Configuration information providing device, configuration information providing system, configuration information providing method, and program

Abstract

To provide a setting information providing device which proposes setting of an optimal scanner from among pieces of setting information of a well-informed person.SOLUTION: A setting information providing device 4 comprises: a setting information storage unit which stores a plurality of pieces of setting information to use in image reading processing; a feature extraction unit which extracts feature information from inputted image data; a setting information selection unit which selects setting information from among the pieces of setting information stored in the setting information storage unit on the basis of the feature information extracted by the feature extraction unit; and an output unit which outputs the setting information selected by the setting information selection unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a setting information providing apparatus, Configuration information provision system, a setting information providing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus that optically scans an original image based on set scan parameters and converts it into image data, having control means and communication means for connecting the control means to a server. The control means: (a) pre-scans the original image, processes its image data to recognize an identifier, (b) transmits this identifier to the server via the communication means, and when receiving scan parameters corresponding to the identifier from the server, performs a main scan of the original image based on these scan parameters and converts it into image data.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object is to provide a setting information providing apparatus that proposes an optimal scanner setting from the setting information of experts.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The setting information providing device according to the present invention includes a setting information storage unit that stores a plurality of setting information used in image reading processing, a feature extraction unit that extracts feature information from input image data, a setting information selection unit that selects setting information from the setting information stored in the setting information storage unit based on the feature information extracted by the feature extraction unit, and an output unit that outputs the setting information selected by the setting information selection unit.

[0006] Preferably, the setting information storage unit stores a plurality of the setting information, including setting information set by other users, and the setting information selection unit selects setting information from among the plurality of the setting information, including setting information set by other users.

[0007] Preferably, the system further includes a registration information determination unit that determines the setting information to be stored in the setting information storage unit based on the number of times each setting information has been referenced, the number of times each setting information has been used, or the degree to which the setting information has been edited from the default setting value, and the setting information storage unit stores the setting information determined by the registration information determination unit.

[0008] Preferably, the system further includes a setting information evaluation unit that updates the number of times the edited original setting information has been referenced or used when the setting information of another user has been edited and used, and the registration information determination unit determines the setting information to be stored in the setting information storage unit based on the number of times each setting information updated by the setting information evaluation unit has been referenced or used.

[0009] Preferably, the system further includes a purpose identification unit that identifies the purpose of the input image data, and the setting information selection unit selects setting information from the setting information stored in the setting information storage unit based on the purpose identified by the purpose identification unit and the feature information extracted by the feature extraction unit.

[0010] Preferably, the feature extraction unit extracts multiple types of feature information from the input image data, and the setting information selection unit selects setting information from the setting information stored in the setting information storage unit based on the multiple types of feature information extracted by the feature extraction unit.

[0011] Preferably, the setting information storage unit stores the setting information in association with a purpose, and the output unit presents the setting information selected by the setting information selection unit based on the characteristic information, along with the purpose associated with this setting information.

[0012] Preferably, the setting information selection unit selects a plurality of setting information, and the output unit presents the plurality of setting information selected by the setting information selection unit in order of similarity of the image feature information.

[0013] Preferably, the setting information selection unit selects a plurality of setting information, and the output unit presents the plurality of setting information selected by the setting information selection unit in the order of their usage history.

[0014] The setting information provision method according to the present invention includes a registration step of registering setting information to be used in image reading processing in a database, a feature extraction step of extracting feature information from input image data, a setting information selection step of selecting setting information from the setting information stored in the database based on the feature information extracted in the feature extraction step, and an output step of outputting the setting information selected in the setting information selection step.

[0015] The program according to the present invention causes a computer to execute the following steps: a registration step of registering setting information used in image reading processing into a database; a feature extraction step of extracting feature information from input image data; a setting information selection step of selecting setting information from the setting information stored in the database based on the feature information extracted in the feature extraction step; and an output step of outputting the setting information selected in the setting information selection step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] Provide a setting information providing device that proposes optimal scanner settings from the setting information of experts.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0017] [Figure 1] It is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the setting information providing system 1. [Figure 2] It is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the scanner device 2. [Figure 3] It is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the user terminal 3. [Figure 4] It is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the setting information providing device 4. [Figure 5] It is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the scanner device 2. [Figure 6] It is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the user terminal 3. [Figure 7] It is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the setting information providing device 4. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart for explaining the setting information providing process (S10). [Figure 9] It is a diagram illustrating the profile information stored in the setting information DB600 of the setting information providing device 4. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart for explaining the registration / updating process (S20) of the profile information. [Figure 11] (a) is a diagram illustrating the presentation of a profile based on the feature information and purpose information of a manuscript, (b) is a diagram illustrating the presentation of a profile based on the feature information of a manuscript, and (c) is a diagram illustrating a profile candidate presented with the purpose information as supplementary information.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] [Background] Explain the background against which the present invention was made. When scanning paper documents to create digital files, the requirements for the scanned data vary from user to user. In particular, business scanners often handle large volumes of standardized forms, resulting in a large number of output destination and image processing settings to meet the specific requirements of those forms. Therefore, it is difficult for anyone other than an expert to configure the settings optimally.

[0019] Therefore, the setting information provision system 1 of the present invention prepares a large amount of setting information (hereinafter referred to as "profiles") suitable for each type and purpose of the document, and proposes a profile based on the user's purpose and the characteristics of the document, thereby enabling even non-experts to find the optimal profile.

[0020] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the configuration information provision system 1. As illustrated in Figure 1, the configuration information provision system 1 includes a scanner device 2, a user terminal 3, and a configuration information provision device 4, which are connected to each other by a network 5. Scanner device 2 is an image reading device that reads an image from a document. User terminal 3 is a computer terminal used by the user. For example, it communicates with scanner device 2 in response to user operations and controls scanner device 2. The scan setting information created on user terminal 3 is called a profile, and generally differs depending on the medium being scanned (document, business card, receipt, etc.). Therefore, the user selects a profile that matches the document to be scanned and the save location from the driver software or the operation screen of scanner device 2, and presses the scan button to start scanning by scanner device 2. The document is scanned with the reading surface and resolution according to the profile and sent to user terminal 3. The configuration information provider 4 is a computer terminal that stores multiple profiles created by each user. The profiles stored in the configuration information provider 4 include profiles created by experts, and each profile associates characteristic information of the document with the processing (purpose) to be performed on the document. Based on the characteristics of the document scanned by the scanner device 2 and the processing (purpose) to be performed on the document, the configuration information provider 4 presents the optimal profile to the user terminal 3.

[0021] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of scanner device 2. As illustrated in Figure 2, the scanner device 2 includes a CPU 200, volatile memory 202, non-volatile memory 204, a network interface 206 (network IF206), and a touch panel 208, and these components are connected to each other via a bus 212. CPU200 is, for example, the central processing unit. Memory 202 is, for example, volatile memory and functions as main memory. The non-volatile memory 204 stores computer programs (e.g., the scanner program 20 in Figure 5) and other data files as a non-volatile storage device. Network IF206 is an interface for wired or wireless communication. Touch panel 208 is an example of an operation screen, and is, for example, an LCD touch panel.

[0022] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of user terminal 3. As illustrated in Figure 3, the user terminal 3 includes a CPU 300, memory 302, HDD 304, network interface 306 (network IF 306), display device 308, and input device 310, and these components are connected to each other via a bus 312. CPU300 is, for example, a central processing unit. Memory 302 is, for example, volatile memory and functions as main memory. HDD304 is, for example, a hard disk drive, which stores computer programs (e.g., the driver program 30 in Figure 6) and other data files as a non-volatile recording device. Network IF306 is an interface for wired or wireless communication, and for example, it enables communication within the internal network 5. The display device 308 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The input device 310 is, for example, a keyboard and a mouse.

[0023] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the setting information providing device 4. As illustrated in Figure 4, the configuration information providing device 4 includes a CPU 400, memory 402, HDD 404, network interface 406 (network IF 406), display device 408, and input device 410, and these components are connected to each other via a bus 412. CPU400 is, for example, the central processing unit. Memory 402 is, for example, volatile memory and functions as main memory. HDD404 is, for example, a hard disk drive device, and as a non-volatile recording device, it stores computer programs (for example, the configuration information providing program 40 in Figure 7) and other data files (for example, the configuration information database 600). Network IF406 is an interface for wired or wireless communication, and for example, it enables communication within the internal network 5. The display device 408 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The input device 410 is, for example, a keyboard and a mouse.

[0024] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the scanner device 2. As illustrated in Figure 5, the scanner device 2 in this example has the scanner program 20 installed. The scanner program 20 is stored on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, and is installed on the scanner device 2 via this recording medium. The scanner program 20 includes a document reading unit 220, a counting unit 222, and a transmission unit 224. Furthermore, part or all of the scanner program 20 may be implemented using hardware such as an ASIC, or it may be implemented by partially borrowing the functions of an OS (Operating System).

[0025] In the scanner program 20, the document reading unit 220 reads the document and acquires image data of the document. The counting unit 222 measures the number of times a profile is referenced and used. Specifically, during scanning, the counting unit 222 measures the number of times a profile selected by the user from the driver software on the user terminal 2 or the operation screen of the scanner device 2 is referenced and used.

[0026] The transmitting unit 224 transmits the profile information used during scanning to the setting information providing device 4. Specifically, the transmitting unit 224 transmits profile information to the setting information providing device 4 if 30 days have passed since the last transmission of profile information, and if the number of times the profile has been used or referenced, as measured by the counting unit 222, exceeds a predetermined value. More specifically, if there is a reference source profile, the transmitting unit 224 transmits the GUID of the reference source profile, the GUID of the profile, and the number of uses to the setting information providing device 4. If there is no reference source profile, the transmitting unit 224 transmits the profile, the characteristic information of the document, the purpose information, and the number of uses to the setting information providing device 4. Here, GUID refers to the unique identification information assigned to identify the profile. The communication format between the transmitting unit 224 and the configuration information providing device 4 is HTTP request and JSON format.

[0027] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of user terminal 3. As illustrated in Figure 6, the driver program 30 is installed on the user terminal 3 in this example. The driver program 30 is stored on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, and is installed on the user terminal 3 via this recording medium. The driver program 30 includes a feature extraction unit 330, a target identification unit 332, and a setting unit 334. Furthermore, part or all of the driver program 30 may be implemented by hardware such as an ASIC, or it may be implemented by partially borrowing the functions of the OS (Operating System).

[0028] The feature extraction unit 330 extracts feature information from the image data of the document read by the document reading unit 220 of the scanner device 2 and input into the user terminal 3. Specifically, the feature extraction unit 330 acquires feature information obtained from the document, rather than the document itself, by scanning the customer document with the fixed image processing settings of the scanner device 2. The feature information obtained from the document includes document size, document type (photograph / text document (invoice, quotation, transfer certificate, etc.) / business card / passport, etc.), color (color / monochrome), color histogram information, minimum / maximum font size, character density, amount of noise in the background or watermark, ruled line information (number of vertical and horizontal lines, ruled line color), presence or absence of barcodes, presence or absence of white / shaded / stamped characters, presence or absence of punch holes, color information, presence or absence of watermarks, etc. The feature information of the document extracted by the feature extraction unit 330 is transmitted to the setting information providing device 4 by the transmission unit 224 of the scanner device 2.

[0029] The purpose identification unit 332 identifies the purpose of the input image data. Specifically, the purpose identification unit 332 identifies the processing (purpose) of the image data read by the document reading unit 220 from the image processing settings already set on the user terminal 3. The purpose identification unit 332 also identifies the processing (purpose) of the image data from the user in an interactive format such as a wizard or chatbot. The identified purpose is called purpose information. For example, in scanner device 2, if you want to extract characters (OCR: Optical Character Recognition), you set it to binary black and white, noise reduction, and background pattern removal. For archiving, you set it to color. If you want to save it with image quality suitable for the e-document law, you set it to tone adjustment and e-document mode. In other words, even with the same document, the optimal profile differs depending on the purpose, so the purpose identification unit 332 can identify the purpose and suggest a profile that suits the purpose. The purpose information identified by the purpose identification unit 332 is transmitted to the setting information providing device 4 by the transmission unit 224 of the scanner device 2. The setting unit 334 obtains the profile information selected by the user from the setting information providing device 4, and saves and sets it in the user terminal 3. The functions comprised of the driver program 30 may also be included in the setting information providing device 4.

[0030] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the setting information providing device 4. As illustrated in Figure 7, the configuration information providing device 4 in this example has a configuration information providing program 40 installed and a configuration information database 600 (configuration information DB600) configured. The configuration information providing program 40 is stored on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM and is installed on the configuration information providing device 4 via this recording medium. The setting information provision program 40 includes a receiving unit 440, a setting information storage unit 442, a setting information selection unit 444, a setting information evaluation unit 446, a registration information determination unit 448, a similarity calculation unit 450, a usage performance evaluation unit 452, a sorting unit 454, and an output unit 456. Furthermore, part or all of the configuration information provision program 40 may be implemented using hardware such as an ASIC, or it may be implemented by partially borrowing the functions of an OS (Operating System).

[0031] The receiving unit 440 receives the profile information transmitted by the transmitting unit 224 of the scanner device 2. The configuration information storage unit 442 stores multiple profiles used in image reading processing in the configuration information DB 600. The configuration information DB 600 stores multiple profiles, including profiles set by other users. The configuration information storage unit 442 also stores the profile determined by the registration information determination unit 448 in the configuration information DB 600.

[0032] The configuration information selection unit 444 selects a profile from among the profiles stored in the configuration information DB 600 based on the feature information extracted by the feature extraction unit 330. Specifically, the configuration information selection unit 444 selects a profile from among the profiles stored in the configuration information DB 600 based on multiple types of feature information extracted by the feature extraction unit 330. More specifically, the configuration information selection unit 444 selects a profile from among the profiles stored in the configuration information DB 600 based on the objective information identified by the objective identification unit 332 and the feature information extracted by the feature extraction unit 330. Furthermore, the configuration information selection unit 444 selects multiple profiles from among several profiles, including profiles set by other users.

[0033] The configuration information evaluation unit 446 updates the reference count or usage count of the original profile that was edited when another user's profile is edited and used. Specifically, the configuration information evaluation unit 446 updates the profile information stored in the configuration information DB 600, which is received by the receiving unit 440.

[0034] The registration information determination unit 448 determines the configuration information to be stored in the configuration information DB 600 based on the number of times each profile has been referenced, the number of times each profile has been used, or the degree to which the profile has been edited from its default settings. The registration information determination unit 448 also determines the profiles to be stored in the configuration information DB 600 based on the number of times each profile has been referenced or used, as updated by the configuration information evaluation unit 446.

[0035] The similarity calculation unit 450 calculates the similarity between the feature information extracted by the feature extraction unit 330, the target information identified by the target identification unit 332, and the original document features associated with the profile stored in the setting information DB 600. The similarity calculation method uses a match variable: δ=1 (match) or 0 (mismatch), and the degree to which each item is reflected in the score is varied. [Similarity] = δ[Target Information - General Framework (OCR OR Archive)] * 5 + δ[Target Information - Other] * 10 + δ[Original Document Features - Original Document Type] * 10 + δ[Original Document Features - Original Document Size] * 5 + Color Histogram Similarity (0-10 set from the degree of match between the peak RGB values ​​and their ratios for R, G, and B) + Watermark and Background Noise Similarity (the amount of watermark and background noise is divided into 5 levels, and difference values ​​(0-5) are set) + Ruled Line Matching (0-5 set from the degree of match between the aspect ratio of the number of ruled lines and the ruled line color) + δ[Original Document Features - Other] * 3.

[0036] The usage performance evaluation unit 452 evaluates the usage performance of the profile. Specifically, the usage performance evaluation unit 452 evaluates the profile based on the number of views, the number of uses, whether detailed settings have been changed, whether various settings have been changed, and whether the profile was created by a user who has a history of creating frequently used profiles. The sorting unit 454 rearranges the profiles in descending order of similarity calculated by the similarity calculation unit 450, and in descending order of usage history evaluated by the usage history evaluation unit 452.

[0037] The output unit 456 outputs the profile selected by the setting information selection unit 444. Specifically, the output unit 454 presents the profile selected by the setting information selection unit 444 based on feature information, along with the purpose associated with that profile. The output unit 456 also presents multiple profiles selected by the setting information selection unit 444 in order of similarity of the image feature information. Furthermore, the output unit 456 presents multiple profiles selected by the setting information selection unit 444 in order of their usage history. Specifically, the output unit 456 displays the profiles selected by the setting information selection unit 444 on the display device 308 in the order sorted by the sorting unit 454. Furthermore, the configuration information providing device 4 and the configuration information DB 600 may be implemented as a cloud service on the network.

[0038] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the setting information provision process (S10). As illustrated in Figure 8, in step 100 (S100), the setting information providing device 4 collects profile information used by the expert user. Specifically, the feature extraction unit 330 of the user terminal 3 extracts the features of the document to be scanned by applying the profile used by the expert. More specifically, the feature extraction unit 330 analyzes the image data by scanning the document actually used in operation and obtains the feature information of the document. The purpose identification unit 332 of the user terminal 3 applies the profile used by the expert user and identifies the purpose for the scanned image data from the already set image processing settings. The setting information storage unit 442 stores the collected expert user profiles in the setting information DB 600, associating them with the feature information and purpose information.

[0039] In step 105 (S105), the document reading unit 220 of the scanner device 2 reads the document. In step 110 (S110), the feature extraction unit 330 of the user terminal 3 extracts feature information of the document based on the image data of the document read by the document reading unit 220. In step 115 (S115), the purpose identification unit 332 of the user terminal 3 obtains the processing (purpose) for the scanned document from the user through the scanner device 2 or through an interactive format such as a wizard or chatbot on the user terminal 3. In step 120 (S120), the similarity calculation unit 450 of the setting information providing device 4 calculates the similarity between the feature information extracted by the feature extraction unit 330 and the target information identified by the target identification unit 332, and the original profile features and target information stored in the setting information DB 600. In step 125 (S125), the setting information selection unit 444 selects all profiles from the setting information DB 600 whose similarity is equal to or greater than a default value.

[0040] In step 130 (S130), the usage performance evaluation unit 452 evaluates the usage performance of profiles selected by the similarity calculation unit 450 whose similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. In step 135 (S135), the sorting unit 454 sorts the profiles selected by the setting information selection unit 444, whose similarity is equal to or greater than a default value, in descending order of usage history as evaluated by the usage history evaluation unit 452. In step 140 (S140), the output unit 456 displays the profiles on the display device 308 of the user terminal 3 in the order sorted by the sorting unit 454. In step 145 (S145), user terminal 3 accepts the user's selection of a profile. In step 150 (S150), the configuration information storage unit 442 retrieves the profile information selected by the user terminal 3 from the configuration information DB 600 and sends it to the user terminal 3. The configuration unit 334 of the user terminal 3 sets the retrieved profile.

[0041] Figure 9 is an example of profile information stored in the configuration information DB600 of the configuration information providing device 4. As illustrated in Figure 9, profile information includes GUID (profile identification information), document characteristics (document size, document type, etc.), profile content (resolution, image type, etc.), number of uses, and referenced profile, and these are all related. The usage count includes the usage counts included in the profile information transmitted by scanner device 2. Multiple profiles are stored in the configuration information DB600.

[0042] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the registration / update process (S20) of profile information. As illustrated in Figure 10, in step 200 (S200), the counting unit 222 of the scanner device 2 counts the number of times the profile used has been used or referenced each time a document is scanned by the document reading unit 220 of the scanner device 2. In step 205 (S205), if 30 days have passed since the last transmission of profile information by the transmission unit 224 of the scanner device 2, and the number of times the profile has been used or referenced by the count unit 222 of the scanner device 2 has exceeded a predetermined value, the profile information registration / update process (S20) proceeds to S210; otherwise, the count continues until the conditions are met. In step 210 (S210), if a source profile for the profile information exists, the profile information registration / update process (S20) proceeds to S215; otherwise, it proceeds to S230.

[0043] In step 215 (S215), the transmitting unit 224 of the scanner device 2 transmits profile information to the setting information providing device 4. Specifically, the transmitting unit 224 of the scanner device 2 transmits the reference profile GUID, profile GUID, and usage count to the setting information providing device 4. The receiving unit 440 of the setting information providing device 4 receives the profile information. In step 220 (S220), the count unit 222 of the scanner device 2 resets the count of the number of times the profile information has been transmitted has been used. In step 225 (S225), the setting information evaluation unit 446 of the setting information providing device 4 updates the usage count and reference GUID for the reference source profile stored in the setting information storage DB 600. In step 230 (S230), the feature extraction unit 330 of the user terminal 3 extracts feature information of the document read by the document reading unit 220 of the scanner device 2. In step 235 (S235), the purpose identification unit 332 of the user terminal 3 identifies the processing (purpose) of the image data of the document read by the document reading unit 220 of the scanner device 2. In step 240 (S240), the transmitting unit 224 of the scanner device 2 transmits profile information to the setting information providing device 4. Specifically, the transmitting unit 224 of the scanner device 2 transmits the profile, the document features extracted by the feature extraction unit 330 of the user terminal 3, the purpose information identified by the purpose identification unit 332 of the user terminal 3, and the number of uses to the setting information providing device 4. The receiving unit 440 of the setting information providing device 4 receives the profile information.

[0044] In step 245 (S245), the count unit 222 of the scanner device 2 resets the count of the number of times the profile information has been transmitted has been used or referenced. In step 250 (S250), the registration information determination unit 448 of the setting information providing device 4 determines that the conditions for registration to the setting information DB 600 are met if the number of times the profile information received by the receiving unit 440 has been used or referenced is equal to or greater than a default value, or if the degree of editing of the profile from the default setting value is equal to or greater than a default value, and proceeds to S255. Otherwise, it determines that the conditions for registration are not met and terminates the process. In step 255 (S255), if the profile received by the receiving unit 440 of the setting information providing device 4 does not exist in the setting information DB 600 of the setting information providing device 4, the profile information registration / update process (S20) proceeds to S260; otherwise, it proceeds to S265. In step 260 (S260), the setting information storage unit 442 of the setting information providing device 4 newly registers the profile information received by the receiving unit 440 in the setting information DB 600. In step 265 (S265), the setting information storage unit 442 of the setting information providing device 4 updates the profile information stored in the setting information DB 600, which has been received by the receiving unit 440.

[0045] As described above, the setting information providing device 4 of this embodiment collects expert profiles in advance and stores them in association with document characteristics and purpose information. Based on the document characteristics and purpose information, the setting information providing device 4 selects the optimal profile from the collected expert profiles and provides it to the user. Therefore, with the setting information providing device 4, even users who are not familiar with scanners can make optimal scanner settings by utilizing the profiles of experts with operational experience.

[0046] [Example 1] Next, a modified example of the above embodiment will be described. Figure 11(a) illustrates the presentation of a profile based on the characteristic information and target information of the manuscript, (b) illustrates the presentation of a profile based on the characteristic information of the manuscript, and (c) illustrates the presentation of target information as supplementary information for profile selection. In the above embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 11(a), a method was described in which multiple optimal profile candidates are presented based on the target information and the document characteristics. However, it is also possible to present multiple optimal profile candidates based on the document characteristics without considering the target information, and prompt the user to make a selection.

[0047] The setting information provision system 1 in modified example 1 will be explained using Figure 11(b). The user scans the document, and the document reading unit 220 of the scanner device 2 acquires image data of the document. The feature extraction unit 330 of the user terminal 3 extracts feature information of the document from the image data read by the document reading unit 220. The similarity calculation unit 450 of the setting information providing device 4 calculates the similarity between the extracted feature information of the document and the document features of the profiles stored in the setting information DB 600. The setting information selection unit 444 selects a profile with a similarity of a default value or higher. The usage performance evaluation unit 452 evaluates the usage performance of the profile selected by the setting information selection unit 444, which has a similarity of a default value or higher.

[0048] The sorting unit 454 sorts the profiles selected by the setting information selection unit 444, whose similarity is equal to or greater than a default value, in descending order of usage history as evaluated by the usage history evaluation unit 452. The output unit 456 displays the profiles and their similarity scores on the display device 308 of the user terminal 3 in the order sorted by the sorting unit 454. Furthermore, the output unit 456 displays the output image to which the profile with the highest similarity is applied. The user selects a profile to apply from the displayed list of profiles, and the setting information selection unit 444 of the setting information providing device 4 saves the selected profile to the user terminal 3.

[0049] [Differentiation 2] Furthermore, a modified example of the above embodiment will be described. In Modification 1, we described a format in which multiple optimal profile candidates are presented based on the manuscript characteristics without considering the target information, and the user is prompted to make a selection. However, the target information may also be presented as supplementary information to help the user select from the multiple profiles presented.

[0050] In the modified example 2 of the setting information provision system 1, the output unit 456 displays profiles with a similarity score equal to or greater than a default value on the display device 308 of the user terminal 3 along with the output image, in order of highest usage history, as is the case in Figure 11(b). However, in Figure 11(c), which illustrates modified example 2, the output unit 456 further associates and displays the purpose information of the profiles in relation to the profiles that have been sorted in order of highest usage history. This allows the user to select a profile according to their purpose. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1…Configuration Information Provision System 2… Scanner device 3…User terminal 4…Setting information providing device 5…Network 20... Scanner Program 30…Driver program 40…Configuration Information Provision Program 220... Manuscript reading unit 222... Counting section 224...Transmitter 330...Feature extraction unit 332…Purpose identification part 334...Settings section 440... Receiver 442...Setting information storage unit 444...Settings Information Selection Section 446... Configuration Information Evaluation Department 448...Registration Information Determination Department 450…Similarity calculation unit 452…Usage Performance Evaluation Department 454... Sort section 456...Output section 600…Configuration Information Database

Claims

1. A setting information storage unit stores multiple expert setting information used in image reading processing, with the purpose of indicating the processing to be performed on the image data and associating it with feature information. A feature extraction unit that extracts feature information from the input image data, A setting information selection unit selects at least one setting information from among the plurality of setting information stored in the setting information storage unit, based on the purpose of the input image data and the feature information extracted by the feature extraction unit. An output unit that presents the at least one setting information selected by the setting information selection unit, along with the purpose associated with the setting information, A setting information providing device having the following features.

2. A setting information storage unit stores multiple expert setting information used in image reading processing, with the purpose of indicating the processing to be performed on the image data and associating it with feature information. A receiving unit that receives feature information extracted from input image data, A setting information selection unit selects at least one setting information from among the plurality of setting information stored in the setting information storage unit, based on the purpose of the input image data and the feature information received by the receiving unit. An output unit that presents the at least one setting information selected by the setting information selection unit, along with the purpose associated with the setting information, A setting information providing device having the following features.

3. The plurality of setting information stored in the setting information storage unit includes setting information set by other users, The setting information selection unit selects at least one setting information from among the plurality of setting information, including setting information set by other users. The setting information providing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A registration information determination unit determines which setting information to be stored in the setting information storage unit based on the number of times each of the multiple setting pieces stored in the setting information storage unit has been referenced, the number of times each of the setting pieces has been used, or the degree to which the setting piece has been edited from the default setting value. It further possesses, The setting information storage unit stores the setting information determined by the registration information determination unit. The setting information providing device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. When any of the multiple setting information stored in the setting information storage unit is edited and used, the setting information evaluation unit updates the number of times the original setting information was referenced or used. It further possesses, The registration information determination unit determines the setting information to be stored in the setting information storage unit based on the number of times the setting information updated by the setting information evaluation unit has been referenced or used. The setting information providing device according to claim 4.

6. Purpose identification unit that identifies the purpose of the input image data. It further possesses, The setting information selection unit selects at least one of the multiple setting information stored in the setting information storage unit based on the purpose identified by the purpose identification unit and the characteristic information. The setting information providing device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The setting information selection unit further receives the purpose of the image data, and based on the received purpose and the feature information, selects at least one setting from among the plurality of setting information stored in the setting information storage unit. The setting information providing device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The feature extraction unit extracts multiple types of feature information from the input image data, The setting information selection unit selects at least one of the multiple setting information stored in the setting information storage unit based on the multiple types of feature information extracted by the feature extraction unit. The setting information providing device according to claim 1.

9. When the setting information selection unit selects two or more setting information from the plurality of setting information stored in the setting information storage unit, the output unit presents the two or more setting information selected by the setting information selection unit in order of similarity between the feature information associated with each and the feature information extracted by the feature extraction unit. The setting information providing device according to claim 1.

10. When the setting information selection unit selects two or more setting information from the plurality of setting information stored in the setting information storage unit, the output unit presents the two or more setting information selected by the setting information selection unit in order of similarity between the feature information associated with each and the feature information received by the receiving unit. The setting information providing device according to claim 2.

11. The system further includes a usage performance evaluation unit that evaluates the usage performance of each of the multiple pieces of setting information stored in the setting information storage unit, If the setting information selection unit selects two or more setting information from the plurality of setting information stored in the setting information storage unit, The output unit presents the two or more setting information selected by the setting information selection unit in the order of their usage history. The setting information providing device according to claim 1 or 2.

12. A setting information provision system comprising an image reading device and a setting information provision device, The image reading device is, + A reading unit that acquires image data of the document, A transmission unit that transmits the acquired image data of the document to the setting information providing device, It has, The aforementioned setting information providing device is A receiving unit that receives image data from the aforementioned image reading device, A setting information storage unit stores multiple expert setting information used in image reading processing, with the purpose of indicating the processing to be performed on the image data and associating it with feature information. The receiving unit includes a feature extraction unit that extracts feature information from the image data received by the receiving unit, A setting information selection unit selects at least one setting information from among the plurality of setting information stored in the setting information storage unit, based on the purpose of the image data received by the receiving unit and the feature information. An output unit that presents the at least one setting information selected by the setting information selection unit, along with the purpose associated with the setting information, A configuration information provision system that has the following features.

13. A setting information provision system comprising an image reading device and a setting information provision device, The aforementioned image reading device is A reading unit that acquires image data of the document, A transmission unit that transmits feature information extracted from the acquired image data of the document to the setting information providing device, It has, The aforementioned setting information providing device is A setting information storage unit stores multiple expert setting information used in image reading processing, with the purpose of indicating the processing to be performed on the image data and associating it with feature information. A receiving unit that receives the aforementioned characteristic information, A setting information selection unit selects at least one setting information from among the plurality of setting information stored in the setting information storage unit, based on the purpose of the image data of the aforementioned document and the characteristic information. An output unit that presents the at least one setting information selected by the setting information selection unit, along with the purpose associated with the setting information, A configuration information provision system that has the following features.

14. A configuration information provision system comprising an image reading device, a user terminal, and a configuration information provision device, The aforementioned image reading device is A reading unit that acquires image data of the document, A transmission unit that transmits the acquired image data of the original document to the user terminal, It has, The user terminal is, A receiving unit that receives image data, A transmission unit that transmits feature information extracted from the received image data to the setting information providing device, It has, The aforementioned setting information providing device is A setting information storage unit stores multiple expert setting information used in image reading processing, with the purpose of indicating the processing to be performed on the image data and associating it with feature information. A receiving unit that receives the aforementioned characteristic information, A setting information selection unit selects at least one setting information from among the plurality of setting information stored in the setting information storage unit, based on the purpose of the image data of the aforementioned document and the characteristic information. An output unit that presents the at least one setting information selected by the setting information selection unit, along with the purpose associated with the setting information, A configuration information provision system that has the following features.

15. A registration step involves registering multiple expert setting information used in image reading processing into a database, with the purpose of indicating the processing to be performed on the image data and associating it with feature information. A feature extraction step that extracts feature information from the input image data, A setting information selection step in which, based on the purpose of the input image data and the feature information extracted by the feature extraction step, at least one setting information is selected from the plurality of setting information stored in the database. An output step which presents the at least one setting information selected in the setting information selection step, along with the purpose associated with the setting information, A method for providing configuration information.

16. A registration step involves registering multiple expert setting information used in image reading processing into a database, with the purpose of indicating the processing to be performed on the image data and associating it with feature information. A feature extraction step that extracts feature information from the input image data, A setting information selection step in which, based on the purpose of the input image data and the feature information extracted by the feature extraction step, at least one setting information is selected from the plurality of setting information stored in the database. An output step which presents the at least one setting information selected in the setting information selection step, along with the purpose associated with the setting information, A program that causes a computer to execute something.

17. A registration step involves registering multiple expert setting information used in image reading processing into a database, with the purpose of indicating the processing to be performed on the image data and associating it with feature information. A receiving step that receives feature information extracted from input image data, A setting information selection step in which, based on the purpose of the input image data and the feature information received in the receiving step, at least one setting information is selected from the setting information stored in the database. An output step presents the setting information selected in the setting information selection step along with the purpose associated with the setting information, A program that causes a computer to execute something.

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