Business card management server, business card image acquiring apparatus, business card management method, business card image acquiring method, and storage medium

• US 10,089,490 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2014
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sansan, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sansan, Inc.
• Inventors: Terada, Chikahiro, Shiomi, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Sholeman, Abu
• Application Number:
  US14/765,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20150379300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• Field of Search: 726 28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5846 using extracted text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/416 Extracting the logical structure, e.g. chapters, sections or page numbers; Identifying elements of the document, e.g. authors

Abstract

Provided is a business card management server that makes it possible to efficiently input information on business cards while protecting personal security, including: a business card information storage unit 101 in which business card information having a business card image and a business card identifier is stored; a piece storage unit 102 in which two or more pieces, each of which is an image in which only part of a business card image is recognizable, are stored for each business card image; a piece transmitting unit 104 that transmits two or more piece information each of which has one of two or more pieces corresponding to one business card image and further has a business card identifier, to one or more input terminals 20; a partial business card information receiving unit 105 that receives partial business card information having a business card identifier and a business card partial character string corresponding to a piece, from the input terminals 20; and a business card partial character string accumulating unit 110 that accumulates the business card partial character string, in the business card information storage unit 101, in association with the received business card identifier.

Claims

1. A business card management server computer constituting a business card management system that includes:

the business card management server computer that manages business card information; and

two or more input terminals that input information on a business card, wherein;

the business card management server computer comprises;

a business card information storage unit in which one or more business card information each having a business card image and a business card identifier for identifying the business card image are stored;

a piece storage unit in which two or more pieces, each of which is an image in which only part of a business card image is recognizable, are stored for each of one or more business card images;

a piece transmitting unit that transmits two or more piece information each of which has one of two or more pieces corresponding to one business card image and further has a business card identifier for identifying the one business card image, to different input terminals of the two or more input terminals, respectively, so that an operator of each of the two or more input terminals sees only a part of the business card image;

a partial business card information receiving unit that receives partial business card information having a business card identifier and a business card partial character string, which is a character string corresponding to a piece, from the two or more input terminals; and

a business card partial character string accumulating unit that accumulates the business card partial character string received by the partial business card information receiving unit, in the business card information storage unit, in association with the business card identifier received by the partial business card information receiving unit,

each of the two or more input terminals comprises;

an accepting unit that accepts input of an operator who inputs a business card partial character string;

a piece receiving unit that receives the piece information from the business card management server computer;

a piece output unit that outputs a piece contained in the piece information received by the piece receiving unit; and

a partial business card information transmitting unit that transmits partial business card information having the business card partial character string accepted by the accepting unit and the business card identifier received by the piece receiving unit, to the business card management server computer,

the business card information has a business card image, a business card identifier, and two or more pairs of a business card partial character string and item information, which is information indicating an item of the business card partial character string,

the partial business card information receiving unit receives partial business card information having a business card identifier, a business card partial character string, and item information, from the two or more input terminals,

the business card partial character string accumulating unit accumulates the business card partial character string received by the partial business card information receiving unit, in the business card information storage unit, in association with the business card identifier and the item information received by the partial business card information receiving unit,

the accepting unit of each of the two or more input terminals accepts one or at least two pairs of a business card partial character string and item information, from the operator, and

the partial business card information transmitting unit transmits partial business card information having a pair of the business card partial character string and the item information accepted by the accepting unit and the business card identifier received by the piece receiving unit, to the business card management server computer.

2. The business card management server computer according to claim 1, further comprising:

a piece generating unit that acquires two or more pieces from a business card image stored in the business card information storage unit, and accumulates the two or more pieces in the piece storage unit.

3. The business card management server computer according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determination condition storage unit in which a determination condition, which is a condition for determining the business card partial character strings and is a condition indicating that business card partial character strings transmitted from the two or more input terminals of at least two or more operators match each other, is stored; and

a determination judging unit that, in a case where the partial business card information receiving unit receives two or more business card partial character strings of the same item corresponding to one business card identifier, from two or more input terminals, judges whether or not the two or more business card partial character strings match the determination condition,

wherein the business card partial character string accumulating unit determines the business card partial character strings, only in a case where the determination judging unit judges that the business card partial character strings match the determination condition.

4. The business card management server computer according to claim 3, further comprising:

a privilege identifier storage unit in which a privilege identifier, which is information for communicating with an input terminal of a privileged operator who can view a business card image without masking, is stored; and

a business card image transmitting unit that, in a case where a business card partial character string corresponding to at least part of items of one business card image is undetermined, transmits input prompting information and a business card identifier of the one business card image, the input prompting information being information for prompting a privileged input terminal, which is an input terminal identified with the privilege identifier, to input the undetermined business card partial character string,

wherein the partial business card information receiving unit receives partial business card information having the business card identifier and the undetermined business card partial character string, from the privileged input terminal, and

the privileged input terminal includes;

a privileged accepting unit that accepts input of a privileged operator who inputs the undetermined business card partial character string;

an input prompting information receiving unit that receives input prompting information and a business card identifier, from the business card management server computer;

an input prompting information output unit that outputs the input prompting information received by the input prompting information receiving unit; and

a privileged partial business card information transmitting unit that transmits partial business card information having the business card partial character string accepted by the accepting unit and the business card identifier received by the business card image receiving unit, to the business card management server computer.

5. The business card management server computer according to claim 4, wherein the input prompting information contains a business card image without masking.

6. The business card management server computer according to claim 2, further comprising:

a business card image receiving unit that receives a business card image; and

a registration judging unit that judges whether or not the same business card image as the business card image is stored in the business card information storage unit,

wherein the piece generating unit acquires two or more pieces from the business card image, and accumulates the two or more pieces in the piece storage unit, in a case where the registration judging unit judges that there is no same business card image.

7. The business card management server computer according to claim 1,

wherein the business card management system includes two or more business card management server computers,

one of the business card management server computers further includes:

a language judging unit that judges a language in a business card image; and

a foreign business card image transmitting unit that transmits a business card image, to a business card management server computer different from the one business card management server computer, according to the language judged by the language judging unit,

the piece receiving unit of part of the two or more input terminals receives piece information having a business card identifier and a piece, from the business card management server computer different from the one business card management server computer, and

the partial business card information transmitting unit of the part of the two or more input terminals transmits partial business card information having the business card partial character string accepted by the accepting unit and the business card identifier received by the piece receiving unit, to the business card management server computer different from the one business card management server computer.

8. The business card management server computer according to claim 1, wherein the piece is a masked image masked so as to be unrecognizable except for part of a business card image.

9. The business card management server computer according to claim 1, wherein the piece is an extracted image obtained by extracting part of a business card image.

10. The business card management server computer according to claim 9, wherein the piece includes both of a masked image masked so as to be unrecognizable except for part of a business card image, and the extracted image.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium in which a program is stored, wherein:

the program, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to;

access;

a business card information storage unit in which one or more business card information each having a business card image and a business card identifier for identifying the business card image are stored; and

a piece storage unit in which two or more pieces, each of which is an image in which only part of a business card image is recognizable, are stored for each of one or more business card images;

function as a business card management server constituting a business card management system that includes;

the business card management server that manages business card information; and

two or more input terminals that output information on a business card; and

function as;

a piece transmitting unit that transmits two or more piece information each of which has one of two or more pieces corresponding to one business card image and further has a business card identifier for identifying the one business card image, to different input terminals of the two or more input terminals, respectively, so that an operator of each of the two or more input terminals sees only a part of the business card image;

a partial business card information receiving unit that receives partial business card information having a business card identifier and a business card partial character string, which is a character string corresponding to a piece, from the two or more input terminals; and

a business card partial character string accumulating unit that accumulates the business card partial character string received by the partial business card information receiving unit, in the business card information storage unit, in association with the business card identifier received by the partial business card information receiving unit,

the business card information has a business card image, a business card identifier, and two or more pairs of a business card partial character string and item information, which is information indicating an item of the business card partial character string,

the partial business card information receiving unit receives partial business card information having a business card identifier, a business card partial character string, and item information, from the two or more input terminals,

the business card partial character string accumulating unit accumulates the business card partial character string received by the partial business card information receiving unit, in the business card information storage unit, in association with the business card identifier and the item information received by the partial business card information receiving unit, and

each of the two or more input terminals accepts one or at least two pairs of a business card partial character string and item information, from the operator, and transmits partial business card information having a pair of the business card partial character string and the item information accepted and the business card identifier received, to the business card management server.

12. A business card management server, comprising:

a computer; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media, wherein;

the one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media include;

a business card information storage unit in which one or more business card information each having a business card image and a business card identifier for identifying the business card image are stored;

a piece storage unit in which two or more pieces, each of which is an image in which only part of a business card image is recognizable, are stored for each of one or more business card images; and

a control program, and

the control program, when executed by the computer, causes the computer to functions as;

a piece transmitting unit that transmits two or more piece information each of which has one of two or more pieces corresponding to one business card image and further has a business card identifier for identifying the one business card image, to different input terminals of two or more input terminals, respectively, so that an operator of each of the two or more input terminals sees only a part of the business card image;

a partial business card information receiving unit that receives partial business card information having a business card identifier and a business card partial character string, which is a character string corresponding to a piece, from the two or more input terminals; and

a business card partial character string accumulating unit that accumulates the business card partial character string received by the partial business card information receiving unit, in the business card information storage unit, in association with the business card identifier received by the partial business card information receiving unit,

the business card information has a business card image, a business card identifier, and two or more pairs of a business card partial character string and item information, which is information indicating an item of the business card partial character string,

the partial business card information receiving unit receives partial business card information having a business card identifier, a business card partial character string, and item information, from the two or more input terminals,

the business card partial character string accumulating unit accumulates the business card partial character string received by the partial business card information receiving unit, in the business card information storage unit, in association with the business card identifier and the item information received by the partial business card information receiving unit, and

each of the two or more input terminals accepts one or at least two pairs of a business card partial character string and item information, from the operator, and transmits partial business card information having a pair of the business card partial character string and the item information accepted and the business card identifier, to the business card management server.

13. A business card management system, comprising:

a business card management server computer that manages business card information; and

two or more input terminals that input information on a business card, wherein;

the business card management server computer comprises;

a business card information storage unit in which one or more business card information each having a business card image and a business card identifier for identifying the business card image are stored;

a piece storage unit in which two or more pieces, each of which is an image in which only part of a business card image is recognizable, are stored for each of one or more business card images;

a piece transmitting unit that transmits two or more piece information each of which has one of two or more pieces corresponding to one business card image and further has a business card identifier for identifying the one business card image, to different input terminals of the two or more input terminals, respectively, so that an operator of each of the two or more input terminals sees only a part of the business card image;

a partial business card information receiving unit that receives partial business card information having a business card identifier and a business card partial character string, which is a character string corresponding to a piece, from the two or more input terminals; and

a business card partial character string accumulating unit that accumulates the business card partial character string received by the partial business card information receiving unit, in the business card information storage unit, in association with the business card identifier received by the partial business card information receiving unit, and

each of the two or more input terminals comprises;

an accepting unit that accepts input of an operator who inputs a business card partial character string;

a piece receiving unit that receives the piece information from the business card management server computer;

a piece output unit that outputs a piece contained in the piece information received by the piece receiving unit; and

a partial business card information transmitting unit that transmits partial business card information having the business card partial character string accepted by the accepting unit and the business card identifier received by the piece receiving unit, to the business card management server computer,

the business card information has a business card image, a business card identifier, and two or more pairs of a business card partial character string and item information, which is information indicating an item of the business card partial character string,

the partial business card information receiving unit receives partial business card information having a business card identifier, a business card partial character string, and item information, from the two or more input terminals,

the business card partial character string accumulating unit accumulates the business card partial character string received by the partial business card information receiving unit, in the business card information storage unit, in association with the business card identifier and the item information received by the partial business card information receiving unit,

the accepting unit of each of the two or more input terminals accepts one or at least two pairs of a business card partial character string and item information, from the operator, and

the partial business card information transmitting unit transmits partial business card information having a pair of the business card partial character string and the item information accepted by the accepting unit and the business card identifier received by the piece receiving unit, to the business card management server computer.