Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-27
2001-10-09
Alam, Hosain T. (Department: 2172)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06301591
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1). Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for entering various types of data (i.e. for the purposes of registration, input, or the like), and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for processing form documents by which data printed on form document are entered, as well as to a computer readable recording medium having form document processing program recorded thereon.
(2). Description of the Related Art
An entry system used for entering various types of received data usually processes received data in a predetermined sequence. Such an entry system is employed by, e.g., a financial institution.
FIG. 21
shows the configuration of a typical entry system. An entry system
100
shown in
FIG. 21
comprises one or more entry terminals (e.g., workstations for business use which are installed in a branch office and will be hereinafter abbreviated as “WS”)
50
A,
50
B and an unillustrated host computer (e.g., an unillustrated server which is also installed in the branch office).
The entry terminals
50
A,
50
B check the contents of the data written on form document to be entered and display the contents on a screen. The operator makes a correction to (or edition) the data, and the entry terminal checks the results of correction. Subsequently, according to the contents of the data, the data are transmitted to predetermined destinations, such as those which will be described later. For example, as shown in
FIG. 21
, the entry terminal
50
A comprises a display
51
a
, a computer body
52
a
; and an input device
53
a
, and the entry terminal
50
B comprises a display
51
b
, a computer body
52
b
, and an input device
53
b.
Upon receipt of form data, the entry terminals
50
A,
50
B display the received form data, respectively, on the displays
51
a
,
51
b
via the computers
52
a
,
52
b
. The data are subjected to given processing through use of the input devices
53
a
,
53
b.
Upon receipt of form data from the entry terminals
50
A,
50
B via an information transmission line
50
C, the host computer transmits the thus-received form data to another entry terminal (not shown). Even the host computer is designed so as to be capable of performing the same processing as that performed by the entry terminals
50
A,
50
B.
More specifically, as shown in FIG.
22
(
a
), each of the foregoing entry terminals
50
A,
50
B is made up of, e.g., a stage processing section
60
comprising a receiving section
601
, an entry processing section
602
, and a sorting section
603
. The stage processing section
60
performs given processing (e.g., checking for erroneous data, data edition, determination of destinations, or the like) according to the contents of the received form data (or the data which are written on form document and are to be entered) and sorts out form data according to corresponding destinations.
In short, by virtue of the stage processing section
60
, the foregoing entry terminals
50
A,
50
B can process the received form data in a given manner.
The receiving section
601
is designed so as to receive entered form data; more specifically, image data resulting from reading form data and recognized character information resulting from recognition of characters from the image data or data manually entered by the operator.
On the basis of given conditions, the entry processing section
602
subjects form data received from the receiving section
601
to several processing operations, such as checking for erroneous data, data edition (data correction), or determination of a destination of the post-edited form data. To this end, the entry processing section
602
has an input/output processing section
602
A and check tables
604
and
605
.
The input/output processing section
602
A is used for displaying on the screen form data received from the receiving section
601
and for performing checking, editing, and sorting operations under the conditions set in the check tables
604
,
605
, which will be described later. The input/output processing section
602
A corresponds to the foregoing displays
51
a
,
51
b
and the input devices
53
a
,
53
b
(see FIG.
21
).
The check table
604
(see FIG.
22
(
b
)) is a table used for determining whether or not the data themselves include errors, and the check table
605
(see FIG.
22
(
c
)) is a table used for determining a destination for the data. The determination of the destination is made by the check table
605
according to the type of form document, a monetary amount, or the contents of form data.
In other words, the entry processing section
602
is designed so as to display on the screen form data received from the receiving section
601
by means of the input/output processing section
602
A, as well as to check on the basis of the check table
604
whether or not the contents of form data are correct.
The data errors detected by the foregoing check table
604
are originated in the matter entered in form document. If the matter correctly entered in the form document is recognized as an error, the operator detects this matter by reference to the image data of the form document. In this way, two ways of detecting data errors are provided.
The editing operation performed by the entry processing section
602
is accomplished by the operator making a correction to the data errors detected by the aforementioned two ways.
In a financial facility, jobs must be sorted into those which may be performed by a clerk at a teller's window on his own authority and into those which require the approval of another clerk (e.g., a service clerk or a branch manager) according to the type of form document or the monetary amount to be handled. To this end, the entry processing section
602
is designed so as to automatically determine the destination of the corrected form data (or the category into which the corrected form data are sorted) on the basis of the foregoing check table
605
(i.e., according to the contents of form data, e.g., the type of form document or a monetary amount).
Further, the sorting section
603
transmits form data processed by the entry processing section
602
to the destination determined by the entry processing section
602
.
Since the foregoing entry terminals
50
A,
50
B are connected together via the host computer, the stage processing sections
60
provided, respectively, for the entry terminals
50
A,
50
B are capable of exchanging form data with each other. Still more, form data can be sent to and received from the entry terminals
50
A,
50
B without intervention of the host computer.
With the foregoing configuration, when the foregoing entry system
100
receives form data, the entry terminals
50
A,
50
B subject the thus-received form data to checking, editing, and destination-determination operations upon reference to the check tables
604
and
605
. Subsequently, the thus-processed form data are transmitted to desired destinations through the medium of the information transmission line
50
C and the host computer.
Accordingly, the foregoing entry system
100
enables a round of entry tasks to be processed in orderly sequence and in tandem with each other, on the basis of the check tables
604
,
605
imparted with a degree of freedom for each task.
However, in the foregoing entry system
100
, the processing operations performed by the entry processing section
602
—that is, the checking for the data entered in a received form (e.g., dates, monetary amounts, and account numbers in a case where entry task is performed by a financial facility), the editing of form data, and the sorting of the post-edited form data—are very complicated. Further, the details of the processing vary among tasks (i.e., the processing operations have a high degree of task dependence), and therefore the existing data entry system suffers from the difficulty of setting in the check tables
604
,
605
conditions other than the boundary conditions under which variations in a part of a program (e.g., a check editing logic) may be predicted beforehand.
Mo
Asano Ryoei
Hirata Masaki
Katsumata Yutaka
Matsui Takayuki
Yamaoka Kazumi
Alam Hosain T.
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Fujitsu Limited
Kindred Alford W.
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