which a plurality of items selected by the user are arranged side by side; The plurality of items arranged in the first area can include a first item for using an OCR result of characters included in a selected area in a scanned image as the file name, Furthermore, for the first item, it is possible to set a rule for using an OCR result of a part of the characters included in the selected area as an OCR result to be used for the file name, the setting means performs setting for generating the file name based on the arrangement order of the plurality of items arranged in the first area; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

2. 2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the selected area is an area of ​​a text block selected by an operation of the user.

3. 2 . The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of items arranged in the first area can further include a second item for using a predetermined environmental variable.

4. The information processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that the second item includes at least one of an item for using a date as the specified environmental variable, an item for using a time as the specified environmental variable, an item for using a user name as the specified environmental variable, and an item for using a device name as the specified environmental variable.

5. 5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the OCR result of a portion of the plurality of characters included in the selection area is obtained by extracting the OCR result of the portion of the characters from the OCR result of the plurality of characters included in the selection area.

6. 5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the OCR result of a portion of the plurality of characters included in the selection area is an OCR result obtained by deleting the OCR results of characters other than the portion of the characters from the OCR result of the plurality of characters included in the selection area.

7. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rule that can be set for the first item is input in the form of a regular expression.

8. 5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the rule that can be set for the first item is a rule for deleting a predetermined character string related to a trade name from an OCR result of a plurality of characters included in the selection area.

9. the user interface screen further includes a second area that displays candidates of items that can be placed in the first area; The plurality of items arranged in the first area are items selected by the user from the candidates displayed in the second area.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

10. 10. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of items arranged in the first area are items arranged by the user performing an operation in which an item selected from the candidates displayed in the second area is dragged and dropped into the first area.

11. In the second area, a special item to be used for creating the first item is displayed as the candidate, 10. The information processing device according to claim 9, characterized in that, in response to the user performing an operation to place the special item selected from the candidates displayed in the second area in the first area, the user is prompted to input an arbitrary attribute name, and the first item with the input arbitrary attribute name set is placed in the first area.

12. 12. The information processing device according to claim 11, characterized in that, in response to the user performing an operation to place the special item selected from the candidates displayed in the second area in the first area, the user is prompted to input the arbitrary attribute name, the first item with the input arbitrary attribute name set is placed in the first area, and the item with the input arbitrary attribute name set is added to the second area.

13. on the user interface screen, it is possible to insert a separator character between any adjacent items among the plurality of items arranged in the first area, the setting means sets a naming rule for the file name based on an arrangement order of the plurality of items and the delimiter characters arranged in the first area.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

14. 14. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the setting means, when the plurality of items arranged in the first area includes an item that uses date and time and when the setting means receives an operation by the user to insert a delimiter between the date and the time, performs a setting to generate a file name with a delimiter inserted between the date and the time.

15. 15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the file name generated based on the settings made by the setting unit is a file name given to the file of the scanned image.

16. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

Images