Information processing device, information processing system, and control method for information processing device

Abstract

This invention provides an information processing device, an information processing system, and a control method for the information processing device that can reduce the burden on a third party, other than the user, to check document data. [Solution] The information processing device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires document data; a hold unit that, when document data to which specific attributes have been assigned is acquired, stores all or part of the document data as hold data in a storage device; an information output unit that outputs access information for accessing the hold data stored in the storage device; and a summary generation unit that, when it receives input of the access information, acquires the hold data from the storage device based on the access information, generates a summary of the document data based on the hold data, and outputs it.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, and a control method for an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] An information processing apparatus for reducing the burden on a human for checking document data has been proposed. For example, the contract document checking apparatus of Patent Document 1 displays contract document data on a user terminal. Items to be checked by an AI server are extracted from the contract document data and highlighted according to the level. When the user moves the cursor over the highlighted character, an amendment display is presented. The user can select these amendments, directly input and correct them separately, or take either action. When the re-check button is clicked, the AI server processes the corrected content again.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Although the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 reduces the burden on a user for checking document data, when having another person different from the user check the document data, reducing the burden on that other person for checking the document data is not considered.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, and a control method for an information processing apparatus capable of reducing the burden on another person different from the user for checking document data.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: an acquisition unit for acquiring document data; a hold unit for storing all or part of the document data as hold data in a storage device when document data to which specific attributes have been assigned has been acquired; and an information output unit for outputting access information for accessing the hold data stored in the storage device. The system includes a summary generation unit that, upon receiving the aforementioned access information, acquires the hold data from the storage device based on the access information, and generates and outputs a summary of the document data based on the hold data.

[0007] An information processing system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing system including a terminal device and an information processing device, wherein the terminal device includes a transmission unit that transmits document data specified by a user to the information processing device, and the information processing device includes an acquisition unit that acquires the document data transmitted from the terminal device, a hold unit that stores all or part of the document data as hold data in a storage device when the document data to which specific attributes have been assigned has been acquired, an information output unit that outputs access information for accessing the hold data stored in the storage device, and a summary generation unit that, when it receives input of the access information, acquires the hold data from the storage device based on the access information, and generates and outputs a summary of the document data based on the hold data.

[0008] A control method for an information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: acquiring document data; storing all or part of the document data as hold data in a storage device when document data to which specific attributes have been assigned has been acquired; outputting access information for accessing the hold data stored in the storage device; and, upon receiving input of the access information, acquiring the hold data from the storage device based on the access information, and generating and outputting a summary of the document data based on the hold data. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is an overall configuration diagram of the information processing system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a terminal device. [Figure 4] This is an example of a document forwarding settings screen. [Figure 5] This is an example of a print settings screen. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating the first aspect of this embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart of the print instruction processing. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart for the document printing process. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart for the summary printing process. [Figure 10] This is an example of another print settings screen. [Figure 11] This is a diagram illustrating a second aspect of this embodiment. [Figure 12] This is an example of a forwarding notification email. [Figure 13] This is an example of a forwarding notification screen. [Figure 14] This is a diagram illustrating a fourth aspect of this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0011] The configuration of the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the information processing system 100. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the information processing device 110. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the terminal device 120.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 100 includes an information processing apparatus 110, a terminal device 120, and a server 130. In the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus 110 is a multifunction device having a plurality of functions including a printing function, a scanner function, a fax function, and the like. The terminal device 120 is a personal computer having a communication function. The terminal device 120 may be a portable terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet, or a notebook PC. In this example, a first terminal 120A which is a terminal device 120 used by user A and a second terminal 120B which is a terminal device 120 used by user B are provided.

[0013] The server 130 is a computer for providing a predetermined service by using an AI engine composed of a generation AI, a dialogue AI, or the like. The AI engine is an aggregate of programs and algorithms for realizing artificial intelligence, and analyzes or interprets data by using technologies such as machine learning and deep learning. In this example, the server 130 provides a service for automatically generating a summary of a document by using an AI engine that analyzes or interprets the document.

[0014] The information processing apparatus 110, the terminal device 120, and the server 130 are communicably connected to each other via a network. In this example, the information processing apparatus 110, the first terminal 120A, and the second terminal 120B are connected to a LAN 140 within the company. The server 130 is an external server connected via the LAN 140 and the Internet 150. Note that the server 130 may be an in-house server directly connected to the LAN 140.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing apparatus 110, which is a multi-functional device, includes a control unit 111, a display operation unit 112, a printing unit 113, a reading unit 114, a storage unit 115, a communication unit 116, and the like. The control unit 111 is one or more processors such as a CPU, for example, but it may also be a Micro Control Unit (MCU) or a Micro Processor Unit (MPU), or a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or other circuits having an arithmetic function.

[0016] The display operation unit 112 is a touch panel display that can receive a user's input operation and display an image. The printing unit 113 can print an image on a paper medium. For example, the printing unit 113 prints specified image data on a paper medium conveyed from a paper tray and discharges the printed paper medium to a paper discharge port. The reading unit 114 can read an image printed on a paper medium. For example, the reading unit 114 reads a document placed on a document table or a document conveyance device and generates image data of the read document. The storage unit 115 is a device that stores programs, data, and the like used in the information processing apparatus 110, and is, for example, a ROM (Read only memory), a RAM (Random-access memory), a cache memory, a flash memory, or the like. The communication unit 116 is a communication module for communicating with external devices and networks.

[0017] In the information processing apparatus 110, by the control unit 111 executing the program stored in the storage unit 115, each functional block of the acquisition unit 201, the hold unit 202, the information output unit 203, and the summary generation unit 204 is realized. The specific processing modes of these functional blocks will be described later.

[0018] As shown in Figure 3, the terminal device 120, which is a personal computer, includes a control unit 121, a display unit 122, an operation unit 123, a storage unit 124, a communication unit 125, etc. The control unit 121 is, for example, one or more processors such as a CPU, but it may also be an MCU, MPU, FPGA, ASIC, or other circuit with arithmetic functions. The display unit 122 is a display capable of displaying images. The operation unit 123 is a keyboard or mouse, etc., that can accept user input operations. The storage unit 124 is a device capable of storing programs and data used by the terminal device 120, such as ROM, RAM, cache memory, flash memory, etc. The communication unit 125 is a communication module for communicating with external devices or networks.

[0019] In the example shown in Figure 1, User A forwards a document they have created to, for example, User B, who is User A's superior, for review by User B. To efficiently perform this document forwarding, the user pre-configures various information related to document forwarding in the information processing system 100 as follows.

[0020] Figure 4 shows an example of the document forwarding settings screen 400. The user can display and operate the document forwarding settings screen 400 on the display operation unit 112 of the information processing device 110. The document forwarding settings screen 400 includes multiple setting items, such as document forwarding settings 401, automatic format determination function settings 402, external linkage function settings 403, external server usage settings 404, and document filing function settings 405.

[0021] The document forwarding setting 401 accepts the user's selection as to whether to enable or disable the document forwarding function of the information processing device 110. The document forwarding function provides a summary of the document data to the user to whom the document data is forwarded, but details will be described later. If "Enable" is selected in the document forwarding setting 401, the user can further operate the automatic format determination function setting 402, the external linkage function setting 403, the external server usage setting 404, and the document filing function setting 405.

[0022] The automatic format detection function setting 402 accepts the user's selection whether to enable or disable the automatic format detection function. The automatic format detection function is a function that automatically determines whether or not to execute the document forwarding function based on the format of the document data to be processed. If "Enable" is selected in the automatic format detection function setting 402, the user can further operate the format selection 4021 and the action during automatic detection 4022.

[0023] The user can specify any format for the document data in the format selection 4021. The information processing device 110 determines to execute the document forwarding function if the document data to be processed includes the format set in the format selection 4021.

[0024] In the automatic determination operation 4022, the user can select one of several document forwarding methods. If the information processing device 110 determines that it is time to execute the document forwarding function, it will execute the forwarding method selected in the automatic determination operation 4022. In this example, in the automatic determination operation 4022, the user can select one of the following forwarding methods: "Forward printing (code embedding)", "Forward printing (email)", "Forward printing (display)", and "Electronic forwarding". Details of each forwarding method will be described later.

[0025] When the information processing device 110 performs the document forwarding function, it saves part or all of the document data to be processed as hold data. The user can specify the location where the hold data is saved in any of the external linkage function settings 403, the external server usage settings 404, or the document filing function settings 405.

[0026] External Integration Function Setting 403 accepts the user's choice to enable or disable the external integration function. The external integration function is a function that saves held data using an external online storage service. If "Enable" is selected in External Integration Function Setting 403, the user can further operate the Integration Destination Selection 4031. In Integration Destination Selection 4031, the user can select an online storage service from among several online storage services to be used as the storage destination for held data.

[0027] External Server Usage Setting 404 allows the user to choose whether to enable or disable the use of the external server. If "Enable" is selected in External Server Usage Setting 404, the user can further operate Server Information Setting 4041. In Server Information Setting 4041, the user can enter the address information of the external server where the held data will be stored, as well as the username and password for accessing this server.

[0028] The document filing function setting 405 accepts the user's selection whether to enable or disable the document filing function. The document filing function is a function that saves data used by the information processing device 110 for image printing, image reading, or fax communication, for example, to the storage unit 115. If "Enable" is selected in the document filing function setting 405, the user can further select in the data automatic deletion setting 4051 whether to enable or disable the automatic deletion function that deletes data after a certain retention period has elapsed. In the period setting 4052, the user can input the length of the data retention period for which the automatic deletion function will be executed.

[0029] By pressing the registration button 411, the user can set various information entered on the document forwarding settings screen 400 in the information processing device 110. By pressing the update button 412, the user can redraw the screen in the display operation unit 112. By pressing the delete all button 413, the user can delete all held data stored in the storage unit 115, for example.

[0030] Figure 5 shows an example of the print settings screen 500. The terminal device 120 has the printer driver pre-installed. The user starts the printer driver on the terminal device 120 and displays the print settings screen 500 on the display unit 122. The print settings screen 500 includes multiple setting items, including the same print settings as before, as well as the forwarding method 501 and email address 502. The user can select one of several forwarding methods in the forwarding method 501. The user can enter the email address to which feedback will be sent in the email address 502.

[0031] In this example (see Figure 1), User A operates the print settings screen 500 on the first terminal 120A to input and set the forwarding method 501 and email address 502. Before forwarding the document data, User A selects one of the following in forwarding method 501: "Forward printing (code embedded)", "Forward printing (email)", "Forward printing (display)", and "Electronic forwarding". If User A does not want to forward the document data, select "None" in forwarding method 501. If User A wants to receive feedback on document forwarding from the information processing device 110, User A enters their own email address in email address 502.

[0032] The following describes the processing flow performed by the information processing system 100. In this embodiment, the document forwarding function is executed in one of the first to fourth embodiments described below, according to the information set in the information processing system 100.

[0033] Referring to Figures 6 to 9, the first mode of the document circulation function in which the "circulation printing (code embedding)" circulation method is executed will be explained. In the first mode, access information for accessing the hold data stored in the storage device is printed on paper. In this example, in the document circulation setting screen 400 (see Figure 4) of the information processing device 110, "Enabled" is set to Document Circulation Setting 401 and External Cooperation Function Setting 403, and "Disabled" is set to Format Automatic Determination Function Setting 402, External Server Usage Setting 404, and Document Filing Function Setting 405. In the print setting screen 500 (see Figure 5) of the first terminal 120A, "Circulation Printing (Code Embedding)" is set to Circulation Method 501.

[0034] The outline of the first embodiment will be described. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the first embodiment of this model. User A inputs a print command for document data 600 that he / she has created at the first terminal 120A. The first terminal 120A sends a print command for document data 600 to the information processing device 110. Upon receiving this print command, the information processing device 110 performs data hold and circulating document printing. Data hold is the process of saving part or all of the document data 600 as hold data to a predetermined storage device. Circulating document printing is the process of printing the document data 600 and a predetermined code (e.g., a two-dimensional code) 611 indicating the storage address of the hold data onto paper to create a circulating document 610.

[0035] Subsequently, User A moves to the information processing device 110, retrieves the forwarded document 610, and hands it to User B. User B moves to the information processing device 110 and has the information processing device 110 perform image reading of the forwarded document 610. Based on a predetermined code 611 read from the forwarded document 610, the information processing device 110 accesses the storage device and obtains the hold data. The information processing device 110 sends a request for summarization of the hold data to the server 130. Upon receiving this summary request, the server 130 automatically generates summary data summarizing the hold data using its AI engine and returns this summary data to the information processing device 110. The information processing device 110 receives the summary data generated by the server 130 and prints it on paper.

[0036] User B retrieves the summary document 620 printed by the information processing device 110 and reviews the summary data shown in the summary document 620. User B provides feedback on the review results to User A in writing, verbally, by email, by telephone, etc. According to the first embodiment, since User B can easily obtain the summary document 620 showing a summary of the document data 600 at the desired timing, User B can efficiently review the document data 600 and provide feedback without having to look through the entire circulated document 610.

[0037] Furthermore, in this example, when server 130 receives a summary request, it uses an AI engine to automatically generate problem data by extracting problems from the summary data, and sends this problem data to information processing device 110, associating it with the summary data. Information processing device 110 associates the summary data and the problem data and prints it as a summary document 620. Therefore, user B can grasp the problems of the forwarded document 610 without having to read the entire forwarded document 610.

[0038] The processing flow of each device in the first embodiment will be described. Figure 7 is a flowchart of the print instruction process. Figure 8 is a flowchart of the document printing process. Figure 9 is a flowchart of the summary printing process.

[0039] In this example, user A instructs the first terminal 120A to execute a print job (see Figure 6). In this case, the control unit 121 of the first terminal 120A (see Figure 3) starts the printer driver and executes the print instruction process shown in Figure 7. In S701, the control unit 121 creates print data for printing the document data to be processed based on the print settings specified on the print settings screen 500 (see Figure 5). In S703, the control unit 121 determines whether the document forwarding setting is enabled. In this example, if the forwarding method 501 on the print settings screen 500 is set to "Forward printing (code embedded)", "Forward printing (email)", "Forward printing (display)", or "Electronic forwarding", it is determined that the document forwarding setting is enabled.

[0040] In this case, in S705, the control unit 121 creates text data extracted from the document data. In this example, the document data 600 to be processed contains both text and images (see Figure 6). The control unit 121 extracts only the text from the document data 600 and creates the text data. In S707, the control unit 121 sets this text data and document forwarding information indicating the forwarding method to the print instruction for the document data. In this example, the document forwarding information set to the print instruction indicates "Forwarding Print (Code Embedding)" set in forwarding method 501.

[0041] In S709, the control unit 121 sends the print instruction, including the print data, to the information processing device 110. If the document forwarding setting is not enabled in S703, the control unit 121 sends the print instruction including the print data to the information processing device 110 in S709. After the execution of S709, the control unit 121 terminates the print instruction processing.

[0042] In the information processing device 110 (see Figure 2), each functional block of the control unit 111 performs document printing (see Figure 8) and summary printing (see Figure 9).

[0043] First, the processing mode of the document printing process shown in Figure 8 will be explained. In this document printing process, the acquisition unit 201 acquires document data 600. When document data 600 with specific attributes is acquired, the hold unit 202 stores all or part of the document data 600 as hold data in the storage device. The information output unit 203 outputs access information for accessing the hold data stored in the storage device.

[0044] In S801, the acquisition unit 201 acquires a print command from the first terminal 120A. As mentioned above, the print command includes print data corresponding to the document data 600 to be processed. In S803, the hold unit 202 determines whether a specific attribute has been assigned to the document data 600. In this example, if document forwarding information is set in the print command, it is determined that a specific attribute has been assigned to the document data 600.

[0045] In S805, the hold unit 202 saves the text data included in the print instruction as hold data to the storage device. In this example, the text data, which is part of the document data 600, is saved as hold data to the online storage service specified in the external linkage function setting 403's linkage destination selection 4031 (see Figure 4).

[0046] In S807, the information output unit 203 converts access information for accessing the held data into a predetermined code. In this example, the access information includes the address information of the online storage service where the held data is stored, and the ID and password for accessing this online storage service. This access information is converted into a predetermined code (e.g., a two-dimensional code).

[0047] In S809, the information output unit 203 sets a predetermined code into the print data. In S811, the information output unit 203 controls the print unit 113 to perform image printing based on this print data. That is, the information output unit 203 outputs the access information by printing a predetermined code 612 (see Figure 6) corresponding to the access information onto paper using the print unit 113.

[0048] When the information output unit 203 prints a predetermined code 612 onto paper using the printing unit 113, it prints the document data 600 onto the paper and also prints the predetermined code 612 in the margin of the document data 600 on the paper. As a result, as shown in Figure 6, a circulating document 610 is created in which the document data 600 and the predetermined code 612 are printed in a way that they do not overlap. The predetermined code 612 may be printed on the opposite side of the paper from the printed side of the document data 600, or it may be printed on a different paper medium than the document data 600.

[0049] If no specific attributes are assigned to the document data in S803, the information output unit 203 executes S811 to print only the document data to be processed onto paper. After executing S811, the control unit 111 terminates the document printing process.

[0050] Next, the processing mode of the summary printing process shown in Figure 9 will be explained. In this summary printing process, when the summary generation unit 204 receives access information, it acquires hold data from the storage device based on the access information, and generates and outputs a summary of the document data 600 based on the hold data.

[0051] In this example, user B instructs the information processing device 110 to perform image reading of the forwarded document 610 (see Figure 6). In this case, at S901, the summary generation unit 204 controls the reading unit 114 to perform data scanning from the paper medium. At S903, the summary generation unit 204 determines whether a predetermined code has been read. In this example, when the forwarded document 610 is scanned at S901, the read data contains a predetermined code 612, so at S903, it is determined that the predetermined code has been read.

[0052] In this case, at S905, the summary generation unit 204 converts a predetermined code into access information. That is, when the reading unit 114 reads a predetermined code 612 from the paper medium, the summary generation unit 204 accepts input of access information corresponding to the predetermined code 612. Next, at S907, the summary generation unit 204 acquires hold data based on the access information. In this example, the summary generation unit 204 converts the predetermined code 612 into the aforementioned address information, ID, password, etc., and accesses the online storage service based on this information to acquire hold data.

[0053] In S909, the summary generation unit 204 generates summary data using an AI engine based on the held data, and in S911, it controls the printing unit 113 to print the summary data. In this example, the summary generation unit 204 sends a request to the server 130 to summarize the held data, retrieves the summary data returned from the server 130, and prints it on paper. As a result, a summary document 620 with the summary data printed on it is created, as shown in Figure 6. Thus, in this first embodiment, when the summary generation unit 204 outputs a summary of the document data 600, it uses the printing unit 113 to print the summary on paper.

[0054] Furthermore, the summary generation unit 204 extracts problems from the generated summary and outputs the summary and problems in association. In this example, the server 130 is equipped with an AI engine capable of generating document summaries, as well as an AI engine capable of detecting various problems in documents, such as typographical errors, content inconsistencies, and ethical violations. The AI ​​engine capable of detecting problems automatically generates problem data indicating the problems it has detected from the generated summary data, and outputs this problem data in association with the summary data. In S909 and S911, the summary generation unit 204 acquires the summary data and problem data automatically generated by the server 130 and creates a summary document 620 with this data printed on it.

[0055] For example, if the AI ​​engine consists of an interactive generative AI, when server 130 receives a summary request, summary data and problem data are generated as follows. Server 130 receives the text "Please summarize the following text." as input to the interactive generative AI capable of generating document summaries, followed by the text that constitutes the hold data. The interactive generative AI then automatically summarizes the hold data and generates summary data that shows the summary.

[0056] Next, the conversational generation AI capable of detecting problems receives the text, "Please tell me the problems in the following text," followed by the text that constitutes the summary data. The conversational generation AI then analyzes the summary data to detect problems and generates problem data that indicates those problems. Alternatively, the server 130 may detect problems from the hold data instead of the summary data and generate problem data from that data.

[0057] If the predetermined code cannot be read in S903, the summary generation unit 204 will display a message on the display operation unit 112 in S913 indicating that the predetermined code could not be read. After the execution of S911 or S913, the control unit 111 will terminate the summary printing process.

[0058] The processing modes of each of the above-described flows may change depending on the information set in the information processing system 100. For example, in the document forwarding settings screen 400 (see Figure 4), in addition to the document forwarding settings 401 and the external linkage function settings 403, the format automatic determination function setting 402 is also set to "enabled" by default. Furthermore, in the format selection 4021, a format for document forwarding is specified. In the automatic determination operation 4022, "Forward printing (code embedding)" is selected.

[0059] In this example, instead of setting various information on the print settings screen 500 (see Figure 5), User A issues a print command for document data 600 created using the document circulation format described above. For example, the document circulation format is a standardized document frame with a space for the supervisor's seal or signature. In this case, the print command sent in S709 during the print command process (see Figure 7) does not include document circulation information.

[0060] In the document printing process (see Figure 8), in S803, the hold unit 202 determines whether the format of the document data 600 is the document forwarding format specified in the format selection 4021. If the format of the document data 600 is the document forwarding format, it is determined that a specific attribute has been assigned to the document data 600. In this case, based on the fact that "Forwarding Printing (Code Embedding)" is selected in the automatic determination operation 4022, S805 onwards is executed in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above.

[0061] Thus, when the automatic format determination function is enabled, the information processing device 110 automatically determines whether or not to execute the document forwarding function based on the format of the document data 600. Furthermore, even if the first terminal 120A does not specify a forwarding method, the information processing device 110 can automatically execute the document forwarding function using a forwarding method pre-configured in the information processing device 110. Note that in S803, instead of making the determination based on the format described above, the hold unit 202 may determine that a specific attribute has been assigned to the document data 600 if identification data for document forwarding has been assigned to the document data 600.

[0062] The storage device to which the held data is saved can be set arbitrarily. For example, in the document forwarding setting screen 400 (see Figure 4), among the external linkage function setting 403, external server usage setting 404, and document filing function setting 405, "Enabled" may be set to "Enabled". In this case, in the document printing process (see Figure 8), in S805, the hold unit 202 saves the held data to the external server specified in the server information setting 4041. Alternatively, "Enabled" may be set to "Enabled" for the document filing function setting 405. In this case, in S805, the hold unit 202 saves the held data to the storage unit 115 of the information processing device 110. The system is not limited to the configuration in which one storage device is set as the storage destination for the held data as described above, and multiple storage devices may be set as the storage destination for the held data.

[0063] In this example, in step S705 of the print instruction process (see Figure 7), text data extracted from the document data 600 is created and saved as hold data. Alternatively, the entire document data 600, including text and images, may be saved as hold data. The process of extracting text data from the document data 600 may be performed on the information processing device 110 instead of the first terminal 120A.

[0064] Furthermore, if User A's email address is set as the feedback email address 502 in the print settings screen 500 (see Figure 5), User A's email address will be included in the print instruction sent from the first terminal 120A to the information processing device 110. In this case, if summary data or problem data is generated in S909, the information processing device 110 may send this data to User A's email address. If User B inputs review results into the information processing device 110, the information processing device 110 may also send these review results to User A's email address.

[0065] Referring to Figures 10 to 12, the second mode of the document forwarding function, in which the "Forward Printing (Email)" forwarding method is executed, will be explained. In the second mode, access information for accessing the held data stored in the storage device is notified by email. The differences from the first mode will be explained below.

[0066] Figure 10 shows an example of another print settings screen 500. In this example, as shown in Figure 10, the print settings screen 500 of the first terminal 120A is pre-set to "Forward Printing (Email)" as the forwarding method 501. When "Forward Printing (Email)" is set as the forwarding method 501 on the print settings screen 500, the forwarding recipient email address 503 becomes available for input. User B's email address is pre-set as the forwarding recipient email address 503. Note that the settings on the document forwarding settings screen 400 (see Figure 4) are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0067] The outline of the second embodiment will now be described. Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating the second embodiment of this model. Similar to the first embodiment, user A inputs the command to print document data 600 at the first terminal 120A. The first terminal 120A sends the print command for document data 600 to the information processing device 110. This print command includes the email address of user B, which is set in the forwarding email address 503.

[0068] When the information processing device 110 receives a print command, it performs data hold, circulating document printing, and email notification. The data hold in the second embodiment is the same as in the first embodiment. In the circulating document printing of the second embodiment, only the document data 600 is printed on paper to create the circulating document 610. Email notification is a process that sends a circulating notification email 1200 containing access information for the held data to the email address of user B included in the print command. Figure 12 is an example of a circulating notification email 1200. The circulating notification email 1200 includes, as access information for the held data, the address information of the storage device where the held data is stored, and the ID and password for accessing this storage device.

[0069] Similar to the first embodiment, user A retrieves the forwarded document 610 with the information processing device 110 and forwards the forwarded document 610 to user B by hand. User B checks the forwarding notification email 1200 at the second terminal 120B and sends a summary instruction for the held data from the second terminal 120B to the information processing device 110. This summary instruction includes the access information shown in the forwarding notification email 1200.

[0070] The information processing device 110 accesses the storage device where the hold data is stored based on the access information included in the hold data summary instruction, and retrieves the hold data from this storage device. Similar to the first embodiment, the information processing device 110 prints the summary data (and problem data) automatically generated by the server 130 onto paper to create a summary document 620. User B collects the summary document 620 printed by the information processing device 110 and provides feedback to User A on the results of reviewing the summary document 620.

[0071] In the second embodiment described above, the forwarding notification email 1200 may be sent to user A's email address instead of user B's email address. In this case, user A can inform user B of the access information shown in the forwarding notification email 1200, for example, by email or handwritten note. The forwarding notification email 1200 may also be sent to both user A and user B.

[0072] Referring to Figure 13, the third mode of the document forwarding function, in which the forwarding method "Forward Printing (Display)" is executed, will be explained. In the third mode, access information for accessing the hold data stored in the storage device is displayed on the screen. The differences from the second mode will be explained below. In this example, "Forward Printing (Display)" is pre-set as the forwarding method 501 in the print settings screen 500 (see Figure 5) of the first terminal 120A. Note that the settings in the document forwarding settings screen 400 (see Figure 4) are the same as in the first mode.

[0073] The outline of the third embodiment will now be explained. Similar to the second embodiment, user A inputs the execution of printing document data 600 on the first terminal 120A. The first terminal 120A sends the print instruction for document data 600 to the information processing device 110. Upon receiving the print instruction, the information processing device 110 performs data hold, circulated document printing, and notification screen display. The data hold and circulated document printing in the third embodiment are the same as in the second embodiment. The notification screen display is a process that displays a circulated notification screen 1300, which shows access information for the held data, on the first terminal 120A. Figure 13 is an example of the circulated notification screen 1300. The circulated notification screen 1300, like the circulated notification email 1200 (see Figure 12), includes address information, ID, and password as access information.

[0074] Similar to the second embodiment, User A retrieves the forwarded document 610 using the information processing device 110 and forwards it to User B by hand. Furthermore, User A checks the access information displayed on the forwarding notification screen 1300 at the first terminal 120A and communicates this access information to User B, for example, by email or handwritten memo. User B, similar to the second embodiment, sends a summary instruction including the access information from the second terminal 120B to the information processing device 110.

[0075] The subsequent steps are the same as in the second embodiment, so the explanation will be omitted. Note that, in the third embodiment described above, the forwarding notification screen 1300 may be displayed on user B's second terminal 120B instead of user A's first terminal 120A. Alternatively, the forwarding notification screen 1300 may be displayed on both the first terminal 120A and the second terminal 120B.

[0076] As described above, in the second and third embodiments, the acquisition unit 201 acquires document data 600 from the first terminal 120A connected to the information processing device 110. The information output unit 203 outputs the access information by displaying it on the first terminal 120A and / or the second terminal 120B connected to the information processing device 110. In the example of the second embodiment, the access information is displayed on the second terminal 120B by a forwarded notification email 1200. In the example of the third embodiment, the access information is displayed on the first terminal 120A by a forwarded notification screen 1300. When the summary generation unit 204 receives access information from the second terminal 120B, it accepts input of the access information.

[0077] In addition, in the second and third embodiments, as described in the first embodiment, the document forwarding function can be automatically executed based on the format of the document data 600 or identification data for document forwarding, and the storage location of the held data can be arbitrarily specified.

[0078] Referring to Figure 14, the fourth embodiment of the document forwarding function, in which the "electronic forwarding" method is executed, will be explained. In the fourth embodiment, the document data 600 and summary data (and problem data) are forwarded in the form of electronic files without being printed. The differences from the second embodiment will be explained below. In this example, "electronic forwarding" is pre-set as the forwarding method 501 in the print settings screen 500 (see Figure 5) of the first terminal 120A. Note that the settings in the document forwarding settings screen 400 (see Figure 4) are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0079] The outline of the fourth embodiment will now be described. Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating the fourth embodiment of this embodiment. In this example, the data flow described below is controlled as a pre-configured workflow in the information processing system 100. Similar to the second embodiment, user A inputs the execution of printing document data 600 at the first terminal 120A. The first terminal 120A sends the print instruction for document data 600 to the information processing device 110. In the information processing device 110, user B is pre-configured as the recipient of the document corresponding to user A. When the information processing device 110 receives the print instruction, it sends a document forwarding notification to user B. The document forwarding notification is a message notifying that a document has been forwarded from user A, and includes access information for document data 600 and hold data.

[0080] When user B receives a document forwarding notification on the second terminal 120B and performs a predetermined operation, a summary instruction for the held data is sent from the second terminal 120B to the information processing device 110. Based on the access information included in this summary instruction, the information processing device 110 retrieves the held data from the storage device, obtains the summary data (and problem data) automatically generated by the server 130, and sends a summary generation notification containing the electronic file of this summary data (and problem data) to user B.

[0081] User B receives a summary generation notification on the second terminal 120B and reviews the electronic file containing the summary data (and problem data) included in this notification. When User B enters the review results on the second terminal 120B, a feedback notification containing these review results is sent from the second terminal 120B to User A, the original document sender. User A can confirm User B's review results by receiving the feedback notification on the first terminal 120A.

[0082] In the fourth embodiment described above, a system in which document data 600 is forwarded to one user is illustrated, but the document data 600 may be forwarded to multiple users sequentially. In this case, the review results from each of the multiple users may be stored as a revision history on the system. In this case, each user can review the document data 600 by referring to the review results previously performed by other users.

[0083] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

[0084] For example, some of the processes and functional blocks performed in the information processing device 110 may be performed by other electronic devices connected to the information processing device 110. Some of the processes and functional blocks performed in the terminal device 120 may be performed by other electronic devices connected to the terminal device 120. At least some of each functional block performed in the information processing device 110 and the terminal device 120 may be performed by hardware such as electronic circuits.

[0085] In the first to third embodiments, the summary data is printed on paper, and in the fourth embodiment, the summary data is sent to user B in the form of an electronic file, but is not limited to these. The summary generation unit 204 may associate the summary data with the hold data and store it in the storage device where the hold data is stored. In this case, for example, user B can access this storage device and obtain the summary data at a desired timing.

[0086] The AI ​​that automatically generates summary data and problem data is not limited to being located on an external server 130, but may also be located on an internal server connected to the intranet, or on the information processing device 110. The access information for the held data is not limited to being generated by the information processing device 110, but may also be generated by the printer driver of the first terminal 120A. In the information processing device 110, the address information (e.g., path) for accessing the AI ​​to be used can be arbitrarily set.

[0087] AI that automatically generates summary data and problem data can learn in various ways. For example, if the AI ​​is installed on an in-house server or information processing device 110, it can learn based on in-house information to perform efficient learning tailored to the company's circumstances. Furthermore, by learning various types of information obtained from the information processing system 100, the AI ​​can generate summaries and problems more accurately. Examples of such information include summary data, problem data, review results from user B, and document data 600 that user A has modified according to the review results.

[0088] In the above embodiment, summary data is generated based on hold data. Alternatively, summary data may be generated from document data 600 before holding part or all of the document data 600. In this case, the summary data and document data 600 may be associated and saved as hold data, or only the summary data may be saved as hold data.

[0089] An AI that automatically generates summary data and problem data may create the summary data and problem data in response to creation instructions from the user. For example, before forwarding document data 600, user A may use the above AI to obtain and verify the summary data (and problem data) of document data 600, and modify document data 600 based on the verification results. In this case, user A may instruct user B to print the modified document data 600 and forward it to user B. At this time, the original document data 600 and summary data (and problem data) may also be forwarded along with the modified document data 600. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0090] 110 Information processing device, 113 Printing unit, 114 Reading unit, 120 Terminal device, 201 Acquisition unit, 202 Hold unit, 203 Information output unit, 204 Summary generation unit

Claims

1. A data acquisition unit that acquires document data, When document data to which specific attributes have been assigned is acquired, a hold unit stores all or part of the document data as hold data in a storage device, An information output unit that outputs access information for accessing the hold data stored in the storage device, A summary generation unit, upon receiving the aforementioned access information, acquires the hold data from the storage device based on the access information, generates a summary of the document data based on the hold data, and outputs it. An information processing device equipped with the following features.

2. A printing unit capable of printing images onto paper media, A reading unit capable of reading images printed on paper, Furthermore, The information output unit outputs the access information by printing a predetermined code corresponding to the access information onto a paper medium using the printing unit. When the reading unit reads the predetermined code from the paper medium, the summary generation unit receives the input of the access information corresponding to the predetermined code. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. When the information output unit prints the predetermined code onto paper media using the printing unit, it prints the document data onto paper media and prints the predetermined code in the margins of the document data on the paper media. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned predetermined code is a two-dimensional code. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

5. The acquisition unit acquires the document data from the first terminal connected to the information processing device. The information output unit outputs the access information by displaying it on the first terminal and / or the second terminal connected to the information processing device. When the summary generation unit receives the access information from the second terminal, it accepts the input of the access information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The summary generation unit prints the summary onto paper media using a printing unit capable of printing images onto paper media, and / or stores the summary in the storage device in association with the hold data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

7. The summary generation unit extracts the problems in the generated summary and outputs the summary and the problems in correspondence. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. The summary generation unit generates the summary based on the hold data using the generation AI. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

9. An information processing system including a terminal device and an information processing device, The terminal device includes a transmission unit that transmits document data specified by the user to the information processing device, The aforementioned information processing device is An acquisition unit that acquires the document data transmitted from the terminal device, When document data to which specific attributes have been assigned is acquired, a hold unit stores all or part of the document data as hold data in a storage device, An information output unit that outputs access information for accessing the hold data stored in the storage device, The system includes a summary generation unit that, upon receiving the aforementioned access information, acquires the hold data from the storage device based on the access information, and generates and outputs a summary of the document data based on the hold data. Information processing system.

10. Acquiring document data and, When document data to which specific attributes have been assigned is acquired, all or part of the document data is stored in a storage device as hold data, To output access information for accessing the hold data stored in the aforementioned storage device, When the aforementioned access information is received, the system retrieves the hold data from the storage device based on the access information, generates a summary of the document data based on the hold data, and outputs it. A control method for an information processing device, including the device itself.

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