Information processing device and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus allowed, as compared with the case of preparing a flow for an appliance to be used externally from the beginning, to efficiently prepare a flow suited for the appliance by utilizing an already prepared flow.SOLUTION: A work flow system includes an in-company LAN system 1 that has a flow managing server 10 to manage a work flow and a portable digital assistant 20 that utilizes the work flow from an external of a company. The flow managing server 10 comprises an appliance-information acquiring unit 13 that acquires appliance information including a function and application to be mounted on the portable digital assistant 20 and a flow-execution control unit 14 that, if a work flow is selected from a list of usable work flows by a user of the portable digital assistant 20, replaces processing based on a function with which the portable digital assistant 20 is not compatible out of processing included in the work flow into processing with which the portable digital assistant 20 is compatible and executes the work flow, and registers the work flow for which processing has been replaced as a work flow for the portable digital assistant 20 in a flow information storage unit 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In some cases, companies create workflows to carry out their business operations. For example, they perform predetermined operations according to a workflow that includes a series of processes, such as inputting documents to be processed, processing the input documents, and outputting the results of the processes.

[0003] Workflows are generally registered in in-house multifunction devices or management servers and used from in-house multifunction devices or user terminals. However, with the recent spread of teleworking, it is desirable to be able to execute workflows managed in-house from outside the company using mobile terminals. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-077902 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-175232 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-044946 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When using an existing internal flow from an external device, even if you try to use the existing flow as is, the external device may not have the functionality that the flow uses. Therefore, it becomes necessary to create a flow that can be executed externally.

[0006] However, creating a flow from scratch for an external device would be a huge workload.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to efficiently create a flow adapted to a device to be used externally by utilizing a flow that has already been created, compared to creating a flow from scratch for the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The information processing device according to the present invention comprises: In an information processing device to which devices are connected via a network, The processor is configured to generate a list of flows that include a series of processes and that have already been created. The aforementioned The flow is displayed on the device, and the device is selected from the list of flows. When a flow is selected by a user, device information set in the device, which includes at least one of a function or an application set in the device, is acquired from the device, and whether to replace or cancel part of the processing of the flow selected by the user is determined depending on whether the network is a local network to which the information processing device is connected, and if the network is not the local network, The part of the flow selected by the user is processed as before. Recording machine The feature of this method is that it creates a flow for the device by replacing the process with one that corresponds to the device information.

[0009] Also, The processor refrains from replacing the processing of the part of the flow selected by the user if the network is the local network. It is characterized by:

[0012] Furthermore, when a part of the processing of the flow is a printing process that causes a result of the execution of the flow to be printed on a printing device in the same local network as the information processing device, if the device is not connected to the local network, the processor replaces the part of the processing of the flow with a process that sends the result of the execution of the flow to the device.

[0013] Furthermore, when the device can use a printing device outside the local network, the processor replaces part of the processing of the flow with processing to send to the device information necessary to print the execution results of the flow on a printing device outside the local network.

[0014] The processor may also replace the execution result of the flow with a process of transmitting the execution result to the device in a format that can be provided to a user by an application set in the device.

[0016] The processor may also store the created flow for the device in a storage unit.

[0017] The processor may also cause the device to display the flows for the device included in the list of flows in a distinguishable manner.

[0018] Furthermore, the processor selects from the list of flows The aforementioned A flow for a device is created by replacing a part of a flow not selected by a user that is the same as a part of a flow selected by the user with a process corresponding to the device information.

[0019] The program according to the present invention comprises: Devices are connected via a network A list of created flows that contain a series of processes is displayed on the computer. The aforementioned Functions to be displayed on the device, and the device to be used from the list of flows a function for acquiring, from the device, device information set in the device when a flow is selected by a user, the device information including at least one of functions or applications set in the device; a function for determining whether to replace or cancel part of the processing of the flow selected by the user depending on whether the network is a local network to which the information processing device is connected; The part of the flow selected by the user is processed as before. Recording machine This realizes the function of creating a flow for the device by replacing the process with one that corresponds to the device information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] Claim 1, 9 According to the invention described above, compared to creating a flow for an externally used device from scratch, it is possible to efficiently create a flow adapted to the device by using a flow that has already been created. In addition, it is possible to identify a part of a created flow to be replaced and a replacement process based on at least one of the functions and applications set in the device. Also, it is possible to acquire device information when creating a flow. Furthermore, it is possible to refrain from replacing a part of a flow depending on whether the network is a local network.

[0024] Claim 3 According to the invention described in the item (1), the device can be caused to perform a process of providing a user with the execution result of a flow outside the local network.

[0025] Claim 4 According to the invention described in the item (1), it is possible to cause a device to print the execution result of a flow outside a local network.

[0026] Claim 5 According to the invention described in the item (1), the execution result of the flow can be provided to the user using an application.

[0027] Claim 2 According to the invention described in the item (1), the execution result of the flow can be printed on a printing device within a local network.

[0028] Claim 6 According to the invention described in the above, the created flow for the device can be effectively utilized.

[0029] Claim 7 According to the invention described above, the user can easily recognize the flow as a flow for a device.

[0030] Claim 8 According to the invention described in the item (1), a flow adapted to a device can be created in advance before the device is selected by the user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a workflow system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of flow information stored in a flow information storage unit in the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of device information stored in a device information storage unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a process when a user executes a workflow using a mobile terminal from outside the company in this embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flow list screen according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a document transmission request screen according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0033] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a workflow system according to this embodiment. The workflow system is formed by connecting an in-house LAN (Local Area Network) system 1 constructed within a company, such as an office, and a mobile terminal 20 used outside the company via a network 2 such as the Internet, and is a system for managing and executing workflows.

[0034] A "workflow" can also be defined as the flow of business. Specifically, a workflow provides a specific business process by executing a series of processes in order. If a flow of processes is called a "flow," then a workflow is an example of a flow. However, in this embodiment, a workflow is used as an example of a flow, so "workflow" and "flow" are treated as synonyms. Therefore, a "workflow" may be simply referred to as a "flow."

[0035] "Outside the company" refers to a location outside the company where the in-house LAN system 1 is established, such as a coworking space or the home of a company employee. The in-house LAN system 1 and the mobile terminal 20 can be connected by, for example, a VPN (Virtual Private Network), thereby enabling data to be exchanged in a secure environment. Since a secure network environment can be established using existing technology, a description of network connections will be omitted in this embodiment.

[0036] The in-house LAN system 1 is constructed by connecting a flow management server 10, a multifunction peripheral 3, and a user terminal 4 via a LAN 5. Although only one multifunction peripheral 3 and one user terminal 4 are shown in FIG. 1, multiple units may be connected.

[0037] The multifunction device 3 is an example of an image forming device equipped with various functions such as a printing function, a copying function, and a scanning function, and is a device with a built-in computer. The multifunction device 3 is a device that executes all or part of the processing functions of a workflow. The multifunction device 3 in this embodiment may be realized by a conventional general-purpose image forming device. In other words, the multifunction device 3 has hardware such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, an operation panel as a user interface, a hard disk drive (HDD) as storage means, a network interface as communication means, a scanner, a printer, etc.

[0038] The user terminal 4 is an information processing device used by company employees (hereinafter referred to as "users") within the company, and can be realized with a conventional general-purpose hardware configuration such as a personal computer (PC). That is, the user terminal 4 has hardware such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, a mouse, keyboard, and display as user interfaces, a HDD as storage means, and a network interface as communication means. The user terminal 4 is one of the devices used by a user who wants to use the workflow managed by the flow administration server 10 from within the company. Note that the user terminal 4 may also become a mobile terminal 20 when taken outside the company and used.

[0039] The flow administration server 10 is provided as an example of an information processing device according to the present invention. The flow administration server 10 can be realized with the hardware configuration of a conventional general-purpose server computer. That is, the flow administration server 10 has a CPU, ROM, RAM, a HDD as a storage means, a network interface as a communication means, etc.

[0040] The flow administration server 10 manages workflows executed in the in-house LAN system 1 and executes workflows by operating in cooperation with other devices such as the multifunction peripheral 3. As shown in Fig. 1, the flow administration server 10 has a user authentication unit 11, a flow list creation unit 12, a device information acquisition unit 13, a flow execution control unit 14, a user information storage unit 15, a flow information storage unit 16, and a device information storage unit 17. Note that components not used in the description of this embodiment are omitted from the figure.

[0041] The user authentication unit 11 performs user authentication in response to a login request from a user. As mentioned above, the "user" in this embodiment is assumed to be an employee of a company. The user has an account for logging in to the flow management server 10. The flow list creation unit 12 creates a list of workflows available to the logged-in user (also called a "flow list") for that user. The device information acquisition unit 13 acquires information about the mobile terminal 20 used by the logged-in user as device information. The flow execution control unit 14 controls the execution of a workflow selected by the user from the flow list.

[0042] The user information storage unit 15 stores personal information of users who have accounts on the flow administration server 10 as user information. The user information includes a user ID, which is generally used as a login ID, a password required for logging in, a user name, and the authority held by the user.

[0043] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of flow information stored in the flow information storage unit 16 in this embodiment. The flow information is information about workflows managed by the flow management server 10. The flow information includes the processes that make up the workflow and the execution order of each process. That is, the flow information includes a flow ID, a flow name, authority information, and configuration information associated with each workflow. The flow ID is identification information for the workflow. The flow name is the name of the workflow. The authority information includes information about the execution authority of the workflow flow chart. By referencing the authority information, it is possible to identify users who are allowed to execute the workflow or each process that makes up the workflow. The configuration information includes a series of processing functions that make up the workflow. The workflow in this embodiment is intended to process documents, and a series of processes for documents are defined and categorized into "input," "processing," and "output." In "input," a processing function for inputting document data to be processed (hereinafter simply referred to as "document") is set. In "processing," a processing function to be performed on the input document is set. In "output," a processing function for outputting the execution result of the processing is set.

[0044] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of device information stored in the device information storage unit 17 in this embodiment. The device information is information about a device that requests the flow management server 10 to execute a workflow and, in some cases, a device that executes part of the processing included in the workflow. In this embodiment, the devices managed by the device information include the multifunction peripheral 3, the user terminal 4, and the mobile terminal 20. The device information is set for each device, with a device ID, address information, function information, application information, and user information associated with each other. The device ID is device identification information. If the device is a mobile phone, for example, the International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI) may be used as the device ID. The address information is address information used for data communication with the device, such as an IP address. The address information added to data exchanged can identify the sender and destination of the data. The function information sets the functions possessed by the device. A device performs a predetermined process by performing a function. The application information sets the applications installed on the device. Depending on the model, the device information may include at least one of function information and application information. User information is set as information about the user who uses the device. For example, the user information may include a user ID and a user name, which are user identification information, and an email address, for example, as the user's contact information. In the case of a shared device, the user information may be blank or may include the administrator's personal information.

[0045] Each of the components 11 to 14 in the flow administration server 10 is realized by the cooperative operation of the computer that forms the flow administration server 10 and a program running on a CPU installed in the computer. Also, each of the storage units 15 to 17 is realized by an HDD installed in the flow administration server 10. Alternatively, RAM or storage means in the in-house LAN system 1 may be used via the network.

[0046] The mobile terminal 20 is one of the devices used when a user uses a workflow managed by the flow management server 10 from outside the company. In this embodiment, a smartphone (hereinafter referred to as "smartphone") is assumed for explanation, but the mobile terminal 20 may be a tablet terminal or a portable PC, for example, instead of a smartphone. The mobile terminal 20 can be realized with a conventional general-purpose hardware configuration. In other words, the mobile terminal 20 has hardware such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, a liquid crystal touch panel as a user interface, storage as a storage means, and a network interface as a communication means.

[0047] The mobile terminal 20 has a user processing unit 21, a flow execution processing unit 22, a device information transmission unit 23, and an execution result output processing unit 24. Note that components not used in the description of this embodiment are omitted from the drawing.

[0048] The user processing unit 21 performs login and logout processing for the flow administration server 10. The flow execution processing unit 22 executes processing for using a workflow managed by the flow administration server 10. The device information sending unit 23 sends device information about its own device, i.e., the mobile terminal 20, in response to a request from the flow administration server 10. The execution result output processing unit 24 executes processing for outputting the execution result of a workflow that has been executed under the management of the flow administration server 10.

[0049] Each of the components 21 to 24 in the mobile terminal 20 is realized by the cooperative operation of a computer that constitutes the mobile terminal 20 and a program that runs on a CPU installed in the computer.

[0050] The programs used in this embodiment can be provided by communication means, or can be stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or USB memory. The programs provided from the communication means or recording medium are installed on a computer, and various processes are realized by the computer's CPU sequentially executing the programs.

[0051] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. This embodiment is characterized by the processing when a user uses a mobile terminal 20 to use a workflow managed by the flow administration server 10 from outside the company. When a workflow is executed from an in-house multifunction peripheral 3 or user terminal 4, the processing can be the same as in the past, so a description thereof will be omitted. Below, the processing when a user executes a workflow from outside the company using a mobile terminal 20 will be described using the sequence diagram shown in FIG.

[0052] The user displays a predetermined login screen on the mobile terminal 20 and requests login to the flow administration server 10. The user processing unit 21 in the mobile terminal 20 transmits a login request including the user ID and password specified on the login screen to the flow administration server 10 (step 201).

[0053] The user authentication unit 11 in the flow administration server 10 performs user authentication by referring to the user information in response to the login request transmitted from the mobile terminal 20 (step 101). Here, the explanation will be continued assuming that the user authentication is successful.

[0054] Next, the flow list creation unit 12 compares the authority that the logged-in user has for the workflow with the authority information set in the flow information, and identifies the workflow for which the user has execution authority. Then, the flow list creation unit 12 creates a flow list including the flow names of the identified workflows (step 102). The flow list creation unit 12 transmits the flow list screen created as described above to the mobile terminal 20, thereby displaying it on the mobile terminal 20 (step 103). The transmitted flow list screen includes the flow name to be displayed and the flow ID corresponding to the flow name.

[0055] When the flow list screen is transmitted, the flow execution processing unit 22 displays the flow list screen on the liquid crystal panel of the mobile terminal 20 (step 202). An example of the flow list screen in this embodiment is shown in FIG. 5. When the user selects a workflow to be executed from the flow list, the flow execution processing unit 22 notifies the flow management server 10 of the flow ID of the selected workflow (step 203). FIG. 5 shows an example of the display when the workflow flow chart "noise removal processing" is selected.

[0056] Next, when the flow ID of the workflow selected by the user is transmitted from the mobile terminal 20, the device information acquisition unit 13 requests the mobile terminal 20 to transmit the device information (step 104). Note that the device information acquisition unit 13 may request that at least device information related to the workflow selected by the user be transmitted. Furthermore, if information related to all functions and applications possessed by the mobile terminal 20 is to be acquired as device information regardless of the selected workflow, the device information may be acquired before the user selects a workflow, for example, before the processing of step 102 is executed.

[0057] In response to the transmission request from the flow administration server 10, the device information transmission unit 23 in the mobile terminal 20 collects and returns device information about its own device (step 204).

[0058] When the device information is transmitted from the mobile terminal 20 in response to the transmission request, the device information acquisition unit 13 registers the acquired device information of the mobile terminal 20 in the device information storage unit 17 (step 105). Note that the device information to be registered in the device information storage unit 17 is acquired in response to a transmission request from the flow administration server 10, but it may also be actively transmitted from the mobile terminal 20 without waiting for a transmission request. When actively transmitting, the mobile terminal 20 may transmit the information together with the flow ID selected from the flow list in step 203, for example.

[0059] Incidentally, in the example screen display shown in Fig. 5, the user has selected "noise removal processing." According to the example flow information setting shown in Fig. 2, since "input" of "noise removal processing" is "scan," it can be seen that this is a workflow that uses scanned data of a document obtained using the scan function of the multifunction device 3 or the like as input data.

[0060] However, as can be seen by referring to the device information, the "input" included in the existing "noise removal process" cannot be used as is because a scanner is not connected to the mobile terminal 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, the "noise removal process" can be executed by replacing a part of the existing "noise removal process" selected by the user (i.e., the "input") with a process corresponding to the device information of the mobile terminal 20.

[0061] When the flow execution control unit 14 recognizes that the mobile terminal 20 has a camera function and a file transmission function by referring to the device information of the mobile terminal 20, it requests the mobile terminal 20 to transmit a document as a process for replacing "input" set in the workflow with "scan" (step 103). In this embodiment, a request screen for transmitting this document is transmitted to the mobile terminal 20 and displayed on the liquid crystal panel of the mobile terminal 20. An example of the transmission request screen displayed on the liquid crystal panel of the mobile terminal 20 in this case is shown in FIG. 6.

[0062] In response to the transmission request from the flow administration server 10, the flow execution processing unit 22 returns the document to be processed (step 205).

[0063] In this way, in this embodiment, the device information of the mobile terminal 20 is referenced to identify a process to replace a process already set in the workflow, and an "input" process that can be performed using the identified function is executed.

[0064] When the document to be processed is acquired, the flow execution control unit 14 executes the process set in the "process" of the workflow for that document, either by itself or in cooperation with other devices (step 107). The process set in the "process" is basically executed using the functions of the in-house LAN system 1, so it is possible to execute the process set in the "process" as is. However, for example, if the device that executes the "output" process included in the workflow is installed outside the company, it is conceivable that the device will not be able to output as requested by the workflow.

[0065] For example, suppose the "output" of a workflow is "print" and the device to which the execution result of the process is to be distributed has a print function. Here, the "process" of the workflow is set to create print data with a resolution of 4800 dpi, but if the upper limit of the resolution of the external printer is 600 dpi, the distribution destination will not be able to handle this with the existing workflow as is. Therefore, the process for creating print data set in the "process" may be replaced with a process for creating print data with a resolution of 600 dpi. As illustrated here, even if the process set in the "process" of the workflow can be executed as is, in this embodiment, part of the workflow (i.e., the "process") may be replaced depending on the capabilities of the device to which the distribution result is to be distributed.

[0066] When the "processing" of the workflow is completed, the flow execution control unit 14 executes the "output" process of the workflow to output the execution results of the processing. In this embodiment, the flow execution control unit 14 refers to the device information of the mobile terminal 20 and determines the delivery destination of the execution results of the processing and the form of the execution results of the processing as follows.

[0067] First, in the existing "noise removal process," the "output" is "print," so if the "output" of the "noise removal process" is processed as usual, the destination of the execution result of the process, i.e., the print data, will be the multifunction peripheral 3 in the same in-house LAN system 1, and the multifunction peripheral 3 will execute the print process. However, as in this example, if the mobile terminal 20 is not connected to the in-house LAN system 1 to which the multifunction peripheral 3 is connected, it is necessary to change the "print" of the "output" of the "noise removal process" from the normal process. In other words, the flow execution control unit 14 changes the process of sending the execution result of the process from the multifunction peripheral 3 to the mobile terminal 20.

[0068] Next, if a printer is installed in a location such as the home where the mobile terminal 20 is used and an application compatible with the print function for that printer is installed on the mobile terminal 20, that is, if a printer external to the in-house LAN system 1 is available, the flow execution control unit 14 converts the print data into a format (e.g., a PDF document) that can be processed by the mobile terminal 20 and the printer as necessary, and sends the print data to the mobile terminal 20 as a result of the processing, for example, as an attachment to an email (step 108). That is, the flow execution control unit 14 switches from the process of having the multifunction device 3 print the print data to the process of sending the print data to the mobile terminal 20 in a format that can be provided to the user, as described above. The "format that can be provided to the user" means a format that can be used by the mobile terminal 20 for processing, saving, viewing, etc.

[0069] If the mobile terminal 20 does not have a print function-compatible application installed, but does have a network print function-compatible application such as NetPrint (registered trademark), the flow execution control unit 14 requests the reservation number issuer to obtain the reservation number required to print the print data to be output. The flow execution control unit 14 then identifies a document format viewable on the mobile terminal 20 from the application installed on the mobile terminal 20. If the mobile terminal 20 is capable of supporting multiple document formats, the document format to be converted may be identified according to a pre-set priority order. The flow execution control unit 14 then converts the document format of the print data as necessary and transmits the print data, along with the reservation number, to the mobile terminal 20 as the execution result of the process (step 108). That is, the flow execution control unit 14 switches from the process of causing the multifunction peripheral 3 to print the print data to the mobile terminal 20 with the aforementioned print data in a document format that can be provided to the user and the reservation number as the execution result of the process. In this case, the execution result of the process may also be transmitted via email.

[0070] In this way, when the mobile terminal 20 can use a printer outside the in-house LAN system 1, if the mobile terminal 20 has a print function, the information required to print on that printer is replaced with a process of sending print data to the mobile terminal 20, and if the mobile terminal 20 does not have a print function, the process is replaced with a process of obtaining a reservation number and sending it to the mobile terminal 20 together with the print data.

[0071] It should be noted that the above-described process replacement is not required in the case of the user terminal 4. Furthermore, when the mobile terminal 20 is brought into the company and connected to the company LAN system 1, the mobile terminal 20 can be treated in the same manner as the user terminal 4. Therefore, when the mobile terminal 20 executes a workflow within the company, the flow execution control unit 14 cancels the above-described process replacement.

[0072] When the execution result output processing unit 24 in the mobile terminal 20 receives the execution result of the workflow process transmitted from the flow management server 10, it performs processing according to the format of the transmitted execution result, thereby outputting print data, which is the execution result of the process (step 206). That is, when an email is transmitted, the execution result output processing unit 24 activates the print function to cause a printer to print the print data attached to the email. Alternatively, if a reservation number is attached to the print data, it activates the network print function to print using a multi-copy machine at a nearby store such as a convenience store. Note that even if there is no store nearby or the user does not have time to go to the store, the print data is created in a document format that can be viewed on the mobile terminal 20, so the user can view the document corresponding to the print data.

[0073] The above explanation is based on the premise that a file such as print data, which is the result of the processing, can be successfully transmitted from the flow administration server 10 to the mobile terminal 20. However, the flow administration server 10 and the mobile terminal 20 are not necessarily always connected via a network during the execution of the workflow. In other words, there is a possibility that the network connection will not be established when step 108 is executed. Therefore, the flow execution control unit 14 may determine whether to replace the "output" processing, which is part of the workflow, and transmit the data as described above, or to cancel the replacement, depending on the network connection between the flow administration server 10 and the mobile terminal 20.

[0074] In the above description, an example was given in which a file, such as print data, resulting from the execution of a process is replaced with a process for transmitting the file from the flow administration server 10 to the mobile terminal 20. However, the replacement process does not need to be limited to file transmission. For example, if the volume of the file created by the execution of a process is enormous and the network load and the storage capacity of the mobile terminal 20 are taken into consideration, it may be better to avoid transmitting the file. In this case, the flow execution control unit 14 may store the created file in a predetermined storage location in the in-house LAN system 1, and in step 108, notify the mobile terminal 20 of the storage location as the execution result of the process. In this case, the user of the mobile terminal 20 can obtain the file when they arrive at work.

[0075] Here, some of the processes in the workflow are referred to as "output," but similarly for "input" and "processing," it may be possible to determine whether to replace or cancel the process depending on the network connection relationship between the flow management server 10 and the mobile terminal 20.

[0076] As explained above, according to this embodiment, even if an existing workflow cannot be used as is from the outside, all or part of the workflow can be replaced with a process that can be used and executed, so that the existing workflow can be modified to content that is suited to the workflow usage environment of mobile terminal 20 and used.

[0077] As described above, the flow execution control unit 14 replaces part of the processing of the existing workflow "noise removal processing" so that it can be executed by the mobile terminal 20, and then creates flow information related to the workflow created by replacing the processing and registers it in the flow information storage unit 16 (step 109). In other words, according to this embodiment, a workflow for the mobile terminal 20 can be efficiently created from an existing workflow, i.e., a workflow that has already been created. After a workflow for the mobile terminal 20 has been created in this way, when a user wants to execute a workflow, the workflow for the mobile terminal 20 stored in the flow administration server 10 can be reused simply by selecting the workflow for the mobile terminal 20 from the flow list (steps 202, 203).

[0078] Note that the flow information corresponding to the workflow for the mobile terminal 20 may be managed by linking it to information such as flag information indicating that it is for external use, the user ID of the user who created it or the device ID of the mobile terminal 20, and device information of the mobile terminal 20. This allows the workflow for the mobile terminal 20 to be effectively used not only by the user who created it, but also by devices in an internal environment equivalent to that of the mobile terminal 20, that is, devices that have the same or similar functions and applications as the mobile terminal 20.

[0079] Furthermore, the flow execution processing unit 22 may display the workflow created for the mobile terminal 20 in a manner that allows it to be distinguished from other workflows in the flow list displayed on the screen. This allows the user to easily find the flow for the mobile terminal 20.

[0080] In this embodiment, a workflow "noise removal processing" adapted to the mobile terminal 20 is created in response to the user's selection of the workflow "noise removal processing." However, the user may subsequently select a workflow other than "noise removal processing." Therefore, assuming that the user may select a workflow other than "noise removal processing," workflows adapted to the mobile terminal 20 for other workflows, such as "drawing difference confirmation processing" and "OCR processing," may be created and prepared in advance before the user selects the workflow. Workflows adapted to the mobile terminal 20 for other workflows can be created by referencing the device information of the mobile terminal 20. Note that the device information of the external device is maintained and managed within the in-house LAN system 1 in step 105 shown in FIG. 4 . However, since the internal environment of the external device, i.e., the installed devices and applications, may also be updated, the device information may be updated as appropriate.

[0081] In the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0082] Furthermore, the operations of the processors in the above embodiments may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processors is not limited to the order described in the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1 In-house LAN system, 2 Network, 3 Multifunction printer, 4 User terminal, 10 Flow management server, 11 User authentication unit, 12 Flow list creation unit, 13 Device information acquisition unit, 14 Flow execution control unit, 15 User information storage unit, 16 Flow information storage unit, 17 Device information storage unit, 20 Mobile terminal, 21 User processing unit, 22 Flow execution processing unit, 23 Device information transmission unit, 24 Execution result output processing unit.

Claims

1. An information processing device to which devices are connected via a network, a processor; The processor: Displaying a list of created flows, each of which includes a series of processes, on the device; When a flow is selected by a user of the device from the list of flows, device information set in the device, the device information including at least one of a function or an application set in the device, is acquired from the device; determining whether to replace or cancel a part of the process of the flow selected by the user depending on whether the network is a local network to which the information processing device is connected; If the network is not the local network, a flow for the device is created by replacing a part of the process of the flow selected by the user with a process corresponding to the device information.

1. An information processing device comprising:

2. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor cancels the replacement of the process of a part of the flow selected by the user when the network is the local network.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a part of the processing of the flow is a printing process that prints the execution result of the flow on a printing device in the same local network as the information processing device, and the device is not connected to the local network, the processor replaces the part of the processing of the flow with a process that sends the execution result of the flow to the device.

4. The information processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that, when the device can use a printing device outside the local network, the processor replaces part of the processing of the flow with processing of sending to the device information necessary to print the execution results of the flow on a printing device outside the local network.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the processor replaces the process with a process of transmitting the execution result of the flow to the device in a format that can be provided to a user by an application set in the device.

6. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor stores the created flow for the device in a storage unit.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the processor causes the device to display the flows for the device included in the list of flows in a distinguishable manner.

8. The information processing device according to claim 6, characterized in that the processor creates a flow for the device by replacing, in a flow not selected by the user from the list of flows, processing that is the same as part of the processing of the flow selected by the user with processing that corresponds to the device information.

9. A computer to which a device is connected via a network, A function of displaying a list of created flows, each of which includes a series of processes, on the device; a function of acquiring, from the device, device information set in the device, which includes at least one of a function or an application set in the device, in response to a flow being selected by a user using the device from the list of flows; a function of determining whether to replace or cancel a part of the process of the flow selected by the user depending on whether the network is a local network to which the information processing device is connected; a function of creating a flow for the device by replacing a part of the process of the flow selected by the user with a process corresponding to the device information when the network is not the local network; A program to achieve this.

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