Shared e-mail system, transmission method, and program

Abstract

To improve the convenience for a user.SOLUTION: A shared e-mail system (2) includes: a first request receiving unit (201A) configured to receive a request for partial data indicating a shared e-mail portion, which is a portion of shared e-mails on a shared e-mail screen of groupware, from a groupware system (1) that provides the groupware to a user; a partial data acquisition unit (202) configured to acquire the partial data when the first request receiving unit (201A) receives the request; and a partial data transmission unit (203) configured to transmit the partial data to the groupware system (1).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a shared mail system, a transmission method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known groupware systems that provide groupware to users and shared mail systems that manage shared mail. The groupware system and the shared mail system have in common that they both support the user's work. For this reason, it is believed that if the groupware system and the shared mail system work together, user convenience will be improved. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a shared mail system that allows multiple users to share mail. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-212477 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional technology, the user must log in to the groupware and the shared mail system separately to display the shared mail screen of the groupware and the shared mail screen of the shared mail separately, which is troublesome for the user. In the system of Patent Document 1, the user cannot check the shared mail unless he logs in to the shared mail system, so the user's trouble cannot be reduced. For this reason, the conventional technology cannot sufficiently improve the convenience for the user.

[0005] One of the objectives of the present disclosure is to improve user convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The shared email system of the present disclosure includes a first request receiving unit that receives a request for partial data indicating a shared email portion, which is a portion of a shared email on a shared email screen of the groupware, from a groupware system that provides groupware to a user, a partial data acquisition unit that acquires the partial data when the first request receiving unit accepts the request, and a partial data transmission unit that transmits the partial data to the groupware system. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The present disclosure can improve user convenience. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a groupware system and a shared mail system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a portal screen of a groupware. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a shared mail screen. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of functions realized in each of a groupware system and a shared mail system. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an application database. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of display data of a shared mail screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a shared mail database. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of processing executed in each of a groupware system and a shared mail system. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a function realized in a modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a link to a shared email displayed in a shared email section. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of an application setting screen. [Figure 12]13 is a diagram showing an example of a shared mail screen displayed on a user terminal when a user logs in to a shared mail service. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a customer management screen. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a case management screen. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between a template application and other applications. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [1. Hardware configuration of groupware system and shared mail system] An example of an embodiment of a groupware system, a shared mail system, a display control method, a transmission method, and a program according to the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a groupware system and a shared mail system. For example, each of a groupware system 1 and a shared mail system 2 is connected to a network N such as the Internet or a LAN. In the example of Fig. 1, a user terminal 30 is also connected to the network N.

[0010] The groupware system 1 is a system that provides groupware to users. Groupware is a general term for programs (software) that support the user's work. Groupware may not be a program, but may refer to something else such as a service or tool that supports the user's work. Groupware may be either cloud-based or on-premise. Groupware may support not only the work of an organization such as a company or a government agency, but also the work of an individual.

[0011] For example, the groupware system 1 includes a groupware server 10. The groupware server 10 is a server computer. For example, the groupware server 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13. The control unit 11 includes at least one processor. The storage unit 12 includes at least one of a volatile memory such as a RAM and a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory. The communication unit 13 includes at least one of a communication interface for wired communication and a communication interface for wireless communication.

[0012] The computers included in the groupware system 1 are not limited to the example in Fig. 1. The groupware system 1 may include at least one computer. For example, the groupware system 1 may include a groupware server 10 and a server computer other than the groupware server 10. The groupware system 1 may include only a computer other than the groupware server 10.

[0013] The shared mail system 2 is a system that manages shared mail. For example, the shared mail system 2 provides a shared mail service to a user. The shared mail service is a service that sends and receives mail based on an email address shared by multiple users. The shared mail service can also be said to be a service that manages shared mail shared by multiple users. A shared mail can also be said to be mail to which an email address shared by multiple users is the destination, CC, BCC, or sender. The shared mail service may be either a cloud-based or on-premise type.

[0014] For example, the shared mail system 2 includes a shared mail server 20. The shared mail server 20 is a server computer. For example, the shared mail server 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23. The hardware configurations of the control unit 21, the storage unit 22, and the communication unit 23 may be similar to those of the control unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the communication unit 13, respectively.

[0015] The computers included in the shared mail system 2 are not limited to the example in Fig. 1. The shared mail system 2 may include at least one computer. For example, the shared mail system 2 may include the shared mail server 20 and a server computer other than the shared mail server 20. The shared mail system 2 may include only a computer other than the shared mail server 20.

[0016] The user terminal 30 is a computer operated by a user. For example, the user terminal 30 is a personal computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. For example, the user terminal 30 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, an operation unit 34, and a display unit 35. The hardware configurations of the control unit 31, the storage unit 32, and the communication unit 33 may be similar to those of the control unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the communication unit 13, respectively. The operation unit 34 is an input device such as a mouse, a touch panel, or a keyboard. The display unit 35 is a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

[0017] The program stored in at least one of the storage units 12, 22, and 32 may be supplied to at least one of the groupware server 10, the shared mail server 20, and the user terminal 30 via the network N. Furthermore, the hardware configuration of at least one of the groupware server 10, the shared mail server 20, and the user terminal 30 is not limited to the example in FIG.

[0018] For example, at least one of the groupware server 10, the shared mail server 20, and the user terminal 30 may include at least one of a reading unit (e.g., a memory card slot) that reads an information storage medium and an input / output unit (e.g., a USB terminal) that connects to the information storage medium. In this case, a program stored in the information storage medium may be supplied to at least one of the groupware server 10, the shared mail server 20, and the user terminal 30 via at least one of the reading unit and the input / output unit.

[0019] [2. Overview of the groupware system and the shared mail system] In this embodiment, a case is taken as an example where a groupware provider that provides groupware to users and a shared mail service provider that provides shared mail services to users are the same. For example, the same organization provides users with not only groupware but also shared mail services. Groupware system 1 and shared mail system 2 are independent systems, but are managed by the same organization.

[0020] The groupware provider and the shared mail service provider may be different from each other. For example, the groupware provider may be a first organization, and the shared mail service provider may be a second organization different from the first organization. In this case, the groupware system 1 and the shared mail system 2 are independent from each other as systems, and are managed by different organizations. However, it is assumed that the groupware system 1 and the shared mail system 2 are linked to each other.

[0021] In this embodiment, we take as an example a case where the organization where the user works has signed up for groupware and the user has registered to use the groupware. We also take as an example a case where the shared mail service is an optional service for the groupware. For example, when an administrator at the organization where the user works subscribes to the shared mail service as an option for the groupware, the user becomes able to use the shared mail service. In this embodiment, we assume that this series of procedures has already been completed.

[0022] The shared mail service may be a service independent of the groupware, rather than an optional service for the groupware. In this case, the organization where the user works contracts for the shared mail service separately from the groupware contract. Once the organization where the user works contracts for the shared mail service, the user can log in directly to the shared mail service and use the shared mail service. The contract for the shared mail service may be made before the contract for the groupware. The contract for the groupware and the contract for the shared mail service may be made at the same time.

[0023] In this embodiment, the shared mail service is an optional service for the groupware, so when a user uses the shared mail service, the user first logs in to the groupware. For example, when the user selects the URL of the groupware on a browser installed in the user terminal 30, the user terminal 30 accesses the groupware server 10. When the user successfully logs in to the groupware, the user terminal 30 displays a portal screen, which corresponds to the entrance to the groupware, on the display unit 35.

[0024] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a groupware portal screen. In the example of Fig. 2, the name of the groupware is "AAA groupware." Of the portal screen URL "https: / / xxxcompany.aaagroupware.com / portal," the groupware domain is "xxxcompany.aaagroupware.com." The user's organization is xxx Corporation. The groupware domain includes a subdomain "xxxcompany" that indicates the name of the user's organization.

[0025] In this embodiment, each organization is distinguished by a subdomain. For example, if another organization is "yyy Corporation," users of that organization access the domain "yyycompany.aaagroupware.com" to use the groupware. However, the URLs of all organizations share the same part "aaagroupware.com," which indicates the name of the groupware, so that users can understand from that part that the screen being displayed is a screen within the groupware domain.

[0026] For example, the portal screen SC1 includes a header portion P10 corresponding to the header of the portal screen SC1, and a content portion P11 corresponding to the actual content of the portal screen SC1. The groupware server 10 can display various screens including the portal screen SC1 on the user terminal 30. The header portion P10 is generally common to the majority of screens in the groupware. The content portion P11 differs depending on the screen displayed on the user terminal 30, in principle.

[0027] For example, the background color of the header portion P10 is the theme color of the groupware. The header portion P10 includes a groupware image I100 showing the name or logo of the groupware. The groupware image I100 may be used as a background image for the header portion P10. The header portion P10 allows the user to intuitively understand that he or she is logged in to the groupware. Note that the header portion P10 also displays other images, such as an icon of the logged-in user and an input form for searching for content.

[0028] For example, the content part P11 of the portal screen SC1 displays the actual content of the portal screen SC1. In the example of Fig. 2, the content part P11 displays announcements for the entire organization, individual notifications for users, a list showing spaces for users to communicate with other users, and a list L110 showing apps available to the user.

[0029] An app is one of the tools that supports a user's work. In this embodiment, an example is taken of an app having a function as a database. An app may have not only a database function but also a communication tool function such as a chat or thread. An app generally means a program, but in this embodiment, it includes not only a program but also a database.

[0030] In the example of Fig. 2, three applications, a customer management application, a project management application, and a shared email application, are displayed in the list L110. Note that the applications available to the user may be any applications and are not limited to the example of Fig. 2. For example, a schedule management application, an expense settlement application, a report creation application, or other applications may exist in the groupware. The user may create his or her own applications.

[0031] The customer management app is an app that allows users to manage customers. Various customer data is stored in records of the customer management app. For example, records of the customer management app store the customer's name, the name of the person in charge, a telephone number, a fax number, an email address, shared emails such as email addresses that are the destination or sender, and other information. When a user creates a new record in the customer management app, new customer data is stored in the new record. The user can edit the customer data stored in records of the customer management app.

[0032] A case management app is an app that allows users to manage cases. A case is an individual task performed by a user. A case can also be called a task. Various case data is stored in a record of the case management app. For example, a record of the case management app may register customer information for the case, progress of the case, product names related to the case, email threads related to the case, and other information. When a user creates a new record in the case management app, new case data is stored in the new record. A user can edit the case data stored in a record of the case management app.

[0033] The shared mail application is an application for a user to use a shared mail service on a groupware. In this embodiment, a user can use the shared mail service in the same way as using other applications such as a customer management application and a case management application. Any data related to the shared mail may be stored in the record of the shared mail application. For example, the record of the shared mail application may store data registered in an address book of a mail software, or may store data of the shared mail itself. For example, when a user selects the shared mail application from the list L110, the user terminal 30 displays a shared mail screen, which is the screen of the shared mail application, on the display unit 35.

[0034] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a shared mail screen. For example, the shared mail screen SC2 includes a header portion P20 corresponding to the header of the shared mail screen SC2, a content portion P21 corresponding to the groupware content, and a shared mail portion P22 corresponding to the content of the shared mail service. The header portion P20 is similar to the header portion P10. For example, the header portion P20 includes a groupware image I200 which is the same image as the groupware image I100.

[0035] For example, the content of the shared mail application is displayed in the content portion P21 of the shared mail screen SC2. In the example of Fig. 3, the name of the shared mail application, an image I210 for changing the display of the shared mail application, an image I211 for filtering data registered in the shared mail application, and a screen I212 for displaying a graph are displayed in the content portion P21. The header portion P20 and the content portion P21 of the shared mail screen SC2 are generated by the groupware server 10.

[0036] For example, the shared mail portion P22 displays the contents of the shared mail service. In the example of Fig. 3, the shared mail portion P22 displays an image I220 for receiving a shared mail, an image I221 for creating a new shared mail, an image I222 for searching for a shared mail, an image I223 for outputting a file of the shared mail, an image I224 for deleting the shared mail, an image I225 for setting shared mails in bulk, and a list L226 of shared mails. The shared mail portion P22 of the shared mail screen SC2 is generated by the shared mail server 20.

[0037] In this embodiment, when a user selects a shared mail application from the list L110 on the portal screen SC1, the groupware server 10 requests the shared mail server 20 to generate partial data indicating the shared mail part P22. In this embodiment, since a case where the user uses a browser is taken as an example, the partial data is HTML data (a file in HTML format). Details of the partial data will be described later.

[0038] For example, when the shared mail server 20 receives a request from the groupware server 10, it identifies the user's shared mail and generates partial data. The shared mail server 20 transmits the partial data to the groupware server 10. The groupware server 10 receives the partial data from the shared mail server 20. The groupware server 10 displays on the user terminal 30 a shared mail screen SC2 including the header part P20 and content part P21 that it generated, and the shared mail part P22 indicated by the partial data.

[0039] In this embodiment, the groupware server 10 uses an inline frame (iframe), which is one of the HTML elements, to embed the shared mail part P22 indicated by the partial data received from the shared mail server 20 in the shared mail screen SC2. This allows the user to check the shared mail while logged in to the groupware, without logging in to the shared mail service. The groupware system 1 and the shared mail system 2 will be described in detail below.

[0040] [3. Functions realized by the groupware system and the shared mail system] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of functions realized by each of the groupware system 1 and the shared mail system 2. Fig. 4 also shows functions realized by the user terminal 30.

[0041] [3-1. Functions realized by groupware systems] For example, in the groupware system 1, the groupware server 10 includes a data storage unit 100, a request unit 101, a partial data acquisition unit 102, and a display control unit 103. The data storage unit 100 is realized by the storage unit 12. The request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the display control unit 103 are realized by the control unit 11.

[0042] [Data storage section] The data storage unit 100 stores data necessary for a user to use the groupware. For example, the data storage unit 100 stores an application database DB1 in which various data of applications are stored.

[0043] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the application database DB1. For example, the application database DB1 stores an organization ID for the groupware server 10 to identify a user's organization, an application ID for the groupware server 10 to identify an application, a user ID for the groupware server 10 to identify a user, and application setting data indicating application settings. Any data may be stored in the application database DB1, and the data stored in the application database DB1 is not limited to the example in Fig. 5. For example, the application database DB1 may store record data indicating an application record.

[0044] For example, the application setting data indicates the name of the application, the name of the field, the access rights, and other settings. The application setting data may include any information as long as it indicates settings corresponding to the application. When an administrator of a certain organization performs an operation to add an application, the groupware server 10 creates a new record in the application database DB1. The groupware server 10 stores in the new record the application ID of the application added by the administrator, the user ID of the user who can use the application, and application setting data indicating the settings specified by the administrator.

[0045] The administrator can add any app provided by the groupware to his / her own organization. The administrator may create apps himself / herself. The app database DB1 may store data indicating apps created by the administrator. The apps may not be added by the administrator's operation but may be prepared from the beginning. The apps may be default functions of the groupware instead of optional functions of the groupware.

[0046] In this embodiment, the shared mail application will be mainly described. For example, the application setting data of the shared mail application indicates an email address shared by the shared mail application. For example, the email address is a representative address in the organization where the user works. In the shared mail application, multiple email addresses may be shared. The groupware server 10 needs to inform the shared mail server 20 of which email address partial data should be generated. The application database DB1 stores email address identification data for the shared mail server 20 to identify the email address.

[0047] The email address identification data may be the email address itself, but in this embodiment, it is assumed to be an organization ID. For example, the groupware server 10 transmits the organization ID as the email address identification data to the shared mail server 20. The shared mail server 20 manages in advance which organization is using which email address, and can identify the email address for which partial data is to be generated based on the organization ID received from the groupware server 10.

[0048] The email address identification data may be data other than the organization ID and the email address. For example, the email address identification data may be information corresponding to an application ID, a user ID in groupware, a user ID in a shared email service, or some other account. The user ID in the groupware and the user ID in the shared email service may be different from each other or may be the same as each other.

[0049] Moreover, the data stored in the data storage unit 100 is not limited to the application database DB1. The data storage unit 100 may store any data. For example, the data storage unit 100 may store a user database in which various data of users in the groupware is stored. The user database stores an organization ID, a user ID, and a password. For example, the data storage unit 100 may store HTML data or parts thereof of the portal screen SC1, the shared mail screen SC2, and other screens, image data of each image displayed on these screens, and partial data acquired by the partial data acquisition unit 102.

[0050] [Request part] The request unit 101 requests partial data indicating the shared mail part P22, which is a part of the shared mail on the groupware shared mail screen SC2, from the shared mail system 2 that manages the shared mail. When the user uses a browser, the screen of the shared mail displayed in the groupware domain corresponds to the groupware shared mail screen SC2. When a program dedicated to groupware (for example, a so-called smartphone app) is used, the screen of the shared mail displayed on the program corresponds to the groupware shared mail screen SC2.

[0051] The shared mail part P22 is a part (area) of the shared mail screen SC2 where the shared mail is displayed. The shared mail part P22 may be any part that displays some information about the shared mail. For example, the shared mail part P22 may display the body of the shared mail, or may display only the subject of the shared mail and not the body of the shared mail. The shared mail part P22 may display the subject of the shared mail, a list of the shared mail, a link to the shared mail, the addressee of the shared mail, the CC of the shared mail, the BCC of the shared mail, the sender of the shared mail, or other information.

[0052] In this embodiment, the partial data is HTML data. The partial data may be in any format and is not limited to HTML data. For example, the partial data may be data in a markup language other than HTML (e.g., XML, SGML, or XHTML), data showing the shared mail itself (e.g., data in EML format), image data such as JPEG or GIF, text data showing the contents of the shared mail, a link (relative path or absolute path) to the data of the shared mail part P22, or other formats.

[0053] For example, the request unit 101 requests partial data by sending data indicating that it is a request for partial data to the shared mail system 2. For example, the data is data in a format defined by the API of the shared mail system 2. The request unit 101 requests partial data by sending email address identification data (in this embodiment, an organization ID) to the shared mail system 2. The shared mail system 2 can identify for which email address partial data of the shared mail should be generated based on the email address identification data received from the groupware system 1.

[0054] [Partial data acquisition section] The partial data acquisition unit 102 acquires partial data from the shared mail system 2. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 102 acquires partial data transmitted by a partial data transmission unit 203 (described later) from the shared mail system 2. Here, acquisition means reception. The partial data acquisition unit 102 records the partial data acquired from the shared mail system 2 in the data storage unit 100.

[0055] [Display control section] The display control unit 103 displays various groupware screens on the user terminal 30. A groupware screen is a screen that is displayed based on data generated by the groupware server 10. When a user uses a browser as in this embodiment, a screen (web page or website) that belongs to the groupware domain is a groupware screen. When a user uses a program dedicated to groupware (for example, a so-called smartphone app), a screen on the program is a groupware screen. The display control unit 103 transmits display data of the screen to be displayed to the user terminal 30, thereby displaying the screen on the user terminal 30.

[0056] The display data may be in any format as long as it is data necessary for displaying a screen. When a browser is used as in this embodiment, the display data is in HTML format. The display data may be data in a markup language other than HTML (e.g., XML, SGML, or XHTML), or data in other formats. When a user uses a program dedicated to groupware (e.g., a so-called smartphone app), the display data may correspond to data necessary for the program to display some kind of screen (e.g., image data such as JPEG or GIF).

[0057] For example, the display control unit 103 includes a first display control unit 103A. The first display control unit 103A is a function for displaying the shared mail screen SC2 among the functions of the display control unit 103. The first display control unit 103A causes the user terminal 30 to display the shared mail screen SC2 including a groupware portion that is a part of the groupware and a shared mail portion P22 based on the partial data. The first display control unit 103A causes the user terminal 30 to display the shared mail screen SC2 by transmitting display data of the shared mail screen SC2 to the user terminal 30.

[0058] The groupware portion is a portion (area) of the shared mail screen SC2 where information on the groupware side is displayed. In the example of FIG. 3, the header portion P10 and the content portion P11 correspond to the groupware portion. Therefore, the portions describing the header portion P10 and the content portion P11 can be read as the groupware portion. Note that the groupware portion may be any portion that displays some information on the groupware side, and is not limited to the header portion P10 and the content portion P11. For example, the groupware portion may be a portion that corresponds to the footer or menu of the groupware.

[0059] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of display data of the shared mail screen SC2. In the example of FIG. 6, only a part of the display data of the shared mail screen SC2 is shown. For example, the first display control unit 103A generates display data including an HTML tag T1 indicating the groupware portion and an HTML tag T2 indicating the shared mail portion P22. The HTML tag T1 indicating the groupware portion may be similar to an HTML tag adopted in a known groupware. For this reason, a description of the HTML tag T1 in the display data will be omitted. The first display control unit 103A generates the HTML tag T1 in a similar manner to that of the known groupware.

[0060] In this embodiment, the HTML tag T2 indicating the shared mail part P22 is an inline frame. In the example of FIG. 6, the HTML tag T2 is <iframe src="”mail.html”" width="”800″" height="”500″">< / iframe> " includes an inline frame tag such as ".html". "mail.html" is a relative path indicating the location of the partial data. In the example of FIG. 6, the partial data is at the same hierarchical level as the display data, so "mail.html", which is the file name of the partial data, is specified as the relative path. Partial data may also be specified by an absolute path rather than a relative path. When partial data is specified by an absolute path, the absolute path may be the domain of the groupware, a shared mail service, or other domain.

[0061] For example, the shared mail part P22 is fitted into a portion of the shared mail screen SC2 where an inline frame tag is specified in the display data. In the example of Fig. 6, the width and height of the shared mail part P22 are specified, but the width and height of the shared mail part P22 do not have to be specified. The HTML tag T2 may include tags other than the inline frame tag. For example, the HTML tag T2 may include a tag indicating some kind of script.

[0062] For example, the first display control unit 103A generates an HTML tag T2 based on the file name of the partial data acquired by the partial data acquisition unit 102. The first display control unit 103A may change the file name of the partial data specified by the shared mail system 2, and generate an HTML tag T2 based on the changed file name. When an administrator of the mail sharing app specifies the size of the shared mail part P22, the first display control unit 103A may generate an HTML tag T2 based on the specified size. The first display control unit 103A generates display data including the HTML tag T1 and the HTML tag T2, and transmits the display data to the user terminal 30.

[0063] The first display control unit 103A may display the shared mail screen SC2 including the shared mail part P22 on the user terminal 30 without using an inline frame. For example, the first display control unit 103A may embed HTML tags indicated by the partial data as the body part of the display data (the "" to "" part) instead of the tag of an inline frame as in FIG. 6, in the display data. For example, the first display control unit 103A may embed a link to the partial data in the display data instead of the tag of an inline frame as in FIG. 6.

[0064] [3-2. Functions realized by the shared email system] For example, in the shared mail system 2, the shared mail server 20 includes a data storage unit 200, a request receiving unit 201, a partial data acquisition unit 202, and a partial data transmission unit 203. The data storage unit 200 is realized by the memory unit 22. The request receiving unit 201, the partial data acquisition unit 202, and the partial data transmission unit 203 are realized by the control unit 21.

[0065] [Data storage section] The data storage unit 200 stores data necessary for users to use the shared mail service. For example, the data storage unit 200 stores a shared mail database DB2 in which various data on shared mail is stored.

[0066] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the shared mail database DB2. For example, the shared mail database DB2 stores an organization ID, an email address shared within the organization, shared mail identification information that enables the shared mail server 20 to identify the shared mail, and shared mail data indicating the shared mail. Any data may be stored in the shared mail database DB2, and the data stored in the shared mail database DB2 is not limited to the example in Fig. 7. For example, data indicating the folder into which the shared mail is sorted may be stored in the shared mail database DB2.

[0067] For example, the shared mail server 20 issues shared mail identification information for a certain shared mail so that it does not overlap with shared mail identification information for other shared mails. The shared mail identification information may be in any format, for example, numbers, letters, other symbols, or a combination of these. The shared mail identification information may be information adopted in known shared mail services. Each time a shared mail is received at an email address of a certain organization, the shared mail server 20 issues shared mail identification information for the shared mail. The shared mail server 20 associates the organization ID, the email address, the shared mail identification information, and the shared mail data of the shared mail with each other and stores them in the shared mail database DB2. Note that the shared mail identification information may be a message ID included in the header of the shared mail, rather than being issued by the shared mail server 20.

[0068] For example, the shared mail data indicates at least one of the received date and time of the shared mail, the sender of the shared mail, the recipient of the shared mail, the CC of the shared mail, the BCC of the shared mail, the subject of the shared mail, the body of the shared mail, the attachment of the shared mail, the mail thread of the shared mail, the comments written on the shared mail, and the flags added to the shared mail. The shared mail data may be data adopted in a known shared mail service. The shared mail data indicates the actual content in the shared mail portion P22 of the shared mail screen SC2.

[0069] The data stored in the data storage unit 200 is not limited to the shared mail database DB2. The data storage unit 200 may store any data. For example, when a user directly logs in to the shared mail service, the data storage unit 200 may store a user database in which various data of the user in the shared mail service is stored. The user database stores an organization ID, a user ID, and a password. For example, the data storage unit 200 may store HTML data or a part of the HTML data of the screen displayed when the user directly logs in to the shared mail service, and image data of each image displayed on the screen.

[0070] [Request Reception Department] The request receiving unit 201 receives various requests from at least one of the groupware system 1 and the user terminal 30. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the user does not directly log in to the shared mail service. For this reason, the request receiving unit 201 does not receive requests from the user terminal 30, but receives requests from the groupware system 1. The requests received by the request receiving unit 201 are data in a format defined by the API of the shared mail system 2.

[0071] For example, the request receiving unit 201 includes a first request receiving unit 201A. The first request receiving unit 201A is a function for acquiring partial data among the functions possessed by the request receiving unit 201. The first request receiving unit 201A receives a request for partial data indicating a shared mail part P22, which is a part of a shared mail on a shared mail screen of the groupware, from a groupware system 1 that provides groupware to a user. In this embodiment, the first request receiving unit 201A receives a request for partial data by receiving email address identification data (in this embodiment, an organization ID) from the groupware system 1.

[0072] [Partial data acquisition section] The partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires partial data when the first request receiving unit 201A receives a request. The partial data may be stored in advance in the data storage unit 200, but in this embodiment, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates partial data based on the request received by the request receiving unit 201. That is, in this embodiment, the partial data is not prepared in advance before the request receiving unit 201 receives a request, but is dynamically generated on the spot after the request receiving unit 201 receives a request.

[0073] In this embodiment, the partial data is HTML data of the shared mail part P22. In the example of Fig. 6, the partial data is data with the file name "mail.html". For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 identifies the shared mail to be included in the shared mail part P22 based on the request accepted by the first request acceptance unit 201A and the shared mail database DB2. The partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires the shared mail from the shared mail database DB2 based on the email address identification data included in the request accepted by the first request acceptance unit 201A.

[0074] In this embodiment, since the organization ID corresponds to email address identification data, the partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires all or a part of the shared email data associated with the organization ID from the shared email database DB2. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 identifies shared emails in which the email address associated with the organization ID is the sender, destination, CC, or BCC from the shared email database DB2.

[0075] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates data for a list L226 that lists the subjects of the shared emails. The list L226 includes links to the individual shared emails. For example, the links include shared email identification information. The partial data acquisition unit 202 reads out image data for the buttons B220-B225 stored in the data storage unit 200, and generates HTML data including the buttons B220-B225 and the list L226 as partial data.

[0076] The partial data acquisition unit 202 may generate partial data in the same format as HTML data of a screen in a known shared mail service. In this case, the method of generating partial data may be the same as the method of generating HTML data of a screen in a known shared mail service. Data necessary for the partial data acquisition unit 202 to acquire partial data is assumed to be stored in advance in the data storage unit 200.

[0077] [Partial data transmission section] The partial data transmission unit 203 transmits the partial data to the groupware system 1. For example, the partial data transmission unit 203 transmits the partial data acquired by the partial data acquisition unit 202 to the groupware system 1. The partial data transmission unit 203 may transmit other data, such as the file name of the partial data, to the groupware system 1.

[0078] [3-3. Functions realized on user terminals] For example, the user terminal 30 includes a data storage unit 300, a display control unit 301, and an operation reception unit 302. The data storage unit 300 is realized by the storage unit 32. The display control unit 301 and the operation reception unit 302 are realized by the control unit 31.

[0079] [Data storage section] The data storage unit 300 stores data necessary for a user to use at least one of the groupware and the shared mail service. For example, the data storage unit 300 stores a browser. For example, the data storage unit 300 stores a program dedicated to the groupware. The data storage unit 300 may also store a program dedicated to the shared mail service.

[0080] [Display control section] The display control unit 301 displays each screen of the groupware on the display unit 35. In this embodiment, an example is given in which the display control unit 301 displays each screen on a browser, but the display control unit 301 may display each screen on a program dedicated to the groupware. When a user directly logs in to the shared mail service, the display control unit 301 may display each screen on a program dedicated to the shared mail service.

[0081] [Operation reception section] The operation accepting unit 302 accepts operations on each screen that the display control unit 301 causes to be displayed on the display unit 35. The operation accepting unit 302 transmits operation data indicating the operation performed by the user to the groupware server 10. When the user directly logs in to the shared mail service, the operation accepting unit 302 accepts operations on the screen of the shared mail service.

[0082] [4. Processing performed in the groupware system and the shared mail system] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the processing executed in each of the groupware system 1 and the shared mail system 2. Fig. 8 also shows the processing executed in the user terminal 30. The control units 11, 21, and 31 execute programs stored in the storage units 12, 22, and 32, respectively, to execute the processing in Fig. 8. Fig. 8 mainly shows the processing for displaying the shared mail screen SC2.

[0083] 8, when a user selects a groupware URL from the browser of the user terminal 30, the user terminal 30 executes a login process between the groupware server 10 and the groupware server 10 to allow the user to log in to the groupware (S1). If the login is successful, a process for displaying a portal screen SC1 is executed between the groupware server 10 and the user terminal 30 (S2). In S2, the groupware server 10 transmits display data for the portal screen SC1 to the user terminal 30. The user terminal 30 receives the display data for the portal screen SC1 and displays the portal screen SC1 on the display unit 35.

[0084] When the user selects a shared mail application from the list L110, the user terminal 30 requests display data for the shared mail screen SC2 from the groupware server 10 (S3). The groupware server 10 accepts the request for display data for the shared mail screen SC2 from the user terminal 30 (S4). The groupware server 10 acquires email address identification data based on the application database DB1 (S5). The groupware server 10 requests partial data from the shared mail server 20 based on the email address identification data specified in S5 (S6).

[0085] The shared mail server 20 receives a request for partial data from the groupware server 10 (S7). The shared mail server 20 acquires the partial data based on the email address identification data included in the request received in S7 and the shared mail database DB2 (S8). In S8, the shared mail server 20 acquires the shared mail in the shared mail database DB2 based on the email address identification data specified in S8. The shared mail server 20 arranges the subjects of the acquired shared mail in the list L226 in the order of the received date and time. The shared mail server 20 places the buttons B221-B225 in predetermined positions based on the image data stored in the storage unit 22. The shared mail server 20 generates partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 including the buttons B221-B225 and the list L226.

[0086] The shared mail server 20 transmits the partial data acquired in S8 to the groupware server 10 (S9). The groupware server 10 acquires the partial data from the shared mail server 20 (S10). The groupware server 10 generates a groupware portion (e.g., a header portion P20 and a content portion P21) based on the user database and the image data stored in the storage unit 12 (S11). The process of S11 may be executed before the process of S10.

[0087] The groupware server 10 generates display data for a shared mail screen SC2 including the header portion P20 and content portion P21 generated in S11, and the shared mail portion P22 indicated by the partial data acquired in S10 (S12). In S12, the groupware server 10 generates display data including an HTML tag T1 indicating the header portion P20 and content portion P21 generated in S11, and an HTML tag T2 in which the partial data acquired in S10 is specified in an inline frame.

[0088] The groupware server 10 transmits display data for the shared mail screen SC2 to the user terminal 30 (S13). The user terminal 30 acquires the display data for the shared mail screen SC2 from the groupware server 10 (S14). The user terminal 30 displays the shared mail screen SC2 on the display unit 35 based on the display data acquired in S14 (S15), and the process ends.

[0089] [5. Summary of the embodiment] The groupware system 1 of this embodiment requests partial data from the shared mail system 2. The groupware system 1 acquires the partial data from the shared mail system 2. The groupware system 1 displays the shared mail screen SC2 on the user terminal 30 based on the partial data. Since the user can check the shared mail on the groupware screen while remaining logged in to the groupware, the groupware system 1 can improve user convenience. For example, the user can use the shared mail service as if they were using only the groupware, rather than using both the groupware and the shared mail service. The groupware system 1 can essentially integrate the shared mail service into the groupware.

[0090] The shared mail system 2 of this embodiment accepts a request for partial data from the groupware system 1. When the shared mail system 2 accepts the request, it obtains the partial data. The shared mail system 2 transmits the partial data to the groupware system 1. The shared mail system 2 can provide the groupware system 1 with the partial data necessary for the groupware system 1 to display on the user terminal 30 a shared mail screen SC2 that improves user convenience. As a result, the user can check the shared mail as a groupware screen while remaining logged in to the groupware, so the shared mail system 2 can improve user convenience.

[0091] [6. Modifications] The present disclosure is not limited to the examples of the embodiments, and may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0092] 9 is a diagram showing an example of functions realized in the modified example. For example, the groupware server 10 includes a request receiving unit 104, an adding unit 105, a designation receiving unit 106, an acquisition request unit 107, an acquisition result data acquiring unit 108, and a registering unit 109. Each of the request receiving unit 104, the adding unit 105, the designation receiving unit 106, the acquisition request unit 107, the acquisition result data acquiring unit 108, and the registering unit 109 is realized by the control unit 11. For example, the shared mail server 20 includes a display control unit 204, an acquisition executing unit 205, an acquisition result data transmitting unit 206, and a mail thread data transmitting unit 207. Each of the display control unit 204, the acquisition executing unit 205, the acquisition result data transmitting unit 206, and the mail thread data transmitting unit 207 is realized by the control unit 21.

[0093] [6-1. Variations of groupware systems] First, a modified example of the groupware system 1 will be described.

[0094] [Variation 1-1] For example, when a user selects an arbitrary shared email from the list L226 on the shared email screen SC2, the groupware server 10 may display details of the selected shared email in the shared email section P22 on the shared email screen SC2. In another example, when a user selects a link to a specific shared email attached to a groupware thread or the like, the groupware server 10 may display details of the selected shared email in the shared email section P22 on the shared email screen SC2.

[0095] For example, the groupware server 10 identifies which shared email the user selected based on the link of the shared email in the list L226. If the domain of the shared email service is included in the link, the screen of the shared email service side will be displayed on the user terminal 30 instead of the shared email screen SC2 of the groupware, so in the modified example 1-1, the link of the shared email includes the groupware domain and the shared email identification information.

[0096] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a link of a shared email displayed in the shared email part P22. In the example of Fig. 10, the link of the shared email displayed in the shared email part P22 includes the groupware domain "xxxcompany.aaagroupware.com" and the shared email identification information "m00001". The link includes specific symbols such as # and =. This allows the groupware server 10 to identify which part of the link is the shared email identification information.

[0097] The partial data acquisition unit 102 of the modified example 1-1 acquires partial data including links as shown in FIG. 10 from the shared mail system 2. In the example of FIG. 3, the partial data acquisition unit 102 acquires partial data including each link of a plurality of shared mails in the list L226. The domain parts of each link are the same, but the shared mail identification information of each link is different from one another. A method of generating partial data by the shared mail system 2 will be described later in the modified example 2-1.

[0098] The groupware server 10 of variant 1-1 includes a request receiving unit 104. The request receiving unit 104 receives various requests from the user terminal 30. For example, when a link to a shared email is selected on the user terminal 30, the request receiving unit 104 receives a request to display the shared email screen SC2 from the user terminal 30. The display request is data that enables the groupware server 10 to identify that a request to display the shared email screen SC2 is being made. For example, the display request is a request such as an HTTP request. Since the link to the shared email includes the groupware domain, the groupware server 10, not the shared email server 20, receives the display request.

[0099] The processing of the request unit 101, partial data acquisition unit 102, and first display control unit 103A of variant example 1-1 is executed each time a display request is received. For example, when the request receiving unit 104 receives a display request from the user terminal 30, the request unit 101 transmits the shared mail identification information included in the display request to the shared mail system 2. The shared mail system 2 executes the processing of variant example 2-1 described below, generates partial data indicating details of the shared mail indicated by the shared mail identification information, and transmits the partial data to the groupware system 1.

[0100] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 102 acquires partial data indicating details of the shared email indicated by the shared email identification information included in the link selected by the user from the shared email system 2. The first display control unit 103A generates display data for the shared email screen SC2 using an inline frame, similar to the embodiment. The shared email portion P22 of the shared email screen SC2 indicates details of the shared email indicated by the shared email identification information included in the link selected by the user, as shown in FIG.

[0101] In the example of FIG. 10, the partial data includes a button B227 for the groupware server 10 to register information of the shared email in a customer management app, a button B228 for the groupware server 10 to register information of the shared email in a case management app, and a display area A229 showing detailed information of the shared email. Data corresponding to the display area A229 may be data in a format adopted by a known shared email service. In the modified example 1-1, each time the user selects a link from the shared email screen SC2 or another screen (for example, a screen of a thread to which a link to the shared email is pasted), the processing of each of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A is repeated.

[0102] In the modified example 1-1, the link of the shared mail displayed in the shared mail part P22 includes the groupware domain and the shared mail identification information. When the link is selected on the user terminal 30, the groupware system 1 receives a display request for the shared mail screen SC2 from the user terminal 30. The processing of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A is executed each time a display request is received. When the user selects the link of the shared mail, the groupware system 1 can cause the user terminal 30 to display the shared mail in the groupware domain. If the user terminal 30 accesses another domain while accessing the groupware domain, the user may be confused, but the groupware system 1 can prevent such confusion of the user.

[0103] [Variation 1-2] In the embodiment, an example is given of a case where a user uses a shared mail service as an option for groupware. The shared mail service may be added as a plug-in in the groupware. The mail sharing application described in the embodiment is a type of plug-in in the sense that the user can add it later. The plug-in in variant 1-2 includes not only a mail sharing application but also a plug-in without a database function. The plug-in may be an additional function in an application, or may be an additional function unrelated to the application.

[0104] A plug-in is a groupware function (program) that can be added later by a user. The plug-in may be in any format, for example, a ZIP file in which multiple files such as a program are compressed. The data storage unit 100 stores plug-ins for various additional functions. For example, not only a shared email plug-in, but also various plug-ins such as a plug-in for creating an in-house portal page or a communication tool plug-in may be stored in the data storage unit 100. The user can select any plug-in. The plug-in may be either paid or free.

[0105] The groupware system 1 of the modified example 1-2 includes an adding unit 105. When a user using the groupware performs a predetermined operation to add a plug-in, the adding unit 105 adds a plug-in for shared mail in the groupware. The user here may be a person who has management authority in the organization, or may be a person who does not have management authority. For example, the display control unit 103 causes a list of plug-ins that the user can add to be displayed on the user terminal 30. The user selects a plug-in to be added to the groupware used by the user or the organization from the list.

[0106] For example, when a user selects a shared mail plug-in, the adding unit 105 associates the plug-in stored in the data storage unit 100 with the organization ID of the user's organization or the user ID of the user, and deploys it in the data storage unit 100 or another storage area. The shared mail plug-in may be deployed in the user terminal 30. The processes of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A in the modified example 1-2 are executed based on the shared mail plug-in. In the modified example 1-2, it is assumed that the shared mail plug-in indicates the code for the series of processes described in the embodiment. In the modified example 1-2, the series of processes described in the embodiment are executed based on the code of the shared mail plug-in.

[0107] The groupware system 1 of the modified example 1-2 adds a shared mail plug-in when a user performs a predetermined plug-in addition operation. The processes of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A are each executed based on the plug-in. The groupware system 1 can realize a shared mail service as an option in the groupware by the plug-in. For example, the groupware system 1 provides the shared mail plug-in only to a user who has confirmed the shared mail in the groupware, thereby reducing waste of resources in the groupware. For example, the groupware system 1 can reuse the mechanism of other plug-ins, such as a plug-in for creating an in-house portal page, thereby reducing the number of development steps in the groupware.

[0108] [Variation 1-3] For example, the user may be allowed to specify HTML tags as settings for the shared mail application. The HTML tags are reflected on the screens of the shared mail application, including the shared mail screen SC2. For example, the shared mail screen SC2 includes HTML tags specified by the user. In variant example 1-3, when the user specifies a specific HTML tag, the shared mail part P22 is displayed in the shared mail application. The specific HTML tag is a character string that indicates the display of the shared mail. The specific HTML tag is determined in advance by the groupware provider. When the user performs an operation to set up the shared mail application from the portal screen SC1, the shared mail screen SC2, or another screen, the application setting screen SC3 is displayed on the user terminal 30.

[0109] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an application setting screen. For example, an input form or the like is displayed on the application setting screen SC3, which allows the user to specify the contents of the content part P21 of the shared mail screen SC2. The user inputs a specific HTML tag into the input form F30 that accepts input of HTML tags. In the example of FIG. 11, when the user inputs an HTML tag including a character string such as "frame_mailOption" into the input form F30, the shared mail part P22 is displayed on the application setting screen SC3. The user can specify any HTML tag in the input form F30.

[0110] The groupware system 1 of the modified example 1-3 includes a designation receiving unit 106. The designation receiving unit 106 receives designation of an HTML tag indicating a shared email from a user who uses the groupware. In the example of FIG. 11, the designation receiving unit 106 receives designation of an HTML tag for an input form F30 of the application setting screen SC3. The designation receiving unit 106 may receive designation of an HTML tag from a screen other than the application setting screen SC3. When the designation receiving unit 106 receives the designation of an HTML tag, it stores it in the data storage unit 100 as application setting data of the shared email application.

[0111] The processes of the request unit 101, partial data acquisition unit 102, and first display control unit 103A in the modified example 1-3 are executed on the condition that an HTML tag is specified. For example, when the groupware server 10 receives a display request for the shared mail screen SC2 from a user terminal 30 of a certain user, the groupware server 10 refers to the settings of the shared mail application stored in the data storage unit 100. The groupware server 10 determines whether or not a predetermined HTML tag is specified in the settings of the shared mail application.

[0112] When the groupware server 10 does not determine that a specific HTML tag is specified in the settings of the shared mail application, it does not execute at least one of the processes of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A. In this case, the display control unit 103 causes the user terminal 30 to display a shared mail screen SC2 that does not include the shared mail part P22, or a shared mail screen SC2 that includes the shared mail part P22 but does not display anything. On the other hand, when the groupware server 10 determines that a specific HTML tag is specified in the settings of the shared mail application, it executes the processes of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A described in the embodiment.

[0113] In addition, the user may be allowed to use the shared mail service as a groupware option in an application other than the shared mail application. For example, when the user specifies a predetermined HTML tag from the application setting screen SC3 of the customer management application, the project management application, or another application, the shared mail part P22 may be displayed on the screen of these applications. In this case, the processing of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A is as described in the embodiment. In addition, for example, the user may be allowed to specify a predetermined HTML tag for a screen other than the application. In this case, the shared mail part P22 is displayed on a screen other than the application.

[0114] The groupware system 1 of the modified example 1-3 accepts the specification of an HTML tag indicating a shared email by a user. The processes of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A are executed on the condition that the HTML tag is specified. The groupware system 1 can display the shared email part P22 on the screen of an arbitrary app or on a screen other than the app by specifying the HTML tag for an arbitrary app or an arbitrary page.

[0115] [Variation 1-4] For example, a user may directly log in to the shared mail service. When a user logs in to the shared mail service, the shared mail system 2 causes a shared mail screen as the domain of the shared mail service to be displayed on the user terminal 30. This shared mail screen is displayed by a process described in modified example 2-2 below. This shared mail screen may be a screen adopted in a known shared mail service.

[0116] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a shared mail screen displayed on the user terminal 30 when a user logs in to the shared mail service. As shown in Fig. 12, the shared mail screen SC4 in the shared mail service includes a header part P40 specific to the shared mail service, and a shared mail part P41 having the same or similar content as the shared mail part P22. The header part P40 is different from the header part P20 of the shared mail screen SC2 in the groupware.

[0117] For example, the background color of the header portion P40 is the theme color of the shared mail service. The header portion P40 includes a shared mail image I400 showing the name or logo of the shared mail service. The shared mail image I400 may be used as a background image for the header portion P40. The header portion P40 allows the user to intuitively understand that he or she is logged in to the shared mail service. For example, the shared mail image I400 allows the user to intuitively understand that he or she is accessing the shared mail system 2.

[0118] The first display control unit 103A of the modified example 1-4 displays on the user terminal 30 a shared mail screen SC2 including a groupware portion that allows a user who uses the groupware to identify the groupware, and a shared mail portion P22 that does not allow the user to identify the shared mail system 2. The shared mail system 2 generates partial data of such a shared mail portion P22. The processing on the shared mail system 2 side will be described later in modified example 2-3.

[0119] The user being able to identify the groupware means that the user can identify the groupware by the appearance (outer appearance) of the groupware part. In variant example 1-4, the user can visually identify the groupware by the groupware image I200, so the groupware part including the groupware image I200 corresponds to the groupware part that allows the user to identify the groupware. In addition, for example, a groupware part including an illustration of the groupware generated by CSS, a groupware part with a background color of the groupware theme color, or a groupware part including text indicating the groupware may correspond to the groupware part that allows the user to identify the groupware.

[0120] The user being unable to identify the shared mail system 2 means that the user is unable to identify the shared mail system 2 from the appearance (outer appearance) of the shared mail part P22. In variant example 1-4, the user can visually identify the shared mail system 2 by the shared mail image I400, so the shared mail part P22 that does not include the shared mail image I400 corresponds to the shared mail part P22 in which the user is unable to identify the shared mail system 2. In addition, for example, the shared mail part P22 that does not include an illustration of the shared mail system 2 generated by CSS, the shared mail part P22 with a background color that is not the theme color of the shared mail system 2, or the shared mail part P22 that does not include text indicating the shared mail system 2 may correspond to the shared mail part P22 in which the user is able to identify the shared mail system 2.

[0121] For example, the partial data shows a shared mail part P22 having a layout similar to that of the shared mail part P41, but does not include the header part P40 of the shared mail screen SC4 in the shared mail service. If the shared mail screen SC4 has a footer part, the partial data shows the shared mail part P22 having a layout similar to that of the shared mail part P41, but does not include the footer part. The first display control unit 103A causes the user terminal 30 to display the shared mail screen SC2 based on such partial data.

[0122] The groupware system 1 of variant example 1-4 displays on the user terminal 30 a shared mail screen SC2 including a groupware portion that allows the user to identify the groupware and a shared mail portion P22 that does not allow the user to identify the shared mail system 2. The groupware image I200 allows the user to intuitively understand that the shared mail screen SC2 is a groupware screen. Since the shared mail image I400 is not displayed on the shared mail screen SC2, it is possible to prevent the user from misunderstanding that he or she is logged in to a shared mail service.

[0123] [Variation 1-5] For example, when a user selects a customer management app from the list L110, a customer management screen SC5 showing the customer management app is displayed on the user terminal 30. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the customer management screen SC5. For example, the customer management screen SC5 displays customer information stored in a record of the customer management app. From the customer management screen SC5, the user can store new information in the record or change the information stored in the record. Shared emails related to the displayed customer may be displayed on such a customer management screen SC5.

[0124] The groupware system 1 of the modified example 1-5 includes an acquisition request unit 107, an acquisition result data acquisition unit 108, and a second display control unit 103B. The acquisition request unit 107 requests the shared email system 2 to acquire a shared email based on an email address registered in a customer management application that manages customer information of a user who uses the groupware. The concept of acquisition here includes various processes such as search, lookup, and narrowing down. For example, when a user selects a record in the customer management application, the acquisition request unit 107 acquires the email address stored in that record. The user may manually specify the email address to be acquired.

[0125] For example, the acquisition request unit 107 transmits data in a predetermined format including the email address to be acquired to the shared mail system 2. The shared mail system 2 acquires all or part of the shared mail for that email address from the shared mail database DB2. The shared mail for that email address is a shared mail for which the email address is the destination, CC, BCC, or sender. The shared mail system 2 transmits the shared mail data of the acquired shared mail to the groupware system 1.

[0126] The acquisition result data acquisition unit 108 acquires acquisition result data indicating the acquisition result of the shared email from the shared email system 2. The acquisition result data may be in any format as long as it includes some information related to the shared email. For example, the acquisition result data may be the same as the shared email data, or may include only some information such as the subject and link. The acquisition result data acquisition unit 108 may store the acquisition result data in a record of the customer management application, or may not particularly store the acquisition result data in a record.

[0127] The second display control unit 103B causes the user terminal 30 to display a customer management screen SC5 including customer information and the acquisition result indicated by the acquisition result data based on the customer management application. In the example of Fig. 13, the second display control unit 103B generates display data for the customer management screen SC5 so that the customer information (e.g., customer name, email address, etc.) stored in the application database DB1 is placed in a first position, and the acquisition result indicated by the acquisition result data is placed in a second position different from the first position (e.g., below the customer information).

[0128] The second display control unit 103B transmits display data of the customer management screen SC5 to the user terminal 30. When the user terminal 30 receives the display data, it displays the customer management screen SC5 on the display unit 35. In the example of FIG. 13, the subject of the shared email related to the email address stored in the displayed record is displayed in chronological order on the customer management screen SC5. When the user selects the subject of the shared email displayed on the customer management screen SC5, a shared email screen SC2 showing details of the shared email is displayed on the user terminal 30 in the same manner as in variant example 1-1.

[0129] The groupware system 1 of variant example 1-5 requests the shared mail system 2 to obtain the shared mail based on the email address registered in the customer management app. The groupware system 1 obtains the obtainment result data from the shared mail system 2. Based on the customer management app, the groupware system 1 displays on the user terminal 30 a customer management screen SC5 including customer information and the obtainment result indicated by the obtainment result data. This allows the user to access the information of the shared mail in the customer management app in the groupware.

[0130] [Variation 1-6] For example, a user may be able to register information such as an email address of a shared email to a customer management application from the shared email screen SC2. The groupware system 1 includes a registration unit 109. The registration unit 109 registers various data in the groupware to the data storage unit 100. For example, the registration unit 109 registers data related to an application to the application.

[0131] For example, the registration unit 109 includes a first registration unit 109A. When a predetermined registration operation is performed on the shared mail screen SC2, the first registration unit 109A registers new customer information in a customer management application that manages customer information of users who use the groupware, based on the shared mail displayed in the shared mail part P22. The registration operation may be any operation performed from the shared mail screen SC2. For example, when a button such as "Register customer information" is displayed on the shared mail screen SC2, the selection of the button may correspond to the registration operation.

[0132] For example, as in the modified example 1-1, when the details of the shared mail are displayed on the shared mail screen SC2, if the user performs a registration operation by selecting the button B227, the first registration unit 109A acquires the email addresses of the destination, CC, BCC, or sender of the displayed shared mail. In addition to the email address, the first registration unit 109A may acquire at least one of the display name of the email address and the signature in the body of the shared mail. These pieces of information may be included in the partial data, or the first registration unit 109A may request these pieces of information from the shared mail system 2. The first registration unit 109A registers these pieces of information in a new record or an existing record in the customer management app.

[0133] In the groupware system 1 of the modified example 1-6, when a predetermined registration operation is performed on the shared mail screen SC2, new customer information is registered in the customer management application based on the shared mail displayed in the shared mail part P22. The groupware system 1 can register customer information in the customer management application with a simple operation, thereby improving user convenience.

[0134] [Variation 1-7] For example, when a shared email of an email address registered in the customer management app is displayed on the shared email screen SC2, the customer management screen SC5 may be displayed from the shared email screen SC2. The groupware system 1 of variant 1-7 includes a third display control unit 103C. When a predetermined display operation is performed on the shared email screen SC2, the third display control unit 103C causes the user terminal 30 to display a customer management screen SC5 of the customer management app that manages customer information of the user who uses the groupware, based on the shared email displayed in the shared email part P22. The display operation may be any operation performed from the shared email screen SC2. For example, when a button such as "Check customer information" is displayed on the shared email screen SC2, the selection of the button may correspond to the display operation.

[0135] For example, as in the modified example 1-1, when the details of the shared mail are displayed on the shared mail screen SC2, the user performs a display operation by selecting a button such as "Check customer information" not shown in FIG. 10. The third display control unit 103C acquires the destination, CC, BCC, or sender email address of the shared mail being displayed. The third display control unit 103C may acquire at least one of the display name of the email address and the signature in the body of the shared mail, in addition to the email address. These pieces of information may be included in the partial data, or the third display control unit 103C may request these pieces of information from the shared mail system 2. The third display control unit 103C acquires the record of the customer management app using these pieces of information as a key. The third display control unit 103C causes the user terminal 30 to display the customer management screen SC5 showing the acquired information.

[0136] In the groupware system 1 of the modified example 1-7, when a predetermined display operation is performed on the shared mail screen SC2, the groupware system 1 displays the customer management screen SC5 on the user terminal based on the shared mail displayed in the shared mail part P22. The groupware system 1 allows the user to check the customer information on the customer management screen SC5 with a simple operation, thereby improving the user convenience.

[0137] [Variation 1-8] For example, the case management application may register an email thread for a shared email related to each case. In the modification 1-8, one email thread is registered for one case, but multiple email threads may be registered for one case. The groupware system 1 includes a second registration unit 109B and a fourth display control unit 103D.

[0138] The second registration unit 109B registers the mail thread of the shared mail in a case management application that manages cases of users who use groupware. The second registration unit 109B registers the mail thread in the case management application by registering mail thread identification information that enables the groupware server 10 to identify the mail thread in a record of the case management application. The mail thread identification information may be a reference included in the header of the shared mail (a list of message IDs of related shared mails), or may be issued independently by the shared mail server 20. The mail thread to be registered is specified by the user. The second registration unit 109B registers information such as the mail thread ID and the shared mail identification information in the case management application.

[0139] For example, the second registration unit 109B registers the email thread of a shared email selected from the shared email part P22 of the shared email screen SC2 in the case management application. When a list L226 of multiple shared emails is displayed in the shared email part P22 as in FIG. 3, the second registration unit 109B registers at least one email thread selected by the user from the list L226 in the case management application. The user also specifies the case for which the email thread is to be registered. When details of one shared email are displayed in the shared email part P22 as in variant example 1-1, the second registration unit 109B registers the displayed email thread in the case management application when the user performs a predetermined operation on the shared email screen SC2 (for example, when the user selects the button B228 in FIG. 10).

[0140] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a case management screen. The fourth display control unit 103D causes the user terminal 30 to display a case management screen SC6 including a mail thread based on the case management application. It is assumed that data required for displaying the case management screen SC6 is stored in advance in the data storage unit 100. The fourth display control unit 103D generates display data for the case management screen SC6 based on the data. The fourth display control unit 103D may request information on the latest mail thread from the shared mail system 2 every time the user requests to display the case management screen SC6. Based on the request, the shared mail system 2 refers to the shared mail database DB2 and transmits information on the latest mail thread to the groupware system 1.

[0141] For example, when a user selects any record in the case management app, the fourth display control unit 103D acquires the contents of the record. The fourth display control unit 103D generates display data for the case management screen SC6 based on the contents of the record. If an email thread is registered in the record, the fourth display control unit 103D generates display data for the case management screen SC6 showing the subject of the email thread, as shown in FIG. 14. The fourth display control unit 103D transmits the display data for the case management screen SC6 to the user terminal 30, thereby causing the case management screen SC6 to be displayed on the user terminal 30. The display data for the case management screen SC6 includes links to the individual shared emails belonging to the email thread.

[0142] The processing of each of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A in the modified example 1-8 is executed when a mail thread is selected on the matter management screen SC6. For example, when a user selects a link of a shared mail belonging to a mail thread on the matter management screen SC6, the user terminal 30 transmits a display request of the shared mail screen SC2 to the groupware server 10 based on the link of the selected shared mail. The groupware server 10 receives the display request of the shared mail screen SC2 from the user terminal 30. The processing of each of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A thereafter is the same as that of the modified example 1-1.

[0143] The groupware system 1 of the modified example 1-8 registers an email thread of a shared email in a case management application. The groupware system 1 displays a case management screen SC6 including the email thread on the user terminal 30 based on the case management application. The processing of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A is executed when an email thread is selected on the case management screen SC6. Since the email thread is displayed on the case management screen SC6, the user can easily manage cases. When the user selects an email thread, a shared email screen SC2 showing the shared email belonging to the email thread is displayed on the user terminal 30, improving user convenience. The user can check the groupware shared email screen SC2 from the groupware case management screen SC6 without transitioning to another domain.

[0144] Furthermore, the groupware system 1 registers the email thread of the shared email selected from the shared email part P22 of the shared email screen SC2 in the case management app. The user can check the shared email on the shared email screen SC2 and register the email thread of the shared email directly in the case management app, improving user convenience.

[0145] [Variation 1-9] For example, in variant example 1-8, the second registration unit 109B may register the email thread of the shared email specified on the case management screen SC6 in the case management app. The case management screen SC6 in variant example 1-9 displays an input form for the user to specify the email thread that the user wishes to register in the case management app. When the user specifies a link to the shared email in the input form, the second registration unit 109B registers the email thread to which the shared email belongs in the case management app. The second registration unit 109B may request information for identifying the email thread from the shared email system 2 based on the shared email identification information of the shared email.

[0146] The groupware system 1 of the modification 1-9 registers the email thread of the shared email specified on the case management screen SC6 in the case management app. The user can specify the email thread while checking the case on the case management screen SC6, and register the email thread as it is in the case management app, which improves the user convenience.

[0147] [Variation 1-10] For example, as in the modification 1-6, when information such as an email address of a shared email is registered in the customer management app, the user may be allowed to specify a correspondence between each of a plurality of pieces of information included in the shared email and each of a plurality of fields in the customer management app. The correspondence specified by the user is registered in the app database DB1 as app setting data of the customer management app. The groupware system 1 in the modification 1-10 includes a third registration unit 109C.

[0148] The third registration unit 109C registers the information included in the shared mail in the app based on the association between the fields of the app and the items included in the shared mail, which is set for each app in the groupware. In the modification 1-10, a customer management app is described as an example of the app, but the app may be an app other than a customer management app. For example, the third registration unit 109C may register the information included in the shared mail in the app based on the association specified in advance for a case management app, a shared mail app, or another app.

[0149] For example, the user specifies which field the information of each item included in the header of the shared email corresponds to. If the customer management app has fields such as email address, company name, customer name, and person in charge name, the user specifies which of these fields the item included in the header of the shared email corresponds to. The correspondence specified by the user is indicated in advance in the application setting data. The third registration unit 109C registers the information of the item included in the header of the shared email corresponding to the record of the customer management app as the value of the field corresponding to the item.

[0150] The groupware system 1 of the modification 1-10 registers information included in the shared email in the application based on the association between the application field and the item included in the shared email, which is set for each application in the groupware. The groupware system 1 can register the item included in the shared email in the optimal field.

[0151] [Variation 1-11] For example, a user may create an email to be sent from a shared email app by using a template app in which a template for a shared email is registered. The template app may be provided as a default app from the beginning, or may be added later by the user. The template app may be created by the user.

[0152] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a relationship between a template app and other apps. In the example of Fig. 15, a shared email app, a customer management app, and a case management app are shown as the other apps. For example, the data storage unit 100 stores data indicating a record of the template app. Data of a template created by a user is stored in the record of the template app.

[0153] In Modification Example 1-11, a template app is displayed as an app available to the user in the list L110 of the portal screen SC1 in Fig. 2. For example, when the user selects a template app from the list L110, the user terminal 30 displays a template screen SC7 on the display unit 35, as in Fig. 15. Note that the template screen SC7 and the customer management screen SC5 are simplified in Fig. 15.

[0154] For example, the user inputs a template name into input form F70. The user inputs a subject into input form F71. The user inputs a body into input form F72. The user can register any data as a template in the template app. The data that the user can register as a template is not limited to the template name, subject, and body. For example, the user can register an attachment, a destination, CC, BCC, a format such as font, tags such as importance, an email format such as HTML, or other data into the template app.

[0155] The customer management screen SC5 of the modified example 1-11 displays an input form F50 for the user to select a template and a button B51 for the user to create an email. If multiple templates are registered in the template app, the user selects one of the multiple templates from the input form F50. When the user selects the button B51, the groupware server 10 creates an email based on the customer management app, the template app, and the shared email app.

[0156] In the example of Fig. 15, the field code (field name) is specified as the variable "%Customer%" in the body of the template. For example, the variable indicates the field code of the customer name in the customer management app. Based on the template data registered in the template app and the customer name registered in the customer management app, the groupware server 10 creates an email in which the customer name "ZZZ Co., Ltd." displayed on the customer management screen SC5 is inserted into the variable "%Customer%" in the body of the template.

[0157] In addition, the user can specify any field code of the customer management app as a variable. The field code that the user can specify as a variable is not limited to the customer name. For example, the user may specify the name of the person in charge, email address, phone number, address, or other field code as a variable. The user may specify field codes as variables not only for the body of the template, but also for other parts such as the subject of the template. The field code may be common to multiple apps. For example, the variable "%Customer%" in FIG. 15 may indicate the field code of the customer name in the case management app.

[0158] Also, the user may create an email by selecting a template from the case management screen SC6, instead of the customer management screen SC5. In this case as well, if a variable is specified in the template, the groupware server 10 creates an email in which the case information displayed on the case management screen SC6 is inserted into the variable portion of the body of the template, based on the template data registered in the template app and the case information registered in the case management app (for example, the case name, customer name, or person in charge in FIG. 14).

[0159] Also, a user may be allowed to select a template to create an email in an app other than the customer management app and the project management app. When a user creates an email from a template, the destination, CC, and BCC of the email may be specified by the user or may be defined in the template. FIG. 15 also shows a flow in which information about the shared email (e.g., name, email address, subject, body, or attachment) is registered from the shared email app to the customer management app or the project management app. This flow is as described above.

[0160] Furthermore, if the user does not specify a variable, the groupware server 10 may create an email based on a template app without referring to a customer management app or a case management app. The groupware server 10 may create an email based on at least the template app and the shared email app. If the user specifies a variable in a template, the groupware server 10 may obtain data corresponding to the variable from the customer management app, case management app, or other app to create an email.

[0161] For example, when a user instructs the groupware server 10 to send an email from a shared email application, the groupware server 10 requests the shared email system 2 to send an email created based on a template. When the shared email server 20 accepts the request, it sends the email created based on the template. The method for sending the email may be any of various known methods. The shared email server 20 sends the email created based on the template to each of the destination, CC, and BCC.

[0162] The groupware system 1 of the modification 1-11 creates emails based on a template application. This allows the user to easily use email templates from the groupware, so the groupware system 1 can improve user convenience.

[0163] [6-2. Variations of the shared email system] Next, a modification of the shared mail system 2 will be described.

[0164] [Variation 2-1] For example, as in variant example 1-1, the link of the shared email displayed in the shared email part P22 may include the groupware domain and the shared email identification information. The partial data acquisition unit 202 in variant example 2-1 generates the link of the shared email displayed in the shared email part P22. The data indicating the groupware domain part of the link is assumed to be stored in the data storage unit 200.

[0165] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 identifies the domain portion of the groupware based on the data stored in the data storage unit 200. In the example of Fig. 10, the partial data acquisition unit 202 identifies the portion "xxxcompany.aaagroupware.com" as the groupware domain. The partial data acquisition unit 202 refers to the shared mail database DB2 and acquires the shared mail identification information of the shared mail displayed in the shared mail portion.

[0166] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates a link by placing a predetermined symbol (e.g., #, ?, =, etc.) after the groupware domain, followed by the shared email identification information. The partial data acquisition unit 202 generates as many links as the number of shared emails displayed in the shared email part (in the example of FIG. 3, five displayed in list L226). The partial data acquisition unit 202 generates HTML data of the shared email part P22 including the link as partial data. The processing of the first request receiving unit 201A and the partial data sending unit 203 is the same as in the embodiment.

[0167] The processes of the first request receiving unit 201A, the partial data acquisition unit 202, and the partial data transmission unit 203 in Modification Example 2-1 are executed each time a link is selected on the user terminal 30 and the groupware system 1 receives a request to display the shared mail screen SC2 from the user terminal 30. For example, the first request receiving unit 201A receives a request by the request unit 101 described in Modification Example 1-1. The partial data acquisition unit 202 executes the process described above and generates HTML data of the shared mail part P22 including the link as partial data. The partial data transmission unit 203 transmits the partial data to the groupware system 1.

[0168] In the shared mail system 2 of the modified example 2-1, the link of the shared mail displayed in the shared mail part P22 includes the groupware domain and the shared mail identification information. The processing of the first request receiving unit 201A, the partial data acquisition unit 202, and the partial data transmission unit 203 is executed each time a link is selected on the user terminal 30 and the groupware system 1 receives a request to display the shared mail screen SC2 from the user terminal 30. When a user selects the link of the shared mail, the shared mail system 2 can cause the user terminal 30 to display the shared mail in the groupware domain. If the user terminal 30 accesses another domain while accessing the groupware domain, the user may be confused, but the shared mail system 2 can prevent such confusion.

[0169] [Variation 2-2] For example, the processing of each of the first request receiving unit 201A, partial data acquisition unit 202, and partial data transmission unit 203 described in the embodiment is executed when the user logs in to the groupware. On the other hand, when the user logs in directly to the shared mail service as in variant example 1-4, a shared mail screen SC4 having the same or similar content as the shared mail part P22 is displayed on the user terminal 30. The shared mail screen SC4 is as described in variant example 1-4. The shared mail system 2 of variant example 2-2 includes a display control unit 204.

[0170] When a user logs in to the shared mail system 2, the display control unit 204 causes the user terminal 30 to display a shared mail screen SC4 showing the shared mail based on a link that does not include the groupware domain but includes the domain of the shared mail system 2 and the shared mail identification information. The display control unit 204 generates display data for the shared mail screen SC4 and transmits it to the user terminal 30. Upon receiving the display data for the shared mail screen SC4, the user terminal 30 causes the display unit 35 to display the shared mail screen SC4. This series of processes may be processes employed in known shared mail services.

[0171] The partial data acquisition unit 202 of the modified example 2-2 generates partial data of the shared mail part P22 having a layout different from that of the shared mail part P41 of the shared mail screen SC4 that is displayed when the user directly logs in to the shared mail service. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates partial data of the shared mail part P22 that does not include the shared mail image I400. As another example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may generate partial data of the shared mail part P22 in which the theme color of the shared mail service is not the background color.

[0172] In the shared mail system 2 of the modified example 2-2, when a user logs in to the shared mail system 2, a shared mail screen SC4 showing the shared mail is displayed on the user terminal 30 based on a link including the domain of the shared mail system 2 and the shared mail identification information, without including the domain of the groupware. The shared mail system 2 can provide the shared mail screen SC4 to a user who logs in directly to the shared mail service. For example, the shared mail system 2 can also make the layout of the shared mail part P22 different from the layout of the shared mail part P41. This allows the shared mail system 2 to display the shared mail part P22 on the user terminal 30 in a display mode specific to the groupware, or to display the shared mail part P41 on the user terminal 30 in a display mode specific to the shared mail service.

[0173] [Variation 2-3] For example, as in Modification Example 1-4, the shared mail screen SC4 includes a shared mail image I400 that allows the user to identify the shared mail system 2. As explained somewhat in Modification Example 2-2, the shared mail system 2 may include a display control unit 204 that causes the user terminal 30 to display a shared mail screen SC4 that allows the user to identify the shared mail system 2 when the user logs in to the shared mail system 2. The user being able to identify the shared mail system 2 has the opposite meaning to "the user is not able to identify the shared mail system 2" explained in Modification Example 1-4, so the explanation of Modification Example 1-4 can be reinterpreted to have the opposite meaning.

[0174] The partial data acquisition unit 202 of the modified example 2-3 acquires partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 in which the user cannot identify the shared mail system 2. In the modified example 2-3, as in the modified example 1-4, an example is given in which the shared mail part P22 that does not include the shared mail image I400 corresponds to the shared mail part P22 in which the user cannot identify the shared mail system 2. The partial data acquisition unit 202 may acquire partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 that does not include the shared mail image I400. Since the shared mail part P22 does not include the shared mail image I400, it has a different appearance from the shared mail part P41. The partial data acquisition unit 202 may acquire partial data of the shared mail part P22 like other examples described in the modified example 1-4 (such as the shared mail part P22 that does not include an illustration of the shared mail system 2 generated by CSS).

[0175] If the shared mail image I400 is displayed in the shared mail portion P22 of the shared mail screen SC2, the user may mistakenly think that he or she is logged in to a shared mail service. In this regard, the shared mail system 2 of variant example 2-3 can display on the user terminal 30, for a user who has logged in to the groupware, a shared mail screen SC2 including a shared mail portion P22 that does not mistakenly think that the user is logged in to a shared mail service.

[0176] [Variation 2-4] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may acquire partial data indicating a shared mail portion in which a portion of the shared mail screen SC4 displayed when the user logs in to the shared mail system 2, by which the user can identify the shared mail system 2, has been replaced so as to enable the user to identify the groupware. In the modified example 2-4, the partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires partial data indicating a shared mail portion P22 in which the shared mail image I400 has been replaced with a groupware image I200 by which the user can identify the groupware. The data storage unit 200 of the modified example 2-4 stores image data of the groupware image I200. The partial data acquisition unit 202 generates partial data indicating the shared mail portion P22 including the groupware image I200 based on the image data.

[0177] The partial data acquisition unit 202 can place the groupware image I200 at any position in the shared mail part P22. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may place the groupware image I200 at a position less than a predetermined distance from the top end of the shared mail part P22, or may place the groupware image I200 in the list L226. The partial data acquisition unit 202 may generate partial data such that the background color of the shared mail part P22 is the theme color of the groupware, rather than including the groupware image I200 in the partial data. Information indicating the background color of the shared mail part P22 is indicated in the partial data. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may perform replacement as in another example of "user can identify groupware" described in modification example 1-4.

[0178] The shared mail system 2 of the modified example 2-4 acquires partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 replaced as described above. The shared mail system 2 can display on the user terminal 30, for the user who has logged in to the groupware, a shared mail screen SC2 including the shared mail part P22 that allows the user to intuitively understand that the user is logged in to the groupware.

[0179] [Variation 2-5] For example, in variant example 1-5, when a user selects a record of a customer management application, the shared mail system 2 may acquire a shared mail to be displayed on the customer management screen SC5. The meaning of "acquisition" here is as explained in variant example 1-5. In variant example 2-5, the processing on the shared mail system 2 side in variant example 1-5 will be explained. The shared mail system 2 in variant example 2-5 includes a second request receiving unit 201B, an acquisition execution unit 205, and an acquisition result data transmission unit 206.

[0180] The second request receiving unit 201B receives a request to obtain a shared email based on an email address registered in a customer management app that manages customer information of a user who uses the groupware, from the groupware system 1. The second request receiving unit 201B receives a request from the acquisition request unit 107 described in Modification 1-5. As described in Modification 1-5, the request from the acquisition request unit 107 includes an email address stored in a record of the customer management app selected by the user.

[0181] The acquisition execution unit 205 acquires a shared email when the second request receiving unit 201B accepts a request. For example, the acquisition execution unit 205 acquires a shared email to be displayed on the customer management screen SC5 from the shared email database DB2 based on the email address included in the request accepted by the second request receiving unit 201B. The acquisition execution unit 205 acquires a shared email for which the email address is the destination, CC, BCC, or sender.

[0182] The acquisition result data transmission unit 206 transmits the acquisition result executed by the acquisition execution unit 205 to the groupware system 1. The acquisition result is data in a predetermined format. The data includes information on the shared email acquired by the acquisition execution unit 205. For example, the data includes the subject of the acquired shared email, at least a part of the body of the shared email, the name of the attachment to the shared email, or other information. The acquisition result data transmission unit 206 refers to the shared email database DB2, acquires this information, and transmits it as acquisition result data.

[0183] The shared mail system 2 of variant example 2-5 receives a request from the groupware system 1 to obtain a shared mail based on an email address registered in the customer management app. When the shared mail system 2 receives the request, it obtains the shared mail. The shared mail system 2 transmits the result of the acquisition executed by the acquisition execution unit 205 to the groupware system 1. This allows the user to access the shared mail information in the customer management app in the groupware.

[0184] [Variation 2-6] For example, in the modified example 1-6, the shared mail system 2 may generate partial data of the shared mail part P22 that allows the user to register information of the shared mail in the customer management app. The partial data acquisition unit 202 in the modified example 2-6 acquires partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 that allows the user to instruct the customer management app that manages the user's customer information to register new customer information based on the shared mail displayed in the shared mail part P22. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 that includes a registration image that allows the user to instruct the registration.

[0185] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 including the button B227 in FIG. 10. The link of the button B227 is assumed to be the groupware domain. Therefore, when the user selects the button B227, the user terminal 30 requests the groupware server 10 to register information of the shared mail in the customer management application. The registration image is not limited to the button B227, and may be other images such as an icon. Furthermore, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may acquire partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 that the user can instruct to register by using an illustration that can be displayed by CSS, text including a link, or other user interface parts other than the registration image.

[0186] The shared mail system 2 of the modified example 2-6 acquires partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 that allows the user to instruct the customer management app to register new customer information based on the shared mail displayed in the shared mail part P22. The shared mail system 2 allows the user to register customer information in the customer management app with a simple operation, thereby improving user convenience.

[0187] [Variation 2-7] For example, in the modified example 1-7, the shared mail system 2 may generate partial data of the shared mail part P22 that allows the user to display the customer management screen SC5 from the shared mail screen SC2. The partial data acquisition unit 202 in the modified example 2-7 acquires partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 that is a display of the customer management screen SC5 of the customer management application that manages the user's customer information and that allows the user to instruct the display based on the shared mail displayed in the shared mail part P22. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 that includes a display image for the user to instruct the display.

[0188] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 including the button described in Modification Example 1-7. The link of the button is assumed to be the groupware domain. Therefore, when the user selects the button, the user terminal 30 transmits a display request for a customer management screen to the groupware server 10. The display image is not limited to a button, and may be other images such as an icon. Furthermore, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may acquire partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 that the user can instruct to display by using an illustration that can be displayed by CSS, text including a link, or other user interface parts other than the display image.

[0189] The shared mail system 2 of variant example 2-7 is a display of a customer management screen SC5 of a customer management application that manages customer information of users who use groupware, and acquires partial data indicating a shared mail part P22 that the user can instruct to display based on the shared mail displayed in the shared mail part P22. The shared mail system 2 allows the user to check customer information on the customer management screen SC5 with a simple operation, thereby improving user convenience.

[0190] [Variation 2-8] For example, in Variation 1-8, when a user selects a record of a case management application, the shared mail system 2 may obtain a mail thread to be displayed on the case management screen SC6. Variation 2-8 describes the processing on the shared mail system 2 side in Variation 1-8. The shared mail system 2 in Variation 2-8 includes a third request receiving unit 201C and a mail thread data sending unit 207.

[0191] The third request receiving unit 201C receives a request for mail thread data indicating a mail thread of a shared mail registered in a case management application that manages a case of a user from the groupware system 1. When a user selects a record of the case management application, the groupware server 10 transmits a request to acquire the mail thread to the shared mail system 2. The third request receiving unit 201C receives the acquisition request. For example, the acquisition request includes a mail thread ID registered in the record selected by the user.

[0192] When the third request receiving unit 201C receives a request, the mail thread data sending unit 207 sends mail thread data to the groupware system 1. For example, the mail thread data sending unit 207 acquires a mail thread to be displayed on the customer management screen SC5 from the shared mail database DB2 based on a mail thread ID included in a display request received from the groupware system 1. The mail thread data sending unit 207 refers to the shared mail database DB2 and acquires the subject of the shared mail belonging to the acquired mail thread, at least a part of the body of the shared mail, the name of an attachment to the shared mail, or other information. The mail thread data sending unit 207 generates mail thread data indicating this information and sends it to the groupware system 1.

[0193] The shared mail system 2 of variant example 2-8 receives a request from the groupware system 1 for mail thread data indicating a mail thread of a shared mail registered in a case management application. When the shared mail system 2 receives the request, it transmits the mail thread data to the groupware system 1. The mail thread is displayed on the case management screen SC6, making it easier for the user to manage cases. When the user selects a mail thread, a shared mail screen SC2 indicating the shared mail belonging to the mail thread is displayed on the user terminal 30, improving user convenience. The user can check the groupware shared mail screen SC2 from the groupware case management screen SC6 without transitioning to another domain.

[0194] [Variation 2-9] For example, in the modified example 1-8, the shared mail system 2 may generate partial data of the shared mail part P22 that allows the user to register a mail thread in the case management application from the shared mail screen SC2. The partial data acquisition unit 202 in the modified example 2-9 acquires partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 that allows the user to select a mail thread from the shared mail part P22 on the shared mail screen. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 that includes a mail thread selection image that allows the user to select the mail thread.

[0195] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 including the button B228. The link of the button B228 is assumed to be a groupware domain. Therefore, when the user selects the button B228, the user terminal 30 requests the groupware server 10 to register the mail thread in the project management application. The mail thread selection image is not limited to the button B228, and may be other images such as an icon. Furthermore, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may acquire partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 from which the user can select the above mail thread by using an illustration that can be displayed by CSS, text including a link, or other user interface parts other than the mail thread selection image.

[0196] The shared email system 2 of the modified example 2-9 acquires partial data indicating the shared email portion P22 from which the user can select an email thread from the shared email portion P22 of the shared email screen SC2. The user can check the shared email on the shared email screen SC2 and register the email thread of the shared email directly in the project management app, improving user convenience.

[0197] [Variation 2-10] For example, the shared mail system 2 may be capable of linking with multiple groupware systems 1. In variant example 2-10, each of the multiple groupware systems 1 displays the shared mail part P22 on the shared mail screen SC2 of the groupware it manages. The request that each of the multiple groupware systems 1 sends to the shared mail system 2 may be the same as in the embodiment. The shared mail system 2 accepts a request from each of the multiple groupware systems 1 that is the same as in the embodiment.

[0198] The partial data acquisition unit 202 of the modified example 2-10 acquires partial data corresponding to the groupware system 1 that has sent the request for partial data from among the multiple groupware systems 1. The partial data corresponding to the groupware system 1 is partial data including a link corresponding to the groupware system 1, or partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 having a layout corresponding to the groupware system 1. The partial data transmission unit 203 transmits the partial data corresponding to the groupware system 1 to the groupware system 1 that has sent the request for partial data.

[0199] For example, the partial data acquiring unit 202 generates partial data indicating a link including the domain of a groupware system 1 that has sent a request for partial data among the multiple groupware systems 1 and the mail identification information. It is assumed that the domain of each of the multiple groupware systems 1 is stored in advance in the data storage unit 200. The partial data acquiring unit 202 may generate partial data in which the theme color of the groupware system 1 that has sent a request for partial data among the multiple groupware systems 1 is the background color. It is assumed that the theme color of each of the multiple groupware systems 1 is stored in advance in the data storage unit 200.

[0200] The shared mail system 2 of variant example 2-10 can cooperate with multiple groupware systems 1. The shared mail system 2 acquires partial data corresponding to the groupware system 1 that sent the request from among the multiple groupware systems 1. By cooperating with multiple groupware systems 1, the shared mail system 2 can improve user convenience.

[0201] [6-3. Other Modifications] For example, the above modifications may be combined.

[0202] For example, some of the functions described as being realized by the groupware server 10 may be realized by the user terminal 30. In this case, functions similar to those of the groupware server 10 may be realized by being executed by a browser script or a program installed in the user terminal 30. The functions described as being realized by the groupware server 10 may be shared among multiple computers.

[0203] For example, some of the functions described as being realized by the shared mail server 20 may be realized by the user terminal 30. In this case, functions similar to those of the shared mail server 20 may be realized by being executed by a browser script or a program installed in the user terminal 30. The functions described as being realized by the shared mail server 20 may be shared among multiple computers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0204] 1 groupware system, 2 shared mail system, 10 groupware server, 11, 21, 31 control unit, 12, 22, 32 storage unit, 13, 23, 33 communication unit, 20 shared mail server, 30 user terminal, 34 operation unit, 35 display unit, N network, DB1 application database, 100 data storage unit, 101 request unit, 102 partial data acquisition unit, 103 display control unit, 104 request reception unit, 105 addition unit, 106 designation reception unit, 107 acquisition request unit, 108 acquisition result data acquisition unit, 109 registration unit, 200 data storage unit, 201 request reception unit, 202 partial data acquisition unit, 203 partial data transmission unit, 204 display control unit, 205 acquisition execution unit, 206 acquisition result data transmission unit, 207 mail thread data transmission unit, 300 data storage unit, 301 Display control unit, 302 operation reception unit, DB1 application database, DB2 shared email database, F30 input form, P10, P20, P40 header portion, P11, P21 content portion, P22, P41 shared email portion, SC1 portal screen, SC2 shared email screen, SC3 application setting screen, SC4 shared email screen, SC5 customer management screen, SC6 case management screen, B220, B221 buttons, I100, I200 groupware images, I400 shared email image, L110, L226 list.

Claims

1. a first request receiving unit that receives a request for partial data indicating a shared mail portion, which is a portion of the shared mail on a shared mail screen of the groupware, from a groupware system that provides groupware to a user; a partial data acquisition unit that acquires the partial data when the first request acceptance unit accepts the request; a partial data transmission unit that transmits the partial data to the groupware system; A shared email system including:

2. the link of the shared email displayed in the shared email portion includes a domain of the groupware and shared email identification information of the shared email; each of the first request receiving unit, the partial data obtaining unit, and the partial data transmitting unit is executed every time the link is selected on a user terminal and the groupware system receives a request to display the shared mail screen from the user terminal; 2. The shared mail system of claim 1.

3. the shared mail system further includes a display control unit that, when the user logs in to the shared mail system, causes a user terminal to display a shared mail screen showing the shared mail based on a link including the domain of the shared mail system and the shared mail identification information, but not including the domain of the groupware; each of the first request receiving unit, the partial data obtaining unit, and the partial data transmitting unit is executed when the user logs into the groupware system; The shared mail system of claim 2.

4. the shared mail system further includes a display control unit that, when the user logs in to the shared mail system, causes a shared mail screen that enables the user to identify the shared mail system to be displayed on a user terminal; the partial data acquisition unit acquires the partial data indicating the shared mail portion in which the user cannot identify the shared mail system; 4. A shared mail system according to claim 1.

5. the partial data acquisition unit acquires the partial data indicating the shared mail portion of the shared mail screen displayed when the user logs in to the shared mail system, in which a portion by which the user can identify the shared mail system has been replaced so that the user can identify the groupware.

5. The shared mail system of claim 4.

6. The shared mail system comprises: a second request receiving unit that receives a request from the groupware system to acquire the shared email based on an email address registered in a customer management application that manages customer information of the user; an acquisition execution unit that acquires the shared email when the second request acceptance unit accepts the request; an acquisition result transmission unit that transmits the acquisition result acquired by the acquisition execution unit to the groupware system; 4. The shared mail system according to claim 1, further comprising:

7. the partial data acquisition unit acquires the partial data indicating a portion of the shared email that allows the user to instruct a customer management application that manages customer information of the user to register new customer information based on the shared email displayed in the shared email portion.

4. A shared mail system according to claim 1.

8. the partial data acquisition unit acquires the partial data indicating a portion of the shared mail that is a display of a customer management application screen of a customer management application that manages customer information of the user and that is capable of instructing the user to display the portion of the shared mail based on the shared mail displayed in the shared mail portion.

4. A shared mail system according to claim 1.

9. The shared mail system comprises: a third request receiving unit that receives, from the groupware system, a request for email thread data indicating an email thread of the shared email to be registered in a case management application that manages a case of the user; a mail thread data sending unit that sends the mail thread data to the groupware system when the third request receiving unit receives the request; 4. The shared mail system according to claim 1, further comprising:

10. the partial data acquisition unit acquires the partial data indicating the shared mail portion from which the user can select the mail thread from the shared mail portion of the shared mail screen; 10. The shared mail system of claim 9.

11. The shared mail system is capable of linking with a plurality of the groupware systems; the partial data acquisition unit acquires the partial data corresponding to the groupware system that has transmitted the request from among the plurality of groupware systems.

4. A shared mail system according to claim 1.

12. receiving a request for partial data indicating a shared mail portion, which is a portion of the shared mail on a shared mail screen of the groupware, from a groupware system that provides groupware to a user; When the request is received, the partial data is acquired; transmitting the partial data to the groupware system; Transmission method.

13. a first request receiving unit that receives a request for partial data indicating a shared mail portion, which is a portion of the shared mail on a shared mail screen of the groupware, from a groupware system that provides groupware to a user; a partial data acquisition unit that acquires the partial data when the first request acceptance unit accepts the request; a partial data transmission unit that transmits the partial data to the groupware system; A program that makes a computer function as a

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