Information processing system, image processing device, image processing method and program

Abstract

To allow a user to occupy a time until an extraction character string is displayed in an operation panel of an MFP when performing correction operation in the case of performing confirmation and the correction operation of the extraction character string by using the MFP.SOLUTION: An information processing system includes an information processing device, and a server for providing a chat service. The system acquires image data obtained by digitizing a document, extracts a character string from the image data, displays the extracted character string, receives a correction input to the displayed character string by the server, and corrects the character string according to the correction. The character string is used for the information for identifying a file including the image data from which the character string is extracted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system, an image processing device, an image processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in information processing devices such as multi-function peripherals (MFPs), 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 then 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 generating file names according to a file naming rule set in advance. Assume that the file naming rules in the technology of Patent Document 1 are set to "document type," "underscore," and "company name." In this case, "quote" and "AACompany" are extracted from the scanned image data as character strings related to "document type" and "company name," respectively, and the file name "quote_AACompany" is generated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-140328 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology of Patent Document 1, when an extracted character string is confirmed and corrected using an MFP, the user must occupy the MFP for the time it takes for the extracted character string to be displayed on the operation panel of the MFP and for the time it takes to perform the correction operation.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional examples, and has an object to provide a technique for transmitting an extracted character string to a chat service and for confirming and correcting the character string on the chat service. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing system including an information processing device and a server that provides a chat service, A means for acquiring digital image data of a document; An extraction means for extracting a character string from the image data; a receiving means for displaying the extracted character string and receiving an input for correction to the displayed character string; and a correction means for correcting the character string in response to the correction, the character string is used as information for identifying a file including the image data from which the character string was extracted; The reception means is included in the server that provides the chat service. An information processing system is provided.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing device capable of communicating with a server that provides a chat service. A means for acquiring digital image data of a document; An extraction means for extracting a character string from the image data; a transmitting means for transmitting the extracted character string to the server and receiving modifications to the character string from the server; and a correction means for correcting the character string in response to the correction, The character string is used as information for identifying a file including the image data from which the character string was extracted. An image processing apparatus is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, a technique can be provided in which an extracted character string is sent to a chat service, and the character string is confirmed and corrected on the chat service. [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 the destination service [Figure 4] Block diagram showing the software configuration of the image processing system [Diagram 5] A diagram showing an example of a scan template list screen [Figure 6] A diagram showing an example of a scan profile setting screen. [Figure 7] A diagram showing an example of a file naming rule setting screen. [Figure 8] A diagram showing an example of a file naming rule setting screen. [Figure 9] A diagram showing an example of a file naming rule setting screen. [Figure 10] A diagram showing an example of a scan profile execution screen. [Figure 11] A diagram showing an example of an authorization setting screen. [Figure 12] A sequence diagram showing the process flow between each device. [Figure 13] A diagram showing an example of a scan screen [Figure 14] A diagram showing an example of an extraction result information confirmation screen on an MFP screen. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an extraction result information confirmation screen on a chat service. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an extraction result information confirmation screen on a chat service. [Figure 17] A flowchart showing details of a process for transmitting extraction result information to a chat server. [Figure 18] Flowchart of chat service processing DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[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 a multi-function copier (MFP) 110, a client PC 111, and server devices 120, 130, and 140 that provide cloud services on the Internet. The MFP 110 and the client PC 111 are connected to various devices that provide various services on the Internet via a LAN (Local Area Network) so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0012] The MFP 110 is an example of an information processing device or image processing device having a scan function. The MFP 110 is a multifunction device having multiple functions, such as a print function in addition to a scan function, and a BOX storage function for storing received or scanned data in a folder. The client computer (client PC) 111 is an information processing device such as a desktop terminal or a mobile terminal that can receive cloud services via the Internet. The server devices 120, 130, and 140 are all information processing devices that provide cloud services.

[0013] Server apparatus 120 of the present embodiment provides a cloud service that performs image analysis on scanned images received from MFP 110 and transfers requests from MFP 110 to server apparatuses 130 and 140 that provide other services. Hereinafter, the cloud service provided by server apparatus 120 will be referred to as an "MFP linkage service." The MFP linkage server may also be referred to as an image processing apparatus.

[0014] The server device 130 provides cloud and mail services, such as storing file data transmitted via the Internet in a specified folder and providing stored files in response to a request from the web browser of the client PC 111. Hereinafter, the cloud services provided by the server device 130 will be referred to as "destination services."

[0015] Server device 140 provides cloud services and collaboration services that display file data and character string information transmitted via the Internet and share information in response to a request from a web browser of client PC 111. Hereinafter, the cloud service provided by server device 140 will be referred to as a "chat service." In this embodiment, server device 120 that provides the MFP linkage service will be referred to as the "MFP linkage server," server device 130 that provides the destination service will be referred to as the "destination server," and server device 140 that provides the chat service will be referred to as the "chat server."

[0016] The chat in this embodiment is a service provided by the chat server 140, which displays character strings input by users and accepts input of character strings in response to the displayed character strings, thereby enabling real-time dialogue. In this example, one user is software called a bot, and the other is a user who supervises the digitization of documents.

[0017] The information processing system of this embodiment is configured to include the MFP 110, the client PC 111, the MFP cooperation server 120, the destination server 130, and the chat server 140, but is not limited thereto. For example, the MFP 110 may also serve as the client PC 111 or the MFP cooperation server 120. Further, the MFP cooperation server 120, the destination server 130, and the chat server 140 may be arranged on a LAN instead of the Internet. Also, the destination 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. Furthermore, the MFP cooperation server 120, the destination server 130, and the chat server 140 do not necessarily have to be independent services. <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 overall operation of the MFP 110. The CPU 211 reads and executes a control program (a program corresponding to various functions shown in the software configuration diagram described later) stored in the ROM 212. The RAM 213 is used as a main memory of the CPU 211, a temporary storage area such as a work area, etc. In this embodiment, it is assumed that one CPU 211 uses one memory (RAM 213 or HDD 214) to execute each process shown in the flowchart described later, but it is not limited thereto. For example, a plurality of CPUs, a plurality of RAMs, or HDDs may cooperate to execute each process.

[0018] 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 object of the touch is a control or object such as a displayed button, and touching is sometimes referred to as pressing, in analogy with keyboard operations. 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.

[0019] 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 automatic document feeder (ADF) (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 by the printer unit 221 (copy output), saved in the HDD 214, or transmitted as information, such 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 transmits image data and information to various services on the Internet and receives various information using the network I / F 219. The hardware configuration of the MFP 110 described above is an example, and the MFP 110 may include other configurations as necessary, or may not include some of the configurations.

[0020] <Hardware configuration of client PC and server device> 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configurations of client PC 111, MFP collaborative server 120, and destination server 130. Client PC 111, MFP collaborative server 120, destination server 130, and chat server 140 are each composed of CPU 311, ROM 312, RAM 313, HDD 314, network I / F 315, and operation unit I / F 316.

[0021] CPU 311 reads out and executes control programs stored in ROM 312 and RAM 313 to execute various processes and control the overall operation. 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 collaboration server 120, destination server 130, and chat server 140 to the Internet. If network I / F 315 is a local network interface, each device is connected to the Internet via the local network. MFP collaboration server 120, destination server 130, and chat server 140 receive various process 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. Operation unit I / F 316 and operation unit 317 are device configurations present in PC 111. The operation unit I / F 316 is an interface that connects the operation unit 317 and the control unit 310 .

[0022] In addition to the above, the client PC 111 is equipped with a display (display unit) that displays images and a display adapter that controls the display unit. These may be provided in the server. Various information generated and acquired by programs executed on the client PC 111 is visualized and displayed on the display.

[0023] <Software configuration of information processing system> 4 is a block diagram showing a software configuration of an information processing system according to the present embodiment. Below, software configurations corresponding to the respective roles of MFP 110, MFP linked server 120, destination server 130, chat server 140, and client PC 111 will be described in order. Note that, of the various functions of each device, the following description focuses on functions related to processing from converting a scanned image obtained by scanning a document by MFP 110 into a file to transmitting the file to destination server 130 and chat server 140 via MFP linked server 120. Here, since the file obtained by converting the file into a file is electronic data having a predetermined file format, the process of converting the file into a file is also sometimes called electronic conversion or digitization.

[0024] <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. Therefore, the additional function module is also called an additional function module. 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] Display control unit 421 displays a user interface screen (UI screen) for accepting 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 of destination information, setting of scan file attribute information, an instruction to start scanning, an instruction to send, and the like.

[0027] 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 scanned image data. The generated scanned image data is stored in HDD 214 by scanned image management unit 412. At this time, information on a scanned image identifier that uniquely identifies the stored scanned image data is notified to scan control unit 422. The scanned 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, scanned image data to be converted into a file from scanned image management unit 412 using the scanned image identifier. Then, scan execution unit 411 instructs cooperation service request unit 423 to make a request to MFP cooperation server 120 for processing required for file conversion and file transmission.

[0028] 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.

[0029] The image processing unit 424 performs predetermined image processing on the scanned image data and generates attributes, including a transmission destination and a file name, that are used on a UI screen displayed by the display control unit 421.

[0030] <Server device software configuration> First, the software configuration of MFP linked server 120 will be described. MFP linked server 120 has request control unit 431, image processing unit 432, external service access unit 433, data management unit 434, and display control unit 435. 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, external service access unit 433, and data management unit 434 to execute a predetermined process according to the content of the received request. Image processing unit 432 performs image processing such as rotation and tilt correction on the scanned image data sent from MFP 110. Furthermore, it performs processing to analyze the scanned image data and extract attribute information. External service access unit 433 makes a processing request to destination server 130 and chat server 140. Cloud services use protocols such as REST and SOAP to make public various interfaces for saving file information in destination service 130 and chat service 140 and acquiring saved file information. External service access unit 433 uses the published interface to make requests to destination server 130 and chat service 140. 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. A user can check registered user information and change settings related to scan settings and destination information via a screen displayed on the web browser.

[0031] Next, the software configuration of destination server 130 will be described. Destination 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. File management unit 442 saves the file or reads the saved file in response to the instruction. 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 the saved file via a screen displayed on the web browser.

[0032] Next, the software configuration of chat server 140 will be described. Destination server 130 has request control unit 451, chat management unit 452, and display control unit 453. Request control unit 451 waits in a state in which it can receive a request from an external device, and in this embodiment, in response to a request from MFP linkage server 120, receives file information and analysis result information, and stores it in chat management unit 452. It also stores information input by the user from a display screen by display control unit 453, which will be described later. Display control unit 453 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 file information and analysis result information via a screen displayed by the web browser, and can input a response to the information.

[0033] The client PC 111 includes a web browser 461 as one of the application programs executed thereon. The web browser 461 transmits various requests to each server by HTTP and receives responses thereto. The responses are data described in HTML, for example, and may include screen data corresponding to a specified URI as well as processing results and scripts corresponding to the request. In order to request a linked service and perform display control via the web browser 461, the client PC 111 is also assumed to include the same function module as the aforementioned additional function module 420. The user interface (UI) of each server is also realized by the web browser 461.

[0034] <Scan profile> A method for creating a scan profile will be described. By creating a scan profile in advance, a user can easily realize a desired scan workflow. Here, a scan workflow means a workflow (digitized work procedure) for transmitting scanned image data obtained by scanning a document such as a form to a specific destination (e.g., destination server 130) under specific conditions. The conditions of each scan workflow and information on the destination are managed by the scan profile.

[0035] A user logs in to MFP linked server 120 via client PC 111, for example, and a UI screen as shown in FIG. 5 can be displayed by screen transition from a main screen (not shown) displayed after login. FIG. 5 shows an example of a UI screen (hereinafter referred to as a "template selection screen") of a list of templates for creating a scan profile, which is displayed on operation unit 317 of client PC 111. On template selection screen 500, one of templates 501 displayed on template selection screen 500 can be selected. Template 501 may be prepared for each use case, for each business type, or for each destination service. Alternatively, a user may customize all settings and create a profile without using a template. When a user presses "Create profile" button 502 after selecting template 501, a UI screen as shown in FIG. 6 can be displayed.

[0036] 6 shows an example of a UI screen for setting a scan profile (hereinafter referred to as a "scan profile setting screen") displayed on the operation unit 317 of the client PC 111. The scan profile setting screen 600 includes a scan profile name setting area 601, a destination folder display area 602, and a destination folder setting button 603. The scan profile setting screen 600 further includes a file format selection area 604, a file naming rule (naming rule for file names) display area 605, a file naming rule setting area 606, a save button 607, and a back button 608.

[0037] In the scan profile name setting area 601, a scan profile name can be input from a text field or the like. The input scan profile name is displayed on a button for executing a scan profile, which will be described later. In the destination folder display area 602, a destination folder path is displayed. When the destination folder setting button 603 is pressed, a folder selection screen (not shown) is displayed, and the folder path of the selected folder is displayed in the destination folder display area 602. The root (" / ") of the destination service is specified as the default. In the file format setting area 604, a file format (extension) of the scan file can be set. In this embodiment, a file format candidate is displayed in a pull-down menu, and can be set by selecting it. In the file name naming rule display area 605, a file naming rule of the scan file is displayed. The file name is identification information for identifying a file containing scanned image data, and constitutes part of the destination information including the folder in which the file is stored. When the file name rule setting button 606 is pressed, a file naming rule setting screen is displayed, and the file naming rule set on the screen is displayed in the file name rule display area 605. The file naming rule setting screen will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0038] The information (scan profile) set on the scan profile setting screen is sent to MFP linkage server 120 in response to pressing of "Save" button 607, and is managed by data management unit 434. The saved scan profile is also displayed on a scan profile execution screen (described later) on MFP 110. Details of the scan profile execution screen will be described in FIG. 10. When "Back" button 706 is pressed, the rules displayed in rule editing area 701 are discarded, and the setting process ends.

[0039] <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. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a UI screen (hereinafter referred to as a "file naming rule setting screen") that is displayed on the display (not shown) of the client PC 111 and that allows a user to set a file naming rule. FIG. 7 shows one of the items that can be set on a scan profile setting screen (not shown). The file naming rule setting screen 700 shown in FIG. 7 shows an initial display state. The file naming rule setting screen 700 has four areas: a rule editing area 701, a system token area 702, a delimiter token area 703, and an auto-extraction token area 704. The rule editing area 701 has a token drop area 707, and furthermore, at the bottom of the screen, there is a "save" button 705 for confirming and saving the set file naming rule.

[0040] In this embodiment, a "token" refers to a unit item for a user to specify a character string (including symbols) to be 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) corresponding to character strings of predetermined attributes, and special tokens (special items) that automatically extract character strings corresponding to attribute types from within a document. The attribute of a character string referred to here can also be said to be a classification based on the meaning of a character string. The system token and delimiter token described below correspond to general tokens, and the automatically extracted token described below corresponds to a special token. These tokens are expressed as UI elements that are the target of user operations such as dragging and dropping in various setting screens that will be described below.

[0041] Various tokens are displayed in a list in the system token area 702, the delimiter token area 703, and the auto-extraction token area 704. A file naming rule created using the various tokens is displayed in the rule editing area 701. Here, the file naming rule includes information regarding the file name of the scan data, and is set in advance by the user.

[0042] ≪Token Settings≫ The user can select one of the tokens displayed in the system token area 702, the delimiter token area 703, and the auto-extraction token area 704 by dragging it, and drop it in the token drop area 707. By repeating this operation as necessary, a new file name is expressed in a pseudo manner, which includes the character string corresponding to the token selected by dragging.

[0043] The system token area 702 is an area where tokens whose attribute values ​​are the user's environmental variables, such as "logged-in user's display name," "time," and "date," are displayed. The delimiter token area 703 is an area where tokens whose attribute values ​​are delimiters (symbols), such as "underscore" and "hyphen." The automatically extracted token area 704 is an area where tokens whose attribute values ​​are extracted from the OCR results (recognized character strings) of the scanned image and correspond to an attribute type are displayed. Details of automatically extracted tokens, such as the attribute types that can be selected with automatically extracted tokens, will be described later.

[0044] The rule information displayed in rule editing area 701 is sent to MFP linked server 120 in response to pressing of "Save" button 705, and is managed by data management unit 434. Furthermore, the set naming rule is displayed in file name rule display area 605. Moreover, when "Back" button 706 is pressed, the rule being displayed in rule editing area 701 is discarded, and the setting process ends.

[0045] Here, the file naming rule in this embodiment will be confirmed. First, there are no particular restrictions on the combination or order of tokens that can be set as a file naming rule. For example, a rule may be created that is composed only of delimiter tokens in the delimiter token area 703, or a rule that uses only the same system tokens may be created.

[0046] Next, a method for setting a file naming rule will be described with reference to Figs. 8 and 9. Fig. 8 shows the state of the file naming rule setting screen 700 when the user drags and drops one of the automatically extracted system tokens in the automatically extracted token area 704 into the rule editing area 701. Specifically, it shows the state when an automatically extracted token 801 with an attribute name of "company name (issuer)" among the multiple automatically extracted tokens displayed in the automatically extracted token area 704 is dropped into the token drop area 707. Looking at the rule editing area 701 in Fig. 8, a token 802 with an attribute name of "company name (issuer)" is newly placed at the position of the token drop area 707 where the user performed the drop operation, and further, a new token drop area 803 is generated. In the state shown in Fig. 8, if one of the tokens present in the various token areas 702 to 704 is selected and dragged and dropped into the token drop area 803, a new token drop area will be generated (not shown). Then, if any token is further dragged and dropped into the newly generated token drop area, a further token drop area will be generated.

[0047] The state of the file naming rule setting screen 700 after repeating these operations is shown in Fig. 9. Looking at the rule editing area 701 in Fig. 9, four new tokens have been added: a token with the attribute name "hyphen", a token with the attribute name "document number", a token with the attribute name "hyphen", and a token with the attribute name "document creation date". In addition, a token drop area has been generated. In other words, the file naming rule set in the file naming rule setting in Fig. 9 is "{company name (publisher)}{hyphen}{document number}{hyphen}{document creation date}".

[0048] It should be noted that even tokens set in the rule edit area 701 as described above can be rearranged by dragging, for example by swapping adjacent tokens with each other or inserting tokens between tokens.

[0049] 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 701, a "x" button is displayed on the token (not shown). The user can delete any token by pressing this "x" button.

[0050] A file name can be generated by defining a file naming rule by arranging tokens in the manner described above, and then arranging tokens extracted from a document according to the naming rule.

[0051] <Authorization setting screen> The following describes a method for permitting connection between MFP collaborative server 120 and destination server 130 or chat server 140. A user logs in to MFP collaborative server 120 via client PC 111, for example, and can display a UI screen such as that shown in FIG.

[0052] FIG. 11 shows an example of a UI screen (hereinafter referred to as an "authorization setting screen") for setting authorization for a destination service and a chat service, which is displayed on the operation unit 317 of the client PC 111. On this screen, it is possible to set authorization for the MFP linkage service to access the destination service and the chat service. The authorization setting screen 1100 is composed of a service name display area 1101, a service connection button 1102, and a service connection status display area 1103. The service name display area 1101 displays the names of the destination service and the chat service to which the MFP linkage service can connect. When the service connection button 1102 is pressed, a target service authentication and authorization screen (not shown) is displayed, and the user can grant authorization for the target service to the MFP linkage service by performing authentication and authorization settings for the target service. The authorization setting is performed using the OAuth mechanism. When the authorization setting is completed, the display of the service connection status display area 1103 changes from "not connected" to "connected."

[0053] For example, when a user is granted authority to access a destination service and a chat service, an authorization token is obtained from the server as information indicating the authority and is stored in client PC 111. When service connection button 1102 is pressed, the authorization token issued by the service is granted from client PC 111 to the MFP linkage service, and the user authority to access the service is delegated. This enables connection to the service. Note that user authentication may be performed by an authentication server separate from chat server 140 and destination server 130, and the authorization token may be issued by the authentication server.

[0054] <Scan profile execution flow> 12 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing between each device when a scan profile is executed on the MFP 110, a scanned image is converted into a file, and the file is transmitted to the destination server 130. This sequence starts when the user displays the home screen on the MFP 110.

[0055] In S1201, the MFP 110 acquires scan profile information from the MFP cooperation destination service 120. In S1202, the MFP 110 displays a scan profile execution button. At this time, by installing an additional application for sending a scan file to a destination server in the MFP 110, a button for executing the scan profile is displayed on the home screen of the MFP 110 (hereinafter, a scan profile execution screen). The acquisition of the scan profile information in S1201 may be triggered by the installation of this additional application.

[0056] <Scan profile execution screen> Fig. 10 shows an example of a UI screen for executing a created scan profile. In this embodiment, this is a home screen that displays applications executed by the MFP 110. On the same screen as the copy application and print application, "Scan and save to XX storage" is displayed as a scan profile execution button 1001. The scan profile execution button 1001 is a scan profile created from the above-mentioned template 501. When the scan profile execution button 1001 is pressed, the scan profile is executed. Returning to the explanation of the sequence.

[0057] When the user presses scan profile execution button 1001 in S1203, MFP 110 acquires scan setting information from MFP cooperation destination service 120 in S1204. In S1205, MFP 110 displays a scan screen. The scan setting information may be created and saved by MFP cooperation server 120 using client PC 111 as a terminal, similar to the scan profile, for example.

[0058] <Scan screen> 13 shows an example of a scan screen 1300 displayed on the operation unit 220 of the MFP 110. The scan screen 1300 is displayed when the scan profile execution button 1001 is pressed. The scan screen 1300 includes a preview area 1301, a scan setting section 1303, a destination information display mode setting 1304, a scan button 1305, and a send button 1306.

[0059] The preview area 1301 displays a preview image 1302 of the scanned document. If there is no scanned document, an image or text (both not shown) for encouraging the user to scan may be displayed, or the area may be blank. The scan setting section 1303 displays settings for scanning a document, such as color mode, double-sided settings, and resolution. The destination information display mode setting 1304 allows the user to select whether or not to display the destination folder and the file name generated from the naming rule for the file name set on the above-mentioned scan profile setting screen as destination information before transmission. If displayed, the user can also select where to display the information. In this embodiment, the options for the destination information display mode setting 1304 include "Do not display," "Display on MFP," and "Display in chat service."

[0060] "Do not display" is an option in which, after scanning and transmission, the user does not check the destination information generated by MFP linkage server 120 and sends the file to destination server 130. "Display on MFP" is an option in which the destination information generated by MFP linkage server 120 is displayed on operation unit 220 of MFP 110. After selecting "Display on MFP" and scanning, the screen switches to a UI screen as shown in FIG. 14. The user can look at the UI screen displayed on MFP 110, check the destination information generated by MFP linkage server 120, change the destination information as necessary, and touch the send button to send the file. Details regarding the destination information to be displayed are described in FIG. 15. "Display on chat service" is an option in which the destination information generated by MFP linkage server 120 is sent to chat server 140 and displayed on operation unit 317 of client PC 111 connected to the chat service.

[0061] Scan button 1305 is a button for executing a scan. Send button 1306 is a button for sending scanned data to MFP linkage server 120. The UI screen in Fig. 14 also displays a list of extracted character strings that were the basis of the generated file name, together with the name of the token. Returning to the explanation of the sequence, the following flow describes the case where destination information display mode setting 1304 is selected to "display in chat service."

[0062] In S1206, the user places a paper document to be scanned on the platen glass or ADF and presses scan button 1305, and in S1207, MFP 110 scans with the scan settings set in scan setting unit 1303. In S1208, the user presses send button 1306. In S1209, MFP 110 transmits an analysis request for the scanned image to MFP linked server 120 together with an image generated by the scan process. When request control unit 431 of MFP linked server 120 receives the analysis request for the scanned image, in S1210, image processing unit 432 of MFP linked server 120 performs image analysis and extracts characters. At this time, character extraction is performed based on the naming rule for file names described in FIG. 7. In S1211, MFP linked server 120 transmits extraction result information acquired from the data management unit to chat server 140 via external server access unit 433. The extraction result information includes the scanned image, the destination folder information set in the scan profile described above, the file name generated from the extracted characters according to the naming rules, and the character extraction result. When the chat server 140 receives the extraction result information, it creates a new chat room and inputs the extraction result information into the chat room as a new chat with a program called a chatbot as the poster. The chatbot can interactively edit and send the extraction result with the user, as shown in Figures 15 and 16.

[0063] In S1212, chat management unit 452 of chat server 140 notifies client PC 111 of receipt of extraction result information via request control unit 451. At this time, the notification may be made using a function, API, plug-in, or the like of a chat service. For example, the notification may be made via a client application of chat server 130 installed in client PC 111 or a Web application on a browser, and displayed as a pop-up (not shown). In S1213, upon receiving the notification, client PC 111 transmits an extraction result information acquisition request to chat server 140, and acquires screen information in which the extraction result has been shaped by display control unit 453.

[0064] In S1214, client PC 111 displays an extraction result information confirmation screen (described later) acquired from chat server 140. At this time, acquisition of the extraction result information and display of the extraction result information may be performed using a function or API of the chat service. In S1215, the user confirms and corrects the extraction result information on the extraction result information confirmation screen via client PC 111. In S1216, client PC 111 transmits the input information to chat server 140. At this time, transmission of the input information may be performed using a function, API, plug-in, etc. of the chat service.

[0065] <Extraction result information confirmation screen> 15 is an example of an extraction result information confirmation screen 1500 displayed on the operation unit 317 of the client PC 111 or a display (not shown). This screen example shows the result extracted from the scanned document image 1302 of FIG. 13. The extraction result information confirmation screen 1500 is composed of a chat room selection area 1501, a chat room 1502, a chat input field 1505, and a chat send button 1506. The chat room selection area 1501 is an area for selecting a chat room, and chat room names are displayed in a list. When the pop-up (not shown) notified in S1212 is clicked, the chat room "Scan and save to XX storage" 1503 is selected, and the selected chat room name is highlighted. This chat room of "XX storage service" is created when the scan profile "Scan and save to XX storage" is executed and received by the chat server 140 in S1211.

[0066] The chat room 1502 is an area for chatting between members belonging to a selected chat room. The members may be users who actually use the chat service, or may be a system called a chatbot. In this embodiment, the members belonging to the chat room "scan and save to XX storage" 1503 are users who are logged in to the chat service and the bot of "scan and save to XX storage". The bot inputs the extraction result information transmitted from the MFP linkage service 120 to the chat room 1503 as chat 1504. In this embodiment, first, as the extraction result, the attribute names of the automatically extracted tokens "company name (issuer)", "document number", and "document creation date" set in the file naming rule illustrated in FIG. 9 and the extracted character strings corresponding to the attribute names are chatted. Furthermore, as the destination information, the item names and values ​​of "folder path" and "file name" are chatted. The folder path is the path set in the destination folder 602 of the scan profile 600 in FIG. 6. The file name is a file name generated from the character string extracted from the scanned image according to the set file name naming rule. In this case, if a character string equivalent to "Document Number" cannot be extracted from the scanned image, the value of the extracted result of "Document Number" will be empty. Furthermore, since the file naming rule set above is "{Company Name (Publisher)}{Hyphen}{Document Number}{Hyphen}{Document Creation Date}", the generated file name will be "Kawasaki Co., Ltd.-{Document Number}-20170929". Among the tokens describing the file naming rule, attributes (tokens) that can be extracted from the scanned image are replaced with the extracted character string, and attributes that cannot be extracted are replaced with the attribute name (token name).

[0067] Furthermore, since the "document number" could not be extracted, a chat is generated to prompt the user to input the "document number". If there is a character string of an attribute that could not be extracted, this chat can be generated by applying the corresponding attribute name to a template. Next, as a method of inputting the "document number", the user inputs the value of "document number" "R12-3500" in the chat input field 1505 and presses the chat send button 1506, and the input value is chatted as shown in 1507. Next, when the bot receives the user's input, it chats the destination information regenerated with the input value (1508). Furthermore, as a subsequent action, it chats the options "Send", "Modify extraction result", and "Cancel". These options are functions of the chat service, and when any of them is selected, the user can chat the selected content without inputting anything in the chat input field. When "Send" is selected, the scan file is sent to the destination server 130 based on the destination information. When "Cancel" is selected, this scan flow can be canceled.

[0068] In this manner, the file name generated by MFP linkage server 120 in S1215 is corrected as necessary, and the input information is sent to chat server 140 in S1216. When a bot is executed on chat server 140, chat input may be sent to chat server 140 each time a user inputs something. For example, if the input is a selection of an option, the selected item may be sent each time a selection is made, and if the input is a character string, the character string may be sent each time a code indicating completion of the character string is entered. In this case, each time an input is made, a chat that reflects the input is sent from chat server 140 to client PC 111 and displayed. On the other hand, a bot may be realized by a script sent from chat server 140 to client PC 111 and executed on client PC 111. In this case, when "send" is selected, the editing result based on the input up to that point may be sent to chat server 140. Return to the explanation of the sequence.

[0069] The following flow describes the case where an attribute value that could not be extracted is entered and "Send" is selected as the subsequent action.

[0070] In S1217, chat management section 452 of chat server 140 transmits a transmission instruction to MFP collaboration service 120 via request control section 451. If the extraction result information has been edited via chat, the information input via chat (i.e., the edited information) is also transmitted together with the transmission instruction. In S1217, data management section 434 of MFP collaboration service 120 generates a file from the scanned image. In S1218, data management section 434 of MFP collaboration service 120 transmits the generated file to destination server 130 via external server access 433 based on the transmission information input at chat server 140.

[0071] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when "display on chat service" is selected in the destination information display mode setting 1304, the information is always transmitted to the chat server 140. On the other hand, based on the result of the character string extraction, it may be possible to skip transmission to the chat server 140 and confirmation and correction by the user. For example, in S1210, if character strings can be extracted for all attributes (tokens) defined in the file name generation rules, S1211 to S1217 may be skipped and the process may continue from S1218.

[0072] 12, editing via chat is described as a one-time event, but editing can also be performed repeatedly. In that case, each time input via chat is completed, that is, when S1217 is performed, the process returns to S1211 and the post-edit extraction result information is transmitted from MFP linked server 120 to chat server 140. This process is repeated until a transmission instruction is input via chat, and when a transmission instruction is input, execution proceeds from S1218.

[0073] 12 is the sequence when "display on chat service" is selected in destination information display mode setting 1304. In contrast, for example, when "do not display" is selected in destination information display mode setting 1304, Send button 1306 may be displayed in an operable manner when the result of extracting character strings from a scanned image is received from MFP linked server 120. When Send button 1306 is selected, a notice to that effect is transmitted to MFP linked server 120, and MFP linked server 120 assigns a file name created from the extracted character string to the scanned image or a file containing the character string, and transmits the file to specified destination server 130.

[0074] 14 is displayed when the result of extracting character strings from a scanned image is received from MFP linked server 120. When the Send button is selected on that UI screen, a message to that effect is sent to MFP linked server 120, and MFP linked server 120 assigns a file name created from the extracted character string to the scanned image or a file containing the character string, and sends the file to specified destination server 130.

[0075] <Chat server transmission process flow> Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by MFP linkage server 120 in the sequence of Fig. 12. This flow starts in S1210 of Fig. 12, where image processing unit 432 of MFP linkage service 120 performs image analysis and character extraction. Furthermore, when the destination information display mode setting is "display on MFP", a description of the processing in the MFP will be omitted.

[0076] A detailed explanation will be given below along the flow in Fig. 17. In the following explanation, the symbol "S" represents a step.

[0077] First, in S1701, the image processing unit 432 performs image analysis and extracts character strings. Here, for example, characters included in the image data are recognized by optical character recognition. Then, from the recognized character string, the character type, the position of the character string, the surrounding blank areas, delimiters, etc. are referenced to extract a character string of the corresponding attribute. The character type, the position of the character string, the surrounding blank areas, delimiters, etc. may be defined in advance for each attribute and stored as an attribute dictionary. The character string extracted may be a character string of an attribute corresponding to a token included in the naming rule of the file name. When there are multiple character strings corresponding to one token, one of them is selected and used as the file name, and the other character strings are linked to the attributes and included in the extraction result information.

[0078] In S1702, the data management unit 434 determines whether the destination information display mode setting is set to "display in chat service".

[0079] If it is determined in S1702 that the setting is "display in chat service", then in S1703, request control unit 431 transmits the extraction result information to chat server 140 via the external server access unit. If it is determined in S1702 that the setting is not "display in chat service", then the process ends.

[0080] In S1704, request control unit 431 determines whether extraction result correction information has been received from chat server 140. The extraction result correction information corresponds to the input information received in S1217 of FIG.

[0081] If it is determined in S1704 that extraction result correction information has been received, in S1705, request control unit 431 transmits extraction result information regenerated based on the acquired extraction result correction information to chat server 140 via the external server access unit. This step corresponds to S1211 in Fig. 12. That is, in Fig. 12, the process returns from S1217 to S1211. After S1705, the process returns to S1704. Note that chat server 140 that has received the corrected extraction result information does not create a new chat room, but displays chat based on the corrected extraction result information in the chat room before the correction.

[0082] If it is determined in S1704 that extraction result correction information has not been acquired, then in S1706, request control unit 431 determines whether a file transmission instruction has been received from chat server 140.

[0083] If it is determined in S1706 that a file transmission instruction has been received, in S1708, request control unit 431 transmits the generated file to destination server 130 based on information acquired from the chat server via the external server access unit. The generated file is given a file name generated according to a naming rule based on a character string extracted from the scanned image, or a file name edited by chat. In addition, destination server 130 is specified here as the destination, but this is of course a specified destination and is not fixed.

[0084] If it is determined in S1706 that extraction result correction information has not been acquired, then in S1707, request control unit 431 determines whether a file transmission cancellation instruction has been received from chat server 140. If it is determined in S1707 that a file transmission cancellation instruction has been received, then in S1709, request control unit 431 may cancel the file transmission process and discard all information related to the file that was the subject of transmission. In this example, since what is received from chat server 140 is either a transmission instruction or a cancellation instruction, the system is configured to wait for reception of either instruction in other cases. However, it may also be configured to execute processing according to the instruction.

[0085] If it is determined in S1707 that the file transmission cancellation instruction has not been acquired, the process returns to S1704.

[0086] If display on the chat server is not selected in S1702, then in S1710 it is determined whether display on the MFP is selected. If it is determined that display on the MFP is selected, then in S1711 the extraction results are transmitted to the MFP 110. The MFP 110, upon receiving this, displays a UI screen such as that shown in Fig. 14. Then in S1712, the process waits for reception of a transmission instruction from the MFP, and if it is determined that a transmission instruction has been received, then in S1708 the file is transmitted to the specified destination.

[0087] If display on the MFP is not selected in S1710, it is determined that "do not display" has been selected, and the process branches to S1712, where it waits for reception of a transmission instruction in response to pressing of the transmission button 1306.

[0088] <Processing procedure using chatbot> With reference to FIG. 18, a processing procedure by chat server 140 shown in FIG. 12, particularly CPU 311, will be briefly described. When extraction result information is received, the processing of FIG. 18 is started. First, it is determined whether there is a character string of an attribute that could not be extracted according to the naming rules of the file name, that is, whether extraction has failed (S1801). If it has failed, the extraction result information is displayed as shown in FIG. 15, and a message prompting the user to input the character string that could not be extracted is also displayed and input is awaited (S1802). If the extraction has not failed in S1801, S1802 is skipped. Next, it is determined whether there is input waiting (S1803). If there is input, the extraction result information is displayed according to the input, and a user's option for the extraction result information is also displayed (S1804), and input is awaited (S1806). Options are, for example, a transmission instruction, a cancellation instruction, an instruction to correct the extraction result, and the like. If there is input, it is determined what has been selected (S1806). If there is an input, it is determined what has been selected (S1806). If it is a transmission instruction, the transmission instruction is sent to MFP linked server 120 together with the input information (S1807). If the instruction is a cancel instruction, the cancel instruction is sent to MFP linkage server 120 (S1808). If the instruction is a correction instruction, an input field for inputting the details of the correction (chat input field) is displayed (S1809), and the process branches to S1803 to wait for input.

[0089] In the above procedure, any step waiting for input may receive an instruction to interrupt processing.

[0090] According to the information processing system of the present embodiment, with the above configuration and procedure, it is possible to extract a character string with an attribute specified by a token from image data obtained by scanning a document, and generate a character string to be a file name according to a specified rule. Furthermore, the extracted character string is presented to the user through chat, and if there is any matter to be edited, such as correction, the selection or input of the corrected character string is accepted. This makes it possible to confirm and change the extracted character string on chat without occupying the MFP after scanning. Furthermore, by accepting the input of the corrected character string on chat, the user can perform a correction operation more quickly than when the input is accepted on an MFP, which has poor processing power and user interface compared to a general-purpose computer. This makes the correction operation easier, improving work efficiency, and ultimately contributing to improved productivity. Furthermore, if the processing power of the MFP is poor, if the character string extraction process is performed on the MFP, it takes time until the extracted character string is displayed. By performing analysis of the scanned image and extraction of the character string in MFP linkage server 120 as in this embodiment, the character string can be extracted in a shorter time than when these processes are performed on the MFP, and confirmation can be performed on chat.

[0091] [Embodiment 2] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Regarding the second embodiment, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described, and the configurations and procedures are the same as those of the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0092] In the first embodiment, manual input of an attribute value when a string extraction has failed on the chat service screen was described. In the second embodiment, however, multiple extracted strings are displayed as options, and the selected extracted string is set as the attribute value.

[0093] FIG. 16 is an example of an extraction result information confirmation screen 1600 displayed on the operation unit 317 of the client PC 111. This example shows the results extracted from the scanned document image 1302 of FIG. 13. The "Document Creation Date" of the extraction result is displayed as "20171029". The correct document creation date (issue date) is "20170929", but the "Expiration Date" date "20171029" has been erroneously extracted. "Modify Extraction Result" is displayed as an option in chat 1601, which is an action after the extraction string is set. When "Modify Extraction Result" is selected, chat 1602 is displayed, and the attribute name can be selected as which attribute value to modify. In this case, the attributes that can be selected are the attributes set in the automatically extracted token.

[0094] When "Document Creation Date" is selected, chat 1603 is displayed, and the user can select candidates for extracted character strings related to the target attribute, i.e., attribute values. In this embodiment, an automatically extracted token for "Document Creation Date" is set, so character strings extracted from date information included in the scanned image, i.e., character strings "20170929" and "20171029" whose attributes are dates, are displayed as options. When the user selects "20170929", which is the correct document creation date, the selected character string is used to generate the extraction results and destination information again for chat.

[0095] 17, when the extraction result information is corrected, the corrected extraction result information, for example, the selected character string, is sent from chat server 140 to MFP linked server 120. Then, the corrected extraction result information corrected with the character string is sent from MFP linked server 120 to chat server 140. Chat server 140 displays the corrected extraction result information in the chat room before the correction. Also, if "Manual input" is selected in chat 1603, manual input can also be made in the chat input field. At this time, it is assumed that the option display means utilizes a function, API, plug-in, or the like of the chat service, and is not specifically limited.

[0096] According to the second embodiment, a plurality of extracted character strings are displayed as options, so that the attribute value can be modified more easily.

[0097] The chat shown in Fig. 16 is realized by the chat server 140. For example, in the procedure of Fig. 18, instead of simply displaying an input field for the user in S1809, attributes corresponding to tokens described in the file name naming rules are displayed as candidates for attributes to be corrected, as in chat 1602. Then, when an attribute is selected, the character string of the selected attribute from among the extracted character strings is displayed as a candidate. When a character string is selected from the candidates, the process branches to S1803 with that character string as the input character string.

[0098] (Modification) In the first and second embodiments, as shown in S1704 and S1705 in FIG. 17, chat server 140 transmits the extraction result information to MFP linkage server 120 each time it is corrected, and receives the corrected extraction result information from MFP linkage server 120 to continue the chat.

[0099] Alternatively, instead of executing S1704 and S1705, chat server 140 may correct the extraction result information in accordance with the user's input until the user inputs a transmission instruction via chat. In that case, S1212 to S1216 in Fig. 12 are repeated to accept input by the user via chat and display the result. In this manner, it is possible to reduce the frequency of communication between MFP linkage server 120 and chat server 140, thereby speeding up processing and improving productivity.

[0100] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, regardless of whether extraction of the character strings is successful or unsuccessful, if the setting is set to display on the chat server, the extraction result information is sent to chat server 140. On the other hand, even if the setting is set to display on the chat server, if all character strings with the specified attributes can be extracted according to the naming rules for the file names, it is not necessary to send the information to chat server 140. In that case, the same process may be performed as when "Do not display" is selected from destination information display mode setting 1304.

[0101] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, MFP 110 and MFP collaborative server 120 are separate devices, but MFP 110 may include the functions of MFP collaborative server 120. This configuration can also be said to be a configuration in which MFP collaborative server 120 includes a scanner.

[0102] In the first and second embodiments, MFP 110 and chat server 140 are separate devices. However, MFP 110 may include the functionality of chat server 140.

[0103] [Other Examples] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0104] Summary of embodiments The above embodiments can be summarized as follows: (Item 1) An information processing system including an information processing device and a server that provides a chat service, A means for acquiring digital image data of a document; An extraction means for extracting a character string from the image data; a receiving means for displaying the extracted character string and receiving an input for correction to the displayed character string; and a correction means for correcting the character string in response to the correction, the character string is used as information for identifying a file including the image data from which the character string was extracted; The reception means is included in the server that provides the chat service. An information processing system comprising: (Item 2) The information processing system according to item 1, The extraction means extracts a character string having an attribute that follows a pre-specified rule, and generates a new character string based on the extracted character string and in accordance with the rule. An information processing system comprising: (Item 3) Item 1 or 2, an information processing system according to the present invention, and a scanner for digitizing the document. An information processing system comprising: (Item 4) An information processing system according to any one of items 1 to 3, The device further comprises a user interface means, When the user interface means selects to transmit the character string to the server, the reception means displays the character string in response to the selection. An information processing system comprising: (Item 5) An information processing system according to any one of items 1 to 4, The extraction means extracts a character string having an attribute that follows a pre-specified rule, and generates a new character string based on the extracted character string and in accordance with the rule; When the receiving means is unable to extract a character string having an attribute conforming to the rule, the receiving means displays a message prompting the user to input the character string that could not be extracted. An information processing system comprising: (Item 6) Item 4. An information processing system according to the present invention, The extraction means extracts a character string having an attribute that follows a pre-specified rule, and generates a new character string based on the extracted character string and in accordance with the rule; When all the character strings of the attributes conforming to the rule have been extracted, the accepting means does not display the character strings and does not accept input of corrections to the character strings. An information processing system comprising: (Item 7) An information processing system according to any one of items 1 to 6, The accepting means displays attributes of the displayed character string as options and accepts an input for correction of the character string of the selected attribute. An information processing system comprising: (Item 8) Item 7. An information processing system according to item 7, The accepting means displays, as an option, a character string of the selected attribute among character strings extracted from the image data, and accepts the selected character string as an input for correcting the displayed character string. An information processing system comprising: (Item 9) An image processing device capable of communicating with a server that provides a chat service A means for acquiring digital image data of a document; An extraction means for extracting a character string from the image data; a transmitting means for transmitting the extracted character string to the server and receiving modifications to the character string from the server; and a correction means for correcting the character string in response to the correction, The character string is used as information for identifying a file including the image data from which the character string was extracted. 13. An image processing device comprising: (Item 10) Item 9. The image processing device according to item 9, and a scanner for digitizing the document. 13. An image processing device comprising: (Item 11) Item 9 or 10, an image processing device comprising: The device further comprises a user interface means, The user selects, via the user interface means, whether or not to transmit the character string to the server, and the transmitting means transmits the character string to the server in response to the selection. 13. An image processing device comprising: (Item 12) An image processing device according to any one of items 9 to 11, The extraction means extracts a character string of an attribute that follows a pre-specified rule, and Generate a new string based on the string and according to the rules. 13. An image processing device comprising: (Item 13) An image processing device according to any one of items 9 to 12, The extraction means extracts a character string having an attribute that follows a pre-specified rule, and generates a new character string based on the extracted character string and in accordance with the rule; When the server receives the extracted character string, if the server is unable to extract a character string having an attribute conforming to the rule, the server displays a message prompting the user to input the character string that could not be extracted. 13. An image processing device comprising: (Item 14) Item 13. The image processing device according to item 12, The extraction means extracts a character string having an attribute that follows a pre-specified rule, and generates a new character string based on the extracted character string and in accordance with the rule; If the server is unable to extract all of the character strings of the attributes conforming to the rules, the server does not display the character strings and does not accept input for correction of the character strings. 13. An image processing device comprising: (Item 15) An image processing device according to any one of items 9 to 14, The server displays attributes of the displayed character string as options and accepts input for correction of the character string of the selected attribute. 13. An image processing device comprising: (Item 16) An image processing device according to any one of items 9 to 15, The server displays, as an option, a character string of the selected attribute among character strings extracted from the image data, and accepts the selected character string as an input for correcting the displayed character string. 13. An image processing device comprising: (Item 17) An information processing method by an information processing system including an information processing device and a server providing a chat service, The acquiring means acquires image data obtained by digitizing the document; An extraction means extracts a character string from the image data; a receiving means for displaying the extracted character string and receiving an input of a correction to the displayed character string; a correction means for correcting the character string in accordance with the correction; the character string is used as information for identifying a file including the image data from which the character string was extracted; The reception means is included in the server that provides the chat service. 23. An information processing method comprising: (Item 18) An image processing device capable of communicating with a server that provides a chat service, A means for acquiring digital image data of a document; An extraction means for extracting a character string from the image data; a transmitting means for transmitting the extracted character string to the server and receiving modifications to the character string from the server; A program for causing the program to function as a means for correcting the character string in response to the correction, The character string is used as information for identifying a file including the image data from which the character string was extracted. A program characterized by:

[0105] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 110 MFP, 111 client PC, 120 MFP linkage server, 130 destination server, 140 chat server, 420 additional function module, 421 display control unit

Claims

1. An information processing system including an information processing device and a server that provides a chat service, A means for acquiring digital image data of a document; An extraction means for extracting a character string from the image data; a receiving means for displaying the extracted character string and receiving an input for correction to the displayed character string; and a correction means for correcting the character string in response to the correction, the character string is used as information for identifying a file including the image data from which the character string was extracted; The reception means is included in the server that provides the chat service. An information processing system comprising:

2. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, The extraction means extracts a character string having an attribute that follows a pre-specified rule, and generates a new character string based on the extracted character string and in accordance with the rule. An information processing system comprising:

3. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, and a scanner for digitizing the document. An information processing system comprising:

4. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, The device further comprises a user interface means, When the user interface means selects to transmit the character string to the server, the reception means displays the character string in response to the selection. An information processing system comprising:

5. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, The extraction means extracts a character string having an attribute that follows a pre-specified rule, and generates a new character string based on the extracted character string and in accordance with the rule; When the receiving means is unable to extract a character string having an attribute conforming to the rule, the receiving means displays a message prompting the user to input the character string that could not be extracted. An information processing system comprising:

6. 5. The information processing system according to claim 4, The extraction means extracts a character string having an attribute that follows a pre-specified rule, and generates a new character string based on the extracted character string and in accordance with the rule; When all the character strings of the attributes conforming to the rule have been extracted, the accepting means does not display the character strings and does not accept input of corrections to the character strings. An information processing system comprising:

7. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, The accepting means displays attributes of the displayed character string as options and accepts an input for correction of the character string of the selected attribute. An information processing system comprising:

8. The information processing system according to claim 7, The accepting means displays, as an option, a character string of the selected attribute among character strings extracted from the image data, and accepts the selected character string as an input for correcting the displayed character string. An information processing system comprising:

9. An image processing device capable of communicating with a server that provides a chat service A means for acquiring digital image data of a document; An extraction means for extracting a character string from the image data; a transmitting means for transmitting the extracted character string to the server and receiving modifications to the character string from the server; and a correction means for correcting the character string in response to the correction, The character string is used as information for identifying a file including the image data from which the character string was extracted.

13. An image processing device comprising:

10. 10. The image processing device according to claim 9, and a scanner for digitizing the document.

13. An image processing device comprising:

11. 10. The image processing device according to claim 9, The device further comprises a user interface means, The user selects, via the user interface means, whether or not to transmit the character string to the server, and the transmitting means transmits the character string to the server in response to the selection.

13. An image processing device comprising:

12. 10. The image processing device according to claim 9, The extraction means extracts a character string of an attribute that follows a pre-specified rule, and Generate a new string based on the string and according to the rules.

13. An image processing device comprising:

13. 10. The image processing device according to claim 9, The extraction means extracts a character string having an attribute that follows a pre-specified rule, and generates a new character string based on the extracted character string and in accordance with the rule; When the server receives the extracted character string, if the server is unable to extract a character string having an attribute conforming to the rule, the server displays a message prompting the user to input the character string that could not be extracted.

13. An image processing device comprising:

14. The image processing device according to claim 12, The extraction means extracts a character string having an attribute that follows a pre-specified rule, and generates a new character string based on the extracted character string and in accordance with the rule; If the server is unable to extract all of the character strings of the attributes conforming to the rules, the server does not display the character strings and does not accept input for correction of the character strings.

13. An image processing device comprising:

15. 10. The image processing device according to claim 9, The server displays attributes of the displayed character string as options and accepts input for correction of the character string of the selected attribute.

13. An image processing device comprising:

16. 16. The image processing device according to claim 15, The server displays, as an option, a character string of the selected attribute among character strings extracted from the image data, and accepts the selected character string as an input for correcting the displayed character string.

13. An image processing device comprising:

17. An information processing method by an information processing system including an information processing device and a server providing a chat service, The acquiring means acquires image data obtained by digitizing the document; An extraction means extracts a character string from the image data; a receiving means for displaying the extracted character string and receiving an input of a correction to the displayed character string; a correction means for correcting the character string in accordance with the correction; the character string is used as information for identifying a file including the image data from which the character string was extracted; The reception means is included in the server that provides the chat service.

23. An information processing method comprising:

18. An image processing device capable of communicating with a server that provides a chat service, A means for acquiring digital image data of a document; An extraction means for extracting a character string from the image data; a transmitting means for transmitting the extracted character string to the server and receiving modifications to the character string from the server; A program for causing the program to function as a means for correcting the character string in response to the correction, The character string is used as information for identifying a file including the image data from which the character string was extracted. A program characterized by:

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