Electronic device, facsimile communication system, program, and information processing method

Abstract

To prevent omissions in updating existing opposite party information.SOLUTION: The present invention is an electronic device 30 including: a character information extraction function unit 18 that extracts first opposite party information relating to an opposite party from image data included in fax data; an opposite party information comparison and determination unit 15 that compares one or more first character strings included in the first opposite party information extracted by the character information extraction function unit with a second character string included for each item in existing second opposite party information; an update candidate management unit 14 that registers the second opposite party information having the item for which a part or all of the first character strings match the second character string in an update candidate list; a display control unit 12 that displays the update candidate list; and an operation reception unit 11 that accepts the selection of the second opposite party information to be updated from the update candidate list.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Electronic devices such as facsimiles are equipped with a function for registering fax destination information. For example, electronic devices generally register destination information based on TSI (transmission status information) sent from the destination.

[0003] There is known a technology for performing OCR (optical character recognition) on fax data, acquiring TSI, and registering destination information (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for creating an unregistered list based on the TSI acquired by OCR, and presenting it to the user to assist in registering destination information. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the conventional technology has a problem in that it may miss updating existing destination information in cases where it is appropriate to update it. That is, because the conventional technology is a technology for managing unregistered destination information, if destination information that should be used for updating, rather than for new registration, is in the unregistered list, there is a risk that the update may be missed due to oversight.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a technique for preventing failure to update existing destination information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an electronic device having a character information extraction function unit that extracts first destination information regarding a destination from image data included in fax data; a destination information comparison and judgment unit that compares one or more first character strings contained in the first destination information extracted by the character information extraction function unit with second character strings contained for each item in existing second destination information; an update candidate management unit that registers the second destination information having an item in which part or all of the first character string matches the second character string in an update candidate list; a display control unit that displays the update candidate list; and an operation reception unit that accepts selection of the second destination information to be updated from the update candidate list. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The present invention can prevent existing destination information from being overlooked in updating. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a source facsimile device and a destination facsimile device. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a facsimile communication system. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a multifunction peripheral or a facsimile machine. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an example of a functional block diagram illustrating functions of an electronic device in blocks. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of image data and extracted destination information included in fax data. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an address book managed by an address book management unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of specific destination information managed by a specific destination information management unit. [Figure 8] 10 is a diagram showing an example of received fax document bibliographic information managed by a received document bibliographic information management unit. FIG. [Figure 9]10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a comparison method for determining whether destination information of a sender of fax data is unregistered or an update candidate. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram illustrating unregistered and update candidate information managed by an update candidate management unit. FIG. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a FAX setting screen and a receiving destination registration screen displayed on an operation panel. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an update candidate list screen displayed on an operation panel. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an updated image screen displayed on an operation panel. [Figure 14] 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an overall flow of processing from when the electronic device receives fax data to when it updates destination information. [Figure 15] 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an overall flow of processing from when the electronic device receives fax data to when it updates destination information. [Figure 16] 10 is an example of a flowchart illustrating in detail a process in which a destination information comparison and determination unit compares destination information with address information or specific destination information. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a server. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a process performed by a facsimile communication system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An electronic device and an information processing method performed by the electronic device will be described below as an example of an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] <Outline of processing> Electronic devices such as facsimile machines have address books with fax numbers and other information registered so that users can easily select recipients. Electronic devices also store specific recipient information in order to process fax data received from specific recipients in a predetermined manner. The electronic device searches the TSI of the received fax data in the address book or specific recipient information, and if it determines that the fax data is from a new recipient, it registers the recipient information, such as the TSI, in the address book and specific recipient information.

[0011] However, when a recipient registered in an address book or specific recipient information moves or changes its fax number, updating the fax number, etc. registered in the existing address book or specific recipient information has the advantage of not unnecessarily increasing the number of recipient information, rather than registering the changed fax number in the address book or specific recipient information. Therefore, there are cases in which it is appropriate for an electronic device to search the TSI of received fax data in the address book or specific recipient information, and if there is no match, to update the existing address book or specific recipient information rather than determining that the fax data is from a new recipient.

[0012] On the other hand, there are cases where the electronic device searches the address book or specific recipient information for the TSI of the received fax data, and if the TSI does not match, it is appropriate to register new recipient information in the address book and specific recipient information. Therefore, in this embodiment, the electronic device determines whether to update the existing address book and specific recipient information or to register new information, as described below.

[0013] (1) The electronic device of this embodiment performs OCR on image data contained in fax data from recipients who are not registered in the address book list or specific recipient information, and extracts recipient information such as fax number, company name, contact person, email address, telephone number, and address.

[0014] (2) The electronic device compares each character string contained in the extracted destination information with each item in the existing address book list and the specific destination information.

[0015] (3) If there is an existing address book list and specific recipient information that has at least one item that partially or completely matches the character string, the electronic device manages the existing address book list and specific recipient information as update candidates separately from unregistered candidates.

[0016] (4) The electronic device presents the update candidates and the extracted recipient information to the user, prompting them to decide whether to update. If the user determines that the existing address book list and specific recipient information need to be updated, the electronic device updates the existing address book list and specific recipient information with the recipient information.

[0017] (5) If there is no existing address book list or specific recipient information that partially or completely matches the character string, the electronic device registers new recipient information.

[0018] In this way, in this embodiment, the electronic device compares the character string extracted from image data with the existing address book list and specific recipient information, and presents the user with partial or complete matches, thereby preventing the electronic device from missing updates to the existing address book list and specific recipient information.

[0019] <Terminology> The first character string included in each item of the first destination information is character information extracted from image data included in the fax data, and is information that can identify the sender of the fax data. In this embodiment, the first destination information is described as destination information.

[0020] The second destination information is information about a destination that is already stored in the electronic device, and is the information to be updated in this embodiment. In this embodiment, it is described as an address book or specific destination information.

[0021] The update candidate list is a list of candidates for the address book or specific destination information that is presented to the user to allow the user to decide whether to update the address book or specific destination information with the destination information extracted from the fax data.

[0022] [First embodiment] A facsimile communication system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0023] <System configuration example> FIG. 1 shows an example of a source facsimile device 90 and a destination facsimile device 30B. The source facsimile device 90 transmits fax data to the destination facsimile device 30B. The electronic device described above corresponds to a source (receiving) electronic device such as the facsimile device 30B. The destination facsimile device 30B extracts destination information using OCR, compares the destination information with the existing address book list and specific destination information, and presents update candidates to the user, as described above.

[0024] FIG. 2 is an example of an overall configuration diagram of a facsimile communication system 100. The facsimile communication system 100 includes a facsimile device 90, a multifunction device 30A, a facsimile device 30B, and a PC 30C (Personal Computer), which are communicatively connected via a public line W. In this embodiment, the multifunction device 30A, the facsimile device 30B, and the PC 30C are all electronic devices 30 that receive facsimiles. Naturally, the multifunction device 30A, the facsimile device 30B, and the PC 30C may also have a function for sending facsimiles. Hereinafter, the multifunction device 30A, the facsimile device 30B, and the PC 30C will be referred to as electronic devices 30 without distinction.

[0025] The public line W is a telephone line, and is used by the sending facsimile device 90 and the receiving electronic device 30 to transmit fax data. The sending and receiving electronic devices 30 are specified by fax numbers.

[0026] In addition to using a public line W, electronic device 30 can also send and receive fax data via the Internet or IP-FAX. The method of sending and receiving a facsimile as an attachment to an email via the Internet is called Internet fax. Therefore, with Internet fax, the sender sends fax data using the email system, and the destination electronic device 30 receives the fax data using the email system. The sender and destination are specified by email addresses.

[0027] IP-FAX uses the Internet, just like Internet Fax, but it uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and H.323 protocols for communication connections. SIP is a protocol that creates, modifies, and disconnects sessions to exchange audio, video, or text messages between two or more locations. H.323 is a protocol for telephone call control. H.323 handles processes such as establishing and disconnecting communication paths on the source and destination networks. Note that T.37 may also be used as a protocol.

[0028] Because IP-FAX uses the Internet, the destination and sender are specified using SIP URIs. SIP allows for various URIs to be specified, and SIP URIs can be IP addresses or host names, SIP user names, fax numbers, etc. These are written in the headers of SIP RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) packets.

[0029] Internet fax or IP-FAX does not use public lines, so it has the advantage of lower communication costs. However, since messages are sent via the Internet, it is recommended that messages sent using Internet fax or IP-FAX be encrypted when sending important information.

[0030] The multifunction peripheral 30A is an electronic device 30 that has at least a facsimile receiving function and other functions. The multifunction peripheral 30A has, for example, a printer function and a scanner function. Therefore, the multifunction peripheral 30A can print received fax data. The multifunction peripheral 30A can also read the printed fax data using a scanner. The multifunction peripheral 30A may also be called an MFP (Multi-function Peripheral / Product / Printer). The multifunction peripheral 30A may also be called an image forming device, image processing device, printer, printing device, scanner, or facsimile device.

[0031] The facsimile device 30B is an electronic device 30 having a function of receiving fax data. The facsimile device 30B necessarily has a function of printing received facsimiles and a function of reading transmitted documents with a scanner.

[0032] PC 30C is an information processing device equipped with an OS such as Windows (registered trademark). PC 30C can connect to the Internet and therefore can send and receive Internet faxes and IP-FAXes. On the other hand, in order for PC 30C to send and receive fax data via the public line W, components such as a facsimile modem are required. PC 30C may also be a tablet terminal, smartphone, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), game console, car navigation system, electronic whiteboard, video conferencing terminal, or the like.

[0033] 2, the facsimile communication system 100 may also include a server 50 connected to a network N. A multifunction peripheral 30A, a facsimile device 30B, and a PC 30C are connected to the network N. In this embodiment, the server 50 holds address and specific destination information, which will be described later. The server 50 can also execute the process of this embodiment, which prevents the address and specific destination information from being overlooked when updated. The network N may be an in-house LAN, a wide area LAN connecting offices, a WAN, or a VPN (Virtual Private Network), or it may be the Internet.

[0034] The server 50 is one or more information processing devices. The server 50 in this embodiment is mainly used as a storage location for the shared reject sender list. Therefore, the server 50 may simply be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) on the network.

[0035] A server is a computer or software that provides information or processing results in response to requests from clients. The server 50 may exist on the Internet or on-premise. If it exists on the Internet, it should be compatible with cloud computing. Cloud is a term used when no specific hardware resources are intended.

[0036] <Hardware configuration example> Fig. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the multifunction peripheral 30A or the facsimile device 30B. As shown in Fig. 3, the multifunction peripheral 30A or the facsimile device 30B includes a controller 910, a short-range communication circuit 920, an engine control unit 930, an operation panel 940, and a network I / F 950.

[0037] Of these, the controller 910 has a CPU 901, which is the main part of the computer, a system memory (MEM-P) 902, a north bridge (NB) 903, a south bridge (SB) 904, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 906, a local memory (MEM-C) 907, which is a storage unit, an HDD controller 908, and an HD 909, which is also a storage unit, and is configured such that the NB 903 and the ASIC 906 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 921.

[0038] Of these, the CPU 901 is a control unit that performs overall control of the multifunction device 30A or the facsimile device. The NB 903 is a bridge that connects the CPU 901 with the MEM-P 902, the SB 904, and the AGP bus 921, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 902, a PC30I (Peripheral Component Interconnect) master, and an AGP target.

[0039] The MEM-P 902 comprises a ROM 902a, which is memory for storing programs and data that realize the functions of the controller 910, and a RAM 902b, which is used for expanding the programs and data and as a drawing memory during memory printing. The programs stored in the RAM 902b may be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, or DVD.

[0040] The SB 904 is a bridge for connecting the NB 903 with the PC30I device and peripheral devices. The ASIC 906 is an integrated circuit (IC) for image processing applications that has hardware elements for image processing and serves as a bridge connecting the AGP bus 921, the PC30I bus 922, the HDD controller 908, and the MEM-C 907. The ASIC 906 includes a PC30I target and AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 906, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 907, multiple direct memory access controllers (DMACs) that perform image data rotation using hardware logic, and a PC30I unit that transfers data between the scanner unit 931 and the printer unit 932 via the PC30I bus 922. A USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface or an IEEE 1394 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface may be connected to the ASIC 906.

[0041] The MEM-C907 is a local memory used as an image buffer for copying and a code buffer. The HD909 is a storage for storing image data, font data used during printing, and forms. The HD909 controls the reading and writing of data from and to the HD909 under the control of the CPU901. The AGP bus 921 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed to speed up graphics processing, and direct high-throughput access to the MEM-P902 enables the graphics accelerator card to operate at high speed.

[0042] Further, the short-range communication circuit 920 is provided with a short-range communication circuit antenna 920a. The short-range communication circuit 920 is a communication circuit such as NFC or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0043] The engine control unit 930 is further comprised of a scanner unit 931 and a printer unit 932. An operation panel 940 displays current settings, a selection screen, and the like. The operation panel 940 includes a panel display unit 940a, such as a touch panel, for receiving input from an operator, and hard keys 940b, such as a numeric keypad for receiving settings for image formation conditions, such as density settings, and a start key for receiving a copy start command. The operation panel 940 also includes a storage medium mounting unit 940c for mounting a storage medium. The controller 910 controls the entire multifunction peripheral 30A or facsimile device 30B, controlling, for example, drawing, communication, and input from the operation panel 940. The scanner unit 931 or the printer unit 932 includes image processing units such as error diffusion and gamma conversion.

[0044] The multifunction device 30A or the facsimile device 30B can be switched between the document box function, copy function, printer function, and facsimile function in sequence using the application switching key on the operation panel 940. The multifunction device 30A or the facsimile device enters document box mode when the document box function is selected, copy mode when the copy function is selected, printer mode when the printer function is selected, and facsimile mode when the facsimile mode is selected.

[0045] The network I / F 950 is an interface for performing data communication using the network N. The short-range communication circuit 920 and the network I / F 950 are electrically connected to the ASIC 906 via a PC30I bus 922.

[0046] <About the function> 4 is an example of a functional block diagram showing functions of electronic device 30. Electronic device 30 has an operation reception unit 11, a display control unit 12, an operation analysis / execution unit 13, an update candidate management unit 14, a destination information comparison / determination unit 15, an update unit 10 (address book management unit 16, specific destination information management unit 17), a character information extraction function unit 18, a received document management unit 19, a received document bibliographic information management unit 20, and a communication control unit 21. These functions of electronic device 30 are functions or means realized when CPU 901 of multifunction peripheral 30A or facsimile device 30B shown in FIG. 3 executes a program stored in HD 909 or the like and controls the hardware of multifunction peripheral 30A or facsimile device 30B.

[0047] The communication control unit 21 controls the sending and receiving of facsimiles, sending information to a destination and receiving information from a sender. The communication control unit 21 receives fax data. The fax data includes TSI, bibliographic information (e.g., date, time, etc.), and image data.

[0048] The received document bibliographic information management unit 20 stores and manages information other than image data, such as TSI and bibliographic information of fax data, which is sent from the sender when fax data is received.

[0049] The received document management unit 19 stores and manages image data from among the fax data.

[0050] The character information extraction function unit 18 uses a character information extraction technique such as OCR to extract character information from image data. A technique other than OCR may be used as the character information extraction technique. The character information extraction function unit 18 generates destination information related to the sender by extracting a character string related to the sender from the character information.

[0051] The destination information comparison and judgment unit 15 performs a round-robin comparison of the destination information extracted by the character information extraction function unit 18 with the specific destination information managed by the specific destination information management unit 17 and the address information managed by the address book management unit 16. As a result of the comparison, the destination information comparison and judgment unit 15 classifies the destination information as either registered, unregistered, or a candidate for update. Note that it is the existing address book or specific destination information that is updated.

[0052] The update candidate management unit 14 records and manages the recipient information that has been determined to be unregistered or an update candidate by the recipient information comparison and determination unit 15, and requests the address book management unit 16 or the specific recipient information management unit 17 to register the unregistered recipient information in response to a user instruction. Similarly, the update candidate management unit 14 requests the address book management unit 16 or the specific recipient information management unit 17 to update existing addresses or specific recipient information whose items partially or completely match the recipient information determined to be an update candidate.

[0053] The address book management unit 16 stores and manages the address book of recipients of fax data. The address book stores the recipients' fax numbers, addresses, contact persons, company names, etc. The address book management unit 16 can update the address book, so it also functions as the update unit 10.

[0054] When fax data is received, the specific destination information management unit 17 stores and manages the processing contents registered for each destination. The processing contents include, for example, printing, forwarding, and reception refusal. The specific destination information management unit 17 can update the specific destination information, so it also functions as the update unit 10.

[0055] The operation analysis / execution unit 13 instructs the display control unit 12 on the screen to be displayed on the operation panel 940. The operation analysis / execution unit 13 analyzes the user input received by the operation reception unit 11 and notifies the update candidate management unit 14.

[0056] The display control unit 12 displays a list of destination information determined to be unregistered, destination information determined to be update candidates, existing address books, and existing specific destination information in accordance with instructions from the operation analysis / execution unit 13. The operation reception unit 11 receives user input and notifies the operation analysis / execution unit 13.

[0057] <Extracting recipient information from fax data> First, a method for extracting destination information from fax data will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows an example of image data 201 included in fax data and the extracted destination information. The character information extraction function unit 18 performs OCR or the like on the image data to extract character information. The character information to be extracted in this embodiment is the destination information. Since facsimile cover sheets generally have a fixed pattern (standard format), the character information extraction function unit 18 can identify an area containing information for identifying the destination. Furthermore, the character information extraction function unit 18 can identify an area from which to extract a character string using an area containing specific characters (e.g., postal code, telephone number, fax number, etc.) as a key. The character string extracted from this area becomes the destination information (an example of first destination information). The character string extracted as the destination information is expected to include information identifying the destination (an example of a first character string), such as a company name, a person in charge, a telephone number, or a fax number. Note that existing technology may be used to extract destination information from image data.

[0058] Each character string is associated with a received document number, and is compiled into a list, which is managed by the character information extraction function unit 18. The received document number is identification information that uniquely identifies the received fax data.

[0059] Furthermore, OCR recognition accuracy is not always 100%. If the extracted character string contains misrecognized characters, it is natural that the recipient information comparison and judgment unit 15 will not match the address book or specific recipient information when comparing it. Therefore, it is preferable that the character information extraction function unit 18 calculates a recognition probability for each recognized character, and the recipient information comparison and judgment unit 15 does not use characters with a recognition probability below a threshold for comparison. The recognition probability indicates the likelihood that the recognized character will be recognized, for example, in the range of 0 to 1. It is assumed that each character recognized by the character information extraction function unit 18 is assigned a recognition probability.

[0060] The extraction of the destination information is executed in step S11 of FIG. 14, which will be described later.

[0061] <Address Book> Next, the address book will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is an example of an address book managed by the address book management unit 16. Information held in the address book is called address information (an example of second destination information). Existing address information is registered in the address book. For example, in Fig. 6, the address information includes an ID, a name, a reading, a display name, a fax number, and an email address (all of which are examples of second character strings). ·ID is the identification information of the address information. The name is the official name of the recipient. -Yomigana indicates the pronunciation of the name in katakana. The display name is the name (abbreviation, etc.) displayed on the operation panel 940. The fax number is the telephone number of the recipient for sending fax data. The email address is the representative email address of the recipient company.

[0062] <Specific recipient information> Next, the specific destination information will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is an example of the specific destination information managed by the specific destination information management. The specific destination information (an example of the second destination information) mainly includes an ID, a TSI, a sender name, etc. (all of which are examples of the second character string). In the specific destination information, a destination for which it is determined to perform a predetermined process (printing, forwarding, receiving rejection, etc.) on the received fax data is registered. · The ID is identification information of the destination information. · The TSI is the sender number, and is often the FAX number of the sender. When the electronic devices 30 of the sender and the receiver are of the same manufacturer, the TSI may be the company name of the sender. · The sender name is the name of the sender displayed on the operation panel 940 at the time of incoming call.

[0063] <FAX Received Document Bibliographic Information> Next, the FAX received document bibliographic information will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is an example of the FAX received document bibliographic information managed by the received document bibliographic information management unit 20. The FAX received document bibliographic information registers the bibliographic information of the received fax data. The FAX received document bibliographic information mainly includes an ID, a TSI, a reception date and time, etc. · The ID is identification information of the received fax data. The communication control unit 21 automatically assigns a non-duplicate ID when receiving the fax data. · The TSI may be the same as the specific destination information. · The reception date and time is the date and time when the fax data is received.

[0064] <Comparison of the Extracted Destination Information with the Specific Destination Information and the Address Book> Next, with reference to FIG. 9, the comparison of the destination information extracted from the image data with the specific destination information and the address book will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a comparison method for determining whether the destination information of the sender of the fax data is unregistered or a candidate for update. For convenience of explanation, in FIG. 9, the destination information 254 shown in FIG. 5, the address book 251 shown in FIG. 6, the specific destination information 252 shown in FIG. 7, and the FAX received document bibliographic information 253 shown in FIG. 8 are shown.

[0065] For fax data with an ID of "0010" in the fax reception document bibliographic information 253, the destination information comparison and judgment unit 15 compares the destination information 254 with the address book 251 or the specific destination information 252. First, the destination information comparison and judgment unit 15 compares the TSI in the fax reception document bibliographic information 253 with the fax number in the address book 251, and then compares it with the TSI in the specific destination information 252 to determine whether there is matching address information or specific destination information. In Figure 9, no matching destination is registered. If there is a match, the destination information has already been registered, so subsequent processing such as new registration or update is not performed.

[0066] If no matching address information or specific recipient information is registered, the recipient information comparison and determination unit 15 compares each character string recorded in the recipient information 254 with each item in the address book 251 and the specific recipient information 252 to determine whether to register it as unregistered or as an update candidate. The recipient information comparison and determination unit 15 searches for matches of at least several characters (e.g., two or more characters). The recipient information comparison and determination unit 15 performs a brute-force comparison of each character string recorded in the recipient information 254 with each item in the address book 251 and the specific recipient information 252. For example, when a company name is extracted from the recipient information 254, the recipient information comparison and determination unit 15 not only compares the company name in the address book 251 and the specific recipient information 252, but also compares it with other items (such as telephone number). Since the extracted recipient information 254 is not necessarily complete, this makes it easier to prevent updates from being overlooked.

[0067] 9, the character string "X Industrial Co., Ltd." in the extracted destination information 254 is an exact match with the name in the address book 251, and further, it partially matches the display name in the address book 251. Furthermore, the character string "X Industrial Co., Ltd." in the extracted destination information 254 is a partial match with the display name in the specific destination information 252. If there is a partial or complete match in at least one item, the destination information comparison and determination unit 15 adds the destination information as an unregistered or update candidate to the unregistered and update candidate information.

[0068] Note that "an item that matches completely" refers to a case where the character string in a certain item of the recipient information (for example, a company name) matches all the character strings in the address book and each item of the specific recipient information. "An item that matches partially" refers to an item where only part of the character string in a certain item of the recipient information matches, but the other characters do not match.

[0069] When the destination information comparison and determination unit 15 determines that there is a partial match, the part to be compared (part of the character string) differs depending on the item. An example of the part to be compared and the part not to be compared will be described below. Company name: The string excluding the company type (such as "joint stock company" or "limited company") is compared with the address book and specific recipient information. Since a comparison cannot be made with a single character, the key string for comparison must be a string of several characters or more. Name: Among the strings that are determined to be names, the comparison key is a string of two or more consecutive characters. Note that one way to determine whether something is a name is to use a name dictionary, for example. Address: The comparison key is the string excluding characters indicating prefecture, city, town, village, etc. · Number: Example 1. All consecutive digits of the subscriber number, excluding the area code and local code, are the key for comparison.

[0070] Example 2: All numeric strings (such as postal codes) excluding the symbol "-" are comparison keys.

[0071] <Unregistered and update candidate information> Next, the unregistered and update candidate information will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating the unregistered and update candidate information managed by the update candidate management unit 14. The unregistered and update candidate information is information that manages recipient information that has been determined to be unregistered or an update candidate by the recipient information comparison and determination unit 15. Note that the unregistered and update candidate information registers recipient information that has been determined to be unregistered, recipient information that has been determined to be an update candidate, and address book and specific recipient information presented to the user. The unregistered and update candidate information includes items such as received document ID, update candidate, update candidate address book ID, update candidate specific recipient ID, TSI, reception date and time, and extraction result. The received document ID item is identification information for the recipient information that is not registered or is determined to be a candidate for updating, and is the same as the ID of the fax received document bibliographic information. The update candidate item indicates whether the destination information is unregistered or an update candidate, and indicates whether the destination information is unregistered or an update candidate. The update candidate address book ID field is the identification information of the address book that partially or completely matches the recipient information. If the update candidate field is No, there was no partial or complete match with the address book, so the update candidate address book ID will be null. The update candidate specific recipient ID field is the ID of the specific recipient information that partially or completely matches the recipient information. If the update candidate field is No, the specific recipient information did not partially or completely match, so the update candidate specific recipient ID will be null. The TSI item is the TSI of the bibliographic information of the received fax document. The received date and time item is the date and time of receipt of the bibliographic information of the received fax document. The extraction result items are recipient information (multiple character strings) extracted from the image data.

[0072] <List of potential recipients to update displayed on the operation panel> Next, an update candidate list created from unregistered and update candidate information will be described with reference to Figs. 11 to 13. First, Fig. 11 shows a FAX setting screen 210 and a receiving destination registration screen 220 displayed on the operation panel 940. The FAX setting screen 210 shown in Fig. 11(a) has a receiving destination registration edit button 211. When the user presses the receiving destination registration edit button 211, the screen transitions to the receiving destination registration screen 220 shown in Fig. 11(b). The receiving destination registration screen 220 has an update candidate list button 221. When the update candidate list button 221 is pressed, an update candidate list screen 230 is displayed.

[0073] 12 shows an update candidate list screen 230 displayed on the operation panel 940. For ease of explanation, FIG. 12 shows unregistered and update candidate information 255, an address book 251, and specific recipient information 252. The update candidate list screen 230 is a screen that displays a list of only update candidates from the unregistered and update candidate information 255. "Update candidates only" means that only records for which the update candidate field in the unregistered and update candidate information 255 is set to "Yes" are displayed. The update candidate list screen 230 has received document IDs, update candidate address books, and update candidate specific recipient information. The received document ID 235 item is a received document ID that is not registered and whose update candidate item in the update candidate information 255 is set to Yes. The items in the update candidate address book 236 include the ID, name, and contact details of the update candidate address book identified by the above comparison. The item of update candidate specific partner information 237 includes the ID, name, and contact information of the update candidate specific partner information identified by the above comparison.

[0074] The user selects the address information and specific recipient information to be updated from the update candidate list 231 presented on the update candidate list screen 230. However, depending on the results of the comparison, only one of the address information and the specific recipient information may be updated. The user selects from the update candidate list 231 row by row (record by record). The user may also be able to select multiple rows at a time. The record selected by the user is displayed in reverse, for example. When the update button 234 is pressed, the update begins and the screen transitions to the update image screen of Figure 13.

[0075] The update candidate list screen 230 has check boxes 232 and 233, allowing the user to select either the address book or the specific recipient information to be updated, or both. In other words, even if both the update candidate address book 236 and the update candidate specific recipient information 237 are displayed in the update candidate list 231, they can be selectively updated.

[0076] The method of displaying the update candidate list screen 230 will be described. First, records for which update candidate = Yes are extracted from the unregistered and update candidate information 255. Then, if there is a number in the update candidate address book ID field of the unregistered and update candidate information 255, the name and display name corresponding to the same number (ID) as in the previous case are extracted from the address book. If there is a number in the update candidate specific recipient ID of the unregistered and update candidate information 255, the name and display name corresponding to the same number (ID) as the number are extracted from the specific recipient information.

[0077] The display process of the update candidate list screen 230 is performed in steps S21 to S26 in the sequence diagram of FIG.

[0078] Fig. 13 shows an update image screen 240. For ease of explanation, Fig. 13 shows an address book 251, received fax document bibliographic information 253, and recipient information 254. The update image screen 240 displays address information or specific recipient information corresponding to the record selected by the user on the update candidate list screen 230, and is a screen on which the user can select which item to update and which information to update.

[0079] 13 illustrates a case where an address book is updated. An update image screen 240 has an update content field 241, an image data thumbnail 242, a page button 243, a zoom button 244, a document selection button 245, an extracted character information list 246, a cancel button 247, and an execute button 248.

[0080] The update content field 241 displays one record of the address book by item. By sliding the update image screen 240 right or left, the update content field 241 displays one record of specific recipient information by item. The update content field 241 has the following fields: update selection 241a, item 241b, old 241c, and new 241d. The update selection 241a has a check box 239, allowing the user to select the item to update in the address book. The item 241b is the name of the address book item. The old 241c is the current address book information (item value), and the new 241d indicates what the information will be after updating. The information displayed in the old 241c is obtained from the address book 251, and the information displayed in the new 241d is obtained from the recipient information 254 (character strings extracted from image data). The update candidate management unit 14 associates the character strings of recipient information that completely or partially match the existing address information items with the address book items. The display control unit 12 uses this correspondence to display new item 241d in which the character string of the destination information is associated with the item of the existing address information.

[0081] However, the FAX number in the new 241d is set from the FAX reception document processing information. The FAX number may be TSI, but this is because the FAX reception document processing information is more reliable than the TSI that has been character-recognized.

[0082] The image data thumbnail 242 is a thumbnail display of the image data included in the fax data.

[0083] The page button 243 is a button for switching pages of the image data thumbnails 242 .

[0084] The zoom button 244 is a button for accepting zooming in and out of the image data thumbnail 242 .

[0085] The document selection button 245 is a button (an example of a display component) that accepts the display of other fax data sent from the same recipient. Whether the fax data is from the same recipient is determined by the TSI. Other fax data sent from the same recipient is stored. The character information extraction function unit 18 extracts recipient information from the image data contained in each of the multiple fax data. When an update candidate is selected on the update candidate list screen 230, the update candidate management unit 14 identifies other recipient information associated with the same TSI as the recipient information currently displayed in the new 241d. The display control unit 12 displays the document selection button 245 along with the number of other recipient information associated with the same TSI. When the document selection button 245 is pressed, the display control unit 12 displays the other recipient information in the new 241d and replaces the image data thumbnail 242 with that of the other recipient information. The old 241c remains unchanged. This allows the user to check multiple fax data and decide whether to update the address book.

[0086] Note that other recipient information associated with the same TSI as the recipient information currently displayed in new 241d is compared with the address book and specific recipient information. Therefore, other recipient information having character strings that partially or completely match the items of the address book and specific recipient information currently displayed in old 241c may be selectable with document selection button 245, rather than other recipient information associated with the same TSI as the recipient information currently displayed in new 241d.

[0087] Extracted character information list 246 is a list of character strings contained in destination information extracted from image data. The reason that extracted character information list 246 is displayed separately from new 241d is to allow the user to edit new 241d using extracted character information list 246 if the correspondence between old 241c and new 241d is incorrect.

[0088] The cancel button 247 accepts cancellation of the update, and the execute button 248 accepts execution of the update.

[0089] The user checks the update content field 241 and image data thumbnail 242 and selects checkbox 239 to specify the items to be updated. The user can also edit the information in new 241d as desired. The user can also select a character string from extracted character information list 246 to overwrite the information in new 241d. When execute button 248 is pressed, the address book management unit 16 updates the contents of the address book in accordance with the user's selection and input information. In the example of FIG. 13, the fax number checkbox 239 is checked, so the fax number in address book 251 is updated from "111-1111-1111" to "222-2222-2222."

[0090] The display and update process of the updated image screen 240 is carried out in steps S33 to S40 in the sequence diagram of FIG.

[0091] <Action or Processing> Next, a process from when the electronic device 30 receives fax data to when the destination information is updated will be described with reference to Figures 14 and 15. Figures 14 and 15 are sequence diagrams that explain the overall flow of a process from when the electronic device 30 receives fax data to when the destination information is updated.

[0092] S1: The source facsimile device 90 transmits fax data (TSI, bibliographic information, image data) to the electronic device 30.

[0093] S2: The communication control unit 21 receives the fax data and transmits the image data to the received document management unit 19.

[0094] S3: The received document management unit 19 associates the ID with the image data and stores it.

[0095] S4: The communication control unit 21 also transmits the TSI and bibliographic information to the received document bibliographic information management unit 20.

[0096] S5: The received document bibliographic information management unit 20 stores the received fax document bibliographic information using the TSI and bibliographic information.

[0097] S6: Having saved the image data, the received document management section 19 inquires of the address book management section 16 whether there is address information with a matching TSI in order to determine whether it is necessary to register or update the destination information.

[0098] S7: The address book management unit 16 returns the inquiry result as to whether or not there is address information with a matching TSI to the received document bibliographic information management unit 20.

[0099] S8: Similarly, since the fax received document bibliographic information has been saved, the received document bibliographic information management unit 20 inquires of the specific recipient information management unit 17 whether there is specific recipient information with a matching TSI in order to determine the need to register or update the recipient information.

[0100] S9: The specific destination information management unit 17 returns the inquiry result as to whether or not there is specific destination information with a matching TSI to the received document bibliographic information management unit 20.

[0101] If there is no address book or specific recipient information with a matching TSI, steps S10 to S18 are executed. Extraction of character information is executed only when there is no address book or specific recipient information with a matching TSI, so an increase in the processing load due to extraction of character information can be suppressed.

[0102] S10: If there is no address book or specific recipient information with a matching TSI, the recipient information needs to be registered or updated, so the received document management unit 19 sends the image data saved in step S3 to the character information extraction function unit 18.

[0103] S11: The character information extraction function unit 18 extracts character information from the image data and creates destination information including a character string related to the destination.

[0104] S12: The character information extraction function unit 18 transmits the created destination information to the destination information comparison and determination unit 15.

[0105] S13: The address book management unit 16 also transmits the address book to the destination information comparison and determination unit 15.

[0106] S14: The specific destination information management unit 17 transmits the specific destination information to the destination information comparison and determination unit 15.

[0107] S15: The destination information comparison and determination unit 15 compares the character string of the destination information with the character strings in the address information and specific destination information items in a round-robin manner. Details of the comparison process will be described with reference to FIG.

[0108] S16: If there is no item that completely or partially matches the character string of the recipient information and the character string of the address information or specific recipient information item, the recipient information is not registered, so the recipient information comparison and judgment unit 15 sends the update candidate (ID), TSI of the fax data, bibliographic information, and extraction result (recipient information) to the update candidate management unit 14.

[0109] S17: If there is an item that is a complete or partial match, the destination information is an update candidate, so the destination information comparison and judgment unit 15 sends the update candidate (Yes), the update candidate address book ID or the update candidate specific destination ID, the TSI of the fax data, the bibliographic information, and the extraction result (destination information) to the update candidate management unit 14.

[0110] S18: The update candidate management unit 14 registers the destination information in the unregistered and update candidate information.

[0111] S19: If there is an address book or specific destination information with a matching TSI, the destination information has already been registered, and the process of FIG. 14 ends.

[0112] S21: Next, the user performs an operation to display the update candidate list screen 230 on the operation reception unit 11 in order to register or update the destination information. The operation reception unit 11 receives the operation to display the update candidate list screen 230.

[0113] S22: The operation receiving unit 11 transmits the acquisition of the update candidate list 231 to the operation analysis / execution unit 13.

[0114] S23: The operation analysis / execution unit 13 requests the update candidate list 231 from the update candidate management unit 14.

[0115] S24 to S26: The update candidate management unit 14 creates the update candidate list 231 by the method described in Fig. 12. The update candidate list 231 is sent to the display control unit 12. The display control unit 12 causes the operation panel 940 to display the update candidate list screen 230 including the update candidate list 231.

[0116] S27: The user selects an update candidate from the update candidate list screen 230. The operation reception unit 11 receives the selection of an update candidate (one record) from the update candidate list 231.

[0117] S28: The display control unit 12 notifies the operation analysis / execution unit 13 of the received document ID of the update candidate (the received document ID on the update candidate list screen 230).

[0118] S29: The operation analysis / execution unit 13 requests detailed information about the update candidate associated with the received document ID from the update candidate management unit 14. The detailed information about the update candidate is information that is displayed on the update image screen 240. That is, the detailed information about the update candidate includes destination information identified by the received document ID, address information that completely or partially matches a character string contained in the destination information, bibliographic information about the received fax document identified by the received document ID, and an image data thumbnail identified by the received document ID.

[0119] S30 to S32: The update candidate management unit 14 generates detailed information about the update candidate using the method described in Fig. 13. The detailed information about the update candidate is sent to the display control unit 12. The display control unit 12 generates an update image screen 240 using the detailed information about the update candidate, and displays it on the operation panel 940.

[0120] S33: The user checks the detailed information of the update candidate on the update image screen 240, edits the new 241d as necessary, and presses the cancel button 247 or the execute button 248. The operation acceptance unit 11 accepts the cancel button 247 or the execute button 248 being pressed.

[0121] S34: The operation receiving unit 11 notifies the operation analysis / execution unit 13 of an update instruction or cancellation.

[0122] S35: When an update instruction is notified, the operation analysis / execution unit 13 sends the update instruction (address book ID or specific destination information ID, update item, update content) to the update candidate management unit 14. The address book ID or specific destination information ID is that of the update candidate currently displayed on the update image screen 240. This update candidate is selected on the update candidate list screen 230. The update item is one or more items for which the check box 239 is checked, and the update content is the information of new 241d.

[0123] S36: If the address book ID is included in the update instruction, the update candidate management unit 14 sends the update instruction (address book ID, update item, update content) to the address book management unit 16.

[0124] S37: The address book management unit 16 updates the item designated by the user among the address information that matches the address book ID with the updated content.

[0125] S38: The address book management unit 16 notifies the update candidate management unit 14 that the update has been completed.

[0126] S39: If the specific destination information ID is included in the update instruction, the update candidate management unit 14 transmits the update instruction (specific destination information ID, update item, update content) to the specific destination information management unit 17.

[0127] S40: The specific destination information management unit 17 updates the item designated by the user among the specific destination information that matches the specific destination information ID with the updated content.

[0128] S41: The specific destination information management unit 17 transmits a notification of completion of the update to the update candidate management unit 14.

[0129] S42 and S43: The completion of the update is notified to the display control unit 12, and the display control unit 12 displays the completion of the update.

[0130] S44: If the cancellation of the update is notified, the processing of FIGS. 14 and 15 ends.

[0131] <<Comparison details>> 16 is a flowchart illustrating in detail the process of comparing destination information with address information or specific destination information by destination information comparison and judgment unit 15. The process in FIG. 16 is executed in steps S15 to S18 in FIG.

[0132] The destination information comparison and determination unit 15 determines whether the TSI of the received fax data matches the fax number in the address book (S101). If the determination in step S101 is Yes, the destination information has already been registered, so the process in FIG. 16 ends. If the determination is No, the process proceeds to step S102.

[0133] In step S102, the destination information comparison and determination unit 15 determines whether the TSI of the received fax data matches the fax number of the specified destination information (S102). If the determination in step S102 is Yes, the destination information has already been registered, so the process in Fig. 16 ends. If the determination is No, the process proceeds to step S103.

[0134] In step S103, the character information extraction function unit 18 extracts character strings from the image data included in the fax data (S103).

[0135] The character information extraction function unit 18 generates destination information using the extracted character string (S104). It is preferable that the character information extraction function unit 18 attaches a recognition probability to each character included in the destination information.

[0136] Next, the destination information comparison and judgment unit 15 performs a round-robin comparison of each character string in the destination information with the character strings in each item of the address information and the character strings in each item of the specific destination information (S105). When making the comparison, the destination information comparison and judgment unit 15 does not use characters whose recognition probability is less than a threshold value.

[0137] The destination information comparison and determination unit 15 determines whether there is at least one item that is a perfect match (S106). If the determination in step S106 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S109, and if No, the process proceeds to step S107.

[0138] In step S107, the destination information comparison and determination unit 15 determines whether there is at least one item that partially matches a certain number of characters or more, excluding character strings that are not dependent on the destination's unique name (for example, "Co., Ltd.") (S107). If the determination in step S107 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S109, and if No, the process proceeds to step S108.

[0139] In step S108, since there is neither an exact match nor a partial match, the update candidate management unit 14 registers the received fax data as an unregistered candidate in the unregistered and update candidate information (S108). In this way, the electronic device 30 can newly register recipient information where the TSI of the received fax data does not match the fax number in the address book or specific recipient information and does not exactly or partially match the item in the address book or specific recipient information, thereby preventing new registrations from being missed. If the determination were based solely on the TSI, there is a risk of duplicate registrations if the recipient changes their fax number. However, since the electronic device 30 compares the character string in the item in the address book or specific recipient information with the character string in the recipient information, it is possible to prevent duplicate registrations while also preventing new registrations from being missed.

[0140] In step S109, since there is a complete match or a partial match, the update candidate management unit 14 registers the update candidate as an unregistered update candidate in the update candidate information (S109).

[0141] <Major Effects> In this embodiment, the electronic device compares the character information extracted from image data with the existing address book list and specific recipient information, and presents partial or complete matches to the user, thereby preventing the existing address book list and specific recipient information from being overlooked when updating.

[0142] [Second embodiment] In this embodiment, a facsimile communication system 100 will be described in which the server 50 updates the existing address book list and specific recipient information. In the description of this embodiment, components with the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment perform similar functions, so the description of components that have already been described may be omitted or only differences may be described.

[0143] 17 shows a functional block diagram of the server 50 in this embodiment. Fax data transmitted by the facsimile device 90 is received by the electronic device 30. The electronic device 30 may transmit the fax data to the server 50 immediately after receiving the fax data, or may transmit the fax data to the server 50 after the fax data has been accumulated for a certain period of time or a certain amount.

[0144] The functional block diagram of the server 50 may be similar to that of the electronic device 30 in Fig. 4. The main difference is that the communication control unit 21 receives fax data from the electronic device 30 via the network N. Also, instead of the display control unit 12, a screen generation unit 22 creates the various screens described in the first embodiment. The communication control unit 21 transmits this screen information to the electronic device 30. A web application provided by the server 50 is executed in the electronic device 30, and the web application displays the various screens described in the first embodiment.

[0145] 17 , the electronic device 30 has a communication unit 31, a display control unit 32, and an operation reception unit 33. As described above, the communication unit 31 transmits fax data to the server 50. The communication unit 31 requests the server 50 for an update candidate list 231 and the like in response to a user operation, and receives various types of screen information from the server 50.

[0146] The display control unit 32 displays various screens on the operation panel 940 based on screen information such as the update candidate list screen 230. The operation reception unit 33 receives operations on the electronic device 30 from the user.

[0147] Fig. 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating the processing performed by the facsimile communication system 100. In the explanation of Fig. 18, differences from Figs. 14 and 15 may be mainly explained.

[0148] S51: The electronic device 30 receives fax data from the facsimile device 90. The electronic device 30 executes predetermined processing such as printing and forwarding, and the communication unit 31 transmits the fax data to the server 50.

[0149] S52: The communication control unit 21 of the server 50 receives the fax data and executes the processes of steps S1 to S19 in FIG.

[0150] S53: Next, when the user performs an operation on the electronic device 30 to display the update candidate list 231, the operation receiving unit 33 receives the operation.

[0151] S54: The communication unit 31 requests the update candidate list 231 from the server 50.

[0152] S55: When the communication control unit 21 of the server 50 receives the request for the update candidate list 231, the server 50 executes the processes of steps S22 to S26 in FIG.

[0153] S56: The screen generation unit 22 of the server 50 generates the update candidate list screen 230 and transmits this screen information to the electronic device 30. The display control unit 32 of the electronic device 30 causes the update candidate list screen 230 to be displayed.

[0154] S57: When the user performs an operation to select an update candidate on the electronic device 30, the operation receiving unit 33 receives the operation.

[0155] S58: The communication section 31 transmits to the server 50 the received document ID having the information to be updated.

[0156] S59: When the communication control unit 21 of the server 50 receives the received document ID having the information to be updated, the server 50 executes the processes of steps S28 to S32 in FIG.

[0157] S60: The screen generation unit 22 of the server 50 generates the updated image screen 240 and transmits this screen information to the electronic device 30. The display control unit 32 of the electronic device 30 causes the updated image screen 240 to be displayed.

[0158] S61: Next, when the user issues an update instruction or a cancellation instruction to the electronic device 30, the operation acceptance unit 33 accepts the operation.

[0159] S62: The communication unit 31 requests the server 50 to instruct or cancel the update.

[0160] S63: When the communication control unit 21 of the server 50 receives the update instruction or cancellation, the server 50 executes the processes of steps S34 to S43 in FIG.

[0161] S64: The screen generation unit 22 of the server 50 generates an update completion screen, and transmits this screen information to the electronic device 30. The display control unit 32 of the electronic device 30 displays the update completion screen.

[0162] <Major Effects> In addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the facsimile communication system 100 of this embodiment can prevent the server 50 from failing to update the existing address book list and specific recipient information. Therefore, the processing load on the electronic device 30 can be reduced compared to when the electronic device 30 processes the information by itself.

[0163] <Other application examples> The best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above using examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples in any way, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0164] For example, in this embodiment, destination information is extracted from fax data, but the electronic device 30 may extract destination information from form data. In this case, since the form data does not include TSI, the electronic device 30 determines whether the destination information has been registered based on the fax number extracted by OCR or the like.

[0165] In addition, the configuration examples shown in Fig. 4 and the like are divided according to main functions to facilitate understanding of the processing by electronic device 30. The present invention is not limited by the manner in which the processing units are divided or the names of the processing units. The processing of electronic device 30 can be divided into even more processing units depending on the processing content. Furthermore, it can also be divided so that one processing unit includes even more processes.

[0166] Each function of the above-described embodiments can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Here, the term "processing circuit" in this specification includes a processor programmed to perform each function by software, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit, as well as devices such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and conventional circuit modules designed to perform each of the above-described functions.

[0167] <Additional Notes> [Appendix 1] a character information extraction function unit that extracts first destination information about the destination from image data included in the fax data; a destination information comparison and determination unit that compares one or more first character strings included in the first destination information extracted by the character information extraction function unit with second character strings included in each item of existing second destination information; an update candidate management unit that registers the second destination information having the item in which the first character string partially or entirely matches the second character string in an update candidate list; a display control unit that displays the update candidate list; an operation receiving unit that receives a selection of the second destination information to be updated from the update candidate list; An electronic device having: [Appendix 2] the display control unit displays the second destination information selected by the operation reception unit and one or more first character strings extracted from the image data; the operation accepting unit accepts editing of the first character string displayed by the display control unit; an updating unit that updates the item of the second destination information with the edited first character string when the operation accepting unit accepts a selection of the item to be updated with the first character string; 1. The electronic device described in Appendix 1. [Appendix 3] the display control unit displays the first character string extracted from the image data in association with each item of the second destination information selected by the operation accepting unit, the item having the second character string that matches a part or all of the first character string; When the operation receiving unit receives a selection of the item to be updated with the first character string, the updating unit updates the item of the second destination information with the first character string displayed in association with the item. 1. An electronic device as described in Appendix 2. [Appendix 4] the display control unit, when displaying the second destination information selected by the operation reception unit and the one or more first character strings extracted from the image data, displays a thumbnail of the image data. 4. The electronic device according to claim 2 or 3. [Appendix 5] the display control unit displays check boxes in association with the items of the second destination information selected by the operation accepting unit; the operation accepting unit accepts selection of the item of the second destination information to be updated with the first character string by checking the checkbox; 1. The electronic device described in Appendix 3. [Appendix 6] the destination information comparison and determination unit removes a specific character string or a specific symbol from the first character string and compares the first character string with the second character string; 6. The electronic device according to any one of appendices 1 to 5. [Appendix 7] When the destination information comparison and determination unit compares the first character string extracted by the character information extraction function unit with the second character string included in each item of the existing second destination information and finds that the first character string and the second character string do not partially or completely match for all of the items included in the second destination information, the update candidate management unit registers the first destination information in the update candidate list as unregistered destination information; 7. The electronic device according to any one of appendices 1 to 6. [Appendix 8] The TSI of the fax data does not match the fax number included in the existing second destination information, and When the destination information comparison and determination unit compares the first character string extracted by the character information extraction function unit with the second character string included in each item of the existing second destination information and finds that the first character string and the second character string do not partially or completely match for all of the items included in the second destination information, the update candidate management unit registers the first destination information in the update candidate list as unregistered destination information; 8. The electronic device according to claim 7. [Appendix 9] the character information extraction function unit calculates a recognition probability for each character of the first character string; the destination information comparison and determination unit compares the first character string with the second character string, excluding characters whose recognition probability is less than a threshold value from the first character string; 9. The electronic device according to any one of appendices 1 to 8. [Appendix 10] the character information extraction function unit extracts other destination information from image data included in each of the plurality of fax data; When the operation reception unit receives the selection of the second destination information, the display control unit displays the second destination information selected by the operation reception unit and one or more first character strings extracted from the image data, and displaying a display component for displaying the first character string included in the other destination information, which is associated with the same TSI as the first destination information; 1. An electronic device as described in Appendix 2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0168] 10. Facsimile Machine 30 Electronic equipment 100 Facsimile communication system [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0169] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-073601

Claims

1. a character information extraction function unit that extracts first destination information related to the destination from image data included in the fax data; a destination information comparison and determination unit that compares one or more first character strings included in the first destination information extracted by the character information extraction function unit with second character strings included in each item of existing second destination information; an update candidate management unit that registers the second destination information having the item in which the first character string partially or entirely matches the second character string in an update candidate list; a display control unit that displays the update candidate list; an operation receiving unit that receives a selection of the second destination information to be updated from the update candidate list; An electronic device having:

2. the display control unit displays the second destination information selected by the operation accepting unit and one or more first character strings extracted from the image data; the operation accepting unit accepts editing of the first character string displayed by the display control unit; an updating unit that updates the item of the second destination information with the edited first character string when the operation accepting unit accepts a selection of the item to be updated with the first character string; The electronic device according to claim 1 .

3. the display control unit displays the first character string extracted from the image data in association with each item of the second destination information selected by the operation accepting unit, the item having the second character string that matches a part or all of the first character string; When the operation receiving unit receives a selection of the item to be updated with the first character string, the updating unit updates the item of the second destination information with the first character string displayed in association with the item. The electronic device according to claim 2 .

4. the display control unit, when displaying the second destination information selected by the operation reception unit and the one or more first character strings extracted from the image data, displays a thumbnail of the image data.

4. The electronic device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. the display control unit displays check boxes in association with the items of the second destination information selected by the operation accepting unit; the operation accepting unit accepts selection of the item of the second destination information to be updated with the first character string by checking the checkbox; The electronic device according to claim 3 .

6. the destination information comparison and determination unit removes a specific character string or a specific symbol from the first character string and compares the first character string with the second character string; The electronic device according to claim 1 .

7. When the destination information comparison and determination unit compares the first character string extracted by the character information extraction function unit with the second character string included in each item of the existing second destination information, and the first character string and the second character string do not partially or completely match for all of the items included in the second destination information, the update candidate management unit registers the first destination information in the update candidate list as unregistered destination information; The electronic device according to claim 1 .

8. The TSI of the fax data does not match the fax number included in the existing second destination information, and When the destination information comparison and determination unit compares the first character string extracted by the character information extraction function unit with the second character string included in each item of the existing second destination information, and the first character string and the second character string do not partially or completely match for all of the items included in the second destination information, the update candidate management unit registers the first destination information in the update candidate list as unregistered destination information; 8. The electronic device according to claim 7.

9. the character information extraction function unit calculates a recognition probability for each character of the first character string; the destination information comparison and determination unit compares the first character string with the second character string, excluding characters whose recognition probability is less than a threshold value from the first character string; The electronic device according to claim 1 .

10. the character information extraction function unit extracts other destination information from image data included in each of the plurality of fax data; When the operation reception unit receives the selection of the second destination information, the display control unit displays the second destination information selected by the operation accepting unit and one or more first character strings extracted from the image data, and displaying a display component for displaying the first character string included in the other destination information, which is associated with the same TSI as the first destination information; The electronic device according to claim 2 .

11. A facsimile communication system in which an electronic device and a server can communicate with each other via a network, The electronic device transmits fax data received from the facsimile machine to the server; The server a character information extraction function unit that extracts first destination information related to the destination from image data included in the fax data; a destination information comparison and determination unit that compares one or more first character strings included in the first destination information extracted by the character information extraction function unit with second character strings included in each item of existing second destination information; an update candidate management unit that registers the second destination information having the item in which the first character string partially or entirely matches the second character string in an update candidate list; a communication control unit that transmits the update candidate list to the electronic device, The electronic device includes: a display control unit that displays the update candidate list received from the server; an operation receiving unit that receives a selection of the second destination information to be updated from the update candidate list; A facsimile communication system having:

12. Electronic devices, a character information extraction function unit that extracts first destination information related to the destination from image data included in the fax data; a destination information comparison and determination unit that compares one or more first character strings included in the first destination information extracted by the character information extraction function unit with second character strings included in each item of existing second destination information; an update candidate management unit that registers the second destination information having the item in which the first character string partially or entirely matches the second character string in an update candidate list; a display control unit that displays the update candidate list; an operation receiving unit that receives a selection of the second destination information to be updated from the update candidate list; A program to function as a

13. An information processing method for updating destination information in an electronic device, comprising: A process in which a character information extraction function unit extracts first destination information relating to the destination from image data included in the fax data; a process in which a destination information comparison and determination unit compares one or more first character strings included in the first destination information extracted by the character information extraction function unit with second character strings included in each item of existing second destination information; a process in which an update candidate management unit registers the second destination information having the item in which the first character string partially or entirely matches the second character string in an update candidate list; a process in which a display control unit displays the update candidate list; an operation receiving unit receiving a selection of the second destination information to be updated from the update candidate list; An information processing method that performs the above.

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