Electronic filing apparatus

• US 5,099,340 A
• Filed: 05/09/1990
• Issued: 03/24/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kamada, Hiroshi, Kita, Sumio
• Primary Examiner(s): Orsino, Joseph A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/520,196
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 358/402, 358/403, 358/434, 358/440, 358/407, 358/102, 382/56
• US Class Current: 358/403
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00366 Marks in boxes or the like, e.g. crosses or blacking out H04N1/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00371 on a separate sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00379 Means for enabling correct scanning of a mark sheet or area, e.g. registration or timing marks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2179 Interfaces allowing access to a plurality of users, e.g. connection to electronic image libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32042 with reading of job-marks on a page
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32771 in response to a request, e.g. for a particular document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32778 using a mark-sheet or machine-readable code request

Abstract

An electronic filing apparatus includes a determinating device for receiving an image signal to determine whether or not image represented by the image signal is image of an OMR sheet in accordance with a predetermined form. The form at least includes a field to fill in with a facsimile number and a field to fill in with data designating information for designating desired data. The electronic filing apparatus further includes a recognizing device for recognizing a facsimile number and data designating information from the image signal determined by the determining device as a signal representing the image of the OMR sheet, and an information delivering device for preparing data designated by the recognized data designating information and for transmitting the image signal of the prepared data to the output destination designated by the recognized facsimile number. By entering necessary information in the field of facsimile numbers and the field of data designating information of the OMR sheet, converting the same into an image signal and then applying the converted image signal to the determining device, preparation of the designated information and process of transmitting the prepared information by means of the facsimile device are automatically performed as a series of processes by the electronic filing apparatus.

Claims

1. An electronic filing apparatus comprising:

determining means for receiving an image signal to determine as to whether image represented by said image signal is image of an OMR sheet according to a predetermined form or not,

said predetermined form at least including a field to fill in with a facsimile number and a field to fill in with data designating information for designating desired data,

recognizing means for recognizing said facsimile number and said data designating information from said image signal determined by said determining means as a signal representing the image of said OMR sheet; and

information delivering means for retrieving prepared data designated by said recognized data designating information and for transmitting the image signal of said prepared data to an output destination designated by said recognized facsimile number by means of a facsimile device.

2. The electronic filing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising facsimile receiving means adapted to be connected to a facsimile transmitting device through a communication line for receiving said image signal from said facsimile transmitting device and applying the image signal to said determining means.

3. The electronic filing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said apparatus is adapted to be connected to storing means for storing image information of data, and wherein

said information delivering means comprises:

searching means for searching said storing means to retrieve image information of said prepared data, based on image designating information recognized by said recognizing means, and

facsimile transmitting means for transmitting said image information of the data retrieved by said searching means to an output destination designated by said facsimile number.

4. The electronic filing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising image outputting means for converting the image signal determined by said determining means as not representing the image of said OMR sheet into visual image and outputting the visual image.

5. The electronic filing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said image outputting means comprises image printing means responsive to said image signal for forming said image on a predetermined medium.

6. The electronic filing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said image outputting means comprises displaying means for visually reproducing the image represented by said image signal and displaying the visual.

7. The electronic filing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising reading means for reading image formed on paper, converting said read image into said image signal and applying the converted image signal to said determining means.

8. The electronic filing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said reading means comprises scanning means for scanning a surface of said paper on which said image is formed and for converting said image into a digital image signal.

9. The electronic filing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising means for applying a plurality of pieces of paper to said reading means one by one.

10. The electronic filing apparatus according to claim 9, which is connected to storing means for storing image information of said plurality of data in a predetermined order, wherein

said information delivering means comprises:

means for temporarily storing image information read from said paper subsequent to reading information from said OMR sheet, on the basis of said data designating information recognized by said recognizing means,

writing means for writing said temporarily stored image information in said storing means,

facsimile transmitting means for transmitting said temporarily stored image information to the output destination designated by said facsimile number by means of the facsimile device.

11. The electronic filing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising incomplete information detecting means for detecting whether said data designating information recognized by said recognizing means is incomplete or not.

12. The electronic filing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising incomplete information supplementing means for supplementing said incomplete data designating information detected by said incomplete information detecting means.

13. The electronic filing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said incomplete information supplementing means comprises,

informing means for informing an operator of said detection of the incomplete information,

data inputting means for the use of said operator to supplement said incomplete information.