IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD THEREOF, AND PROGRAM

Abstract

An OCR process is executed for image data read by an image reading unit. First date information in the image data is acquired based on the OCR process result. Current second date information is acquired. The acquired first date information is compared with the second date information. Time stamp information is added to the image data if the comparison result indicates that the difference between the two pieces of date information falls within a predetermined period. The image data is saved at a designated saving destination.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view showing the system configuration of a document registration system according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an MEP device that implements the document registration system according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the process operation of the document registration system according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing details of a setting process in step S1021 of the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of a scan process in step S1022 of the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a flowchart showing details of a time stamp addition process in step S311 of the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a view showing an example of an inquiry window according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing details of a scan process in step S1022 of the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8A is a flowchart showing details of a time stamp addition process in step S311a of the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8B is a view showing an example of a warning window according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8C is a view showing an example of a rejection window according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing details of a scan process according to the third embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing details of a document property setting process.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus which manages image data read by an image reading unit, comprising: first acquisition means for executing an OCR process for the image data read by the image reading unit and acquiring first date information in the image data on the basis of the OCR process result;second acquisition means for acquiring current second date information;comparison means for comparing the first date information obtained by said first acquisition means with the second date information obtained by said second acquisition means;addition means for adding time stamp information to the image data if a comparison result of said comparison means indicates that a difference between the first date information and the second date information falls within a predetermined period; andsaving means for saving the image data in a designated saving destination device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying, on a display unit, a confirmation window to confirm whether to add a time stamp if the comparison result of said comparison means indicates that the difference between the first date information and the second date information does not fall within the predetermined period.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein if said first acquisition means has failed in acquiring the first date information, said display means displays, on the display unit, a confirmation window including display to indicate the failure and a control to instruct whether to add a time stamp.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when a user gives the instruction to add the time stamp by the confirmation window, said addition means adds the time stamp information to the image data.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said display means further displays, on the display unit, an input window for inputting a management number for managing the image data, andsaid saving means saves, in the designated saving destination device, the management number input via the input window in correspondence with the image data.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when a user gives the instruction not to add the time stamp by the confirmation window, said saving means saves the image data without any time stamp in the saving destination device.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said saving means controls to save, in the saving destination device, information obtained by comparison calculation of the first date information and the time stamp information as information for searching of the image data.

8. An image processing apparatus which manages image data read by an image reading unit, comprising: first acquisition means for executing an OCR process for the image data read by the image reading unit and acquiring date information in the image data on the basis of the OCR process result;second acquisition means for acquiring time stamp information;comparison means for comparing the date information obtained by said first acquisition means with the time stamp information obtained by said second acquisition means;addition means for adding time stamp information to the image data if a comparison result of said comparison means indicates that a difference between the date information and the time stamp information falls within a predetermined period; andsaving means for saving the image data in a designated saving destination device.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising display means for displaying, on a display unit, a confirmation window to confirm whether to add a time stamp if the comparison result of said comparison means indicates that the difference between the date information and the time stamp information does not fall within the predetermined period.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein if the comparison result of said comparison means indicates that the difference between the date information and the time stamp information does not fall within the predetermined period, said display means displays, on the display unit, a confirmation window including display to indicate the comparison result and a control to confirm whether to add a time stamp.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein if said first acquisition means has failed in acquiring the date information, said display means displays, on the display unit, an input window including a control to input date information.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein if the comparison result of said comparison means indicates that the date information is later than the time stamp information, said display means displays, on the display unit, a confirmation window indicating that the date information is invalid.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising setting means for setting a flag to inhibit saving of the image data if it is determined on the basis of the comparison result of said comparison means that the date information is invalid.

14. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said saving means controls to save, in the saving destination device, information obtained by comparison calculation of the date information and the time stamp information as information for searching of the image data.

15. A control method of an image processing apparatus which manages image data read by an image reading unit, comprising: a first acquisition step of executing an OCR process for the image data read by the image reading unit and acquiring first date information in the image data on the basis of the OCR process result;a second acquisition step of acquiring current second date information;a comparison step of comparing the first date information obtained in the first acquisition step with the second date information obtained in the second acquisition step;an addition step of adding time stamp information to the image data if a comparison result of the comparison step indicates that a difference between the first date information and the second date information falls within a predetermined period; anda saving step of saving the image data in a designated saving destination device.

16. A control method of an image processing apparatus which manages image data read by an image reading unit, comprising: a first acquisition step of executing an OCR process for the image data read by the image reading unit and acquiring date information in the image data on the basis of the OCR process result;a second acquisition step of acquiring time stamp information;a comparison step of comparing the date information obtained in the first acquisition step with the time stamp information obtained in the second acquisition step;an addition step of adding time stamp information to the image data if a comparison result of the comparison step indicates that a difference between the date information and the time stamp information falls within a predetermined period; anda saving step of saving the image data in a designated saving destination device.

17. A computer program stored in a computer-readable medium to cause a computer to control an image processing apparatus which manages image data read by an image reading unit, comprising: a first acquisition step of executing an OCR process for the image data read by the image reading unit and acquiring first date information in the image data on the basis of the OCR process result;a second acquisition step of acquiring current second date information;a comparison step of comparing the first date information obtained in the first acquisition step with the second date information obtained in the second acquisition step;an addition step of adding time stamp information to the image data if a comparison result of the comparison step indicates that a difference between the first date information and the second date information falls within a predetermined period; anda saving step of saving the image data in a designated saving destination device.

18. A computer program stored in a computer-readable medium to cause a computer to control an image processing apparatus which manages image data read by an image reading unit, comprising: a first acquisition step of executing an OCR process for the image data read by the image reading unit and acquiring date information in the image data on the basis of the OCR process result;a second acquisition step of acquiring time stamp information;a comparison step of comparing the date information obtained in the first acquisition step with the time stamp information obtained in the second acquisition step;an addition step of adding time stamp information to the image data if a comparison result of the comparison step indicates that a difference between the date information and the time stamp information falls within a predetermined period; anda saving step of saving the image data in a designated saving destination device.