JP6571825B1 - FAX number acquisition method, computer and program - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a FAX number acquisition method and the like that can specify a sender more reliably. A FAX OCR apparatus acquires one or more line numbers based on a FAX image, and sets one of the line numbers based on the position of each acquired line number in the FAX image as a transmission side FAX. Select as a number and output the sender identification information associated with the sending FAX number. [Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a FAX number acquisition method, a computer, and a program.

  It is useful to automatically specify the sender on the receiving side when receiving communication related to a facsimile (hereinafter, sometimes abbreviated as “FAX”). In normal FAX communication, information representing a caller number is transmitted and received together with an image, so that the sender may be identified from the caller number.

  The information of the identified sender can be used for automatic processing (input of ordering party information, input of shipping destination information, display of past transaction history, etc.) by a computer.

  An example of a technique for extracting character information from a received FAX image is described in Patent Document 1.

JP 2017-62574 A

  However, the conventional technique has a problem that it is difficult to specify the sender if the sender number cannot be acquired or if the sender number is shared.

  In particular, when the sender uses the FAX shared service, the caller number is that of the service provider, so the true sender (transmission requester) cannot be specified.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a FAX number acquisition method, a computer, and a program that can specify a sender more reliably.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the FAX number acquisition method according to the present invention is:
An acquisition step in which the computer acquires one or more line numbers based on the received FAX image;
Computer, each obtained line number, on the basis of the position in the said FAX image, selects one of the line number as transmitting FAX number, a selection step,
An output step, wherein the computer outputs sender identification information associated with the transmitting FAX number ;
The acquisition step and the selection step can be performed for each of a plurality of regions in the FAX image,
The plurality of regions have an order relationship with each other;
After the acquisition step is executed for any region,
-If a line number is obtained for the area, the selection step is performed for the line number;
If the line number is not acquired for the area, the acquisition step is executed for the next area;
According to a particular aspect ,
The order relationship is defined in the order in which the vertical position of the region goes from top to bottom,
When the vertical positions are the same for a plurality of areas, the left and right positions of the plurality of areas are defined in order from right to left.
According to a particular aspect,
The computer further comprises a form determination step for determining whether the FAX image represents a fixed form,
-When the FAX image represents a standard form, a step in which the computer acquires a transmission-side FAX number based on a predetermined area in the FAX image and the output step are executed, and the selection step is not executed. ,
-If the FAX image does not represent a standard form, the acquisition step, the selection step and the output step are executed.
According to a specific aspect, in the selection step, an acquired line number that matches the receiving FAX number is excluded from selection.
According to a specific aspect, in the selection step, the lowermost one of the acquired line numbers is selected.
The computer according to the present invention executes the above-described method.
A program according to the present invention causes a computer to execute the above-described method.

  According to the FAX number acquisition method, computer, and program according to the present invention, a line number is acquired based on a FAX image, and when there are a plurality of line numbers, one of them is selected as the transmission side FAX number. The sender can be identified more reliably.

It is a figure which shows the structure containing the FAXOCR apparatus which concerns on this invention. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of the FAX OCR apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of line | wire number DB of FIG. It is an example of a FAX image representing a fixed form. It is an example of a FAX image that does not represent a fixed form. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of region definition according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of the FAX OCR apparatus according to the second embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration including a FAX OCR apparatus 10 according to the present invention. The FAX OCR apparatus 10 is an apparatus that executes the FAX number acquisition method described in this specification. The FAX OCR apparatus 10 is communicably connected to another FAX apparatus (not shown) via the FAX communication network 20. The FAX communication network 20 has a configuration in which, for example, a known FAX apparatus can transmit and receive information according to the G3 facsimile standard.

  Further, the FAX OCR apparatus 10 has a function of performing character recognition processing using the OCR technology. The OCR technique means a technique for converting a digital character code that can be used by a computer based on, for example, an image representing a handwritten character or an image representing a printed character.

  The FAX OCR apparatus 10 has a configuration as a known computer, and includes a calculation unit 11 that performs calculation and a storage unit 12 that stores information. The computing means 11 includes, for example, a CPU (central processing unit), and the storage means 12 includes, for example, a semiconductor memory and an HDD (hard disk drive). The storage means 12 stores a later-described line number DB 13.

  The storage unit 12 stores a program (not shown), and the FAXOCR apparatus 10 executes the method described in the present specification when the calculation unit 11 executes the program. That is, this program causes a computer to execute the method described in this specification, thereby causing the computer to function as the FAXOCR apparatus 10.

  The FAX OCR apparatus 10 includes a FAX interface 14 as an interface for receiving information including an image from the FAX communication network 20 or another FAX apparatus. The FAX interface 14 is, for example, a known FAX board. The FAX interface 14 may also serve as an interface for the FAX OCR apparatus 10 to transmit information including an image to the FAX communication network 20 or another FAX apparatus.

  Although not particularly illustrated, the FAX OCR apparatus 10 includes an input device as input means used by an operator or the like to input information. This input device is, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, or the like. Further, the FAXOCR apparatus 10 includes an output device as an output unit that outputs information to the user. The output device is a display device such as a liquid crystal display, but may be a printing device such as a printer.

  An example of the operation of the FAX OCR apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The process of FIG. 2 is started in response to the FAX OCR apparatus 10 receiving a FAX image (Step S1). Reception of a FAX image is performed via the FAX communication network 20. The meaning of “FAX image” can be appropriately understood by those skilled in the art. For example, it means information representing an image receivable via the FAX communication network 20 in accordance with a predetermined FAX standard.

  Next, the FAX OCR device 10 acquires a caller number notified in association with the received FAX image (step S2). This caller number is associated with the FAX image and is transmitted and received without being included in the FAX image, and represents, for example, a line number associated with the FAX apparatus on the transmission side.

  Next, the FAX OCR apparatus 10 determines whether or not the acquired caller number is defined in the line number DB 13 (step S3).

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the line number DB 13. The line number DB 13 associates the line number with the sender identification information related to the line number. The sender identification information is information for identifying the sender (for example, the owner of the transmitting FAX apparatus or the holder of the line contract). In the example of FIG. 3, it is a symbol string consisting of alphanumeric characters, but it may be the name of the customer. Although not specifically shown in FIG. 2, the FAX OCR apparatus 10 associates one or more line numbers with the sender identification information associated with each line number and stores them as the line number DB 13 in FIG. You may perform before a process.

  In this specification, “line number” means, for example, a line number (telephone line number) associated with a FAX machine on the transmission side, but also includes telephone numbers and other line numbers not associated with a FAX apparatus. . It can be said that the line number DB 13 in FIG. 3 relates to the line number (FAX number) of the FAX machine on the transmission side, among the line numbers.

  In the first embodiment, the line number DB 13 is used, for example, to specify the line number of a customer who is a customer. That is, in the first embodiment, the line number defined in the line number DB 13 represents the line number of a specific customer, and the sender identification information associated with the line number uniquely identifies the customer.

  Here, when the sender uses the FAX shared service, the sender number is that of the FAX shared service provider, and therefore the sender number uniquely represents a specific customer. In such a case, it is not defined in the line number DB 13.

  If the caller number is defined in the line number DB 13 in step S3, the FAX OCR apparatus 10 refers to the line number DB 13, and identifies the sender associated with the line number as the caller number acquired in step S2. Information is acquired (step S4). Next, the FAXOCR device 10 outputs the sender identification information (step S5, output step).

  The mode of output in step S5 can be arbitrarily designed. For example, the sender identification information may be output via a liquid crystal display device or a printing device, the sender identification information may be output and stored in the storage means 12, or another computer or the like via a communication network. May be sent to.

  Further, the sender identification information may be converted into another format and output. For example, as shown in the example of FIG. 3, if the sender identification information is represented by numbers or symbols, and the name of the customer is associated with this and stored in another DB or the like, the customer is based on the relationship. Can be output.

  The output sender identification information can be used by an arbitrary method. For example, the FAX OCR apparatus 10 or another computer may determine the storage location of the FAX image based on the sender identification information. In this way, slips sent by FAX can be distributed and managed for each customer. Alternatively, the sender identification information may be order source information or a shipping destination, and may be automatically input to a specific database. Alternatively, a past transaction history related to the sender identification information may be displayed. In this way, the productivity of order entry work is greatly improved.

  If the caller number is not defined in the line number DB 13 in step S3, the FAX OCR apparatus 10 determines whether the FAX image represents a fixed form (step S6, form determination step). In addition, also when a caller number cannot be acquired in step S2 (in the case of non-notification etc.), you may perform the process after step S6.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a FAX image representing a standard form. FIG. 5 shows an example of a FAX image that does not represent a fixed form (this example represents a non-standard form). The fixed form means a form in which a line number is displayed at a position determined according to the type of form. In a non-standard form or other image, the line number may not be displayed at a predetermined position.

  The determination in step S6 may be performed in any way. For example, when a predetermined figure is displayed at a predetermined position, it is determined that the standard form is represented, and otherwise, the standard form is not represented. Determined. In the example of FIG. 4, black rectangles are arranged on the left and right ends of a predetermined form number display area A1, and a form number (“100” in this example) representing the type of a fixed form is placed between these black rectangles. It is displayed.

  If it is determined in step S6 that it represents a standard form, the FAX OCR apparatus 10 acquires a transmission-side FAX number based on a predetermined area in the FAX image (step S7). The position of the predetermined area may be fixed or may vary depending on the type of the fixed form. For example, in the case of the form associated with the form number “100” shown in FIG. 4, since the transmission-side FAX number is displayed in the transmission-side FAX number area A2, the numbers displayed in this area are displayed using the OCR technique. By recognizing it, it is possible to acquire the transmitting FAX number.

  The expression format of the position of the region can be arbitrarily designed, but can be expressed using, for example, a two-dimensional coordinate system, and in particular, can be expressed using a two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system. More specifically, an orthogonal XY coordinate system may be used in which one axis (for example, the horizontal axis) is the X axis and the other axis (for example, the vertical axis) orthogonal thereto is the Y axis.

  Note that the form number and the position of the transmission-side FAX number area A2 corresponding to the form number can be associated using a DB (not shown) or the like, and can be stored in the storage unit 12 or the like.

  Next, the FAX OCR apparatus 10 refers to the line number DB 13 and acquires the sender identification information associated with the line number as the transmission side FAX number (step S8). Next, the FAXOCR device 10 outputs the sender identification information (step S5 described above).

  If it is determined in step S6 that the standard form is not represented, the FAX OCR apparatus 10 acquires one or more line numbers based on the FAX image received in step S1 (step S9, acquisition step). In this embodiment, the line number acquisition process in step S9 is executed for the entire FAX image, but may be executed only in an area that can cover the range in which the line number can be entered in the FAX image. Good.

  Specific processing for acquiring a line number based on a FAX image can be designed as appropriate, but can be performed using, for example, an image recognition technique. More specifically, a numeric string (which may include a hyphen or may be ignored in the recognition process; the same applies hereinafter) may be recognized and extracted using the OCR technique. Further, it may include processing for determining whether or not the recognized numeric string is a line number. As a specific criterion, “a numeric string starting with 0 and not including a hyphen and having 9 to 11 digits is a line number. Other numeric strings are not line numbers” may be used. .

  In addition, although it does not show in particular about the process when one line number cannot be acquired in step S9, it can design suitably. For example, the processing shown in FIG. 2 may be terminated at that time, or predetermined exception processing may be executed.

  Next, the FAX OCR apparatus 10 selects one of the line numbers as the transmission-side FAX number based on the position in the FAX image of each line number acquired in step S9 (step S10, selection step). If there is only one line number acquired in step S9, that line number is selected.

  The expression format of the position of the line number can be arbitrarily designed, but for example, an orthogonal XY coordinate system can be used in the same manner as the position of the area described above.

  The position-related reference for selecting the transmission-side FAX number can be arbitrarily designed. For example, the reference may be “select the lowest one”. Further, when a plurality of line numbers are located on the lowermost side (when juxtaposed to the left and right, etc.), the criterion may be “select the rightmost one among the lowest ones”. . The comparison “lowermost” can be performed based on the value of the Y coordinate, for example, and the comparison “rightmost” can be performed based on the value of the X coordinate, for example.

  Usually, a FAX sender often enters his / her FAX number on a sheet to be transmitted. In that case, the transmission-side FAX number is described in the FAX image, and there is a high possibility that the transmission-side FAX number can be appropriately acquired in steps S9 and S10.

  In addition, when a FAX sender writes both the FAX number of the receiving side and the FAX number of the own side (transmission side), or the FAX number of the FAX side and the own phone number, The number is often written on the lower right. For this reason, if the lower right one is selected as in step S10, there is a high possibility that the transmission-side FAX number can be acquired appropriately.

  After acquiring the transmission-side FAX number in this way, the FAX OCR device 10 acquires the sender identification information associated with the transmission-side FAX number (step S8 described above), and the sender associated with the transmission-side FAX number. The identification information is output (step S5 described above).

  The branch processing after step S6 is summarized as follows. When the FAX image represents a standard form, the FAX OCR apparatus 10 executes step S7 to acquire the transmission-side FAX number based on a predetermined area in the FAX image, and executes steps S8 and S5 to identify the sender. Information is output, but steps S9 and S10 are not executed. On the other hand, if the FAX image does not represent a fixed form, the FAX OCR apparatus 10 executes step S9 to acquire a line number, executes step S10, selects a transmission FAX number from them, Steps S8 and S5 are executed to output sender identification information.

  As described above, according to the FAX number acquisition method according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the line number is acquired based on the FAX image, and the transmission-side FAX number is selected from the line number. can do.

  In particular, since the FAX image itself is used, the true sender is specified even when the caller number cannot be obtained in step S2 or when the caller number is for the shared service and is not defined in the line number DB 13. It is possible.

  Further, in steps S9 and S10, the transmission-side FAX number can be extracted from a relatively wide range, so that even a non-standard form image can be processed.

  On the other hand, with respect to the fixed form, the transmission side FAX number is acquired by limiting the area in step S7, and more accurate acquisition processing is possible. Further, since the process (step S9) for scanning a wide range in the image is not executed for the fixed form, the process can be made efficient.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
The second embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment in which steps S9 and S10 are executed in units of regions. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of area definition in the second embodiment. 6A to 6D are examples of different definitions. The number of regions and the manner of division can be arbitrarily designed. In FIG. 6A, the FAX image is divided into four parts in the vertical direction (for example, based on the Y coordinate value) and divided into two parts in the horizontal direction (for example, based on the X coordinate value), and a total of eight regions are defined. ing. In FIG. 6B, it is divided into four in the vertical direction only, and a total of four areas are defined. In FIG. 6C, it is divided into two parts in the vertical direction and two parts in the horizontal direction, and a total of four areas are defined. In FIG. 6D, it is divided into three in the vertical direction, only one of them is divided into two in the horizontal direction, and a total of four areas are defined.

  In the example of FIG. 6, the areas do not overlap each other, but some of the areas may overlap each other. Further, in the example of FIG. 6, the regions are all rectangular, but other shapes may be used.

  The plurality of regions have an order relationship with each other. In FIG. 6, this order relationship is represented by a circled number. For example, in FIG. 6 (a), the upper right area is first, then the upper left area, then the lower right one level, then the left side of that stage, and so on. Finally, the order is defined. In any example of FIG. 6, the order relationship of the regions is defined in the order in which the vertical positions of the regions are from top to bottom. In any example of FIG. 6, when the vertical positions of a plurality of areas are equal, the horizontal positions of the areas are defined in order from right to left.

  FIG. 7 is an example of a part of a flowchart for explaining the operation of the FAX OCR apparatus according to the second embodiment. Steps S6 to S8 are the same as those in the first embodiment. If it is determined in step S6 that the FAX image does not represent a fixed form, the FAX OCR apparatus repeats the processes in steps S9 and S10 in the first embodiment for each of a plurality of regions in the FAX image.

  More specifically, first, the FAX OCR apparatus acquires one or more line numbers for the first area (step S11, acquisition step). The specific process can be executed in the same manner as in step S9 of the first embodiment. For example, a numeric string starting with 0 and excluding hyphens and having 9 to 11 digits may be acquired as the line number. Next, the FAX OCR apparatus determines whether or not a line number has been acquired for the area (step S12).

  If the line number is not acquired for that area, the target area is changed to the next area, and the process returns to step S11. That is, the FAX OCR apparatus executes Step S11 for the next area. The processing when the line number cannot be acquired for the last area is not particularly shown, but can be designed as appropriate. For example, the processing shown in FIG. 7 (and FIG. 2) may be terminated at that time, or predetermined exception processing may be executed. As a result, step S11 is repeated until the line number is acquired for any region or until the execution of step S11 is completed for all regions.

  When the line number is acquired for the area being processed, one of the line numbers is selected as the transmission-side FAX number based on the position of each acquired line number in the FAX image (Step S13, selection). Step). Since this process is executed in units of areas, the same process can be performed even if the position in the area is used instead of the position in the FAX image. If there is only one line number acquired in step S11, that line number is selected.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S8, and as a result, the process of step S5 is also executed. In this case, the process for the next area is not executed. That is, for example, when the line number is acquired for the second area, the processes after step S11 are not executed for the third and subsequent areas.

  As described above, also by the FAX number acquisition method according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the line number is acquired based on the FAX image, and the transmission-side FAX number is selected from the line number, so that the sender is specified more reliably. be able to.

  Further, in the second embodiment, the line number acquisition process is sequentially performed in units of areas, so that the target area for scanning or the like can be limited, and the process becomes efficient.

  In particular, according to the order relationship as shown in FIG. 6, processing is performed in the order of positions where the FAX number is easily written in the general practice from top to bottom and from right to left, so that the line number can be acquired at an early stage. The possibility is high and the processing can be made more efficient.

  In particular, in the example of FIG. 6, the upper area is given priority among the areas, but the line number entered on the lower side is given priority within the same area, so that the accuracy specialized in detecting the FAX number is given. High processing is possible. For example, when the sender's telephone number and FAX number are written horizontally in two rows, the lower side is often the FAX number. In such a case, the telephone number and FAX number are used. Since the two line numbers are acquired, the lower FAX number can be appropriately selected.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the following modifications can be made.
In the acquisition step (S9 and S11) and the selection step (steps S10 and S13), a reference that is not related to the position may be used in combination. Any standard may be used regardless of location, but for example, a specific line number obtained may be ignored (or treated as not obtained), It may be a criterion that a specific one of the acquired line numbers is excluded from selection. Specifically, those that match the receiving FAX number may be ignored or excluded. The line numbers to be ignored or excluded can be stored in advance in the storage means of the FAX OCR apparatus 10, for example. In this way, it is possible to avoid erroneously recognizing the receiving FAX number or the like written in the FAX image as the transmitting FAX number, and the processing accuracy is improved.

  The order relationship between the regions is not limited to the example as shown in FIG. 6, and can be freely set in a business field or the like having a different custom. For example, the order may be from bottom to top or from left to right. Similarly, the reference regarding the position at the time of selecting the line number can be freely set, for example, “select the uppermost one” may be used.

  Steps S2 to S4 may be omitted. That is, it is possible to obtain the sender identification information based only on the line number acquired from the FAX image, regardless of the sender number transmitted in association with the FAX image.

  Further, the processing of steps S6 and S7 may be omitted. In other words, it is possible to perform the processes of steps S9 and 10 (or steps S11 to S13) regardless of whether the form is a fixed form.

  The specific hardware configuration of the FAX OCR apparatus 10 is not limited to that shown in FIG. For example, it may be configured using a plurality of computers, and each step may be executed by a different computer.

  10 FAXOCR device (computer), S5 output step, S6 form determination step, S9, S11 acquisition step, S10, S13 selection step.

Claims (7)

An acquisition step in which the computer acquires one or more line numbers based on the received FAX image;
Computer, each obtained line number, on the basis of the position in the said FAX image, selects one of the line number as transmitting FAX number, a selection step,
An output step, wherein the computer outputs sender identification information associated with the transmitting FAX number ;
The acquisition step and the selection step can be performed for each of a plurality of regions in the FAX image,
The plurality of regions have an order relationship with each other;
After the acquisition step is executed for any region,
-If a line number is obtained for the area, the selection step is performed for the line number;
-A FAX number acquisition method , wherein if the line number is not acquired for the area, the acquisition step is executed for the next area . The order relationship is defined in the order in which the vertical position of the region goes from top to bottom,
When the vertical position is equal for a plurality of areas, the left and right positions of the plurality of areas are defined in order from right to left,
The method of claim 1 . The computer further comprises a form determination step for determining whether the FAX image represents a fixed form,
-When the FAX image represents a standard form, a step in which the computer acquires a transmission-side FAX number based on a predetermined area in the FAX image and the output step are executed, and the selection step is not executed. ,
-If the FAX image does not represent a standard form, the acquisition step, the selection step and the output step are executed;
The method according to claim 1 or 2 . In the selection step, one that matches the receiving FAX number in the obtained line number is excluded from the selection method according to any one of claims 1-3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein, in the selection step, a lowermost one of the acquired line numbers is selected. Computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-5. The program which makes a computer perform the method as described in any one of Claims 1-5 .

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