Information management server, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To reduce a burden on a user who performs a series of procedures comprising a plurality of procedures.SOLUTION: An information processing system includes an extraction unit configured to extract an application item required for each of a plurality of procedures included in a series of procedures in response to a fact that a procedure request requesting execution of the procedure is notified from a user terminal and the procedure requested by the notified procedure request is a series of procedures including a plurality of procedures, and a procedure control unit configured to acquire application information corresponding to the application item from the user terminal and sequentially execute the plurality of procedures included in the series of procedures using the acquired application information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information management server, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] There are systems that support procedures that users carry out with local governments, companies, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that shares personal information, reduces the burden on users when registering for each service, and enables the personal information to be kept up to date. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-170369 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, some procedures cannot be completed in a single go. For example, when setting up an automatic debit, the procedure must first verify the identity of the person requesting the procedure, then verify the account with the financial institution once the identity has been verified, and once the account has been verified, register the withdrawal account with the collection company. Such a series of procedures cannot be completed until a series of procedures consisting of multiple steps is completed. When performing such a series of procedures, the user must perform the next procedure each time one procedure is completed, which places a heavy burden on the user. Patent Document 1 does not describe such a series of procedures.

[0005] The present invention was made in consideration of this situation, and its purpose is to provide an information management server, an information processing method, and a program that can reduce the burden on users who perform a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention is an information management server that includes an extraction unit that receives a procedure request from a user terminal to request the execution of a procedure, and that extracts application items required for each of the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures, depending on whether the procedure requested in the notified procedure request is a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures, and a procedure control unit that obtains application information corresponding to the application items from the user terminal and sequentially carries out the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures using the obtained application information.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is an information processing method performed by a computer that is an information management server, in which an extraction unit receives a procedure request from a user terminal requesting the execution of a procedure, and extracts application items required for each of the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures in accordance with the fact that the procedure requested in the notified procedure request is a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures, and a procedure control unit obtains application information corresponding to the application items from the user terminal and sequentially performs the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures using the obtained application information.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a program that receives a procedure request from a user terminal requesting the execution of a procedure from a computer that is an information management server, and, if the procedure requested in the notified procedure request is a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures, extracts application items required for each of the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures, obtains application information corresponding to the application items from the user terminal, and sequentially executes the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures using the obtained application information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden on users who have to go through a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a procedural information linkage system 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing performed by the procedural information linkage system 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information management server 10. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of procedure information 120. [Figure 5] 2 is a diagram for explaining the processing performed by the information management server 10. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram for explaining the processing performed by the information management server 10. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a diagram for explaining the processing performed by the information management server 10. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a processing flow in a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] <Configuration of Procedural Information Linkage System 1> The procedure information linkage system 1 is a system that provides procedure services. In the procedure services, various procedures are carried out by each business operator in response to a request from a user.

[0013] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a procedural information linkage system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The procedural information linkage system 1 includes, for example, an information management server 10, a user terminal 20, an authentication server 30, a financial institution server 40, and a collection company server 50. In the procedural information linkage system 1, the information management server 10, the user terminal 20, the authentication server 30, the financial institution server 40, and the collection company server 50 are communicatively connected via a communication network NW.

[0014] The user terminal 20 is a computer such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, or a PC (personal computer). The user terminal 20 is operated by a user. By operating the user terminal 20, the user can receive various procedure services. In this embodiment, a case where the procedure service is provided via application software related to the procedure service (hereinafter referred to as a procedure support app) will be described as an example, but is not limited to this. The procedure support service may also be provided as a web service via a web browser.

[0015] The authentication server 30 is a computer such as a server, a cloud server, or a PC. The authentication server 30 performs identity verification in response to a request from the information management server 10. Identity verification here is a process of determining whether the requester who has notified the user of a procedure request using a procedure service via the user terminal 20 is the actual person who is the subject of the procedure. The authentication server 30 performs identity verification using, for example, eKYC (electronic Know Your Customer) technology. With eKYC, identity verification is performed online using, for example, an image of the face of an official document such as a driver's license. The authentication server 30 extracts the name, address, date of birth, etc. written on the face of the document from the face image using, for example, an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) function, and if the extracted information matches the user information registered with the procedure service, it determines that the person is the person in question (identity verification is successful). Alternatively, the information management server 10 may determine whether the person is the person in question (whether the person has been identified) based on the degree of match between the face photograph extracted from the driver's license and the selfie image, and whether the person in the face photograph and the selfie image are the same person. The selfie image here is an image of the requester's face, which has been taken using the camera function of the user terminal 20, by the requester who has notified the request for a procedure using the procedure service via the user terminal 20. The authentication server 30 is not limited to the above-described eKYC identity verification as long as it can at least perform identity verification in response to a request from the information management server 10. The authentication server 30 may perform identity verification using, for example, the public personal identification (JPKI).

[0016] The financial institution server 40 is a computer such as a server, a cloud server, or a PC. The financial institution server 40 is operated by a financial institution and performs account verification in response to a request from the information management server 10. The account verification here is a process of checking whether there are any errors in the bank name, branch name, account type, account number, account name, etc. entered by the user as the transfer account during the account transfer setup procedure.

[0017] The collection company server 50 is a computer such as a server, a cloud server, or a PC. The collection company server 50 is operated by the collection company and performs account registration in response to a request from the information management server 10. Account registration here is a process of registering a transfer account specified by the user as a withdrawal account during the account transfer setup procedure. When a user purchases a product or uses a service from a service provider (not shown), the service provider notifies the collection company server 50 of billing data. The collection company server 50, after going through procedures with the financial institution, debits the payment from the user's registered account and deposits the debited amount into the service provider.

[0018] The information management server 10 is a computer such as a server, a cloud server, or a PC. The information management server 10 provides a procedure service. The information management server 10 performs a procedure in response to a procedure request from a user notified by a user terminal 20.

[0019] Here, some procedures requested by users cannot be completed in one procedure. For example, if the user who has notified the procedure request has not registered as a user of the procedure service, the user must go through the user registration procedure and create an account for the procedure service. In addition, depending on the content of the procedure, it may be necessary to carry out identity verification procedures before carrying out the requested procedure, and once identity has been confirmed, the original procedure (the procedure requested by the user) may be carried out. Furthermore, depending on the content of the procedure requested by the user, there may be cases where multiple procedures are performed in sequence, and the procedure requested by the user cannot be completed until all of the series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures are completed. For example, if the procedure requested by the user is a procedure for setting up direct debit, the user must first confirm the account with the financial institution, and once the account is confirmed, the user must then register the debit account with the collection company, and the procedure for setting up direct debit cannot be completed until both the account confirmation procedure and the account registration procedure are completed. In the case of such procedures that cannot be completed in one go, users must carry out the next procedure after completing each procedure. When carrying out a procedure, users must prepare the documents required for the procedure in advance, such as identification, cash card, and bank transfer information. If a procedure is carried out multiple times, the documents required for the procedure must be prepared each time, which means that the user has to go through the trouble of preparing the same documents multiple times, which is troublesome and reduces convenience.

[0020] To address this issue, in this embodiment, even if a procedure cannot be completed in one go, the user can complete all procedures by submitting a single application. Specifically, when the information management server 10 receives a procedure request from the user terminal 20, it determines whether the content of the received procedure request requires a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures. If a series of procedures is required, the information management server 10 extracts the application items required for each of the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures. The extracted application items are then transmitted to the user terminal 20, allowing the information management server 10 to collectively acquire application information corresponding to the application items from the user terminal 20. In this way, the information management server 10 collectively acquires application information corresponding to the application items of each procedure from the user terminal 20. This allows the information management server 10 to sequentially carry out the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures, thereby saving the user the trouble of having to request the information required for each procedure each time.

[0021] <Processing flow> Here, the flow of processing performed by the procedure information linkage system 1 will be explained using Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing performed by the procedure information linkage system 1 according to an embodiment. Here, the flow of processing will be explained using the example of setting up an account transfer as an example of a procedure that requires a series of procedures.

[0022] The user terminal 20 transmits a procedure request to the information management server 10 to request that the user terminal 20 perform the procedure for setting up account transfer (step S101). The information management server 10 receives the procedure request from the user terminal 20 and identifies each procedure from the received procedure request (here, account transfer setting) (step S102). The information management server 10 first determines whether the requested procedure requires a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures. If a series of procedures requires a series of procedures, the information management server 10 identifies the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures. Here, an example will be described in which four procedures are identified for each procedure. Of the four procedures, the first procedure is a procedure related to account creation. The second procedure is a procedure related to identity verification. The third procedure is a procedure related to account verification. The fourth procedure is a procedure related to account registration.

[0023] The information management server 10 generates screen information of an input screen showing the application items of each procedure identified in step S102 as input screen information (step S103). The information management server 10 transmits the generated input screen information to the user terminal 20.

[0024] The user terminal 20 receives the input screen information from the information management server 10, and displays an input screen based on the received input screen information on the display of the user terminal 20 (step S104). The user visually checks the input screen displayed on the display of the user terminal 20 and performs an operation to input application information corresponding to the application items shown on the input screen (step S105). For example, if "address" is shown as an application item, the user inputs the user's address as application information corresponding to the application item. The user terminal 20 transmits the application information input by the user's input operation to the information management server 10. The information management server 10 receives the application information notified from the user terminal 20, thereby acquiring the application information required for each procedure (step S106).

[0025] The information management server 10 executes the first procedure (account creation) using the application information acquired in step S106, and performs control based on the execution result (step S107). For example, the information management server 10 extracts application information necessary for the first procedure from the application information notified from the user terminal 20. The application information necessary for the first procedure includes, for example, the user's name, date of birth, address, account ID, and password. The information management server 10 performs, for example, a duplication check, and after confirming that the application information necessary for the first procedure has not already been registered, registers the application information necessary for the first procedure as user information for the procedure service. As a result, the information management server 10 executes the first procedure (account creation). The information management server 10 transmits the procedure result of the first procedure to the user terminal 20. The user terminal 20 receives the procedure result of the first procedure from the information management server 10 (step S108).

[0026] The information management server 10 executes the second procedure (identity verification) using the application information acquired in step S106, and performs control based on the execution result (step S109). For example, the information management server 10 extracts application information necessary for the second procedure from the application information notified from the user terminal 20. The application information necessary for the second procedure includes, for example, an image of the face of an official document such as a driver's license, and a selfie image of the user's face. The information management server 10 transmits the image of the face of the document and the selfie image to the authentication server 30 and requests identity verification. The authentication server 30 receives the image of the face of the document and the selfie image from the information management server 10, performs identity verification using the received images, and notifies the information management server 10 of the verification result (step S110). The information management server 10 receives the verification result of the identity verification from the authentication server 30, and transmits the received verification result to the user terminal 20 as the procedure result of the second procedure. The user terminal 20 receives the procedure result of the second procedure from the information management server 10 (step S111).

[0027] The information management server 10 executes the third procedure (account confirmation) using the application information acquired in step S106 and performs control based on the execution result (step S112). For example, the information management server 10 extracts application information necessary for the third procedure from the application information notified from the user terminal 20. The application information necessary for the third procedure is, for example, information indicating the bank name, branch name, account type, account number, account holder name, etc. of the transfer account. The information management server 10 transmits the application information necessary for the third procedure to the financial institution server 40 and requests account confirmation. The financial institution server 40 receives the application information necessary for the third procedure from the information management server 10, performs account confirmation using the received information, and notifies the information management server 10 of the confirmation result (step S113). The information management server 10 receives the confirmation result of the account confirmation from the financial institution server 40 and transmits the received confirmation result to the user terminal 20 as the procedure result of the third procedure. The user terminal 20 receives the procedure result of the third procedure from the information management server 10 (step S114).

[0028] The information management server 10 executes the fourth procedure (account registration) using the application information acquired in step S106 (step S115). For example, the information management server 10 extracts application information necessary for the fourth procedure from the application information notified from the user terminal 20. The application information necessary for the fourth procedure is, for example, information related to a confirmed transfer account, such as the bank name, branch name, account type, account number, and account holder name of the account to be registered. The information management server 10 transmits the application information necessary for the fourth procedure to the collection company server 50 and requests account registration. The collection company server 50 receives the application information necessary for the fourth procedure from the information management server 10 and registers the account using the received information (step S116). Upon completing the account registration, the information management server 10 transmits to the user terminal 20 a notification that the series of procedures from the first to fourth procedures has been completed (step S117). The user terminal 20 receives a notification that the series of procedures has been completed from the information management server 10 (step S118). Depending on the procedure, it may take several business days to obtain the result of the procedure, making it difficult to obtain the result (confirmation result) in real time. In this case, in the process shown in step S110 (or S113), the information management server 10 notifies the procedure destination (authentication server 30 or financial institution server 40, etc.) of the application information, and several days after requesting the implementation of the procedure, the procedure destination notifies the information management server 10 of the result of the procedure.

[0029] <Configuration of information management server 10> Next, the configuration of the information management server 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information management server 10. The information management server 10 includes, for example, a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The communication unit 11 communicates with the user terminal 20, the authentication server 30, the financial institution server 40, and the receiving company server 50.

[0030] The storage unit 12 stores various information. For example, the storage unit 12 stores procedure information 120. The procedure information 120 is information that, for each procedure that is expected to be requested by a user, corresponds the contents of a series of procedures required to perform the procedure and the application items required for each procedure in the series of procedures as a breakdown of the procedure.

[0031] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of procedure information 120 stored in memory unit 22. Procedure information 120 is composed of information corresponding to items such as procedure ID, procedure content, and procedure breakdown, for example. The procedure ID stores identification information that identifies the procedure. The procedure content stores the content of the procedure identified by the procedure ID. The procedure breakdown stores a series of procedures required to perform the procedure identified by the procedure ID, and the application items required for each procedure in that series of procedures. This figure shows an example of procedure information 120 related to the procedure for setting up direct debit. The procedure for setting up direct debit shows an example in which at least four procedures are associated as each procedure in a series of procedures. Of the four procedures, the first procedure is a procedure for creating an account. The second procedure is a procedure for verifying identity. The third procedure is a procedure for verifying an account. The fourth procedure is a procedure for registering an account.

[0032] The storage unit 12 is configured by a storage medium, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), random access read / write memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), or any combination of these storage media. The storage unit 12 stores programs for executing various processes of the information management server 10 and temporary data used when performing various processes.

[0033] 3, the control unit 13 controls each component of the information management server 10. The control unit 13 has a function of receiving various information notified from the user terminal 20, the authentication server 30, the financial institution server 40, the collection company server 50, etc. via the communication unit 11, and a function of transmitting information from the information management server 10 to any of the user terminal 20, the authentication server 30, the financial institution server 40, and the collection company server 50 via the communication unit 11. The control unit 13 is realized, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the information management server 10 executing a program pre-stored in the storage unit 12. The control unit 13 may also be realized as an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 13 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 130, a determination unit 131, an extraction unit 132, and a procedure control unit 133.

[0034] The acquisition unit 130 acquires the procedure request notified from the user terminal 20 via the communication unit 11 and outputs the acquired procedure request to the determination unit 131.

[0035] The determination unit 131 determines whether the procedure requested in the procedure request is a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures. For example, the determination unit 131 refers to the storage unit 12 based on the procedure request and reads out the procedure information 120 corresponding to the procedure requested in the procedure request. If the read procedure information 120 corresponds to multiple procedures as a breakdown of the procedure, the determination unit 131 determines that the procedure requested in the procedure request is a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures. On the other hand, if the read procedure information 120 corresponds to only one procedure as a procedure breakdown, the judgment unit 131 judges that the procedure requested in the procedure request is not a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures. If the procedure requested in the procedure request is a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures, determination unit 131 outputs information indicating the procedure requested in the procedure request to extraction unit 132. On the other hand, if the procedure requested in the procedure request is not a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures, determination unit 131 outputs information indicating the procedure requested in the procedure request to procedure control unit 133.

[0036] The extraction unit 132 extracts the application items required for each of the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures requested in the procedure request. The extraction unit 132 extracts the application items required for each of the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures by obtaining the application items associated with each procedure in the procedure information 120 corresponding to the procedure requested in the procedure request. The extraction unit 132 outputs information indicating the extracted application items to the procedure control unit 133.

[0037] The procedure control unit 133 controls the implementation of the procedure requested in the procedure request. If the procedure requested in the procedure request corresponds to a series of procedures, the procedure control unit 133 acquires, from the user terminal 20, application information corresponding to the application items extracted by the extraction unit 132. The procedure control unit 133 uses the acquired application information to sequentially implement the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures. On the other hand, if the procedure requested in the procedure request does not correspond to a series of procedures, the procedure control unit 133 acquires, from the user terminal 20, application information corresponding to the application items required for the procedure requested in the procedure request. The procedure control unit 133 uses the acquired application information to implement the procedure requested in the procedure request.

[0038] Here, the method by which the procedure control unit 133 acquires application information will be described with reference to Figs. 5 to 7. Figs. 5 to 7 are diagrams for explaining the processing performed by the information management server 10. Figs. 5 to 7 show examples of input screens displayed on the user terminal 20. The input screen is a screen that displays the application items for each procedure and is a screen on which the user is asked to enter application information corresponding to the application items. The procedure control unit 133 of the information management server 10 transmits screen information of an input screen according to the content of the requested procedure to the user terminal 20. The user terminal 20 receives the screen information from the information management server 10 and displays a screen based on the received screen information on the display of the user terminal 20. As a result, the input screen is displayed on the display of the user terminal 20.

[0039] Figure 5 shows that the procedure request includes a breakdown of multiple procedures (four in this case). Also shown are pull-down lists PD (pull-down lists PD1 to PD4) corresponding to each of the multiple procedures. When the pull-down list PD is pulled down, the application items for the corresponding procedure and input fields for entering application information corresponding to those application items are displayed. The procedure control unit 133 displays such an input screen on the user terminal 20, and the information management server 10 allows the user to understand each procedure as a breakdown of a series of procedures and the application items for each procedure. By visually checking the input screen, the user can easily understand that multiple procedures must be performed to complete the procedure they have requested, and what specific procedures each of the multiple procedures is and what application items they need to apply for to complete the procedures.

[0040] FIG. 6 shows an example of a screen that is displayed when the pull-down list PD1 is pulled down. In this figure, when the pull-down list PD1 is pulled down, items such as address and name are displayed as application items required for the account creation procedure corresponding to the first procedure. Also shown is an example in which "Minato-ku, Tokyo..." is entered as application information corresponding to the "Address" item. Also shown is an example in which "Shiodome Hanako" is entered as application information corresponding to the "Name" item. When a user inputs application information corresponding to the application items and performs an operation such as pressing a confirm button (not shown), the user terminal 20 transmits the application information input on the input screen to the information management server 10. The information management server 10 receives the application information notified from the user terminal 20. As a result, the information management server 10 acquires the application information.

[0041] An example of the screen displayed when pull-down list PD3 is pulled down is shown in Figure 7. In this figure, when pull-down list PD3 is pulled down, items such as address, name, and date of birth are displayed as application items required for the account confirmation procedure corresponding to the third procedure. Here, the procedure control unit 133 of the information management server 10 may display the already entered application information for application items in the third procedure that are the same as application items that have already been entered. For example, in FIG. 6, if application information corresponding to "Address" and "Name" among the application items in the first procedure has already been entered, when the pull-down list PD3 is pulled down, the corresponding application information already entered for "Address" and "Name" among the application items in the third procedure is displayed. In the example in this figure, the "Address" field shows an example in which "Minato-ku, Tokyo..." is displayed in italics as the already entered application information. The "Name" field shows an example in which "Shiodome Hanako" is displayed in italics as the already entered application information. In this way, if there is an application item in each procedure on the input screen that is the same as an application item corresponding to application information that has already been entered, the corresponding application information may be displayed in a state where it has already been entered. This saves the user the trouble of having to enter information, and improves convenience. In this case, the procedure control unit 133 extracts common items from the application items of each of the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures and associates the extracted items as common items. When corresponding item information is input into any of the associated common items, the procedure control unit 133 reflects the input application information as item information for the remaining common items. In other words, when application information is input into one of the application items associated as common items, the procedure control unit 133 reflects the input application information in the application information corresponding to all application items associated as common items. (Display variation 1) Although FIGS. 5 to 7 show examples in which the application items for each of a plurality of procedures are displayed in a pull-down list PD, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the display field showing the name of each procedure may function as a link button that transitions to a screen for entering application information for that procedure. In this case, tapping on the display field for any of the multiple procedures transitions to a screen for entering application information corresponding to the operated procedure. The user enters the application information according to the format of the screen to which the user transitions. When the user enters application information corresponding to the application items and presses the confirm button (not shown), the user terminal 20 transmits the entered application information to the information management server 10. Alternatively, when a tap operation is performed on a display field for one of the multiple procedures, a separate window (e.g., a modal window) may be displayed on the input screen, and this separate window may have an input field for entering application information for the procedure that was tapped on the input screen. The user enters the application information according to the format of the screen displayed in the separate window. When the user completes the input and presses a confirm button (not shown), the user terminal 20 transmits the entered application information to the information management server 10. (Display variation 2) 5 to 7, the input status of application information may be displayed so that it can be grasped without performing a pull-down operation. For example, when input for the application items in the first procedure is completed, the display of the procedure item name "Procedure 1: Create Account" shown in the pull-down list PD1 is changed to "Completed" or "Procedure 1: Create Account: Completed." Alternatively, an icon indicating "Completed" may be displayed above the display of the procedure item name "Procedure 1: Create Account" shown in the pull-down list PD1. The same applies to the second, third, and fourth procedures. Furthermore, if input for three out of five application items in the first procedure has been completed, the display of the pull-down list PD1 may be changed to show "3 / 5 completed" or "Procedure 1: Account creation: 3 / 5 completed." Alternatively, an icon indicating "3 / 5 completed" may be displayed above the display of the pull-down list PD1. The same applies to the second, third, and fourth procedures. 5 to 7, procedures for which input for application items has not been completed may be displayed so that they can be understood without performing pull-down operations. For example, suppose that input for application items has been completed for Procedures 1 and 2, but input for application items has not been completed for Procedures 3 and 4. In this case, each of the pull-down lists PD1 to PD2 will display "Complete," and each of the pull-down lists PD3 to PD4 will display "Incomplete." Alternatively, an icon indicating "Complete" will be displayed above each of the pull-down lists PD1 to PD2, and an icon indicating "Incomplete" will be displayed above each of the pull-down lists PD3 to PD4. This type of display allows the user to grasp the input status of application information without having to perform pull-down operations.

[0042] As described above, the information management server 10 of the embodiment includes an extraction unit 132 and a procedure control unit 133. When a procedure request for the execution of a procedure is notified from a user terminal 20 and the procedure requested in the notified procedure request is a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures, the extraction unit 132 extracts application items required for each of the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures. The procedure control unit 133 acquires application information corresponding to the application items from the user terminal 20 and uses the acquired application information to sequentially execute the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures.

[0043] Here, as a comparative example, an example in which a user performs a series of procedures consisting of a plurality of procedures in order will be shown. Fig. 8 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing in the comparative example. First, the user terminal 20 transmits a procedure request for the first procedure (account creation) to the information management server 10 (step S201). The information management server 10 acquires the procedure request (step S202), executes the first procedure in accordance with the acquired procedure request (step S203), and notifies the user terminal 20 of the execution result. The user terminal 20 acquires the result of the first procedure (step S204). Next, the user terminal 20 transmits a procedure request for the second procedure (identity verification) to the information management server 10 (step S205). The information management server 10 acquires the procedure request (step S206) and requests the authentication server 30 to execute the second procedure in accordance with the acquired procedure request (step S207). The authentication server 30 performs identity verification (step S208) and notifies the information management server 10 of the verification result. The information management server 10 notifies the user terminal 20 of the verification result received from the authentication server 30. The user terminal 20 acquires the result of the second procedure (step S209). Next, the user terminal 20 sends a procedure request for the third procedure (account confirmation) to the information management server 10 (step S210). The information management server 10 acquires the procedure request (step S211) and requests the financial institution server 40 to execute the third procedure in accordance with the acquired procedure request (step S212). The financial institution server 40 performs account confirmation (step S213) and notifies the information management server 10 of the confirmation result. The information management server 10 notifies the user terminal 20 of the confirmation result received from the financial institution server 40. The user terminal 20 acquires the result of the third procedure (step S214). Next, the user terminal 20 sends a procedure request for the fourth procedure (account registration) to the information management server 10 (step S215). The information management server 10 acquires the procedure request (step S216) and requests the receiving company server 50 to carry out the fourth procedure in accordance with the acquired procedure request (step S217). The receiving company server 50 performs account registration (step S218). The information management server 10 notifies the user terminal 20 that it has requested the receiving company to register the account. The user terminal 20 acquires the results of the fourth procedure (step S219). Thus, in the comparative example, the procedure requested by the user is not completed until each procedure is performed in order and the entire series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures is completed. Each time a procedure is completed, the user must perform the next procedure, and each time they perform the procedure, they must prepare the necessary documents, resulting in the effort of preparing similar documents multiple times. For example, suppose that the work related to the application for the first procedure takes M1 [minutes], the work related to the application for the second procedure takes M2 [minutes], the work related to the application for the third procedure takes M3 [minutes], and the work related to the application for the fourth procedure takes M4 [minutes].

[0044] In contrast, in the information management server 10 of this embodiment, if the procedure requested by the user is a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures, the application items required for each of the multiple procedures are extracted. This makes it possible to obtain the application information required for the application of each procedure from the user terminal 20 all at once. For example, as shown in step S105 of Figure 2, the work related to applying for each procedure in a series of procedures takes M minutes. Because the documents required for the procedures only need to be prepared once, M minutes is considered to be less than the time required for application in the comparative example (M1 + M2 + M3 + M4). Therefore, the burden on users who perform a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures can be reduced.

[0045] Moreover, the information management server 10 of the embodiment further includes a determination unit 131. In response to a procedure request being notified from the user terminal 20, the determination unit 131 determines whether the procedures requested in the procedure request are a series of procedures. When the determination unit 131 determines that the procedures requested in the procedure request are a series of procedures, the extraction unit 132 extracts application items for each of the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures. As a result, the information management server 10 of the embodiment can determine whether the requested procedure cannot be completed without completing multiple procedures, and then acquire the application information required to apply for each procedure from the user terminal 20 in one go, thereby efficiently controlling the execution of the procedures while reducing the burden on the user.

[0046] Furthermore, in the information management server 10 of the embodiment, the procedure control unit 133 transmits screen information of an input screen for inputting application items to the user terminal 20. This causes the input screen to be displayed on the display of the user terminal 20. The procedure control unit 133 acquires application information from the user terminal 20 by having the user input application information corresponding to the application items into the input screen displayed on the display of the user terminal 20 through input operations, etc. The procedure control unit 133 transmits to the user terminal 20 an input screen that associates common items included in the application items of multiple procedures included in a series of procedures. In response to application information being entered into one of the application items associated as a common item on the input screen, the procedure control unit 133 reflects the entered application information in the application information corresponding to all application items associated as a common item. This eliminates the need for the user to enter duplicate application items, thereby improving convenience.

[0047] In addition, in the information management server 10 of the embodiment, the procedure control unit 133 transmits the results of the completed procedure to the user terminal each time multiple procedures included in a series of procedures are completed, thereby allowing the information management server 10 of the embodiment to let the user know that the procedure has been completed.

[0048] <Example 1 of other procedures that are part of the same series of procedures> In the above-described embodiment, the process related to a series of procedures has been described using the procedure for setting up an account transfer as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the procedure service of this embodiment can be applied to the procedure for opening a securities account. When a procedure for opening a securities account is carried out without applying the procedural service of this embodiment, when a user applies to a securities company to open an account, the user is first asked to submit documents for identity verification (first application process). Once the securities company has completed identity verification of the user who applied to open an account, initial settings related to the account opening (second application process) are carried out. In the initial settings related to the account opening, the contact information, occupation, and place of employment of the user whose identity has been verified are registered, and a questionnaire is conducted. When the procedure service of this embodiment is applied, the information management server 10, upon receiving notification from the user terminal 20 of an application to open a securities account, requests the user to submit documents for identity verification (first application work) and perform tasks related to the initial setup for opening the account (second application work). The information management server 10 then first verifies the user's identity using the documents for identity verification, and notifies the user terminal 20 of the completion once identity verification is complete. Next, the information management server 10 completes the initial setup by registering the user's contact information, occupation, and place of employment, as well as a questionnaire, etc., which were input as the initial setup for opening the account, and notifies the user terminal 20 of the account for which the initial setup has been completed. This completes the procedure for opening a new account. In this way, by requiring the user to complete the first and second application procedures together, the user does not have to perform the same procedures multiple times, thereby improving convenience.

[0049] <Example 2 of other procedures that are part of the same series of procedures> Furthermore, the procedure service of this embodiment can be applied to the procedure for issuing a seal registration certificate. Currently, the procedure for issuing a seal registration certificate requires registration at a government office counter, but in the future, it is expected that the issuance of seal registration certificates will be accepted in a digital environment. Here, the explanation will be given assuming that the issuance of a seal registration certificate is accepted online via the Internet, such as the Web. When carrying out the procedure for issuing a seal registration certificate without applying the procedural service of this embodiment, the user applies for seal registration to a government office (first application process). The government office registers the seal, and when the registration is complete, the user is notified of this fact. Once the seal registration is complete, the user applies for the issuance of a seal registration certificate for the registered seal (second application process). The government office issues the seal registration certificate and notifies the user of the issued seal registration certificate. When the procedure service of this embodiment is applied, the information management server 10, upon receiving a procedure request for the issuance of a seal registration certificate from the user terminal 20, requests the user to complete the tasks related to the application for seal registration (first application work) and the application for issuance of a seal registration certificate (second application work) all at once. Then, the information management server 10 first performs seal registration in accordance with the application for seal registration, and notifies the user terminal 20 of the completion of the seal registration once it is complete. Next, the information management server 10 issues a seal registration certificate in accordance with the application for issuance of the seal registration certificate, and transmits the issued seal registration certificate to the user terminal 20. This completes the procedure for issuance of the seal registration certificate. In this way, by requiring the user to complete the first and second application procedures together, the user does not have to perform the same procedures multiple times, thereby improving convenience.

[0050] <Modifications of the embodiment> A modification of the embodiment will now be described. In this modification, control is performed according to the results of each procedure in a series of procedures.

[0051] For example, when each procedure in a series of procedures is completed successfully, the information management server 10 notifies the user terminal 20 of the result of the procedure, the progress of the series of procedures, and the fact that the next procedure to be executed will be started. In this way, the information management server 10 according to the modified embodiment allows the user to understand how many of the series of procedures have been completed, what procedure will be performed as the next procedure, and how many more procedures are required to complete the series of procedures.

[0052] Alternatively, if any of the steps in the series of procedures is not completed successfully, the information management server 10 may rearrange the series of procedures. For example, if the result of the identity verification procedure indicates that the person is not the person in question (identity verification is not successful), a notification may be sent to the user terminal 20 indicating that identity verification must be performed again. In this case, the information management server 10 notifies the user of the progress of the series of procedures when the identity verification procedure is incorporated into the series of procedures and of an input screen for entering application items required for the second procedure, which is the next procedure to be performed. On the input screen for entering application items required for the second identity verification procedure, application information entered in step S106 that can be reused for the second identity verification may be pre-filled. For example, if identity verification is not successful because the card image is unclear, only the card image needs to be re-captured, and the same information already entered for other application information does not need to be re-entered. This allows the information management server 10 according to the modified embodiment to reduce the user's input effort and improve convenience.

[0053] The procedural information linkage system 1 and the information management server 10 in the above-described embodiment may be implemented in whole or in part by a computer. In this case, a program for implementing this function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program may be loaded and executed by a computer system. Note that the term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an operating system and peripheral devices. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as floppy disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" may also include devices that dynamically store programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or telephone lines, or devices that store programs for a fixed period of time, such as volatile memory within the computer system serving as the server or client. The program may also be designed to implement some of the aforementioned functions, or may be capable of implementing the aforementioned functions in combination with programs already stored in the computer system, or may be implemented using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA.

[0054] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes designs within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1. Procedural information sharing system 10...Information management server 20...User terminal 30...Authentication server 40...Financial institution server 50...Collection company server 11...Communications Department 12...Storage section 13...Control unit 120...Procedural information 130…Acquisition Department 131...Judgment section 132...Extraction part 133...Procedure Control Department

Claims

1. an extraction unit that receives a procedure request from a user terminal, and extracts application items required for each of the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures when the procedure requested in the procedure request is a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures; a procedure control unit that acquires application information corresponding to the application items from the user terminal and sequentially performs a plurality of procedures included in the series of procedures using the acquired application information; An information management server comprising:

2. a determination unit that determines whether the procedure requested in the procedure request is the series of procedures in response to the procedure request being notified from the user terminal, the extraction unit extracts the application items of each of a plurality of procedures included in the series of procedures when the determination unit determines that the procedures requested in the procedure request are the series of procedures; The information management server according to claim 1 .

3. The procedure control unit transmitting an input screen for inputting the application items to the user terminal, and acquiring the application information from the user terminal by having the user input the application information corresponding to the application items into the input screen; transmits to the user terminal the input screen that associates common items included in the application items of each of the plurality of procedures included in the series of procedures, and, in response to the application information being input into one of the application items associated as the common item on the input screen, reflects the input application information in the application information corresponding to all of the application items associated as the common item; The information management server according to claim 1 .

4. the procedure control unit transmits results of the completed procedures to the user terminal each time a plurality of procedures included in the series of procedures is completed; The information management server according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. An information processing method performed by a computer that is an information management server, comprising: an extraction unit receives a procedure request from a user terminal requesting the execution of a procedure, and extracts application items required for each of the multiple procedures included in the series of procedures in response to the procedure requested in the procedure request being a series of procedures consisting of multiple procedures; a procedure control unit that acquires application information corresponding to the application items from the user terminal and sequentially performs a plurality of procedures included in the series of procedures using the acquired application information; Information processing methods.

6. The information management server computer A procedure request for the execution of a procedure is notified from a user terminal, and if the procedure requested in the notified procedure request is a series of procedures consisting of a plurality of procedures, application items required for each of the plurality of procedures included in the series of procedures are extracted; acquiring application information corresponding to the application items from the user terminal, and sequentially carrying out a plurality of procedures included in the series of procedures using the acquired application information; program.

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