Information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To reduce user's efforts when identifying a document format.SOLUTION: An information processing system includes: an input acceptance unit 21 configured to sequentially display screens corresponding to each hierarchy and accept user input on each screen; a reference unit 22 configured to reference input history or input settings for a second hierarchy when input on the screen corresponding to the first hierarchy is completed and an instruction for transition to the next screen is accepted; a display omission unit 23 configured to omit the display of the screen corresponding to the second hierarchy that accepts user input, assuming that the input was made in accordance with the input history or input settings, when the input history or input settings are extracted; and a document format identification unit 24 configured to identify a document format based on the input content and the content assumed to have been entered.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a technology for identifying a form format.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when an applicant's life event and input of registration information corresponding to the life event are made, a storage unit that stores the correspondence relationship between the life event and one or more procedures related to the life event is referred to, and the input applicant's life event is identified. An administrative system has been proposed that transmits the applicant's registration information input to a processing device that identifies and processes the associated procedure (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Also, when a selection / input operation is performed on each hierarchical menu screen and the bottom-layer function operation screen is displayed, a selection history indicating the association between the most recently displayed function operation screen and each hierarchical item operated to display the function operation screen is added to and stored in each hierarchical item. When an operation for selecting one item continues for a predetermined time or longer on each hierarchical operation menu screen, based on the stored selection history, the display of the intermediate menu screen is skipped from the displayed menu screen, and the display screen is controlled to directly transition to the bottom-layer function operation screen. An operation system has been proposed that can greatly simplify the user's operation when trying to display the same function operation screen as the bottom-layer function operation screen displayed in the previous operation (see Patent Document 2).

[0004] In addition, there is proposed a display device including: a display unit that displays a plurality of menu items belonging to the same hierarchy on a first screen; an operation reception unit that receives a selection operation for selecting one of the plurality of menu items displayed on the first screen; and a prediction unit that predicts menu item candidates based on the selected one menu item. The operation reception unit receives a confirmation operation for confirming the selection of one menu item or a candidate selection operation for selecting a menu item candidate. When the operation reception unit receives the confirmation operation, the display unit transitions to a second screen that displays a plurality of menu items belonging to the next hierarchy of the same hierarchy corresponding to the one menu item. When the operation reception unit receives the candidate selection operation, the display unit transitions to a third screen that displays a plurality of menu items belonging to the next hierarchy of the lower hierarchy corresponding to the menu item candidate (see Patent Document 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Conventionally, at service-providing bases, forms are created by the service users themselves, and various systems for supporting such form creation have been proposed. However, in the conventional technology where the user selects a form format, when there are many types and combinations of forms, the labor of the user for specifying the form format is large.

[0007] In view of the above problems, an object of the present disclosure is to reduce the labor of the user when specifying a form format.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] An example of the present disclosure includes an input receiving unit that receives input from a user on each of a plurality of screens while sequentially displaying the screens corresponding to each of the plurality of hierarchies, and when the input by the user on the screen corresponding to the first hierarchy included in the plurality of hierarchies is completed and a transition instruction to the next screen is received, a reference unit that refers to the input history by the user or a preset input setting for the second hierarchy, which is a hierarchy lower than the first hierarchy, and when the input history or the input setting is extracted by the reference unit, a display omission unit that omits the display of the screen for receiving the input by the user corresponding to the second hierarchy by the input receiving unit as if the input according to the extracted input history or the input setting has been made, and a form format specifying unit that specifies a form format according to the content of the input received by the input receiving unit and the content regarded as the input made in the display omission unit.

[0009] The present disclosure can be understood as an information processing apparatus, a system, a method executed by a computer, or a program to be executed by a computer. Further, the present disclosure can also be understood as a program recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a computer or other devices and machines. Here, a computer-readable recording medium refers to a recording medium that accumulates information such as data and programs by an electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action and can be read by a computer or the like.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the labor of the user when specifying the form format.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of an information processing apparatus, a system, a method, and a program according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples of the embodiments, and do not limit the information processing apparatus, the system, the method, and the program according to the present disclosure to the specific configurations described below. In practice, specific configurations according to the implementation mode may be appropriately adopted, and various improvements and modifications may be made.

[0013] In the embodiments described below, embodiments will be described in the case where the information processing apparatus, the system, the method, and the program according to the present disclosure are implemented in an invoice creation system installed at a service providing site and used for invoice creation by the user himself / herself who is a service user. However, the information processing apparatus, the system, the method, and the program according to the present disclosure can be widely used for technologies for specifying invoice formats, and the application targets of the present disclosure are not limited to the examples shown in the embodiments.

[0014] Conventionally, at service providing sites such as government offices and stores, users (visitors, customers, etc.) who are service users have created invoices themselves. Also, various systems for supporting such invoice creation have been proposed.

[0015] However, in conventional invoice creation applications where the user selects an invoice format, it is difficult for the user to select an appropriate invoice format from the list of invoices when there are many types and combinations of invoices. Also, since the classification of invoice formats varies at each site and window, it has been difficult for system developers to individually develop invoice creation applications suitable for each site and window.

[0016] In view of the above situation, in the system disclosed in the embodiments described below, user input is received along the hierarchy, and if there is an input history or input setting for the next hierarchy, the next hierarchy is omitted as if the input according to it has been made, and the invoice format is specified according to the input content, so as to reduce the labor of the user when specifying the invoice format.

[0017] <Configuration of the System> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the system according to the present embodiment. The system according to the present embodiment includes one or more form creation terminals 1 and one or more management devices 9 that can communicate with each other by being connected to a network.

[0018] The form creation terminal 1 is a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage device 14 such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a communication unit 15 such as a NIC (Network Interface Card), and an input / output device 16 such as a display with a touch panel. However, regarding the specific hardware configuration of the form creation terminal 1, appropriate omissions, replacements, and additions are possible according to the embodiment. For example, in the present embodiment, a display with a touch panel is adopted as the input / output device 16, and an example using a so-called software keyboard using the display with a touch panel for character input will be described. However, the input / output device adopted in implementing the technology according to the present disclosure is not limited to the examples in the present disclosure. As the input / output device, for example, in addition to traditional input / output devices such as a mouse, a keyboard, and a display, an input / output device using sound such as a microphone and a speaker, and an input device using a camera or the like may be adopted. Further, the form creation terminal 1 is not limited to a device composed of a single housing. The form creation terminal 1 may be realized by a plurality of devices using technologies such as so-called cloud or distributed computing.

[0019] In addition, the form creation terminal 1 is connected to a printer for printing the selected form format. However, the installation mode of the printer is not limited, and the printer may be built into the form creation terminal 1. In the present embodiment, an example of providing the form format to the user in a paper medium will be described. However, the form format may be output so that it can be post-processed by the user or at the service providing site visited by the user. The method of outputting the form format is not limited to printing on a paper medium. For example, the form format may be output by a method such as transmitting the form format data to the user or the service providing site visited by the user.

[0020] The management device 9 is a computer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a storage device, a communication unit, an input / output device, etc. (not shown). However, regarding the specific hardware configuration of the management device 9, appropriate omission, replacement, or addition can be made according to the implementation mode. Further, the management device 9 is not limited to a device composed of a single housing. The management device 9 may be realized by a plurality of devices using so-called cloud or distributed computing technologies.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the functional configuration of the system according to the present embodiment. The form creation terminal 1 is installed at a service providing site such as a government office or a store, and is a device used for form creation by the user (visitor, customer, etc.), who is a service user, when a program such as an installed form creation application operates. Further, the management device 9 is a device operated by an administrator who is a service provider such as a government office or a store, and is a device in which a program such as a designer tool for setting the form creation application operating in the form creation device 1 operates.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a plurality of hierarchies used to determine the form format provided to the user in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the form format is narrowed down using a three-layer hierarchy, and the form format determined by this narrowing is provided to the user. Hereinafter, the three layers are referred to as the upper layer, the middle layer, and the lower layer in order from the upper layer. In the present embodiment, the upper layer is a layer for specifying the purpose for which the user uses the form. The middle layer is a layer for specifying the form category desired by the user for the purpose specified in the upper layer. And the lower layer is a layer including options for specifying the form format included in the form category specified in the middle layer.

[0023] The management device 9 functions as an information processing device for operating the designer tool and performing settings of the form creation application by the program recorded in the storage device being read into the RAM and executed by the CPU to control each hardware provided in the management device 9. In the present embodiment and other embodiments described later, each function provided in the management device 9 is executed by the CPU which is a general-purpose processor, but a part or all of these functions may be executed by one or a plurality of dedicated processors.

[0024] In the present embodiment, the designer tool provides a function of associating in advance a form category, lower layer options, and a form format starting from the purpose of visit by the user assumed by the administrator (that is, the purpose of form issuance). Further, in the present embodiment, the designer tool provides a function of presetting a default form category that is automatically selected according to the purpose of form issuance by the user. In the present embodiment, the purpose, form category, lower layer options, and form format associated in advance using the designer tool are saved as a form list and held by the form creation application.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen of the designer tool according to this embodiment. In the designer tool, invoice categories can be associated with an arbitrarily named purpose by an administrator. In this embodiment, it is possible to set the name of the purpose by the administrator entering arbitrary text in the purpose input field. Also, by checking the target row in the "Associate" column of the invoice category to be associated with the target purpose in the list of invoice categories, the invoice category can be associated with the purpose. In the example shown in the figure, for the purpose of "child rearing", the invoice categories "cc application", "dd application", and "ee application" are associated.

[0026] Furthermore, in the designer tool according to this embodiment, a default invoice category corresponding to the purpose can be set. The setting of the default invoice category can be performed by checking the target row in the "Set as Selected" column of the invoice category to be associated with the target purpose in the list of invoice categories. In the example shown in the figure, the invoice categories "cc application" and "ee application" are set as the default invoice categories for the purpose of "child rearing".

[0027] In addition, in the designer tool according to this embodiment, the invoice format (i.e., the lower-level option) selected in the invoice category can be set in advance as the default input setting. The invoice format selected in the invoice category can be performed by selecting the invoice format in the "Selected Invoice" column of the invoice category to be set in the list of invoice categories. In the example shown in the figure, for the invoice category "cc application", the invoice format for personal use (i.e., the invoice format corresponding to the lower-level option "personal") is selected, and for the invoice category "ee application", the invoice format for a separate residence agent (i.e., the invoice format corresponding to the lower-level option "separate residence agent") is selected.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a form list according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the form list is data created in advance for each purpose of form creation using a designer tool or the like. When a purpose is selected by the user in the form creation application, a form list corresponding to the selected purpose is read from the storage device 14 of the form creation apparatus 1. In the example shown in the figure, the form list includes data indicating, for each form category that may be created for the selected purpose (that is, the form category associated with the purpose on the operation screen of the designer tool described with reference to FIG. 4), an option for specifying the form format and the selection state of the option by the user. In the figure, "copy request of residence certificate", "tax certificate", and other form categories are exemplified as form categories, and "self" / "agent" is exemplified as an option for specifying the form format within the form category. Further, for example, when the form category is a transfer notice or a transfer-out notice related to a move across municipalities, "self" / "head of household" can be exemplified as an option for specifying the form format. Also, when the form category is a change-of-residence notice related to a move within the same municipality, "self" / "same household" / "(legal) agent" can be exemplified as an option for specifying the form format. In addition, "inside the city" / "outside the city" can also be exemplified as an option for specifying the form format within the form category.

[0029] Note that the default form category set by a designer tool or the like may also be confirmable in the form list. For example, a column of "default form category" may be provided in the form list, and a flag indicating that it is the default form category may be attached to the form category set as the default form category, so that the default form category corresponding to the purpose can be confirmed in the form list. However, the default form category may also be confirmable based on data other than the form list. For example, it is possible to manage using a table or the like that associates and stores the default form category for each purpose created by the administrator.

[0030] The form creation terminal 1 functions as an information processing apparatus including an input reception unit 21, a reference unit 22, a display omission unit 23, and a form format specifying unit 24, by reading the program recorded in the storage device 14 into the RAM 13 and executing it by the CPU 11 to control each hardware provided in the form creation terminal 1 (see FIG. 2). In the present embodiment and other embodiments described later, each function provided in the form creation terminal 1 is executed by the CPU 11 which is a general-purpose processor, but part or all of these functions may be executed by one or a plurality of dedicated processors.

[0031] The input reception unit 21 receives an input (not limited to a selection input) by the user on each screen while sequentially displaying screens corresponding to each of a plurality of hierarchies. In the present embodiment, the input reception unit 21 receives an input of the purpose of form issuance by the user on the screen corresponding to any one of the layers included in the plurality of hierarchies (the top layer in the present embodiment), and for each of the plurality of form categories including the first form category and the second form category extracted according to the purpose (in the example shown in FIG. 5, the form categories "Request for copy of resident card" and "Tax certificate"), it receives an input by the user on each screen while sequentially displaying screens corresponding to each of the plurality of hierarchies.

[0032] When the input on the screen corresponding to the first layer included in the plurality of layers by the user in the reference unit 22 is completed and an instruction to transition to the next screen is received, it refers to the input history or preset input setting by the user for the second layer which is the layer below the first layer. As will be described later, the input on the screen corresponding to the first layer and the instruction to transition to the next screen may be received simultaneously by one operation. In the present embodiment, by making the input operation (for example, a selection operation) by the user also serve as the instruction operation to transition to the next screen, the number of operations by the user is reduced. However, the input operation (for example, a selection operation) by the user and the instruction operation to transition to the next screen may be assigned to independent user operations respectively.

[0033] The first layer described above is not limited to the top layer and may be any layer among the plurality of layers except the bottom layer. In the present embodiment, an example in which the form format is narrowed down using a three-layer structure as described above will be described. When the middle layer for specifying the form category is used as the first layer, the reference unit 22 completes the input on the screen corresponding to the first layer for the second form category (in this embodiment, the form category selection screen corresponding to the middle layer) and receives an instruction to transition to the next screen. Then, it refers to the input history of the user for the first form category for the second layer (in this embodiment, the lower layer).

[0034] In addition, the input setting is, for example, a default input setting by an administrator. In the present embodiment, at least one of the form category associated with the purpose input by the user and the lower layer options (for example, applicant information) can be set by the administrator in the input setting. When the lower layer option is set, a pre-selected option (that is, as master data held by the form creation application) is set in the selection state of the corresponding form category in the form list. Referring to FIG. 5 for explanation, when option A "myself" has been set as the default input setting in the designer tool for the form category "Request for Copy of Resident Register", "Option A" is pre-entered in the selection state of the form category "Request for Copy of Resident Register".

[0035] The display omission unit 23 omits the display of a screen for receiving an input by a user corresponding to the second layer by the input reception unit 21 on the assumption that an input according to the extracted input history or input setting has been made when the input history or input setting is extracted by the reference unit 22. In the present embodiment, an example in which a form format is narrowed down using a three-layer hierarchy as described above will be described. However, when the middle layer for specifying a form category is used as the first layer, the display omission unit 23 omits the display of a screen corresponding to the second layer for the second form category by the input reception unit 21 on the assumption that an input according to the extracted input history has been made when the input history for the first form category is extracted by the reference unit 22.

[0036] The form format specifying unit 24 specifies a form format according to the content of the input received by the input reception unit 21 and the content assumed to be input in the display omission unit 23.

[0037] <Flow of processing> Next, the flow of processing executed by the system according to the present embodiment will be described. Note that the specific content and processing order of the processing described below are examples for implementing the present disclosure. The specific processing content and processing order may be appropriately selected according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIGS. 6 to 10 are flowcharts showing an outline of the flow of form creation processing according to the present embodiment. The processing shown in this flowchart is executed when a user operation for instructing the start of form creation processing is received at the form creation terminal 1.

[0039] In steps S101 to S103, a form list corresponding to the user's purpose is read out. The input reception unit 21 displays a purpose selection screen (upper layer screen) corresponding to the upper layer on the display of the form creation terminal 1 (step S101) and receives a purpose selection operation by the user (step S102).

[0040] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a purpose selection screen according to the present embodiment. On the purpose selection screen, options for allowing the user to select the purpose of using the form are displayed. In the example shown in the figure, buttons corresponding to "Residence / Moving", "Tax Procedures", "Death / Inheritance", and "Obtaining a Certificate" are shown as options corresponding to the purposes. When any one of these options is selected by the user (in this embodiment, a touch operation on the button), the form creation terminal 1 starts processing for displaying a screen corresponding to the next lower layer.

[0041] Note that in the present embodiment, since only one purpose can be selected per screen display on the purpose selection screen, the purpose selection operation by the user also serves as a transition instruction operation to the next screen, thereby reducing the number of operations by the user. However, the purpose selection operation and the transition instruction operation to the next screen may be assigned to independent user operations respectively. When the purpose selection operation and the transition instruction operation to the next screen are assigned to independent user operations respectively, an operator (such as a button) for the transition instruction operation is further arranged on the purpose selection screen.

[0042] When the input reception unit 21 receives the purpose selection operation (step S102), the form creation terminal 1 reads out the form list corresponding to the selected purpose from the storage device 14 of the form creation apparatus 1 (step S103). Thereafter, in this flowchart, operations such as list update are performed on a copy of the read form list. The form list as the original master is not operated in this flowchart. The form list as the master can be changed separately by the administrator using a designer tool. Then, the process proceeds to step S201.

[0043] In step S201, it is checked whether a default form category is preset. The form creation device 1 checks whether the default form category corresponding to the purpose received in step S102 has been preset by the administrator using a designer tool or the like (step S201). The default form category corresponding to the purpose is the form category determined by the administrator to be automatically selected for the purpose. In the system according to this embodiment, when the default form category corresponding to the purpose is set, when the user selects the purpose, the form category set as the default form category is automatically selected. That is, according to the system according to this embodiment, by presetting the default form category corresponding to the purpose, the trouble of form category selection by the user can be reduced. In step S201, if it is determined that the default form category corresponding to the purpose has not been preset by the administrator (NO in step S201), the processing from step S202 to step S207 is skipped, and the processing proceeds to step S301. On the other hand, if it is determined that the default form category corresponding to the purpose has been preset by the administrator (YES in step S201), the processing proceeds to step S202.

[0044] In steps S202 and S203, when there is an input setting, the form list is updated according to the input setting. The form creation device 1 checks whether an input setting (default input setting) by the administrator has been made for at least any one of the selection states in the read form list (step S202). In this embodiment, the lower-level options are options for specifying the form format belonging to the form category specified in the middle level. As described above, examples of the options can be "self" / "agent" and "inside the city" / "outside the city". If there is no default input setting preset by the administrator (NO in step S202), the processing proceeds to step S204.

[0045] On the other hand, when there is a default input setting for any selected state in the form list (YES in step S202), the form creation device 1 checks whether there is another form category that shares the form category and lower-level options related to the default input setting in the form list. When there is another form category that shares the form category and lower-level options related to the default input setting in the form list, the form creation device 1 updates the form list so that the selected state of another form category that shares the lower-level options is also the same as the extracted default input setting (step S203). Specifically, for example, in the form list obtained when the purpose "obtaining a certificate" is selected, if the selected state of the form category "request for a copy of a resident register" is set to "self" by default, the form creation device 1 also sets the selected state of the form category "tax certificate", which is a form category that shares the lower-level options (that is, the options are "self" / "agent"), to "self". When the update of the form list is completed, the process proceeds to step S301.

[0046] From step S204 to step S207, for the form category that shares the default form category and lower-level options, the form list is updated according to the received options. The form creation device 1 checks whether there is another form category that shares the default form category and lower-level options confirmed in step S201 in the form list (step S204). When there is another form category that shares the default form category and lower-level options (YES in step S204), the input reception unit 21 causes the display of the form creation terminal 1 to display a lower-level selection screen corresponding to the lower level (step S205) and receives the selection operation of the options by the user (step S206). Details of the lower-level selection screen will be described later. In the lower-level selection screen displayed here, the lower-level options that are common among a plurality of form categories are displayed so that the user can select them.

[0047] When the input of options by the user is received, the form creation device 1 updates the form list so that the selection states of a plurality of form categories including the default form category and other form categories in which the lower-level options are common are set to the selection states corresponding to the options received in step S206 (step S207). In the present embodiment, the reflection of the selection state to other form categories in which the lower-level options are common is performed without confirmation from the user. However, it is also possible to execute a process of confirming to the user whether the reflection may be performed, and perform the reflection only when the confirmation result is affirmative. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S301.

[0048] From step S301 to step S303, an input operation on the form category selection screen is received. The input reception unit 21 displays a form category selection screen (middle layer screen) corresponding to the middle layer on the display of the form creation terminal 1 (step S301), and receives a form category selection operation or a selection end operation by the user (step S302).

[0049] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a form category selection screen according to the present embodiment. On the form category selection screen, an operator for receiving a selection operation of one or more form categories included in the form list read in step S103 (in other words, one or more form categories corresponding to the purpose received in step S102) from the user is displayed. In the example shown in the figure, buttons corresponding to "Request for Copy of Resident Certificate", "Tax Payment Certificate", and "Seal Registration Certificate" are shown as form categories selectable by the user. Further, on the form category selection screen, an operator (in the example shown in the figure, a "Proceed to Next" button) for receiving a selection end operation indicating that all desired form categories have been selected from the user is displayed.

[0050] That is, when a plurality of form categories are included in the form list, the user determines that all desired form categories have been selected and an end-of-selection operation from the user is accepted, or until the selection status of the lower-level options for all form categories in the form list becomes selected (step S408 described later), the processing from step S301 to step S408 is repeatedly executed. For this reason, for the form categories that have been selected in the repeated processing, they may be displayed so that the user can grasp that the form categories have been selected. For example, the form categories that have been selected can be made recognizable to the user by methods such as displaying a check mark on the selected form categories and / or displaying the color of the button of the selected form category differently from the buttons of other unselected form categories. On the form category selection screen, a user operation (in this embodiment, a touch operation on the button) for any of these operating elements is accepted.

[0051] In this embodiment, similar to the purpose selection screen, on the form category selection screen, only one form category can be selected per screen display. Therefore, by making the user's form category selection operation also serve as a transition instruction operation to the next screen, the number of user operations is reduced. However, the form category selection operation and the transition instruction operation to the next screen may be assigned to independent user operations respectively. When the form category selection operation and the transition instruction operation to the next screen are assigned to independent user operations respectively, on the purpose selection screen, an operating element (such as a button) for the transition instruction operation is further arranged.

[0052] When the operation received on the form category selection screen is an end-of-selection operation (NO in step S303), the processing from step S401 to step S408 is skipped and the processing proceeds to step S501. On the other hand, when the operation received on the form category selection screen is a form category selection operation (YES in step S303), the processing proceeds to step S401.

[0053] From step S401 to step S402, for the selected form category, the presence or absence of other form categories with common lower-level options, and the presence or absence of input history or default input settings are confirmed. When any of the form categories is selected, the form creation device 1 checks whether there are other form categories in the form list that have common lower-level options with the form category selected in step S302 (step S401). If there are other form categories in the form list that have common lower-level options with the selected form category (YES in step S401), the form creation device 1 refers to the selection state of the currently operated form list read in step S103 to check whether there is a history (hereinafter also referred to as "input history") already input by the user for the common lower-level options, or whether there is a default input setting (step S402). If there is an input history or a default input setting for the common lower-level options (YES in step S402), the process proceeds to step S406. On the other hand, if there are no other form categories in the form list that have common lower-level options with the selected form category (NO in step S401), or if there is no input history or default input setting for the common lower-level options (NO in step S402), the process proceeds to step S403.

[0054] From step S403 to step S405, for the form category that has common lower-level options with the selected form category, the form list is updated according to the received options. The input reception unit 21 causes the display of the form creation terminal 1 to display a lower-level selection screen (lower-level screen) corresponding to the lower level of the form category selected in step S302 (step S403), and receives a selection operation of options by the user (step S404).

[0055] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a lower layer selection screen according to the present embodiment. On the lower layer selection screen, an operator for receiving a selection operation of options in the lower layer of the form category selected in step S302 from the user is displayed. In the example shown in the figure, buttons corresponding to "application by the applicant himself / herself" and "application by an agent" (that is, the lower layer options "himself / herself" and "agent") are shown as selectable lower layer options for the user. On the lower layer selection screen, a user operation (in this embodiment, a touch operation on a button) for any of these operators is received. In this embodiment, when a lower layer option is selected by the user, among a plurality of form formats included in the form category selected in the middle layer, a form format suitable for the user is determined.

[0056] In the present embodiment, similar to the purpose selection screen and the form category selection screen, on the lower layer selection screen, only one lower layer option can be selected per screen display. Therefore, by making the selection operation of the lower layer option by the user also serve as an operation for instructing transition to the next screen, the number of operations by the user is reduced. However, the selection operation of the lower layer option and the operation for instructing transition to the next screen may be assigned to independent user operations respectively. When the selection operation of the lower layer option and the operation for instructing transition to the next screen are assigned to independent user operations respectively, on the purpose selection screen, an operator (such as a button) for the transition instruction operation is further arranged.

[0057] When a selection operation of an option by the user is received, the form creation device 1 updates the form list so that the selection states of a plurality of form categories including the form category selected in step S302 and other form categories common to the form category and the lower layer option become the selection states corresponding to the option received in step S404 (step S405). Note that in the present embodiment, the reflection of the selection state to other form categories common to the lower layer option is performed without confirming it with the user. However, it is also possible to execute a process of confirming with the user whether the reflection may be performed, and perform the reflection only when the confirmation result is affirmative. Then, the process proceeds to step S408.

[0058] In steps S406 and S407, the lower-level selection screen for the selected form category is skipped, and the form list is updated according to the input history or the default input settings. If there is an input history or default input settings for the common lower-level options (YES in step S402), the form creation device 1 skips (omits) the display of the lower-level selection screen corresponding to the lower level for the form category selected in step S302 (step S406). Then, the form creation device 1 updates the form list so that the selection states of the form category selected in step S302 and a plurality of form categories including other form categories having common lower-level options with the form category are in the selection states corresponding to the input history or default input settings confirmed to exist in step S402 (step S407). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S408.

[0059] In step S408, it is determined whether the selection of the form list is completed. The form creation device 1 refers to the form list read in step S103 and currently being operated, and checks whether the selection state of the lower-level options for all form categories in the form list has been selected (step S408). If there is a form category in the form list for which the selection state of the lower-level options has not been selected, the process returns to step S301 (NO in step S408). On the other hand, if the selection state of the lower-level options has been selected for all form categories in the form list (YES in step S408), the process proceeds to step S501. That is, as described above, when the form list includes a plurality of form categories, the processes from step S301 to step S408 are repeatedly executed until the user determines that all desired form categories have been selected and a selection end operation is received from the user (NO in step S303), or until the selection state of the lower-level options has been selected for all form categories in the form list (YES in step S408).

[0060] In steps S501 and S502, a confirmation screen is displayed and printed. The form creation device 1 refers to the selection state in the form list and determines the selected form format as the output target. For example, if the selection states of the form categories "Copy Request of Resident Certificate" and "Tax Payment Certificate" in the selection list are both "Individual (Option A)", the form formats "Copy Request of Resident Certificate (Individual)" and "Tax Payment Certificate (Individual)" are determined as the output targets. Then, the form creation device 1 displays a confirmation screen including a list of the form formats determined as the output targets on the display of the form creation terminal 1 (step S501).

[0061] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the confirmation screen according to the present embodiment. On the confirmation screen, the purpose selected by the user in step S102 and a list of the form formats determined as the output targets are displayed. Further, on the confirmation screen, identifiers (in this embodiment, touch-operable "Back" button and "Print" button) for receiving a confirmation operation indicating that the user has performed a final confirmation are displayed operably from the user.

[0062] When the "Back" button is operated by the user, processes such as returning to the previous screen or returning to the purpose selection screen are performed, and the operation by the user is received again. When the "Print" button is operated by the user, the form creation device 1 provides the form format to the user by printing the form formats listed (step S502). Also, in this embodiment, a confirmation screen is displayed to allow the user to confirm the form format to be output, but the display of the confirmation screen may be omitted.

[0063] Also, in this flowchart, an example in which a "Back" button is displayed on the confirmation screen has been described, but on the confirmation screen, it may be possible to cancel the selection results so far. For example, by displaying a "Cancel" button on the confirmation screen and making it selectable by the user, the user can cancel the selection results when the selection is incorrect or the like.

[0064] <Effect> According to the above-described embodiment, by accepting user input along the hierarchy, omitting the next hierarchy if there is an input history or input setting for the next hierarchy and assuming that the input according to it has been made, and specifying the form format according to the input content, it is possible to reduce the labor of the user when specifying the form format.

[0065] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10, three patterns of examples of the specific operation of the form creation application when the user uses the above-described system will be described while showing the reference numerals in the flowchart described.

[0066] <First Embodiment> In the first embodiment, an example will be described in which when the default form category corresponding to the purpose of "obtaining a certificate" is not preset by the administrator, the applicant information once input by a user who wishes to claim a copy of the family register and obtain a tax certificate is automatically applied to other form categories.

[0067] First, a purpose selection screen (see FIG. 11) is displayed (step S101), and the user selects the purpose of "obtaining a certificate" (step S102). Then, as described above, in this embodiment, since the default form category corresponding to the purpose is not preset by the administrator (NO in step S201), next, a form category selection screen (see FIG. 12) is displayed (step S301).

[0068] When the user selects the form category of "request for a copy of the family register" on the form category selection screen (YES in step S303), another form category of "tax certificate" that has the same lower-level options as the selected form category of "request for a copy of the family register" is included in the form list (YES in step S401), but since there is no input history or default input setting (NO in step S402), next, a lower-level selection screen (see FIG. 13) is displayed (step S403).

[0069] When the option "Application by the applicant himself / herself" is selected by the user on the lower-level selection screen (step S404), for the form categories "Request for a copy of the resident registry" and "Tax certificate" in the form list, the selection status is set to "self" (step S405). Here, since there is a form category in the form list for which the selection status of the lower-level option has not been selected yet (NO in step S408), the form category selection screen is displayed again (step S301).

[0070] Figure 15 is a diagram showing the form category selection screen displayed for the second time in this embodiment. On the form category selection screen displayed for the second time, a display that enables the user to recognize that the form category "Request for a copy of the resident registry", which has already been selected during the first display, has been selected by the user is attached.

[0071] When the form category "Tax certificate" is selected by the user on the form category selection screen displayed for the second time (YES in step S303), since the other form category "Request for a copy of the resident registry", which has the same lower-level options as the selected form category "Tax certificate", is included in the form list (YES in step S401), and since there is an input history for the form category "Request for a copy of the resident registry" (YES in step S402), the display of the lower-level selection screen is skipped (omitted) (step S406). That is, in this embodiment, since it is stored in the selection status of the form list by the form creation application that "Application by the applicant himself / herself" has been selected by the user, when there is a third form category selection, the lower-level options are regarded as automatically selected, and the lower-level selection screen is not displayed. Then, the form category selection screen for the third time is displayed (step S301).

[0072] Figure 16 is a diagram showing the form category selection screen displayed for the third time in this embodiment. On the form category selection screen displayed for the third time, a display that enables the user to recognize that the form categories "Request for a copy of the resident registry" and "Tax certificate", which have already been selected, have been selected by the user is attached.

[0073] When a user's selection completion operation (operation of the "Proceed" button) is received on the form category selection screen displayed for the third time, a confirmation screen (see FIG. 14) is displayed (step S501). In this embodiment, on the confirmation screen, a list indicating that the form formats "Copy Request of Resident Register (for the person himself / herself)" and "Tax Certificate (for the person himself / herself)" have been selected for the purpose of "Obtaining a Certificate", a "Back" button, and a "Print" button are displayed. When the "Print" button is operated by the user, the form formats shown in the list are printed (step S502), and the form formats are provided to the user on paper media.

[0074] <Second Embodiment> In the second embodiment, although the default form category "Copy Request of Resident Register" corresponding to the purpose of "Obtaining a Certificate" is preset by the administrator, when there is no default input setting for the lower-level options, an example will be described in which the applicant information once entered by a user who wishes to claim a copy of the resident register and obtain a tax certificate for himself / herself is automatically applied to other form categories.

[0075] First, a purpose selection screen (see FIG. 11) is displayed (step S101), and the user selects the purpose of "Obtaining a Certificate" (step S102). Then, as described above, in this embodiment, although the default form category "Copy Request of Resident Register" corresponding to the purpose of "Obtaining a Certificate" is preset by the administrator (YES in step S201), since there is no default input setting for the lower-level options (NO in step S202), prior to the display of the form category selection screen (see FIG. 12), a lower-level selection screen (see FIG. 13) is displayed (step S205). That is, in this embodiment, in order to enable an efficient selection operation by the user, the display order of the form category selection screen corresponding to the middle level and the lower-level selection screen corresponding to the lower level is switched.

[0076] When the option "Application by the applicant himself / herself" is selected by the user on the lower-level selection screen (step S206), for the form categories "Request for a copy of the resident register" and "Tax certificate" that the lower-level options in the form list have in common, the selection status is set to "Myself" (step S207). Then, the form category selection screen is displayed (step S301).

[0077] Here, this is the first time the form category selection screen is displayed. However, as described above, since the default form category "Request for a copy of the resident register" corresponding to the purpose "Obtaining a certificate" has been set in advance by the administrator, similar to the form category selection screen displayed the second time in the first embodiment (refer to FIG. 15), for the form category "Request for a copy of the resident register", a display that enables the user to recognize that it has been selected is provided.

[0078] When the user additionally selects the form category "Tax certificate" on the form category selection screen (YES in step S303), since the other form category "Request for a copy of the resident register" that the selected form category "Tax certificate" and the lower-level options have in common is included in the form list (YES in step S401), and since there is an input history for the form category "Request for a copy of the resident register" (YES in step S402), the display of the lower-level selection screen is skipped (omitted) (step S406), and the second form category selection screen is displayed (step S301).

[0079] Here, this is the second time the form category selection screen is displayed. However, since the form categories "Request for a copy of the resident register" and "Tax certificate" have been selected, similar to the form category selection screen displayed the third time in the first embodiment (refer to FIG. 16), for the form categories "Request for a copy of the resident register" and "Tax certificate", a display that enables the user to recognize that they have been selected is provided.

[0080] When a user's selection completion operation (operation of the "Proceed" button) is received on the form category selection screen displayed for the second time, a confirmation screen (see FIG. 14) is displayed (step S501). In this embodiment, on the confirmation screen, a list indicating that the form formats "Request for Copy of Resident Certificate (for oneself)" and "Tax Certificate (for oneself)" have been selected for the purpose of "Obtaining a Certificate", a "Back" button, and a "Print" button are displayed. When the "Print" button is operated by the user, the form formats shown in the list are printed (step S502), and the form formats are provided to the user in paper medium.

[0081] <Third Embodiment> In the third embodiment, when the default form category "Request for Copy of Resident Certificate" corresponding to the purpose of "Obtaining a Certificate" is preset by the administrator and the lower-level option "for oneself" is set as the default input setting, an example in which the default input setting is automatically applied to a user who wishes to request a copy of the resident certificate and obtain a tax certificate for oneself will be described.

[0082] First, a purpose selection screen (see FIG. 11) is displayed (step S101), and the user selects the purpose of "Obtaining a Certificate" (step S102). Here, the purpose options displayed on the purpose selection screen may be displayed in a way that allows the user to recognize that the option "for oneself" is set as the default input setting (for example, "Obtaining a Certificate (for oneself)", etc.). And as described above, in this embodiment, the default form category "Request for Copy of Resident Certificate" corresponding to the purpose of "Obtaining a Certificate" is preset by the administrator (YES in step S201), and the lower-level option "for oneself" is set as the default input setting (YES in step S202). Therefore, in this embodiment, without displaying the lower-level selection screen and without accepting the user's selection of the option "Application by the applicant himself / herself", the selection status is set to "for oneself" for the form categories "Request for Copy of Resident Certificate" and "Tax Certificate" in which the lower-level options in the form list are common (step S203). After that, a form category selection screen is displayed (step S301).

[0083] Here, although it is the first time the form category selection screen is displayed, since the default form category "Request for Copy of Resident Registry" corresponding to the purpose of "Obtaining a Certificate" has been set in advance by the administrator as described above, similar to the form category selection screen displayed the second time in the first embodiment (see FIG. 15), a display indicating that the user has already selected the form category "Request for Copy of Resident Registry" is provided.

[0084] When the user additionally selects the form category "Tax Payment Certificate" on the form category selection screen (YES in step S303), since the other form category "Request for Copy of Resident Registry" that shares the selected form category "Tax Payment Certificate" and its lower-level options is included in the form list (YES in step S401), and there is an input history for the form category "Request for Copy of Resident Registry" (YES in step S402), the display of the lower-level selection screen is skipped (omitted) (step S406), and the second form category selection screen is displayed (step S301).

[0085] Here, although it is the second time the form category selection screen is displayed, since the form categories "Request for Copy of Resident Registry" and "Tax Payment Certificate" have been selected, similar to the form category selection screen displayed the third time in the first embodiment (see FIG. 16), a display indicating that the user has already selected the form categories "Request for Copy of Resident Registry" and "Tax Payment Certificate" is provided.

[0086] When a selection end operation (operation of the "Proceed to Next" button) by the user is received on the form category selection screen displayed the second time, a confirmation screen (see FIG. 14) is displayed (step S501). In this embodiment, on the confirmation screen, a list indicating that the form formats "Request for Copy of Resident Registry (for the applicant)" and "Tax Payment Certificate (for the applicant)" have been selected for the purpose of "Obtaining a Certificate", a "Back" button, and a "Print" button are displayed. When the "Print" button is operated by the user, the form formats shown in the list are printed (step S502), and the form formats are provided to the user in paper medium.

[0087] In the third embodiment described above, a case where the default form category "Request for Copy of Resident Registry" corresponding to the purpose of "Obtaining a Certificate" is preset by the administrator and the lower-level option "Oneself" is set as the default input has been described. However, the items or contents preset are not limited to the examples described above. As the preset form settings associated with the purpose in advance, the designer tool can set, for example, applicant information such as "Oneself / Agent", transfer notice, "Oneself / Head of Household" for transfer notice (moving across municipalities), and "Oneself / Within the Same Household / (Legal) Agent" for change of residence notice (moving within the same municipality). In addition to these, settings such as "Inside the City / Outside the City" for moving applications can be set. The form creation application stores these settings and, when there are similar lower-level options, can omit the display of the selection screen by considering the already selected ones.

[0088] <Variation> In the embodiment described above, an example of narrowing down the form format using a three-layer hierarchy has been described. However, the number of layers is not limited to the exemplified three layers. As long as the hierarchy for narrowing down the form format has three or more layers, the effects of the technology according to the present disclosure can be obtained.

[0089] Also, in the embodiment described above, the reflection of the selection state to other form categories with common lower-level options (for example, steps S203, S207, S405, and S407) is performed without confirming with the user. However, a process of confirming with the user whether to perform the reflection or not may be executed, and the reflection may be performed only when the confirmation result is affirmative. Further, this confirmation process may be performed before the user selects the lower-level option or after the selection.

[0090] In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a terminal device installed at a service base is used as the form creation terminal 1 operated by the user has been described. However, as the form creation terminal, a terminal device other than the terminal device installed at the service base may be used. For example, a user terminal (so-called smartphone or the like) installed with a form creation application may be used as the form creation terminal.

[0091] In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the form creation terminal 1 and the management device 9 are prepared as separate devices has been described. However, the form creation terminal 1 and the management device 9 may be prepared by installing two pieces of software (designer tool and form creation application) on a single device.

[0092] In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the content of the default input setting is held as a selected state in the form list as a master, and the presence and content of the default input setting are confirmed by referring to this has been described. However, the content of the default input setting may be saved outside the form list and referred to. For example, it is possible to manage using a table or the like that associates and saves the content of the default input setting for each purpose created by the administrator.

Explanation of Signs

[0093] 1 Form creation terminal 9 Management device

Claims

1. Input receiving means for receiving input by the user on each screen while sequentially displaying screens corresponding to each of a plurality of hierarchies; Reference means for referring to the input history by the user or preset input settings for a second hierarchy, which is a hierarchy lower than the first hierarchy, when the input on the screen corresponding to the first hierarchy included in the plurality of hierarchies by the user is completed and a transition instruction to the next screen is received; Display omission means for omitting the display of the screen for receiving input by the user corresponding to the second hierarchy by the input receiving means, assuming that the input has been made according to the extracted input history or the input settings when the input history or the input settings are extracted by the reference means; Document format specifying means for specifying a document format according to the content of the input received by the input receiving means and the content assumed to have been input in the display omission means; An information processing system comprising the above.

2. The reference means refers to the input history by the user for the second hierarchy, The display omission means omits the display of the screen corresponding to the second hierarchy by the input receiving means, assuming that the input has been made according to the extracted input history when the input history is extracted by the reference means. The information processing system according to claim 1.

3. The input receiving means receives input for the purpose of document issuance by the user on the screen corresponding to any one of the plurality of hierarchies, and for each of a plurality of document categories including a first document category and a second document category extracted according to the purpose, receives input by the user on each screen while sequentially displaying screens corresponding to each of the plurality of hierarchies; The reference means refers to the input history by the user for the first document category for the second hierarchy when the input on the screen corresponding to the first hierarchy for the second document category is completed and a transition instruction to the next screen is received; The display omission means omits the display of the screen corresponding to the second hierarchy for the second document category by the input receiving means, assuming that the input has been made according to the extracted input history for the first document category when the input history for the first document category is extracted by the reference means. The information processing system according to claim 2.

4. The reference means refers to the input settings made by the administrator for the second layer, When the input settings are extracted by the reference means, the display omission means omits the display of the screen corresponding to the second layer by the input reception means, assuming that the input has been made according to the extracted input settings. The information processing system according to claim 1.

5. The input reception means receives an input of the purpose of form issuance by the user, At least one of a form category and applicant information linked to the purpose input by the user is set in the input settings. The information processing system according to claim 4.

6. The input reception means receives an input of the purpose of form issuance by the user on the screen corresponding to the top layer included in the plurality of layers. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A computer An input reception step of receiving an input by a user on each screen while sequentially displaying screens corresponding to each of a plurality of layers, A reference step of referring to the input history or preset input settings by the user for a second layer that is a layer below the first layer when the input on the screen corresponding to the first layer included in the plurality of layers by the user is completed and a transition instruction to the next screen is received, A display omission step of omitting the display of the screen for receiving the input by the user corresponding to the second layer in the input reception step, assuming that the input has been made according to the input history or the input settings extracted in the reference step, A form format specifying step of specifying a form format according to the content of the input received in the input reception step and the content assumed to have been input in the display omission step, An information processing method for executing.

8. A computer An input reception means for receiving an input by a user on each screen while sequentially displaying screens corresponding to each of a plurality of layers, A reference means for referring to the input history or preset input settings by the user for a second layer that is a layer below the first layer when the input on the screen corresponding to the first layer included in the plurality of layers by the user is completed and a transition instruction to the next screen is received, When the input history or the input setting is extracted by the reference means, display omission means for omitting the display of a screen for receiving an input by a user corresponding to the second layer by the input reception means, assuming that an input according to the extracted input history or the input setting has been made; Document format specifying means for specifying a document format according to the content of the input received by the input reception means and the content assumed to be the input in the display omission means; A program that functions as.

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