APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING VARIOUS FORM DOCUMENTS TO MEET RESPECTIVE FORM,AND RECORDING MEDIUM STORING A PROGRAM TO EXECUTE THE PROCESS

• US 20010011282A1
• Filed: 03/27/1998
• Published: 08/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: MATSUI, TAKAYUKI, KATSUMATA, YUTAKA, HIRATA, MASAKI, ASANO, RYOEI, YAMOTO, KAZUTOSHI, YAMAOKA, KAZUMI
• Granted Patent: US 6,301,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/505
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

There is disclosed a form document processing apparatus for entry of data described in form documents. The form document processing apparatus includes a main processing section for performing predetermined processing operations for entered form data, and an auxiliary processing section which, upon receipt of a request from the main processing section, performs, in an auxiliary manner, among the processing operations to be performed by the main processing section, a specific processing operation determined by the contents of form data. Therefore, specific processing operations determined by the contents of form data can be performed without a need to develop a program for each type of task.

Claims

1. A form document processing apparatus comprising:

a main processing section for performing predetermined processing operations for entered form data; and

an auxiliary processing section which, upon receipt of a request from said main processing section, performs, in an auxiliary manner, among the processing operations to be performed by said main processing section, a specific processing operation determined by the contents of the form data.

2. The form document processing apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein an auxiliary processing table is provided in order to set therein the details of the specific processing operation which said auxiliary processing section is requested to process;

and

said auxiliary processing section performs the specific processing operation on the basis of the details set in said auxiliary processing table.

3. The form document processing apparatus according to

claim 2

, wherein said auxiliary processing section performs the specific processing operation by spreadsheet processing, on the basis of the details set in said auxiliary processing table.

4. The form document processing apparatus according to

claim 2

, wherein an auxiliary processing table preparation unit is further provided for the purpose of preparing said auxiliary processing table;

and

said auxiliary processing table preparation unit comprises;

a main processing definition section which stores the name of received form data and the name of an auxiliary processing table used when the set of form data is processed;

a form data definition section which stores information about the name of form data and about entry items constituting the set of form data; and

an auxiliary processing table preparation section which prepares the auxiliary processing table on the basis of the information stored in said main processing definition section and said form data definition section.

5. The form document processing apparatus according to

claim 4

, wherein an input section is further provided in order to input the details of the specific processing operation which the auxiliary processing section is requested to perform;

and

said auxiliary processing table preparation section comprises;

means for setting the name of form data and the name of the auxiliary processing table from said main processing definition section;

means which captures, on the basis of the name of form data, information about entry items constituting the set of form data in said form data definition section;

means for setting the information about the entry items constituting the set of form data into corresponding areas of said auxiliary processing table specified by the name of said auxiliary processing table; and

means for setting, in corresponding areas of said auxiliary processing table, the details of the specific processing operation which are received from said input section and which said auxiliary processing section is requested to perform.

6. The form document processing apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein said auxiliary processing table preparation unit—

for preparing an auxiliary processing table having set therein the details of the specific processing operation which said auxiliary processing section is requested to perform—

comprises a main processing definition section which stores the name of received form data and the name of an auxiliary processing table used when the set of form data is processed; and

said main processing section comprises;

means for capturing the name of form data from the received set of form data;

means which, by reference to the information stored in said main processing definition section, selects an auxiliary processing table specified by the name of an auxiliary processing table corresponding to the thus-extracted name of form data; and

means which enters the received set of form data in corresponding areas of said thus-selected auxiliary processing table.

7. The form document processing apparatus according to

claim 4

, wherein said main processing definition section has a table for storing the names of a plurality of sets of form data and the names of auxiliary processing tables used in processing the plurality of sets of form data so as to correspond to one another, as well as for storing information about the destinations of the plurality of sets of form data that have undergone given processing in the main processing section.

8. The form document processing apparatus according to

claim 4

, wherein said form data definition section has a table for storing information about entry items constituting a set of form data for each of the names of the plurality sets of form data.

9. A form document processing method for performing predetermined processing for entered form data, said method comprising the steps of:

requesting an external section to perform, among the processing operations performed on the set of form data, a specific processing operation determined by the contents of the set of form data when the specific processing operation is performed; and

performing the specific processing operation in an auxiliary manner upon receipt of the request issued in said requesting step.

10. The form document processing method according to

claim 9

, further comprising:

an auxiliary processing table preparation step of preparing an auxiliary processing table having set therein the details of the specific processing operation requested to be performed in the auxiliary processing step; and

in said auxiliary processing step, the specific processing operation is performed on the basis of the details set in the auxiliary processing table prepared in said auxiliary processing table preparation step.

11. A computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a form document processing program for performing predetermined processing for entered form data, wherein

said form processing program causes the computer to execute:

a procedure for requesting an external section to perform, among the processing performed on the received form data, a specific processing operation determined by the contents of the set of form data when the specific processing is performed, and

an auxiliary processing procedure in which, upon receipt of a request issued in the request procedure, the external section performs the specific processing operation in an auxiliary manner.

12. The computer-readable recording medium according to

claim 11

, on which is recorded a form document processing program for performing predetermined processing for entered form data, wherein said the form document processing program causes the computer to execute:

an auxiliary processing table preparation procedure for preparing an auxiliary processing table having set therein the details of the specific processing operation requested to be performed in the auxiliary processing procedure; and

an auxiliary processing procedure for performing the specific processing operation on the basis of the details set in the auxiliary processing table prepared in said auxiliary processing table preparation procedure.

13. A computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a form document processing program for performing predetermined processing for entered form data, wherein the form processing program causes the computer to execute:

a transmission procedure for sending the set of form data to the outside when there is performed, among the processing operations performed on the received form data, a specific processing operation determined by the contents of the set of form data; and

a requesting procedure for requesting the external section to perform the specific processing operation for the set of form data transmitted in said transmission procedure.