Relationship diagram creation system, relationship diagram creation method, and program

Abstract

To improve convenience when creating a relationship diagram showing relationships between people. [Solution] A relationship diagram creation system for creating a relationship diagram between people includes a display control unit that displays multiple objects on a screen that can be selected by user operation, and when the display control unit receives an operation to superimpose a second node object representing a second person on a first node object representing a first person on the screen, it displays a first list containing candidates that can be selected as the relationship between the first person and the second person.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a relationship diagram creation system, a relationship diagram creation method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, community support services have increasingly utilized systems for rapid information sharing between organizations. Community support services must address a wide range of needs and situations, including child support, maternal and child health, domestic violence (DV), sexual violence, delinquency and crime, developmental disabilities, elderly welfare, and welfare for people with disabilities. Consequently, the information handled is diverse. Such systems are required to utilize not only the personal information of the individuals receiving support, but also various information about their surrounding environments. Information about a person's family structure and their relationships with others in their surroundings can also be useful.

[0003] When understanding a person's family relationships and surrounding environment, the convenience and visibility of the information can be improved by using textual information and illustrating the relationships between people. In this case, it is conceivable to create a relationship diagram that shows information such as relationships between people in organizations to which the person belongs, such as schools and local communities, in addition to family register relationships such as family structure. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for easily creating a person's family tree. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6786066 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Creating a relationship diagram based on the relationships between people using collected information is useful, but it is time-consuming. Focusing on a certain person, the number of people around them and their relationships are diverse, making creating that relationship diagram a heavy burden on the worker. Meanwhile, in the field of support activities for child abuse, etc., there is a need to reduce the amount of work involved in clerical tasks such as data entry as much as possible in order to prioritize care for the target person. In such cases, there is a demand for a system that can easily create relationship diagrams while reducing the workload of workers in the field as much as possible, not just family trees like those in Patent Document 1. Furthermore, when various workers share information, there is a demand for improved operability to easily modify and update the created relationship diagrams.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to improve the convenience when creating a relationship diagram showing the relationships between people. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention has the following configuration: A relationship diagram creation system for creating a relationship diagram between people, comprising: a display control unit that displays a plurality of objects on a screen so that the objects can be selected by a user operation; When the display control unit receives an operation to superimpose a second node object representing a second person on a first node object representing a first person on the screen, it displays a first list including selectable candidates for the relationship between the first person and the second person.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention has the following configuration: A relationship diagram creation method for creating a relationship diagram between people, comprising: displaying a plurality of objects on a screen on a display unit so that the objects can be selected by a user operation; When an operation to superimpose a second node object representing a second person on a first node object representing a first person is received on the screen, a first list including candidates for selectable relationships between the first person and the second person is displayed.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention has the following configuration: a program comprising: On the computer, displaying a plurality of objects on a screen on a display unit so that the objects can be selected by a user operation; When an operation to superimpose a second node object representing a second person on a first node object representing a first person is received on the screen, a first list including candidates for selectable relationships between the first person and the second person is displayed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the convenience when creating a relationship diagram showing the relationships between people. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a business support system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a server terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a user terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an example showing a configuration example of a UI screen according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is an example showing a configuration example of a UI screen according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6A] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an operation on a UI screen according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6B] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an operation on a UI screen according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6C]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an operation on a UI screen according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7A] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an operation on a UI screen according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7B] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an operation on a UI screen according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7C] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an operation on a UI screen according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an example showing a configuration example of a UI screen according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is an example showing a configuration example of a UI screen according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a table illustrating an example of a database configuration according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] A flowchart showing a process according to a first embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are merely examples for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in each embodiment are necessarily essential configurations for solving the problems of the present invention. Furthermore, in each drawing, the same components are assigned the same reference numerals to indicate their correspondence. Note that, to avoid unnecessary redundancy and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art, some of the description may be omitted or simplified. For example, detailed descriptions of already well-known matters or redundant descriptions of substantially identical configurations may be omitted.

[0013] First Embodiment [System Configuration] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a business support system (information processing system) according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The business support system may, for example, be a system whose primary function is to support communication with users and decision-making. It may enable the input, viewing, and sharing of records both inside and outside a child consultation center, enable chat communication between staff, register and share photos of children, and perform simulations of past temporary care trends. While a child consultation center is used as an example of an institution to which the system can be applied, the system is not limited to this. The system may be applied to or configured to link with systems of institutions such as municipal offices, maternal and child health centers, schools, kindergartens, daycare centers, medical institutions, police, prosecutors, fire departments, child welfare organizations, and non-profit organizations (NPOs). The business support system 1 also operates as a relationship diagram creation system that provides functions based on the relationship diagram creation method described below. The business support system 1 includes a server device 100, multiple user terminals 200, and a linkage system 300. Each device constituting the business support system 1 is configured to communicate via a network NW.

[0014] The server device 100 is a device for providing various functions provided by the business support system 1 to the user terminals 200. The server device 100 provides applications for supporting business efficiency improvement to each of the user terminals 200 and manages information registered via each of the user terminals 200. Note that some or all of the functions described below may be provided by the user terminals 200 or by a linkage system 300 that can link via a network NW. The server device 100 may be configured on-premise using a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, one server device 100 is illustrated as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Multiple server devices 100 may be used, and servers with different roles, such as an authentication server and a database server, may also be included.

[0015] The user terminal 200 is an operation terminal used by users such as staff of a child consultation center. The user terminal 200 may be configured, for example, by an information processing device such as a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or a POS terminal. The user terminal 200 provides users with web services provided by the server device 100 and the functions of applications installed and running on the user terminal 200. In the example of FIG. 1, two user terminals 200a and 200b are shown, but more user terminals may be used. The configurations of the multiple user terminals 200 may be different from each other or may be the same. Furthermore, the available functions may differ depending on the role and authority of the user using the user terminal 200. For convenience, the user terminals will be collectively described as the user terminal 200. Note that when it is necessary to explain each individual user terminal separately, suffixes (a, b, ...) will be added.

[0016] The linkage system 300 is an external system that functions in cooperation with the server device 100 via a network NW. The linkage system 300 may be configured, for example, as a child consultation record system, and its primary functions may be recording child consultations and issuing administrative documents. The child consultation record system performs tasks such as issuing child ID numbers and reception numbers related to children, issuing consultation tickets and temporary protection decision notices, managing family information and fees linked to administrative information, and managing the progress of procedures. The configuration of the linkage system 300 is not particularly limited, and it may be configured to provide, for example, various functions related to business support. While only one linkage system 300 is shown, this configuration is not limited, and the linkage system 300 may be configured with one or more devices depending on the functions and services.

[0017] The network NW is configured by the Internet, an intranet, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), etc. Note that there are no particular limitations on the communication standards or wired / wireless nature of the network NW, and the network NW may be configured by combining multiple communication standards.

[0018] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server device 100 according to this embodiment. The server device 100 includes a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, and a storage unit 130. These units are configured to be able to communicate with each other via an internal bus or the like.

[0019] The control unit 110 controls the operation of the server device 100. The control unit 110 is configured with, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and provides various functions by reading and executing various programs and data stored in the storage unit 130. The control unit 110 functions as a data management unit 111, a display control unit 112, and a communication control unit 113.

[0020] The data management unit 111 manages various data in cooperation with the storage unit 130, and provides, registers, updates, etc. data in response to requests. The display control unit 112 controls the display of a UI (User Interface) screen displayed on the user terminal 200 based on user operations performed via the user terminal 200. An example of the configuration of the UI screen will be described later. The communication control unit 113 controls communication with external devices (e.g., the user terminal 200 and the linked system 300) and transmits and receives data.

[0021] The communication unit 120 is a communication interface for communicating with external devices via the network NW. The communication unit 120 may be configured to be compatible with a plurality of communication standards depending on the configuration of the network NW.

[0022] The storage unit 130 is a storage device for storing programs, data, etc. for executing various control processes and functions within the control unit 110. The storage unit 130 is composed of volatile / non-volatile storage devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and flash memory. The storage unit 130 includes a database (hereinafter referred to as DB) for managing data corresponding to the functions described below.

[0023] The family group DB 131 manages information related to family groups according to this embodiment. The person DB 132 manages information on various people, including people who are support targets. The object DB 133 manages information on various objects that make up the relationship diagram according to this embodiment. Specific examples of information managed in each DB will be described later with reference to FIG. 10.

[0024] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a user terminal 200 according to this embodiment. The user terminal 200 includes a control unit 210, a storage unit 220, a communication unit 230, an operation unit 240, a display unit 250, and an external IF (Interface) 260.

[0025] The control unit 210 controls the operation of the user terminal 200. The control unit 210 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and provides various functions by reading and executing various programs and data stored in the storage unit 220.

[0026] The storage unit 220 is a storage device for storing programs, data, etc. for executing various control processes and functions of the control unit 210. The storage unit 220 is configured from volatile / non-volatile storage devices such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and a flash memory.

[0027] The communication unit 230 is a communication interface for communicating with external devices via the network NW. The communication unit 230 may be configured to be compatible with a plurality of communication standards depending on the configuration of the network NW.

[0028] The operation unit 240 is an interface for receiving operations from the user of the user terminal 200. The operation unit 240 may be composed of a mouse, a keyboard, etc. The display unit 250 is an interface for displaying various screens and is composed of a display, etc. A touch panel display integrating the operation unit 240 and the display unit 250 may be used. The external IF 260 is an interface for connecting to various devices, and may be, for example, a connection interface with an imaging unit (not shown) for capturing images, sensors for acquiring predetermined information, etc.

[0029] [Family Group] The business support system 1 according to this embodiment provides a function for managing information about a person's family structure and surrounding people and creating a relationship diagram. Here, when creating one relationship diagram, the relationship diagram includes multiple people. A group consisting of such multiple people is called a "family group." In other words, there is a one-to-one relationship between the relationship diagram and the family group. Here, the family group is not limited to multiple people related by blood, but also includes people with broader relationships. Multiple relationship diagrams can be created by creating different family groups. Furthermore, by setting the same person to belong to different family groups, it is possible to create relationship diagrams for the same person in each family group with different relationships.

[0030] [UI screen] An example of the configuration of a UI screen for creating a relationship diagram according to this embodiment will be described. The UI screen is displayed, for example, on the display unit 250 of the user terminal 200 and is operated by the user. In this embodiment, the UI screen is displayed by cooperation between the user terminal 200 and the server device 100.

[0031] 4 and 5 are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of a UI screen 400 according to this embodiment. Tabs 410 and 450 are provided on the UI screen 400. When tab 410 is selected as shown in FIG. 4, a screen for registering basic information about the family group is displayed. When tab 450 is selected as shown in FIG. 5, a screen for creating a relationship diagram for the family group is displayed. Note that the types of tabs provided on the UI screen 400 are not limited to these, and more may be added depending on other functions, screen configurations, etc.

[0032] 4, when tab 410 is selected, the user can register basic information about the family group. In this embodiment, UI screen 400 is configured to include a setting field 411 for the family group name, a setting field 412 for the reading (furigana) of the family group, a setting field 413 for the family group description, a list 420 of family members who make up the family group, and a list 430 of related members who make up the family group.

[0033] The list 420 displays information about registered family members in a list format and is configured to allow each piece of information to be set and edited. When an entity 426 for adding a family member is selected, for example, a list (not shown) of people who are separately registered and can be set as family members in the family group is displayed. When the user selects a person from the list, the person is displayed in the list 420. Information (such as personal information) about already registered people may be registered and managed in the server device 100 or may be acquired from the linkage system 300. Alternatively, even if a person is not registered in the server device 100, new information about the person may be registered on the UI screen 400. For example, people who are blood relatives may be registered as family members.

[0034] List 420 shows the name 421 of each family member and various parameter settings. In this example, four parameter settings are shown: parameter A 422, parameter B 423, parameter C 424, and parameter D 425. The settings can be changed using check boxes. The number and types of parameter settings are not particularly limited, but may include, for example, whether or not the family member is "living together," whether or not the family member is "receiving social security benefits," whether or not the family member is "receiving child support benefits," whether or not the family member is "receiving special child support benefits," etc. Additionally, configurable parameters may be added or changed depending on the content of support services, such as domestic violence, sexual violence, delinquency and crime, developmental disabilities, elderly welfare, and welfare for the disabled. Furthermore, the format is not limited to check boxes; a list format may also be used, allowing selection from multiple values. Pressing the "x" button in list 420 allows the corresponding family member to be deleted.

[0035] The list 430 displays information about registered related party members in a list format, and is configured so that each piece of information can be set and edited. When an entity 437 for adding a related party member is selected, for example, a list (not shown) of people who are separately registered and can be set as related party members for the family group is displayed. When the user selects a person from the list, the person is displayed in the list 320. Information (such as personal information) about already registered people may be registered and managed in the server device 100 or may be acquired from the linkage system 300. Alternatively, even if a person is not registered on the server device 100 side, new information about the person may be registered on the UI screen 400. People who are related to the server device 100 by means other than blood ties, such as in the living environment, may be registered as related party members.

[0036] List 430 shows the name 431 of each related member and various parameter settings. In this example, four parameter settings are shown: parameter E 432, parameter F 433, parameter G 434, and parameter H 435, and the settings can be changed using check boxes. The number and types of parameter settings are not particularly limited, and may be the same as or different from the parameter settings shown in list 420. By pressing the "x" button in list 430, the corresponding related member can be deleted.

[0037] The creation of a family group is not limited to creating a new one, but may be configured to retrieve information about an already created family group and add or modify it. In this case, for example, the information about the family group name may be used to retrieve information about the existing family group.

[0038] 5, when tab 450 is selected, the user can create a relationship diagram for the family group. In this embodiment, UI screen 400 is configured to include field 460 for creating the relationship diagram and field 470 for displaying information about each member registered in the family group.

[0039] In the initial state before the relationship diagram is created, objects representing each member registered in the family group are placed in field 460. For convenience, these objects are also referred to as "node objects." Here, it is assumed that four people are registered as family members, and four corresponding node objects 461, 462, 463, and 464 are displayed. Similarly, it is assumed that two people are registered as related party members, and two corresponding node objects 465 and 466 are displayed.

[0040] The display format of each node object is not particularly limited, and the display mode (color, icon, size, shape, etc.) may be changed according to attribute information such as gender and age. Furthermore, attribute information such as age and name may be displayed in addition to an icon within a node object. These display modes may be switchable by the user at will.

[0041] Field 470 displays information about the family group for which a relationship diagram is to be created. Here, family group name 471, registered family member information 472, and registered related member information 473 are displayed. Note that, although names are displayed here as information about each member, this is not limiting and further attribute information may also be displayed. In order to improve the visibility of each piece of information on UI screen 400, it is preferable that the correspondence between each node object displayed in field 460 and the information about each member displayed in field 470 be displayed so as to be clear.

[0042] [Example] Next, an example of an operation when creating a relationship diagram according to this embodiment will be described. The relationship diagram is created in field 460 of UI screen 400 shown in Fig. 5. An example will be shown using Figs. 6A to 6C, 7A to 7C, and 8.

[0043] 6A to 6C show the flow for creating a relationship diagram showing the relationship between two node objects. Four node objects 601 to 604 are displayed as family members in a field 600. The field 600 corresponds to the field 460 on the UI screen 400 in FIG. 5.

[0044] First, as shown in FIG. 6A, it is assumed that a node object 601 is placed at an arbitrary position in a field 600, and that an operation is being performed to move a node object 602 so that the node object 601 is superimposed on the node object 602. A cursor 605 indicates that the node object 602 is being moved by a dragging operation or the like by the user. At this time, the display mode of the node object 601 changes to indicate that it is superimposed on another object (the node object 602 in this example). In this example, the frame of the node object 601 is highlighted, but this is not limiting and other display modes such as blinking may also be used. Furthermore, the display mode of the moving side (the node object 602 in this example) may also be changed.

[0045] When two node objects are overlapped and the overlap state is confirmed, for example, by a drop operation, a list 610 for setting the relationship between the two node objects is displayed, as shown in FIG. 6B . The list 610 displays available options for the relationship between the two node objects. In this example, a marital relationship 611 and a parent-child relationship 612 are displayed as selectable relationships. The marital relationship 611 includes more detailed options: “married,” “common-law marriage,” and “divorced.” The parent-child relationship 612 includes a more detailed option: “single parent.” After selecting one of the relationships and pressing the confirm button 614, the two node objects are connected by an edge object representing the selected relationship. For convenience, an object for connecting node objects is also referred to as an “edge object.” Pressing the cancel button 613 cancels the operation. In this case, the list 610 may be hidden, and the node object 602 may be returned to its original position before being moved.

[0046] The items displayed as options in list 610 are identified based on the attribute information of the people associated with the two objects. The attribute information used here may include gender, age, family / associates, etc. Selectable relationships may be predefined based on combinations of these or predetermined conditions.

[0047] 6C shows an example of a relationship diagram generated by selecting "marriage" in marital relationship 611 and pressing enter button 614 in the state of FIG. 6B. In this example, node object 601 and node object 602 are connected by edge object 606 indicating "marriage." Note that the position of node object 602 moved during the superimposition operation may be adjusted based on the position of other objects (for example, node object 601).

[0048] 7A to 7C show the behavior when another node object 603 is superimposed on the edge object 606 in the state shown in FIG. 6C. In this example, it is assumed that an operation is being performed to move the node object 603 so as to superimpose it on the edge object 606 that has already been created. At this time, the display mode of the edge object 606 changes to indicate that it is superimposed on another object (the node object 603 in this example). In this example, the edge object 606 is displayed as a thick line, but this is not limiting and the display mode may be blinking or the like.

[0049] When a node object is overlaid on an edge object and the overlay state is confirmed, for example, by a drop operation, a list 620 for setting the relationship between the two node objects connected by the edge object and the overlaid node object is displayed, as shown in FIG. 7B . The list 620 displays options for the relationship between the three node objects. In this example, a parent-child relationship 621 is displayed as a selectable relationship. The parent-child relationship 621 further displays options for “two children,” “two children (custody: A),” and “two children (custody: B).” Here, “two people” refers to the people corresponding to the node objects 601 and 602 already connected by the edge object 606, and are shown as “A” and “B” for convenience. After selecting one of the relationships, pressing the confirm button 623 connects the three node objects according to the selected relationship. Pressing the cancel button 622 cancels the operation. In this case, the list 620 may be hidden, and the node object 603 may be controlled to return to the position before it was moved.

[0050] The items displayed as options in the list 620 are identified based on the attribute information of the person associated with the three node objects and the relationship indicated by one edge object 606. The attribute information used here may be gender, age, family / associates, etc. Selectable relationships may be predefined based on combinations of these or predetermined conditions.

[0051] 7C shows an example of a relationship diagram generated by, for example, selecting "Two Children" in parent-child relationship 621 in the state of FIG. 7B and pressing enter button 623. In this example, node object 601 and node object 602 are connected by edge object 606 indicating "marriage." Furthermore, node object 607 indicating that node object 601 and node object 602 are in a parent-child relationship with node object 603 is added and connected. Note that the position of node object 603 moved during the superimposition operation may be adjusted based on the positions of other objects (for example, node object 601 and node object 602).

[0052] 8 shows the behavior when the edge object 606 is designated by a tap operation or the like in the state shown in FIG. 7C. At this time, the display mode of the designated edge object 606 changes to indicate that it has been designated. In this example, the edge object 606 is displayed as a thick line, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0053] When an edge object is specified, a list 630 for setting the relationship between the two node objects is displayed, as shown in FIG. 8 . The list 630 displays possible options for the relationship between the two node objects. In this example, a marital relationship 631 and a parent-child relationship 632 are displayed as selectable relationships. The marital relationship 631 includes more detailed options: "married," "common-law marriage," and "divorced." The parent-child relationship 632 includes a more detailed option: "single parent." After selecting one of the relationships, pressing the confirm button 635 connects the two node objects in the selected relationship. Pressing the cancel button 633 cancels the operation. In this case, the list 610 may be hidden, and the node object 602 may be returned to its original position before being moved. Pressing the delete button 634 deletes the specified edge object 606.

[0054] The items displayed as options in list 630 are identified based on the attribute information of the people associated with the two objects. The attribute information used here may be gender, age, family members / related members, etc. Selectable relationships may be predefined based on combinations of these or predetermined conditions. Furthermore, if another node object (node ​​object 603 in this example) is connected as shown in FIG. 8, options may be presented taking into account its attribute information and relationship.

[0055] Furthermore, when an edge object is deleted, the configuration of the edge objects may be switched taking into consideration other relationships between the node objects. For example, as shown in Fig. 7C, when a command is issued to delete edge object 606 in a state where node edges 601, 602, and 603 are connected, a new edge object indicating the relationship between node object 601 and node object 603 and a new edge object indicating the relationship between node object 602 and node object 603 may be created. Alternatively, the edge object indicating the relationship between node object 601 and node object 603 and the edge object indicating the relationship between node object 602 and node object 603 may also be deleted together.

[0056] [Example of relationship diagram] 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a UI screen 400 including the generated relationship diagram. In the UI screen 400 shown in FIG. 9, a field 480 is displayed instead of the field 470 shown in FIG. 4. Note that the fields 470 and 480 may be configured to be switchable by a user operation, or the information in each field may be displayed together in a single field. The field 480 includes an explanation 481 of the relationship indicated by the edge objects connecting each node object, a display legend 482 for the node object, a button 483 for specifying the range of cohabiting family members, and a button 484 for adding tags.

[0057] Description 481 shows an example of a display mode indicating a relationship. Here, three examples, "Married," "Divorced," and "Common-Law," are shown, but the present invention is not limited to these. Display legend 482 shows an example of information displayed in a node object corresponding to each person. As described above, the information displayed in a node object may be set arbitrarily. For example, the information shown in display legend 482 may be set to be displayed when the mouse is placed over the node object.

[0058] When button 483 is pressed, it becomes possible to specify a range in field 460 freehand or using a predetermined shape (such as a rectangle). When a range is specified by the user in this state, the range is set as the range in which the members included in the range coexist. For example, range 467 indicates the range in which the members coexist. Note that the configuration may be such that the placement of each object is adjusted according to the specified range. Furthermore, when a range is specified freehand, the handwritten lines may be converted to form a shape. The content of the freehand input may be identified, for example, by image recognition or the like.

[0059] When button 484 is pressed, it becomes possible to add a tag to any node object placed in field 460. Any string information or setting can be included in the tag. For example, icon 468 indicates that a tag has been added to node object 464. By specifying icon 468, various pieces of information registered as tags are displayed.

[0060] In the example of the relationship diagram in Figure 9, the following relationships are shown: The person represented by the node object 461 and the person represented by the node object 465 are divorced. The child of the person indicated by the node object 461 and the person indicated by the node object 465 is the person indicated by the node object 463 . The parental authority of the person indicated by the node object 463 is held by the person indicated by the node object 461 . The person represented by node object 462 and the person represented by node object 466 are divorced. The child of the person indicated by the node object 462 and the person indicated by the node object 466 is the person indicated by the node object 464 . The parental authority of the person indicated by the node object 464 is held by the person indicated by the node object 462 . The person indicated by the node object 461 and the person indicated by the node object 462 are in a common-law marriage. The person indicated by the node object 461, the person indicated by the node object 462, the person indicated by the node object 463, and the person indicated by the node object 464 live together.

[0061] [Data configuration example] 10 is a table diagram showing an example of the configuration of a DB that manages various data according to this embodiment. Note that the table configuration shown here is just an example, and for example, one table may be divided into multiple tables, or multiple tables may be combined into one table. Furthermore, other information items may be included.

[0062] 10(a) shows an example of the configuration of a management table 1001 that manages information about family groups. The management table 1001 is managed, for example, in the family group DB 131 of the server device 100. The management table 1001 manages the following items in association with each other: a group ID, which is identification information that uniquely identifies a family group, a family group name, a pronunciation of the family group name, and a description of the family group name. The group ID may be assigned by the business support system 1 in a predetermined format. Other information corresponds to information entered using the setting fields 411, 412, and 413 of the UI screen 400 shown in FIG. 4.

[0063] FIG. 10(b) shows an example of the configuration of a management table 1002 that manages person information. The management table 1002 is managed, for example, in the person DB 132 of the server device 100. The management table 1002 is configured by associating items such as a person ID, which is identification information that uniquely identifies a person, name, gender, date of birth (including year of death), various parameters, the family group to which the person belongs, and relationships. The person ID may be assigned based on a predetermined format on the business support system 1 side, or other identification information such as a personal number may be used. The name, gender, and date of birth may refer to information registered and managed as personal information. The various parameters, family groups, and relationships correspond to the parameter setting information and member registration items of the list 420 and list 430 on the UI screen 400 shown in FIG. 4.

[0064] 10(c) shows an example of the configuration of a management table 1003 that manages information about each object defined as a result of generating a relationship diagram. The management table 1003 is managed, for example, in the object DB 133 of the server device 100. The management table 1003 is configured by associating items such as an object ID, which is identification information that uniquely identifies an object in the relationship diagram, an object type, a connecting object that indicates a connected object, the presence or absence of a tag, tag information, a corresponding group that indicates a family group registered as a member, a corresponding person that indicates a corresponding person, and a relationship.

[0065] The object type is set to "node" (i.e., node object) or "edge" (i.e., edge object). The connection object indicates the object ID of another object to be connected. If the object type is a node object, the object ID of one edge object is indicated, and if the object type is an edge object, two node objects are indicated. The presence or absence of a tag indicates whether a tag is set for the node object. Tags may be set only for node objects, or may also be set for edge objects. Tag information indicates string information, etc., contained in the tag. The relationship indicates the relationship between two connected node objects in the node object. In this example, relationship settings include "marriage," "divorce," and "common-law marriage."

[0066] [Processing flow] 11 is a flowchart of a display control process on the UI screen 400 when creating a relationship diagram according to this embodiment. This process flow is realized, for example, by the control unit 110 of the server device 100 reading and executing programs and various data stored in the storage unit 130. The UI screen 400 is displayed on the display unit 250 of the user terminal 200, and user operations are accepted via the UI screen 400, and instructions are sent to the server device 100. Here, for ease of explanation, the processing entity is described as the server device 100. As described above, depending on the system configuration, some or all of the operations may be performed on the user terminal 200 side, in which case the entity responsible for each processing step in this flowchart may also change.

[0067] Before this processing flow starts, various information about each person is registered and configured to be accessible by the server device 100. Also, basic information about family groups is registered via the UI screen 400 shown in Fig. 4. In other words, the server device 100 is configured to be able to access various information shown in Fig. 10.

[0068] In step S1101, the server device 100 receives an instruction to create a relationship diagram. Specifically, the instruction to create a relationship diagram may be issued when the tab 450 on the UI screen 400 is specified by a user operation.

[0069] In step S1102, the server device 100 acquires family group information for which a relationship diagram is to be created. The family group information here includes information registered by specifying the tab 410 on the UI screen 400 through a user operation and information associated with this.

[0070] In step S1103, the server device 100 displays each object in the field 460 of the UI screen 400 based on the family group information acquired in step S1102. If a relationship diagram has not been created, the server device 100 arranges node objects corresponding to each member as shown in Fig. 5. If a relationship diagram corresponding to the family group has already been created, the server device 100 displays the created relationship diagram as shown in Fig. 9.

[0071] In step S1104, the server device 100 determines whether or not a superimposition operation between objects has been accepted. The superimposition operation here corresponds to, for example, the operation shown in FIG. 6A or 7A. Note that if the objects are superimposed and the operation has not been confirmed, the server device 100 changes the display mode of the lower object, as shown in FIG. 6A or 7A. Thereafter, when the superimposition between the objects is confirmed by a drop operation or the like, the server device 100 determines that the superimposition operation has been accepted. If the superimposition operation has been accepted (step S1104: YES), the process of the server device 100 proceeds to step S1105. On the other hand, if the superimposition operation has not been accepted (step S1104: NO), the process of the server device 100 proceeds to step S1108.

[0072] In step S1105, server apparatus 100 determines whether the received superimposition operation is between node objects. For example, it determines whether the superimposition operation is the one shown in FIG. 6A or the one shown in FIG. 7A. If the received superimposition operation is between node objects (step S1105: YES), the processing by server apparatus 100 proceeds to step S1106. On the other hand, if the received superimposition operation is not between node objects, that is, if the received superimposition operation is between a node object and an edge object (step S1105: NO), the processing by server apparatus 100 proceeds to step S1107.

[0073] In step S1106, the server device 100 references the attribute information of the two node objects in the superimposition operation and generates a list based on this attribute information. That is, one or more options are identified and listed, as shown in list 610 in FIG. 6B. The options to be included in the list are predefined based on combinations of attribute information, and are identified from among them. Then, the processing of the server device 100 proceeds to step S1110.

[0074] In step S1107, the server device 100 references the attribute information of the node objects and edge objects in the superimposition operation and generates a list based on this attribute information. That is, one or more options are identified and listed, as shown in list 620 in FIG. 6B. The option candidates to be included in the list are predefined based on combinations of the attribute information of each node object and the relationships indicated by the edge objects, and are identified from among them. Then, the processing of the server device 100 proceeds to step S1110.

[0075] In step S1108, the server device 100 determines whether or not a designation operation for an edge object has been received. The designation operation here corresponds to, for example, a tap operation on an edge object, as described with reference to FIG. 8. If a designation operation has been received (step S1108: YES), the process by the server device 100 proceeds to step S1109. On the other hand, if a designation operation has not been received (step S1104: NO), the process by the server device 100 proceeds to step S1113.

[0076] In step S1109, the server device 100 references the attribute information of the two node objects connected by the specified edge object and generates a list based on this attribute information. That is, one or more options are identified and listed, as shown in list 630 in FIG. 8. The option candidates to be included in the list are predefined based on the combination of the attribute information of each node object and the relationship indicated by the edge object, and are identified from among them. Then, the processing of the server device 100 proceeds to step S1110.

[0077] In step S1110, the server device 100 displays the list generated in step S1106, step S1107, or step S1109 in the field 460 of the UI screen 400. At this time, the position of the list to be displayed may be near the position of the object operated on the UI screen 400. At this time, it is desirable that the position be near each object operated on and not obstruct the view of the object.

[0078] In step S1111, server apparatus 100 determines whether a setting instruction has been received via the displayed list. If a setting instruction has been received (step S1111: YES), the process by server apparatus 100 proceeds to step S1112. On the other hand, if a setting instruction has not been received (step S1111: NO), the process by server apparatus 100 proceeds to step S1113.

[0079] In step S1112, the server device 100 updates the display on the field 460 of the UI screen 400 based on the accepted settings. The server device 100 also updates the information in various tables (for example, the values ​​in the management table 1003 in FIG. 10(c)) based on the accepted settings. Thereafter, the processing of the server device 100 proceeds to step S1113.

[0080] In step S1113, the server device 100 determines whether an instruction to end the creation of the relationship diagram has been received. Specifically, the instruction to end the creation of the relationship diagram may be issued when the tab 410 on the UI screen 400 is specified by a user operation, or when an operation to close the UI screen 400 is performed. If the instruction to end the creation of the relationship diagram has been received (step S1113: YES), this processing flow ends. If the instruction to end the creation of the relationship diagram has not been received (step S1113: NO), the processing of the server device 100 returns to step S1104 and the processing is repeated.

[0081] Although not shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, on the UI screen 400, it is also possible to set the coexistence range, add tags, switch the display of each object, and the like, in response to user operations.

[0082] Furthermore, the term "superimposition" in this embodiment is not limited to overlapping at least a portion of two objects on the screen. For example, one of the two objects may be moved closer to the other and determined to be superimposed when the distance between the two objects is greater than a predetermined distance. In this case, the display mode of the object that is approached may be changed.

[0083] As described above, this embodiment makes it possible to improve the convenience of creating a relationship diagram showing the relationships between people. In particular, when setting relationships between objects, it is possible to reduce the workload of creating a relationship diagram by identifying and presenting possible relationships from among a large number of relationship candidates. It also makes it easy to correct or change the created relationship diagram.

[0084] <Other embodiments> Furthermore, in the above embodiment, relationships between people (node ​​objects) are defined in advance, but a configuration may be adopted in which a user can arbitrarily define new relationships. When a user defines a new relationship, the user may also be able to set the display format of the node object indicating that relationship. To define a new relationship, for example, an option such as "Define New Relationship" may be displayed in list 610 shown in FIG. 6B or list 620 shown in FIG. 7B, and when this option is selected, a setting screen (not shown) may be displayed. The newly defined relationship may be recorded and managed so that it can be shared with other users. Furthermore, information about the newly defined relationship may be added to relationship description 481 in field 480 in FIG. 9.

[0085] By configuring in this way, it becomes possible to define not only relationships based on family registers, but also actual relationships between people in accordance with actual situations.

[0086] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the range of cohabitation can be specified freehand. This is not limiting, and other information may also be specified and changed freehand. For example, as shown in relationship description 481 in field 480 in FIG. 9, an edge object indicating "marriage" is changed to an edge object indicating "divorce" by adding a double line. In this way, when a predetermined input (e.g., adding a double line) is made freehand to an edge object, the relationship may be considered to have changed, and the display of the node object may be updated. Freehand input may be identified, for example, by image recognition. In this case, the series of operations described in FIG. 8 may be treated as having been made by freehand operations.

[0087] The cases in which relationships can be set or changed freehand may be specified in advance. If the content of the freehand operation on the edge object cannot be identified, the edge object may be controlled not to be changed, or a list 630 may be displayed as shown in FIG.

[0088] The generated relationship diagram may be output in any format. The output here may be printed, or may be converted into a predetermined data format and then output as data. The relationship diagram may also be configured to be output in a format (such as a ledger) specified by an institution or organization that handles various support services. Alternatively, the generated relationship diagram may be configured to accept a partial range specification and output only the specified range. This configuration can improve the convenience of using the generated relationship diagram.

[0089] In addition, in the present invention, a program or application for realizing the functions of one or more of the above-mentioned embodiments can be supplied to a system or device using a network or a storage medium, etc., and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device can read and execute the program.

[0090] Alternatively, it may be realized by a circuit that realizes one or more functions (for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array)).

[0091] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications, alterations, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents may be made within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components of the various embodiments described above may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0092] As such, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the present invention also contemplates the mutual combination of the various components of the embodiments, as well as modifications and applications by those skilled in the art based on the description in the specification and well-known techniques, and these modifications and applications are included in the scope of protection sought.

[0093] As described above, the present specification discloses the following:

[0094] (Technology 1) A relationship diagram creation system (e.g., 1, 100) for creating a relationship diagram between people, a display control unit (e.g., 110, 112) that displays a plurality of objects (e.g., 601 to 604, 606) on a screen (e.g., 400) so that the objects can be selected by a user operation; A relationship diagram creation system in which, when the display control unit receives an operation to superimpose a second node object (e.g., 602) representing a second person on a first node object (e.g., 601) representing a first person on the screen, it displays a first list (e.g., 610) including candidates that can be selected as the relationship between the first person and the second person. This configuration makes it possible to improve the convenience of creating a relationship diagram showing the relationships between people, for example. In particular, when setting relationships between objects, it is possible to reduce the workload of creating a relationship diagram by identifying and presenting possible relationships from among many candidate relationships.

[0095] (Technology 2) The relationship diagram creation system described in Technology 1, wherein when a relationship between the first person and the second person is selected in the first list, the display control unit displays the first node object and the second node object connected by an edge object (e.g., 606) indicating the selected relationship. With this configuration, for example, based on a selected relationship, it is possible to display two node objects connected by an edge object that indicates the relationship.

[0096] (Technology 3) The relationship diagram creation system according to technology 2, wherein the candidates included in the first list are determined based on attribute information of the first person and the second person. This configuration makes it possible, for example, to present relationship candidates from among multiple relationships based on the attribute information of the people corresponding to the two connected node objects, thereby improving convenience when creating relationship diagrams.

[0097] (Technology 4) The relationship diagram creation system according to Technology 2 or Technology 3, wherein when the display control unit receives an operation to superimpose a third node object (e.g., 603) indicating a third person on the edge object on the screen, it displays a second list (e.g., 620) including candidates that can be selected as relationships between the first person and the second person and the third person. This configuration makes it possible, for example, to present candidate relationships between people corresponding to three connected node objects from among multiple relationships, thereby improving convenience when creating relationship diagrams.

[0098] (Technology 5) The relationship diagram creation system described in Technology 4, wherein the candidates included in the second list are determined based on at least one of the attribute information of each of the first person, the second person, and the third person, and the relationship indicated by the edge object. This configuration makes it possible to present relationship candidates from among multiple relationships based on, for example, the attribute information of the people corresponding to the three connected node objects and the connection status, thereby improving convenience when creating relationship diagrams.

[0099] (Technology 6) The screen is configured to be capable of accepting freehand input, The relationship diagram creation system according to any one of Technology 2 to Technology 5, wherein when the freehand input is made to the edge object, the display control unit determines whether the input is an instruction to change the relationship indicated by the edge object to a different relationship, and if the input is an instruction to change to the different relationship, converts the edge object into an edge object indicating the different relationship. This configuration makes it possible to easily correct and change the relationship diagram based on freehand input on the screen, for example.

[0100] (Technology 7) The relationship diagram creation system according to any one of Techniques 1 to 6, wherein the display control unit receives definitions of relationships indicated by edge objects and settings of a display format. This configuration allows, for example, the user to define and use any relationship, making it possible to create a relationship diagram using a variety of relationships.

[0101] (Technology 8) The relationship diagram creation system according to any one of Techniques 1 to 7, wherein the node object is displayed on the screen including attribute information of the corresponding person. With this configuration, for example, it is possible to present information related to the person indicated by each node object on the screen, thereby improving the convenience of referring to the relationship diagram.

[0102] (Technology 9) The relationship diagram creation system according to any one of Techniques 1 to 8, wherein the display control unit changes the display mode of one of the objects when the two objects are superimposed. This configuration makes it possible to improve the visibility of an object when performing a superimposition operation, for example.

[0103] (Technology 10) A relationship diagram creation method for creating a relationship diagram between people, comprising: A display unit (e.g., 250) displays a plurality of objects on a screen (e.g., 400) so that the objects can be selected by a user operation; A relationship diagram creation method, in which, when an operation to superimpose a second node object (e.g., 602) representing a second person on a first node object (e.g., 601) representing a first person on the screen is received, a first list (e.g., 610) containing candidates for selectable relationships between the first person and the second person is displayed. This configuration makes it possible to improve the convenience of creating a relationship diagram showing the relationships between people, for example. In particular, when setting relationships between objects, it is possible to reduce the workload of creating a relationship diagram by identifying and presenting possible relationships from among many candidate relationships.

[0104] To a computer (e.g., 100), A display unit (e.g., 250) displays a plurality of objects on a screen (e.g., 400) so that the objects can be selected by a user operation; A program for displaying, when an operation to superimpose a second node object (e.g., 602) representing a second person on a first node object (e.g., 601) representing a first person on the screen, a first list (e.g., 610) including candidates for selectable relationships between the first person and the second person is received. This configuration makes it possible to improve the convenience of creating a relationship diagram showing the relationships between people, for example. In particular, when setting relationships between objects, it is possible to reduce the workload of creating a relationship diagram by identifying and presenting possible relationships from among many candidate relationships. [Industrial Applicability]

[0105] The present invention is useful, for example, as a device, system, and method for creating a relationship diagram of people when understanding the relationships between each person in organizations and institutions that provide local support services targeting a variety of target people. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 1. Business support system (relationship diagram creation system) 100...Server device 110...Control unit 111...Data Management Department 112...Display control unit 113...Communication control unit 120…Communications Department 130...Storage section 131...Family group DB 132…Person DB 133...Object DB 200...User terminal 210...Control unit 220...Storage section 230…Communications Department 240...Operation unit 250...Display section 260…External IF 300... Collaboration system NW...Network

Claims

1. A relationship diagram creation system for creating a relationship diagram between people, a display control unit that displays a plurality of objects on a screen so that the objects can be selected by a user operation; A relationship diagram creation system in which, when the display control unit receives an operation to superimpose a second node object representing a second person on a first node object representing a first person on the screen, it displays a first list including candidates that can be selected as the relationship between the first person and the second person.

2. 2. The relationship diagram creation system of claim 1, wherein when a relationship between the first person and the second person is selected in the first list, the display control unit displays the first node object and the second node object connected by an edge object indicating the selected relationship.

3. The relationship diagram creation system according to claim 2 , wherein the candidates included in the first list are determined based on attribute information of each of the first person and the second person.

4. 3. The relationship diagram creation system of claim 2, wherein the display control unit, when receiving an operation to superimpose a third node object representing a third person on the edge object on the screen, displays a second list including candidates that can be selected as relationships between the first person and the second person and the third person.

5. The relationship diagram creation system of claim 4, wherein the candidates included in the second list are determined based on at least one of attribute information of each of the first person, the second person, and the third person, and the relationship indicated by the edge object.

6. The screen is configured to be capable of accepting freehand input, 3. The relationship diagram creation system of claim 2, wherein when freehand input is made to the edge object, the display control unit determines whether the input is an instruction to change the relationship indicated by the edge object to a different relationship, and if the input is an instruction to change to the different relationship, converts the edge object into an edge object indicating the different relationship.

7. The relationship diagram creation system according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit accepts a definition of a relationship indicated by an edge object and a setting of a display format.

8. 2. The relationship diagram creation system according to claim 1, wherein the node object is displayed on the screen including attribute information of the corresponding person.

9. The relationship diagram creation system according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit changes a display mode of one of two objects when the two objects are superimposed on each other.

10. A relationship diagram creation method for creating a relationship diagram between people, comprising: displaying a plurality of objects on a screen on a display unit so that the objects can be selected by a user operation; A relationship diagram creation method, which, when an operation to superimpose a second node object representing a second person on a first node object representing a first person on the screen is received, displays a first list including candidates for selectable relationships between the first person and the second person.

11. On the computer, displaying a plurality of objects on a screen on a display unit so that the objects can be selected by a user operation; A program for displaying, when an operation to superimpose a second node object representing a second person on a first node object representing a first person on the screen is accepted, a first list including candidates for selectable relationships between the first person and the second person.

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