# US 2024/0203148 A1 · Workflow approval system, approval order setting method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2024/0203148 A1 - Document ID: US20240203148A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/542,633 - Filed: 2023-12-16 - Published: 2024-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2022-12-20 - Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Kenji TAKEDA; Yuusuke Nakatani - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20240203148A1 ## CPC - G06V 30/416: Extracting the logical structure, e.g. chapters, sections or page numbers; Identifying elements of the document, e.g. authors - G06Q 10/0633: Workflow analysis - G06V 30/414: Extracting the geometrical structure, e.g. layout tree; Block segmentation, e.g. bounding boxes for graphics or text - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A workflow approval system includes an acquisition unit, a recognition unit, and a route setting unit. The acquisition unit acquires a first image. The recognition unit recognizes one or more approval fields included in the first image on the basis of the arrangement of a combination of characters included in the first image and a delimiting line that delimits a predetermined region in the first image. The route setting unit sets an approval order indicating the order of approvers who approve the first image, on the basis of the array of the one or more approval fields recognized by the recognition unit. The delimiting line includes one or more straight lines or one or more curved lines. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A workflow approval system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires a first image; a recognition unit that recognizes one or more approval fields included in the first image on a basis of an arrangement of a combination of characters included in the first image and a delimiting line delimiting a predetermined region in the first image; and a route setting unit that sets an approval order indicating an order of approvers who approve the first image, on a basis of an array of the one or more approval fields recognized by the recognition unit, wherein the delimiting line includes one or more straight lines or one or more curved lines. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The workflow approval system according to claim 1, further comprising a display processing unit that displays, on a display device, a second image in which an approval field image corresponding to the one or more approval fields recognized by the recognition unit is superimposed on the first image. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The workflow approval system according to claim 2, further comprising a changing unit that changes at least one of a position at which the one or more approval field images are superimposed and a shape of the one or more approval field images. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The workflow approval system according to claim 2, further comprising: a storage unit that stores an approval route in which a target person is assigned to the approval order as the approver corresponding to the one or more approval fields; and a transmission unit that transmits second image information corresponding to the second image, to the target person assigned to the approval route, in accordance with the approval order. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The workflow approval system according to claim 4, further comprising a first acceptance unit that accepts an input operation of inputting identification information indicating the target person, wherein the route setting unit assigns the identification information accepted by the first acceptance unit to the approver as the target person. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The workflow approval system according to claim 4, further comprising: a reception unit that receives the second image information transmitted from the transmission unit; a second acceptance unit that accepts an operation by the target person; and an approval unit that adds an approval image to an approval field corresponding to the target person among the one or more approval fields included in the second image corresponding to the second image information received by the reception unit when the second acceptance unit accepts the operation by the target person, wherein when the approval image is added by the approval unit, the transmission unit transmits the second image information to a target person corresponding to the approval field to which the approval image is not added. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The workflow approval system according to claim 4, wherein when a newly set approval order is the same as the approval order of the approval route stored in the storage unit, the route setting unit selects the target person assigned to the approval route stored in the storage unit as the approver. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The workflow approval system according to claim 1, further comprising a region setting unit that sets a partial region of the first image as a target region, wherein the recognition unit recognizes one or more approval fields included in the target region on a basis of an arrangement of a combination of characters and a delimiting line included in the target region. ### Claim 9 An approval order setting method comprising: acquiring, by an acquisition unit, a first image; recognizing, by a recognition unit, one or more approval fields included in the first image on a basis of an arrangement of a combination of characters included in the first image and a delimiting line delimiting a predetermined region in the first image; and setting, by a route setting unit, an approval order indicating an order of approvers who approve the first image, on a basis of an array of the recognized one or more approval fields, wherein the delimiting line includes one or more straight lines or one or more curved lines. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores an approval order setting program that is executed by a computer, the approval order setting program causing the computer to function as: an acquisition unit that acquires a first image; a recognition unit that recognizes one or more approval fields included in the first image on a basis of an arrangement of a combination of characters included in the first image and a delimiting line delimiting a predetermined region in the first image; and a route setting unit that sets an approval order indicating an order of approvers who approve the first image, on a basis of an array of the one or more approval fields recognized by the recognition unit, wherein the delimiting line includes one or more straight lines or one or more curved lines.