Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1995-06-07
2001-06-12
Feild, Joseph H. (Department: 2176)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C382S305000, C382S306000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247031
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to image filing systems and, particularly, to an image filing system capable of reading an image on a given document, storing into memory means electrical data relating to the image read from the document and reading the data from the memory means for displaying an image represented by the data read from the memory means. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of furnishing a document with auxiliary document identification data, in addition to main document identification data, identifying the document in an image filing system of the described nature. The main document identification data is provided typically in the form of a keyword assigned to the particular document, while the auxiliary document identification data is representative of a portion of the image read from the given document and indicative of a characterizing feature of the image.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An image filing system is used with documents each composed of a plurality of pages, each page bearing image information. Such system is capable of allowing the operator access to any desired document by making a search for a single keyword or two or more keywords assigned to a particular document if the predetermined document name is unknown by the operator. Whether or not the documents listed on retrieval of the keyword or keywords includes the correct document the operator intends to view cannot be determined by the operator, however, unless the operator actually views each of the pages of the document on display. Is the image data is stored in a compressed form in the system, the image data retrieved must be processed to restore or extend the image data to its original form before the image represented by the data is displayed. A disproportionately large amount of time is required for such processing of the retrieved image data. This time is in addition to the time and labor which the operator is required to expend for reviewing each of the pages of the document.
These problems are ingeniously solved in an image filing system proposed in Japanese Provisional Patent Publications (Kokai) No. 61-224557 and No. 61-224558. In the image filing system therein disclosed, a “characterizing” image area of a document which represents a prominent feature of the document is designated at the time of registration of the document in the system. Consequently, only this characterizing image area of the document is displayed during successive inspection of the documents listed as a result of a keyword.
When there is an instruction signal entered to reference the documents listed as a result of a keyword search in known image filing systems of this type, it is required that a search be further made of the characterizing image area of each of the documents. This characterizing image area data is stored in compressed form. The data representative of the particular image area of the document is processed to restore the original state of the data before the image in the image area is to be displayed. An intricate procedure is required, however, for selectively extracting the data contained in the characterizing image area of the document and, in addition, there is a limitation in reducing the period of time required for such processing of the data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an important object of the present invention to provide an improved image filing system capable of efficiently making a search for a given keyword.
It is another important object of the present invention to provide an improved image filing system having a keyword search function allowing retrieval of a target document in a significantly reduced period of time.
It is still another important object of the present invention to provide an improved image filing system in which image data representative of the whole image read from a document is stored in one data storage area of a memory and image data representative of a characterizing portion of the image is stored in another data storage area of the memory for use as auxiliary document identification data in searching for the particular document and displaying the image of the document.
Yet, it is still another important object of the present invention to provide an improved image filing system in which the data storage area of the memory, into which the image data representative of a characterizing portion of the image read from a document, can be reduced significantly and the data stored in the particular data storage area can be read from the memory in a significantly reduced period of time.
In accordance with a first outstanding aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image filing system which uses auxiliary document identification data main document identification data and for the identification of an image-bearing document. Such auxiliary document identification data is formulated to be representative of a portion of the image read from a given document and is indicative of a characterizing feature of the image read from the document, wherein main document identification data is provided typically in the form of a keyword assigned to particular document. Image data representative of the whole image read from the document are stored in one data storage area of a memory, and image data representative of the characterizing portion of the image are stored in another data storage area of the memory for use as auxiliary document identification data. When the documents accessed as a result of the searching on the basis of a keyword or keywords, the auxiliary document identification data is displayed for each of the documents in addition to the keyword or keywords assigned as the main document identification data to each of the documents listed on the display. This assists help the operator of the system select and call the target document from among the listed documents by allowing reference to the auxiliary document identification data as well as the main document identification data.
The auxiliary document identification data used in an image filing system according to the present invention is provided as part of the image data representing the image read from a given document but is stored in the memory without being compressed (or compacted). In contrast, the image information which is representative of the whole image of the document is stored in compressed form. For this reason, the auxiliary document identification data can be fetched from the memory faster than the image information representative of the whole image of a document. The auxiliary document identification data used in an image filing system according to the present invention is typically in the form of a pictorial or graphic image pattern characterizing a given image-bearing document. In contrast the main document identification data which is provided in the form of a keyword implemented by a sequence of alpha-numerical characters, as is customary in the art.
The auxiliary document identification data used in an image filing system according to the present invention is useful for distinguishing one document from another when all of the documents have a common keyword as the main document identification data of each of the documents. Thus, in accordance with a second outstanding aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image filing system in which, when an operator enters a certain keyword in search of any target document, a search is automatically made for all the documents that bear the particular keyword as the main document identification data. If two or more documents are then found to have the keyword commonly assigned thereto, a routine program is executed to register auxiliary document identification data peculiar to each of such documents. Different and mutually discernible pieces of auxiliary document identification data are thus registered for two or more image-bearing documents which partake of a single keyword and which could not be discriminated from one another if the single keyword alone were r
Sugawa Hiroya
Sugiura Masamichi
Tada Kaoru
Feild Joseph H.
Minolta Co. , Ltd.
Sidley & Austin
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