System allowing data input device to request management server to assign a data input job to itself

• US 7,308,472 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2003
• Issued: 12/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US10/455,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20030229666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 709/219, 709/225, 709/201, 707/203, 707/104.1, 345/700, 382/167, 705/2, 358/1.15, 718/100
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A management server receives from a server storing information a request that a data input job be executed and from a data input device a request to assign a data input job to itself. The management server makes a list of information to be digitized through data input, based on information held on itself and input-specific information obtained from the server storing information, and transmits the list to a data input device adequate to the data input job. The data input device selects information as data input preference. The data input device obtains the selected information from the server storing information. Through the data input device, its operator inputs the obtained information as computer-usable data. The input data is transmitted to the server storing information. The management server stores, updates, and manages diverse data about input jobs.

Claims

1. A data input method for use in a system comprising a management server, a server storing information, and at least one data input device, wherein the management server, the server storing information, and the data input device are interconnected via a network, said data input method comprises the steps of:

receiving, at a management server, a request for executing a data input job from the server storing information and from the data input device a request for assigning a data input job to itself;

at the management server, making a list of information to be digitized through data input, based on information held on said management server and input-specific information obtained from said requesting server storing information, and sending the list to said requesting data input device;

according to a selection submitted from the data input device, establishing a communication path between the data input device and the server storing information that holds the selected information to be digitized;

at the data input device, inputting the information to be digitized, obtained from the server storing information; and

sending an input data to the server storing information.

2. The data input method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

said information held on the management server includes information about the server storing information and the data input device and information about one or more operators who input data through the data input device.

3. The data input method as recited in claim 2, wherein:

said information to be digitized, held on the servers storing information, includes at least either of image information and audio information;

said input-specific information includes at least one of the following;

attributes of said information to be digitized, conditions about the operators, and conditions about input jobs; and

said information about the operators includes information about the skills of the operators.

4. The data input method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

said list is transmitted to a data input device whose operator meets the contents of said input-specific information.

5. The data input method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

said information to be digitized is input by two or more operators.

6. The data input method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the data input device transmits input data to the management server and the management server transmits the data to the server storing information.

7. The data input method as recited in claim 1, further comprising a step in which the management server evaluates the input result of the operator and stores the result of the evaluation.

8. The data input method as recited in claim 1, further comprising a step in which the management server calculates performance results of a data input job and calculates a charge and wages, based on the performance results.

9. The data input method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the server storing information transmits pieces of information to be digitized, receives input data corresponding to the pieces of information, and reassembles the input data into the information.

10. A data input system comprising:

a server storing information which stores information to be digitized through data input and sends a request that a data input job be executed;

at least one data input device which sends a request to assign a data input job to itself and through which their operators input data from said information to be digitized; and

a management server which receives said requests from the server storing information and the data input device and control data input jobs;

wherein said server storing information, said data input device, and said management server are interconnected via a network.

11. The data input system as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the management server has information about the server storing information and the data input device and operator information about operators who input data through the data input device; and

makes a list of information to be digitized, based on said information and input-specific information held on the server storing information that sends the request that a data input job be executed and transmits the list to the data input device that sends said request.

12. The data input system as recited in claim 11, wherein:

the data input device whose operator has skill required by the server storing information receives the list.

13. The data input system as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the data input device is a computer.

14. The data input system as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the data input device is a mobile communication terminal.