Information processing device, information processing system, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device that can easily retrieve an electronic document targeted by a user in comparison with a case where an application range of retrieval information is not limited, an information processing system, and a program.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes a processor. The processor acquires first retrieval information as an electronic document and information for retrieving the electronic document from a user A as a registered user who belongs to a predetermined group and is a user who registers the electronic document, acquires second retrieval information as information on the electronic document that a user B desires to acquire as an acquisition user who belongs to this group and is a user who acquires the electronic document, and selects the electronic document based on the first retrieval information and the second retrieval information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, when an electronic document is registered, search information such as keywords is added as information for searching.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes that a generating means acquires a first file stored in a storage means and generates a second file including tags corresponding to elements included in the first file. The generating means then extracts one or more character strings included in the second file based on the tags, associates the second file with the extracted character strings, and stores them in the storage means. When a character string is input, a searching means refers to the storage means to search for a second file corresponding to the input character string and outputs the search results. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-77150 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the search information provided tends to be so diverse that it exceeds the range of information that a user searching for electronic documents can handle, making it difficult for the user to find the electronic document they are looking for. The present invention aims to provide an information processing device, an information processing system, and a program that make it easier for a user to search for a desired electronic document compared to when no restrictions are placed on the scope of application of search information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention of claim 1 includes a processor, and the processor is configured to Providing a service Belonging to a group Regarding the group that provides the predetermined service A first search information is acquired from a registered user who is a user who registers an electronic document as the electronic document and information for searching the electronic document, a second search information is acquired as information about the electronic document that an acquiring user who belongs to the group and is a user who acquires the electronic document wants to acquire, and the electronic document is selected based on the first search information and the second search information. The second search information includes information not related to the service. It is an information processing device. The invention described in claim 2 is an information processing device described in claim 1, in which the second search information is further associated with the first search information and the acquired electronic document, and used as search information to search for the electronic document that the acquiring user wants to acquire. The invention described in claim 3 is also characterized in that the group is a group that provides the service using a social networking service, and the first search information and the second search information are tag information used in the social networking service. 1 The information processing device is described in A fourth aspect of the present invention is the information processing device according to the first aspect, wherein the processor assigns a reservation number to the electronic document when the electronic document is acquired from the registered user. The invention described in claim 5 is also characterized in that the processor issues the reservation number to the acquiring user so that the acquiring user can output the electronic document using an image forming device that forms an image. 4 The information processing device is described in The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that the acquiring user selects the electronic document he or she wishes to acquire from a list displaying a plurality of pairs of the electronic document and the reservation number, and the processor issues the reservation number for the selected electronic document to the acquiring user. 5 The information processing device is described in The invention of claim 7 includes a processor, wherein the processor acquires first search information from a registered user who is a user who registers an electronic document as the electronic document and information for searching the electronic document, acquires second search information from an acquiring user who is a user who acquires the electronic document as information about the electronic document that the acquiring user wants to acquire, selects the electronic document based on the first search information and the second search information, further associates the second search information with the first search information and the acquired electronic document, and uses the second search information as search information for searching for the electronic document that the acquiring user wants to acquire. The electronic document is related to a group that provides a predetermined service and that is registered by the registered user and the acquiring user, and the second search information includes information that is not related to the service. It is an information processing device. The invention described in claim 8 is also characterized in that the first search information is set in relation to the service. 7 The information processing device is described in The invention of claim 9 includes an information processing device that manages electronic documents, and a terminal device that searches for electronic documents managed by the information processing device, the information processing device including a processor, the processor including a predetermined Providing a service Belonging to a group Regarding the group that provides the predetermined service First search information is obtained from a registered user who is a user who registers the electronic document as the electronic document and information for searching the electronic document, and second search information is obtained from an acquiring user who belongs to the group and is a user who acquires the electronic document as information about the electronic document that the acquiring user wants to acquire, and the electronic document is selected based on the first search information and the second search information. The second search information includes information not related to the service. It is an information processing system. The invention described in claim 10 is a computer that executes a predetermined Providing a service Belonging to a group Regarding the group that provides the predetermined service A program for realizing a function of acquiring first search information from a registered user who is a user who registers an electronic document as the electronic document and information for searching the electronic document, a function of acquiring second search information as information about the electronic document that an acquiring user who belongs to the group and is a user who acquires the electronic document wants to acquire, and a function of selecting the electronic document based on the first search information and the second search information. wherein the second search information includes information not related to the service. is. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the invention of claim 1, it is possible to provide an information processing device that makes it easier for a user to search for a desired electronic document compared to when no restrictions are placed on the scope of application of search information. In addition, search information becomes more tailored to the purpose, making it easier to search for electronic documents. In addition, search information tends to be more common, making it easier to search for electronic documents. In addition, users can further narrow down the electronic documents they want to obtain. According to the invention of claim 2, it is possible to add search information that can be commonly recognized by users. Claim 3 According to the invention, search information is tailored to the purpose of the social networking service, making it easier to search for electronic documents. Claim 4 According to the invention, a reservation number can be quickly issued to the user. Claim 5 According to the invention, it is possible to more easily specify an electronic document that is to be output as an image. Claim 6 According to the invention, it becomes easier to select the electronic document you want to acquire. Claim 7 According to the invention, it is possible to add search information that can be commonly recognized by users. Claim 8 According to the invention, the first search information is in line with the purpose of the group. Claim 9 According to the invention, it is possible to provide an information processing system that makes it easier for a user to search for a desired electronic document compared to when no restrictions are placed on the scope of application of search information. Claim 10 According to the invention, a function can be realized by a computer to provide an information processing device that makes it easier for users to search for desired electronic documents compared to when no restrictions are placed on the scope of application of search information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic operation of the information processing system. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an information processing system. [Figure 5] 1(a) is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the information processing system when a user uploads an electronic document to the document management system and registers it. 1(b) is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the information processing system when a user checks the reservation number of a registered electronic document. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the operation of the information processing system in the processing of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the information processing system when a user searches for and selects an electronic document registered in a document management system and prints the electronic document. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the operation of the information processing system in the processing of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 3 is a diagram showing a data structure of data relating to an electronic document stored in a storage unit. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a list displayed on a display unit of the terminal device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] <Overall explanation of information processing system 1> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment. The illustrated information processing system 1 is configured by connecting a terminal device 10 owned by user A, a terminal device 20 owned by user B, a document management system 30 that manages electronic documents, and an image forming device 40 that prints electronic documents via a network 50. Here, the term "electronic document" refers to data that has been digitized from textual information and image information. There are no particular limitations on the format or data structure of the electronic document, as long as it can be handled by the terminal device 10, the terminal device 20, the document management system 30, and the image forming device 40.

[0010] In response to an instruction from user A, the terminal device 10 uploads an electronic document to be printed by the image forming device 40 to the document management system 30. The terminal device 20 searches for electronic documents managed by the document management system 30 in response to an instruction from the user B. The terminal device 20 is also a device through which the user B requests printing of an electronic document that he or she wishes to print on the image forming device 40. The terminal devices 10 and 20 are computer devices such as general-purpose personal computers (PCs), mobile computers, mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, etc. The terminal devices 10 and 20 operate various application software under the control of an OS (Operating System) to upload, search, and request printing of electronic documents.

[0011] The document management system 30 is an example of an information management device that manages electronic documents. The document management system 30 is a computer system that manages the entire information processing system 1. In this embodiment, the document management system 30 includes a bot server 30a and a file server 30b.

[0012] The bot server 30a is a server computer on which a bot operates. The bot has an SNS (Social Networking Service) account, and when an electronic document is sent to this SNS account, the bot receives the electronic document. In other words, the bot server 30a functions as a receiving device that receives electronic documents.

[0013] The file server 30b is a server computer that stores electronic documents. The file server 30b stores and manages the electronic documents received by the bot server 30a. In other words, the file server 30b functions as a management device that manages electronic documents.

[0014] The terminal device 10, the terminal device 20, and the document management system 30 each include a central processing unit (CPU) as a computing means, a main memory as a storage means, and storage such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). Here, the CPU is an example of a processor, and executes various software such as an operating system (OS) and application software. The main memory is a storage area that stores various software and data used to run the software, and the storage is a storage area that stores input data for the various software and output data from the various software. Furthermore, the terminal device 10, the terminal device 20 and the document management system 30 are equipped with a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication I / F") for communicating with the outside, a display mechanism consisting of a video memory, a display, etc., and input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc.

[0015] Image forming device 40 is a printing device that prints documents and has a printer function that forms an image on a recording medium such as paper and outputs it as a printed document. In addition to the printer function, image forming device 40 may also have other image processing functions such as a scanner function and a facsimile function.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 40. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the image forming apparatus 40 includes a CPU 41, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 42, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 43, a storage 44, an operation panel 45, an image reading unit 46, an image forming unit 47, and a communication I / F 48. These components exchange necessary data via a bus B.

[0017] The CPU 41 loads various programs stored in the ROM 43 or the like into the RAM 42 and executes them to realize various functions, which will be described later. The RAM 42 is a memory used as a working memory for the CPU 41, etc. The ROM 43 is a memory that stores various programs executed by the CPU 41. The storage 44 is an HDD or SSD, and stores image information read by the image reading unit 46, image information used in image formation by the image forming unit 47, and the like.

[0018] The operation panel 45 is, for example, a touch panel that displays various types of information and accepts operation inputs from the user. When the operation panel 45 is a touch panel, it has a display unit such as a liquid crystal panel that displays content (information content) as an image in a predetermined area. It also has a function of detecting the position of a contact object, such as a human finger or a stylus pen, when the contact object touches the liquid crystal panel. In this embodiment, the touch panel is not particularly limited, and various types such as a resistive film type or a capacitive type can be used.

[0019] The image reading unit 46 reads an image recorded on a document. The image reading unit 46 is, for example, a scanner, and may be of a CCD type, in which light irradiated onto a document from a light source is reduced by a lens and reflected by a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), or of a CIS type, in which light irradiated onto a document from an LED light source is reflected by a CIS (Contact Image Sensor).

[0020] The image forming unit 47 is an example of a printing mechanism that forms an image on a recording medium. Here, the image forming unit 47 is, for example, a printer, and can use an electrophotographic system that forms an image by transferring toner attached to a photosensitive member onto a recording medium such as paper, or an inkjet system that forms an image by ejecting ink onto a recording medium.

[0021] The communication I / F 48 transmits and receives various types of information to and from other devices via a network 50 .

[0022] The network 50 is a communication means used for information communication between the terminal device 10, the terminal device 20, the document management system 30, and the image forming device 40, and is, for example, the Internet, a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN). The communication lines used for information communication may be wired or wireless, or a combination of these may be used. Furthermore, the terminal device 10, the terminal device 20, and the document management system 30 may be connected via multiple networks or communication lines using relay devices such as gateway devices or routers.

[0023] <Outline of Operation of Information Processing System 1> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of the operation of the information processing system 1. As shown in FIG. User A and User B belong to a predetermined group. This group is a group that provides a predetermined service. Therefore, the electronic document relates to a group that provides a predetermined service and that User A and User B have registered. More specifically, for example, this group is a group that provides a service using a social networking service (SNS).

[0024] User A operates the terminal device 10 and uploads an electronic document to the document management system 30 in order to register it (1A). This "group" is a collection of users. The form of the group is not particularly limited. For example, a department of a company can be a group. Or, a class in a school can be a group. This group can also be, for example, a group that provides a service using a social networking service (SNS). Specifically, this corresponds to a chat room in LINE (registered trademark), a mobile messenger application. A user can join this group by registering as a user. User A is an example of a registered user who registers an electronic document. User B is an example of an acquiring user who acquires an electronic document. User B belongs to the same group as user A, and is a user other than user A in this group. Note that any user in the same group may be user A or user B. This electronic document is received by the bot server 30a of the document management system 30 and stored in the file server 30b (1B).

[0025] User B can print this document using image forming device 40. This image forming device 40 is installed in, for example, a convenience store, and allows printing by paying a preset fee. At this time, User B operates the terminal device 20, searches for the telegram document he / she wants to print, and requests printing (1C). As a result, a reservation number is sent to User B from the file server 30b as information necessary for printing (1D). User B then passes the reservation number to image forming device 40 (1E). Specifically, for example, user B inputs the reservation number into image forming device 40. Image forming device 40 retrieves the electronic document from file server 30b based on the reservation number (1F) and prints the electronic document (1G). User B then receives the printed document. This allows users in the same group on an SNS or the like to share electronic documents and to register, search, and print electronic documents.

[0026] <Explanation of the functional configuration of information processing system 1> FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the information processing system 1. Here, among the various functions possessed by the information processing system 1, those related to this embodiment are selected and illustrated.

[0027] The terminal device 10 of the illustrated information processing system 1 includes a transmission / reception unit 110 that transmits and receives information to and from external devices, a display unit 120 that displays images, an input unit 130 that inputs user instructions, and a control unit 140 that controls the entire terminal device 10.

[0028] The transmitting / receiving unit 110 transmits and receives data between the control unit 140 and the document management system 30. For example, the transmitting / receiving unit 110 uploads an electronic document to the document management system 30. Furthermore, as will be described in detail later, the transmitting / receiving unit 110 transmits first search information to the document management system 30 as information for searching for an electronic document. The first search information is search information set by user A who registers an electronic document in the document management system 30. "Search information" is information used to search for an electronic document. Examples of search information include text data such as words, phrases, and sentences, image data such as photographs and pictures, and composition data. The display unit 120 is a display device that displays a selection screen when uploading an electronic document and notifications from the document management system 30. The input unit 130 is an input device through which the user A selects an electronic document and inputs an instruction to upload the electronic document when uploading the electronic document. The user A also uses the input unit 130 to input first search information. The display unit 120 and the input unit 130 may be a touch panel or the like that combines these functions. The control unit 140 controls the entire terminal device 10. The control unit 140 creates an image to be displayed on the display unit 120. The control unit 140 also uploads an electronic document from the transmission / reception unit 110 in accordance with a user instruction inputted via the input unit 130. At this time, the control unit 140 also transmits the user ID of user A to the document management system 30.

[0029] The terminal device 20 has the same configuration as the terminal device 10, and includes a transmitting / receiving unit 210, a display unit 220, an input unit 230, and a control unit 240. The transmitting / receiving unit 210 transmits and receives data between the control unit 240 and the document management system 30. The transmitting / receiving unit 110 transmits second search information to the document management system 30 as information about the electronic document that User B wants to acquire. The second search information is search information set by User B to search for an electronic document. The display unit 220 displays a screen for user B to input second search information when searching for an electronic document. The display unit 220 also displays a list of electronic documents searched by the document management system 30. Furthermore, the display unit 220 displays a reservation number received from the document management system 30 to print the electronic document. This reservation number is used to identify user B and the electronic document when printing is performed by the image forming device 40.

[0030] The input unit 230 is a mechanism through which User B inputs instructions for searching, selecting, and requesting printing of electronic documents. That is, User B uses the input unit 230 to input second search information. The input unit 230 also accepts the selection of an electronic document that User B wishes to acquire from the list of electronic documents searched by the document management system 30. Furthermore, User B inputs a request to print the selected electronic document. The control unit 240 controls the entire terminal device 20. The control unit 240 creates an image to be displayed on the display unit 220. The control unit 240 also transmits second search information to the electronic document stored in the document management system 30 via the transmission / reception unit 210. This causes the control unit 240 to issue a search request to the electronic document stored in the document management system 30. Furthermore, in accordance with a user instruction input via the input unit 230, the control unit 240 requests the document management system 30 to print the electronic document via the transmission / reception unit 210. At this time, the control unit 240 also transmits the user ID of user B to the document management system 30. As a result, the control unit 240 then receives the reservation number generated by the document management system 30.

[0031] The transmitting / receiving units 110 and 210 correspond to, for example, a communication I / F. The display units 120 and 220 correspond to, for example, a display device such as a display. The input units 130 and 230 correspond to, for example, an input device. Furthermore, the control units 140 and 240 correspond to, for example, a CPU.

[0032] The document management system 30 comprises a transmission / reception unit 310 for transmitting and receiving electronic documents, a search unit 320 for searching electronic documents, a reservation number creation unit 330 for creating reservation numbers, a reservation number issuance unit 340 for issuing reservation numbers, and a storage unit 350 for storing electronic documents and search information.

[0033] The transmitting / receiving unit 310 transmits and receives data between the terminal devices 10 and 20 and the image forming device 40 via the network 50. The transmitting / receiving unit 310 receives an electronic document sent from user A. The transmitting / receiving unit 310 also receives an electronic document sent from user B for searching or printing. Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 310 transmits data of the electronic document to be printed by user B to the image forming device 40. The transmitting / receiving unit 310 corresponds to, for example, a communication I / F.

[0034] In response to a request from User B to search for electronic documents, the search unit 320 refers to the storage unit 350 and searches for electronic documents. At this time, the search unit 320 selects electronic documents based on the search information and transmits the selected electronic documents to the terminal device 20 as search results. Specifically, the search unit 320 acquires first search information input by User A and second search information input by User B. Then, the search unit 320 selects electronic documents based on the first search information and second search information. The search unit 320 selects electronic documents based on, for example, the degree of match or similarity between the first search information and the second search information.

[0035] The reservation number creation unit 330 creates a reservation number that user B inputs to image forming device 40 when printing on image forming device 40. In this embodiment, the reservation number creation unit 330 assigns a reservation number to an electronic document when it acquires the electronic document from user A. Then, when user B requests printing, the reservation number creation unit 330 issues a print reservation number to user B so that user B can output the document on image forming device 40. By assigning a reservation number in advance in this way, the reservation number is determined when the electronic document is registered in the database. Then, the data of the electronic document is associated with the reservation number. This saves time when sending the reservation number to user B. In other words, when user B requests the issuance of a reservation number, it is unlikely that time will be required to select and issue the reservation number, causing user B to wait. Therefore, the reservation number can be issued to user B quickly, and user B can receive the reservation number promptly.

[0036] When a request for printing of an electronic document is received from user B, reservation number issuing unit 340 issues a reservation number that has been created in advance to user B.

[0037] The storage unit 350 stores the first search information acquired from user A in association with the electronic document. Furthermore, in this embodiment, as will be described in detail later, the second search information acquired from user B is stored in association with the electronic document. In other words, the second search information is stored in further association with the first search information and the acquired electronic document. The second search information is then used as search information for searching for the electronic document that user B wants to acquire. The storage unit 350 also stores a reservation number. The storage unit 350 corresponds to, for example, a storage.

[0038] In this embodiment, the transmitting / receiving unit 310, the reservation number creating unit 330, and the reservation number issuing unit 340 are functions provided in the bot server 30a, while the searching unit 320 and the saving unit 350 are functions provided in the file server 30b.

[0039] The image forming device 40 includes a transmission / reception unit 410 that transmits and receives information to and from external devices, a display unit 420 that displays a print setting screen, a mechanism unit 430 that realizes the functions of the image forming device 40, and a control unit 440 that controls the image forming device 40.

[0040] The transmitting / receiving unit 410 accepts an electronic document uploaded from the terminal device 10. The transmitting / receiving unit 410 corresponds to the communication I / F 48, for example. Display unit 420 displays a print setting screen, which is a screen for setting document printing, and guidance for the user. The guidance for the user may be, for example, information on how to operate image forming device 40 and the fees required for printing. Display unit 420 corresponds to operation panel 45, for example. The mechanism section 430 is the above-mentioned scanner, printing mechanism, etc. The mechanism section 430 corresponds to the image reading section 46 and the image forming section 47. The control unit 440 is an example of a print control device, and controls the entire image forming apparatus 40. The control unit 440 corresponds to the CPU 11, the RAM 12, and the ROM 13, for example.

[0041] <Detailed explanation of the operation of the information processing system 1> Next, the operation of the information processing system 1 will be described in detail. Here, the information processing system 1 will be explained in two parts: the task of user A uploading and registering an electronic document to the document management system 30, and the task of user B searching for and selecting an electronic document registered in the document management system 30 and printing the electronic document.

[0042] Fig. 5(a) is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the information processing system 1 when user A uploads and registers an electronic document to the document management system 30. Fig. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the operation of the information processing system 1 in the processing of Fig. 5.

[0043] First, user A operates the input unit 130 on the operation screen displayed on the display unit 120 of the terminal device 10 to select an electronic document to upload and instructs the user to upload the selected electronic document. This causes the control unit 140 to upload the electronic document from the transmission / reception unit 110 to the document management system 30 (step 101). As described above, user A belongs to a group provided by an SNS or the like, and registered electronic documents are shared within this group. For ease of understanding, the following description will be given taking as an example a case where this group is an "animal pictures" group on the SNS that handles content featuring animal pictures.

[0044] Furthermore, when uploading an electronic document, User A is prompted to input first search information as information for searching for the electronic document. User A then inputs the first search information in response to the prompt (step 102). As described above, the first search information can be text data, image data, or composition data. If the group is a social networking service group, the first search information is tag information. Specifically, for example, if the electronic document to be uploaded is an image of a bear, User A assigns the tag information "bear" to it. The tag information is then uploaded along with the electronic document. This tag information can also be selected and set from pre-registered tag information. In this case, for example, tag information is displayed in a list, and User A selects tag information from that list. User A can also set new tag information. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, if User A wants to use "penguin" as tag information but it is not in the list, he or she can set "penguin" as new tag information. When uploading an electronic document, it is possible to add information such as a user ID for identifying User A and the date and time when the electronic document was created.

[0045] The electronic document and the first search information uploaded from the terminal device 10 are received by the transmitting / receiving unit 310 of the bot server 30a and stored in the storage unit 350 of the file server 30b (step 103). As a result, the electronic document is registered in the document management system 30. At this time, the electronic document and the first search information are stored in association with each other.

[0046] At this time, the reservation number creation unit 330 creates a reservation number for the electronic document, which is also associated with the electronic document and stored in the storage unit 350 (step 104). Furthermore, when the electronic document is registered, the bot server 30a returns a message to the terminal device 10 via the transmitting / receiving unit 310 indicating that the registration has been successful (step 105). This message is displayed on the display unit 120 of the terminal device 10 (step 106).

[0047] User A can check the reservation number of the registered electronic document. FIG. 5(b) is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the information processing system 1 when checking the reservation number of a registered electronic document. First, "Confirm reservation" is selected from the menu on the operation screen displayed on the display unit 120 of the terminal device 10 (step 201). A request for reservation confirmation from user A is sent to the document management system 30 via the transmitting / receiving unit 110. This request is then received by the transmitting / receiving unit 310 of the bot server 30a (step 202). Next, the search unit 320 of the file server 30b searches for the corresponding electronic document (step 203). This can be done by using the user ID of user A, for example.

[0048] Next, the search unit 320 transmits the search results to the terminal device 10 via the transmission / reception unit 310 of the bot server 30a. The terminal device 10 receives the search results via the transmission / reception unit 110 (step 204). The search results are then displayed on the display unit 120 of the terminal device 10 (step 205). As the search results, for example, a list of file names, thumbnails, and reservation numbers of the electronic documents is displayed.

[0049] Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the information processing system 1 when user B searches for and selects electronic documents registered in the document management system 30 and prints the electronic documents. Fig. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the operation of the information processing system 1 in the processing of Fig. 7. First, user B operates terminal device 20 and logs in to a group to which users A and B belong (step 301). Specifically, user B logs in to the "animal pictures" group in the SNS, which handles content related to animal pictures.

[0050] Next, User B selects "Search" from the menu on the operation screen displayed on the display unit 220 of the terminal device 20 (step 302). At this time, User B is required to input second search information as information for searching for the desired electronic document. As described above, the second search information can be text data, image data, or composition data. If the group is a social networking service group, the second search information is tag information, similar to the first search information. Specifically, for example, if the desired electronic document is an image of a bear, User B inputs "bear" as the tag information. This tag information can be selected and set from pre-registered tag information. In this case, for example, tag information is displayed as a list, from which User B can select tag information. User B can also set new tag information. FIG. 8 shows a list of tag information, with "bear," "giraffe," "monkey," and "penguin" displayed. User B also selects "bear" as the tag information.

[0051] Furthermore, at this time, if User B newly sets second search information, this is further associated with the first search information and the acquired electronic document, and is used as search information for searching for electronic documents that other users wish to acquire. In practice, in addition to the electronic document and the first search information, the second search information entered by User B is further added and saved as search information in the saving unit 350. In other words, the second search information entered by User B is also used as search information, and is further used by other users to search for electronic documents that they wish to acquire.

[0052] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the data structure of data relating to electronic documents stored in the storage unit 350. As shown in FIG. The data structure shown in the figure consists of an electronic document ID, which is the ID of the electronic document, a registered user ID, which is the ID of user A, the file name of the electronic document, the upload date and time, the electronic document data, first search information, second search information, and a reservation number. In this case, the first search information is the search information provided by user A. The second search information is the search information newly provided by user B. There is no second search information when the electronic document has not yet been selected, or when the electronic document has been selected but the search information entered by user B is the existing first search information.

[0053] 7, the request for searching for an electronic document by user B is sent to the document management system 30 via the transmitting / receiving unit 110. This request is then received by the transmitting / receiving unit 310 of the bot server 30a (step 303). Next, the search unit 320 of the file server 30b searches for the corresponding electronic document (step 304). The search unit 320 selects the electronic document based on the first search information provided by user A and the second search information input by user B, based on the degree of match or similarity between them.

[0054] Next, the search unit 320 transmits the search results to the terminal device 20 via the transmission / reception unit 310 of the bot server 30a. The terminal device 20 receives the search results via the transmission / reception unit 210 (step 305). The search results are then displayed on the display unit 220 of the terminal device 20 (step 306). The search results are displayed as a list of, for example, file names, thumbnails, and reservation numbers of the electronic documents.

[0055] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a list displayed on the display unit 220 of the terminal device 20. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, a list of file names Fn of electronic documents, thumbnails Sn of electronic documents, and reservation numbers Yb is displayed on the display unit 220 of the terminal device 20. Here, the example shows a case where user B inputs "bear" as tag information, which is the second search information. As a result, three images of bears are selected, and the search results are displayed as a list.

[0056] Returning to FIG. 7 again, next, User B selects the electronic document they wish to acquire from the list (step 307). This is done, for example, by pressing the section of the electronic document they wish to acquire. FIG. 10 shows that an electronic document with the file name "○×◇" has been selected. User B then touches the reservation number issue button Bt to request the issuance of a reservation number (step 308). In other words, in this case, User B selects the electronic document they wish to acquire from a list that displays multiple pairs of electronic documents and reservation numbers. The request for issuance of a reservation number by user B is sent to the document management system 30 via the transmitting / receiving unit 110. Then, this request is received by the reservation number issuing unit 340 of the bot server 30a via the transmitting / receiving unit 310 (step 309).

[0057] Next, the reservation number issuing unit 340 transmits the received reservation number to the terminal device 20 via the transmitting / receiving unit 310 of the bot server 30a. That is, the bot server 30a issues a reservation number for the selected electronic document to the user B. The terminal device 20 receives the reservation number via the transmitting / receiving unit 210 (step 310). At this time, if the user B has selected multiple electronic documents, a combined reservation number that combines the reservation numbers may be issued. Then, the reservation number is displayed on the display unit 220 of the terminal device 20 (step 311). Furthermore, User B goes to the location where image forming device 40 is installed, enters the reservation number, and requests printing (step 312). In reality, for example, User B operates image forming device 40 to enter the reservation number and press the start button. The print request from user B is sent to the document management system 30 via the transmitting / receiving unit 110. This request is then accepted by the transmitting / receiving unit 310 of the bot server 30a (step 313). Then, the reservation number issuing unit 340 of the bot server 30a accepts the corresponding reservation number (step 314).

[0058] Next, the reservation number issuing unit 340 transmits the data of the electronic document corresponding to the received reservation number to the image forming device 40 via the transmitting / receiving unit 310 of the bot server 30a. The image forming device 40 receives the data of the electronic document via the transmitting / receiving unit 410 (step 315). In the image forming device 40, the control unit 440 controls the mechanism unit 430 to print on a recording medium based on the data of the electronic document (step 316).

[0059] In the above example, the processing performed by bot server 30a may be performed by file server 30b, and the processing performed by file server 30b may be performed by bot server 30a. For example, bot server 30a may have only the function of transmission / reception unit 310. In this case, file server 30b has functions other than transmission / reception unit 310. That is, file server 30b has the functions of search unit 320, reservation number creation unit 330, reservation number issuance unit 340, and storage unit 350. Furthermore, one server computer may perform all of the processing performed by these units. Furthermore, in the above example, user B printed the electronic document using image forming device 40, but instead of printing, user B may download the electronic document using terminal device 20 and simply view the downloaded electronic document. In this case, there is no need to issue a reservation number to user B. Furthermore, in the above example, a reservation number is issued when user B prints an electronic document, but this is not limited to this. For example, a barcode such as a QR code (registered trademark) may be issued.

[0060] As described above in detail, the information processing system 1 of this embodiment targets users belonging to a predetermined group and assigns search information to register, search, and print electronic documents. This makes it easier for users to search for the electronic document they are looking for compared to when no restrictions are placed on the scope of application of the search information. In other words, if a predetermined group is not set, the search information is more likely to be written in a different way (generalized). As a result, even when searching for electronic documents based on the search information, the search information will not match. In other words, it will be difficult to find hits when searching for electronic documents. As a result, the searchability of electronic documents will be reduced. Furthermore, methods for standardizing search information will be difficult in practice, as users will interpret it in various ways. In contrast, when search information is assigned to users belonging to a predetermined group, as in the present embodiment, the search information is within the scope of the services provided by that group, making it less likely for the search information to be generalized (generalized). This makes the search information intuitive and easy to understand, improving the searchability of electronic documents. Furthermore, when User A inputs search information, he or she can select from existing search information previously input by other users. This allows the same search information to be used repeatedly within the group, making it less likely that the search information will be distorted (generalized). On the other hand, if there is no suitable existing search information, User A can input new search information, ensuring convenience for User A.

[0061] Furthermore, in the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment, user B, searching for an electronic document, assigns second search information and further associates it with the first search information and the acquired electronic document. This second search information is then used as search information for searching for electronic documents desired by other users. In other words, the second search information is reused as first search information. This assigns new search information to the electronic document selected by user B, improving the searchability of the electronic document. In this case, the first search information entered by user A is set in relation to the service provided by the group. For example, in an "animal picture" group on a social networking site that handles content related to animal pictures, user A enters "bear" as the first search information when registering an image of a "bear." This can be said to be search information set in relation to the service that provides content related to animal pictures. On the other hand, the second search information may be related to the service, but may also include information unrelated to the service. For example, when user B wants to acquire an image of a "bear riding a bicycle," he or she enters "bear" and "bicycle" as the second search information. In this example, "bear" is search information associated with a service that provides content featuring animal pictures. In contrast, "bicycle" is not search information associated with a service that provides content featuring animal pictures. It is therefore expected that "bicycle" is not included in the first search information entered by User A. In this case, the search unit 320 searches for images of "bicycle" using, for example, image recognition technology along with the search information of "bear." The search unit 320 then selects the image of "bear riding a bicycle." This allows for a search even if the second search information is not included in the first search information prepared in advance. The second search information, "bicycle," is then added to the electronic document selected by User B and used as search information. As a result, if another user subsequently enters "bear" and "bicycle" as second search information, the search unit 320 can select the image of "bear riding a bicycle" without using image recognition technology. This improves the searchability of electronic documents.

[0062] <Program Description> The processes performed by the document management system 30 of this embodiment described above are prepared as a program such as software, and are realized by the cooperation of software and hardware resources.

[0063] Therefore, the program that executes the processing performed by the document management system 30 can also be seen as a program that enables a computer to realize the following functions: a function to obtain first search information as information for searching for electronic documents and electronic documents from user A, who is a registered user and belongs to a predetermined group and is a user who registers electronic documents; a function to obtain second search information as information about electronic documents that user B, who is an acquiring user and belongs to this group and is a user who acquires electronic documents, wants to acquire; and a function to select electronic documents based on the first search information and the second search information.

[0064] 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]

[0065] 1...information processing system, 10, 20...terminal device, 30...document management system, 30a...bot server, 30b...file server, 40...image forming device, 310...transmitting / receiving unit, 320...search unit, 330...reservation number creation unit, 340...reservation number issuing unit, 350...storage unit

Claims

1. a processor; The processor: acquires, from a registered user who belongs to a group that provides a predetermined service and who registers an electronic document related to the group that provides the predetermined service, the electronic document and first search information as information for searching the electronic document; acquiring second search information as information about the electronic document that an acquiring user, who belongs to the group and is a user acquiring the electronic document, desires to acquire; selecting the electronic document based on the first search information and the second search information; The information processing device, wherein the second search information includes information unrelated to the service.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second search information is further associated with the first search information and the acquired electronic document, and is used as search information for searching for the electronic document that the acquiring user wants to acquire.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the group is a group that provides the service using a social networking service, and the first search information and the second search information are tag information used in the social networking service.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor assigns a reservation number to the electronic document when the electronic document is acquired from the registered user.

5. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processor issues the reservation number to the acquiring user so that the acquiring user can output the electronic document on an image forming device that forms an image of the electronic document.

6. The acquiring user selects the electronic document that he / she wants to acquire from a list that displays a plurality of pairs of the electronic document and the reservation number, The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the processor issues the reservation number for the selected electronic document to the acquiring user.

7. a processor; The processor: acquires, from a registered user who is a user who registers an electronic document, the electronic document and first search information as information for searching the electronic document; acquiring second search information from an acquiring user who is a user acquiring the electronic document as information about the electronic document that the acquiring user wants to acquire; selecting the electronic document based on the first search information and the second search information; The second search information is further associated with the first search information and the acquired electronic document, and used as search information for searching for the electronic document that the acquiring user wants to acquire; the electronic document is related to a group that provides a predetermined service and that is registered by the registered user and the acquiring user; The information processing device, wherein the second search information includes information unrelated to the service.

8. The information processing device according to claim 7 , wherein the first search information is set in association with the service.

9. an information processing device that manages electronic documents; a terminal device that searches for electronic documents managed by the information processing device; Equipped with The information processing device includes a processor, The processor: acquiring, from a registered user who belongs to a group that provides a predetermined service and who registers the electronic document related to the group that provides the predetermined service, the electronic document and first search information as information for searching the electronic document; acquiring second search information as information about the electronic document that an acquiring user, who belongs to the group and is a user acquiring the electronic document, desires to acquire; selecting the electronic document based on the first search information and the second search information; An information processing system in which the second search information includes information not related to the service.

10. On the computer, a function of acquiring, from a registered user who belongs to a group that provides a predetermined service and who registers an electronic document related to the group that provides the predetermined service, the electronic document and first search information as information for searching the electronic document; a function of acquiring second search information as information about the electronic document that an acquiring user, who belongs to the group and is a user acquiring the electronic document, wants to acquire; selecting the electronic document based on the first search information and the second search information; A program for realizing the above, The second search information includes information not related to the service.

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