Order placing / receiving system

Abstract

To provide an order placing / receiving system for products, even when drawing files to be input by a client are a plurality of drawing files or drawing files of different formats, capable of managing and ordering them as a single order record for every product.SOLUTION: A processor 11 of an order placing / receiving system includes a file receiving unit for receiving a drawing file in which a drawing of a product is drawn, an image processing unit 33 that specifies identification information for identifying the product from the drawing file received by the file receiving unit, a record creating unit 34 that creates a record of the product for every product on the basis of the identification information specified by the image processing unit 33 and associates each record with the drawing file received by the file receiving unit, and an order receiving unit 354 that receives selection of an order placement object on a per-record basis from a plurality of records stored in a database that can store a plurality of records created by the record creating unit 34.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for supporting product ordering. [Background technology]

[0002] Many businesses still place product orders using paper media. These businesses usually place orders by sending product drawings by fax or by email with the drawing data attached, and confirming by phone as needed. When ordering products by fax or email, if there are any defects or unclear points in the drawings, the recipient must contact the purchaser by email or phone inquiring.

[0003] In recent years, systems have been developed that use drawing files to estimate and order products in order to improve the efficiency of product ordering processes.

[0004] As a system for carrying out such order processing, a technology for placing and receiving orders by inputting a drawing file as order information and checking the manufacturing process after the order processing is described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes a technology for displaying multiple manufacturing processes in which a product is manufactured, allowing a user to select one of the multiple manufacturing processes and ask a question or make a request. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2018 / 230693 (Patent No. 7216421) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that receives order data indicating the specifications, quantity, and delivery date of a product to be manufactured, and displays image data of the manufacturing process in association with the manufacturing process. It also discloses a technology that displays a request from an orderer regarding a corresponding process from among multiple manufacturing processes, or reply data to the request, for the corresponding process.

[0007] Patent Document 1 does not mention creating an order record from a drawing file. In other words, it is not intended to save the orderer time and effort and to efficiently create an order record.

[0008] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 does not mention cases where there are multiple drawing files. This means that when a drawing file alone is not sufficient to produce a product and a CAD file is added to supplement the missing information, or when an input drawing file is updated to a new version of the drawing file, the added drawing file or the updated drawing file cannot be treated as a single order record.

[0009] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 states that the drawing file name should be input, but does not mention the format of the drawing file, i.e., whether the drawing file is in PDF format, JPEG format, GIF format, or BMP format, or whether the CAD data is in STEP format, IGES format, SAT format, etc.

[0010] In reality, during the process of inputting a drawing file and obtaining a quote, additional drawing files with different formats or updated drawing files with updated drawings or processes may be provided to the drawing file. These should be managed as a single order record for one product, but the technology in Patent Document 1 cannot handle this.

[0011] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an order placement and receipt system that creates an order record from a drawing file input by an orderer.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide an order system that creates, from a plurality of drawing files, one order record for each image file or page of an image file obtained from the drawing file.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide an order system that allows purchasers and recipients to ask questions and make requests (requests for additional drawings, confirmation of materials) regarding drawings for each record.

[0014] In practice, when entering a drawing file name and obtaining a quote, additional drawing files with different formats or updated drawing files with updated information about the drawings and process may be provided to the drawing file. Additional drawing files and updated drawing files should be managed as a single order record for a single product, but the technology in Patent Document 1 cannot address this issue. When ordering products (including processed products) via existing transaction methods such as fax or email, when placing a bulk order for multiple processed products, if any changes are made to some of the processed products from the time of the quote, it is customary to resend the drawings and drawing files for all of the processed products to the manufacturer, the customer. In such cases, the customer must send all drawings and drawing files related to the order together to the customer, and the customer must then check for changes to the drawings and drawing files for each processed product. However, this check is extremely time-consuming and places an enormous burden on the customer when an order has a fixed delivery date. Patent Document 1 does not address the issues that arise when drawings or drawing files change from the time of the quote. Furthermore, in the processed product industry, it is common for customers to reorder processed products that are identical or similar to previously estimated or ordered processed products. For example, when a new product model is changed or a new model is introduced, an order may be placed for the same or similar processed products as in previous quotations or orders. In such cases, the purchaser wants to check the past quotations to ensure that the estimate is reasonable, but searching for past quotations corresponding to a new order requires a great deal of effort. This is because it takes time to search for quotations for the same or similar processed products and to understand the estimated amounts. In particular, when the person in charge of ordering changes, it can be difficult to even determine whether the same or similar processed products have been ordered in the past.

[0015] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an order-taking and receiving system for products that can manage and place orders as a single order record for each product, even if the orderer inputs multiple drawing files or drawing files of different formats. Another object of the present invention is to provide an order-taking and receiving system that can easily grasp past estimates and order records, and can easily grasp the validity of the contents of new estimates and orders. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is an order-taking system that accepts product orders from users, comprising: a file receiving unit that receives a drawing file containing a drawing of the product and acquires an image file; a record creating unit that creates a record for the order based on the image file; a database that can save multiple records created by the record creating unit; a memory unit that stores the image file acquired by the file receiving unit; an image processing unit that reads words from the image file; and a display processing unit that, upon receiving specification of one of multiple records, generates an individual record editing screen that includes a drawing area in which the word read by the image processing unit from the image file corresponding to that record is highlighted, and an input area for identification information that identifies the product illustrated in the image file, and when specification of the word in the drawing area and the input area for the identification information are accepted, the record creating unit associates the specified word with the identification information of the record. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the ordering system of the present invention, an ordering record can be created from a drawing file input by an orderer.

[0018] Furthermore, from a plurality of drawing files, one order record can be created for each image file or page of an image file acquired from a drawing file.

[0019] In addition, by associating product identification information used when making estimates or placing orders with words read from image files by the image processing unit for each record, it is possible to assist users in inputting information when making estimates or placing orders. In addition, it is possible for purchasers and contractors to ask questions or make requests about drawings for each record (requests for additional drawings, confirmation of materials, etc.). [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall system of this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the order placement and receipt system of this embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block diagram of the ordering system of this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the overall processing flow of this embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a drawing file input screen according to this embodiment. [Figure 6A] FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an example of a user table for managing users according to this embodiment. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an example of a folder table for managing the correspondence between folders and users in this embodiment. [Figure 6C] FIG. 6C is a diagram showing an example of a record table according to this embodiment. [Figure 6D] FIG. 6D is a diagram showing an example of the intermediate table 1 that manages the correspondence between records and drawing files in this embodiment. [Figure 6E] FIG. 6E is a diagram showing an example of the intermediate table 2 that manages the correspondence between records and talk rooms in this embodiment. [Figure 6F] FIG. 6F is a diagram showing an example of the intermediate table 3 that manages the correspondence between talk rooms and messages in this embodiment. [Figure 6G] FIG. 6G is a diagram showing an example of a drawing table for managing the correspondence between drawing files and file paths in this embodiment. [Figure 6H] FIG. 6H is a diagram showing an example of a message table for managing correspondence between messages, users, and message contents in this embodiment. [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is a diagram showing an example of a record screen for user U2 in this embodiment. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example of a record screen for user U1 in this embodiment. [Figure 8A] FIG. 8A is a diagram showing an example of the state of the inquiry screen of user U1 when inviting other users in this embodiment. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B shows an inquiry screen for user U2 in this embodiment, showing an example of the state before switching to the invitation screen. [Figure 8C] FIG. 8C shows an example of the inquiry screen for user U2 in this embodiment, after switching to the invitation screen. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of the folder creation process in the overall processing flow of this embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of the file reception process in the overall processing flow of this embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of image processing in the overall processing flow of this embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of the individual record editing process of the image processing flow of this embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 13A] FIG. 13A is a diagram showing an example of an individual record editing screen according to this embodiment. [Figure 13B] FIG. 13B is a diagram showing an individual record edit screen according to this embodiment in which an area from which characters are extracted is highlighted. [Figure 13C] FIG. 13C is a diagram showing a state in which a highlighted area is selected on the individual record editing screen of this embodiment. [Figure 13D]FIG. 13D is a diagram showing a state in which a part of the highlighted area is masked on the individual record editing screen of this embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of the quotation and order request process in the overall processing flow of this embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of the inquiry screen creation process in the overall processing flow of this embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing another form of the talk room of this embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of an invitation on an inquiry screen in the overall processing flow of this embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of the overall processing flow of this embodiment shown in FIG. 4 when an invitation is received on the inquiry screen. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a modification of the overall processing flow shown in FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an image of creating a record for each product from one image file in the modified example of FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of image processing in the embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of the identification information determination process shown in FIG. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of the record creation process of the overall processing flow shown in FIG. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a processing flow for inputting an additional drawing in this embodiment. [Figure 25] FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a record table according to this embodiment. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow when a drawing or a drawing file is changed in this embodiment. [Figure 27A] FIG. 27A is an example of a confirmation screen when there is a change in the drawing in this embodiment. [Figure 27B] FIG. 27A is an example of a screen for inputting a drawing file when there is a change in the drawing in this embodiment. [Figure 28] FIG. 28 shows an example of a screen for specifying and confirming the drawing update target in this embodiment. [Figure 29] FIG. 29 shows an example of a display screen using the input assistance function in the image processing of this embodiment. [Figure 30A] FIG. 30A is a diagram showing an example of a material tag table according to this embodiment. [Figure 30B] FIG. 30B is a diagram showing an example of the surface treatment tag table of this embodiment. [Figure 31] FIG. 31 shows an example of a processing flow by a processing unit for input assistance in image processing of this embodiment. [Figure 32] FIG. 32 shows the relationship between record IDs and tags in the record table of this embodiment. [Figure 33] FIG. 33 is a diagram showing another example of a record table according to this embodiment, in which a column for producer is provided. [Figure 34] FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for searching for past estimates and order records by tag from records to which various tags have been added according to this embodiment. [Figure 35] FIG. 35 is a diagram showing another example of a record table according to this embodiment, in which an alert column is provided. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] The following description of the embodiments will be given with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed, and not all of the elements and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following description and drawings are examples for explaining the present invention, and some omissions and simplifications have been made as appropriate for clarity of explanation. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0023] In the following explanation, various information may be described using expressions such as "tables," but the various information may be expressed using data structures other than these. When describing identification information, expressions such as "identification information," "identifier," "name," and "ID" are used, but these are interchangeable.

[0024] When there are multiple components having the same or similar functions, they will generally be described using the same reference numerals, but even if the functions are the same, the means for realizing the functions may be different.

[0025] In the following description, processing may be performed by executing a program. The program is executed by a processor (e.g., a CPU) which is a central processing unit, and performs the specified processing while appropriately using storage resources (e.g., memory) and / or interface devices (e.g., communication ports), etc. Therefore, the processor may be the subject of the processing.

[0026] A program may be installed on a device such as a computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable storage medium. If the program source is a program distribution server, the program distribution server may include a processor and storage resources for storing the program to be distributed, and the processor of the program distribution server may distribute the program to be distributed to other computers. Also, in the following description, two or more programs may be realized as one program, and one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0027] <Terminology> Product: The delivery form specified by the purchaser to the contractor.

[0028] When a purchaser orders a processed product, the delivery form is a single processed product, and in the case of a standard product that does not require processing, the delivery form is the standard product. If the purchaser specifies parts as the delivery form to the contractor, the parts become the product, and if the delivery form is a combination of parts, the combined product becomes the product. Therefore, products include not only processed products, but also standard products, and products that have been partially processed or combined from standard products.

[0029] Record: Data that manages the order placement and receipt of a product, which is the delivery form of the purchaser. For example, a database record.

[0030] Ordering: The act of ordering a product by an orderer specifying at least one record. When placing an order, multiple records may be specified in one order.

[0031] Image files: Electronic files in PDF, JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, and BMP formats.

[0032] CAD File: A digital file format for objects generated and used by CAD software, including the various formats created by CAD software, including standard formats such as DXF, DWG, STL, and STEP.

[0033] Drawing files: Electronic files that depict the function, structure, and layout of a product, including image files and CAD files.

[0034] Identification information: Information that identifies the product contained in the drawing file. For example, it includes the drawing number (drawing number) and product name written on the drawing in the image file, or a combination of these. If the image file contains multiple pages, the page numbers are also included in the identification information.

[0035] <System Configuration> First, an order placement and receipt system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0036] Figure 1 is a system configuration diagram of an order placement and receipt system according to one embodiment. The system 100 includes an order placement terminal 2 used by an orderer who places an order for a product, an order receiving terminal 3 used by a supplier who processes and manufactures the product, and an order placement and receipt system 1 connected to the order placement terminal 2 and the order receiving terminal 3 via a network 4.

[0037] The ordering terminal 2 and the order receiving terminal 3 are configured as general personal computers or tablet terminals, and the ordering system 1 is configured as general personal computers, servers, and virtual machines configured on the cloud. In the following embodiment, the ordering system 1 is configured as a server, but the ordering system 1 is not limited to a server. The network 4 can take any form as long as it allows data to be exchanged between the ordering terminal 2, the order receiving terminal 3, and the ordering system 1.

[0038] The order receiving system 1 receives order data from the order receiving terminal 2 and sends it to the order receiving terminal 3. The order receiving terminal 3 is used by the order receiving party to input information such as the estimated cost of processing the product and delivery date to the order receiving party, and to input information regarding the manufacture of the product to the order receiving party via the order receiving system 1. The order receiving party side may be divided into an intermediary that acts as the contact point for inquiries with the order receiving party, and a supplier that receives orders for product processing and manufacture from the intermediary, or the order receiving party itself may act as both the contact point for inquiries and the supplier.

[0039] Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the ordering terminal 2 and the order receiving terminal 3 are configured as one unit, the number of units is not limited to this, and for example, there may be a plurality of ordering terminals 2 and a plurality of order receiving terminals 3, respectively.

[0040] 2 is a hardware block diagram of an order placement and receipt system 1 according to one embodiment. The order placement and receipt system 1 has a network I / F 15 for sending and receiving data to and from an order placement terminal 2 and an order receipt terminal 3 via a network 4, a central processing unit (CPU) 11, memory 12, I / O devices 14 such as display devices and input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, a storage device 13 such as an HDD or SSD, and a bus 16 connecting these. The memory 12 is a volatile memory such as SRAM or DRAM.

[0041] The memory 12 stores various programs for realizing the functions of the folder creation unit 31, file reception unit 32, image processing unit 33, record creation unit 34, inquiry processing unit 35, and login processing unit 36 ​​shown in Fig. 3. The CPU 11 executes the programs stored in the memory 12 to realize the various functions.

[0042] The ordering terminal 2 and the order receiving terminal 3 also have the hardware block diagram shown in Figure 2. The ordering terminal 2 has an interface that displays information received from the ordering system 1 on the display device of the ordering terminal 2, and transmits information entered into the interface to the ordering system 1. The order receiving terminal 3 has an interface that displays information received from the ordering system 1 on the display device of the ordering terminal 2, and transmits information entered into the interface to the ordering system 1.

[0043] FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of the order placement and receipt system 1.

[0044] The folder creation unit 31 creates folders, which are storage areas, and assigns them to each user. The storage areas assigned to each user store information input by each user, such as drawing files and data of messages posted to a chat room.

[0045] The file receiving unit 32 receives drawing files as part of the order data from the ordering terminal 2 via the network 4. The received drawing files are electronic files that depict the product's functions, structure, and layout, and include image files and CAD files. The received drawing files also include paper-based information that has been digitized using the scanner function of the ordering terminal 2. The drawing files received by the file receiving unit 32 may be a single drawing file, multiple drawing files in a single file format, or multiple drawing files in different file formats.

[0046] One of the features of the order receiving and placing system 1 of this embodiment is its ability to handle drawing files in various formats. These file formats include image files such as PDF, JPEG, GIF, and BMP, as well as CAD data formats such as DXF, DWG, STEP, IGES, and SAT. The file receiving unit 32 is implemented by the network IF 15 and the CPU 11, which executes programs stored in the memory 12. The file receiving unit 32 includes a file type determination unit 321 that determines the type of drawing file and an image generation unit 322. The file type determination unit 321 determines whether the received drawing file is an image file or a CAD file. This determination is made using, for example, the file identifier. If the received drawing file is a CAD file, the image generation unit 322 generates image data from the CAD data. The conversion from a CAD file to an image file can be performed using known techniques. In other words, the file receiving unit 32 obtains an image file from the received drawing file regardless of the format of the drawing file.

[0047] The image processing unit 33 receives an image file from the file receiving unit 32 and extracts words from the received image file. The image processing unit 33 includes a page break determination unit 331 that determines page breaks in the image file, a character detection unit 332 that detects characters written on each page of the image file, and a word recognition unit 333 that recognizes words from the characters detected by the character detection unit 332. The image processing system has a word recognition unit 333 that recognizes characters and words from each page of an image file, and an identification information determination unit 334 that reads identification information that identifies the product from the words recognized by the word recognition unit 333. The function of the character detection unit 332 and the word recognition unit 333 to recognize characters and words from each page of an image file can be realized by using a general OCR function and a feature extraction function used for object detection.

[0048] The record creation unit 34 creates a record for each page of the image file determined by the page break determination unit 331 of the image processing unit 33. The record creation unit 34 is realized by the CPU 11 executing a program stored in the memory 12.

[0049] The record created by the record creating unit 34 for each page of the image file may be managed by associating the information read from the image file by the image processing unit 33 and the drawing file with each product.

[0050] The inquiry processing unit 35 processes inquiries, quotation requests, and order requests related to records. The inquiry processing unit 35 includes a talk room creating unit 351, a display processing unit 352, a quotation receiving unit 353, and an order receiving unit 354.

[0051] The talk room creation unit 351 creates a talk room for receiving and displaying requests from purchasers and questions from suppliers regarding each record. After creating a talk room for a record, the talk room creation unit 351 stores the record ID and the talk room ID in intermediate table 2 (see FIG. 6E), and stores the talk room ID in intermediate table 3. When a message is posted to the created talk room, the talk room creation unit 351 stores the message ID in intermediate table 3 (see FIG. 6F), and stores the message ID, the user ID of the user who posted the message, and the content of the message in message table 680 (see FIG. 6H).

[0052] When an intermediary and a supplier exist on the order-receiving side as described above, the chat room creation unit 351 may separately create a buyer chat room between the buyer and the intermediary, where the buyer posts requests, comments about drawing files, etc., and a supplier chat room between the intermediary and the supplier, where the supplier posts questions about product manufacturing, such as product dimensions and processing methods, and quotations, etc. Then, the chat room creation unit 351 or the display processing unit 352 of the processing unit 11 controls the display of the buyer chat room so that the buyer can view it, but prevents the supplier from viewing it. The chat room creation unit 351 or the display processing unit 352 also controls the display of the supplier chat room so that the supplier can view it, but prevents the buyer from viewing it. Thus, the buyer chat room is shared between the buyer and the operator of the order-receiving system 1, and the supplier chat room is shared between the supplier and the operator of the order-receiving system 1.

[0053] When one order includes multiple records, the chat room creation unit 351 may create one orderer chat room where requests from the orderer regarding the multiple records included in one order are posted, and one supplier chat room where questions, etc. from suppliers regarding one order are accepted.

[0054] The display processing unit 352 performs data processing for displaying one or more records created by the record creation unit 34 on the IO device 14, which is a display device. The display processing unit 352 also generates data for displaying the record of each orderer on the display device of the order terminal 2. If a purchaser talk room related to the record exists, the display processing unit 352 also generates data for displaying the purchaser talk room together with the record. The generated display data (inquiry screen) is transmitted from the order receiving system 1 to the order terminal 2 via the network IF 15. The order receiving terminal 2 displays the display data received from the order receiving system 1 on the display device. The display processing unit 352 also generates data for displaying an image file associated with the record on the display device of the order receiving terminal. If a supplier talk room related to the record exists, data for displaying the supplier talk room is also generated. The generated display data is transmitted from the order receiving system 1 to the order receiving terminal 3 via the network IF 15. The order receiving terminal 3 displays the display data received from the order receiving system 1 on the display device.

[0055] The quotation receiving unit 353 receives a quotation request from the ordering terminal 2 via the network 4. When the purchaser selects at least one of the records created by the record creating unit 34 and inputs the quotation request into the ordering terminal 2, the ordering system 1 receives the quotation request via the network 4. The quotation receiving unit 353 also transmits the quotation request to the order receiving terminal 3 of the supplier. The order receiving terminal 3 that has received the quotation request transmits quotation information including the estimated amount, delivery date, etc. for the quotation request of the selected record to the ordering system 1. The quotation information received from the order receiving terminal 3 is received and processed by the quotation receiving unit 3 of the ordering system 1.

[0056] The order receiving unit 354 selects a record created by the record creating unit 34 and accepts an order for the selected record. The drawing files received by the file receiving unit 32 have various description formats and formats, but the record creating unit 34 creates a record for each page.

[0057] The login processing unit 36 ​​executes login processing for an orderer using the ordering terminal 2 and a supplier using the order receiving terminal 3 .

[0058] <Overall Processing Flow> Figure 4 is a diagram showing the overall processing flow of the order receiving and placing system 1 of this embodiment. The overall processing flow shows the process in which an orderer uses the order receiving and placing system 1 to input a drawing file, create a record for ordering, and place an order based on the created record.

[0059] (Step S41, hereinafter, step will be simply written as S. Therefore, this step will be written as S41, the same below) The order placement and receipt system 1 executes login processing for the purchaser using the order placement terminal 2 and the supplier using the order receiving terminal 3 using the login processing unit 36 ​​of the processing unit 11. Various management tables shown in Figure 6 are stored in the storage device 13 of the order placement and receipt system 1. Using the user table 610 (Figure 6A), login processing is performed using the user ID and password entered by the purchaser into the order placement terminal 2, and the user ID and password entered by the supplier into the order receiving terminal 3.

[0060] (S42) If the login fails, a login request is made again. If the login fails a certain number of times, the account of the entered user ID may be suspended.

[0061] (S43) If the login is successful, the login processing unit 36 ​​acquires a user ID as login user information.

[0062] (S44) The folder creation unit 31 of the processing unit 11 acquires the user ID from the login processing unit 36 ​​and creates a folder to be assigned to the logged-in user in order to store drawing files and chat room contents. The folder creation unit 31 stores the user ID of the logged-in user in the folder table of FIG. 6B in association with a folder ID that identifies the folder assigned to the user ID. For a user who already has a folder assigned, the assigned folder is selected based on the folder table. The process of assigning a folder to a user will be described later with reference to FIG. 9.

[0063] (S45) The order receiving system 1 receives the drawing file from the order receiving terminal 2 via the network 4. This process is executed by the file receiving unit 32 of the processing unit 11. If the received drawing file is an image file, the image file is used as is, and if the received drawing file is CAD data, an image file is generated. Therefore, regardless of the format of the received drawing file, a corresponding image file will exist. This allows the order receiving system 1 to create a record whether the drawing file is an image file or a CAD file. Details of the file receiving unit 32 will be described later using FIG. 10.

[0064] (S46) Next, the image processing unit 33 of the processing unit 11 processes the image of the image file obtained from the drawing file received by the file receiving unit, and extracts words from the image file for each page. It also identifies and acquires the identification information of the drawing and the product described in the drawing. Details of the processing of this image processing unit 33 will be described later with reference to FIG. 11.

[0065] (S47) One image file acquired by the file receiving unit 32 may contain multiple pages, and the record creating unit 34 creates a record for each page of the image file. The record creating unit 34 also generates individual image files by dividing the image file on a page-by-page basis.

[0066] As shown in Figure 6C, records (record table) for ordering are created for each page, with information such as a folder ID, drawing number (one of the identification information), product name, and status corresponding to a record ID that identifies each record, and these records are stored as a database in the storage device 13. In step S47, a record ID is assigned to each page in the record table to create an entry. At this stage, the drawing number, product name, status, etc. corresponding to the record ID are left blank. Since the folder ID has already been assigned, the value of the folder ID can be stored when the record ID is entered.

[0067] (S48) The record creation unit 34 edits the record created for each page in S47 by inputting information such as the drawing number, product name, and status. Details of this process will be described later with reference to Figure 12. This process is one of the features of this embodiment.

[0068] (S49) When the purchaser selects at least one of the records created by the record creation unit 34 and inputs a request for quotation into the ordering terminal 2, the quotation receiving unit 353 of the processing unit 11 receives the request for quotation via the network 4. In addition, the quotation receiving unit 353 receives quotation information including the estimated amount, delivery date, etc. for the request for quotation from the order receiving terminal 3. Details of the processing of the quotation receiving unit 353 of the processing unit 11 will be described later using FIG. 14.

[0069] (S50) The inquiry processing unit 35 processes inquiries for the records created for each product. Inquiries for the records include requests for additional product drawings from the purchaser, inquiries from the purchaser and supplier regarding changes to delivery dates, product materials, and processing methods, and questions and quotations from suppliers regarding the drawings. Here, questions regarding the drawings include confirmation of product dimensions, materials, and processing methods. In order to obtain agreement on the quotation conditions, the inquiry processing unit 35 transmits and receives data to confirm the contents of any inquiries regarding the drawings between the purchaser and supplier. Details of the processing of the inquiry processing unit 35 of the processing unit 11 will be described later using FIG. 15.

[0070] (S51) The order receiving unit 354 receives an order request from the purchaser for a record of the quotation conditions agreed upon by the quotation receiving unit 353, among the records created by the record creating unit 34. When the purchaser selects a record for which they wish to place an order from the record table, the order request is transmitted via the network 4 to the order receiving system 1 and is received by the order receiving unit 354 of the order receiving system. Details of the processing by the order receiving unit 354 of the processing unit 11 will be described later using FIG. 14.

[0071] The above processing has explained the outline of the basic processing of the order placement and receipt system 1, and different processing may be executed in each step. Also, additional processing other than the steps shown in Figure 4 may be executed.

[0072] <Drawing File Input Image> Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a drawing file input screen of the ordering terminal 2 of this embodiment. This input screen 50 has an interface 51 for inputting drawing files. Drawing files can be input by dragging and dropping them. This screen displays that various file formats can be input. A user considering placing an order or making a quote can create an order record without worrying about the file format.

[0073] <Various management tables> Next, the order system The management tables that the order receiving and placing system 1 manages and refers to in order to realize each function will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Each management table in Fig. 6 is stored in the storage device 13 of the order receiving and placing system 1.

[0074] FIG. 6A shows an example of a user table 610. Users who use the order placement and receipt system 1 are registered in advance in the user table 610, and the user table 610 is referenced by the login processing unit 36 ​​of the processing unit 11 to perform the login process (S41). The user table 610 manages the user ID 611 of a user who uses the order placement and receipt system 1, in association with a company ID 612 that identifies the user's company, and the user's password (PW). For example, row 614 manages the user ID U1, the company ID of the company to which U1 belongs C1, and the password of user U1 P1, which are associated with each other. FIG. 6A shows a state in which users U1 and U2 belong to the same company.

[0075] FIG. 6B shows an example of a folder table. The folder table 620 manages folders for storing data for each user, in association with host information 623 indicating the creator of the data in the folder. When a user registered in the user table 610 logs in, the folder creation unit 31 acquires the user ID, assigns a folder ID 621 to the acquired user ID, flags the host information 623, and stores the information in the folder table. For example, row 624 of the folder table 620 indicates that a folder with folder ID F1 is assigned to user U1 as the host. Row 625 indicates that user U2 has been invited to folder F1 assigned to user U1. Although user U2 is not the user who stored the data in folder F1, he or she can view and partially edit the data stored in folder F1. By adding information identifying the user as either a purchaser or a contractor to the user ID, the same folder can be shared between the purchaser and the contractor.

[0076] FIG. 6C shows an example of a record table 630. The record table 630 manages each row as a record, with a record ID 631 identifying each record created by the record creation unit 34, a folder ID 632, product identification information (e.g., drawing number) 633 included in the image file, a product name 634, a status 635, and so on. The record IDs R1, R2, R3, and R8 use the same folder F1, and the drawing files and chat room data associated with the record IDs R1, R2, R3, and R8 are stored in the folder F1. When the record creation unit 34 creates a record from each page of the input image file, it adds the record ID identifying the created record to the record table and stores it together with other information constituting the record, such as the folder ID and drawing number corresponding to the record ID, to form a single record. The status 635 manages the status of each record, such as whether a quote is being requested or whether an order has been placed.

[0077] The record table 630 is controlled by the processing unit 11 (display processing unit 352) and is displayed on the display unit of the IO device 14.

[0078] FIG. 6D shows an example of intermediate table 1. Intermediate table 1 manages the correspondence between records and drawing files. A record ID 641 that identifies a record is associated with a drawing ID 642 that identifies the drawing file. Rows 643 and 644 of intermediate table 1 indicate that two drawing files with drawing IDs Z1 and Z2 are associated with record ID R1. Z2 is a drawing file whose contents have been updated from Z1. Row 645 indicates that the drawing ID of Z3 is associated with record R2, and row 646 indicates that a mirror copy of the same drawing file as record R3 is managed as a separate record. When the record creation unit 34 creates a record from a drawing file, it associates the created record ID with a drawing ID that identifies the drawing file that is the basis of the record, and stores the intermediate table 1 in the storage unit 13.

[0079] FIG. 6E shows an example of intermediate table 2. Intermediate table 2 manages the correspondence between records and chat rooms. A chat room ID 652, which specifies a chat room, corresponds to a record ID 651, which identifies a record. Row 653 of intermediate table 2 shows that one chat room ID (T1) corresponds to record ID R1. The same chat room T2 corresponds to each record in rows 654 and 655. Record R3 is a mirror of record R2, and since the original drawing file is the same, this allows the purchaser of each record to refer to a common chat room to avoid duplicate questions and answers.

[0080] Since records R1, R2, R3, and R8 are records created by the same user U1 and stored in the same folder F1 (see Figure 6C), if drawings Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z8 (see Figure 6D) and chat rooms T1, T2, T3, and T7 are also stored in the same folder F1, access restrictions can be easily implemented to prevent other users from accessing drawings and chat rooms related to records created by user U1.

[0081] FIG. 6F shows an example of intermediate table 3. Intermediate table 3 manages the correspondence between talk rooms and messages. A talk room ID 661 that identifies a talk room is associated with a message ID 662 that specifies the content of a message posted in that talk room. Row 663 of intermediate table 3 indicates that a message ID of M1 is associated with a talk room ID of T1. When a message is posted to a talk room, the talk room creation unit 351 associates the talk room ID with the message ID and stores them in intermediate table 3.

[0082] 6G shows an example of a drawing table 670. The drawing table 670 manages a drawing ID 671 that identifies a drawing file and a file path 672 that indicates the storage location of the drawing file, in association with each other. The file receiving unit 32 stores the drawing ID that identifies the drawing file and the file path that is the storage location of the drawing file in association with each other in the intermediate table 3.

[0083] FIG. 6H shows an example of a message table 680. The message table 680 manages a message ID 681, a user ID 682, and a message content 683 in association with each other. A user ID 682 that identifies a user and a message content 683 are associated with a message ID 681 that identifies a message. In row 684 of the message table 680, a message "U2, what kind of surface treatment would you like?" by a user U1 is associated with a message ID of M1. User U1 has posted messages M1 and M3. The talk room creation unit 351 receives the user ID 682 of the logged-in user from the folder creation unit 31, and stores the message ID 681 and message content 683 of the message posted by the user in association with each other in the message table 680.

[0084] 7A shows an example of a record screen for user U2. User U2 is one of the orderers, and the display processing unit 352 displays data related to records R4-R7, which were created in the record creation unit 34 according to the drawing file entered by user U2, received from the order placement and receipt system 1.

[0085] The Record screen has check boxes for selecting records, and by checking the check box, the record is selected, and by pressing the Delete button, the selected record can be deleted. In addition, by checking the check boxes for multiple record IDs, the user can select which record IDs to prioritize, i.e., which record IDs to keep and which record IDs to delete, and then by pressing the Merge button, they can be merged.

[0086] When duplicating a record displayed on the record screen of user U2, the query processing unit 35 also duplicates the chat rooms and drawing files associated with the duplicated record. The chat rooms IDs T3-T6 (see FIG. 6E) and drawings Z4-Z7 (see FIG. 6D) associated with records R4-R7 are duplicated. That is, a data structure is created in which the record ID in record table 630 is associated with the drawing ID in intermediate table 1, the record ID in intermediate table 2, the message in intermediate table 3, the file path indicating the storage location of the drawing in drawing table 670, and the chat room message content in message table 680. Therefore, even if the original record is duplicated or moved, the duplication and movement operations can be performed while maintaining the other data structures, allowing related parties to easily share and modify data related to the record.

[0087] FIG. 7B shows an example of a record screen for user U1. User U1 is also one of the purchasers, and the display processing unit 352 receives and displays data from the order-entering system 1 about records R1-R3, and R8 created in accordance with the drawing file entered by user U1 among the records created by the record creation unit 34. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, each user can, in principle, view and edit only their own records. In other words, the display processing unit 352 controls the transmission of data about records created from the entered drawing file to the purchaser who entered the drawing file that served as the basis for record creation among the records created by the record creation unit 34.

[0088] Since drawings and chat rooms related to records created by the same user U1 are basically stored in the same folder by the record creation unit 34, if the order placement and purchase system 1 does not provide information about the folder to other users, access restrictions can be easily implemented to prevent other users from accessing drawings and chat rooms related to records created by user U1.

[0089] FIG. 8A shows an example of a query screen for user U1. On U1's query screen, a drawing with a drawing ID of Z2 is selected and displayed large. Drawings Z3 and Z8 are thumbnail images of other drawings stored in the folder that stores the drawing Z2, and T1 is a chat room. Drawings and chat rooms related to records created by user U1 are generally stored in the same folder. In FIG. 8A, the tabs Rev1 (Z1) and Rev2 are displayed next to drawing Z2, indicating that drawing Z2 is an updated version of drawing Z1. In this way, if the additional drawing file (Z2) updates an already stored drawing file (Z1), a query screen is generated indicating that the original drawing (Z1) has been updated. By clicking the "Add" button on the query screen, user U1 can instruct the record creation unit 34 to associate the additional drawing file (Z2) with his or her own record R1 and store it in the storage unit 13.

[0090] When user U1 wants to share the drawing file or chat room contents corresponding to the record with user U2, he / she designates user U2 and presses the invitation button displayed on this inquiry screen, and an invitation email is sent to user U2 by the inquiry processing unit 35. Note that user U1 and user U2 are both orderers (e.g., belonging to the company that places the order) who use the ordering terminal 2. Details of the process for sending the invitation email will be described later.

[0091] FIG. 8B shows an example of the inquiry screen for user U2. On the inquiry screen for U2, the drawing with drawing ID Z4 is selected and displayed large. Drawings Z5-7 are thumbnail images of other drawings stored in the same folder as the folder in which drawing Z4 is stored, and T3 is a chat room. The drawings and chat rooms may be stored in a single folder, or in folders created individually for each project, etc. In this state, user U2 receives an invitation to an inquiry screen from user U1.

[0092] FIG. 8C shows an example of an invitation-based inquiry screen for user U2. U2's invitation-based inquiry screen displays the same content as the inquiry screen of the inviter, U1. This allows U2 to view and edit the drawing files and chat rooms related to the records displayed on U1's inquiry screen. When U1 invites U2 via the inquiry screen, the estimate receiving unit 353 creates a new entry in the folder table 620 and stores the shared folder and the invited user in association with each other. Row 625 in FIG. 6B is stored as a state in which folder F1 has been shared with U2 by U1. Note that the flag in host information 623 is not set in this newly created entry (row 625), and U2 is managed as the inviter, not the host, of folder F1.

[0093] 8A and 8B, the query processing unit 35 generates a query screen for the record created by each user. Then, invitations to the talk room via the query screen are limited to the user who created the record. Upon receiving an invitation request from the ordering terminal 2, the query processing unit 35 references the folder table 620 and confirms whether the user who made the invitation request is the host of the folder that stores information about the record for which the invitation request is made.

[0094] From the invitation inquiry screen of user U2, user U2 can view the drawings and chat room contents stored in the folder assigned to user U1. In addition, by pressing the "Add" button on the invitation inquiry screen, user U2 can cause the record creation unit 34 to associate an additional drawing file (Z2) with record R1 of other user U1 and store it in the storage unit 13. However, by referring to the folder table 620, the inquiry processing unit 35 imposes a restriction that prohibits placing an order for the record.

[0095] When an item managed as a record, such as the product name or material, posted in a chat room is entered, the inquiry processing unit 35 can automatically reflect the information in the record table by sending it to the record creation unit. For example, when a message is entered in a chat room in a predetermined format pre-stored in the storage unit 13, such as "Material: ●●," the inquiry processing unit 35 can detect the predetermined format and send the extracted information to the record creation unit.

[0096] When users U1 and U2 jointly place an order using the invitation inquiry screen, they can share a chat room displaying the drawing contents, questions, and answers, thereby improving work efficiency. Also, since user U2 is not allowed to access the record table, it is possible to prevent erroneous orders from being placed by someone without ordering authority. <Detailed Processing Flow> Next, the details of each process in the overall processing flow shown in Figure 4 will be explained.

[0097] <Folder Creation> FIG. 9 is a process flow showing details of the folder creation process S44 in FIG.

[0098] (S441) When a user logs in and acquires a user ID from the logged-in user (S43), folder creation unit 31 of processing unit 11 refers to folder table 620 and determines whether a folder corresponding to the user ID of the logged-in user has been assigned (S441). At this time, even if a folder exists, if there is no host flag in host information 623 of folder table 620, it is determined that the folder does not exist. If the folder exists, proceed to step S443; if not, proceed to step S442.

[0099] (S442) If the result of the determination in step S441 is that the folder does not exist, the folder creation unit creates a new folder to be assigned to the logged-in user, and stores the folder ID and user ID in association with each other in the folder table 620. At this time, a host flag is stored in the host information 623 of the folder table 620.

[0100] (S443) If the result of the determination in step S441 is that a folder already exists and a host flag exists in the host information, the folder creation unit selects a folder associated with the user ID of the logged-in user.

[0101] (S444) Furthermore, if the user ID of the logged-in user exists in the folder table 620 but there is no host information, the logged-in user is a guest, so a new folder is created to be assigned to the logged-in user, and the folder ID and user ID are stored in association with each other in the folder table 620.

[0102] (S445) The folder creation unit 31 finalizes the allocation of the folder to the logged-in user.

[0103] Through the folder creation process, the user ID, folder ID, and host information are stored in association with each other in the folder table 620 of Fig. 6B. <File Reception> Fig. 10 is a process flow showing details of the file reception process S45 of Fig. 4.

[0104] (S451) When the file receiving unit 32 of the processing unit 11 receives, via the network, a drawing file that the orderer has input to the ordering terminal 2, the file receiving unit 32 extracts the extension of the drawing file to determine the file type of the drawing file. This process is executed by the file type determination unit 321 of the file receiving unit 32.

[0105] (S452) File type determination unit 321 determines whether the drawing file is an image file. This process can be performed based on the extension of the extracted drawing file. For example, if the drawing file has an extension of PDF, JPEG, GIF, or BMP, it is determined to be an image data file, and if it has an extension of any other format, such as DXF, DWG, STEP, IGES, or SAT, it is determined to be a CAD data file. If it is not an image file, the process proceeds to step S453; if it is an image file, the process proceeds to step S455.

[0106] (S453) If it is determined in step S452 that the drawing file is not an image file, the image generation unit 322 of the file receiving unit 32 generates an image file from the CAD data. The CAD data can be visualized using existing means. For example, if the CAD data is 3D data, an image projected from a certain direction can be used as image data.

[0107] (S454) After the CAD data is visualized, the visualized data and the CAD data are stored in the folder created in step 44 and assigned to the user.

[0108] (S455) If it is determined in step S452 that the drawing file is an image file, the file receiving unit 32 stores the image file in the folder created in step S44 and assigned to the user.

[0109] When the file receiving unit 32 acquires an image file corresponding to the input drawing file, it stores the image file in a folder assigned to the user and sends the image file data to the image processing unit 33 .

[0110] (S457) The file receiving unit 32 determines whether there are any unprocessed drawing files, and if there are, returns to step S451 and performs the same processes as steps S451 to S456. If there are no unprocessed drawing files, the process ends.

[0111] In this way, even if the drawing file is a CAD file other than an image file, the order receiving and placing system 1 of this embodiment can process it. <Image Processing> Figure 11 is a processing flow showing details of the image processing S46 in Figure 4.

[0112] (S461) The page break determination unit 331 of the image processing unit 33 determines the page breaks of the image file sent from the file receiving unit 32. This allows the image file to be processed as an image for each page.

[0113] (S462) Character detection unit 332 of image processing unit 33 extracts characters from the image and detects their coordinates. This process may be performed using, for example, an existing OCR function.

[0114] (S463) Word recognition unit 333 of image processing unit 33 recognizes words from the characters detected by character detection unit 332. This process may be performed using, for example, an existing OCR function or a word recognition function used together with OCR.

[0115] (S464) The identification information determination unit 334 of the image processing unit 33 stores the words recognized for each page in the record creation unit 34. <Record Creation> The record creation unit 34 creates a record for each piece of image data (individual image file) separated by the image processing unit 33 for each page, and stores the record ID of the record table 630 and the folder ID assigned to the user. The record creation unit 34 stores the words read for each page sent from the image processing unit 33 in association with the record in the folder assigned to the record. <Individual Record Editing> Figure 12 is a processing flow showing details of individual record editing S48 in Figure 4.

[0116] (S481) The user selects a record using a check button on the record screen, and the record creation unit 34 receives a request for an individual record editing screen. The individual record editing screen is the screen shown in Figure 13A, and includes a drawing area slightly to the left of the center that displays the drawing of the selected record, and an input area in the upper right that displays basic information such as the item name and drawing number, which are items of the selected record, and in the lower right that displays quotation information such as quantity, request comments, and quotation amount, among other quotation conditions. Note that Figure 13A shows the individual record editing screen in normal mode.

[0117] (S482) The record creation unit 34 retrieves the drawing, basic information, and estimate information from the storage unit based on the selected record. The drawing ID can be identified by referencing intermediate table 1 from the selected record ID, and the drawing contents can be read by referencing drawing table 670 from the identified drawing ID. The basic information and estimate information are read if there is information stored in association with the record ID; otherwise, they become null information. Note that while record table 630 lists only the status as estimate information, the status is assumed to include the quantity, request comments, estimated amount, etc. However, columns for managing the quantity, request comments, estimated amount, etc. as information other than the status may be created in record table 630.

[0118] (S483) The processing unit 11 (display processing unit 352) receives the drawing, basic information, and estimate information read by the record creation unit 34 in step S482, generates an individual record editing screen (see FIG. 13A), and transmits it to the user's terminal. If the user is an orderer, it is transmitted to the ordering terminal 2. The inquiry processing unit 35 displays the individual image file corresponding to the specified record in the drawing area of ​​the individual record editing screen (see FIG. 13A).

[0119] (S484) The processing unit 11 (image processing unit 33) determines whether the mode is a character extraction mode for detecting characters, and if it is a character extraction mode, the process proceeds to S485.

[0120] (S485) The query processing unit 35 generates an individual record editing screen in which the image processing unit 33 highlights the area where the characters have been extracted, and sends this to the ordering terminal 2 used by the user. The individual record editing screen in which the area where the characters have been extracted is the screen shown in FIG. 13B. In FIG. 13B, the areas where the characters have been extracted, such as the dimensions 131 of the drawing, the approver 132 in the title box, and the drawing number 133, are surrounded by a rectangle and displayed in a highlighted manner. FIG. 13B shows the input completion mode of the individual record editing screen.

[0121] (S486) The processing unit 11 (display processing unit 352) selects the highlighted area and generates a screen for the user to input and edit the items in the selected area. Figure 13C shows the screen for editing. In Figure 13C, the character string "ABC-123" 134 adjacent to the drawing number 133 is selected. "ABC-123" is information indicating the drawing number of the drawing on this page. Figure 13C shows the input completion mode of the individual record editing screen.

[0122] The query processor 35 specifies masking of words on the drawing area. When this is accepted, the word is masked as shown in Figure 13D. Figure 13D shows the mask mode on the individual record editing screen. This can assist in masking words that you do not want to show when placing an order, such as personal information. A separate image after masking is created without overwriting the data of the original image, and the mask is then deleted.

[0123] The query processing unit 35 generates a masked image file of the individual record editing screen including the drawing area of ​​the masked word. This masked image file is stored in the storage unit (a folder assigned to the user who input the drawing file) in association with the corresponding record by the record creation unit 34. Since the masked image file is associated with the record in this way, when placing an order, the query processing unit 35 can use the masked image file to make an order request to the contractor terminal 3. Because an order can be placed using a masked image file, the contractor does not need to prepare an image file in which information that the contractor does not want to see is masked when placing an order.

[0124] In addition, you can make inquiries (talk) using drawing files that have been masked on the individual record editing screen, so you can confirm the validity of the parts that should be masked by interacting with staff from other departments or operators on the inquiry screen.

[0125] Because it is inconvenient to switch modes to check the masked areas, the masked image continues to be displayed even when switching to normal mode in FIG. 13A or input completion mode in FIG. 13B after masking. When displaying the individual record editing screen in normal mode or input completion mode, the presence or absence of mask information can be determined, and if present, the masked image can be displayed. Also, on the user's screen, the masked areas can be made semi-transparent so that the words are not completely hidden. This allows the user to see which words were masked even when looking back at the screen later, eliminating the need to remove the mask to check what the hidden words were.

[0126] (S487) The record creation unit 34 stores the characters of the selected area in the field of the record table corresponding to the selected area. FIG. 13C shows that the character string "ABC-123" of the selected area 134 is reflected as the drawing number "ABC-123" of the basic information. By assuming that the information "ABC-123" 134 adjacent to the drawing number 133, which is a character string extracted from the image file, is drawing number information, when the area 134 is selected, "ABC-123" can be reflected in the drawing number of the basic information. The information reflected on the individual record editing screen is entered into the corresponding information in the record table 630.

[0127] The memory unit 13 stores a plurality of reference words associated with any of the input areas. For example, "drawing number," "planning number," and "Drawing No." are stored as reference words in the memory unit 13. When the query processing unit 35 receives the designation of an input area on the individual record editing screen, it selects a word associated with the input area from the plurality of reference words and controls the display unit to highlight the character string adjacent to the selected word.

[0128] (S489) The record creation unit 34 determines whether the user has selected other input fields, such as the product name of the basic information. If so, the process returns to step S486 and repeats the same process. If not, the process ends.

[0129] In this way, the records created for each page of the image file can be automatically entered into the record table while checking the information in the input fields that make up the record. The words extracted for each page sent from the image processing unit 33 to the record creation unit 34 in step S464 can be automatically entered into the corresponding fields of basic information and quotation information, and the correct input can be confirmed and edited using an individual record edit screen request (see FIG. 13). <Receiving a request for quotation and receiving an order request> Next, the process of receiving a request for quotation S49 and the process of receiving an order request S51 will be explained. As both processes have much in common, they will be explained together in FIG. 14.

[0130] First, the request for quotation will be described.

[0131] (S481) The quotation receiving unit 353 (processing unit 11 of the order receiving system 1) receives the quotation request. The person requesting the quotation selects a record on the record screen sent from the order receiving system 1 to the order terminal 2 and sends the quotation request to the order receiving system 1. At this time, the order receiving system 1 sends to the order terminal 2, as a record screen, the record from the record table that corresponds to the folder assigned to the person requesting the quotation (the record created by the person inputting the drawing file). The person requesting the quotation displays the record sent to the order terminal 2 and prompts the requester to select the record for which a quotation is to be made. Step S481 can be understood to correspond to the act of adding shopping items to a card at a typical online shop and confirming the total payment amount.

[0132] (S482) The estimate receiving unit 353 updates the status of each item for which an estimate has been requested in the record table to "Estimate in progress."

[0133] Next, an order request will be described.

[0134] (S481) The order receiving unit 354 (processing unit 11 of the order receiving system 1) receives the order request. The orderer selects a record on the record screen sent from the order receiving system 1 to the order receiving terminal 2, and the order request is received by the order receiving system 1. At this time, the order receiving system 1 sends to the order receiving terminal 2, as a record screen, the record of the record table that corresponds to the folder assigned to the orderer. The orderer displays the records sent to the order receiving terminal 2, and prompts the orderer to select the record for which to place the order. Step S481 can be understood to correspond to the act of putting shopping items on a card at a typical online shop and purchasing them all at once.

[0135] (S482) The order receiving unit 354 updates the status of each order request in the record table to "Ordered." If the authority to process estimates and orders is set for each user in the user table 610, estimate requests and order requests from users who do not have the authority to estimate or order can be rejected, preventing erroneous estimate requests and erroneous orders.

[0136] For example, if columns for quotation authority and ordering authority are provided in the user table 610 and set for each user, quotation authority and ordering authority can be denied to users who belong to the company that makes quotation or orders but who are users in the development department and not in the procurement department, and quotation requests and ordering requests from users who do not have quotation authority or ordering authority can be rejected. <Sending and Receiving Inquiries> The following describes the process executed by the inquiry processing unit 35 to make an inquiry about a record that you want to inquire about out of multiple records created by inputting a drawing file.

[0137] Fig. 15 shows details of the inquiry process, and is a processing flow showing details of the inquiry reception process S50 in Fig. 4 which is executed by the inquiry processing unit 35. Fig. 16 shows an example of an inquiry screen created by the inquiry processing unit 35 and displayed on the display device of the order receiving and supplying system 1 (S501). A user making an inquiry about a record selects the record they wish to inquire about from the user's record screen and sends a screen request to the order receiving and supplying system 1. If the inquirer is on the order placing side, the request is sent from the order placing terminal 2 to the order receiving and supplying system 1, and if the inquirer is on the order receiving party (supplier) side, the request is sent from the order receiving terminal 3 to the order receiving and supplying system 1.

[0138] By identifying the folder ID assigned to a user using the folder table 620 and extracting the record corresponding to that folder ID from the all record table, it is possible to identify the record for each user. The inquiry processing unit 35 of the order placement and receipt system 1 sends information on the records related to each user to the order terminal. If information that can identify whether the user is an orderer or a contractor is added to the user ID in the folder table 620, inquiries from the contractor side as well as inquiries from the orderer side will be possible. Below, an example will be explained in which an orderer makes an inquiry. For example, when the orderer selects a record to inquire about from the records related to the orderer displayed on the order terminal 2, the inquiry processing unit 35 generates an inquiry screen request and sends it to the order terminal 2.

[0139] (S502) When the query processing unit 35 receives a screen request, it references intermediate table 1 and intermediate table 2 to obtain the drawing ID and talk room ID corresponding to the selected record. It references drawing table 670 from the obtained drawing ID to obtain the drawing, and references intermediate table 3 and message table 680 from the talk room ID to obtain the content of the message written in the talk room.

[0140] (S503) The inquiry processing unit 35 creates a drawing as shown in FIG. 16 from the acquired drawing and chat room messages. FIG. 16 shows that drawing Z2 corresponding to the selected record, other drawings Z3 and Z8 in the folder in which drawing Z2 is saved, and the orderer chat room T1-1 and contractor chat room T1-2 related to the folder are displayed. These chat rooms T1-1 and contractor chat room T1-2 are managed as chat room IDs T1-1 and T1-2, respectively. The order placement and receipt system 1 conceals the contents of the contractor chat room from the contents of FIG. 16 and generates a drawing as shown in FIG. 8A with only the orderer chat room for the ordering terminal 2, and sends it to the ordering terminal 2. The orderer posts requests to the contractor, such as changes to delivery dates and drawings, in the chat room associated with the record.

[0141] (S504) The contractor who has received the request from the purchaser on the inquiry screen of the order receiving terminal 3 posts a reply message in the contractor's chat room. The reply message from the contractor is sent from the order receiving terminal 3 to the order receiving and placing system 1. If the time of receipt of the reply message is stored, the latest reply message can be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner.

[0142] (S505) The talk room creation unit 351 transmits a reply message notification from the contractor.

[0143] The above has explained inquiries from purchasers, but inquiries from contractors can also be processed in a similar manner. <Processing for sending invitation emails> The processing executed by the inquiry processing unit to invite other users to the inquiry screen, which is another form of the inquiry processing in Fig. 4, will be explained using Fig. 17. The outline of the operation for inviting other users to the inquiry screen is as explained in Figs. 8A-C.

[0144] (S5011) The inquiry processing unit 35 receives information that the invitation email button has been pressed. For example, when inviting user U2 to the inquiry screen of user U1, the user presses the invitation button displayed on the inquiry screen of U1 (see FIG. 8A), and receives the information.

[0145] (S5012) The inquiry processing unit 35 accepts input of the destination email address. In the example of FIG. 8A, the email address of U2 is input.

[0146] (S5013) The inquiry processing unit 35 receives an instruction to send an invitation email.

[0147] (S5014) When the inquiry processing unit 35 receives an instruction to send an invitation email, it generates a link (URL link) in the body of the invitation email, embedding the record ID corresponding to the drawing displayed in the drawing area of ​​the inquiry screen. For example, in Fig. 8A, a drawing with drawing ID Z2 is displayed in the drawing area, and a link is generated to reference a folder storing information on record R1 (see Fig. 6D) corresponding to Z2, and an invitation email is generated.

[0148] (S5015) The inquiry processing unit 35 sends the invitation email generated in step S5014 to the address entered in step S5012, for example, the email address of user U2. <Processing for Receiving Invitation Email> The processing executed by the inquiry processing unit when an invitation to an inquiry screen is received from another user, which is another form of the inquiry processing in FIG. 4, will be described with reference to FIG.

[0149] (S5021) The inquiry processing unit 35 receives an access request for the link in the invitation email from the user who has received the invitation email.

[0150] (S5022) The inquiry processing unit 35 checks whether the user who made the access request has logged in. If the user is not currently logged in, a login request is made (S5023), and if the user is currently logged in, the process proceeds to step S5024. This process is performed by the login processing unit 36, but may also be performed by the inquiry processing unit 35.

[0151] (S5024) If the user who has made the access request is currently logged in, the processing unit 11 acquires the user ID. This process is performed by the login processing unit 36, but may also be performed by the inquiry processing unit 35.

[0152] (S5025) The query processing unit 35 determines whether the user who made the access request has access rights to the folder associated with the invited query screen. If the user does not have access rights, the process proceeds to step S5027. If the user has access rights, the process proceeds to step S5026. For example, in the example of Figures 8A-C, U2 is the user who received the invitation email and made an access request to the link in the invitation email body. The process determines whether U2 has the authority to access the folder associated with U1's query screen, i.e., the folder that stores U1's data. For example, this can be achieved by adding an additional column to the folder table 620 to store the user IDs that are permitted to access the folder IDs assigned to each user, and storing the user IDs. In Figure 6B, row 624 assigns folder ID (F1) to user U1. However, as shown in row 625, a folder ID (F1) may also be assigned to user U2.

[0153] (S5026) If the access right is not set for the user who made the access request, the inquiry processing unit 35 generates an access denial screen and sends it to the terminal of the user who made the access request. At the time when user U2 was invited by user U1, user U2 has the access right to folder F1, as shown in row 625 of Figure 6B. However, if it is later discovered that the invitation was a mistake or the invitation is no longer necessary, and user U1 deletes user U2's access right to folder F1, the process proceeds to step S5026.

[0154] (S5027) The query processing unit 35 acquires the drawing and chat room information of the record contained in the folder to which the record ID embedded in the link of the invitation email belongs. The folder to which the record ID belongs is identified by the record table 620. Other records stored in the same folder are also identified by the record table 620, and from the record ID embedded in the link and the other identified record IDs, the drawing ID can be identified by intermediate table 1, and the chat room ID can be acquired by intermediate table 2.

[0155] (S5028) The query processing unit 35 generates a query screen from the drawing and the chat room information acquired in step S5026, and transmits it to the terminal of the user who made the access request. <Record Creation According to a Modification> Figure 19 is a diagram showing another example of the overall processing flow of the present embodiment shown in Figure 4.

[0156] Steps S41 to S45, excluding steps S191 and S192, are the same as in Fig. 4, and steps S48 to S50 are the same as steps S49 to S51 in Fig. 4. Explanation of the same processes as in Fig. 4 will be omitted. The process in Fig. 19 realizes record creation for each drawing, such as for each product, as shown in Fig. 20.

[0157] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an image of creating a record from one image file in this embodiment.

[0158] The left side of Figure 20 shows a case where one drawing file entered on the screen of Figure 5 contains six pages. Also, drawings for product AA, product AA, product BB, product CC, product DD, and product DD are drawn on each page in that order.

[0159] In this case, the order placement and purchase system 1 of this embodiment performs image processing S46 and record creation S47 for each page of the input drawing file, and creates record R1 for product AA, record R2 for product BB, record R3 for product CC, and record R4 for product DD.

[0160] On the other hand, the right side of Figure 20 shows a case where one drawing file entered on the screen of Figure 5 contains six pages. Also, drawings relating to product AA, product AA, product BB, product CC, product DD, and product AA are drawn on each page in that order.

[0161] In this case, the order placement and receipt system 1 of this embodiment performs image processing S46 and record creation S47 for each page of the input drawing file, and creates a record R1 for product AA, a record R2 for product BB, a record R3 for product CC, and a record R4 for product DD. In this case, even if there is a page on which product AA is drawn after the page for product DD, the records are all created together as one record R1 for product AA.

[0162] The contents of the functional blocks in FIG. 3 required to perform the processing in FIG. 19 will be explained again.

[0163] The image processing unit 33 receives the image file generated by the file receiving unit 32 and extracts words from each page of the received image file. The identification information determination unit 34 of the image processing unit 33 identifies the product's identification information. The image processing unit 33 includes a page break determination unit 331 that determines page breaks in the image file, a character detection unit 332 that detects characters written on each page of the image file, a word recognition unit 333 that recognizes words from the characters detected by the character detection unit 332, and an identification information determination unit 334 that reads identification information that identifies the drawing from the words recognized by the word recognition unit 333. The image processing unit 33's function of recognizing characters and words from each page of the image file can be realized by using a general OCR function or a feature extraction function used for object detection.

[0164] In this embodiment, the identification information determination unit 334 of the image processing unit 33 executed by the processing unit 11 uses the drawing number (draft number - drawing number) identified by character recognition of each page of the image file. This is because the drawing number is information that identifies the drawing depicted in the drawing file. Furthermore, since the drawing number is also information that identifies the product depicted in the drawing file, the identification information may be treated as information that identifies both the drawing number and the product. Hereinafter, the drawing will be referred to as the product in the sense of identifying the drawing.

[0165] The record creation unit 34 creates one order record (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as a record) by collecting the same drawing, i.e., drawing files related to a product, from one or more drawing files received by the file receiving unit 32. The record creation unit 34 is realized by the CPU 11 executing a program stored in the memory 12.

[0166] The description format of one drawing file targeted by this embodiment is basically one in which one product is described per page, but one drawing file may contain multiple pages. Also, drawings of the same product may be described across multiple pages, or drawings of the same product may be described on some pages and drawings of other products on other pages. Also, while one product is generally described on one page of a drawing file, there are cases in which multiple products are described on one page.

[0167] In addition, one product may be described using multiple drawing files.

[0168] Furthermore, the formats of multiple drawing files may differ from image files such as PDF, JPEG, GIF, and BMP, or from CAD data in DXF, DWG, STEP, IGES, and SAT formats.

[0169] In this way, the record creation unit 34 creates one record for the same product from various drawing description formats and drawing files with different formats in the order placement and receipt system 1. When placing an order, you can select the created record to place an order for each product.

[0170] The record created by the record creating unit 34 for each product may be managed by associating information read from the image file by the image processing unit 33 and drawing files with each product.

[0171] Returning to FIG. 19, the process of the modified example will be described.

[0172] A folder for storing data is assigned to the logged-in user, drawing files are received, and image files are created, and then the process of step S191 is executed.

[0173] (S191) The image processing unit 33 of the processing unit 11 performs image processing on the image file obtained from the drawing file received by the file receiving unit, and identifies and acquires the drawing and the identification information of the product described on the drawing from the drawing file. Details of the processing of this image processing unit 33 will be described later using FIG. 21.

[0174] (S192) Next, the record creation unit 34 creates records for ordering based on the identification information specified by the image processing unit 33. As shown in Fig. 6C, the order records (record table) are created based on the identification information, with records that identify each record corresponding to information such as a folder ID, drawing number (one piece of identification information), product name, and status, and are stored as a database in the storage device 13. Details of the processing by the record creation unit 34 of the processing unit 11 will be described later using Fig. 23.

[0175] The above processing has explained an outline of the basic processing of the order placement and receipt system 1, and different processing may be executed in each step. Also, additional processing other than the steps shown in Figure 19 may be performed. <Detailed Processing Flow> Next, details of the processing in the overall processing flow shown in Figure 19 that differs from Figure 4 will be explained. <Image Processing> Figure 21 is a processing flow showing details of image processing S191 in Figure 19.

[0176] (S1911) The page break determination unit 331 of the image processing unit 33 determines the page breaks of the image file sent from the file receiving unit 32. This allows the image file to be processed as an image for each page.

[0177] (S1912) Character detection unit 332 of image processing unit 33 extracts characters from the image and detects their coordinates. This process may be performed using, for example, an existing OCR function.

[0178] (S1913) Word recognition unit 333 of image processing unit 33 recognizes words from the characters detected by character detection unit 332. This process may be performed using, for example, an existing OCR function or a word recognition function used together with OCR.

[0179] (S1914) The identification information determination unit 334 of the image processing unit 33 determines the identification information of the product from the words recognized by the word recognition unit 333. Details of the identification information determination process will be described with reference to FIG.

[0180] (S1915) Image processing unit 33 determines whether there are any unprocessed pages, and if so, performs the same processing as steps S1911 to S1914 for each page. When all pages have been processed, the process proceeds to step S1916.

[0181] (S1916) The image processing unit 33 sends the determined identification information to the record creation unit 34. If the identification information cannot be determined from each page, the image processing unit 33 assigns temporary identification information to each page for which identification information could not be determined and sends the pages to the record creation unit 34.

[0182] Basically, there is one piece of identification information per page, but the processing unit 11 of this embodiment can handle various description formats, such as a case where one product is described on one page, a case where one product is described across multiple pages, or a case where multiple products are described on one page.

[0183] <Determination of Identification Information> FIG. 22 is a process flow showing details of the determination of identification information S1914 in FIG.

[0184] (S19141) The identification information determination unit 334 of the image processing unit 33 reads out a determination dictionary stored in advance in the storage device 13. The determination dictionary stores characters that are typically written on drawings and indicate items that can identify the product depicted on the drawings. For example, these include the drawing number (drawing number), product name, creator, creation date, mirror, and page number.

[0185] (S19142) Next, the identification information determination unit 334 performs step In step S1913, the word recognized by the word recognition unit 333 is compared with the dictionary read out in step S19141. The recognized word is compared with items (drawing number (drawing number), product name, etc.) that can identify the product stored in the judgment dictionary, and the reading confidence is calculated. The reading confidence is the degree of match between the recognized word being compared and the word in the read dictionary. The higher the degree of match, the higher the reading confidence is processed. The recognized word is compared with, for example, all the words in the dictionary, and the degree of match with the word in the dictionary that has the highest degree of match is added as color information.

[0186] (S19143) Next, the identification information determination unit 334 extracts words whose confidence level is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value in order to identify the product depicted in the drawing of the image file.

[0187] In this embodiment, drawing numbers and product names that are always included in drawings are registered in a dictionary for determination, and drawing numbers and product names are extracted from recognized words.

[0188] (S19144) If there is no identification information with a reading confidence level equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, it is determined that the identification information cannot be read, and the process ends. In this case, the individual record editing process S48 shown in Figure 4 may be executed. If it is determined that the identification information cannot be read, the user can input the recognized word while checking it.

[0189] (S19145) The identification information determination unit 334 determines whether the words extracted in step S19143 are identification information itself. That is, the drawing number and product name themselves are not identification information, but identification information is written in their vicinity. The "page number" of the drawing, "mirror," "multiple component information," and "presence or absence of specified features" in the drawing are themselves identification information. The drawing number, product name, and drawing number (draft number or product name) written in the title column of the drawing are relevant, and "mirror" refers to a description indicating that the product is a mirror product of the product depicted in the drawing. "Multiple product information" refers to information indicating that different products are drawn on the same page, such as when multiple product name columns are provided. "Presence or absence of specified features" refers to a description indicating that both products with specified features (structure, shape), such as screw holes, and products without such features exist.

[0190] In determining the identification information, the drawing number is first used.

[0191] Even if the drawing number is the same, if the product name is different, it is a drawing depicting a different product, so the product name will be used as identification information. However, even if the drawing number is the same but the product name column is different, if the page numbers are 1 / 2 and 2 / 2, for example, even if the product names are different, such as the "seat" and "legs" of a chair, they will be determined to be the same product with the same page number notation, because they represent one product, a chair.

[0192] (S19146) The identification information determination unit 334 identifies the extracted words as identification information. This includes descriptions such as "number of pages," "mirror," "multiple product information," and "presence or absence of specified features." In this case, color-coding information may be added to the extracted words depending on the reading confidence (matching degree) calculated in step S19142. The difference in color can alert the user to check words with a low degree of match.

[0193] (S19147) The identification information determination unit 334 identifies a character string near the extracted word as identification information. For example, if the extracted word is "drawing number," the character string indicating the drawing number, such as "SD12," written nearby is identified as identification information. In this case, color-coding information may be added to the extracted word depending on the reading confidence (matching degree) calculated in step S19142. This can alert the user to the need for confirmation. The inventors have found that drawing numbers are often assigned to individual products. Therefore, this is based on the finding that using information related to drawing numbers as identification information is efficient for creating records for each product.

[0194] (S19148) The identification information determination unit 334 determines whether any other words have been extracted, and if so, returns to step S19145 and performs the same process. If no words have been extracted, the process ends. <Record Creation> Figure 23 is a processing flow showing details of the record creation process S192 in Figure 19 executed by the record creation unit 34. The record creation unit 34 receives an image file from the file receiving unit 32 or the image processing unit 33. The record creation unit 34 also receives from the image processing unit 33 each page of the image file, as well as characters and identification information read from each page.

[0195] (S1921) When a drawing file is received by file receiving unit 32 and the image file that has been subjected to image processing by image processing unit 33 is received by record creating unit 34 from image processing unit 33, record creating unit 34 determines whether the image file is made up of multiple pages. If the image file is made up of multiple pages, the process proceeds to step S1925; if it is made up of one page, the process proceeds to step S1922.

[0196] (S1922) If the image file is one page, the record creation unit 34 determines whether multiple products are included and the number of products can be identified based on the identification information of the page. If multiple products are included and the number of products can be identified, the process proceeds to step S1923; if not, the process proceeds to step S1924. For example, if the page contains multiple pieces of identification information, multiple products are drawn in the image, and even if the drawing numbers are the same, if the identification information "mirror" is extracted in the drawing, they are treated as separate products. In this way, if multiple products are drawn in the drawing, the process determines whether the number of products can be identified.

[0197] (S1923) If multiple products are included on one page and the number of products can be identified in step S1922, the record creation unit 34 creates records for the number of products. Specifically, it creates entries (rows) in the record table 630 for the number of products.

[0198] The record creating unit 34 then associates the image files to be processed with the created records. The drawing files associated with the records may be only image files, or may be both image files and CAD files.

[0199] To associate a record with an image file, the record creation unit 34 inputs the value of the folder ID in the record table 630. As a result, the record table 630 stores the relationship between the record ID and the folder ID.

[0200] The folder ID is information that identifies the folder that is the data storage location of the user to whom the folder is assigned. The record creation unit 34 registers the drawing ID in the record ID created in the intermediate table 1 for the record to be processed, and registers a file path including the folder ID for the drawing ID in the drawing table 670, thereby associating and registering the record and the drawing file.

[0201] (S1924) If the image file does not contain multiple products on one page based on the identification information, or if the number of products cannot be determined from the identification information, the record creation unit 34 creates one record corresponding to the page. Specifically, it creates one entry (row) in the record table 630. The record creation unit 34 then associates the image file to be processed with the created record. This association can be performed in the same manner as in step S1923.

[0202] (S1925) If the image file has multiple pages, the record creation unit 34 determines whether identification information has been identified from each of the multiple pages.

[0203] If the identification information can be identified from the target page, the process proceeds to step S1926; if not, the process proceeds to step S1927.

[0204] (S1926) The record creation unit 34 determines whether the identification information identified from each page has common identification information.

[0205] For example, the record creation unit 34, having acquired identification information including the drawing numbers of all pages (10 pages), makes a determination in order starting from page 1. First, if the drawing number of page 1 matches the drawing numbers of other pages (for example, pages 2 and 6), the process proceeds to S1931 (= creating an individual file that integrates pages 1, 2, and 6). If there are pages remaining that have not been determined or integrated (returned from S1935), the record creation unit 34 makes a determination based on the drawing number of page 3. In other words, the record creation unit 34 determines whether a page with the same drawing number as page 3 exists among the remaining pages (i.e., pages 4 to 5, and pages 7 to 10).

[0206] As another example, even if the drawing numbers are different on each page, if part of the character string in the drawing number is common (for example, the "1234" part is common in "1234-100" and "1234-101") and a word indicating the page number is read on each page (for example, "1 / 2" or "2 / 2" indicating the first or second page of a total of two pages), it may also be determined to be the same identification information.

[0207] (S1927) The record creation unit 34 creates individual files, each of which is a single file for each of the multiple pages. In this case, an entry for one file path 672 is added to the drawing table 670 for one drawing ID.

[0208] (S1928) The record creation unit 34 determines whether multiple products are included and the number of products can be identified based on the multiple pieces of identification information in the image of the created individual file. If multiple products are included and the number of products can be identified, the process proceeds to step S1929; if not, the process proceeds to step S1930. This process is similar to step S1922, although the processing target is different.

[0209] (S1929) If multiple products are included and the number of products can be identified in step S1928, record creation unit 34 creates records for the number of products. Specifically, record table 630 creates an entry (row) for each product name.

[0210] The record creating unit 34 then associates the image files to be processed with the created records. This process is similar to step S1923, although the processing target is different.

[0211] (S1930) If the identification information of the image information of the individual file does not include multiple products or the number of products cannot be identified, the record creation unit 34 creates one record and associates the individual file created in step S1927 with the created record. To save the new record created, a new entry is created in the record table 630 and intermediate table 1. The intermediate table 1 stores a drawing ID that identifies the individual file.

[0212] (S1931) If it is determined in step S1926 that multiple pages share a common identification number, the record creation unit 34 creates a single file (individual file) that brings together multiple pages with the same identification information. In this case, multiple file path 672 entries are added to the drawing table 670 for one drawing ID.

[0213] (S1932) When the record creation unit 34 creates individual files from each page having a common drawing number, it determines whether multiple products are included and the number of products can be identified based on the multiple pieces of identification information in the image of the individual file. If multiple products are included and the number of products can be identified, the process proceeds to step S1933; if not, the process proceeds to step S1934. This process is similar to step S1922, although the processing target is different.

[0214] (S1933) The record creation unit 34 creates as many records as there are products, and associates individual files having the same drawing number with the multiple records.

[0215] This association can be achieved by creating entries (record IDs) in the record table 630 for the number of product names, and inputting the same drawing ID into the multiple record IDs created in the intermediate table 1.

[0216] (S1934) If the identification information of the image information of the individual file does not include multiple products or the number of products cannot be specified, the record creation unit 34 creates one new record for the individual file and associates it with the individual file created in step S1931. The association between the record and the individual file is made by adding a new entry to the record table 630. (Record ID) and store the drawing ID in the record ID created in intermediate table 1.

[0217] (S1935) The record creation unit 34 checks whether there are other pages, and if there are, returns to step S1925 and executes the same process, steps S1925-S1933, for the unprocessed pages.

[0218] (S1936) Record creating unit 34 determines whether the received drawing file is CAD data or not. If it is CAD data, the process proceeds to step S1937, and if it is not CAD data, the process proceeds to step S1938.

[0219] (S1937) The record creation unit 34 also associates the CAD data with the created record (the new entry added to the record table). This association can be achieved by adding a column to the drawing table 670 that stores the file path where the CAD file is stored, in addition to the file path 672 that is the storage destination of the image file.

[0220] (S1938) The record creation unit 34 creates a list display screen for the created record table. The list display screen for the record table includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 6C, the record ID, folder ID, drawing number, and product name, as well as a status indicating whether each record is in an estimated state or has been ordered. <Inquiry Transmission / Reception> As with FIG. 4, it is possible to perform inquiry processing for each record shown in FIGS. 15, 17, and 18 for the records created in FIG. 19. <Additional Drawings> FIG. 24 shows the processing flow of the processing unit 11 of the order placement and receipt system 1 when additional drawings are input from the order terminal 2 and transmitted to the order placement and receipt system 1 after record creation S47 in FIG. 4 or after record creation S47 in FIG. 19.

[0221] (S1001) When the processing unit 11 receives a request to add a drawing file from the ordering terminal 2, it determines whether the request contains information specifying an already created record. If no record is specified, the processing unit 11 proceeds to step S1002, and if a record is specified, the processing unit 11 proceeds to step S1007.

[0222] (S1002) If no record is specified, the processing unit 11 performs file reception processing. Note that the details of this processing are the same as step S45 in FIG. 4, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0223] (S1003) The processing unit 11 performs image processing. Note that the details of this processing are the same as those of step S46 in FIG. 4, and therefore will not be described here.

[0224] (S1004) The processing unit 11 determines whether the identification information of the added drawing file as a result of the image processing in step S1003 is identical to the identification information stored in an existing record in the record table 630. If they are identical, the process proceeds to step S1005, and if they are not identical, the process proceeds to step S1006. The determination of whether they are identical in this step can be made in the same way as in step S19143, by determining whether the degree of match exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0225] (S1005) The processing unit 11 overwrites the record of the drawing file of the existing record. Specifically, the drawing number 633, product name 634 in the record table 630, and the drawing ID information in the intermediate table 1 are overwritten, and information on the file path 672 of the additional drawing file is added to a blank row in the drawing table 670. If the additional drawing file (Z2) is to update the already stored drawing file (Z1), the query processing unit 35 generates a query screen that displays that the original drawing (Z1) has been updated.

[0226] (S1006) If the same identification information as the identification information of the added drawing file is not found in any existing record, a new record is added for the added drawing file. Note that the details of this process are the same as step S47 in Fig. 4 or step S47 in Fig. 19, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0227] (S1007, S1008) If the request to add a drawing file specifies which existing record the drawing file is to be added to, the processing unit 11 determines the file type of the added drawing file. That is, it determines whether the added drawing is an image file. This determination is the same as the processing shown in S451 and S452 in FIG. 10, so details will be omitted.

[0228] (S1009) If the result of determination in step S1008 is that the added drawing file is an image file, the image file is added to the specified record and saved. This process is achieved by adding a drawing ID to the specified record in intermediate table 1. If the added drawing file (Z2) is to update an already stored drawing file (Z1), the query processing unit 35 generates a query screen that displays that the original drawing (Z1) has been updated.

[0229] (S1010) If the added drawing file is not an image file but a CAD file that stores CAD data, the processing unit 11 determines whether a CAD file is associated with the specified record. This determination can be made by obtaining the drawing ID for the record ID specified in the intermediate table 1 and checking whether the file path for the drawing ID obtained in the drawing table is a CAD file. If there is an existing CAD file, proceed to step S1011; if there is not, proceed to step S1012.

[0230] (S1011) The processing unit 11 overwrites the content of the CAD file associated with the record with the added CAD file. If the added drawing file (Z2) is to update the already stored drawing file (Z1), the query processing unit 35 generates a query screen that displays that the original drawing (Z1) has been updated.

[0231] (S1012) The processing unit 11 associates the added CAD file with the instructed record. This association is achieved by adding a drawing ID to the record specified in the intermediate table 1 and storing a file path corresponding to the drawing ID in the drawing table. If the added drawing file (Z2) is to update an already stored drawing file (Z1), the query processing unit 35 generates a query screen that displays that the original drawing (Z1) has been updated.

[0232] (S1013) The processing unit 11 checks whether there is an unprocessed additional drawing file, and if there is, the process returns to step S1007, and if there is not, the process ends.

[0233] As described above, according to the ordering system described in this embodiment, even if the drawing file has a different format, it is possible to create a record to be used for ordering from the drawing file.

[0234] In addition, even if a drawing file contains multiple products, a record can be created for each product. Even if an image file obtained from a drawing file contains multiple products on one page, a record can be created for each product.

[0235] Furthermore, if the image file acquired from the drawing file has multiple pages, a record can be created for each page or each product.

[0236] Furthermore, the individual record editing screen makes it easy to reflect words extracted from an image file in record items.

[0237] Furthermore, each record is associated with the drawing file that was the basis for its creation, so that when a record is selected at the time of placing an order, the associated drawing file can be sent to the contractor.

[0238] Furthermore, if any changes or additions are made to drawing files between the time the record is created and the time the order is placed, they can be associated with the corresponding record, and it is possible to check whether the added drawing file is an update to an existing drawing file or a newly added one.

[0239] Furthermore, the words read from the image file are displayed in different colors to indicate how closely they match the reference words in the dictionary, allowing the user to easily check the input items.

[0240] Additionally, you can manage chat rooms for posting inquiries and corrections related to records.

[0241] In addition, by storing the drawing files and chat rooms entered by the client who created the record in a folder assigned to the client, it is easy to view and edit drawing files and chat rooms related to other records by the same client.

[0242] In addition, other users can be invited to the inquiry screen that displays the client's drawing files and chat rooms, making it easier to collaborate with other users.

[0243] Furthermore, other users invited to the chat room can view and edit the chat room and drawing files on the inquiry screen, but are not given ordering authority for the records, which can prevent, for example, developers from placing erroneous orders as other invited users.

[0244] <Drawing Changes> This section explains the processing performed by the order placement and receipt system 1 when changes to drawings or drawing files have occurred since the estimate was made. Generally, when changes to drawings or drawing files are made after the estimate is made, the ordering party may send all drawings and drawing files related to the order to the recipient in one go, which requires the recipient to check whether there are any changes to the drawings or drawing files for each processed product. This makes the confirmation process on the recipient's side extremely time-consuming, and for orders with a fixed delivery date, this places an extremely heavy workload on the recipient. Such cases often occur when minor revisions are made that do not result in a change to the estimated amount. Below, we will explain the processing performed by the order placement and receipt system 1 to solve this problem.

[0245] In the following explanation, it is assumed that a record table 630 (see FIG. 6C) has already been created for each page of an image file or for each product in response to a quotation request.

[0246] Here, the state in which data is entered into each record of record table 630 (FIG. 6C) is shown in FIG. 25. In FIG. 25, for example, row 2501 indicates that the record with record ID R1 has folder ID F1, drawing number ABC1, product name nozzle, and status quotation request.

[0247] 25, multiple records with record IDs R1 to R6 are created and stored in the record table 630. The process when a drawing or drawing file is changed in this state will be described with reference to FIG.

[0248] (S2601) The process shown in Fig. 26 is executed by the processing unit 11 of the order receiving and placing system 1, for example, the inquiry processing unit 35. The display processing unit 352 displays a record screen (see Fig. 7A) based on the record table of Fig. 26, and at least one record is selected from the records included in the record screen displayed by the inquiry processing unit 35. For example, record R1 in Fig. 25 is selected.

[0249] (S2602) The processing unit 11, for example, the record creation unit 34, instructs the display processing unit 352 to create the screen shown in Fig. 27A, and the display processing unit 352 sends the screen data to the ordering terminal 2, thereby displaying screen 2701 on the ordering terminal 2. Then, the ordering terminal 2 inquires of the purchaser whether there are any updated drawings or drawing files on screen 2701. If there are any updates, proceed to step S2603; if there are no updates, end the processing.

[0250] (S2603) If there is an update, the processing unit 11 of the order receiving system 1 sends a screen to the order terminal 2 prompting the input of a drawing file, and when the drawing file is input from the order terminal 2, it is received by the file receiving unit 32. In other words, the file receiving unit 32 of the processing unit 11 accepts the input of additional drawing files in bulk for at least one record selected as the order target. The additional drawing files input in bulk include drawing files that include changes and drawing files that do not include changes. Figure 27B is a screen image when the purchaser inputs drawing files into the order terminal 2. The purchaser inputs drawings including updated drawings and drawing files (for example, all drawings stored in a folder) by dropping the drawing files to be input into the drag area 2704.

[0251] (S2604) When the file receiving unit 32 receives the drawing file, the processing unit 11 (image processing unit 33) identifies identification information from the received drawing file. Note that the process by which the image processing unit 33 identifies identification information from the drawing file has already been explained with reference to, for example, Figures 21 and 22, so details will be omitted.

[0252] (S2605) Processing section 1 1 specifies identification information such as drawing number 633 (see FIG. 6C) corresponding to the record selected by the query processing unit 35 in S2601. In other words, when the query processing unit 35 of the processing unit 11 receives the designation of one of the multiple records, it acquires an image file corresponding to the record and generates an individual record editing screen including a drawing area on the image of the acquired image file in which the words acquired by the image processing unit 33 are highlighted, and an input area for identification information that identifies the product visualized on the image of the acquired image file.

[0253] (S2606) The processing unit 11 (image processing unit 33) identifies a drawing file whose identification information received in S2604 matches (preferably matches completely) the identification information corresponding to the record identified in S2605. That is, the image processing unit 33 identifies, for each record, the drawing file corresponding to that record based on the identification information of each of the multiple products included in the additional drawing file and the identification information of at least one record selected as the order target.

[0254] (S2607) The processing unit 11 (record creation unit 34) associates the selected record with the drawing file identified in S2506 and stores the associated record in the record table 630. As a result, the updated drawing file is stored in association with the record table. In other words, upon receiving the designation of the input area for the word and identification information of the drawing area, the record creation unit 34 associates the designated word with the identification information of the record. The record creation unit 34 updates the database only for records related to drawing files that include changes, and the memory 12 may store only the drawing files that include changes among the additional drawing files that have been input in bulk. This makes it possible to prevent the storage device 13 from becoming overwhelmed with capacity due to an increase in drawing files.

[0255] In the processing flow of Fig. 26, in S2602, the client is inquired as to whether there are any updates to the drawings or drawing files, as shown in Fig. 27A. At this time, as shown in Fig. 28, if the status of the record table is requesting quotation or being estimated, the client may select drawings whose drawing files have been updated from the quotation request.

[0256] Figure 28 is a display screen displayed on the ordering terminal 2 based on information sent from the ordering system 1. As shown in step 1 (2802), the ordering terminal 2 displays the message "Please check the drawings updated from the quotation. Check all drawings." In Figure 28, of the additional drawing files that were accepted for bulk input, drawing Z10 and drawing Z12 have been checked by the purchaser as drawings updated from the quotation request. As shown in step 2 (2803), the message "When you have finished making your selections, click the drawing update button" is displayed. Also, the selected drawing Z12 is displayed large in the center right of the screen. When the drawing update button 2804 is clicked, drawing Z10 and drawing Z12 are confirmed as updated drawing files.

[0257] The determination in step S2602 in Fig. 26 can also be performed automatically using a generation AI. In this case, there is no need to display a screen to ask the purchaser whether there is an update, as in Fig. 27A, or to check the items to be updated by the purchaser, as in Fig. 28.

[0258] When using a generation AI, drawing files (or images) before and after the update that have a degree of similarity above a certain value may be displayed as candidates in a pre-checked state. In this case, the degree of similarity is calculated based on at least one of the drawing number, product name, and drawing.

[0259] Furthermore, by inputting the drawings associated with the record whose drawing contents you want to change in advance, and then inputting all drawing files related to the order including updated drawings from the client in one go, and issuing a prompt saying, "Please tell us the drawings that are most similar to the drawings associated with the record whose drawing contents you want to change stored in the record table," you can easily create a list of drawings that have a high degree of similarity.

[0260] As described above, when changing the contents of a record stored in a record table, even if the drawing file containing the changes is input together with all drawing files related to the order, or if some drawing files including the drawing file containing the changes are input, or even if only the drawing file containing the changes is input, the changes can be reflected in the record, greatly improving the work efficiency of the orderer and the contractor.

[0261] <Input Assistance with Image Processing> Next, another aspect of step S48 in FIG. 4 and individual record editing in FIG. 12 will be described.

[0262] In the processed goods industry, there are cases where a company orders the same or similar processed goods as those previously quoted or ordered. For example, when a previous product undergoes a model change or a new model is introduced, the company may order the same or similar processed goods as those previously quoted or ordered.

[0263] In such cases, the purchaser wants to confirm whether the estimated price is reasonable. To do so, the purchaser needs to check past estimates, but this requires a great deal of effort. For example, searching for estimates for the same or similar processed products and understanding the estimated prices takes time. In particular, if the person in charge of ordering changes, it can be difficult to even determine whether the same or similar processed products have been ordered in the past.

[0264] Therefore, when ordering a certain processed product, if you can refer to the type of processed product, such as the material, surface treatment, and processing method, which have been previously quoted and ordered, you can place the order with the appropriate supplier at the appropriate price.

[0265] Below, we will explain an order-placing system that allows you to easily understand past quotations and order records, easily understand the validity of the contents of new quotations and orders, select an appropriate processing company, and place an order based on an appropriate quotation.

[0266] Figure 13B shows the drawings included in the record created by the individual record editing method already explained. The left side of Figure 13B shows the drawings in the drawing file, and the right side shows the item name, drawing number, quantity, estimated price, etc. read from the drawings.

[0267] Information that can be read from the drawings includes materials, surface treatments, processing methods, etc.

[0268] Figure 29 is a display screen using a function to assist input using image processing, which is created by the processing unit 11 of the order receiving and placing system 1, and is sent to and displayed on the order terminal 2 or the order receiving terminal 3. The left side of Figure 29 displays a drawing in the same way as Figure 13B, and the right side displays classifications (keywords) such as material, surface treatment, processing method, etc. based on information read from the drawing information, instead of the product name, drawing number, etc. of Figure 13.

[0269] To enable the display shown in Fig. 29, various tag tables shown in Fig. 30 are stored in the memory 12 of the order placement and receipt system 1. The various tag tables function as a database in which pairs of keywords related to product features and tags corresponding to the keywords are defined.

[0270] FIG. 30A shows a material tag table 3001. In the material tag table 3001, a dictionary 3002 and an attribute (tag) 3003 are stored in association with each other. The dictionary's S10C, S15C, and S35C correspond to the attribute (tag) "carbon steel." In this way, an attribute (tag) indicates classification information for a processed product and represents a higher-level conception of the corresponding information. A tag can include alert information indicating that a particular processing company cannot manufacture the product (see FIG. 35 3501). For example, by adding alerts such as special paint, a specified Munsell value (paint color specification), heat treatment, and special materials to the tag information, it is possible to easily select a processing company that can handle special processing.

[0271] Fig. 30B shows a surface treatment tag table relating to surface treatment, in which dictionaries and attributes (tags) are stored in association with each other, as in Fig. 30A. For example, chrome plating and nickel plating in the dictionary are associated with the tag “plating.”

[0272] Other tag tables may also be configured for processing methods, etc. For user convenience, it is preferable that tag tables are provided by default within the system. Users may also create pairs of keywords and corresponding tags and add them to the tag table.

[0273] FIG. 31 shows a processing flow executed by the processing unit 11 of the order placement and receipt system 1.

[0274] (S3101) First, at least one record stored in record table 630 is selected on the record screen (see FIG. 7A).

[0275] (S3102) The processing unit 11 (file receiving unit 32) of the order receiving system 1 receives the drawing file.

[0276] (S3103) The image processing unit 33 of the processing unit 11 acquires text information about the processed product described in the image from the received drawing file. Here, when the query processing unit 35 receives the designation of one of the multiple records, it acquires the image file corresponding to the record and generates an individual record editing screen including a drawing area on the image of the acquired image file in which the words acquired by the image processing unit 33 are highlighted, and an input area for identification information that identifies the product depicted in the image of the acquired image file. Details of record editing screen generation are described in Figures 11 and 12.

[0277] (S3104) The processing unit 11 compares the character information acquired from the drawing file with the characters stored in the dictionary column of the tag table, and if there is a match, the process proceeds to step S3105; if not, the process ends.

[0278] (S3105) The record creating unit 34 of the processing unit 11 stores the attribute (tag) corresponding to the dictionary with matching character information in the record table in association with the record selected in step S3101.

[0279] Figure 32 shows a simplified record table. Attributes (tags) associated with record IDs by the process in Figure 31 are stored in association with each other. For example, in row 3204, "welding" is associated as a tag with record ID R1.

[0280] Fig. 33 shows a record table 3300 in which information about manufacturers obtained from images in drawing files is associated with each record in the record table. A manufacturer tag table relating to manufacturers may be stored in advance in the memory 12 as one of the various tag tables shown in Fig. 30, and a manufacturer tag may be assigned to each record using a dictionary.

[0281] Fig. 34 shows a screen 3400 for searching for past estimates and order records by tags such as material and surface treatment from records with various tags attached, and is a screen created by the processing unit 11 of the order placement and receipt system 1 based on a record table with associated tags, and displayed on the order terminal 2 and the order receiving terminal 3. In Fig. 34, stainless steel is selected as the material, plating as the surface treatment, lathe (round object) as processing method 1, and heat treatment as processing method 2, and records corresponding to these are searched for.

[0282] The input assistance function of the image processing described above allows the purchaser to check whether the estimated price is reasonable when re-ordering a processed product that is the same or similar to a product previously estimated or ordered. It also makes it easy to check past estimated prices. For example, even if the person in charge of ordering changes, it is easy to refer to past results for the same or similar products.

[0283] Furthermore, when ordering a certain processed product, if the type of processed product, such as the material, surface treatment, and processing method, that have been previously estimated and ordered, can be referenced, the order can be placed with the appropriate supplier.

[0284] In addition to the effects described above, the configuration of the ordering system described in this embodiment has various other effects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0285] 1: Ordering system, 2: Orderer terminal, 3: Supplier terminal, 4: Network, 11: CPU (processing unit), 12: Memory, 13: Storage device, 14: I / O device, 15: NW I / F, 16: Bus, 21: Record creation unit, 22: Order acceptance unit, 23: Storage unit, 24: Reading unit, 25: File receiving unit.

Claims

1. An order placement and receipt system that accepts product orders from users, a file receiving unit that receives a drawing file containing a product drawing and acquires an image file; a record creation unit that creates an order record based on the image file; a database capable of storing a plurality of records created by the record creating unit and a storage unit for storing the image file acquired by the file receiving unit; an image processing unit that reads words from the image file; a query processing unit that, when receiving a designation of one of a plurality of records, generates an individual record editing screen including a drawing area in which words read by the image processing unit from the image file corresponding to the designated record are highlighted, and an input area for identification information that identifies a product depicted in the image file; Equipped with When the designation of the input area of ​​the word and the identification information of the drawing area is accepted, the record creation unit associates the designated word with the identification information of the record. Ordering system.

2. 2. The ordering system according to claim 1, One image file acquired by the file receiving unit includes multiple pages, The record creation unit Generate individual image files for each page of multiple pages, and create records. The inquiry processing unit The individual image file corresponding to the designated record is displayed in the drawing area of ​​the individual record editing screen. Ordering system.

3. 3. The ordering system according to claim 2, When the query processing unit receives a masking instruction for a word in the drawing area, the query processing unit performs a masking operation on the word. Ordering system.

4. In the ordering system according to claim 3, The inquiry processing unit Generate a masked image file of the individual record editing screen including the drawing area of ​​the masked word; The record creation unit storing the masked image file in the storage unit in association with a corresponding record; The inquiry processing unit Using the masked image file, an order request is sent to the order recipient terminal. Ordering system.

5. 2. The ordering system according to claim 1, It has a display unit, the storage unit stores a plurality of reference words associated with any of the input areas; The inquiry processing unit When the designation of the input area is accepted, a word associated with the input area is selected from the plurality of reference words, and a character string adjacent to the selected word is highlighted on the display unit. Ordering system.

6. 2. The ordering system according to claim 1, The inquiry processing unit Create a chat room about the product, The record creation unit The chat room and the image file stored in the storage unit are associated with each other for the record, and the associated image file is stored in the storage unit; The inquiry processing unit Generate an inquiry screen that displays the image file and the chat room corresponding to the chat room and the image file associated with the record. Ordering system.

7. 7. The ordering system according to claim 6, The inquiry processing unit When a word is designated in the drawing area of ​​the individual record editing screen, a mask process is executed on the word; The image file that has been subjected to the masking process is displayed on the inquiry screen. Ordering system.

8. 8. The ordering system according to claim 7, The inquiry processing unit highlighting words read from the image file by the image processing unit for the image file displayed on the inquiry screen; When the designation of a word is accepted in the image file displayed on the inquiry screen, the designated word is reflected in the message input field of the chat room. Ordering system.

9. 3. The ordering system according to claim 2, The image processing unit If one drawing file received by the file receiving unit is a CAD file, convert the CAD file into an image file; The record creation unit creating an individual file for each page of the image file; Associating the individual file with each of the records Ordering system.

10. 5. The ordering system according to claim 4, The record creation unit When an instruction to merge multiple records is received, the specified multiple records are merged into one record. Ordering system.

11. 6. The ordering system according to claim 5, The record creation unit an image file corresponding to each record of the database stored in the storage unit is associated with the record and stored in the storage unit; The display unit displays the associated image file in association with one of the plurality of records. Ordering system.

12. 2. The ordering system according to claim 1, The image processing unit The image file is read using an OCR function, and the read information is stored in the record. Ordering system.

13. 2. The ordering system according to claim 1, the storage unit stores a database in which pairs of keywords related to product features and tags corresponding to the keywords are defined; The image processing unit acquires text information about the product from the received drawing file, and compares the text information with the database. When it is determined that a keyword corresponding to the character information exists in the database, the record creation unit creates a record associated with the corresponding tag. Ordering system.

14. The ordering system according to claim 13, The tag indicates product classification information and is information that supersedes the corresponding keyword. Ordering system.

15. 2. The ordering system according to claim 1, The image processing unit acquires text information about the product from the received drawing file, the record creation unit associates the character information acquired from the drawing file corresponding to each record with the character information and stores the character information in the database; The order placement and receipt system further includes a search unit that executes a search for the character information stored in the database using a keyword received from a user. Ordering system.

16. An order placement and receipt system that accepts product orders from users, a file receiving unit that receives a drawing file containing a product drawing and acquires an image file; a record creation unit that creates an order record based on the image file; a database capable of storing a plurality of records created by the record creating unit and a storage unit for storing the image file acquired by the file receiving unit; an image processing unit that reads words from the image file; Equipped with the storage unit stores a database in which pairs of keywords related to product features and tags corresponding to the keywords are defined; The image processing unit acquires text information about the product from the received drawing file, and compares the text information with the database. When it is determined that a keyword corresponding to the character information exists in the database, the record creation unit creates a record associated with the corresponding tag. Ordering system.

17. An order placement and receipt system that accepts product orders from users, a file receiving unit that receives a drawing file containing a product drawing and acquires an image file; a record creation unit that creates an order record based on the image file; a database capable of storing a plurality of records created by the record creating unit and a storage unit for storing the image file acquired by the file receiving unit; an image processing unit that reads words from the image file; Equipped with The image processing unit acquires text information about the product from the received drawing file, the record creation unit associates the character information acquired from the drawing file corresponding to each record with the character information and stores the character information in the database; The order placement and receipt system further includes a search unit that executes a search for the character information stored in the database using a keyword received from a user. Ordering system.

Images