Information processing device and program

Abstract

To improve efficiency of work of a user who uses documents in a workspace, as compared with a case where the documents are displayed in an arrangement order that is different from an arrangement order of the documents with which the user performs the work.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus 1 includes a processor, the processor being configured to: acquire document attribute information Ta (broken line frame B11) of a document (Pro 4_quotation, etc.) stored in a storage area; acquire other document attribute information Ta (broken frame B12) of another document (Pro 1_quotation, etc.), and positional information ( X coordinate 1000 and Y coordinate 200, etc.) in a case where the other document is displayed in a display area; and determine a position in a case where the document (Pro 4_quotation, etc.) is displayed in the display area based on the document attribute information, the other document attribute information, and the positional information, which are acquired.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system including a storage means for storing, for each of a plurality of workspaces, the placement position of each electronic document to be placed in the workspace; a reception means for referencing the information stored in the storage means for one workspace selected from the plurality of workspaces, generating display information in which each electronic document in the workspace is placed in the placement position corresponding to the placement position, providing the generated display information to a user, and receiving designation of a target electronic document from the user on a display based on the provided display information; and a reception means for receiving designation of a workspace other than the workspace corresponding to the display information provided by the reception means, by referring to the information stored in the storage means. A related document presentation system is disclosed that includes: an identification means for identifying a workspace in which electronic documents that are considered to be identical to a target electronic document are placed as a target workspace; a calculation means for calculating the relevance of each electronic document in the target workspace to the target electronic document based on the placement positions of each electronic document in the target workspace identified by the identification means and the placement positions of electronic documents that are considered to be identical to the target electronic document in the target workspace; and a presentation means for presenting information indicating electronic documents that are related to the target electronic document among each of the electronic documents based on the relevance of each electronic document to the target electronic document calculated by the calculation means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-217562 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, for example, when stored documents are displayed in the workspace, if they are displayed in an arrangement that is different from the arrangement in which the documents are displayed when the user performs work, it may become difficult for the user to efficiently perform work using the documents in the workspace. The object of the present invention is to improve the efficiency of a user's work using documents in a workspace compared to when documents are displayed in the workspace in an arrangement other than the arrangement in which the user performs the work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention according to claim 1 includes a processor, and the processor stores data in a storage area. New Obtaining document attribute information of the document to be stored; Other documents already stored in the storage area that have different document attribute information The attribute information of the other document and the position information of the other document when the other document is displayed in the display area are acquired, and based on the acquired document attribute information, the attribute information of the other document and the position information, A rule for sorting is generated, and the document attribute information is sorted by the rule for sorting. The information processing apparatus is characterized in that it determines the position of the document when it is displayed in the display area. The invention described in claim 2 is the information processing device described in claim 1, characterized in that the document attribute information of the document and the other document attribute information of the other document include case information indicating the case to be used and type information indicating the document type. The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the document attribute information and Other document attribute information in Each case information When either the information or the classification information is the same but the other is different The document and the other document As for how to arrange the documents, the documents in question and other documents in question have the same information. are arranged in one direction, each The type information is the same The relevant Documents and The relevant 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the other documents are arranged in another direction intersecting the one direction. The invention described in claim 4 is others 4. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the document is displayed at a position determined by the position information. The invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that the document attribute information and Other document attribute information in Each case information When either the information or the classification information is the same but the other is differentThe document and the other document As for how to arrange the documents, the documents in question and other documents in question have the same information. are arranged in one direction, each The type information is the same The relevant Documents and The relevant 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein other documents are arranged in the one direction. The invention described in claim 6 is As a sequence of the document and the other documents in a case where one of the case information and the type information in the document attribute information and the other document attribute information is the same and the other is different, Document attribute information and the When each type of information in the other document attribute information is the same or different, The relevant The location of the document is each other 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the information processing device is different. In the invention described in claim 7, the document attribute information and the other document attribute information further include creator information associated with a document creator, The document attribute information and the other document attribute information When the case information is different but the creator information is the same of The aforementioned document and the other document in the display area, so that the author information is closer than if it were different , the document in question The present invention is characterized in that it determines the position. 1 The information processing device is described in the above. An eighth aspect of the present invention is the information processing device according to the first aspect, wherein the position information is changed when the user moves the other document within the display area. The invention described in claim 9 is characterized in that the position information is a position where the other document is displayed in the display area. Ta 9. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein the location information is the most recent location information at the time of the event. In the invention described in claim 10, the position information includes position information of the other document displayed in the display area, and The image displayed in the display area 9. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein the other document is any of the position information calculated from position information as a history of movement of the display area. An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the information processing device according to the tenth aspect, wherein the calculated position information is calculated by weighting the position information as the history. The invention described in claim 12 is For each of the plurality of documents newly stored in the storage area, the order is determined according to the rules of the arrangement. In a designated position Multiple relevantAn arrangement image of the documents arranged is presented, and the storage area is changed in response to a user's operation on the arrangement image. Multiple new files are stored in 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document is moved to the display area and arranged in accordance with the arrangement image. The invention described in claim 13 further includes the following: Multiple 13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the document is displayed together with the other documents. The invention described in claim 14 is a method for storing a plurality of documents in the storage area. New Store and arrange the images to is the storage area is newly stored in Multiple The above 14. The information processing device according to claim 13, wherein the entire document is displayed. The invention described in claim 15 is a method for storing a plurality of documents in the storage area. New Store and arrange the images to is the storage area is newly stored in Multiple The above document Partially 14. The information processing device according to claim 13, wherein the information processing device is characterized in that the information processing device is displayed. The invention described in claim 16 is the layout image to The document is displayed Other documents but displayed do not have 13. The information processing device according to claim 12, 。 Claim 1 7 The invention described in computer In the storage area New A function for acquiring document attribute information of a stored document; Other documents already stored in the storage area that have different document attribute information a function for acquiring other document attribute information of the other document and position information when the other document is displayed in the display area, and the acquired document attribute information, other document attribute information, and position information; of Based on A rule for sorting is generated, and the document attribute information is sorted by the rule for sorting. and a function for determining the position of the document when it is displayed in the display area. for It is a program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to claim 1, the efficiency of the work of a user who uses documents in the workspace can be improved compared to when documents are displayed in the workspace in an arrangement other than the arrangement in which the documents are displayed when the user performs work. According to claim 2, it is possible to increase the number of document arrangement patterns compared to when the document attribute information and other document attribute information do not include both the case information and the type information. According to claim 3, Each of the document attribute information and the other document attribute information Project information Either one of the following: is the same and the other is different case As for the arrangement of the document and the other documents, the document and the other documents with the same case information are Arranged in one direction ,each The type information is the same The document and the other document intersect with the one direction. Compared to a case where an arrangement that allows arranging in other directions is not adopted, it is possible to accommodate a variety of arrangement requests from users. According to claim 4, other documents but Location information by Display at location And This reduces disruption to work in progress compared to when a computer is installed. According to claim 5, Each document attribute information and other document attribute information Project information Either the information or the information by category same and the other is different case As for how to arrange documents and other documents, documents with the same item information and other documents are Arranged in one direction ,each The type information is the same Documents and other documents Compared to a case where an arrangement that allows for alignment in one direction is not adopted, it is possible to accommodate a variety of arrangement requests from users. According to claim 6, As a sequence of documents and other documents in which either the item information or the type information in the document attribute information and other document attribute information is the same and the other is different, The type information may be the same or different. 、 Defined location of the document are different from each other In comparison with the conventional method, it is possible to respond to various user requests for different sequences. According to claim 7, Document attribute information and other document attribute information If the matter information is different but the creator information is the same The arrangement of the document and other documents in the display area, so that the author information is closer than if it were different 、 This can improve the efficiency of the user's work compared to when the document position is not determined. According to claim 8, the efficiency of the user's work can be improved even after work on other documents has been completed, compared to when the location information does not change even when the user moves other documents within the display area. According to claim 9, it is possible to respond to the user's level of proficiency, compared to when the acquired location information is not the most recent location information. According to claim 10, displayed in the display area Compared to when position information as a history of other documents moving in the display area is used without calculation, documents can be displayed in the display area in an arrangement that is preferable to the user. According to claim 11, documents can be displayed in the display area in an arrangement that is more preferable to the user than when weighting is not used in calculating the position information. According to claim 12, it is possible to improve usability for the user compared to a case where the layout image is arranged in the display area according to the layout image presented without waiting for a user operation on the layout image. According to claim 13, the layout image Multiple This improves user convenience compared to when a document is not displayed together with other documents. According to claim 14, the efficiency of the user's work can be improved compared to when only some of the documents in the storage area are displayed even though the user wants to display all of the documents in the layout image. According to claim 15, the efficiency of the user's work can be improved compared to when the layout image displays all of the documents in the storage area even though the user only wants to display a portion of the documents. According to claim 16, the layout image can improve the efficiency of the user's work compared to when a document is displayed including other documents. 。 Claim 1 7 This allows for more efficient work by users who use documents in the workspace compared to when documents are displayed in the workspace in an arrangement that is different from the arrangement in which the documents are displayed when the user performs the work. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image display device to which the present embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an image display device. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an operation screen displayed on a display unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an image display device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an image display device. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a statistical information processing unit. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a takeout processing unit. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a display control unit. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing examples of arrangement of thumbnail information in a take-out display area of ​​an operation screen displayed on a display unit, where (a) is a first arrangement example and (b) is a second arrangement example. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of arrangement of thumbnail information in a take-out display area of ​​an operation screen displayed on a display unit, where (a) is a third arrangement example and (b) is a fourth arrangement example. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a fifth example of arrangement of thumbnail information in the take-out display area of ​​the operation screen displayed on the display unit. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an operation screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] 3 is a diagram illustrating document information held by a document information management unit. FIG. [Figure 14] This figure explains the display contents of the operation screen when the bulk removal button is pressed, where (a) shows the state when the layout image area appears, and (b) shows the state when the removal display area is displayed according to the layout image area. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the contents of document information updated as a result of batch retrieval. [Figure 16] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining a second embodiment, in which FIG. 10A is a diagram for explaining an operation screen, and FIG. 10B is a diagram for explaining document information held by a document information management unit. [Figure 17]This figure explains the display contents of the operation screen when the bulk removal button is pressed, where (a) shows the state when the layout image area appears, and (b) shows the state when the removal display area is displayed according to the layout image area. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the contents of document information updated as a result of batch retrieval. [Figure 19] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining a third embodiment, in which FIG. 10A is a diagram for explaining an operation screen, and FIG. 10B is a diagram for explaining document information held by a document information management unit. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a work history stored by a work history management unit. [Figure 21] This figure explains the display contents of the operation screen when the bulk removal button is pressed, where (a) shows the state when the layout image area appears, and (b) shows the state when the removal display area is displayed according to the layout image area. [Figure 22] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating updates performed by batch retrieval, where (a) shows document information and (b) shows work history. [Figure 23] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a takeout processing unit in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an operation screen according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 25] 3 is a diagram illustrating document information held by a document information management unit. FIG. [Figure 26] This figure explains the display contents of the operation screen when the bulk removal button is pressed, where (a) shows the state when the layout image area appears, and (b) shows the state when the removal display area is displayed according to the layout image area. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the contents of document information updated as a result of batch retrieval. [Figure 28] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a takeout processing unit in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 29] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an operation screen according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 30]This figure explains the display contents of the operation screen when the bulk removal button is pressed, where (a) shows the state when the layout image area appears, and (b) shows the state when the removal display area is displayed according to the layout image area. [Figure 31] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an operation screen according to a sixth embodiment, in which (a) shows a state where no user operation is performed, and (b) shows a state after the batch removal button is pressed. [Figure 32] 3 is a diagram illustrating document information held by a document information management unit. FIG. [Figure 33] This figure explains the display contents of the operation screen when the bulk removal button is pressed, where (a) shows the state when the layout image area appears, and (b) shows the state when the removal display area is displayed according to the layout image area. [Figure 34] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the contents of document information updated as a result of batch retrieval. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Hardware configuration of image display device 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an image display device 1 to which this embodiment is applied. 1, an image display device 1 according to this embodiment includes an arithmetic processing unit 10 that executes digital arithmetic processing according to a predetermined processing program when displaying on a screen, an input unit 20 that accepts input operations from a user, and a secondary storage unit 30 realized by an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The image display device 1 also includes a display unit 40 that is formed of a liquid crystal display panel, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display panel, or the like that displays images, text information, and the like to the user, and a communication unit 50 that transmits and receives data via a network. The image display device 1 is an example of an information processing device.

[0009] The arithmetic processing unit 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, which is an example of a processor and controls the entire device, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12 used as a working memory for the CPU 11, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13 in which an image display processing program executed by the CPU 11 is stored. The arithmetic processing unit 10 also includes a non-volatile memory 14, such as a battery-backed static RAM (SRAM) or flash memory, which is rewritable and can retain data even when the power supply is interrupted, and an interface unit 15 which controls each unit, such as an input unit 20, connected to the arithmetic processing unit 10. The non-volatile memory 14 stores image information, such as documents and thumbnail information to be displayed on the display unit 40.

[0010] The input unit 20 is a device such as a pointing device through which a user inputs operations. For example, if the input unit 20 is a mouse or the like, the user can specify a position on the screen of the display unit 40, a displayed image, or the like by moving the cursor or clicking. Furthermore, when the input unit 20 is a touch panel or the like, the user can specify a position on the screen or a displayed image by touching the touch panel with a finger or the like or by maintaining the touch state of the finger or the like for a predetermined period of time. In this case, the input unit 20 is provided integrally with the display unit 40. In addition to the above-mentioned pointing device and other devices, the input unit 20 may also include a keyboard for key input operations.

[0011] In addition to storing image data, etc., the secondary storage unit 30 also stores an image display processing program executed by the calculation processing unit 10, and the calculation processing unit 10 reads this image display processing program to execute each process of the image display device 1 of this embodiment.

[0012] The display unit 40 displays office documents created by, for example, office software or other application programs, and uses thumbnail information that is highly convenient for managing multiple application files, image files, and the like.

[0013] Such thumbnail information refers to a reduced image for displaying a list of files, and allows the user to roughly grasp the contents of the files without opening them. When such a file is composed of multiple pages, the file may be displayed in a reduced display mode that allows only the contents of the first or representative page to be roughly grasped, or in a reduced display mode that separates all pages so that each page can be distinguished and the contents of each page can be roughly grasped. Also, thumbnail images may be displayed in a mode that allows a user to enlarge and display the image on the display unit 40 without opening the file. Images in this mode are called "enlarged thumbnail images," and displaying enlarged thumbnail images is sometimes called "enlarged display." The file may be a single page or may be a bundle of multiple pages.

[0014] Here, the program executed by the CPU 11 is provided to the arithmetic processing unit 10 in a state where it is stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium (e.g., a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, etc.), an optical recording medium (e.g., an optical disk, etc.), a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. The program executed by the CPU 11 may also be downloaded to the image display device 1 using a communication means such as the Internet. Note that the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors such as CPUs, as well as dedicated processors such as GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), and programmable logic devices. Furthermore, the operations of the processors may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located in physically separate locations working together. The order of the operations of the processors is not limited to the order described and may be changed.

[0015] The image display device 1 may be connected to other devices via a network. This allows documents created on other devices and transferred over the network to be displayed on the image display device 1. For example, if a certain task consists of multiple documents, such as a development specification and a work order, these multiple documents are displayed on the image display device 1. Furthermore, the image display device 1 also performs tasks such as distributing each page to different related departments and finally bundling them together into a single document to complete the task, and then further tasks such as approval are performed. Such a network may be a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet, but may also be a hybrid configuration of a LAN and the Internet.

[0016] Here, in a personal workspace (workspace) processed by the processing unit 10, if multiple documents are stored in the inbox, the user can retrieve the documents all at once in a document arrangement that makes it easy for the user to start working on routine tasks, thereby improving the user's work efficiency. The document arrangement state that is easy to start with varies depending on the worker, and the positional relationship of document types, such as the order, arrangement shape, and arrangement intervals, varies. Therefore, in this embodiment, one or more documents stored in the in-tray are collectively retrieved in an arrangement suitable for each operating user's routine work, based on the document arrangement status in the user's workspace or the document coordinate arrangement history.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the image display device 1. As shown in FIG. 2, a workspace 41 serving as a personal working space is set on the display unit 40 of the image display device 1. The workspace 41 is realized by file handling software that uses the RAM 12 (see FIG. 1). Thumbnail information associated with a document is displayed at any coordinate position in the workspace 41. The workspace 41 is also a user's workspace where the user can move the coordinate position of the thumbnail information and perform operations such as previewing, duplicating, and deleting documents. The document referred to here is the entity of the document (original content data). As mentioned above, the workspace 41 displays thumbnail information and the like associated with the document, but the term "document" may be used instead of "thumbnail information" in the following description.

[0018] The inbox 42 placed in the workspace 41 has the function of being able to receive multiple documents from any other user, and is a storage area where documents received from other users can be temporarily stored. The inbox 42 can be placed by the user at a location that is easy to see and operate from the workspace 41. When a document is stored in the inbox 42, the icon or display name representing the inbox 42 displays the number of documents stored therein and notifies the user that a file has been received. In the example shown in Figure 2, three documents, Document 1, Document 2, and Document 3, are stored in the inbox.

[0019] A plurality of documents are stored in the inbox 42, and a document selected in the inbox 42 is moved onto the workspace 41 by dragging and dropping with the mouse or by retrieving all documents at once. In the example shown in Fig. 2, thumbnail information displays documents A, B, and C, which are of different types from documents 1 to 3 stored in the inbox 42, as well as documents I, II, and III.

[0020] Furthermore, a document information management unit 14a is set in a database serving as the nonvolatile memory 14 (see FIG. 1) of the image display device 1. The document information management unit 14a has a function of managing document information (e.g., document information Ta in FIG. 13) which is attribute information attached to the entity of a document. The attribute information includes, for example, a document ID, a document type, a case number, and a coordinate position (X coordinate value, Y coordinate value) on the workspace 41. The case number is synonymous with a group ID which indicates a group of similar information. To explain further, a creator ID indicating the worker, for example, may be added as a second related attribute to the document information in the document information management unit 14a (see, for example, document information Ta in FIG. 25). Different cases that have some kind of connection can be identified, and when different cases have the same type of work content, for example, when multiple cases from the same company are handled at the same time, sets of documents for related cases are arranged close together even if the case numbers are not consecutive.

[0021] The database may also include a work history management unit 14b shown by a dashed line for managing the user's work history (for example, work history Tb in FIG. 20). This ensures that the database has an area for storing the final coordinate position of the document on the workspace 41, as well as an area for storing the document ID, document type, case number, final coordinate position on the workspace 41, and the date and time the final coordinate position was updated. Since the user can arbitrarily change the location of documents on the workspace 41, the history of the final coordinate position of the document is stored together with time information.

[0022] To further explain the work history management unit 14b, documents placed on the workspace 41 are moved or deleted by user operations during routine work, so they may not exist permanently or may not be placed at the same coordinate position. In other words, although the rules for retrieving (placing) messages from the inbox 42 for each user are routine tasks, they change minutely from day to day as the user becomes more familiar with the task (experience / training). Therefore, it is not practical for the system to automatically place messages according to predefined fixed rules, and from the standpoint of operability (usability), it is desirable to avoid having each user perform complex settings.

[0023] Therefore, by having the work history management unit 14b hold the work history, it becomes possible to allocate the work history in a way that is suitable for the user's regular work. The work history information may be held indefinitely, or may be held for a period such as one year or one month. Furthermore, by using information on the final coordinate positions of documents previously placed in workspace 41, documents can be collectively retrieved in a layout preferred by the user even if a set of similar documents does not exist in workspace 41. Even if a set of similar documents exists in workspace 41, calculations including past layout information allow for more accurate and effective collectively retrieval in a layout preferred by the user.

[0024] Here, the location information of documents existing on the workspace 41 and the information of the work history held by the work history management unit 14b may be weighted to determine which information is given priority. The location information of documents existing on the workspace 41 here is current location information, and the information of the work history is past location information, and the arrangement rules or location rules determined by the user at each time are derived. To explain further, the arrangement of multiple documents in the inbox 42 may be determined by using, for example, an average value for the entire period of work history information. However, considering that a user's proficiency increases with experience, etc., it is considered that, among the entire past period, those relatively closer to the present are closer to the current arrangement rule of the user than those distant from the present. Therefore, the past location information may be weighted to those relatively closer to the present (e.g., the past week) to calculate the location information of documents in the inbox 42.

[0025] Furthermore, while it can generally be said that current location information provides a more favorable layout for the user than past location information, this is not always the case. For example, if the current location information is not included in the past location information, the user may have used a trial layout rule and may revert to the past layout rule. Therefore, the location information of documents in the inbox 42 may be calculated by weighting the past location information more heavily than the current location information. Also, for example, if the current location information is included in the past location information, the current location information may be weighted more heavily than the past location information to calculate the location information of the document in the inbox 42.

[0026] Current location information, i.e., the placement information of documents present on workspace 41, is an example of location information where other documents are displayed in the display area, and past location information, i.e., the information on the work history held by work history management unit 14b, is an example of location information as a history of other documents moving within the display area.

[0027] It is also possible to calculate the location information of a document in the in-tray 42 using the layout information of the document present on the workspace 41 but without using the work history information. In addition to the case where the non-volatile memory 14 (see FIG. 1) of the image display device 1 does not include the work history management unit 14b, even when the non-volatile memory 14 (see FIG. 1) includes the work history management unit 14b, a calculation method that does not use the work history information may be adopted.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an operation screen 400 displayed on the display unit 40. As shown in FIG. The display unit 40 displays an operation screen 400, an example of which is shown in Fig. 3. The operation screen 400 is a workspace 41 on the file handling software, and is an area where thumbnail information 600, 700 linked to documents sent by other users is arranged. File handling software is software that digitizes and manages files such as image data and document data, and has the function of promoting the unified management of paper and electronic data.

[0029] The operation screen 400 displays a reception display area 410 and a take-out display area 420. The operation screen 400 also displays an icon 411 and a toolbar 430. Icons 411 are pictorial symbols that represent various functions such as program functions, and indicate the inbox 42 (see FIG. 2). Toolbar 430 is a group of instruction sections that accept instructions from the user.

[0030] The reception display area 410 is an area that displays thumbnail information 600 linked to documents received in the in-tray. The extraction display area 420 is an area that displays thumbnail information 700 extracted from the reception display area 410 in response to a user operation.

[0031] The thumbnail information 600 and 700 are images that allow an overview of a document or file to be grasped before opening it, and are display objects. The thumbnail information 600 is an image associated with a document stored in the in-tray, and the thumbnail information 700 is an image associated with a document retrieved from the in-tray.

[0032] In this embodiment, a document sent from another user is first stored in the in-tray 42 (see FIG. 2), and its presence is displayed in the reception display area 410 as thumbnail information 600. When a document in the in-tray 42 is retrieved by a user operation, its presence is displayed in the retrieval display area 420 as thumbnail information 700. Note that the retrieval display area 420 shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and is the area of ​​the workspace 41 excluding the reception display area 410.

[0033] The reception display area 410 can display a plurality of thumbnail information 600, and the takeout display area 420 can also display a plurality of thumbnail information 700. Documents corresponding to a plurality of thumbnail information 600 in the reception display area 410 are retrieved collectively or individually. Note that the sizes of the multiple pieces of thumbnail information 600, 700 may be the same, or may be different depending on the document type, paper size, etc. Furthermore, when a user operation of hovering a mouse over the position of the thumbnail information 600, 700 with a cursor (not shown) continuously pointing at the position of the thumbnail information 600, 700 is detected, the thumbnail information may be enlarged without starting a new program.

[0034] The thumbnail information 600 and 700 are images for understanding the contents of files managed by the file handling software, and display information that allows the user to smoothly carry out their work. The thumbnail information 600, 700 may be an image for confirming at least a part of the contents. For example, if the corresponding file is image data, the original image may simply be displayed as a reduced image, or if the corresponding file is document data with multiple pages, a representative page such as the first page may be displayed as a reduced image.

[0035] In this embodiment, the thumbnail information 600, 700 functions as an icon for opening the corresponding document. For example, by performing a specific operation such as double-clicking on the thumbnail information 600, 700, the corresponding document is opened.

[0036] [Functional configuration of image display device 1] Next, the functional configuration of the image display device 1 will be described. 4 and 5 are block diagrams showing examples of the functional configuration of the image display device 1. In FIG. As shown in Figure 4, the image display device 1 has an extraction processing unit 101, a display control unit 102, a statistical information processing unit 103, a thumbnail information generation unit 104, and a thumbnail information storage unit 105, which are realized by the calculation processing unit 10 (see Figure 1).

[0037] The take-out processing unit 101 performs a process of taking out a document from the in-tray 42 (see FIG. 2). That is, the take-out processing unit 101 moves the thumbnail information in the reception display area 410 to the take-out display area 420, and at that time, determines the coordinate position of the take-out display area 420 where the thumbnail information is to be placed.

[0038] The display control unit 102 presents the user with an image of the layout of the extracted display area 420 after extraction based on the coordinate position determined by the extraction processing unit 101, and when the user agrees, arranges the thumbnail information in the extracted display area 420 according to the image of the layout.

[0039] To explain further, the statistical information processing unit 103 shown in Figure 4 includes an acquisition unit 3a, a calculation unit 3b, an intra-case number document placement information holding unit 3c, and an inter-case number vector quantity holding unit 3d, as shown in Figure 5.

[0040] The acquisition unit 3a acquires document information (e.g., document information Ta in the first embodiment) stored in the document information management unit 14a or work history (e.g., work history Tb in the third embodiment) stored in the work history management unit 14b. The calculation unit 3b uses the information acquired by the acquisition unit 3a to calculate the location information of documents within a case number, and also calculates vector quantities between adjacent case numbers.

[0041] The intra-case-number document location information holding unit 3c holds intra-case-number document location information selected from the document location information calculated by the calculation unit 3b. The inter-case-number vector quantity holding unit 3d holds inter-case-number vector quantities selected from the vector quantities between adjacent case numbers calculated by the calculation unit 3b.

[0042] [Example of processing by the functional configuration of the image display device 1] Next, a description will be given of a processing example performed by the functional configuration (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of the image display device 1. First, a processing example performed by the statistical information processing unit 103 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the statistical information processing unit 103. In the processing example shown in FIG. 6, the acquisition unit 3a (see FIG. 5) acquires the coordinate position and document type of the document for each case number from the document information or work history arranged on the user's workspace 41 (step 101).

[0043] Then, when obtaining a list of document IDs associated with the n-th case number (step 102), next, the acquisition unit 3a acquires the document type and coordinate position of the document with the m-th (m < n) document ID (step 103). For the acquired document IDs, they are arranged in ascending order of the coordinate values of the document IDs with the same case number (step 104). The calculation unit 3b (see FIG. 5) calculates a function formula that becomes an approximate line from the coordinates of each document ID with the same case number (step 105), and then calculates the arrangement information of the documents within the case number from the function formula of the approximate line (step 106). Steps 102 to 106 are repeated until the last case number.

[0044] From the calculation results of the arrangement information of the documents for all the extracted case numbers, average or representative document arrangement information is selected, and the case number internal document arrangement information holding unit 3c (see FIG. 5) holds it as the recommended case number internal document arrangement information (step 107). Then, the calculation unit 3b calculates the arrangement interval as the vector quantity between adjacent case numbers (step 108).

[0045] A list of the coordinates of the document ID representing each case number (e.g., the document ID of the estimate) is acquired and arranged in ascending order of the coordinate values to determine the sort order between case numbers (step 109). Then, the calculation unit 3b calculates the vector quantity between the most adjacent case numbers in the direction of the sort order between case numbers (step 110). From the calculation results of the vector quantity between case numbers, average or representative vector quantity between case numbers is selected, and the case number interval vector quantity holding unit 3d holds it as the recommended case number interval vector quantity (step 111).

[0046] Next, a processing example by the extraction processing unit 101 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a processing example by the extraction processing unit 101. The processing example shown in Fig. 7 shows internal control when bulk retrieval is performed from the in-tray 42 (see Fig. 2). When bulk retrieval is performed from the in-tray in response to a user instruction (step 201), documents stored in the in-tray are extracted for each case and sorted in ascending order of case number (step 202). Then, the total coordinate area required for placement is calculated from the recommended inter-case number vector amount stored in the inter-case number vector amount storage unit 3d and the number of case numbers (step 203).

[0047] Starting from the coordinate position of the "representative document ID" of the largest case number already placed, for example, the document ID of the quotation, it is confirmed whether the total coordinate area fits within the workspace 41 without overlapping with other documents (step 204).

[0048] If the document fits within the workspace 41 (Yes in step 204), a coordinate region for each document number is determined according to the recommended inter-document number vector quantity from the coordinate position of the "representative document ID" of the largest document number already placed (step 205). Then, within the coordinate region for each document number within each document unit, the coordinates of the placement location for the document type are determined according to the document placement information within the recommended document number (step 206). When the operator confirms the placement location, the document information and work history are updated (step 207).

[0049] Note that the updating of document information referred to here will be explained later, for example, in the first embodiment, and the updating of work history will be explained later, for example, in the third embodiment. That is, in step 207, the document information and work history are updated, but there are also cases where only the document information is updated.

[0050] If it does not fit on the workspace 41 (No in step 204), a coordinate area for each case number is determined on any workspace 41 that does not overlap with other documents (step 208), and the process proceeds to step 206.

[0051] Next, an example of processing by the display control unit 102 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the display control unit 102. The processing example shown in Figure 8 shows UI control that is performed together with internal control (see Figure 7) when bulk retrieval is performed from the inbox 42 (see Figure 2). When an instruction to retrieval of documents from the inbox (see Figure 2) is detected (step 301), an image screen of the document layout in the workspace 41 (see Figure 2) after bulk retrieval is performed is presented to the user (step 302). When an instruction to display the documents with the presented content is detected, bulk retrieval is performed so that the result is the presented image screen layout (step 303). Starting from the coordinate position of the "representative document ID" of the largest case number already placed, for example, the document ID of a quote, it is confirmed that the total coordinate area fits within the workspace 41 without overlapping with other documents (step 304), and the processing ends.

[0052] Next, specific business operations using documents will be described. In digital transaction operations (order taking), when a general office worker receives an order form from a sales representative, he or she receives the set of forms on his or her image display device, checks the contents, and sends them to a send tray for approval by a manager who is the approver. The set of forms referred to here may be, for example, an estimate, a contract, an order form, etc.

[0053] The worker arranges the set of documents received from the sales representative, i.e., estimates, contracts, and purchase orders, in a row on the workspace 41 (see Figure 2) for each project, and performs clerical work by visually comparing and editing them. On the workspace 41, documents are arranged in a way that is easy for the user to work with. The arrangement that is most convenient for users varies from worker to worker, and the relative positions of document types, i.e., the order, layout shape, and layout intervals, vary. To explain further, the arrangement method by case (group) differs from user to user, and the arrangement method by document type within a case also differs from user to user.

[0054] [Example of arrangement of thumbnail information in the extraction display area 420] Next, an example of the arrangement of thumbnail information in the take-out display area 420 of the operation screen 400 displayed on the display unit 40 will be described. 9 to 11 are diagrams showing examples of arrangement of thumbnail information in the takeout display area 420 of the operation screen 400 displayed on the display unit 40, and correspond to the operation screen 400 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 9(a) is a first arrangement example, Fig. 9(b) is a second arrangement example, Fig. 10(a) is a third arrangement example, Fig. 10(b) is a fourth arrangement example, and Fig. 11 is a fifth arrangement example.

[0055] In the first arrangement example shown in Figure 9(a), a set of documents for Case 1, abbreviated as "Plan 1," Case 2, abbreviated as "Plan 2," and Case 3, abbreviated as "Plan 3," are arranged vertically in the extraction display area 420. The set of forms for each of the cases 1 to 3 is an estimate abbreviated as "Mi", a contract abbreviated as "Kei", and an order form abbreviated as "Note", and they are arranged horizontally. The thumbnail information shows the document name, which is a combination of the case number and the abbreviation of the form name or document type.

[0056] Thus, the first arrangement example is a matrix, with the thumbnail information arranged horizontally from left to right in the order of estimate, contract, and order, and vertically in the order of case 1, case 2, and case 3. A total of nine thumbnail images are arranged in the takeout display area 420 to the right of the reception display area 410.

[0057] The second arrangement example shown in Fig. 9(b) is the same as the first arrangement example in Fig. 9(a) in that nine pieces of thumbnail information are arranged in the area to the right of the reception display area 410 in the takeout display area 420. The second arrangement example is also the same as the first arrangement example in that the estimate, contract, and order form are arranged horizontally, and case 1, case 2, and case 3 are arranged vertically in the takeout display area 420. On the other hand, in the second arrangement example of Fig. 9(b), the vertical spacing between Case 1, Case 2, and Case 3 is wider than in the first arrangement example of Fig. 9(a). In this way, the spacing between adjacent thumbnail images can be adjusted to suit the user's preferences.

[0058] The third arrangement example shown in Figure 10(a) is the same as the first arrangement example in Figure 9(a) in that nine thumbnail information pieces are arranged for each of cases 1 to 3, combining documents such as estimates, contracts, and purchase orders. 10(a) differs from the first arrangement example in FIG. 9(a) in that the documents are arranged in a horizontal row in the area below the reception display area 410 in the takeout display area 420, and is arranged in two directions, vertically and horizontally, in the area to the right of the reception display area 410. The third arrangement example also differs from the first arrangement example in that the distances between adjacent thumbnail information are approximately the same, in that the distances between cases 1 to 3 are wider than the distances between documents.

[0059] The fourth arrangement example shown in Fig. 10(b) is the same as the first arrangement example in Fig. 9(a) in that nine pieces of thumbnail information are arranged for each of cases 1 to 3, combining documents such as estimates, contracts, and purchase orders. The fourth arrangement example is also the same as the first arrangement example in that the thumbnail information is arranged in two directions, vertically and horizontally, in the right-hand area of ​​the reception display area 410. The fourth arrangement example is also the same as the first arrangement example in that the spacing between adjacent thumbnail information is approximately the same. On the other hand, in the fourth arrangement example shown in Fig. 10(b), the vertical and horizontal arrangements are reversed from those of the first arrangement example in Fig. 9(a). That is, the fourth arrangement example differs from the first arrangement example in that the estimate, contract, and order form are arranged vertically and project 1, project 2, and project 3 are arranged horizontally.

[0060] The fifth arrangement example shown in Fig. 11 is the same as the first arrangement example in Fig. 9(a) in that nine pieces of thumbnail information are arranged for a combination of documents, namely, estimates, contracts, and purchase orders, for each of cases 1 to 3. The fifth arrangement example is also the same as the first arrangement example in that the thumbnail information is arranged in the area to the right of the reception display area 410 in the takeout display area 420. On the other hand, the fifth arrangement example shown in Fig. 11 differs from the first arrangement example in Fig. 9(a) in that nine pieces of thumbnail information are arranged in a vertical row. The fifth arrangement example also differs from the third arrangement example in that the spacing between cases 1 to 3 is the same as the spacing between documents, and the spacing between adjacent pieces of thumbnail information is wider than the spacing between documents.

[0061] In this way, among cases 1 to 3, for example, documents for case 1 and documents for case 2 are arranged vertically, and documents of the same case but different document types are arranged horizontally, intersecting the vertical direction (first arrangement example in Figure 9(a) and second arrangement example in Figure 9(b)). Also, for example, documents for case 1 and documents for case 2 are arranged horizontally, and documents of the same case but different document types may be arranged vertically, intersecting the horizontal direction (fourth arrangement example in Figure 10(b)). Furthermore, for example, documents for Item 1 and documents for Item 2 may be arranged horizontally, and documents of the same item but different document types may also be arranged horizontally (third arrangement example in Figure 10(a)). Also, for example, documents for Item 1 and documents for Item 2 may be arranged vertically, and documents of the same item but different document types may also be arranged vertically (fifth arrangement example in Figure 11). In addition to the first to fifth arrangement examples, for example, instead of the vertical or horizontal direction, an oblique direction that obliquely intersects the vertical or horizontal direction may be used. The document arrangement example can be said to be a document arrangement pattern determined using the case number and document type information.

[0062] [First embodiment] Next, a first embodiment to which this embodiment is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an operation screen 400 according to the first embodiment. The reception display area 410 of the operation screen 400 shown in Figure 12 displays thumbnail information 641 of "Draft 4: View" indicating that it is an estimate for Item 4, thumbnail information 642 of "Draft 4: Contract" indicating that it is a contract for Item 4, and thumbnail information 643 of "Draft 4: Notes" indicating that it is an order form for Item 4. Also displayed in the reception display area 410 are thumbnail information 651 of "Draft 5: View" indicating that it is an estimate for Item 5, thumbnail information 652 of "Draft 5: Contract" indicating that it is a contract for Item 5, and thumbnail information 653 of "Draft 5: Notes" indicating that it is an order form for Item 5. In the reception display area 410, the positions of these thumbnail information 641 to 643 and 651 to 653 are not meaningfully aligned, for example, by item or by form name.

[0063] Furthermore, in the take-out display area 420 of the operation screen 400, thumbnail information is arranged as in the first arrangement example described above (see FIG. 9(a)). That is, a set of forms for Item 1 is arranged in the upper row, a set of forms for Item 2 is arranged in the middle row, and a set of forms for Item 3 is arranged in the lower row. An estimate is arranged on the left side of each row, a contract is arranged in the center of each row, and an order form is arranged on the right side of each row.

[0064] More specifically, from the left in the top row, thumbnail information 711 of "Draft 1: See" indicating that it is a quote for Item 1, thumbnail information 712 of "Draft 1: Contract" indicating that it is a contract for Item 1, and thumbnail information 713 of "Draft 1: Notes" indicating that it is a purchase order for Item 1 are displayed. Also, from the left in the middle row, thumbnail information 721 of "Draft 2: See" indicating that it is a quote for Item 2, thumbnail information 722 of "Draft 2: Contract" indicating that it is a contract for Item 2, and thumbnail information 723 of "Draft 2: Notes" indicating that it is a purchase order for Item 2 are displayed. Furthermore, from the left in the bottom row, thumbnail information 731 of "Draft 3: See" indicating that it is a quote for Item 3, thumbnail information 732 of "Draft 3: Contract" indicating that it is a contract for Item 3, and thumbnail information 733 of "Draft 3: Notes" indicating that it is a purchase order for Item 3 are displayed.

[0065] The thumbnail information 711-713, 721-723, and 731-733 each have a horizontal dimension of 100 mm and a vertical dimension of 50 mm. The interval between the thumbnail information 711, 721, and 731 and the thumbnail information 712, 722, and 732 is 10 mm, and the interval between the thumbnail information 712, 722, and 732 and the thumbnail information 713, 723, and 733 is also 10 mm. The interval between the thumbnail information 711-713 of Item 1 and the thumbnail information 721-723 of Item 2 is 20 mm, and the interval between the thumbnail information 721-723 of Item 2 and the thumbnail information 731-733 of Item 3 is also 20 mm.

[0066] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the document information Ta held by the document information management unit 14a (see FIG. 2). The document information Ta shown in Fig. 13 includes the items of document ID, document name, document type, case number, X coordinate, and Y coordinate. Fig. 13 shows "M0000001" to "M0000004" which indicate cases 1 to 4, and omits "M0000005" which indicates case 5.

[0067] The document ID of the document information Ta is assigned by the document information management unit 14a to the document received in the in-tray 42, and is assigned to the thumbnail information 641 to 643, 651 to 653 displayed in the reception display area 410 and the thumbnail information 711 to 713, 721 to 723, 731 to 733 displayed in the extraction display area 420.

[0068] The document name of the document information Ta corresponds to the document name shown in the thumbnail information. The document type is assigned the name of the form, that is, "quotation" indicating a quote, "contract" indicating a contract, or "order" indicating a purchase order. The case number is, for example, "M0000001" which indicates that it is case 1.

[0069] The X and Y coordinates indicate positions in the coordinate space of workspace 41, with the upper left corner treated as the origin (0,0), the horizontal direction treated as the X axis, and the vertical direction treated as the Y axis. More specifically, the X and Y coordinates are position information for thumbnail information 711-713, 721-723, and 731-733 on operation screen 400, and indicate the positions of thumbnail information displayed in takeout display area 420. More specifically, of the four corners of rectangular thumbnail information, the upper left corner closest to the origin is treated as the base point. Note that, since the X and Y coordinates of the thumbnail information 641 to 643 and 651 to 653 in the reception display area 410 are not determined, for example, "(null)" is displayed in the portion of the dashed frame B11 in FIG. 13 corresponding to the thumbnail information 641 to 643.

[0070] Here, an example of processing by the statistical information processing unit 103 on the document information Ta shown in FIG. 13 will be described in accordance with the flowchart of FIG. In the first embodiment, the acquisition unit 3a (see FIG. 5) acquires the coordinate position and document type of each document for each case number from the documents arranged in the take-out display area 420 of the workspace 41. That is, after extracting "M0000001," "M0000002," and "M0000003" as case numbers, it acquires a list of document IDs for case number "M0000001" and sorts them in ascending order of the X coordinate of the document IDs (see steps 101 to 104 in FIG. 6). As a result, the portion enclosed by the dashed line frame B12 shown in FIG. 13 is created.

[0071] The calculation unit 3b (see FIG. 5) calculates a function formula that becomes an approximation line from the X coordinate / Y coordinate of each document ID of the case number (see step 105 in FIG. 6). In the first embodiment, the function formula has an intercept y=200. If you want to find a more accurate approximation line for diagonal placement, etc., you can use the least squares method to calculate an approximation line (regression line). The regression line is calculated using the following formula: Regression coefficient (slope: b) = (covariance of X and Y) / (variance of X) Intercept (a) = Mean of Y - Regression Coefficient (b) × Mean of X

[0072] The document layout direction is horizontal, the average document layout interval is (110, 0), and the document layout order is calculated as "quotation, contract, order" (see step 106 in FIG. 6).

[0073] Similarly, the "document location information" is calculated for the other case numbers "M0000002" and "M0000003." Then, the average value or a representative value is extracted from the calculation results of the "document layout information" of "M0000001," "M0000002," and "M0000003."

[0074] Here, the document placement information within case number storage unit 3c (see FIG. 5) stores the following document placement information as "recommended document placement information within case number" (see step 107 in FIG. 6). ·Placement direction: Horizontal ·Average spacing: (110,0) · Placement order: quotation, contract, purchase order ·Coordinate area: (320,50) ·X direction: (1220+100)-(1000)=320 Y direction: (200+50)-(200)=50

[0075] The vector quantity (distribution interval) between adjacent case numbers is calculated (see step 108 in FIG. 6). That is, a list of coordinates of document IDs that represent the case numbers is extracted. Here, estimates are calculated as the representative documents for each case number. When arranged in ascending order of the X coordinate, Proposal 1-D0000001 (Document type: Quotation, X coordinate: 1000, Y coordinate: 200) Proposal 2-D0000004 (Document type: Quotation, X coordinate: 1000, Y coordinate: 270) Proposal 3-D0000007 (Document type: Quotation, X coordinate: 1000, Y coordinate: 340)

[0076] Then, it is determined whether the sorting order between the case numbers is ascending or descending (see step 109 in FIG. 6). In this case, it is determined to be "ascending order." If there is no regularity, it is determined to be "ascending order."

[0077] The calculation unit 3b (see FIG. 5) calculates the "vector quantity (distribution interval) between case numbers" that are most adjacent in the sort order (ascending order) between the case numbers (see step 110 in FIG. 6). Between Plan 1 and Plan 2: (0,70) Between Plan 2 and Plan 3: (0,70)

[0078] From the calculation results of the vector quantity between case numbers, an average value or a representative value is extracted and stored in the case number vector quantity storage unit 3d as a "recommended case number vector quantity" (see step 111 in FIG. 6). Vector quantity between case numbers (placement interval): (0,70)

[0079] Here, a case where thumbnail information 641 to 643, 651 to 653 in the reception display area 410 is displayed in the take-out display area 420 by pressing the bulk take-out button 412 in the workspace 41 shown in FIG. 12 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8. First, the internal control corresponding to the flowchart of FIG. 7 will be described. When the bulk extraction button 412 is pressed, documents are extracted all at once from the in-tray (see step 201 in FIG. 7). That is, the documents stored in the in-tray are extracted and sorted by case number (new M0000004, M0000005) (see step 202 in FIG. 7).

[0080] For each case number, the required total coordinate area is calculated from the "recommended inter-case number vector amount" and the number of case numbers (see step 203 in FIG. 7). Then, starting from the coordinate position of the "representative document ID" of the largest case number among the case numbers already placed, it is confirmed that the total coordinate area fits within the workspace 41 without overlapping with other document placements (see step 204 in FIG. 7). If the document does not fit within the workspace 41, it may be placed anywhere.

[0081] From the coordinate position of the "representative document ID" of the largest case number that has already been placed, the coordinate area for each case number is determined according to the "coordinate area of ​​document placement information within recommended case number" and the "vector amount between recommended case numbers" (see step 205 in Figure 7).

[0082] In other words, the coordinate position of the "representative document ID" of the largest case number that has already been placed is: ·D0000003(X coordinate: 1000, Y coordinate: 340) The coordinate area of ​​the recommended document placement information within the case number is ·(X direction: 320, Y direction: 50) And the vector quantity between the recommended case numbers is ·(X direction: 0, Y direction: 70) In addition, the coordinate area for each item number to be placed is as follows: ·X direction: (1000-1320) Y direction: (410-460) and case number M0000005 is ·X direction: (1000-1320) Y direction: (480-530) is. Also, check that there are no documents already placed within the following coordinate space (rectangular area). ·(x,y)=(1000,410), (1000,530), (1320, 410), (1320, 530)

[0083] The location of the document in the case number M0000004 is determined from the "coordinate area for each case number to be placed" and the "recommended document placement information in the case number" (see step 206 in FIG. 7). That is, the recommended document placement information in the case number is ·Average spacing: (110,0) · Placement order: quotation, contract, purchase order The document location in case number M0000004 is D0000010: (Document type: Quotation, X coordinate: 1000, Y coordinate: 410) D0000011: (Document type: Contract, X coordinate: 1110, Y coordinate: 410) D0000012: (Document type: Purchase Order, X coordinate: 1220, Y coordinate: 410) is. Similarly, the location of the document in case number M0000005 is determined.

[0084] In this way, a rule is generated based on information obtained from document information Ta (see, for example, Figure 13), and the generated rule determines the positions of document IDs "D0000010" to "D0000012" in the extraction display area 420 (see, for example, Figure 12).

[0085] Next, the UI control corresponding to the flowchart of FIG. 8 will be described. When the bulk extraction button 412 (see Figure 12) is pressed on the inbox screen (see step 301 in Figure 8), the user is presented with an arrangement image screen (see arrangement image area 440 in Figure 14(a)) in the extraction display area 420 (see Figure 12) after bulk extraction has been performed (see step 302 in Figure 8). If the user clicks "OK" on the content presented, a batch extraction is performed so that the presented layout image results (see steps 303 and 304 in FIG. 8). Thereafter, when the documents are collectively retrieved according to the presented document layout content, the coordinate information of the retrieved documents is updated in the internal control (see step 207 in FIG. 7).

[0086] Figure 14 is a diagram explaining the display contents of the operation screen 400 when the bulk extraction button 412 is pressed, where (a) shows the state in which the layout image area 440 appears, and (b) shows the state in which the layout image area 440 is displayed in the extraction display area 420. The layout image area 440 shown in FIG. 14(a) shows an image of layout in the take-out display area 420 when all the thumbnail information in the reception display area 410 is taken out at once.

[0087] 14(a) shows an image in which thumbnail information 711-713, 721-723, and 731-733 are arranged in the takeout display area 420, with thumbnail information 841-843 arranged below the thumbnail information 731-733, and thumbnail information 851-853 arranged below that. In this way, the layout image area 440 displays the thumbnail information 841-843 and 851-853 together with the thumbnail information 711-713, 721-723, and 731-733 in the takeout display area 420. The layout image area 440 is an example of a layout image, and the thumbnail information 841 to 843 and 851 to 853 are all examples of a plurality of documents.

[0088] 14(a), when it is detected that the OK button shown in Fig. 14(a) has been pressed, as shown in Fig. 14(b), thumbnail information 741 to 743 and 751 to 753 are positioned in the extraction display area 420 in the order of the layout image shown in the layout image area 440. Note that thumbnail information 741 to 743 and 751 to 753 correspond to thumbnail information 841 to 843 and 851 to 853 in Fig. 14(a). To explain further, the positions of the thumbnail information 711-713, 721-723, and 731-733 shown in Fig. 14(b) in the takeout display area 420 are the same as those in Fig. 14(a). In other words, the X and Y coordinates of the dashed frame B12 shown in document information Ta in Fig. 13 are the same as the corresponding X and Y coordinates in Fig. 15, which will be described later. This reduces the impact on the user when continuing their work.

[0089] FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the contents of document information Ta that has been updated as a result of batch retrieval, and corresponds to FIG. 14(b) is confirmed, numerical values ​​are entered in the X and Y coordinate fields of document IDs "D000010" to "D000012" of "M0000004", which indicates Item 4, as shown in dashed frame B11 in Fig. 15. Note that "M0000005", which indicates Item 5, is omitted in Fig. 15. When the document information Ta is updated, the updated document information Ta is held by the document information management unit 14a (see FIG. 2).

[0090] Here, the information enclosed in the dashed frame B11 of the document information Ta (see FIG. 13) is an example of document attribute information, and the entities of "Draft 4_Quote," "Draft 4_Contract," and "Draft 4_Order" enclosed in the dashed frame B11 are examples of documents. The non-volatile memory 14 (see FIG. 1) is an example of a storage area. The information enclosed in the dashed frame B12 of document information Ta (see FIG. 13) is an example of other document attribute information, and the entities "Proposal 1_Quote," "Proposal 1_Contract," and "Proposal 1_Order" enclosed in the dashed frame B12 are examples of other documents. The X and Y coordinates enclosed in the dashed frame B12 are an example of position information when the other document is displayed in the display area. The extraction display area 420 (see FIG. 3) is an example of a display area. The coordinate area for each case number determined in step 205 in FIG. 7 and the coordinates of the placement location for each document type determined in step 206 are examples of the position at which the document is displayed in the display area.

[0091] As described above, the dashed frame B11 of document information Ta (see Figure 13) contains an example of document attribute information, and the dashed frame B12 contains an example of other document attribute information, but the case number surrounded by the dashed frames B11 and B12 is an example of case information, and the document type is an example of type information. Moreover, the Y-axis direction in the takeout display area 420 (see FIG. 3) is an example of one direction, and the X-axis direction is an example of the other direction.

[0092] The layout image area 440 (see FIG. 14(a)) is an example of a reference layout image, and an operation on the OK button in the layout image area 440 is an example of a user operation on the layout image.

[0093] [Significance of the first embodiment] In this way, when a user who is an administrative worker in a digital transaction business receives an order form from a sales representative, checks the contents and requests approval from a manager who is the approver, in the first embodiment described above, when the user retrieves a set of documents related to ordering goods for a certain case from the sales representative from the inbox, the user has the habit of arranging them side by side for each case, in the order of quotation, contract, and order form, and then arranging them in ascending order of case number.

[0094] While the user is reviewing Items 1, 2, and 3, the documents for Items 4 and 5 arrive in the inbox. The user wants the documents to be automatically retrieved from the inbox in a manner that suits the user's personal work habits, rather than having to manually sort them.

[0095] Therefore, when the image display device 1 (see FIG. 1) detects an instruction to perform batch retrieval, it controls so that Item 4 and Item 5 are arranged in the retrieval display area 420 in line with the order of Item 1, Item 2, and Item 3. Therefore, the user's work using documents in the workspace 41 can be made more efficient.

[0096] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment to which this embodiment is applied will be described. The second embodiment, like the first embodiment, is a case where a user who is an office worker in a digital transaction business has the habit of arranging documents for each project horizontally in ascending order of project number, in the order of quotation, contract, and purchase order, when retrieving a set of documents related to ordering products for a certain project from the inbox of a sales representative.

[0097] To explain further, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the complete set of documents for separate cases 4 and 5 arrives in the inbox. It is a case where the remaining documents for case 3 arrive in the inbox while the user is checking cases 1, 2, and 3 (only some of the documents), and the remaining documents for case 3 are retrieved all at once onto workspace 41. The second embodiment will be specifically described below with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18, but descriptions of parts common to the first embodiment may be omitted.

[0098] 16A and 16B are diagrams for explaining the second embodiment, in which (a) is a diagram for explaining an operation screen 400 and corresponds to Fig. 12 in the first embodiment, and (b) is a diagram for explaining document information Ta held by the document information management unit 14a (see Fig. 2) and corresponds to Fig. 13 in the first embodiment. In the reception display area 410 of the operation screen 400 shown in FIG. 16(a), thumbnail information 633 of "Proposal 3: Notes" indicating that it is an order form for Case 3 is displayed.

[0099] Furthermore, in the take-out display area 420 of the operation screen 400, the thumbnail information is arranged in ascending order of case number in the Y direction and in order of document type in the X direction, just as in the first embodiment. That is, cases 1, 2, and 3 are arranged in the top, middle, and bottom rows, respectively, with estimates on the left side of each row, contracts in the center of each row, and purchase orders on the right side of the top and middle rows. In Figure 16(a), the thumbnail information in the take-out display area 420 is the same as in the first embodiment (see Figure 12), so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0100] Note that no purchase order is placed in the bottom row of the three rows. In other words, the purchase order, which is the remaining document for Case 3, is not placed in the takeout display area 420, and the purchase order is stored in the in-tray.

[0101] In the document information Ta shown in Fig. 16(b), "(null)" is displayed in the X coordinate and Y coordinate fields of the dashed frame B21 corresponding to the thumbnail information 633. Note that the document information Ta shown in Fig. 16(b) has the same fields as those in the first embodiment (see Fig. 13), and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0102] The processing example of the statistical information processing unit 103 for the document information Ta shown in FIG. 16(b) is the same as that explained in the first embodiment with reference to FIG. 6, and therefore the explanation thereof will be omitted. In addition, the internal control and UI control performed by operating the bulk take-out button 412 of the workspace 41 shown in Figure 16(a) are basically the same as those in the first embodiment, and are common to the explanations corresponding to the flowcharts in Figures 7 and 8, so explanations of the second embodiment will be omitted.

[0103] 17A and 17B are diagrams illustrating the display contents of the operation screen 400 when the batch take-out button 412 is pressed, in which (a) shows the state in which the layout image area 440 appears, and (b) shows the state in which the layout image area 440 is displayed in the take-out display area 420. Figures 17A and 17B correspond to Figures 14A and 14B in the first embodiment. In the layout image area 440 shown in Figure 17(a), thumbnail information 711 to 713, 721 to 723, and 731 to 732 (see Figure 16(a)) in the takeout display area 420 are laid out, and thumbnail information 833 corresponding to thumbnail information 633 in the reception display area 410 is also laid out.

[0104] When the OK button shown in FIG. 17(a) is pressed, thumbnail information 711 to 713, 721 to 723, and 731 to 733 are positioned in the extraction display area 420 in the arrangement image shown in the arrangement image area 440, as shown in FIG. 17(b) (see also FIG. 16(a)).

[0105] Fig. 18 is a diagram illustrating the contents of document information Ta that has been updated as a result of bulk retrieval, and corresponds to Fig. 16(b). Fig. 18 also corresponds to Fig. 15 in the first embodiment. When the operation screen 400 shown in FIG. 17(b) above is confirmed, numerical values ​​are entered into the X coordinate and Y coordinate fields of the document ID "D000009" of "M0000003", which indicates Case 3, as shown in the dashed frame B21 in FIG. 18.

[0106] [Significance of the second embodiment] In this way, in the second embodiment, while checking the estimate, contract, and order form for case 1, the estimate, contract, and order form for case 2, and the estimate and contract for case 3, even if the remaining order forms for case 3 arrive in the inbox, the order forms for case 3 are retrieved all at once, aligned on workspace 41.

[0107] [Third embodiment] Next, a third embodiment to which this embodiment is applied will be described. The third embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments in that the user, who is an office worker in digital transaction operations, does not manually sort the documents retrieved from the inbox, but rather retrieves them automatically in a manner that corresponds to the individual's work habits, in that the documents are sorted according to the arrangement of the retrieved display area 420.

[0108] More specifically, after the confirmation work for Case 1, Case 2, and Case 3 has been completed (moved or deleted from workspace 41), documents for Case 4 arrive in the inbox, so the remaining documents for Case 4 are retrieved all at once onto workspace 41. The third embodiment will be specifically described below with reference to FIGS. 19 to 22, but descriptions of parts common to the first or second embodiment may be omitted.

[0109] 19A and 19B are diagrams for explaining the third embodiment, in which (a) is a diagram for explaining an operation screen 400 and corresponds to Fig. 12 in the first embodiment, and (b) is a diagram for explaining document information Ta held by the document information management unit 14a (see Fig. 2) and corresponds to Fig. 13 in the first embodiment. In the reception display area 410 of the operation screen 400 shown in FIG. 19(a), thumbnail information 641 to 643 of "Proposal 4: View", "Proposal 4: Note", and "Proposal 4: Contract" are displayed. Unlike the first and second embodiments, the take-out display area 420 does not display thumbnail information.

[0110] In the document information Ta shown in FIG. 19(b), "(null)" is displayed in the X and Y coordinate portions of the document IDs "D000010" to "D000012" of "M0000004" included in the dashed frame B31 corresponding to the thumbnail information 633.

[0111] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the work history Tb held by the work history management unit 14b (see FIG. 2). The work history Tb shown in Fig. 20 includes the items of document ID, document name, document type, and case number, just like the document information Ta (see, for example, Fig. 19(b)). Furthermore, instead of the items of X coordinate and Y coordinate in the case of the document information Ta, the work history Tb includes items of final X coordinate and final Y coordinate. These final X coordinate and final Y coordinate are changed when the user moves the document within the takeout display area 420, and are an example of the most recent position information.

[0112] On the other hand, the work history Tb includes an item not included in the document information Ta, the “last coordinate position update date and time” indicated by the dashed frame B32. The last coordinate position update date and time is information indicating the date and time when the position of the thumbnail information in the extract display area 420 was updated as the final X coordinate and final Y coordinate.

[0113] As described above, in the third embodiment, when there is no set of documents for a case in the workspace 41, the work history Tb is used to calculate the placement position of a new case 4 in the extraction display area 420 and presented to the user. For this reason, the work history Tb in Fig. 20 includes items such as the final X coordinate, the final Y coordinate, and the final coordinate position update date and time. It is possible to obtain the location information of documents that are not currently displayed in the extraction display area 420 but were displayed in the past. This makes it possible to respond to increasing user proficiency. Furthermore, by using the update date and time, if a work history retention period such as one year is set, it can be confirmed whether the update is within the period.

[0114] 20, the work history Tb shows information on the estimates, contracts, and order forms for "M0000001" to "M0000003." From the information in the work history Tb, the X and Y coordinates (FIG. 19(b)) of the document IDs "D000010" to "D000012" are determined according to the flowchart in FIG. 6. For example, the document placement information within case number storage unit 3c (see FIG. 5) stores the following document placement information as "recommended document placement information within case number" (see step 107 in FIG. 6). ·Placement direction: Horizontal ·Average spacing: (110,0) · Placement order: quotation, contract, purchase order ·Coordinate area: (320,50) ·X direction: (1220+100)-(1000)=320 Y direction: (200+50)-(200)=50

[0115] In addition, the average value or a representative value is extracted from the calculation results of the vector quantity between case numbers, and is stored in the case number vector quantity storage unit 3d as a "recommended case number vector quantity" (see step 111 in Figure 6). Vector quantity between case numbers (placement interval): (0,70) At this time, the average value or a representative value of the coordinates of the "representative document ID" is extracted and stored as the "recommended starting coordinate position." Recommended starting coordinate position: (1000,200)

[0116] Then, by the internal control corresponding to the flowchart of Fig. 7 described above, the placement location of the document in the new case number M0000004 is determined from the "coordinate area for each case number to be placed" and the "recommended document placement information in the case number" (see step 206 in Fig. 7). That is, the recommended document placement information in the case number is ·Average spacing: (110,0) · Placement order: quotation, contract, purchase order The recommended starting coordinate position is (x,y)=(1000,200) and the document location is D0000010: (Document type: Quotation, X coordinate: 1000, Y coordinate: 200) D0000011: (Document type: Contract, X coordinate: 1110, Y coordinate: 200) D0000012: (Document type: Purchase order, X coordinate: 1220, Y coordinate: 200) is.

[0117] Thereafter, when the documents are collectively retrieved according to the presented document layout content, the coordinate information and work history of the retrieved documents are updated (see step 207 in FIG. 7). That is, in the third embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the work history is also updated.

[0118] 21A and 21B are diagrams illustrating the display contents of the operation screen 400 when the batch take-out button 412 is pressed, in which (a) shows the state in which the layout image area 440 appears, and (b) shows the state in which the layout image area 440 is displayed in the take-out display area 420. Figures 21A and 21B correspond to Figures 14A and 14B in the first embodiment. 21(a), thumbnail information 841 to 843 corresponding to the thumbnail information 641 to 643 in the reception display area 410 are arranged. Note that the thumbnail information 841 to 843 in the layout image area 440 are arranged in a predetermined order of estimate, contract, and order form, which is different from the order of the thumbnail information 641 to 643 in the reception display area 410.

[0119] Furthermore, "Proposal 4_Quote," "Proposal 4_Contract," and "Proposal 4_Order" corresponding to document IDs "D0000010" to "D0000012" (see FIG. 22(b)) are displayed in layout image area 440. On the other hand, "Proposal 1_Quote," "Proposal 1_Contract," and "Proposal 1_Order" corresponding to document IDs "D0000001" to "D0000003" (see FIG. 22(b)) are not displayed in layout image area 440.

[0120] 21(a), when the OK button shown in Fig. 21(a) is pressed, as shown in Fig. 21(b), thumbnail information 741 to 743 are positioned in the takeout display area 420 in the order of the layout image shown in the layout image area 440. As a result, new thumbnail information 741 to 743 are displayed in the takeout display area 420.

[0121] FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining updates performed by bulk retrieval, where (a) is document information Ta, which corresponds to FIG. 19(b), and (b) is work history Tb, which corresponds to FIG. 20. When the operation screen 400 shown in Fig. 21(b) is confirmed, numerical values ​​are entered into the X coordinate and Y coordinate fields of the document IDs "D000010," "D000011," and "D000012" in the document information Ta, as shown in the dashed-line box B31 in Fig. 22(a). Furthermore, as shown in the dashed-line box B33 in Fig. 22(b), the document IDs "D000010," "D000011," and "D000012" are added to the work history Tb.

[0122] [Significance of the third embodiment] In this way, in the third embodiment, when confirmation work has been completed on the quotations, contracts, and purchase orders for cases 1 to 3, and a new quotation, contract, and purchase order for case 4 arrives in the inbox, thumbnail information is arranged in the extraction display area 420 in the order in which confirmation work for cases 1 to 3 has been performed, i.e., in an order that corresponds to the individual's work habits.

[0123] [Fourth embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment to which this embodiment is applied will be described. In the fourth embodiment, like the first to third embodiments, documents are automatically extracted in an order that matches the individual's work habits. Then, while the user is checking Case 1, Case 2, and Case 3, a set of documents for Cases 4, 5, and 6 arrives in the inbox, so the documents for Cases 4 to 6 are extracted all at once onto workspace 41.

[0124] To explain further, in the fourth embodiment, although Case 4 and Case 6 have non-consecutive case numbers, they are from the same client company (sales representative), so if they are extracted in close proximity to each other so that work can be carried out in bulk, it is expected that work efficiency will improve. The fourth embodiment will be specifically described below with reference to FIGS. 23 to 27, but descriptions of parts common to the first to third embodiments may be omitted.

[0125] FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the take-out processing unit 101 (see FIG. 4) in the fourth embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. In the processing example shown in Fig. 23, when bulk retrieval from the in-tray is performed in response to a user instruction (step 401), documents stored in the in-tray are extracted for each case and sorted in ascending order of the case number and the second related attribute (step 402). That is, the processing example shown in Fig. 23 differs from the case shown in Fig. 7 in that documents are sorted in ascending order of only the case number in that the case number is used as the first sort key and the second related attribute is used as the second sort key. Steps 403 to 408 are the same as steps 203 to 208 in FIG. 7, and a description thereof will be omitted.

[0126] FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining an operation screen 400 according to the fourth embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. 12 according to the first embodiment. 24 displays thumbnail information 641-643 for "Plan 4: View," "Plan 4: Notes," and "Plan 4: Contract." Also displayed are thumbnail information 651-653 for "Plan 5: View," "Plan 5: Notes," and "Plan 5: Contract," as well as thumbnail information 661-663 for "Plan 6: View," "Plan 6: Notes," and "Plan 6: Contract." Also, in the extraction display area 420, thumbnail information 711 to 713, 721 to 723, and 731 to 733 for the estimates, contracts, and order forms of the cases 1 to 3 are displayed.

[0127] FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining the document information Ta held by the document information management unit 14a (see FIG. 2), and corresponds to FIG. 13 in the first embodiment. In the document information Ta shown in Fig. 25, "(null)" is displayed in the X and Y coordinate portions of the document IDs "D000010" to "D000012" included in the dashed frame B41. These correspond to the thumbnail information 641 to 643 (see Fig. 24). Additionally, "(null)" is also displayed in the X and Y coordinates of the document IDs "D000016" to "D000018" included in the dashed frame B42. These correspond to the thumbnail information 661 to 663 (see FIG. 24). Furthermore, "(null)" is also displayed in the X and Y coordinates of the document IDs "D000013" to "D000015" in the range between the dashed-line frames B41 and B42. These correspond to the thumbnail information 651 to 653 (see FIG. 24).

[0128] 25 differs from that of the first embodiment in that it includes a creator ID item as shown in the dashed frame B43. The creator ID corresponds to the second related attribute (see step 402 in FIG. 23). The second related attribute is an example of creator information.

[0129] As shown in the document information Ta in Figure 25, the set of forms with case number "M0000001" has a creator ID of User001. Also, the set of forms with case number "M0000002" has a creator ID of User002, the set of forms with case number "M0000003" has a creator ID of User003, the set of forms with case number "M0000005" has a creator ID of User005, and each creator ID is different from each other. On the other hand, the sets of forms with case numbers "M0000004" and "M0000006" both have the same creator ID, User004, and are preferably placed close to each other in the extraction display area 420.

[0130] Here, the processing example by the extraction processing unit 101 shown in Figure 23, which is performed when the bulk extraction button 412 is pressed in the workspace 41 shown in Figure 24, is basically the same as in the first embodiment (see Figure 7), but we will explain the different step 402. The documents stored in the inbox are extracted by case number, and since the extracted case numbers "M0000004", "M0000005", and "M0000006" are not documents already placed in the extraction display area 420, they are sorted in ascending order using the case number as the first sort key and the creator ID as the second sort key (see step 402 in FIG. 23). 1)M0000004,User004 2) M0000006, User004 3) M0000005, User005 This becomes:

[0131] Therefore, the document placement location in the case number "M0000004" and user ID "User004" according to the internal control corresponding to the flowchart in Figure 7 above is as follows: D0000010: (Document type: Quotation, X coordinate: 1000, Y coordinate: 410) D0000011: (Document type: Contract, X coordinate: 1110, Y coordinate: 410) D0000012: (Document type: Purchase Order, X coordinate: 1220, Y coordinate: 410) The document location in the matter number "M0000006" and user ID "User004" is: D0000016: (Document type: Quotation, X coordinate: 1000, Y coordinate: 480) D0000017: (Document type: Contract, X coordinate: 1110, Y coordinate: 480) D0000018: (Document type: Purchase order, X coordinate: 1220, Y coordinate: 480) The document location in the matter number "M0000005" and user ID "User005" is: D0000013: (Document type: Quotation, X coordinate: 1000, Y coordinate: 550) D0000014: (Document type: Contract, X coordinate: 1110, Y coordinate: 550) D0000015: (Document type: Purchase order, X coordinate: 1220, Y coordinate: 550) In other words, the Y coordinate of case number "M0000004" is 410, the Y coordinate of case number "M0000006" is 480, and the Y coordinate of case number "M0000005" is 550, and case numbers "M0000004" and "M0000006" with the same creator ID are positioned adjacent to each other.

[0132] In the fourth embodiment, as described above, the X and Y coordinates of the document information Ta (see FIG. 25) are used as the position information being displayed in the extraction display area 420. However, this is not limiting, and the final X and Y coordinates of the work history Tb (see FIG. 20) may be used as in the third embodiment.

[0133] 26A and 26B are diagrams illustrating the display contents of the operation screen 400 when the batch take-out button 412 is pressed, in which (a) shows the state in which the layout image area 440 appears, and (b) shows the state in which the layout image area 440 is displayed in the take-out display area 420. Figures 26A and 26B correspond to Figures 14A and 14B in the first embodiment. In the layout image area 440 shown in Figure 26(a), thumbnail information corresponding to thumbnail information 711 to 713, 721 to 723, 731 to 733 (see Figure 24) in the takeout display area 420 is followed by thumbnail information 841 to 843, 851 to 853, 861 to 863 corresponding to thumbnail information 641 to 643, 651 to 653, 661 to 663 (see Figure 24) in the reception display area 410.

[0134] When the OK button shown in FIG. 26(a) is pressed, the thumbnail information 741 to 743, 761 to 763, and 751 to 753 are positioned in the extraction display area 420 in the arrangement image shown in the arrangement image area 440, as shown in FIG. 26(b). As a result, new thumbnail information 741 to 743 and 761 to 763 with the same user ID are arranged close to each other in the takeout display area 420, and thumbnail information 751 to 753 are displayed below them. In this way, if the case numbers are different but the user ID is the same, the documents will be positioned closer together than if the user IDs were different.

[0135] Fig. 27 is a diagram for explaining the contents of document information Ta that has been updated as a result of bulk retrieval, and corresponds to Fig. 25. Fig. 27 also corresponds to Fig. 15 in the first embodiment. When the operation screen 400 shown in Fig. 26(b) is confirmed, numerical values ​​are input into the X coordinate and Y coordinate fields for each of the documents "M0000004" and "M0000006", as shown in dashed-line frames B41 and B42 in Fig. 27. Furthermore, numerical values ​​are input into the X coordinate and Y coordinate fields for each of the documents "M0000005", which are located in the range between dashed-line frames B41 and B42.

[0136] [Significance of the fourth embodiment] In this way, the fourth embodiment utilizes the creator ID, which is the second related attribute of documents stored in the inbox, and extracts documents by case and sorts them in ascending order using the case number as the first sort key and the creator ID, which is the second related attribute, as the second sort key.This allows documents from the same client company (sales representative) to be placed close to each other in the extraction display area 420, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0137] [Fifth embodiment] Next, a fifth embodiment to which this embodiment is applied will be described. In the fifth embodiment, as in the fourth embodiment, when a user is checking Case 1, Case 2, and Case 3, a set of documents for Cases 4, 5, and 6 arrives in the inbox, and the documents for Cases 4 to 6 are retrieved all at once onto workspace 41.

[0138] To explain further, the fifth embodiment is a case where even if the case numbers are not consecutive, if the contents contained therein are somehow related (for example, the contents contain words (annotations) such as "urgent," "quickly," "urgent," or "priority"), they are extracted in a manner that prioritizes and places them close together, which is expected to improve work efficiency. The fifth embodiment will be specifically described below with reference to FIGS. 28 to 30, but descriptions of parts common to the first to fourth embodiments may be omitted.

[0139] FIG. 28 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the take-out processing unit 101 (see FIG. 4) in the fifth embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. In the processing example shown in FIG. 28, when bulk retrieval from the in-tray is performed in response to a user instruction (step 501), documents stored in the in-tray are extracted for each case and sorted in ascending order of case number (step 502).

[0140] Then, the content of each document is analyzed, and the documents that are determined to be related are rearranged so that they are adjacent to each other (step 503). The determination of whether or not the documents are related is made based on whether or not the written content contains predetermined words or annotations such as "urgent," "urgent," or "immediately." If there are multiple documents that contain such annotations, the documents are determined to be related. Steps 504 to 509 are the same as steps 203 to 208 in FIG. 7, and a description thereof will be omitted.

[0141] FIG. 29 is a diagram for explaining an operation screen 400 according to the fifth embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. 12 in the first embodiment. The reception display area 410 of the operation screen 400 shown in Figure 29 displays thumbnail information for "Option 4: View," "Option 4: Notes," "Option 4: Promise," "Option 5: View," "Option 5: Notes," "Option 5: Promise," "Option 6: View," "Option 6: Notes," and "Option 6: Promise." To explain further, the thumbnail information 643 of "Proposal 4: Notes" includes the annotation 413 of "Urgent", and the thumbnail information 663 of "Proposal 6: Notes" includes the annotation 414 of "Urgent".

[0142] In addition, the extraction display area 420 displays thumbnail information for each of "Option 1: View," "Option 1: Notes," "Option 1: Promise," "Option 2: View," "Option 2: Notes," "Option 2: Promise," "Option 3: View," "Option 3: Notes," and "Option 3: Promise."

[0143] Here, the document information Ta held by the document information management unit 14a (see FIG. 2) of the fifth embodiment has parts in common with the case of the fourth embodiment (see FIG. 25), and therefore illustration and description thereof will be omitted. To further explain, the document information Ta of the fifth embodiment has items of document ID, document name, document type, case number, X coordinate, and Y coordinate, and is the same as the document information Ta of the fourth embodiment (see FIG. 25) except that the "creator ID" item is removed.

[0144] Here, the processing example by the extraction processing unit 101 shown in Figure 28, which is performed when the bulk extraction button 412 is pressed in the workspace 41 shown in Figure 29, is basically the same as in the first embodiment (see Figure 7), but we will explain the different step 503. The documents "M0000004," "M0000005," and "M0000006," sorted in ascending order by case number, are analyzed for content to determine the connections between each document (each case). In the case of the fifth embodiment, it is determined that Case 4 and Case 6 are related because "Case 4: Order Form" contains the annotation "Urgent" 413 and "Case 6: Order Form" contains the annotation "Urgent" 414.

[0145] As a result, the case numbers "M0000004" and "M0000006" are rearranged so that they are adjacent to each other (see step 503 in FIG. 28). 1)M0000004 2)M0000006 3)M0000005 This becomes:

[0146] Therefore, the document placement location in the case number "M0000004" according to the internal control corresponding to the flowchart in Figure 7 above is as follows: D0000010: (Document type: Quotation, X coordinate: 1000, Y coordinate: 410) D0000011: (Document type: Contract, X coordinate: 1110, Y coordinate: 410) D0000012: (Document type: Purchase Order, X coordinate: 1220, Y coordinate: 410) The document location in the case number "M0000006" is D0000016: (Document type: Quotation, X coordinate: 1000, Y coordinate: 480) D0000017: (Document type: Contract, X coordinate: 1110, Y coordinate: 480) D0000018: (Document type: Purchase order, X coordinate: 1220, Y coordinate: 480) The document location in the case number "M0000005" is D0000013: (Document type: Quotation, X coordinate: 1000, Y coordinate: 550) D0000014: (Document type: Contract, X coordinate: 1110, Y coordinate: 550) D0000015: (Document type: Purchase order, X coordinate: 1220, Y coordinate: 550) That is, the Y coordinate of case number "M0000004" is 410, the Y coordinate of case number "M0000006" is 480, and the Y coordinate of case number "M0000005" is 550, and the case numbers "M0000004" and "M0000006" of the related documents are positioned adjacent to each other.

[0147] In the fifth embodiment, as described above, the X and Y coordinates of the document information Ta are used as the position information being displayed in the extraction display area 420, but this is not limiting, and the final X and Y coordinates of the work history Tb (see FIG. 20) may be used as in the third embodiment.

[0148] 30A and 30B are diagrams illustrating the display contents of the operation screen 400 when the batch take-out button 412 is pressed, in which (a) shows the state in which the layout image area 440 appears, and (b) shows the state in which the layout image area 440 is displayed in the take-out display area 420. Figures 30A and 30B correspond to Figures 14A and 14B in the first embodiment. In the layout image area 440 shown in Figure 30(a), thumbnail information of each document of Item 1 to Item 3 in the takeout display area 420 is arranged followed by thumbnail information of each document of Item 4 to Item 6 in the reception display area 410.

[0149] To explain further, in the layout image area 440, the thumbnail information 843 for "Item 4: Order Form" includes the annotation 413 of "Urgent," and the thumbnail information 863 for "Item 6: Order Form" includes the annotation 414 of "Urgent."

[0150] When the OK button shown in Figure 30(a) is pressed, thumbnail information for each document of Case 1 to Case 6 is displayed in the extraction display area 420 in the arrangement image and annotation display shown in the arrangement image area 440, as shown in Figure 30(b). The takeout display area 420 also displays the annotation 413 of "urgent" and the annotation 414 of "urgent." As a result, new cases 4 and 6 including annotation displays are displayed in the extraction display area 420 so as to be arranged close to each other.

[0151] Since the annotation display needs to be displayed in a way that is easily noticeable to the user, in the fifth embodiment, the annotation is positioned in a conspicuous upper right corner relative to the thumbnail information. Furthermore, in the fifth embodiment, the annotation is displayed in a color different from the color indicating the thumbnail information in the reception display area 410, layout image area 440, or takeout display area 420, but the display mode, including the display position of the annotation, is not limited to this. For example, the size of the annotation display may be changed, or the background color and text color of the annotation display may be repeatedly reversed.

[0152] However, in the fifth embodiment as well, the files are automatically extracted in an order that is in accordance with the individual's work habits, so the order should not be changed depending on whether or not annotations are displayed. Furthermore, it is preferable to display annotations so that the intervals between thumbnail information are not irregular. However, it is also possible to consider a display mode in which the intervals between annotations are irregular to attract the user's attention. Furthermore, although the display of thumbnail information is not changed depending on whether or not annotations are displayed, it is conceivable to adopt a display mode that differentiates thumbnail information that includes annotations from other thumbnail information to attract the user's attention, such as by changing the size or color of the thumbnail information.

[0153] Here, the document information Ta that is updated by the bulk extraction is the same as the document information Ta of the fourth embodiment (see Figure 27) with the "Creator ID" item removed, so illustration and explanation of it will be omitted.

[0154] [Significance of the fifth embodiment] In this way, in the fifth embodiment, documents stored in the inbox that contain annotation displays are determined to be related documents, and the annotation displays are placed close to the extraction display area 420, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0155] [Sixth embodiment] Next, a sixth embodiment to which this embodiment is applied will be described. The sixth embodiment is a case where, while confirmation work is being carried out on Case 1, Case 2, and Case 3, a set of documents for Case 4 and Case 5 arrives in the inbox, and only the "quotations" of the new documents for Case 4 and Case 5 are extracted in a lump onto the workspace 41. In other words, instead of extracting all of the documents for Case 4 and Case 5 in a lump, only some of the documents for Case 4 and Case 5 are extracted in a lump. The sixth embodiment will be specifically described below with reference to FIGS. 31 to 34, but descriptions of parts common to the first to fifth embodiments may be omitted.

[0156] Fig. 31 is a diagram illustrating an operation screen 400 according to the sixth embodiment, in which (a) shows a state in which no user operation has been performed and corresponds to Fig. 12 in the first embodiment, and (b) shows a state after the batch removal button 412 has been pressed. The reception display area 410 of the operation screen 400 shown in Figure 31 also displays thumbnail information 641 to 643 for "Plan 4: View," "Plan 4: Notes," and "Plan 4: Promise," as well as thumbnail information 651 to 653 for "Plan 5: View," "Plan 5: Notes," and "Plan 5: Promise." In addition, the extraction display area 420 displays thumbnail information for each of "Option 1: View," "Option 1: Notes," "Option 1: Promise," "Option 2: View," "Option 2: Notes," "Option 2: Promise," "Option 3: View," "Option 3: Notes," and "Option 3: Promise."

[0157] The bulk extraction button 412 shown in Figure 31(a) is an accordion menu, and when pressed, as shown in Figure 31(b), a detailed screen hidden by the bulk extraction button 412 is displayed. The bulk extraction button 412 allows the user to select the method of bulk extraction from either item 2a, which instructs the user to specify the document type, or item 2b, which instructs the user to specify the case number.

[0158] The contents of the accordion menu of the batch take-out button 412 are switched depending on the attributes of the documents in the reception display area 410 . In the sixth embodiment, the document type item 2a includes, as submenus, an item 2a1 for specifying an estimate, an item 2a2 for specifying a contract, and an item 2a3 for specifying a purchase order. Therefore, of the thumbnail information 641-643 and 651-653 in the reception display area 410, when retrieving, for example, estimates all at once, item 2a1 is selected, and when retrieving, for example, estimates and contracts all at once, items 2a1 and 2a2 are selected.

[0159] In Figure 31(b), the submenu for item 2b of the case number is not shown, but in the case of the sixth embodiment, an item for specifying case 4 and an item for specifying case 5 are displayed. In addition, in the sixth embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which either the document type item 2a or the case number item 2b is selected, but a configuration in which items 2a and 2b are combined to select the documents to be retrieved in bulk may also be adopted.

[0160] FIG. 32 is a diagram for explaining the document information Ta held by the document information management unit 14a (see FIG. 2), and corresponds to FIG. 13 in the first embodiment. The document information Ta shown in FIG. 32 includes items such as document ID, document name, document type, case number, X coordinate, and Y coordinate. In addition, in the dashed-line frame B61, “(null)” is shown in the X coordinate and Y coordinate parts of the document IDs “D000010” to “D000012” corresponding to the thumbnail information 641 to 643 (see FIG. 24).

[0161] Here, in the workspace 41 shown in FIG. 31, the processing example by the statistical information processing unit 103 for the document information Ta shown in FIG. 32 is the same as the content described corresponding to FIG. 6 in the first embodiment, but a supplementary explanation will be given for the case of the sixth embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, when the acquisition unit 3a acquires the document type and the coordinate position of the m (m < n) -th document ID (see step 103 in FIG. 6), a list of attribute values is acquired for each attribute of the documents stored in the receiving tray. That is, · Document type · Case number are acquired, and an accordion menu of the batch extraction button 412 as described above is created from the list of attributes and attribute values of the extracted documents.

[0162] FIG. 33 is a diagram for explaining the display content of the operation screen 400 when the batch extraction button 412 is pressed. (a) shows the state where the arrangement image area 440 appears, and (b) shows the state where it is displayed in the extraction display area 420 as in the arrangement image area 440. FIGS. 33(a) and (b) correspond to FIGS. 14(a) and (b) in the first embodiment. FIG. 33(a) shows the case where, in the batch extraction button 412 for annotation display, the item 2a1 for designating the estimate document in the document type item 2a is designated. <00009​​​​The thumbnail information 841, 851 in the layout image area 440 is arranged for each project, that is, the thumbnail information of the estimate is arranged on the left side in the horizontal direction.

[0164] 33(a) is pressed, as shown in FIG. 33(b), thumbnail information 741 and 751 are positioned in the takeout display area 420 in the order of the layout image shown in the layout image area 440. As a result, thumbnail information 741 and 751 of the new estimate are displayed in the takeout display area 420.

[0165] Fig. 34 is a diagram for explaining the contents of document information Ta that has been updated as a result of bulk retrieval, and corresponds to Fig. 32. Fig. 34 also corresponds to Fig. 15 in the first embodiment. When the operation screen 400 shown in Figure 33(b) above is confirmed, numerical values ​​are entered into the X and Y coordinate fields for document ID "D000010," which is the estimate for case number "M0000004," as shown in dashed box B61 in Figure 34, while "(null)" is still displayed in the X and Y coordinate fields for document ID "D000011," which is the contract, and document ID "D000012," which is the purchase order. Although not shown in Figure 34, a similar update is also made to case number "M0000005" as to case number "M0000004."

[0166] [Significance of the sixth embodiment] In this way, in the sixth embodiment, it is possible to retrieve not all documents stored in the in-tray but only some of them at once, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0167] [Processor] In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.). Furthermore, the operations of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be performed not only by a single processor but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments and may be changed as appropriate.

[0168] [program] The processes performed by the image display device 1 in this embodiment and each of the above embodiments are prepared as a program such as application software, for example. The program for realizing this embodiment can be provided not only by communication means but also by being stored on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. [Explanation of symbols]

[0169] 1...image display device, 11...CPU, 14...nonvolatile memory, 420...take-out display area, 440...arrangement image area, 741-743, 751-753...thumbnail information, Ta...document information, Tb...work history

Claims

1. a processor; The processor: Obtain document attribute information of the document to be newly stored in the storage area; Acquire other document attribute information of another document that is already stored in the storage area and that differs from the document attribute information, and position information of the other document when the other document is displayed in the display area; generating an arrangement rule based on the acquired document attribute information, the other document attribute information, and the position information, and determining a position of the document of the document attribute information when it is displayed in the display area according to the generated arrangement rule; 1. An information processing device comprising:

2. the document attribute information of the document and the other document attribute information of the other document include case information indicating a case to be used and type information indicating a document type; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

3. When either the case information or the category information in the document attribute information and the other document attribute information is the same and the other is different, the document and the other documents are arranged in a manner that the document and the other documents having the same case information are arranged in one direction, and the document and the other documents having the same category information are arranged in another direction intersecting the one direction.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

4. The other document is displayed at a position determined by the location information.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3,

5. When either the case information or the category information in the document attribute information and the other document attribute information is the same and the other is different, the document and the other documents are arranged in one direction when the case information and the category information are the same, and the document and the other documents are arranged in the same direction when the category information is the same.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

6. In the arrangement of the document and the other documents when either the case information or the type information in the document attribute information and the other document attribute information is the same and the other is different, the determined position of the document differs depending on whether the type information in the document attribute information and the other document attribute information is the same or different.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

7. the document attribute information and the other document attribute information further include creator information associated with a document creator; determining a position of the document in the display area when the document attribute information and the other document attribute information have different case information but the creator information is the same, so that the document and the other document are closer to each other than when the creator information of the document and the other document are different; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

8. the position information is changed when the user moves the other document within the display area; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

9. the location information is information about the location of the other document immediately before the other document was displayed in the display area; 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8,

10. The location information is either location information at which the other document is displayed in the display area or location information calculated from location information as a history of the other document that was displayed in the display area moving within the display area.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8,

11. The calculated location information is calculated by weighting the location information as the history.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10,

12. A layout image of the documents newly stored in the storage area is presented when the documents are arranged in positions determined by the arrangement rules, for each of the documents newly stored in the storage area; In response to a user's operation on the layout image, the plurality of documents newly stored in the storage area are moved to the display area and arranged in accordance with the layout image.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

13. In the layout image, a plurality of the documents are displayed together with the other documents.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12.

14. A plurality of the documents are newly stored in the storage area, The layout image displays all of the documents to be newly stored in the storage area.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13,

15. A plurality of the documents are newly stored in the storage area, The layout image partially displays the plurality of documents to be newly stored in the storage area.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13,

16. The document is displayed in the layout image, and the other documents are not displayed.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12.

17. A computer comprising: A function for acquiring document attribute information of a document to be newly stored in the storage area; a function of acquiring other document attribute information of another document that is already stored in the storage area and that differs from the document attribute information, and position information of the other document when the other document is displayed in the display area; a function of generating an arrangement rule based on the acquired document attribute information, the other document attribute information, and the position information, and determining a position of the document of the document attribute information when it is displayed in the display area according to the generated arrangement rule; A program to achieve this.

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