Method and system for aided input especially for computer management tools

• US 8,553,993 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2008
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Serensia
• Original Assignee: Serensia
• Inventors: Flesselles, Emmanuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Koziol, Stephen R
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOI, TIMOTHY WING HO
• Application Number:
  US12/746,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20100254608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: 382/181, 382/229
• US Class Current: 382/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

A method of aided input especially for a computer management tool, the management tool being executed in a computer system possessing an operating system furnished with instrumentation services, the method including the following steps: (a) entering raw data from an exterior source, (b) extracting relevant data from the raw data, (c) using the instrumentation services to transcribe the extracted data to corresponding fields of a preexisting input interface belonging to the management tool, within a view to allowing further inputs and overall validation. Application in particular to the semi-automated input of accounting items such as supplier invoices and the like.

Claims

1. A method of aided input for a computer management tool, the management tool being executed in a computer system possessing an operating system furnished with instrumentation services, the method comprising:

inputting raw data from an exterior source;

extracting related data from the raw data;

displaying, in pre-input fields, the related data for pre-validation;

formulating proposed values for the pre-input fields by learning from corrections made to previously validated data when the related data are similar to the previously validated data;

allocating, using a pre-input rules-base, the proposed values for the pre-input fields; and

using the instrumentation services to transcribe the extracted data towards corresponding fields of a pre-existing input interface belonging to the management tool, to allow additional inputs and validation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the instrumentation services discover a model and content of a pre-existing input screen and simulate user actions.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extraction comprises a paper image scanned in digital image, or a reading of a structured file or described according to a predetermined description language.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extraction comprises character or document conversion optical recognition in list of alphanumerical elements and associated coordinates, or a lexical and syntactic analysis.

5. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises, after the extraction, an intermediate qualification of the extracted data, using an extraction rules-base.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transcription is performed by call of the instrumentation services of the operating system to simulate an input in input module fields of the management tool.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a manual input of additional data in the pre-existing input module of the management tool, and an enrichment of at least one of the pre-input rules-base and an extraction rules-base depending on the additional data.

8. The method according to claim 1, comprising a simultaneous display of a raw data representation in a first display zone, of pre-input fields in a second display zone, and an input screen of a pre-existing input module in a third display zone.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computer system further comprises a CPU, working memories, input devices, a display device, and programs implementing the method of claim 1.

10. A method comprising:

receiving data including contents of a document;

validating extracted data, from the received data, using a rules-base;

receiving a manually entered input to correct the validated data;

updating the rules-base based on the manually entered input;

formulating pre-input proposed values for pre-input fields by learning from the correcting of the validated data when a set of similar data is subsequently extracted; and

validating the subsequently extracted data using the updated rules-base,

wherein validating extracted data using a rules-base includes displaying the extracted data in pre-input fields for pre-validation.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving the data from a scanner that scans the document.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving the data from a file that includes the data in a predetermined file format.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising updating the rules-base to improve validation of the subsequently received data.

14. A method comprising:

receiving data including contents of a document;

validating extracted data, from the received data, using a rules-base;

receiving an input to correct the validated data;

updating the rules-base based on the input;

formulating pre-input proposed values for pre-input fields by learning from the correcting of the validated data when a set of similar data is subsequently extracted; and

validating the subsequently extracted data using the updated rules-base,

wherein validating extracted data using a rules-base includes;

reading a structured file according to a predetermined description language;

discovering a model and content of an input screen and simulating user actions;

displaying the extracted data in pre-input fields in view of their pre-validation; and

transcribing the extracted data towards corresponding fields of a pre-existing input interface of a program in view of allowing additional inputs and a validation.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein extracting data comprises optical character recognition or a document conversion in alphanumerically listed elements and associated coordinates, or a lexical and syntactic analysis.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the extracted data is extracted by using a rules-based extraction.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the data extraction comprises an allocation, by using a rules-based pre-input, of pre-input proposed values for various pre-input fields.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein transcription is performed by calling API functions at operating system level and at a management tool level to simulate an input in management tool input module fields.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein

receiving an input includes a manual input of additional data in a management tool pre-existing input module;

and

updating the rules base includes enriching a pre-input rules-base and/or an extraction rules-base based on the additional data.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising a step of simultaneous display of a raw data representation in a first display zone, of pre-input field in a second display zone, and of an input screen of the pre-existing input module in a third display zone.