Information processing system, information processing device, and information processing program

Abstract

Even in workflows where user information is not assigned at the start, it becomes possible to identify the recipients of notifications when user notifications are required during execution. [Solution] The first storage unit stores user information, including notification information for each notification recipient user. The creation unit creates a workflow in which user information is not assigned at the start, and sets the notification recipient users stored in the first storage unit as the notification recipients to be used when the workflow requires notification to users. The second storage unit stores the workflow created by the creation unit. The execution unit starts the workflow stored in the second storage unit and, when it is necessary to notify users, retrieves the user information of the notification recipient users set when the workflow was created from the first storage unit and notifies the notification recipient users according to the notification recipient information included in the retrieved user information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an information processing system, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing program.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 defines a workflow that standardizes a series of processes of a certain business, such as scanning a paper document by an image forming apparatus to obtain an electronic document and distributing this electronic document to a mail address or a file server specified by a user, and executes a business based on the defined workflow. In this workflow system, when a logged-in user scans a paper document using an image forming apparatus, after specifying a workflow to start the workflow, the scanning of the paper document is performed, so that the work contents defined in the workflow can be automatically performed.

[0003] In this way, in the case where the user himself / herself starts the execution of the workflow, user information is allocated at the start. Therefore, when an error occurs in the workflow, or when a rollback occurs, or when a user operation is required, a notification is sent to the user who executed the workflow based on the allocated user information.

[0004] However, in a workflow that performs a set operation such as an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) operation on a file when a file is uploaded to a file storage, instead of the user executing the workflow, since the workflow execution start condition is not caused by the user, user information is not allocated at the start. Therefore, when a user notification is required during the execution of the workflow, it is not possible to identify and notify the user to whom the notification should be sent.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-098957 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] The problem that the embodiments of the present invention aim to solve is to provide an information processing system, information processing device, and information processing program that enable the identification of the recipient of a user notification when it becomes necessary during execution, even in a workflow where user information is not assigned at the start. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In one embodiment, the information system comprises a first storage unit, a creation unit, a second storage unit, and an execution unit. The first storage unit stores user information, including notification destination information for each notification destination user. The creation unit creates a workflow in which user information is not assigned at the start, and sets the notification destination users stored in the first storage unit as notification destinations to be used when the workflow requires notification to users. The second storage unit stores the workflow created by the creation unit. When the workflow stored in the second storage unit is started and notification to users is required, the execution unit retrieves the user information of the notification destination users set when the workflow was created from the first storage unit and notifies the notification destination users according to the notification destination information included in the retrieved user information. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a service provision system to which the workflow system as an information processing system according to the first embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a specific configuration of a service delivery system. [Figure 3]Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server device in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the contents registered in the server device's responsible person information database. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the contents stored in the server device's administrator setting memory. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a registered user terminal, which serves as the creator terminal for the information processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation during workflow creation in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of the workflow registration screen when creating a workflow. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an example of the workflow to be created. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the workflow creation process performed by the processor of the registered user terminal, which acts as the creator terminal. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows the first portion of a sequence diagram illustrating the operation during workflow execution in the example shown in Figure 9 in a service provision system to which the information processing system according to the first embodiment is applied. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows a second portion of a sequence diagram illustrating the operation during workflow execution in the example shown in Figure 9 in a service provision system to which the information processing system according to the first embodiment is applied. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of processing operations according to the workflow executed by the server device's processor. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server device as an information processing device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation during workflow creation in the information processing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] Figure 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the workflow creation process performed by the server device's processor. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [First Embodiment] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a service provision system to which the workflow system as an information processing system according to the first embodiment is applied. In this embodiment, the workflow system WS works in cooperation with the storage service SS and the OCR service OS. The storage service SS provides a service to save files of any user to cloud storage. The OCR service OS provides an OCR service that performs OCR on data within files. Hereinafter, the workflow system WS will be described as executing a workflow that retrieves a file from the storage service SS, has the OCR service OS perform character recognition on the file, has the OCR result checked by a pre-configured person in charge, and then saves it to the storage service SS.

[0010] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the specific configuration of a service provision system. The service provision system includes a server device 1, multiple registered user terminals 2, and cloud storage 3, all connected via a network NW, such as the Internet. The server device 1 has at least the function to execute workflows in the workflow system WS, and in this embodiment, it also provides an OCR service OS. The registered user terminals 2 are terminals used by registered users who are registered with the server device 1 as users of the workflow system WS. That is, the workflow system WS includes the server device 1 and the registered user terminals 2. The cloud storage 3 is storage provided by a storage service SS, which is the destination for saving user files. Note that the entity that runs the storage service SS is omitted in Figure 2. The service provision system may also include one or more unregistered user terminals 4, which are terminals used by unregistered users who are not registered with the server device 1 as users of the workflow system WS. Unregistered users cannot use the workflow system, but they are users of the storage service SS and can save files to the cloud storage 3 via the network NW from the unregistered user terminal 4.

[0011] Registered user terminal 2 includes at least one creator terminal 2A and one or more responsible terminals 2B. Creator terminal 2A is used by registered users who are administrators creating workflows. Responsible terminal 2B is used by registered users who are responsible for receiving notifications when user notifications are required during workflow execution. Both creator terminal 2A and responsible terminal 2B can save files to cloud storage 3 via the network NW, just like unregistered user terminal 4.

[0012] The server device 1 may be an information processing device such as a server computer, or may be a multi-function device (Multi-Function Peripherals, hereinafter abbreviated as MFP) placed in a workplace and having at least a scanning function, a printing function, and a communication function. The registered user terminal 2 and the unregistered user terminal 4 may be information processing devices such as personal computers. Further, the unregistered user terminal 4 may be an MFP placed in a workplace.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the server device 1 includes a processor 11, a main memory 12, an auxiliary storage device 13, a communication interface 14, and the like. These components are connected to each other via a bus line 15 such as a data bus.

[0014] The processor 11 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but is not limited thereto. The processor 11 may be multi-core / multi-threaded and can execute a plurality of processes in parallel. Further, the processor 11 may be an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The processor 11 has a function of controlling the operation of the entire server device 1. The processor 11 may include an internal memory and various interfaces. The processor 11 realizes various processes by executing a program pre-stored in the internal memory or the auxiliary storage device 13.

[0015] Furthermore, some of the various functions realized by the processor 11 executing a program may be realized by various types of hardware circuits, including integrated circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), SoCs (System on a Chip), and PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices). In this case, the processor 11 controls the functions executed by the hardware circuits.

[0016] Main memory 12 is volatile memory. Main memory 12 is working memory or buffer memory. Main memory 12 can store various application programs based on instructions from processor 11. Main memory 12 may also have a temporary storage unit that stores data necessary for executing control programs and application programs stored in auxiliary storage device 13, as well as the execution results of those programs.

[0017] The auxiliary storage device 13 is a non-volatile internal storage device that allows data to be written to and rewritten. The auxiliary storage device 13 employs inexpensive storage devices with low fault tolerance, such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 13 stores control programs, application programs, and various data according to the operational use of the server device 1. For example, the auxiliary storage device 13 includes a responsible person information database (referred to as responsible person information DB in Figure 3) 131, a workflow storage unit 132, a responsible person setting storage unit 133, a folder-by-folder file list storage unit 134, a workflow creation support program storage unit 135, a workflow execution program storage unit 136, and an OCR execution program storage unit 137.

[0018] The responsible person information database 131 is a first storage unit that stores user information, including notification recipient information, for each notified user. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the registered contents of this responsible person information database 131. As shown in Figure 4, the responsible person information database 131 stores user information for each notified user, linked to a unique responsible person ID, including the registered user's name, the email address which is the notification recipient information, and other information. A user group containing multiple registered users can be set as a notification recipient for a single responsible person ID.

[0019] The workflow storage unit 132 is a second storage unit that stores workflows created according to instructions from a registered user who acts as an administrator through operations on the creator terminal 2A.

[0020] The responsible person setting storage unit 133 is a third storage unit that stores correspondence information indicating the correspondence between workflows and notified users. The correspondence is set when a workflow is created, according to instructions from the registered user who will become the administrator through the operation of the creator terminal 2A. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the contents stored in the responsible person setting storage unit 133. As shown in Figure 5, the responsible person setting storage unit 133 stores the creator's name and responsible person ID as correspondence information, linked to a workflow ID that uniquely identifies the workflow being created. Note that the creator's name is optional.

[0021] The folder-specific file list storage unit 134 stores a file list for each folder in the cloud storage 3. The file list is a list of filenames of the files stored in that folder, and may also include the timestamp of each file. Each file list stored in this folder-specific file list storage unit 134 can be updated when it is detected that a new file has been saved in the corresponding folder in the cloud storage 3. A new file includes not only newly saved files but also updated files.

[0022] The workflow creation support program storage unit 135 stores a workflow creation support program that causes the processor 11 to perform processing operations to assist a registered user acting as an administrator in creating a workflow through operations on the creator terminal 2A.

[0023] The workflow execution program storage unit 136 stores a workflow execution program that causes the processor 11 to execute the workflow stored in the workflow storage unit 132.

[0024] The OCR execution program storage unit 137 stores an OCR execution program that causes the processor 11 to perform OCR on the data in the file.

[0025] The communication interface 14 is an interface for communicating with external devices on the network NW, namely the registered user terminal 2 and the cloud storage 3.

[0026] In addition to the configuration shown in Figure 3, the server device 1 may also have other configurations as needed. For example, the server device 1 may include a reader device for reading information from a recording medium that stores various types of information such as programs and data. The programs stored on the recording medium may include at least one of a workflow creation support program, a workflow execution program, and an OCR execution program.

[0027] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a registered user terminal 2, which serves as the creator terminal 2A as an information processing device according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, the registered user terminal 2 includes a processor 21, main memory 22, auxiliary storage device 23, input / output interface 24, input device 25, output device 26, communication interface 27, and the like. The processor 21, main memory 22, auxiliary storage device 23, input / output interface 24, and communication interface 27 are connected to each other via a bus line 28 such as a data bus. The input device 25 and output device 26 are connected to the input / output interface 24. In addition to the configuration shown in Figure 6, the registered user terminal 2 may have other configurations as needed, or certain configurations may be excluded from the configuration shown in Figure 6.

[0028] The processor 21 is, for example, a CPU, but is not limited to that. The processor 21 may be multi-core / multi-threaded and capable of executing multiple processes in parallel. The processor 21 may also be an MPU. The processor 21 has the function of controlling the operation of the entire registered user terminal 2. The processor 21 may also be equipped with internal memory and various interfaces. The processor 21 realizes various processes by executing programs that are pre-stored in the internal memory or auxiliary storage device 23. Some of the various functions realized by the processor 21 executing programs may be realized by various types of hardware circuits, including integrated circuits such as ASICs, DSPs, FPGAs, GPUs, SoCs, and PLDs. In this case, the processor 21 controls the functions executed by the hardware circuits.

[0029] Main memory 22 is volatile memory. Main memory 22 is working memory. Main memory 22 can store various application programs based on instructions from processor 21. In addition, main memory 22 can store data necessary for executing control programs and application programs stored in auxiliary storage device 23, as well as the execution results of those programs.

[0030] The auxiliary storage device 23 is a non-volatile internal storage device that allows data to be written to and rewritten. The auxiliary storage device 23 stores control programs, application programs, and various data according to the operational use of the registered user terminal 2. For example, the auxiliary storage device 23 has a workflow creation program storage unit 231 that stores a workflow creation program as one of the application programs.

[0031] The input / output interface 24 is an interface with the input device 25 and the output device 26. The input device 25 is used by the registered user, who is the creator, to input instructions and information necessary for the operation of the registered user terminal 2. The input device 25 includes, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad or other pointing device, etc. The input device 25 may also include a touch panel, operation buttons, etc., located on the display screen of the output device 26. The input device 25 may also include a reader device for reading information from a recording medium that stores various information such as programs and data. The programs stored on the recording medium may include a workflow creation program. The output device 26 includes a display that displays various information generated by the registered user terminal 2, such as an LCD monitor, an OLED (Electro-Luminescence) monitor, a projector screen, a head-mounted display, etc. The output device 26 may also include a speaker that transmits various information to the registered user by sound. Furthermore, the output device 26 may include a writer device for writing the information generated by the registered user terminal 2 to the recording medium.

[0032] The communication interface 27 is an interface for communicating with the server device 1, which is an external device on the network NW.

[0033] Furthermore, the registered user terminal 2 that becomes the responsible terminal 2B has the same configuration as the registered user terminal 2 that becomes the creator terminal 2A, except that the auxiliary storage device 23 does not have a workflow creation program storage unit 231. Of course, the registered user terminal 2 that becomes the responsible terminal 2B may also have a workflow creation program storage unit 231, and by executing the workflow creation program stored in this workflow creation program storage unit 231, the registered user terminal 2 can become the creator terminal 2A. Thus, the information processing system according to the first embodiment may be configured so that any registered user can become a workflow creator.

[0034] The following describes the operation of a workflow system as an information processing system with the above configuration during workflow creation. Figure 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of a workflow system as an information processing system according to the first embodiment, between the server device 1 and the registered user terminal 2, which is the creator terminal 2A.

[0035] When a registered user who will be the creator instructs the execution of the workflow creation program stored in the workflow creation program storage unit 231 from the input device 25 of the creator terminal 2A, the registered user terminal 2 sends a workflow creation start notification to the server device 1 (step S11).

[0036] Then, the creator terminal 2A defines the workflow according to the instructions of the registered user who will be the creator (step S12). Specifically, the creator terminal 2A displays the workflow registration screen on the output device 26, and sequentially stores the workflow settings instructed by the user's operation of the input device 25, and reflects those settings on the workflow registration screen.

[0037] Figure 8 shows an example of the workflow registration screen 261 displayed on the output device 26's display when a workflow is created. The workflow registration screen 261 has a workflow setting area 262, a workflow manager area 263, a register button 264, and a cancel button 265. The workflow setting area 262 is the area where the workflow settings are made. The workflow manager area 263 is the area where the workflow manager to be notified is made. In the workflow manager area 263, the workflow manager can be selected from the manager list provided by the server device 1. The register button 264 is a button that instructs the server device 1 to register the configured workflow and workflow manager. The cancel button 265 is a button that instructs the user to cancel the settings of the workflow and workflow manager.

[0038] Figure 9 shows an example of the workflow to be created. This example workflow retrieves newly saved files from the storage service SS, performs character recognition on those files using the OCR service OS, has the OCR results checked by a pre-configured person in charge, and then saves them to the storage service SS. Specifically, this example workflow is as follows:

[0039] Retrieve the contents of the specified folder A in the storage service SS (ST1). Check if a new file has been uploaded (ST2). If no new files have been uploaded (ST2:NO), wait for a certain period of time (ST3). Then, repeat from ST1. If a new file has been uploaded (ST2: YES), the file is sent to the OCR service and the data within the file is OCR'd (ST4). Send a request to the workflow manager to check the OCR results (ST5). Verify that the workflow manager has completed the check (ST6). If the workflow manager has not completed the check (ST6:NO), wait for a certain period of time (ST7). Then, repeat from ST6. If the person in charge has completed the check (ST6:YES), the newly uploaded document file and its OCR results will be uploaded to the designated folder B of the storage service SS (ST8).

[0040] In ST5, when sending a request to check the OCR results, it is necessary to identify the workflow manager to whom the request will be sent.

[0041] Returning to the explanation of Figure 7, when the server device 1 receives a workflow creation start notification sent from the creator terminal 2A, it provides the creator terminal 2A with a list of responsible persons, which is a list of workflow responsible persons stored in the responsible person information database 131 (step S13).

[0042] The creator terminal 2A displays this list of responsible persons in the workflow responsible person area 263 of the workflow registration screen 261, and allows the creator to select from the list of responsible persons to set the workflow responsible person to be sent to in ST5 (step S14).

[0043] Then, if the creator operates the registration button 264 on the workflow registration screen 261, the creator terminal 2A sends an instruction to the server device 1 to save the defined workflow and the configured workflow manager (step S15).

[0044] Upon receiving the save command, server device 1 saves the defined workflow to workflow storage unit 132 and the configured workflow administrator to responsible person setting storage unit 133 (step S16).

[0045] The following describes the operation of the registered user terminal 2, which will be the creator terminal 2A, in order to realize the operations when creating such a workflow. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the workflow creation process operation performed by the processor 21 of the registered user terminal 2, which will be the creator terminal 2A. The processor 21 can perform this workflow creation process operation by executing the workflow creation program, which is an information processing program according to the first embodiment as a control program stored in the workflow creation program storage unit 231 of the auxiliary storage device 23. Unless otherwise specified, the processing operation of the processor 21 shown in the flowchart of Figure 10 will transition from ACTn (where n is a natural number) to ACT(n+1). The same applies to the flowcharts of other figures described later.

[0046] As ACT201, processor 21 sends a workflow creation start notification to server device 1 via the network NW using communication interface 27.

[0047] As ACT202, processor 21 obtains the list of responsible persons transmitted from server device 1 via the network NW using the communication interface 27 and temporarily stores it in main memory 22.

[0048] As ACT203, the processor 21 applies the list of responsible persons obtained from the server device 1 to the screen data of a pre-prepared workflow screen and displays it as a workflow registration screen 261 on the output device 26 via the input / output interface 24.

[0049] As ACT204, the processor 21 determines whether the input from the input device 25, provided via the input / output interface 24, relates to workflow settings. If the input from the input device 25 does not relate to workflow settings, the processor 21 determines NO in ACT204 and proceeds to the process of ACT206 described later. If the input from the input device 25 relates to workflow settings, the processor 21 determines YES in ACT204 and proceeds to the process of ACT205.

[0050] As ACT205, the processor 21 temporarily saves the workflow settings input from the input device 25 to the main memory 22. Then, the processor 21 proceeds to the process of ACT203 and displays the workflow registration screen 261 that reflects the input workflow settings.

[0051] As ACT206, the processor 21 determines whether the input from the input device 25, provided via the input / output interface 24, relates to the selection of the workflow manager. If the input from the input device 25 does not relate to the selection of the workflow manager, the processor 21 determines NO in ACT206 and proceeds to the process of ACT208 described later. If the input from the input device 25 relates to the selection of the workflow manager, the processor 21 determines YES in ACT206 and proceeds to the process of ACT207.

[0052] As ACT207, the processor 21 temporarily stores the selection result of the workflow manager input from the input device 25 in the main memory 22 as correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the workflow and the notified user. Subsequently, the processor 21 proceeds to the processing of ACT203 and displays the workflow registration screen 261 that reflects the input selection results for the workflow manager.

[0053] As ACT208, the processor 21 determines whether the input from the input device 25, provided via the input / output interface 24, is a registration instruction issued by the operation of the registration button 264. If the input from the input device 25 is a registration instruction, the processor 21 determines YES in ACT208 and proceeds to the process of ACT210 described later. If the input from the input device 25 is not a registration instruction, the processor 21 determines NO in ACT208 and proceeds to the process of ACT209.

[0054] As ACT209, the processor 21 determines whether the input from the input device 25, provided via the input / output interface 24, is a cancel instruction due to the operation of the cancel button 265. If the input from the input device 25 is not a cancel instruction, the processor 21 determines NO in ACT209 and proceeds to the processing of ACT203. If the input from the input device 25 is a cancel instruction, the processor 21 determines YES in ACT209 and proceeds to the processing of ACT210.

[0055] As ACT210, processor 21 clears the workflow settings and / or the selection results of the workflow manager that are temporarily stored in main memory 22. Then, processor 21 proceeds to the process of ACT203 above and displays the initial workflow registration screen 261.

[0056] As ACT211, processor 21 sends a save command to server device 1 via the network NW using the communication interface 27. This command includes the workflow settings temporarily stored in main memory 22, and, if available, the results of the workflow manager's selection, i.e., correspondence information indicating the relationship between the workflow and the notified user. Then, processor 21 completes the workflow creation process operation shown in this flowchart.

[0057] Next, we will describe the operation during workflow execution in the information processing system. Figures 11 and 12 are a series of sequence diagrams illustrating the operation during workflow execution in the example shown in Figure 9 in a service provision system to which the workflow system as an information processing system according to the first embodiment is applied.

[0058] Server device 1 executes the workflow execution program stored in the workflow execution program storage unit 136. When a workflow like the one illustrated in Figure 9 is stored in the workflow storage unit 132, or when the execution of that workflow is instructed from the registered user terminal 2, which will become the creator terminal 2A, after it has been stored, the execution of that workflow begins (step S21).

[0059] Additionally, registered user terminal 2 or unregistered user terminal 4 uploads any file at any time, specifying the destination folder in cloud storage 3 (step S22).

[0060] Cloud storage 3 saves the uploaded file to the specified folder (step S23).

[0061] Server device 1, which has started the workflow, accesses cloud storage 3 at regular intervals to obtain a file list, which is a list of files stored in the specified folder, folder A in the example of Figure 9 (step S24).

[0062] Then, the server device 1 compares the acquired file list with the folder list of the corresponding folder, folder A, stored in the folder-specific file list storage unit 134, to determine whether or not a new file has been uploaded (step S25).

[0063] When a new file is uploaded, server device 1 retrieves the new file from cloud storage 3 (step S26).

[0064] The server device 1 then sends the newly acquired file to the OCR service OS (step S27) and receives the OCR result from the OCR service OS (step S28). In some cases, the server device 1 can provide the OCR service OS by executing the OCR execution program stored in the OCR execution program storage unit 137. In this case, the server device 1 passes the new file to the OCR execution program it is running, performs OCR, and obtains the OCR result.

[0065] Once the OCR result is obtained, the server device 1 determines the recipient email address for the workflow from the email addresses stored in the responsible person information database 131, according to the correspondence information stored in the responsible person setting storage unit 133, which shows the correspondence between the workflow and the notified user (step S29).

[0066] Then, server device 1 sends a request to check the OCR results to the determined notification email address (step S30). The check request includes the OCR results.

[0067] When the workflow manager who is the recipient of the notification receives this check request via registered user terminal 2, which is their manager terminal 2B, they check the OCR results, make corrections if necessary, and then send a completion notification back to server device 1 (step S31). If no corrections are made, the completion notification will be a simple approval notification; if the OCR results are corrected, it will be an approval notification that includes the corrected OCR results.

[0068] When server device 1 receives a completion notification, it uploads the new file and the OCR results to a specified folder in cloud storage 3, for example, folder B in the example in Figure 9 (step S32).

[0069] Cloud storage 3 saves the uploaded file and the OCR results to the specified folder, Folder B (Step S33).

[0070] Furthermore, the server device 1 updates the folder list of folder A, which is the corresponding folder in the folder-by-folder file list storage unit 134, to the acquired file list (step S34).

[0071] The operation of the server device 1 to realize the operation during such workflow execution will be described below. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of processing operation performed by the processor 11 of the server device 1 according to the workflow example in Figure 9. The processor 11 can perform processing operations according to the workflow stored in the workflow storage unit 132 by executing the workflow execution program, which is stored as a control program, in the workflow execution program storage unit 136 of the auxiliary storage device 23.

[0072] As ACT101, the processor 11 obtains a file list from folder A, which is a specified folder in the cloud storage 3 specified in the workflow, via the network NW using the communication interface 14.

[0073] As ACT102, the processor 11 compares the file list obtained from the cloud storage 3 with the stored file list stored in the corresponding folder A of the folder-specific file list storage unit 134.

[0074] As ACT103, processor 11 determines, based on the comparison results, whether or not there are new files in folder A, which is the designated folder of cloud storage 3. If a file that does not exist in the stored file list is included in the retrieved file list, processor 11 determines that the missing file is a new file. Also, even if a file exists in the stored file list, processor 11 determines that the file is a new file if the timestamp of the file included in the retrieved file list is more recent. If there are new files, processor 11 determines YES in ACT103 and proceeds to the process of ACT105 described below. If there are no new files, processor 11 determines NO in ACT103 and proceeds to the process of ACT104.

[0075] As ACT104, processor 11 waits for a certain period of time. After that, processor 11 proceeds to the processing of ACT101.

[0076] As ACT105, the processor 11 retrieves a file determined to be a new file from folder A, which is a designated folder in cloud storage 3, via the network NW using the communication interface 14. The processor 11 temporarily stores the retrieved file in main memory 12 or auxiliary storage device 13.

[0077] As ACT106, processor 11 sends the acquired file to the OCR service. For example, processor 11 passes the acquired file to an OCR execution program that is running separately.

[0078] As ACT107, processor 11 receives the OCR result.

[0079] As ACT108, processor 11 converts the OCR results into the file format specified in the workflow. Processor 11 temporarily stores the converted OCR results in main memory 12 or auxiliary storage device 13.

[0080] As ACT109, the processor 11 retrieves the responsible person ID, which is the responsible person information corresponding to the workflow ID of the workflow, from the correspondence information stored in the responsible person setting storage unit 133, which shows the correspondence between the workflow and the notified user.

[0081] As ACT110, processor 11 obtains the notification email address for the workflow from among the email addresses to be notified stored in the responsible person information database 131, using the acquired responsible person ID.

[0082] As ACT111, processor 11 creates a check request email with the acquired email address set as the recipient and attaches the OCR results obtained by converting the temporarily stored file format.

[0083] As ACT112, processor 11 sends the created check request email via communication interface 14.

[0084] As ACT113, the processor 11 determines whether or not it has received a check completion notification from the workflow manager via the communication interface 14. If it has received the check completion notification, the processor 11 determines YES in ACT113 and proceeds to the process of ACT115 described later. If it has not received the check completion notification, the processor 11 determines NO in ACT113 and proceeds to the process of ACT114.

[0085] As ACT114, processor 11 waits for a certain period of time. After that, processor 11 proceeds to the processing of ACT113.

[0086] As ACT115, the processor 11 uploads the newly temporarily stored file and the temporarily stored OCR results or corrected OCR results included in the completion notification to folder B, which is the destination folder of the cloud storage 3 specified in the workflow, via the network NW using the communication interface 14.

[0087] As ACT116, processor 11 updates the stored file list in folder-specific file list storage unit 134, which was compared in the process of ACT102, with the file list obtained from the cloud storage 3 where it is temporarily stored. Then, processor 21 completes the processing operation according to the workflow shown in this flowchart. At this time, it is desirable to delete the data temporarily stored in main memory 12 or auxiliary storage device 13.

[0088] Although not specifically illustrated, the workflow can also define processing actions for cases such as when the workflow administrator does not receive confirmation of completion of the check after a specified time has elapsed, or when the workflow administrator receives a rejection rather than approval result. The processor 11 can then execute these actions according to the definitions.

[0089] As described above, the information processing system according to the first embodiment includes: a responsible person information database 131 of the server device 1, which is an example of a first storage unit that stores user information including notification destination information for each notification destination user; a processor 21 of a registered user terminal 2, which is a creator terminal 2A, which is an example of a creation unit that creates a workflow by setting a notification destination user stored in the responsible person information database 131 as the notification destination to be used when a notification to a user becomes necessary in a workflow for which user information is not assigned at the start of the workflow; a workflow storage unit 132 of the server device 1, which is an example of a second storage unit that stores the workflow created by the processor 21; and a processor 11 of the server device 1, which is an example of an execution unit that, when a workflow stored in the workflow storage unit 132 is started and a notification to a user becomes necessary, retrieves user information of the notification destination user set at the time of workflow creation from the responsible person information database 131 and notifies the notification destination user according to the notification destination information contained in the retrieved user information. Furthermore, the registered user terminal 2, which is an example of an information processing device according to the first embodiment and is a creator terminal 2A, includes an input device 25, which is an example of an operation unit that receives operations from the creator of the workflow, and a processor 21. The processor 21, in accordance with the creator's operations received by the input device 25, sets a notification user from among the notification users, each of which has user information including notification destination information pre-stored, to be used as a notification destination when it becomes necessary to notify the user in the workflow, and creates a workflow in which no user information is assigned at the start. The processor 21 then controls the creation of the workflow in which no user information is assigned at the start and the set notification destination information to be sent to the server device 1, so that it is stored in the workflow storage unit 132 and the responsible person setting storage unit 133 of the auxiliary storage device 13 of the server device 1, which is an example of a storage device. Thus, the processor 21 is an example of a creation unit and a storage control unit. Thus, in the first embodiment, for workflows that are not initiated by the user, by setting a notification recipient user during workflow setup, it becomes easy to identify the notification recipient user when user notification is required during workflow execution where the user cannot be identified. For example, if an unregistered user "BBBB" uploads a document file to a designated folder in cloud storage 3 from an unregistered user terminal 4 by executing the storage service SS or another service, conventionally, the workflow system WS cannot identify who started the workflow, and therefore cannot send a notification even if one is required. In contrast, in the first embodiment, the workflow is processed as having been started by the notification recipient user set at the time of workflow creation, for example, the registered user "AAAA," and a notification can be sent to that notification recipient user. In this way, according to the first embodiment, even for workflows where user information is not assigned at the start, it becomes possible to identify the recipient of the notification when user notification is required during execution. This allows notifications to be sent to the identified notification recipient user, prompting them to perform necessary operations during the workflow. Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, by setting the notification recipient users when configuring the workflow, it is possible to narrow down the users who can check the execution status of the workflow.

[0090] Furthermore, the information processing system according to the first embodiment further includes a responsible person setting storage unit 133 of the server device 1, which is an example of a third storage unit that stores correspondence relationship information indicating the correspondence relationship between a workflow and a notified user. The processor 21 of the registered user terminal 2, which is the creator terminal 2A, creates the correspondence relationship information when creating a workflow and stores it in the responsible person setting storage unit 133. When the workflow is started and it becomes necessary to notify a user, the processor 11 of the server device 1 identifies the notified user corresponding to the workflow based on the correspondence relationship information stored in the responsible person setting storage unit 133, and obtains the user information of the identified notified user from the responsible person information database 131. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to set and store the notification recipient user for each workflow, and the processor 11 of the server device 1 can easily identify the corresponding notification recipient user according to the workflow that requires notification.

[0091] Here, each of the notified users includes either a single user or a user group containing multiple users. Thus, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to set not only a single registered user such as "AAAA" but also multiple registered users such as "CCCC" and "DDDD" as the notification recipient users, and when user notification becomes necessary at runtime, it is possible to notify multiple users.

[0092] [Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment described above, the registered user terminal 2, which is the creator terminal 2A, functions as an information processing device. However, the server device 1 may also function as an information processing device. This will be described below as the second embodiment. Note that for configurations and operations similar to those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment will be used, and their explanation will be omitted.

[0093] Figure 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server device 1 as an information processing device according to the second embodiment in the information processing system according to the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 14, the server device 1 of this embodiment has a workflow creation program storage unit 138 in the auxiliary storage device 13, instead of the workflow creation support program storage unit 135 in the first embodiment. This workflow creation program storage unit 138 starts execution in response to a workflow creation request from a registered user terminal 2 which will be the creator terminal 2A, and stores a workflow creation program that creates a workflow using the registered user terminal 2 as a terminal that accepts input and output from the registered user who will be the creator. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the registered user terminal 2 which will be the creator terminal 2A does not have a workflow creation program storage unit 231 as in the first embodiment.

[0094] The following describes the operation of a workflow system as an information processing system with the above configuration during workflow creation. Figure 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of a workflow system as an information processing system according to the second embodiment, between the server device 1 and the registered user terminal 2, which is the creator terminal 2A.

[0095] On the registered user terminal 2, which will be the creator terminal 2A, the registered user who will be the creator performs a predetermined workflow creation start operation using the input device 25 (step S41). As a result, a workflow creation request is sent from the creator terminal 2A to the server device 1.

[0096] Upon receiving this workflow creation request, the server device 1 executes the workflow creation program stored in the workflow creation program storage unit 138 and starts the workflow creation process (step S42).

[0097] Server device 1 creates a workflow registration screen including a list of responsible persons based on the information of workflow responsible persons stored in the responsible person information database 131, and sends the created workflow registration screen to the creator terminal 2A (step S43).

[0098] The creator terminal 2A receives this workflow registration screen and displays it as the workflow registration screen 261 on the output device 26, which is a display (step S44).

[0099] Then, the creator terminal 2A receives the operation of defining the workflow and / or setting the workflow manager via the creator's input device 25, and transmits the details of that operation to the server device 1 (step S45).

[0100] Server device 1 receives this operation information, temporarily stores the definition of the workflow and / or the settings of the workflow manager corresponding to the operation information, and updates the workflow registration screen according to the settings (step S46). Then, it sends the updated workflow registration screen to the creator terminal 2A.

[0101] The creator terminal 2A receives this updated workflow registration screen and updates the workflow registration screen 261 displayed on the output device 26 (S47). Steps S45 to S47 are repeated.

[0102] Then, if the creator operates the registration button 264 on the workflow registration screen 261, the creator terminal 2A sends a workflow save instruction to the server device 1 (step S48).

[0103] Server device 1 receives the save command and saves the defined workflows it has temporarily stored in the workflow storage unit 132, and the configured workflow administrators in the responsible person setting storage unit 133 (step S49).

[0104] The operation of the server device 1 to realize the operations during such workflow creation will be described below. Figure 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the workflow creation process operation performed by the processor 11 of the server device 1. The processor 11 can perform this workflow creation process operation by executing the workflow creation program, which is an information processing program according to the second embodiment as a control program, stored in the workflow creation program storage unit 138 of the auxiliary storage device 13, in response to receiving a workflow creation request from the creator terminal 2A.

[0105] As ACT121, processor 11 creates a list of responsible persons based on the information of workflow responsible persons stored in the responsible person information database 131, and creates screen data for the workflow registration screen by applying that responsible person list.

[0106] As ACT122, processor 11 transmits the screen data of the created workflow registration screen to the creator terminal 2A via the network NW using the communication interface 14.

[0107] As ACT123, processor 11 determines via the communication interface 14 whether it has received operation details from creator terminal 2A via the network NW, indicating the content of operations performed on creator terminal 2A, such as defining the workflow and / or setting the workflow manager. If operation details are received, processor 11 determines YES in ACT123 and proceeds to the process of ACT125 described later. If operation details are not received, processor 11 determines NO in ACT123 and proceeds to the process of ACT124.

[0108] As ACT124, the processor 11 determines whether or not it has received a save command transmitted from the creator terminal 2A via the network NW through the communication interface 14. If a save command is received, the processor 11 determines YES in ACT124 and proceeds to the process of ACT127 described later. If a save command is not received, the processor 11 determines NO in ACT124 and proceeds to the process of ACT123 described above. In this way, by repeating the processes of ACT123 and ACT124, the processor 11 waits to receive operation details or a save command from the creator terminal 2A.

[0109] As ACT125, processor 11 temporarily saves the workflow definition and / or workflow manager settings, which are the operation details received from creator terminal 2A, to main memory 12.

[0110] As ACT126, processor 11 updates the screen data of the workflow registration screen according to the definition of this workflow and / or the settings of the workflow manager. Then, processor 11 proceeds to the process of ACT122 above and sends the updated screen data of the workflow registration screen to the creator terminal 2A.

[0111] As ACT127, processor 11 stores the temporarily stored contents of main memory 12 in auxiliary storage device 13. Specifically, processor 11 stores the created workflow, as indicated by the workflow definition, in workflow storage unit 132. Processor 11 also stores correspondence information, which shows the correspondence between the workflow based on the workflow manager settings and the notified users, in manager setting storage unit 133. Then, processor 21 terminates the workflow creation process operation shown in this flowchart. At this point, it is desirable to delete the data temporarily stored in main memory 12.

[0112] The operation of the information processing system during workflow execution according to the second embodiment is the same as in the first embodiment, so its explanation will be omitted.

[0113] As described above, the information processing system according to the second embodiment includes: a responsible person information database 131 of the server device 1, which is an example of a first storage unit that stores user information including notification destination information for each notification destination user; a processor 11 of the server device 1, which is an example of a creation unit that creates a workflow by setting a notification destination user stored in the responsible person information database 131 as the notification destination to be used when a notification to a user becomes necessary in a workflow for which user information is not assigned at startup; a workflow storage unit 132 of the server device 1, which is an example of a second storage unit that stores the workflow created by the processor 11; and a processor 11 of the server device 1, which is an example of an execution unit that, when a workflow stored in the workflow storage unit 132 is started and a notification to a user becomes necessary, retrieves the user information of the notification destination user set at the time of workflow creation from the responsible person information database 131 and notifies the notification destination user according to the notification destination information contained in the retrieved user information. Furthermore, the server device 1, which is an example of an information processing device according to the second embodiment, is equipped with a communication interface 14 that receives the operations of the workflow creator on the registered user terminal 2, which is the creator terminal 2A, via the network NW. Thus, the communication interface 14 is an example of an operation unit that accepts operations from the workflow creator. The server device 1 is also equipped with a processor 11. The processor 11, in accordance with the operations of the creator received by the communication interface 14, sets a notification user from among the notification users, each of which has user information including notification destination information pre-stored, to be used as a notification destination when it becomes necessary to notify the user in the workflow, and creates a workflow in which no user information is assigned at the start. The processor 11 then stores the created workflow in which no user information is assigned at the start and the set notification destination information in the workflow storage unit 132 and the responsible person setting storage unit 133 of the auxiliary storage device 13 of the server device 1, which is an example of a storage device. Thus, the processor 21 is an example of a creation unit and a storage control unit. Therefore, the information processing system and information processing device according to the second embodiment can achieve the same effects as the information processing system and information processing device according to the first embodiment.

[0114] [Other embodiments] The embodiments of the information processing system and information processing device have been described above, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0115] For example, in the first and second embodiments, the responsible person information database 131 stores user information, including notification destination information for user groups including multiple registered users, linked to one responsible person ID assigned to one notification destination user. However, the responsible person information database 131 may also store user information, including notification destination information for only a single registered user, linked to one responsible person ID. In this case, multiple notification destination users can be set when creating a workflow, and the responsible person setting storage unit 133 can store the set multiple responsible person IDs linked to the workflow ID of the created workflow.

[0116] Furthermore, the notification recipient information stored in the responsible person information database 131 is not limited to email addresses; it can be any information that indicates the destination in a service that can send notifications and files to service users, such as the username of a designated messaging application.

[0117] In addition, the first and second embodiments were described using a workflow as an example in which a newly saved file is retrieved from the storage service SS, the file is subjected to character recognition by the OCR service OS, the OCR results are checked by a pre-configured person in charge, and then saved to the storage service SS. However, it goes without saying that the workflows created and executed are not limited to this.

[0118] Furthermore, the information processing flow described above by processor 11 or processor 21 with reference to the flowchart is merely an example and is not limited to this order. The order of processing can be changed or multiple processes can be performed in parallel, as long as there is no conflict with preceding or succeeding processes.

[0119] In the above embodiment, it is assumed that the workflow creation program, which is an information processing program and therefore a control program, is pre-stored in the auxiliary storage device 13 of the server device 1 or in the registered user terminal 2, which is the creator terminal 2A. In this regard, the workflow creation program, which is transferred separately from the server device 1 or the registered user terminal 2, may be written to a writable storage device provided by the server device 1 in response to an operation by an administrator or the like. The transfer of these workflow creation programs, etc., can be carried out by storing them in a removable computer-readable storage medium or by communication over a network. The computer-readable storage medium can be of any form as long as it can store a program and is readable by the device, such as a CD-ROM or memory card.

[0120] In addition, several embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be carried out in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments are included within the scope of the invention and within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as described in the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0121] 1…Server device, 2…Registered user terminal, 2A…Creator terminal, 2B…Responsible person terminal, 3…Cloud storage, 4…Unregistered user terminal, 11,21…Processor, 12,22…Main memory, 13,23…Auxiliary storage device, 14,27…Communication interface, 15,28…Bus line, 24…Input / output interface, 25…Input device, 26…Output device, 131…Responsible person information database, 132…Workflow storage unit, 133…Responsible person setting storage unit, 134…Folder-specific file list storage unit, 135…Workflow creation support program storage unit, 136…Workflow execution program storage unit, 137…OCR execution program storage unit, 138,231…Workflow creation program storage unit, 261…Workflow registration screen, 262…Workflow setting area, 263…Workflow responsible person area, 264…Register button, 265…Cancel button NW...Network, OS...OCR service, SS...Storage service, WS...Workflow system.

Claims

1. A first storage unit stores user information, including notification recipient information for each notification recipient user, A creation unit that creates a workflow in which user information is not assigned at the start, and which sets the notification recipient user stored in the first storage unit as the notification recipient to be used when it becomes necessary to notify a user in the workflow, A second storage unit that stores the workflow created by the creation unit, When it becomes necessary to start the workflow stored in the second storage unit and notify a user, the execution unit retrieves the user information of the notification recipient user set when the workflow was created from the first storage unit, and notifies the notification recipient user according to the notification recipient information included in the retrieved user information. An information system equipped with [the following features].

2. The system further includes a third storage unit that stores correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the workflow and the notification recipient user, The creation unit creates the correspondence information when creating the workflow and stores it in the third storage unit. The information system according to claim 1, wherein when the execution unit starts the workflow and it becomes necessary to notify a user, it determines the notification recipient user corresponding to the workflow based on the correspondence relationship information stored in the third storage unit, and obtains the user information of the determined notification recipient user from the first storage unit.

3. The information system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the aforementioned notification recipient users includes either a single user or a user group including multiple users.

4. An operation unit that accepts operations from the workflow creator, A creation unit, in accordance with the operation of the creator received by the operation unit, sets a notification user from among notification users whose user information, including notification recipient information, is pre-stored as a notification recipient, and creates a workflow in which no user information is assigned at the start, and sets a notification recipient user to be used when it becomes necessary to notify a user in the workflow, in accordance with the operation of the creator received by the operation unit, A storage control unit that stores in a storage device the workflow created by the creation unit to which the user information is not assigned at the start, and the notification destination information set by the creation unit, An information device equipped with the following features.

5. When executed by the processor of an information device comprising an operation unit that accepts operations from the creator of a workflow, and a processor that executes processing according to the operations of the creator accepted by the operation unit, The aforementioned processor, In accordance with the operation of the creator received by the aforementioned operation unit, a notification user is selected from among the notification users whose user information, including notification recipient information, is pre-stored as a notification recipient, and the workflow is created in which no user information is assigned at the start. The workflow to which the user information is not assigned at the time of creation and the configured notification destination information are stored in a storage device. Information processing program.

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