Information Processing Apparatus and Program

Abstract

To enable a specific element of a document to be printed even if a user performs a printing request for a document by means of spoken voice.SOLUTION: The information processing device comprises a processor. The processor receives a printing request for a document based on spoken voice of a user, the printing request including specification of specific one of multiple elements constituting the document, and controls such that a portion including the specific element of the document is printed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a voice control system that, when a voice instruction received by a voice control device is an instruction related to the settings of an output device, causes a display device to display a screen related to the settings of the output device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-96295 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a user requests printing of a document by speech, the user cannot know in advance which part of the document contains which element, and therefore the user cannot specify the part of the document that contains a specific element, and therefore cannot print the specific element of the document.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to enable printing of specific elements of a document even when a user issues a request to print the document by speech. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 includes a processor, wherein the processor receives a request to print a document based on a user's speech, and outputs the contents of each of a plurality of elements constituting the document and Regarding the size information of the document Parts containing the relevant elements Size informationControl to output a response voice indicating, and accept a specification based on the user's uttered voice, which is a specification of a specific element among the plurality of elements, and control so that a part including the specific element of the document is printed. An information processing apparatus characterized by the above. Claim 2 The invention described in [reference] is an information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the processor controls so that the response voice indicating the content of each of the plurality of elements corresponding to a specific layer in the hierarchical structure is output. Claim 3 The invention described in [reference] is characterized in that the processor determines the specific layer based on the size of the part including each element of the document. Claim 2 The information processing apparatus described in [reference]. Claim 4 The invention described in [reference] is an information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the processor generates the content of each element by summarizing each element. Claim 5 The invention described in [reference] is an information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the part of the document is a page of the document, and when the processor controls so that the page including the specific element of the document is printed, it controls so that a new page in which the specific element is rearranged is printed. Claim 6 The invention described in [reference] is characterized in that when the new page includes a blank, the processor arranges elements other than the specific element in the blank. Claim 5 The information processing apparatus described in [reference]. Claim 7 The invention described in [reference] is characterized in that the processor controls so that the new page in which at least a part of the specific element is reduced and rearranged is printed. Claim 5 The information processing apparatus described in [reference]. Claim 8 The invention described in [reference] is characterized in that at least a part of the specific element is the remaining part excluding a part specified not to be reduced of the specific element. Claim 7 The information processing apparatus described in [reference]. Claim 9The invention described in [the relevant reference] includes a processor that receives a print request for a document based on a user's spoken voice, and controls to output a response voice indicating the content of each element among a plurality of elements constituting the document and the part including the element among a plurality of parts of the document Size information and receives a designation based on the user's spoken voice, which is a designation of a specific part among the plurality of parts, and controls to print the specific part of the document. The information processing apparatus is characterized by the above. Claim 10 The invention described in [the relevant reference] causes a computer to have a function of receiving a print request for a document based on a user's spoken voice, the content of each element among a plurality of elements constituting the document, and Regarding the size information of the document a part including the element Size information and controls to output a response voice indicating the part, a function of receiving a designation based on the user's spoken voice, which is a designation of a specific element among the plurality of elements, and a function of controlling to print the part including the specific element of the document. The program is for realizing the above. Claim 11 The invention described in [the relevant reference] causes a computer to have a function of receiving a print request for a document based on a user's spoken voice, the content of each element among a plurality of elements constituting the document, and the part including the element among a plurality of parts of the document Size information and controls to output a response voice indicating the part, a function of receiving a designation based on the user's spoken voice, which is a designation of a specific part among the plurality of parts, and a function of controlling to print the specific part of the document. The program is for realizing the above. [Advantages of the Invention]

[0007] According to the invention of claim 1, it is possible to print a specific element of a document after notifying the user of the part including each element of the document Size Claim 2 According to the invention of [the relevant reference], when a plurality of elements are considered for each layer in a hierarchical structure, it is possible to notify the user of the content of a plurality of elements for a specific layer. Claim 3 ​According to the invention, the content of a plurality of elements for a specific layer can be determined in consideration of the size of the portion including each element. Claim 4 According to the invention, for example, when it becomes difficult to understand the content of an element by indicating the content of the element with chapter information of the element, the content of the element can be made easier to understand. Claim 5 According to the invention, the flexibility of the arrangement of a specific element on a page can be improved as compared with the case of directly printing the page including the specific element of the document. Claim According to the invention of 6, when a new page contains blanks, the blanks can be effectively utilized. Claim 7 According to the invention, the number of pages on which a specific element is printed can be reduced. Claim 8 According to the invention, the number of pages on which a specific element is printed can be reduced without reducing a part specified not to be reduced. Claim 9 According to the invention, after notifying the user of the portion including each element of the document Size it becomes possible to print a specific element of the document. Claim 10 According to the invention, after notifying the user of the portion including each element of the document Size it becomes possible to print a specific element of the document. Claim 11 According to the invention, after notifying the user of the portion including each element of the document Size it becomes possible to print a specific element of the document.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0008]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] [Outline of the Present Embodiment] The present embodiment provides an information processing apparatus that receives a print request for a document based on a user's spoken voice, the print request including a specification of a specific element among a plurality of elements constituting the document, and controls so that a portion including the specific element of the document is printed.

[0011] Further, the present embodiment receives a print request for a document based on a user's spoken voice, controls so that a response voice indicating a portion including each element of a plurality of elements constituting the document is output among a plurality of portions of the document, receives a specification of a specific portion among the plurality of portions, which is a specification based on the user's spoken voice, and also provides an information processing apparatus that controls so that the specific portion of the document is printed.

[0012] Here, a document refers to an electronic document, including, for example, a document created by document creation software, a document imported by a scanner function, a document transmitted and received by a FAX function, etc. An element can be any unit as long as it is a unit obtained by dividing a document from a content perspective. Hereinafter, chapters, sections, items, etc. will be taken as examples to explain elements. A part can be any unit as long as it is a unit obtained by dividing a document from a formal perspective. Hereinafter, a page will be taken as an example to explain parts.

[0013] In addition, in a printing system where an information processing device includes a smart speaker that collects a user's voice and a printing device that performs printing according to an instruction from the smart speaker, it may be either the smart speaker or the printing device. However, hereinafter, a server that relays between the smart speaker and the printing device is provided, and the information processing device will be described taking this server as an example.

[0014] [Overall Configuration of the Printing System] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a printing system 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, this printing system 1 is configured by connecting a smart speaker 10, a server 20, and a printing device 40 to a communication line 80. In the figure, only one smart speaker 10, server 20, and printing device 40 are shown, but two or more of each device may be provided.

[0015] The smart speaker 10 is a speaker with a voice assistant function that can obtain various information via the communication line 80 and answer in response to a query by voice from the user, or control the operation of various devices. The smart speaker 10 is also called an AI speaker. In particular, in the present embodiment, when the user makes a printing request by voice, the smart speaker 10 recognizes the printing request by voice, generates request information for requesting printing based on the result, and transmits it to the server 20.

[0016] Server 20 performs various processes based on the information transmitted from smart speaker 10. In particular, in this embodiment, server 20 receives request information for printing from smart speaker 10 and transmits a print instruction based on this request information to printing apparatus 40. In this embodiment, server 20 is provided as an example of an information processing apparatus.

[0017] Printing apparatus 40 prints an image on a recording medium such as paper. In particular, in this embodiment, printing apparatus 40 prints an image on a recording medium based on the print instruction transmitted from server 20.

[0018] Communication line 80 is a line used for information communication between smart speaker 10 and server 20 and between server 20 and printing apparatus 40. As communication line 80, for example, the Internet may be used.

[0019] [Hardware Configuration of Smart Speaker] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of smart speaker 10 in this embodiment. As shown in the figure, smart speaker 10 includes a processor 11, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13, a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication I / F") 14, a speaker 15, and a microphone 16.

[0020] Processor 11 realizes processing for input / output of sound by loading various programs stored in ROM 13 or the like into RAM 12 and executing them. Such processing includes, for example, processing for generating audio data for outputting sound from speaker 15 and processing for voice recognition of the voice of the print request collected by microphone 16 and converting it into request information.

[0021] RAM 12 is a memory used as a working memory of processor 11 or the like. ROM 13 is a memory that stores various programs and the like executed by processor 11.

[0022] The communication I / F 14 transmits and receives various types of information to and from the server 20 via the communication line 80.

[0023] The speaker 15 outputs external sound based on the audio data generated by the processor 11. The microphone 16 collects the sound emitted externally.

[0024] [Hardware Configuration of the Server] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server 20 in the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the server 20 includes a processor 21, a RAM 22, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 23, a communication I / F 24, a display device 25, and an input device 26.

[0025] The processor 21 executes various software such as an OS (Operating System) and applications, and realizes each function described later.

[0026] The RAM 22 is a memory used as a working memory of the processor 21 and the like. The HDD 23 is, for example, a magnetic disk device that stores input data for various software, output data from various software, and the like.

[0027] The communication I / F 24 transmits and receives various types of information to and from the smart speaker 10 or the printing device 40 via the communication line 80.

[0028] The display device 25 is, for example, a display that displays various types of information. The input device 26 is, for example, a keyboard or a mouse used by the user to input information.

[0029] [Hardware Configuration of the Printing Device] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the printing device 40 in the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the printing device 40 includes a processor 41, a RAM 42, a ROM 43, an HDD 44, an operation panel 45, a printing unit 46, and a communication I / F 47.

[0030] The processor 41 realizes the processing for printing in the printing unit 46 by loading various programs stored in the ROM 43 or the like into the RAM 42 and executing them.

[0031] The RAM 42 is a memory used as a working memory of the processor 41 or the like. The ROM 43 is a memory that stores various programs executed by the processor 41 or the like. The HDD 44 is, for example, a magnetic disk device that stores print data or the like used in printing in the printing unit 46.

[0032] The operation panel 45 is, for example, a touch panel that displays various information and receives operation inputs from the user. Here, the operation panel 45 includes a display on which various information is displayed and a position detection sheet that detects the position indicated by an instruction means such as a finger or a stylus pen. Alternatively, instead of the touch panel, a display and a keyboard may be used.

[0033] The printing unit 46 prints an image on a recording medium such as paper. Here, the printing unit 46 is, for example, a printer, and it is preferable to use an electrophotographic method that transfers toner attached to a photoreceptor onto a recording medium to form an image or an inkjet method that ejects ink onto the recording medium to form an image.

[0034] The communication I / F 47 transmits and receives various information to and from the server 20 via the communication line 80.

[0035] [Outline operation of the present embodiment] FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams for explaining the outline operation of the present embodiment. However, these diagrams may show either the document storage device 50 omitted in FIG. 1 or the page analysis device 60 not shown assuming it is included in the server 20 in FIG. 1. Also, when the user makes an inquiry to the smart speaker 10, generally, a call for starting the use of the voice assistant function of the smart speaker 10 is made, but this call is omitted in the figures.

[0036] Figure 5 shows the first general operation of the printing system 1. This first general operation is the operation when it is known in advance what elements are included in the document to be printed. That is, in this first general operation, when the user makes a voice printing request for a document and also speaks the elements of the document to be printed, those elements are selected and printed.

[0037] In the figure, first, when the user U speaks the voice V11 "Print the page of the ingredients for the twice-cooked pork recipe.", the smart speaker 10 sends the printing request to the server 20 (step 111). Then, the server 20 acquires the document D of the twice-cooked pork recipe from the document storage device 50 (step 112) and requests the page analysis device 60 to perform a page analysis of the document D (step 113). As a result, when the page analysis device 60 creates the page analysis result R from the document D, the server 20 acquires the page analysis result R (step 114) and sends a printing instruction for the document D to the printing device 40 based on this page analysis result R (step 115). In this example, since the page analysis result R indicates that the ingredients are described on pages 1 to 2, the printing device 40 prints pages 1 and 2 of the document D as the printed matter P according to the printing instruction. After that, the server 20 sends a printing result response to the smart speaker 10 (step 116), and the smart speaker 10 emits the voice V12 "The page of the ingredients for the twice-cooked pork recipe has been printed."

[0038] Figure 6 shows the second general operation of the printing system 1. This second general operation is the operation when it is not known in advance what elements are included in the document to be printed. That is, in this second general operation, when the user makes a voice printing request for a document, the smart speaker 10 notifies the user of what elements are included in the document. As a result, when the user speaks the elements of the document to be printed, those elements are selected and printed.

[0039] In the figure, first, when the user U utters the voice V21 "Print the twice-cooked pork recipe.", the smart speaker 10 sends a print request to the server 20 (step 121). Then, the server 20 acquires the document D of the twice-cooked pork recipe from the document storage device 50 (step 122) and requests the page analysis device 60 to perform page analysis on the document D (step 123). As a result, when the page analysis device 60 creates the page analysis result R from the document D, the server 20 acquires the page analysis result R (step 124) and instructs the smart speaker 10 to utter based on the page analysis result R (step 125). Thereby, the smart speaker 10 utters the voice V22 "The twice-cooked pork recipe will print the explanation, ingredients, cooking method, tips and points. Please specify 'All' if you want to print everything, or 'Explanation' etc. if you only want to print a part." In response to this, when the user U utters the voice V23 "Print the ingredient page.", the smart speaker 10 sends the specification of the elements to be printed to the server 20 (step 126). Then, the server 20 sends a print instruction for the document D to the printing device 40 based on this specification of the elements (step 127). In this example, since the page analysis result R indicates that the ingredients are described from page 1 to page 2, in the printing device 40, in response to the print instruction, page 1 and page 2 of the document D are printed as the printed matter P.

[0040] In the above description, it was assumed that the elements included in the document to be printed were not known in advance. However, it is also conceivable that the elements included in the document to be printed are known, but the location of the elements to be printed in the document is not known in advance. The operation in this case is the same as the second schematic operation with the following modifications. That is, when the smart speaker 10 receives an instruction to speak based on the page analysis result R from the server 20 in step 125, it emits a voice such as "In the mapo tofu recipe, the explanation is on the first page, the ingredients are on the first to second pages, the cooking method is on the second to third pages, and the tips are on the third page. Which page do you want to print?" In response to this, when the user U emits a voice such as "Print the second to third pages.", in step 126, the smart speaker 10 transmits the designation of the page to be printed to the server 20.

[0041] FIG. 7 shows the schematic operation of the page analysis device 60. Here, a method of analyzing based on information about chapters in a document (hereinafter referred to as "chapter information") is shown. In particular, an example of using the chapter information at the highest hierarchical level is shown.

[0042] In the figure, first, the page analysis device 60 extracts chapter information from the document D (step 601). In this example, as a result of the processing in step 601, chapter information 61a to 61d has been extracted. If the document D is an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) document, the page analysis device 60 may extract the chapter information from the document D using the tag information. Also, if the document D is a PDF (Portable Document Format) document, the page analysis device 60 may extract the chapter information from the document D using the bookmark information. Next, the page analysis device 60 divides the document D into elements using the chapter information (step 602). In this example, the first page is divided into an explanatory element 62a and a material element 62b, the second page is divided into a material element 62b and a manufacturing method element 62c, and the third page is divided into a manufacturing method element 62c and a tip / point element 62d. Then, based on this division result, the page analysis device 60 creates correspondence information associating the page information and the element information as the page analysis result R (step 603).

[0043] Note that in the above, the page analysis device 60 analyzes the page using the chapter information of the topmost layer, but this is not restrictive.

[0044] When the document D has chapter information with a hierarchical structure consisting of multiple layers, the page analysis device 60 may analyze the page using the chapter information of layers other than the topmost layer, such as the second layer from the top, the third layer from the top, etc. In this case, the chapter information may be chapters, sections, items, etc.

[0045] At that time, the page analysis device 60 may use the chapter information of a predetermined hierarchy. Alternatively, the page analysis device 60 may determine which hierarchy of chapter information to use based on the number of pages including elements corresponding to the chapter information of each hierarchy. For example, in the example of FIG. 7, it is assumed that each element is to be contained within 2 pages. And, for example, although the element corresponding to the chapter "Tips & Points" exceeds 2 pages, it is assumed that the elements corresponding to the sections "Tips & Points for Stir-Frying Method", "Tips & Points for Plating Method", etc. in the chapter "Tips & Points" are within 2 pages. In this case, the page analysis device 60 may use the information of the section, which is the second hierarchy from the top, as the chapter information.

[0046] Also, in the above, the page analysis device 60 represents elements by chapter information, but this is not restrictive. Since it may be difficult to grasp the semantic content of elements when representing elements by chapter information, the page analysis device 60 may create a summary of the content of the elements and represent the elements by the summary instead of, or in addition to, representing the elements by chapter information. In this case, the page analysis device 60 may create a summary of the content of the elements by implementing algorithms such as LexRank, TextRank, LSA, or by using a summary API of an external cloud.

[0047] [Functional Configuration of Server] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 20 in the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the server 20 includes a receiving unit 31, a document file acquisition unit 32, a document file storage unit 33, a page analysis unit 34, a page analysis result storage unit 35, a specified acquisition unit 36, a page selection unit 37, a page reduction unit 38, and a transmission unit 39.

[0048] The receiving unit 31 receives request information from the smart speaker 10. Here, the request information is generated and transmitted by the smart speaker 10 when the user makes a printing request by voice, the smart speaker 10 recognizes the printing request by voice, and generates and transmits information for requesting printing based on the result.

[0049] Some of the request information includes the specification of elements of the document file. In this case, the receiving unit 31 receives request information including the specification of either the document file to be printed or any of the plurality of elements constituting the document file. In the present embodiment, as an example of a print request for a document based on the user's spoken voice and including the specification of a specific element among the plurality of elements constituting the document, request information is used, and as an example of accepting this print request, this process of the receiving unit 31 is performed.

[0050] Some of the request information does not include the specification of elements of the document file. In this case, the receiving unit 31 receives request information including the specification of the document file to be printed but not including the specification of any of the plurality of elements constituting the document file. In the present embodiment, as an example of the specification of a document based on the user's spoken voice, request information is used, and as an example of accepting this specification, this process of the receiving unit 31 is performed. Also, in the present embodiment, as an example of a print request for a document based on the user's spoken voice, request information is used, and as an example of accepting this print request, this process of the receiving unit 31 is performed.

[0051] In addition, the receiving unit 31 receives the specified information from the smart speaker 10. Here, the specified information is generated and transmitted by the smart speaker 10 as information specifying an element based on voice recognition of the specification made by the user regarding printing in voice.

[0052] Some of the specified information specifies elements of the document file. In this case, the receiving unit 31 receives the specified information including the specification of elements of the document file. In the present embodiment, as an example of a print request including the specification of a specific element received after the specification of a document based on the user's spoken voice, the specified information is used, and as an example of accepting this print request, this process of the receiving unit 31 is performed.

[0053] Some of the specified information is used to specify pages of a document file. In this case, the receiving unit 31 receives the specified information including the specification of the pages of the document file. In the present embodiment, the specified information is used as an example of the specification of a specific part among a plurality of parts based on the user's spoken voice, and this process of the receiving unit 31 is an example of accepting this specification.

[0054] The document file acquisition unit 32 receives the request information received by the receiving unit 31 and acquires the document file to be printed included in the request information. For example, the document file acquisition unit 32 may acquire the document file from the document storage device 50 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0055] The document file storage unit 33 stores the document file acquired by the document file acquisition unit 32.

[0056] The page analysis unit 34 analyzes the pages of the document file stored in the document file storage unit 33 and generates a page analysis result which is correspondence information associating the page information with the element information. The page analysis unit 34 realizes, for example, the functions of the page analysis device 60 shown in FIG. 7 within the server 20. Therefore, the element information may be acquired based on, for example, the chapter information within the page as shown in FIG. 7. Alternatively, the element information may be generated by summarizing the content of the chapters within the page. In the present embodiment, this process of the page analysis unit 34 is an example of generating the content of each element by summarizing each element.

[0057] The page analysis result storage unit 35 stores the page analysis result generated by the page analysis unit 34.

[0058] The specification acquisition unit 36 receives the request information received by the receiving unit 31 and determines whether the request information includes a specification of an element.

[0059] If the request information includes a specification of an element, the specification acquisition unit 36 acquires the specification of the element from the request information and outputs the specification of the element to the page selection unit 37.

[0060] If the request information does not contain an element specification, the designation acquisition unit 36 outputs a response instruction based on the page analysis result stored in the page analysis result storage unit 35 to the transmission unit 39.

[0061] For example, the designation acquisition unit 36 may output information indicating the content of the element to the transmission unit 39 as a response instruction. In this embodiment, as an example of controlling so that a response voice indicating the content of each of a plurality of elements is output, this process of the designation acquisition unit 36 is performed. Further, the designation acquisition unit 36 may output information regarding the page corresponding to the element to the transmission unit 39 as a response instruction. In this embodiment, as an example of controlling so that a response voice indicating information regarding a part including each element of the document is output, this process of the designation acquisition unit 36 is performed. Here, the information regarding the page corresponding to the element may be, for example, the number of pages for each element. In this case, the number of pages for each element is an example of the information on the size of the part including each element of the document. Further, the designation acquisition unit 36 may output information indicating the content of the element for a certain layer in the hierarchical structure to the transmission unit 39 as a response instruction. In this embodiment, as an example of controlling so that a response voice indicating the content of each of a plurality of elements corresponding to a specific layer in the hierarchical structure is output, this process of the designation acquisition unit 36 is performed. At that time, the designation acquisition unit 36 may determine the layer in the hierarchical structure based on the number of pages of the page including the element for that layer. In this embodiment, as an example of determining a specific layer based on the size of the part including each element of the document, this process of the designation acquisition unit 36 is performed.

[0062] Alternatively, the designation acquisition unit 36 may output the page analysis result as it is to the transmission unit 39 as a response instruction. In this embodiment, as an example of controlling so that a response voice indicating a part including each of a plurality of elements constituting the document is output among a plurality of parts of the document, this process of the designation acquisition unit 36 is performed.

[0063] Also, the designation acquisition unit 36 receives the designation information received by the reception unit 31, acquires the designation of an element or a page from the designation information, and outputs the designation of the element or the page to the page selection unit 37.

[0064] [[ID=Z4]]The page selection unit 37 receives the designation of the element acquired by the designation acquisition unit 36 from the request information, or the designation of the element or the page acquired by the designation acquisition unit 36 from the designation information.

[0065] When the page selection unit 37 receives the designation of an element from the designation acquisition unit 36, it refers to the page analysis result stored in the page analysis result storage unit 35 and selects the page containing that element in the document file stored in the document file storage unit 33. In the present embodiment, as an example of controlling so that a portion including a specific element of the document is printed, this process of the page selection unit 37 is performed.

[0066] When the page selection unit 37 receives the designation of a page from the designation acquisition unit 36, it selects the page of the document file stored in the document file storage unit 33. In the present embodiment, as an example of controlling so that a specific portion of the document is printed, this process of the page selection unit 37 is performed.

[0067] The page reduction unit 38 reduces the pages of the document file selected by the page selection unit 37. For example, the page reduction unit 38 reduces the pages by rearranging only the pages selected by the page selection unit 37 to a new page. For example, in the example of FIG. 7, although the material spans across the first and second pages, when this is rearranged to a new page, the material fits on one page, so the pages are reduced. In the present embodiment, when controlling so that the page containing a specific element of the document is printed, as an example of controlling so that a new page in which the specific element is rearranged is printed, the process of the page reduction unit 38 is performed.

[0068] Also, when the page reduction unit 38 relocates the page selected by the page selection unit 37 to a new page, if there is a blank space in the new page, it may add other content that can fit into the blank space. In this embodiment, when the new page contains a blank space, as an example of arranging elements other than specific elements in the blank space, this process of the page reduction unit 38 is performed.

[0069] Furthermore, when the page reduction unit 38 reduces the elements on the page selected by the page selection unit 37 and the number of pages is reduced, it reduces the elements. For example, the page reduction unit 38 checks the blank ratio of the last page when printing without reducing the elements. If the blank ratio is equal to or higher than the standard, the elements may be reduced. Also, by comparing the case of printing the page without reducing the elements and the case of printing the page after reducing the elements at a predetermined reduction ratio, if the number of pages in the latter case is less than that in the former case, the elements may be reduced at that reduction ratio. Alternatively, the page reduction unit 38 may compare the cases of printing after reducing the elements at multiple reduction ratios, select the reduction ratio that has the effect of page reduction and is closest to 100%, and reduce the elements at that reduction ratio. Also, the page reduction unit 38 may delete the elements that are always displayed and have nothing to do with the elements to be printed, and reduce the remaining elements to reduce the number of pages. Furthermore, the page reduction unit 38 may identify the elements instructed not to be reduced by character recognition so that those elements are not reduced. In this case, the elements instructed not to be reduced are an example of a part designated not to be reduced of specific elements. In this embodiment, as an example of controlling so that a new page in which at least a part of specific elements is reduced and rearranged is printed, this process of the page reduction unit 38 is performed.

[0070] The transmission unit 39 transmits a print instruction for the page selected by the page selection unit 37 to the printing device 40. Here, the page targeted by the print instruction may be the page after the page reduction when the page reduction unit 38 reduces the page.

[0071] Further, when the transmission unit 39 receives a response instruction based on the page analysis result from the designation acquisition unit 36, it transmits the response instruction to the smart speaker 10.

[0072] Although not mentioned above, the server 20 may store the page analysis result of the document file in the page analysis result storage unit 35 in association with the identification information of the document file. Then, when the server 20 receives a print request for the same document file, it may print the document file using the page analysis result stored in the page analysis result storage unit 35.

[0073] [Operation of Server 20] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the server 20 in the present embodiment.

[0074] As shown in the figure, in the server 20, first, the reception unit 31 receives request information from the smart speaker 10 (step 201).

[0075] Next, the document file acquisition unit 32 acquires the document file specified by the request information received in step 201 (step 202). At this time, the document file is stored in the document file storage unit 33.

[0076] Next, the page analysis unit 34 analyzes the pages of the document file acquired in step 203 (step 203). At this time, the document file is read from the document file storage unit 33. Also, the page analysis result here is stored in the page analysis result storage unit 35.

[0077] Next, the designation acquisition unit 36 determines whether the request information received in step 201 includes an element designation (step 204).

[0078] First, a case where it is determined in step 204 that the request information includes an element specification will be described. In this case, the page selection unit 37 selects a page including the specified element of the document file (step 205). At this time, the page selection unit 37 may refer to the page analysis result stored in the page analysis result storage unit 35 to identify the page including the specified element.

[0079] Next, the page reduction unit 38 performs a page reduction process on the page selected in step 205 (step 206). Details of this page reduction process will be described later.

[0080] Next, the transmission unit 39 transmits a print instruction for the page including the specified element of the document file to the printing device 40 (step 207). Here, the page including the specified element is the page selected in step 205. Also, the page including the specified element may be the page on which the page reduction process is performed in step 206. By transmitting such a print instruction, the printing device 40 prints the page including the specified element of the document file.

[0081] Also, a case where it is determined in step 204 that the request information does not include an element specification will be described. In this case, the transmission unit 39 transmits a response instruction based on the page analysis result to the smart speaker 10 (step 208). Here, the response instruction based on the page analysis result may be information on the number of pages for each element, or may be correspondence information associating page information and element information. And these information may be generated by the specified acquisition unit 36 based on the page analysis result stored in the page analysis result storage unit 35. By transmitting such a response instruction, the smart speaker 10 issues a response indicating information on the number of pages for each element, or a response indicating correspondence information associating page information and element information.

[0082] In response to this, when the user speaks an element or a page, the smart speaker 10 transmits designation information for designating the element or the page to the server 20. As a result, in the server 20, the receiving unit 31 receives this designation information (step 209).

[0083] By the way, among the designation information received in step 209, the designation information for designating an element includes designation information for designating some elements and designation information for designating all elements. Also, among the designation information received in step 209, the designation information for designating a page includes designation information for designating some pages and designation information for designating all pages. Therefore, the designation acquisition unit 36 determines whether the designation information received in step 209 includes the designation of some elements or pages (step 210).

[0084] First, the case where it is determined in step 210 that the designation information includes the designation of some elements or pages will be described. In this case, the page selection unit 37, the page reduction unit 38, and the transmission unit 39 perform the processes of steps 205, 206, and 207 described above.

[0085] Next, the case where it is determined in step 210 that the designation information does not include the designation of some elements or pages will be described. In this case, the page selection unit 37 selects all pages of the document file (step 211).

[0086] Next, the page reduction unit 38 performs a page reduction process on the pages selected in step 211 (step 212). Details of this page reduction process will be described later.

[0087] Next, the transmission unit 39 transmits a print instruction for all pages of the document file to the printing device 40 (step 213). Here, all pages refer to the pages selected in step 211. Also, all pages may be the pages on which the page reduction process was performed in step 212. When such a print instruction is transmitted, all pages of the document file are printed by the printing device 40.

[0088] After that, the transmission unit 39 transmits a response instruction for instructing a response indicating that the intended page of the document file has been printed to the smart speaker 10 (step 214). By transmitting such a response instruction, the smart speaker 10 speaks a response indicating that the intended page of the document file has been printed.

[0089] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the page reduction process in step 206 or step 212 of FIG. 9. Note that various page reduction processes are conceivable, and here, a process of reducing by shrinking the elements included in the page is shown.

[0090] As shown in the figure, first, the page reduction unit 38 sets the reduction rate to 100% (step 251).

[0091] Next, the page reduction unit 38 determines whether the final page contains blanks equal to or more than a reference (step 252). Here, the page reduction unit 38 may use the final page when printed at 100% as the final page. Also, blanks equal to or more than the reference may be, for example, blanks for a number of lines equal to or more than a predetermined threshold value in the page. And the predetermined threshold value may be any value, but for example, it may be two-thirds of the maximum number of lines included in the page.

[0092] If it is determined in step 252 that the final page contains blanks equal to or more than the reference, the page reduction unit 38 shrinks the elements at a reduction rate obtained by subtracting 10% from the current reduction rate and arranges them on the page (step 253).

[0093] Next, the page reduction unit 38 determines whether the page has been reduced thereby (step 254).

[0094] If it is determined in step 254 that the page has not been reduced, the page reduction unit 38 repeats the process of step 253.

[0095] If it is determined in step 254 that the page has been reduced, the page reduction unit 38 reduces the elements at the current reduction rate (step 255). Here, the elements are, in the page reduction process of step 206, the elements included in the page selected in step 205, and in the page reduction process of step 212, the elements included in the page selected in step 211.

[0096] Also, when it is determined in step 252 that the final page does not contain blanks above the standard, the page reduction unit 38 reduces the elements at the current reduction rate (step 255). That is, since the current reduction rate is 100%, the page reduction unit 38 does not reduce the elements.

[0097] [Processor] In the present embodiment, the processor refers to a processor in a broad sense, including a general-purpose processor (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and a dedicated processor (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0098] Also, the operation of the processor in the present embodiment may be achieved not only by one processor but also by a plurality of physically separated processors cooperating with each other. Also, the order of each operation of the processor is not limited to the order described in the present embodiment and may be changed.

[0099] [Program] The processing performed by the server 20 in the present embodiment is prepared as a program such as application software.

[0100] That is, the first program for realizing this embodiment is a program for causing a computer to realize a function of receiving a print request for a document based on a user's spoken voice, the print request including a designation of a specific element among a plurality of elements constituting the document, and a function of controlling so that a portion including the specific element of the document is printed.

[0101] Also, the second program for realizing this embodiment is a program for causing a computer to realize a function of receiving a print request for a document based on a user's spoken voice, a function of controlling so that a response voice indicating a portion including each element of a plurality of elements constituting the document is output among a plurality of portions of the document, a function of receiving a designation based on the user's spoken voice, the designation being a designation of a specific portion among the plurality of portions, and a function of controlling so that the specific portion of the document is printed.

[0102] Note that the program for realizing this embodiment can be provided not only by communication means but also by being stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM and provided.

Explanation of Signs

[0103] 10... Smart speaker, 20... Server, 31... Receiver, 32... Document file acquisition unit, 33... Document file storage unit, 34... Page analysis unit, 35... Page analysis result storage unit, 36... Designation acquisition unit, 37... Page selection unit, 38... Page reduction unit, 39... Transmitter

Claims

1. Comprising a processor, The processor, Receives a print request for a document based on the user's spoken voice, Controls so that a response voice indicating the content of each of the plurality of elements constituting the document and the size information of the portion including each of the elements of the document is output, Receives a designation based on the user's spoken voice, which is a designation of a specific element among the plurality of elements, Controls so that the portion including the specific element of the document is printed An information processing apparatus characterized by the above.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor controls so that the response voice indicating the content of each of the plurality of elements corresponding to a specific layer in the hierarchical structure is output.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processor determines the specific layer based on the size of the portion including each element of the document.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor generates the content of each element by summarizing each element.

5. The portion of the document is a page of the document, When the processor controls so that the page including the specific element of the document is printed, the processor controls so that a new page in which the specific element is rearranged is printed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the new page includes a blank, the processor arranges elements other than the specific element in the blank.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processor controls so that the new page in which at least a part of the specific element is reduced and rearranged is printed.

8. At least a part of the specific element is the remaining part excluding a part designated so as not to be reduced of the specific element. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7.

9. Comprising a processor, The processor, Receives a print request for a document based on the user's spoken voice, Controls so that a response voice indicating the content of each of the plurality of elements constituting the document and the size information of the portion including each of the elements of the plurality of portions of the document is output, Receives a designation based on the user's spoken voice, which is a designation of a specific portion among the plurality of portions, Controlling the printing of the specific portion of the document 1. An information processing device comprising:

10. On the computer, a function of accepting a request to print a document based on a user's speech; a function of controlling the output of a response voice indicating the content of each of the elements constituting the document and the size of the portion of the document including each of the elements; a function of accepting a designation of a specific element among the plurality of elements based on a user's speech; a function of controlling printing of a portion of the document containing the particular element; A program to achieve this.

11. On the computer, a function of accepting a request to print a document based on a user's speech; a function of controlling the output of a response voice indicating the content of each of the plurality of elements constituting the document and the size of a portion of the document that includes each of the elements; a function of accepting a designation of a specific part among the plurality of parts based on a user's speech; controlling the specific portion of the document to be printed; A program to achieve this.

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