Information processing device and information processing program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device and an information processing program for reducing a burden on a user as compared with a case where the process is sequentially defined for each item of a form when defining the process related to inspection of information described in the form.SOLUTION: A processor included in information processing device includes the steps of: acquiring the associated information associated with a first form (S300); specifying a second form associated with the associated information similar to the associated information; acquiring the definition information indicating the definition of processing related to inspection of the information described in an item of the second form (S302); and outputting the definition information as a candidate of the definition information applied to the item of the first form (S304).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in an information processing apparatus that performs information processing (OCR) for character recognition on an image obtained by optically reading a form, a technique for confirming whether character recognition has been correctly performed on data extracted by OCR from the form is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of an OCR input data screen correction means for recognizing matters described in a form by OCR and correcting the recognition result. In this technique, it is possible to hold the recognition result for one form and extract the recognition result for each individual field, and further, a recognition result management means capable of holding the page image for one form, and a character field correction means for obtaining the recognition result of an individual field from the recognition result management means, which can be displayed and corrected, and notifying the recognition result management means of the corrected recognition result when corrected, and an image display means capable of displaying the image of an individual image field or the entire page image from the recognition result management means.

[0003] Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique of a data check apparatus that checks check target data according to a data check execution program. In this technique, a check condition incorporation means for incorporating any of a plurality of check condition files prepared for each data format into a data check base program unit according to the data format of the current check target data to form a program for executing a data check to be applied in the current check, and a check procedure control means for executing a check of the check target data according to the formed data check execution program.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 discloses an OCR data input processing method comprising an OCR device and an OCR data input program, which, under the control of the OCR data input program, reads OCR data written on a form, checks for general logical errors, and corrects the reading results as necessary before inputting them. This technology is characterized by providing a user program that performs user-specific logical error checks on the read OCR data, setting up call relationships from the OCR data input program to the user program in the processing stage where character data is read from the form by the OCR data input program and in the processing stage where errors in the read data are corrected, thereby causing the user program to perform detailed logical checks of the OCR data in each processing stage. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-155802 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-044631 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 04-354080 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Incidentally, information processing devices that process information contained in forms may require processing related to the verification of the information contained in the forms, such as verifying that a string of characters matches the system's database. In this case, the verification process is defined for each item in the form. The definition information for the verification process defined for each item in the form increases as the number of forms increases. On the other hand, the same verification process may be defined for items in multiple different forms, but simply accumulating the definition information does not make it possible for users to use the same verification process definition information, as it would require a huge amount of processing to specify the desired definition information from among multiple definitions. Therefore, defining definitions related to the verification process sequentially for each item in the form would increase the burden on the user.

[0007] This disclosure aims to provide an information processing device and information processing program that can reduce the burden on the user when defining the process for inspecting information contained in a form, compared to defining it sequentially for each item in the form. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the first embodiment is an information processing device that includes a processor, acquires related information related to a first report, identifies a second report associated with related information similar to the said related information, acquires definition information indicating the definition of a process for checking the information described in the items of the second report, and outputs the said definition information as a candidate definition information to be applied to the items of the first report.

[0009] The second aspect is characterized in that, in the information processing device according to the first aspect, the related information is information indicating at least one of the image information of the form and the identification information for identifying the definition information.

[0010] In the third embodiment, in the information processing device according to the first embodiment, when multiple definition information is acquired as the definition information, the processor outputs the definition information in order from the definition information with the highest similarity to the definition information with the lowest similarity.

[0011] The fourth aspect is an information processing device relating to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the processor further outputs information indicating the processing related to the inspection of the acquired definition information.

[0012] The fifth aspect is an information processing device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the processor further outputs information indicating the result of performing the processing related to the inspection.

[0013] The sixth aspect is an information processing device relating to any one of the first to fifth aspects, characterized in that the result is the result of executing the inspection process using the inspection process parameters input by the user.

[0014] The seventh aspect is characterized in that, in the information processing device according to the fourth aspect, the result is the result of performing the inspection process on the items of the first form.

[0015] The eighth aspect is an information processing device according to the seventh aspect, wherein the processor receives from the user the selection of an item from the items of the first form on which to perform the processing related to the inspection.

[0016] The ninth aspect is an information processing device relating to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein, when multiple definition information is acquired as the definition information, the processor outputs one of the multiple definition information acquired as the definition information in a selectable manner.

[0017] The tenth aspect is an information processing program that causes a processor to perform the following processes: acquire related information related to a first report; identify a second report associated with related information similar to the said related information; acquire definition information indicating the definition of a process for checking the information described in the items of the second report; and output the said definition information as a candidate for definition information to be applied to the items of the first report. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the first aspect and the tenth aspect, when defining the process related to the inspection of the information described in the form, there is an effect that the burden on the user can be reduced as compared with the case of sequentially defining for each item of the form. According to the second aspect, there is an effect that the burden on the user when defining the process related to the inspection of the information described in the form can be reduced as compared with the case of not considering the image information and the identification information. According to the third aspect, there is an effect that it is possible to output from the definition information that is more similar to other definition information as compared with the case of directly outputting a plurality of definition information. According to the fourth aspect, there is an effect that the burden on the user when defining the process related to the inspection can be reduced as compared with the case of not outputting the information indicating the process related to the inspection. According to the fifth aspect, there is an effect that the burden on the user when performing the process related to the inspection of the definition information can be reduced as compared with the case of outputting the information without performing the process related to the inspection of the definition information. According to the sixth aspect, there is an effect that the intention of the user can be reflected as compared with the case of not using the parameter by the user's input. According to the seventh aspect, there is an effect that the burden on the user when confirming the process reflecting the intention of the user can be reduced as compared with the case of not outputting the execution result of the process related to the inspection. According to the eighth aspect, there is an effect that the burden on the user when setting the definition information can be reduced as compared with the case of not outputting any of the plurality of definition information in a selectable manner. According to the ninth aspect, there is an effect that the setting load on the user can be reduced as compared with the case of only outputting a plurality of definition information.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a form system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing an example of an electrical schematic configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of information processing by the information processing program according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen related to business check setting. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen related to the editing process of business check setting. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of definition diversion processing. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in definition diversion processing. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of a display screen at the time of business check designation. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen related to the editing process of business check setting. [Figure 11] It is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of search processing. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in search processing. [Figure 13] It is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of confirmation processing. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen in confirmation processing. [Figure 15] It is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of introduction verification processing. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen in introduction verification processing.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment for carrying out the technology of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Components and processes that perform the same operation, action, or function will be given the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and redundant explanations may be omitted as appropriate. Each drawing is only a schematic representation to the extent that the technology of this disclosure can be fully understood. Therefore, the technology of this disclosure is not limited to the illustrated examples. Furthermore, in the embodiments, explanations of configurations not directly related to the present invention or well-known configurations may be omitted.

[0021] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the document system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the form system 10 includes an information processing device 20, a client terminal 40, and an input device 60. These devices are connected to a network (not shown) and can communicate with each other via the network. This network could be the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or the like.

[0023] The information processing device 20 manages a series of processing steps, including performing OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on image data of multiple documents, including forms, input through the input device 60, and outputting the results of the OCR processing to a predetermined output destination. The specific configuration and operation of the information processing device 20 will be described later.

[0024] The client terminal 40 transmits various instructions related to OCR processing to the information processing device 20. These instructions include, for example, an instruction to start reading the information of the image data and an instruction to display the results of reading the information of the image data. The client terminal 40 also displays the results of the OCR processing performed by the information processing device 20 in response to the received instructions, as well as various information such as notifications related to the OCR processing. The client terminal 40 can be a general-purpose computer device such as a server computer or a personal computer (PC). Figure 1 shows only one client terminal 40, but it is not limited to this, and multiple client terminals 40 may be provided, and for example, different client terminals 40 may be used for different processes.

[0025] The input device 60 inputs image data to be processed by OCR into the information processing device 20. The input device 60 may include, for example, a server computer or a general-purpose computer device such as a PC, as well as an image forming apparatus having scanning, printing, and faxing functions. In addition to the input device 60, image data may also be input to the information processing device 20 from a client terminal 40.

[0026] Next, we will explain the overview of the reporting system 10.

[0027] The document system 10 is a system in which the information processing device 20 performs OCR processing on image data input through the input device 60 and outputs the results of the OCR processing to a predetermined output destination.

[0028] The information processing device 20 manages various processes in OCR processing, including (1) business design and operation verification, (2) data input, (3) data reading, (4) form identification, confirmation and correction, (5) reading result confirmation and correction, (6) business check, (7) data output, and (8) return. In this embodiment, OCR processing refers not only to the process of reading characters and symbols from image data, but also to post-processing such as character correction.

[0029] As an example of the management of various processes, (1) business design and operation verification, (2) data input, (3) data reading, (6) business check, and (7) data output are each automatically executed by the information processing device 20. Also as an example of the management of various processes, (4) form identification, confirmation, and correction, and (5) reading result confirmation and correction are each accepted by user input via the client terminal 40. Furthermore, as an example of the management of various processes, (8) the return process may be automatically executed by the information processing device 20 or accepted by user input via the client terminal 40.

[0030] (1) In the process of business design and operational verification, a job rule is created that includes read definition settings, output settings, and business check settings. In the read definition settings, as an example, the read range is set, which is the range in which the image data information is read in the process of "(3) Data Reading". More specifically, as an example, a definition may be set to read the item value, which is the value, from the right of the item that is extracted as the key. In the output settings, as an example, the file format and output destination of the output data to be output in the process of "(7) Data Output" are set. In the business check settings, as an example, the required input items and format such as the number of characters that can be entered in the form to be detected in the process of "(6) Business Check" are set.

[0031] (2) In the data input process, image data is received from the input device 60. The received image data is registered as a job, which is the execution unit of the process in "(3) Data Reading".

[0032] (3) In the data reading process, the information of the image data within the job is read using the job rules selected by the user from among the job rules created in the process of "(1) Business Design and Operation Verification". For example, in this process, the documents contained in the image data within the job are identified (hereinafter referred to as "document identification") and the characters and symbols within the reading range are read.

[0033] (4) In the process of form identification, confirmation, and correction, the image data within the job is divided into records that indicate the forms included in the job, based on the results of the form identification performed in the process of "(3) Data Reading". Subsequently, in this process, the divided records are displayed and the user's confirmation and correction of the form identification is accepted.

[0034] (5) In the process of confirming and correcting the reading results, the reading results of characters and symbols within the reading range performed in the process of "(3) Data reading" are displayed, and the user's confirmation and correction of the reading results is accepted.

[0035] (6) In the business process check, errors in each preceding process are detected by the business check settings included in the job rule for the job in question, which is selected by the user from among the job rules created in the process of "(1) Business Design and Operation Verification". The detection results may be presented to the user.

[0036] (7) In the data output process, output data is created using the output settings included in the job rule for the job selected by the user from among the job rules created in the process of "(1) Business design and operation verification," and the created output data is output to a predetermined output destination.

[0037] (8) In the rollback process, the OCR process is rolled back to a process one or more steps prior to the process that was executed. Rollback is instructed by the user from the client terminal 40 during the execution of various processes such as "(4) Form Identification Confirmation Correction" and "(5) Reading Result Confirmation Correction". Rollback is also instructed by the administrator from the administrator's client terminal 40 in accordance with the results of the administrator's check performed between the processes of "(6) Business Check" and "(7) Data Output".

[0038] In the OCR processing described above, the "(1) Business Design and Operational Verification" process is executed before the "(3) Data Reading" and subsequent processes are performed, that is, before the reporting system 10 is put into operation. Furthermore, the "(1) Business Design and Operational Verification" process may also be executed while the reporting system 10 is in operation and the "(3) Data Reading" and subsequent processes are being performed. As an example, the job rules created in the "(1) Business Design and Operational Verification" process before the reporting system 10 is put into operation can be appropriately modified according to the results of the "(5) Reading Result Confirmation and Correction" process during the operation of the reporting system 10.

[0039] (Information processing device) Next, an example of the configuration of the information processing device 20 will be described with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic electrical configuration of the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment. The information processing device 20 can be, for example, a server computer or a general-purpose computer device such as a PC.

[0040] Specifically, as shown in Figure 2, the information processing device 20 includes a computer main unit 21. The computer main unit 21 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 22, RAM (Random Access Memory) 23, ROM (Read-Only memory) 24, a storage unit 25, and input / output ports (I / O) 26. The CPU 22, RAM 23, ROM 24, storage unit 25, and I / O 26 are connected to each other via a bus.

[0041] Furthermore, I / O26 is connected to various functional units, including a communication unit 27 that enables communication with external devices, an operation input unit 28 that enables user operation input, and a display unit 29 that enables image display. These functional units are able to communicate with the CPU 22 via I / O26.

[0042] The computer body 21 may be configured as a sub-control unit that controls the operation of a part of the information processing device 20, or as part of the main control unit that controls the operation of the entire information processing device 20. Some or all of the blocks of the computer body 21 may use integrated circuits such as LSIs (Large Scale Integration) or ICs (Integrated Circuit) chipsets. Individual circuits may be used for each of the above blocks, or circuits that integrate some or all of them may be used. The above blocks may be provided as a single unit, or some blocks may be provided separately. Furthermore, parts of each of the above blocks may be provided separately. For the integration of the computer body 21, dedicated circuits or general-purpose processors may be used, not just LSIs.

[0043] The memory unit 25 stores an information processing program 25P that causes the information processing device 20 to function as the information processing device of this disclosure. The CPU 22 reads the information processing program 25P from the memory unit 25, loads it into the RAM 23, and executes the processing. As a result, the information processing device 20 that has executed the information processing program 25P operates as the information processing device of this disclosure. The information processing program 25P may be provided on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. The specific processing of the information processing device 20 will be described later.

[0044] As the storage unit 25, for example, an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory is used. The storage unit 25 stores an information processing program 25P for realizing the information processing according to this embodiment. The CPU 22 reads the information processing program 25P from the storage unit 25, loads it into the RAM 23, and executes the processing. As a result, the information processing device 20 that has executed the information processing program 25P operates as the information processing device of this disclosure.

[0045] The information processing program 25P may be stored in the ROM 12C. Alternatively, the information processing program 25P may be pre-installed in the information processing device 20, for example. The information processing program 25P may also be implemented by storing it on a non-volatile storage medium, or by appropriately installing program information distributed via a network (not shown) into the information processing device 20. Examples of non-volatile storage mediums include CD-ROMs (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), magneto-optical disks, HDDs, DVD-ROMs (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), flash memory, and memory cards.

[0046] Furthermore, the memory unit 25 also stores a system program 25S for implementing each OCR processing function in the information processing device 20. The CPU 22 reads the system program 25S from the memory unit 25, loads it into the RAM 23, and executes the OCR processing. As a result, the information processing device 20, having executed the system program 25S, operates in a way that enables it to perform system functions based on OCR processing.

[0047] In this embodiment, the information processing program 25P and the system program 25S are described as separate programs, but the information processing program 25P may be executed as part of a process included in the system program 25S.

[0048] The storage unit 25 described above also stores a database 25D containing various types of information usable by the information processing device 20. The information stored in the database 25D is not limited to being pre-stored in the storage unit 25. For example, it may be stored in an external device (not shown) and retrieved from that external device via a communication line.

[0049] The communication unit 27 is connected to a communication network and is configured to enable communication between the information processing device 20 and external devices. "Communication network" is a concept that includes networks that enable data exchange between devices via communication lines using at least one of wired and wireless connections. Examples include narrow-area communication networks (e.g., LAN: Local Area Network) that enable data exchange at corporate locations, and wide-area communication networks such as the Internet (e.g., WAN: Wide Area Network) that enable data exchange via public communication lines.

[0050] The operation input section 28 is equipped with, for example, a device for operation input such as a keyboard or mouse.

[0051] The display unit 29 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic EL (electroluminescence) display. The display unit 29 may also be a touch panel having the functions of the operation input unit 28. The operation input unit 28 and the display unit 29 receive various instructions from the user of the information processing device 20. The display unit 29 displays various information such as the results of processing performed in response to the instructions received from the user, and notifications regarding the processing.

[0052] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment. The information processing device 20 reduces the user's burden in setting up business checks by presenting definitions of the inspection process for similar forms when creating or editing business checks for the target forms.

[0053] Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the CPU 22 of the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment functions as the information processing device of the disclosure by executing the information processing program 25P. The information processing device of the disclosure includes functional units that function as a reading unit 220, a definition unit 221, and a display control unit 226. The definition unit 221 includes an acquisition unit 222 and an introduction unit 224.

[0054] The reading unit 220 is a functional unit that reads an image of a paper document and also reads the string information written on the document. In this embodiment, the string information is read by obtaining a reading result (string information) that has been corrected or identified using the recognition result obtained by character recognition of an image of a document on which a string of characters is written. Specifically, the reading unit 220 obtains the string information at the end of the OCR processing in the information processing device 20, up to the processing of confirming and correcting the reading result (process (5) shown in Figure 1). In addition, the reading unit 220 can read by also obtaining the image of the document and various information for identifying the document.

[0055] The definition unit 221 is a functional unit that defines the process for checking the information described in the items of a form, which is a business check. The definition unit 221 acquires related information related to the form and definition information indicating the business check definitions of registered forms similar to the target form from the acquisition unit 222. Then, the definition unit 221 implements the form by applying the definition information of similar registered forms to the definition of the process for checking the business check for the target form from the implementation unit 224.

[0056] Specifically, the acquisition unit 222 is a functional unit that acquires related information relating to the form on which the string information read by the reading unit 220 is based, and definition information indicating the definition of the process for checking the information described in the form's items. The acquisition unit 222 acquires related information of the target form (first form) and identifies a registered form (second form) that corresponds to related information similar to the related information of the target form. Then, it acquires definition information indicating the definition of the process for checking the information described in the registered form's items. The acquisition unit 222 acquires related information and definition information according to predetermined acquisition conditions.

[0057] The acquisition conditions indicate the conditions for acquiring the aforementioned related information and definition information. The acquisition unit 222 includes a function to extract these acquisition conditions from the storage unit 25 (for example, the database 25D).

[0058] Related information is information that can identify a form, and includes constituent information that makes up the form, such as image information of the read form, and identification information that identifies the form and / or a part of the form, such as its name. When inspecting the information described in the form's fields, the definition of the process for the inspection may utilize the definition of the process for inspection of registered forms. For example, related information can be used to identify relationships. That is, related information includes information that allows a form to confirm its relationship with other forms, and examples of such information include the form's format and information showing images of at least a part of the form. For example, a user can confirm the relationship between forms by referring to and comparing the overall images of multiple forms. Also, forms used for similar processes are often given similar names, and it is possible to confirm the relationship between forms by referring to and comparing identification information such as the form's name. Therefore, the conditions for acquiring image information or identification information from a form are just one example of acquisition conditions for related information.

[0059] Definition information is information that indicates the definition of the process related to the inspection of information described in the fields of a form, and is information that can be used for business checks defined for the form. Definition information includes information that indicates what kind of business checks can be applied to the form. Related forms, for example, similar forms often have similar business checks applied to them. Therefore, in this embodiment, forms associated with similar related information are identified, and the definition information of the identified forms is obtained. Therefore, the conditions that indicate what information to acquire as usable information for business checks defined for a form are an example of acquisition conditions for defined information.

[0060] The acquisition unit 222 includes a function to extract acquisition conditions, related information, and definition information from the storage unit 25 (for example, the database 25D). The acquisition unit 222 also includes a function to determine the similarity of related information when identifying similar related information.

[0061] Similar related information can be identified. The similarity of related information can be derived as a similarity score through image processing, for example, by determining the degree of matching between images of a form. This similarity score (degree of matching) can be derived from the ratio of matching image areas between images of the form. The similarity between images of a form allows a user to confirm the relationship between forms by referring to and comparing the overall images of multiple forms. It is preferable to set the degree of matching of feature images corresponding to the user's appearance to be higher than the degree of matching of other images. Examples of feature images include images of names that represent the form and are written in a larger font than other fonts, and shape images such as the format of the form based on the size and arrangement of frames, and the arrangement pattern of string information. It is also possible to derive the degree of matching of names by determining the similarity of the characters indicated by the names. The similarity of characters can be derived from the ratio of the number of matching characters between string information.

[0062] Furthermore, the similarity can be determined by pre-defining a threshold for visually similar forms, and determining that a form image is similar if it exceeds that threshold.

[0063] The introduction unit 224 is a functional unit that, when creating or editing a business check for a target form, introduces definition information of similar registered forms to the definition of the inspection process for that business check. The introduction unit 224 is also a functional unit that outputs the definition information of similar registered forms as candidate definition information to be applied to the items of the target form (first form).

[0064] Furthermore, the introduction section 224 includes a function to verify the compatibility of definition information for similar registered forms. Conformance refers to information indicating whether or not definition information from similar registered forms can be introduced to the definition of the process related to the inspection of business checks for the target form, or the degree of conformance. In verification, the definition information from similar registered forms is introduced to the target form, values ​​for the items of the target form are assigned, and the resulting conformance is used as the verification result.

[0065] The display control unit 226 is a functional unit that displays the various types of information mentioned above (for example, images of forms and definition information, etc.) on the display unit 29.

[0066] Next, the operation of the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the business check process (process (6) shown in Figure 1) of the OCR processing performed on the image data of a form, which is executed in the information processing device 20 and input through the input device 60, will be described. In the business check process, first, a process is performed to define definition information that indicates the definition of the process for checking the information described in the items of the form, using the reading results read from the form. That is, in the business check process, the process for checking the information described in the items of the form is defined for the business check settings included in the job rule for the job selected by the user from among the pre-created job rules.

[0067] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the information processing flow by the information processing program 25P according to this embodiment. This information processing executes a process that defines the process for checking the information described in the items of the target form, that is, a process that defines a business check.

[0068] First, when the information processing device 20 is instructed to start the information processing program 25P, the CPU 22 executes the following steps.

[0069] Step S10 performs initial settings related to business checks, and in this embodiment, numerical calculation checks. The initial settings include various information such as the business check name to identify the content of the business check.

[0070] In step S20, the reading result is obtained by acquiring string information read from a document containing a string. The string information indicating the reading result can be obtained from the execution result at the end of the OCR processing performed by the execution of the system program 25S in the information processing device 20, up to the processing of confirming and correcting the reading result (process (5) shown in Figure 1). The process in step S20 is an example of the function of the reading unit 220 shown in Figure 3.

[0071] In step S30, a business check is defined for the target document using the definition information of business checks for registered documents similar to the target document image. Details of the processing in step S30 will be described later. The process in step S30 is an example of the functions of the definition unit 221, acquisition unit 222, and introduction unit 224 shown in Figure 3.

[0072] In step S40, a display process is executed to show information indicating the business check, and the series of processes by the information processing program 25P is completed. Note that the display process is not limited to step S40, and the information may be displayed in each of the steps described above. Step S40 is an example of the function of the display control unit 226 shown in Figure 3.

[0073] Next, we will explain in detail the information processing, including the process that defines the business checks mentioned above. In the information processing device 20, with regard to business checks included in job rules, once the job rule settings are complete, if the user instructs to set business rules in order to define business checks, the business check setting process is executed.

[0074] Figure 5 shows an example of the settings screen for the business checklist related to business check settings.

[0075] When the process for setting up business checks is executed, the settings screen 80 shown in Figure 5 is displayed. The settings screen 80 is a screen that allows the user to confirm the type and settings of business checks to be executed. The settings screen 80 displays a business checklist 800 that shows a list of the types of business checks to be executed according to the settings. Figure 5 shows the business checklist 800 when required input checks, numerical calculation checks, date checks, and list checks have been added as types of business checks. The business checklist 800 is registered as a record associated with each business check to be executed, with priority, business check name, item name, and type. Priority is information that indicates the execution order of the business checks included in the business checklist 800, and business check name is information that indicates the name of the business check. Item name is information that indicates the item to be verified in the business check, and type is information that indicates the type of business check. Note that the business checklist 800 shown in Figure 5 is not displayed during the initial processing of business check settings.

[0076] The settings screen 80 allows users to perform operations on the business checklist 800 and the settings for each type of business check via button operations. The settings screen 80 includes an item addition button 802 for adding a new business check to the business checklist 800. Furthermore, the settings screen 80 includes an OK button 803 for finishing the settings of the business checklist 800, and a cancel button 804 for canceling. For the settings of business checks, pressing the edit button (shown as a three-dot image in Figure 5) 801 allows the user to select one of the editing processes, such as editing, deleting, or changing the priority. When the edit button 801 is pressed and an editing process is selected, the system proceeds to the editing process for the selected business check setting.

[0077] The following explains how to add a new business check. When the "Add Item" button 802 is pressed, the process of adding a new business check is executed, and the settings for the new business check are configured.

[0078] Figure 6 shows an example of a settings screen for editing the settings of a new business check. When the process to add a business check is executed, the settings screen 81 is displayed. The settings screen 81 displays input fields 811 for entering information about the business check. Input fields 811 are editable. Input fields 811 can be displayed in a dropdown format, for example, allowing the user to select the content to be entered from a predetermined list of items.

[0079] The settings screen 81 includes an OK button 818 to finish setting up the business checks and a Cancel button 819 to cancel. When the OK button 818 is pressed, the process returns to setting up the business checklist, and the business checklist settings screen 80 shown in Figure 5 is displayed. If a new business check item is created, the contents of the created business check are added to the business checklist 800. On the other hand, when the Cancel button 819 is pressed, the settings are discarded, the process returns to setting up the business checklist, and the business checklist settings screen 80 shown in Figure 5 is displayed.

[0080] Note that the process of setting the information entered in input field 811 is an example of the process performed in step S20.

[0081] The settings screen 81 includes an input field 812 below the input field 811 for entering conditional expressions for the conditions. The input field 812 is editable. Each field in the input field 812 can be set by the user.

[0082] (Definition reuse process) However, if users were required to input the settings for business checks one by one, the burden on users would increase. Therefore, in this embodiment, the computer presents related information on forms similar to the form that will be the target of the business check to be set (defined), thereby supporting the user in setting up the business checks.

[0083] Specifically, when the OK button 818 shown in Figure 6 is pressed, a definition reuse process is executed to define the business check, based on related information (e.g., document images) of registered documents similar to the target document.

[0084] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of definition reuse processing included in the information processing of information processing program 25P.

[0085] First, when the information processing device 20 is instructed to start the definition reuse processing process included in the information processing program 25P, the CPU 22 executes the following steps.

[0086] In step S300, the CPU 22 acquires information indicating the image of the form to be checked (hereinafter referred to as the target form image). That is, the CPU 22 acquires related information of the form to be created (or edited) (the first form). The information indicating the target form image can be used to apply the image information of the target form image read by the OCR process performed by the execution of the system program 25S in the information processing device 20.

[0087] In step S302, the CPU 22 retrieves definition information for business checks of registered forms similar to the target form image from the database. Specifically, the CPU 22 retrieves definition information for item inspection processing of registered forms (second form) that have related information similar to the related information of the target form (first form) from the database 25D. The processing in steps S300 and S302 is an example of some of the functions of the definition unit 221 and the acquisition unit 222 shown in Figure 3.

[0088] In step S304, the acquired definition information is output as a candidate for definition information for business checks of the target form. The CPU 22 executes a process to output the acquired definition information, that is, the definition information applied to the registered form (second form), as a candidate for definition information in the process related to checking the items of the target form (first form).

[0089] In step S306, candidate definition information is applied as definition information for the business check of the target form. CPU22 executes a process to apply the candidate definition information, that is, the definition information applied to the registered form (second form), as definition information in the process related to the inspection of items in the target form (first form). Steps S304 and S306 are examples of some of the functions of the definition unit 221 and the introduction unit 224 shown in Figure 3.

[0090] Figure 8 shows an example of a screen displayed during the definition reuse process, designated as Screen 82. Screen 82 includes a display area 820 that indicates the similarity level which can be set by the user, a display area 822 that displays similar forms, and an instruction area 824 that indicates the order in which the form images to be displayed should be displayed.

[0091] In the example in Figure 8, the display area 820 includes an input area 820A for entering the string information contained in the rule name, with the first condition for specifying similarity being displayed as "Rule Name" for the names of the job rule and business checks. The display area 820 also includes a slider bar 820B for setting the similarity of the form image for the second condition, which is displayed as "Design Similarity," and can be set from the lowest similarity to the highest similarity (e.g., exact match). Furthermore, the display area 820 includes a slider bar 820C for setting the similarity of the string information contained in the rule name for the third condition, which is displayed as "Rule Name Similarity," and can be set from the lowest similarity to the highest similarity (e.g., exact match).

[0092] The display area 822 displays thumbnail images, which are reduced versions of similar forms with related information (e.g., form images), allowing the user to view the entire form. The form images displayed in the display area 822 can be selected and indicated. In the example shown in Figure 8, a thick line is drawn around the selected form image to indicate that the selected form is visible.

[0093] The instruction area 824 allows the user to select the order of the report images displayed in the display area 822 from a set of predetermined settings using a pull-down menu or the like. In the example in Figure 8, the order of the report images is indicated as "sort order," and examples of sorting criteria include "by name," "by date," "by similar design," and "by similar rule name."

[0094] After the user selects the desired report and presses the OK button 828, the information processing device 20 proceeds to the next step.

[0095] Figure 9 shows an example of a screen displayed when specifying the business checks to be used, designated as Screen 83. Screen 83 is displayed when specifying which business checks to use from among the multiple business checks included in the form selected during the definition reuse process. Note that if the selected form contains only one business check, the following process can be omitted.

[0096] As shown in Figure 9, screen 83 displays an image 830 of the selected registered form (second form). Screen 83 also includes a display area 832 that displays the business checks set for the registered form. Furthermore, screen 83 includes an OK button 838 and a Cancel button 839.

[0097] Display area 832 includes display area 834, which allows the user to select and specify which business check to use for definition from among the one or more business checks set in the registered form. Display area 834 is configured to allow the user to select one or more business checks set in the registered form using a pull-down menu or the like. Below display area 834 is display area 836, which displays the content of the selected business check. The user can confirm the content of the selected business check by checking the content of the business check displayed in display area 836.

[0098] As described above, the information processing device 20 (CPU 22) acquires related information (document image) of the target document (first document) (step S300 in Figure 7) and acquires information of registered documents (second document) similar to the said document image from the database 25D (step S302). The image of the registered document (second document) is displayed as a candidate document for checking the items of the target document (first document) (step S304). Here, the image of the registered document (second document) is displayed as a candidate document. In addition, the definition information of the registered document (second document) is output as a candidate for the definition information of the business check of the target document. Then, the definition information of the selected document is applied as definition information to define the items (business check) of the target document (first document) (step S306).

[0099] (Search process) When defining the settings for the business checks described above, that is, the processes related to checking the information contained in the fields of the forms, it is preferable to extract similar forms from the registered forms in accordance with the user's intent. For example, a user may actively want to be presented with similar forms. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is also possible to perform a search process to find similar forms from the registered forms in accordance with the user's intent, and then present the content of the business checks to be used for definition from the search results in a selectable format, thereby supporting the user in setting up the business checks.

[0100] Figure 10 shows an example of a settings screen related to the editing process for business check settings, which is referred to as settings screen 84. The settings screen 84 shown in Figure 10 is the same as the settings screen 81 shown in Figure 6, but with the addition of a similarity search button 840. Specifically, the settings screen 84 includes a similarity search button 814 below the input field 812 to instruct the user to search for similar business checks and suggest search results. When the item addition button 802 shown in Figure 5 is pressed, the settings screen 84 shown in Figure 10 is displayed.

[0101] When the similarity search button 840 is pressed, the CPU 22 executes a search process to find registered forms that are similar to the form intended by the user.

[0102] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the search process flow included in the information processing of information processing program 25P.

[0103] When the CPU 22 in the information processing device 20 obtains information indicating that the similarity search button 840 has been pressed, it starts the search processing process included in the information processing program 25P and executes the following steps.

[0104] In step S310, CPU22 obtains information about the report. This report information is business check information that indicates the content of the inspection of the information contained in the report items intended by the user.

[0105] In step S312, the information obtained in step S310, that is, the content of the business check intended by the user, is searched for in the forms registered in database 25D using the search key.

[0106] In step S314, the search results from the processing in step S312 are output, that is, the detection results are displayed on the screen, and then this processing routine terminates.

[0107] Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen during the search process, designated as screen 85.

[0108] As shown in Figure 12, screen 85 displays a display area 850 that shows the content of the business check intended by the user. If information related to the business check has already been entered in the display area 850, that information (the information entered in the input field 811 shown in Figure 10) can be reflected in the display area 850 shown in Figure 12. In addition, the information displayed in the display area 850 can be modified by the user. Retrieving information from the display area 850 is an example of the process in step S310.

[0109] Furthermore, screen 85 includes an Apply button 852 that instructs the user to apply their intent to the search. Pressing the Apply button 852 is one example of the timing to proceed to step S312.

[0110] Furthermore, screen 85 includes a display area 854 for displaying search results. Screen 85 also includes an OK button 858 as an instruction button to proceed to the next process, and a Cancel button 859 for instructing to cancel the search process and return to the previous process.

[0111] (Verification process for business checks) Incidentally, it is preferable to verify whether the business checks defined using business checks for similar forms are appropriate business checks as intended by the user. For example, when a user applies (reuses) business checks for similar forms, they may want to confirm the content of the candidate business checks before applying (reusing) them. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is also possible to support the user in setting business checks by performing a verification process that verifies the content of business checks for similar registered forms, which are candidates for definition information, and allows the user to confirm the verification results.

[0112] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the confirmation process flow. When the information processing device 20 is instructed to start the confirmation process included in the information processing program 25P, the CPU 22 executes the following steps.

[0113] In step S320, CPU22 acquires information indicating a business check based on candidate definition information. In the next step S322, it verifies the business check based on candidate definition information using the acquired business check information, and in the next step S324, it outputs the verification result. During business check verification, it is possible to accept parameters entered by the user and execute processing related to the business check using those parameters. This allows the user to check the content of the candidate business check before applying (reusing) the candidate business check as a business check for the target form.

[0114] Figure 14 shows an example of a confirmation screen displayed during the confirmation process, referred to as confirmation screen 86. The confirmation screen 86 includes display areas 860, 862, and 864, as well as an OK button 868 and a Cancel button 869. The OK button 868 is an instruction button that proceeds to the next process, which applies the definition information of the confirmed business check. The Cancel button 869 is an instruction button that cancels the application of the definition information of the confirmed business check.

[0115] Display area 860 is an area for displaying definition information for business checks. By displaying the definition information for business checks in display area 860, it becomes possible to allow users to confirm the contents of periodic information.

[0116] Display area 862 is an area that displays information related to the verification of business checks, and includes a verification button 862A to instruct verification, a display area 862B to display the verification results, and a display area 862C to display the values ​​to be verified for the items to be checked. Display area 862C is composed of text boxes and the like that allow the user to set values. The input values ​​to the display area 862C, which consists of text boxes and the like, that is, the values ​​to be verified for the items to be checked, are an example of the parameters for the inspection process described in this disclosure.

[0117] During the verification process, the user is instructed to set values ​​for the items they intend in the display area 862C, and when the verification button 862A is pressed, the CPU 22 executes the verification process. The information indicating the verification result, which is the result of the execution of this verification process, is displayed in the display area 862B (shown as "NG" in Figure 14). The display of the verification result in the display area 862B allows the user to confirm whether the business check set as a candidate for a similar form's business check is the appropriate business check as intended by the user.

[0118] Display area 862 is the area for displaying the document image. The image displayed in display area 862 is an image of a similar document set as a candidate, and the example shown in Figure 14 shows the display of each page (2 pages) of a document. The document image displayed in display area 862 also displays the reading frame on the document for the item targeted in the business check. By displaying this reading frame, it is possible to show the user which information on the similar document set as a candidate will be targeted for the business check.

[0119] (Implementation and verification process for business process checks) The verification process described above allows for the confirmation of business checks. However, it is preferable to verify whether business checks defined using business checks for similar forms are appropriate business checks for the target form. For example, when a user applies (reuses) business checks for similar forms, they may want to verify beforehand what happens when those checks are applied to the target form. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to support the user in setting up business checks by executing an introductory verification process that provisionally applies business checks for similar registered forms to the target form to verify the business checks and presents the verification results.

[0120] Figure 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the installation verification process. When the information processing device 20 is instructed to start the installation verification process included in the information processing program 25P, the CPU 22 executes the following steps. The installation verification process can be executed after the confirmation process described above or independently.

[0121] In step S330, CPU22 obtains information indicating the business check based on the candidate definition information. In the next step, S332, it obtains the reading result read from the target form. That is, it obtains the OCR result (string information) of the target form for which the business check is defined. Next, in step S334, CPU22 obtains information indicating the items in the target form, thereby obtaining information indicating the items to be associated with the definition information to be introduced. In the next step, S336, it verifies the business check based on the definition information of the form set as a candidate using the OCR result (string information). Then, in step S338, it outputs the verification result and terminates this processing routine. This makes it possible for the user to check the content of the candidate business check before applying (reusing) the candidate business check as the business check for the target form.

[0122] Figure 16 shows an example of a confirmation screen displayed during the implementation verification process, designated as confirmation screen 87. The confirmation screen 87 includes display areas 870 and 872, and an OK button 878 and a Cancel button 879. The OK button 878 is an instruction button that proceeds to the next process which applies the definition information of the confirmed business check. The Cancel button 879 is an instruction button that cancels the application of the definition information of the confirmed business check.

[0123] Display area 870 is the area that displays the definition information of the business check to be implemented (i.e., the definition information of the business check for a similar registered form that is the source form for implementation). By displaying it in display area 860, the user can confirm the contents of the definition of the business check to be implemented.

[0124] Display area 872 is an area that displays information about the target form (i.e., the form to which the business check definition information will be introduced). Display area 872 includes display areas 874, 875, and 876. Display area 874 is an area that displays the business check definition information for the target form and includes display areas 874A and 874B. Display area 874A is an area that displays the name of the business check for the target form, corresponding to the name of the business check to be introduced. Display area 874B is an area that displays the items of the target form and is associated with the reading frame of the item on the target form. Display area 875 is an area that displays information about the verification of the business check for the target form and includes a verification button 875A to instruct verification, a display area 875B to display the verification result, and a display area 875C to display the value to be verified for the item to be checked. Display area 875C is an area where the value based on the OCR result can be set. Display area 876 is an area that displays the image of the target form.

[0125] In the implementation verification process, the user is instructed to set the items of the target form (areas corresponding to the reading frame) for the items they intend to implement in the display area 874, and when the verification button 875A is pressed, the CPU 22 executes the implementation verification process. In this implementation verification process, business checks are performed using the values ​​obtained from the OCR results (values ​​displayed in display area 875C), and the information indicating the verification results, which are the results of this execution, is displayed for each item in display area 875B. The display of the verification results in display area 875B allows the user to confirm whether the business checks set as candidates for business checks in the source form are applicable to the business checks in the target form.

[0126] Display area 876 is an area for displaying images of the client's forms. The displayed form images also include reading frames on the form corresponding to the business check items shown in display area 874. The display of these reading frames allows the user to confirm which positions (items) on the client's form are targeted for the business check.

[0127] As explained above, according to this embodiment, when defining the process for checking the information contained in a form, it is possible to reduce the burden on the user compared to defining it sequentially for each item in the form.

[0128] Although the technology of this disclosure has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the technology of this disclosure is not limited to the scope described in the embodiments above. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the embodiments above without departing from the gist of the work, and such modified or improved forms are also included in the technical scope of the technology of this disclosure.

[0129] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment explains the process performed by executing a program stored in an auxiliary storage device, at least some of the program's processing may be implemented in hardware. Also, the program's processing flow described in the above embodiment is just one example, and steps may be deleted, new steps added, or the processing order rearranged without departing from the main point.

[0130] Furthermore, the processing in the above-described embodiment may be stored as a program on a storage medium such as an optical disc and distributed.

[0131] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment used a CPU as an example of a general-purpose processor, in the above embodiment, the term "processor" refers to a broader type of processor, including general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0132] Furthermore, the operation of the processor in the above-described embodiment may not be performed by a single processor, but may be performed by multiple processors working together, or by multiple processors located in physically separate locations working together. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0133] 10. Reporting System 20 Information Processing Devices 21 Computer main unit 25 Memory section 25D Database 25P Information Processing Program 25S System Program 27 Communications Department 28 Operation Input Section 29 Display section 220 Reading Unit 221 Definition part 222 Acquisition Department 224 Introduction 226 Display Control Unit

Claims

1. Equipped with a processor, The aforementioned processor, Obtain relevant information related to the first form, Identify a second form that corresponds to related information similar to the aforementioned related information, Obtain definition information that indicates the definition of the process for checking the information described in the items of the second form, The definition information is output as a candidate for definition information to be applied to the items of the first report. Information processing device.

2. The aforementioned related information is characterized by being information that indicates at least one of the image information of the form and the identification information for identifying the definition information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned processor, If multiple second forms exist, the second form selected from among the multiple second forms presented in an order corresponding to the similarity specified as the order of related information of the second forms is identified as the second form. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned processor, Further output information indicating the processing related to the aforementioned inspection of the acquired definition information. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The aforementioned processor, Further output information showing the results of the processing related to the aforementioned inspection. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4.

6. The above result is the result of executing the inspection process using the parameters for the inspection process entered by the user. The information processing apparatus according to feature 5.

7. The above result is the result of performing the inspection process on the items of the first form. The information processing apparatus according to feature 5.

8. The aforementioned processor, The system accepts from the user the selection of items from the first form on which to perform the processing related to the inspection. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7.

9. The aforementioned processor, If multiple definition pieces of information are obtained as the definition pieces of information, one of the multiple definition pieces of information obtained as the definition pieces of information will be output in a selectable format. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

10. It is an information processing program, In the processor, Obtain relevant information related to the first form, Identify a second form that corresponds to related information similar to the aforementioned related information, Obtain definition information indicating the definition of the process for checking the information described in the items of the second form. death, The definition information is output as a candidate for definition information to be applied to the items of the first report. An information processing program that handles tasks.

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