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

Abstract

To provide a technique to efficiently manage information on a business card.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus exchanges business cards on-line, and the information processing apparatus comprises: acquisition means that acquires business card images via a network; and generation means that generates text information from the business card images acquired by the acquisition means. Before generating the text information, the generation means discards the business card images based on an instruction for the business card images acquired by the acquisition means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] In a business card management service, service users can register the business cards they wish to manage as text information. When a service user obtains a paper business card in person, the service user photographs the business card or reads it as a business card image using a scanner or the like and transmits it to the business card management service. The business card management service then typically performs a process to create text information from the transmitted business card image (hereinafter referred to as digitization) and provides it as text information that the service user can manage.

[0003] Incidentally, the increase in online meetings in general has led to fewer opportunities to obtain paper business cards, not just for business card management service users. For this reason, business card management services provide service users with a business card exchange URL (Uniform Resource Locator), and meeting participants can send business card images from the published business card exchange URL, providing a method of obtaining business card images as an online business card exchange system.

[0004] Patent document 1 describes a business card processing method for online business card exchange in a multimedia online system in which various media are communicated via communication lines without face-to-face meetings, which includes a step of switching between three communication modes: a business card exchange mode for mutually sending and receiving business cards, an update mode for updating business cards stored as a result of the exchange, and an automatic business card reception mode, and a step of storing and managing the exchanged business cards in a business card database. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-8962 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in Patent Document 1, there is no means for checking data received by online business card exchange before using the data, which can result in wasting resources related to storage and use. Also, because the business card exchange URL can be accessed from any terminal, for example, images that are not suitable for digitization (images that are too large, images other than business cards, business card images where the reading or shooting conditions are poor and the text information is difficult to read, etc.) or an unexpected amount of business card images may be sent to the business card management service, wasting resources related to digitization of the business card management service. In other words, management efficiency is poor.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and provides a technique for efficiently managing information relating to business cards. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the information processing device of the present invention has the following arrangement. An information processing device for online business card exchange, Through the network Business card exchange partner An acquisition means for acquiring a business card image; Creating text information from the business card image acquired by the acquisition means Text information Creation method and Equipped with The above Text information The creating means, before creating the text information, The business card image is determined based on whether it is suitable for text conversion. Based on the instructions for the business card image, The above The business card image is discarded. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, information relating to business cards can be managed efficiently. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a computer device. [Diagram 3] Sequence diagram of information processing system [Figure 4] An example of the screen for creating an exchange URL [Diagram 5] An example of the screen for sending the exchange URL [Figure 6] An example of a screen for displaying business cards [Figure 7] An example of a screen displaying information about a business card [Figure 8] An example of a screen for sending information about a business card [Figure 9] Flowchart of processing performed by the business card management service device 100 [Figure 10] A diagram showing an example of a notification [Figure 11] Flowchart of the process performed by the business card management service user PC 200 [Figure 12] Flowchart of processing performed by the business card management service device 100 [Figure 13] An example of a screen for checking business card images [Figure 14] An example of a confirmation screen for whether to digitize [Figure 15] An example of a confirmation screen for discarding [Figure 16] Flowchart of processing performed by the business card management service device 100 [Figure 17] An example of a screen for checking business card images [Figure 18] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiment described below shows an example of a specific implementation of the present invention, and is one of the specific embodiments of the configuration described in the claims.

[0014] <First embodiment> [System Configuration] First, a configuration example of an information processing system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the information processing system according to this embodiment has a business card management service device 100, which is an example of an information processing device, a business card management service user PC 200, and a meeting participant PC 300, and each device is connected to a network such as a LAN or the Internet.

[0015] The business card management service device 100 is a computer that acquires information about business cards from multiple computers (business card management service user PC 200, meeting participant PC 300), organizes the information into a database, and manages the information. Information about business cards includes, for example, business card images (images obtained by imaging, etc.), text information (company name, department name, individual name, title, fax number, telephone number, email address, URL, etc.), etc.

[0016] The business card management service user PC 200 and the meeting participant PC 300 are both communication devices that have browsers (Web browsers) 210, 310, such as general PCs (personal computers) or smartphones, and can execute the various processes described below. The meeting participant PC 300 may be a third party that exchanges information about business cards with the business card management service user, or may be the business card management service user.

[0017] The business card management service device 100 includes a business card management program 110 and a DB (database) 120. The business card management program 110 acquires information about business cards from a plurality of computers (business card management service user PC 200, meeting participant PC 300) and stores it in the DB120.

[0018] The business card management service user PC 200 and the meeting participant PC 300 are operated by a user and have browsers 210 and 310, respectively. The user can obtain information about the business cards of other users from the business card management service device 100 via the browsers 210 and 310. Also, the user can transmit information about his / her own business card to the business card management service device 100 via the browsers 210 and 310. There are various methods for obtaining information about his / her own business card, and the method is not limited to a specific method. For example, information read using an image reading device such as a scanner may be obtained as information about the business card. Also, the business card may be imaged using an imaging device such as a camera, and information about the user's own business card may be obtained from the image obtained by the imaging. Also, information (image) stored at a position specified by the user or the like may be obtained as information about the business card, or information received from an external device connected to the network may be obtained as information about the business card.

[0019] The configuration shown in Fig. 1 is an example, and the number of information processing devices and the network configuration are not limited to those shown in Fig. 1. For example, a configuration in which some of the functions of the business card management program 110 are performed by the business card management service user PC 200 may be used. In addition, the DB 120 may be provided in a storage device separate from the business card management service device 100 connected to the network 4, or may be provided in a HDD 24 (storage device) (described later) in the business card management service device 100.

[0020] [Hardware configuration] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device according to this embodiment. The diagram shows an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device applicable to the business card management service device 100, the business card management service user PC 200, and the meeting participant PC 300 according to this embodiment. Note that, although the explanation will be given here assuming that information processing devices with the same configuration are used, the business card management service device 100, the business card management service user PC 200, and the meeting participant PC 300 may each have a different hardware configuration. Also, the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2 is just an example, and for example, a scanner or an imaging device may be added to this configuration.

[0021] The information processing device includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 23, a HDD (external storage device) 24, an input device 25, a display device 26, and an interface 27.

[0022] Each part is connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a bus 28. The CPU 21 controls the entire information processing device, and realizes various processes as described below by reading and executing programs stored in the HDD 24 or the like. The ROM 22 is a non-volatile storage unit. The RAM 23 is a volatile storage unit, and is also used as a work area for executing programs. The HDD 24 is a non-volatile storage unit, and stores an OS (Operating System), programs, and various data. The input device 25 is an interface for accepting operations from a user, and examples of the input device include a mouse and a keyboard. The display device 26 is a part for displaying various information. The interface 27 is for connecting the information processing device to a network, and the information processing device can perform data communication with devices on the network via the interface 27.

[0023] [Overview of online business card exchange] An overview of the online business card exchange according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram of an information processing system. Note that the procedure in Fig. 3 will be described on the assumption that the business card management service device 100 holds information about the business card of the business card management service user PC 200.

[0024] In S301, the business card management service user PC 200 requests the business card management service apparatus 100 to create an exchange URL in order to obtain a URL for disclosing information related to the user's own business card.

[0025] Fig. 4 is an example of a screen for creating an exchange URL, which is displayed on the display device 26 of the business card management service user PC 200. The screen shown in Fig. 4 is displayed using the browser 210 of the business card management service user PC 200. Depending on the security settings of the business card management service device 100, user authentication may be required to display this screen.

[0026] The publication deadline 410 is an item for setting a deadline for publishing the exchange URL. The number setting 420 is an item for setting the number of pieces of information on the business card that can be received. The viewing key 430 is an item for setting a key required for displaying information on the business card when the meeting participant PC 300 accesses the exchange URL. The business card management service user notifies the meeting participants of the set viewing key by telephone, e-mail, or the like. By checking the check box 440, the business card management service user or the business card management program 110 can set the business card image to be checked before digitization. In other words, the business card management service user can select whether or not to determine whether the business card image is suitable for digitization. By pressing the URL creation button 450, a request is made to the business card management service device 100 to create an exchange URL. Note that the setting items shown in FIG. 4 are merely examples, and for example, the publication deadline and number setting may be unlimited, and the viewing key may not be set.

[0027] When the business card management service device 100 receives an exchange URL creation request from the business card management service user PC 200, it creates an exchange URL in S302. The business card management service device 100 checks each setting item (publication period 410, number setting 420, viewing key 430, confirmation hand The URL created will be linked to the digitization status (440) and recorded.

[0028] In S303, the business card management service device 100 provides an exchange URL to the business card management service user PC 200. In S304, the business card management service user PC 200 transmits the exchange URL to the meeting participant PC 300. FIG. 5 is an example of a screen for transmitting the exchange URL. The exchange URL may be transmitted by the business card management service device 100 via the browser 210, or may be transmitted using an email function provided in the business card management service user PC 200.

[0029] In S305, the meeting participant PC 300 accesses the exchange URL and starts the online business card exchange. The screen shown in Fig. 6 is an example of a screen for displaying a business card displayed using the browser 310 of the meeting participant PC 300. The text box 610 is an item for inputting a viewing key notified by the business card management service user. The button 620 is a button for displaying the business card.

[0030] If the viewing key entered in text box 610 matches the viewing key recorded in the business card management service device 100, information about the business card made public by the business card management service user is displayed in S306, as shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is an example of a screen displaying information about the business card. 720 is information about the business card made public by the business card management service user PC 200. Button 710 is a button for sending one's own business card, and pressing button 710 proceeds to S307.

[0031] In S307, the business card image of the meeting participant PC300 is acquired. As shown in FIG. 8, the meeting participant can take a picture of his / her own paper business card or select a business card image that he / she already has in order to exchange information about the business card. FIG. 8 is an example of a screen for transmitting information about the business card. By pressing the photograph button 810, the business card can be photographed using an imaging device provided in the meeting participant PC300, and the image obtained by photographing can be used as the business card image 820. The text box 830 is an item of a message to be transmitted to the business card management service user PC200. The text box 840 is a contact point to notify in the case where an error occurs in the business card image transmitted to the business card management service user PC200 (for example, when the transmitted business card image cannot be received by the business card management service, when the transmitted business card image is discarded by the business card management service, when the business card management service requests the business card image to be resent), etc. The button 850 is a button for transmitting information about the business card, including the business card image, to the business card management service device 100.

[0032] In S308, the meeting participant PC 300 transmits information about the business card, including the business card image, to the business card management service device 100. In S309, the business card management service device 100 stores the received information about the business card, including the business card image, in a location (DB 120) that can be confirmed by the business card management service user PC 200. After the business card management service device 100 stores the information about the business card, including the business card image, it may notify the business card management service user PC 200 (by email, for example) that the business card image for online business card exchange has been stored.

[0033] The business card management service device 100 may determine whether or not to store information about the business card including the received business card image based on information set by the business card management service user PC 200 in association with the exchange URL. Fig. 9 is a flowchart of a process performed by the business card management service device 100 to determine whether or not to store information about the business card based on the number setting 420 in Fig. 4, as an example.

[0034] When the business card management program 110 receives information about a business card including a business card image in S901, it determines in S902 whether the received information about the business card including the business card image has reached a predetermined number. The predetermined number is the number of pieces of information about the business card that can be received, which is recorded in association with the exchange URL in S302 of FIG. 3.

[0035] If it is determined that the predetermined number has not been reached (NO in S902), the business card management program 110 stores in the DB 120, in S903, information related to the business cards including the business card images transmitted from the meeting participant PCs 300.

[0036] If it is determined that the predetermined number has been reached (YES in S902), in S904, the business card management program 110 sends a notification as shown in Fig. 10 to the meeting participant PC 300. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the notification.

[0037] By determining whether or not to store information about business cards, including business card images, received from the meeting participant PC 300 based on information set by the business card management service user PC 200 in association with the exchange URL (for example, the number setting 420 in FIG. 4), it is possible to prevent an unexpected amount of information about business cards from being stored in the business card management service device 100, thereby avoiding a waste of resources. Also, if a fee is charged for the digitization work, the generation of fees can be controlled.

[0038] [Determining business card images suitable for digitization] Since the exchange URL can be accessed from any terminal, for example, images that are not suitable for digitization (images that are too large, images other than business cards, business card images with poor reading or shooting conditions that make it difficult to read text information, etc.) are also sent to the business card management service device 100. Therefore, the determination of business card images suitable for digitization will be explained using Figs. 11 to 15. Note that the subsequent processing will be explained as processing after the business card images are stored in the DB 120 in S309 in Fig. 3. Also, it will be explained on the assumption that the determination of business card images suitable for digitization is started by checking the check box 440 in Fig. 4. Also, the procedure in Fig. 11 will be explained on the assumption that the business card management service device 100 has notified the business card management service user PC 200 of the access destination of the screen for confirming the business card image.

[0039] 11 is a flowchart of the process performed by the business card management service user PC 200. In S1101, the CPU 21 of the business card management service user PC 200 accesses a predetermined access destination via the browser 210 to check the business card images stored in the DB 120 of the business card management service device 100.

[0040] In S1102, the CPU 21 of the business card management service user PC 200 displays the stored business card image as shown in FIG. 13 via the browser 210. FIG. 13 is an example of a screen for checking business card images. Reference numeral 1310 is a business card image in which the reading or shooting conditions are poor and the text information is difficult to read. Reference numeral 1320 is an image other than a business card, such as an advertisement image. Reference numeral 1330 is a business card image suitable for digitization. Button 1340 is a button for instructing the business card management service device 100 to digitize the selected business card image. Button 1350 is a button for discarding the selected business card image. Button 1360 is a button for requesting the meeting participant PC 300 that sent the selected business card image to resend the business card image.

[0041] The business card management service user determines whether each business card image is suitable for digitization and selects a process (digitize, discard, request resend). For example, business card image 1310 is an image in which the text information is difficult to read and is not suitable for digitization, so it is preferable to select button 1360 to request resend. Business card image 1320 is an advertisement image and is not suitable for digitization, so it is preferable to select button 1360 to discard. Business card image 1330 is a business card image suitable for digitization, so it is preferable to select button 1360 to digitize.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 14, a screen for confirmation may be displayed again after pressing the digitize button 1340. Also, as shown in Fig. 15, a screen for confirmation may be displayed again after pressing the discard button 1350.

[0043] In S1103, the CPU 21 of the business card management service user PC 200 determines whether an instruction to process the selected business card image (digitization, destruction, resend request) has been selected. If it is determined that an instruction has been selected (YES in S1103), the CPU 21 transmits the selected instruction to the business card management service 100 in S1104.

[0044] Therefore, the business card management service user can determine whether each business card image is suitable for digitization or not, and can take action such as requesting the business card management service device 100 to digitize the business card image, discarding the business card image, or requesting the meeting participant PC 300 to resend it.

[0045] Fig. 12 is a flowchart of the process performed by the business card management service apparatus 100. Note that when the process of Fig. 12 reaches END, STARTIn S1201, the business card management program 110 determines whether the instruction received from the business card management service user PC 200 is a digitization instruction, and if it is determined to be a digitization instruction (YES in S1201), digitization is performed in S1202. In other words, text information is created.

[0046] In S1203, the business card management program 110 stores the digitized information on the business card, that is, the text information, in the DB 120. At this time, a notification that the text information is available may be sent to the business card management service user PC 200.

[0047] If it is determined that the instruction is not a digitization instruction (NO in S1201), then in S1204 the business card management program 110 determines whether the instruction received from the business card management service user PC 200 is an instruction to discard the business card image (YES in S1204), then in S1205 the business card management program 110 discards the business card image from the DB 120.

[0048] If it is determined that the instruction is not to discard (NO in S1204), then in S1206 the business card management program 110 determines whether the instruction received from the business card management service user PC 200 is a resend request instruction. If it is determined that the instruction is a resend request instruction (YES in S1206), then in S1207 the business card management program 110 requests the resend contact of the meeting participant PC 300 stored in DB 120 to resend the business card image. That is, a resend request for the business card image (an example of a notification related to the business card image) is sent to the meeting participant PC 300.

[0049] If it is determined that the instruction is not a retransmission request instruction (NO in S1206), the process ends. Note that the order of the processes in S1201, S1204, and S1206 is not limited to this, and may be in any order, or each process may be executed in parallel.

[0050] In the above explanation, the business card management service user makes the judgment about the business card image, but the business card management service device 100 may make the judgment. The business card management program 110 of the business card management service device 100 may perform OCR (optical character recognition) on the received business card image, and make a judgment based on the format of the OCR result, the image size, classification using means such as machine learning, and give an instruction (digitalize, discard, request retransmission). The business card management program 110 may also perform processing (digitize, discard, request retransmission) based on the judgment result.

[0051] 17, on the screen for confirming business card images, the results of the judgment made by the business card management program 110 may be displayed with a thick black frame 1720 for images to be discarded and with a dotted frame 1710 for images to be resent. Furthermore, the results of the judgment may be displayed not only with a frame but also with a color; for example, images to be discarded may be displayed in blue and images to be resent in yellow.

[0052] [Prepaid Fee System] Digitization work is troublesome for business card management service users, so in some cases, business card management services charge for digitization work. There are two types of charging methods: a system of postpay according to the amount of digitization work performed by the business card management service, and a system of prepaying the digitization work fee. If a prepayment system is adopted, the fee is wasted on inappropriate images. In addition, there are also cases where business card images that should be digitized cannot be digitized due to digitization of inappropriate images. Therefore, the determination of business card images suitable for digitization in a prepayment fee system will be described with reference to FIG. 16. Note that the procedure in FIG. 16 will be described assuming that the business card management service device 100 holds information on the business card management service user PC 200 (whether or not the digitization fee has been prepaid, the number of prepaid business cards, and the setting to automatically discard business card images or not).

[0053] 16 is a flowchart of the process performed by the business card management service device 100. In S1601, the business card management program 110 determines whether the business card management service user PC 200 that instructed digitization has prepaid the digitization fee. If it is determined that the digitization fee has not been prepaid (NO in S1601), the process proceeds to S1201 in FIG.

[0054] If it is determined that the prepayment has been made (YES in S1601), in S1602, the business card management program 110 determines whether the number of sheets that can be digitized with the prepayment fee is within a predetermined number. If it is determined that the number is within the predetermined number (YES in S1602), the process proceeds to S1201 in FIG.

[0055] If the number of images that can be digitized with the prepaid fee has been exceeded (NO in S1602), then in S1603 the business card management program 110 determines whether or not automatic destruction of business card images has been set in the business card management service user PC 200. If automatic destruction has been set (YES in S1603), then in S1604 the business card management program 110 destroys the business card images stored in the DB 120.

[0056] If it is determined that the setting has not been made (NO in S1603), the process of S1602 is repeated. The business card management service user may make an additional prepayment to increase the number of digitizable images, i.e., when the number of images falls within the predetermined number, request the meeting participant PC 300 to resend the business card images.

[0057] As described above, this embodiment allows inappropriate business card images that cannot be digitized and that were acquired in an online business card exchange to be discarded, and also allows meeting participants to request that the images be resent, allowing the business card management service user to use correctly digitized business card information and avoid wasting resources required for digitization. Furthermore, even if an unexpected amount of business card images is acquired in an online business card exchange, the business card management service can control the occurrence of fees required for digitization. Therefore, information related to business cards can be managed efficiently.

[0058] <Other embodiments> In the above-described embodiment, an example has been shown in which the business card management service user PC 200 uses the business card management service device 100 via the browser 210. However, this is not limiting, and as shown in Fig. 18, the business card management service user PC 200 may be provided with a business card management service utilization program 1810, which is a program for utilizing the business card management service device 100, and the business card management service device 100 may be utilized via the business card management service utilization program 1810.

[0059] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

Claims

1. An information processing device for online business card exchange, An acquisition means for acquiring a business card image of a person to whom the business card is to be exchanged via a network; a text information creating means for creating text information from the business card image acquired by the acquiring means; Equipped with The information processing device is characterized in that the text information creation means discards the business card image based on instructions for the business card image determined based on whether the business card image acquired by the acquisition means is suitable for text conversion before creating the text information.

2. The acquiring means acquires a plurality of business card images, moreover, a number setting means for setting a predetermined number of business card images that can be acquired from the acquisition means as a setting item related to the online business card exchange; a determination means for determining whether the number of business card images acquired by the acquisition means has reached the predetermined number; Equipped with 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the result of the determination by said determining means is that the predetermined number of pages has not been reached, said text information creating means creates said text information.

3. The system further includes a storage unit for storing the business card image acquired by the acquisition unit, 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the storage means stores the business card images when the result of the determination by the determination means does not reach the predetermined number.

4. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined number is determined based on a fee prepaid by a user.

5. Further, an automatic discard setting means is provided for setting automatic discard of the business card image, 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the result of the determination by said determination means has reached the predetermined number and said automatic discard setting means is set to automatically discard the business card images, said business card images are automatically discarded.

6. Further, a URL creation means is provided for creating a URL for publishing information about the user's business card to a person with whom the business card is exchanged, The information processing device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the setting items further include one or more of the URL's publication deadline, a viewing key, and whether or not to check whether the business card image is suitable for text conversion, and information on the setting items is recorded in association with the URL.

7. The acquiring means acquires a retransmission contact address together with the business card image, 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the resend contact point of a request to resend the business card image based on the instruction.

8. An information processing method performed by an information processing device that performs online business card exchange, an acquisition step in which an acquisition means of the information processing device acquires a business card image of a person to exchange business cards with via a network; a text information creating step in which a text information creating means of the information processing device creates text information from the business card image acquired in the acquiring step; Equipped with An information processing method characterized in that, in the text information creation process, before creating the text information, the business card image is discarded based on instructions for the business card image determined based on whether the business card image acquired in the acquisition process is suitable for text conversion.

9. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7; Another information processing device that transmits the business card image to the information processing device via a network; An information processing system comprising:

10. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images