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

Claim 2

An image information retrieving device according to claim 1, characterized in that said image communication terminal is a facsimile terminal, said guidance information is voice information, and said assignment signal is a push button signal of said facsimile terminal.

Claim 3

An image database device characterized in comprising: the image information retrieving device according to either one of claim 1 and claim 2; one or a plurality of image information storing devices for storing image information and secondary service control information, and a communication network for connecting said information retrieving device and said image information storing device, and primary service control information stored in said image information retrieving device indicates a service control procedure which is not related to changes in image information stored in said image information storing device, and secondary service control information stored in said image information retrieving device indicates a service control procedure which changes with changes in part or all of the image information stored in said image information storing device.

Claim 4

An image information retrieving device according to claim 1, characterized in that said retrieval processing means has an extracting means for extracting secondary service control information from dual use service control information wherein at least one of retrieval input form describing information for a computer terminal and secondary service control information are stored together in said image information storing device.

Claim 5

An image database device characterized in comprising: the image information retrieving device according to claim 1; one or a plurality of image information storing devices for storing image information and secondary service control information included in dual use service control information made up at least one of retrieval input form describing information for a computer terminal and secondary service control information, and a communication network for connecting said information retrieving device and said image information storing device.

Claim 6

An image information retrieving device according to either one of claim 4 and claim 5, characterized in that said image communication terminal is a facsimile terminal, said guidance information is voice information, and said assignment signal is a push button signal of said facsimile terminal.

Claim 7

An image information retrieving device according to claim 1, characterized in further comprising input means for inputting primary storage position information, and preliminary retrieval control means which executes instructions for retrieval of image information at regular intervals based on input primary storage position information, and said retrieval processing means retrieves image information from said image information storing device according to retrieval instructions from said preliminary retrieval control means, and when secondary service control information is stored together with said retrieved image information, the secondary service control information is stored in said secondary service control information storing means.

Claim 8

An image information retrieving device according to claim 7, characterized in that said retrieval processing means has conversion means which, when voice information included in the secondary service control information is encoded, decodes the encoded voice information to convert to voice information.

Claim 9

An image database device characterized in comprising: the image information retrieving device according to either one of claim 7 and claim 8; image information storing devices for storing secondary service control information and image information, and a communication network for connecting said information retrieving device and said image information storing device.

Claim 10

An image information retrieving device according to claim 1, characterized in further comprising directory information creating and storing means for extracting, when secondary service control information is included in the image information retrieved by said retrieval control means, secondary service control information, analyzing, when image label information written with a contents classification for relevant image information is included in said secondary service control information, the storage position of said image label information and said image information, and based on the analysis results, creating and storing directory information corresponding to said secondary service control information, and said control means performs control using said directory information to output guidance information.

Claim 11

An image information retrieving device according to claim 10, characterized in further comprising preliminary image label information obtaining means which autonomously retrieves image information to obtain said image label information, and said directory information creating and storing means creates and stores directory information based on image label information obtained by said preliminary image label information obtaining means.

Claim 12

An image information retrieving device according to claim 1, characterized in further comprising: voice information storing means in which typical voice information which can be retrieved by identification symbols is stored in advance, speech synthesizing means for synthesizing voice information from text information, and voice information composing means for retrieving typical voice information stored in said voice information storing means in accordance with the description of service control information described by an identification symbol for typical voice information and text information, and composing the retrieved typical voice information and voice information synthesized from said text information into a single piece of voice information, and said control means performs control to assign a form of the single piece of voice information to said voice information composing means in accordance with the description of secondary service control information stored in said secondary service control information storing means, in order to output the formed single piece of voice information to said image transmission terminal as said guidance information.

Claim 13

An image information retrieving device according to claim 12, characterized in that said primary service control information stored in said primary service control information storing means is described by an identification symbol for typical voice information, and text information, and said facsimile response section assigns the form of a single piece of voice information to said voice information composing section according to the description of primary service control information stored in said primary service control information storing means, and outputs the formed single piece of voice information to said facsimile terminal.

Claim 14

An image information retrieving device according to claim 1, characterized in that: said image transmission terminal is a facsimile terminal, said assignment signal is a push button signal input by a user, said image information storing device is a WWWW server, said image information and said secondary service control information is data formed using an HTML file written by HTML, and said secondary service control information is written by service control script which is written using a specific format for service to a facsimile terminal, and said response means comprises: a circuit control section 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 script analyzing and executing section for analyzing and executing service control script written in one part of an HTML file, a synthesising section, 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 serving as said control means for controlling said circuit control section, said script analyzing and executing section, and said retrieval processing means, and said retrieval processing means comprises: a WWWW retrieving section controlled by said control section, which retrieves data on the WWWW server using a URL address, to obtain the appropriate HTML file, a URL address/numer converting section controlled by said control section, which converts a specified number to a URL address, an HTML file/image converting section controlled by said control section, which analyzes the HTML file obtained by said WWWW retrieving section and converts the HTML to image data to be sent out to facsimile terminals, and said control section outputs, upon line connection of said facsimile terminal, guidance information to said facsimile terminal via said line control section according to the service procedure indicated by said 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.

Claim 15

An image information retrieving device according to claim 14, characterized in that said image information retrieving device is connected to said WWW server via a communication network to which at least one computer is connected, and said server 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.

Claim 16

An image information retrieving device according to claim 15, characterized in that 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.

Claim 17

An image information retrieving device according to claim 14, characterized in that said image information retrieving device is connected to said WWW server via a communication network to which at least one computer is connected, and 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.

Claim 18

An image information retrieving device according to claim 17, characterized in that 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.

Claim 19

An image database device characterized in comprising: the image information retrieving device disclosed in any one of claims 14 through claim 18, a facsimile terminal, a plurality of WWW servers in which HTML files are stored and arranged, and a network connecting said image information retrieval device and said WWW server.

Claim 20

A recording medium on which is recorded a program for executing: a process for outputting first guidance information to an image communication terminal connected to a line, according to a service procedure indicated by primary service control information stored in advance; a process for reading in and storing temporarily secondary service control information which is stored together with the image information from the image information storing device which stores the image information corresponding to the assignment signal input from a user based on said first guidance information, and which shows a service control procedure following on from the service control procedure shown by said primary service control information; a process for outputting the second guidance information to said image communication terminal according to the service control procedure shown by said stored secondary service control information; and a process for retrieving the image information corresponding to the assignment signal input from the user based on said second guidance information, reading in the image information as a retrieval result, and outputting the read-in image information to said image communication terminal.

Claim 21

An image information storing device characterized in comprising: connecting means for connecting to a communication network, and storage means for storing image information and secondary service control information showing service control procedures for facsimile terminals, as data formed by using an HTML file written using HTML, and the secondary service control information stored in said storage means is written as a script in a specific style in a portion of the HTML file, and contains voice guidance information for output to facsimile terminals.