Information processing method, information processing device, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing method, an information processing apparatus and program configured to easily register data for online business cards using a signature portion of e-mail even when it is difficult to access a mail server due to enhancement of security.SOLUTION: A method includes displaying an input screen. The input screen 500 includes an input region 510. The input region is configured so that text information can be input and acquires business card information to be used for generating business card data from text information input to the input region. The method further includes displaying a second screen including the acquired business card information. The second screen is configured so that the business information can be edited.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] There is a system that acquires an e-mail from a mail server, extracts an attribute as a character string from the signature part of the text of the acquired e-mail, and registers it in a business card data server (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There are cases where it is difficult to access a mail server due to enhanced security or the like. In such a case, with the technology of Patent Document 1, there is a problem that information related to a business card cannot be acquired from an e-mail and registered as business card information used for creating business card data.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, an information processing method is provided. This information processing method displays a first screen. The first screen includes an input area. The input area is configured to be able to input text information, and acquires business card information used for creating business card data from the text information input into the input area. A second screen including the acquired business card information is displayed. The second screen is configured to be able to edit the business card information.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of an information processing system 1000. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of server device 100. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the client device 110. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of information processing by the information processing system 1000. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of the input screen 500. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of entering email signature information into the input area 510. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of the confirmation screen 700. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of the confirmation screen 800 of modified example 1. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an example of the confirmation screen 900 of modified example 2. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows an example of the confirmation screen 1010 of the modified example 2. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows an example of the confirmation screen 1100 of the modified example 2. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows an example of the confirmation screen 1200 of modified example 3. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The various features shown in the embodiments below can be combined with each other.

[0008] Incidentally, the program for implementing the software appearing in this embodiment may be provided as a non-transitory computer-readable medium, or it may be provided as a downloadable medium from an external server, or it may be provided so that the program is launched on an external computer and its functions are realized on a client terminal (so-called cloud computing).

[0009] Furthermore, in this embodiment, "part" may include, for example, hardware resources implemented by a circuit in a broad sense, and the information processing of software that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. In addition, various types of information are handled in this embodiment, and these types of information can be represented, for example, by the physical values ​​of signal values ​​representing voltage and current, the high or low values ​​of signal values ​​as a set of binary bits composed of 0s or 1s, or by quantum superposition (so-called qubits), and communication and calculations can be performed on a circuit in a broad sense.

[0010] Furthermore, a circuit in a broad sense is a circuit realized by combining at least a suitable combination of circuits, circuits, processors, and memory. In other words, it includes application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (for example, simple programmable logic devices (SPLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), etc.

[0011] <Embodiment 1> 1. System Configuration Figure 1 shows an example of the system configuration of the information processing system 1000. As shown in Figure 1, the information processing system 1000 includes a server device 100 and a client device 110 as part of its system configuration. The server device 100 and the client device 110 are connected to each other via a network 150.

[0012] Note that in Figure 1, for the sake of simplicity, only one client device 110 is shown in the information processing system 1000, but the information processing system 1000 may include multiple client devices 110. Also, although Figure 1 shows a PC as an example of a client device 110, it is not limited to a PC, and may be a tablet computer or a smartphone, etc. In other words, the client device 110 can be any device that can display a screen and perform processing such as copying the signature field of an email and pasting it into a designated field on the screen. The server device 100 is an example of an information processing device.

[0013] 2. Hardware Configuration (1) Hardware configuration of server device 100 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 100. The server device 100 includes, as a hardware configuration, a control unit 210, a storage unit 220, and a communication unit 230. The control unit 210 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, and controls the entire server device 100. The storage unit 220 is a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), SSD (Solid State Drive), or any arbitrary combination thereof, etc., and stores programs and data used when the control unit 210 executes processing based on the programs. When the control unit 210 executes processing based on the programs stored in the storage unit 220, the functions of the server device 100 and the like are realized. The communication unit 230 is a NIC (Network Interface Card) or the like, connects the server device 100 to the network 150, and controls communication with other devices. The storage unit 220 is an example of a storage medium.

[0014] (2) Hardware Configuration of the Client Device 110 FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the client device 110. The client device 110 includes, as a hardware configuration, a control unit 310, a storage unit 320, an imaging unit 330, an input unit 340, an output unit 350, and a communication unit 360. The control unit 310 is a CPU or the like and controls the entire client device 110. The storage unit 320 is a ROM, a RAM, an SSD, or any combination thereof, and stores programs and data used when the control unit 310 executes processes based on the programs. The functions of the client device 110 are realized by the control unit 310 executing processes based on the programs stored in the storage unit 320. The imaging unit 330 is a camera or the like and captures a subject. The input unit 340 is a keyboard and / or a mouse or the like and inputs information according to a user operation. The output unit 350 is a display or the like and displays a screen or the like based on the control of the control unit 310. The communication unit 360 connects the client device 110 to the network 150 and controls communication with other devices. The storage unit 320 is an example of a storage medium.

[0015] 3. Information Processing (Overview of the Process) The control unit 210 of the server device 100 controls to display an input screen on the output unit 350 of the client device 110 in response to a request. The input screen is an example of a first screen. An example of the input screen is shown in FIG. 5 described later. As shown in FIG. 5, the input screen includes an input area. The input area is configured to be able to input text information. The control unit 210 acquires name card information used for creating name card data from the text information input in the input area. Then, the control unit 210 controls to display a confirmation screen including the acquired name card information on the output unit 350 of the client device 110. The confirmation screen is an example of a second screen. An example of the confirmation screen is shown in FIG. 7 and the like described later. As shown in FIG. 7, the confirmation screen is configured to be able to edit name card information.

[0016] (Details of the Process) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the information processing of the information processing system 1000. In sequence SQ401, the control unit 210 of the server device 100 generates an input screen in response to a request from the client device 110 and sends it to the client device 110. Generating an input screen and sending it to the client device 110 is one example of displaying an input screen. In sequence SQ402, the control unit 310 of the client device 110 displays the received input screen on the output unit 350 of the client device 110. Figure 5 shows an example of the input screen 500. The input screen 500 includes an input area 510 and a send button 520. The input area 510 is configured to allow text information to be entered. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the text information of the email body is entered into the input area 510. The operator of the client device 110 accesses a predetermined URL (Uniform Resource Locator), etc., and when the input screen 500 is displayed, operates the client device 110 to copy the information of the email signature and paste it into the input area 510. Figure 6 shows an example of entering the information of the email signature into the input area 510.

[0017] After the information for the email signature is entered into the input area 510, and the send button 520 is selected, in sequence SQ403, the control unit 310 of the client device 110 sends the text information entered in the input area 510 to the server device 100.

[0018] Upon receiving text information, in sequence SQ404, the control unit 210 extracts the email signature portion from the text information and obtains business card information from the extracted signature portion. More specifically, the control unit 210 determines whether or not the text information contains a signature portion. If the control unit 210 determines that the text information contains a signature portion, it extracts the signature portion from the text information and obtains business card information from the extracted signature portion. For example, the control unit 210 uses a trained model, which has been trained to output whether or not a signature portion is included in the text information, to determine whether or not the text information contains a signature portion. More specifically, the control unit 210 inputs the text information into the trained model, and if the trained model outputs information indicating that a signature portion is included, it determines that the text information contains a signature portion. On the other hand, the control unit 210 inputs the text information into the trained model, and if the trained model outputs information indicating that a signature portion is not included, it determines that the text information does not contain a signature portion.

[0019] As another example, the control unit 210 may determine whether or not the text information contains a signature portion by the following information processing: The control unit 210 removes parts that resemble the body of an email but do not contain a signature portion from the input text information using the set part-of-speech information. The control unit 210 removes parts that resemble the body of an email from the text information, and if there is any remaining information, it extracts that information as the signature portion. That is, the control unit 210 removes parts that resemble the body of an email from the text information, and if there is any remaining information, it determines that the text information contains a signature portion and extracts the remaining information as the signature portion. The control unit 210 removes parts that resemble the body of an email from the text information, and if there is no remaining information, it determines that the text information does not contain a signature portion.

[0020] Here, the server device 100 is assumed to hold person information data containing multiple user business card information in the storage unit 220, etc. The business card information in the person information data includes, for example, company name, department name, job title, name, email address, telephone number, mobile phone number, fax number, etc. If the control unit 210 determines that the text information contains a signature portion, it obtains specific information that identifies the individual from the signature portion. Specific information includes, for example, name, email address, mobile phone number, etc. Based on the obtained specific information, the control unit 210 searches the person information data containing the user's business card information and obtains the business card information from the person information data as a search result. To explain more specifically, suppose the obtained specific information is, for example, a name (for example, Hideyuki Mito). Then, the control unit 210 searches multiple person information data using the name and obtains at least one or more business card information entries that include the name (for example, Hideyuki Mito) as business card information. If there is only one piece of name information containing the name Hideyuki Mito, the control unit 210 acquires one piece of business card information. The acquired business card information may be, for example, the following: Company name: IPX Department name: (blank) Position: (blank) Name: Hideyuki Mito Email: hideyuki_mito@ipx.tokyo TEL: 05036297787 Mobile phone: (blank) FAX:(blank) The control unit 210 searches for information contained in the signature portion based on the information contained in the obtained business card information and obtains business card information to be used to create business card data from the signature portion. In the example above, the control unit 210 searches whether the company name "IPX" is contained in the signature portion, and if it is, it obtains "IPX" as the company name. The same applies to the email address and TEL (telephone number), etc. By performing this processing, business card information can be efficiently obtained from the input text information.

[0021] As another example, if the control unit 210 determines that the text information contains a signature portion, it inputs the text information into a trained model. This trained model is trained to take text information as input and output information corresponding to the signature portion contained in the text information. The control unit 210 obtains the information corresponding to the signature portion contained in the text information output from the trained model. Based on the information corresponding to the signature portion, the control unit 210 extracts the signature portion from the text information. For example, if the control unit 210 obtains information that all of the input text information corresponds to the signature portion, it extracts all of the text information as the signature portion. Also, for example, if the control unit 210 obtains information that the signature portion is from line x to line y from the top of the input text information, it extracts the information from line x to line y from the top of the input text information as the signature portion.

[0022] On the other hand, if the control unit 210 determines that the text information does not contain a signature, it searches the text information based on keywords and obtains the search results as business card information. For example, the control unit 210 searches the input text information based on predetermined keywords (for example, words such as name, organization name, department, and job title), obtains strings of characters related to the keywords as search results, and uses the obtained search results as business card information. As another example, if the control unit 210 determines that the text information does not contain a signature portion, it may overlay a warning screen such as "Signature portion not found. Please enter the signature portion." on the screen, as shown in Figure 5, and prompt the user to enter text information including the signature portion into the input area 510 again.

[0023] In sequence SQ405, the control unit 210 generates a confirmation screen containing the acquired business card information and transmits it to the client device 110. Generating a confirmation screen and transmitting it to the client device 110 is an example of displaying a confirmation screen. In sequence SQ406, the control unit 310 displays the received input screen on the output unit 350 of the client device 110. Figure 7 shows an example of the confirmation screen 700. The confirmation screen 700 includes business card information. Furthermore, the confirmation screen 700 is configured to allow editing of the business card information.

[0024] When the operator of the client device 110 moves the cursor to the relevant section to be modified on the screen shown in Figure 7, for example, and modifies the business card information by operating the input unit 340, the control unit 310 receives the modified business card information in sequence SQ407. The control unit 310 may also accept input of blank information (in the example of Figure 7, department name, job title, mobile phone number, fax number, etc.) via the screen or the like. If no correction is made, the sequence SQ407 will not be processed.

[0025] In sequence SQ408, the control unit 310 transmits business card information to the server device 100. If modifications or additions are made, the modified or added business card information is transmitted from the client device 110 to the server device 100. If modifications or additions are made, the business card information acquired in sequence SQ404 is transmitted from the client device 110 to the server device 100. In sequence SQ409, the control unit 210 registers the business card information received from the client device 110, or, if the relevant business card information is already registered, updates it with the received business card information.

[0026] In sequence SQ410, the control unit 210 creates online business card data based on the registered or updated business card information. Here, online business card data refers to business card data displayed in a service that allows business card exchange using a QR code or URL online.

[0027] According to the processing of this embodiment, even when it is difficult to access the mail server due to enhanced security or other reasons, data for online business cards can be easily registered using the signature portion of the email.

[0028] (Variation 1) A modified example 1 of the above-described embodiment 1 will now be explained. In Embodiment 1, the control unit 210 obtained business card information from the email signature using a trained model or by analyzing a string. In Modification 1, the control unit 210 also obtains information on which part of the signature information was used as business card information and controls it to display this information identifiable on the screen. Figure 8 shows an example of the confirmation screen 800 in Modification 1. The confirmation screen 800 includes business card information. The confirmation screen 800 is also configured to allow editing of the business card information. Furthermore, the confirmation screen 800 displays the email signature information pasted into the input area 510, and also displays which part of the signature information was used for the business card information in an identifiable manner. In Figure 8, the information from which part of the signature information was used for the business card information is displayed as a superimposed rectangular object, but this is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 210 may change the font of the information from the signature information that was used for the business card information, or it may color the text of the relevant information. In other words, any method is acceptable as long as it is possible to identify which part of the signature information was used for the business card information.

[0029] According to Modification 1, the operator of the client device 110 can immediately determine which part of the email signature was used for business card information. Therefore, if the wrong part was used, the operator can correct the relevant part. Also, if the original email signature was incorrect, the operator can correct the signature to be included in the designated part of the email via the mailer or similar device.

[0030] (Modification 2) A modified example 2 of the above-described embodiment 1 will now be explained. Embodiment 1 shows an example where the appropriate signature portion of an email is entered into the input area 510. However, some users may copy the entire body of an email and paste it into the input area 510. In such cases, if the email has been sent and received repeatedly, the email body may contain the signature portions of multiple people. If the email pasted into the input area 510 contains signature information for multiple people, the control unit 210 in the modified example 2 uses a trained model or analyzes the string to obtain the business card information for each of the multiple people. Once the business card information for each of the multiple people has been obtained, the control unit 210 generates a confirmation screen on which the business card information for each person can be selected and controls it to be displayed on the client device 110.

[0031] Figure 9 shows an example of the confirmation screen 900 for Modification 2. When business card information for multiple people is obtained, a selection box 910 is displayed as shown on the confirmation screen 900. When the operator selects from the selection box 910, they can choose other business card information. In other words, when business card information for multiple people is obtained from the signature information, the confirmation screen is configured to allow selection of business card information for multiple people.

[0032] The following are other examples of how to allow selection of business card information for multiple people on the confirmation screen. Figure 10 shows an example of the confirmation screen 1010 of Modification 2. As shown in Figure 10, the control unit 210 may display the next business card candidate button 1020, etc., when business card information for multiple people has been acquired. In Figure 10, the first business card information among the business card information for multiple people is shown. If the operator wishes to register this business card information, they should select a button such as "Add to My Data," or if they believe that their own business card information is not displayed on the screen, they should select the next business card candidate button 1020. When the next business card candidate button 1020 is selected, the control unit 210 controls the system to display a confirmation screen including the next business card information, as shown in Figure 11. Figure 11 shows an example of the confirmation screen 1100 of Modification 2. In Figure 11, the second business card information among the business card information for multiple people is shown. In this Modification 2, the explanation uses the business card information of two people as an example, so the confirmation screen 1100 includes the previous business card candidate button 1110. When the previous business card candidate button 1110 is selected, the confirmation screen shown in Figure 10 is displayed. If the business card information for multiple people includes information for two or more business cards, the button on the screen in Figure 11 will also become the next business card candidate button.

[0033] According to Modification 2, even if a section containing business card information for multiple people is entered, the control unit 210 can acquire each business card information and control the system to display a screen where the user can select the appropriate business card information from the multiple business card information entries. The user can then select and register the appropriate business card information via the screen.

[0034] (Variation 3) A third modified example of Embodiment 1 described above will now be explained. In Modification 3, the control unit 210 may make the difference identifiable if there is a difference between the business card information to be registered and the corresponding business card information in the person information data. Figure 12 shows an example of the confirmation screen 1200 in Modification 3. In the example in Figure 12, the job title information is displayed identifiable because it differs from past information. In the example in Figure 12, the difference is made identifiable by using a different display pattern for the area where the difference exists, but this is not the only way. The font of the business card information in the area where the difference exists may be changed, or the text of the business card information in the relevant area may be colored. In other words, if there is a difference from the relevant past business card information, the business card information may be configured in any way that makes the difference identifiable.

[0035] According to variation 3, for example, if there are differences between past business card information and current information due to a change in company or promotion, the system will display these differences in an identifiable way, allowing users to register their business card information while checking those differences.

[0036] <Note> The invention may be provided in the following embodiments.

[0037] (1) An information processing method comprising: displaying a first screen, the first screen including an input area, the input area being configured to allow text information to be entered, obtaining business card information to be used to create business card data from the text information entered in the input area, displaying a second screen including the obtained business card information, the second screen being configured to allow editing of the business card information.

[0038] (2) An information processing method according to (1) above, wherein the signature portion of an email is extracted from the text information, and the business card information is obtained from the extracted signature portion.

[0039] (3) An information processing method according to (2) above, wherein it is determined whether the text information contains the signature portion, and if it is determined that the text information contains the signature portion, the signature portion is extracted from the text information, and the business card information is obtained from the extracted signature portion.

[0040] (4) An information processing method described in (3) above, wherein if it is determined that the text information does not contain the signature portion, the method further includes searching the entire text information for information related to the signature and obtaining the business card information from the information related to the signature.

[0041] (5) An information processing method described in (3) above, wherein specific information that identifies an individual is obtained from the signature portion, a person information data including business card information of multiple users is searched based on the specific information, information included in the signature portion is searched based on the information included in the business card information obtained as a search result, and business card information to be used to create the business card data is obtained from the signature portion.

[0042] (6) An information processing method according to any one of the above items (1) to (5), wherein the second screen includes the text information, and the second screen is configured to identify which part of the text information was used for the business card information.

[0043] (7) An information processing method according to any one of the above items (2) to (5), wherein the text information is input to a trained model, the trained model is a trained model that takes text information as input and outputs information corresponding to the signature portion contained in the text information, the trained model obtains information corresponding to the signature portion contained in the text information output from the trained model, and extracts the signature portion from the text information based on the information corresponding to the signature portion.

[0044] (8) Information processing method described in any one of the above items (1) to (7), wherein if business card information of multiple persons is obtained from the text information, the second screen is configured to allow selection of the business card information of the multiple persons.

[0045] (9) In the information processing method described in any one of the above items (1) to (6), if there are differences between the current business card information and past business card information, the business card information included in the second screen is configured in such a way that the differences can be identified.

[0046] (10) Information processing device having a control unit, the control unit displays a first screen having an input area, the input area is configured to allow input of information for the signature portion of an email, and based on the input of the signature portion information into the input area, the device obtains business card information to be used to create business card data from the signature portion information, displays a second screen including the obtained business card information, and the second screen is configured to allow editing of the business card information.

[0047] (11) A program that causes a computer to execute any one of the information processing methods described in item (1) to (9) above. Of course, this is not always the case.

[0048] For example, it may be provided as a computer-readable, non-temporary storage medium for storing the aforementioned program. Furthermore, the embodiments and modifications described above may be implemented in any combination.

[0049] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the server device 100 is described as generating a screen and sending it to the client device 110. However, the server device 100 may also send data necessary for screen generation to the client device 110. Then, the server device 100 may generate and display the screen based on the received data. In this case, the process by which the server device 100 sends data necessary for the screen to the client device 110 is one example of the process of displaying the screen.

[0050] Finally, various embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Novel embodiments can be implemented in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 100: Server device 110: Client device 150: Network 210: Control Unit 220: Storage section 230: Communications Department 310: Control Unit 320: Storage section 330: Imaging Unit 340: Input section 350: Output section 360: Communications Department 500: Input screen 510: Input area 520: Send button 700: Confirmation screen 800: Confirmation screen 900: Confirmation screen 910: Selection Box 1000: Information Processing System 1010: Confirmation screen 1020: Next business card suggestion button 1100: Confirmation screen 1110: Previous business card candidate button 1200: Confirmation screen

Claims

1. Information processing method, Display the first screen, The first screen includes an input area, The aforementioned input area is configured to allow text information to be entered. Using a trained model, business card information to be used to create business card data is obtained from the text information entered in the input area. A second screen containing the acquired business card information is displayed. The second screen described above is configured to allow editing of the business card information, Obtaining the aforementioned business card information includes extracting business card information for multiple people, each corresponding to a different person, from the aforementioned text information. Displaying the second screen includes displaying one of the extracted business card information entries and displaying a switching area for switching the business card information to be displayed. By accepting an operation in the aforementioned switching area, the business card information displayed on the second screen is switched. Information processing methods.

2. In the information processing method described in claim 1, The email signature portion is extracted from the aforementioned text information, and the business card information is obtained from the extracted signature portion. Information processing methods.

3. In the information processing method described in claim 2, The system determines whether the text information contains the signature portion, and if it determines that the text information contains the signature portion, it extracts the signature portion from the text information and obtains the business card information from the extracted signature portion. Information processing methods.

4. In the information processing method described in claim 3, If it is determined that the text information does not contain the signature portion, the text information is searched for information related to the signature based on keywords, and the business card information is obtained from the information related to the signature. Information processing methods.

5. In the information processing method described in claim 3, The following steps are performed: obtain specific information that identifies an individual from the signature portion; search for person information data including business card information of multiple users based on the specific information; search for information contained in the signature portion based on the information contained in the business card information obtained as a search result; and obtain business card information to be used to create the business card data from the signature portion. Information processing methods.

6. In the information processing method described in claim 1, The second screen includes the text information, An information processing method configured to identify which portion of the text information was used for the business card information on the second screen.

7. In the information processing method described in claim 2, The aforementioned text information is input into the trained model, The aforementioned trained model is a trained model that takes text information as input and outputs information corresponding to the signature portion contained in the text information. The information corresponding to the signature portion included in the text information output from the trained model is obtained, Based on the information of the portion corresponding to the signature portion, the signature portion is extracted from the text information. Information processing methods.

8. In the information processing method described in claim 1, If there are differences between the current business card information and past business card information, the business card information included in the second screen is configured to allow identification of the differences. Information processing methods.

9. An information processing device, It has a control unit, The control unit, Display the first screen, The first screen includes an input area, The aforementioned input area is configured to allow text information to be entered. Using a trained model, business card information to be used to create business card data is obtained from the text information entered in the input area. A second screen containing the acquired business card information is displayed. The second screen described above is configured to allow editing of the business card information, Obtaining the aforementioned business card information includes extracting business card information for multiple people, each corresponding to a different person, from the aforementioned text information. Displaying the second screen includes displaying one of the extracted business card information entries and displaying a switching area for switching the business card information to be displayed. By accepting an operation in the aforementioned switching area, the business card information displayed on the second screen is switched. Information processing device.

10. It is a program, A program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images