Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and provision medium

• US 7,428,569 B1
• Filed: 05/11/2000
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fujihara, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit; Bunjob
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, DUYEN MY
• Application Number:
  US09/569,251
• Time in Patent Office: 3,057 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/224, 709/225, 709217-219, 382/113, 382/313, 382/176
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3623 using a camera or code reader, e.g. for optical or magnetic codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/416 Extracting the logical structure, e.g. chapters, sections or page numbers; Identifying elements of the document, e.g. authors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2755 by optical scanning

Abstract

An information processing apparatus, an information processing method and a computer readable medium that analyze a character string and execute desired processing using a simple operation. A character string reading device reads the character string in an image photographed by a photographing device, a character string capture and analysis device identifies a type of information represented by the character string by capturing and analyzing the character string read by such character string reading device, and extracting information represented by the character string, and a display controlling device generates an analysis result screen including the type of the character string and the information obtained by such character string capture and analysis device and displaying the analysis result screen on a display.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

character string reading means for reading a character string in an image of a business card photographed by photographing means;

character string capture and analysis means for identifying that a type of information represented by said character string corresponds to one of a telephone number, a postal code, an address, an e-mail address, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), a date and a monetary amount by capturing and analyzing said character string read by said character string reading means, and extracting said information represented by said character string, and automatically selecting, from a plurality of available applications, a graphical map-based navigational application based on said character string when said type of character string corresponds to an address, postal code, or a telephone number and automatically selecting another one of said plurality of available applications when said type of character string corresponds to an e-mail address, a URL, a date or a monetary amount; and

display controlling means for generating an analysis result screen including said type of information represented by said character string and said information of said character string obtained by said character string capture and analysis means, and displaying said analysis result screen on display means, wherein

said character string capture and analysis means identifies a type of information represented by the read character string by comparing a format of the read character string to a format of a plurality of types of information stored in a character string analysis database, wherein said character string reading means registers said character string read in a read history tab provided in the screen of said display means to display the same therein, and places a cursor over the newest said character string; and

said character string capture and analysis means captures said character string when said cursor is placed over said character string and a prescribed time or more passes thereafter.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said character string reading means recognizes and reads a character string in said image using optical character reader (OCR) means.

3. An information processing method, comprising:

reading a character string in an image of a business card photographed by photographing means;

capturing and analyzing said character string for identifying that a type of information represented by said character string corresponds to one of a telephone number, a postal code, an address, an e-mail address, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), a date, and a monetary amount and extracting said information represented by said character string, and automatically selecting, from a plurality of available applications a graphical map-based navigational application based on said character string when said type of character string corresponds to an address, a postal code or a telephone number and automatically selecting another one of said plurality of available applications when said type of character string corresponds to an e-mail address, a URL a date, or a monetary amount and identifying a type of information represented by the read character string by comparing a format of the read character string to a format of a plurality of types of information stored in a character string analysis database; and

generating an analysis result screen including said type of information represented by said character string and said information of said character string obtained by said step of capturing and analyzing, and displaying the analysis result screen on display means,

wherein said reading registers said character string read in a read history tab provided in the screen of said display means to display the same therein, and places a cursor over the newest said character string; and

said capturing and analyzing captures said character string when said cursor is placed over said character string and a prescribed time or more passes thereafter.

4. The information processing method according to claim 3, wherein said step of reading recognizes and reads a character string in said image using optical character reader (OCR) means.

5. A computer readable medium for making an information processing apparatus to execute an instruction set, comprising:

reading a character string in an image of a business card photographed by photographing means;

capturing and analyzing said character string for identifying that a type of information represented by said character string corresponds to one of a telephone number, a postal code, an address, an e-mail address, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), a date, and a monetary amount, and extracting said information represented by said character string, and automatically selecting, from a plurality of available applications a graphical map-based navigational application based on said character string when said type of character string corresponds to an address, postal code or a telephone number and automatically selecting another one of said plurality of available applications when said type of character string corresponds to an e-mail address, a URL, a date or a monetary amount and identifying a type of information represented by the read character string by comparing a format of the read character string to a format of a plurality of types of information stored in a character string analysis database; and

generating an analysis result screen including said type of information represented by said character string and said information of said character string obtained by said step of capturing and analyzing, and displaying the analysis result screen on display means,

wherein said reading registers said character string read in a read history tab provided in the screen of said display means to display the same therein, and places a cursor over the newest said character string; and

said capturing and analyzing captures said character string when said cursor is placed over said character string and a prescribed time or more passes thereafter.

6. The computer readable medium according to claim 5, wherein said step of reading recognizes and reads a character string in said image using optical character reader (OCR) means.

7. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an optical character reader configured to read a character string in an image of a business card photographed by a photographing device;

a character analyzer configured to identify that a type of information represented by said character string corresponds to one of a telephone number, a postal code, an address an e-mail address, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), a date, and a monetary amount by capturing and analyzing said character string read by said optical character reader, and extract said information represented by said character string, and automatically selecting, from a plurality of available applications, a graphical map-based navigational application based on said character string when said type of character string corresponds to an address, postal code or a telephone number and automatically selecting another one of said plurality of available applications when said type of character string corresponds to an e-mail address, a URL, a date or a monetary amount; and

a display driver configured to generate an analysis result screen including said type of information represented by said character string and said information of said character string obtained by said optical character reader, and display said analysis result screen on a display wherein

said character analyzer identifies a type of information represented by the read character string by comparing a format of the read character string to a format of a plurality of types of information stored in a character string analysis database, wherein said optical character reader registers said character string read in a read history tab provided in the screen of said display to display the same therein, and places a cursor over the newest said character string, and said character analyzer captures said character string when said cursor is placed over said character string and a prescribed time or more passes thereafter.