Image filing system for memorizing images read from a given document together with small characterizing image

• US 6,247,031 B1
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Sugiura, Masamichi, Sugawa, Hiroya, Tada, Kaoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Application Number:
  US08/478,892
• Time in Patent Office: 2,197 Days
• Field of Search: 395/144-146, 395/155, 395/161, 395/788, 395/782, 395/766, 395/768, 395/773, 395/615, 382/309, 382/317, 382/190, 382/209, 382/305, 382/306, 707/104, 707/526
• US Class Current: 715/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

An image filing system which uses, in addition to main document identification data in the form of a keyword assigned to a given document, auxiliary document identification data formulated to be representative of a characterizing portion of the image read from a given document, wherein the image data representative of the whole image read from the document is stored in one data storage area of a memory and the image data representative of the characterizing portion of the image is stored in another data storage area of the memory for use as the 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 to each of the documents listed on the display. This will help the operator of the system select and call the target document from among the listed documents by referencing the auxiliary document identification data as well as the main document identification data. The auxiliary document identification data is thus useful for distinguishing one document from another or others when the documents have a common keyword as the main document identification data.

Claims

1. In an image filing system adapted to read an image from a document, to store data relating to the image read from the document in a memory, and to read the data from the memory to display an image represented by the data read from the memory, a method of furnishing said document with auxiliary document identification data in addition to main document identification data identifying the document, the auxiliary document identification forming a portion of said image and being representative of a characterizing feature of the image, comprising the steps of:

a) reading an original document image from the document, generating the data relating to the image read from the document, and storing the generated data into said memory,

b) receiving, as said main document identification data, a keyword identifying the document,

c) generating said auxiliary document identification data in response to an instruction entered by an operator of the system, this step including the steps of specifying said portion of said image and storing image data representing said portion of said image into said memory,

d) in response to an instruction entered by the operator of the system, searching for a document identified by at least one keyword from among a plurality of documents having their data stored in said memory, and

e) displaying said at least one keyword and auxiliary data for each document found in said search of step (d).

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, in which said data relating to the image read from the document included both image data representative of the whole image read from said document and image data representative of said portion of the image, the image data representative of the whole image read from said document being stored in one data storage area of said memory and the image data representative of said portion of the image being stored in another data storage area of said memory.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1, in which said data relating to the image read from the document includes both image data representative of the whole image read from said document and image data representative of said portion of the image, the image data representative of the whole image read from said document being stored in said memory after being compressed and the image data representative of said portion of the image being stored in said memory without being compressed.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3, in which said auxiliary document identification is stored in said memory after a reduction of the amount of data forming the auxiliary document identification data.

5. A method as set forth in claim 4, in which the amount of data forming the auxiliary document identification data is reduced by reducing the degree of resolution of said portion of said image.

6. A method as set forth in claim 4, in which the amount of data forming the auxiliary document identification data is reduced by reducing the size of said portion of said image displayed in said displaying step.

7. In an image filing system adapted to read an image from a document, to store data relating to the image read from the document in a memory, and to read the data from the memory to display an image represented by the data read from the memory, a method of furnishing said document with auxiliary document identification data in addition to main document identification data identifying the document, the auxiliary document identification data forming a portion of said image and being representative of a characterizing feature of the image, comprising the steps of:

a) reading an original document image from the document, generating the data relating to the image read from the document, and storing the generated data into said memory,

b) receiving, as said main document identification data, a keyword identifying the document,

c) searching said memory for a document having a keyword identical with the keyword received in said receiving step, and

d) upon detection of a document having a keyword identical with the keyword received in said receiving step, generating said auxiliary document identification data, the generating step including the steps of specifying said portion of said image and storing data representing said portion of said image in said memory, thereby furnishing a detected document with the auxiliary document identification data by means of which the detected document identified by the auxiliary document identification data is to be distinguished from another document, if any, having a keyword identical with the keyword received.

8. A method as set forth in claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

e) searching for a document identified by the keyword from among a plurality of documents having their data stored in said memory, and

f) listing a detected document retrieved from said memory and displaying the keyword and the auxiliary document identification data identifying the detected document listed.

9. In an image filing system capable of reading an image from a document, storing data relating to the image read from the document in a memory and reading the data from the memory for displaying an image represented by the data read from the memory, a method of furnishing said document with auxiliary document identification data in addition to main document identification identifying the document, comprising the steps of:

reading an original document image from the document, generating the data relating to the image read from the document, and storing the generated data in said memory,

furnishing said main auxiliary document identification data to the document;

furnishing said auxiliary document identification data to the document after the document is stored in said memory, wherein the step of furnishing said auxiliary document identification data to said document comprises,

displaying the documents stored in said memory,

specifying a portion of the image of the document displayed, said portion being representative of a characterizing feature of the image and generating image data representing the specified portion of the image,

reducing the amount of the image data representing the specified portion of the image, and

storing the reduced amount of image data as said auxiliary document identification data in said memory; and

displaying concurrently said main document identification data and said auxiliary document identification data for a document during a search operation.

10. A method as set forth in claim 9, in which said data relating to the image read from the document includes both image data representative of the whole image read from said document and image data representative of said portion of the image, the image data representative of the whole image read from said document being stored into said memory after being compressed and the image data representative of said portion of the image being stored into said memory without being compressed.

11. A method as set forth in claim 9, in which said auxiliary document identification data is stored into said memory after a reduction of the amount of data forming the auxiliary document identification data.

12. A method as set forth in claim 11, in which the amount of data forming the auxiliary document identification data is reduced by reducing the degree of resolution of said portion of said image.

13. A method as set forth in claim 11, in which the amount of data forming the auxiliary document identification data is reduced by reducing the size of said portion of said image displayed in said displaying step.

14. An image filing apparatus comprising:

an image reader to read an image of a document to generate document image data;

a data generator to generate search image data relating to the image of the document to enable identification of such document when searched;

a memory to store both the document image data and the search image data; and

a display to display the search image data identified by identification data so as to enable a next identification using displayed search image data.

15. An image filing apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein said data generator generates the search image data by reducing an amount of the document image data.

16. An image filing apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the search image data generated by said data generator corresponds to a partial portion of the document.

17. An image filing apparatus, comprising:

a first memory which stores a plurality of original document images;

a second memory which stores a plurality of keywords, wherein at least one keyword corresponds to each stored original document image;

a designation unit to designate a portion of an original document image as an auxiliary image;

a third memory which stores a plurality of auxiliary images;

an input device to receive a search keyword;

a display; and

a controller, coupled to each memory, the designation unit, the input device, and the display, to search the second memory using a search keyword and list selected corresponding auxiliary images from the second memory on the display based on the search keyword.

18. An image filing apparatus, comprising:

a first memory which stores a plurality of original document images;

a second memory which stores a plurality of keywords, wherein at least one keyword corresponds to each stored original document image;

a designation unit to designate a portion of said original document as an auxiliary image;

a third memory which stores a plurality of said auxiliary images;

a detector which detects a keyword stored in said second memory and outputs a signal in response to such a detection; and

a controller, coupled to at least the designation unit and the detector, which initiates the designation unit with regard to an original document image in response to a signal from the detector.