Proofreading support device, proofreading support method, and program

Abstract

To efficiently perform calibration of a page image.SOLUTION: A calibration support device 3 comprises: a storage unit 36 which stores process information 361 indicating an execution order of a plurality of calibration processes and a plurality of workers allocated to the plurality of calibration processes; an information reception unit 31 which receives information transmitted from the plurality of workers; a process management unit 32 which performs notification to the worker of the target calibration process being the execution target in the plurality of calibration processes and changes the execution target to the next process of the target calibration process according to the execution order of the process information 361 when the information reception unit 31 receives approval of a page image from the worker of the target calibration process; and a process information alteration unit 33 which alters the process information 361 according to an alteration instruction when the information reception unit 31 receives the alteration instruction of the process information 361 from the worker given with alteration authority of the process information 361 out of the plurality of workers. With this configuration, the device can efficiently perform calibration of the page image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for assisting in proofreading of page images. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, electronic proofreading, which uses networks such as WAN and LAN to perform proofreading, has come to be used in the creation of printed materials. For example, the electronic proofreading method of Patent Document 1 includes a designation step of designating a user who has approval authority for each proofreading phase, and a management step of determining the transition order of the proofreading phases and managing the transition state of each proofreading phase according to the transition order. In the management step, transition to the next proofreading phase is made on the condition that approval has been received from a specific user who has approval authority in the current proofreading phase. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-97540 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in a commercially available electronic proofreading system, when an execution order is set to execute design proofreading, color proofreading, and character proofreading in that order, even if a correction is instructed for a page image (an image showing one page of a printed material) in any proofreading process, the design proofreading, color proofreading, and character proofreading are executed again in that order for the corrected page image. However, depending on the content of the correction, it is not necessary to repeat all the proofreading processes, and therefore the above electronic proofreading system cannot efficiently proofread page images.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to efficiently proofread a page image. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is a proofreading support device that supports the proofreading of a page image, comprising: a memory unit that stores process information indicating the execution order of multiple proofreading processes and multiple workers assigned to the multiple proofreading processes; an information receiving unit that receives information sent from the multiple workers; and a process management unit that notifies the worker of a target proofreading process that is to be executed among the multiple proofreading processes, and when the information receiving unit receives approval of the page image from the worker of the target proofreading process, changes the process to be executed to the next process after the target proofreading process in accordance with the execution order of the process information. After the first proofreading process begins, The information receiving unit is configured to, when it receives an instruction to modify the process information from a worker among the plurality of workers who has been granted authority to modify the process information, modify the process information in accordance with the instruction to modify the process information.

[0007] The invention recited in claim 2 is the proofreading support device recited in claim 1, wherein the modification instruction includes changing the order of execution of the proofreading steps, excluding a specific proofreading step, or changing the worker.

[0008] The invention described in claim 3 is a proofreading support device described in claim 1 or 2, wherein when the information receiving unit receives a non-approval of the page image from a worker in the target proofreading process, the process management unit notifies the creator of the page image of the non-approval, and when a page image corrected from the page image is submitted, the process management unit notifies the worker in the first proofreading process indicated by the process information at the time of submission of the corrected page image.

[0009] The invention described in claim 4 is a proofreading support device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein after the start of the first proofreading process and until the completion of proofreading, a process setting window can be displayed on a display used by an operator of the target proofreading process, and the modification instructions are accepted by the information accepting unit when input into the process setting window by an operator who has been granted the authority to modify. The invention described in claim 5 is a proofreading support device described in claim 4, wherein a plurality of blocks representing the plurality of proofreading processes are displayed in the process setting window, and an operator who has been granted the authority to modify can select proofreading processes to be included in the process information and change the order in which the proofreading processes are performed by selecting and arranging the blocks. Claim 6 The invention described in Assist with proofreading of page images A calibration support device, comprising: a memory unit that stores process information indicating an execution order of a plurality of proofreading processes and a plurality of workers assigned to the plurality of proofreading processes; an information receiving unit that receives information transmitted from the plurality of workers; a process management unit that notifies a worker of a target proofreading process that is to be executed among the plurality of proofreading processes, and when the information receiving unit receives approval of a page image from the worker of the target proofreading process, changes the process to be executed to the next process of the target proofreading process in accordance with the execution order of the process information; and when the information receiving unit receives an instruction to modify the process information from a worker among the plurality of workers who has been granted authority to modify the process information, modifies the process information in accordance with the modification instruction. a display information transmitting section for transmitting information for displaying a calibration window on a display used by an operator of the target calibration process; AndIn addition, in the proofreading window, it is possible to select a required proofreading process to be included in the modified process information, and when a required proofreading process is selected by an operator of the target proofreading process for the page image, the process information modification unit prohibits modification of the process information to exclude the required proofreading process for the proofreading of the page image modified from the page image.

[0010] Claim 7 The invention described in Assist with proofreading of page images A calibration support device, comprising: a memory unit that stores process information indicating an execution order of a plurality of proofreading processes and a plurality of workers assigned to the plurality of proofreading processes; an information receiving unit that receives information transmitted from the plurality of workers; a process management unit that notifies a worker of a target proofreading process that is to be executed among the plurality of proofreading processes, and when the information receiving unit receives approval of a page image from the worker of the target proofreading process, changes the process to be executed to the next process of the target proofreading process in accordance with the execution order of the process information; and when the information receiving unit receives an instruction to modify the process information from a worker among the plurality of workers who has been granted authority to modify the process information, modifies the process information in accordance with the modification instruction. a display information transmitting section for transmitting information for displaying a calibration window on a display used by an operator of the target calibration process; And In the proofreading window, it is possible to input correction comments instructing corrections to the page image, and the memory unit stores reference information that matches standard comments in the proofreading of the page image with mandatory proofreading steps that should be included in the modified process information, and when a correction comment is input by a worker of the target proofreading step in the target proofreading step for the page image, the process information modification unit identifies the mandatory proofreading step using the correction comment and the reference information and prohibits modification of the process information to exclude the mandatory proofreading step for the proofreading of the page image modified from the page image.

[0011] Claim 8 The invention described in Assist with proofreading of page images A calibration support device, comprising: a memory unit that stores process information indicating an execution order of a plurality of proofreading processes and a plurality of workers assigned to the plurality of proofreading processes; an information receiving unit that receives information transmitted from the plurality of workers; a process management unit that notifies a worker of a target proofreading process that is to be executed among the plurality of proofreading processes, and when the information receiving unit receives approval of a page image from the worker of the target proofreading process, changes the execution target to a process next to the target proofreading process in accordance with the execution order of the process information; and a process information modification unit that, when the information receiving unit receives an instruction to modify the process information from a worker among the plurality of workers who has been granted authority to modify the process information, modifies the process information in accordance with the modification instruction, When the information receiving unit receives approval of the page image and information indicating the required proofreading process to be included in the modified process information from the worker of the target proofreading process, the process management unit changes the process to be executed to the next process of the target proofreading process in accordance with the execution order of the process information, and the process information modification unit prohibits modification of the process information to exclude the required proofreading process for the proofreading of the page image modified from the page image.

[0012] Claim 9 The invention described in is a proofreading support method for supporting proofreading of a page image by a computer, comprising: The computerProcess information indicating the order of execution of a plurality of calibration processes and a plurality of workers assigned to the plurality of calibration processes. Stored in the storage unit of the computer and The computer, notifying an operator of a target calibration process that is to be executed among the plurality of calibration processes; a step of transmitting information by the computer for displaying a calibration window on a display used by an operator of the target calibration process; When the computer receives approval of the page image from the worker of the target proofreading process, The computer, changing an execution target to a process next to the target calibration process in accordance with the execution order of the process information; and when the computer receives an instruction to modify the process information from a worker who is granted the authority to modify the process information among the plurality of workers, The computer, modifying the process information in accordance with the modification instruction; In the proofreading window, a required proofreading step to be included in the modified process information can be selected, and when a required proofreading step is selected by an operator of the target proofreading step in the target proofreading step for the page image, the computer prohibits modification of the process information to exclude the required proofreading step for the proofreading of the page image modified from the page image. do.

[0013] Claim 10 The invention described in is a program for causing a computer to assist in proofreading a page image, and execution of the program by the computer includes providing the computer with process information indicating an order of execution of a plurality of proofreading steps and a plurality of workers assigned to the plurality of proofreading steps. Stored in the storage unit of the computer a step of notifying an operator of a target calibration process to be executed among the plurality of calibration processes; transmitting information for displaying a calibration window on a display used by an operator of the target calibration process; When the computer receives approval of a page image from a worker of the target proofreading process, the computer changes the process to be executed next to the target proofreading process in accordance with the execution order of the process information; and when the computer receives an instruction to modify the process information from a worker who is granted the authority to modify the process information among the plurality of workers, the computer modifies the process information in accordance with the modification instruction. In the proofreading window, a required proofreading step to be included in the modified process information can be selected, and when a required proofreading step is selected by an operator of the target proofreading step in the target proofreading step for the page image, the computer prohibits modification of the process information to exclude the required proofreading step for the proofreading of the page image modified from the page image. do. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, proofreading of page images can be performed efficiently. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an electronic calibration system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a computer. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a process flow for proofreading a page image using an electronic proofreading system. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram of multiple calibration steps. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 shows a calibration window. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 shows a calibration window. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 shows a calibration window. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 shows a calibration window. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 illustrates a process setting window. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a process flow diagram of another processing example. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a process flow diagram of a process using a calibration support device of a comparative example. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a process flow diagram of another processing example. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 shows a calibration window. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an electronic proofreading system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The electronic proofreading system 1 includes multiple computers 2a, 2b, and 2c connected to one another via a network 11 such as a WAN and a LAN. In this embodiment, the electronic proofreading system 1 is used to proofread multiple page images of a printed material. In the example of FIG. 1, the electronic proofreading system 1 includes a computer 2a provided at a printing company, multiple computers 2b provided at a client company, and a computer 2c provided at a production company. In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between the computers 2a, 2b, and 2c, they will be collectively referred to as computers 2.

[0017] 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the computer 2. The computer 2 has a typical computer system configuration including a CPU 21 that performs various arithmetic processing, a ROM 22 that stores basic programs, and a RAM 23 that stores various information. The computer 2 further includes a fixed disk 24 that stores information, a display 25 that displays various information such as images, a keyboard 26a and a mouse 26b (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "input unit 26") that accept input from an operator, a read / write device 27 that reads and writes information from a computer-readable recording medium 8 such as an optical disk, a magnetic disk, or a magneto-optical disk, and a communication unit 28 that transmits and receives signals to and from other computers 2.

[0018] In the printing company's computer 2a, a program 80 is read in advance from the recording medium 8 via the reading / writing device 27 and stored in the fixed disk 24. The CPU 21 executes calculation processing while using the RAM 23 and the fixed disk 24 in accordance with the program 80. In this way, the computer 2a operates as the proofreading support device 3 of FIG.

[0019] The proofreading support device 3 is a device that supports the proofreading of page images of printed material, and includes an overall control unit 30 and a storage unit 36. The overall control unit 30 is also called a service manager, and includes an information receiving unit 31, a process management unit 32, a process information modification unit 33, and a display information transmission unit 34. The operations of the information receiving unit 31, the process management unit 32, the process information modification unit 33, and the display information transmission unit 34 will be described in detail later. The functions of the proofreading support device 3 may be realized by a dedicated electrical circuit, or a dedicated electrical circuit may be used in part.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the flow of a process for proofreading a page image of a printed material using electronic proofreading system 1. In reality, proofreading is performed on multiple page images of a printed material, but here, the proofreading process for the page image will be explained by focusing on only one page image. Similar processing is performed for the other page images. In the proofreading process for a page image, a first draft of the page image is created in advance by the creator of the page image and stored in a database (not shown) (for example, provided at a printing company).

[0021] In the electronic proofreading system 1, first, an administrator of the client company operates the input unit 26 of the computer 2b to instruct the overall control unit 30 of the proofreading support device 3 to select one job from a plurality of jobs stored in the database. In other words, the administrator's instruction to select a job is received by the information receiving unit 31 (step S10). Here, a job is a collection of information used for proofreading one printed matter. When a job is selected, the process information 361 of the job is read from the database and stored in the memory unit 36 ​​(step S11). Next, the administrator operates the input unit 26 of the computer 2b to perform initial settings of the process information 361 (step S12).

[0022] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing process information 361. Process information 361 in this embodiment is a so-called process chart. Process information 361 includes items such as "order," "proofreading process," "role," "worker ID," "modification authority," "approval result," and "mandatory process requirement." "Order" indicates the order in which the proofreading process is performed, and "proofreading process" indicates the type of proofreading process. In the example of FIG. 4, the proofreading process is either design proofreading, color proofreading, or character proofreading, and as will be described later, design proofreading and color proofreading are performed in parallel, so both proofreading processes are given the same order of 1. The proofreading process is a process for obtaining approval from an approver, which will be described later, and is also called an approval step.

[0023] "Role" indicates the role of the work in each proofreading process, and here, it is either a proofreader or an approver. In the following description, the proofreader and the approver are collectively referred to as "worker". "Worker ID" indicates the ID of the worker for each work. "Modification authority" indicates whether or not the worker has the authority to change the contents of the process information 361. "Approval result" indicates whether or not the page image needs to be corrected. In this case, if no correction is required, it is approved, and if correction is required, it is not approved. "Required process request" indicates whether or not a proofreading process is required in the proofreading of a new page image corrected from the current page image. "Required process request" is surrounded by a dashed line because it is used in the processing example described later. In the initial setting of the process information 361, the administrator fills in the "Order", "Proofreading process", "Role", "Worker ID", and "Modification authority" columns in the process information 361.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram of a plurality of proofreading steps, and the inside of a rectangle with "First Proof" written in the upper left corner shows the process flow of a plurality of proofreading steps in the process information 361 in FIG. 4. When the initial settings are completed and the process information 361 is prepared, the process management unit 32 notifies the workers (proofreader and approver) of the first proofreading step (step S13). The process management unit 32 uses a dedicated management table to manage the progress of the proofreading process of the page image. In the examples of FIGS. 4 and 5, design proofreading and color proofreading are the first proofreading steps to be executed, and a notification is sent to the workers of the target proofreading steps requesting them to proofread the page image with the design proofreading and color proofreading as the target proofreading steps. The notification to the workers is, for example, by email. The email addresses are registered in advance. The notification to the workers may be made by a communication tool other than email.

[0025] Next, proofreading work is performed by an operator for each of the design proofreading and color proofreading. In this embodiment, the operator belongs to the client company, and proofreading work is performed using the computer 2b in FIG. 1. For example, a proofreader for each of the design proofreading and color proofreading operates the input unit 26 of the computer 2b to instruct the overall control unit 30 of the proofreading support device 3, whereby information for displaying a proofreading window is transmitted from the display information transmitting unit 34 to the computer 2b. As a result, the proofreading window is displayed on the display 25 of the computer 2b. Below, attention is focused on the work of the proofreader and approver for the design proofreading, but in the example of FIG. 5, similar work is performed in parallel by the proofreader and approver for the color proofreading.

[0026] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a proofreading window 7. FIG. 6 shows the proofreading window 7 displayed on the display 25 used by a proofreader for design proofreading. The proofreading window 7 includes a page image display area 71, a process display area 72, and a send button 73. The page image display area 71 displays a page image indicated by the page image data. The process display area 72 displays the type of proofreading process to be performed by the proofreader. The proofreading window 7 in FIG. 6 is merely an example and may be modified as appropriate.

[0027] The proofreader of the design proofreading checks whether or not the design of the page image in the page image display area 71 needs to be corrected. If it is determined that correction is necessary, the proofreader operates the input unit 26 to specify the area of ​​the page image to be corrected and input a comment on the correction content (hereinafter referred to as "correction comment") (see FIG. 8 described later). After that, by pressing (e.g., clicking) the send button 73, the proofreading result including the position information of the area to be corrected and the correction comment is transmitted from the computer 2b and accepted by the information receiving unit 31. The position information of the area to be corrected and the correction comment are stored in the storage unit 36 ​​as proofreading result information, etc. On the other hand, if it is determined that correction is unnecessary, the proofreader presses the send button 73 without inputting the correction comment, etc., and the proofreading result not including the correction comment, etc. is accepted by the information receiving unit 31. In the example of FIG. 5, it is assumed that the proofreader and approver of the design proofreading determine that correction is unnecessary. The same is true for color proofreading.

[0028] When the proofreading results are accepted by the information accepting unit 31, the process management unit 32 notifies the design proofreader to request him / her to check the proofreading results. The approver is a worker with approval authority. Upon receiving the notification, the design proofreader operates the input unit 26 of the computer 2b to instruct the overall control unit 30 of the proofreading support device 3, whereby information for displaying a proofreading window is sent from the display information sending unit 34 to the computer 2b. As a result, the proofreading window 7 is displayed on the display 25 of the computer 2b, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0029] In the proofreading window 7 in Fig. 7 for the approver, an approval button 741 and a disapproval button 742 are provided instead of the send button 73 in Fig. 6. When the proofreading results by the proofreader indicate areas to be corrected (location information) and correction comments, the areas to be corrected and the correction comments are displayed in the proofreading window 7 (see Fig. 9 described below). In the example of Fig. 7, the proofreading results do not include correction comments, etc. (no correction is required), so the areas to be corrected and the correction comments are not displayed. In the example of Fig. 7, a display may be displayed indicating that the proofreading results do not require correction.

[0030] In the example of FIG. 5, the approver of the design proofreading also judges that no correction is necessary, and agrees with the proofreader's proofreading result that no correction is necessary, so the approver presses the approve button 741. As a result, the information receiving unit 31 receives the approval of the page image by the design proofreading approver. Note that if the proofreading result by the proofreader indicates an area to be corrected and a correction comment, and the approver agrees with the proofreading result by the proofreader (i.e., the page image is not approved), the approver presses the disapproval button 742. An example of disapproval of a page image will be explained in the character proofreading described later. If the approver of the design proofreading does not agree with the proofreading result by the proofreader, appropriate discussions will be held between the approver and the proofreader. Then, the proofreading result by the proofreader is reviewed as necessary, and it is decided whether to approve or disapprove the page image. The same applies to other proofreading processes.

[0031] In this processing example, as described above, the proofreader and approver of the color proofing also determine that no corrections are necessary, and therefore approval of the page image by the color proofing approver is also accepted by the information accepting unit 31 (step S14). When approval of the page image is accepted from the design proofreader and color proofreader, the process management unit 32 changes the execution target to the next process of the target proofreading process in accordance with the execution order of the process information 361 (steps S15 and S16). That is, the character proofreader is designated as the target proofreading process, and a notification is sent to the character proofreader requesting that the page image be proofread (step S13).

[0032] Next, the proofreader performs the proofreading work on the character proofreading. Specifically, the proofreader operates the input unit 26 of the computer 2b, and information for displaying the proofreading window 7 is transmitted from the display information transmission unit 34 to the computer 2b. As a result, the proofreading window 7 is displayed on the display 25 of the computer 2b, as shown in FIG. 8. The proofreader checks whether or not correction is required for the characters of the page image in the page image display area 71. In this processing example, the proofreader determines that correction is required, specifies the area to be corrected in the page image, and inputs a correction comment. In the example of FIG. 8, the area to be corrected is surrounded by a rectangle 761, and the correction comment is displayed in a comment box 762 connected to the rectangle 761 by a line. Thereafter, by pressing the send button 73, the proofreading result including the area to be corrected and the correction comment is transmitted from the computer 2b, and is received by the information receiving unit 31.

[0033] When the proofreading results are accepted by the information accepting unit 31, the process management unit 32 notifies the proofreader to request him / her to check the proofreading results. The proofreader who has received the notification operates the input unit 26 of the computer 2b to instruct the overall control unit 30 of the proofreading support device 3, whereby information for displaying a proofreading window is sent from the display information sending unit 34 to the computer 2b. As a result, the proofreading window 7 is displayed on the display 25 of the computer 2b, as shown in Fig. 9. In the proofreading window 7 in Fig. 9, a rectangle 761 indicating the area to be corrected and a comment box 762 are displayed, similar to the proofreading window 7 in Fig. 8.

[0034] In the example of FIG. 5, the approver of the character proofreading agrees with the proofreader's proofreading result that corrections are necessary (i.e., rejects the page image), and therefore the approver presses the reject button 742. This causes the information receiving unit 31 to receive the rejection of the page image by the proofreading approver (step S14). As will be described later, if the page image is rejected, the creator corrects the page image and a new page image (hereinafter referred to as the "corrected page image") is submitted, and the proofreading process is executed again according to the execution order of the proofreading process indicated by the process information 361. Furthermore, in the proofreading process of FIG. 3, if the approver of the target proofreading process is granted the authority to modify the process information 361, the approver can instruct the process information 361 to be modified, which is referenced in the proofreading of the corrected page image.

[0035] In this processing example, as shown in FIG. 4, the approver of the character proofreading is given the authority to make changes. When the disapproval button 742 is pressed, as shown in FIG. 10, a process setting window 7a showing blocks 77 of a plurality of proofreading processes (here, design proofreading, color proofreading, and character proofreading) is displayed. The approver can select the proofreading processes to be included in the process information 361 and change the execution order of the proofreading processes by operating the input unit 26 of the computer 2b to select and arrange the blocks 77. In the example of FIG. 10, only design proofreading and character proofreading are selected (i.e., color proofreading is excluded), and the execution order is set to design proofreading, then character proofreading. In FIG. 10, the outer edge of the color proofreading block is shown with a dashed line to indicate that color proofreading has been excluded. The selection of the proofreading processes to be included in the process information 361 and the change of the execution order of the proofreading processes may be performed by a method other than the selection and arrangement of the blocks 77. For example, the execution order number and the type of proofreading process may simply be input. The proofreading processes to be included in the process information 361 may also be selected in the proofreading window 7 (see FIG. 15 described later).

[0036] Thereafter, the approver presses the Modify button 771 in the process setting window 7a, and an instruction to modify the process information 361 is received by the information receiving unit 31 (step S17). The process information modifying unit 33 modifies the process information 361 in the storage unit 36 ​​in accordance with the modification instruction (step S18). Here, the modified process information 361 includes only design proofreading and character proofreading, and the execution order is set to design proofreading, character proofreading. The process management unit 32 also notifies the creator of the page image that the page image is not approved, together with the proofreading results indicating the areas to be corrected and correction comments (step S19).

[0037] If the proofreading processes to be included in the process information 361 and the order in which the proofreading processes are performed are not changed, the maintain button 772 is pressed in the process setting window 7a, and an instruction to maintain the process information 361 is received by the information receiving unit 31 (step S17). In this case, the process information 361 is not modified, and the process management unit 32 notifies the creator of the page image of the proofreading results and the non-approval of the page image (step S19). Here, it is assumed that the process information 361 has been modified according to FIG. 10.

[0038] In this processing example, the creator who receives the notification belongs to a production company and corrects the first draft of the page image based on the proofreading results using the computer 2c in FIG. 1. The corrected page image is sent by the creator to the proofreading support device 3 and stored in the database. That is, the second draft of the page image is submitted (step S20). When the second draft of the page image is submitted, the process management unit 32 notifies the workers of the first proofreading process indicated in the process information 361 at the time of the submission of the second draft. Here, as described with reference to FIG. 10, the workers (proofreader and approver) of the design proofreading, which is the first proofreading process in the process information 361 after the modification, are notified (step S13). In FIG. 5, the inside of the rectangle marked "2nd Proof" in the upper left corner shows the process flow of multiple proofreading processes when the second draft of the page image is submitted (i.e., in the process information 361 after the modification).

[0039] In the example of FIG. 5, due to a reason such as a long-term absence of a proofreader for design proofreading, an approver of design proofreading who is granted the authority to modify the process information 361 changes the proofreader for design proofreading. Specifically, the approver transmits a modification instruction to instruct changing the worker ID of the proofreader for design proofreading to a new worker ID. When the modification instruction is accepted by the information accepting unit 31, the process information modifying unit 33 modifies the process information 361 to change the worker ID of the proofreader. When the worker ID of the proofreader is changed, a notification is sent to the worker with the new worker ID to request proofreading of the page image. In this way, it is also possible to modify the process information 361 to change the registered worker. In FIG. 3, the illustration of the process related to the modification of the process information 361 to change the proofreader is omitted.

[0040] After making changes to the design proofreading, the proofreader displays the proofreading window 7 on the display 25 of the computer 2b (see FIG. 6) and checks whether or not any corrections are required for the design of the page image in the page image display area 71. In the example of FIG. 5, the proofreader determines that no corrections are required, and presses the send button 73 without inputting any correction comments, etc., whereby the proofreading results not including correction comments, etc. are accepted by the information accepting unit 31. Then, the process management unit 32 notifies the person who approved the design proofreading to request that they check the proofreading results by the proofreader.

[0041] The design proofreader who receives the notification displays the proofreading window 7 on the display 25 of the computer 2b (see FIG. 7) and checks the proofreader's proofreading results. In the example of FIG. 5, the approver also determines that no corrections are necessary and presses the approval button 741. This causes the information receiving unit 31 to receive approval of the page image by the design proofreader (step S14). In the process management unit 32, in accordance with the execution order of the process information 361, the target of execution is changed to the character proofreading, which comes after the design proofreading (steps S15, S16), and a notification is sent to the character proofreader requesting that the page image be proofread (step S13).

[0042] Next, the worker performs the proofreading work on the character proofreading. In the example of FIG. 5, the proofreader who checked the proofreading window 7 (see FIG. 8) judges that correction is necessary, specifies the area to be corrected in the page image, and inputs a correction comment. Then, by pressing the send button 73, the proofreading result including the area to be corrected and the correction comment is accepted by the information accepting unit 31. Next, the process management unit 32 notifies the proofreader to request confirmation of the proofreading result by the proofreader. In the example of FIG. 5, the proofreader who checked the proofreading window 7 (see FIG. 9) agrees with the proofreader's proofreading result (i.e., rejects the page image), so the approver presses the reject button 742. As a result, the information accepting unit 31 accepts the rejection of the page image by the proofreader (step S14).

[0043] Thereafter, the character proofreader who has been granted modification authority selects only character proofreading in the process setting window 7a (see FIG. 10) (i.e., color proofreading and design proofreading are excluded), and the information receiving unit 31 receives an instruction to modify the process information 361 to include only character proofreading in the proofreading process (step S17). The process information modifying unit 33 modifies the process information 361 in the storage unit 36 ​​in accordance with the modification instruction (step S18). The process management unit 32 notifies the creator of the page image that the page image is not approved, together with the proofreading results indicating the areas to be modified and the modification comments (step S19).

[0044] When the creator submits the third draft of the page image (step S20), the workers in the first proofreading process indicated in the process information 361 at the time of the submission of the third draft are notified (step S13). Here, since the modified process information 361 includes only text proofreading, the workers in charge of text proofreading (the proofreader and approver) are notified and the proofreaders perform the proofreading work. In Figure 5, the inside of the rectangle marked "3rd Proof" in the upper left corner shows the process flow of the proofreading process when the third draft of the page image is submitted (i.e., in the modified process information 361).

[0045] In the example of FIG. 5, the proofreader who checked the proofreading window 7 judges that no corrections are necessary, and presses the send button 73 without inputting any correction comments, etc., and the proofreading results not including the correction comments, etc. are accepted by the information accepting unit 31. When the proofreading results are accepted by the information accepting unit 31, the process management unit 32 notifies the character proofreader who has checked the proofreading window 7 to request that the proofreader check the proofreading results. In the example of FIG. 5, the character proofreader who checked the proofreading window 7 also judges that no corrections are necessary, and presses the approval button 741. As a result, the information accepting unit 31 accepts the approval of the page image by the design proofreader (step S14). In the process management unit 32, since there is no proofreading process following the character proofreading, which is the target proofreading process, in the execution order of the process information 361, the proofreading process of the page image is completed, that is, the proofreading is completed (step S15).

[0046] Fig. 11 is a process flow diagram of a plurality of proofreading steps in another processing example. In the example of Fig. 11, in proofreading (first proof) of the first draft of a page image, the information receiving unit 31 receives the non-approval of the page image by the person who approved the character proofreading (step S14). In step S17, the person who approved the character proofreading does not instruct to modify the process information 361, and the process management unit 32 notifies the creator of the page image of the proofreading result and the non-approval of the page image (step S19). When the creator submits a second draft of the page image (step S20), a notification is sent to the worker of the design proofreading, which is the first proofreading process indicated by the process information 361 (step S13).

[0047] In the example of FIG. 11, the approver of the design proofreading, who is given the authority to modify the process information 361, thinks that another design proofreading is unnecessary, and therefore transmits a modification instruction to exclude (skip) the design proofreading. When the modification instruction is received by the information receiving unit 31, the process information modification unit 33 modifies the process information 361 to exclude the design proofreading. In this case, the target proofreading process is changed to the color proofreading that follows the design proofreading in the process information 361 before modification, and a notification is sent to the color proofreader. In this way, the process information 361 can be modified to skip a specific proofreading process. In FIG. 3, the process related to the modification of the process information 361 to skip a proofreading process is omitted. In the example of FIG. 11, in the proofreading (second proof) of the second draft of the page image, the page image is not approved by the approver of the character proofreading, and then the process information 361 is modified to include only the color proofreading and the character proofreading.

[0048] 1 includes a memory unit 36 ​​that stores process information 361 indicating the execution order of multiple proofreading steps and multiple workers assigned to the multiple proofreading steps, an information receiving unit 31 that receives information sent from the multiple workers, and a process management unit 32 that notifies the worker of a target proofreading step that is to be executed among the multiple proofreading steps, and when the information receiving unit 31 receives approval of the page image from the worker of the target proofreading step, changes the execution target to the step next to the target proofreading step in accordance with the execution order of the process information 361. This makes it possible to easily manage the progress of the multiple proofreading steps.

[0049] Here, a proofreading support device of a comparative example will be described. FIG. 12 is a process flow diagram of processing using the proofreading support device of the comparative example. In the proofreading support device of the comparative example, after the administrator sets the process information, the worker cannot modify the process information. Therefore, even if the page image is approved for design proofreading and color proofreading in the proofreading (first proof) of the first draft of the page image, when the page image is not approved for character proofreading and the second draft of the page image is proofread (second proofreading), the design proofreading and color proofreading must be performed again. The same applies when the third draft of the page image is proofread (third proofreading). As a result, in the example of FIG. 12, a total of 18 people must perform confirmation work in nine proofreading processes (in other words, unnecessary confirmation work is forced), and it takes a long time to complete the proofreading. In addition, when the worker is absent for a long period of time, the proofreading process of the page image is delayed.

[0050] 1 further includes a process information modification unit 33 that modifies the process information 361 in accordance with the modification instruction when the information receiving unit 31 receives an instruction to modify the process information 361 from a worker who has been granted the authority to modify the process information 361 among the multiple workers. This makes it possible to easily exclude unnecessary proofreading steps when proofreading is repeated, etc. As a result, the proofreading of page images can be performed efficiently, and the time required for proofreading the page images can be shortened.

[0051] Preferably, the modification instruction includes changing the execution order of the proofreading steps, excluding a specific proofreading step, or changing the worker. This allows the process information 361 to be appropriately modified according to various situations. Note that the timing at which the worker of each proofreading step transmits a modification instruction to modify the process information 361 is not limited to the period during which the proofreading step is the target for execution (target proofreading step), and the modification instruction may be transmitted at any desired timing.

[0052] Preferably, when the information receiving unit 31 receives a non-approval of the page image from a worker in the target proofreading process, the process management unit 32 notifies the creator of the page image of the non-approval. Also, when a page image corrected from the page image is submitted, the process management unit 32 notifies the worker in the first proofreading process indicated by the process information 361 at the time of submission of the corrected page image. This makes it possible to smoothly correct the page image and proofread the corrected page image.

[0053] Next, another preferred processing example in the proofreading support device 3 will be described. In this processing example, a proofreading step to be included in the modified process information 361 is automatically selected based on the contents of the correction comment. Specifically, reference information 362 is stored in advance in the storage unit 36 ​​of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 13, the reference information 362 is a table that associates standard comments in the proofreading of a page image with mandatory proofreading steps to be included in the modified process information 361. The mandatory proofreading steps for each standard comment are proofreading steps that are considered to be affected by the correction of the page image based on the standard comment.

[0054] As described above, when the proofreader of the target proofreading process inputs the area to be corrected and the correction comment in the proofreading window 7, the area to be corrected and the correction comment are also displayed in the proofreading window 7 for the approver of the target proofreading process. In the example of FIG. 9, "Toru" and "Tsumeru" are input as correction comments, as displayed in the comment box 762 of the proofreading window 7. The process information modification unit 33 checks whether or not "Toru" and "Tsumeru" are each included in the standard comments of the reference information 362. In the reference information 362 of FIG. 13, both "Toru" and "Tsumeru" are included in the standard comments, and "character" and "design" are associated with both of them as required proofreading processes.

[0055] In this case, when the approver presses the non-approval button 742 (step S14), the design proofreading block 77 and the character proofreading block 77 are displayed in the process setting window 7a (see FIG. 10). At this time, the process information modification unit 33 instructs the display information transmission unit 34 to make the design proofreading block 77 and the character proofreading block 77 non-deletable. In other words, design proofreading and character proofreading, which are required proofreading processes, cannot be excluded from the proofreading processes to be included in the process information 361. The approver operates the input unit 26 of the computer 2b to arrange the design proofreading block 77 and the character proofreading block 77, thereby determining the order in which design proofreading and character proofreading are performed.

[0056] Thereafter, the approver presses the modify button 771, and the information receiving unit 31 receives an instruction to modify the process information 361 (step S17). The process information modifying unit 33 modifies the process information 361 in the memory unit 36 ​​in accordance with the modification instruction (step S18). Here, the modified process information 361 includes only design proofreading and character proofreading, and the execution order is set to design proofreading, then character proofreading. When the creator of the page image submits a proof of the corrected page image (steps S19, S20), the workers (proofreader and approver) for the design proofreading, which is the first proofreading process in the modified process information 361, are notified, and the workers perform the proofreading work (step S13).

[0057] As described above, in a preferred proofreading support device 3, a correction comment instructing correction of a page image can be input in the proofreading window 7. The storage unit 36 ​​also stores reference information 362 that associates standard comments in the proofreading of the page image with mandatory proofreading steps to be included in the modified process information 361. When a correction comment is input by an operator of a target proofreading step for a page image, the process information modification unit 33 identifies a mandatory proofreading step using the correction comment and the reference information 362, and prohibits modification of the process information 361 that excludes the mandatory proofreading step for the proofreading of the page image modified from the page image. This makes it possible to make a proofreading step that is considered to be affected by the correction of the page image based on the correction comment a mandatory proofreading step in the proofreading of the modified page image, thereby realizing highly reliable proofreading of the page image.

[0058] 14 is a process flow diagram of a plurality of proofreading steps in another processing example by the proofreading support device 3. In this processing example, a mandatory proofreading step is specified when an approver approves a page image. In other words, conditional approval is performed.

[0059] For example, in the proofreading window 7, the proofreader of the color proofreading, which is the target proofreading process, has entered the areas to be corrected and the correction comments, and as shown in FIG. 15, the areas to be corrected and the correction comments are also displayed in the proofreading window 7 for the approver of the color proofreading. The proofreading window 7 in FIG. 15 has a required process selection area 78, in which a plurality of proofreading processes, namely, design proofreading, color proofreading, and character proofreading, can be selected by radio buttons. Here, the color proofreading radio button is selected in the required process selection area 78 so that the approver of the color proofreading will make color proofreading a required proofreading process in the proofreading of the corrected page image. Check boxes, pull-downs, etc. may be used to select a proofreading process in the required process selection area 78.

[0060] Thereafter, the approver presses the approval button 741. As a result, the information accepting unit 31 accepts the mandatory process request that designates color proofing as a mandatory proofing process, and the approval of the page image by the color proofing approver (step S14). The presence or absence of a mandatory process request for each proofing process is recorded in the process information 361 of FIG. 4. In the process management unit 32, since the mandatory process request is attached to the approval of the page image, it is treated as conditional approval. When the conditional approval of the page image is accepted, the process management unit 32 changes the execution target to character proofreading (steps S15, S16), and a notification is sent to the character proofreader requesting that the page image be proofread (step S13).

[0061] Next, the worker performs proofreading for the character proofreading. In the example of FIG. 14, the proofreader determines that correction is necessary, and specifies the area to be corrected in the page image, and inputs a correction comment. In addition, the person who approves the character proofreading presses the disapproval button 742 in order to agree with the proofreading result of the proofreader. This causes the information receiving unit 31 to accept the disapproval of the page image by the person who approves the character proofreading (step S14). Note that even if the proofreader and the person who approves the character proofreading determine that correction is unnecessary, the area to be corrected and the correction comment have been pointed out in the color proofreading, and therefore the person who approves the character proofreading, which is the final proofreading step, presses the disapproval button 742. In the proofreading window 7, pressing the approval button 741 may be prohibited.

[0062] In the process setting window 7a (see FIG. 10), a color proofing block 77 is displayed. At this time, the process information modification unit 33 instructs the display information transmission unit 34 to make the color proofing block 77 non-deletable. In other words, color proofing, which is a required proofing process, cannot be excluded from the proofing processes to be included in the process information 361. In the example of FIG. 14, the person who approves the character proofing operates the input unit 26 of the computer 2b to arrange the color proofing block 77 and the character proofing block 77, thereby determining the order in which color proofing and character proofing are performed.

[0063] Thereafter, the approver presses the Modify button 771 in the process setting window 7a (see FIG. 10), and the information receiving unit 31 receives an instruction to modify the process information 361 (step S17). The process information modifying unit 33 modifies the process information 361 in the memory unit 36 ​​in accordance with the modification instruction (step S18). Here, the modified process information 361 includes only color proofing and character proofing, and the execution order is color proofing, then character proofing. When the creator of the page image submits the corrected page image (steps S19, S20), the workers (proofreader and approver) for the color proofing, which is the first proofing process in the modified process information 361, are notified, and the workers perform the proofing work (step S13).

[0064] As described above, in the preferable proofreading support device 3, when the information receiving unit 31 receives approval of the page image and information indicating the mandatory proofreading steps to be included in the modified process information 361 from the worker of the target proofreading process, the process management unit 32 changes the execution target to the next process of the target proofreading process according to the execution order of the process information 361. In addition, the process information modifying unit 33 prohibits modification of the process information 361 that excludes the mandatory proofreading steps for the proofreading of the page image modified from the page image. This makes it possible to have the workers of multiple proofreading processes check the page image, and then to request the creator to correct the page image, thereby enabling efficient proofreading of the page image. In addition, when the approver of one proofreading process considers it necessary to recheck the page image after the correction, the proofreading process can be made a mandatory proofreading process in the proofreading of the modified page image, thereby enabling highly reliable proofreading of the page image to be realized.

[0065] Furthermore, in a preferred proofreading support device 3, a mandatory proofreading step to be included in the modified process information 361 can be selected in the proofreading window 7. When a mandatory proofreading step is selected by the worker of the target proofreading step in the target proofreading step for the page image, the process information modification unit 33 prohibits modification of the process information 361 that excludes the mandatory proofreading step for the proofreading of the page image modified from the page image. In this way, by making the mandatory proofreading step selectable in the proofreading window 7, it becomes possible to easily set the mandatory proofreading step. In the processing example of FIG. 14 as well, the mandatory proofreading step may be automatically identified using the correction comments of the worker of the target proofreading step and the reference information 362.

[0066] The above-mentioned proofreading support device 3 and proofreading support method can be modified in various ways.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the workers include proofreaders who do not have approval authority and approvers who have approval authority, but for example, only approvers who have approval authority may be designated for each proofreading process. In addition, the multiple proofreading processes are not limited to color proofreading, design proofreading, and character proofreading, and may include other types of proofreading processes. The printing company, client company, and production company in FIG. 1 are merely examples, and the proofreading support device 3 may be used only within one company, for example.

[0068] In the process information 361 in Fig. 4, the modification authority may be subdivided. For example, separate authorities may be set for changing the execution order of the proofreading steps, excluding a specific proofreading step, and changing the worker. Also, in the example of Fig. 14, authority may be set to specify a required proofreading step.

[0069] The proofreading support device 3 may be used to proofread page images of advertisements and the like displayed on displays installed in commercial facilities, stations, etc., as well as page images displayed on web pages, in addition to page images of printed materials.

[0070] The configurations in the above-described embodiment and each of the modified examples may be combined as appropriate as long as they are not mutually inconsistent. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 2,2a~2c Computer 3 Calibration support device 7 Calibration Window 25 Display 31 Information Reception Department 32 Process Management Department 33 Process Information Modification Department 34 Display information transmission unit 36 Memory section 80 Programs 361 Process information 362 References S10~S20 steps

Claims

1. A proofreading support device that supports proofreading of a page image, a storage unit that stores process information indicating an order of execution of a plurality of calibration processes and a plurality of workers assigned to the plurality of calibration processes; an information receiving unit that receives information transmitted from the plurality of workers; a process management unit that notifies an operator of a target proofreading process that is to be executed among the plurality of proofreading processes, and when the information receiving unit receives approval of the page image from the operator of the target proofreading process, changes the execution target to a process next to the target proofreading process in accordance with the execution order of the process information; a process information modification unit that modifies the process information in accordance with an instruction to modify the process information when the information receiving unit receives an instruction to modify the process information from a worker who has been granted the authority to modify the process information among the plurality of workers after the start of a first proofreading process and before the completion of proofreading; A calibration support device comprising:

2. The calibration support device according to claim 1 , The proofreading support device, wherein the modification instructions include changing the order in which proofreading steps are performed, excluding a specific proofreading step, or changing an operator.

3. 3. The calibration support device according to claim 1, When the information receiving unit receives a non-approval of the page image from the worker of the target proofreading process, the process management unit notifies the creator of the page image of the non-approval; A proofreading support device characterized in that, when a page image corrected from the page image is submitted, the process management unit notifies the worker of the first proofreading process indicated by the process information at the time of submission of the corrected page image.

4. A calibration support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, After the start of the first proofreading process, a process setting window can be displayed on a display used by an operator of the target proofreading process until the proofreading is completed; a modification instruction being accepted by the information accepting section when the modification instruction is input in the process setting window by a worker to whom the modification authority has been granted.

5. A calibration support device as claimed in claim 4, A proofreading support device characterized in that a plurality of blocks representing the plurality of proofreading processes are displayed in the process setting window, and an operator who has been granted the authority to modify can select and arrange the blocks to select the proofreading processes to be included in the process information and to change the order in which the proofreading processes are executed.

6. A proofreading support device for supporting proofreading of a page image, comprising: a storage unit that stores process information indicating an order of execution of a plurality of calibration processes and a plurality of workers assigned to the plurality of calibration processes; an information receiving unit that receives information transmitted from the plurality of workers; a process management unit that notifies an operator of a target proofreading process that is to be executed among the plurality of proofreading processes, and when the information receiving unit receives approval of the page image from the operator of the target proofreading process, changes the execution target to a process next to the target proofreading process in accordance with the execution order of the process information; a process information modification unit that modifies the process information in accordance with a modification instruction when the information receiving unit receives a modification instruction from a worker who has been granted the modification authority of the process information among the plurality of workers; a display information transmitting unit that transmits information for displaying a calibration window on a display used by an operator of the target calibration process; Equipped with In the calibration window, a required calibration process to be included in the modified process information can be selected; A proofreading support device characterized in that, when a mandatory proofreading process is selected by an operator of the target proofreading process for the page image, the process information modification unit prohibits modification of the process information to exclude the mandatory proofreading process for the proofreading of a page image modified from the page image.

7. A proofreading support device for supporting proofreading of a page image, comprising: a storage unit that stores process information indicating an order of execution of a plurality of calibration processes and a plurality of workers assigned to the plurality of calibration processes; an information receiving unit that receives information transmitted from the plurality of workers; a process management unit that notifies an operator of a target proofreading process that is to be executed among the plurality of proofreading processes, and when the information receiving unit receives approval of the page image from the operator of the target proofreading process, changes the execution target to a process next to the target proofreading process in accordance with the execution order of the process information; a process information modification unit that modifies the process information in accordance with a modification instruction when the information receiving unit receives a modification instruction from a worker who has been granted the modification authority of the process information among the plurality of workers; a display information transmitting unit that transmits information for displaying a calibration window on a display used by an operator of the target calibration process; Equipped with In the proofreading window, a correction comment instructing correction of the page image can be input, the storage unit stores reference information in which a standard comment in proofreading of a page image is associated with a required proofreading step to be included in the step information after modification; A proofreading support device characterized in that, when a correction comment is input by a worker in the target proofreading process for a page image, the process information modification unit identifies a required proofreading process using the correction comment and the reference information, and prohibits modification of the process information to exclude the required proofreading process for the proofreading of a page image corrected from the page image.

8. A proofreading support device for supporting proofreading of a page image, comprising: a storage unit that stores process information indicating an order of execution of a plurality of calibration processes and a plurality of workers assigned to the plurality of calibration processes; an information receiving unit that receives information transmitted from the plurality of workers; a process management unit that notifies an operator of a target proofreading process that is to be executed among the plurality of proofreading processes, and when the information receiving unit receives approval of the page image from the operator of the target proofreading process, changes the execution target to a process next to the target proofreading process in accordance with the execution order of the process information; a process information modification unit that modifies the process information in accordance with a modification instruction when the information receiving unit receives a modification instruction from a worker who has been granted the modification authority of the process information among the plurality of workers; Equipped with A proofreading support device characterized in that, when the information receiving unit receives approval of the page image and information indicating the required proofreading process to be included in the modified process information from the worker of the target proofreading process, the process management unit changes the execution target to the next process of the target proofreading process in accordance with the execution order of the process information, and the process information modification unit prohibits modification of the process information to exclude the required proofreading process for the proofreading of the page image modified from the page image.

9. A proofreading support method for supporting proofreading of a page image by a computer, comprising: A step of storing process information indicating an order of execution of a plurality of calibration processes and a plurality of workers assigned to the plurality of calibration processes in a storage unit of the computer; a step of notifying an operator of a target calibration process that is to be executed among the plurality of calibration processes by the computer; a step of transmitting information by the computer for displaying a calibration window on a display used by an operator of the target calibration process; When the computer receives approval of the page image from the worker of the target proofreading process, the computer changes the execution target to the next process of the target proofreading process in accordance with the execution order of the process information; When the computer receives an instruction to modify the process information from a worker who has been granted the authority to modify the process information among the plurality of workers, the computer modifies the process information in accordance with the instruction to modify the process information; Equipped with In the calibration window, a required calibration process to be included in the modified process information can be selected; A proofreading support method characterized in that, when a mandatory proofreading process is selected by an operator of the target proofreading process for the page image, the computer prohibits modification of the process information to exclude the mandatory proofreading process for proofreading of a page image modified from the page image.

10. A program for causing a computer to assist in proofreading a page image, the program being executed by the computer to cause the computer to: storing process information indicating an order of execution of a plurality of calibration processes and a plurality of workers assigned to the plurality of calibration processes in a storage unit of the computer; notifying an operator of a target calibration process that is to be executed among the plurality of calibration processes; transmitting information for displaying a calibration window on a display used by an operator of the target calibration process; when the computer receives approval of the page image from the worker of the target proofreading process, changing the execution target to a process next to the target proofreading process in accordance with the execution order of the process information; when the computer receives an instruction to modify the process information from a worker who has been granted the authority to modify the process information among the plurality of workers, modifying the process information in accordance with the instruction; Run the command, In the calibration window, a required calibration process to be included in the modified process information can be selected; A program characterized in that, when a mandatory proofreading process is selected by an operator of the target proofreading process for the page image, the computer prohibits modification of the process information to exclude the mandatory proofreading process for proofreading of a page image modified from the page image.

Images