Information processing device, information processing method, and program for Q&A system

Abstract

It is possible to realize in a more suitable manner the sharing of information about a product to be managed between organizations that handle the product. [Solution] An information processing device having a management means for associating a product with a provider organization that is a source of information, and for an inquiry organization that is permitted to inquire about information regarding the product, associating and managing the product with the provider organization that is permitted to provide information regarding the product to the inquiry organization, and a control means for controlling the acceptance of instructions regarding the creation and posting of questions and answers regarding the product, wherein the control means limits the questions for which instructions regarding creation and posting are accepted from the inquiry organization to questions regarding the product associated with the inquiry organization, and when instructions regarding the posting of a question regarding the product are accepted from the inquiry organization associated with the product, the information processing device limits the acceptance of instructions regarding the creation and posting of answers to the question to the provider organization associated with the product and the inquiry organization.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program for a Q&A system. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a system (hereinafter also referred to as a Q&A system) that allows users to receive various questions, receive answers to the questions, and view the contents of the questions and the answers by accessing the system via a network such as the Internet using a browser or the like. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a Q&A system. Furthermore, a technology is being considered for using such a Q&A system to manage questions and answers regarding a target product. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-224349 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] On the other hand, depending on the product that is the subject of information sharing such as Q&A, the subject of such information sharing may not be limited to individuals. As a specific example, with regard to medical information systems such as medical accounting systems, order entry systems, and electronic medical record systems provided to hospitals and other medical institutions, there are cases where information such as Q&A needs to be shared on an organizational basis, such as by medical institution or by a group within the medical institution.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention has an object to enable sharing of information about managed products between organizations that handle the products in a more suitable manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information processing device of the present invention has a management means for associating, with each of a series of products to be managed, a provider organization that is a source of information about the product, and for managing the product in association with a query organization to which an inquirer who is permitted to inquire about information about the product belongs, the provider organization that is permitted to provide information about the product to the inquirer who belongs to the query organization, and a control means for controlling the acceptance of instructions to create and post questions about the product and the acceptance of instructions to create and post answers to the questions, wherein the control means limits questions that it accepts instructions to create and post from the inquirer who belongs to the query organization to questions about the product associated with the query organization, and when it accepts instructions to post a question about the product from the inquirer who belongs to the query organization associated with the product, it limits the acceptance of instructions to create and post answers to the question to providers of information about the product that belong to the provider organization associated with the product and the query organization. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize in a more suitable manner the sharing of information about a product between organizations that handle the product to be managed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of functions provided by an information processing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration of an information processing system. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the information processing system. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of information to be managed by the platform. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between products and organizations to be managed. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a method for an administrator to access information about a product. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a method for a provider to access information about a product. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a method for an inquirer to access information about a product. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing flow related to creating and posting a question. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing flow related to creating and posting a response. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of transition of the status of users of a referencing organization and a providing organization. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UI presented to an administrator. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a UI presented to a provider. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a UI presented to an inquirer. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a method for managing threads. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a method for managing exchanges between parties in a thread. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for managing video call reservations. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a method for managing video conference reservations. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a UI for accepting opinions on questions and answers. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0010] <Summary> An overview of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of functions (platform) provided by the information processing system according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, in order to make the features of the information processing system according to the present disclosure easier to understand, various explanations will be given focusing on an example of a case in which questions about products handled in a specific industry (e.g., the medical industry) and information such as answers to those questions are shared among multiple organizations related to that industry.

[0011] The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment is a system that provides a function for realizing information sharing about a product to be managed among related parties, such as Q&A and FAQ about the product (in other words, a platform for realizing the information sharing). Specifically, the information processing system 1 provides various functions related to posting and viewing questions about the product to be managed and information about answers to the questions. As shown in Fig. 1, users of the platform (hereinafter also referred to as the Q&A platform) provided by the information processing system 1 are broadly classified as users who belong to either a providing organization or a referral organization. The information processing system 1 also provides a providing site and a referral site as interfaces for users of each organization to use the Q&A platform. The information processing system 1 also provides an operating site as an interface for an operator (administrator) who is responsible for various management roles related to the operation of the Q&A platform to perform various management tasks.

[0012] The operating organization is a schematic representation of an organization that is responsible for operating the Q&A platform provided by the information processing system 1, which enables information sharing among stakeholders. The operators belonging to the operating organization are primarily responsible for managing the organizations that use the Q&A platform, such as provider organizations and inquiry organizations, managing the users belonging to those organizations, and managing the products for which questions and answers are accepted. Furthermore, the information processing system 1 provides the operators, via the operating site, with various functions that enable the operators to perform the management exemplified above. Note that the inquiry organizations, provider organizations, and products are each managed so that they are unique within the Q&A platform.

[0013] A provider organization is an organization to which users (hereinafter also referred to as providers) who are primarily responsible for providing information about products linked to and managed by the information processing system 1 on the Q&A platform belong, and the information is typically represented by an organization whose information is registered and managed on the Q&A platform. Specifically, providers belonging to an organization registered as a provider organization are primarily responsible for providing information about the products, such as creating and posting answers to questions about the products registered as managed by the provider organization. Given these characteristics, organizations that primarily provide the target products or services using the products, or organizations responsible for maintaining the products or services, may be registered as provider organizations. Furthermore, the information processing system 1 provides various functions to providers via a provider site, enabling them to provide information about the target products, etc. An inquiry organization is an organization to which users (hereinafter also referred to as inquirers) who are permitted to inquire about information about various products belong, and whose posting and viewing are primarily managed by the information processing system 1. Specifically, inquirers who belong to an organization registered as an inquiry organization are permitted to inquire about information about products associated with the inquiry organization, and to create and post questions about the products. Due to these characteristics, organizations that primarily use the target products or services that use the products can be registered as inquiry organizations. Furthermore, the information processing system 1 provides the inquirer with various functions via the inquiry site, enabling the inquirer to inquire about information about products and to create and post questions about the products. As shown in Figure 1, some organizations may be managed as both referral organizations and provider organizations, and may have both users who act as providers and inquirers.

[0014] In this way, the information processing system 1 of this embodiment controls information sharing (provision and viewing of information) for each of a series of products managed in association with the Q&A platform so that it is permitted only within the scope of users who have been pre-registered on the Q&A platform. The information processing system 1 may provide a separate Q&A platform for each group of products to be managed according to differences in industry, etc. In that case, for example, a Q&A platform such as that shown in Fig. 1 will be provided for each group of products. In that case, only users registered for each Q&A platform (users belonging to both the inquiring organization and the providing organization) will be permitted to share information about products to be managed by the Q&A platform.

[0015] Next, an example of the system configuration of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment includes an information processing device 100 and terminal devices 150, 210, 230, 310, and 330. The information processing device 100 and the terminal devices 150, 210, 230, 310, and 330 are connected via a network N1 so as to be able to transmit and receive information to and from each other. The type of the network N1 is not particularly limited. As a specific example, the network N1 may be a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, or the like. The network N1 may be either a wireless network or a wired network, and may include multiple types of networks. The information processing device 100 may be realized by a so-called server or a network service such as a cloud service. Each of the terminal devices 150, 210, 230, 310, and 330 may be realized by a terminal device capable of communicating with the information processing device 100 via the network N1, such as a PC or a smartphone.

[0016] The information processing device 100 provides various functions related to the realization of the Q&A platform and manages various information linked to the Q&A platform (for example, information on the products to be managed, users, organizations to which each user belongs, etc.). As a specific example, the information processing device 100 provides the operator of the Q&A platform with functions related to the management of information, such as registering, updating, deleting, etc. of various types of information on the Q&A platform. In addition, the information processing device 100 provides the operator of the Q&A platform with an interface (for example, an operator site) for using various functions related to the operation of the Q&A platform, such as the management of the information exemplified above. The information processing device 100 also provides users (providers and users) registered with the Q&A platform with various functions related to the sharing of information about each of a series of products managed in association with the Q&A platform. The information processing device 100 also provides users of the Q&A platform with interfaces (provider site and inquiry site) for using the various functions related to the sharing of information exemplified above. The functions of the information processing device 100 will be described in detail below together with the functional configuration of the information processing device 100.

[0017] Terminal device 150 is a schematic representation of a terminal device used by an operator U10, who belongs to an organization that operates the Q&A platform, for operating the Q&A platform. As a specific example, the operator U10 uses terminal device 150 to access a target Q&A platform operating site, thereby using functions related to the operation of the Q&A platform provided by information processing device 100 via the operating site.

[0018] Terminal devices 210 and 230 are schematic representations of terminal devices that providers (e.g., providers U21, U23, etc. shown in Figure 2) belonging to provider organizations registered with the Q&A platform use to utilize functions (e.g., functions related to information sharing) provided by the Q&A platform. In the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, when using information sharing such as Q&A and FAQs provided by the Q&A platform, it is possible to limit the provision (posting) of answers to questions about the target product to a select few authorized providers among a group of providers belonging to the provider organization. In the example shown in FIG. 2, provider U23 represents a provider who has been granted the authority to post answers, while provider U21 represents a provider who has not been granted the authority. Specifically, the authorized provider U23 is permitted to create answers to questions about the target product and post the answers he has created. In contrast, the unauthorized provider U21 is permitted to create answers to questions about the target product, but is restricted from posting the answers he has created. Therefore, in the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment, an answer created by the unauthorized provider U21 is confirmed by the authorized provider U23 before being posted by the authorized provider U23.

[0019] Terminal devices 310 and 330 are schematic representations of terminal devices that enable inquirers (e.g., inquirers U31, U33, etc. shown in Figure 2) belonging to inquiry organizations registered on the Q&A platform to use functions (e.g., functions related to information sharing) provided by the Q&A platform. In the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment, when using information sharing such as Q&A and FAQs provided by the Q&A platform, it is possible to limit the ability to ask (post) questions about the target product to authorized inquirers among a group of inquirers belonging to an inquiry organization. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the inquirer U33 is an inquirer who has been granted the authority to post questions, while the inquirer U31 is an inquirer who has not been granted the authority. Specifically, the inquirer U33 who has been granted the authority is permitted to create questions about the target product and post the questions he or she has created. In contrast, the inquirer U31 who has not been granted the authority is permitted to create questions about the target product, but is restricted from posting the questions he or she has created. Therefore, in the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment, a question created by the inquirer U31 who has not been granted the authority is confirmed by the inquirer U33 who has been granted the authority before being posted by the inquirer U33.

[0020] With the above configuration, it is possible to more conveniently share information about each of a series of products managed in association with the Q&A platform within the scope of users belonging to each organization registered on the Q&A platform. The overview of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment has been described above with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The configuration and processing of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described in more detail below.

[0021] <Hardware configuration> Referring to FIG. 3, an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device 900 applicable as the information processing device 100 and the terminal devices 150, 210, 230, 310, and 330 in the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing device 900 according to this embodiment includes a central processing unit (CPU) 910, a read-only memory (ROM) 920, and a random access memory (RAM) 930. The information processing device 900 also includes an auxiliary storage device 940 and a network I / F 970. The information processing device 900 may also include at least one of an output device 950 and an input device 960. The CPU 910, the ROM 920, the RAM 930, the auxiliary storage device 940, the output device 950, the input device 960, and the network I / F 970 are connected to each other via a bus 980.

[0022] The CPU 910 is a central processing unit that controls various operations of the information processing device 900. For example, the CPU 910 may control the operation of the entire information processing device 900. The ROM 920 stores control programs, boot programs, and the like that can be executed by the CPU 910. The RAM 930 is the main storage memory of the CPU 910, and is used as a work area or a temporary storage area for expanding various programs.

[0023] The auxiliary storage device 940 stores various data and programs. The auxiliary storage device 940 is realized by a storage device capable of temporarily or permanently storing various data, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a nonvolatile memory such as a solid state drive (SSD).

[0024] The output device 950 is a device that outputs various types of information and is used to present various types of information to a user. For example, the output device 950 is realized by a display device such as a display. In this case, the output device 950 presents information to a user by displaying various types of display information. As another example, the output device 950 may be realized by an audio output device that outputs sounds such as voices and electronic sounds. In this case, the output device 950 presents information to a user by outputting sounds such as voices and telegrams. Furthermore, the device used as the output device 950 may be changed as appropriate depending on the medium used to present information to a user.

[0025] The input device 960 is used to receive various instructions from the user. In this embodiment, the input device 960 includes input devices such as a mouse, a keyboard, and a touch panel. As another example, the input device 960 may include a sound collection device such as a microphone, and collect voices uttered by the user. In this case, various analysis processes such as acoustic analysis and natural language processing are performed on the collected voices, and the contents of the voices are recognized as instructions from the user. Furthermore, the device applied as the input device 960 may be changed as appropriate depending on the method for recognizing instructions from the user. Furthermore, multiple types of devices may be applied as the input device 960.

[0026] The network I / F 970 is used for communication with external devices via a network. The device used as the network I / F 970 may be changed as appropriate depending on the type of communication path and the communication method used.

[0027] The CPU 910 expands a program stored in the ROM 920 or the auxiliary storage device 940 into the RAM 930 and executes this program, thereby realizing the functional configuration of the information processing device 100 shown in Figure 4 and the processing of each device that constitutes the information processing system 1, which will be described later with reference to Figures 10 and 11.

[0028] <Functional configuration> 4, an example of the functional configuration of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described, focusing particularly on the configuration of the information processing device 100. As shown in FIG. 4, the information processing device 100 includes an information management unit 101, an input / output control unit 102, an access control unit 103, a thread management unit 104, and a storage unit 106. The information processing device 100 may also include a synchronous QA control unit 105.

[0029] The storage unit 106 schematically represents a storage area for storing various programs related to providing the Q&A platform, and information and data managed by the Q&A platform. The storage unit 106 may be realized by a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), or may be realized by a so-called database system. The storage unit 106 may be built into the information processing device 100, or may be provided externally to the information processing device 100.

[0030] The input / output control unit 102 controls the presentation of various information to the operator and users (providers and inquirers) of the Q&A platform, and the reception of instructions from the operator and users. As a specific example, the input / output control unit 102 receives access to the Q&A platform from the operator U10 using the terminal device 150, and presents an operating site to the operator U10 via the terminal device 150. Then, the input / output control unit 102 presents various information (e.g., information related to the operation and management of the Q&A platform) to the operator U10 via the operating site, and accepts various instructions from the operator U10 (e.g., instructions related to the operation and management of the Q&A platform). Furthermore, the input / output control unit 102 receives access to the Q&A platform from a provider U23 using a terminal device 230, and presents a provision site to the provider U23 via the terminal device 230. Then, the input / output control unit 102 presents various information (e.g., information to be shared, such as questions and answers about a target product) to the provider U23 via the provision site, and accepts various instructions from the provider U23 (e.g., instructions related to creating and posting answers to questions). Furthermore, upon receiving access to the Q&A platform from an inquirer U33 using a terminal device 330, the input / output control unit 102 presents a query site to the inquirer U33 via the terminal device 330. The input / output control unit 102 then presents various information (e.g., information to be shared, such as questions and answers about the target product) to the inquirer U23 via the query site, and accepts various instructions from the provider U23 (e.g., instructions related to creating and posting questions). In the following, unless otherwise specified, it is assumed that the presentation of information by each component of the information processing device 100 to the operator or users of the Q&A platform, and the reception of instructions from the operator or users, are performed via the input / output control unit 102.

[0031] The information management unit 101 executes processes related to the management of various types of information, such as registration, update, and deletion of various types of information to be managed on the Q&A platform, in response to instructions from the operator of the Q&A platform.

[0032] An example of information to be managed by the Q&A platform will now be described with reference to FIG. The product ID is identification information that is uniquely assigned to each product within the Q&A platform in order to identify each product that is managed as a subject of information sharing on the Q&A platform. Furthermore, the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment may be configured to be able to register a classification for each product in order to classify and manage a series of products to be managed based on various conditions. In this case, the series of products to be managed may be managed by classifying them in a hierarchical manner, for example, into major classifications, medium classifications, and minor classifications. The classification ID is identification information uniquely assigned to each classification within the Q&A platform in order to identify each classification set to classify each product.

[0033] The providing organization ID is identification information that is uniquely assigned to each providing organization within the Q&A platform in order to identify each providing organization registered with the Q&A platform. Similarly, the referring organization ID is identification information that is uniquely assigned to each referring organization within the Q&A platform in order to identify each referring organization registered with the Q&A platform. As mentioned above with reference to Figure 1, some organizations may be managed as organizations that have both users who act as providers and users who act as inquirers. Such organizations are assigned a separate provider organization ID as the provider organization and a separate inquiring organization ID as the inquiring organization.

[0034] There are cases where the same product is handled by multiple different provider organizations. As a specific example, a situation may be imagined where the developer organization and the seller organization of a product in question are different. In such a case, for example, the developer organization may be registered as a provider organization on the Q&A platform, while the seller organization may also be registered as a provider organization. Alternatively, only the seller organization may be registered as a provider organization. In this context, an inquirer belonging to an inquiring organization inquires about information about a product from the provider organization as a product for that organization. In other words, although each product is unique within the Q&A platform, information about the product, such as Q&As, is managed as a unit of the combination of the provider organization and the product.

[0035] In response to instructions from the administrator, the information management unit 101 manages basic information (e.g., product name, overview, release information, etc.) of a product registered as a management target in the Q&A platform, in association with the provider organization that handles the product. By managing in this manner, information to be shared about the target product (e.g., information such as questions and answers) is managed individually for each provider organization. Furthermore, each inquirer can grasp information about the product used in the inquiring organization to which he or she belongs and the provider organization that handles the product. 5 shows a schematic representation of data on product information such as Q&A. Management data D121 is data for managing, within a provider organization, a product for which information is provided in association with an inquiring organization that is the recipient of information on the product. Management data D131 is data for managing, within an inquiring organization, a product for which information is inquired in association with a provider organization that is the source of information on the product.

[0036] In response to instructions from the administrator, the information management unit 101 manages, for each provider organization, information (such as Q&A) about products handled by the provider organization (in other words, products that are the subject of information provision), and providers belonging to the provider organization. In this case, the information management unit 101 may manage a series of providers belonging to the provider organization by dividing them into groups, and in this case, for each product handled by the provider organization, it may manage a group of providers who are permitted to access information about the product. The method for setting provider groups in a provider organization is not particularly limited. For example, the provider groups may be defined as logical groups for managing information about products within the Q&A platform, regardless of any department of the provider organization. The provider groups may also be defined hierarchically so that a series of providers are grouped in stages. The same product may be associated with and managed in multiple groups. For a product associated with multiple groups, access to information about the product is permitted from providers belonging to each of the multiple groups. At least some users may be permitted to access other groups depending on the group to which they belong. For example, access to information about products associated with the group may be permitted by accessing a group at a higher or lower level according to the hierarchy between groups. On the other hand, the groups accessible to at least some providers may be restricted depending on the group to which they belong. For example, access to a higher-level group may be restricted. A configuration in which at least some providers belong to multiple groups may also be permitted. For example, the management data D122 is data for managing, within a provider organization, a group of providers who are permitted to access information about each product handled by the provider organization. Furthermore, the management data D123 is data for managing groups to which each of a series of providers belonging to the provider organization belongs. The group IDs included in the management data D122 and D123 indicate identification information for identifying each of a series of groups (provider groups) defined for the provider organization. Furthermore, the user IDs indicate identification information for identifying each user (i.e., provider) of the Q&A platform belonging to the provider organization.

[0037] In response to instructions from the operator, the information management unit 101 manages, for each inquiring organization, the products handled by that inquiring organization (in other words, the products that are the subject of information inquiries) and the inquirers belonging to that inquiring organization. As in the case of providing organizations, the information management unit 101 may manage a series of inquirers belonging to an inquiring organization by dividing them into groups, or may manage, for each product handled by the inquiring organization, a group of inquirers who are permitted to access information about that product. Furthermore, groups of inquirers may be defined in a hierarchical structure, similar to groups of providing organizations, and the same conditions as for groups of providing organizations can be applied to the conditions for permitting access to information about each product from providers belonging to each group. The information management unit 101 may also define categories (hereinafter also referred to as inquiry categories) for classifying each of the series of products handled by the inquiring organization, and manage each product by associating it with the inquiry category. The inquiry categories may also be defined hierarchically so that each of the series of products handled by the inquiring organization is classified in stages. In this way, the information management unit 101 manages each of the series of products handled by the inquiring organization by provision category separately from the management based on the provider group. Here, we will explain an example of how a nurse belonging to a group of nurses at a hospital, acting as a referral organization, can access information about a nurse call system, a product handled by the group, when the hospital uses a Q&A platform for sharing information about medical products. As a specific example, assume that the nurse call system in question is categorized as a medical information system, as defined by the referral category. In this case, the nurse in question can select a medical information system from among the options presented as higher-level referral categories, such as treatment equipment, testing equipment, medical information systems, pharmaceuticals, training services, and know-how, and then access the nurse call system from that list. The referral categories can be set within the referral organization, for example, to make it easier to select products managed by the hospital.

[0038] In this way, products are defined for each Q&A platform, and information such as Q&As is managed for each product of the provider organization. Information about the product of a provider organization (e.g., Q&As) is managed by the provider organization and is accessible by inquirers who belong to an inquiry organization that handles the product of the provider organization.

[0039] Here, a specific example of the relationship between managed products, provider organizations, and referral organizations will be described with reference to Fig. 6. In the example shown in Fig. 6, the operating organization manages 10 types of products shown as products A to J, provider organizations X to Z, and referral organizations a to c in association with the target Q&A platform. In the example shown in FIG. 6, provider organization X handles five products: A, B, F, G, and H. provider organization Y handles four products: B, D, G, and H. provider organization Z handles six products: D, E, G, H, I, and J. Furthermore, provider organizations X, Y, and Z do not handle product C. Inquiry organization a handles five products: products A, B, F, and G from provider organization X, and product H from provider organization Y. Inquiry organization b handles four products: product A from provider organization X, products D and G from provider organization Y, and product I from provider organization Z. Inquiry organization c handles six products: product D from provider organization Y, product H from provider organizations Y and Z, and products E, I, and J from provider organization Z. In this way, each inquiring organization can freely handle the products of each providing organization depending on how they are defined within the Q&A platform.

[0040] The relationship between each organization and product shown in Figure 6 will look different depending on the organization. The operating organization can inquire about all products managed within the Q&A platform, as well as the provider and referrer organizations for each product. Although it is possible for a providing organization to inquire about all products managed within the Q&A platform, in normal operation, the providing organization can manage the products it provides and the inquiring organizations that handle each product. In addition, when a providing organization manages the inquiring organizations, they may be categorized into levels such as existing customers (actual contract partners) and target customers. Although it is possible for an inquiring organization to be able to inquire about all products managed within the Q&A platform, in normal operation, products of provider organizations handled by the inquiring organization may be managed so that they can be inquired about. The products of provider organizations handled by the inquiring organization are not limited to products actually purchased from the provider organization, and may be treated as targets for inquiring about information such as Q&As. As a specific example, when an inquiring organization is considering introducing a target product, even if the product has not actually been purchased, the inquiring organization may be allowed to inquire about information about the product. Furthermore, in this case, as a result of the inquiring organization's consideration of introducing the product, the inquiring organization may subsequently be excluded from targets for which inquiring about information about the product is permitted.

[0041] The information management unit 101 also manages users of the Q&A platform (i.e., providers and inquirers). Specifically, the information management unit 101 sets an administrator for each organization (i.e., each provider organization and each inquirer organization) managed in association with the Q&A platform, in response to instructions from the Q&A platform operator. The information management unit 101 also sets users belonging to each organization, in response to instructions from the administrator set for each organization. At this time, the information management unit 101 may assign an ID to the target user, as well as set the group to which the user belongs, the usage level, etc. A group to which a user belongs may be set by linking the group ID, and multiple groups may be set as the group to which the user belongs by linking multiple group IDs. Also, as described above, the groups to be set may be defined in a hierarchical structure so that a series of users are classified in stages. In addition, the usage level can be set to questions and answers (hereinafter also referred to as Q&A), such as senders (users with the authority to create and post), creators (users with the authority to create but not post), and viewers (users without the authority to create or post but allowed to view information). As described above, by managing Q&A senders and Q&A drafters separately, it is expected that the information to be shared will be scrutinized, resulting in the sharing of Q&As with well-organized content. Regarding the implementation (posting) of Q&As, in addition to cases where the implementation is carried out through a two-step process of the creator creating a Q&A draft and the implementer approving (posting) that draft, it is also possible to imagine cases where the implementer creates a Q&A draft and posts that draft.

[0042] Next, we will explain the users of the provider organization. Users (providers) of the provider organization can be managed at least at two levels: implementers who have the authority to answer posted questions (post answers), and creators who have the authority to create draft answers but not to post them (implement the answer). Creators can create draft answers to posted questions, but are restricted from returning the draft answers to the question implementer (posting the answer). Therefore, in such cases, the answer implementer must review and approve the draft answer created by the creator, before the answer is implemented (posted). Furthermore, if the answer implementer reviews the draft answer created by the creator and finds that the draft needs to be revised, they may return the draft to the creator. A nickname may be registered in advance for a user who is permitted to create an answer. Nicknames should be unique within the organization. Nicknames may be allowed to be changed, and any change to a nickname may be reflected in nicknames associated with answers previously submitted as information about the submitter. By applying such control, it becomes possible to identify the submitter of an answer by nickname, and it is also possible to determine, for example, whether the submitter of the current answer is the same as the submitter of answers previously submitted.

[0043] Next, we will explain users of the inquiry organization. Users (inquirers) of the inquiry organization can be managed at least at two levels: implementers who have the authority to ask questions (post questions), and creators who have the authority to create question drafts but not the authority to post those drafts (implement the question). Creators can create question drafts, but are restricted from sending those drafts (posting questions). Therefore, in such cases, the question implementer must review and approve the draft question created by the creator, before the question is implemented (posted). Furthermore, if the question implementer reviews the draft question created by the creator and the draft needs to be revised, the question implementer may return the draft to the creator. Users who are allowed to create answers may have their nicknames, positions (e.g., management, administrative, etc.), and occupations (doctor, nurse, pharmacist, technician, therapist, office worker, etc.) registered in advance. Nicknames should be unique within the organization, just as in the case of the provider organization.

[0044] When a providing organization accepts a question about a product, it restricts the inquirer from making inquiries about the personal information of the inquirer who asked the question, but allows the inquirer to make inquiries about information about the inquiring organization to which the inquirer belongs (for example, the organization name and usage level, etc.). At this time, the provider may be permitted to make inquiries about some information about the inquirer who asked the question, such as the nickname, position, and occupation. By applying such control, the provider can understand the content of the accepted question based on the information that is permitted to be inquired, and then create an answer to the question.

[0045] Referring again to Figure 4, the access control unit 103 controls access by operators and users (e.g., providers, inquirers, etc.) of the Q&A platform to various pieces of information managed in association with the Q&A platform. As a specific example, the access control unit 103 may control the method of accessing information about each of a series of products managed in association with the Q&A platform, depending on the organization to which the entity accessing the information belongs.

[0046] 7 to 9, an example of a method for accessing information about products managed in association with a Q&A platform will be described. A product ID is assigned uniquely within the Q&A platform to each of a series of products managed in association with the Q&A platform. In other words, within the Q&A platform, the product ID uniquely identifies the target product. On the other hand, as described above, the access control unit 103 may control the method for accessing information about the product depending on the organization to which the entity accessing the information belongs, i.e., the operating organization, the providing organization, or the inquiring organization. It is sufficient that at least one operating organization is set in the Q&A platform. In contrast, multiple referral organizations and provider organizations will be set depending on the actual situation. In light of this, the access control unit 103 controls the method of accessing product-related information so that information can be shared in a more suitable manner, even in a situation where multiple provider organizations and referral organizations are set and information about individual products is managed by each organization. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a method by which an administrator belonging to a management organization can access information about each product. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a method by which a provider belonging to a provision organization can access information about each product. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a method by which an inquirer belonging to an inquiry organization can access information about each product. For convenience, in the examples shown in Figs. 7 to 9, various explanations will be given assuming that a Q&A platform for sharing information about medical products is applied.

[0047] First, an example of a method of accessing information about each product in the operating organization shown in FIG. 7 will be described. From the perspective of the operating organization, generalized product management tends to be easier to understand. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 7, products are first classified by size, such as for large hospitals, small and medium-sized hospitals, and clinics, and each classification is further divided into product types, such as treatment equipment, testing equipment, and medical information systems. Furthermore, at least the types may be further divided into more detailed types for management. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, medical information systems are managed by dividing them into more detailed types, such as medical accounting systems, order entry systems, electronic medical record systems, and department systems (surgery department systems, nurse call systems, etc.).

[0048] For referral organizations and provider organizations, when first searching for products managed by each organization, it may be easier to follow the generalized product management method of the operating organization. On the other hand, when managing product information such as Q&A, it may be preferable to apply a product management method that suits the organizational structure of each organization.

[0049] Next, an example of a method of accessing information about each product in a provider organization will be described, as shown in Fig. 8. From the perspective of the provider organization, the management of products provided by the organization tends to be easier if the products are classified into groups corresponding to the affiliations of people who handle product-related information such as Q&As. Management by division into departments such as sales department and technical department may be applied according to the type of product-related information such as Q&As, not limited to the type of products handled by a group.

[0050] Next, an example of a method for accessing information about each product in the inquiry organization shown in Figure 9 will be described. From the perspective of the inquiry organization, two types of product management methods can be envisioned. The first is a management method based on the type of product corresponding to the products handled by the inquiry organization, based on the same concept as in the example of the operating organization. As a specific example, from the perspective of management, a method based on the type of product (inquiry category) tends to make it easier to access information about the target product than product access based on job title. On the other hand, unlike the example of the operating organization, only products handled by the organization itself are handled. The second is a management method based on the group of the inquiry organization. In other words, this corresponds to a product management method based on the group to which a person who handles product information such as Q&A belongs. As a specific example, information can be managed for each product handled by the target group, depending on the person's role, such as doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or office worker.

[0051] The thread management unit 104 manages information related to products, such as Q&As, etc. An example of control related to the management of information related to products, such as Q&As, by the thread management unit 104 will be described below. Product-related information may include, for example, information such as questions about products and answers to those questions, such as Q&A and FAQ, as well as information explaining the product (hereinafter also referred to as explanatory information). For FAQs and explanatory information, the providing organization registers the information for the providing organization's product, and the inquiring organization references the information. In contrast, for Q&As, information is exchanged between the inquiring organization and the providing organization. The upper diagram in Figure 12 shows an example of the transition in the status of users (inquirers and providers) of each organization when information is exchanged between the inquiring organization and the providing organization. As mentioned above, the posting (posting) of questions and answers may be restricted to authorized individuals, and system users may be managed at two levels: those who create questions or proposed answers, and those who post those questions or answers. In such a case, the status of users (inquirers and providers) of each organization when information is exchanged between the inquiring organization and the providing organization is as shown in the lower diagram of Figure 12.

[0052] A Q&A basically begins with the providing organization creating a question, then the providing organization responds to that question, and the Q&A process is completed when the providing organization confirms the response. However, there are also cases where the inquiring organization is not satisfied with the response and asks a further question, to which the providing organization responds, resulting in a repeated series of exchanges. It is also conceivable that a question may be asked by the inquiring organization, and before the providing organization responds to that question, another question may be asked as a supplement to the previous question. The inquiring organization manages its own questions and the responses to those questions, while the providing organization accepts questions from multiple inquiring organizations for each product and responds to each of them. The inquiring organization may not only manage the questions and answers it has asked, but may also be able to check the status of past Q&As conducted by the providing organization for each product. In other words, the inquiring organization can check three types of information for each product: Q&A, FAQ, and explanatory information, and can also create and manage new questions.

[0053] Inquiring and providing organizations may consider the management of Q&A status in various ways, such as by the individual user who asked or answered the question, by sharing the status of Q&A within a group, or by sharing the status of Q&A across the entire organization. The scope of sharing of this Q&A is determined, for example, by the person who posted the Q&A, by setting the scope of its disclosure. For example, if a Q&A is shared so that it is only made public within a group, a Q&A made by someone in the group is managed as if it had been made by everyone in the group, but people outside the group are restricted from viewing the status of the Q&A. If the Q&A is made public when it is completed, the content can be viewed as a past Q&A within the group, organization, and outside the organization. However, even if a Q&A is made with a specified public scope, access to the Q&A may be restricted even to users within the public scope unless an answer is given to the question in question and the organization that provided the answer makes it public.

[0054] Q&A management may be controlled so that, when a question is created, the purpose and location of the question are clarified, and the subject and details of the question are registered. The purpose of the question may be, for example, "Considering implementation," "Obstacle occurrence," "Operation method," "Opinions / impressions," or "Other." The location of the question indicates which part of the product the question is about; for example, a screen may be set for an information system, or a part may be set for equipment. Once these two pieces of information are set, the subject and details of the inquiry are created for the question. This allows the creator of the answer to understand the content of the question before creating the answer. Since errors in the location of the question or the details may be expected, corrections of this information may be permitted.

[0055] Furthermore, when managing Q&As, comments may be allowed to be added to both questions and answers. Comments on questions may be, for example, supplementary information for the answerer that is created separately from the details of the question. Comments on questions may be permitted to be viewed only by the creator and poser of the question and the creator and poser of the answer to the question. In this case, even if the Q&A is made public, disclosure of the comments will be restricted. Comments on answers may be permitted to be, for example, supplementary information for the questioner that is created separately from the content of the answer. As with comments on questions, comments on answers may also be permitted to be viewed only by the parties involved.

[0056] Next, an example of control related to referencing Q&As will be described. Regarding referencing Q&As, two cases are conceivable: a case in which an inquiring organization and a providing organization refer to an ongoing Q&A, and a case in which a published Q&A is referred to. Regarding referencing published Q&As, two situations are conceivable: a situation in which a Q&A is referred to within the scope of the parties involved, and a situation in which a series of published Q&As is referred to. The scope of targets permitted for referencing may be controlled depending on which of these situations is appropriate. Furthermore, regarding the referencing of ongoing Q&As, because it is conceivable that a party may respond to a Q&A (e.g., newly register, supplement, amend, publish, complete, etc.), control may be performed so that such referencing is given priority over referencing published Q&As.

[0057] Here, a specific example of control relating to reference to Q&A in a provider organization will be described. A provider organization may assign a high priority to monitoring the status of ongoing Q&As. The thread management unit 104 may manage the number of Q&As for each hierarchically managed group. Applying such control is expected to improve the efficiency of the provider organization's work of checking the status of ongoing Q&As. As a specific example, information may be displayed at the top level of the group to allow the total number of Q&As in progress at the provider organization to be ascertained. Furthermore, information may be displayed at lower levels of the group to allow the number of Q&As occurring in each group to be ascertained. Applying such control makes it possible to monitor whether there are any delays in responding to Q&As. Furthermore, information may be displayed for a Q&A manager to monitor the number of Q&As occurring for a series of products managed in the group to which the manager belongs. Applying such control allows the manager to efficiently respond to Q&As. Furthermore, when a new question is posted, relevant parties may be notified by email or the like. Furthermore, it is expected that the system will enable efficient group-specific reference when referencing published Q&As, adding FAQs, or adding explanatory information. For example, for a series of products handled by a group, information can be referenced by specifying a product depending on the task objective. Furthermore, when implementing a new answer, it may be possible to refer to existing Q&As, check the status of similar Q&As, and inquire about the implementation status of Q&As with the same nickname.

[0058] Next, a specific example of control relating to reference to Q&A in an inquiry organization will be described. In the inquiry organization, confirmation of the status of ongoing Q&A may be set as a high priority within the scope of the parties. For example, confirmation of answers to questions registered by the parties may be set as a high priority, and the parties may be notified by email or the like when the answers are implemented. When checking published Q&As, FAQs, explanatory information, etc., including when a new question is asked, the product is identified and referenced for information. In this case, the reference to the product-identifying information may be limited to Q&As posted by the group or referencing organization to which the user belongs, or may also include Q&As posted by organizations other than the referencing organization. In either case, the thread management unit 104 may receive reference conditions (providing organization, product, group or person asking the question, time of questioning, keywords, etc.) from the user and search for and present Q&As that meet the conditions. In addition, the thread management unit 104 may present the searched series of Q&As to the user in chronological order.

[0059] Referring again to Figure 4, the synchronous QA control unit 105 manages the setting of reservations for synchronous interactions and the recording of the results of interactions, etc., in order to enable synchronous interactions between parties, such as video conferences, in association with asynchronous interactions (communications) between parties (between a provider and an inquirer), such as Q&A. Note that synchronous interactions between parties are not limited to the above-mentioned video conferences, and may also include, for example, chat, voice calls, and video calls. Note that the details of the synchronous QA control unit 105 will be described separately later as a modified example of this embodiment.

[0060] An example of the functional configuration of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment has been described above with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9 and 12, focusing particularly on the configuration of the information processing device 100.

[0061] <Processing> 10 to 12, an example of the processing of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described, focusing on the processing involved in realizing the exchange of product-related information (i.e., questions and answers) between providers and inquirers via a Q&A platform. Note that, as explained with reference to the lower diagram in Fig. 12, it is assumed here that the posting (posting) of questions and answers is restricted to authorized individuals, and that system users are managed at two levels: creators of proposed questions and answers, and those who post those questions and answers.

[0062] First, an example of a process flow when an inquirer belonging to an inquiring organization creates and asks (posts) a question about a product will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process flow related to creating and asking a question about a product.

[0063] In S101, the terminal device 310 of the inquirer U31, who is the creator of the content of the question among the inquirers belonging to the inquiring organization, creates a question on the information processing device 100. An example of a UI presented to the inquirer U31 by the terminal device 310 will be described in detail later.

[0064] In S102, the thread management unit 104 of the information processing device 100, upon receiving the request from the terminal device 310 in S101, creates a draft question (question content) about the product as information about the Q&A for the product. At this time, if a thread related to managing Q&As about the product has not been created, the thread management unit 104 may create a new thread and associate the draft question to be created with the thread and manage it. The thread management unit 104 also sets the status of the provider organization in the Q&A for the product to "Q Creation in Progress," indicating that a draft question is being created. The thread management unit 104 manages the status as "Pending" until the creation of the draft question is complete, and upon receiving an instruction that the creation of the draft question is complete, manages the status as "Inquiry Draft," indicating that the question is waiting to be implemented (waiting to be posted). When the creation of the draft question is complete, the thread management unit 104 may notify the inquirer U33, who has been assigned the authority to ask the question, by email or the like, that the draft question has been created.

[0065] In S103, the terminal device 330 of the inquirer U33, who is the person asking the question among the inquirers belonging to the inquiring organization, requests the information processing device 100 to inquire about the status of the creation of a draft question in response to an instruction from the inquirer U33. In S104, the thread management unit 104 of the information processing device 100, upon receiving the request from the terminal device 330 in S103, presents the created proposed question (proposed question in the state of a proposed inquiry) for products for which the inquirer U33 (asker) has authority to post a question. This allows the inquirer U33 to check the presented proposed question and determine whether it is OK to post the proposed question (ask a question). At this time, the inquirer U33 may return the created proposed question to the inquirer U31 who created it. In this case, the processes of S101 to S103 are executed again.

[0066] In S105, the terminal device 330 receives an instruction from the inquirer U33 and makes a request to the information processing device 100 for posting a question proposal (asking a question). In S106, the thread management unit 104 of the information processing device 100 receives the request from the terminal device 330 in S105 and executes processing related to posting a proposed question (asking a question). At this time, the thread management unit 104 sets the status of the inquiring organization in the Q&A for the target product to "Q in progress," indicating that the question is being asked. Furthermore, because a question has been asked about the target product, the thread management unit 104 sets the status of the providing organization, which is the provider of the product, to "unanswered," indicating that the question has been asked but has not yet been answered. As a result, the content of the target question (proposed question) is made public in the thread as a question about the target product, and the provider of the providing organization associated with the target product can check the content of the question.

[0067] Next, an example of a process flow when a provider belonging to a provider organization creates and provides (posts) an answer to a question will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process flow related to creating and providing an answer to a question.

[0068] In S201, in response to an instruction from the provider U21, the terminal device 210 of the provider U21 belonging to the provider organization makes a request to the information processing device 100 for an inquiry regarding a question about a product that is associated with and managed by the provider organization to which the provider U21 belongs. For convenience, it is assumed here that the request regarding the inquiry regarding the question is made by the provider U21 who created the answer to the question. In S202, the thread management unit 104 of the information processing device 100, upon receiving the request from the terminal device 210 in S201, presents the question (posted question) that has been asked regarding the product managed in association with the provider U21. This allows the provider U21 to check the content of the question and create an answer to the question.

[0069] In S203, the terminal device 210 of the provider U21 requests the information processing device 100 to create an answer to the question specified by the provider U21 in response to an instruction from the provider U21. At this time, the input / output control unit 102 of the information processing device 100 may present a UI for creating an answer to the question to the provider U21 via the terminal device 210. An example of the UI will be described in detail later.

[0070] In S204, the thread management unit 104 of the information processing device 100, upon receiving the request from the terminal device 210 in S203, creates a draft answer (content of the answer) to the question regarding the product as information regarding the Q&A regarding the product. The thread management unit 104 also sets the status of the provider organization in the Q&A regarding the product to "A in preparation," indicating that a draft answer is currently being prepared. The thread management unit 104 manages the status as "on hold" until the creation of the draft answer is complete, and upon receiving an instruction that the creation of the draft answer is complete, manages the status as "draft answer," indicating that the answer is waiting to be implemented (waiting to be posted). When the creation of the draft answer is complete, the thread management unit 104 may notify the provider U23, who has been assigned the authority to implement the answer, by email or the like, that the draft answer has been created.

[0071] In S205, the terminal device 230 of the provider U23 who is the answerer among the providers belonging to the provider organization makes a request to the information processing device 100 to inquire about the creation status of the answer proposal in response to an instruction from the provider U23. In S206, the thread management unit 104 of the information processing device 100, upon receiving the request from the terminal device 230 in S205, presents the created answer proposal (an answer proposal in the answer proposal state) for products for which the provider U23 (implementer) has the authority to implement the answer. This allows the provider U23 to check the presented answer proposal and determine whether there is any problem with posting the answer proposal (implementing the answer). At this time, the provider U23 may return the created answer proposal to the provider U21 who created it. In this case, the processes of S203 to S205 will be executed again.

[0072] In S207, the terminal device 230 receives an instruction from the provider U23 and requests the information processing device 100 to post a proposed answer (implement an answer). In S208, the thread management unit 104 of the information processing device 100 receives the request from the terminal device 230 in S207 and executes processing related to posting of the target answer proposal (implementation of answer). At this time, the thread management unit 104 sets the status of the providing organization side in the Q&A for the target product to "A Implemented," which indicates that an answer has been made. Furthermore, since an answer has been implemented for the target product, the thread management unit 104 sets the status of the inquiring organization side that asked the question that is the subject of the answer to "A Present," which indicates that the answer has been implemented and that the answer has not yet been confirmed. As a result, the content of the target answer (proposed answer) is made public in the thread as an answer to the question about the target product, and the inquirer of the inquiring organization associated with the target product can confirm the content of the answer.

[0073] Then, when the inquiring organization confirms the response from the providing organization, the thread management unit 104 sets the status of the providing organization to "A Answered," indicating that the response has been implemented, and sets the status of the inquiring organization to "A Confirmed," indicating that the response has been confirmed. Note that additional questions may be asked from this status. In that case, communication between the parties will begin again with the creation of a new question.

[0074] Above, with reference to Figures 10 to 12, an example of the processing of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment has been described, focusing on the processing involved in realizing the exchange of information about products (i.e., questions and answers) between providers and inquirers via a Q&A platform.

[0075] <ui> Next, referring to Figures 13 to 15, as examples of the UI of the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, we will explain individually the UI presented to an operator belonging to the operating organization, a provider belonging to the providing organization, and an inquirer belonging to the inquiring organization.

[0076] First, an example of a UI presented to an administrator belonging to an operating organization will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13(a) shows an example of a TOP screen V110, which is the starting point of a series of UIs presented to an administrator. The operating organization manages a series of platforms (Q&A platforms), but administrators may be set to manage only some of the platforms. The operating organization manages product information, product classification information, providing organization information, and referral organization information for each platform using a database or the like. For this reason, the TOP screen V110 is provided with buttons V111 to V114 for calling up other screens related to setting and editing each of these pieces of information.

[0077] Product information is defined for each of a series of products whose information is handled on the target platform. For example, FIG. 13(b) shows an example of a screen V120 for receiving instructions from a user (operator) regarding the registration or update of product information. The screen V120 is configured to be able to receive, as product information to be registered or updated, a product ID for identifying each product, the name of the product, and identification information (classification ID) of a product classification that classifies the product. The search button is a button for searching for and calling up already registered product information. The new button is a button for registering new product information. The register button is a button for registering or updating product information based on information entered in each field of the screen V120. The cancel button is a button for returning to the TOP screen V110 without registering or updating product information. When registering or updating product information of a target product, it is desirable to set product classification information of a product classification that classifies the product in advance. In addition, as product information, for example, ancillary information such as a validity period, release information, and developer may also be managed. Each piece of product information can be managed in association with product classification information, which will be described later.

[0078] Product classification information is information for categorizing and managing a series of products handled on a target platform based on various conditions. For example, FIG. 13(c) shows an example of a screen V130 for receiving instructions from a user (operator) regarding the registration or update of product classification information. The screen V120 is configured to accept, as product classification information to be registered or updated, a classification ID for identifying each product classification, the name of the product classification, and the classification ID of a product classification higher than the product classification. As described above, a series of products to be managed may be managed by categorizing them hierarchically, for example, into major classifications, medium classifications, and minor classifications. Note that the classification ID of the higher-level product classification may not be specified. In that case, the target product classification is set as the product classification at the highest level. The search button is a button for searching for and calling up already registered product classification information. The new button is a button for registering new product classification information. The register button is a button for registering or updating product classification information based on the information entered in each area of ​​the screen V130. The cancel button is a button for returning to the TOP screen V110 without registering or updating the product classification information. Products to be managed will be associated with one or more categories from a series of categories managed as product classification information on the platform.

[0079] The provider organization information is defined for each of a series of provider organizations participating in the target platform, and product information for each of a series of products handled by the provider organization is associated with the provider organization. The provider organization information can also be used to manage, for example, identification information such as an ID for access by the administrator of the target provider organization, the number of users, the validity period, and additional information related to billing. The provider organization information can also include information about the administrator of the target provider organization. The referencing organization information is defined for each of the provider organizations participating in the target platform. The referencing organization information may also be used to manage, for example, identification information such as an ID for access by the administrator of the referencing organization, the number of users, the validity period, and additional information related to billing. The referencing organization information may also include information about the administrator of the referencing organization. As for the screens for registering and updating the providing organization information and the referencing organization information, the form is not particularly limited as long as the information described above can be registered and updated based on instructions from the user (operator), so illustrations are omitted.

[0080] Next, an example of a UI presented to a provider belonging to a provider organization will be described with reference to FIG. 14. In a provider organization, an administrator manages the groups, users, and products of the provider organization, and users manage information such as Q&A. The administrator of the provider organization can be set by the operator. Furthermore, multiple administrators may be set by an administrator setting other administrators. Access control to information regarding each product is as described above with reference to FIG. 8.

[0081] 14(a) is a diagram showing an example of an administrator TOP screen V210 presented to a provider set as an administrator in a provider organization. The administrator TOP screen V210 has buttons for calling up other screens related to setting and editing information on groups, users, and products to be managed. The group information corresponds to information related to hierarchical group management for managing products. As the user information, information such as the level of the target user (whether or not the user has authority to execute a response) and the group to which the user belongs can be registered. The product information may include information on products provided by the target provider organization among a series of products managed by the platform, the group managing the products, etc. Furthermore, the product information may also manage information on the usage status of the referral organization that uses the target product. As for the screens for registering and updating information on groups, users, and products, illustrations are omitted as the form is not particularly limited as long as registration and updating are possible based on instructions from the administrator provider. The administrator may also be permitted to use the platform as a user. For this reason, the administrator TOP screen V210 is provided with a button V211 for calling up a user TOP screen V220, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 14(b), so that the administrator can use the platform as a user. The exit button is a button for ending use of the platform. The return button is a button for returning to the screen (for example, the login screen) that called up the administrator TOP screen V210.

[0082] 14(b) is a diagram showing an example of a user TOP screen V220 presented to a provider set as a user in a provider organization. The user TOP screen V220 is a screen for managing information related to a target product, such as Q&A, FAQ, explanatory information, etc. Therefore, the user TOP screen V220 is provided with areas for specifying the group to which the target product belongs and the product name of the target product as conditions for searching for information related to the target product. By specifying these conditions, information related to the product, such as Q&A, FAQ, explanatory information, etc., registered for the product that meets the conditions, is searched for. The user TOP screen V220 may also be provided with an area for displaying the number of pieces of information found. The user TOP screen V220 may also be provided with a check box for limiting the search target to information for which no answer has been given (information whose status is "Unanswered" or "A in preparation"). If a higher level is specified as the group level, the number of pieces of information that are also managed by other groups at lower levels than the group may also be displayed. The user TOP screen V220 is also provided with buttons for calling up screens related to the management of Q&A, FAQ, and explanatory information (for example, creation, editing, posting, etc.). Note that the screens related to the management of Q&A, FAQ, and explanatory information are not particularly limited in appearance as long as they can realize the management based on instructions from the user provider, and therefore are not shown in the figures. Regarding Q&A, if a group is specified as a search condition, it is possible to display a series of unanswered Q&As conducted for that group and answer each question, even if a product is not specified. When the Q&A button is pressed when there is one or more unanswered pieces of information, the information on the target question is displayed first, followed by information on previously completed Q&As. When the Q&A button is pressed when there are zero unanswered pieces of information, information on previously completed Q&As is displayed. If there is no information on previously completed Q&As, a blank screen with no registered information on Q&As is displayed.

[0083] Next, with reference to FIG. 15, an example of a UI presented to an inquirer belonging to an inquiry organization will be described. In an inquiry organization, an administrator manages the inquiry organization's groups, inquiry categories, users, and products, and users manage information such as Q&A. The administrator of an inquiry organization can be set by the operator. Furthermore, multiple administrators may be set by an administrator setting other administrators. Access control to information regarding each product is as described above with reference to FIG. 9.

[0084] 15(a) is a diagram showing an example of an administrator TOP screen V210 presented to an inquirer who has been set as an administrator in an inquiry organization. The administrator TOP screen V310 has buttons for calling up other screens related to setting and editing information on the groups, inquiry categories, users, and products to be managed. The group information corresponds to information related to hierarchical group management for managing products. A group represents the affiliation of products and users. As the inquiry category information, information on inquiry categories that classify products hierarchically can be registered. The inquiry category corresponds to information that indicates the conceptual lineage of the products. As the user information, information such as the level of the target user (whether or not the user has the authority to ask a question) and the group to which the user belongs can be registered. The product information may include information about the product used by the target inquiry organization among a series of products managed by the platform, the group managing the product, etc. Information about the inquiry category of the target product may also be registered as product information. As for the screens for registering and updating information on groups, inquiry categories, users, and products, the form is not particularly limited as long as registration and updating are possible based on instructions from the administrator provider, and therefore illustrations are omitted. The administrator may also be permitted to use the platform as a user. For this reason, the administrator TOP screen V310 is provided with a button V311 for calling up a user TOP screen V320, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 15(b), so that the administrator can use the platform as a user. The exit button is a button for ending use of the platform. The return button is a button for returning to the screen (for example, the login screen) that called up the administrator TOP screen V310.

[0085] FIG. 15(b) is a diagram showing an example of a user TOP screen V320 presented to an inquirer who has been set as a user in an inquiry organization. The user TOP screen V320 is a screen mainly for managing information about the target product, such as Q&A. Therefore, the user TOP screen V320 is provided with areas for specifying the group to which the target product belongs, the inquiry category of the product, and the product name of the product as conditions for searching for information about the target product. By specifying these conditions, a search is performed for Q&A and the like registered for products that meet the conditions. Note that when an inquiry category is specified, a search for products may be performed by the inquiry category regardless of whether a group is specified. The user TOP screen V320 may also be provided with an area for displaying the number of pieces of information found. The user TOP screen V320 may also be provided with a check box for limiting the search target to information for which a reply has been given (information with a status of "A available"). If a higher level is specified as the group level, the number of pieces of information may also include products that are managed by other groups at lower levels than the group. The user TOP screen V220 is also provided with a button for calling up a screen related to management of Q&A, etc. (for example, creation, editing, posting, etc.) Note that the screen related to management of Q&A, etc. is not particularly limited in its form as long as it is possible to realize the management based on instructions from the user who makes an inquiry, and therefore is not shown in the figures. When a Q&A or other button is pressed when the number of answers is 1 or more, the information for the relevant Q&A is displayed first, followed by FAQ, explanatory information, and information on previously completed Q&As. If the number of unanswered information items is 0 and the Q&A button is pressed, the FAQ, explanatory information, and information on previously completed Q&As are displayed. If there is no information on previously completed Q&As, a blank screen with no registered information for Q&As is displayed. A new question may be registered by specifying the target provider and product via a screen related to the management of Q&A, etc. In this case, if no existing target Q&A is specified, a new question will be registered, and if an existing target Q&A is specified, an additional or supplementary question to that Q&A will be registered.

[0086] Above, with reference to Figures 13 to 15, we have individually explained the UIs presented to an operator belonging to the operating organization, a provider belonging to the providing organization, and an inquirer belonging to the inquiring organization as examples of the UI of the information processing system 1 of this embodiment.

[0087] <Modification> A modification of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described below.

[0088] (Variation 1) First, a first variation of the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the above-described embodiment, an example of a case where Q&A exchanges between a provider and an inquirer are conducted asynchronously, such as in a so-called bulletin board service, has been described. However, such exchanges are not necessarily conducted one-to-one, and situations in which multiple parties are involved as at least one of the provider and the inquirer can also be envisioned. In such situations, for example, it may be desirable to exchange opinions not only through asynchronous exchanges using text information as in the above-described embodiment, but also through synchronous exchanges such as video conferencing, voice calls, chat, etc. In view of this situation, this modified example is intended to enable the exchange of opinions between the parties (e.g., Q&A) in a more suitable manner, assuming a situation in which at least one of the provider and the inquirer (particularly the inquirer side) participates in the target Q&A. In the platform related to this modified example, users registered with both the pre-registered inquiring organization and the providing organization that answers the question are permitted to use the Q&A.

[0089] In this variation, a system is proposed for managing asynchronous exchanges (communications) such as text Q&A, synchronous exchanges such as chat, voice calls, video calls, and video conferences, and supplementary information provided by attachments (text, still images, audio, video, word processing, spreadsheet data, etc.) as a series of threads for each theme related to the exchange of information between parties. In the following description, text Q&A exchanges may be referred to as "text Q&A" for convenience in order to distinguish them from other exchanges. Furthermore, the questions and answers that make up a text Q&A may be referred to as "text Q" and "text A." Furthermore, when a series of exchanges between parties, including not only text Q&A but also the synchronous exchanges exemplified above, are not particularly distinguished from one another, they may also be referred to as "Q&A type" for convenience.

[0090] The thread management unit 104 of the information processing device 100 according to this modification allows a text Q&A in a thread to refer to Q&As in other threads. The thread management unit 104 may also allow text notes to be added as supplemental information to Q&As other than text Q&As. By applying this type of control, text searches using keywords and the like become possible even in Q&As implemented in multimedia.

[0091] Among the QA types, text QA and file attachments correspond to asynchronous communication, while chat, voice calls, video calls, video conferences, and the like correspond to synchronous communication. The information processing device 100 according to this modification may provide a pre-adjustment function for pre-arranging schedules and the like when implementing synchronous communication. The pre-adjustment function is implemented by the synchronous QA control unit 105 of the information processing device 100 shown in FIG. 4. Furthermore, the synchronous communication may be implemented as an additional function, and use of the function may be permitted when certain conditions, such as billing or contract conditions, are met, for example.

[0092] Regarding scheduling of synchronous exchanges, the synchronous QA control unit 105 may, for example, accept an available schedule setting from the provider organization and accept a request for a reservation of synchronous exchanges from the inquiry organization from among available dates in the schedule. As another example, the synchronous QA control unit 105 may start synchronous exchanges based on instructions from some of the parties and wait for the participation of other parties, even without prior coordination.

[0093] When a Q&A is started in a target thread, the thread management unit 104 may complete the started Q&A in response to an instruction from the person who asked the question or answered the question in the thread. Furthermore, the thread management unit 104 may resume a completed Q&A in response to an instruction from the person concerned (provider or inquirer). The thread management unit 104 allows information managed in the target thread to be shared within the scope of the information disclosure settings. The scope of information disclosure may be set in various ways depending on the situation and operational standards, such as between the parties, between groups of parties, within the parties' inquiry organization, and within all inquiry organizations. As a specific example, the scope of information disclosure may be set by the person who created the question (the inquirer) based on the request of the person who created the question (the inquirer). The thread management unit 104 may allow a new question to be added to the thread upon request from a user, but only to users within the scope of information disclosure.

[0094] An example of a thread management method will now be described with reference to FIG. 16. Threads are created in response to instructions from the inquiring organization, and multiple threads can be managed within the inquiring organization. Also, created threads can be managed by each providing organization that is the subject of a question. Due to these characteristics, from the perspective of the providing organization, threads created by each of multiple inquiring organizations can be managed. Also, from the perspective of the inquiring organization, threads created by its own organization are managed, and it is possible to view and add questions and answers to threads managed by other organizations within the scope of what those other organizations have made public. On the other hand, if the scope of disclosure of each thread is limited to within the own organization or a certain group, other users who do not belong to that own organization or a certain group are restricted from viewing the thread.

[0095] The thread management unit 104 may associate a supplementary question with a question registered in a thread and manage the question in accordance with an instruction from the inquiring organization. Furthermore, while responses to questions are generally based on instructions from the provider organization, situations where the question can be resolved within the inquiring organization are also conceivable. In light of such situations, the thread management unit 104 may accept responses to questions not only from providers but also from inquirers. Even in such situations, the thread management unit 104 may limit acceptance of final responses to providers belonging to the provider organization.

[0096] Next, an example of a method for managing exchanges (Q&A, etc.) between the parties in a thread will be described with reference to FIG. When the thread management unit 104 receives an instruction to register text Q from a user (inquirer) of the inquiring organization, it creates a thread and associates the text Q with the thread. The subject of the thread may be set according to an instruction from the user (e.g., the inquirer), or the subject of the text Q for which the instruction to register was first received may be inherited. The thread management unit 104 accepts the registration of multiple Q&As according to the theme of the thread until the thread is completed. Furthermore, the thread management unit 104 may resume accepting registration of Q&As for the thread even after the thread is completed, according to an instruction from a user (e.g., the inquirer, the provider, etc.).

[0097] Furthermore, the thread management unit 104 according to this modification may accept registration of information regarding synchronous exchanges for a thread (for example, reservations for synchronous exchanges and the results thereof). Note that synchronous exchanges between the parties (for example, between an inquirer and a provider) may be carried out in response to instructions from some users. Note that, at that time, the synchronous exchange may be carried out without taking into account the status of other users, and in this case, it may be terminated when there is no response from the other users. As another example, reservations for the date and time of synchronous exchanges may be accepted depending on the results of prior asynchronous exchanges between the parties. In this case, the synchronous QA control unit 105 accepts and manages reservations for synchronous exchanges.

[0098] Reservations for synchronous exchanges may be managed through text QA exchanges, or may be managed using a separate schedule. For example, FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method using a schedule as an example of a method for managing reservations for video calls between parties. Upon receiving instructions from a user who is one of the parties (e.g., an inquirer, a provider, etc.), the synchronous QA control unit 105 presents the user with a schedule V410 showing reservation information for synchronous exchanges such as video calls. The synchronous QA control unit 105 may then receive from the user via the schedule V410 a time period during which reservations can be accepted (a time period excluding a set range) and accept reservations for synchronous exchanges such as video calls.

[0099] In addition, the synchronous QA control unit 105 may accept reservations for synchronous interactions not limited to one-to-one synchronous interactions between parties, but also for synchronous interactions in which multiple parties can participate, such as so-called video conferences.

[0100] For example, FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method using a schedule as an example of a method for managing reservations for a video conference between parties. Upon receiving instructions from a user (e.g., an inquirer, a provider, etc.) who is one of the parties, the synchronous QA control unit 105 presents the user with a schedule V420 showing reservation information for a synchronous exchange such as a video conference. The synchronous QA control unit 105 may then accept a reservation for the video conference by receiving from the user via the schedule V420 a time slot during which reservations can be accepted (a time slot excluding a set range). Furthermore, upon receiving a designation of the video conference for which a reservation has been accepted, the synchronous QA control unit 105 may present to the user information about the video conference, such as the conference agenda and participants.

[0101] The synchronous QA control unit 105 may also accept registrations from other users (parties) as participants in a video conference whose reservation has been accepted. In this case, the synchronous QA control unit 105 may accept registrations from users as participants in the target video conference to the extent that information about the target product is publicly available. As a specific example, the synchronous QA control unit 105 may accept registrations from inquirers as participants in the target video conference to the extent that the inquirer who accepted the registration of a question (text Q) about the product related to the thread launch belongs to an inquiring organization. The synchronous QA control unit 105 may also accept registrations from providers as participants in the target video conference to the extent that the provider organization provides the product that is the topic of the discussion. The synchronous QA control unit 105 may not only accept registrations of participants in a video conference before the conference starts, but may also accept registrations of participants after the conference starts.

[0102] Furthermore, after the end of a synchronous exchange between the parties, such as a video call or a video conference, the synchronous QA control unit 105 may accept the registration of related materials, such as presented conference materials or minutes, in association with the results of the synchronous exchange. By registering, for example, text information as information on such related materials, it becomes possible to extract the results of the synchronous exchange, such as a video call or a video conference (for example, Q&A data realized by multimedia such as moving images), by performing a text search using keywords, etc.

[0103] The thread management unit 104 may also accept and manage opinions from other users regarding registered questions and answers. For example, FIG. 20 shows an example of a UI for accepting opinions regarding registered questions and answers. The reception screen V430 shown in FIG. 20 is configured to be able to accept the specification of a thread or Q&A to be referenced when accepting an opinion. With this configuration, when registering an opinion, it is also possible to link the target Q&A or thread to the opinion. Furthermore, when registering an opinion, reservations for synchronous communication between parties, such as video calls or video conferences, may also be accepted.

[0104] (Variation 2) Next, a second variation of the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. As described above, in the Q&A platform provided by the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, a variety of products can be set as the target of Q&A. Among such products, the response to inquiries itself may provide added value as a service, and may be subject to charges depending on the use case. In consideration of such circumstances, the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment may set a level for use of the Q&A platform for each inquiring organization registered in the Q&A platform and change the charging method according to the level. As a specific example, the information processing device 100 according to the present variation may set levels for the inquiring organizations to be managed, such that the range of available functions gradually expands, such as "only information reference possible," "asynchronous questions possible," "asynchronous questions and synchronous questions other than video conference possible," and "all methods of questioning possible." In such a case, a charging amount may be set for each inquiring organization according to the level set for that inquiring organization (in other words, the range of available functions). As another example, in a situation where questions are allowed for the target inquiring organization, a charging method (e.g., a charging amount) may be set according to the total number of questions, the number of threads per product, etc. Furthermore, depending on the product, the billing method may be changed depending on the response from the corresponding provider organization or the status of the thread.

[0105] (Variation 3) Next, a third variation of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. The Q&A provided by the Q&A platform according to this embodiment involves a provider belonging to a providing organization answering questions from an inquirer belonging to an inquiring organization, but it can also be used like a bulletin board. Specifically, after a public thread is created by a user of the Q&A platform (an inquirer or a provider), users of the inquiring organization and the providing organization are allowed to post comments and the like on the thread, thereby enabling the platform to be used essentially like a bulletin board. The scope of disclosure of the thread may be changed as appropriate; for example, it may be made public only within the organization.

[0106] (Variation 4) Next, a fourth modification of the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. As described in the third modification, when a Q&A or the like is utilized as a so-called bulletin board, it may be desirable to exchange opinions without specifying a specific provider organization. In view of such circumstances, it may be permitted to create a thread such as a Q&A about a target product as a general treatment without specifying a specific provider organization. Furthermore, when the exchange of opinions between users is not related to a specific product, it may be permitted to create a thread as, for example, other treatment, and as described above, a general treatment may be set without specifying a provider organization.

[0107] <Conclusion> As described above, the information processing system according to this embodiment creates and manages a Q&A platform for each industry, enabling information sharing within a closed network limited to organizations participating in the Q&A platform. Furthermore, by restricting access using an organization ID, user ID, or the like, it becomes possible to realize information sharing within a closed range limited to the above-mentioned parties, even on an open network such as the Internet. Any product (not limited to products for sale, but also including know-how, etc.) utilized within an industry can be the subject of information sharing, and the information management method can be appropriately modified depending on the characteristics of the product. In addition, the operator of the Q&A platform may conduct statistical analysis of various information related to Q&As (type of organization, position or occupation of the inquirer, purpose of inquiry), etc., and may provide feedback on the results of such analysis to the inquiring and providing organizations. Such operations will enable the inquiring and providing organizations to handle products more efficiently and effectively.

[0108] It should be noted that the above-described embodiment is merely an example and does not necessarily limit the configuration or processing of the present invention, and various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the technical concept of the present invention. The present invention also includes a program for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0109] 1. Information Processing Systems 100 Information processing device 101 Information Management Department 102 Input / output control unit 103 Access control section 104 Thread Management Department 105 Synchronous QA Control Unit 106 Storage section 150 Terminal Equipment 210 Terminal Equipment 230 Terminal Equipment 310 Terminal Equipment 330 Terminal Equipment< / ui>

Claims

1. a management means for associating, with each of a series of products to be managed, a provider organization that is a source of information about the product, and for managing the product by associating, with an inquiring organization to which an inquirer who is permitted to inquire about information about the product belongs, the product and the provider organization that is permitted to provide information about the product to an inquirer who belongs to the inquiring organization; a control means for controlling the reception of instructions for creating and posting questions about the product and the reception of instructions for creating and posting answers to the questions; and The control means limiting questions that are to be created and posted by the inquirer who belongs to the inquiring organization to questions about products associated with the inquiring organization; When an instruction to post a question about a product is received from the inquirer who belongs to the inquiry organization associated with the product, limiting the acceptance of instructions for creating and posting answers to the question to providers of information about the product who belong to the provider organization associated with the product and the referral organization; Information processing device.

2. The control means assigning a first authority for posting the question to at least some of the inquirers belonging to the inquiring organization; When a question about the product is created by a first inquirer who belongs to the inquiry organization and is not assigned the first authority, the system restricts acceptance of instructions related to posting of the question from the first inquirer, and accepts instructions related to posting of the question from a second inquirer who belongs to the inquiry organization and is assigned the first authority. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The control means assigning a second authority to at least some of the providers belonging to the provider organization to post answers to the received questions; When an answer to a question about the product is created by a first provider who belongs to the providing organization and is not assigned the second authority, the system restricts acceptance of instructions related to posting of the answer from the first provider, and accepts instructions related to posting of the question from a second provider who belongs to the providing organization and is assigned the second authority. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. The management means manages a series of inquirers belonging to the inquiring organization by dividing them into groups; when the control means receives an instruction from an inquirer belonging to a partial group of the inquiring organization to post a question about a product associated with the inquiring organization, the control means limits inquirers who are permitted to post the question among a series of inquirers belonging to the inquiring organization to inquirers belonging to the partial group; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. The management means manages a series of inquirers belonging to the inquiring organization by dividing them into hierarchical groups so that they are grouped in stages, when the control means receives an instruction from an inquirer belonging to a partial group of the inquiring organization to post a question about a product associated with the inquiring organization, the control means limits inquirers who are permitted to post the question among a series of inquirers belonging to the inquiring organization to inquirers belonging to the partial group and inquirers belonging to another group that is higher than the partial group, The information processing device according to claim 1 .

6. the management means divides a series of providers belonging to the provider organization into groups, and manages the products and the provider organization for each group in association with each other; when the control means receives an instruction from a provider belonging to the providing organization to post an answer regarding a product associated with the providing organization, the control means limits the acceptance of instructions regarding the creation and posting of an answer to the question to providers belonging to the group associated with the product and the providing organization; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

7. the management means divides a series of providers belonging to the provider organization into hierarchical groups so that the providers are grouped in stages, and manages the products and the provider organizations in association with each other for each group; when the control means receives an instruction from an inquirer belonging to the inquiring organization to post a question about a product associated with the providing organization, the control means limits the acceptance of instructions to create and post an answer to the question from providers belonging to the group associated with the product and the providing organization, and providers belonging to another group higher than the group; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

8. a receiving means for receiving an instruction to carry out synchronous communication including, as participants, an inquirer belonging to the inquiring organization associated with the target product, and the provider belonging to the provider organization associated with the product, the inquiring organization, and the product; The control means Information indicating the content of the question, acquired by receiving an asynchronous instruction from an inquirer belonging to the inquiring organization to post a question about a product associated with the inquiring organization; and information indicating the content of the answer, obtained by receiving an asynchronous instruction to post an answer to the question from a provider belonging to the provider organization associated with the product and the referral organization; and Information acquired in connection with the implementation of said synchronous communication; are managed as threads in the order they were acquired. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

9. The information processing device according to claim 8 , wherein the synchronous communication is at least one of a chat, a voice call, a video call, and a video conference.

10. An information processing method executed by an information processing device, a management step of associating, for each of a series of products to be managed, a provider organization that is a source of information about the product, and managing the product by associating, with an inquiring organization to which an inquirer who is permitted to inquire about information about the product belongs, the product and the provider organization that is permitted to provide information about the product to an inquirer who belongs to the inquiring organization; a control step of controlling reception of instructions relating to creation and posting of questions relating to the product and reception of instructions relating to creation and posting of answers to the questions; Including, The control step limiting questions that are to be created and posted by the inquirer who belongs to the inquiring organization to questions about products associated with the inquiring organization; When an instruction to post a question about a product is received from the inquirer who belongs to the inquiry organization associated with the product, limiting the acceptance of instructions for creating and posting answers to the question to providers of information about the product who belong to the provider organization associated with the product and the referral organization; Information processing methods.

11. On the computer, a management step of associating, for each of a series of products to be managed, a provider organization that is a source of information about the product, and managing the product by associating, with an inquiring organization to which an inquirer who is permitted to inquire about information about the product belongs, the product and the provider organization that is permitted to provide information about the product to an inquirer who belongs to the inquiring organization; a control step of controlling reception of instructions relating to creation and posting of questions relating to the product and reception of instructions relating to creation and posting of answers to the questions; Execute The control step limiting questions that are to be created and posted by the inquirer who belongs to the inquiring organization to questions about products associated with the inquiring organization; When an instruction to post a question about a product is received from the inquirer who belongs to the inquiry organization associated with the product, limiting the acceptance of instructions for creating and posting answers to the question to providers of information about the product who belong to the provider organization associated with the product and the referral organization; program.

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