Information processing device, control method therefor, and program

Abstract

To provide a mechanism for automating linkage of correct answer data to a test object, for example, in a character string test of a printed matter.SOLUTION: This information processing device acquires printing data and correct answer data, and extracts information on a character string in each character string area in which a character string in a page is formed from the printing data. Also, the information processing device retrieves information at least partially coincident with the information on the extracted character string from the correct answer data, and creates a list obtained by linking the retrieved correct answer data to a corresponding character string area to define them.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method thereof, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the inspection of printed materials that was previously performed manually has come to be automatically performed by an inspection apparatus. In the inspection apparatus, a correct image is registered in advance, a sheet on which print data is printed is read by a scanner or the like, and an abnormality in the printed material is detected by comparing the scanned image with the previously registered correct image. The inspection for detecting an abnormality in a printed material in this way is called a printed image inspection.

[0003] In addition to printed image inspection, inspection of variable regions such as character strings in variable printing is also performed. For example, there is a character string inspection in which character recognition processing is performed on the variable region portion of a scanned image and the recognition result is collated with the correct answer. In the character string inspection, the inspection operator has to manually set in advance the setting of the inspection region of the variable region portion and the correspondence relationship with variable data information (hereinafter referred to as a correct answer CSV file), which has been a work burden on the inspection operator. Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for reducing the work burden of an inspection operator when performing character string inspection of variable printing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the above prior art has the following problems. In the above prior art, by analyzing a scanned image and automatically extracting a character string area in the image, the workload of specifying the inspection area that was previously performed by the inspection operator is reduced. On the other hand, in the above prior art, the association between the inspection area to be inspected and the items in the correct answer CSV file has to be done manually.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of at least one of the above problems, and provides a mechanism for automating the association of correct answer data with an inspection target in the character string inspection of printed matter.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The present invention is, for example, an information processing apparatus including: a first acquisition means for acquiring print data and correct answer data; an extraction means for extracting information related to a character string for each character string area in which the character string in the page is formed from the print data; a search means for searching the correct answer data for information that matches at least a part of the information related to the extracted character string; and a creation means for creating a list that associates and defines the searched correct answer data with the corresponding character string area.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, in the character string inspection of printed matter, the association of correct answer data with an inspection target can be automated, and the workload of the inspection operator can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

[0011] <First Embodiment> <Hardware Configuration> Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, an information processing apparatus that automates the process from specifying an inspection area when performing a variable print character string inspection to associating it with an item in a correct answer CSV file will be described as an example. First, with reference to FIG. 1, an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment will be described. Note that the processing of the information processing apparatus 100 described in this embodiment may be executed by an image forming apparatus 120 or a client terminal 110.

[0012] The information processing apparatus 100 includes a CPU 101, a RAM 102, a ROM 103, a network I / F 104, a storage device 105, and a UI 106, and each is connected so as to be able to transmit and receive data to and from each other via a system bus 107. The CPU 101 is a central unit that controls the entire information processing apparatus 100. The RAM 102 is a storage device accessible by the CPU 101, and in this embodiment, it is used as a work memory for the operation of the CPU 101. Programs are stored in the ROM 103, and by the CPU 101 loading and executing the programs on the RAM 102, each software module shown in FIG. 2 described later operates. The storage device 105 is an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD or an SSD, and is used for use as a work area of the CPU 101 and for storing data such as documents.

[0013] The network I / F 104 is an interface for connecting to external devices such as the client terminal 110 and the image forming apparatus 120 via the network 108 and performing input / output of information. As the network 108, a communication network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) can be used. However, the content of the communication line is not particularly limited in the present invention, and it may be composed of a serial cable or the like.

[0014] The UI 106 includes a display unit and an operation unit for an operator to perform inspection settings and check inspection results on the information processing apparatus 100. In the present embodiment, an example in which the information processing apparatus 100 acquires a document from the client terminal 110 via the network I / F 104 will be described. However, the present invention is not intended to be limited, and the information processing apparatus 100 may acquire a document from the storage device 105. Further, the information processing apparatus 100 may acquire a printed scanned image from the image forming apparatus 120 via the network I / F 104, or may acquire a printed scanned image from the storage device 105. In the above embodiment, the information processing apparatus 100 that performs the inspection has a configuration different from that of the image forming apparatus 120, but it may be provided in the image forming apparatus 120, or may be provided in the client terminal 110 or other servers. That is, the information processing apparatus that performs the inspection only needs to be able to obtain a document or a printed scanned image and perform the inspection, and the installation location and device are not particularly limited.

[0015] The image forming apparatus 120 includes a scanner that reads a printed matter and a printer that executes printing according to print data. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 120 is described as a multi-function printer (MFP) having a scanner function and a printer function, but the present invention is not intended to be limited. For example, an image reading apparatus having a scanner function and an image forming apparatus having a printer function may be included in a system configuration.

[0016] <Software Configuration> Next, with reference to FIG. 2, an example of the software configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. The information processing apparatus 100 includes software modules 201 to 205 shown in FIG. 2. As described above, these software modules operate when the CPU 101 executes the program loaded from the ROM 103 onto the RAM 102.

[0017] The information processing apparatus 100 includes, as a software configuration, a data acquisition unit 201, a data analysis unit 202, an inspection setting generation unit 203, an OCR unit 204, and an inspection unit 205. The data acquisition unit 201 receives files such as variable data (hereinafter referred to as PDL data), a correct answer CSV file in which variable data information of the variable data is described, and a scanned image of a printed matter. The data analysis unit 202 analyzes the received PDL data to obtain a page number and text data from the PDL commands in the PDL data. The inspection setting generation unit 203 searches the correct answer CSV file based on the obtained page number and text, and generates an association information list associating the inspection area designation with the items in the correct answer CSV file. The OCR unit 204 performs Optical Character Recognition (hereinafter abbreviated as OCR) processing for character recognition on the scanned image of the printed matter, and generates OCR text data. The inspection unit 205 compares the result of OCRing the scanned image of the printed matter with the corresponding items in the correct answer CSV file based on the association information list, and performs an inspection.

[0018] <Overall Processing> Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the overall flow from the inspection setting to the inspection execution performed by the CPU 101 according to the present embodiment will be described. The processes described below are realized, for example, when the CPU 101 reads out the programs stored in the ROM 103 and the storage device 105 to the RAM 102 and executes them. In the following, the step numbers of each process in the flowchart are indicated by numbers following "S".

[0019] In S301, the CPU 101 causes the data acquisition unit 201 to receive PDL data and the correct answer CSV file via the network I / F 104. Subsequently, in S302, the CPU 101 causes the data analysis unit 202 and the inspection setting generation unit 203 to analyze the received PDL data, compare it with the correct answer CSV file, and generate an association information list that associates the inspection area with the items in the correct answer CSV file. The details of the process in S302 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8. In S303, the CPU 101 causes the OCR unit 204 and the inspection unit 205 to perform an inspection process of OCRing the printed scan image based on the association information list and comparing the OCR result with the corresponding item in the correct answer CSV file. The details of the process in S303 will be described with reference to FIG. 9.

[0020] <PDL data> Next, referring to FIG. 5, the PDL data will be described. FIG. 5 shows an example of the PDL command and the drawing content of the variable data. The variable data refers to data including a variable area part and a fixed area part within a page. In the example of FIG. 5, FIG. 5(A) shows a part of the PDL command of the variable data, and the corresponding drawing content is shown in FIGS. 5(B) and 5(C).

[0021] 500 in FIG. 5(A) indicates the entire PDL command constituting the variable data. 510 indicates the start of page 1. 511 indicates information regarding text. Specifically, it indicates that the font is a Gothic font, the upper left x coordinate of the area where the character string is drawn is 20, the upper left y coordinate is 20, the lower right x coordinate is 100, the lower right y coordinate is 30, and the character string to be drawn is "123456789". 512 indicates information regarding text. Specifically, it indicates that the font is a Gothic font, the upper left x coordinate of the area where the character string is drawn is 20, the upper left y coordinate is 60, the lower right x coordinate is 90, the lower right y coordinate is 70, and the character string to be drawn is "Yamada Taro". 514 indicates the end of page 1.

[0022] 520 indicates the start of the second page. 521 indicates information about the text. Specifically, it shows that the font is Gothic, the upper-left x coordinate of the area for drawing the string is 20, the upper-left y coordinate is 20, the lower-right x coordinate is 100, the lower-right y coordinate is 30, and the string to be drawn is "987654321". 522 indicates information about the text. Specifically, it shows that the font is Gothic, the upper-left x coordinate of the area for drawing the string is 20, the upper-left y coordinate is 60, the lower-right x coordinate is 90, the lower-right y coordinate is 70, and the string to be drawn is "Satou Hanako". 524 indicates the end of the second page.

[0023] In accordance with the instructions of the PDL commands in FIG. 5(A) above, the content drawn on the first page corresponds to FIG. 5(B), and the content drawn on the second page corresponds to FIG. 5(C). FIG. 5(B) shows the drawing content of the first page, and FIG. 5(C) shows the drawing content of the second page. Taking a part of FIG. 5(B) and FIG. 5(C) as an example, the text 511 and text 512 in FIG. 5(B), and the text 521 and text 522 in FIG. 5(C) are variable area parts where strings with different contents are inserted at the same position. On the other hand, the image 513 in FIG. 5(B) and the image 523 in FIG. 5(C) are fixed area parts where the same image is inserted at the same position.

[0024] <Correct CSV> Subsequently, referring to FIG. 6, the correct CSV will be described. The correct CSV 600 records the correct strings that fall into the variable area part of the variable data. Each column in the first row indicates the header information (such as postal code, address, etc.) of the string to be inserted into the variable area part. The next row (the second row) indicates the string to be inserted into the variable area part of the first page. Each column stores the string corresponding to the header information. For example, it shows that the correct string for the postal code on the first page is "135-0093". That is, the row for the first page contains the data of the strings that fall into each variable area part of the variable data included in the first page. Further, the next row (the third row) indicates the correct string to be inserted into the variable area part of the second page. In this way, starting from the second row, the Nth row indicates the information of the (N - 1)th page.

[0025] However, since the correct CSV does not contain information on where the correct string is located on the page, it is necessary to associate the position information within the page with the information on the correct string. The details of the association process will be described later. Note that the format of the correct CSV is merely an example and is not limited to this. It is sufficient that the information on the correct string inserted into the variable area within the page is managed, and a configuration using information managed on Excel or a database may also be used.

[0026] <Inspection setting process> Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the procedure of the inspection setting process performed by the CPU 101 according to the present embodiment will be described. The processes described below are realized, for example, by the CPU 101 reading a program stored in the ROM 103 or the storage device 105 into the RAM 102 and executing it. In the description of FIG. 4, it is performed using the variable data shown in FIG. 5 and the correct CSV shown in FIG. 6.

[0027] In S401, the data analysis unit 202 extracts the page number from the PDL page start command in the variable data and acquires the next command. For example, when the PDL page start command is 510, the page number "P1" is acquired, and when the PDL page start command is 520, the page number "P2" is acquired. Subsequently, in S402, the data analysis unit 202 determines whether the acquired command is text data. If the acquired command is text (YES in S402), it proceeds to S403. If it is not text data (NO in S402), it acquires the next command and proceeds to S407.

[0028] In S403, the data analysis unit 202 acquires the text information necessary for the inspection setting from the command. As the text information, the position information of the text and the text string are acquired. For example, if it is the PDL text command 511, the position information of the text is extracted as "20,20,100,30" and the text string is extracted as "123456789".

[0029] Next, in S404, the inspection setting generation unit 203 searches the correct CSV for matching items based on the extracted page number and text information. Here, an example of the search process will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In FIG. 7(A), the state of searching within the correct CSV 600 using the information of the page number "P1" and the character string "123456789" is shown. First, since the page number is "P1", the target for search is each column in the second row within the correct CSV 600. Then, the inspection setting generation unit 203 uses the character string "123456789" as the search key and compares each column in order until a match is found. Here, the inspection setting generation unit 203 determines that it does not match "135 - 0093" in "Zip Code" and "○○○, Ota Ward, Tokyo" in "Address", and determines that it matches "123456789" in "ID". Similarly, FIG. 7(B) shows the state of searching within the correct CSV 600 using the information of the page number "P2" and the character string "Hanako Sato". First, since the page number is "P2", the target for search is each column in the third row within the correct CSV 600. Then, the inspection setting generation unit 203 uses the character string "Hanako Sato" as the search key and compares each column in order until a match is found. Here, the inspection setting generation unit 203 determines that it does not match "154 - 0000" in "Zip Code", "○○○, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo" in "Address", and "987654321" in "ID", and determines that it matches "Hanako Sato" in "Name". If there is a matching item (YES in S405), it proceeds to S406. If there is no matching item (NO in S405), it proceeds to S407.

[0030] In S406, for the matched item, the inspection setting generation unit 203 associates the corresponding row (page number), corresponding column (header information), and position information of the text serving as the inspection area in the correct CSV, adds the associated information to the association information list, and acquires the next command. Note that the association information list is created when adding information for the first time. In S407, if the acquired command is a page end instruction (YES in S407), the inspection setting generation unit 203 acquires the next command and proceeds to S408. If the acquired command is not a page end instruction (NO in S407), it proceeds to S402.

[0031] In S408, when the acquired command is an instruction to end the job (YES in S408), the inspection setting generation unit 203 ends the processing of this flowchart. On the other hand, when the acquired command is not an instruction to end the job (NO in S408), it proceeds to S401 to proceed to the inspection setting process on the next page. Thus, in this embodiment, the association process for all pages defined in the correct CSV is performed, and an association information list associated with the correct CSV for all pages is created.

[0032] Here, an example of the association information list is shown in FIG. 8. In FIG. 7(A), using the page number "P1" and the character string "123456789" extracted from the variable data, it matched the "123456789" of "ID" in the correct CSV600. Therefore, in the association information list, the corresponding row (page number) of the correct CSV, which is "P1", the corresponding column (header information), which is "ID", and the position information of the text that is the inspection area, which is "20,20,100,30", are associated and added. That is, in the association information list, the correct CSV, which is the correct data, and the position information of the inspection area are associated. Similarly, the matching items are added to the list. As a result, the finally generated list becomes the association information list 800.

[0033] <Inspection Process> Next, with reference to FIG. 9, the specific procedure of the inspection process in S303 will be described. In S303, an inspection is performed based on the association information list 800. Taking the second row of the association information list 800 as an example, it indicates that the character string in the inspection area "20,20,100,30" of page "P1" should be compared with the "ID" of page "P1" in the inspection process. Therefore, the OCR unit 204 executes OCR processing on the inspection area "20,20,100,30" in the scanned image 900 of the first page. The inspection unit 205 compares the recognized character string as a result of the OCR processing with the correct character string "123456789" indicated by the corresponding row (page number) of the correct CSV600, which is "P1", and the corresponding column (header information), which is "ID". By repeating the same process for the number of items in the association information list 800, the character string inspection of the variable area part is performed.

[0034] As described above, the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment acquires print data and correct data, and extracts information related to a character string for each character string area in which the character string within a page is formed from the print data. Further, the information processing apparatus searches the correct data for information that matches at least a part of the information related to the extracted character string, and creates a list that associates and defines the searched correct data with the corresponding character string area. As a result, it is possible to automate the inspection setting by using the information of the PDL command in the variable data up to the association between the inspection area designation when performing the character string inspection of variable printing and the items in the correct CSV file. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden on the inspection operator that had to be manually set heretofore. Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a mechanism for automating the association of correct data with an inspection target in the character string inspection of a printed matter.

[0035] <Second Embodiment> Hereinafter, a second embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the above embodiment, a process of issuing a warning when there is no match with the column of the correct CSV for only a predetermined page will be described. Note that the configuration of the print control apparatus of the present embodiment is the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 1. Hereinafter, configurations and controls different from those of the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0036] <Overall Processing> First, with reference to FIG. 10, the overall processing procedure from inspection setting to inspection execution performed by the CPU 101 according to the present embodiment will be described. The processing described below is realized, for example, by the CPU 101 reading a program stored in the ROM 103 or the storage device 105 into the RAM 102 and executing it.

[0037] In S1001, the CPU 101 causes the data acquisition unit 201 to receive PDL data and the correct CSV file via the network I / F 104. Subsequently, in S1002, the CPU 101 causes the data analysis unit 202 and the inspection setting generation unit 203 to analyze the received PDL data, compare it with the correct CSV file, and generate an association information list that associates the inspection area with the items in the correct CSV file. The details of the process in S1002 will be described with reference to FIG. 11.

[0038] Next, in S1003, the CPU 101 checks whether there are any items that do not match (whether there is mismatch information) in the process of S1002. The determination of whether there is mismatch information is made by checking whether there is mismatch information saved in S1109 described later. If the items match on all pages (NO in S1003), the process proceeds to S1004. If there are items that do not match (YES in S1003), the process proceeds to S1005. In S1004, the CPU 101 causes the OCR unit 204 and the inspection unit 205 to perform an inspection process of OCRing the printed scan image based on the association information list and comparing the OCR result with the corresponding items in the correct CSV file, and ends the process of this flowchart.

[0039] On the other hand, in S1005, the CPU 101 does not start the inspection process assuming that there is a high possibility of an error in either the variable data or the correct CSV by the inspection unit 205, causes a warning to be displayed on the UI 106 which is the display unit, and ends the process of this flowchart. There are no particular restrictions on the warning content, but the display is performed based on the content of the above mismatch information. For example, it is desirable to display the information of the mismatched character string.

[0040] <Inspection Setting Process> Next, with reference to FIG. 11, the processing procedure of the inspection setting process performed by the CPU 101 according to the present embodiment will be described. The processes described below are realized, for example, by the CPU 101 reading a program stored in the ROM 103 or the storage device 105 into the RAM 102 and executing it. In step S1001, the data analysis unit 202 analyzes the received PDL data. In FIG. 11, the description will be made using the variable data shown in FIG. 5 and the correct CSV shown in FIG. 12.

[0041] In step S1101, the data analysis unit 202 extracts the page number from the PDL page start command in the variable data and acquires the next command. For example, when the PDL page start command is 510, the page number "P1" is acquired, and when the PDL page start command is 520, the page number "P2" is acquired. Subsequently, in step S1102, the data analysis unit 202 determines whether the acquired command is text data. If the acquired command is text (YES in S1102), the process proceeds to S1103. If it is not text data (NO in S1102), the next command is acquired and the process proceeds to S1107.

[0042] In step S1103, the data analysis unit 202 acquires the text information necessary for inspection setting from the command. As the text information, the position information of the text and the text string are acquired. Subsequently, in step S1104, the inspection setting generation unit 203 searches the correct CSV for matching items based on the extracted page number and text information.

[0043] Here, an example of the correct CSV will be described using Fig. 12, and an example of the search process will be described using Fig. 13. In Fig. 13(A), using the information of page number "P1" and the string "Taro Yamada", a search is performed within the correct CSV 1200. First, since the page number is "P1", the target for search is each column in the second row within the correct CSV 1200. Then, the inspection setting generation unit 203 uses the string "Taro Yamada" as the search key and compares each column in order until a match is found. Here, the inspection setting generation unit 203 determines that it does not match "135-0093" in "Zip Code", "○○○, Ota Ward, Tokyo" in "Address", and "123456789" in "ID", and determines that it matches "Taro Yamada" in "Name". Similarly, Fig. 13(B) shows the state of searching within the correct CSV 1200 using the information of page number "P2" and the string "Hanako Sato". First, since the page number is "P2", the target for search is each column in the third row within the correct CSV 1200. Then, the inspection setting generation unit 203 uses the string "Hanako Sato" as the search key and compares each column in order until a match is found. Here, the inspection setting generation unit 203 determines that it does not match all of "154-0000" in "Zip Code", "○○○, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo" in "Address", "987654321" in "ID", and "Hanami Sato" in "Name", and determines that there is no matching item. If there is a matching item (YES in S1105), it proceeds to S1106. If there is no matching item (NO in S1105), it proceeds to S1107.

[0044] In S1106, the inspection setting generation unit 203 associates, for the matched item, the corresponding row (page number) in the correct CSV, the corresponding column (header information), and the position information of the text that becomes the inspection area, adds the associated information to the list, and acquires the next command. Note that the association information list is created when information is added for the first time. In S1107, if the acquired command is a page end instruction (YES in S1107), the inspection setting generation unit 203 acquires the next command and proceeds to S1108. If the acquired command is not a page end instruction (NO in S1107), it proceeds to S1102.

[0045] In S1108, the inspection setting generation unit 203 checks whether there are inconsistent items. If there are inconsistent items (YES in S1108), the process proceeds to S1109. If there are no inconsistent items (NO in S1108), the process proceeds to S1110. In S1109, the inspection setting generation unit 203 saves the inconsistent items as inconsistent information and advances the process to S1110. In the example of FIG. 13, "Satou Hanami" in the "Name" of the correct CSV is saved as the item that did not match until the end. In S1110, if the acquired command is a job end instruction (YES in S1110), the processing of this flowchart ends. On the other hand, if the acquired command is not a job end instruction (NO in S1110), the process returns to S1101.

[0046] As described above, when the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment does not have information on a character string that matches the correct data as a result of the search, it saves information on the extracted character string in question as inconsistent information and displays a warning on the display unit based on the inconsistent information. That is, according to the present embodiment, a warning can be issued when there is no match with the columns of the correct CSV for only a certain page. This can inform the inspection operator that there is a high possibility of an error in either the variable data or the correct CSV before starting the inspection, and it becomes possible to prevent inspection mistakes in advance.

[0047] <The Third Embodiment> Hereinafter, a third embodiment for implementing the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a process for achieving high speed by efficiently performing the association process from the second page onward will be described as an example. Note that the configuration of the printing control apparatus of this embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Hereinafter, the points different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0048] <Inspection Setting Process> Referring to FIG. 14, the procedure of the inspection setting process performed by the CPU 101 according to this embodiment will be described. The processes described below are realized, for example, by the CPU 101 reading a program stored in the ROM 103 or the storage device 105 into the RAM 102 and executing it. In S301 above, the data analysis unit 202 analyzes the received PDL data. In FIG. 14, the description will be made using the variable data in FIG. 5 and the correct CSV in FIG. 6. Note that the description of the same processes as those in FIG. 4 will be omitted. That is, S1401 to S1403 and S1407 to S1410 in FIG. 14 are the same as S401 to S403 and S405 to S408 in FIG. 4, respectively, and thus the description will be omitted.

[0049] In S1404, the inspection setting generation unit 203 checks whether it is the first page. If it is the first page (YES in S1404), the process proceeds to S1405. If it is the second page or later (NO in S1404), the process proceeds to S1406. In S1405, the inspection setting generation unit 203 searches the correct CSV for matching items based on the extracted page number and text information, and proceeds to S1407.

[0050] Here, referring to FIG. 15, an example of the search process for the first page will be described. FIG. 15 shows the state of searching within the correct CSV 600 using the information of the page number "P1" and the character string "123456789". First, since the page number is "P1", each column in the second row within the correct CSV 600 is the target for search. Then, the inspection setting generation unit 203 uses the character string "123456789" as the search key and compares each column in order until a match is found (by brute force). The inspection setting generation unit 203 determines that "135 - 0093" in "Postal Code" and "○○○, Ota Ward, Tokyo" in "Address" do not match, and determines that it matches "123456789" in "ID".

[0051] On the other hand, in S1406, the inspection setting generation unit 203 searches the correct CSV for matching items based on the extracted page number and text information using the linking information for the first page. Then, the process proceeds to S1407.

[0052] Here, referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, an example of the search process for pages after the second page will be described. After the second page, as shown in FIG. 16, the association information 1600 generated on the first page exists. The association information 1600 stores information that serves as a hint when searching within the correct CSV 600, such as information on the inspection area and the command number within the page. Specifically, a predetermined correct data is specified by the correct CSV corresponding row and the correct CSV corresponding column. Also, based on the information shown in the inspection area, the position of the character string area to be inspected within the page is specified. The page command number indicates the number of the PDL command within the page.

[0053] FIG. 17 shows the search process using the association information 1600. In the example of FIG. 17, it has information such as the page number "P2", the character string "987654321", the inspection area "20,20,100,30", and the page command number "1", and utilizes this information to search within the correct CSV 600. First, since the page number is "P2", the target of the search is each column in the third row within the correct CSV 600. Next, here, the information of the page command number "1" on the first page is used. On the first page, since the character string of the page command number "1" matched the ID, instead of comparing each column in order, the "ID" column is preferentially compared first. Then, it matches the "987654321" of the "ID", enabling the search process to be performed at high speed.

[0054] The comparison method of this embodiment is merely an example, and instead of the page command number, the information of the inspection area may be utilized to compare the columns of the overlapping areas. Also, a plurality of information such as the page command number and the inspection area may be combined for searching. Further, when a mismatch occurs using the hint information, the process may be interrupted to issue a warning, or it may be switched to a brute-force search method similar to that on the first page.

[0055] As described above, in the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, on and after the second page, a search is preferentially performed for a predetermined character string of correct answer data based on the list created on the first page. Thus, according to the present embodiment, the association processing on and after the second page is efficiently performed using the information on the first page. As a result, it becomes possible to perform the association processing at high speed.

[0056] The disclosure of this specification includes the following information processing apparatus, its control method, and program. (Item 1) An information processing apparatus, a first acquisition means for acquiring print data and correct answer data; an extraction means for extracting information regarding a character string for each character string region in which the character string within the page is formed from the print data; a search means for searching the correct answer data for information that matches at least a part of the information regarding the extracted character string; a creation means for creating a list that associates and defines the searched correct answer data with the corresponding character string region An information processing apparatus characterized by comprising the above. (Item 2) The information regarding the character string includes information on the position of the character string region and the content of the character string for each character string region within the page, The information processing apparatus according to Item 1, wherein the list includes information on the position of the corresponding character string region. (Item 3) a second acquisition means for acquiring a scanned image of a printed matter; a character recognition means for recognizing a character string from the scanned image; an inspection means for performing an inspection by comparing the recognized character string with the correct answer data of the character string region defined in the list corresponding to the position of the recognized character string within the page The information processing apparatus according to Item 1 or 2, further comprising the above. (Item 4) The correct answer data defines the character strings included in each page, The search means uses the extracted character string as a search key to determine whether a character string matching the search key is included in the character string defined in the corresponding page of the correct data, and performs a search. The information processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 3, characterized in that. (Item 5) The search means performs an exhaustive search for the search key from the character strings defined in the page corresponding to the correct data. The information processing apparatus according to Item 4, characterized in that. (Item 6) The search means On the first page, perform an exhaustive search for the search key from the character strings defined in the page corresponding to the correct data, On the second page and subsequent pages, based on the list created on the first page, preferentially perform a search with a predetermined character string of the correct data. The information processing apparatus according to Item 4, characterized in that. (Item 7) When there is no information on the character string that matches the correct data as a result of the search by the search means, storage means for storing information on the corresponding extracted character string as mismatch information, Warning means for displaying a warning on the display unit based on the mismatch information The information processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 6, further comprising. (Item 8) The list includes association information between all character string areas of each page and the correct data. The information processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 7, characterized in that. (Item 9) The character string area is a variable area in which the content of the character string is different for each page. The information processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 8, characterized in that. (Item 10) The information processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 9, further comprising a printer that executes printing using the print data. (Item 11) The information processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 9, further comprising a scanner that reads a printed matter and outputs a scanned image. (Item 12) A printer that executes printing using the print data, and The information processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 9, further comprising a scanner that reads a printed matter formed by the printer and outputs a scanned image. (Item 13) A control method for an information processing apparatus, comprising: a first acquisition step in which first acquisition means acquires print data and correct data; an extraction step in which extraction means extracts information related to a character string for each character string region in which the character string within the page is formed from the print data; a search step in which search means searches the correct data for information that matches at least a part of the information related to the extracted character string; a creation step in which creation means creates a list that associates and defines the searched correct data and the corresponding character string region; A control method for an information processing apparatus, characterized by including the above steps. (Item 14) A program for causing a computer to execute each step in a control method for an information processing apparatus, the control method comprising: a first acquisition step in which first acquisition means acquires print data and correct data; an extraction step in which extraction means extracts information related to a character string for each character string region in which the character string within the page is formed from the print data; a search step in which search means searches the correct data for information that matches at least a part of the information related to the extracted character string; a creation step in which creation means creates a list that associates and defines the searched correct data and the corresponding character string region; A program, characterized by including the above steps.

[0057] <Other Embodiments> The present invention can also be implemented by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and causing one or more processors in a computer of the system or device to read and execute the program. It can also be implemented by a circuit (for example, an ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0058] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the claims are appended to disclose the scope of the invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0059] 100: Information processing apparatus, 101: CPU, 102: RAM, 103: ROM, 104: Network I / F, 105: Storage device, 106: UI, 107: System bus, 108: Network, 110: Client terminal, 120: Image forming apparatus, 201: Data acquisition unit, 202: Data analysis unit, 203: Inspection setting generation unit, 204: OCR unit, 205: Inspection unit

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, a first acquisition means for acquiring print data and correct answer data; an extraction means for extracting information related to a character string for each character string area in which the character string within a page is formed from the print data; a search means for searching the correct answer data for information that matches at least a part of the information related to the extracted character string; a creation means for creating a list that associates and defines the searched correct answer data and the corresponding character string area; The information processing apparatus characterized by comprising the above.

2. The information related to the character string includes information on the position of the character string area and the content of the character string for each character string area within a page, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the list includes information on the position of the corresponding character string area.

3. a second acquisition means for acquiring a scanned image of a printed matter; a character recognition means for recognizing a character string from the scanned image; an inspection means for comparing the recognized character string with the correct answer data of the character string area defined in the list corresponding to the position of the recognized character string within a page and performing an inspection; The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising the above.

4. The correct answer data defines the character strings included in each page, The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the search means uses the extracted character string as a search key and determines whether the corresponding page of the correct answer data contains a character string that matches the search key, and performs a search.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the search means performs an exhaustive search for the search key from the character strings defined in the corresponding page of the correct answer data.

6. The search means On the first page, search for the search key by brute force from the character string defined in the corresponding page of the correct data, On the second page and subsequent pages, based on the list created on the first page, perform a search preferentially with a predetermined character string of the correct data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that **Claim 7** When there is no information on a character string that matches the correct data as a result of the search by the search means, a storage means for storing information on the extracted character string as mismatch information, A warning means for displaying a warning on a display unit based on the mismatch information The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising **Claim 8** The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the list includes association information between all character string areas of each page and the correct data. **Claim 9** The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the character string area is a variable area in which the content of the character string is different for each page. **Claim 10** The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a printer that executes printing using the print data. **Claim 11** The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a scanner that reads a printed matter and outputs a scanned image. **Claim 12** A printer that executes printing using the print data The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a scanner that reads a printed matter formed by the printer and outputs a scanned image. **Claim 13** A control method for an information processing apparatus, A first acquisition step in which a first acquisition means acquires print data and correct data, An extraction step in which an extraction means extracts information regarding a character string for each character string area in which a character string within a page is formed from the print data, A search step in which a search means searches the correct data for information that matches at least a part of the information regarding the extracted character string, A creation step in which a creation means creates a list that associates and defines the searched correct data with the corresponding character string area A control method for an information processing apparatus, characterized by including the above.

14. A program for causing a computer to execute each step in a control method for an information processing apparatus, the control method including: A first acquisition step in which a first acquisition means acquires print data and correct data, An extraction step in which an extraction means extracts information regarding a character string for each character string area in which a character string within a page is formed from the print data, A search step in which a search means searches the correct data for information that matches at least a part of the information regarding the extracted character string, A creation step in which a creation means creates a list that associates and defines the searched correct data with the corresponding character string area A program, characterized by including the above.

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