Groupware system, collaboration method, and program

Abstract

To improve the convenience for a user.SOLUTION: A groupware system (1) includes: a request unit (101) configured to request a shared e-mail system (2), which manages shared e-mails, for partial data indicating a shared e-mail portion, which is a portion for shared e-mails on a shared e-mail screen of groupware; a partial data acquisition unit (102) configured to acquire the partial data from the shared e-mail system (2); and a first display control unit (103A) configured to display the shared e-mail screen including a groupware portion, which is a portion for the groupware, and the shared e-mail portion on a user terminal (30) based on the partial data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a groupware system, a display control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, groupware systems that provide groupware to users and shared mail systems that manage shared mail are known. Groupware systems and shared mail systems have in common the fact that they both support users' work. Therefore, if the groupware system and the shared mail system work together, it is thought that user convenience will be improved. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a system that associates mail received by a user with a database that registers various information that the user can use. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 1,117,8096 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with conventional technology, users must log in to the groupware and the shared email system separately to display the shared email screen of the groupware and the shared email screen of the shared email separately, which is time-consuming for users. The system of Patent Document 1 merely associates emails with databases and does not reduce the user's time and effort. For this reason, conventional technology does not sufficiently improve user convenience.

[0005] One of the purposes of the present disclosure is to improve user convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The groupware system of the present disclosure includes a request unit that requests partial data indicating a shared mail portion that is a portion of the shared mail on a groupware shared mail screen from a shared mail system that manages shared mail, a partial data acquisition unit that acquires the partial data from the shared mail system, and a first display control unit that displays the shared mail screen including the groupware portion that is a portion of the groupware and the shared mail portion on a user terminal based on the partial data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The present disclosure can improve convenience for users. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a groupware system and a shared mail system. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a portal screen of groupware. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a shared email screen. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of functions realized in a groupware system and a shared mail system. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an application database. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of display data on a shared email screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a shared email database. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing executed in each of a groupware system and a shared mail system. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a function realized in a modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a link to a shared email displayed in a shared email section. [Figure 11]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an application setting screen. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a shared email screen displayed on a user terminal when a user logs in to a shared email service. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a customer management screen. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case management screen. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between a template application and other applications. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [1. Hardware configuration of the groupware system and shared email system] An example of an embodiment of a groupware system, a shared mail system, a display control method, a transmission method, and a program according to the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the groupware system and the shared mail system. For example, each of the groupware system 1 and the shared mail system 2 is connected to a network N such as the Internet or a LAN. In the example of FIG. 1, a user terminal 30 is also connected to the network N.

[0010] The groupware system 1 is a system that provides groupware to users. Groupware is a general term for programs (software) that support users' work. Groupware may not refer to a program, but may also refer to something else, such as a service or tool that supports users' work. Groupware may be either cloud-based or on-premise. Groupware may support not only the work of organizations such as companies or government agencies, but also the work of individuals.

[0011] For example, the groupware system 1 includes a groupware server 10. The groupware server 10 is a server computer. For example, the groupware server 10 includes a control unit 11, a memory unit 12, and a communication unit 13. The control unit 11 includes at least one processor. The memory unit 12 includes at least one of a volatile memory such as RAM and a non-volatile memory such as flash memory. The communication unit 13 includes at least one of a communication interface for wired communication and a communication interface for wireless communication.

[0012] The computers included in the groupware system 1 are not limited to the example in FIG. 1. The groupware system 1 may include at least one computer. For example, the groupware system 1 may include the groupware server 10 and a server computer other than the groupware server 10. The groupware system 1 may also include only a computer other than the groupware server 10.

[0013] The shared email system 2 is a system that manages shared emails. For example, the shared email system 2 provides a shared email service to users. The shared email service is a service that sends and receives emails based on email addresses shared by multiple users. The shared email service can also be described as a service that manages shared emails shared by multiple users. The shared email can also be described as email in which the email address shared by multiple users is the destination, CC, BCC, or sender. The shared email service can be either cloud-based or on-premise.

[0014] For example, the shared mail system 2 includes a shared mail server 20. The shared mail server 20 is a server computer. For example, the shared mail server 20 includes a control unit 21, a memory unit 22, and a communication unit 23. The hardware configurations of the control unit 21, the memory unit 22, and the communication unit 23 may be similar to those of the control unit 11, the memory unit 12, and the communication unit 13, respectively.

[0015] The computers included in the shared mail system 2 are not limited to the example in Figure 1. The shared mail system 2 only needs to include at least one computer. For example, the shared mail system 2 may include the shared mail server 20 and a server computer other than the shared mail server 20. The shared mail system 2 may also include only computers other than the shared mail server 20.

[0016] The user terminal 30 is a computer operated by a user. For example, the user terminal 30 is a personal computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. For example, the user terminal 30 includes a control unit 31, a memory unit 32, a communication unit 33, an operation unit 34, and a display unit 35. The hardware configurations of the control unit 31, the memory unit 32, and the communication unit 33 may be similar to those of the control unit 11, the memory unit 12, and the communication unit 13, respectively. The operation unit 34 is an input device such as a mouse, a touch panel, or a keyboard. The display unit 35 is a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

[0017] The program stored in at least one of the storage units 12, 22, and 32 may be supplied to at least one of the groupware server 10, the shared mail server 20, and the user terminal 30 via the network N. Furthermore, the hardware configuration of at least one of the groupware server 10, the shared mail server 20, and the user terminal 30 is not limited to the example in FIG.

[0018] For example, at least one of the groupware server 10, the shared mail server 20, and the user terminal 30 may include at least one of a reading unit (e.g., a memory card slot) that reads an information storage medium and an input / output unit (e.g., a USB terminal) that connects to the information storage medium. In this case, a program stored in the information storage medium may be supplied to at least one of the groupware server 10, the shared mail server 20, and the user terminal 30 via at least one of the reading unit and the input / output unit.

[0019] [2. Overview of the groupware system and shared email system] In this embodiment, we will take the example of a case where the groupware provider that provides the groupware to users and the shared mail service provider that provides the shared mail service to users are the same. For example, the same organization provides users with not only the groupware but also the shared mail service. Groupware system 1 and shared mail system 2 are independent systems, but are managed by the same organization.

[0020] The groupware provider and the shared mail service provider may be different from each other. For example, the groupware provider may be a first organization, and the shared mail service provider may be a second organization different from the first organization. In this case, the groupware system 1 and the shared mail system 2 are independent systems and are managed by different organizations. However, the groupware system 1 and the shared mail system 2 are assumed to be linked to each other.

[0021] In this embodiment, we will take as an example a case where the user's organization has signed up for groupware and the user has already registered to use the groupware. Furthermore, we will take as an example a case where the shared email service is an optional service for the groupware. For example, if an administrator at the user's organization subscribes to the shared email service as an optional service for the groupware, the user will be able to use the shared email service. In this embodiment, we will assume that this series of procedures has already been completed.

[0022] The shared mail service may be a service independent of the groupware, rather than an optional service for the groupware. In this case, the user's employer contracts for the shared mail service separately from the groupware contract. Once the user's employer contracts for the shared mail service, the user can log in directly to the shared mail service and use the shared mail service. The contract for the shared mail service may be made before the contract for the groupware. The contract for the groupware and the contract for the shared mail service may be made at the same time.

[0023] In this embodiment, the shared mail service is an optional service for the groupware, so when a user uses the shared mail service, he or she first logs in to the groupware. For example, when the user selects the URL of the groupware in a browser installed on the user terminal 30, the user terminal 30 accesses the groupware server 10. When the user successfully logs in to the groupware, the user terminal 30 displays a portal screen, which corresponds to the entrance to the groupware, on the display unit 35.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a groupware portal screen. In the example of FIG. 2, the name of the groupware is "AAA Groupware." The URL of the portal screen is "https: / / xxxcompany.aaagroupware.com / portal," and the groupware domain is "xxxcompany.aaagroupware.com." The user's organization is xxx Corporation. The groupware domain includes the subdomain "xxxcompany," which indicates the name of the user's organization.

[0025] In this embodiment, individual organizations are distinguished by subdomains. For example, if another organization is "yyy Co., Ltd.", users of that organization access the domain "yyycompany.aaagroupware.com" to use the groupware. However, because the URLs of all organizations share the same "aaagroupware.com" portion, which indicates the name of the groupware, users can understand from this portion that the screen they are viewing is within the groupware domain.

[0026] For example, the portal screen SC1 includes a header portion P10 corresponding to the header of the portal screen SC1 and a content portion P11 corresponding to the actual content of the portal screen SC1. The groupware server 10 can display various screens including the portal screen SC1 on the user terminal 30. The header portion P10 is generally common to the majority of screens in the groupware. The content portion P11 differs, in principle, depending on the screen displayed on the user terminal 30.

[0027] For example, the background color of the header portion P10 is the theme color of the groupware. The header portion P10 includes a groupware image I100 that shows the name or logo of the groupware. The groupware image I100 may be used as the background image of the header portion P10. The header portion P10 allows the user to intuitively understand that they are logged in to the groupware. Note that the header portion P10 also displays other images, such as an icon of the logged-in user and an input form for searching for content.

[0028] For example, the content portion P11 of the portal screen SC1 displays the actual content of the portal screen SC1. In the example of Fig. 2, the content portion P11 displays announcements for the entire organization, individual notifications for users, a list showing spaces where users can communicate with other users, and a list L110 showing apps available to the user.

[0029] An app is one of the tools that supports a user's work. In this embodiment, an example is given in which the app has a function as a database. An app may have not only a database function but also a communication tool function such as a chat or thread. An app generally means a program, but in this embodiment, it includes not only a program but also a database.

[0030] In the example of FIG. 2, three apps are displayed in the list L110: a customer management app, a project management app, and a shared email app. The apps available to the user may be any apps and are not limited to the example of FIG. 2. For example, a schedule management app, an expense reimbursement app, a report creation app, or other apps may exist in the groupware. The user may also create their own apps.

[0031] The customer management app is an app that allows users to manage customers. Various customer data is stored in records in the customer management app. For example, records in the customer management app store the customer's name, contact person's name, phone number, fax number, email address, shared emails to or from that email address, and other information. When a user creates a new record in the customer management app, new customer data is stored in that new record. The user can edit the customer data stored in records in the customer management app.

[0032] The project management app is an app that allows users to manage projects. A project is an individual task performed by a user. A project can also be called a task. Various project data is stored in records in the project management app. For example, a record in the project management app may register customer information for the project, progress status of the project, product names related to the project, email threads related to the project, and other information. When a user creates a new record in the project management app, new project data is stored in the new record. The user can edit the project data stored in records in the project management app.

[0033] The shared email application is an application that allows a user to use a shared email service on groupware. In this embodiment, a user can use the shared email service in the same way as using other applications such as a customer management application and a project management application. The record of the shared email application may store any data related to the shared email. For example, the record of the shared email application may store data registered in an address book of an email software, or may store data of the shared email itself. For example, when a user selects the shared email application from the list L110, the user terminal 30 displays a shared email screen, which is the screen of the shared email application, on the display unit 35.

[0034] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a shared email screen. For example, the shared email screen SC2 includes a header portion P20 corresponding to the header of the shared email screen SC2, a content portion P21 corresponding to the groupware content, and a shared email portion P22 corresponding to the content of the shared email service. The header portion P20 is similar to the header portion P10. For example, the header portion P20 includes a groupware image I200, which is the same image as the groupware image I100.

[0035] For example, the content of the shared email application is displayed in the content portion P21 of the shared email screen SC2. In the example of Fig. 3, the content portion P21 displays the name of the shared email application, an image I210 for changing the display of the shared email application, an image I211 for narrowing down the data registered in the shared email application, and a graph display screen I212. The header portion P20 and the content portion P21 of the shared email screen SC2 are generated by the groupware server 10.

[0036] For example, the shared mail section P22 displays the contents of the shared mail service. In the example of Fig. 3, the shared mail section P22 displays an image I220 for receiving a shared mail, an image I221 for creating a new shared mail, an image I222 for searching for a shared mail, an image I223 for outputting a shared mail as a file, an image I224 for deleting a shared mail, an image I225 for setting up shared mail in bulk, and a list L226 of shared mails. The shared mail section P22 of the shared mail screen SC2 is generated by the shared mail server 20.

[0037] In this embodiment, when a user selects a shared mail application from the list L110 on the portal screen SC1, the groupware server 10 requests the shared mail server 20 to generate partial data indicating the shared mail part P22. In this embodiment, since the case where the user uses a browser is taken as an example, the partial data is HTML data (a file in HTML format). Details of the partial data will be described later.

[0038] For example, when the shared mail server 20 receives a request from the groupware server 10, it identifies the user's shared mail and generates partial data. The shared mail server 20 transmits the partial data to the groupware server 10. The groupware server 10 receives the partial data from the shared mail server 20. The groupware server 10 displays on the user terminal 30 a shared mail screen SC2 that includes the header part P20 and content part P21 that it generated, and the shared mail part P22 indicated by the partial data.

[0039] In this embodiment, the groupware server 10 uses an inline frame (iframe), which is one of the HTML elements, to embed the shared mail portion P22 indicated by the partial data received from the shared mail server 20 into the shared mail screen SC2. This allows the user to check the shared mail while logged in to the groupware, without having to log in to the shared mail service. The groupware system 1 and the shared mail system 2 will be described in detail below.

[0040] [3. Functions realized by the groupware system and the shared email system] 4 is a diagram showing an example of functions realized by each of the groupware system 1 and the shared mail system 2. In FIG. 4, functions realized by the user terminal 30 are also shown.

[0041] [3-1. Functions realized by groupware systems] For example, in the groupware system 1, the groupware server 10 includes a data storage unit 100, a request unit 101, a partial data acquisition unit 102, and a display control unit 103. The data storage unit 100 is realized by the storage unit 12. The request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the display control unit 103 are realized by the control unit 11.

[0042] [Data storage section] The data storage unit 100 stores data necessary for a user to use the groupware. For example, the data storage unit 100 stores an application database DB1 in which various data of applications is stored.

[0043] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the application database DB1. For example, the application database DB1 stores an organization ID used by the groupware server 10 to identify a user's organization, an application ID used by the groupware server 10 to identify an application, a user ID used by the groupware server 10 to identify a user, and application setting data indicating application settings. Any data may be stored in the application database DB1, and the data stored in the application database DB1 is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 5. For example, the application database DB1 may store record data indicating application records.

[0044] For example, the application setting data indicates the name of the application, the name of a field, access rights, and other settings. The application setting data may include any information as long as it indicates settings appropriate for the application. When an administrator of an organization performs an operation to add an application, the groupware server 10 creates a new record in the application database DB1. The groupware server 10 stores in the new record the application ID of the application added by the administrator, the user ID of the user who can use the application, and application setting data indicating the settings specified by the administrator.

[0045] The administrator can add any app provided by the groupware to his or her own organization. The administrator may also create apps himself or herself. The app database DB1 may store data indicating apps created by the administrator. Apps may not be added by the administrator's operation but may be provided from the beginning. Apps may not be optional functions of the groupware but may be default functions of the groupware.

[0046] In this embodiment, the shared email application will be mainly described. For example, the application setting data of the shared email application indicates an email address shared by the shared email application. For example, the email address is the main address of the organization where the user works. The shared email application may share multiple email addresses. The groupware server 10 needs to inform the shared email server 20 of which email address partial data should be generated. The application database DB1 stores email address identification data that allows the shared email server 20 to identify the email address.

[0047] The email address identification data may be the email address itself, but in this embodiment, it is assumed to be an organization ID. For example, the groupware server 10 transmits the organization ID as the email address identification data to the shared mail server 20. The shared mail server 20 manages in advance which organizations use which email addresses, and can identify the email addresses for which partial data will be generated based on the organization ID received from the groupware server 10.

[0048] The email address identification data may be data other than the organization ID and the email address. For example, the email address identification data may be an application ID, a user ID in groupware, a user ID in a shared email service, or information corresponding to some other account. The user ID in the groupware and the user ID in the shared email service may be different or the same.

[0049] Furthermore, the data stored in the data storage unit 100 is not limited to the application database DB1. The data storage unit 100 may store any data. For example, the data storage unit 100 may store a user database in which various data of users in groupware is stored. The user database stores an organization ID, a user ID, and a password. For example, the data storage unit 100 may store HTML data or parts thereof of the portal screen SC1, the shared email screen SC2, and other screens, image data of individual images displayed on these screens, and partial data acquired by the partial data acquisition unit 102.

[0050] [Request part] The request unit 101 requests partial data indicating the shared email portion P22, which is a portion of the shared email on the groupware shared email screen SC2, from the shared email system 2 that manages the shared email. When a user uses a browser, the screen of the shared email displayed in the groupware domain corresponds to the groupware shared email screen SC2. When a program dedicated to groupware (for example, a so-called smartphone app) is used, the screen of the shared email displayed on that program corresponds to the groupware shared email screen SC2.

[0051] The shared email section P22 is a section (area) of the shared email screen SC2 where the shared email is displayed. The shared email section P22 may be any section that displays some information about the shared email. For example, the shared email section P22 may display the body of the shared email, or may display only the subject of the shared email and not the body of the shared email. The shared email section P22 may display the subject of the shared email, a list of the shared email, a link to the shared email, the recipient of the shared email, the CC of the shared email, the BCC of the shared email, the sender of the shared email, or other information.

[0052] In this embodiment, the partial data is HTML data. The partial data may be in any format and is not limited to HTML data. For example, the partial data may be data in a markup language other than HTML (e.g., XML, SGML, or XHTML), data representing the shared email itself (e.g., data in EML format), image data such as JPEG or GIF, text data representing the content of the shared email, a link (relative path or absolute path) to the data of the shared email part P22, or other formats.

[0053] For example, the request unit 101 requests partial data by sending data indicating that the request is for partial data to the shared mail system 2. For example, the data is data in a format defined by the API of the shared mail system 2. The request unit 101 requests partial data by sending email address identification data (in this embodiment, an organization ID) to the shared mail system 2. The shared mail system 2 can identify for which email address partial data of the shared email to generate, using the email address identification data received from the groupware system 1.

[0054] [Partial data acquisition section] The partial data acquisition unit 102 acquires partial data from the shared mail system 2. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 102 acquires partial data transmitted by a partial data transmission unit 203 (described later) from the shared mail system 2. Here, acquisition means reception. The partial data acquisition unit 102 records the partial data acquired from the shared mail system 2 in the data storage unit 100.

[0055] [Display control section] The display control unit 103 displays various groupware screens on the user terminal 30. A groupware screen is a screen displayed based on data generated by the groupware server 10. When a user uses a browser as in this embodiment, a screen (web page or website) belonging to the groupware domain is a groupware screen. When a user uses a program dedicated to groupware (for example, a so-called smartphone app), a screen on the program is a groupware screen. The display control unit 103 displays the screen to be displayed on the user terminal 30 by transmitting display data for the screen to be displayed to the user terminal 30.

[0056] The display data may be in any format as long as it is data necessary for displaying a screen. When a browser is used as in this embodiment, the display data is in HTML format. The display data may be data in a markup language other than HTML (e.g., XML, SGML, or XHTML), or data in other formats. When a user uses a program dedicated to groupware (e.g., a so-called smartphone app), the display data may be data necessary for the program to display a screen (e.g., image data such as JPEG or GIF).

[0057] For example, the display control unit 103 includes a first display control unit 103A. The first display control unit 103A is a function for displaying the shared email screen SC2 among the functions of the display control unit 103. The first display control unit 103A causes the user terminal 30 to display the shared email screen SC2, which includes a groupware portion that is a part of the groupware and a shared email portion P22, based on the partial data. The first display control unit 103A causes the user terminal 30 to display the shared email screen SC2 by transmitting display data for the shared email screen SC2 to the user terminal 30.

[0058] The groupware portion is a portion (area) of the shared email screen SC2 where information on the groupware side is displayed. In the example of FIG. 3, the header portion P10 and the content portion P11 correspond to the groupware portion. Therefore, the description of the header portion P10 and the content portion P11 can be read as the groupware portion. Note that the groupware portion may be any portion where some information on the groupware side is displayed, and is not limited to the header portion P10 and the content portion P11. For example, the groupware portion may be a portion corresponding to the footer or menu of the groupware.

[0059] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of display data for the shared email screen SC2. In the example of FIG. 6, only a portion of the display data for the shared email screen SC2 is shown. For example, the first display control unit 103A generates display data including an HTML tag T1 indicating the groupware portion and an HTML tag T2 indicating the shared email portion P22. The HTML tag T1 indicating the groupware portion may be the same as an HTML tag used in known groupware. Therefore, a description of the HTML tag T1 in the display data will be omitted. The first display control unit 103A generates the HTML tag T1 in the same manner as known groupware.

[0060] In this embodiment, the HTML tag T2 indicating the shared email part P22 is an inline frame. In the example of FIG. 6, the HTML tag T2 is <iframe src="”mail.html”" width="”800″" height="”500″">< / iframe> " includes an inline frame tag such as ".mail.html". "mail.html" is a relative path indicating the location of the partial data. In the example of Figure 6, the partial data is at the same level as the display data, so the file name of the partial data, "mail.html", is specified as the relative path. Partial data can also be specified by an absolute path rather than a relative path. When partial data is specified by an absolute path, the absolute path may be the domain of the groupware, a shared mail service, or some other domain.

[0061] For example, the shared mail portion P22 is fitted into a portion of the shared mail screen SC2 where an inline frame tag is specified in the display data. In the example of FIG. 6, the width and height of the shared mail portion P22 are specified, but the width and height of the shared mail portion P22 do not have to be specified. The HTML tag T2 may include tags other than the inline frame tag. For example, the HTML tag T2 may include a tag indicating some kind of script.

[0062] For example, the first display control unit 103A generates HTML tag T2 based on the file name of the partial data acquired by the partial data acquisition unit 102. The first display control unit 103A may change the file name of the partial data specified by the shared mail system 2, and generate HTML tag T2 based on the changed file name. When the administrator of the mail sharing app specifies the size of the shared mail part P22, the first display control unit 103A may generate HTML tag T2 based on the specified size. The first display control unit 103A generates display data including HTML tag T1 and HTML tag T2, and transmits the display data to the user terminal 30.

[0063] The first display control unit 103A may display the shared email screen SC2 including the shared email portion P22 on the user terminal 30 without using an inline frame. For example, the first display control unit 103A may embed HTML tags indicated by the partial data as the body portion of the display data (the portion from " " to " ") instead of the tag of an inline frame as shown in FIG. 6. For example, the first display control unit 103A may embed a link to the partial data in the display data instead of the tag of an inline frame as shown in FIG. 6.

[0064] [3-2. Functions realized by a shared email system] For example, in the shared mail system 2, the shared mail server 20 includes a data storage unit 200, a request reception unit 201, a partial data acquisition unit 202, and a partial data transmission unit 203. The data storage unit 200 is realized by the memory unit 22. The request reception unit 201, the partial data acquisition unit 202, and the partial data transmission unit 203 are realized by the control unit 21.

[0065] [Data storage section] The data storage unit 200 stores data necessary for users to use the shared mail service. For example, the data storage unit 200 stores a shared mail database DB2 in which various data of shared mail is stored.

[0066] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the shared mail database DB2. For example, the shared mail database DB2 stores an organization ID, email addresses shared within the organization, shared mail identification information that enables the shared mail server 20 to identify the shared mail, and shared mail data that indicates the shared mail. Any data may be stored in the shared mail database DB2, and the data stored in the shared mail database DB2 is not limited to the example in Fig. 7. For example, data indicating the folder into which the shared mail is sorted may be stored in the shared mail database DB2.

[0067] For example, the shared mail server 20 issues a shared mail identification information for a certain shared mail so that it does not overlap with the shared mail identification information of other shared mails. The shared mail identification information may be in any format, for example, numbers, letters, other symbols, or a combination of these. The shared mail identification information may be information used in known shared mail services. Each time a shared mail is received at an email address of an organization, the shared mail server 20 issues a shared mail identification information for the shared mail. The shared mail server 20 associates the organization ID, the email address, the shared mail identification information, and the shared mail data of the shared mail with each other and stores them in the shared mail database DB2. Note that the shared mail identification information may be a message ID included in the header of the shared mail, rather than being issued by the shared mail server 20.

[0068] For example, the shared email data indicates at least one of the following: the date and time the shared email was received, the sender of the shared email, the recipient of the shared email, the CC of the shared email, the BCC of the shared email, the subject of the shared email, the body of the shared email, any attachments to the shared email, the email thread of the shared email, any comments written on the shared email, and any flags assigned to the shared email. The shared email data may be data used in known shared email services. The shared email data indicates the actual content of the shared email portion P22 of the shared email screen SC2.

[0069] The data stored in the data storage unit 200 is not limited to the shared mail database DB2. The data storage unit 200 may store any data. For example, when a user directly logs in to the shared mail service, the data storage unit 200 may store a user database that stores various data of the user in the shared mail service. The user database stores an organization ID, a user ID, and a password. For example, the data storage unit 200 may store HTML data or a part of the HTML data of the screen that is displayed when a user directly logs in to the shared mail service, and image data of each image displayed on this screen.

[0070] [Request Reception Section] The request receiving unit 201 receives various requests from at least one of the groupware system 1 and the user terminal 30. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the user does not directly log in to the shared mail service. Therefore, the request receiving unit 201 does not receive requests from the user terminal 30, but receives requests from the groupware system 1. The requests received by the request receiving unit 201 are data in a format defined by the API of the shared mail system 2.

[0071] For example, the request receiving unit 201 includes a first request receiving unit 201A. The first request receiving unit 201A is a function for acquiring partial data among the functions of the request receiving unit 201. The first request receiving unit 201A receives a request for partial data indicating a shared email portion P22, which is a portion of a shared email on a shared email screen of the groupware, from the groupware system 1 that provides groupware to users. In this embodiment, the first request receiving unit 201A receives email address identification data (in this embodiment, an organization ID) from the groupware system 1, thereby receiving the request for partial data.

[0072] [Partial data acquisition section] Partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires partial data when first request receiving unit 201A receives a request. The partial data may be stored in data storage unit 200 in advance, but in this embodiment, partial data acquisition unit 202 generates partial data based on the request received by request receiving unit 201. That is, in this embodiment, the partial data is not prepared in advance before request receiving unit 201 receives the request, but is dynamically generated on the spot after request receiving unit 201 receives the request.

[0073] In this embodiment, the partial data is HTML data of the shared mail part P22. In the example of FIG. 6, the partial data is data with the file name "mail.html." For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 identifies the shared mail to be included in the shared mail part P22 based on the request accepted by the first request acceptance unit 201A and the shared mail database DB2. The partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires the shared mail from the shared mail database DB2 based on the email address identification data included in the request accepted by the first request acceptance unit 201A.

[0074] In this embodiment, since the organization ID corresponds to email address identification data, the partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires all or part of the shared email data associated with the organization ID from the shared email database DB2. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 identifies shared emails from the shared email database DB2 in which the email address associated with the organization ID is in the sender, recipient, CC, or BCC field.

[0075] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates data for a list L226 that lists the subjects of the shared emails. The list L226 includes links to the individual shared emails. For example, the links include shared email identification information. The partial data acquisition unit 202 reads out image data for buttons B220 to B225 stored in the data storage unit 200, and generates HTML data including buttons B220 to B225 and the list L226 as partial data.

[0076] The partial data acquisition unit 202 may generate partial data in the same format as HTML data for a screen in a known shared email service. In this case, the method for generating partial data may be the same as the method for generating HTML data for a screen in a known shared email service. Data necessary for the partial data acquisition unit 202 to acquire partial data is assumed to be stored in advance in the data storage unit 200.

[0077] [Partial data transmission section] The partial data sending unit 203 sends the partial data to the groupware system 1. For example, the partial data sending unit 203 sends the partial data acquired by the partial data acquiring unit 202 to the groupware system 1. The partial data sending unit 203 may also send other data, such as the file name of the partial data, to the groupware system 1.

[0078] [3-3. Functions implemented on user devices] For example, the user terminal 30 includes a data storage unit 300, a display control unit 301, and an operation reception unit 302. The data storage unit 300 is realized by the storage unit 32. The display control unit 301 and the operation reception unit 302 are realized by the control unit 31.

[0079] [Data storage section] The data storage unit 300 stores data necessary for a user to use at least one of the groupware and the shared email service. For example, the data storage unit 300 stores a browser. For example, the data storage unit 300 stores a program dedicated to the groupware. The data storage unit 300 may also store a program dedicated to the shared email service.

[0080] [Display control section] The display control unit 301 displays each screen of the groupware on the display unit 35. In this embodiment, an example is given in which the display control unit 301 displays each screen on a browser, but the display control unit 301 may also display each screen on a program dedicated to the groupware. When a user logs in directly to the shared email service, the display control unit 301 may also display each screen on a program dedicated to the shared email service.

[0081] [Operation reception section] The operation accepting unit 302 accepts operations on each screen that the display control unit 301 has caused to be displayed on the display unit 35. The operation accepting unit 302 transmits operation data indicating the operation performed by the user to the groupware server 10. When the user logs in directly to the shared mail service, the operation accepting unit 302 accepts operations on the screen of the shared mail service.

[0082] [4. Processing performed in the groupware system and the shared email system] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of processing executed in each of the groupware system 1 and the shared mail system 2. Fig. 8 also shows processing executed in the user terminal 30. The processing in Fig. 8 is executed by the control units 11, 21, and 31 executing programs stored in the storage units 12, 22, and 32, respectively. Fig. 8 mainly shows processing for displaying the shared mail screen SC2.

[0083] 8, when a user selects a groupware URL from the browser of the user terminal 30, the user terminal 30 executes a login process between the groupware server 10 and the groupware server 10 to log the user into the groupware (S1). If the login is successful, a process for displaying a portal screen SC1 is executed between the groupware server 10 and the user terminal 30 (S2). In S2, the groupware server 10 transmits display data for the portal screen SC1 to the user terminal 30. The user terminal 30 receives the display data for the portal screen SC1 and displays the portal screen SC1 on the display unit 35.

[0084] When the user selects a shared mail application from the list L110, the user terminal 30 requests display data for the shared mail screen SC2 from the groupware server 10 (S3). The groupware server 10 receives a request for display data for the shared mail screen SC2 from the user terminal 30 (S4). The groupware server 10 acquires email address identification data based on the application database DB1 (S5). The groupware server 10 requests partial data from the shared mail server 20 based on the email address identification data identified in S5 (S6).

[0085] The shared mail server 20 receives a request for partial data from the groupware server 10 (S7). The shared mail server 20 acquires the partial data based on the email address identification data included in the request received in S7 and the shared mail database DB2 (S8). In S8, the shared mail server 20 acquires the shared mail in the shared mail database DB2 based on the email address identification data identified in S8. The shared mail server 20 arranges the subjects of the acquired shared mail in list L226 in order of reception date and time. The shared mail server 20 places buttons B221 to B225 in predetermined positions based on image data stored in the storage unit 22. The shared mail server 20 generates partial data indicating the shared mail part P22 including buttons B221 to B225 and list L226.

[0086] The shared mail server 20 transmits the partial data acquired in S8 to the groupware server 10 (S9). The groupware server 10 acquires the partial data from the shared mail server 20 (S10). The groupware server 10 generates a groupware portion (e.g., a header portion P20 and a content portion P21) based on the user database and the image data stored in the storage unit 12 (S11). The processing of S11 may be executed before the processing of S10.

[0087] The groupware server 10 generates display data for the shared mail screen SC2 (S12), which includes the header portion P20 and content portion P21 generated in S11 and the shared mail portion P22 indicated by the partial data acquired in S10. In S12, the groupware server 10 generates display data which includes an HTML tag T1 indicating the header portion P20 and content portion P21 generated in S11, and an HTML tag T2 in which the partial data acquired in S10 is specified in an inline frame.

[0088] The groupware server 10 transmits display data for the shared mail screen SC2 to the user terminal 30 (S13). The user terminal 30 acquires the display data for the shared mail screen SC2 from the groupware server 10 (S14). The user terminal 30 displays the shared mail screen SC2 on the display unit 35 based on the display data acquired in S14 (S15), and this process ends.

[0089] [5. Summary of embodiments] The groupware system 1 of this embodiment requests partial data from the shared mail system 2. The groupware system 1 acquires the partial data from the shared mail system 2. The groupware system 1 displays the shared mail screen SC2 on the user terminal 30 based on the partial data. The groupware system 1 can improve user convenience by allowing the user to view the shared mail on the groupware screen while remaining logged in to the groupware. For example, the user can use the shared mail service as if they were using only the groupware, rather than using both the groupware and the shared mail service. The groupware system 1 can essentially integrate the shared mail service into the groupware.

[0090] The shared mail system 2 of this embodiment accepts a request for partial data from the groupware system 1. When the shared mail system 2 accepts the request, it acquires the partial data. The shared mail system 2 transmits the partial data to the groupware system 1. The shared mail system 2 can provide the groupware system 1 with the partial data necessary for the groupware system 1 to display a shared mail screen SC2, which improves user convenience, on the user terminal 30. As a result, the user can view the shared mail on the groupware screen while remaining logged in to the groupware, so the shared mail system 2 can improve user convenience.

[0091] [6. Modifications] The present disclosure is not limited to the examples of the embodiments, and can be modified without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0092] 9 is a diagram showing an example of functions realized in the modified example. For example, the groupware server 10 includes a request receiving unit 104, an adding unit 105, a designation receiving unit 106, an acquisition request unit 107, an acquisition result data acquiring unit 108, and a registration unit 109. Each of the request receiving unit 104, the adding unit 105, the designation receiving unit 106, the acquisition request unit 107, the acquisition result data acquiring unit 108, and the registration unit 109 is realized by the control unit 11. For example, the shared mail server 20 includes a display control unit 204, an acquisition executing unit 205, an acquisition result data transmitting unit 206, and a mail thread data transmitting unit 207. Each of the display control unit 204, the acquisition executing unit 205, the acquisition result data transmitting unit 206, and the mail thread data transmitting unit 207 is realized by the control unit 21.

[0093] [6-1. Variations of groupware systems] First, a modified example of the groupware system 1 will be described.

[0094] [Variation 1-1] For example, when a user selects an arbitrary shared email from the list L226 on the shared email screen SC2, the groupware server 10 may display details of the selected shared email in the shared email section P22 on the shared email screen SC2. Alternatively, when a user selects a link to a specific shared email attached to a groupware thread or the like, the groupware server 10 may display details of the selected shared email in the shared email section P22 on the shared email screen SC2.

[0095] For example, the groupware server 10 identifies which shared email the user selected based on the link of the shared email in the list L226. If the domain of the shared email service is included in the link, the screen of the shared email service will be displayed on the user terminal 30 instead of the shared email screen SC2 of the groupware. Therefore, in variant 1-1, the link of the shared email includes the groupware domain and the shared email identification information.

[0096] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a link to a shared email displayed in the shared email section P22. In the example of FIG. 10, the link to the shared email displayed in the shared email section P22 includes the groupware domain "xxxcompany.aaagroupware.com" and the shared email identification information "m00001." The link includes specific symbols such as # and =. This allows the groupware server 10 to identify which part of the link is the shared email identification information.

[0097] The partial data acquisition unit 102 of Variation 1-1 acquires partial data including links as shown in FIG. 10 from the shared mail system 2. In the example of FIG. 3, the partial data acquisition unit 102 acquires partial data including links for each of the multiple shared mails in list L226. The domain parts of each link are the same, but the shared mail identification information for each link is different. The method for generating partial data by the shared mail system 2 will be described later in Variation 2-1.

[0098] The groupware server 10 of variant 1-1 includes a request receiving unit 104. The request receiving unit 104 receives various requests from the user terminal 30. For example, when a link to a shared email is selected on the user terminal 30, the request receiving unit 104 receives a request to display the shared email screen SC2 from the user terminal 30. The display request is data that allows the groupware server 10 to identify that a request to display the shared email screen SC2 is being made. For example, the display request is a request such as an HTTP request. Since the link to the shared email includes the groupware domain, the groupware server 10, not the shared email server 20, receives the display request.

[0099] The processing of the request unit 101, partial data acquisition unit 102, and first display control unit 103A of variant example 1-1 is executed each time a display request is received. For example, when the request receiving unit 104 receives a display request from the user terminal 30, the request unit 101 transmits the shared email identification information included in the display request to the shared email system 2. The shared email system 2 executes the processing of variant example 2-1 described below, generates partial data indicating details of the shared email indicated by the shared email identification information, and transmits the partial data to the groupware system 1.

[0100] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 102 acquires partial data indicating details of the shared email indicated by the shared email identification information included in the link selected by the user from the shared email system 2. The first display control unit 103A generates display data for the shared email screen SC2 using an inline frame, as in the embodiment. The shared email portion P22 of the shared email screen SC2 indicates details of the shared email indicated by the shared email identification information included in the link selected by the user, as shown in FIG.

[0101] 10, the partial data includes a button B227 for the groupware server 10 to register information about the shared email in the customer management app, a button B228 for the groupware server 10 to register information about the shared email in the project management app, and a display area A229 showing detailed information about the shared email. The data corresponding to the display area A229 may be in a format adopted by a known shared email service. In variant example 1-1, each time the user selects a link from the shared email screen SC2 or another screen (for example, a screen of a thread to which a link to the shared email is pasted), the processing of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A is repeated.

[0102] In variant example 1-1, the link to the shared email displayed in the shared email portion P22 includes the groupware domain and the shared email identification information. When the link is selected on the user terminal 30, the groupware system 1 receives a request to display the shared email screen SC2 from the user terminal 30. The processing of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A is executed each time a display request is received. When the user selects the link to the shared email, the groupware system 1 can cause the user terminal 30 to display the shared email in the groupware domain. If the user terminal 30 accesses another domain while accessing the groupware domain, the user may be confused, but the groupware system 1 can prevent such confusion.

[0103] [Variation 1-2] In the embodiment, an example is given in which a user uses a shared email service as an option for groupware. The shared email service may be added as a plug-in within the groupware. The email sharing application described in the embodiment is a type of plug-in in the sense that it can be added later by the user. The plug-in in variant 1-2 includes not only email sharing applications but also plug-ins without database functionality. The plug-in may be a plug-in as an additional function within an application, or may be a plug-in as an additional function unrelated to the application.

[0104] A plug-in is a groupware function (program) that can be added later by the user. The plug-in may be in any format, for example, a ZIP file in which multiple files such as a program are compressed. The data storage unit 100 stores plug-ins for various additional functions. For example, in addition to a shared email plug-in, various plug-ins such as a plug-in for creating an in-house portal page or a plug-in for a communication tool may be stored in the data storage unit 100. The user can select any plug-in. The plug-in may be free or paid.

[0105] The groupware system 1 of variant 1-2 includes an adding unit 105. The adding unit 105 adds a plug-in for shared email in the groupware when a user using the groupware performs a predetermined plug-in addition operation. The user here may be a person with administrative authority in the organization, or may be a person without administrative authority. For example, the display control unit 103 causes a list of plug-ins that the user can add to be displayed on the user terminal 30. The user selects a plug-in from the list to add to the groupware used by the user or the organization.

[0106] For example, when a user selects a shared email plug-in, the adding unit 105 associates the plug-in stored in the data storage unit 100 with the organization ID of the user's organization or the user ID of the user, and deploys the plug-in in the data storage unit 100 or another storage area. The shared email plug-in may be deployed in the user terminal 30. The processes of the request unit 101, partial data acquisition unit 102, and first display control unit 103A in Modification 1-2 are each executed based on the shared email plug-in. In Modification 1-2, it is assumed that the shared email plug-in contains code for the series of processes described in the embodiment. In Modification 1-2, the series of processes described in the embodiment are executed based on the code of the shared email plug-in.

[0107] The groupware system 1 of variant 1-2 adds a shared email plug-in when a user performs a predetermined plug-in addition operation. The processing of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A is executed based on the plug-in. The groupware system 1 can realize a shared email service as an option in the groupware using the plug-in. For example, the groupware system 1 provides the shared email plug-in only to users who have confirmed the shared email in the groupware, thereby reducing waste of resources in the groupware. For example, the groupware system 1 can reuse the mechanisms of other plug-ins, such as a plug-in for creating an in-house portal page, thereby reducing the number of development steps in the groupware.

[0108] [Variation 1-3] For example, the user may be allowed to specify HTML tags as settings for the shared email application. The HTML tags are reflected on the shared email application screens, including the shared email screen SC2. For example, the shared email screen SC2 includes HTML tags specified by the user. In variant example 1-3, when the user specifies a specific HTML tag, the shared email portion P22 is displayed in the shared email application. The specific HTML tag is a character string that indicates the display of the shared email. The specific HTML tag is predetermined by the groupware provider. When the user performs an operation to set up the shared email application from the portal screen SC1, the shared email screen SC2, or another screen, the application setting screen SC3 is displayed on the user terminal 30.

[0109] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an application setting screen. For example, the application setting screen SC3 displays an input form or the like that allows the user to specify the content of the content portion P21 of the shared email screen SC2. The user inputs a predetermined HTML tag into an input form F30 that accepts input of HTML tags. In the example of FIG. 11, when the user inputs an HTML tag containing a character string such as "frame_mailOption" into the input form F30, the shared email portion P22 is displayed on the application setting screen SC3. The user can specify any HTML tag in the input form F30.

[0110] The groupware system 1 of Variation 1-3 includes a designation receiving unit 106. The designation receiving unit 106 receives designation of an HTML tag indicating a shared email from a user using the groupware. In the example of FIG. 11, the designation receiving unit 106 receives designation of an HTML tag for an input form F30 on the application setting screen SC3. The designation receiving unit 106 may also receive designation of an HTML tag from a screen other than the application setting screen SC3. When the designation receiving unit 106 receives the designation of an HTML tag, it stores it in the data storage unit 100 as application setting data for the shared email application.

[0111] The processes of the request unit 101, partial data acquisition unit 102, and first display control unit 103A in Modification Example 1-3 are executed on the condition that an HTML tag is specified. For example, when the groupware server 10 receives a request to display the shared email screen SC2 from a user terminal 30 of a certain user, the groupware server 10 refers to the settings of the shared email application stored in the data storage unit 100. The groupware server 10 determines whether a predetermined HTML tag is specified in the settings of the shared email application.

[0112] If the groupware server 10 does not determine that a predetermined HTML tag is specified in the settings of the shared email application, it does not execute at least one of the processes of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A. In this case, the display control unit 103 causes the user terminal 30 to display a shared email screen SC2 that does not include the shared email portion P22, or a shared email screen SC2 that includes the shared email portion P22 but displays nothing. On the other hand, if the groupware server 10 determines that a predetermined HTML tag is specified in the settings of the shared email application, it executes the processes of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A described in the embodiment.

[0113] The user may be allowed to use the shared email service as a groupware option in an application other than the shared email application. For example, when the user specifies a predetermined HTML tag on the application setting screen SC3 of a customer management application, a project management application, or another application, the shared email portion P22 may be displayed on the screen of the application. In this case, the processing of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A is as described in the embodiment. Another example is that the user may be allowed to specify a predetermined HTML tag for a screen other than the application. In this case, the shared email portion P22 is displayed on the screen other than the application.

[0114] The groupware system 1 of Variation 1-3 accepts a user's specification of an HTML tag indicating a shared email. The processing of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A is executed on the condition that the HTML tag has been specified. By specifying the HTML tag for an arbitrary app or an arbitrary page, the groupware system 1 can display the shared email portion P22 on the screen of the arbitrary app or on a screen other than the app.

[0115] [Variation 1-4] For example, a user may directly log in to the shared mail service. When a user logs in to the shared mail service, the shared mail system 2 causes a shared mail screen as the domain of the shared mail service to be displayed on the user terminal 30. This shared mail screen is displayed by a process described in Variation 2-2 below. This shared mail screen may be a screen adopted by a known shared mail service.

[0116] 12 is a diagram showing an example of a shared email screen displayed on the user terminal 30 when a user logs in to the shared email service. As shown in FIG. 12, the shared email screen SC4 in the shared email service includes a header portion P40 that is specific to the shared email service and a shared email portion P41 with content that is the same as or similar to the shared email portion P22. The header portion P40 is different from the header portion P20 of the shared email screen SC2 in the groupware.

[0117] For example, the background color of the header portion P40 is the theme color of the shared email service. The header portion P40 includes a shared email image I400 that shows the name or logo of the shared email service. The shared email image I400 may be used as a background image for the header portion P40. The header portion P40 allows the user to intuitively understand that they are logged in to the shared email service. For example, the shared email image I400 allows the user to intuitively understand that they are accessing the shared email system 2.

[0118] The first display control unit 103A of Modification 1-4 displays on the user terminal 30 a shared mail screen SC2 including a groupware portion that allows a user using the groupware to identify the groupware, and a shared mail portion P22 that does not allow the user to identify the shared mail system 2. The shared mail system 2 generates partial data for this shared mail portion P22. The processing on the shared mail system 2 side will be described later in Modification 2-3.

[0119] "User-identifiable groupware" means that the user can identify the groupware by the appearance (appearance) of the groupware portion. In variant 1-4, the user can visually identify the groupware by the groupware image I200, so the groupware portion including the groupware image I200 corresponds to the groupware portion that allows the user to identify the groupware. Other groupware portions that allow the user to identify the groupware, for example, include a groupware portion that includes an illustration of the groupware generated by CSS, a groupware portion with a background color of the groupware theme color, or a groupware portion that includes text indicating the groupware, may also correspond to the groupware portion that allows the user to identify the groupware.

[0120] The fact that the user cannot identify the shared mail system 2 means that the user cannot identify the shared mail system 2 from the appearance (appearance) of the shared mail part P22. In variant example 1-4, the user can visually identify the shared mail system 2 from the shared mail image I400, so a shared mail part P22 that does not include the shared mail image I400 corresponds to a shared mail part P22 that does not allow the user to identify the shared mail system 2. In addition, for example, a shared mail part P22 that does not include an illustration of the shared mail system 2 generated by CSS, a shared mail part P22 with a background color that is not the theme color of the shared mail system 2, or a shared mail part P22 that does not include text indicating the shared mail system 2 may correspond to a shared mail part P22 that allows the user to identify the shared mail system 2.

[0121] For example, the partial data indicates a shared mail portion P22 having the same layout as the shared mail portion P41, but excluding the header portion P40 of the shared mail screen SC4 in the shared mail service. If the shared mail screen SC4 has a footer portion, the partial data indicates the shared mail portion P22 having the same layout as the shared mail portion P41, but excluding the footer portion. The first display control unit 103A displays the shared mail screen SC2 on the user terminal 30 based on such partial data.

[0122] The groupware system 1 of variant example 1-4 displays a shared mail screen SC2 on the user terminal 30, which includes a groupware portion that allows the user to identify the groupware and a shared mail portion P22 that does not allow the user to identify the shared mail system 2. The groupware image I200 allows the user to intuitively understand that the shared mail screen SC2 is a groupware screen. Since the shared mail image I400 is not displayed on the shared mail screen SC2, it is possible to prevent the user from misunderstanding that they are logged in to a shared mail service.

[0123] [Variation 1-5] For example, when a user selects a customer management app from the list L110, a customer management screen SC5 showing the customer management app is displayed on the user terminal 30. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the customer management screen SC5. For example, the customer management screen SC5 displays customer information stored in a record of the customer management app. From the customer management screen SC5, the user can store new information in the record or change the information stored in the record. Shared emails related to the currently displayed customer may also be displayed on this customer management screen SC5.

[0124] The groupware system 1 of variant 1-5 includes an acquisition request unit 107, an acquisition result data acquisition unit 108, and a second display control unit 103B. The acquisition request unit 107 requests the shared email system 2 to acquire shared emails based on email addresses registered in a customer management app that manages customer information for users who use the groupware. The concept of acquisition here includes various processes such as search, lookup, and narrowing down. For example, when a user selects a record in the customer management app, the acquisition request unit 107 acquires the email address stored in that record. Note that the user may manually specify the email address to be acquired.

[0125] For example, the acquisition request unit 107 sends data in a predetermined format including the email address to be acquired to the shared email system 2. The shared email system 2 acquires all or part of the shared email for that email address from the shared email database DB2. The shared email for that email address is a shared email in which the email address is the destination, CC, BCC, or sender. The shared email system 2 sends the shared email data of the acquired shared email to the groupware system 1.

[0126] The acquisition result data acquisition unit 108 acquires acquisition result data indicating the acquisition result of the shared email from the shared email system 2. The acquisition result data may be in any format as long as it includes some information related to the shared email. For example, the acquisition result data may be the same as the shared email data, or may include only some information such as the subject and link. The acquisition result data acquisition unit 108 may store the acquisition result data in a record of the customer management application, or may not store the acquisition result data in any particular record.

[0127] The second display control unit 103B, based on the customer management application, causes the user terminal 30 to display a customer management screen SC5 including customer information and the acquisition results indicated by the acquisition result data. In the example of Fig. 13, the second display control unit 103B generates display data for the customer management screen SC5 so that the customer information (e.g., customer name, email address, etc.) stored in the application database DB1 is placed in a first position, and the acquisition results indicated by the acquisition result data are placed in a second position different from the first position (e.g., below the customer information).

[0128] The second display control unit 103B transmits display data for the customer management screen SC5 to the user terminal 30. Upon receiving the display data, the user terminal 30 displays the customer management screen SC5 on the display unit 35. In the example of FIG. 13, the subjects of shared emails related to the email addresses stored in the displayed record are displayed in chronological order on the customer management screen SC5. When the user selects the subject of a shared email displayed on the customer management screen SC5, a shared email screen SC2 showing details of the shared email is displayed on the user terminal 30, similar to variant example 1-1.

[0129] The groupware system 1 of variant 1-5 requests the shared email system 2 to retrieve the shared email based on the email address registered in the customer management app. The groupware system 1 retrieves the retrieval result data from the shared email system 2. Based on the customer management app, the groupware system 1 displays on the user terminal 30 a customer management screen SC5 including customer information and the retrieval result indicated by the retrieval result data. This allows the user to access the shared email information in the customer management app in the groupware.

[0130] [Variation 1-6] For example, a user may be able to register information such as an email address of a shared email to a customer management app from the shared email screen SC2. The groupware system 1 includes a registration unit 109. The registration unit 109 registers various data in the groupware to the data storage unit 100. For example, the registration unit 109 registers data related to an app to the app.

[0131] For example, the registration unit 109 includes a first registration unit 109A. When a predetermined registration operation is performed on the shared email screen SC2, the first registration unit 109A registers new customer information in a customer management app that manages customer information of users who use the groupware, based on the shared email displayed in the shared email portion P22. The registration operation may be any operation performed from the shared email screen SC2. For example, if a button such as "Register customer information" is displayed on the shared email screen SC2, selecting the button may correspond to the registration operation.

[0132] For example, as in Variation Example 1-1, when details of a shared email are displayed on the shared email screen SC2, if the user performs a registration operation by selecting button B227, the first registration unit 109A acquires the email addresses of the recipient, CC, BCC, or sender of the displayed shared email. In addition to the email address, the first registration unit 109A may also acquire at least one of the display name of the email address and the signature in the body of the shared email. This information may be included in the partial data, or the first registration unit 109A may request this information from the shared email system 2. The first registration unit 109A registers this information in a new record or an existing record in the customer management app.

[0133] When a predetermined registration operation is performed on the shared email screen SC2, the groupware system 1 of variant example 1-6 registers new customer information in the customer management app based on the shared email displayed in the shared email section P22. The groupware system 1 can register customer information in the customer management app with a simple operation, thereby improving user convenience.

[0134] [Variation 1-7] For example, when a shared email for an email address registered in the customer management app is displayed on the shared email screen SC2, the customer management screen SC5 may be displayed from the shared email screen SC2. The groupware system 1 of variants 1-7 includes a third display control unit 103C. When a predetermined display operation is performed on the shared email screen SC2, the third display control unit 103C causes the user terminal 30 to display a customer management screen SC5 of the customer management app that manages customer information of users who use the groupware, based on the shared email displayed in the shared email portion P22. The display operation may be any operation performed from the shared email screen SC2. For example, when a button such as "Check customer information" is displayed on the shared email screen SC2, selecting the button may correspond to the display operation.

[0135] For example, as in Variation Example 1-1, when details of a shared email are displayed on the shared email screen SC2, the user performs a display operation by selecting a button such as "Check customer information," not shown in FIG. 10. The third display control unit 103C acquires the email addresses of the recipient, CC, BCC, or sender of the displayed shared email. In addition to the email address, the third display control unit 103C may acquire at least one of the display name of the email address and the signature in the body of the shared email. This information may be included in the partial data, or the third display control unit 103C may request this information from the shared email system 2. The third display control unit 103C acquires a record of the customer management app using this information as a key. The third display control unit 103C displays the customer management screen SC5, which shows the acquired information, on the user terminal 30.

[0136] In the groupware system 1 of Variation 1-7, when a predetermined display operation is performed on the shared email screen SC2, the groupware system 1 displays the customer management screen SC5 on the user terminal based on the shared email displayed in the shared email portion P22. The groupware system 1 allows the user to check customer information on the customer management screen SC5 with a simple operation, thereby improving user convenience.

[0137] [Variation 1-8] For example, the case management app may register email threads for shared emails related to individual cases. In Modification 1-8, one email thread is registered for one case, but multiple email threads may be registered for one case. The groupware system 1 includes a second registration unit 109B and a fourth display control unit 103D.

[0138] The second registration unit 109B registers the email thread of the shared email in a case management application that manages cases of users who use groupware. The second registration unit 109B registers the email thread in the case management application by registering email thread identification information that enables the groupware server 10 to identify the email thread in a record of the case management application. The email thread identification information may be a reference included in the header of the shared email (a list of message IDs of related shared emails), or may be independently issued by the shared email server 20. The email thread to be registered is specified by the user. The second registration unit 109B registers information such as the email thread ID and shared email identification information in the case management application.

[0139] For example, the second registration unit 109B registers, in the case management app, an email thread of a shared email selected from the shared email section P22 of the shared email screen SC2. When a list L226 of multiple shared emails is displayed in the shared email section P22 as in FIG. 3, the second registration unit 109B registers, in the case management app, at least one email thread selected by the user from the list L226. The user also specifies the case for which the email thread is to be registered. When details of a certain shared email are displayed in the shared email section P22 as in Variation Example 1-1, the second registration unit 109B registers the currently displayed email thread in the case management app when the user performs a predetermined operation on the shared email screen SC2 (for example, when the user selects button B228 in FIG. 10).

[0140] 14 is a diagram showing an example of a case management screen. The fourth display control unit 103D displays a case management screen SC6 including an email thread on the user terminal 30 based on the case management application. It is assumed that data necessary for displaying the case management screen SC6 is pre-stored in the data storage unit 100. The fourth display control unit 103D generates display data for the case management screen SC6 based on the data. The fourth display control unit 103D may request information on the latest email thread from the shared mail system 2 every time the user requests display of the case management screen SC6. Based on the request, the shared mail system 2 references the shared mail database DB2 and transmits information on the latest email thread to the groupware system 1.

[0141] For example, when a user selects any record in the case management app, the fourth display control unit 103D acquires the contents of the record. The fourth display control unit 103D generates display data for the case management screen SC6 based on the contents of the record. If an email thread is registered in the record, the fourth display control unit 103D generates display data for the case management screen SC6 that shows the subject of the email thread, as shown in FIG. 14. The fourth display control unit 103D transmits the display data for the case management screen SC6 to the user terminal 30, thereby displaying the case management screen SC6 on the user terminal 30. The display data for the case management screen SC6 includes links to individual shared emails belonging to the email thread.

[0142] The processing of the request unit 101, partial data acquisition unit 102, and first display control unit 103A in Modification Example 1-8 is executed when an email thread is selected on the case management screen SC6. For example, when a user selects a link to a shared email belonging to an email thread on the case management screen SC6, the user terminal 30 sends a display request for the shared email screen SC2 to the groupware server 10 based on the link of the selected shared email. The groupware server 10 receives the display request for the shared email screen SC2 from the user terminal 30. The subsequent processing of the request unit 101, partial data acquisition unit 102, and first display control unit 103A is the same as in Modification Example 1-1.

[0143] The groupware system 1 of variant 1-8 registers an email thread for a shared email in a project management application. Based on the project management application, the groupware system 1 displays a project management screen SC6 including the email thread on the user terminal 30. The processing of the request unit 101, the partial data acquisition unit 102, and the first display control unit 103A is executed when an email thread is selected on the project management screen SC6. The email thread is displayed on the project management screen SC6, making it easier for the user to manage projects. When the user selects an email thread, a shared email screen SC2 showing the shared emails belonging to the email thread is displayed on the user terminal 30, improving user convenience. The user can view the groupware shared email screen SC2 from the groupware project management screen SC6 without transitioning to another domain.

[0144] Furthermore, the groupware system 1 registers the email thread of the shared email selected from the shared email portion P22 of the shared email screen SC2 in the project management app. The user can check the shared email on the shared email screen SC2 and register the email thread of the shared email directly in the project management app, improving user convenience.

[0145] [Variation 1-9] For example, in Modification 1-8, the second registration unit 109B may register the email thread of the shared email specified on the case management screen SC6 in the case management app. The case management screen SC6 in Modification 1-9 displays an input form for the user to specify the email thread that the user wants to register in the case management app. When the user specifies a link to the shared email in the input form, the second registration unit 109B registers the email thread to which the shared email belongs in the case management app. The second registration unit 109B may request information identifying the email thread from the shared email system 2 based on the shared email identification information of the shared email.

[0146] The groupware system 1 of Variation 1-9 registers the email thread of the shared email specified on the case management screen SC6 in the case management app. The user can specify the email thread while checking the case on the case management screen SC6 and register the email thread directly in the case management app, which improves user convenience.

[0147] [Variation 1-10] For example, as in Variation 1-6, when information such as an email address of a shared email is registered in the customer management app, the user may be allowed to specify the correspondence between each of the pieces of information included in the shared email and each of the fields of the customer management app. The correspondence specified by the user is registered in the app database DB1 as app setting data of the customer management app. The groupware system 1 of Variation 1-10 includes a third registration unit 109C.

[0148] The third registration unit 109C registers information included in the shared email in the app based on an association between an app field set for each app in the groupware and an item included in the shared email. In Variation Example 1-10, a customer management app is described as an example of the app, but the app may be an app other than a customer management app. For example, the third registration unit 109C may register information included in the shared email in the app based on an association specified in advance for a project management app, a shared email app, or another app.

[0149] For example, for each item included in the header of a shared email, the user specifies which field the information in that item corresponds to. If the customer management app has fields such as email address, company name, customer name, and contact person name, the user specifies which of these fields the item included in the header of the shared email corresponds to. The correspondence specified by the user is indicated in advance in the application setting data. The third registration unit 109C registers the information of the item included in the header of the shared email corresponding to the record in the customer management app as the value of the field corresponding to the item.

[0150] The groupware system 1 of the modification 1-10 registers information included in the shared email in the app based on the association between the fields of the app and the items included in the shared email, which is set for each app in the groupware. The groupware system 1 can register the items included in the shared email in the most appropriate field.

[0151] [Variation 1-11] For example, a user may create an email to be sent from a shared email app by using a template app in which a shared email template is registered. The template app may be provided as a default app from the beginning, or may be added later by the user. The template app may also be created by the user.

[0152] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between a template app and other apps. In the example of Fig. 15, a shared email app, a customer management app, and a project management app are shown as the other apps. For example, the data storage unit 100 stores data indicating a record of the template app. The record of the template app stores data of a template created by a user.

[0153] In Modification 1-11, template apps are displayed as apps available to the user in list L110 on portal screen SC1 in Fig. 2. For example, when the user selects a template app from list L110, the user terminal 30 displays a template screen SC7 on the display unit 35, as shown in Fig. 15. Note that the template screen SC7 and the customer management screen SC5 are simplified in Fig. 15.

[0154] For example, the user inputs a template name into input form F70. The user inputs a subject into input form F71. The user inputs the body into input form F72. The user can register any data as a template into the template app. The data that the user can register as a template is not limited to the template name, subject, and body. For example, the user can register attachments, destinations, CC, BCC, font formatting, tags such as importance, email formats such as HTML, or other data into the template app.

[0155] The customer management screen SC5 of Variation 1-11 displays an input form F50 for the user to select a template and a button B51 for the user to create an email. If multiple templates are registered in the template app, the user selects one of the multiple templates from the input form F50. When the user selects button B51, the groupware server 10 creates an email based on the customer management app, template app, and shared email app.

[0156] In the example of FIG. 15, the field code (field name) is specified as the variable "%Customer%" in the body of the template. For example, this variable indicates the field code for the customer name in the customer management app. Based on the template data registered in the template app and the customer name registered in the customer management app, the groupware server 10 creates an email in which the customer name "ZZZ Co., Ltd." displayed on the customer management screen SC5 is inserted into the variable "%Customer%" in the body of the template.

[0157] The user can specify any field code in the customer management app as a variable. The field code that the user can specify as a variable is not limited to the customer name. For example, the user may specify the name of the person in charge, email address, phone number, address, or other field code as a variable. The user may specify field codes not only for the body of the template but also for other parts of the template, such as the subject line. Field codes may be common to multiple apps. For example, the variable "%Customer%" in FIG. 15 may indicate the field code for the customer name in the project management app.

[0158] Furthermore, the user may create an email by selecting a template from the case management screen SC6 instead of the customer management screen SC5. In this case as well, if a variable is specified in the template, the groupware server 10 creates an email in which the case information displayed on the case management screen SC6 is inserted into the variable portion of the body of the template based on the template data registered in the template app and the case information registered in the case management app (for example, the case name, customer name, or person in charge in FIG. 14).

[0159] Furthermore, a user may be able to select a template to create an email in an app other than the customer management app or the project management app. When a user creates an email from a template, the recipient, CC, and BCC of the email may be specified by the user or may be defined in the template. FIG. 15 also shows the flow of registering information about the shared email (e.g., name, email address, subject, body, or attachment) from the shared email app to the customer management app or the project management app. This flow is as described above.

[0160] Furthermore, if the user does not particularly specify a variable, the groupware server 10 may create an email based on a template app without referring to the customer management app or the project management app. The groupware server 10 may create an email based at least on the template app and the shared email app. If the user specifies a variable in a template, the groupware server 10 may obtain data corresponding to the variable from the customer management app, the project management app, or another app to create an email.

[0161] For example, when a user instructs the groupware server 10 to send an email from a shared email application, the groupware server 10 requests the shared email system 2 to send an email created based on a template. When the shared email server 20 receives the request, it sends the email created based on the template. The method for sending the email may be any of various known methods. The shared email server 20 sends the email created based on the template to each of the destination, CC, and BCC fields.

[0162] The groupware system 1 of Modification Example 1-11 creates emails based on a template application. This allows users to easily use email templates from the groupware, and the groupware system 1 can improve user convenience.

[0163] [6-2. Variations of the shared email system] Next, a modified example of the shared mail system 2 will be described.

[0164] [Variation 2-1] For example, as in variant example 1-1, the link to the shared email displayed in the shared email section P22 may include the groupware domain and shared email identification information. In variant example 2-1, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates the link to the shared email displayed in the shared email section P22. The data indicating the groupware domain portion of the link is assumed to be stored in the data storage unit 200.

[0165] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 identifies the groupware domain portion based on the data stored in the data storage unit 200. In the example of Fig. 10, the partial data acquisition unit 202 identifies the portion "xxxcompany.aaagroupware.com" as the groupware domain. The partial data acquisition unit 202 references the shared mail database DB2 and acquires the shared mail identification information of the shared mail displayed in the shared mail portion.

[0166] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates a link by placing a predetermined symbol (e.g., #, ?, =, etc.) after the groupware domain, followed by the shared email identification information. The partial data acquisition unit 202 generates as many links as the number of shared emails displayed in the shared email portion (in the example of FIG. 3, five displayed in list L226). The partial data acquisition unit 202 generates HTML data of the shared email portion P22 including the link as partial data. The processing of the first request receiving unit 201A and the partial data sending unit 203 is the same as in the embodiment.

[0167] The processing of the first request receiving unit 201A, partial data acquisition unit 202, and partial data transmission unit 203 in Modification Example 2-1 is executed each time a link is selected on the user terminal 30 and the groupware system 1 receives a request to display the shared email screen SC2 from the user terminal 30. For example, the first request receiving unit 201A receives a request from the request unit 101 described in Modification Example 1-1. The partial data acquisition unit 202 executes the processing described above and generates HTML data of the shared email part P22 including the link as partial data. The partial data transmission unit 203 transmits the partial data to the groupware system 1.

[0168] In the shared mail system 2 of variant example 2-1, the link to the shared mail displayed in the shared mail portion P22 includes the groupware domain and shared mail identification information. The processing of the first request receiving unit 201A, the partial data acquisition unit 202, and the partial data transmission unit 203 is executed each time a link is selected on the user terminal 30 and the groupware system 1 receives a request from the user terminal 30 to display the shared mail screen SC2. When a user selects the link to the shared mail, the shared mail system 2 can cause the user terminal 30 to display the shared mail in the groupware domain. If a user terminal 30 accesses another domain while accessing the groupware domain, the user may be confused, but the shared mail system 2 can prevent such confusion.

[0169] [Variation 2-2] For example, the processing of each of the first request receiving unit 201A, partial data acquisition unit 202, and partial data transmission unit 203 described in the embodiment is executed when a user logs in to the groupware. On the other hand, when a user logs in directly to the shared mail service as in Variation 1-4, a shared mail screen SC4 with content the same as or similar to the shared mail part P22 is displayed on the user terminal 30. The shared mail screen SC4 is as described in Variation 1-4. The shared mail system 2 of Variation 2-2 includes a display control unit 204.

[0170] When a user logs in to the shared mail system 2, the display control unit 204 causes the user terminal 30 to display a shared mail screen SC4 showing the shared mail based on a link that does not include the groupware domain but includes the domain of the shared mail system 2 and the shared mail identification information. The display control unit 204 generates display data for the shared mail screen SC4 and sends it to the user terminal 30. Upon receiving the display data for the shared mail screen SC4, the user terminal 30 causes the display unit 35 to display the shared mail screen SC4. This series of processes may be processes adopted in known shared mail services.

[0171] The partial data acquisition unit 202 of modification example 2-2 generates partial data for the shared mail portion P22 having a different layout from the shared mail portion P41 of the shared mail screen SC4 that is displayed when the user directly logs in to the shared mail service. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates partial data for the shared mail portion P22 that does not include the shared mail image I400. As another example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may generate partial data for the shared mail portion P22 in which the theme color of the shared mail service is not the background color.

[0172] In the shared mail system 2 of variant example 2-2, when a user logs in to the shared mail system 2, a shared mail screen SC4 showing the shared mail is displayed on the user terminal 30 based on a link that does not include the groupware domain but includes the domain of the shared mail system 2 and the shared mail identification information. The shared mail system 2 can provide the shared mail screen SC4 to a user who logs in directly to the shared mail service. For example, the shared mail system 2 can also make the layout of the shared mail portion P22 different from the layout of the shared mail portion P41. This allows the shared mail system 2 to display the shared mail portion P22 on the user terminal 30 in a display format specific to the groupware, or to display the shared mail portion P41 on the user terminal 30 in a display format specific to the shared mail service.

[0173] [Variation 2-3] For example, as in Variation 1-4, the shared mail screen SC4 includes a shared mail image I400 that allows the user to identify the shared mail system 2. As explained somewhat in Variation 2-2, the shared mail system 2 may include a display control unit 204 that causes the user terminal 30 to display a shared mail screen SC4 that allows the user to identify the shared mail system 2 when the user logs in to the shared mail system 2. The user being able to identify the shared mail system 2 has the opposite meaning of "the user is not able to identify the shared mail system 2" explained in Variation 1-4, so the explanation of Variation 1-4 can be reinterpreted to have the opposite meaning.

[0174] The partial data acquisition unit 202 in Modification 2-3 acquires partial data indicating a shared mail portion P22 that does not allow the user to identify the shared mail system 2. Similar to Modification 1-4, Modification 2-3 takes as an example a case where a shared mail portion P22 that does not include a shared mail image I400 corresponds to a shared mail portion P22 that does not allow the user to identify the shared mail system 2. The partial data acquisition unit 202 may acquire partial data indicating a shared mail portion P22 that does not include a shared mail image I400. Because the shared mail portion P22 does not include the shared mail image I400, it has a different appearance from the shared mail portion P41. The partial data acquisition unit 202 may acquire partial data for the shared mail portion P22 like the other examples described in Modification 1-4 (such as a shared mail portion P22 that does not include an illustration of the shared mail system 2 generated by CSS).

[0175] If the shared mail image I400 is displayed in the shared mail portion P22 of the shared mail screen SC2, the user may mistakenly believe that they are logged in to a shared mail service. In this regard, the shared mail system 2 of variant example 2-3 can display on the user terminal 30, for a user who has logged in to the groupware, a shared mail screen SC2 including a shared mail portion P22 that does not mistakenly lead the user to believe that they are logged in to a shared mail service.

[0176] [Variation 2-4] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may acquire partial data indicating a shared mail portion of the shared mail screen SC4 displayed when the user logs in to the shared mail system 2, in which the portion that allows the user to identify the shared mail system 2 has been replaced with a groupware image I200 that allows the user to identify the groupware. In Modification 2-4, the partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires partial data indicating a shared mail portion P22 in which the shared mail image I400 has been replaced with a groupware image I200 that allows the user to identify the groupware. The data storage unit 200 of Modification 2-4 stores image data of the groupware image I200. The partial data acquisition unit 202 generates partial data indicating the shared mail portion P22 that includes the groupware image I200 based on the image data.

[0177] The partial data acquisition unit 202 can place the groupware image I200 at any position in the shared mail portion P22. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may place the groupware image I200 at a position less than a predetermined distance from the top edge of the shared mail portion P22, or may place the groupware image I200 within the list L226. Instead of including the groupware image I200 in the partial data, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may generate the partial data so that the background color of the shared mail portion P22 is the theme color of the groupware. Information indicating the background color of the shared mail portion P22 is indicated in the partial data. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may perform replacement as in another example of "user can identify groupware" described in Modification Example 1-4.

[0178] The shared mail system 2 of variant example 2-4 acquires partial data indicating the replaced shared mail portion P22 as described above. The shared mail system 2 can display on the user terminal 30, for the user who has logged in to the groupware, a shared mail screen SC2 including the shared mail portion P22, which allows the user to intuitively understand that the user is logged in to the groupware.

[0179] [Variation 2-5] For example, in Variation 1-5, when a user selects a record of the customer management application, the shared mail system 2 may acquire a shared mail to be displayed on the customer management screen SC5. The meaning of "acquisition" here is as explained in Variation 1-5. Variation 2-5 explains the processing on the shared mail system 2 side in Variation 1-5. The shared mail system 2 of Variation 2-5 includes a second request receiving unit 201B, an acquisition execution unit 205, and an acquisition result data transmission unit 206.

[0180] The second request receiving unit 201B receives a request from the groupware system 1 to acquire a shared email based on an email address registered in a customer management app that manages customer information of users who use the groupware. The second request receiving unit 201B receives a request from the acquisition request unit 107 described in Modification 1-5. As described in Modification 1-5, the request from the acquisition request unit 107 includes an email address stored in a record of the customer management app selected by the user.

[0181] The acquisition execution unit 205 acquires a shared email when the second request acceptance unit 201B accepts a request. For example, the acquisition execution unit 205 acquires a shared email to be displayed on the customer management screen SC5 from the shared email database DB2 based on the email address included in the request accepted by the second request acceptance unit 201B. The acquisition execution unit 205 acquires shared emails for which the email address is the recipient, CC, BCC, or sender.

[0182] The acquisition result data sending unit 206 sends the acquisition result executed by the acquisition execution unit 205 to the groupware system 1. The acquisition result is data in a predetermined format. This data includes information about the shared email acquired by the acquisition execution unit 205. For example, this data includes the subject of the acquired shared email, at least a portion of the body of the shared email, the name of an attachment to the shared email, or other information. The acquisition result data sending unit 206 references the shared email database DB2, acquires this information, and sends it as acquisition result data.

[0183] The shared email system 2 of variant example 2-5 receives a request from the groupware system 1 to obtain a shared email based on an email address registered in the customer management app. When the shared email system 2 receives the request, it obtains the shared email. The shared email system 2 sends the result of the acquisition executed by the acquisition execution unit 205 to the groupware system 1. This allows the user to access the shared email information in the customer management app in the groupware.

[0184] [Variation 2-6] For example, in Modification Example 1-6, the shared email system 2 may generate partial data for the shared email portion P22 that allows a user to register information about the shared email in a customer management app. In Modification Example 2-6, the partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires partial data indicating the shared email portion P22 that allows a user to instruct the customer management app that manages the user's customer information to register new customer information based on the shared email displayed in the shared email portion P22. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires partial data indicating the shared email portion P22 that includes a registration image that allows the user to instruct the registration.

[0185] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates partial data indicating the shared email portion P22 including the button B227 in FIG. 10. The link of the button B227 is assumed to be the groupware domain. Therefore, when the user selects the button B227, the user terminal 30 requests the groupware server 10 to register information about the shared email in the customer management application. Note that the registration image is not limited to the button B227 and may be other images such as an icon. Furthermore, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may acquire partial data indicating the shared email portion P22 that the user can instruct to register by using an illustration that can be displayed using CSS, text including a link, or other user interface parts other than the registration image.

[0186] The shared email system 2 of variant example 2-6 acquires partial data indicating the shared email portion P22 that allows the user to instruct the customer management app to register new customer information based on the shared email displayed in the shared email portion P22. The shared email system 2 allows the user to register customer information in the customer management app with a simple operation, thereby improving user convenience.

[0187] [Variation 2-7] For example, in Modification Example 1-7, the shared email system 2 may generate partial data of a shared email portion P22 that allows a user to display a customer management screen SC5 from the shared email screen SC2. The partial data acquisition unit 202 in Modification Example 2-7 acquires partial data indicating the shared email portion P22, which is a display of the customer management screen SC5 of a customer management app that manages the user's customer information, and which allows the user to instruct the display based on the shared email displayed in the shared email portion P22. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires partial data indicating the shared email portion P22 that includes a display image that allows the user to instruct the display.

[0188] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates partial data indicating the shared mail portion P22 including the button described in Modification Example 1-7. The link of the button is assumed to be the groupware domain. Therefore, when the user selects the button, the user terminal 30 transmits a display request for a customer management screen to the groupware server 10. Note that the display image is not limited to a button, and may be other images such as an icon. Furthermore, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may acquire partial data indicating the shared mail portion P22 that the user can instruct to display using an illustration that can be displayed using CSS, text including a link, or other user interface parts, in addition to the display image.

[0189] The shared email system 2 of variant example 2-7 displays a customer management screen SC5 of a customer management app that manages customer information for users who use groupware, and acquires partial data indicating the shared email portion P22 that the user can instruct to display based on the shared email displayed in the shared email portion P22. The shared email system 2 allows the user to check customer information on the customer management screen SC5 with simple operations, thereby improving user convenience.

[0190] [Variation 2-8] For example, in Variation 1-8, when a user selects a record of a case management application, the shared mail system 2 may obtain a mail thread to be displayed on the case management screen SC6. Variation 2-8 describes the processing on the shared mail system 2 side in Variation 1-8. The shared mail system 2 in Variation 2-8 includes a third request receiving unit 201C and a mail thread data sending unit 207.

[0191] The third request receiving unit 201C receives a request for email thread data indicating an email thread of a shared email registered in a case management application that manages a user's case from the groupware system 1. When a user selects a record in the case management application, the groupware server 10 transmits an acquisition request for the email thread to the shared email system 2. The third request receiving unit 201C receives the acquisition request. For example, the acquisition request includes the email thread ID registered in the record selected by the user.

[0192] When the third request receiving unit 201C receives a request, the mail thread data sending unit 207 sends mail thread data to the groupware system 1. For example, the mail thread data sending unit 207 acquires a mail thread to be displayed on the customer management screen SC5 from the shared mail database DB2 based on the mail thread ID included in the display request received from the groupware system 1. The mail thread data sending unit 207 references the shared mail database DB2 and acquires the subject of the shared mail belonging to the acquired mail thread, at least a portion of the body of the shared mail, the name of an attachment to the shared mail, or other information. The mail thread data sending unit 207 generates mail thread data indicating this information and sends it to the groupware system 1.

[0193] The shared email system 2 of variant example 2-8 receives a request from the groupware system 1 for email thread data indicating an email thread of a shared email registered in the case management application. When the shared email system 2 receives the request, it sends the email thread data to the groupware system 1. The email thread is displayed on the case management screen SC6, making it easier for the user to manage cases. When the user selects an email thread, a shared email screen SC2 indicating the shared emails belonging to the email thread is displayed on the user terminal 30, improving user convenience. The user can view the groupware shared email screen SC2 from the groupware case management screen SC6 without transitioning to another domain.

[0194] [Variation 2-9] For example, in Modification Example 1-8, the shared email system 2 may generate partial data of the shared email portion P22 that allows the user to register an email thread in the case management app from the shared email screen SC2. The partial data acquisition unit 202 in Modification Example 2-9 acquires partial data indicating the shared email portion P22 that allows the user to select an email thread from the shared email portion P22 on the shared email screen. For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 acquires partial data indicating the shared email portion P22 that includes an email thread selection image that allows the user to select the email thread.

[0195] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates partial data indicating the shared mail portion P22 including a button B228. The link of the button B228 is assumed to be a groupware domain. Therefore, when a user selects the button B228, the user terminal 30 requests the groupware server 10 to register the mail thread in the project management application. Note that the mail thread selection image is not limited to the button B228 and may be other images such as an icon. Furthermore, the partial data acquisition unit 202 may acquire partial data indicating the shared mail portion P22 from which the user can select the mail thread using an illustration that can be displayed using CSS, text including a link, or other user interface parts other than the mail thread selection image.

[0196] The shared email system 2 of variant example 2-9 acquires partial data indicating the shared email portion P22 from which the user can select an email thread from the shared email portion P22 of the shared email screen SC2. The user can check the shared email on the shared email screen SC2 and register the email thread of the shared email directly in the project management app, thereby improving user convenience.

[0197] [Variation 2-10] For example, the shared mail system 2 may be able to cooperate with multiple groupware systems 1. In variant example 2-10, each of the multiple groupware systems 1 displays the shared mail portion P22 on the shared mail screen SC2 of the groupware it manages. The requests sent from each of the multiple groupware systems 1 to the shared mail system 2 may be the same as in the embodiment. The shared mail system 2 receives requests from each of the multiple groupware systems 1 that are the same as in the embodiment.

[0198] The partial data acquisition unit 202 of Modification Example 2-10 acquires partial data corresponding to the groupware system 1 that sent the partial data request from among the multiple groupware systems 1. The partial data corresponding to the groupware system 1 is partial data including a link corresponding to the groupware system 1, or partial data indicating the shared email part P22 in a layout corresponding to the groupware system 1. The partial data transmission unit 203 transmits the partial data corresponding to the groupware system 1 to the groupware system 1 that sent the partial data request.

[0199] For example, the partial data acquisition unit 202 generates partial data indicating a link including the domain of a groupware system 1 that has sent a request for partial data, among the multiple groupware systems 1, and email identification information. The domain of each of the multiple groupware systems 1 is assumed to be stored in advance in the data storage unit 200. The partial data acquisition unit 202 may generate partial data in which the theme color of the groupware system 1 that has sent a request for partial data is used as the background color. The theme color of each of the multiple groupware systems 1 is assumed to be stored in advance in the data storage unit 200.

[0200] The shared mail system 2 of variant example 2-10 can cooperate with multiple groupware systems 1. The shared mail system 2 obtains partial data corresponding to the groupware system 1 that sent the request from among the multiple groupware systems 1. By cooperating with multiple groupware systems 1, the shared mail system 2 can improve user convenience.

[0201] [6-3. Other Modifications] For example, the above modifications may be combined.

[0202] For example, some of the functions described as being realized by the groupware server 10 may be realized by the user terminal 30. In this case, functions similar to those of the groupware server 10 may be realized by being executed by a browser script or by a program installed on the user terminal 30. The functions described as being realized by the groupware server 10 may be shared among multiple computers.

[0203] For example, some of the functions described as being realized by the shared mail server 20 may be realized by the user terminal 30. In this case, functions similar to those of the shared mail server 20 may be realized by being executed by a browser script or by a program installed on the user terminal 30. The functions described as being realized by the shared mail server 20 may be shared among multiple computers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0204] 1 groupware system, 2 shared mail system, 10 groupware server, 11, 21, 31 control unit, 12, 22, 32 memory unit, 13, 23, 33 communication unit, 20 shared mail server, 30 user terminal, 34 operation unit, 35 display unit, N network, DB1 application database, 100 data memory unit, 101 request unit, 102 Partial data acquisition unit, 103 display control unit, 104 request reception unit, 105 addition unit, 106 specification reception unit, 107 acquisition request unit, 108 acquisition result data acquisition unit, 109 registration unit, 200 data storage unit, 201 request reception unit, 202 partial data acquisition unit, 203 partial data transmission unit, 204 display control unit, 205 acquisition execution unit, 206 acquisition result data transmission unit, 207 email thread data transmission unit, 300 data storage unit, 301 display control unit, 302 operation reception unit, DB1 application database, DB2 shared email database, F30 input form, P10, P20, P40 header part, P11, P21 content part, P22, P41 shared email part, SC1 portal screen, SC2 shared email screen, SC3 application setting screen, SC4 shared email screen, SC5 customer management screen, SC6 Project management screen, B220, B221 buttons, I100, I200 groupware images, I400 shared email images, L110, L226 list.

Claims

1. A groupware system that cooperates with a shared email system that manages shared emails, an acquisition request unit that requests the shared email system to acquire the shared email based on an email address registered in a customer management application that manages customer information of users who use the groupware; an acquisition result data acquisition unit that acquires acquisition result data indicating an acquisition result of the shared email from the shared email system; a second display control unit that displays, on the user terminal of the user, a customer management screen including the customer information and the acquisition result indicated by the acquisition result data, based on the customer management app; A groupware system including:

2. A groupware system that cooperates with a shared email system that manages shared emails, a second registration unit that registers an email thread of the shared email in a project management application that manages projects of users who use the groupware; a fourth display control unit that displays a case management screen including the email thread on the user terminal of the user based on the case management app; A groupware system including:

3. A groupware system that cooperates with a shared email system that manages shared emails, and includes a third registration unit that acquires data related to the shared emails from the shared email system and registers information contained in the shared emails in the app based on an association between fields of the app and items contained in the shared emails, which is set for each app in the groupware. Groupware system.

4. A method for linking a groupware system with a shared email system that manages shared emails, comprising: requesting the shared email system to acquire the shared email based on an email address registered in a customer management application that manages customer information of users who use the groupware; Acquires acquisition result data indicating an acquisition result of the shared email from the shared email system; displaying, on the user terminal of the user, a customer management screen including the customer information and the acquisition result indicated by the acquisition result data, based on the customer management app; How to collaborate.

5. A computer in a groupware system that cooperates with a shared email system that manages shared emails, an acquisition request unit that requests the shared email system to acquire the shared email based on an email address registered in a customer management application that manages customer information of users who use the groupware; an acquisition result data acquisition unit that acquires acquisition result data indicating an acquisition result of the shared email from the shared email system; a second display control unit that displays, on the user terminal of the user, a customer management screen including the customer information and the acquisition result indicated by the acquisition result data, based on the customer management app; A program to function as a

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