Information processing system and program

Abstract

To enable an information processing system to grasp content of past processing of a document when processing the document in an information processing system.SOLUTION: In a step S104, a plug-in management unit acquires a job ID, a document ID, and a flow ID registered in a plug-in management table in association with a past document from the plug-in management table. In a step S105, a job management unit acquires information related to the flow ID, the document ID, and presence / absence of delivery processing associated with the job ID acquired in a step S104 and registered in a job management table.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing device having a selection unit that selects a processing unit to be executed by a processing control unit from among a plurality of processing units defined as candidates to be executed next after the same processing unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-33719 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In an information processing system that processes documents, when a document to be processed is input, a predetermined process is executed on the document. If a document is processed without taking into account the processing that has been performed in the past in the information processing system, for example, processing may be performed again on a document that has already been processed, and the document may be processed more times than originally intended. An object of the present invention is to make it possible, when processing a document in an information processing system, to grasp the content of processing that the information processing system has previously performed on the document. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention described in claim 1 is an information processing system including a processor, wherein the processor acquires characteristics of a target document that is a document to be processed, and processes a document that has the acquired characteristics and has been previously processed by the information processing system. Processing by the information processing system has been completed Past documents that are documents The process performed on the target document is a past document that has been processed in the past.The information processing system obtains information about the processing performed by the information processing system on the past document, and if a specific processing is included in the processing performed by the information processing system on the past document, the information processing system prevents the specific processing from being performed on the target document. Claim 2 The invention described in claim 1 is an information processing system in which, if the specific processing is included in the processing performed by the information processing system on the past document, the processor causes the specific processing to be performed on the target document when predetermined conditions are met. Claim 3 The invention described above is an information processing system according to claim 1, in which the specific processing is processing involving the transmission of information to the outside. Claim 4 The invention described in claim 1 is an information processing system in which, in the information processing system, when a job is executed and processing is performed on a document, job identification information, which is information for identifying the job from other jobs, is associated with the document, and the processor grasps the job identification information associated with the past document and, based on the grasped job identification information, obtains information about the processing performed by the information processing system on the past document. Claim 5 In the information processing system, document identification information, which is information for identifying a document to be processed from other documents, is associated with each document, and the processor grasps the document identification information associated with the past document in addition to the job identification information, and acquires information about the processing performed by the information processing system on the past document based on the grasped job identification information and document identification information. 4 The information processing system is described in Claim 6The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that in the information processing system, information about a plurality of processes to be performed in sequence on a document can be registered as a plurality of units, with the plurality of processes being treated as one unit, and unit identification information, which is information for distinguishing the unit from other units, is assigned to each of the units, and further, the unit identification information corresponding to the unit is associated with a document on which processing has been performed by the unit, and the processor grasps the unit identification information associated with the past document in addition to the job identification information, and acquires information about the processing performed by the information processing system on the past document based on the grasped job identification information and unit identification information. 4 The information processing system is described in Claim 7 The invention described in is an information processing system including a processor, and the processor acquires characteristics of a target document that is a document to be processed, and acquires a past document that has the acquired characteristics and has been processed in the information processing system in the past. The process performed on the target document is a past document that has been processed in the past. Acquire information about the processing performed by the information processing system and if a specific process is included in the processes performed by the information processing system on the past document, the specific process is prevented from being performed on the target document. An information processing system in which the target document is passed to each of a plurality of plug-ins that process the document in sequence, and the processed target document output from the plug-ins is obtained in sequence, and the processor, in obtaining the characteristics of the target document, obtains the characteristics of the target document that are passed to a predetermined specific plug-in from among the plurality of plug-ins. Claim 8 The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that the processor acquires the characteristics of the target document to be passed to a plug-in that performs processing after the second of the plurality of plug-ins. 7 The information processing system is described in Claim 9 The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that the processor acquires the characteristics of the target document that are passed to the plug-in that performs the last processing among the plurality of plug-ins. 8 The information processing system is described in Claim 10The invention described in the item (1) has a function of acquiring characteristics of a target document that is a document to be processed by an information processing system, and a function of acquiring characteristics of a target document that has been previously processed by the information processing system and has the acquired characteristics. Processing by the information processing system has been completed Past documents that are documents The process performed on the target document is a past document that has been processed in the past. This is a program for enabling a computer to perform the following functions: a function for acquiring information about the processing performed by the information processing system on the past document; and a function for preventing a specific processing from being performed on the target document if the specific processing is included in the processing performed by the information processing system on the past document. Claim 11 The invention described in is a program executed by a computer provided in an information processing system in which a target document is transferred to each of a plurality of plug-ins that sequentially process the document, and the processed target document output from the plug-in is sequentially acquired, and the program has a function of acquiring the characteristics of the target document that is a document to be processed by the information processing system, and a function of acquiring a past document that has the acquired characteristics and has been processed in the information processing system in the past. The process performed on the target document is a past document that has been processed in the past. a function of acquiring information about processing performed by the information processing system for the a function of preventing a specific process from being performed on the target document when the process performed by the information processing system on the past document includes the specific process; A program for realizing the above on a computer, Features The function of acquiring is a program that acquires the characteristics of the target document to be passed to a predetermined specific plug-in among the plurality of plug-ins when acquiring the characteristics of the target document. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the invention of claim 1, when processing a document using an information processing system, it is possible to understand the content of processing that the information processing system has previously performed on the document, and it is also possible to prevent specific processing from being performed on the target document. Claim 2 According to the invention, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, a specific process can be performed on the target document. Claim 3According to the invention, it is possible to prevent processing of the target document that involves transmitting information to the outside from being performed. Claim 4 According to the invention, by grasping the job identification information associated with the past document, it becomes possible to obtain information about the processing that the information processing system performed on the past document. Claim 5 According to the invention, it is possible to narrow down the information about the processing that the information processing system performed on the past document, compared to when information about the processing that the information processing system performed on the past document is obtained based only on the job identification information. Claim 6 According to the invention, it is possible to narrow down the information about the processing that the information processing system performed on the past document, compared to when information about the processing that the information processing system performed on the past document is obtained based only on the job identification information. Claim 7 According to the invention, when processing a document in an information processing system, the contents of the processing that the information processing system has previously performed on the document can be grasped, and the possibility that a series of processes for the target document will be completed without interruption can be increased compared to when the plug-in is not specified in advance. Claim 8 According to this invention, it is possible to increase the likelihood that a series of processes for a target document will be completed without interruption, compared to when the characteristics of the target document are acquired by passing them to the first of multiple plug-ins to perform processing. Claim 9 According to this invention, it is possible to increase the likelihood that a series of processes for the target document will be completed without interruption, compared to when acquiring the characteristics of the target document that will be passed to a plug-in that processes before the last of the multiple plug-ins to process the document. Claim 10According to the invention, when processing a document in an information processing system, the information processing system can grasp the content of processing that has been performed on the document in the past, and can also prevent specific processing from being performed on the target document. Claim 11 According to the invention, when processing a document in an information processing system, the contents of the processing that the information processing system has previously performed on the document can be grasped, and the possibility that a series of processes for the target document will be completed without interruption can be increased compared to when the plug-in is not specified in advance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a flow management table. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 illustrates a job management table. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a plug-in management table. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process executed by a plug-in. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing system. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the flow of basic processing executed in this embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of processing executed in the information processing system. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the information processing system when a new job is executed. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the information processing system when a new job is executed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system 1 according to this embodiment. The information processing system 1 of this embodiment includes a main processing unit 10, a flow management unit 20, a job management unit 30, and a plug-in management unit 40.

[0009] The main processing unit 10 passes a document input to the information processing system 1 to the plug-in 50 and acquires the processing result from the plug-in 50. The main processing unit 10 performs the process of passing a document to the plug-in 50 and the process of acquiring the processing result from the plug-in 50 as many times as the number of plug-ins 50 associated with a flow (described later). Each of the plug-ins 50 performs a predetermined process on the document passed from the main processing unit 10, and returns the result of the process (information on the processed document, etc.) to the main processing unit 10.

[0010] The flow management unit 20 has a flow management table 21. The flow management unit 20 registers information about combinations of a plurality of plug-ins 50 set by the user in the flow management table 21 for each combination. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the flow management table 21. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, a flow ID is associated with each combination of plug-ins 50 set by the user, as indicated by the reference numeral 2A. Each combination of multiple plug-ins 50 is identified by this flow ID. In this embodiment, for each flow ID, the multiple plug-ins 50 to be executed are registered in the order in which they will be executed. In other words, the flow management table 21 also registers information about the order in which the multiple plug-ins 50 will be executed.

[0011] In this embodiment, the plug-in 50 to be executed first is registered in the leftmost column, the column labeled "1st" in the figure, and the plug-ins 50 to be executed thereafter are lined up toward the right in the figure. Although not shown in the figure, each plug-in 50 is associated with a plug-in ID that identifies it from other plug-ins 50, and this plug-in ID associated with each plug-in 50 is also registered in the flow management table 21.

[0012] The job management unit 30 (see FIG. 1) has a job management table 31, and registers in this job management table 31 information (job information) about each job that has been processed (hereinafter referred to as a "past job"). FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the job management table 31. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the job management table 31 registers a job ID for identifying each past job, as indicated by the reference symbol 3A.

[0013] In addition, the job management table 31 stores information about each past job, such as a flow ID associated with the flow executed when the past job was executed, a document ID assigned to the processed document, and information about whether or not a distribution process was performed, which indicates whether or not a distribution process was performed. Here, we have shown an example of registering information regarding whether or not distribution processing has been performed, but information regarding whether or not a document has been saved to an external service may also be registered, in addition to information regarding whether or not distribution processing has been performed. The distribution process and storage process will be described in detail later.

[0014] The plug-in management unit 40 (see FIG. 1) has a plug-in management table 41, and uses this plug-in management table 41 to manage information about each plug-in 50. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the plug-in management table 41. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, every time a process is executed by one plug-in 50, information about the plug-in 50 is registered in the plug-in management table 41.

[0015] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, for each plug-in 50, the plug-in ID, document data of the document processed by the plug-in 50, the job ID when the plug-in 50 processed the document, the document ID of the document processed by the plug-in 50, and the flow ID of the flow associated with the plug-in 50 are registered in the plug-in management table 41 in a mutually associated state.

[0016] Here, "document data" refers to data that includes information that represents the characteristics of a document, such as data about the document itself. This document data may be the document itself, or may be data that extracts the characteristics of the document. Furthermore, a "document ID" is identification information that is assigned to each document input to the information processing system 1 and that distinguishes each document from other documents.

[0017] In this embodiment, when one job for a document is executed, one job ID is assigned to this one job, and a document ID is assigned to this document. In this embodiment, the document is processed in order by each of the plug-ins 50 associated with the flow specified by the user.

[0018] At this time, every time a process is performed by one plug-in 50, the plug-in management unit 40 registers information about that plug-in 50 in the plug-in management table 41 (see FIG. 4). Specifically, the plug-in management unit 40 registers the plug-in ID of the plug-in 50, the document data of the document processed by the plug-in 50, the job ID when the plug-in 50 processed the document, the document ID of the document processed by the plug-in 50, and the flow ID of the flow associated with the plug-in 50 in the plug-in management table 41 in a state where they are associated with each other.

[0019] In this embodiment, a user first registers a flow consisting of a combination of multiple plug-ins 50. Then, in this embodiment, information about each of the multiple plug-ins 50 associated with this flow to be registered is registered for each flow in the flow management table 21 (see FIG. 2). In the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, the processing of a document input to the information processing system 1 is carried out in order by each of the plug-ins 50 associated with the flow designated by the user.

[0020] The plug-in 50 refers to software for expanding the functionality of an application, and when the plug-in 50 is installed in the information processing system 1, the functionality of the application already installed in the information processing system 1 is expanded. In this embodiment, examples of the plug-ins 50 include a confidential box plug-in, a format conversion plug-in, an OCR plug-in, a storage plug-in, and a distribution plug-in.

[0021] The confidential box plug-in is a plug-in 50 for acquiring a document in a predetermined format, such as "acquire document in JPEG format." The format conversion plug-in is a plug-in 50 for converting a document format into another format, such as "convert JPEG to TIFF." The OCR plug-in is a plug-in 50 for performing OCR (Optical Character Reader) processing on a predetermined area of ​​a document. The save plug-in is a plug-in 50 for saving a processed document in a folder of a specified external service (a folder outside the information processing system 1). The distribution plug-in is a plug-in 50 for distributing (transmitting) a processed document to a specified external service (a destination outside the information processing system 1).

[0022] When these plug-ins 50 are associated with one flow in this order, the process shown in FIG. 5 (a diagram showing the process executed by the plug-ins 50) is carried out when this flow is executed. First, for example, a document (document indicated by reference numeral 5A) scanned by a device (not shown) is imported into the information processing system 1 as JPEG image data by a mailbox plug-in.

[0023] A format conversion plug-in then converts the format of this document from JPEG to TIFF. Next, the OCR plug-in reads characters within a predetermined area of ​​the document after conversion to TIFF using OCR, and outputs the document converted to TIFF and subjected to OCR processing, as well as the reading results. Next, the saving plug-in saves the document converted to TIFF and subjected to OCR processing and the reading results in a folder of an external service on the cloud, or the distribution plug-in distributes (sends) the document converted to TIFF and subjected to OCR processing and the reading results to a specified external service.

[0024] Furthermore, another example of a flow made up of a combination of multiple plug-ins 50 is a flow for order processing. In this order processing flow, for example, a first plug-in first receives a fax or scanned purchase order. Next, a second plug-in performs predetermined processing on the purchase order, such as OCR processing. After that, a third plug-in 50 performs distribution processing to an external recipient, such as sending the OCR scan results and the purchase order.

[0025] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing system 1. As shown in FIG. The information processing system 1 of this embodiment includes an information processing unit 101, an information storage device 102 that stores information, and a network interface 103 that realizes communication via a LAN (=Local Area Network) cable or the like. The information storage device 102 is realized by an existing information storage device such as a hard disk drive. A hard disk drive is a device that reads and writes data to a non-volatile storage medium that has a magnetic material applied to the surface of a disk-shaped substrate. However, the information storage device 102 may also be a semiconductor memory or a magnetic tape.

[0026] The information processing unit 101 has a CPU (=Central Processing Unit) 111 as an example of a processor, a ROM (=Read Only Memory) 112 in which basic software, BIOS (=Basic Input Output System), etc. are stored, and a RAM (=Random Access Memory) 113 used as a work area. The CPU 111 may be a multi-core processor. The ROM 112 may be a rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory. The information processing unit 101 is a so-called computer. The information processing unit 101, the information storage device 102, and the network interface 103 are connected via a bus 104 and a signal line (not shown).

[0027] Here, the program executed by CPU 111 may be provided to information processing system 1 in a state where it is stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium (such as a magnetic tape or a magnetic disk), an optical recording medium (such as an optical disk), a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. Also, the program executed by CPU 111 may be provided to information processing system 1 using a communication means such as the Internet.

[0028] In this embodiment, 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.). Furthermore, the operations of the processors may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. The order of the operations of the processors is not limited to the order described in this embodiment, and may be changed.

[0029] In this embodiment, the CPU 111, which is an example of a processor, executes programs stored in the ROM 112 or the information storage device 102, thereby realizing the above-mentioned main processing unit 10, flow management unit 20, job management unit 30, and plug-in management unit 40. In this embodiment, the flow management table 21, job management table 31, and plug-in management table 41 shown in FIGS. Each of the plug-ins 50 is also stored in the information storage device 102 .

[0030] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the flow of basic processing executed in this embodiment. In the process shown in FIG. 7, first, a document (document data) is input to the information processing system 1 as indicated by reference numeral 7A. In this embodiment, a job ID 1 (see symbol 7B), which is an example of a job ID, is assigned to the series of processes performed on this document. Also, in this processing example, a document ID 1, which is an example of a document ID, is assigned to this input document.

[0031] Furthermore, in this processing example, the input document is processed in order by a plurality of plug-ins 50 associated with a flow (flow indicated by reference numeral 7C) designated by the user. More specifically, in this embodiment, a flow designated by a user is assigned a flow ID 1, and a plurality of plug-ins 50 associated with this flow ID 1 sequentially process the document.

[0032] In this processing example, the last plug-in 50 (the plug-in 50 indicated by the reference numeral 7D) of the plurality of plug-ins 50 is the plug-in 50 for distribution. Therefore, in this processing example, a document that has been processed by a plurality of plug-ins 50 is delivered (sent) to an external service (external system).

[0033] When the series of processes shown in FIG. 7 is completed, the job management unit 30 (see FIG. 1) registers information about this process in the job management table 31 shown in FIG. Specifically, when the series of processes shown in Figure 7 is completed, the job management unit 30 registers job ID 1, flow ID 1, document ID 1, and whether or not distribution processing is performed ("Yes") in the job management table 31 shown in Figure 3, as shown in Figure 7.

[0034] In the process shown in FIG. 7, each time a process is performed by one plug-in 50, the plug-in management unit 40 (see FIG. 1) registers information about each plug-in 50 in the plug-in management table 41 shown in FIG. 4. Specifically, each time processing is performed by one plug-in 50, the plug-in management unit 40 registers the plug-in ID, document data (document data of the document input to the plug-in 50 and processed by the plug-in 50), job ID1, document ID1, and flow ID1 in the plug-in management table 41 shown in FIG.

[0035] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of processing executed by the information processing system 1. In FIG. In this processing example, a document that has been processed using a plurality of plug-ins 50 associated with flow ID1 is further processed using a plug-in 50 associated with flow ID2. In this process, in this embodiment, a job ID is not assigned to each flow, but one job ID (job ID 1 in this example) is assigned. In this embodiment, when a document has been processed according to a flow with flow ID 1, a new document ID 2 is assigned to the document that has been processed according to the flow with flow ID 1.

[0036] When the job shown in FIG. 8 (job with job ID 1) is executed, the job management unit 30 (see FIG. 1) registers two sets of data having the same job ID (job ID 1) in the job management table 31 (see FIG. 3). Specifically, the job management unit 30 registers the following two pieces of data in the job management table 31: Job ID 1, Flow ID 1, Document ID 1, Delivery process status Job ID 1, Flow ID 2, Document ID 2, Delivery process status

[0037] Furthermore, when the job shown in FIG. 8 is executed, each time processing is performed by one plug-in 50, the plug-in management unit 40 (see FIG. 1) registers information about each plug-in 50 in the plug-in management table 41 shown in FIG. 4. Specifically, each time processing is performed by the plug-in 50 associated with flow ID1, the plug-in management unit 40 registers the plug-in ID, document data (document data of the document input to the plug-in 50 and processed by the plug-in 50), job ID1, document ID1, and flow ID1 in the plug-in management table 41 shown in FIG.

[0038] In addition, each time processing is performed by the plug-in 50 associated with flow ID2, the plug-in management unit 40 registers the plug-in ID, document data (document data of the document input to and processed by the plug-in 50), job ID1, document ID2, and flow ID2 in the plug-in management table 41 shown in FIG.

[0039] In the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, there is a risk that the saving process to an external service or the distribution process to an external service may be performed multiple times unintentionally, resulting in the saving process being performed multiple times for the same document or the distribution process being performed multiple times for the same document. Specifically, even if a job has been completed successfully, the user may re-execute the job, which may result in the same document being saved multiple times or the same document being distributed multiple times.

[0040] More specifically, in this embodiment, if the timing at which the main processing unit 10 determines that a timeout has occurred is close to the timing at which the job ends, it may be determined that a timeout has occurred even though the job has ended normally. In this case, the user is notified of the error and re-executes the job even though the job has actually ended normally. In this case, as described above, the same document may be subjected to a storage process multiple times, or the same document may be subjected to a distribution process multiple times.

[0041] Therefore, in this embodiment, the following processing is performed to prevent multiple saving and multiple distribution. 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing the flow of processing executed by the information processing system 1 when a new job is executed. 9 and 10 are performed by the main processing unit 10, the flow management unit 20, the job management unit 30, and the plug-in management unit 40. In other words, each of the processes shown in Fig. 9 is performed by the CPU 111 (see Fig. 6) as an example of a processor that realizes these functional units.

[0042] In this embodiment, first, when a target document to be processed is input to the information processing system 1, the main processing unit 10 acquires the target document. At this time, the main processing unit 10 also acquires information about a flow selected by the user. Next, the main processing unit 10 inquires of the plug-in management unit 40 (see FIG. 1) whether or not the same document as the acquired target document is registered in the plug-in management table 41 (see FIG. 4). In other words, the main processing unit 10 inquires of the plug-in management unit 40 whether or not a document having the characteristics of the acquired target document is registered in the plug-in management table 41.

[0043] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the plug-in management table 41 stores document data of documents that have been processed in the information processing system 1 in the past (hereinafter referred to as "past documents"). The plug-in management unit 40 refers to the plug-in management table 41 and determines whether a document that is the same as the target document (past document) and for which processing to be performed on the target document has been performed in the past is registered in the plug-in management table 41.

[0044] In other words, as shown in step S101 of FIG. 9, the plug-in management unit 40 determines whether a past document that has the characteristics of the target document and on which the processing that will now be performed on the target document has been performed in the past is registered in the plug-in management table 41. When performing the process of step S101, the plug-in management unit 40 first acquires (understands) the characteristics of the target document. Then, the plug-in management unit 40 judges whether or not a past document having the acquired characteristics and for which the process to be performed on the target document has been performed in the past is registered in the plug-in management table 41.

[0045] More specifically, the plug-in management unit 40 determines whether document data (document data of a past document) whose similarity with the document data of the target document exceeds a predetermined threshold and which is associated with a plug-in ID that matches the plug-in ID of the plug-in 50 that performs processing on the target document is registered in the plug-in management table 41.

[0046] If the plug-in management unit 40 determines that document data whose similarity with the document data of the target document exceeds a predetermined threshold and that is associated with a plug-in ID that matches the plug-in ID of the plug-in 50 that performs processing on the target document is not registered in the plug-in management table 41, it notifies the "main processing unit 10" that the document data is not registered. In other words, if the plug-in management unit 40 determines that a past document that has the characteristics of the target document and on which the processing that will be performed on the target document has been performed in the past is not registered in the plug-in management table 41, it notifies the "main processing unit 10" that the past document is not registered.

[0047] In this case, the main processing unit 10 passes the target document to each of the plug-ins 50 associated with the flow specified by the user in order, and causes them to process the document (step S102). In other words, in this embodiment, if it is determined in step S101 that a past document that has the characteristics of the target document and on which the processing that will be performed on the target document has been performed in the past is not registered in the plug-in management table 41, processing in step S102 is performed, and processing is performed on the target document using multiple plug-ins 50.

[0048] In this case (when each plug-in 50 is made to process the target document), the main processing unit 10 registers information about each plug-in 50 that processed the target document in the plug-in management table 41 (see FIG. 4). Specifically, in this case, the main processing unit 10 passes the plug-in ID, document data, job ID, document ID, and flow ID for each of the plug-ins 50 that performed the processing to the plug-in management unit 40.

[0049] In this case, the plug-in management unit 40 registers the received information in the plug-in management table 41. Specifically, the plug-in management unit 40 associates the plug-in ID, document data, job ID, document ID, and flow ID with each other for each plug-in 50 that performed processing on the document, and registers this information in the plug-in management table 41 (step S103).

[0050] In this case (when each plug-in 50 is made to process the target document), the main processing unit 10 registers information about the job that processes the target document in the job management table 31 (see FIG. 3). Specifically, the main processing unit 10 passes the job ID, flow ID, document ID, and information on whether or not distribution processing is performed to the job management unit 30. Then, the job management unit 30 registers this information in the job management table 31.

[0051] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S101 that a past document that has the characteristics of the target document and that has been subjected to the process that will now be performed on the target document has been registered, the process proceeds to step S104. In step S104, the plug-in management unit 40 acquires from the plug-in management table 41 the job ID, document ID, and flow ID that are associated with this past document and registered in the plug-in management table 41. In other words, the plug-in management unit 40 obtains from the plug-in management table 41 the job ID, document ID, and flow ID that are registered in the plug-in management table 41 in association with past documents that have the characteristics of the target document and have been processed in the information processing system 1 in the past.

[0052] Next, in this embodiment, the job management unit 30 acquires information about the flow ID, document ID, and whether or not distribution processing is performed, which are registered in the job management table 31 in association with the job ID acquired in step S104 (step S105). More specifically, in this embodiment, when the job ID is acquired in step S104, the job management unit 30 is notified of this job ID. In this case, the job management unit 30 refers to the job management table 31 and acquires information associated with this job ID, such as the flow ID, document ID, and whether or not a delivery process is performed.

[0053] In other words, in this case, the job management unit 30 acquires information about the processing that the information processing system 1 has previously performed on a past document that has the characteristics of the target document, based on the job ID. In other words, in this case, the job management unit 30 acquires information about the processing that the information processing system 1 previously performed on a past document that has the characteristics of the target document and on which the same processing as the processing performed on the target document (processing performed by the plug-in 50) was previously performed.

[0054] In other words, in this case, the job management unit 30 acquires information about processing previously performed by the information processing system 1 on a past document that has the characteristics of the target document and has been previously processed by the information processing system 1. More specifically, in this embodiment, information on whether or not a distribution process has been performed is acquired as the "information on the process performed in the past." Furthermore, in this embodiment, in addition to the information on whether or not the distribution process has been performed, the flow ID and document ID registered in the job management table 31 in association with the past document are acquired.

[0055] In the process of step S106, the main processing unit 10 determines whether the document ID and flow ID acquired in step S104 match the document ID and flow ID acquired in step S105, respectively. In other words, in step S106, it is determined whether the document ID and flow ID acquired from the plug-in management table 41 match the document ID and flow ID acquired from the job management table 31, respectively.

[0056] In the process of step S106, the main processing unit 10 determines whether the information on whether or not distribution processing has been performed, acquired in step S105, is information indicating that distribution has been performed. In other words, in the process of step S106, the main processing section 10 determines whether the information on the presence or absence of the distribution process acquired from the job management table 31 is information indicating that the distribution has been performed.

[0057] If it is determined in step S106 that at least one of the document ID and the flow ID does not match, the process proceeds to step S102. Also, in step S106, even if both the document ID and the flow ID match, if the information regarding whether or not distribution processing has been performed obtained in step S105 does not indicate that distribution has been performed, the process proceeds to step S102.

[0058] In the process of step S102, as described above, the main processing unit 10 passes the target document to each of the plug-ins 50 associated with the flow designated by the user in order, and causes them to process the document. In this case, the processing of step S103 is further performed, and for each plug-in 50 that processed the target document, the plug-in ID, document data, job ID, document ID, and flow ID are associated with each other, and this information is registered in the plug-in management table 41. In this case, the job ID, flow ID, document ID, and information on whether or not a distribution process is performed are registered in the job management table 31 in the same manner as above.

[0059] On the other hand, in step S106, if the document ID and flow ID obtained from the plug-in management table 41 match the document ID and flow ID obtained from the job management table 31, and the information regarding whether or not distribution processing has been performed indicates that distribution has been performed, the process proceeds to step S107.

[0060] In the process of step S107, the main processing unit 10 suspends the execution of the job to prevent the delivery process from being performed multiple times. In this case, the main processing unit 10 notifies a pre-designated contact that the execution of the job has been suspended (step S108). The means of this notification is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, email or a social networking service (SNS).

[0061] In this case, the user who receives the notification checks the details of the interrupted job and determines, for example, whether to continue processing the job (permit resumption) or cancel the job. If the user permits resumption, the user notifies the information processing system 1 to that effect, and the main processing unit 10 receives this notification and resumes the interrupted job.

[0062] In this embodiment, basically, if the processing performed by the information processing system 1 on past documents includes distribution processing or storage processing, which is an example of processing that involves sending information to the outside, this distribution processing or storage processing is not performed on the target document. In other words, in this embodiment, if the processes performed by the information processing system 1 on the past document include specific processes such as distribution processes and storage processes, this specific process is prevented from being performed on the target document. This prevents the same document from being redistributed or resaved.

[0063] On the other hand, in this embodiment, even if this specific processing is included in the processing performed by the information processing system 1 on past documents, this specific processing will be performed on the target document if predetermined conditions are met, such as when the user has given permission.

[0064] Here, it is assumed that an error due to the above-mentioned timeout is notified to the user, and the job is re-executed. In this case, in this embodiment, the same document as that which was input to the information processing system 1 when the error occurred is input to the information processing system 1 again. At this time, the user again specifies the flow for processing this document.

[0065] In this embodiment, based on this information, it is determined whether or not the document has already been stored or distributed in the past. If it is determined that the save process or delivery process is already in progress, the job can be interrupted to prevent the save process or delivery process from being performed again.

[0066] Here, whether or not the save processing or distribution processing has been performed in the past is registered in the rightmost column of the job management table 31 (see FIG. 3), and basically, by referring to the information registered in this rightmost column, it is possible to determine whether or not the save processing or distribution processing has been performed in the past. However, in this embodiment, when a job is re-executed, only information about the document and the flow is input to the information processing system 1, as described above. In this case, even if the job management table 31 is referenced, it is not possible to determine whether or not the document has been stored or distributed in the past.

[0067] Specifically, in this embodiment, although information about the flow is registered in the job management table 31, document data is not registered, and therefore, knowing only the document data and information about the flow does not allow narrowing down to one past job, and it is not possible to identify one past job. In other words, in this embodiment, it is possible to narrow down past jobs by referring to the job management table 31 based only on the flow information, but it is possible that multiple identical flows are registered in the job management table 31, making it difficult to identify a single past job based only on the flow information.

[0068] Therefore, in this embodiment, when information about the target document and flow is obtained, the plug-in management table 41 is referenced. In this embodiment, it is determined whether past document data whose similarity with the document data of the target document exceeds a predetermined threshold and for which processing has been performed on this target document in the past is registered in the plug-in management table 41.

[0069] If the document data is registered, the job ID, flow ID, and document ID associated with the registered document data are identified. This will give you the job ID. In this case, basically, by referring to the job management table 31 based on this job ID, it is possible to determine whether or not storage processing or distribution processing has been performed in the past for the job (past job) identified by this job ID.

[0070] In this embodiment, as described above, two sets of data having the same job ID may be registered in the job management table 31. In this case, even if the job ID is obtained from the plug-in management table 41 as described above, it is not possible to narrow down to one past job.

[0071] Therefore, in this embodiment, as described above, past jobs are identified by taking into consideration not only the job ID but also the document ID and flow ID. This makes it possible to identify one past job even if data on two past jobs with the same job ID is registered in the job management table 31. In this embodiment, a case has been described in which one past job is identified using both the flow ID and the document ID, but it is also possible to use only either the flow ID or the document ID.

[0072] In the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, when a job is executed and a document is processed, a job ID, which is an example of job identification information that is information for identifying this job from other jobs, is associated with this document. Therefore, in this embodiment, the job ID associated with the above-mentioned past document is grasped, and based on the grasped job ID, information about the processing performed by the information processing system 1 on the past document can be acquired.

[0073] In this case, as described above, two sets of data having the same job ID may be registered in the job management table 31, which may result in a situation where one past job cannot be narrowed down. Therefore, in this embodiment, as described above, at least one of the flow ID and the document ID is used to narrow down the past jobs to one.

[0074] Furthermore, in the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, a document ID, which is an example of document identification information that is information for identifying a document to be processed from other documents, is associated with each document. In this embodiment, in addition to the job ID, which is an example of the above-mentioned job identification information, a document ID, which is an example of document identification information associated with a past document, is also grasped. In this embodiment, as described above, when narrowing down one past job, the identified document ID is also used to narrow down the one past job, and information about the processing performed by the information processing system 1 for this one past job is obtained.

[0075] Furthermore, in the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, information about a plurality of processes that are sequentially performed on a document can be registered in multiple units, with the plurality of processes being treated as one unit. More specifically, in this embodiment, a plug-in 50 processes a document, and information about multiple plug-ins 50 that process a document in sequence can be registered in multiple units, with these multiple plug-ins 50 as one unit. Furthermore, in this embodiment, each of these units is assigned a flow ID as an example of unit identification information, which is information for distinguishing this unit from other units. Furthermore, a flow ID corresponding to one unit is associated with a document that has been processed by this unit.

[0076] In this embodiment, in addition to the job ID, which is job identification information, a flow ID, which is an example of unit identification information associated with a past document, is also grasped. In this embodiment, as described above, when narrowing down one past job, the grasped flow ID is also used to narrow down one past job. Then, information about the processing performed by the information processing system 1 for this one past job is acquired.

[0077] In this embodiment, it is then determined whether the acquired information about this processing includes information indicating that a storage process or a distribution process has been performed. In other words, it is determined whether or not a save process or a delivery process has been performed for one past job identified based on the job ID, document ID, and flow ID. If a save process or a delivery process is in progress, the job is interrupted as described above.

[0078] As another example of processing, the past job may be identified based only on the job ID obtained by referring to the plug-in management table 41, without using the flow ID and document ID. In other words, this embodiment does not exclude the process of identifying a past job based only on the job ID, but may identify a past job based only on the job ID.

[0079] When identifying a past job based only on the job ID, no particular problem occurs as long as there is only one identified past job. In this case, if the save or distribution process is being performed for this past job, the job execution is interrupted. On the other hand, if the save or distribution process is not being performed, the job is allowed to run to the end.

[0080] On the other hand, when a past job is identified based only on the job ID, there may be a case where a plurality of past jobs are identified. In this case, similar to the above, for example, the execution of the job is interrupted midway, and a pre-designated contact person is notified that the execution of the job has been interrupted. In this case, the main processing unit 10 inquires of the user about what kind of processing should be performed thereafter, and when the user responds, the main processing unit 10 re-executes the job or cancels the execution of the job in accordance with the response.

[0081] (others) The processing shown in Figures 9 and 10 is preferably performed when processing is performed by a specific, predetermined plug-in 50 among multiple plug-ins 50 associated with a flow specified by the user. More specifically, it is preferable that the processing shown in Figures 9 and 10 be performed when processing is performed by a plug-in 50 other than the plug-in 50 that performs processing first, among multiple plug-ins 50 associated with a flow specified by the user. In other words, it is preferable that the processing shown in Figures 9 and 10 be performed when processing is performed by the plug-in 50 that performs the second or subsequent processing, such as the plug-in 50 that performs the second or last processing, among multiple plug-ins 50 associated with a flow specified by the user.

[0082] In the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, the target document is transferred to each of a plurality of plug-ins 50 that process the target document in turn, and the processed target document output from the plug-ins 50 is acquired in turn. In this case, when acquiring the characteristics of the target document in the process of step S101, it is preferable to acquire the characteristics of the target document that are to be passed to a predetermined specific plug-in 50 among the multiple plug-ins 50.

[0083] In other words, in step S101 above, when determining whether a past document having the characteristics of the target document is registered in the plug-in management table 41, the characteristics of the target document to be passed to a specific plug-in 50, such as the plug-in 50 that performs the second or subsequent processing, are obtained. Then, it is determined whether or not a past document having this characteristic is registered in the plug-in management table 41.

[0084] Additionally, in step S101, when determining whether a past document having the characteristics of the target document is registered in the plug-in management table 41, for example, the characteristics of the target document that is handed over to the plug-in 50 that performs processing last among the multiple plug-ins 50 are obtained. Then, it is determined whether or not a past document having this characteristic is registered in the plug-in management table 41.

[0085] In this embodiment, for example, after executing a job for the first time, the user may edit the flow and then re-execute the job in order to obtain better results. More specifically, for example, a user may add another plug-in 50 to a flow, change the settings of a plug-in 50, or remove a plug-in 50 from a flow, and then specify this flow again to re-execute the job. In this embodiment, even if the user edits a flow, the name of the flow specified by the user (the name displayed on the UI (operation screen) when the user specifies a flow), the flow ID, etc. do not change.

[0086] When a flow is edited by a user, it can be considered that a different process is actually being performed. In this case, when a job is re-executed, it is preferable that the job is not interrupted and that the saving process and distribution process are also performed. However, in this embodiment, even if the flow is edited, the job may be interrupted, and the save process or distribution process may not be performed.

[0087] Specifically, in this embodiment, even if the user edits the flow, the document processed by the first plug-in 50 is not affected by the flow editing, and is the target document itself that is obtained when the job is re-executed. In this case, when the processing of Figures 9 and 10 is performed based on this target document, in step S101, it is determined that a past document that has the characteristics of the target document and on which the processing that will be performed on this target document has been performed in the past is registered in the plug-in management table 41. In other words, in this case, it is determined that the document data whose similarity with the document data of the target document exceeds a predetermined threshold value is registered in the plug-in management table 41.

[0088] In this case, the process proceeds to step S104 and subsequent steps, and in step S106, it is determined that the document ID and flow ID obtained from the plug-in management table 41 match the document ID and flow ID obtained from the job management table 31, respectively. Then, in step S106, if it is further determined that the information regarding whether or not distribution processing has been performed is information indicating that distribution has been performed (if it is further determined that distribution processing is being performed), the job is interrupted.

[0089] In contrast to this, if the processes shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are performed when the second or subsequent plug-ins 50 or the final plug-in 50 are executed as described above, job interruptions are less likely to occur. Specifically, as described above, when the flow is edited, the target documents input to the second and subsequent plug-ins 50 and the final plug-in 50 change.

[0090] In this case, in step S101, it is determined that a past document that has the characteristics of the target document and that has previously undergone the process that will now be performed on this target document is not registered in the plug-in management table 41. In other words, it is determined that the document data whose similarity with the document data of the target document exceeds a predetermined threshold value is not registered in the plug-in management table 41. In this case, the process of step S102 is executed, and the job is executed to the end without interruption. In other words, the job after the flow editing is executed to the end without interruption. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1...information processing system, 10...main processing unit, 20...flow management unit, 30...job management unit, 40...plugin management unit, 50...plugin, 111...CPU

Claims

1. an information processing system including a processor, The processor: Obtaining characteristics of a target document, which is a document to be processed; a past document that has the acquired characteristics and has been processed in the information processing system in the past, and the processing by the information processing system has been completed; and information about the processing that the information processing system performed on the past document, which has been processed in the past, is acquired; If a specific process is included in the processes performed by the information processing system on the past document, the specific process is prevented from being performed on the target document. Information processing system.

2. The processor: An information processing system as described in claim 1, wherein if the specific processing is included in the processing performed by the information processing system on the past document, the specific processing is performed on the target document when predetermined conditions are met.

3. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the specific process is a process that involves transmitting information to an external device.

4. In the information processing system, when a job is executed and a document is processed, job identification information, which is information for identifying the job from other jobs, is associated with the document, The processor: The job identification information associated with the past document is obtained, acquiring information about the processing performed by the information processing system on the past document based on the job identification information that has been grasped; The information processing system according to claim 1 .

5. In the information processing system, document identification information, which is information for identifying a document to be processed from other documents, is associated with each document; The processor: In addition to the job identification information, the document identification information associated with the past document is obtained; acquiring information about a process performed by the information processing system on the past document based on the job identification information and the document identification information that have been grasped; The information processing system according to claim 4 .

6. In the information processing system, information about a plurality of processes to be performed in sequence on a document can be registered as a plurality of units, with the plurality of processes being treated as one unit, and unit identification information, which is information for distinguishing the unit from other units, is assigned to each of the units, and further, the unit identification information corresponding to the one unit is associated with the document on which the process by the one unit has been performed, The processor: In addition to the job identification information, the unit identification information associated with the past document is grasped; acquiring information about the processing performed by the information processing system on the past document based on the grasped job identification information and unit identification information; The information processing system according to claim 4 .

7. an information processing system including a processor, The processor: Obtaining characteristics of a target document, which is a document to be processed; a past document that has the acquired characteristics and has been processed in the past by the information processing system, and information on processing that has been performed on the target document by the information processing system in the past is acquired; If a specific process is included in the processes performed by the information processing system on the past document, the specific process is prevented from being performed on the target document. It is an information processing system, In the information processing system, the target document is transferred to each of a plurality of plug-ins that sequentially process the document, and the processed target document output from the plug-ins is sequentially acquired; When acquiring the characteristics of the target document, the processor acquires the characteristics of the target document that are to be passed to a predetermined specific plug-in among the plurality of plug-ins. Information processing system.

8. The information processing system according to claim 7 , wherein the processor acquires the characteristics of the target document to be passed to a plug-in that performs a second or subsequent process among the plurality of plug-ins.

9. The information processing system according to claim 8 , wherein the processor acquires the characteristics of the target document that are passed to a plug-in that performs processing last among the plurality of plug-ins.

10. a function of acquiring characteristics of a target document, which is a document to be processed by an information processing system; a function of acquiring information about processing performed by the information processing system on a past document that has the acquired characteristics and has been processed in the past by the information processing system and has been completed, the past document having the characteristics acquired, and the processing performed on the target document in the past; a function of preventing a specific process from being performed on the target document when the process performed by the information processing system on the past document includes the specific process; A program to realize this on a computer.

11. A program executed by a computer provided in an information processing system in which a target document is transferred to each of a plurality of plug-ins that sequentially process the document, and the processed target document output from the plug-ins is sequentially acquired, a function of acquiring characteristics of the target document, which is a document to be processed by the information processing system; a function of acquiring information about processing performed by the information processing system on a past document that has the acquired characteristics and has been processed in the past by the information processing system, the past document having the characteristics acquired, and the processing performed on the target document in the past; a function of preventing a specific process from being performed on the target document when the process performed by the information processing system on the past document includes the specific process; It is a program to realize the above on a computer, the function of acquiring the characteristics of the target document acquires the characteristics of the target document that are to be passed to a predetermined specific plug-in among the plurality of plug-ins; program.

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