Contract management programs, information processing devices, information processing systems, information processing methods

Abstract

To provide a contract management program which allows a user to use a plurality of electronic contract services conveniently, an information processing apparatus, an information processing system and an information processing method.SOLUTION: In an information processing system including a server, a plurality of user terminals, and an external server which are connected to each other over a network, a contract management program executed by a contract management unit of the server includes: a receiving step S502 of receiving a request including an end point for specifying contract information stored in an external contract conclusion service; a contract acquisition step S504 of accessing a predetermined web page provided by the server based on the end point received in the receiving step, and acquiring contract information specified with the end point; and a contract storage step S506 of storing contract information acquired in the contract acquisition step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a contract management program, an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, and an information processing method.

Background Art

[0002] With the development and spread of computer technology, documents that have hitherto been in paper form are being digitized. For example, it is conceivable to manage documents such as contract documents that require the signatures and seals of the parties in electronic data. Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing system that is communicably connected to an external system via a network. Patent Document 2 discloses a novel account opening method and system that can reduce the labor and time required for account opening processes for financial institutions such as banks. Patent Document 3 discloses a technology that enables a buyer to collectively manage information regarding various business transactions and their settlements conducted by the buyer.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Some users utilize multiple electronic contract services. In particular, with electronic contract services, both parties to a contract must use the same service to conclude it. Therefore, contract information concluded by a user using an electronic contract service is stored and managed within each respective service. This means users have to manage their own contract information across multiple electronic contract services, which is inconvenient for them. Therefore, this disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide users with technology that allows them to conveniently use multiple electronic contract services. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A contract management program comprising a processor and a memory unit, for causing a computer to store electronic contract procedures between users, wherein the contract management program causes the processor to execute: a reception step that receives a request including an endpoint for identifying contract information stored in an external contract conclusion service; a contract acquisition step that accesses the endpoint received in the reception step and obtains the contract information identified by the endpoint; and a contract storage step that stores the contract information obtained in the contract acquisition step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to this disclosure, users can conveniently utilize multiple electronic contract services. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of Information Processing System 1. [Figure 2] This block diagram shows the functional configuration of Server 10. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the first user terminal 20. [Figure 4]It is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the second user terminal 30. [Figure 5] It is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the external server 40. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing the data structure of the user table 1012. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing the data structure of the group table 1013. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing the data structure of the document table 1014. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing the data structure of the confirmation table 1015. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing the data structure of the input item table 1016. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing the data structure of the access authority table 1017. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing the data structure of the contract group table 1018. [Figure 13] It is a flowchart showing the operation of the contract creation process. [Figure 14] It is a flowchart showing the operation of the contract confirmation process. [Figure 15] It is a flowchart showing the operation of the contract management process (first embodiment). [Figure 16] It is a flowchart showing the operation of the contract management process (second embodiment). [Figure 17] It is a flowchart showing the operation of the contract management process (third embodiment). [Figure 18] It is an example screen showing the operation of the contract creation process. [Figure 19] It is an example screen showing the confirmation request message notified to the second user terminal 30. [Figure 20] It is an example screen showing the operation of the contract confirmation process. [Figure 21] It is an example screen showing the conclusion completion message notified to the second user terminal 30. [Figure 22] It is an example screen showing the operation of the contract management process. [Figure 23]It is a block diagram showing the basic hardware configuration of computer 90.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings for describing the embodiments, the same reference numerals are assigned to common components, and repeated descriptions are omitted. Note that the following embodiments do not unduly limit the content of the present disclosure described in the claims. Also, not all of the components shown in the embodiments are essential components of the present disclosure. Further, each drawing is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily shown precisely.

[0009] <Configuration of Information Processing System 1> The information processing system 1 in the present disclosure is an information processing system for realizing a service that stores and manages contract information concluded among a plurality of users. The information processing system 1 includes information processing apparatuses of a server 10, a first user terminal 20, a second user terminal 30, and an external server 40 connected via a network N. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing system 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 10. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the first user terminal 20. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the second user terminal 30. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the external server 40.

[0010] Each information processing apparatus is configured by a computer having an arithmetic unit and a storage unit. The basic hardware configuration of the computer and the basic functional configuration of the computer realized by the hardware configuration will be described later. For each of the server 10, the first user terminal 20, the second user terminal 30, and the external server 40, descriptions overlapping with the basic hardware configuration and the basic functional configuration of the computer described later are omitted.

[0011] <Server 10 Configuration> Server 10 is an information processing device that provides electronic contract conclusion services between multiple users. Server 10 is an information processing device that provides services for storing and managing contract information concluded between multiple users. The server 10 includes a storage unit 101 and a control unit 104.

[0012] <Configuration of the storage unit 101 of server 10> The storage unit 101 of the server 10 includes an application program 1011, a user table 1012, a group table 1013, a document table 1014, a confirmation table 1015, an input item table 1016, an access permission table 1017, and a contract group table 1018.

[0013] The application program 1011 is a program that causes the control unit 104 of the server 10 to function as individual functional units.

[0014] User table 1012 is a table that stores and manages information about member users (hereinafter referred to as "users") who use the service. When a user registers to use the service, their information is stored in a new record in user table 1012. This will enable users to utilize the services provided in this disclosure. Note that users utilizing the services under this disclosure do not necessarily need to be registered in user table 1012. User table 1012 is a table with User ID as the primary key and contains columns for User ID, Username, Email Address, Group ID, and Approval Authority. Figure 6 shows the data structure of user table 1012.

[0015] The User ID is an item that stores user identification information to identify a user. User identification information is an item that is set to a unique value for each user. The username field is used to store the user's real name. However, the username can also be a nickname or any other string of characters. The email address field is where the user's email address is stored. The Group ID is an item that stores the group identification information of the group to which the user belongs. Groups are defined by the Group Table 1013 described later, and a user may belong to multiple groups. Approval authority is an item that stores user authorization information regarding contract signing. Users who have the authority to approve contract signing (approval authority) will have information such as True stored in their records. On the other hand, users who do not have the authority to approve contract signing will have information such as False, blank, or null stored in their records. It is also possible to configure the system so that approval permissions can be set according to the contract information. For example, user A may have approval permissions for a specific contract information A, but not for a specific contract information B. The system can be configured to allow approval authority to be set according to the type of contract information (contract information type), such as confidentiality agreements, joint research agreements, and contract work agreements. For example, User A may have approval authority for confidentiality agreements but not for contract work agreements. Alternatively, the system could be configured to store multiple levels (ranks) of permission information depending on the user's department, government office, etc. For example, temporary staff could be assigned rank C, regular employees rank B, managers rank A, and executives rank S in the approval authority field. Based on the contract information, such as contract type and contract amount, only users with approval authority of a predetermined rank or higher (for example, A or higher for non-disclosure agreements) could approve the conclusion of contracts.

[0016] Group table 1013 is a table that stores and manages information about the groups to which a user belongs (group information). A group can be any group to which a user belongs, such as a corporation, company, club, organization, or department within a company. Group table 1013 is a table with Group ID as the primary key and containing columns for Group ID, Group Name, and Administrator ID. Figure 7 shows the data structure of group table 1013.

[0017] The Group ID is an item that stores group identification information used to identify a group. This group identification information is a unique value assigned to each group. The group name is an item that stores the name of the group. The group name can be set to any string. The Administrator ID is an item that stores the user identification information of users who have administrator privileges within a group. Users with administrator privileges can arbitrarily define and set administrator IDs for users who have a certain level of status or authority or higher within a group such as an organization.

[0018] Document table 1014 is a table for storing and managing information (contract information) related to electronic contracts exchanged between the creator and the recipient. Document table 1014 is a table with Document ID as the primary key and containing columns for Document ID, Document Data, Creator ID, and Endpoint. Figure 8 shows the data structure of document table 1014.

[0019] The Document ID is an item that stores document identification information used to identify contract information. The document identification information is an item with a unique value assigned to each piece of contract information. Document data is an item that stores contract information (binary or text data). Specifically, document data includes data in any data format such as PDF (Portable Document Format), Word, and XML (Extensible Markup Language). The Creator ID is a field that stores user identification information to identify the user who created the contract information. The endpoint is an item that stores the endpoint used to identify the contract information in the external electronic contract service that was referenced when the contract information was obtained from that external electronic contract service. Specifically, it stores strings that identify the web page on which the user accesses the contract information, such as the URL of the page that identifies the contract information.

[0020] Confirmation table 1015 is a table that stores and manages information (confirmer information) including the email address of the user who will be confirming the contract information. Confirmation table 1015 is a table that has columns for document ID, confirmation order, confirmer email address, confirmation flag, language data, access code, and date and time. Figure 9 shows the data structure of confirmation table 1015.

[0021] The document ID is an item that stores the document identification information of the contract information to be reviewed by the verifier. The "Verification Order" field stores information about the order in which contract information is reviewed by the reviewers. The contract information stored by the creator is circulated to the reviewers in the order of the verification order, and verification is performed accordingly. The verifier email address field stores the email address of the person who verifies the contract information. The verifier email address does not need to be registered beforehand to use the services related to this disclosure. In other words, the verifier email address does not need to be included in user table 1012. The confirmation flag is an item that stores confirmation identification information to determine whether the confirmation procedure for contract information has been completed by the verifier. When the confirmation of contract information is completed by the verifier, information indicating that the confirmation has been completed, such as a value of True, is stored in the confirmation flag item. Language data is an item that stores information about the verifier's language (language information). The access code is an item that stores the access code set for the verifier. The date and time field stores the date and time when the verifier performed the contract information verification procedure. Specifically, it stores the date and time when the verification identification information was stored in the verification flag field.

[0022] The input item table 1016 is a table that stores and manages information about input items associated with electronic contract information (input item information). Input item table 1016 is a table that has columns for input item ID, document ID, inputter ID, input data, input rules, and date and time. Figure 10 shows the data structure of the input item table 1016.

[0023] The input field ID is an item that stores input field identification information used to identify an input field. The document ID is an item that stores the document identification information of the electronic contract information to which the input field is associated. The Inputter ID is a field that stores the user identification information or email address of the person who entered the data into the input field. Specifically, the Inputter ID stores the Creator ID, the email address of the user identified by the Creator ID, and the Confirmer's email address. Input data is an item that stores the input data entered by the user into the input fields. An input rule field is an item that stores information about the input rules for an input item. Input rules can store information about data types such as date, datetime, text, and integer, as well as, for strings, the number of characters, regular expressions for strings, and other arbitrary input rules for any input item. The date and time field stores the date and time when the user entered data into the input field.

[0024] Access permission table 1017 is a table for storing and managing information related to access permissions (access permission information). Access permission table 1017 is a table that has columns for User ID, Service ID, and Access Token. Figure 11 shows the data structure of the access permission table 1017.

[0025] The User ID is an item that stores user identification information used to identify a user. The Service ID is an item that stores service identification information to identify a service. Specifically, for each external electronic contract service, the Service ID stores a string of characters or other information that identifies that electronic contract service. An access token is an item that stores access permission information when a user accesses an external electronic contract service identified by a service ID. Specifically, the access token stores a string issued to the user by the external electronic contract service. When accessing the external electronic contract service, the user sends the access token, and the external electronic contract service identifies the user based on the string of the access token and provides various information services to that user. The access token may also include authentication information such as a user ID and password, which are commonly required when logging into and accessing web services.

[0026] The contract group table 1018 is a table for storing and managing information about contract groups (contract group information). Contract information can be stored and managed in association with one or more cabinets (classification information) for managing contract information. Depending on the information processing service, cabinets may be called groups, tags, labels, etc. The contract group table 1018 is a table that has columns for document ID and cabinet ID. Figure 12 shows the data structure of the contract group table 1018.

[0027] The document ID is an item that stores document identification information used to identify contract information. The cabinet ID stores cabinet identification information to identify a cabinet. The cabinet ID is classification information used to manage and classify contract information.

[0028] <Configuration of the control unit 104 of server 10> The control unit 104 of the server 10 includes a user registration control unit 1041, a contract creation unit 1042, a contract confirmation unit 1043, and a contract management unit 1044. The control unit 104 realizes each functional unit by executing the application program 1011 stored in the storage unit 101.

[0029] The user registration control unit 1041 processes information of users who wish to use the services related to this disclosure and stores it in the user table 1012. Information stored in the user table 1012 is obtained when a user opens a web page operated by the service provider from any information processing terminal, enters information into a designated input form, and sends it to the server 10. The user registration control unit 1041 stores the received information in a new record in the user table 1012, and user registration is completed. As a result, users stored in the user table 1012 can use the service. Prior to the registration of user information in the user table 1012 by the user registration control unit 1041, the service provider may perform a prescribed review and restrict whether or not the user can use the service. The user ID can be any string or number that can identify the user, and may be any string or number desired by the user, or the user registration control unit 1041 may automatically set any string or number.

[0030] The contract creation unit 1042 executes the contract creation process. Details will be described later.

[0031] The contract verification unit 1043 executes the contract verification process. Details will be described later.

[0032] Contract Management Unit 1044 executes contract management processing (first embodiment), contract management processing (second embodiment), and contract management processing (third embodiment). Details will be described later.

[0033] <Configuration of the first user terminal 20> The first user terminal 20 is an information processing device operated by a user of the service. The first user terminal 20 may be, for example, a stationary PC (Personal Computer), a laptop PC, or a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. It may also be a wearable device such as an HMD (Head Mount Display) or a smartwatch. The first user terminal 20 includes a storage unit 201, a control unit 204, an input device 206, and an output device 208.

[0034] <Configuration of the storage unit 201 of the first user terminal 20> The storage unit 201 of the first user terminal 20 includes a first user ID 2011 and an application program 2012.

[0035] The first user ID 2011 is the user's account ID. The user transmits the first user ID 2011 from the first user terminal 20 to the server 10. The server 10 identifies the user based on the first user ID 2011 and provides the services related to this disclosure to the user. The first user ID 2011 includes information such as a session ID that is temporarily assigned by the server 10 to identify the user using the first user terminal 20.

[0036] The application program 2012 may be pre-stored in the memory unit 201, or it may be configured to be downloaded from a web server operated by the service provider via a communication interface. Application Program 2012 includes applications such as web browser applications. Application program 2012 includes an interpreted programming language such as JavaScript (registered trademark) that runs on a web browser application stored on the first user terminal 20.

[0037] <Configuration of the control unit 204 of the first user terminal 20> The control unit 204 of the first user terminal 20 comprises an input control unit 2041 and an output control unit 2042. The control unit 204 realizes each functional unit by executing an application program 2012 stored in the storage unit 201.

[0038] <Configuration of the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20> The input device 206 of the first user terminal 20 includes a camera 2061, a microphone 2062, a position information sensor 2063, a motion sensor 2064, and a touch device 2065.

[0039] <Configuration of output device 208 of the first user terminal 20> The output device 208 of the first user terminal 20 includes a display 2081 and a speaker 2082.

[0040] <Configuration of the second user terminal 30> The second user terminal 30 is an information processing device operated by a user of the service. The second user terminal 30 may be, for example, a stationary PC (Personal Computer), a laptop PC, or a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. It may also be a wearable device such as an HMD (Head Mount Display) or a smartwatch. The second user terminal 30 includes a storage unit 301, a control unit 304, an input device 306, and an output device 308.

[0041] <Configuration of the storage unit 301 of the second user terminal 30> The storage unit 301 of the second user terminal 30 includes a second user ID 3011 and an application program 3012.

[0042] The second user ID 3011 is the user's account ID. The user transmits the second user ID 3011 from the second user terminal 30 to the server 10. The server 10 identifies the user based on the second user ID 3011 and provides the services related to this disclosure to the user. The second user ID 3011 includes information such as a session ID that is temporarily assigned by the server 10 to identify the user using the second user terminal 30.

[0043] The application program 3012 may be pre-stored in the memory unit 301, or it may be configured to be downloaded from a web server operated by the service provider via a communication interface. Application program 3012 includes applications such as web browser applications. The application program 3012 includes an interpreted programming language such as JavaScript (registered trademark) that is executed on a web browser application stored on the second user terminal 30.

[0044] <Configuration of the control unit 304 of the second user terminal 30> The control unit 304 of the second user terminal 30 comprises an input control unit 3041 and an output control unit 3042. The control unit 304 realizes each functional unit by executing an application program 3012 stored in the storage unit 301.

[0045] <Configuration of the input device 306 of the second user terminal 30> The input device 306 of the second user terminal 30 includes a camera 3061, a microphone 3062, a position information sensor 3063, a motion sensor 3064, and a keyboard 3065.

[0046] <Configuration of the output device 308 of the second user terminal 30> The output device 308 of the second user terminal 30 includes a display 3081 and a speaker 3082.

[0047] <Configuration of external server 40> External server 40 is an information processing device operated by a business entity other than the business entity that operates the electronic contract conclusion service related to this disclosure. External server 40 comprises a storage unit 401 and a control unit 404. Since each component of external server 40 is the same as each component of server 10, a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0048] <Configuration of the storage unit 401 of the external server 40> The storage unit 401 of the external server 40 includes an application program 4011, a user table 4012, a group table 4013, a document table 4014, a confirmation table 4015, and an input item table 4016.

[0049] <Configuration of the control unit 404 of the external server 40> The control unit 404 of the external server 40 includes a user registration control unit 4041, a contract creation unit 4042, and a contract confirmation unit 4043. The control unit 404 realizes each functional unit by executing the application program 4011 stored in the storage unit 401.

[0050] <Operation of Information Processing System 1> The following describes each process of Information Processing System 1. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the contract creation process. Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the contract verification process. Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the contract management process (first embodiment). Figure 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the contract management process (second embodiment). Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the operation of the contract management process (third embodiment). Figure 18 shows an example screen illustrating the operation of the contract creation process. Figure 19 shows an example screen displaying a confirmation request message sent to the second user terminal 30. Figure 20 shows an example screen illustrating the operation of the contract verification process. Figure 21 is an example screen showing the completion message notified to the second user terminal 30. Figure 22 shows an example screen illustrating the operation of the contract management process.

[0051] In this disclosure, the contract creation process and contract verification process on server 10 are described below. The external server 40 can also perform the same contract creation process and contract verification process. The contract creation process and contract verification process on the external server 40 are the same as those on server 10, respectively, so their description is omitted.

[0052] <Contract creation process> The contract creation process involves the creator generating electronic contract information and sending it to the verifier.

[0053] Figure 18 shows an example screen illustrating the operation of the contract creation process. The screen 50 displayed on the display 2081 of the first user terminal 20, which is used to create contract information, displays a status 510 indicating the current status of contract information creation, buttons 521, 522, and 523 for specifying input items, a contract information display area 530, document data 531, input items 532, 533, and 534, and a send button 540.

[0054] <Overview of the contract creation process> The contract creation process is a series of steps in which the creator creates electronic contract information, sets the recipient (the verifier) ​​of the electronic contract information, sets the input fields for the electronic contract information, sets input rules for the input fields, receives input data for the input fields from the creator, and sends the electronic contract information to the designated verifier.

[0055] <Details of the contract creation process> In step S101, the contract creation unit 1042 of the server 10 receives contract information from the creator that is to be concluded between the creator and the verifier. Specifically, the first user operates the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20 to create contract information, including document data related to the contract. The document data can be in any data format, such as PDF (Portable Document Format), Word, or XML (Extensible Markup Language), and can be included in the contract information. The first user operates the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20 and sends the created document data and the first user ID 2011 to the server 10. The contract creation unit 1042 of the server 10 receives the first user ID 2011 and the document data and stores them in the creator ID and document data fields of the new record in the document table 1014, respectively. As a result, the contract creation unit 1042 of the server 10 stores the new contract information in the document table 1014.

[0056] Screen 50, used for creating contract information, displays the document data 531 stored in document table 1014.

[0057] In step S102, the first user operates the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20 to select and identify the user who will be the verifier (recipient) of the contract information. In this disclosure, the first user selects and identifies the second user as the recipient. The first user operates the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20 to enter the email address of the second user, who will act as the verifier, and sends it to the server 10. The contract creation unit 1042 of the server 10 stores the received email address and the document ID of the contract information created and stored in step S101 in the verifier email address and document ID fields of the verification table 1015, respectively, and stores the contract information in association with the second user's email address. The first user may also set the language and access code of the second user and store them in association with the second user's email address. At this time, the value 1 is stored in the "Confirmation Order" field of the confirmation table 1015. In step S102, the first user may select and set multiple users to be confirmers. In this case, the value in the "Confirmation Order" field of the users to be confirmers is incremented by one according to the selection order and stored. This sets the circulation order of the confirmers in the contract confirmation process described later. Note that setting the circulation order is not mandatory.

[0058] In step S103, the first user operates the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20 to set the input items for the contract information. Specifically, the first user operates the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20 to set multiple input fields for the contract information created and stored in step S101. The input fields can be any fields, such as a stamp field for stamping seal data, an input field for entering text data such as signature data, a checkbox field for selecting check items, and a date field for entering the date. The first user operates the input device 206 on the first user terminal 20 and sends a request to the server 10 to add an input item. When the contract creation unit 1042 of the server 10 receives the request, it stores the document ID of the contract information in the document ID of the new record in the input item table 1016. In this way, the newly added input item information is stored in association with the contract information. The first user can store multiple input item information in association with the contract information.

[0059] In step S104, the first user sets input rules for each input item to be added. The first user specifies the input rules for each input item information set in step S103 by operating the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20 and sends them to the server 10. The contract creation unit 1042 of the server 10 stores the received input rules in the input rule field of the record of each input item information in the input item table 1016. This allows input rules to be set for each input item.

[0060] In step S105, the contract creation unit 1042 of the server 10 receives input data for multiple input items entered by the first user. Specifically, the first user inputs input data for each input item set in step S104 by operating the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20. For example, the first user may input data for a number used to manage contract information, such as a reference number within the group to which they belong, into the input item where a management number is set. The first user may also input data for the date of the contract signing of the contract information into the input item where a contract signing date is set. Once the first user has finished inputting data into the input items, they send the input item ID and input data for each input item to the server 10. The contract creation unit 1042 of server 10 receives and accepts the input item ID and input data for each input item. The contract creation unit 1042 of server 10 stores the received input data in the input data field of the input item information in the input item table 1016, which is identified by the received input item ID. As a result, the input data entered by the first user is stored in the input item table 1016.

[0061] The contract creation unit 1042 of server 10 receives an instruction from the first user to request the second user to conclude a contract regarding the contract information. Specifically, the first user operates the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20 and sends a request to the server 10 to send contract information by pressing the send button 540 displayed on the screen 50 for creating contract information.

[0062] In step S106, the contract creation unit 1042 of the server 10 sends a message to the second user notifying them that a request for confirmation of contract information has been sent by the first user. Specifically, the contract creation unit 1042 of the server 10 searches the confirmation order column in the confirmation table 1015 and identifies the user who will be the first confirmer (first confirming user) with the smallest value stored in the confirmation order column. In this disclosure, the first confirming user is, for example, the second user. The contract creation unit 1042 of the server 10 sends a message to the second user's email address notifying them that a request for confirmation of contract information has been sent by the first user, via email or other means of communication. The message sent to the second user will include information about a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) containing a document ID to identify the contract information. The URL may directly contain the document ID, or it may contain information such as an encrypted string of the document ID, or a string that can identify the document ID by referring to an unillustrated table. The URL may also contain information to identify the second user. For example, if the second user has not registered for the service related to this disclosure, the URL must contain information to identify the second user.

[0063] If the first user sets an access code for the second user, the first user will communicate the access code to the second user via email or other means. This ensures that even if the message sent to the second user is intercepted by a third party, the third party cannot perform the contract verification process unless they obtain the access code.

[0064] Figure 19 shows an example screen displaying a message notified to the second user terminal 30. The message screen 60 displayed on the display 3081 of the second user terminal 30 includes a message 61 and information about a URL 62 containing a document ID for identifying contract information.

[0065] <Variation> If the first user selects and sets multiple verifiers in step S102, the system may be configured to allow different input field information to be set independently for each of the multiple verifiers in step S103. For example, if the first user sets two users, the second user and the ninth user, as verifiers, the input fields for the contract start date and contract end date may be set for the second user, and the input field for the contract signing date may be set for the ninth user. In this case, in the contract confirmation process described later, the second user can input data for the contract start date and contract end date, but not for the contract signing date. On the other hand, the ninth user cannot input data for the contract start date and contract end date, but can input data for the contract signing date. The system may also be configured to allow multiple verifiers to be selected and set for a single input field.

[0066] On screen 50 for creating contract information, input fields 532, 533, and 534 are drawn as drawing objects. For input fields 532 and 533, the user identification information "USER-B" of the user who has been selected and set to input the input field is drawn as the assignment, and the input field type is drawn as "Text". For input field 534 related to stamping, the user identification information "USER-C" of the user who has been selected and set to stamp is drawn as the assignment, and the input field type is drawn as "Stamp".

[0067] <Contract Verification Process> The contract verification process is the process by which a verifier confirms the contents of the electronic contract information received from the creator.

[0068] <Overview of contract verification process> The contract verification process is a series of operations that involves receiving access from the verifier, presenting the verifier with a verification screen displaying the contract information, receiving input data from the verifier for the input fields, and receiving data from the verifier regarding the verification of the contract information.

[0069] <Details of contract verification process> In step S301, the second user, who will act as the verifier, can open the webpage specified by the URL by operating the input device 306 or the like on the second user terminal 30 and selecting the URL contained in the received message. This allows the browser application on the second user terminal 30 to open the webpage specified by the URL. As a result, the second user terminal 30 sends a request to the server 10 to execute the contract verification process.

[0070] If the second user's record in the verification table 1015 contains an access code field, the system can request the second user to enter an access code and then compare the entered access code with the access code stored in the second user's record in the verification table 1015 to perform authentication for the second user. Specifically, server 10 sends an input screen for authenticating the access code to the second user terminal 30. The second user operates the input device 306 on the second user terminal 30, enters the access code, and sends it to server 10. The contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 determines whether the received access code matches the access code stored in the second user's record in the verification table 1015. If they match, the contract verification process continues. If they do not match, the contract verification process is terminated. Note that the authentication process using the access code may be omitted.

[0071] The contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 searches the document ID field in document table 1014 based on the document ID included in the received request and obtains contract information. The contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 searches the document ID field in verification table 1015 based on the document ID included in the received request and obtains verifier information. The contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 searches the document ID field in input item table 1016 based on the document ID included in the received request and obtains input item information associated with the contract information.

[0072] In step S302, the contract verification unit 1043 of the server 10 identifies the second user and obtains the second user's approval authority information. The second user may be identified based on the second user ID 3011 included in the request received from the second user terminal 30, or based on identification information for identifying the second user included in the URL. If the second user has not registered for the service related to this disclosure, it is necessary to identify the second user from the URL. For example, the URL may include information for identifying the second user, such as the second user's email address or user ID.

[0073] The contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 searches the user ID field in user table 1012 based on the user identification information of the identified second user and retrieves the approval authority field for the second user. In this disclosure, the approval authority for the second user is stored in user table 1012, but the approval authority for the second user may also be stored for each group to which the second user belongs, or for each contract information or contract information type. The contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 retrieves the approval authority information for the second user for the target contract information. Furthermore, if the second user has not registered for the service related to this disclosure, the processing may be carried out by treating the second user as a user without approval authority.

[0074] In step S303, the contract confirmation unit 1043 of the server 10 generates a confirmation screen based on the acquired contract information, verifier information (information identifying the second user), input item information, and verifier approval authority information, and sends it to the second user terminal 30.

[0075] Specifically, the display 3081 of the second user terminal 30 presents the second user with a confirmation screen that accepts the operation to approve the contract information. The second user confirms and approves the contract information displayed on the display 3081 of the second user terminal 30. Furthermore, the confirmation screen presented to the second user may be configured to display the screen in the language specified to the verifier, based on the language information stored in the language data field of the second user's record in confirmation table 1015.

[0076] Figure 20 shows an example of a confirmation screen illustrating the operation of the contract confirmation process. The confirmation screen 70 for approving contract information, displayed on the display 3081 of the second user terminal 30, shows the status 710 indicating the current status of contract information creation, a contract information display area 730, document data 731, input items 732, 733, 734, 735, 736, and an agreement button 740.

[0077] Specifically, if the approval authority information of the second user obtained in step S302 contains information indicating that the second user has the authority to approve the conclusion of the contract, the contract confirmation unit 1043 of the server 10 determines that the second user is a user who can approve the conclusion of the contract information received by the second user, presents a confirmation screen to the second user, and proceeds to step S304.

[0078] On the other hand, if the second user is a user who cannot approve the conclusion of the contract based on the received contract information, the contract verification process will be terminated.

[0079] In step S304, the contract confirmation unit 1043 of the server 10 accepts input for one or more input fields of contract information. Specifically, the second user operates the input device 306 of the second user terminal 30 to input data to input items 732, 733, 734, and 735 set in the contract information. In this disclosure, input item 736 is not assigned to input by the second user, so it is visually indicated that the second user cannot input data for that item.

[0080] In step S305, the contract confirmation unit 1043 of the server 10 receives an instruction from the second user to agree to and approve the conclusion of the contract based on the contract information received from the first user. The second user confirms the contract information and input data displayed on the display 3081 of the second user terminal 30. If the second user agrees to or accepts the contents, they operate the input device 306 of the second user terminal 30 and press the consent button 740 displayed on the confirmation screen 70 for confirming the contract information. This causes the server 10 to execute a request that includes the document ID, information identifying the second user, and the input data for each input item entered in step S305. The information identifying the second user may also be the second user ID 3011. The contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 stores information indicating that the second user has confirmed the contract information based on the received request. Specifically, the contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 searches the verification table 1015 based on the received document ID and information identifying the second user, and stores the value of True in the verification flag field of the record. For example, if the information identifying the second user is an email address, it searches the document ID and verifier email address fields in the verification table 1015 and stores the value of True in the verification flag field of the record. If the information identifying the second user is user identification information, it searches the document ID and verifier email address fields in the verification table 1015 based on the email address of the second user identified by searching the user ID field in user table 1012, and stores the value of True in the verification flag field of the record. The contract confirmation unit 1043 of server 10 stores the received input data in the input data item of input item table 1016, which is identified by the input item ID associated with the input data. As a result, in step S305, the input data entered by the second user is stored as input item information in input item table 1016.

[0081] The contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 determines that the contract verification process has been performed by all verifiers with approval authority. Specifically, the contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 determines that the contract verification process has been performed by all verifiers with approval authority if the verification flag in the verification table 1015 of the verifiers with approval authority has a value of True. In other words, the value of the verification flag in the records of verifiers who do not have approval authority is ignored when making this determination. When the contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 has completed the contract verification process by all authorized verifiers, it sends a message to the first user notifying them that the contract verification process is complete. Similarly, the contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 may also send a message to the second user notifying them that the contract verification process is complete.

[0082] Specifically, the contract confirmation unit 1043 of server 10 sends a message to the first user's email address via email or other means of communication notifying them that the second user has completed the confirmation of the contract information. In other words, it notifies the first user that the second user has approved the conclusion of the contract. As a result, the first user can know that the conclusion of the contract with the second user has been completed. The message sent to the first user may include information about a URL that is an endpoint containing a document ID to identify the contract information.

[0083] Figure 21 is an example screen showing a message notified to the first user terminal 20. The message screen 80 displayed on the display 2081 of the first user terminal 20 includes a message 81 and information about a URL 82 containing a document ID for identifying contract information.

[0084] Similarly, the contract confirmation unit 1043 of server 10 may use a chat service (not shown) or the like to send a message notifying the second user that they have completed the confirmation of the contract information, including a mention to the first user. In other words, the first user is notified via the chat service that the second user has approved the conclusion of the contract. This allows the first user to know that the conclusion of the contract with the second user has been completed. The message sent to the first user may include information about a URL that is an endpoint containing a document ID to identify the contract information.

[0085] The first user can open the web page specified by the URL included in the received message using the browser application on the first user terminal 20. The first user terminal 20 sends a request to the server 10 to refer to and inquire about the contract information. The contract confirmation unit 1043 of the server 10 refers to the contract information, generates a web page for inquiry, and sends it to the first user terminal 20. The first user can obtain the document data included in the contract information from the web page screen displayed on the display 2081 of the first user terminal 20 by downloading or other means.

[0086] If multiple users are set as verifiers, the contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 may send a message to all verifiers except the user who last performed the contract verification process, notifying them that the contract verification process is complete. This allows all verifiers to receive notification that the contract verification process has been completed by all verifiers. Furthermore, the contract verification unit 1043 of the server 10 may send a message to a user with administrator-level privileges in a group to which multiple verifiers belong, notifying them that the contract verification process has been completed. Messages can also be sent via email, chat services, etc. This allows the administrator of the group to which the user responsible for verification belongs to receive notification that the contract verification process has been completed.

[0087] Specifically, the contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 retrieves the group ID item by searching the user ID or email address item in user table 1012 based on the user ID or email address. Based on the retrieved group ID item, the contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 retrieves the group ID item in group table 1013, retrieves the administrator ID item, identifies a user with administrator-level privileges by searching the user ID in user table 1012 based on the administrator ID, and sends a message notifying that the contract verification process is complete.

[0088] <Electronic signature processing> Step S305 may include an electronic signature process. In response to the instruction to approve the conclusion of the contract received from the second user in step S305, the contract confirmation unit 1043 of the server 10 stores the contract information received from the first user with an electronic signature indicating that the conclusion of the contract information has been approved. Specifically, the contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 attaches an electronic signature to the contract information and stores it based on the received request. Based on the document ID, the contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 searches the document ID field in the document table 1014 and retrieves the contract information. The contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 affixes an electronic signature to the acquired contract information and stores it in the document data item of the document table 1014. The contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 may update (overwrite) the document data item with the electronically signed contract information, or it may store the contract information before the electronic signature was added in a separate storage device (not shown). The contract verification unit 1043 of server 10 may include any of the following information in the electronic signature: document ID, email address of the first user, email address of the second user, approval date and time, confirmation date and time, authentication method for the approval date and time, authentication method for the confirmation date and time, input data values ​​for each input item, consent (approval) of the first user and the second user, and a timestamp. As a result, the contract verification unit 1043 of the server 10 stores the contract information with an electronic signature indicating that the second user has approved the conclusion of the contract. This prevents impersonation or tampering of the contract information by a third party.

[0089] The contract management process (first embodiment), the contract management process (second embodiment), and the contract management process (third embodiment) are described below. In this disclosure, the contract management process by the first user is shown as an example, but the contract management process can also be performed by the second user in the same way as the first user.

[0090] <Contract management process (first example)> The contract management process (first embodiment) is a process that retrieves, stores, and manages contract information stored in an external electronic contract service.

[0091] <Overview of contract management process (first implementation example)> The contract management process (first embodiment) is a series of processes that involves receiving an email indicating the completion of contract signing in an external electronic contract service, receiving an endpoint to identify contract information based on the email, identifying the user, retrieving contract information from an external server, identifying the cabinet to which the contract information is associated, and associating and storing the contract information with the cabinet. Note that "email" includes not only email but also messaging services such as SMS (Short Message Service) that use a telephone number as the recipient.

[0092] <Details of the contract management process (first implementation)> The details of the contract management process (first example) are described below.

[0093] In step S501, the first user operates the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20 to forward an email containing a message notifying the completion of the contract verification process received from the external server 40 in step S305 of the contract verification process to a designated email address for executing the contract management process related to this disclosure. Furthermore, the first user may pre-configure the external server 40 to include a designated email address for executing the contract management process as the recipient of the email containing the message notifying that the contract verification process has been completed, which is sent from the external server 40 in step S305 of the contract verification process. By configuring it in this way, the first user can send an email containing the message notifying that the contract verification process has been completed to the designated email address for executing the contract management process without having to perform an email forwarding operation. This prevents the first user from forgetting to forward the email. The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 receives emails from the first user via a designated email address used for executing contract management processing. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 accesses a mail server that manages the designated email address used for executing contract management processing and receives the emails.

[0094] Furthermore, the first user may forward the email containing the message notifying them that the contract verification process has been completed, received from the external server 40 in step S305 of the contract verification process, to an email address on a mail server managed by the organization or company to which the first user belongs. Specifically, the first user may forward it to an email address with the domain name of the organization or company to which the organization or company belongs, which has been set up in advance. This allows the first user to forward emails containing a message from the external server 40 notifying them that the contract verification process has been completed, even if the organization or company to which the first user belongs imposes restrictions on forwarding emails to external addresses. In this case, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 can access the mail server managed by the organization, company, etc. to which the first user belongs and receive emails.

[0095] In step S502, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 performs a receiving step that receives a request including an endpoint for identifying contract information stored in an external contract signing service. The receiving step performs a step of receiving an endpoint from a user for identifying contract information stored in an external contract signing service. The receiving step performs a step of receiving a request including an endpoint by receiving an email from a user that contains the endpoint. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 analyzes the message contained in the email received in step S501, identifies and accepts a URL 82 containing a document ID for identifying predetermined contract information on the external server 40. The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 can use pattern matching such as regular expressions, arbitrary machine learning, or deep learning models to take the message contained in the received email as input data and obtain and accept a URL 82 containing a document ID for identifying contract information as output data.

[0096] The reception step may also involve receiving an email from the user via an email address that includes the endpoint, thereby accepting a request that includes the endpoint.

[0097] In step S503, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 executes an authorization acquisition step to obtain access authorization information for accessing the endpoint received in the reception step.

[0098] Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 identifies the first user who forwarded the email in step S501 by searching the email address field in user table 1012 based on the sender's email address of the email received in step S501 and obtaining the user ID. If the endpoint identified in step S502 contains a string for identifying the first user ID, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify the first user who forwarded the email in step S501 based on that string. If the email information such as the subject, body, and header information of the email received in step S501 contains a string for identifying the first user ID, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify the first user who forwarded the email in step S501 based on that string. Furthermore, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 identifies the service ID, which is the service identification information for the external electronic contract service provided by the external server 40, based on the email information such as the subject, body, and header information of the email received in step S501. If the endpoint identified in step S502 contains a string for identifying the service ID, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify the service ID, which is the service identification information for the external electronic contract service provided by the external server 40, based on the string or the like.

[0099] The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 searches the user ID and service ID entries in the access permission table 1017 based on the first user ID and service ID of the identified first user, and retrieves the access token entry. As a result, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 obtains the access permission information for accessing the endpoint received in step S502, and proceeds to step S504.

[0100] In step S503, the authorization acquisition step includes a notification step that provides a predetermined notification to the user or administrator if it was not possible to obtain access authorization information for accessing the endpoint accepted in the reception step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 searches the user ID and service ID fields in the access permission table 1017 based on the first user ID and service ID of the identified first user. If no corresponding record is found, it determines that it was not possible to obtain the access permission information to access the endpoint received in step S502. At this time, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 sends a message to the first user or the administrator of the group to which the first user belongs, notifying them that access permission information could not be obtained. The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 stops the contract management process (first embodiment) and does not proceed to step S504.

[0101] Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 retrieves the group ID item by searching the user ID or email address item in user table 1012 based on the first user ID or the first user's email address. Based on the retrieved group ID item, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 retrieves the administrator ID item by searching the user ID in user table 1012 based on the administrator ID, and sends a message notifying that access permission information could not be obtained.

[0102] In step S503, the authorization acquisition step includes a step of acquiring access permission information received after the notification was made from the user or administrator who was notified in the notification step. Specifically, the first user or administrator who receives a message notifying them that access permission information could not be obtained can access a designated web page provided by server 10 and send access permission information to server 10 by entering the first user's user ID, service ID, and access token. The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 stores the received user ID, service ID, and access token in the user ID, service ID, and access token fields of the access permission table 1017, respectively. As a result, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 can store the access permission information for accessing the endpoint received in step S502 in the access permission table 1017. When the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 detects that access permission information for accessing the endpoint received in step S502 has been stored, it retrieves the access permission information and proceeds to step S504.

[0103] In step S504, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 executes a contract acquisition step, which involves accessing the endpoints received in the reception step and acquiring contract information identified by those endpoints. The contract acquisition step involves accessing the endpoints received in the reception step based on the access permission information acquired in the permission acquisition step and acquiring contract information. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 generates a request containing the access token included in the access permission information obtained in step S503 and sends it to the endpoint received in step S502. As a result, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 sends the request to the external server 40.

[0104] In step S504, the contract acquisition step detects that access permission information has been obtained from the user or administrator after notification has been made in the authorization acquisition step, and then executes the step of acquiring contract information. Specifically, if it is determined in step S503 that access permission information for accessing the endpoint could not be obtained, and the server 10 detects that the access permission information has been stored by the first user or administrator, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 generates a request containing the access token included in the access permission information obtained in step S503 and sends it to the endpoint that was received in step S502. As a result, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 sends the request to the external server 40. If the server 10's contract management unit 1044 does not detect that access permission information has been stored by the first user or administrator, it will not send a request.

[0105] The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 receives and retrieves contract information from the external server 40 as a response to a request.

[0106] Furthermore, in step S504, the contract acquisition step may also perform the following steps: access the endpoint received in the acceptance step based on the access permission information obtained in the authorization acquisition step and acquire a page written in a markup language such as a web page; identify a link associated with the contract information contained in the page acquired in the page acquisition step; and access the identified endpoint and acquire the contract information. Specifically, the external server 40 may send HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) or XML, such as web pages, as a response to a request. In such cases, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may use pattern matching such as regular expressions, arbitrary machine learning, or deep learning models to take the HTML or XML received from the external server 40 as input data, obtain and identify a link to download the contract information as output data, and receive and obtain the contract information by downloading it from that link. This allows the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 to obtain the contract information from the endpoint.

[0107] In step S505, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 executes a classification identification step to identify classification information based on the email address to which the email received in the reception step is sent. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 refers to a table (not shown) or the like based on the recipient email address of the email received in step S501, and identifies the cabinet ID associated with that email address. For example, in step S501, multiple email addresses can be pre-configured for each cabinet as predetermined email addresses for executing the contract management process. For example, email addresses A, B, and C can be associated with cabinets A, B, and C, respectively. In step S501, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 identifies cabinet A when it receives an email from the first user via email address A. Similarly, when the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 receives emails from the first user via email addresses B and C, it identifies cabinets B and C, respectively. This allows the first user to select the cabinet ID to which the contract information is associated by switching the email forwarding destination, thus preventing the forgetting to classify the contract information. Furthermore, the first user can specify multiple email addresses, in which case the contract information may be stored in association with the cabinet corresponding to each of the multiple email addresses.

[0108] In step S505, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 performs a classification identification step to identify classification information based on the email address of the sender of the email received in the reception step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10, based on the sender's email address of the email received in step S501, refers to a table (not shown) or the like to identify the cabinet ID associated with that email address. The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may also be configured to search the email address field in user table 1012 based on the sender's email address of the email received in step S501, obtain and identify a user ID, and then, based on that user ID, refer to tables (not shown) or the like to identify the cabinet ID associated with that email address. For example, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify a predetermined cabinet ID according to the department to which the first user belongs. For example, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify a predetermined cabinet ID according to the position of the first user. This allows for the automatic assignment of a predetermined classification information, such as a cabinet ID, to information received from the first user, and enables management of that information.

[0109] In step S505, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 performs a classification identification step to identify classification information based on at least one of the subject, body, or attachment of the email received in the reception step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify a predetermined cabinet ID based on email information such as the subject, body, header information, and attachments of the email received in step S501. For example, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may use pattern matching such as regular expressions, arbitrary machine learning, or deep learning models to obtain and identify the cabinet ID as output data, using the subject, body, header information, and attachments as input data.

[0110] In step S505, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 executes a classification identification step to identify classification information based on the contract information acquired in the contract acquisition step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 may identify a predetermined cabinet ID based on the document data included in the contract information acquired in step S504, the contract types included in the document data such as confidentiality agreements, research and development agreements, and outsourcing agreements, the names of the signatories, and other incidental attribute information related to the contract information.

[0111] Furthermore, in step S505, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 executes a classification identification step to identify classification information based on the pages acquired in the page acquisition step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify a predetermined cabinet ID based on page information such as HTML and XML received from the external server 40 in step S504. For example, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may use pattern matching such as regular expressions, arbitrary machine learning, or deep learning models to obtain and identify the cabinet ID as output data, with page information as input data.

[0112] Furthermore, if the classification cannot be determined by the classification identification step, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 skips step S505 and proceeds to step S506.

[0113] In step S506, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 executes a contract storage step to store the contract information acquired in the contract acquisition step. The contract storage step stores the contract information in association with an endpoint for identifying the contract information. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 stores the endpoint received in step S502 and the document data included in the contract information acquired in step S504 in the document table 1014, in the new record's document data and endpoint fields, respectively. The first user ID identified in step S503 may also be stored in association with the contract information using a table or the like (not shown).

[0114] In step S506, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 executes a classification storage step in which it associates the classification information identified in the classification identification step with the contract information stored in the storage step and stores them together. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 stores the document ID of the new record in document table 1014 and the cabinet ID identified in step S505 in the document ID and cabinet ID fields of the new record in contract group table 1018, respectively. This allows the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 to store contract information in association with classification information.

[0115] In step S506, the contract storage step performs the step of storing the contract information attached to the email received in the reception step. Specifically, in step S305 of the contract verification process, the message received from the external server 40 notifying that the contract verification process has been completed may have document data in PDF format or other formats attached. In such cases, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 retrieves and identifies the attached document data from the received email in step S501. The contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 stores the retrieved document data in the document data field of a new record in the document table 1014. The first user ID identified in step S503 may also be stored in association with the contract information using a table or the like (not shown). In this case, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may store the endpoint received in step S502 in association with document data in the document table 1014. Also, in this case, the contract information acquisition process in step S504 may be omitted.

[0116] <Contract management process (second example)> The contract management process (second embodiment) is a process that retrieves, stores, and manages contract information stored in an external electronic contract service.

[0117] <Overview of contract management process (second implementation example)> The contract management process (second embodiment) is a series of processes that receive a message indicating that a contract has been concluded in an external electronic contract service, accept an endpoint to identify the contract information based on the message, identify the user, retrieve the contract information from the external server, identify the cabinet to which the contract information is associated, and store the cabinet and the contract information in association.

[0118] <Details of contract management process (second implementation example)> The details of the contract management process (second example) are described below.

[0119] In step S501, the first user operates the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20 to send, via a chat service, the contents of an email containing a message notifying the completion of the contract verification process, which was received from the external server 40 in step S305 of the contract verification process. Examples of chat services include Slack, Chatwork, Microsoft Teams, and LINE WORKS. Specifically, the first user selects a predetermined channel in the chat service for executing the contract management process related to this disclosure by operating the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20, and sends a message in that channel that includes the subject and body of an email notifying that the contract confirmation process has been completed. The predetermined channel for executing the contract management process is created in advance by an administrator of the group to which the first user belongs, and invites the first user, the server 10, and other accounts associated with it. The channel is configured so that the first user can send and post messages, and the control unit 104 of the server 10 can acquire and read the messages posted by the first user. Furthermore, the first user may configure the external server 40 to automatically post the subject and body of the email notifying the completion of the contract verification process, which is sent from the external server 40 in step S305 of the contract verification process, to a predetermined channel for executing the contract management process related to this disclosure. This prevents the first user from forgetting to forward the email. The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 accesses the chat service, selects a predetermined channel for executing the contract management process related to this disclosure, and retrieves and reads the message posted by the first user for executing the contract management process. As a result, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 receives the message for executing the contract management process.

[0120] In step S602, the reception step receives a message from the user via the chat service containing the endpoint, thereby executing a step to accept a request that includes an endpoint. The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 executes a reception step that accepts a request that includes an endpoint for identifying contract information stored in an external contract signing service. The reception step receives a message from the user via the chat service containing the endpoint, thereby executing a step to accept a request that includes an endpoint. Specifically, in step S601, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 analyzes the message received via the chat service, identifies and accepts a URL 82 containing a document ID for identifying predetermined contract information on the external server 40. The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 can use pattern matching such as regular expressions, arbitrary machine learning, or deep learning models to take a message as input data and obtain and accept a URL 82 containing a document ID for identifying contract information as output data.

[0121] In step S603, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 executes an authorization acquisition step to obtain access authorization information for accessing the endpoint received in the reception step.

[0122] Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 identifies the first user who sent the message in step S601 by obtaining the user ID of the first user associated with the message via a table (not shown) or the like, based on the account of the sender of the message received in step S601. If the endpoint identified in step S602 contains a string for identifying the first user ID, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify the first user who sent the message in step S601 based on that string. If the message information, such as the body of the message received in step S601, contains a string for identifying the first user ID, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify the first user who forwarded the email in step S601 based on that string. Furthermore, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 identifies the service ID, which is the service identification information for the external electronic contract service provided by the external server 40, based on the message information such as the body of the message received in step S601. If the endpoint identified in step S602 contains a string for identifying the service ID, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify the service ID, which is the service identification information for the external electronic contract service provided by the external server 40, based on the string or the like.

[0123] The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 searches the user ID and service ID entries in the access permission table 1017 based on the first user ID and service ID of the identified first user, and retrieves the access token entry. As a result, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 obtains the access permission information for accessing the endpoint received in step S602, and proceeds to step S604.

[0124] In step S603, the authorization acquisition step includes a notification step that provides a predetermined notification to the user or administrator if it is not possible to obtain access authorization information for accessing the endpoint received in the reception step. In this disclosure, the processing content is the same as in step S503 of the contract management process (first embodiment), so the explanation is omitted.

[0125] Step S604 is the same as step S504 in the contract management process (first embodiment), so its explanation is omitted.

[0126] In step S605, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 executes a classification identification step to identify classification information based on the account information mentioned in the message received in the reception step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10, based on information called a mention, which specifies the recipient of the message and is included in the message received in step S601, refers to a table (not shown) or the like to identify the cabinet ID associated with the mention. For example, in step S601, the server 10 can pre-configure multiple accounts for each cabinet as predetermined accounts for executing contract management processing in the chat service. For example, accounts A, B, and C can be associated with cabinets A, B, and C, respectively. In step S601, when the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 receives a message from the first user mentioning account A, it identifies cabinet A. Similarly, when the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 receives emails from the first user mentioning account B and account C, it identifies cabinet B and cabinet C, respectively. This allows the first user to select the cabinet ID to associate the contract information with by switching the account mentioned in the message, thus preventing the forgetting to categorize the contract information. Furthermore, the first user can mention multiple accounts, in which case the contract information may be stored in association with the cabinet corresponding to each of the multiple accounts.

[0127] In step S605, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 executes a classification identification step to identify classification information based on the account information of the sender of the message received in the reception step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10, based on the account of the sender of the message received in step S601, refers to a table (not shown) or the like to identify the cabinet ID associated with that account. For example, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify a predetermined cabinet ID according to the department to which the first user belongs. For example, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify a predetermined cabinet ID according to the position of the first user. This allows for the automatic assignment of a predetermined classification information, such as a cabinet ID, to information received from the first user, and enables management of that information.

[0128] In step S605, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 performs a classification identification step to identify classification information based on at least one of the message body or attachments received in the reception step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify a predetermined cabinet ID based on message information such as the message body and attachments received in step S601. For example, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may use pattern matching such as regular expressions, arbitrary machine learning, or deep learning models to obtain and identify the cabinet ID as output data, using the message body and attachments as input data.

[0129] In step S605, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 executes a classification identification step to identify classification information based on the contract information acquired in the contract acquisition step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 may identify a predetermined cabinet ID based on the document data included in the contract information acquired in step S604, the contract types such as confidentiality agreements, research and development agreements, and outsourcing agreements included in the document data, the names of the signatories, and other incidental attribute information related to the contract information.

[0130] Furthermore, in step S605, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 executes a classification identification step to identify classification information based on the pages acquired in the page acquisition step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify a predetermined cabinet ID based on page information such as HTML and XML received from the external server 40 in step S604. For example, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may use pattern matching such as regular expressions, arbitrary machine learning, or deep learning models to obtain and identify the cabinet ID as output data, with page information as input data.

[0131] If the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 is unable to determine the classification through the classification identification step, it skips step S605 and proceeds to step S606.

[0132] Step S606 is the same as step S506 in the contract management process (first embodiment), so its explanation is omitted.

[0133] <Contract management process (third example)> The contract management process (second embodiment) is a process that retrieves, stores, and manages contract information stored in an external electronic contract service.

[0134] <Overview of Contract Management Process (Third Implementation Example)> The contract management process (third embodiment) is a series of processes that involves identifying the user, periodically obtaining a list of completed contract information from an external electronic contract service, excluding already stored contract information from the obtained list of contract information, identifying an endpoint for obtaining contract information, accepting the endpoint for identifying contract information, obtaining contract information from an external server, identifying a cabinet to which the contract information is associated, and associating the cabinet with the contract information for storage.

[0135] <Details of contract management process (third implementation example)> The details of the contract management process (third embodiment) are described below.

[0136] In step S701, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 identifies the user who will execute the contract management process (third embodiment). Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 refers to the access permission table 1017 and obtains access permission information including user ID, service ID, and access token. For simplicity, this disclosure describes a contract management process (third embodiment) targeting a predetermined user ID, service ID, and access token. Furthermore, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may execute contract management processing (third embodiment) for each acquired user ID, service ID, and access token.

[0137] The contract management process (third embodiment) may be configured to run automatically at predetermined intervals. The contract management process (third embodiment) may also be configured to run in response to instructions from users or administrators.

[0138] In step S702, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 performs a list acquisition step to obtain a list of one or more endpoints associated with each of the one or more contract information items that can be viewed by the user. The list acquisition step is performed automatically at predetermined intervals. Alternatively, the list acquisition step may be configured to be performed in response to instructions from the user or administrator. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 identifies and obtains an endpoint (list acquisition endpoint) for obtaining a list of contract information by referring to a table (not shown) or the like, based on the service ID obtained in step S701. The list acquisition endpoint is a string such as a URL that identifies a web page for users to view and obtain a list of contract information. Alternatively, the list acquisition endpoint may be obtained by accessing a predetermined API (Application Programming Interface) provided by an external contract signing service identified by the service ID. For example, the endpoint for retrieving a list of documents is a string such as a URL, like "https: / / contract.service / get_all_documents / ".

[0139] The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 accesses the list acquisition endpoint based on the access permission information obtained in step S701 and executes the step of acquiring a list of contract information. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 generates a request containing the access token included in the access permission information obtained in step S701 and sends it to the list acquisition endpoint. As a result, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 sends the request to the external server 40. When the external server 40 receives a request, it identifies the user ID based on the access token. Based on the identified user ID, the external server 40 searches the creator ID field in the document table 4014 and retrieves the document ID. Similarly, based on the identified user ID, the external server 40 searches the user ID field in the user table 4012 of the external server 40 and retrieves the email address. Based on the retrieved email address, the external server 40 searches the confirmer email address field in the confirmation table 4015 of the external server 40 and retrieves the document ID. The external server 40 generates, identifies, and retrieves an endpoint for each document ID based on the acquired document IDs (one or more). The external server 40 sends the document IDs and the endpoint for each document ID to the server 10 as a response to the request. The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 receives and retrieves a list of contract information (contract list information) from the external server 40 as a response to a request.

[0140] In step S703, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 executes an exclusion identification step to identify one or more endpoints to be excluded from the one or more endpoints acquired in the list acquisition step that correspond to contract information already stored in the contract storage step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 searches the endpoint entries in document table 1014 based on one or more endpoints acquired in step S702, and determines whether the endpoint is already stored in document table 1014. The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 excludes the endpoints that are already stored in the endpoint entries of document table 1014 from among the one or more endpoints acquired in step S702. This makes it possible to exclude contract information already stored in document table 1014 from the acquisition target.

[0141] In step S704, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 performs a contract identification step to identify at least one predetermined endpoint that is included in the one or more endpoints acquired in the list acquisition step.

[0142] In step S704, the contract identification step performs the step of identifying at least one predetermined endpoint from the endpoints obtained in the list acquisition step, excluding the endpoints to be excluded as identified in the exclusion identification step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 identifies contract information by excluding, in step S703, one or more endpoints acquired in step S702 that are already stored in the document table 1014.

[0143] In step S705, the reception step performs a step that accepts a request that includes a predetermined endpoint identified in the contract identification step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 accepts one or more endpoints identified in step S703.

[0144] In step S706, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 performs a contract acquisition step in which it accesses one or more endpoints received in the reception step and acquires one or more contract information identified by one or more endpoints. The contract acquisition step involves accessing the endpoint received in the acceptance step based on the access permission information obtained in the authorization acquisition step, and executing the step of acquiring contract information. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 generates a request containing the access token included in the access permission information obtained in step S701 and sends it to the endpoint received in step S705. As a result, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 sends the request to the external server 40. The contract management unit 1044 of server 10 receives and retrieves one or more contract information from the external server 40 as a response to a request.

[0145] Furthermore, in step S706, the contract acquisition step may also perform the following steps: access the endpoint received in the acceptance step based on the access permission information obtained in the authorization acquisition step and acquire a page written in a markup language such as a web page; identify a link associated with the contract information contained in the page acquired in the page acquisition step; and access the identified endpoint and acquire the contract information. Specifically, the external server 40 may send HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) or XML, such as web pages, as a response to a request. In such cases, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may use pattern matching such as regular expressions, arbitrary machine learning, or deep learning models to take the HTML or XML received from the external server 40 as input data, obtain and identify a link to download the contract information as output data, and receive and obtain the contract information by downloading it from that link. This allows the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 to obtain the contract information from the endpoint.

[0146] In step S707, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 performs a classification identification step to identify classification information based on the user ID identified in step S701. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 refers to a table (not shown) or the like, based on the user ID identified in step S701, and identifies the cabinet ID associated with that user ID. For example, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify a predetermined cabinet ID according to the user's department or other relevant information. This allows for the automatic assignment of a predetermined classification information, such as a cabinet ID, to information received from users, and enables management of that information.

[0147] In step S707, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 executes a classification identification step to identify classification information based on the contract information acquired in the contract acquisition step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 may identify a predetermined cabinet ID based on the document data included in the contract information acquired in step S706, the contract types such as confidentiality agreements, research and development agreements, and outsourcing agreements included in the document data, the names of the signatories, and other incidental attribute information related to the contract information. In this disclosure, a configuration may be used in which a different cabinet ID is identified for one or more contract information entries.

[0148] Furthermore, in step S707, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 executes a classification identification step to identify classification information based on the pages acquired in the page acquisition step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may identify a predetermined cabinet ID based on page information such as HTML and XML received from the external server 40 in step S706. For example, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 may use pattern matching such as regular expressions, arbitrary machine learning, or deep learning models to obtain and identify the cabinet ID as output data, with page information as input data. In this disclosure, a configuration may be used in which a different cabinet ID is identified for one or more contract information entries. Furthermore, if the classification cannot be determined by the classification identification step, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 skips step S707 and proceeds to step S708.

[0149] In step S708, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 executes a contract storage step to store one or more contract information acquired in the contract acquisition step. The contract storage step stores one or more contract information, each associated with an endpoint for identifying one or more contract information. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 stores the one or more endpoints received in step S705 and the one or more document data included in the one or more contract information acquired in step S706 in the document table 1014, in the new record's document data and endpoint fields, respectively. The user ID identified in step S701 may also be stored in association with the contract information using a table or the like (not shown).

[0150] In step S708, the contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 executes a classification storage step in which it associates and stores one or more classification pieces identified in the classification identification step with one or more contract pieces stored in the storage step. Specifically, the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 stores one or more document IDs of the new record in the document table 1014, and one or more cabinet IDs identified for each document ID in step S707, in the document ID and cabinet ID fields of the new record in the contract group table 1018, respectively. This allows the contract management unit 1044 of server 10 to store contract information in association with classification information.

[0151] In this disclosure, a user can access the server 10 using a user terminal to display contract information stored in the storage unit 101 of the server 10 through contract management processing. In this disclosure, processing by a first user is illustrated as an example, but a second user can also perform the same actions as the first user. The first user enters a predetermined URL by operating the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20 in the browser application of the first user terminal 20. The control unit 204 of the first user terminal 20 sends a request to the server 10 to display a list of contract information. Upon receiving the request, the server 10 retrieves one or more contract information associated with the first user from the document table 1014 and sends it to the first user terminal 20. Specifically, the contract information sent to the first user terminal 20 may include the document ID and the date and time the contract information was stored in the document table 1014. The control unit 204 of the first user terminal 20 displays one or more received contract information on the display 2081 of the first user terminal 20, and presents the pre-contract information obtained from an external contract signing service to the first user.

[0152] Figure 22 is an example of a screen display 84 showing a list of contract information presented on the first user terminal 20. The list display screen 84 includes a table 841 that displays a list of contract information in list format. Table 841 displays contract information 851, 852, etc. in list format for each row. For each contract information 851, Table 841 includes drawing objects such as an icon 8511 for selecting the contract information, a document ID 8512, a memory date 8513, and a source 8515. The first user can check the contract information stored in the document table 1014 by selecting a drawing object 8511 by operating the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20. For example, when the first user selects a drawing object 8511 by operating the input device 206 of the first user terminal 20, it sends a request including the document ID to the server 10. The contract management unit 1044 of the server 10 searches the document ID fields in the document table 1014 and the confirmation table 1015 based on the received document ID, obtains the contract information and verifier information, generates a confirmation screen, and sends it to the first user terminal 20. Specifically, the display 2081 of the first user terminal 20 presents the first user with a confirmation screen that accepts the operation to approve the contract information. The confirmation screen is similar to the confirmation screen 70 of the contract confirmation process illustrated in Figure 20, but the consent button 740 is hidden or cannot be selected. This allows the first user to view and confirm a list of contract information stored through the contract management process.

[0153] <Basic Computer Hardware Configuration> Figure 23 is a block diagram showing the basic hardware configuration of computer 90. Computer 90 comprises at least a processor 901, main memory 902, auxiliary memory 903, and a communication interface IF991. These are electrically connected to each other by a communication bus 921.

[0154] The processor 901 is hardware for executing the instruction set written in a program. The processor 901 consists of an arithmetic unit, registers, peripheral circuits, etc.

[0155] Main memory 902 is used to temporarily store programs and data processed by programs, etc. For example, it is a volatile memory such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

[0156] Auxiliary storage device 903 refers to a storage device for saving data and programs. Examples include flash memory, HDD (Hard Disc Drive), magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and semiconductor memory.

[0157] The IF991 communication interface is an interface for inputting and outputting signals for communication with other computers via a network using wired or wireless communication standards. A network consists of various mobile communication systems, such as the internet, LANs, and wireless base stations. For example, a network includes 3G, 4G, and 5G mobile communication systems, LTE (Long Term Evolution), and wireless networks that can connect to the internet via designated access points (e.g., Wi-Fi®). When connecting wirelessly, communication protocols include, for example, Z-Wave®, ZigBee®, and Bluetooth®. When connecting via a wired connection, the network also includes connections made directly via USB (Universal Serial Bus) cables, etc.

[0158] Furthermore, by distributing all or part of each hardware configuration across multiple computers 90 and connecting them to each other via a network, a computer 90 can be virtually realized. Thus, the concept of computer 90 includes not only a computer 90 housed in a single enclosure or case, but also a virtualized computer system.

[0159] <Basic Functional Configuration of Computer 90> The functional configuration of the computer realized by the basic hardware configuration of computer 90 (Figure 23) will be explained. The computer comprises at least one functional unit: a control unit, a memory unit, and a communication unit.

[0160] Furthermore, the functional units of computer 90 can also be realized by distributing all or part of each functional unit across multiple computers 90 interconnected via a network. The concept of computer 90 includes not only a single computer 90 but also a virtualized computer system.

[0161] The control unit is realized when the processor 901 reads various programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 903, loads them into the main memory device 902, and executes processing according to those programs. The control unit can realize various functional units that perform information processing depending on the type of program. In this way, the computer is realized as an information processing device that performs information processing.

[0162] The memory unit is implemented by the main memory 902 and the auxiliary memory 903. The memory unit stores data, various programs, and various databases. The processor 901 can also reserve memory areas corresponding to the memory unit in the main memory 902 or the auxiliary memory 903 according to the program. The control unit can also cause the processor 901 to perform operations such as adding, updating, and deleting data stored in the memory unit according to the various programs.

[0163] A database, specifically a relational database, is used to manage and link together tabular data sets called masters, which are structurally defined by rows and columns. In a database, tables are called tables, masters are called masters, the columns of tables are called columns, and the rows of tables are called records. In a relational database, relationships can be established and linked between tables and masters. Typically, each table and master has a primary key column to uniquely identify records, but setting a primary key column is not mandatory. The control unit can instruct the processor 901 to add, delete, or update records in specific tables and masters stored in the memory unit, according to various programs.

[0164] Furthermore, the databases and masters in this disclosure may include any data structures (lists, dictionaries, associative arrays, objects, etc.) in which information is structurally defined. Data structures also include data that can be considered as data structures by combining data with functions, classes, methods, etc., written in any programming language.

[0165] The communication unit is implemented by the communication IF991. The communication unit provides the functionality to communicate with other computers 90 via the network. The communication unit can receive information transmitted from other computers 90 and input it to the control unit. The control unit can cause the processor 901 to perform information processing on the received information according to various programs. The communication unit can also transmit information output from the control unit to other computers 90.

[0166] <Note> The details described in each of the above embodiments are noted below.

[0167] (Note 1) A contract management program comprising a processor and a memory unit, for causing a computer to store electronic contract procedures between users, wherein the contract management program causes the processor to execute: an acceptance step (S502, S602, S705) that accepts a request including an endpoint for identifying contract information stored in an external contract conclusion service; a contract acquisition step (S504, S604, S706) that accesses based on the endpoint accepted in the acceptance step and acquires contract information identified by the endpoint; and a contract storage step (S506, S606, S708) that stores the contract information acquired in the contract acquisition step. This allows for the storage and management of contract information concluded through external contract execution services. Specifically, it enables the acquisition, storage, and management of contract information concluded through multiple external contract execution services.

[0168] (Note 2) The reception step (S502, S602) is a step in the contract management program described in Appendix 1 that receives an endpoint from the user to identify contract information stored in an external contract signing service. This allows the system to acquire, store, and manage contract information entered into with external contract execution services, which is identified by endpoints received from users.

[0169] (Note 3) The reception step (S502) is a step in the contract management program described in Appendix 2, in which a request including an endpoint is accepted by receiving an email from the user that contains the endpoint. This allows the system to store and manage contract information entered into with external contract signing services, identified by endpoints received via email from users. Users can retrieve, store, and manage contract information without any special configuration.

[0170] (Note 4) The reception step (S502) is a step in the contract management program described in Appendix 3 that accepts requests including an endpoint by receiving an email containing the endpoint from a user via an email address that has the domain name of the organization or company to which the user belongs. This allows the system to store and manage contract information entered into with external contract signing services, which is identified by endpoints received from users via the chat service. Users can retrieve, store, and manage contract information without performing any special settings.

[0171] (Note 5) The reception step (S602) is a step in the contract management program described in Appendix 2, in which a request including an endpoint is accepted by receiving a message containing the endpoint from the user via a chat service. This allows users to retrieve, store, and manage contract information entered into through external contract signing services without performing any special operations.

[0172] (Note 6) The contract management program, as described in Appendix 1, causes a processor to perform a list acquisition step (S702) to acquire a list of one or more endpoints associated with each of the one or more contract information items that can be referenced by the user, and a contract identification step (S704) to identify at least one predetermined endpoint included in the one or more endpoints acquired in the list acquisition step, and the acceptance step (S705) is a step to accept a request that includes the predetermined endpoint identified in the contract identification step. This allows the system to acquire, store, and manage contract information entered into through external contract execution services, excluding contract information already stored.

[0173] (Note 7) The contract management program, as described in Appendix 6, causes the processor to perform an exclusion identification step (S703) in which it identifies one or more endpoints to be excluded from one or more endpoints acquired in the list acquisition step that correspond to contract information already stored in the contract storage step, and the contract identification step (S704) is a step in which it identifies at least one predetermined endpoint from the endpoints obtained in the list acquisition step, excluding the endpoints to be excluded identified in the exclusion identification step. This allows users to periodically retrieve, store, and manage contract information entered into external contract signing services without performing any special operations.

[0174] (Note 8) The list acquisition step (S702) is the contract management program described in Appendix 6, which is automatically executed at predetermined intervals. This allows users to classify and store contract information entered into external contract signing services without performing any special operations, by sending a message containing an endpoint via email to a desired email address, depending on the content of the contract information.

[0175] (Note 9) The list acquisition step (S702) is performed by the contract management program described in Appendix 6, in response to instructions from the user or administrator. This allows the system to classify and store contract information entered into external contract signing services based on the user's email address, without requiring any special operations.

[0176] (Note 10) The contract management program is the contract management program described in Appendix 3, which causes the processor to execute a classification identification step (S505) that identifies classification information based on the email address to which the email received in the reception step is sent, and a classification storage step (S506) that stores the stored contract information in the storage step, associating it with the classification information identified in the classification identification step. This allows the system to classify and store contract information entered into external contract signing services based on the subject line, body, attachments, etc., of the user's emails, without requiring any special operations.

[0177] (Note 11) The contract management program is the contract management program described in Appendix 3, which causes the processor to execute a classification identification step (S505) that identifies classification information based on the email address of the sender of the email received in the reception step, and a classification storage step (S506) that stores the stored contract information in the storage step, associating it with the classification information identified in the classification identification step. This allows users to classify and store contract information entered into external contract signing services without performing any special operations, by sending a message including an endpoint and mentioning the desired account information according to the content of the contract information, etc., via the chat service.

[0178] (Note 12) The contract management program is the contract management program described in Appendix 3, which causes the processor to perform a classification identification step (S505) in which classification information is identified based on at least one of the subject, body, or attachment of an email received in the reception step, and a classification storage step (S506) in which the classification information identified in the classification identification step is associated with the contract information stored in the storage step. This allows the system to classify and store contract information entered into external contract signing services based on the user's account information, without requiring any special operations.

[0179] (Note 13) The contract management program is the contract management program described in Appendix 5, which causes the processor to execute a classification identification step (S605) that identifies classification information based on account information mentioned in a message received in the reception step, and a classification storage step (S606) that stores the classification information identified in the classification identification step in association with the contract information stored in the storage step. This allows contract information to be stored and managed without accessing the endpoint.

[0180] (Note 14) The contract management program is the contract management program described in Appendix 5, which causes the processor to perform a classification identification step (S605) in which it identifies classification information based on the account information of the sender of the message received in the reception step, and a classification storage step (S606) in which it stores the classification information in association with the contract information stored in the storage step. This allows contract information to be stored in association with endpoints. For example, it prevents duplicate registration of contract information associated with the same endpoint.

[0181] (Note 15) The contract storage step (S506) is a step in the contract management program described in Appendix 3, which stores contract information attached to an email received in the reception step. This allows users or administrators to configure appropriate access permissions in response to a prescribed notification when a request is received that includes an endpoint that does not have access permission information to access contract information.

[0182] (Note 16) The contract storage step (S506, S606, S708) is the contract management program described in Appendix 1, which stores contract information in association with an endpoint for identifying the contract information. This allows the system to store and manage contract information entered into with external contract signing services, even when receiving requests that include endpoints that do not have access permission information to access contract information, in response to receiving access permission information from the user or administrator.

[0183] (Note 17) The contract management program is described in Appendix 1, which causes the processor to execute an authorization acquisition step (S503, S603, S701) to acquire access authorization information for accessing the endpoint accepted in the acceptance step, and the contract acquisition step (S504, S604, S706) is a step to access the endpoint accepted in the acceptance step based on the access authorization information acquired in the authorization acquisition step and acquire contract information, and the authorization acquisition step (S503, S603, S701) includes a notification step that gives a predetermined notification to the user or administrator if it was not possible to acquire access authorization information for accessing the endpoint accepted in the acceptance step. This allows for the storage and management of contract information concluded through external contract execution services. Specifically, it enables the acquisition, storage, and management of contract information concluded through multiple external contract execution services.

[0184] (Note 18) The contract management program, as described in Appendix 17, includes a commission acquisition step (S503, S603, S701) which includes a step of acquiring access rights information received after the notification was made from the user or administrator who was notified in the notification step, and a contract acquisition step (S504, S604, S706) which is a step of detecting that access rights information has been acquired from the user or administrator after the notification was made in the commission acquisition step and acquiring contract information. This allows for the storage and management of contract information concluded through external contract execution services. Specifically, it enables the acquisition, storage, and management of contract information concluded through multiple external contract execution services.

[0185] (Note 19) An information processing device comprising a processor and a memory unit, wherein the processor is configured to execute a contract management program described in any of the appendices 1 to 18. This allows for the storage and management of contract information concluded through external contract execution services. Specifically, it enables the acquisition, storage, and management of contract information concluded through multiple external contract execution services. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0186] 1 Information processing system, 10 Server, 101 Storage unit, 104 Control unit, 106 Input device, 108 Output device, 20 First user terminal, 201 Storage unit, 204 Control unit, 206 Input device, 208 Output device, 30 Second user terminal, 301 Storage unit, 304 Control unit, 306 Input device, 308 Output device

Claims

1. A contract management program for a computer comprising a processor and a memory unit, capable of providing a predetermined contract management service relating to electronic contract procedures between users, The program is provided to the processor: A receiving step in which a request including the endpoint is received by receiving an email containing an endpoint for identifying contract information stored in an external contract signing service different from the aforementioned predetermined contract management service, at a predetermined email address different from the email address of a user who consents to and approves the conclusion of a contract in the external contract signing service, A contract acquisition step which accesses the endpoint received in the reception step and obtains the contract information identified by the endpoint, A contract management program that causes a contract storage step to be executed, which stores the contract information acquired in the contract acquisition step.

2. The program is provided to the processor: The aforementioned reception step includes a classification identification step in which classification information is identified based on the predetermined email address that receives the email, A classification storage step which stores the contract information stored in the contract storage step in association with the classification information identified in the classification identification step, Make it run, For each of the multiple classification information items, one or more predetermined email addresses are set in advance. The contract management program according to claim 1.

3. A method performed by a computer comprising a processor and a memory unit, which is capable of providing a predetermined contract management service relating to electronic contract procedures between users, The above method involves the processor, A receiving step in which a request including the endpoint is received by receiving an email containing an endpoint for identifying contract information stored in an external contract signing service different from the aforementioned predetermined contract management service, at a predetermined email address different from the email address of a user who consents to and approves the conclusion of a contract in the external contract signing service, A contract acquisition step which accesses the endpoint received in the reception step and obtains the contract information identified by the endpoint, A method for performing a contract storage step, which involves storing the contract information acquired in the contract acquisition step.

4. An information processing device, wherein the information processing device is capable of providing a predetermined contract management service relating to electronic contract procedures between users, The control unit of the information processing device, A receiving step in which a request including the endpoint is received by receiving an email containing an endpoint for identifying contract information stored in an external contract signing service different from the aforementioned predetermined contract management service, at a predetermined email address different from the email address of a user who consents to and approves the conclusion of a contract in the external contract signing service, A contract acquisition step which accesses the endpoint received in the reception step and obtains the contract information identified by the endpoint, An information processing device that performs a contract storage step of storing the contract information acquired in the contract acquisition step.

Images