Information processing device and information processing program

The information processing device simplifies template switching in multi-page documents by using intuitive directional operations and automatic page display based on template matching, addressing inefficiencies and ensuring relevant pages are displayed, while notifying of non-displayed elements.

JP7600664B2Active Publication Date: 2024-12-17FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2020210537
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2020-12-18
Publication Date
2024-12-17
Estimated Expiration
2040-12-18

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing technologies require complex operations for switching templates and checking page combinations when applying templates to multi-page documents, leading to inefficiencies and potential oversight of non-displayed pages.

Method used

An information processing device and program that simplifies template switching by associating it with intuitive directional operations, such as vertical and horizontal swipes, and automatically displays relevant pages based on template matching criteria, ensuring only affected pages are shown and non-displayed elements are notified.

Benefits of technology

Simplifies template switching operations, reduces the number of steps required, enhances intuitiveness, prevents oversight of non-displayed pages, and ensures templates are applied in an order that maximizes relevance to the document content.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Patent Text Reader

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus which allows simple selection of templates 6 compared with the case when the templates 6 are directly designated, when applying the templates 6 to a document 5 composed of multiple pages and confirming combinations of the pages and the templates 6, and an information processing program.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus includes a processor which applies templates to a document composed of multiple pages for display, displays corresponding pages every time an operation to switch the pages is received, and sequentially displays the templates every time an operation to switch the templates is received.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a technique for applying a template to an image and displaying it. Patent Document 1 discloses a display device comprising: an image selection unit that selects an image to be processed; a memory unit that stores a plurality of templates each including a placement area in which the image is to be placed; a template selection unit that selects a first template and a second template from the plurality of templates based on the selected image; a placement unit that places the selected image in the placement area of ​​the first template and places the selected image in the placement area of ​​the second template; and a display control unit that causes a display unit to display the first template after the image has been placed and the second template after the image has been placed.

[0003] There is also a technique for rearranging the order of the list of templates. Patent Document 2 discloses a list display device having a display means for displaying a list of a plurality of templates, each of which has predetermined editing conditions, in an orderly manner, a selection means for selecting an arbitrary template from the templates displayed on the display means, and a history information storage means for storing the fact that the arbitrary template has been selected, the order being determined based on the history information stored in the history information storage means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-074872 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-232917 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide an information processing device and an information processing program that can simplify the operation of switching templates when applying a template to a document consisting of multiple pages and checking the combination of pages and templates, compared to directly specifying the template. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to a first aspect includes a processor that applies a template to a document consisting of a plurality of pages and displays the document, and each time an operation to switch the pages is received, a corresponding page is displayed, and each time an operation to switch the templates is received, the templates are sequentially switched and displayed.

[0007] An information processing device according to a second aspect is the information processing device according to the first aspect, wherein the operation of switching the template is a single operation.

[0008] An information processing device according to a third aspect is an information processing device according to the first or second aspect, in which the operation of switching the template is an operation associated with a first direction, and the operation of switching the page is an operation associated with a second direction that is different from the first direction.

[0009] An information processing device according to a fourth aspect is the information processing device according to the third aspect, wherein the first direction is a vertical direction or a horizontal direction, and the second direction is a direction among the vertical direction and the horizontal direction that is different from the first direction.

[0010] An information processing device according to a fifth aspect is an information processing device according to the third or fourth aspect, in which, when the template is a template consisting of a plurality of faces, the processor applies a specific face of the template to each of a plurality of pages and displays them, and sequentially switches and displays only the pages among the plurality of pages to which a face having an element has been applied, by an operation different from the operation of switching the pages.

[0011] An information processing device according to a sixth aspect is the information processing device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the processor sequentially switches and displays only the faces of the applied template that have elements by an operation that is different from the operation of switching pages and that is associated with the second direction.

[0012] An information processing device according to a seventh aspect is an information processing device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein, when the template is a template consisting of multiple faces, the processor applies a specific face of the template to each of multiple pages and displays them, and when there is an element to be applied to a page that is not displayed, notifies the user that the element is present on a page that is not displayed.

[0013] An information processing device according to an eighth aspect is an information processing device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein, if the template has only one surface having an element, the processor applies the surface having the element to the displayed page and displays it.

[0014] An information processing device according to a ninth aspect is an information processing device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the template has one or more setting items of an applicable total number of pages and an applicable page size, and the processor sorts the templates in order of the degree of match between the attributes, namely the total number of pages and page size of the document, and the setting items.

[0015] An information processing device according to a tenth aspect is the information processing device according to the ninth aspect, wherein the setting items further include an applicable page number, and when the page is switched, the processor sorts the templates in order of the degree of match between the setting items and attributes, which are the total number of pages of the document, the page number of the displayed page, and the page size of the displayed page.

[0016] An information processing device according to an eleventh aspect is an information processing device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the template has an applicable page number setting item, and the processor, when switching the page, rearranges the templates so that a template whose page number of the displayed page is included in the applicable page number is ranked higher than a template whose page number is not included in the applicable page number.

[0017] An information processing device according to a twelfth aspect is the information processing device according to any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects, wherein when the templates are rearranged, the processor applies and displays the template that is at the top of the list.

[0018] An information processing device according to a thirteenth aspect is an information processing device according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, wherein the template has a setting item for an application page number, and when the processor receives a template designation, the processor applies the designated template and displays a page corresponding to the application page number.

[0019] An information processing program according to a fourteenth aspect causes a computer to apply a template to a document consisting of a plurality of pages and display the document, and each time an operation to switch the pages is received, displays the corresponding page, and each time an operation to switch the templates is received, sequentially switches and displays the templates. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the first and fourteenth aspects, the operation of switching templates can be simplified compared to the case where a template is directly designated.

[0021] According to the second aspect, the number of operations for switching templates can be reduced.

[0022] According to the third aspect, the operation of switching templates becomes an intuitive operation.

[0023] According to the fourth aspect, the operation of switching templates becomes easier to remember.

[0024] According to the fifth aspect, the operation of displaying only pages influenced by the template can be simplified.

[0025] According to the sixth aspect, the operation of displaying only pages influenced by the template becomes easy to remember.

[0026] According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to prevent failure to check pages that are not being displayed.

[0027] According to the eighth aspect, when there is only one face having an element, it can be handled in the same way as a template made up of one face.

[0028] According to the ninth aspect, the templates can be switched in order of likelihood of being applied to the document.

[0029] According to the tenth aspect, the templates can be rearranged for each page.

[0030] According to the eleventh aspect, the templates suitable for the page can be rearranged to the top.

[0031] According to the twelfth aspect, it is possible to omit the operation of specifying the first template.

[0032] According to the thirteenth aspect, a predetermined page can be displayed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0033] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of a signature request device. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the signature request device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of an electronic signature request process of the signature requesting device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of a process for rearranging templates in the signature requesting apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is an example showing setting values ​​of setting items of a template in the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is an example showing a comparison result between an attribute and a setting item in the present embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is an example showing a comparison result between an attribute and a setting item in the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a process flow for switching between pages and templates in the signature request apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9] 6 is a flowchart showing a process flow for applying a template to a document in the signature request apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Figure 10] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen according to the present embodiment. [Figure 11] 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display in which a template is applied to a document according to the present embodiment. [Figure 12] This is an example of application of a template consisting of one surface in this embodiment. [Figure 13] This is an example of applying a template made up of multiple faces in this embodiment, which has elements on only one face. [Figure 14] This is an example of application of a template made up of multiple faces in this embodiment. [Figure 15] This is an example of application of a template made up of multiple faces in this embodiment. [Figure 16] 4 is an example showing notification of an element in the present embodiment. [Figure 17] This is an example of applying a template consisting of one surface in the modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the technology of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or equivalent components and parts are given the same reference numerals. In addition, the dimensional ratios of the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0035] FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a signature requesting device 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 shows how the signature requesting device 1, as an example of an information processing device, acquires templates 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D from a template server 2 via a network N. The signature requesting device 1 may hold a document 5, which is a contract, in advance, or may acquire the document 5 from an external server. The signature requesting device 1 sends an e-mail to a mail server 3. In the following description, when the templates are to be distinguished from one another, the distinguishing symbols "A," "B," "C," "D," and "E" are used, and when the templates are not to be distinguished from one another, the symbols are omitted.

[0036] The document 5 is made up of one or more pages. A page includes, for example, at least one of text, charts, and images.

[0037] Template 6 provides predefined elements to a specific page of document 5. In this embodiment, templates 6A to 6D are templates that provide a signature box 9, which is an input box, as a predefined element. Template 6 is made up of one or more faces.

[0038] The template server 2 holds one or more templates 6. The template server 2 transmits the template 6 to the signature requesting device 1 in response to a request from the signature requesting device 1. The template server 2 may transmit a template list 7 to the signature requesting device 1.

[0039] The template list 7 is a list made up of one or more templates 6. The signature request apparatus 1 creates the template list 7 by arranging the templates 6 transmitted from the template server 2.

[0040] The mail server 3 receives the e-mail sent from the signature request device 1 and transfers it to the destination.

[0041] 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the signature requesting device 1 according to this embodiment. The signature requesting device 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage 14, an input unit 15, a display unit 16, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 17. Each component is connected to each other via a bus 19 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0042] The CPU 11 is a central processing unit, and executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 11 reads a program from the ROM 12 or the storage 14, and executes the program using the RAM 13 as a working area. The CPU 11 controls each of the above components and performs various arithmetic processing according to the program recorded in the ROM 12 or the storage 14. In this embodiment, the ROM 12 or the storage 14 stores an information processing program for electronic signature request processing.

[0043] The ROM 12 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 13 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 14 is configured with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) and stores various programs including an operating system and various data.

[0044] The input unit 15 includes a pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and is used to perform various input operations. The display unit 16 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays various types of information. The display unit 16 may function as the input unit 15 by adopting a touch panel system.

[0045] The communication interface 17 is an interface for communicating with other devices such as a database, and uses standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0046] Next, the operation of signature requesting device 1 will be described. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of electronic signature request processing by the signature requesting apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The CPU 11 reads out an electronic signature request processing program from the ROM 12 or the storage 14, loads it into the RAM 13, and executes it, thereby performing the electronic signature request processing.

[0047] In step S110, the CPU 11 authenticates the user. The authentication may be, for example, password authentication, token authentication, biometric authentication, etc. Alternatively, the authentication may be configured such that the CPU 11 requests an external server to perform authentication.

[0048] In step S120, the CPU 11 accepts a designation of a destination to which the signature is to be requested. For example, the CPU 11 accepts the designation from a pre-registered customer list.

[0049] In step S130, the CPU 11 initializes a flag. A flag is, for example, a bit having a value of 0 or 1. Initializing a flag means turning the flag OFF. Turning a flag OFF means setting the value to 0, and turning a flag ON means setting the value to 1.

[0050] In step S140, the CPU 11 accepts the selection of the document 5.

[0051] In step S150, CPU 11 switches to the initial page. CPU 11 may set the initial page to page 1, for example, or may set a predetermined page as the initial page. For example, if document 5 is a contract, CPU 11 may set the last page of document 5 as the initial page. A contract may have a signature section on the last page, and when a specific template 6 is to be applied to the last page, the user can be saved the trouble of specifying the last page.

[0052] In step S160, the CPU 11 acquires a template 6. The CPU 11 acquires one or more templates 6 from the server 2. The CPU 11 may acquire a template list 7 made up of a plurality of templates. The CPU 11 may also acquire from the server 2 only templates associated with an authenticated user.

[0053] In step S170, the CPU 11 rearranges the templates 6. The specific processing will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0054] In step S180, the CPU 11 switches the page and template 6. The specific process will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0055] In step S185, the CPU 11 selects the switched template 6.

[0056] In step S190, the CPU 11 requests the requested party to sign the document by, for example, sending an email requesting the request party to sign the document to an email address of the requested party.

[0057] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for rearranging the templates 6 by the signature requesting apparatus 1 according to this embodiment.

[0058] In step S210, the CPU 11 compares the setting items of each template with the attributes of the switched page.

[0059] The setting items are items for which values ​​are set for the template, and include, for example, the total number of pages to be applied, the page number to be applied, and the page size to be applied. The total number of pages to be applied is the number of faces constituting the template 6, in other words, the total number of pages of the document 5 suitable for the template 6. The page number to be applied is the page number of the document 5 to which the template 6 gives a predefined element, in other words, the page number of the document 5 corresponding to the face having the element of the template 6. The page number to be applied may be set to a specific page number such as "page 2", or may be dynamically set to the same value as the last page number of the document 5 such as "last page". In addition, multiple page numbers may be set such as "pages 1, 3". The page size to be applied is the page size of the document 5 suitable for the template 6. The page size to be applied may be set to a predetermined page size such as A4. Each setting item may be a required item or an optional item. A specific setting example will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

[0060] The attributes are the total number of pages of the document 5, the page number of the displayed page, and the page size of the displayed page.

[0061] The setting items are compared with the attributes by comparing the total number of pages applied with the total number of pages in the document 5, by comparing the applied page number with the page number of the displayed page, by comparing the applied page size with the page size of the displayed page, or by a combination of these.

[0062] In step S220, the CPU 11 rearranges the order of the templates 6 according to the comparison result. For example, the CPU 11 rearranges the templates 6 in descending order of the total number of matching setting items or the total score weighted for matching and mismatching setting items. For example, the CPU 11 rearranges the templates so that a template whose application page number includes the page number of the displayed page is ranked higher than a template whose application page number does not include that page number. Specific comparison processing will be described later with reference to Figs. 5, 6, and 7.

[0063] An example of calculating the degree of coincidence between an attribute and a setting item will be described with reference to Figs. 5, 6 and 7. Fig. 5 shows an example of the setting values ​​of the setting items of template 6 in this embodiment. Fig. 5 is a table with each template 6 on the vertical axis and the setting items of template 6 on the horizontal axis. The setting values ​​of the total number of pages applied, the applied page number, and the applied page size of template 6A are, respectively, no setting value, no setting value, no setting value. Similarly, template 6B is 3, 2, B4, template 6C is 3, 3, B4, and template 6D is 2, no setting value, B4. Note that if no setting value is set for a setting item or if the setting item does not exist, no setting value is set.

[0064] 6 and 7 show an example of a comparison result between attributes and setting items in this embodiment. FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show a comparison result with attributes where the total number of pages of the document 5 is 3, the displayed page number is 2, and the displayed page size is B4. FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are tables with each template 6 on the vertical axis and the setting items, degree of agreement, and order of the template 6 on the horizontal axis. Here, the degree of agreement is a result of comparing the attribute with the setting item, and a specific method of calculating the degree of agreement will be described later with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. Note that the method of calculating the degree of agreement is not limited to the method described in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7. Also, the order is the order in which the templates 6 are rearranged in order of the calculated degree of agreement. The template 6 with the order 1 is the first template 6 in the template list 7.

[0065] In FIG. 6, the degree of match is calculated based on the number of matches between attributes and setting items. In FIG. 6, "◯" indicates a match and "×" indicates a mismatch. The comparison results of the total number of applied pages, applied page number, and applied page size of template 6A are mismatch, mismatch, mismatch, respectively, and the degree of match is 0. Similarly, template 6B is match, match, match, and the degree of match is 3. Template 6C is match, mismatch, match, and the degree of match is 2. Template 6D is mismatch, mismatch, match, and the degree of match is 1. The order of templates 6 in template list 7 in FIG. 6 is template 6B, template 6C, template 6D, and template 6A.

[0066] In FIG. 7, the degree of match is calculated by adding 1 point when the attribute and the setting item match, subtracting 3 points when they do not match, and adding or subtracting no points when there is no setting value. The comparison results of the total number of pages applied, the applied page number, and the applied page size of template 6A are 0, 0, 0, respectively, and the degree of match is 0. Similarly, template 6B is 1, 1, 1, and the degree of match is 3. Template 6C is 1, -3, 1, and the degree of match is -1. Template 6D is -3, 0, 1, and the degree of match is -2. The order of templates 6 in template list 7 is template 6B, template 6A, template 6C, and template 6D in FIG. 7. The method of calculating the degree of match is not limited to adding 1 point and adding or subtracting 3 points. The method of calculating the degree of match may also add or subtract points when there is no setting value. The number of points to be added or subtracted may also be determined for each setting item.

[0067] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process flow for switching between pages and templates 6 by signature requesting apparatus 1 according to this embodiment.

[0068] In step S305, the CPU 11 accepts a switching operation. Here, the switching operations are a page designation operation, a page turning operation, a template designation operation, and a template turning operation. The page designation operation is an operation of directly designating a page. The operation of directly designating a page is, for example, an operation of switching to a page with a designated page number. The page turning operation is an operation of sequentially switching the displayed pages. Sequential switching means switching to the previous page or the next page of the displayed page. The template designation operation is an operation of directly designating the template 6. The operation of directly designating the template 6 is, for example, an operation of switching to a template specified by the template name. The template turning operation is an operation of switching the applied template to the previous template or the next template arranged in the template list 7. A specific example of the switching operation will be described later with reference to FIG. 10.

[0069] In step S310, the CPU 11 determines the target of the switching operation. If it is determined to be a page (step S310: page), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S320. If it is determined to be a template (step S310: template), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S410.

[0070] In step S320, the CPU 11 determines whether the switching operation is a page turning operation. If it is determined that the switching operation is a page turning operation (step S320: Yes), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S330. If it is determined that the switching operation is not a page turning operation (step S320: No), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S350.

[0071] In step S330, the CPU 11 turns the flag ON.

[0072] In step S340, the CPU 11 sequentially switches pages. Switching pages sequentially means switching the displayed page to the previous page or the next page. For example, when the displayed page is page 2, the CPU 11 switches the displayed page to page 3.

[0073] In step S350, the CPU 11 turns the flag OFF.

[0074] In step S360, the CPU 11 switches the page to the specified page. For example, if page 2 is specified, the CPU 11 switches the displayed page to page 2.

[0075] In step S370, the CPU 11 rearranges the template 6. The specific processing is the same as the processing in Fig. 4, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0076] In step S380, the CPU 11 switches the template to the top template 6. Note that the CPU 11 may omit step S380. The CPU 11 may switch to the top template 6 when a specific condition is satisfied. The specific condition is, for example, that the degree of match of the top template 6 is 3 in the method of calculating the degree of match described in FIG.

[0077] In step S390, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a template 6 to be switched to exists. If it is determined that a template 6 to be switched to exists (step S390: Yes), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S500. If it is determined that a template 6 to be switched to does not exist (step S390: No), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S305. When a template 6 to be switched to does not exist, this means that no operation to switch the template 6 has ever been accepted. In other words, when a template 6 to be switched to does not exist, this means that no determination has ever been made in step S310 that the target of the switching operation is the template 6.

[0078] In step S410, the CPU 11 determines whether the switching operation is a template turning operation. If it is determined that the switching operation is a template turning operation (step S410: Yes), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S420. If it is determined that the switching operation is not a template turning operation (step S410: No), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S430.

[0079] In step S420, the CPU 11 sequentially switches the templates 6. Switching the templates 6 sequentially means switching the applied template to the previous template or the next template in the template list 7. For example, in the order shown in FIG. 7, when the applied template is template 6A, the CPU 11 switches to template 6C, which is the next template 6. Note that when none of the templates 6 have been applied, the CPU 11 switches to the first template 6.

[0080] In step S430, the CPU 11 switches the template to the specified template 6. For example, if template 6B is specified, the CPU 11 switches the template to be applied to template 6B.

[0081] In step S440, the CPU 11 determines whether the flag is ON. If it is determined that the flag is OFF (step S440: No), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S450. If it is determined that the flag is ON (step S440: Yes), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S500.

[0082] In step S450, CPU 11 switches the page to the page of the applied page number. For example, if the template to be switched to is template 6C, CPU 11 switches the displayed page to page 3 since the applied page number is 3.

[0083] In step S460, the CPU 11 rearranges the template 6. The specific processing is the same as the processing in Fig. 4, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0084] In step S500, the CPU 11 applies the template 6 to the document 5. The specific process will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0085] In step S510, CPU 11 displays the page to which template 6 has been applied. A specific example of the display will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0086] In step S520, the CPU 11 determines whether or not to select the switched template 6. If it is determined that the switched template 6 should be selected (step S520: Yes), the CPU 11 ends the process of switching the page and the template 6. If it is determined that the switched template 6 should not be selected (step S520: No), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S305. The CPU 11, for example, accepts an operation by the user and determines whether or not to select the template 6.

[0087] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a process flow of applying the template 6 to the document 5 by the signature requesting apparatus 1 according to this embodiment.

[0088] In step S610, the CPU 11 judges whether the selected template 6 has only one side. If it is judged that the selected template 6 has only one side (step S610: Yes), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S620. If it is judged that the selected template 6 does not have only one side (step S610: No), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S630.

[0089] In step S620, the CPU 11 applies the selected template 6 to the switched page. The CPU 11 ends the process of applying the template 6 to the document 5. An example of application will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0090] In step S630, the CPU 11 determines whether the selected template 6 has elements on only one side. If it is determined that the selected template 6 has elements on only one side (step S630: Yes), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S640. If it is determined that the selected template 6 has elements on multiple sides (step S630: No), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S650. Note that the CPU 11 may skip step S630 and proceed to step S650.

[0091] In step S640, the CPU 11 applies the surface having the element to the switched page. An example of application will be described later with reference to Fig. 13. The CPU 11 ends the process of applying the template 6 to the document 5.

[0092] In step S650, CPU 11 applies template 6 so that the page numbers and face numbers match. An application example will be described later in FIG. 14. CPU 11 may, for example, apply a specific face of template 6 to each of a plurality of pages. CPU 11 may, for example, apply the faces of template 6 one by one in descending order of face numbers to pages in descending order of page numbers of document 5. An application example will be described later in FIG. 15. CPU 11 ends the process of applying template 6 to document 5.

[0093] 10 and 11 are examples showing a display screen 100 in this embodiment. The display screen 100 has a preview area 102, a request information confirmation area 104, various buttons, etc. In the following description, the horizontal direction refers to the horizontal direction on the display screen 100, and the vertical direction refers to the vertical direction on the display screen 100.

[0094] Preview area 102 is an area that displays document 8 resulting from applying template 6 to document 5. When template 6 is not selected, document 5 is displayed. When template 6 is selected, document 8 resulting from applying template 6 is displayed. Preview area 102 may display one page at a time, or may display multiple pages. In the following description, when it is necessary to distinguish between individual documents 8 resulting from applying template 6, the documents are described with the distinguishing symbols "A," "B," "C," "D," and "E," and when it is not necessary to distinguish between individual documents, the symbols are omitted.

[0095] The request information confirmation area 104 displays the request information for an electronic signature. The request information confirmation area 104 has the following items: a recipient item, a contract name item, and a request message item. The recipient item displays, for example, the party to whom the signature is requested, specified in step S120. The contract name item displays the name of the contract. The contract name item displays, for example, the file name of the file data that is the contract. The request message item is the message to be received by the party to whom the signature is requested.

[0096] The various buttons etc. are page turn button 112A, page turn button 112B, page designation input box 113, template turn button 122A, template turn button 122B, template designation select box 123, and request button 150. The various buttons etc. correspond to, for example, clicking operations using a mouse as input unit 15. In the following explanation, when it is necessary to distinguish between the page turn buttons and the template turn buttons, the distinguishing symbols "A" and "B" are used, and when it is not necessary to distinguish between the buttons, the symbols are omitted.

[0097] A click operation on page turn button 112 executes a page turn operation on document 5. That is, a click operation on page turn button 112A is an operation to switch to the previous page, and a click operation on page turn button 112B is an operation to switch to the next page. For example, when the displayed page is page 2, a click operation on page turn button 112B switches the displayed page to page 3. Page turn button 112A and page turn button 112B may be arranged side by side below preview area 102, for example.

[0098] Also, a page turning operation may be executed by a single operation other than a click operation. The single operation is one type of operation. The single operation is, for example, a shortcut key operation, a scroll operation, a swipe operation, or a mouse gesture operation. The signature requesting device 1 may be provided with a plurality of single operations.

[0099] For example, an operation of pressing the P key on a keyboard serving as the input unit 15 may execute an operation of sequentially switching to the previous page. Also, an operation of scrolling to the left in the horizontal direction using a mouse serving as the input unit 15 may execute an operation of sequentially switching to the previous page. Also, an operation of swiping to the left in the horizontal direction using a touch panel serving as the display unit 16 may execute an operation of sequentially switching to the previous page. An operation of a mouse gesture of drawing a circle may execute an operation of sequentially switching to the previous page.

[0100] Similarly, for example, an operation of pressing the N key on the keyboard, an operation of scrolling horizontally to the right, and an operation of swiping horizontally to the right may execute an operation of sequentially switching to the next page.

[0101] The click operation includes a double-click operation using a mouse. The shortcut key operation includes a long press of a key and a simultaneous press of multiple keys. The mouse gesture includes a combination of multiple mouse gestures. For example, a long press of the N key may switch to the next page in succession.

[0102] An input operation in the page designation input box 113 executes a page designation operation for the document 5. The input operation is inputting a value into the input box. That is, the input operation in the page designation input box 113 performs an operation of switching pages to the page number of the input value. For example, when 2 is input into the page designation input box 113, the input operation switches to page 2.

[0103] A click operation on template turning button 122 executes a template turning operation. That is, a click operation on template turning button 122 executes an operation of sequentially switching templates 6 from template list 7. A click operation on template turning button 122A is an operation of switching to the previous template 6, and a click operation on template turning button 122B is an operation of switching to the next template 6. For example, when the template list 7 has template 6A, template 6B in that order, and template 6A is applied, a click operation on template turning button 122B switches the applied template to template 6B. Template turning button 122A and template turning button 122B may be arranged vertically next to each other on the right side of preview area 102, for example.

[0104] Also, the template turning operation may be executed by a single operation other than a click operation.

[0105] For example, an operation of pressing the U key on a keyboard serving as the input unit 15 may execute an operation of sequentially switching to the previous template 6. Also, an operation of scrolling upward in the vertical direction by a mouse serving as the input unit 15 may execute an operation of sequentially switching to the previous template 6. Also, an operation of swiping upward in the vertical direction by a touch panel serving as the display unit 16 may execute an operation of sequentially switching to the previous template 6.

[0106] Similarly, the operation of pressing the D key on the keyboard, the operation of scrolling vertically downward, and the operation of swiping vertically downward may execute an operation of switching to the next template 6 in sequence.

[0107] A click operation on the template designation select box 123 executes a template designation operation. That is, a click operation on the template designation select box 123 is an operation of directly designating a template from a pull-down menu and switching templates. A click operation on the template designation select box 123, for example, displays a list of templates in the order of the template list 7 and switches the template applied to the selected template 6. Note that the operation of directly designating the template 6 may be performed by designating from a list of thumbnails of the template 6, instead of using the template designation select box 123, or by inputting the name of the template 6.

[0108] The page turn button 112 and the template turn button 122 may be interchangeable. For example, the page turn button 112 may be located to the right of the preview area 102, and the template turn button 122 may be located below the preview area 102.

[0109] Similarly, a single operation corresponding to a page turning operation and a single operation corresponding to a template turning operation may be substituted for each other. For example, a vertical scroll operation may correspond to a page turning operation, and a horizontal scroll operation may correspond to a template turning operation.

[0110] Also, a single operation may be associated with a first direction or a second direction that is a direction different from the first direction. For example, an operation of swiping to the upper right may be an operation of sequentially switching to the previous page. Here, the operations of clicking the page turn button 112 and the template turn button 122 described above are examples of operations associated with the first direction and the second direction, respectively. Note that the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are examples of the first direction or the second direction. In other words, the first direction and the second direction may be directions other than the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

[0111] The request button 150 is a button for requesting the recipient to sign. Clicking the request button 150 sends a request message to the recipient's email address, for example. The email is sent to the mail server 3.

[0112] FIG. 11 is an example of a display in which template 6 is applied to document 5 in this embodiment. FIG. 11 displays document 8D in which template 6D is applied to document 5. Template 6 has, as its elements, signature box 9, which is one or more input boxes, and its coordinates. For example, template 6D has signature box 9D1 and signature box 9D2. In the following explanation, when the signature boxes are to be distinguished from one another, they are described with the distinguishing symbols "A", "B", "C1", "C2", "D1", "D2", and "D3", and when they are not to be distinguished from one another, the above symbols are omitted.

[0113] Fig. 12 is an example of applying a template 6 consisting of one page in this embodiment. Fig. 12 shows how a template 6A is applied to a document 5 to generate a document 8A to which the template 6 has been applied. The signature requesting device 1 displays page 3 of the document 5. The template 6A is a template 6 consisting of one page, and has a signature box 9A. When the template 6A is applied to the document 5, the signature requesting device 1 applies the template 6 to the displayed page and displays it. That is, the signature requesting device 1 displays the signature box 9A superimposed on the page 3.

[0114] FIG. 13 is an example of applying a template 6 consisting of multiple sides in this embodiment, which has elements on only one side. FIG. 13 shows how template 6B is applied to document 5 to generate document 8B to which template 6B has been applied. The signature requesting device 1 displays page 3 of document 5. Template 6B is a template 6 consisting of three sides, has a signature box 9B on side 2, and has no elements on sides 1 and 3. When template 6B is applied to document 5, the signature requesting device 1 applies the side having the elements to the displayed page and displays it. That is, the signature requesting device 1 displays the signature box 9B superimposed on page 3.

[0115] Fig. 14 is an example of applying a template 6 consisting of multiple sides in this embodiment. Fig. 14 shows how a template 6C is applied to a document 5 to generate a document 8C to which the template 6 has been applied. The template 6C is a template 6 consisting of three sides, and has a signature box 9C1 on side 1 and a signature box 9C2 on side 3. When applying the template 6C to a document 5, the signature requesting device 1 applies and displays the template 6C so that the side number and the page number match. That is, the signature requesting device 1 displays the signature box 9C1 superimposed on page 1, and displays the signature box 9C2 superimposed on page 3.

[0116] FIG. 15 is an example of applying a template 6 consisting of multiple faces in this embodiment. FIG. 15 shows how a template 6D is applied to a document 5 to generate a document 8D to which the template 6 is applied. The template 6D is a template 6 consisting of two faces, and has a signature box 9D1 and a signature box 9D2 on face 1, and a signature box 9D3 on face 2. When the template 6D is applied to the document 5, the signature requesting device 1 applies and displays the faces of the template 6 one by one in descending order of face numbers to the pages in descending order of page numbers of the document 5. That is, the signature requesting device 1 displays the signature box 9D1 and the signature box 9D2 on page 2 in an overlapping manner, and displays the signature box 9D3 on page 3 in an overlapping manner. This is because there is a tendency for the signature location to be provided in the latter half of a contract, and by applying in descending order, the position of the signature location and the signature box 9 may coincide.

[0117] FIG. 16 is an example showing notification of an element in this embodiment. When an element of template 6 is present on a page that is not displayed, the signature requesting device 1 displays a notification icon to notify the user of that fact. In FIG. 16, template 6C is applied to document 5, as in FIG. 14. The signature requesting device 1 displays page 2 of document 5. As described above in FIG. 14, signature box 9, which is an element of template 6, exists on page 1 and page 3. At this time, the signature requesting device 1 displays notification icon 160A to notify that signature box 9C1 exists on page 1. In addition, the signature requesting device 1 displays notification icon 160B to notify that signature box 9C2 exists on page 3. In the following description, when it is necessary to distinguish between the notification icons, the symbols "A" and "B" that distinguish between the icons are used, and when it is not necessary to distinguish between the icons, the symbols are omitted.

[0118] Clicking on the notification icon 160 switches to a page to which a template having the element is applied. For example, when the notification icon 160A is clicked, the signature request apparatus 1 displays the page 1 on which the signature box 9C1 exists.

[0119] Also, the click operation of the notification icon 160 may correspond to a shortcut key operation, a scroll operation, or a swipe operation. The signature request apparatus 1 creates a list of only the faces having elements among the faces of the applied template, for example. Then, by a click operation or the like, the page is switched to a page to which the face before or the next face of the face applied to the displayed page is applied. The operation for switching only the page to which the face having elements is applied may be an operation different from the operation for switching pages. In FIG. 16, clicking the notification icon 160A and the notification icon 160B is an operation for switching only the page to which the face having elements is applied. The operation for switching only the page to which the face having elements is applied may be associated with the same direction as the direction associated with the operation for switching pages. For example, when the operation for switching pages corresponds to an operation of swiping right in the horizontal direction with one finger, the signature request apparatus 1 may correspond to the swipe operation associated with the notification icon 160 to an operation of swiping right in the horizontal direction with two fingers.

[0120] [Variations] The signature request device 1 of the present embodiment has been described above. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment. Various improvements and modifications are possible.

[0121] In steps S120 and S190 of FIG. 3, the requested recipients and the signature box 9 may be associated with each other. In step S120, the CPU 11 accepts the designation of multiple requested recipients for signatures. In step S190, the CPU 11 requests the requested recipients to sign in the order of the signature boxes. For example, when template 6C is selected, the CPU 11 sets the first requested recipient in signature box 9C1 and the second requested recipient in signature box 9C2. Then, the CPU 11 sends an email to the first requested recipient. Next, the CPU 11 confirms that the signature of the first requested recipient is in signature box 9C1, and then sends an email to the second requested recipient.

[0122] In step S170 in FIG. 3, the CPU 11 may rearrange the templates in descending order of degree of match between the total number of pages or the page size of the document and the total number of pages to which the template is applicable, the applicable page size, or a combination thereof.

[0123] The template 6 may be a template 6 that adds an element other than an input box as a predefined element. The template 6 may be, for example, a template that adds predetermined text, graphics, and character attributes. Note that character attributes include, for example, font, size, bold, italics, and underline. A template 6E that adds character attributes will be described later with reference to FIG. 17.

[0124] Fig. 17 is an example of applying template 6E consisting of one page in the modified example. Fig. 17 shows how template 6E is applied to document 5 to generate document 8E to which template 6E has been applied. Template 6E is a template 6 consisting of one page, and is a template 6E that makes the title bold and underlines the body. The signature requesting device 1 may apply side 1 to all pages. In document 8E to which template 6E has been applied, the title "Agreement" is made bold and the body is underlined.

[0125] The above-mentioned processing can also be realized by a dedicated hardware circuit. In this case, it may be executed by a single piece of hardware or by multiple pieces of hardware.

[0126] In the above embodiment, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, including general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0127] In addition, the operations of the processor in the above embodiment may be performed not only by one processor but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. The order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in the above embodiment, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0128] Furthermore, the program for operating the signature requesting device 1 may be provided by a computer-readable recording medium such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory, a flexible disk, or a Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), or may be provided online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is usually transferred to and stored in a memory or storage. Furthermore, this program may be provided, for example, as a standalone application software, or may be incorporated into the software of each device of the signature requesting device 1 as one function of the device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0129] 1 Signature request device 2 Template Server 3. Mail Server 5 Documents 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E Templates 7 Template List Documents using templates 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, and 8E 9A, 9B, 9C1, 9C2, 9D1, 9D2, 9D3 Signature Boxes 100 display screens 102 Preview Area 104 Request information confirmation area 112A, 112B Page turn button 113 Page specification input box 122A, 122B Template flip button 123 Template selection box 150 Request button 160A, 160B Notification Icon

Claims

1. A processor is provided. The processor, Apply a template to a multi-page document and display it. Each time the operation for switching the page is received, the corresponding page is displayed; Each time an operation to switch the template is received, the templates are switched and displayed in sequence; The processor, When the template is a template consisting of a plurality of sides, applying a specific side of the template to each of the plurality of pages and displaying the pages; If there is an element that is applied to a page that is not being displayed, notify the user that the element is present on the page that is not being displayed. Information processing device.

2. The operation of switching the template is a single operation. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The template switching operation is an operation associated with a first direction, the page switching operation is an operation associated with a second direction that is different from the first direction; 3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The first direction is a vertical direction or a horizontal direction, The second direction is a direction different from the first direction among a vertical direction and a horizontal direction. The information processing device according to claim 3 .

5. The processor, When the template is a template consisting of a plurality of sides, applying a specific side of the template to each of the plurality of pages and displaying the pages; by an operation different from the operation of switching the pages, sequentially switching and displaying only the pages to which the face having the element is applied among the plurality of pages; 5. The information processing device according to claim 3.

6. The processor, by an operation different from the operation of switching pages and associated with the second direction, only faces having elements are sequentially switched and displayed among the faces of the applied template. The information processing device according to claim 5 .

7. The processor, If the template has only one surface having an element, the surface having the element is applied to the displayed page and displayed. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The template has one or more setting items of an applicable total page number and an applicable page size, The processor, sorting the templates in order of the degree of matching between the attributes, which are the total number of pages and the page size of the document, and the setting items; The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The setting items further include an application page number; The processor, when the page is switched, the templates are sorted in descending order of the degree of matching between the attributes, which are the total number of pages of the document, the page number of the displayed page, and the page size of the displayed page, and the setting items; The information processing device according to claim 8.

10. A processor comprising: The processor, Apply a template to a multi-page document and display it. Each time the operation for switching the page is received, the corresponding page is displayed; Each time an operation to switch the template is received, the templates are switched and displayed in sequence; The processor, The template has a setting item for an applicable page number, The processor, when the page is switched, rearrange the templates so that a template whose page number is included in the applicable page number of the displayed page is ranked higher than a template whose page number is not included in the applicable page number; Information processing device.

11. The processor, If the templates are rearranged, the template at the top of the list is applied and displayed. The information processing device according to any one of claims 8 to 10.

12. The template has a setting item for an applicable page number, The processor, when a template designation is accepted, the designated template is applied and a page corresponding to the applied page number is displayed; The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. Apply a template to a multi-page document and display it. Each time the operation for switching the page is received, the corresponding page is displayed; Each time an operation to switch the template is received, the templates are switched and displayed in sequence; When the template is a template consisting of a plurality of sides, applying a specific side of the template to each of the plurality of pages and displaying the pages; If there is an element that is applied to a page that is not being displayed, notify the user that the element is present on the page that is not being displayed. An information processing program for causing a computer to execute processing.

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