SCHEDULE EDITING SYSTEM, SCHEDULE EDITING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

Abstract

To efficiently edit a schedule including a plan to execute a task a number of times within a relatively short period of time. [Solution] A schedule editing system 100 edits a schedule including any number of pieces of plan information. When a group setting unit 114 detects that there are two or more pieces of plan information that satisfy a predetermined grouping condition among the plan information included in the schedule to be edited, the group setting unit 114 automatically creates a group by grouping the plan information. The grouping condition may be that the plan information has a common executor, that the attributes set for the execution target are common, and that a predetermined condition regarding the variation in start time is satisfied. A batch editing operation receiving unit 115 receives a batch editing operation for the plan information belonging to the group created by the group setting unit 114, and a batch editing unit 116 collectively edits the plan information belonging to the group in response to the batch editing operation.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a schedule editing system, a schedule editing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art It is conventionally known that in a schedule editing system for editing a schedule, a plurality of plans are associated with each other so that when one of the plans is changed, the contents of the related plans can also be changed. Patent Document 1 describes a method in which a plurality of schedules selected by a user are associated with each other, and when one of the schedules is changed, the user is prompted to confirm whether or not the associated schedules need to be changed. Patent Document 2 describes a method in which a plurality of schedules are associated with each other by a related mark, and when the date of a certain schedule is changed, the dates of schedules associated with that schedule are shifted by the same number of days.

[0003] Patent document 3 describes how the schedules of multiple users are associated and registered by assigning the same total schedule number when registering the schedules, and when the schedule of one user is changed, the schedules of the other associated users are also changed at the same time. Patent Document 4 describes how regularly and periodically occurring schedules are associated with each other by a regular schedule number, and how these associated schedules are modified / deleted collectively. Patent Document 5 describes that when a schedule that overlaps with a registered schedule is input, the schedules are linked after confirmation from the user. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-22495 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-293783 [Patent Document 3] JP 2000-57217 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2000-90156 A [Patent Document 5] Patent No. 4933506 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, a schedule edited using a schedule editing system may include a plan to execute a task many times within a relatively short period of time. For example, in the case of "regular rounds" in nursing care services, one staff member is often in charge of multiple users. In this case, the schedule of the staff member engaged in the regular rounds may include tasks to provide services to multiple users at slightly different times.

[0006] The provision of services to each user involves different tasks, so it is desirable to edit them individually. However, if all tasks were edited completely independently, for example, to shift the execution time of a series of "regular patrols" forward or backward, it would be necessary to change the execution time of each task individually, which would be a cumbersome operation.

[0007] In contrast, the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 to 4 relate related events that are held in relatively distant time periods or events that are held by multiple people at the same time, and are not suitable for solving such problems. Patent Document 5 does not disclose anything that contributes to improving the efficiency of editing multiple related events. The above-mentioned problems can also occur when editing a schedule for use in a field other than nursing care services.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to enable efficient editing of a schedule that includes a plan to execute a task multiple times within a relatively short period of time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the schedule editing system of the present invention is a schedule editing system that is composed of one computer or multiple computers working together, and has a schedule editing unit that edits a schedule including any number of plan information items in response to user operation, and each of the plan information items includes executor information indicating an executor who will perform an action indicated by the plan information, time information including a start time of the action, and target information indicating a target for which the action will be performed.

[0010] The schedule editing system includes an attribute acquiring unit that acquires attributes set for the execution target; a group setting unit that automatically creates a group by grouping the plan information when it is detected that there is two or more pieces of plan information included in the schedule to be edited that satisfy a predetermined grouping condition, the grouping conditions being that the plan information has a common executor, that the attributes set for the execution targets are common, and that a predetermined condition related to variation in start time is satisfied; a bulk editing operation receiving unit that accepts a bulk editing operation on the plan information belonging to the group created by the group setting unit; and a bulk editing unit that collectively edits the plan information belonging to the group in accordance with the editing operation accepted by the bulk editing operation receiving unit.

[0011] In such a schedule editing system, it is preferable that each of the plan information includes information on a possible start time period, which is a time range in which the start time can be set, and that a specified condition regarding the variation in the start times is that the possible start time periods are common. Alternatively, the predetermined condition regarding the dispersion of the start times may be that the start times belong to the same time segment in a time segment defined in a predetermined time unit based on a predetermined reference time.

[0012] In each of the schedule editing systems described above, the attribute set for the execution target may be area information indicating a location where the execution target is located. Alternatively, the attribute set for the execution target may be relationship information indicating a relationship between a plurality of execution targets.

[0013] In addition, in each of the above schedule editing systems, the batch editing operation is an operation of changing a start time, and the batch editing unit edits the start times of all of the schedule information belonging to the group by the same amount of time in response to the operation of changing the start time. Alternatively, the collective editing operation may be an operation for changing the executor, and the collective editing unit may perform editing to change the executor of all pieces of schedule information belonging to the group to the same content in response to the operation for changing the executor.

[0014] In each of the schedule editing systems, after creating the group, when the group setting unit detects new schedule information that satisfies the grouping condition by comparing it with all the schedule information belonging to the group, the newly generated schedule information may be added to the group.

[0015] Furthermore, in each of the above schedule editing systems, a specific operation unit is provided which is a dedicated operation unit for accepting specific editing operations for each piece of schedule information belonging to the group created by the group setting unit such that the schedule information no longer satisfies the grouping condition, and when an operation to the specific operation unit is detected, the schedule editing unit performs the specific editing on the schedule information corresponding to the specific operation unit, and the group setting unit excludes the schedule information corresponding to the specific operation unit from the group.

[0016] Furthermore, in each of the above schedule editing systems, a first display control unit is provided for creating a column for each performer on the screen of a display device, arranging the edited schedule for a plurality of performers along a common time axis, with ungrouped plan information being displayed as an icon for each plan information unit and grouped plan information being displayed as an icon for each group; a second display control unit is provided for displaying contents of each plan information unit belonging to the group corresponding to the selected icon in a portion of the screen other than the column for each performer in accordance with a selection of the group-unit icon; and a third display control unit is provided for displaying icons indicating plan information for which a performer is not defined along the common time axis in a column on the screen parallel to the column for each performer, and the collective editing operation receiving unit receives an operation of moving the group-unit icon to the column for another performer or the column for plan information for which a performer is not defined as the collective editing operation for changing the performer to contents corresponding to the column after the move, and the collective editing unit performs editing in accordance with the collective editing operation for changing the performer of all plan information belonging to the group corresponding to the operated icon to contents corresponding to the column after the move.

[0017] The present invention as described above can be embodied in any form, such as an apparatus, a method, a program, or a recording medium having a program recorded thereon, in addition to being embodied as the above-mentioned system invention. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention as described above, a schedule including a plan to execute a task a number of times within a relatively short period of time can be efficiently edited. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram for explaining a schedule editing system according to an embodiment of the present invention and an arrangement of devices related to the operation of the system; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the schedule editing system 100 illustrated in FIG. [Diagram 3]2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of functions related to editing and displaying a schedule, which are included in the schedule editing system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of schedule information 121 shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a staff list 122 shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a user list 123 shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of information registered in a user list 123. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific example of schedule information 121. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a schedule in the schedule editing system 100. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart of a process executed by the schedule editing system 100 in response to an instruction to display the schedule screen 200. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart of a process performed in response to a group selection operation on the schedule screen 200. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart of a process performed in response to a move operation of a schedule icon. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart of a process performed in response to a move operation of a group icon. [Figure 14] 13 is also a flowchart of a process according to an operation of a specific operation unit. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of schedule information 121 in a modified example of the schedule editing system of the present invention. [Figure 16] 11 is a diagram showing a difference between the process executed by the schedule editing system of the modified example in response to an instruction to display the schedule screen 200 and the process shown in FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of grouping of schedules according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, Fig. 1 shows a schedule editing system according to an embodiment of the present invention and the layout of devices related to its operation. Fig. 2 shows the hardware configuration of the schedule editing system 100 shown in Fig. 1.

[0021] A schedule editing system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an embodiment of the schedule editing system of the present invention, but a system including a user terminal 300 is also an embodiment of the schedule editing system of the present invention. The schedule editing system 100 is a system that provides a function for editing the schedule of the staff of a business that provides services by visiting a target person (hereinafter, referred to as a "visiting service provider"). In this embodiment, the services to be provided are assumed to be, for example, medical, nursing, and care services.

[0022] A visiting service provider, which is a user of the schedule editing system 100, accesses the schedule editing system 100 from its own user terminal 300 via the Internet N and uses the service. Although multiple user terminals 300-1 to y are shown in Fig. 1, this indicates that multiple visiting service providers can independently use the schedule editing system 100, and in the following explanation, the symbol 300 will be used for the user terminal when there is no need to distinguish between the individual terminals.

[0023] 2, the schedule editing system 100 can be configured by a computer (information processing device) in which a processor 101, a memory 102, a storage 103, a communication I / F 104 for communication via the Internet N or the like, an operation unit 105 for receiving operations from an operator, and a display unit 106 for displaying information to the operator are connected by a communication path 107 such as a system bus. The system may be configured by distributing the necessary functions among multiple computers that can communicate with each other. This basic configuration is also the same for the user terminal 300.

[0024] The user terminal 300 is a computer operated by an individual, such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, or a smartphone. However, it is also possible for one business operator to have multiple terminals, and for these terminals to refer to common data (such as the schedule information 121 to the user list 123 shown in FIG. 3) and use the schedule editing system 100. In this case, the data storage location can be determined arbitrarily, such as a server in the user environment, storage in a cloud environment, or storage provided inside the schedule editing system 100.

[0025] In addition, the schedule editing system 100 may be in the same environment as the user terminal 300, for example, by operating the schedule editing system 100 itself, or may be integrated as hardware with any of the user terminals 300. The functions of the schedule editing system 100 may be realized by multiple computers working together.

[0026] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 3 and subsequent figures, a description will be given of the configuration of functions that the schedule editing system 100 has for providing a schedule editing function, and examples of data, algorithms, screens, and the like used to realize these functions.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the schedule editing system 100 shown in FIG. 1, focusing on functions related to editing and displaying a schedule. 4 to 8 are diagrams showing configurations or specific examples of data used by each unit shown in FIG.

[0028] The functions of each unit shown in Fig. 3 can be realized by the processor 101 of the schedule editing system 100 executing a required program to control required hardware. This program may be installable and uninstallable as desired. Furthermore, all or part of the functions shown in Fig. 3 may be realized by dedicated hardware. Furthermore, all or part of the functions shown in Fig. 3 may be realized by using resources of an external device, such as a cloud environment.

[0029] 3, the schedule editing system 100 has the functions of a schedule editing unit 110, which includes, as functions related to editing and displaying a schedule, a display control unit 111, an individual editing operation receiving unit 112, an individual editing unit 113, a group setting unit 114, a batch editing operation receiving unit 115, a batch editing unit 116, and a specific editing operation receiving unit 117. Each of these units realizes its function by referring to each piece of information in the schedule information 121, the staff list 122, and the user list 123.

[0030] The display control unit 111 has a function of creating data for a schedule screen 200, as described later with reference to Fig. 9, for displaying the schedule to be edited and the results of the editing indicated by the schedule information 121, and displaying the data on an appropriate display device. The display can also be performed on an external user terminal 300.

[0031] The individual edit operation receiving unit 112 has a function of receiving operations such as adding, deleting, and changing a schedule to be edited for each schedule individually. These operations can be received on the schedule screen 200 as a GUI (Graphical User Interface), for example. The individual editing unit 113 has a function of a schedule editing unit that edits the schedule information 121 in accordance with the operation accepted by the individual editing operation accepting unit 112 .

[0032] The group setting unit 114 has a function of automatically creating a group by grouping the plans when it is detected that two or more plans included in the schedule to be edited satisfy a predetermined grouping condition, based on the plan information of each plan included in the schedule information 121. Grouping of plans can also be considered as grouping of plan information indicating the contents of the plans.

[0033] In the example described here, the grouping conditions are that all of the following (1) to (3) are satisfied: Condition (3) is an example of a condition related to the variance in start times. (1) The executor is the same (2) The attributes set for the execution targets are the same (3) Information about the available start time period, which is the time range in which the start time of an event can be set, is shared This will be described later with reference to FIG. 4, FIG. 8, etc. In addition, when the group setting unit 114 judges whether or not it is necessary to group the schedule information according to the grouping conditions, it acquires information on the attributes of the users who are the targets of the actions indicated by the schedule information from the user list 123 and uses this information for this judgment. Acquiring these attributes corresponds to the function of the attribute acquisition unit.

[0034] The collective edit operation receiving unit 115 has a function of receiving a collective edit operation for the plans that belong to the group created by the group setting unit 114. This operation can be received on the schedule screen 200 in the same way as an edit operation for an individual plan. The batch editing unit 116 has a function of editing the schedule information 121 in accordance with the operation accepted by the batch editing operation accepting unit 115 .

[0035] The specific editing operation receiving unit 117 has a function of receiving a specific editing operation for each schedule belonging to a group created by the group setting unit 114, which causes the schedule to no longer satisfy the grouping condition. This operation can be received by a dedicated operation unit provided in association with each schedule belonging to the group on the schedule screen 200. This operation unit will be described later with reference to FIG. 9 etc.

[0036] In addition to the above, the schedule editing system 100 also has the function of a communication unit 130 that communicates with an external device such as a user terminal 300 to transmit screen data and receive operation data indicating the content of an operation accepted on the screen.

[0037] Next, FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 show the configurations of the schedule information 121, the staff list 122, and the user list 123, respectively. Schedule information 121 shown in FIG. 4 is information indicating the contents of one schedule edited by the schedule editing system 100, and is information defining schedules for multiple people over multiple days, for example, as shown in FIG.

[0038] This schedule information 121 includes any number of plan information P (n items of plan information P1 to Pn in the example of FIG. 4), and each plan information P represents the content of one plan included in the schedule. Each schedule information P includes information such as schedule ID, date, possible start time, start time, end time, staff member ID, target user ID, provided services, and display setting data.

[0039] Among these, the schedule ID is identification information for identifying a schedule or schedule information P. When schedule information P is created, an ID that does not overlap with other schedule information P may be automatically assigned. The date is information indicating the date on which the schedule is to be carried out. The possible start time period is information indicating a time range within which the start time of the corresponding schedule can be set. The start time and end time are time information indicating the start time and end time of the corresponding schedule, respectively.

[0040] The staff member ID is information on the person who will execute the corresponding schedule, and in this example, the person is specified by the staff ID in the staff list 122. In a schedule edited by a visiting service provider, this person is assumed to be the person in charge of providing the service. The target user ID is target information indicating the target of the action indicated by the corresponding schedule information P (here, the service specified by the next "Provided Service"), and in this example, the target is specified by the user ID in the user list 123. In the schedule edited by the visiting service provider, this target is assumed to be a user of the service.

[0041] The provided service is information indicating the content of the service to be provided to the target indicated by the target user ID. The operator may enter it individually in text, or it may be possible to select and input it from a separately prepared service menu, etc. The required time may also be included in the information on the provided service, and the time after the required time from the start time may be automatically set as the end time.

[0042] The display setting data is information that specifies the display format of the schedule indicated by the corresponding schedule information P when the schedule indicated by the schedule information 121 is displayed on the schedule screen 200. It is possible to specify the color and pattern of icons, the font size and format of characters, the priority order when overlapping the display of multiple schedules, and the like.

[0043] Here, the relationship between the start time slot and the start time among the above information will be further explained. From the viewpoint of visiting service providers, they are often constrained by the time between when they must start providing services and when they must, due to contracts with users to whom the services are to be provided, specifications at the time of ordering, etc. The information on the available start times is provided so that visiting service providers can easily edit schedules that comply with these constraints.

[0044] One possible mode of using the schedule editing system 100 is for the operator to first create schedule information P by inputting the target user ID, date, and service to be provided as well as the available start time period as information on the services that the visiting service provider should provide to each user within a specified period based on contract and order information, and then assign each schedule to a staff member in charge, set an appropriate start time within the available start time period, and complete the schedule.

[0045] The allocation of each schedule to the staff member in charge and the setting of the start time may be performed automatically according to the available start time zone, the working time zone and skills of each staff member in charge, or may be performed manually by an operator or the result of automatic allocation may be corrected. In this case, if the operator attempts to set a start time that conflicts with the available start time zone, the schedule editing system 100 issues a warning by displaying a message or changing the color of the icon. This makes it possible to prevent the operator from accidentally setting a schedule that differs from the contract or order when manually allocating or correcting. Of course, by referring to the available start time zone when automatically setting, a schedule that matches the contents of the contract or order can be automatically created.

[0046] 5 is information that specifies options for executors who will execute events included in the schedule to be edited. From the viewpoint of the visiting service provider, it corresponds to a list of staff in charge of providing the service. This staff list 122 includes any number of staff data E (n1 pieces of staff data E1 to En1 in the example of FIG. 5), and each staff data E is information on one staff member (executor). Each staff member data E includes information such as staff member ID, name, qualifications, skills, working hours, and holiday information.

[0047] Among these, the staff ID is identification information for identifying a staff member. When the staff data E is created, an ID that does not overlap with other staff data may be automatically assigned. The name is a character string representing the name of the staff member indicated by the staff member data E. In this example, this information is used when displaying columns corresponding to the staff member on the schedule screen 200. Qualifications, skills, working hours, and holiday information are examples of information about the staff members. This information is used as a constraint when automatically allocating schedules to each staff member, or as a reference when manually allocating schedules.

[0048] 6 is information that specifies options for targets of actions indicated by events included in the schedule to be edited. From the viewpoint of the visiting service provider, it corresponds to a list of users to whom the service is to be provided. This user list 123 includes any number of user data V (n2 items of V1 to Vn2 in the example of FIG. 6), and each user data V is information on one user (execution target).

[0049] Each user data V includes information such as a user ID, a name, an address, relationship attributes, location attributes, and contract details. Among these, the user ID is identification information for identifying a user. When the user data V is created, an ID that does not overlap with other user data may be automatically assigned. The name is a character string of the name of the user indicated by the user data V. In this example, this information is used when displaying an icon of the plan indicated by the plan information P on the schedule screen 200. The address is the address of a place where a service is provided to a user indicated by the user data V. In other words, the address is information indicating a place where a target for performing an action indicated by a schedule is located.

[0050] A relationship attribute is relationship information that indicates a relationship between multiple users. For example, if a user and another user are a married couple, it is possible to indicate that they are a married couple by setting a common married couple ID for both users as a relationship attribute. This relationship attribute can be used to determine whether or not the grouping condition "the attributes set for the execution target are common" is satisfied. This condition is established to determine whether or not it is preferable to provide a service during close time periods.

[0051] Since a married couple often live in the same place, and it is considered efficient to provide services to both of them consecutively when providing services to both of them, this point can be easily determined by the attribute by setting a common attribute in advance. From this point of view, if a married couple lives separately, it is considered not to set a relationship attribute indicating that they are a married couple, and if a couple is siblings or other people in a relationship other than a married couple, but lives together or on the same premises, a common relationship attribute may be set. The above relationship attributes may be set automatically by referring to another database in which relationships between users, such as family structures, are registered, or may be set manually by an operator for each user.

[0052] The location attribute is area information that indicates the location where a user is located. For example, by setting a common area ID as the location attribute for users with the same address, it is possible to indicate that a service can be provided in the same area. This location attribute can also be used to determine whether or not the grouping condition "the attributes set for the execution target are common" is satisfied. In other words, like the relationship attribute, the location attribute is also used to determine whether or not it is preferable to provide a service during a nearby time period.

[0053] Therefore, even if the addresses are not exactly the same, if the addresses are close enough that it is preferable to provide services at similar times due to factors such as ease of movement, a common area ID can be set as the location attribute. If the addresses are in an apartment building or welfare facility, a common area ID can be set as the location attribute if the room numbers are different but the addresses are on the same floor.

[0054] The location attributes above can be set automatically by using a map information service or the like to calculate the distance between addresses and travel time, and then setting a common area ID for addresses that are considered easy to travel to based on the results. It is also possible to set criteria in advance, such as setting a common area ID if the difference in house numbers is within a certain number, or if the difference in room numbers is within a certain number in the same building, and then automatically set the area ID by comparing the addresses of each user based on this criteria. Alternatively, the operator can manually set the area ID for each user.

[0055] The contract details are information on the contract details regarding the services to be provided between the visiting service provider editing the schedule and the user to whom the service is to be provided. They can be used to refer to when automatically generating schedule information P before the staff member in charge and the start time are determined, or to allow appropriate reference when manually creating or editing schedule information P. It is preferable that at least information on the services to be provided to the user and the available start times be registered in the user list 123 as the contract details, or that they be made available for separate reference using the user ID as a key.

[0056] Next, an example of information registered in the user list 123 is shown in FIG. In the example in Figure 7, the user ID is a sequential ID that is automatically assigned when the user is registered. The name, address, and contract details may be entered by an operator or automatically based on data provided by a system that accepts applications and manages contract conditions.

[0057] The relationship attribute is set to "Ayama couple" for the married couple ID=1 and ID=2 users. There are no notable relationships between the other users, so no relationship attribute is set. As for the location attribute, since the users with ID=1 to 3 have addresses that are one number apart, "Address #1" is set, indicating the same area as they are close to each other. Since the user with ID=4 has an address that is considerably far from the users with ID=1 to 3, "Address #2" is set, indicating a different area.

[0058] Additionally, since the users with IDs 11 to 14 live on the same floor of the same apartment building, they are considered to be in close proximity to each other, and so the location attribute is set to "Apartment X, 1st floor," indicating the same area. User with ID 15 lives in the same apartment building as users with IDs 11 to 14, but on a different floor, so in this example, compared to users with IDs 11 to 14, it is determined that there is less need to provide services to these users during close times, and so the location attribute is set to "Apartment X, 3rd floor," indicating a different area.

[0059] The criteria for setting different location attributes when addresses are far apart or different can be determined arbitrarily by the visiting service provider editing the schedule, depending on the nature and content of the service to be provided. When setting location attributes manually, there is no need to determine clear criteria. The same applies to the relationship between users for which a common relationship attribute should be set. In addition, for each attribute, in the example of Fig. 7, meaningful text such as "Ayama couple" or "Apartment X, 1st floor" may be set, or an identifier with no particular meaning in itself such as "Address #1" may be set. When grouping, it is sufficient to be able to determine whether the attributes set for multiple users are common or not.

[0060] Next, a specific example of the schedule information 121 is shown in FIG. In the example of Fig. 8, the schedule ID is a sequential ID that is automatically set when the schedule is registered. The date, available start time, target user ID, and provided service may be entered by an operator, or may be automatically entered based on data provided by a system that accepts applications for use and manages contract conditions. The target user ID data identifies the user who is the target of the execution of the service related to the schedule by the user ID in the user list 123 shown in Fig. 7.

[0061] The start time, end time, and staff member ID may be input by an operator or automatically assigned to a staff member. The staff member ID data identifies the staff member who will perform the service related to the schedule by the staff ID in the staff list 122. It is possible for there to be schedules that do not have a target user ID, such as schedule ID=6. For example, schedules that are performed only by the staff in charge and do not provide any service to the user, such as creating documents listed in the column for services provided, fall into this category. Similarly, it is possible for there to be schedules that do not have a start time slot. In the case of schedules that do not involve the provision of a service to the user, the visiting service provider can set the time as desired, so by not setting a start time slot, it is possible to set an arbitrary start time.

[0062] One feature of the schedule editing system 100 of this embodiment is that, when editing a schedule defined by the above-mentioned schedule information 121 according to the operation of an operator, a group of plans included in the schedule that are suitable for editing together is automatically identified and grouped, so that the operator can edit the plans belonging to that group together. The operation of the schedule editing system 100 related to this point will be explained in more detail below.

[0063] 9 shows an example of a schedule screen 200 for displaying the contents of a schedule defined by the schedule information 121 and accepting editing operations thereof. This screen is displayed on an appropriate display device of the schedule editing system 100 or the user terminal 300 by the function of the display control unit 111.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 9, the schedule screen 200 has a schedule display area 210 and a group display area 220, and is basically displayed based on the schedule information 121, the staff list 122, and the user list 123, but there is no impediment to displaying the information based on this information and referring to other settings, databases, etc.

[0065] The schedule display area 210 includes display columns 211-213 corresponding to each staff member, and these display columns 211-213 display the daily schedule of each staff member along a common time axis 230. The names of staff members can be acquired from the staff list 122. Although the figure shows display columns 211-213 for only three staff members, it is preferable to provide display columns for all staff members registered in the staff list 122. It may be possible to set for each staff member whether or not to provide a display column.

[0066] The top display column 214 is a column for displaying schedules for which no responsible staff member has been specified (no responsible staff member ID has been set). The time axis 230 of the display column 214 is also common to the display columns 211 to 213. Note that in the example of Fig. 9, the time axis 230 is only displayed from about 9:00 to about 14:00 due to insufficient width, but it can be scrolled appropriately by dragging, swiping, etc. The display columns arranged vertically can also be scrolled in the same way.

[0067] Additionally, a date display section 215 displays the date indicating the year, month, and date of the displayed schedule at the top of the schedule display area 210. Additionally, by operating date change operation sections 216 and 217, the date can be changed to display a schedule for a different date in the schedule display area 210.

[0068] In the above-described schedule display area 210, any schedule that is not grouped among the schedules defined by each schedule information P is displayed by a single icon without hatching, such as schedule icons 231-235, in a display field corresponding to the responsible staff ID in the schedule information P. In other words, each of the schedule icons 231-235 is an icon for each schedule information unit.

[0069] 9, the name of the user to whom the service is to be provided and the start time of the schedule are displayed within the icon width as much as possible within schedule icons 232 to 235. The user's name can be obtained from user list 123. Schedule icons 232 to 235 correspond to schedules with IDs 4, 5, 3, and 25 in FIG. 8, respectively. As can be seen from FIG. 8, the start time of the event with ID=3 is not within the range of the possible start time slots, so a mark 234a is displayed on the event icon 234 indicating a warning to that effect.

[0070] The schedule icon 231 corresponds to the schedule with ID=6. Since there is no user to whom the service is to be provided for this schedule, "document creation", which is a task content registered as a "provided service", is displayed instead. The information displayed within the icon is not limited to the example in FIG. 9, and may be arbitrarily set by the operator.

[0071] Furthermore, the grouped schedules are displayed for each group by a single hatched icon (distinguishable from the icons of individual schedules) such as group icons 236 and 237 in a display field corresponding to the staff member who will execute the schedule (indicated by the responsible staff member ID in the schedule information P). In other words, the group icons 236 and 237 are each an icon for each group. In the example described here, the grouping conditions include "have the same executor", so all schedules in the group will be executed by the same staff member.

[0072] Within group icons 236 and 237, the symbol "gp" indicating that it is a group and the number of events belonging to the group ("2" for group icon 236 and "4" for group icon 237) are displayed. Also, the start time of the event with the earliest start time within the group is displayed, and based on the "Services provided" in the event information P of the events within the group, the content of the services to be provided is displayed within the range permitted by the width of the icon.

[0073] Normally, the users for whom services are provided differ for each event in a group, so the services provided are displayed instead of the users. However, in this example, matching "services provided" is not included in the grouping conditions, so events with different "services provided" may belong to the same group. In this case, it is conceivable to display the content of the service provided in one of the events, as well as a display indicating that there are other types. In the example of FIG. 9, group icon 236 corresponds to the group to which the schedules with IDs=1 and 2 in FIG. 8 belong, and group icon 237 corresponds to the group to which the schedules with IDs=21 to 24 belong.

[0074] On the other hand, the group display area 220 is provided outside the schedule display area 210, and is an area for displaying the contents of the schedules belonging to one of the groups when that group is selected. A group can be selected, for example, by clicking on group icons 236 and 237. In FIG. 9, the state in which the group icon 237 has been selected is shown, and this is indicated by displaying the border of the group icon 237 in a thicker color. The group display area 220 may be a pop-up screen that is displayed in response to clicking on a group icon.

[0075] The group display area 220 includes a staff display section 221, a location display section 222, a time display section 223, and individual display sections 224 corresponding to each schedule belonging to the group. Each individual display section 224 includes a specific operation section 225. The staff display section 221 displays the names of the staff who will carry out each schedule. The location display unit 222 displays the location where the schedule is to be carried out. Since the execution location (the address of the user to whom the service is to be provided) does not necessarily match for all schedules, it is preferable to display this location based on the location attribute of the user. When the location attribute is set as a character string by the visiting service provider itself, it is considered that the operator can grasp the meaning even of an abstract description such as "Address #1", so the character string of the location attribute may be used for display as is. Alternatively, it is also possible to process the address and display it, such as extracting and displaying the common part of the addresses of each user.

[0076] The time display unit 223 displays the time period during which the schedules belonging to the group are executed. Specifically, it displays the time period from the start time of the schedule with the earliest start time to the end time of the schedule with the latest end time among the schedules belonging to the group. Each individual display section 224 displays the name of the user to whom the service relating to the corresponding schedule is to be provided, the time period from the start time to the end time, and the content of the service to be provided.

[0077] The specific operation unit 225 corresponds to the function of the specific editing operation receiving unit 117, and is a dedicated operation unit for receiving a specific editing operation that causes the corresponding schedule to no longer satisfy the grouping condition. It is assumed that this specific editing is performed in order to remove the schedule in question from the group to which it currently belongs. In this case, this specific editing is the deletion of the target user ID. A schedule from which the target user ID has been deleted can no longer satisfy the condition of "having a common executor" with other schedules, and therefore will no longer satisfy the grouping condition, regardless of the content of the group at the time of the operation.

[0078] Specific edits are not limited to this, and the same effect can be achieved by deleting the possible start time slot, for example. However, when a home visit service provider edits a schedule, the staff member in charge of each event is often changed, but the possible start time slot is determined by the user's request or contract with the user, and is therefore rarely changed after being correctly entered. Considering this, by defining the specific edit as deleting the target user ID (cancelling the setting of the event executor), it is believed that it is possible to remove an event from a group with a simple operation without causing unnecessary confusion and minimizing the decrease in operability of the entire schedule editing operation.

[0079] In the schedule screen 200 as described above, an operation to edit an individual schedule can be accepted by operating the schedule icons 231 to 235. This function corresponds to the function of the individual edit operation acceptance unit 112. For example, the individual edit operation acceptance unit 112 accepts an operation to move an icon in the direction of the time axis 230 as an operation to shift the start time and the end time by the same amount of time. An operation to enlarge or reduce the end of an icon in the direction of the time axis 230 is accepted as an operation to change only the start time or the end time. An operation to move an icon to the display columns 211 to 213 corresponding to other staff members is accepted as an operation to change the responsible staff member ID. An operation to move an icon to the display column 214 is accepted as an operation to delete the responsible staff member ID. It is also possible to change the date to another day by cutting and pasting the icon.

[0080] Furthermore, on the schedule screen 200, by operating group icons 236 and 237, a batch edit operation for the plans belonging to the group can be accepted. This function corresponds to the function of the batch edit operation accepting unit 115. It is useful to make the relationship between the icon operation contents and the edit contents of the plan the same as in the case of the plan icons 231 to 235 in order to make the operation method intuitively easy to understand, and this is done here. However, this is not essential. In addition to the above, when a schedule that is not grouped is selected by clicking schedule icons 231 to 235, the contents of the selected schedule may be displayed in group display area 220, and editing of each item may be accepted. Such editing may be accepted on a pop-up screen.

[0081] On the other hand, although not essential, it is advisable that, for grouped plans, editing operations for individual plans are not accepted by any means other than the specific operation unit 225 . If an edited schedule no longer satisfies the grouping conditions in relation to the group to which it belongs at the time of editing, the schedule will be removed from the group, but if at the same time it satisfies the grouping conditions in relation to another group, the schedule will belong to the other group after editing. In such a case, the schedule icon indicating the schedule may not be displayed in the schedule display area 210, making it difficult to know where the schedule has been moved to by editing. On the other hand, if it is desired to edit a grouped schedule individually, such confusion will not occur if the specific operation unit 225 is operated to remove the schedule from the group once and then the desired editing is performed.

[0082] Next, the processes executed by the schedule editing system 100 for displaying the schedule screen 200 and editing the plan information P in the schedule information 121 (editing the plan) described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figs. 10 to 14. The processes shown in these figures correspond to an embodiment of the schedule editing method of the present invention. The processes shown in these figures are executed by the processor 101 by executing a required program, but it is also possible to execute all or part of them by dedicated hardware. In the explanation of Figs. 10 to 14, for simplicity, the schedule editing system 100 will be abbreviated to "system 100". The processes will be explained as being executed by the system 100.

[0083] 10 shows the process executed by system 100 when it detects the specification of a date and an instruction to display schedule screen 200. For example, when the schedule editing function is started, it can be considered that the current date is specified and an instruction to display schedule screen 200 is given. Also, when date change operation units 216, 217 are operated, it can be considered that the changed date is specified and an instruction to display schedule screen 200 is given. This instruction may be received by a different interface.

[0084] In either case, when the system 100 detects the specification of a date and an instruction to display the schedule screen 200, it starts the process of Fig. 10 and first extracts the plan information P in which the date to be displayed is set as "date" from the schedule information 121 (S11). It also displays the frame and date of the schedule screen 200 (S12). The process of step S12 includes a process of displaying display columns 211-213 corresponding to each staff member, a display column 214 for displaying plans for which a responsible staff member is not specified, and a time axis 230.

[0085] Next, the system 100 generates a group by grouping together the extracted schedule information P that matches all of the staff member ID, the attributes of the target user, and the possible start time period (S13). That is, when it is detected that there are two or more pieces of schedule information that satisfy a predetermined grouping condition among the extracted schedule information P, a group is automatically created by grouping the schedule information P. At this time, for the attributes of the target user, only one of the relationship attribute and the location attribute may be considered, or both may be considered, and the attributes may be determined to match only when both match. It is preferable that the user can set in advance which attribute to consider. As information for the group, it is sufficient to store the schedule ID of the schedule information P that follows the group. Also, as described above, the grouping of schedule information P can be considered to be the grouping of the schedules indicated by the schedule information P at the same time.

[0086] After step S13, the system 100 sequentially processes the groups generated in step S13 (S14, S15), and executes the processes of steps S16 and S17 to display a group icon for each group. That is, the system 100 displays a group icon indicating the time range from the start time of the first schedule to the end time of the last schedule indicated in the schedule information P belonging to the group to be processed in a display field corresponding to the responsible staff ID in the schedule information P belonging to the group to be processed (S16).The system 100 also displays the number of schedule information P belonging to the group to be processed, the services provided in the schedule information P, and the start time of the first schedule indicated in the schedule information P on the displayed group icon (S17).

[0087] If no group is generated in step S13, or if the processes of steps S16 and S17 have been completed for all groups, the process proceeds to step S18. Here, the system 100 sequentially processes the ungrouped schedule information P among the schedule information P extracted in step S12 (S18, S19), and executes the processes of steps S20 and S21 to display a schedule icon for each schedule.

[0088] That is, the system 100 displays a schedule icon indicating the time range from the start time to the end time in the schedule information P to be processed in a display field corresponding to the staff member ID in the schedule information P to be processed (S20). In addition, the system 100 displays the start time in the schedule information P to be processed and the target user indicated by the target user ID on the displayed schedule icon (S21). When the processes of steps S20 and S21 have been completed for all of the schedule information P that has been extracted in step S12 and not grouped, the process of FIG. 10 ends.

[0089] When displaying the schedule icon, a process may be added to warn the operator if there is a schedule whose start time is not within the range of the possible start time slot, similar to the processes in steps S43 and S44 in Fig. 12 described later. A warning may also be issued to a group that includes such a schedule, similar to the processes in steps S63 and S64 in Fig. 13 described later. 10, the schedule information P that satisfies a predetermined grouping condition can be grouped, and then displayed in the schedule display area 210 of the schedule screen 200 described with reference to Fig. 9. The process of Fig. 10 corresponds to the function of the display control unit 111 (first to third display control units), and is the process of the display control procedure (first to third display control procedures). The process of step S13 corresponds to the function of the group setting unit 114, and is the process of the group setting procedure.

[0090] The system 100 generates a group every time the schedule screen 200 is displayed or the date is changed. Therefore, information about which schedule information P belongs to each group only needs to be retained until the schedule screen 200 is deleted or the date is changed. This allows the processing load to be reduced because it is only necessary to determine whether the grouping conditions are met for the schedule information P of a specific date when grouping.

[0091] As will be described later, in order to ensure reliable grouping, it is necessary to judge whether the grouping conditions are met each time the schedule information P is edited, which results in a large processing load if the judgment is made for all the schedule information P included in the schedule information 121. It is also possible to create and store group information for all the schedule information P included in the schedule information 121 in advance and display the schedule screen 200 by referring to the stored group information, but the mode shown in Fig. 10 is preferable from the viewpoint of processing load.

[0092] 11 shows the process executed by the system 100 when it detects a group selection operation. For example, clicking on the group icons 236 and 237 can be regarded as a group selection operation. When the system 100 detects a group selection operation, it starts the process of FIG. 11 and temporarily clears the display in the group display area 220 at that time (S31). The system 100 then displays the staff member who will carry out the schedule indicated by the schedule information P of the selected group and the location where the schedule will be carried out in the group display area 220 on the displayed schedule screen 200 (S32). The staff member can be displayed in the staff display section 221 based on the responsible staff member ID and the staff list 122, and the location where the schedule will be carried out can be displayed in the location display section 222 based on the location attributes, etc.

[0093] Next, the system 100 displays in the group display area 220 the time range from the start time of the first schedule to the end time of the last schedule indicated by the schedule information P belonging to the selected group (S33). This display can be performed in the time display section 223. Thereafter, the system 100 sequentially processes the schedule information P belonging to the selected group (S34, S35), and executes the processes of steps S36 and S37. That is, an individual display section 224 is added to the group display area 220, which displays the target user, start time, end time, and provided service indicated by the target user ID of the schedule information P to be processed (S36), and a corresponding specific operation section 225 is added to the individual display section 224 (S37). When the processes of steps S36 and S37 are completed for all the schedule information P belonging to the selected group, the process of FIG. 11 ends.

[0094] 11, it is possible to display the group display area 220 of the schedule screen 200 described with reference to Fig. 9. The processing in Fig. 11 also corresponds to the function of the display control unit 111.

[0095] 12 shows a process executed when the system 100 detects a move operation of a schedule icon. This move operation corresponds to an individual edit operation, and its detection corresponds to the function of the individual edit operation receiving unit 112. When the system 100 detects an operation to move a schedule icon, it starts the process in Fig. 12 and changes the staff member ID in the schedule information P corresponding to the moved schedule icon to the staff ID corresponding to the destination field (S41). However, if there is no movement across fields, there is no need to change the staff member ID. Also, if the destination is the display field 214 for displaying schedules for which no staff member is specified, the staff member ID is deleted.

[0096] Next, the system 100 changes the start time and end time in the schedule information P corresponding to the moved schedule icon by an amount corresponding to the amount of movement along the time axis 230 (S42). However, if there is no movement along the time axis, there is no need to change the time. Also, this change does not change the interval between the start time and the end time. With the processing up to this point, editing of the schedule information P in accordance with the movement of the schedule icon is completed. The processing up to this point corresponds to the function of the individual editing unit 113.

[0097] Next, the system 100 judges whether the changed start time is within the range of the possible start time slot defined in the schedule information P corresponding to the moved schedule icon (S43). If it is not within the range, a warning to that effect is issued to the operator (S44). This warning can be issued by displaying the mark 234a as shown in Fig. 9, or by sound, changing the color of the icon or text, blinking, etc.

[0098] In either case, the system 100 then determines whether the changed schedule information P matches the schedule information P of any of the previously created groups in terms of the staff member ID, the attributes of the target user, and the possible start time period (S45). In other words, the system 100 compares the changed schedule information P with all the schedule information P subsequent to any of the previously created groups to determine whether the grouping conditions are met.

[0099] If the answer is Yes in step S45, the system 100 adds the changed schedule information P to the group that satisfies the grouping condition (S46). Then, taking into account the added schedule information P, the display of the group icon of the corresponding group is updated (S47). This process may be similar to steps S16 and S17 in Fig. 10. Thereafter, the moved schedule icon that no longer needs to be displayed because the corresponding schedule information P has been added to the group is deleted (S48), and the process ends.

[0100] If the answer is No in step S45, then, similarly to step S45, it is determined whether or not the changed schedule information P satisfies the grouping condition with any of the ungrouped schedule information P (S49). If the answer is Yes in step S49, the system 100 generates a new group by grouping the schedule information P whose staff member ID, target user attributes, and available start time zone match in step S49 with the changed schedule information P (S50). Then, similar to steps S16 and S17 in Fig. 10, the group icon of the generated group is displayed in the schedule display area 210 (S51). In addition, the schedule icons corresponding to the schedule information P grouped in step S50, including the one that was moved this time, are deleted (S52) since they no longer need to be displayed, and the process ends. If the answer is No in step S49, it is understood that no grouping will occur as a result of the current move operation, so the position of the schedule icon is moved in accordance with the detected move operation (S53), and the process ends.

[0101] By the process of steps S45 to S52, when new schedule information P that satisfies the grouping conditions is generated as a result of editing, it is possible to group the schedule information P. This grouping may be addition to an existing group or creation of a new group. The processes of steps S45, S46, S49, and S50 correspond to the functions of group setting unit 114 and are processes in the group setting order. The processes of steps S47, S48, S51, S52, and S53 correspond to the functions of display control unit 111 and are processes in the display control procedure.

[0102] 13 shows a process executed by the system 100 when a move operation of a group icon is detected. This move operation corresponds to a collective edit operation, and the detection process corresponds to the function of the collective edit operation receiving unit 115 and corresponds to a collective edit operation receiving procedure. When the system 100 detects a move operation of a group icon, it starts the process of Fig. 13 and changes the responsible staff ID in all the schedule information P belonging to the group corresponding to the moved group icon to the staff ID corresponding to the moved destination field (S61). However, if there is no move across fields, there is no need to change the responsible staff ID. Also, if the moved destination is the display field 214 for displaying schedules for which no responsible staff is specified, the staff ID is deleted.

[0103] Next, the system 100 changes the start time and end time in all schedule information P belonging to the group corresponding to the moved group icon by an amount corresponding to the amount of movement along the time axis 230 (S62). In other words, the implementation time period of each schedule belonging to the group is shifted by the same amount. However, if there is no movement along the time axis, no change in time is necessary. Furthermore, this change does not change the interval between the start time and end time in each schedule information P. The time interval between different schedule information P is also not changed. The process up to this point completes the collective editing of the schedule information P in response to the movement of the group icon. The process up to this point corresponds to the function of the collective editing unit 116, and is the process of the collective editing procedure.

[0104] Next, the system 100 judges whether or not the changed start time for all schedule information P belonging to the group corresponding to the moved group icon is within the range of the possible start time period defined in the schedule information P (S63). If there is any schedule information P that is not within the range, a warning to that effect is issued to the operator (S64). This warning can be issued by displaying the mark 234a as shown in Fig. 9, or by sound, changing the color of the icon or text, blinking, etc. In either case, the system 100 then determines (S65) whether the destination of the group icon is the display column 214. If this is No, the system 100 moves the position of the group icon in accordance with the detected operation (S66) and ends the process.

[0105] On the other hand, if the answer is Yes in step S65, the staff ID was deleted in step S61, and as a result, it is understood that the schedule information P in the group no longer satisfies the grouping condition "shared executor." Therefore, the system 100 executes the processes of steps S67 to S69 to delete the group corresponding to the operated group icon. That is, the group icon that has been moved this time is deleted (S67), and similarly to steps S20 and S21 in FIG. 10, each schedule information P belonging to the group corresponding to the group icon that has been moved this time and the corresponding schedule icon are displayed (S68), and then the group corresponding to the group icon is deleted (S69), and the process is terminated.

[0106] By the processes of steps S65 and S67 to S69, if any schedule information P occurs that does not satisfy the grouping conditions due to the collective editing, the schedule information P can be excluded from the group. Also, a group that does not contain any schedule information P as a result of this can be deleted. The processes of steps S65 and S69 correspond to the function of group setting unit 114 and are processes in the group setting order. The processes of steps S66, S67, and S68 correspond to the function of display control unit 111 and are processes in the display control procedure.

[0107] In addition, when the staff ID is changed in step S61, all the schedule information belonging to the moved group may come to satisfy the grouping condition with other schedule information that is not grouped or with all the schedule information belonging to other groups. Therefore, after step S61, taking this into consideration, it is advisable to check whether there is any schedule information that has come to satisfy the grouping condition with respect to all the schedule information belonging to the moved group. If there is such schedule information, the schedule information or, if the schedule information belongs to a group, the entire group is incorporated into the moved group, and the groups are rearranged and the display is updated. The display can be updated in the same manner as in steps S16 and S17 in Fig. 10. If necessary, the process in Fig. 11 should be executed and the display in the group display area 220 should also be updated.

[0108] 14 shows a process executed by the system 100 when it detects an operation of the specific operation unit 225. The detection of this operation corresponds to the function of the specific editing operation receiving unit 117. When the system 100 detects an operation of the specific operation unit 225 provided on any of the individual display units 224, it starts the process of Fig. 14 and first deletes the staff member ID in the schedule information P corresponding to the operated specific operation unit 225 (S81). This process is a specific edit in response to the operation of the specific operation unit 225. Furthermore, the schedule information P that has been edited in this way no longer satisfies the grouping condition "shared executor" with other schedule information P in the group to which it belongs.

[0109] Therefore, the system 100 removes the schedule information P corresponding to the operated specific operation unit 225 from the group to which it belongs (S82). Also, based on the schedule information P remaining in the group after the removal, the system 100 updates the display of the group icon and the group display area 220 (S83). This process may be similar to steps S16 and S17 in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11. Next, the system 100 displays a schedule icon corresponding to the schedule information P removed from the group in the schedule display area 210 in the same manner as in steps S20 and S21 of FIG. 10 (S84), and ends the process.

[0110] Through the above process, any of the schedule information P belonging to the selected group can be removed from the group with a single operation. In addition, if, as a result of the exclusion in step S82, there is only one piece of schedule information P belonging to the group, the group is deleted, and a schedule icon corresponding to the one remaining piece of schedule information is displayed in place of the previous group icon, as in steps S67 to S69 in Figure 13.

[0111] According to the schedule editing system 100 described above, plans in which tasks are to be executed multiple times in a relatively short period of time can be automatically grouped and made available for batch editing, so that schedules including such plans can be efficiently edited.

[0112] As an example, in the schedules shown in Figures 8 and 9, it is stipulated that the schedule with ID=4 and the schedule with ID=21 will provide different services to the same user (user ID=11, F Village, G Career) during the same time period. Therefore, it is necessary to shift the time of one of these schedules.

[0113] Now, suppose that it is considered to shift the time of schedule ID=21. In this case, it is understood that schedules ID=22 to 24 are scheduled to be executed in nearby time periods and locations to schedule ID=21. This is because a common location attribute is set for users ID=11 to 14 in user list 123 of Fig. 7. In this case, it is considered preferable to place the schedules ID=21 to 24 in nearby time periods and execute them consecutively.

[0114] However, if you edit the appointment with ID=21 individually and shift only the time of this appointment, there will be a gap between it and appointments with ID=22 to 24, which may result in an inefficient schedule. However, if you group appointments with ID=21 to 24 and shift them all by the same amount of time, you will not end up with such an inefficient schedule.

[0115] Even without grouping, if you edit the plans with ID=21 separately while editing the plans with ID=22-24, it may be possible to maintain a schedule in which the plans with ID=21-24 continue to run. However, this requires editing the plans with ID=22-24 individually, or selecting all of the plans with ID=21-24 as the editing targets and then editing them all at once, which reduces operability. In contrast, in the above-described embodiment, grouping conditions are used to automatically identify and group schedules that have a high need to be edited together, such as ID=21-24, making them available for bulk editing, thereby improving the operability of schedule editing and increasing efficiency.

[0116] Furthermore, because grouped schedules are displayed as icons for each group, even when many schedules are concentrated in a short time range, the number of icons to be displayed can be reduced to prevent a decrease in visibility of the display. For example, if schedule icons were to be displayed individually for the schedules with IDs 21 to 24, narrow icons such as schedule icon 235 would be densely arranged on the schedule screen 200. In this state, the contents of the schedules cannot be displayed on each icon, resulting in low visibility.

[0117] However, by automatically grouping these and displaying the schedules by group using group icon 237, the icon size can be increased and a certain amount of text can be displayed within the icon, improving the visibility of the schedule contents. At this time, since the schedules that do not satisfy the grouping conditions are displayed with their own icons even if the time slots overlap, they can still be edited individually, and in this respect operability can be maintained.

[0118] Even if an unintended grouping is performed, the specific operation unit 225, which is a dedicated operation unit for accepting an operation to remove any schedule from the group, is provided, so that the desired schedule can be removed from the group with a simple and intuitively understandable operation, and the degree to which operability is reduced due to automatic grouping can be reduced.

[0119] It is also possible to set each piece of schedule information P to be excluded from automatic grouping. Schedule information P for which such a setting has been made should be excluded from grouping even if the grouping conditions are met. This makes it possible to avoid unintended grouping and further improve operability. It is also conceivable that such a setting can be made for schedule information P of a specific service provided, schedule information P having a specific target user ID, schedule information P having a specific staff member ID, and so on.

[0120] [Modifications] This concludes the description of the embodiment, but in this invention, the specific configurations of the systems and devices, specific processing procedures, data formats, network configurations, screen displays, grouping conditions used, and the like are not limited to those described in the embodiment.

[0121] For example, instead of the grouping condition (3) in the above embodiment, (3') The start time of the schedule belongs to the same time segment in a time segment defined in a specified time unit based on a specified reference time. It is possible to use the following. This condition is likely to be satisfied even if the schedule information P does not include information on the possible start time slot. The condition (3') is also an example of a condition related to the variance in the start time.

[0122] Fig. 15 shows the configuration of schedule information 121 when this modification is performed. Fig. 16 shows the changes to the process in Fig. 10 when this modification is performed. Fig. 17 shows an example of grouping of plans according to this modification. When making this modification, it is preferable to include information on the reference time and unit time for creating time segments in the schedule information 121 in addition to the plan information P, as shown in Fig. 15. The reference time and unit time may be prepared as settings for the entire schedule editing system 100, or as settings for the entire schedule edited by a specific business operator, but it is preferable to be able to set different values ​​for each schedule to be edited.

[0123] Furthermore, when this modification is performed, instead of the process of step S13 in FIG. 10 when displaying the schedule screen 200, the processes of steps S13A and S13B in FIG. 16 are executed. That is, first, time segments are created for each unit time before and after a reference time (S13A). For example, if the reference time is 10:00 and the unit time is 30 minutes, time segments in 30-minute increments are created before the reference time, such as 9:30-10:00, 9:00-9:30, 8:30-9:00, ..., and time segments in 30-minute increments are created after the reference time, such as 10:00-10:30, 10:30-11:00, 11:00-11:30, .... Times that are on the boundary between segments belong to one of the segments.

[0124] Then, a group is generated by grouping together schedule information P extracted in step S11 that matches the staff member ID and the attributes of the target user and that start at the same time segment (S13B). For example, schedule 401 with a start time of 10:10 and schedule 402 with a start time of 10:25 belong to the same time segment and are therefore grouped if other conditions are also satisfied, but schedule 403 with a start time of 10:40 belongs to a different time segment from the above two schedules and is therefore not grouped with schedules 401 and 402 (see FIG. 17).

[0125] When the above grouping conditions are used, as in the above-described embodiment, plans in which tasks are to be executed many times in a relatively short period of time can be automatically grouped and edited in bulk, so that schedules including such plans can be edited with ease.

[0126] In addition, the condition regarding the variation in the start times among the grouping conditions is not limited to (3) in the embodiment or (3') in the modified example, but may be another condition. Any condition that specifies that the time periods in which the schedules are executed are relatively close to each other may be adopted. In addition, in (3) and (3'), only the variation in start times is considered, but it is also possible to group schedules that belong to the same time segment throughout the entire time period in which they are executed, from the start time to the end time.

[0127] Furthermore, the grouping condition may further require that the information indicating the type of action to be performed according to the schedule (in the above embodiment, "provided service") be common. This is because, among schedules which also satisfy this condition, there is a strong desire to perform the schedules consecutively, and it is considered that the usefulness of batch editing is high.

[0128] In the above-described embodiment, the target of the schedule execution is a user of the service. However, the target of the schedule execution is not limited to this. It may be a person to be met or held in a meeting, a place to be visited, luggage to be transported, a site to be worked on, a device or facility to be used, or other non-human objects. As long as at least the attributes of each target of the schedule execution are registered as information corresponding to the user list 123, it is possible to automatically group schedules and collectively edit grouped schedules, as in the above-described embodiment, and to obtain the same effect of improving operability. The type of attribute to be set can be determined arbitrarily according to the specific execution target. However, it is expected that a common attribute will be set for multiple execution targets for which it is considered desirable to execute the schedule as consecutively as possible.

[0129] In the above-described embodiment, the services to be provided are assumed to be medical, nursing, and care services, but the present invention is not limited to these. The present invention is applicable not only to a specific business type, but also to businesses that visit targets to provide services. The present invention is also applicable to editing a private schedule that is not for business use.

[0130] Moreover, an embodiment of a program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to control required hardware to realize the functions of the schedule editing system 100 described above.

[0131] Such a program may be stored in a ROM or other non-volatile storage medium (flash memory, EEPROM, etc.) that is included in the computer from the beginning. However, it may also be provided by recording it on any non-volatile recording medium such as a memory card, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc. By installing the program recorded on such a recording medium on a computer and executing it, each of the above-mentioned functions can be realized.

[0132] Furthermore, it is also possible to download the program from an external device connected to a network and having a recording medium on which the program is recorded, or from an external device having the program stored in a storage means, and install the program on a computer for execution. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the configurations of the respective embodiments and modified examples described above can be implemented in any combination as long as they are not mutually inconsistent. [Explanation of symbols]

[0133] 100...schedule editing system, 121...schedule information, 122...staff list, 123...user list, 200...schedule screen, 210...schedule display area, 211-213...display columns corresponding to staff, 214...display column for unspecified staff, 215...date display section, 216, 217...date change operation section, 220...group display area, 221...staff display section, 222...location display section, 223...time display section, 224...individual display section, 225...specific operation section, 230...time axis, 231-235...schedule icons, 236, 237...group icons, 300...user terminal

Claims

1. A schedule editing system including a schedule editing unit that is configured with one computer or multiple computers working together and edits a schedule including any number of pieces of plan information in response to a user's operation, Each of the schedule information includes: executor information indicating a executor who is to execute the action indicated by the schedule information; time information including a start time of the action; and target information indicating a target for which the action is to be executed; The schedule editing system comprises: an attribute acquisition unit that acquires an attribute set for the execution target; a group setting unit which, when detecting that there are two or more pieces of plan information included in the schedule to be edited that satisfy a predetermined grouping condition, automatically creates a group by grouping the plan information, the grouping conditions being that the plan information has a common executor, that the attributes set for the execution target are common, and that the predetermined condition regarding the variance in start time is satisfied; a batch edit operation receiving unit that receives a batch edit operation on schedule information belonging to the group created by the group setting unit; a batch editing unit that collectively edits the schedule information belonging to the group in response to the editing operation received by the batch editing operation receiving unit.

2. The schedule editing system according to claim 1 , each of the schedule information includes information on a possible start time period, which is a time range in which the start time can be set; 2. A schedule editing system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition regarding the variation in the start times is that the possible start time slots are common.

3. The schedule editing system according to claim 1 , A schedule editing system, characterized in that the specified condition regarding the variation in the start times is that the start times belong to the same time segment in a time segment defined in a specified time unit based on a specified reference time.

4. 4. A schedule editing system according to claim 2, A schedule editing system, wherein the attribute set for the execution target is area information indicating a location where the execution target exists.

5. 4. A schedule editing system according to claim 2, A schedule editing system, wherein the attribute set for the execution target is relationship information indicating a relationship between a plurality of execution targets.

6. 4. A schedule editing system according to claim 2, the collective editing operation is a change operation of a start time, The schedule editing system according to claim 1, wherein the batch editing unit edits the start times of all the schedule information items belonging to the group by shifting them by the same amount of time in response to an operation to change the start times.

7. 4. A schedule editing system according to claim 2, the collective editing operation is a change operation of an executor, The schedule editing system according to the present invention, wherein the collective editing unit performs editing to change the executor of all of the plan information belonging to the group to the same content in response to an operation to change the executor.

8. 4. A schedule editing system according to claim 2, a group setting unit that, after creating the group, compares the group with all the schedule information belonging to the group and, when the group setting unit detects new schedule information that satisfies the grouping condition, adds the newly generated schedule information to the group.

9. 4. A schedule editing system according to claim 2, a specific operation unit which is a dedicated operation unit for accepting a specific editing operation for each piece of schedule information belonging to the group created by the group setting unit so that the schedule information does not satisfy the grouping condition, A schedule editing system characterized in that, when an operation on the specific operation unit is detected, the schedule editing unit performs the specific edit on the schedule information corresponding to the specific operation unit, and the group setting unit excludes the schedule information corresponding to the specific operation unit from the group.

10. 4. A schedule editing system according to claim 2, a first display control unit that displays the edited schedule on a screen of a display device by creating a column for each performer, arranging the schedules for a plurality of performers along a common time axis, with non-grouped plan information being displayed as an icon for each plan information, and grouped plan information being displayed as an icon for each group; a second display control unit that, in response to the selection of the group icon, displays the contents of each piece of schedule information belonging to the group corresponding to the selected icon in a portion of the screen other than the column for each person who carries out the selection; a third display control unit that displays an icon indicating schedule information for which a executor is not specified along the common time axis in a column on the screen parallel to the column for each executor, the collective editing operation receiving unit receives an operation of moving the icon of the group unit to a column of another executor or to a column of schedule information in which the executor is not specified as the collective editing operation of changing the executor to content corresponding to the column after the movement, The schedule editing system is characterized in that the bulk editing unit performs editing in response to the bulk editing operation to change the executor of all of the schedule information belonging to the group corresponding to the operated icon to content corresponding to the moved column.

11. A schedule editing method executed by one computer or multiple computers working in cooperation with each other, for editing a schedule including any number of pieces of plan information in response to a user operation, comprising the steps of: Each of the schedule information includes: executor information indicating a executor who is to execute the action indicated by the schedule information; time information including a start time of the action; and target information indicating a target for which the action is to be executed; The schedule editing method includes: An attribute acquisition step of acquiring an attribute set for the execution target; a group setting step of automatically creating a group by grouping two or more pieces of plan information that satisfy a predetermined grouping condition among the plan information included in the schedule to be edited, the grouping condition being that the plan information has a common executor, the attributes set for the execution target are common, and the grouping condition is that the executor and the execution target satisfy a predetermined condition regarding the variance in the start time; a batch edit operation receiving step of receiving a batch edit operation for schedule information belonging to the group created in the group setting step; a batch editing step of collectively editing the schedule information belonging to the group in response to the editing operation accepted in the batch editing operation accepting step.

12. The schedule editing method according to claim 11, each of the schedule information includes information on a possible start time period, which is a time range in which the start time can be set; 2. A schedule editing method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition regarding the variation in the start times is that the possible start time slots are common.

13. The schedule editing method according to claim 11, A schedule editing method, characterized in that the specified condition regarding the variation in the start times is that the start times belong to the same time segment in a time segment defined in a specified time unit based on a specified reference time.

14. A schedule editing method according to claim 12 or 13, comprising:

2. A method for editing a schedule, comprising: setting an attribute of the execution target as area information indicating a location where the execution target exists.

15. A schedule editing method according to claim 12 or 13, comprising:

2. A method for editing a schedule, comprising the steps of: providing a schedule for a user to execute a task;

16. A schedule editing method according to claim 12 or 13, comprising: the collective editing operation is a change operation of a start time, a batch editing step for editing the start times of all the schedule information items belonging to the group by shifting the start times by the same amount in response to the operation for changing the start times;

17. A schedule editing method according to claim 12 or 13, comprising: the collective editing operation is a change operation of an executor, a batch editing step for editing the schedule information of the group by changing the executor of the schedule information to the same content in response to the executor change operation, the batch editing step being performed by changing the executor of all the schedule information belonging to the group to the same content in response to the executor change operation.

18. A schedule editing method according to claim 12 or 13, comprising: the group setting step includes a step of, after creating the group, adding newly generated schedule information that satisfies the grouping condition to the group when the newly detected schedule information is compared with all schedule information belonging to the group.

19. A schedule editing method according to claim 12 or 13, comprising: providing a specific operation unit which is a dedicated operation unit for accepting a specific editing operation for each piece of schedule information belonging to the group created in the group setting procedure so that the schedule information does not satisfy the grouping condition; a specific editing step of editing the schedule information corresponding to the specific operation unit when an operation on the specific operation unit is detected, and excluding the schedule information corresponding to the specific operation unit from the group.

20. A schedule editing method according to claim 12 or 13, comprising: a first display control step for displaying the edited schedule on a screen of a display device by creating a column for each person who performs the schedule, arranging the schedules for a plurality of people along a common time axis, displaying non-grouped schedule information with an icon for each schedule information unit, and displaying grouped schedule information with an icon for each group; a second display control step of displaying contents of each piece of schedule information belonging to the group corresponding to the selected icon in a portion of the screen other than the column for each person who executes the selection of the group-by-group icon; a third display control procedure for displaying an icon indicating schedule information for which a executor is not specified along the common time axis in a column on the screen parallel to the column for each executor, In the batch editing operation receiving step, an operation of moving the icon of the group unit to a column of another executor or a column of schedule information in which the executor is not specified is received as the batch editing operation of changing the executor to content corresponding to the column after the movement; a batch edit procedure for editing the schedule by changing the executor of all the schedule information belonging to the group corresponding to the operated icon to the content corresponding to the moved column in accordance with the batch edit operation, the batch edit procedure being performed in such a manner that the executor of all the schedule information belonging to the group corresponding to the operated icon is changed to the content corresponding to the moved column.

21. A program for causing one computer or a plurality of computers to cooperate with each other to execute each step of the schedule editing method according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

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