Processing Electronic Data In Computer Networks With Rules Management

• US 20170300821A1
• Filed: 04/18/2016
• Published: 10/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hong, Jiang, Lin, Candice, Wu, Yuwen, Ding, Yi, Pan, Pingping
• Granted Patent: US 10,452,722 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/04 Architecture, e.g. interconnection topology
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition

Abstract

An approach is provided for managing processing rules used to process electronic data in computer networks. An application provides the capability for users to define and manage classifications for electronic data. The application also provides the capability for users to define and manage processing rules for each classification. This may include specifying, for each processing rule, a classification to which the processing rule corresponds, one or more conditions under which the processing rule is to be applied and optionally, not applied, a priority for the processing rule, and one or more actions to be performed. The priority may be used to determine which rule is to be applied when more than one rule corresponds to a classification. The application supports the definition and management of classifications and rules on a logical group-by-logical group basis.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause:

receiving, by an application executing on a computing device, OCR data for an electronic document;

classifying, by the application, based upon contents of the OCR data, the electronic document to determine a classification for the electronic document;

determining, by the application, a processing rule that corresponds to the classification for the electronic document;

identifying, by the application, an action specified by the processing rule that corresponds to the classification for the electronic document; and

performing, by the application, the action on the electronic data.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

the application generating and providing user interface data to a client device external to the computing device, wherein processing of the user interface data at the computing device provides a user interface for defining the processing rule that corresponds to the classification for the electronic document and for specifying the action specified by the processing rule.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 2, wherein the user interface allows a user to specify one or more conditions under which the processing rule is to be applied and one or more conditions under which the processing rule is not to be applied.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 2, wherein the user interface allows a user to specify for the processing rule a workflow that includes two or more actions.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein:

the processing rule is a first processing rule that has a first assigned priority,

a second processing rule that has a second assigned priority also corresponds to the classification for the electronic, document, wherein the second processing rule is different than the first processing rule,

determining, by the application, a processing rule that corresponds to the classification for the electronic document includes comparing the first assigned priority of the first processing rule to the second assigned priority of the second processing rule to select the first processing rule based upon the first processing rule having a higher priority than the second processing rule.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein:

the classification for the electronic document is a first classification,

the classifying, by the application, based upon contents of the OCR data, the electronic document to determine a classification for the electronic document includes;

determining a second classification for the electronic document that is different than the first classification, wherein the first classification has a first assigned priority and the second classification has a second assigned priority, and

determining the first classification to be the classification for the electronic document based upon the first classification having a higher priority than the second classification.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein:

the processing rule that corresponds to the classification for the electronic document corresponds to a first logical group,

a different processing rule corresponds to the classification for the electronic document and corresponds to a second logical group that is different than the first logical group.

8. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause;

receiving, by an application executing on a computing device, OCR data for an electronic document;

classifying, by the application, based upon contents of the OCR data, the electronic document to determine a classification for the electronic document;

determining, by the application, a processing rule that corresponds to the classification for the electronic document;

identifying, by the application, an action specified by the processing rule that corresponds to the classification for the electronic document; and

performing, by the application, the action on the electronic data.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media further comprise additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:

the application generating and providing user interface data to a client device external to the computing device, wherein processing of the user interface data at the computing device provides a user interface for defining the processing rule that corresponds to the classification for the electronic document and for specifying the action specified by the processing rule.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the user interface allows a user to specify one or more conditions under which the processing rule is to be applied and one or more conditions under which the processing rule is not to be applied.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the user interface allows a user to specify for the processing rule a workflow that includes two or more actions.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the processing rule is a first processing rule that has a first assigned priority,

a second processing rule that has a second assigned priority also corresponds to the classification for the electronic, document, wherein the second processing rule is different than the first processing rule,

determining, by the application, a processing rule that corresponds to the classification for the electronic document includes comparing the first assigned priority of the first processing rule to the second assigned priority of the second processing rule to select the first processing rule based upon the first processing rule having a higher priority than the second processing rule.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the classification for the electronic document is a first classification,

the classifying, by the application, based upon contents of the OCR data, the electronic document to determine a classification for the electronic document includes;

determining a second classification for the electronic document that is different than the first classification, wherein the first classification has a first assigned priority and the second classification has a second assigned priority, and

determining the first classification to be the classification for the electronic document based upon the first classification having a higher priority than the second classification.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the processing rule that corresponds to the classification for the electronic document corresponds to a first logical group,

a different processing rule corresponds to the classification for the electronic document and corresponds to a second logical group that is different than the first logical group.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by an application executing on a computing device, OCR data for an electronic document;

classifying, by the application, based upon contents of the OCR data, the electronic document to determine a classification for the electronic document;

determining, by the application, a processing rule that corresponds to the classification for the electronic document;

identifying, by the application, an action specified by the processing rule that corresponds to the classification for the electronic document; and

performing, by the application, the action on the electronic data.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

the application generating and providing user interface data to a client device external to the computing device, wherein processing of the user interface data at the computing device provides a user interface for defining the processing rule that corresponds to the classification for the electronic document and for specifying the action specified by the processing rule.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the user interface allows a user to specify one or more conditions under which the processing rule is to be applied and one or more conditions under which the processing rule is not to be applied.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the user interface allows a user to specify for the processing rule a workflow that includes two or more actions.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein:

the processing rule is a first processing rule that has a first assigned priority,

a second processing rule that has a second assigned priority also corresponds to the classification for the electronic, document, wherein the second processing rule is different than the first processing rule,

determining, by the application, a processing rule that corresponds to the classification for the electronic document includes comparing the first assigned priority of the first processing rule to the second assigned priority of the second processing rule to select the first processing rule based upon the first processing rule having a higher priority than the second processing rule.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein:

the classification for the electronic document is a first classification,

the classifying, by the application, based upon contents of the OCR data, the electronic document to determine a classification for the electronic document includes;

determining a second classification for the electronic document that is different than the first classification, wherein the first classification has a first assigned priority and the second classification has a second assigned priority, and

determining the first classification to be the classification for the electronic document based upon the first classification having a higher priority than the second classification.