File sorting system, file sorting method and file sorting program

Abstract

To provide a file sorting system, a file sorting method, and a file sorting program for adding additional information about a file and sorting files by using the added additional information.SOLUTION: In a file sorting system, a file sorting device includes: a storage part for storing a sorting rule to determine an additional information rule for determining additional information to be added to a file and a sorting destination on the basis of a file name and / or file content; a receiving part for receiving the file; an additional information determination part for determining a file name and / or file content of the received file and additional information to be added to the file on the basis of the additional information rule; and a sorting part which determines a sorting destination on the basis of the additional information and the sorting rule, stores the sorting destination of the received file, and performs sorting processing to associate storage information about the file sorting destination and added additional information to record.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a file sorting system, a file sorting method, and a file sorting program. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, companies have stored documents on paper, but there are problems with storage and accessibility, such as deterioration due to long-term storage and deterioration when documents are viewed in the event of an emergency. For this reason, in recent years, there has been a push to store documents as electronic data, such as in response to the Electronic Bookkeeping Act.

[0003] Patent document 1 is a document about a system that re-sorts electronic documents that have been sorted once if their attributes change, and discloses storing electronic documents by setting rules using attributes assigned to the electronic documents. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-51388

[0005] Here, the invention described in Patent Document 1 does not disclose a technology for performing a process of adding additional information to electronic documents based on the attributes and contents of the electronic documents to be used for classification, etc., and for classifying the documents based on the added additional information. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a novel technique for adding additional information to files and sorting the files using the added additional information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a file distribution system, A storage unit that stores additional information rules, which are rules for determining additional information to be added to a file based on the file name and / or the file contents, and sorting rules that determine a sorting destination; A reception unit that receives a file; an additional information determination unit that determines additional information to be added to the file based on the file name and / or file contents of the received file and additional information rules; a sorting unit that performs a sorting process of determining a sorting destination based on the additional information and the sorting rule, storing the received file in the sorting destination, and recording storage information regarding the sorting destination of the file and the additional information to be added in association with each other; Equipped with.

[0008] With this configuration, files such as electronic documents can be easily sorted by adding additional information based on the file name or file contents, thereby making work more efficient.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the file distribution system further comprises a name changing unit, the storage unit stores a name matching dictionary including a plurality of synonyms and representative names for unifying the synonyms; the additional information determination unit determines synonyms in the file name and / or the file based on the file name and / or the file contents and the name matching dictionary, and determines the synonyms as additional information to be assigned a representative name based on the determined synonyms; If the additional information determination section determines that the file is a synonym, the name change section changes the file name to a representative name.

[0010] With this configuration, it is possible to perform name matching with respect to additional information and file names.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, The acquired file is an image file or an electronic document file, the receiving unit receives range information indicating a range on the file for obtaining text to be added as additional information based on the file contents, and an attribute to be added regarding an attribute of the additional information to be added; The additional information rule is a rule determined based on range information and an added attribute, The additional information adding unit acquires a text portion in the range on the file based on the additional information rule, and determines additional information to be added to the file.

[0012] With this configuration, it is possible to assign additional information to files such as electronic documents by using the information read by specifying the range in which the file is to be displayed, and to sort the files.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sorting rule is a rule for determining a sorting destination of a file based on additional information, in which attributes of the additional information are associated with a hierarchy of storage locations, and the rule is for determining a sorting destination of the file based on additional information, When performing sorting processing, if a destination folder does not exist, the sorting unit performs processing to create a destination folder, including a folder at a higher level, based on the added additional information and its attributes.

[0014] With this configuration, a destination for a file can be determined based on the additional information given to the file and the attributes of the additional information, and if there is no determined destination for the file, a folder can be created.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the file distribution system further comprises a display processing unit, The display processing unit processes and displays a file sorting screen; the file sorting screen is a screen for receiving input of files to be sorted, and includes a plurality of document type selection sections for selecting one of a plurality of document types that specify additional information rules and sorting rules to be used for sorting; the file sorting screen is a screen on which a user can select a document type and input a file by moving the file so as to overlap the file on the document type selection section, the receiving unit receives input of a file and selection of a document type via a file sorting screen; The sorting section sorts files based on additional information rules and sorting rules corresponding to the document type selected based on the selection of the document type.

[0016] With this configuration, the selection of the document type and the input of the file can be accepted on the screen, and additional information can be easily added and assigned in a manner that corresponds to the specified document type.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the additional information rule includes a document type determination rule for determining a document type and specifying additional information to be added, The additional information determination unit determines the document type based on the document type determination rule included in the additional information rule, and adds additional information based on the identified document type.

[0018] With this configuration, the document type can be determined based on the file name and file contents, and additional information can be added and assigned in a manner that corresponds to the determined document type.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the file distribution system further comprises a search unit and a display processing unit, The search unit searches for a file based on additional information added to the file, The display processing unit processes a search result display screen, The search result display screen is a screen that displays the extracted files and the additional information added to the files in association with each other.

[0020] With this configuration, it is possible to search for files using the additional information.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the reception unit further receives user information relating to a registrant or updater who has registered the file, The storage unit stores user information, a document type, additional information added to the document, and a sorting date and time in association with the file.

[0022] With this configuration, it is possible to record the user who performed the distribution and the file distribution history, and to grasp the record of who distributed which files, when, and to which distribution rules were applied.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the reception unit receives a file, before a distribution permission is received, the distribution unit storing working folder information for identifying the location of the working folder in association with the received file; The working folder is a folder accessible by multiple users, the receiving unit receives input of a distribution destination and / or additional information from a user terminal, and stores the information in association with a file in a working folder; When the distribution unit receives the distribution permission, the distribution unit performs a distribution process.

[0024] With this configuration, even if the distribution is in progress, it can be recorded, multiple users can work simultaneously, and furthermore, it is possible to resume the work from the middle. Also, when the distribution permission is transmitted from the user terminal, the distribution is performed reflecting the work by the user, including additional information input by the user. Effect of the Invention

[0025] The present invention can provide a novel technique for adding additional information to files and sorting files using the added additional information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] Block diagram showing the overall system configuration [Diagram 2]System hardware configuration diagram [Diagram 3] Data configuration example [Figure 4] Screen display example [Diagram 5] Screen display example [Figure 6] Screen display example [Figure 7] Screen display example [Figure 8] Screen display example [Figure 9] Screen display example [Figure 10] Screen display example [Figure 11] Screen display example [Figure 12] Screen display example [Figure 13] Processing Flowchart DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the drawings show a preferred embodiment, the present invention can be implemented in different forms and is not limited to the embodiment described in this specification. In this embodiment, the configuration and operation of a file sorting device will be described, but the same effects can be achieved by a method executed by the device, a computer program, etc. The computer program may be provided as a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium.

[0028] The file sorting system assigns additional information to files, such as electronic documents, uploaded by users based on the file names and / or file contents, and sorts the files based on the assigned additional information.

[0029] In the embodiment described below, a user is, for example, an employee of an organization such as a company, who uses electronic documents for business purposes.

[0030] In addition, in this embodiment, the files that the file sorting system manages are electronic documents, such as estimates, invoices, waybills, purchase orders, delivery notes, receipts, contracts, daily work reports, and approval documents, which are used by users in their work, but any electronic document that can be used in business may be used. Furthermore, the files may be in any format as long as they are electronic documents, and may be in any format, such as Word files, text files, Excel files, PDF files, JPEG files, etc.

[0031] In this embodiment, the file sorting device 1 performs cloud storage, in which the sorted files are stored on the Internet, but may perform local storage, in which the files are stored in a terminal such as the user terminal 2.

[0032] <System configuration> Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, a file distribution system 0 includes a file distribution device 1 and a user terminal 2, and each component is configured to be able to communicate with each other via a network NW. In this embodiment, the network NW is an IP (Internet Protocol) network, but there is no restriction on the type of communication protocol, and there is no restriction on the type and scale of the network.

[0033] The file sorting device 1 is a server device for managing sorted files. In the diagram shown in Fig. 1, only one file sorting device 1 is illustrated, but the file sorting device 1 may be configured using a plurality of information processing devices, including a server device having a function of sorting files and a server device for storing the sorted files.

[0034] The user terminal 2 is a terminal device configured to be able to communicate with the file sorting device 1 via the network NW and used by a user who manages electronic documents using the system. In this embodiment, the user terminal 2 is a computer terminal such as a PC, tablet terminal, or smartphone owned by the user. In this embodiment, the user terminal 2 is a terminal device used by a user who has registered for use in the system, and can perform corresponding processing according to the authority held by the user, such as a normal user or an administrator. Also, although only one user terminal 2 is shown in FIG. 1, multiple user terminals may be present.

[0035] <Hardware configuration> Fig. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram. As shown in Fig. 2(a), the file distribution device 1 has a processing unit 101, a storage unit 102, and a communication unit 103, and is used to cause each unit and each process to function. Also, as shown in Fig. 2(b), the user terminal 2 has a processing unit 201, a storage unit 202, a communication unit 203, an input unit 204, and an output unit 205, and is used to cause each unit and each process to function.

[0036] One or more information processing devices such as a general-purpose server or a personal computer can be used as the file distribution device 1. The file distribution device 1 has a functional configuration described below, but a part of the functional configuration of the file distribution device 1 may be disposed in another device configured to be able to communicate with the file distribution device 1.

[0037] The processing unit 101 and the processing unit 201 each have a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) capable of executing an instruction set, and execute an OS (Operating System), a file sorting program, etc. In this embodiment, the processing unit 201 of the user terminal 2 executes a program for using the file sorting system 0, such as a browser application or a dedicated application.

[0038] The storage unit 102 and the storage unit 302 each have a volatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM) capable of storing an instruction set, and a non-volatile recording medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD) capable of recording an OS, etc. The storage unit 102 of the file sorting device 1 stores necessary data such as a file sorting program. The storage unit 202 of the user terminal 2 stores programs for using the file sorting system 0, such as a browser application or a dedicated application.

[0039] An arbitrary computer device such as a PC or a smartphone functions as the user terminal 2 of the present invention by the processing unit 201 performing various processes using various data such as a browser application for accessing a dedicated web page stored in the storage unit 202 of the user terminal 2. In addition, a terminal device such as a smartphone functions as the user terminal 2 by performing processes using a dedicated application stored therein.

[0040] The communication unit 103 and the communication unit 203 each have an interface for connecting to a network, and execute communication control with the network to communicate with other information processing devices and terminal devices.

[0041] The input unit 204 may include an operation input device capable of input processing such as a touch panel or a keyboard, an audio input device capable of audio input such as a microphone, etc. The output unit 205 may include a display device capable of display processing such as a display, and an audio output device such as a speaker.

[0042] <Data Structure> 3 shows an example of the data structure that is stored in the storage unit 102 and used for sorting files in this embodiment. The data shown in the figure is an example, and the data structure is not limited to this structure.

[0043] The additional information is information that is added to a file based on the additional information rule, and is stored in association with the attributes of the file and the additional information. In this embodiment, the attributes of the additional information include the company name of the business partner, the billing amount, the billing date, the transaction date, the quotation issuance date, and the like. The attribute of the additional information is an attribute that indicates what information the additional information represents. For example, if the additional information is "A Corporation", the attribute of the additional information is "company name". In this embodiment, the additional information is added based on the additional information rule corresponding to the document type, so even if the content of the additional information added to the file is the same date such as "September 19, 2023", if the document type is different, it is added to the file as additional information with different attributes such as "billing date" or "quote issuance date". In this embodiment, the additional information format indicating the data format of the additional information, such as text (character string), date, and numerical value such as amount, is set by the user.

[0044] FIG. 3(a) shows an example of additional attribute information related to the setting of the attribute of additional information added to a file. The additional attribute information is information related to the attribute of additional information available in the file sorting system 0. In this embodiment, the additional attribute information is information set via the user terminal 2, but a part of it may be information set in advance by an administrator of the system. The file sorting device 1 associates any attribute selected by the user based on the additional attribute information with the additional information as an attribute of the additional information to be added to the file, and stores it in the storage unit 102. The additional attribute information is information related to the attribute of additional information added to a file, and includes an attribute ID that is a unique ID for managing the attribute of the additional information, an attribute name that is the name of the attribute, and an addition format. In this embodiment, the additional attribute information is linked to the additional information by a unique attribute ID.

[0045] FIG. 3(b) shows an example of a data configuration of document type information related to document classification for specifying additional information rules and sorting rules, which is stored in the storage unit 102. The document type information shown in FIG. 3(b) includes a document ID, which is a unique ID for managing document types, a document type name, an identification method for identifying a file, a keyword used for identification, an assigned attribute, which is information on the attribute of the additional information to be assigned, and sorting destination designation information for designating a sorting destination. In this embodiment, the file sorting device 1 determines the document type from the file name and / or file contents using a document type determination rule set based on the identification method and keyword included in the document type information. The additional information rule is a rule for assigning additional information generated based on the assigned attribute, and is stored in the storage unit 102. The sorting destination rule is a rule for determining a sorting destination generated based on the sorting destination designation information, and is stored in the storage unit 102. In this embodiment, information enclosed in [ ], such as [company name] shown in FIG. 3(b), is a variable, and the actual sorting destination is determined by the assigned additional information. For example, when the destination information is "Invoice / [company name] / [invoice date]," if the additional information added to the file is "A Co., Ltd." (attribute: company name) and "September 19, 2023" (attribute: invoice date), the folder to which the file will be sorted is the September 19, 2023 folder in the A Co., Ltd. folder within the invoice folder "Invoice / A Co., Ltd. / September 19, 2023."

[0046] The document type is a document type for identifying the additional information rule and the sorting rule. For example, when the document type is an invoice, the file sorting system 0 performs processing related to the addition of additional information and sorting based on the additional information rule and sorting rule for invoices linked to the document type of invoice. In this embodiment, the document type is a document type used in business, and includes invoices, estimates, contracts, etc. In addition, when the additional information that needs to be added and the sorting destination differ depending on the business partner or the department that handles the electronic document, different document classifications may be set for the same electronic document such as an invoice for each company or department. In this embodiment, when the additional information rule and sorting rule are uniquely linked to the document type and the document type is specified, the file sorting system 0 performs processing for adding additional information and sorting files using the additional information rule and sorting rule linked to the document type.

[0047] FIG. 3(c) shows an example of document information including additional information stored in association with a file. The document information is information about an electronic document to be sorted and saved, and includes file name, file size, document type, added additional information, and storage information about a storage location (folder) where the file is stored. In this embodiment, the document information includes a document type name as information about the document type, but may also include a document number or the like that is a unique ID for identifying the document type. In addition, the additional information stored in association with a file is stored in association with information about each attribute. In the example shown in FIG. 3(c), the document information includes an attribute name as information about the attribute, but may also be an attribute ID that is a unique ID indicating the attribute, as long as the information can identify the attribute of the additional information.

[0048] The storage information is information for identifying a folder in which a file is to be stored, which has been determined as a file distribution destination. The storage information is information indicating the hierarchy of folders in which the file is stored, and in this embodiment, is a path specifying the location of the folder in which the file is stored, but may also include a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) as information for directly accessing the file when the file is stored on a cloud, etc.

[0049] 3(c), the document information includes an original file name, which is the original file name before the file name was changed, a registration date when the file was registered, a registrant related to the user who registered the file, a last update date of the file, and an updater related to the user who updated the file. In this embodiment, the information related to the registrant and updater is user information related to the user, which is a unique user ID that identifies the user in this embodiment.

[0050] The additional information rule is a rule for setting additional information to be added to a file, and is determined based on the attribute of the additional information to be added (added attribute) and the method of identifying the file. In addition, when identifying based on the file contents, the additional information rule is also determined using range information regarding the range to be read for identifying based on the file contents.

[0051] The sorting rule is a rule for determining a destination of a file, and is generated based on a destination setting received from the user terminal 2. In this embodiment, the sorting rule includes information regarding the association between the attribute of the additional information received from the user terminal 2 and the hierarchy of the folder.

[0052] <Functional configuration> 1, the file distribution device 1 includes, as its functional configuration, a reception unit 11, an additional information determination unit 12, a distribution unit 13, a name change unit 14, a search unit 15, and a display processing unit 16. This is information processing performed by software (a program stored transiently or non-transiently in a storage unit or the like) that is specifically realized by hardware (a processing unit or the like).

[0053] The reception unit 11 receives various information including the files to be sorted and the settings related to sorting, and stores the information in the storage unit 102. In this embodiment, the reception unit 11 receives the files to be sorted from the user terminal 2, but may receive files from other information processing devices. For example, the reception unit 11 may receive information on the files or storage locations of the files sent from an external information processing device via an API (Application Programming Interface), such as files sent or received in a mail server or the like, or the storage locations of the files. An API request sent via an API includes identification information such as a token or user ID for identifying a user along with the file (or its storage location), and is configured to be able to be referenced by being linked to the identification information, and the setting information used for sorting, such as additional attribute information and additional information rules, which will be described later, can be used. The reception unit 11 can perform subsequent processing using the setting information selected based on the user's identification information.

[0054] First, a process for accepting settings related to distribution will be described. The accepting unit 11 accepts additional attribute information including attributes of additional information from the user terminal 2, and stores the information in the storage unit .

[0055] The receiving unit 11 receives additional attribute information, which is information regarding the setting of attributes of additional information to be used in the file sorting system 0 before the setting of additional information rules and sorting rules. In this embodiment, the receiving unit 11 receives additional attribute information including the attribute of additional information and the addition format. In this embodiment, the receiving unit 11 further receives words to be used as additional information as settings before sorting of files and the attributes of the additional information of the words, such as the attribute of the word "A Corporation" as additional information being "company name."

[0056] Furthermore, the reception unit 11 receives settings related to a name matching dictionary to be used in the name matching process before sorting the files. In this embodiment, the reception unit 11 receives a plurality of synonyms (e.g., "Company A", "A Co., Ltd.", etc.) and a representative name for unifying them (e.g., "A Co., Ltd.") as settings related to the name matching dictionary, and registers them as the name matching dictionary. Furthermore, as settings related to the name matching dictionary, the reception unit 11 receives attributes of additional information related to synonyms that are unified based on the representative name, such as receiving "company name" as an attribute of the additional information when the representative name of the synonyms indicates a company name, such as "A Co., Ltd."

[0057] Furthermore, the reception unit 11 receives document type information from the user terminal 2 as settings related to the document type and the additional information rules and sorting rules associated therewith. The reception unit 11 receives attributes to be added in both cases where additional information is added based on the file name and the file contents. The attributes to be added are attributes of the additional information to be added to the file. In this embodiment, the reception unit 11 receives the selection of additional attribute information when setting sorting rules and additional information rules, and stores the attributes to be added.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the document type and additional information are selected based on the file contents, the reception unit 11 reads the file and receives range information that specifies the range on the file to be used for adding the additional information. In this embodiment, the range information is the coordinates on the display screen when the file is displayed on the screen. In this embodiment, the reception unit 11 receives the range information used to determine the document type in association with the keywords, and receives the range information used to add the additional information in association with the attributes of the additional information.

[0059] The reception unit 11 receives destination specification information regarding a sorting rule for determining a destination of a file. The reception unit 11 receives destination specification information, such as a file name and attributes of additional information, in association with a folder hierarchy.

[0060] Furthermore, the reception unit 11 receives search conditions related to conditions when searching for files. The search conditions are conditions used for searching for files, and include keywords, dates such as update dates, and numerical values ​​such as amounts. In this embodiment, when receiving conditions related to searches for each attribute, the reception unit 11 receives conditions based on the addition format, for example, if the addition format is text, the reception unit 11 receives a keyword, if the addition format is date, the reception unit 11 receives a period, and if the addition format is a numerical value such as an amount, the reception unit 11 receives a numerical value range. Furthermore, when registering or updating a file, the reception unit 11 further receives user information about the registrant or updater who registered the file, and stores the received user information in the memory unit 102 in association with the document type, additional information added to the document, and the allocation date and time.

[0061] Moreover, in this embodiment, the reception unit 11 receives a distribution permission, which is a permission related to distribution, from the user terminal 2. Before receiving the distribution permission, when the reception unit 11 receives additional information and / or document type information for generating additional information rules and distribution destination rules, the reception unit 11 may store the document type information in the storage unit 102 as a work record.

[0062] The additional information determination unit 12 determines the document type and additional information to be added to the file based on the file name and / or file contents. In this embodiment, the additional information determination unit 12 identifies the file based on an additional information identification method selected by the user, and determines the document type and additional information, but the additional information determination unit 12 may determine the identification method based on the file format, file name, etc., and determine the document type and additional information.

[0063] The process of determining additional information based on a file name will be described below. For example, when additional information with attributes of "company name" and "transaction date" is set to be added in the additional information rule determined based on the document type, the additional information determination unit 12 determines the words included in the file name and determines the additional information to be added based on the additional information rule, such as determining the company name and date (transaction date) included in the file name to determine the additional information. In this embodiment, the additional information determination unit 12 determines the additional information to be added based on the settings (added attributes) related to the words accepted by the user and the attributes as the additional information.

[0064] In addition, in this embodiment, the additional information determination unit 12 determines the additional information to be added to the file based on the additional information rule and the additional format included in the additional attribute information. When the additional information to be added has a date as the additional format, the additional information determination unit 12 determines a date such as "September 19, 2023" or "20230919" included in the file name and adds it to the file as additional information with the attribute "transaction date". In addition, when there is one additional information with the additional format of the additional information being a date based on the additional information rule, the additional information determination unit 12 determines the date included in the file name as an attribute of the additional information with the additional format being a date such as "transaction date" or "invoice date". However, when a file name includes multiple dates, it may determine which attribute, for example, "contract start date" or "contract end date", the additional information to be added as, based on the order of the dates or the time before or after the dates.

[0065] In this embodiment, the additional information determination unit 12 determines the additional information to be added based on the words included in the file name, but the storage unit 102 may store a table for adding additional information corresponding to each attribute, and may determine specific additional information as additional information to be added based on the table and a predetermined word included in the file name. Furthermore, when the file name has a predetermined format, such as "company name_transaction date", the additional information determination unit 12 may determine the additional information to be added and its attribute based on the format. Furthermore, when the file name contains the word "Inc.", the additional information determination unit 12 may determine the additional information to be added based on a predetermined word included in the file name, such as determining the text before and after the word as the additional information to be added.

[0066] The process of determining the additional information to be added based on the file contents will be described below. In this embodiment, the additional information determination unit 12 obtains text (character string) to be placed at a predetermined position on the imaged file, and determines the additional information to be added.

[0067] In this embodiment, the additional information determination unit 12 reads the text displayed within a specified range on the imaged file based on the range information included in the additional information rule, and determines the additional information to be added, but the additional information may be determined based on a character string in the file. In this embodiment, the additional information determination unit 12 is realized using OCR (Optical character recognition) technology, which is a technology for reading image data such as type and handwritten text and converting it into character data. In this embodiment, the additional information determination unit 12 determines the additional information to be added using the read text, but the additional information to be added may be determined based on an image such as a read company logo or company seal.

[0068] The additional information determination unit 12 also performs a process of determining synonyms based on the file name and / or file contents and a name matching dictionary, and assigning additional information as a representative name based on the determined synonyms. In this embodiment, when the additional information determination unit 12 determines that "A" or "A Co., Ltd." included in the file name are synonyms based on the file name and / or file contents and a name matching dictionary set by the user, the additional information determination unit 12 determines the additional information to be assigned based on the determined synonyms, such as determining the representative name "A Co., Ltd." as the additional information to be assigned.

[0069] The sorting unit 13 determines the sorting destination of the file based on the additional information and sorting rules attached to the file. For example, when two pieces of additional information, "A Corporation" of the attribute "company name" and "September 19, 2023" of the attribute "billing date", are attached to the file, and the sorting rule is set to sort the file into a folder "company name / billing date" with respect to the file attribute, the sorting unit 13 determines the "September 19, 2023 folder" in the "A Corporation folder" of "A Corporation / September 19, 2023" as the sorting destination based on the additional information and the attribute.

[0070] When there is no folder determined as the destination of the file, the sorting unit 13 creates a folder including a higher hierarchical folder in the hierarchical level to be the destination of the file based on the destination designation information included in the document type information, the additional information and the attributes attached to the file. The sorting unit 13 may also create folders in multiple hierarchical levels based on one additional information. In this embodiment, the sorting unit 13 may determine and generate not only the folder " / 2023 / 09 / 19" stored in the folder "Invoice / A Co., Ltd." based on the additional information "2023 / 09 / 19" of the attribute "billing date", but also the folder " / 2023 / 09 / 19", the folder " / 2023 / 09 / 19", and the folder " / 2023 / 09 / 19". Furthermore, for example, based on the additional information "A Co., Ltd." of the attribute "company name," the sorting unit 13 may determine and generate not only a folder called "Invoice / A Co., Ltd." but also a folder called "Invoice / Co., Ltd." as the sorting destination.

[0071] The sorting unit 13 also performs sorting processing by determining a sorting destination, storing the file in the folder determined as the sorting destination, and recording storage information regarding the sorting destination of the file and additional information to be added in association with each other. In this embodiment, the sorting unit 13 performs sorting processing by creating a copy of the file accepted by the accepting unit 11 from the user terminal 2 and storing the copied file in the folder determined as the sorting destination.

[0072] In this embodiment, the sorting unit 13 determines, as the storage destination, a subfolder determined by additional information inside a higher-level folder determined based on the document type. In this embodiment, the higher-level folder is associated with multiple document type information, and files of multiple document types are stored in it. When the sorting destination rule corresponds to the conditions of multiple document types, it is desirable that a priority order is specified for the multiple document types, and a sorting destination is uniquely determined. When adding additional information, the additional information determination unit 12 may add additional information according to the additional information rule of the document type with the highest priority among the multiple document types, or may add additional information according to the additional information rule of all document types that satisfy the conditions.

[0073] Before the acceptance of distribution permission, when the reception unit 11 accepts a file, the distribution unit 13 stores work folder information for identifying the location of the work folder, such as the path of the work folder, in association with the file accepted by the reception unit 11. At this time, the reception unit 11 stores the accepted file in the work folder. The work folder is a folder to which the additional information determination unit 12 adds additional information and to which the distribution unit 13 determines a distribution destination and stores the file before it is stored in the folder determined as the distribution destination. The reception unit 11 accepts input, change, deletion, etc. of the distribution destination and / or additional information for the file stored in the work folder, and temporarily records information regarding the change of the additional information or the change of the distribution destination by storing the information in association with the file in the work folder. Then, when the reception unit 11 accepts distribution permission, the distribution unit 13 stores the file in the folder determined as the distribution destination, and performs a storage process in which the file, the storage information, and the added additional information are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit 102.

[0074] The work folder may be accessible by multiple users. In this embodiment, the multiple users who access the work folder are multiple users who belong to a group, such as multiple employees of the same company or multiple employees of the same department of a company. Multiple users can view the same file stored in the work folder.

[0075] The name change unit 14 changes the file name based on the additional information attached to the file. In this embodiment, the settings related to the file name are stored in the storage unit 102 in association with the attributes of the additional information, such as "invoice_[company name]_[billing date]". The name change unit 14 may change the file name to "invoice_A Co., Ltd._September 19, 2023" based on the settings related to the file name received by the reception unit 11 and the additional information attached to the file, for example, when the settings related to the file name are "invoice_[company name]_[billing date]" and the additional information attached to the file is "A Co., Ltd." (attribute: company name) and "September 19, 2023" (attribute: billing date). At this time, the attributes enclosed in [] are variables. Therefore, the actual file name is determined based on the additional information attached. The name change unit 14 determines the file name by referring to the additional information determined by the additional information determination unit 12 and its attributes.

[0076] When the additional information determination unit 12 determines a synonym based on the name matching dictionary, the name change unit 14 changes the file name by using the representative name.

[0077] The search unit 15 searches for files stored in a folder based on search conditions received from the user terminal 2 and additional information added to the files. The search conditions are conditions for search received by the reception unit 11 from the user terminal 2, and in this embodiment, include conditions related to the added additional information, document type, etc. In this embodiment, the search unit 15 performs a process of extracting files that satisfy the conditions, such as files containing a specific keyword, based on the search conditions, as a search process. In this embodiment, the search unit 15 performs a process of extracting files to which additional information that satisfies the conditions is added, based on conditions set by specifying the attributes of the additional information, such as accepting attributes and keywords of the additional information as search conditions and extracting files that contain a keyword specified in the additional information of the specified attribute, as a search process. In addition, the search unit 15 may display a search field for each attribute of the additional information on the screen based on the document type selected by the user, and search for files using search conditions related to one or more attributes entered in the search field for each attribute. In addition, in this embodiment, when the receiving unit 11 receives a specification of an attribute of additional information to be used in a search, the search unit 15 performs a search using a search method determined based on the additional format of the specified attribute. For example, if the additional format is text, the search unit 15 extracts files to which additional information including a specified keyword is attached, if the additional format is date, the search unit 15 extracts files to which additional information with a date within a specified period is attached, and if the additional format is a numerical value such as an amount of money, the search unit 15 extracts files to which additional information within a specified numerical range is attached.

[0078] Furthermore, the search unit 15 accepts conditions such as the additional format of the additional information and keywords or numerical ranges as search conditions, and performs a process of extracting files to which additional information that is the additional format specified and satisfies the conditions is added based on the conditions set by specifying the additional format of the additional information, such as including the specified keyword in the additional information of the specified additional format, as a search process. For example, when the search unit 15 accepts the specification of the additional format as "year / month / date" and the condition as "January 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023", it extracts files to which additional information that satisfies the conditions from January to September 2023 is added from files to which additional information with the additional format of "year / month / date" is added.

[0079] The search unit 15 may also perform a process of accepting a category and a condition of an attribute of additional information, and extracting a file to which additional information satisfying the condition is added from files to which additional information of an attribute included in the specified category is added, as a search process. For example, when the attribute category "company name" including the attributes "billing company" and "payee company" is set, when the sorting unit 13 accepts the selection of "company name" as a category, it extracts a file to which additional information satisfying the condition for an attribute included in the specified category is added from files to which additional information of the attributes "billing company" and "payee company" included in the specified category is added.

[0080] The display processing unit 16 performs display processing for displaying various screens including a file sorting screen and a search result display screen on the user terminal 2.

[0081] The file sorting screen is a screen that accepts input of files to be sorted, and is a screen that has a plurality of document type selection sections for selecting one of a plurality of document types. In this embodiment, the screen accepts input of files and selection of document types by performing a drag-and-drop operation to move the file so as to overlap with the document type selection section displayed on the screen. The search result display screen is a screen for displaying the results of the search in the search unit 15, and is a screen that displays files satisfying the search conditions extracted by the search process in association with the additional information added to the files. In this embodiment, the display processing unit 16 performs display processing so as to display the additional information added to the files next to the files, but the display processing may be performed on any screen as long as the display screen shows the relationship between the files and the additional information added to the files.

[0082] <Explanation of screen display example> Examples of screens that are processed for display by the display processing unit 16 will be shown below with reference to the drawings.

[0083] 4 shows an example of a screen display of an additional information creation screen for setting additional information. In this embodiment, the reception unit 11 receives additional attribute information input via the additional information creation screen W1.

[0084] The additional information creation screen W1 shown in Fig. 4 is a screen that accepts input of additional attribute information as a setting related to the additional information, and is a screen that includes an attribute input section W11 that accepts the attribute of the additional information, and an additional format input section W12 that accepts the additional format, which is the format of the additional information. In this embodiment, when the additional information is displayed on the screen, it is displayed surrounded by a figure that is colored corresponding to the attribute. The additional information creation screen W1 accepts input related to the color to be used for coloring.

[0085] 5 to 8 show examples of screen display of the distribution setting screen W2 for receiving additional information rules and distribution rules. In this embodiment, the distribution setting screen W2 is a screen on which the additional information rules or distribution rules are input and the information that can be input is switched by pressing a button marked "Next", but it may be a single screen without screen display switching.

[0086] 5 includes a document type input section W21 for accepting a document type. The sorting setting screen W2 shown in this embodiment accepts a document number for managing the document type along with the document type, but the document number may be an ID or the like that is automatically assigned when the document type is registered. In this embodiment, the sorting setting screen W2 displays the document types that have been registered so far. In this embodiment, the receiving unit 11 accepts and stores the document type name input via the sorting setting screen W2.

[0087] The sorting setting screen W2' shown in FIG. 6 is a display example of a screen switched by pressing a button labeled "Next" on the sorting setting screen W2 shown in FIG. 5. The sorting setting screen W2' shown in FIG. 6 is a screen for receiving document type information including an identification method for determining the document type, and includes an identification method selection section W22 for receiving a selection regarding a method for identifying a file, and a keyword input section W23 for receiving a keyword for identifying the document type. In this embodiment, the identification method selection section W22 can receive a selection of whether to use either the file name or the file contents to determine the document type and to add additional information, but it may be possible to select to use both. In addition, the keyword input section W23 is an input section for inputting conditions for identifying the document type, including a keyword for identifying the document type. In this embodiment, a file that includes a specific keyword in its file name and / or file contents is determined to be a specific document type based on a document type determination rule constituted by the identification method and keyword input on the sorting setting screen W2'. The word input as the keyword for identifying the document type may be one or more, and it may be possible to input in the keyword input section W23 that multiple words are included in the file name or file contents. In this embodiment, the receiving unit 11 receives the identification method and included in the document type information via the sorting setting screen W2'.

[0088] The sorting setting screen W2'' shown in FIG. 7 is an example of a screen display switched to by pressing a button marked "Next" on the sorting setting screen W2' shown in FIG. 6. The sorting setting screen W2'' has a sorting destination folder input section W24 for specifying a sorting destination. The sorting destination folder input section W24 is an input section for accepting sorting rules. In this embodiment, the sorting destination folder input section W24 shown in FIG. 7 is an input section for accepting settings related to the highest hierarchical folder (upper folder) specified as the sorting destination. In this embodiment, the upper folder is the highest hierarchical folder corresponding to the document type, and is the folder input when inputting the document type information. In this embodiment, when "Invoice Folder" is selected in the destination folder input section W24, the sorted file is stored in the folder input in the destination folder input section W24 or in a folder at a lower level, such as in "Invoice Folder" or "Invoice / Company Name Folder." Furthermore, the level below the folder input in the destination folder input section W24 is determined based on the attributes of the additional information. In this embodiment, the destination folder to which the file is sorted includes a higher-level folder and its lower subfolders, which are determined by determining the destination folder. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the higher-level folder is a folder determined based on the document type, and is a folder that was set before the settings related to file sorting.

[0089] The sorting setting screen W2''' shown in FIG. 8 is an example of a screen displayed when a button marked "Next" on the sorting setting screen W2'' shown in FIG. 7 is pressed. The sorting setting screen W2''' includes an additional information rule setting section W25 that accepts additional information rules, and a subfolder input section W26 that accepts sorting rules. The additional information rule setting section W25 is an input section that accepts additional information rules, which are settings related to additional information to be added to files determined to have the document type input in the document type input section W21 shown in FIG. 5. Additional information having the attributes input here is added to the file.

[0090] The subfolder input unit W26 is an input unit that accepts settings for specifying a folder in a hierarchy below the folder input in the destination folder input unit W24. In this embodiment, the subfolder input unit W26 accepts settings regarding which additional information is used to specify a folder in a hierarchy below the folder specified in the destination folder input unit W24 from the additional information added to the file. For example, when the additional information rule setting unit W25 is set to add additional information having attributes of "transaction date" and "company name" as additional information, the subfolder input unit W26 accepts settings regarding the hierarchy of the storage destination folder and its name, such as storing the file in a "transaction date" folder in a "company name" folder. In addition, the subfolder input unit W26 accepts settings regarding the name of the storage destination folder. In this embodiment, the information input in the destination folder input unit W24 and the subfolder input unit W26 is used as a destination rule that specifies the destination of the file. In addition, in this embodiment, the subfolder input unit W26 accepts the attributes of the additional information as information for specifying the destination folder, but the additional information itself may be accepted as a setting. In this embodiment, the accepting unit 11 accepts document type information used for generating additional information rules and sorting rules via an input unit displayed on the sorting setting screen W2-W2'''.

[0091] FIG. 9 shows a setting acceptance screen W3 for accepting settings when determining the document type and the additional information to be added based on the file contents. The acceptance unit 11 accepts and stores range information on the range of the position to be read, which is input via the setting acceptance screen W3. The setting acceptance screen W3 is a screen for displaying a template of an electronic document and accepting settings as to which part of the displayed template is to be read to determine the document type and to determine the additional information to be added, and includes a template display unit W31 and a coordinate setting button W32, which is a button for starting to set the range to be read on the electronic document. The template display unit W31 is a display unit for displaying the template of an electronic document. When the coordinate setting button W32 is pressed, a frame is displayed on the template display unit W31, and the coordinates of the displayed frame are input as coordinates to be used for determining the document type or setting the additional information.

[0092] In this embodiment, the coordinates of the range read on the electronic document when determining the document type and / or determining the additional information based on the file contents are input based on the coordinates of a frame displayed on the template, but coordinates on the vertical and horizontal axes on the electronic document, such as pixel coordinates, may be directly input as numbers. In this embodiment, the additional information determination unit 12 determines the document type and adds additional information based on text read from a selected range on the displayed template. In addition, the reception unit 11 receives read range information including the coordinates input on the setting reception screen W3 and stores it in the memory unit 102.

[0093] 10 shows an example of a file sorting screen W4 that is displayed before sorting files. The file sorting screen W4 is a screen for inputting files to be sorted, and includes a file input section W41 and a plurality of document type selection sections W42. The reception unit 11 receives the files input via the file sorting screen W4 and stores them in the storage unit 102.

[0094] The file input section W41 is an input section for inputting files. In this embodiment, the reception section 11 receives a file that has been moved so as to be superimposed on the file input section W41 using a drag-and-drop operation as a file to be distributed, but may also receive a file selected by pressing a file name or a file icon as a file to be distributed. In this embodiment, the document type of a file input to the file input section W41 is determined based on the file name and file contents.

[0095] The document type selection section W42 is a selection section for selecting a document type. In this embodiment, the receiving unit 11 receives a file that is moved so as to be superimposed on the document type selection section W42 by a drag-and-drop operation as a file to be sorted. In addition, since the multiple document type selection sections W42 displayed on the file sorting screen W4 each correspond to a different document type, the document type corresponding to the document type selection section W42 that is superimposed on the file by a drag-and-drop operation is selected as the document type of the accepted file. When a file is input in the document type selection section W42, the additional information determination unit 12 and the sorting unit 13 add additional information and sort the file based on the selected document type.

[0096] FIG. 11 shows an example of a screen display of a distribution destination display screen W5 that displays a distribution destination of a file determined by the distribution unit 13. In this embodiment, the distribution destination display screen W5 is a screen for confirming additional information and a distribution destination given to a file, and is a screen that displays the distribution destination of the file and the additional information given to the file in association with the file. The additional information displayed in association with the file is displayed surrounded by a figure (in this embodiment, a rounded rectangle) colored with a chromatic color or an achromatic color set according to the attribute of the additional information so that the user can easily intuitively recognize the attribute of the additional information. In this embodiment, when a button labeled "upload" displayed in the upper right corner is pressed, the distribution unit 13 receives permission for distribution from the user terminal 2, stores the file in a folder that is the distribution destination, and stores the distribution destination of the file and the added additional information in the storage unit 102 in association with each other.

[0097] In this embodiment, when a balloon-shaped icon displayed to the right of a file on the sorting destination display screen W5 is pressed, the display processing unit 16 can display an input screen on which the additional information can be modified and new additional information can be input. Also, the receiving unit 11 may receive a selection of files to be sorted and files not to be sorted, selected on the sorting destination display screen W5.

[0098] FIG. 12 shows an example of a search screen W6 for searching for files. The search screen W6 includes a document type selection section W61 and a plurality of additional information condition input sections W62. The document type selection section W61 is a selection section that allows one of the document types to be selected from the set document types based on document type information. The additional information condition input section W62 is an input section that allows search conditions for searching additional information for each attribute to be input. The additional information condition input section W62 allows different information to be input based on the addition format of each attribute. In this embodiment, the additional information condition input section W62 is an input section that allows a search keyword to be input if the addition format is text (character string), an input section that allows a period to be input if the addition format is date, and an input section that allows a range of values ​​to be input if the addition format is a numerical value such as an amount of money. 12, the search screen W6 is a screen that displays an additional information condition input section W62 related to attributes that are set to be added to files of the document type selected in the document type selection section W61, but it may be a screen that displays an additional information condition input section W62 related to attributes selected by the user as attributes of additional information to be used in a search. The accepting unit 11 accepts the conditions for search related to the selected document type and each attribute, which are input via the search screen W6, as search conditions.

[0099] <Processing flow> The flow of processing in the file sorting system 0 will be described with reference to FIG. 13. The display processing unit 16 performs display processing of a file sorting screen (S101). The user terminal 2 on which the file display screen is displayed accepts input of a file to be sorted, and transmits the input file to the file sorting device 1 (S201). If a document type is selected on the file sorting screen, the user terminal 2 transmits the selected document type together with the file. The reception unit 11 accepts the file transmitted from the user terminal 2 (S102). If a document type is selected, the reception unit 11 accepts the document type together with the file. If a document type is not selected in the user terminal 2, the additional information determination unit 12 determines the document type of the file based on the file name and / or file contents of the accepted file. The additional information determination unit 12 determines additional information to be added to the file based on the additional information rule corresponding to the document type of the file and the file name and / or file contents (S103). The sorting unit 13 determines the sorting destination of the file based on the determined additional information and the sorting rule corresponding to the document type (S104). The display processing unit 16 performs display processing of the sorting destination display screen based on the determined sorting destination and the determined additional information (S105). When the user confirms the sorting destination and the additional information, the user terminal 2 accepts the input of permission for sorting, and transmits the accepted permission to the file sorting device 1 (S202). When the reception unit 11 accepts the permission from the user terminal 2, the sorting unit 13 stores the file in the folder determined as the sorting destination, and performs sorting processing to record the file in association with the sorting destination of the file and the added additional information (S106). [Explanation of symbols]

[0100] 0 File sorting system 1 File sorting device 2. User terminal

Claims

1. A file distribution system, comprising: A storage unit that stores additional information rules, which are rules for determining additional information to be added to a file based on the file name and / or the file contents, and sorting rules that determine a sorting destination; A reception unit that receives a file; an additional information determination unit that determines additional information to be added to the file based on the file name and / or file contents of the received file and additional information rules; a sorting unit that performs a sorting process of determining a sorting destination based on the additional information and the sorting rule, storing the received file in the sorting destination, and recording storage information regarding the sorting destination of the file and the additional information to be added in association with each other; A file distribution system comprising:

2. The file distribution system further comprises a name changing unit, the storage unit stores a name matching dictionary including a plurality of synonyms and representative names for unifying the synonyms; the additional information determination unit determines synonyms in the file name and / or the file based on the file name and / or the file contents and the name matching dictionary, and determines the synonyms as additional information to be assigned a representative name based on the determined synonyms; a name changing unit that changes the file name to a representative name when the additional information determining unit determines that the file name is a synonym.

2. A file distribution system according to claim 1.

3. The acquired file is an image file or an electronic document file, the receiving unit receives range information indicating a range on the file for obtaining text to be added as additional information based on the file contents, and an attribute to be added regarding an attribute of the additional information to be added; The additional information rule is a rule determined based on range information and an added attribute, the additional information adding unit acquires a text portion in the range on the file based on the additional information rule, and determines additional information to be added to the file.

2. A file distribution system according to claim 1.

4. The sorting rule is a rule for determining a sorting destination of a file, in which an attribute of the additional information is associated with a hierarchy of a storage location, for determining a sorting destination of the file based on the additional information, When performing the sorting process, if a destination folder does not exist, the sorting unit performs a process of creating a destination folder including a higher-level folder based on the added additional information and its attributes.

2. A file distribution system according to claim 1.

5. The file sorting system further comprises a display processing unit, The display processing unit processes and displays a file sorting screen; the file sorting screen is a screen for receiving input of files to be sorted, and includes a plurality of document type selection sections for selecting one of a plurality of document types that specify additional information rules and sorting rules to be used for sorting; the file sorting screen is a screen on which a user can select a document type and input a file by moving the file so as to overlap the file on the document type selection section, the receiving unit receives input of a file and selection of a document type via a file sorting screen; the sorting unit sorts files based on additional information rules and sorting rules corresponding to the document type selected based on the selection of the document type.

2. A file distribution system according to claim 1.

6. The additional information rule includes a document type determination rule for determining a document type and specifying additional information to be added, the additional information determination unit determines a document type based on the document type determination rule included in the additional information rule, and adds additional information based on the identified document type.

2. A file distribution system according to claim 1.

7. The file sorting system further comprises a search unit and a display processing unit, The search unit searches for a file based on additional information added to the file, The display processing unit processes a search result display screen, the search result display screen is a screen for displaying the extracted files and the additional information added to the files in association with each other; 2. A file distribution system according to claim 1.

8. The reception unit further receives user information regarding a registrant or updater who has registered a file; the storage unit stores user information, a document type, additional information added to the document, and a sorting date and time in association with the file; 2. A file distribution system according to claim 1.

9. When the reception unit receives a file, before a distribution permission is received, the distribution unit: storing working folder information for identifying the location of the working folder in association with the received file; The working folder is a folder accessible by multiple users, the receiving unit receives input of a distribution destination and / or additional information from a user terminal, and stores the information in association with a file in a working folder; When the distribution unit receives the distribution permission, the distribution unit performs a distribution process.

2. A file distribution system according to claim 1.

10. A file sorting method executed by a computer that stores additional information rules, which are rules for determining additional information to be added to a file based on the file name and / or file contents, and sorting rules for determining a sorting destination, comprising: a reception step for receiving a file; an additional information determination step of determining additional information to be added to the file based on the file name and / or file contents of the received file and additional information rules; a sorting step of determining a sorting destination based on the additional information and the sorting rule, storing the received file in the sorting destination, and performing a sorting process of recording storage information regarding the sorting destination of the file and the additional information to be added in association with each other; The file distribution method includes:

11. A file sorting program executed by a computer that stores additional information rules, which are rules for determining additional information to be added to a file based on a file name and / or file contents, and sorting rules for determining a sorting destination, comprising: A reception unit that receives a file; an additional information determination unit that determines additional information to be added to the file based on the file name and / or file contents of the received file and additional information rules; a sorting unit that performs a sorting process of determining a sorting destination based on the additional information and the sorting rule, storing the received file in the sorting destination, and recording storage information regarding the sorting destination of the file and the additional information to be added in association with each other; A file sorting program that allows a computer to function as a

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