Image information retrieving device, image database device, image information storing device and recording medium on which a program performed by the image information retrieving device is recorded

• US 6,307,641 B1
• Filed: 10/15/1997
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Inventors: Hamano, Teruo, Kajii, Ken, Sasaki, Tsutomu, Sonehara, Noboru
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pokrzywa, Joseph R.
• Application Number:
  US08/950,944
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• Field of Search: 358/402, 358/403, 358/407, 379/88.01, 379/88.07, 379/88.08, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379/88.25, 379/88.27, 379/100.08, 379/100.11, 379/905, 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 395/114
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32771 in response to a request, e.g. for a particular document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32782 using a tone- or pulse-coded request

Abstract

An image information retrieving device comprises: a primary service control information storing section in which primary service control information is stored in advance; a response section which performs between a facsimile terminal which is connected to a line, output of guidance information in accordance with a service control procedure indicated by primary service control information stored in the primary service control information storing section, input of an assignment signal from a user based on the guidance information, and output of image information as a retrieval result based on the assignment signal; a retrieval processing section which retrieves image information from an image information storing device in response to the operation of the response section, reads the image information as the retrieval result, and outputs the image information to the response section; a secondary service control information storing section for storing temporarily secondary service control information showing a service control procedure which is stored together with the image information in the image information storing device and following on from the service control procedure shown by the primary service control information stored in the primary service control information storing section; and a control section in the response section, which directs the retrieval processing section to read the secondary service control information from the image information storing device and store this in the secondary service control information storing section at the time of input of the assignment signal, and performs control for outputting the guidance information to the facsimile terminal in accordance with the service control procedure indicated by the stored secondary service control information.

Claims

1. An image information retrieval system which includes:

a circuit control section (602-1) having means to control response at the time of line connection of a facsimile terminal, to output guidance information which is voice information to a user, to analyze push button signals which a user inputs with a push button, and to output image information to a facsimile terminal,

a WWW retrieving section (602-3) which retrieves data on the WWW server using a URL address, to obtain the appropriate HTML file, a URL address/number converting section (602-4) which converts a specified number to a URL address,

a URL address/number storing section (602-5) which appends a number to a URL address extracted by said URL address/number converting section, and to a URL address already registered therein, and stores them,

an HTML file/image converting section (602-6) which analyzes the HTML file obtained by said WWW retrieving section and converts the HTML to image data to be sent out to facsimile terminals,

a script analyzing and executing section (602-7) for analyzing and executing service control script written in one part of an HTML file,

a synthesizing section (602-8), for converting voice guidance information written in said analyzed service control script to audio information which can be output to facsimile terminals, and

a control section (602-2) serving as said control means for controlling said circuit control section, said WWW retrieving section, said URL address/number converting section, said HTML file/image converting section, and said script analyzing and executing section, and

said control section outputs, upon like connection of said facsimile terminal, guidance information to said facsimile terminal via said line control section according to the service procedure indicated by a primary service control information,

and when said user specifies a number corresponding to a URL address for desired data on the WWW using push button input from said facsimile terminal, converts said number to a URL address using said URL address/number converting section, and executes retrieval of data on the WWW by means of said WWW retrieval section, and executes extraction of service control script from the HTML file of said retrieved data,

and in the case where there is no service control script, converts the HTML file to image information by means of said HTML file/image converting section and then outputs to the facsimile terminal via said line control section, or conveys the fact that there is no service control script to be executed to the facsimile terminal via said line control section by voice information or image information,

and in the case where there is service control script, outputs the guidance information to said facsimile terminal via said line control section in accordance with a service control command in said service control script, and when a user executes push button input from said facsimile terminal in accordance with said guidance information, executes retrieval of data on the WWW via said WWW retrieval section in accordance with the input contents, and converts the HTML file of said retrieved data to image information via said HTML file/image converting section, and then executes control to output to a facsimile terminal via said line control section.

2. An image information retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein said service control script is one in which a number is appended in an index style having a step structure to the head of each command between an initiation identifier and a termination identifier so as to not be displayed when seen from a computer browser, and a control structure corresponding to the conditional branch, and guidance information output to a facsimile terminal in a text character string enclosed by an initiation identifier and a termination identifier, is described by coordinating the last number of each index to the push button input number from the user.

3. An image information retrieval system according to claim 2, wherein said voice guidance information comprises:

a description for assigning a voice file, and a description for showing the content of the guidance information as a text character string, and said speech synthesizing section has text speech synthesizing means for converting a text character string to voice, and said text speech synthesizing means extracts guidance information written in service control script, speech synthesizes a text character string written in the contents of said guidance information, and converts this to audio information for output to a facsimile terminal via said control section.

4. An image information retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein said script analyzing and executing section has means for temporarily storing a plurality of parameters selected by a user inputting push buttons from said facsimile terminal, and executing a CGI program based on script which can be read from said computer browser via the WWW retrieval section, based on the stored plurality of parameters.

5. An image information retrieval system according to claim 4, wherein said voice guidance information comprises:

a description for assigning a voice file, and a description for showing the content or the guidance information as a text character string, and said speech synthesizing section has text speech synthesizing means for converting a text character string to voice, and said text speech synthesizing means extracts guidance information written in service control script, speech synthesizes a text character string written in the contents of said guidance information, and converts this to audio information for output to a facsimile terminal via said control section.

6. An image information retrieval system according to claim 1, further comprising means for executing instructions for retrieval of image information in said HTML file at regular intervals based on primary storage position information.

7. An image information retrieval system according to claim 1, further comprising directory information creating and storing means for analyzing, when secondary service control information and image label information written with a contents classification for relevant image information is included in the image information in said HTML file, the storage position of said image label information, and based on the analysis results, creating and storing directory information corresponding to said secondary service control information.

8. An image information retrieval system according to claim 7, further comprising means for outputting said directory information as to said guidance information.

9. An image information retrieval system according to claim 7, further comprising means for obtaining autonomously retrieved image information to obtain said image label information, and means for creating and storing directory information based on image label information obtained by said means for obtaining autonomously retrieved image information.

10. A method for retrieving an image information comprising:

controlling response at the time of line connection of a facsimile terminal, to output guidance information which is voice information to a user, to analyze push button signals which a user inputs with a push button, and to output image information to a facsimile terminal;

retrieving data on the WWW server using a URL address, to obtain the appropriate HTML file, a URL address/number converting section which converts a specified number to a URL address;

appending a number to a URL address extracted by said URL address/number converting section, and to a URL address already registered therein, and stores them;

analyzing the HTML file obtained by said WWW retrieving section and converts the HTML to image data to be sent out to facsimile terminals;

analyzing and executing service control script written in one part of an HTML file;

converting voice guidance information written in said analyzed service control script to audio information which can be output to facsimile terminals;

controlling said circuit control section, said WWW retrieving section, said URL address/number converting section, said HTML file/image converting section, and said script analyzing and executing section,

wherein said control section outputs, upon like connection of said facsimile terminal, guidance information to said facsimile terminal via said line control section according to the service procedure indicated by a primary service control information, and

when said user specifies a number corresponding to a URL address for desired data on the WWW using push button input from said facsimile terminal, converts said number to a URL address using said URL address/number converting section, and executes retrieval of data on the WWW by means of said WWW retrieval section, and executes extraction of service control script from the HTML file of said retrieved data, and

in the case where there is no service control script, converts the HTML file to image information by means of said HTML file/image converting section and then outputs to the facsimile terminal via said line control section, or conveys the fact that there is no service control script to be executed to the facsimile terminal via said line control section by voice information or image information, and

in the case where there is service control script, outputs the guidance information to said facsimile terminal via said line control section in accordance with a service control command in said service control script, and when a user executes push button input from said facsimile terminal in accordance with said guidance information, executes retrieval of data on the WWW via said WWW retrieval section in accordance with the input contents, and converts the HTML file of said retrieved data to image information via said HTML file/image converting section, and then executes control to output to a facsimile terminal via said line control section.

11. A recording medium on which is recorded a program for executing:

a process for controlling response at the time of line connection of a facsimile terminal, to output guidance information which is voice information to a user, to analyze push button signals which a user inputs with a push button, and to output image information to a facsimile terminal;

a process for retrieving data on the WWW server using a URL address, to obtain the appropriate HTML file, a URL address/number converting section which converts a specified number to a URL address;

a process for appending a number to a URL address extracted by said URL address/number converting section, and to a URL address already registered therein, and stores them;

a process for analyzing the HTML file obtained by said WWW retrieving section and converts the HTML to image data to be sent out to facsimile terminals;

a process for analyzing and executing service control script written in one part of an HTML file;

a process for converting voice guidance information written in said analyzed service control script to audio information which can be output to facsimile terminals;

a process for controlling said circuit control section, said WWW retrieving section, said URL address/number converting section, said HTML file/image converting section, and said script analyzing and executing section,

wherein said control section outputs, upon like connection of said facsimile terminal, guidance information to said facsimile terminal via said line control section according to the service procedure indicated by a primary service control information, and

when said user specifies a number corresponding to a URL address for desired data on the WWW using push button input from said facsimile terminal, converts said number to a URL address using said URL address/number converting section, and executes retrieval of data on the WWW by means of said WWW retrieval section, and executes extraction of service control script from the HTML file of said retrieved data, and

in the case where there is no service control script, converts the HTML file to image information by means of said HTML file/image converting section and then outputs to the facsimile terminal via said line control section, or conveys the fact that there is no service control script to be executed to the facsimile terminal via said line control section by voice information or image information, and

in the case where there is service control script, outputs the guidance information to said facsimile terminal via said line control section in accordance with a service control command in said service control script, and when a user executes push button input from said facsimile terminal in accordance with said guidance information, executes retrieval of data on the WWW via said WWW retrieval section in accordance with the input contents, and converts the HTML file of said retrieved data to image information via said HTML file/image converting section, and then executes control to output to a facsimile terminal via said line control section.