Information processing system, information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

We provide a system that allows for efficient estimation of the costs required for building construction. [Solution] The system SY of the present invention comprises a storage unit and a control unit. The storage unit stores electronic information D4 corresponding to building material K4. The electronic information D4 includes specific information (e.g., character information P18 and character information P19) generated by OCR processing. The specific information is character information corresponding to a fixed price that is pre-associated with each of a plurality of forms corresponding to building material K4. The control unit calculates the estimated unit price of building material K4 based on the specific information selected by user operation from the electronic information D4 stored in the storage unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for assisting in estimating the cost required for building a building.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to a system for reducing the burden on the work of creating estimates by constructors.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Conventionally, there has been a demand for something that can efficiently estimate the cost required for building a building.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its object is to provide a system that can efficiently estimate the cost required for building a building.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] As a means for achieving the above object, the information processing system of the present invention includes a storage unit and a control unit, the storage unit stores electronic information corresponding to one building material, the electronic information includes specific information generated by OCR processing, the specific information is character information corresponding to the list price pre-associated with each of a plurality of forms corresponding to the one building material, The control unit calculates the estimated unit price of the building material based on a specific piece of information selected by the user from the electronic information stored in the storage unit. It is characterized by the following:

[0007] As a means of achieving the above objective, The information processing device of the present invention is It comprises a memory unit and a control unit, The aforementioned storage unit stores electronic information corresponding to a building material, The aforementioned electronic information includes specific information generated by OCR processing, The aforementioned specific information is textual information corresponding to a fixed price that is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to the one building material, The control unit calculates the estimated unit price of the building material based on a specific piece of information selected by the user from the electronic information stored in the storage unit. It is characterized by the following:

[0008] As a means of achieving the above objective, The information processing method of the present invention is An information processing method performed by an information processing device, The aforementioned information processing device includes a storage unit that stores electronic information corresponding to a building material, The aforementioned electronic information includes specific information generated by OCR processing, The aforementioned specific information is textual information corresponding to a fixed price that is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to the one building material, The process is executed to calculate the estimated unit price of a building material based on a specific piece of information selected by the user from the electronic information stored in the memory unit. It is characterized by the following:

[0009] As a means of achieving the above objective, The program of the present invention, A program to be executed by an information processing device, The information processing apparatus includes a storage unit that stores electronic information corresponding to a single building material. The electronic information includes specific information generated by OCR processing. The specific information is character information corresponding to a fixed price that is pre-associated with each of a plurality of forms corresponding to the single building material. Execute a process of calculating an estimated unit price of the single building material based on a single specific information selected by a user operation from the electronic information stored in the storage unit. It is characterized by this.

Effect of the Invention

[0010] The present invention can provide a system that can efficiently estimate the cost required for building a building.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] [Figure 1] It is an explanatory diagram for explaining the outline of the first embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an estimate (building material estimate) issued by a building material trading company to the proposer. [Figure 3] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an estimate (construction estimate) issued by the proposer to the client. [Figure 4] It is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the system SY according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a diagram schematically showing an example of the project information stored in the project DB according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a diagram schematically showing an example of the master information stored in the master DB according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a diagram schematically showing an example of the screen G1 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a diagram schematically showing the outline of the column Rn displayed in the area G11 of the screen G1. [Figure 10]This diagram shows a specific example of the estimation information displayed in column Rn. [Figure 11] This diagram schematically shows a specific example of Table H displayed in area G12 of screen G1. [Figure 12] This is a flowchart illustrating the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] This is a flowchart illustrating the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] This figure schematically shows an example of screen G2 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 15] This figure shows an example of the master information group Mn displayed in area G21 of screen G2. [Figure 16] This diagram illustrates an example of the operation to display the master information group M1, which is displayed in area G21, in area G11. [Figure 17] This diagram shows a specific example of the quotation information displayed in column R1. [Figure 18] This diagram shows specific examples of the quotation information displayed in columns R1 and R2. [Figure 19] Figure 18 shows a specific example of what happens when estimation information is entered into the empty box in column R2. [Figure 20] This figure schematically shows an example of screen G3 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 21] This figure shows an example of electronic information displayed in area G31 of screen G3. [Figure 22] This is a flowchart illustrating the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 23] This figure illustrates a specific example of the process shown in Figure 22. [Figure 24] This diagram schematically shows an example of the estimation information group N1 to N3 displayed in area G31. [Figure 25] This figure illustrates an example of the operation to display the estimation information group N1 shown in Figure 24 from area G31 to area G11. [Figure 26] This figure shows a specific example of the quotation information displayed in column R3, as shown in Figure 25(c). [Figure 27] Figure 26 shows a specific example of what happens when information for estimation is entered into the empty box in column R3. [Figure 28] This diagram illustrates an example of the operation to display the master information group M3, which is shown in area G21 of screen G2, in area G11. [Figure 29] This diagram illustrates a specific example of the estimation information displayed in area G11. [Figure 30] This is a flowchart illustrating the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 31] This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a server according to Modification 1 of the First Embodiment. [Figure 32] This figure schematically shows an example of building material information stored in the building material database according to Modification 1 of the First Embodiment. [Figure 33] This is a flowchart showing the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3 according to Modification 1 of the first embodiment. [Figure 34] This figure shows an example of the group of estimation information N1 to N3 displayed in region G31 according to Modification 1 of the First Embodiment. [Figure 35] This is a flowchart showing the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3 according to a modified example 2 of the first embodiment. [Figure 36] This block diagram shows the hardware configuration of the server according to the second embodiment. [Figure 37] This figure schematically shows an example of electronic information stored in the electronic information database according to the second embodiment. [Figure 38] This figure schematically shows an example of screen G1 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 39] This figure schematically shows an example of screen G4 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 40] This figure shows an example of screen G4 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 41] This is a magnified view of the electronic information D1 displayed in region G41 of Figure 40. [Figure 42] This is a flowchart illustrating the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 43] This figure schematically shows an example of screen G4 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 44] This is an enlarged view of region G41 shown in Figure 43. [Figure 45] This diagram illustrates an example of the operation to display the estimation information group N1, which is displayed in area G41, in area G11. [Figure 46] This figure shows a specific example of the quotation information displayed in column R3, as shown in Figure 45(c). [Figure 47] Figure 46 shows a specific example of what happens when information for estimation is entered into the empty box in column R3. [Figure 48] Figure 47 shows a specific example of what happens when you enter quotation information into the empty box in column R3. [Figure 49] This is a flowchart showing the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3 according to a modified example of the second embodiment. [Figure 50] This figure shows an example of the estimation information group Nn displayed in region G41 according to a modified example of the second embodiment. [Figure 51] This figure schematically shows the electronic information D4 stored in the electronic information DB according to the third embodiment. [Figure 52] This is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the generation process according to the third embodiment. [Figure 53] This figure illustrates an example of an operation to display the estimation information group N1, which is displayed in area G41 according to the third embodiment, in area G11. [Figure 54] Figure 53 shows the columns R1 to R3 displayed in region G11 by the operation shown in Figure 53. [Figure 55] Figure 54 shows a specific example of what happens when information for estimation is entered into the empty box in column R3. [Figure 56]This figure schematically shows an example of screen G4 according to a modified example of the third embodiment. [Figure 57] This figure illustrates the generation frame W1 shown in region G41a of Figure 56. [Figure 58] This is an enlarged view of the electronic information D5 displayed in region G41b of Figure 56. [Figure 59] This figure illustrates examples of building material K5 forms (processing examples and / or assembly examples) related to a modified example of the third embodiment. [Figure 60] This figure illustrates a method for generating a set of estimation information related to a modified example of the third embodiment. [Figure 61] This figure illustrates a method for generating a set of estimation information related to a modified example of the third embodiment. [Figure 62] This diagram illustrates the generation frames W1 through W5 displayed in region G41a. [Figure 63] Figure 62 shows the estimation information group N1 corresponding to generation frames W1 to W5. [Figure 64] This figure shows columns R1 to R5 corresponding to the estimation information group N1 shown in Figure 63. [Figure 65] Figure 64 shows the column R2. [Figure 66] Figure 65 shows a specific example of what happens when information for estimation is entered into the empty box in column R2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] (First Embodiment) First, the first embodiment will be described using Figures 1 to 30.

[0014] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the outline of the first embodiment.

[0015] The clients shown in Figure 1 are those who desire, consider, or plan the construction, remodeling, renovation, and repair of buildings, as well as the construction, installation, and maintenance of exterior structures (so-called landscaping). In the following explanation, buildings and exterior structures are collectively referred to as "buildings."

[0016] The proposer shown in Figure 1 is a person who proposes building specifications to the client. Proposers include, for example, house builders, developers, and housing sales agents. Although a detailed explanation is omitted, the proposer proposes building materials and building designs that match the client's preferences through the system SY shown in Figure 1, and the client can view the building materials proposed by the proposer through the system SY. In the following explanation, building materials will be referred to as "building materials".

[0017] Building materials broadly include, for example, gates, coping, entrance arches, doors, fences, railings, lighting, mailboxes, parcel boxes, nameplates, locks, intercoms, walls, coping stones, handrails, fences, garages, garden facilities such as plants and trees and artificial ponds, balconies, windows, wallpaper, and other building and exterior fixtures.

[0018] The building materials trading company shown in Figure 1 procures building materials from building material manufacturers (including importers) and sells (wholesales) them to the proposer. The building materials trading company prepares a quotation for the building materials to be sold to the proposer at the proposer's request and issues the prepared quotation to the proposer. In the following explanation, the quotation for building materials issued by the building materials trading company to the proposer will be referred to as a "building materials quotation."

[0019] The contractor shown in Figure 1 is the person who carries out the construction of the building. The contractor undertakes the construction of the building at the request of the proposer. In the first embodiment, the proposer may carry out the construction of the building themselves without going through the contractor.

[0020] Before commencing construction of a building, the proposer prepares an estimate of the costs required for the construction (work) and issues this estimate to the client. The client, having understood the costs required for the construction through the estimate prepared by the proposer, then formally requests the proposer to construct the building. In the following explanation, the costs required for the construction of a building will be referred to as "construction costs," and the estimate related to construction issued by the proposer to the client will be referred to as "construction estimate."

[0021] Next, using Figure 2, we will explain an example of a building materials quotation issued by a building materials trading company to a proposer.

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a building materials estimate.

[0023] Figure 2 is an example of a building materials quotation issued by building materials trading company Z to proposer X. The building materials quotation shown in the figure is an example of a quotation issued to proposer X when client Y requested proposer X to construct a new building, and proposer X requested building materials trading company Z to provide a quotation for the building materials to be used in the said building. In the following explanation, the building that client Y requested proposer X to construct will be referred to as "Building Y1", the building materials used in Building Y1 will be referred to as "Building Materials Y1", and the building materials quotation shown in Figure 2 will be referred to as "Building Materials Quotation Y1".

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, a building materials quotation includes the list price of the building materials, the markup rate, the wholesale unit price, the wholesale price, and other information related to the building materials. The list price of the building materials is the selling price (retail price) per unit of building materials predetermined by the building materials manufacturer. The wholesale unit price of the building materials is the wholesale price per unit of building materials that the building materials trading company sells to the proposer. The markup rate of the building materials is the ratio of the wholesale unit price (wholesale price) of the building materials to the list price. The wholesale price of the building materials is the price obtained by multiplying the wholesale unit price by the number of units (quantity). In the following explanation, the wholesale unit price of building materials will also be called the "purchase unit price of building materials," and the wholesale price of building materials will also be called the "purchase price of building materials."

[0025] As shown in Figure 2, the building materials Y1 used are building materials K1, K2, K3, and other building materials (not shown). For example, the list price of building material K1 is "22,900 yen," and the wholesale price of building material K1 is calculated by multiplying that list price by the markup rate of building material K1 "47% (0.47)" to get "10,763 yen." Then, the wholesale price of building material K1 is calculated by multiplying that wholesale price by the wholesale quantity of building material K1 "50 (units)" to get "538,150 yen."

[0026] The system SY according to the first embodiment is configured to extract textual information (e.g., list price of building materials) from digitized building material estimates (electronic information) and to create a construction estimate based on the extracted textual information (details will be described later). Digitized building material estimates include building material estimates in JPEG format, building material estimates in PNG format, other image files, building material estimates in PDF format, and other digitized document files.

[0027] Next, using Figure 3, we will explain an example of a construction estimate issued by the proposer to the client.

[0028] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a construction cost estimate.

[0029] Figure 3 is an example of a construction estimate issued by proposer X to client Y for the construction costs of building Y1. The construction estimate shown in the figure includes work A, work B, and other work (not shown). Work A consists of tasks A1 and A2 and building material K1. Work B consists of task B1, building material K2 and building material K3. In other words, the construction estimate shown in the figure indicates that the work required for the construction of building Y1 is work A, work B, and other work. For example, in work A, tasks A1 and A2 are performed, and 50 pieces of building material K1 are used in at least one of these tasks. For example, in work B, task B1 is performed, and 4 pieces of building material K2 and 26 pieces of building material K3 are used in that task.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3, the construction estimate includes, for each construction project, the estimated unit price of work, the quantity of work, the estimated price of work, the estimated unit price of building materials, the quantity of building materials, the estimated price of building materials, and other information. The estimated unit price of work is the price that the proposer estimates to the client for the cost of one unit of work. The estimated price of work is the price obtained by multiplying the "estimated unit price of work" by the quantity of work. The estimated unit price of building materials is the price that the proposer estimates to the client for the cost of one unit of building material (the estimated price presented to or presented to the client). The estimated price of building materials is the price obtained by multiplying the "estimated unit price of building materials" by the quantity of building materials.

[0031] As shown in Figure 3, the estimated price for construction work A is "2,139,300 yen". The breakdown is as follows: the estimated price for work A1 is "272,000 yen", the estimated price for work A2 is "951,300 yen", and the estimated price for building material K1 is "916,000 yen".

[0032] For work A1, the estimated unit price per cubic meter is "2,720 yen". Multiplying this estimated unit price by the quantity "100 m3" gives the estimated price for work A1 of "272,000 yen". For work A2, the estimated unit price per cubic meter is "9,513 yen". Multiplying this estimated unit price by the quantity "100 m3" gives the estimated price for work A2 of "951,300 yen". For building material K1, the estimated unit price per unit is "18,320 yen". Multiplying this estimated unit price by the quantity "50" gives the estimated price for building material K1 of "916,000 yen".

[0033] Thus, a construction estimate includes the name of the project (e.g., Project A), the name of the task (e.g., Task A1), and the name of the building material (e.g., Building Material K1) for estimating construction costs, and each of these pieces of information is associated with the quantity, estimated unit price, and estimated price.

[0034] When estimating construction costs, the proposer considers the profit margin relative to sales revenue. More simply, the proposer calculates the estimated unit price and price of labor and building materials while considering the total revenue to be obtained by constructing the building and selling it to the client. For example, proposer X calculates the estimated unit price (estimated price) of labor A1 by considering the money to be paid to the contractor who will perform labor A1, and calculates the estimated unit price (estimated price) of building material K1 by considering the list price and purchase price (wholesale price) of building material K1.

[0035] For example, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, for building material K1, the list price is "22,900 yen" (Figure 2), the wholesale unit price (purchase unit price) is "10,763 yen" (Figure 2), and the estimated unit price is "18,320 yen" (Figure 3). This means that proposer X determined the ratio (markup rate) of the estimated unit price to the list price of building material K1 to be "80%" (18,320 ÷ 22,900 × 100) and calculated the estimated unit price of building material K1. As a result, the gross profit per unit of building material K1 is calculated by subtracting the purchase price of building material K1 (10,763 yen) from the estimated unit price of building material K1 (18,320 yen), resulting in 7,557 yen (the gross profit per 50 units of building material K1 is 377,850 yen (7,557 x 50)), and the gross profit margin is approximately 41% {(1 - 10,763 ÷ 18,320) x 100}.

[0036] In the following explanation, the amount of money paid to a contractor for performing one unit of work is called the "unit price of the work order," the amount of money obtained by multiplying this unit price of the work order by the quantity of work is called the "price of the work order," the ratio (markup rate) of the estimated unit price of building materials to the list price of building materials is called the "first markup rate," and the ratio (markup rate) of the purchase unit price (wholesale unit price) of building materials to the list price of building materials is called the "second markup rate."

[0037] In the following explanation, information used to estimate construction costs is referred to as "estimation information." Estimation information includes, for example, the project name, work name, building material name, list price of building materials, second markup rate, unit purchase price of building materials, purchase price of building materials, first markup rate, estimated unit price of building materials, estimated price of building materials, estimated unit price of work, estimated price of work, unit order price of work, order price of work, and other information.

[0038] The system SY according to the first embodiment is configured to display a screen G1 (Figure 8) on the communication terminal used by the proposer, on which quotation information can be entered. The proposer can, for example, enter the list price and first markup rate corresponding to a building material into screen G1 to calculate the estimated unit price corresponding to that building material, and the calculated estimated unit price is displayed on screen G1 (details will be described later).

[0039] Next, an overview of the system SY according to the first embodiment will be described using Figures 4 and 5.

[0040] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of system SY.

[0041] System SY includes proposer terminal 1, requester terminal 2, and server 3.

[0042] Proposer terminal 1 is the terminal (communication terminal, e.g., a personal computer) used by the proposer. Proposer terminal 1 has input devices (e.g., keyboard and mouse) and output devices (e.g., a display). The output device of proposer terminal 1 has a display area 1a that displays a predetermined screen (image). Client terminal 2 is the terminal (communication terminal, e.g., a personal computer) used by the client. Client terminal 2 has input devices and output devices. Server 3 is an information processing device. Server 3 connects to proposer terminal 1 and client terminal 2 via a network NW. Server 3 is built, for example, in the cloud. Server 3 has programs installed for performing various processing tasks.

[0043] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of server 3.

[0044] Server 3 includes a storage unit 20 and a control unit 30. The storage unit 20 and the control unit 30 are electrically connected via a communication bus (not shown). The storage unit 20 includes ROM, RAM, and a hard disk (not shown). The storage unit 20 stores programs executed by the control unit 30. The storage unit 20 includes multiple databases (hereinafter referred to as "DB"). The multiple DBs include a case DB, a master DB, and other DBs (not shown). The control unit 30 includes a CPU, ROM, and RAM (not shown). The control unit 30 executes various processes by reading programs stored in the storage unit 20 and loading them onto the RAM.

[0045] Next, we will explain the case database and master database using Figures 6 and 7.

[0046] The project database (DB) is a database that stores project information. Project information refers to information about a project that identifies a request from a client. Project information includes the project name, client name, building materials to be used, estimation information, and other information. Project information is stored in the project database linked to a project ID. The project ID is an identifier that identifies the project information. Although a detailed explanation is omitted here, the control unit 30 stores the project information in the project database based on the proposer's actions, etc.

[0047] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of case information stored in the case database.

[0048] As shown in Figure 6, the project database stores project information associated with project ID 001. The project information corresponding to project ID 001 is information related to a project that identifies a request from client Y (a request to construct a new building Y1). Project ID 001 is associated with "New Construction of Y" (project name), "Y" (client name), "xxx@xxx" (email address), "Building materials K1, Building materials K2, Building materials K3, other building materials (not shown)" (building materials to be used), and "△△○○×" (information for estimation).

[0049] Regarding the estimation information "△△○○×" associated with project id001, for example, as shown in Figure 3, the work required for the construction of building Y1 is work A, work B, and other work. For example, since work A includes tasks A1 and A2 and building material K1, the estimation information for estimating the construction cost of building Y1 is, for example, the list price of building material K1 shown in Figure 2 and the estimated unit price of task A1 shown in Figure 3.

[0050] In the first embodiment, the control unit 30 is configured to store the estimate information entered on screen G1, which is capable of inputting estimate information, in the case database, linked to the case ID, based on the proposer's operation of entering (displaying) the estimate information on screen G1. In other words, the estimate information entered on screen G1 is stored in the storage unit 20 by the control unit 30, but the details of this will be described later.

[0051] The master database is a database that stores general-purpose estimation information. In the following explanation, the estimation information stored in the master database will be referred to as "master information."

[0052] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of master information stored in the master database.

[0053] Master information is stored in the master database, linked to a master ID. A master ID is an identifier that identifies the master information. In the example shown in Figure 7, for example, master information linked to master ID 001 is stored in the master database, and master ID 001 is associated with "Construction A" (item), "1" (hierarchy), and "Formula" (unit).

[0054] Master information is stored in the master database through the proposer's operation. The proposer can select general-purpose estimation information from among several types of estimation information and store the selected estimation information as master information in the master database. The control unit 30 stores the estimation information in the master database through the proposer's operation (details described later).

[0055] As shown in Figure 3, a construction estimate includes multiple types of estimation information (such as Construction A and Task A1). However, since Construction A is comprised of Task A1, Task A2, and Building Material K1, it can be said that Construction A is positioned at a higher level than Task A1, Task A2, and Building Material K1. Therefore, in the first embodiment, construction is categorized as the "first level," and tasks and building materials are categorized as the "second level," which is located below construction. The system is configured to store estimation information for each construction and task in the master database. For example, in the example shown in Figure 7, Construction A, linked to master id001, is shown to be in the first level, and Task A1, linked to master id002, is shown to be in the second level.

[0056] Next, Figures 8 to 30 will be used to explain the processing performed by the control unit 30 according to the first embodiment and the screen displayed in the display area 1a of the proposer terminal 1. In the following explanation, it will be assumed that the proposer terminal 1 is connected to the server 3 via an ID (account) that identifies the proposer.

[0057] The control unit 30 controls the display area 1a to display screen G1 (Figure 8) based on a request from the proposer terminal 1 (not shown).

[0058] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of screen G1.

[0059] Screen G1 is the screen for creating a construction estimate. Figure 8 shows an example of screen G1 for creating a construction estimate for the new construction of building Y1. As shown in the figure, screen G1 includes area G11, area G12, and buttons G13, G14, and G15.

[0060] Area G11 is for estimating construction costs. The proposer can input estimation information in area G11. Area G12 is for displaying information such as gross profit and gross profit margin corresponding to area G11. Button G13 is for displaying screen G2 (details below) in display area 1a. Button G14 is for displaying screen G3 (details below) in display area 1a. Button G15 is for creating a construction estimate corresponding to the estimation information displayed (input) in area G11.

[0061] As mentioned above, in the first embodiment, the system is configured to calculate the estimated unit price for a building material by inputting the list price (estimation information) and the first markup rate (estimation information) corresponding to that building material into screen G1, and to display the calculated estimated unit price on screen G1 (details will be described later).

[0062] Next, we will explain column Rn (where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) using Figures 9 and 10.

[0063] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of column Rn displayed in region G11.

[0064] Each column Rn displays one of the following in a single horizontal row: estimation information corresponding to a construction project (project name), estimation information corresponding to a task (task name), or estimation information corresponding to a building material (building material name). As shown in Figure 9, each column Rn (column R1...column Rn) is a horizontally elongated rectangle, and multiple columns Rn are arranged vertically (from top to bottom as shown in the figure). Furthermore, each column Rn is divided into four sections, and these four sections (Rn1 to Rn4) are arranged in a single horizontal row.

[0065] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing a specific example of Rn in column 1.

[0066] The column Rn shown in Figure 10 is a specific example of a column displaying estimation information corresponding to building material K1. For convenience, in this figure, column Rn is shown divided into sections (Rn1 to Rn4).

[0067] Figure 10(a) shows an example of section Rn1. Section Rn1 contains five grids (Rn1a to Rn1e). Grid Rn1a displays the project name, work name, or building material name. Grid Rn1b displays the hierarchical level corresponding to grid Rn1a. Grid Rn1c displays the quantity corresponding to grid Rn1a. Grid Rn1d displays the unit corresponding to grid Rn1a. Grid Rn1e displays the list price (list price of building materials) corresponding to grid Rn1a.

[0068] In the example shown in Figure 10(a), cell Rn1a displays the building material name "Building Material K1" and the product code "GY001" assigned to this building material K1 side by side. Similarly, cell Rn1b displays the "Second Level," which is the hierarchy of building material K1, cell Rn1c displays the quantity of building material K1 "50," cell Rn1d displays the unit of building material K1 "pieces," and cell Rn1e displays the list price of building material K1 "22,900."

[0069] In the first embodiment, the configuration may be such that only the name of the building material is displayed in the grid Rn1a, and the product code assigned to this building material is not displayed.

[0070] Figure 10(b) shows an example of section Rn2. Section Rn2 contains three grids (Rn2a to Rn2c). Grid Rn2a displays the first multiplier corresponding to grid Rn1a. Grid Rn2b displays the estimated unit price (for building materials or labor) corresponding to grid Rn1a. Grid Rn2c displays the estimated price (for building materials or labor) corresponding to grid Rn1a.

[0071] In the example shown in Figure 10(b), cell Rn2a displays the first multiplier "80 (%)" used to calculate the estimated unit price of building material K1. Similarly, cell Rn2b displays the estimated unit price of building material K1 "18,320 (yen)", and cell Rn2c displays the estimated price of building material K1 "916,000 (yen)".

[0072] Figure 10(c) shows an example of section Rn3. Section Rn3 contains four boxes (Rn3a to Rn3d). Box Rn3a displays the second multiplier corresponding to box Rn1a. Box Rn3b displays the purchase price of building materials or the order price of work corresponding to box Rn1a. Box Rn3c displays the purchase price of building materials or the order price of work corresponding to box Rn1a. Box Rn3d displays the supplier of building materials or the orderer of work corresponding to box Rn1a.

[0073] In the example shown in Figure 10(c), cell Rn3a displays the second markup rate "47 (%)" used to calculate the purchase price (wholesale price) of building material K1. Similarly, cell Rn3b displays the purchase price of building material K1 "10,763 (yen)", cell Rn3c displays the purchase price of building material K1 "538,150 (yen)", and cell Rn3d displays the supplier of building material K1, "Building Material Trading Company Z".

[0074] Figure 10(d) shows an example of section Rn4. Section Rn4 contains two grids (Rn4a, Rn4b). Grid Rn4a is a grid that displays the gross profit margin (of building materials or work) corresponding to grid Rn1a. Grid Rn4b is a grid that displays the gross profit (of building materials or work) corresponding to grid Rn1a.

[0075] In the example shown in Figure 10(d), cell Rn4a displays the gross profit margin of building material K1 as "41.2 (%)", and cell Rn4b displays the gross profit of building material K1 as "377,850 (yen)".

[0076] In the following explanation, the one construction project (project name), one task (task name), and one building material (building material name) displayed in the first square (leftmost in Figure 10(a)) of the squares that make up column Rn will be referred to as "one item," and the multiple pieces of estimation information displayed in column Rn will be referred to as "estimation information corresponding to one item" or "a group of estimation information."

[0077] In the first embodiment, a set of estimation information is arranged horizontally in a rectangular column Rn and displayed in area G11. However, the system is not limited to this configuration. The proposer can display the information in a way that makes it easy to distinguish between one set of estimation information and other sets of estimation information visually. For example, a set of estimation information may be arranged vertically in a rectangular column and displayed in area G11, or a set of estimation information may be arranged horizontally and vertically in a rectangular (card-shaped) column and displayed in area G11.

[0078] The control unit 30 calculates the total estimated price, the total purchase price and order price, the total gross profit, and the total gross profit margin corresponding to area G11 based on the estimation information displayed (input) in area G11, and controls the display of these five calculated pieces of information in area G12.

[0079] Next, we will explain region G12 using Figure 11.

[0080] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating specific examples of the five pieces of information displayed in region G12.

[0081] The example shown in Figure 11 is an example where only column Rn shown in Figure 10 is displayed in area G11. In other words, it is an example where only the estimation information corresponding to building material K1 is displayed (entered) in area G11. As shown in the figure, Table H1 displays the total estimated price of "916,000 yen". Table H2 displays the total purchase price and order price of "538,150 yen". Table H3 displays the total gross profit of "377,850 yen" (916,000 - 538,150). Table H4 displays the gross profit margin of "41.2%" {(1 - 538,150 ÷ ​​916,000) × 100}.

[0082] Next, using Figure 12, we will explain the process of storing quotation information as master information in the master database. As mentioned earlier, the proposer can select general-purpose quotation information from among several types of quotation information and store the selected quotation information in the master database.

[0083] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3.

[0084] As shown in Figure 12, the proposer terminal 1 transmits quotation information to the server 3 based on the proposer's operation (step S1). When the control unit 30 receives the quotation information transmitted from the proposer terminal 1 to the server 3 (step S2), it first generates a master ID (step S3), and then stores the quotation information received in step S2 in the master DB, linking it to the master ID generated in step S3 (step S4). Note that the master information shown in Figure 7 is an example of general-purpose quotation information (master information) stored in the master DB by the proposer's operation.

[0085] Next, we will explain the process of displaying master information in display area 1a using Figure 13.

[0086] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3.

[0087] As shown in Figure 13, the proposer terminal 1 requests the server 3 to view master information based on the proposer's operation of selecting button G13 (see Figure 8) located on screen G1 (step S11). When the control unit 30 receives the viewing request from the proposer terminal 1, it retrieves the master information from the master DB (step S12) and sends the retrieved master information to the proposer terminal 1 (step S13). When the proposer terminal 1 receives the master information sent from the server 3, it displays the received master information on screen G2 (step S14).

[0088] Next, we will explain screen G2 using Figures 14 and 15.

[0089] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example of screen G2.

[0090] Screen G2 is a screen for creating a construction estimate. Screen G2 includes area G21. Area G21 is an area that displays the master information sent from server 3 to proposer terminal 1 in step S13 (Figure 13). In step S14, the control unit 30 controls screen G2 to be displayed in display area 1a by overlaying it on screen G1 such that a part of area G11 is exposed from screen G2, and also controls the area G21 of screen G2 to display master information (e.g., construction A, etc.) associated with a single master ID (e.g., master ID 001) in a horizontal row. In the following description, master information associated with a single master ID is referred to as a "single master information group".

[0091] Figure 15 is an enlarged view of region G21 shown in Figure 14.

[0092] As shown in Figure 15, area G21 displays three master information groups (M1 to M3). Master information group M1 is the master information group associated with master id001 shown in Figure 7. Master information group M2 is the master information group associated with master id002 shown in Figure 7. Master information group M3 is the master information group associated with master id003 shown in Figure 7. Note that Figure 15 omits the illustration of other master information groups, including those associated with master id004 and master id005.

[0093] As shown in Figure 15, the master information group M1 includes an indicator M1a. Indicator M1a is used to display the master information group M1, which is displayed in area G21 (screen G2), in area G11 (screen G1) (for input into area G11). Similarly, indicator M2a is used to display the master information group M2, which is displayed in area G21, in area G11, and indicator M3a is used to display the master information group M3, which is displayed in area G21, in area G11.

[0094] The control unit 30 generates a column Rn corresponding to a master information group Mn (where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) displayed in area G21, based on the proposer's operation to display (input) it in area G11, and controls the system to display the generated column Rn in area G11. In the following description, the proposer's operation to display (input) a master information group Mn displayed in area G21 in area G11 will be referred to as a "master input operation".

[0095] Next, we will explain the master input operation using Figure 16.

[0096] Figure 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a master input operation related to the master information group M1.

[0097] First, as shown in Figure 16(a), the proposer uses the input device of the proposer terminal 1 to select the indicator M1a displayed in area G21. At this time, the field Rn is not displayed in area G11.

[0098] Next, as shown in Figure 16(b), the proposer moves the master information group M1 from area G21 to area G11 while indicator M1a is selected. In this figure, the master information group M1 is positioned across areas G11 and G21, and accordingly, a guide RU is displayed in area G11 indicating the position to display column Rn corresponding to the master information group M1.

[0099] Finally, as shown in Figure 16(c), when the proposer deselects the indicator M1a while the guide RU is displayed in area G11, column R1 corresponding to the master information group M1 will be displayed in area G11 at the location of the guide RU.

[0100] Next, using Figure 17, we will explain column R1 displayed in area G11 as a result of the master input operation shown in Figure 16. For convenience, in Figure 17, column R1 is shown divided into sections.

[0101] Figure 17 is an enlarged view of region G11 in Figure 16(c).

[0102] Column R1 shown in Figure 17 corresponds to the master information group M1. As shown in the figure, column R1 contains four sections (R11 to R14). Column R11a (item) displays "Project A," which corresponds to the project name, a component of master information group M1. Similarly, Column R11b (hierarchy) displays "1," corresponding to the hierarchy component of master information group M1; Column R11d (unit) displays "Formula," corresponding to the unit component of master information group M1; and Column R13d (supplier) displays "Contractor W," corresponding to the supplier component of master information group M1. The other columns are blank, with no estimation information entered. In the following explanation, blank columns without estimation information entered (displayed) are referred to as "empty columns."

[0103] Next, Figure 18 will be used to explain column R2, which corresponds to the master information group M2. For convenience, in Figure 18, column R2 is shown divided into sections.

[0104] Figure 18 shows a specific example where fields R1 and R2 are displayed (input) in area G11.

[0105] Figure 18 shows a specific example where, with column R1 shown in Figure 17 displayed in area G11, a master input operation is performed to display (input) the master information group M2 (see Figure 15) displayed in area G21 into area G11, resulting in column R2, which corresponds to master information group M2, being displayed in area G11 in addition to column R1.

[0106] As shown in Figure 18, column R2 contains four sections (R21 to R24). Grid R21a (item) displays "Task A1," which corresponds to the task name, a component of master information group M2. Similarly, grid R21b (hierarchy) displays "2," corresponding to the hierarchy component of master information group M2; grid R21d (unit) displays "m3," corresponding to the unit component of master information group M2; grid R22b (estimated cost of work) displays "2,720," corresponding to the estimated price of the work, a component of master information group M2; grid R23b (ordered cost of work) displays "1,904," corresponding to the ordered cost of the work, a component of master information group M2; and grid R23d (supplier) displays "Contractor W," corresponding to the supplier component of master information group M2. Furthermore, the cell R24b (gross profit margin) displays "30 (%)", which is not included in the components of the master information group M2.

[0107] Here, as shown in Figure 15, the master information group M2 does not contain master information (quotation information) for a gross profit margin of "30 (%)", but as shown in Figure 18(d), the master input operation related to the master information group M2 causes "30 (%)" to be displayed in cell R24a. This will be explained below.

[0108] In the first embodiment, the control unit 30 is configured to display the estimation information in the corresponding cells based on a master input operation that moves (inputs) a master information group Mn, which consists of one or more estimation information (master information), from area G21 to area G11, and to calculate other estimation information related to the master information group Mn based on the estimation information (master information) that constitutes the master information group Mn, and to display this calculated other estimation information in the empty cells of the field Rn corresponding to the master information group Mn.

[0109] For example, as shown in Figure 15, the master information group M2 is composed of work A1 (item), 2 (hierarchy), m3 (unit), 2,720 (estimated unit price), 1,904 (order unit price), and contractor W (contractor). When a master input operation related to this master information group M2 is performed, the control unit 30 places "work A1" which constitutes the master information group M2 into the corresponding cell R21a, "2" which constitutes the master information group M2 into the corresponding cell R21b, "m3" which constitutes the master information group M2 into the corresponding cell R21d, and "2,720" which constitutes the master information group M2 into the corresponding cell R22b. The "1,904" that constitutes master information group M2 is displayed in the corresponding cell R23b, and the "Contractor W" that constitutes master information group M2 is displayed in the corresponding cell R23d. In addition, the gross profit margin of work A1 related to master information group M2, "30(%)" {(1-1,904÷2,720)×100} is calculated based on the estimated unit price "2,720" and the ordered unit price "1,904" that constitute master information group M2, and the calculated "30(%)" is controlled to be displayed in the cell R24a (empty cell) in the column R2 that corresponds to master information group M2, which corresponds to the gross profit margin (Figure 18(d)).

[0110] Next, using Figure 19, we will explain an example of how the proposer uses an input device to enter estimation information into the empty box. For convenience, in Figure 19, column R1 is shown divided into sections.

[0111] Figure 19 shows an example of column R2 after the proposer has entered the estimation information into the blank box shown in Figure 18.

[0112] Figure 19 shows an example of column R2 after the proposer has entered "1" (quantity) into cell R21c shown in Figure 18. In other words, it shows an example where the proposer has determined that the quantity of work A1 required for the construction of building Y1 is "1" and has manually entered "1" into cell R21c using the input device (e.g., keyboard) of the proposer's terminal 1.

[0113] As shown in Figure 19, if the proposer manually enters "1" into cell R21c, the control unit 30 calculates the estimated price of work A1, "2,720", by multiplying the estimated unit price "2,720" displayed in cell R22b by the quantity "1" entered in cell R21c, and controls the system to display the calculated "2,720" in cell R22c, which corresponds to the estimated price.

[0114] Similarly, the control unit 30 calculates the order price for work A1, "1,904", by multiplying the purchase unit price "1,904" displayed in cell R23b by the quantity "1" entered in cell R21c, and controls the system to display the calculated "1,904" in cell R23c corresponding to the order price.

[0115] The control unit 30 then calculates the gross profit for work A1 as "816" by subtracting the calculated order price of work A1, "1,904", from the calculated estimated price of work A1, "2,720", and controls the unit to display the calculated "816" in the grid cell R24b corresponding to the gross profit.

[0116] In this manner, the control unit 30 calculates the estimation information for other empty boxes in the corresponding field based on the manual input of estimation information into the empty box, and controls the system to display the calculated estimation information in the other empty boxes.

[0117] Next, we will explain screen G3 using Figure 20.

[0118] The control unit 30 controls the display area 1a of the proposer terminal 1 to display screen G3 based on the proposer's operation of selecting button G14 located on screen G1 (see Figure 8) (not shown). Screen G3 is displayed in the display area 1a superimposed on screen G1 such that a portion of area G11 is exposed from screen G3.

[0119] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram showing an example of screen G3.

[0120] Screen G3 is a screen for creating construction cost estimates and is used to identify estimation information from electronic information (e.g., digitized building materials cost estimate Y1). Figure 20 shows an example of screen G3 for creating a construction cost estimate (see Figure 3) corresponding to project id001. As shown in the figure, screen G3 includes area G31, button G32, and button G33.

[0121] Area G31 is the area for displaying a list of electronic information. Button G32 is a button for displaying the list of electronic information in area G31. Button G33 is a button for identifying quotation information from a single electronic piece of information.

[0122] Based on the proposer's operation of selecting button G32, the control unit 30 controls the display of a list of electronic information in area G31, and based on the proposer's operation of selecting one electronic information from the list of electronic information displayed in area G31, it controls the display of the selected electronic information in area G31 (not shown).

[0123] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram showing an example of electronic information displayed in region G31.

[0124] Figure 21 shows an example where the proposer has selected the electronic information corresponding to the building materials estimate Y1 (Figure 2) from the list of electronic information displayed in area G31, and the electronic information is displayed in area G31. In the following description, the electronic information corresponding to the building materials estimate Y1 (Figure 2) will be referred to as "electronic information Y1". In the first embodiment, an example is described where electronic information Y1 is a JPEG image file (image data), but it goes without saying that electronic information Y1 may also be a PNG image file, a PDF document file, or other electronic information.

[0125] Next, using Figures 22 and 23, we will explain the process of identifying estimation information from the electronic information Y1 displayed in area G31.

[0126] Figure 22 is a flowchart showing the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3.

[0127] As shown in Figure 22, based on the proposer's operation of selecting button G33 (see Figure 21), the proposer terminal 1 transmits the electronic information Y1 displayed in area G31 to the server 3 (step S21). When the server 3 receives the electronic information Y1 transmitted from the proposer terminal 1 (step S22), the control unit 30 first performs a process to extract character information from the electronic information Y1 received in step S22 (hereinafter referred to as the "extraction process") (step S23), then performs a process to identify the character information necessary for creating a construction estimate, that is, the information for estimating construction costs (estimation information) from the character information extracted in the extraction process (hereinafter referred to as the "identification process") (step S24), and then performs a process to generate a set of estimation information (estimation information corresponding to a single item) based on the estimation information identified in step S24 (hereinafter referred to as the "generation process") (step S25).

[0128] Figure 23 is a diagram illustrating the extraction process, identification process, and generation process performed when the electronic information sent to the server 3 in step S21 is electronic information Y1.

[0129] Figure 23(a) shows an example of character information extracted from electronic information Y1 during the extraction process. As shown in Figure 2, electronic information Y1 includes character images corresponding to "building material name," "building material K1," "22,900," and other character images. As shown in Figure 23(a), the control unit 30 extracts character information such as "building material name," "building material K1," and "22900" from the character images contained in electronic information Y1 during the extraction process. In this figure, some of the character information extracted by the control unit 30 during the extraction process is omitted from the illustration.

[0130] Figure 23(b) shows an example of estimation information identified by the specific processing. This figure shows an example of estimation information identified as text information related to "building material names". The control unit 30 identifies "building material K1, building material K2, building material K3..." from the arrangement of text images in the electronic information Y1 (the arrangement of text information extracted from the electronic information Y1) as building material names.

[0131] To explain Figure 23(b) in more detail, in the electronic information Y1, "Building Material K1, Building Material K2, Building Material K3..." are arranged in a vertical column starting with "Building Material Name," while "GY001, 50, 22,900, 47, 10,763, 538,150" are arranged in a horizontal row starting with "Building Material Name." Therefore, the control unit 30 identifies that "Building Material K1, Building Material K2, Building Material K3..." arranged in the vertical column starting with "Building Material Name" are estimation information related to the building material name.

[0132] Figure 23(c) shows an example of quotation information identified by a specific process. This figure shows an example of quotation information identified as textual information related to "list price". The control unit 30 identifies that "building material K1, building material K2, building material K3..." arranged in a column starting with "building material name" is quotation information related to building material names. Following this, it identifies that "22,900, 3,600, 2,200..." arranged in a column starting with "list price" is quotation information related to list price.

[0133] Figure 23(d) shows an example of estimation information identified by a specific process. This figure shows an example of estimation information identified as textual information related to "comparison rate". The control unit 30 identifies that "building material K1, building material K2, building material K3..." arranged in a column starting with "building material name" is estimation information related to building material names. Following this, it identifies that "47, 50, 50..." arranged in a column starting with "comparison rate" is estimation information related to the commission rate.

[0134] Although illustrations and detailed explanations are omitted, similar to Figures 23(b) to 23(d) (similar to building material names, list prices, and markup rates), the text information extracted during the extraction process, such as "product code," "wholesale quantity," "wholesale unit price," and "wholesale price," is used to identify the estimation information related to this text information.

[0135] Figure 23(e) shows an example of estimation information identified by the specific processing. This figure shows an example of estimation information related to "building material K1". The control unit 30 identifies that "GY001, 50, 22,900, 47, 10,763, 538,150" from the character information extracted in the extraction processing is estimation information related to building material K1.

[0136] To explain Figure 23(e) in more detail, the control unit 30 identifies from the arrangement of character images in the electronic information Y1 that "building material K1, building material K2, building material K3..." arranged in a vertical column with "building material name" at the beginning are estimation information related to the building material name. Therefore, it identifies that "GY001, 50, 22,900, 47, 10,763, 538,150" arranged in a horizontal column with "building material K1" at the beginning are estimation information related to building material K1. In other words, we identify that the product code for building material K1 is "GY001", the wholesale quantity of building material K1 is "50", the list price of building material K1 is "22,900", the markup rate (second markup rate) of building material K1 is "47", the wholesale unit price (purchase unit price) of building material K1 is "10,763", and the wholesale price (purchase price) of building material K1 is "538,150".

[0137] A detailed explanation of Figure 23(f) is omitted, but similar to Figure 23(e), the control unit 30 identifies from the arrangement of character images in the electronic information Y1 that the product code for building material K2 is "TA015", the wholesale quantity of building material K2 is "4", the list price of building material K2 is "3,600", the markup rate (second markup rate) of building material K2 is "50", the wholesale unit price (purchase unit price) of building material K2 is "1,800", and the wholesale price (purchase price) of building material K2 is "7,200".

[0138] A detailed explanation of Figure 23(g) is omitted, but similar to Figure 23(e), the control unit 30 identifies from the arrangement of character images in the electronic information Y1 that the product code for building material K3 is "TA021", the wholesale quantity of building material K3 is "26", the list price of building material K3 is "2,200", the markup rate (second markup rate) of building material K3 is "50", the wholesale unit price (purchase unit price) of building material K3 is "1,100", and the wholesale price (purchase price) of building material K3 is "28,600".

[0139] In the example shown in Figure 23(a), the control unit 30 is configured to extract character information while maintaining the arrangement of character images contained in the electronic information Y1. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and in a specific process, assuming that the estimation information can be classified by type from the character information extracted in the extraction process, such as character information related to "building material name," character information related to "list price," character information related to "markup rate," and character information related to "building material K1," the extraction process may be configured to extract character information without maintaining the arrangement of character images contained in the electronic information Y1.

[0140] Figure 23(h) shows an example of a set of estimation information generated by the generation process. The control unit 30 links a building material name identified in the specific process with the estimation information associated with this building material name to generate a set of estimation information, that is, estimation information corresponding to a building material (item). The example shown in the figure is an example in which the control unit 30 links a building material K1 identified in the specific process with "GY001, 50, 22,900, 47, 10,763, 538,150" associated with this building material K1 to generate estimation information (a set of estimation information) corresponding to building material K1.

[0141] Although the diagrams and detailed explanations are omitted, similar to Figure 23(h), in the generation process, "building material K2" is linked with "TA021, 26, 2,200, 50, 1,100, 28,600" related to building material K2 to generate estimation information (one set of estimation information) corresponding to building material K2, and "building material K3" is linked with "TA021, 26, 2,200, 50, 1,100, 28,600" related to building material K3 to generate estimation information (one set of estimation information) corresponding to building material K3.

[0142] Returning to the explanation in Figure 22, the control unit 30 stores the estimation information group (estimation information corresponding to building materials) generated in step S25 in the storage unit 20 (step S26), and finally transmits the generated estimation information group to the proposer terminal 1 (step S27). When the proposer terminal 1 receives the estimation information group transmitted from the server 3 (step S28), it displays the received estimation information group in area G31 of screen G3 (step S29).

[0143] In the first embodiment, the estimation information group generated in the generation process is stored in the storage unit 20 and then transmitted to the proposer terminal 1. However, the estimation information group generated in the generation process may be transmitted to the proposer terminal 1 and then stored in the storage unit 20, or the estimation information group generated in the generation process may be transmitted to the proposer terminal 1 without being stored in the storage unit 20.

[0144] Next, the estimation information set generated by the control unit 30 will be explained using Figure 24.

[0145] Figure 24 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the estimation information group displayed in area G31 of screen G3 in step S29 shown in Figure 22.

[0146] As shown in Figure 24, area G31 displays estimation information groups N1, N2, and N3. Estimation information group N1 is estimation information corresponding to building material K1. Estimation information group N2 is estimation information corresponding to building material K2. Estimation information group N3 is estimation information corresponding to building material K3.

[0147] The estimation information group N1 includes indicator N1a. Indicator N1a is an indicator used to display the estimation information group N1, which is displayed in area G31 (screen G3), in area G11 (screen G1) (for input into area G11) (details below). Similarly, the estimation information group N2 includes indicator N2a for displaying the estimation information group N2, which is displayed in area G31, in area G11, and the estimation information group N3 includes indicator N2a for displaying the estimation information group N3, which is displayed in area G31, in area G11.

[0148] The control unit 30 generates a column Rn corresponding to the estimation information group displayed in region G31, based on the proposer's operation to display (input) the estimation information group displayed in region G31 into region G11, and controls the display of the generated column Rn in region G11. In the following description, the proposer's operation to display (input) a single estimation information group Nn (where n is a natural number of 1 or more) displayed in region G31 into region G11 will be referred to as the "first input operation".

[0149] Next, the first input operation will be explained using Figure 25.

[0150] Figure 25 is a diagram illustrating the first input operation related to the estimation information group N1 (estimation information corresponding to building material K1).

[0151] First, as shown in Figure 25(a), the proposer uses the input device of the proposer terminal 1 to select the indicator N1a displayed in area G31. At this time, fields R1 and R2 are displayed in area G11.

[0152] Next, as shown in Figure 25(b), the proposer moves the estimation information group N1 from area G31 to area G11 while marker N1a is selected. In this figure, the estimation information group N1 is positioned across areas G11 and G31, and accordingly, a guide RU is displayed in area G11 indicating the position to display column Rn corresponding to the estimation information group N1.

[0153] Finally, as shown in Figure 25(c), when the proposer deselects the indicator N1a while the guide RU is displayed in area G11, column R3 corresponding to the estimation information group N1 will be displayed at the location of the guide RU.

[0154] Next, using Figure 26, we will explain the column R3 displayed in area G11 as a result of the first input operation shown in Figure 25. For convenience, in Figure 26, column R3 is shown divided into sections.

[0155] Figure 26 is an enlarged view of region G11 in Figure 25(c).

[0156] As shown in Figure 26, column R3 is the column corresponding to the estimation information group N1 shown in Figure 24, that is, the column that displays the estimation information corresponding to building material K1, and is composed of four sections (R31 to R34). Grid R31a (item) displays "building material K1 GY001," which corresponds to the building material name that is a component of estimation information group N1. Similarly, the R31c (quantity) box displays "50," which corresponds to the quantity component of the estimation information group N1; the R31e (list price of building materials) box displays "22,900," which corresponds to the list price of building materials component of the estimation information group N1; the R33a (second markup rate) box displays "47," which corresponds to the second markup rate component of the estimation information group N1; the R33b (purchase unit price) box displays "10,763," which corresponds to the purchase unit price component of the estimation information group N1; and the R33c (purchase price) box displays "538,150," which corresponds to the purchase price component of the estimation information group N1. The remaining boxes are empty.

[0157] Next, using Figure 27, we will explain an example in which the proposer manually enters estimation information into the empty boxes of column R3 using an input device. For convenience, in Figure 27, column R3 is shown divided into sections.

[0158] Figure 27 shows an example of column R3 after the proposer has manually entered the estimation information into the blank box shown in Figure 26.

[0159] Figure 27 shows an example where the proposer manually enters "80(%)" into the grid R32a shown in Figure 26 using the input device of the proposer terminal 1. In other words, this is an example where the proposer sets the first markup rate for building material K1 to 80(%) when calculating the estimated unit price of building material K1, and manually enters the set value of 80 into the grid R32a.

[0160] Based on the input of "80" in cell R32a, the control unit 30 displays "80(%)" in cell R32a, and calculates the estimated unit price of building material K1 as "18,320" by multiplying the list price of building material K1, "22,900", which is input (displayed) in cell R31e, by the first multiplier "80(0.8)" input in cell R32a, and controls the unit to display the calculated "18,320" in cell R32b, which corresponds to the estimated unit price.

[0161] The control unit 30 then calculates the estimated price of building material K1 as "916,000" by multiplying the calculated estimated unit price of building material K1, "18,320", by the value "50 (pieces)" entered in the grid cell R31c, and controls the system to display the calculated "916,000" in the grid cell R32c corresponding to the estimated price.

[0162] Furthermore, the control unit 30 calculates the gross profit of building material K1 by dividing the estimated price of building material K1, "916,000", by the purchase price of building material K1, "538,150", which is entered (displayed) in cell R33c, and displays the calculated "377,850" in cell R34b corresponding to the gross profit, and also displays the specifications of building material K1. The gross profit margin for building material K1 was calculated as "41.2" {(1-10,763÷18,320)×100} from the purchase price of "10,763" (purchase price of building material K1: "538,150") and the estimated unit price of building material K1: "18,320" (estimated price of building material K1: "916,000"), and the calculated "41.2" was controlled to be displayed in the corresponding grid cell R34a.

[0163] Although a detailed explanation is omitted, as shown in Figure 27, the control unit 30, upon the proposer's operation of selecting "2" in the grid R31b shown in Figure 26, highlights "2" in the grid R31b to indicate that the hierarchy of building material K1 is the second hierarchy belonging to construction A (Figure 27(a)), upon the proposer's operation of manually entering "pieces" in the grid R31d shown in Figure 26, displays in the grid R31d that the unit of building material K1 is "pieces", and upon the proposer's operation of manually entering "building material trading company Z" in the grid R33d shown in Figure 26, displays in the grid R33d that the supplier of building material K1 is "building material trading company Z".

[0164] In the first embodiment, the system may be configured to extract text information relating to building materials trading company Z from electronic information Y1 (see Figure 2) in the extraction process (step S23 shown in Figure 22), identify building materials trading company Z extracted in the extraction process as text information related to a supplier in the identification process (step S24 shown in Figure 22), and generate estimation information (a group of estimation information) corresponding to building materials K1 by linking this building materials trading company Z to building materials K1 identified in the identification process in the generation process (step S25 shown in Figure 22). In this case, the control unit 30 controls the system to input (display) building materials trading company Z, which is a component of the group of estimation information corresponding to building materials K1, into the square R33d of the column R3 corresponding to the group of estimation information, based on a first input operation relating to the group of estimation information corresponding to building materials K1. In other words, the control unit 30 identifies a supplier corresponding to a building material from the electronic information Y1, displays the identified supplier in area G31 (first display area), and controls the display of the supplier in area G11 (second display area) based on the proposer's operation to display the supplier displayed in area G31 in area G11 (second display area).

[0165] Next, using Figures 28 to 30, we will explain an example of a construction estimate showing the construction costs of building Y1.

[0166] Figure 28 is a diagram illustrating an example of a master input operation related to master information group M3 (see Figure 15).

[0167] The master input operation shown in Figure 28 is the same as the master input operation shown in Figure 16, so a detailed explanation will be omitted. However, with fields R1 to R3 already displayed in area G11, first, the proposer selects the sign M3a displayed in area G21, as shown in Figure 28(a). Next, as shown in Figure 28(b), with sign M3a selected, the proposer moves the master information group M3 from area G21 to area G11. Finally, as shown in Figure 28(c), with the guide RU displayed in area G11, the proposer deselects the sign M3a. As a result, a field R3 corresponding to the master information group M3 is displayed at the location of the guide RU, i.e., the location where field R3 containing the estimation information corresponding to building material K1 was displayed, and a field R4 containing the estimation information corresponding to building material K1 slides in and is displayed directly below this field R3.

[0168] Although not shown in the diagram, area G11 displays column R1 containing estimation information corresponding to construction A, column R2 containing estimation information corresponding to work A1, column R3 containing estimation information corresponding to work A2, and column R4 containing estimation information corresponding to building material K1. Based on the estimation information contained in columns R1 to R4, the control unit 30 calculates the total estimated price, the total purchase price and order price, the total gross profit, and the total gross profit margin corresponding to area G11, and displays this calculated information (numerical values) in area G12 (see Figure 11).

[0169] Figure 29 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the estimation information displayed in area G11.

[0170] Figure 29 shows an example of area G11, which displays all the estimation information necessary to calculate the construction cost of building Y1. Some estimation information is omitted from the illustration in this figure.

[0171] Although a detailed explanation is omitted, the control unit 30 controls the display of field R5 containing estimation information corresponding to construction B and field R6 containing estimation information corresponding to work B1 in area G11, based on the proposer's operation (master input operation) to display the master information group Mn (see Figure 15) displayed in area G21 in area G11, similar to construction A, work A1, and work A1. Similarly, based on the proposer's operation (first input operation) to display the estimation information group Nn displayed in area G31 in area G11, similar to building material K1, the control unit 30 controls the display of field R7 containing estimation information corresponding to building material K2 and field R8 containing estimation information corresponding to building material K3 in area G11.

[0172] Although not shown in the diagrams and detailed explanations, the control unit 30 calculates the total estimated price corresponding to area G11 (sales revenue expected to be generated from the construction of building Y1), the total purchase price and order price (goods consumed for the construction of building Y1 (so-called cost)), the total gross profit (gross profit obtained by subtracting the cost from the sales revenue expected to be generated from the construction of building Y1), and the gross profit margin, based on the estimation information displayed in area G11, and displays this calculated information (numerical values) in area G12.

[0173] Figure 30 is a flowchart showing the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3.

[0174] The process shown in Figure 30 includes the process of creating a construction estimate. As shown in the figure, the proposer terminal 1 requests the server 3 to create a construction estimate based on the proposer's operation of selecting button G15 located on screen G1 (step S31). When the control unit 30 receives the request to create a construction estimate from the proposer terminal 1, it first extracts some estimation information from the estimation information displayed in area G11 (step S32), then creates a construction estimate based on the some estimation information extracted in step S32 (step S33), then stores the construction estimate created in step S33 in the case DB, linked to the corresponding case ID (step S34), then identifies the email address corresponding to the case ID to which the construction estimate is linked (step S35), and finally sends the construction estimate created in step S33 to the email address identified in step S35 (step S36).

[0175] Here, Figure 3 is an example of a construction estimate created in step S33. As shown in the figure, the control unit 30 is configured to create a construction estimate that does not include the following information from the estimation information displayed in area G11 (see Figure 29): the hierarchy of building materials (square Rn1b), the list price of building materials (square Rn1e), the first markup rate of building materials (square Rn2a), the second markup rate of building materials (square Rn3a), the purchase unit price of building materials (square Rn3b), the order unit price of work (square Rn3b), the purchase price of building materials (square Rn3c), the order price of work (square Rn3c), the supplier of building materials (square Rn3d), the supplier of work (square Rn3d), the gross profit margin (square Rn4a), and the gross profit (square Rn4b). In the first embodiment, the system may be configured to create a construction estimate that includes either the list price of building materials, the supplier of building materials, or the party to whom the work is ordered.

[0176] Incidentally, while some building materials are universal and unchanging across time and place, many others change according to trends, seasons, and technology, resulting in a vast variety and number of building materials being commercialized and distributed in the market. As a result, proposers have to search for the building materials to be used in construction from among the vast variety and number, identify the corresponding quotation information (building material name and list price), and manually input this information into a designated application to create a construction estimate. Furthermore, since the types of construction work and tasks to be carried out, as well as the quantity of building materials to be used, vary greatly depending on the location and size of the building, proposers need to consider these factors each time they receive a request for a construction estimate, requiring them to expend considerable effort in creating construction estimates. On the other hand, clients, for example, when building a house, tend not to limit themselves to just one proposer, but to consult with multiple proposers, request construction estimates from each of them, select one of those proposers, and then commission the construction to that selected proposer. Thus, while it is difficult to secure construction contracts from clients who come for consultations, there is also the challenge of the considerable effort required to prepare construction estimates.

[0177] In the first embodiment, the proposer's operation of selecting button G33 extracts text information from electronic information, identifies estimation information such as the list price and second markup rate (the ratio of the purchase price (wholesale price) of the building material to the list price of the building material) corresponding to a single building material (for example, building material K1) from the extracted text information, and displays the identified estimation information in area G31 (first display area). This reduces the effort required of the proposer to identify the estimation information for building materials.

[0178] In particular, in the first embodiment, not only is textual information extracted from electronic information, but estimation information for each building material (estimation information corresponding to one building material; a group of estimation information) is formed from the extracted textual information, and the formed group of estimation information is displayed in area G31. Therefore, the proposer does not need to perform tasks such as separating the textual information related to building materials for each building material. This significantly reduces the proposer's workload.

[0179] In the first embodiment, an area G11 is provided where estimation information for estimating construction costs can be entered. An estimation information group N1 (see Figure 24), which consists of multiple estimation information items such as the list price and quantity of building material K1 and the second markup rate, displayed in area G31, can be entered from area G31 to area G11 with a single drag-and-drop operation (see Figure 25). Therefore, the proposer does not need to perform the cumbersome operation of entering multiple estimation information items into area G11 one by one, thereby reducing the proposer's workload.

[0180] In the first embodiment, an operation (first input operation) to input (display) a set of estimation information from area G31 to area G11 allows input of a first multiplier corresponding to this set of estimation information into area G11 (for example, grid R32a shown in Figure 26). By inputting the first multiplier (for example, "80 (%)" shown in Figure 27) into area G11, the estimated unit price corresponding to the set of estimation information is calculated by multiplying the list price corresponding to the set of estimation information displayed in area G11 (for example, "22,900" shown in grid R31e in Figure 27) by the first multiplier (for example, 80%), and the calculated estimated unit price is displayed in area G11 (for example, grid R32b in Figure 27). This configuration reduces the effort required of proposers to estimate construction costs.

[0181] In the first embodiment, the estimation information identified from electronic information is first displayed in area G31, and then displayed in area G11 through the proposer's operation. In other words, the estimation information identified from electronic information is not directly displayed (input) in area G11. Therefore, for example, as shown in Figure 25, the estimation information can be displayed in area G11 in the order desired by the proposer, such as displaying column R2 corresponding to work A1 below column R1 corresponding to construction A, and column R3 corresponding to building material K1 below column R2. Furthermore, for example, if the estimation information group identified from electronic information contains unnecessary estimation information groups, the proposer can select which estimation information groups to display in area G11 from area G31.

[0182] In the first embodiment, the system is configured to create a construction estimate corresponding to area G11 based on the proposer's operation of selecting button G15, and to store the created construction estimate in the storage unit 20, thereby reducing the effort required of the proposer to create the construction estimate.

[0183] In the first embodiment, the system is configured to send the created construction estimate to the client's email address based on the proposer's operation of selecting button G15, thereby reducing the effort required of the proposer to issue the created construction estimate to the client.

[0184] In the first embodiment, the construction estimate is issued to the client via the client's email address, but the system is not limited to this configuration. Alternatively, a URL specifying a webpage where the construction estimate can be viewed may be generated, and this generated URL may be issued to the client. In this way, the client can view the construction estimate via the URL.

[0185] In the first embodiment, when creating a construction estimate corresponding to area G11, the system is configured to extract only the estimation information that needs to be included in the construction estimate, such as the estimated unit price for work and the estimated unit price for building materials, from the estimation information displayed (input) in area G11, and then create the construction estimate. Therefore, the proposer does not need to perform cumbersome operations such as selecting the estimation information that needs to be included in the construction estimate, or selecting estimation information that does not need to be included in the construction estimate, such as the order unit price for work and the purchase unit price of building materials. In other words, area G11 is configured to display not only the estimation information that needs to be included in the construction estimate, but also estimation information such as gross profit, gross profit margin, and purchase unit price of building materials, which do not need to be included in the construction estimate but are necessary when considering the estimation of construction costs. Therefore, the proposer can adjust the profit ratio to sales while viewing the estimation information displayed in area G11.

[0186] In the first embodiment, column Rn includes grids Rn2a and Rn4a, where grid Rn2a displays a first markup rate corresponding to a building material, and grid Rn4a displays a gross profit margin corresponding to a building material. When an operation is performed to change the first markup rate displayed in grid Rn2a to a different first markup rate (for example, by manual input), the control unit 30 is configured to calculate a new gross profit margin corresponding to the changed first markup rate and display the calculated new gross profit margin in grid Rn4a. In other words, the system is configured to display the gross profit margin for each building material in area G11, and the proposer can change the gross profit margin for each building material. Similarly, in the first embodiment, the system is configured to display the gross profit margin for each task in area G11, and the proposer can change the estimated price or order price used to calculate the gross profit margin. This allows the proposer to estimate construction costs while considering the gross profit margin for each building material and task.

[0187] In the first embodiment, the total estimated price and total gross profit are calculated based on all the estimation information displayed in area G11, and these calculated values ​​are displayed in area G12. This allows the proposer to create an architectural estimate while keeping track of the total estimated price and total gross profit.

[0188] In the first embodiment, based on the proposer's operation, general-purpose estimation information is pre-stored as master information in the master DB, and as needed, the master information (estimation information) stored in the master DB is displayed on screen G2 (area G21), and based on the proposer's operation, the master information displayed on screen G2 is displayed (input) on screen G1 (area G11), thereby reducing the effort required of the proposer to create the construction estimate.

[0189] Here, the types and number of building materials available on the market are enormous compared to those of construction work and labor. Furthermore, the types of building materials that are in vogue change with the times, and the building materials selected by clients vary according to their preferences. Therefore, the estimation information related to building materials cannot be said to be general-purpose. For this reason, in the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, an example was described in which estimation information related to construction work and estimation information related to labor are stored in the master DB as general-purpose estimation information. However, it goes without saying that estimation information related to building materials can also be stored in the master DB. For example, by storing estimation information related to common building materials in the master DB in advance, the effort required of proposers to create construction estimates can be reduced.

[0190] In the first embodiment, the system is configured to first display master information in area G21, and then display (input) the master information in area G11 based on the proposer's operation (master input operation). This allows the system to avoid displaying (inputting) unnecessary master information in area G11, and to display only the necessary master information in area G11. In other words, the proposer can select which estimation information to display in area G11 from the master information stored in the master DB.

[0191] In the first embodiment, screen G2 is configured to be displayed in display area 1a by overlaying it on screen G1, such that a portion of area G11 is exposed from screen G2. This ensures that screen G2 does not get in the way when the proposer performs the operation of displaying (inputting) master information from screen G2 (area G21) to screen G1 (area G11). Similarly, screen G3 is configured to be displayed in display area 1a by overlaying it on screen G1, such that a portion of area G11 is exposed from screen G3. Therefore, when the proposer performs the operation of displaying (inputting) quotation information from screen G3 (area G31) to screen G1 (area G11), screen G2 does not get in the way.

[0192] In the first embodiment, the master information group displayed in area G21 includes indicators, and by selecting and deselecting indicators (drag-and-drop operation), the estimation information (master information) corresponding to the master information group can be displayed in one column, making it easy to display (input) estimation information in area G11. Similarly, the estimation information group displayed in area G31 includes indicators, and by selecting and deselecting indicators, the estimation information corresponding to the estimation information group can be displayed in one column, making it easy to display (input) estimation information in area G11.

[0193] In the first embodiment, when displaying (inputting) estimation information (master information) from area G31 (area G21) to area G11, a guide RU that guides the creation position of the field is displayed in area G11, making it easy to display (input) estimation information in area G11.

[0194] In the first embodiment, based on the proposer's operation (manual input) of inputting estimation information into the blank boxes of the column, estimation information for other blank boxes in the column corresponding to the blank box is calculated from the estimation information entered into the blank box, and the calculated estimation information is displayed in the other blank boxes, making it easy to estimate construction costs.

[0195] In the first embodiment, text information is extracted from an electronic building materials quotation (electronic information), and quotation information (e.g., list price of building materials, second markup rate, etc.) is identified from the extracted text information. However, the system is not limited to this configuration. For example, text information may be extracted from a web page (electronic information) managed by a building materials manufacturer that contains information about building materials, or from image data (electronic information) that is a copy of the web page, and quotation information may be identified from the extracted text information. In short, the target from which text information is extracted does not need to be limited to electronic building materials quotations.

[0196] In the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 25 (Figure 16), the estimation information group (master information group) is moved from area G31 (area G21) to area G11 by the proposer's operation to display the estimation information group (master information group) from area G31 (area G21) to area G11. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and the estimation information group (master information group) may be displayed in both area G31 (area G21) and area G11 by the proposer's operation to display the estimation information group (master information group) from area G31 (area G21) to area G11, that is, the estimation information group (master information group) that has been displayed from area G31 (area G21) to area G11 may remain in area G31 (area G21).

[0197] In the first embodiment, the system is configured to display (input) the estimation information group displayed in area G31 (first display area) into area G11 (second display area) by selecting and deselecting indicators, but the system is not limited to this configuration. For example, the system may be configured to display (input) the estimation information group in area G11 by first duplicating the estimation information group displayed in area G31 and then pasting the duplicated estimation information group into area G11 (a so-called copy and paste operation).

[0198] In the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, a building material quotation form containing the building material name, product code, wholesale quantity, list price, markup rate (second markup rate), wholesale unit price (purchase unit price), and wholesale price (purchase price) was used as an example, and an example of identifying quotation information corresponding to a building material from the electronic information corresponding to this building material quotation form was explained. However, the example is not limited to this, and it may also be an example of identifying quotation information corresponding to a building material from electronic information containing only the building material name, wholesale quantity, list price, and wholesale unit price, or an example of identifying quotation information corresponding to a building material from electronic information containing only the list price.

[0199] For example, in the latter case, the list price corresponding to a building material is identified from electronic information, the identified list price is displayed in area G31 of the proposer terminal (user terminal) 1, and based on the proposer's (user's) operation of displaying the list price in area G31 in area G11 of the proposer terminal, the list price is displayed in area G11, and a first markup rate (the ratio of the estimated unit price of the building material to the list price of the building material) corresponding to the building material is made inputtable in area G11, and based on the proposer's operation of inputting the first markup rate in area G11, the first markup rate is displayed in area G11, and the price obtained by multiplying the list price displayed in area G11 by the first markup rate is calculated as the estimated unit price corresponding to the building material, and the calculated estimated unit price is displayed in area G11. Even in such an example, it goes without saying that the effects of the first embodiment (the effect of providing a system that can efficiently estimate the costs required for the construction of a building) are achieved.

[0200] To explain the above specific example, the list price "22,900" corresponding to building material K1 is identified from electronic information Y1 (electronic information corresponding to building material quotation Y1 shown in Figure 2), a set of quotation information N1 (Figure 24) containing the identified list price "22,900" is generated, the generated set of quotation information N1 is displayed in area G31, and based on the proposer's operation of displaying the set of quotation information N1 from area G31 to area G11, the column R3 (Figure 25(c)) corresponding to the set of quotation information N1 is displayed in area G11, and the square R32a in this column R3 is left blank. The first markup rate is made inputtable in the blank state, and based on the proposer's operation of inputting the first markup rate "80(%)" in the square R32a of column R3 (Figure 27(b)), the first markup rate "80(%)" is displayed in the square R32a, and the price "18,320" obtained by multiplying the list price "22,900" displayed in the square R31e by the first markup rate "80(%)" displayed in the square R32a is calculated as the estimated unit price corresponding to building material K1, and the calculated estimated unit price is displayed in the square R32b of column R3 (Figure 27(b)).

[0201] The first embodiment is mainly described as configurations A to C below, but is not limited to configurations A to C. <Configuration A> An information processing system SY including a proposer terminal 1 and a server 3 connected to the proposer terminal 1 via a network NW, Server 3 is equipped with a control unit 30. The control unit 30 is The system identifies the list price corresponding to a building material (e.g., building material K1) from electronic information (e.g., electronic information Y1), displays the identified list price in area G31, and displays the list price displayed in area G31 in area G11 based on the proposer's operation (first input operation), and also makes it possible to input a first markup rate (the ratio of the estimated unit price of the building material to the list price of the building material) corresponding to the building material in area G11, and displays the first markup rate in area G11 based on the proposer's operation to input the first markup rate in area G11, and calculates the price obtained by multiplying the list price displayed in area G11 by the first markup rate as the estimated unit price corresponding to the building material, and displays the calculated estimated unit price in area G11. <Configuration B> In configuration A, The control unit 30 is Based on the proposer's operation (first input operation) of displaying the list price shown in area G31 in area G11, a second markup rate (the ratio of the purchase unit price (wholesale unit price) of the building material to the list price of the building material) corresponding to the first building material is made inputtable in area G11. Based on the proposer's operation of inputting the second markup rate in area G11, the second markup rate is displayed in area G11, and the price obtained by multiplying the list price displayed in area G11 by the second markup rate is calculated as the purchase unit price corresponding to the first building material, and the calculated purchase unit price is displayed in area G11. <Configuration C> In configuration A, The control unit 30 is Based on the proposer's operation (first input operation), the second markup rate corresponding to the first building material is identified from electronic information (e.g., electronic information Y1), the identified second markup rate is displayed in area G31, and the second markup rate displayed in area G31 is displayed in area G11. At the same time, the price obtained by multiplying the list price displayed in area G11 by the second markup rate is calculated as the purchase unit price corresponding to the first building material, and the calculated purchase unit price is displayed in area G11.

[0202] Next, modifications 1 to 3 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 31 to 35.

[0203] <Example 1 of the First Embodiment> First, Modification 1 will be explained using Figures 31 to 34. Modification 1 differs from the first embodiment in the method of inputting the first multiplier. In the first embodiment, the first input operation, which displays the estimation information group Nn from area G31 to area G11, displays an empty box in the field Rn corresponding to the estimation information group Nn into which the first multiplier can be entered. In contrast, in Modification 1, the operation of displaying the estimation information group Nn from area G31 to area G11 results in the field Rn corresponding to the estimation information group Nn already having the first multiplier entered. Below, only the differences between Modification 1 and the first embodiment will be explained. In the following explanation, the box corresponding to the first multiplier will be referred to as the "first box".

[0204] Figure 31 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of server 3 according to modified example 1.

[0205] The storage unit 20 includes a building materials database. The building materials database is a database that stores building materials information. The building materials information is stored in the building materials database linked to a building materials ID. A building materials ID is an identifier that identifies building materials information.

[0206] Figure 32 is a schematic diagram showing an example of building material information stored in the building material database.

[0207] As shown in Figure 32, the building materials database stores building material information associated with building material ID 001. Building material ID 001 is associated with "building material K1" (building material name) and "80" (first multiplier).

[0208] Next, using Figure 33, we will explain the process of generating the estimation information group including the first multiplier. Steps S21 to S24 and steps S26 to S29 shown in Figure 33 are the same processes as in the first embodiment, so we will omit their explanation and mainly explain steps S41 and S42 shown in the same figure.

[0209] Figure 33 is a flowchart showing the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3.

[0210] As shown in Figure 33, in step S41, the control unit 30 accesses the building materials database, identifies building materials information corresponding to a building material identified in the identification process of step S24 from the building materials database, extracts a first multiplier corresponding to this identified building materials information, and moves the process to step S42. In the generation process of step S42, the control unit 30 links the building material identified in the identification process of step S24, the estimation information related to the building material identified in the identification process of step S24, and the first multiplier extracted in step S41 to generate a set of estimation information.

[0211] Although a specific example of the process in Figure 33 is omitted from the illustration, in step S24, if building material K1 and the estimation information related to building material K1 "GY001, 50, 22,900, 47, 10,763, 538,150" are identified, in step S41, the building material DB is accessed (see Figure 32), building material information id001 corresponding to building material K1 is identified from the building material DB, and the first multiplier "80" associated with this building material information id001 is extracted. In step S42, a set of estimation information is generated that includes building material K1 identified in the identification process, the estimation information related to building material K1 identified in the identification process "GY001, 50, 22,900, 47, 10,763, 538,150", and the first multiplier "80" extracted in step S41.

[0212] Figure 34 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the estimation information group displayed on screen G3 (area G31) in step S29 of Figure 33.

[0213] As shown in Figure 34, for example, the estimation information group N1 includes a first multiplier (80%) used to calculate the estimated unit price and estimated price of building material K1. Although not shown in the illustration, when the proposer performs a first input operation to move the estimation information group N1 from area G31 to area G11, a column Rn corresponding to the estimation information group N1 is displayed in area G11 (refer to column R3 in Figure 26). In this case, in Modification 1, unlike the first embodiment, the first multiplier "80" is entered into the first cell of column Rn, and "18,320", obtained by multiplying the list price of building material K1 "22,900" by the first multiplier "80 (%)", is displayed in the cell corresponding to the estimated unit price (refer to cells R32a and R32b in Figure 27).

[0214] As described above, in Modification 1, the storage unit 20 (building material DB) stores a first markup rate corresponding to a building material, the control unit 30 identifies estimation information (e.g., list price) corresponding to a building material from electronic information, displays the identified estimation information in area G31 (first display area), and based on the proposer's (user's) operation to display the estimation information displayed in area G31 in area G11 (second display area), displays this estimation information in area G11, calculates the price obtained by multiplying the list price included in the estimation information by the first markup rate corresponding to a building material stored in the storage unit 20 as the estimated unit price corresponding to the building material, and displays the calculated estimated unit price in area G11. Therefore, the operation of inputting the first markup rate can be omitted, reducing the proposer's workload. Furthermore, if the proposer determines that the estimated price of the building materials displayed in area G11 is low after displaying the estimation information (a set of estimation information) corresponding to the building materials from area G31 to area G11, it goes without saying that the proposed price of the building materials can be changed by manually changing the first markup rate displayed in the first box to a different first markup rate.

[0215] In Modification 1, the system is configured to generate a set of estimation information including the first multiplier (step S42). However, the system is not limited to this configuration. First, similar to the first embodiment, a set of estimation information that does not include the first multiplier is generated (see Figure 23), the generated set of estimation information is displayed in area G31 (see Figure 24), and when the operation to display the set of estimation information displayed in area G31 in area G11 is performed (see Figure 25), that is, when the set of estimation information moves from area G31 to area G11, the control unit 30 may be configured to identify the building materials (e.g., building material K1) included in the set of estimation information, extract the first multiplier corresponding to the identified building material from the building material DB, and display the extracted first multiplier (see Figure 32) in the column Rn corresponding to the set of estimation information. Even with this configuration, it goes without saying that the manual input of the first multiplier can be omitted, reducing the proposer's workload.

[0216] Modification 1 is primarily described as follows (structure D), but is not limited to structure D. <Configuration D> An information processing system SY including a proposer terminal 1 and a server 3 connected to the proposer terminal 1 via a network NW, Server 3 comprises a storage unit 20 and a control unit 30. The memory unit 20 (building material DB) stores (stores) a first multiplier (e.g., 80 (0.8)) corresponding to a building material (e.g., building material K1), The control unit 30 is The system identifies the list price corresponding to the first building material from electronic information (e.g., electronic information Y1), displays the identified list price in area G31, and displays the list price displayed in area G31 in area G11 based on the proposer's operation (first input operation). The system then displays the list price in area G11, calculates the price obtained by multiplying the list price by the first multiplier as the estimated unit price corresponding to the first building material, and displays the calculated estimated unit price in area G11.

[0217] <Modification example 2 according to the first embodiment> Next, a modified example 2 according to the first embodiment will be described using Figure 35. Modified example 2 differs from the first embodiment in that it does not display estimation information (a group of estimation information) corresponding to a building material identified from electronic information on screen G3. The differences between modified example 2 and the first embodiment will be described below.

[0218] Figure 35 is a flowchart showing the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3.

[0219] Steps S21 to S28 shown in Figure 35 perform the same processes as in the first embodiment, so their explanation will be omitted, and step S29a shown in the same figure will be mainly explained.

[0220] When the proposer terminal 1 receives the estimation information set transmitted from the server 3 (step S28), it displays the received estimation information set in area G11 of screen G1 (step S29a). Although the illustration and detailed explanation are omitted, if, for example, the estimation information set shown in Figure 23(h) (estimation information corresponding to building material K1) is received in step S28, then a column Rn corresponding to this estimation information set is displayed in area G11 (refer to column R3 in Figure 26). In other words, in the first embodiment, the estimation information set generated in the generation process is configured to be displayed first on screen G3, but in the modified example 2, the estimation information set generated in the generation process is configured to be displayed directly on screen G1.

[0221] Although a detailed explanation will be omitted, in the modified example 2, similar to the first embodiment, the column Rn corresponding to a building material displayed on screen G1 in step S29a includes an empty box (first box) into which the first multiplier can be entered. Upon the proposer's operation (manual input) of entering the first multiplier into this empty box, the control unit 30 calculates the estimated unit price of the building material corresponding to column Rn and displays the calculated estimated unit price in the corresponding box (refer to boxes R32a and R32b in Figure 27).

[0222] As described above, in Modification 2, the control unit 30 identifies estimation information (e.g., list price) corresponding to a building material from electronic information, displays the identified estimation information in area G11, and displays a first cell in area G11 into which a first markup rate corresponding to the building material can be entered. Based on the proposer's operation of entering the first markup rate in this first cell, the control unit 30 displays the first markup rate in the first cell, calculates the price obtained by multiplying the list price corresponding to the first cell by the first markup rate as the estimated unit price corresponding to the building material, and displays the calculated estimated unit price in area G11. Therefore, the system according to Modification 2 can reduce the effort required of the proposer to calculate the estimated unit price.

[0223] Modification 2 is primarily described as structure E below, but is not limited to structure E. <Configuration E> An information processing system SY including a proposer terminal 1 and a server 3 connected to the proposer terminal 1 via a network NW, Server 3 comprises a storage unit 20 and a control unit 30. The control unit 30 is The system identifies the list price corresponding to a building material (e.g., building material K1) from electronic information (e.g., electronic information Y1), displays the identified list price in area G11, and allows input of a first markup rate corresponding to the building material in area G11. Based on the proposer's operation of inputting the first markup rate in area G11, the system displays the first markup rate in area G11, calculates the price obtained by multiplying the list price displayed in area G11 by the first markup rate as the estimated unit price corresponding to the building material, and displays the calculated estimated unit price in area G11.

[0224] <Modification example 3 according to the first embodiment> Although a detailed explanation is omitted, Modification 3 may be formed by combining Modification 1 and Modification 2. Modification 3 is mainly described as structure F below, but is not limited to structure F. <Configuration F> An information processing system SY including a proposer terminal 1 and a server 3 connected to the proposer terminal 1 via a network NW, Server 3 comprises a storage unit 20 and a control unit 30. The storage unit 20 (building material DB) stores (records) the first markup rate (for example, 80 (0.8)) corresponding to one building material (for example, building material K1). The control unit 30 identifies the estimate information including the list price corresponding to the one building material from the electronic information (for example, electronic information Y1), displays the identified estimate information in the area G11, and multiplies the list price included in this estimate information by the first markup rate stored in the storage unit 20 to obtain the price, which is calculated as the estimate unit price corresponding to the one building material, and the calculated estimate unit price is displayed in the area G11.

[0225] <Second Embodiment> Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 36 to 48.

[0226] Comparing the first embodiment and the second embodiment, they are common in that the estimate unit price and gross profit can be calculated for each building material, but mainly, the electronic information and the method of identifying the list price (estimate information) corresponding to one building material from the electronic information are different. Hereinafter, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described for the second embodiment.

[0227] FIG. 36 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server 3 according to the second embodiment.

[0228] The storage unit 20 includes an electronic information DB. The electronic information DB stores the electronic information D used to identify the list price (estimate information) of the building material. The electronic information D is stored in the electronic information DB in a state linked to the electronic information id. The electronic information id is an identifier for identifying the electronic information D.

[0229] FIG. 37 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the electronic information stored in the electronic information DB.

[0230] As shown in FIG. 37, "K1" (the name of building materials) and "D1" (electronic information) are associated with the electronic information id001. This indicates that the electronic information D1 is the electronic information corresponding to the building materials K1. Since the electronic information id002 and id003 have the same configuration as the electronic information id001, their descriptions are omitted.

[0231] FIG. 38 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the screen G1 according to the second embodiment.

[0232] The screen G1 according to the second embodiment includes a button G16. The button G16 is a button for displaying the screen G4 (described in detail later) in the display area 1a.

[0233] FIG. 39 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the screen G4.

[0234] The screen G4 is a screen for displaying the electronic information D stored in the electronic information DB. The control unit 30 controls to display the screen G4 in the display area 1a based on an operation of selecting the button G16 arranged on the screen G1. As shown in the figure, the screen G4 is displayed overlapping the screen G1, and a part of the area G11 is exposed from the screen G4.

[0235] The screen G4 includes an area G41, a button G42, and a button G43.

[0236] The area G41 is an area for displaying a list of the electronic information D stored in the electronic information DB. The button G42 is a button for displaying the list of the electronic information D in the area G41. The button G43 is a button for generating an estimate information group (described in detail later).

[0237] Although not shown in the diagrams and detailed explanations, the control unit 30, based on the operation of selecting button G42, accesses the electronic information DB to generate a list of electronic information D stored in the electronic information DB, and controls the display of the generated list in area G41. Then, based on the proposer's operation of selecting one electronic information D from the list of electronic information D displayed in area G41, the control unit 30 controls the display of the selected electronic information D in area G41.

[0238] Next, the electronic information D according to the second embodiment will be described using Figures 40 and 41.

[0239] Figure 40 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which electronic information D1 is displayed in region G41.

[0240] Figure 40 shows an example where electronic information D1 is displayed in region G41 after selecting it from the list of electronic information D displayed in region G41.

[0241] Figure 41 is a magnified view of the electronic information D1 displayed in region G41 of Figure 40.

[0242] As shown in Figure 37, electronic information D1 is electronic information corresponding to building material K1. As shown in Figure 41, electronic information D1 includes character information generated by OCR processing. The character information contained in electronic information D1 includes character information (U1) corresponding to the name of a building material, character information indicating the form characteristics of a building material (e.g., character information Q2 to Q6), and character information corresponding to the list price (specific information; e.g., character information P1, character information P2) that is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to a building material. In Figure 37, for the sake of explanation, only some of the character information is labeled with a code.

[0243] The character information U1 corresponds to the character information "Building Material K1 GY001". "Building Material K1" is the name of the building material. "GY001" is the product code assigned to Building Material K1.

[0244] Text information Q2 corresponds to the text information "α1". "α1" is one of several forms corresponding to building material K1. As shown in Figure 41, the multiple forms corresponding to building material K1 are divided into α1 to α5 belonging to "α" and β1 to β5 belonging to "β". Text information Q3 to Q6 corresponds to the text information "width × depth", "50 × 20", "height 28", and "white", respectively.

[0245] Text information P1 is text information corresponding to the list price "22,900 yen" that is pre-associated with form α1, which is specified as having a width of 50 mm, a depth of 20 mm, a height of 28 mm, and a white color, among the multiple forms corresponding to building material K1. Text information P2 is text information corresponding to the list price "54,500 yen" that is pre-associated with form β5, which is specified as having a width of 50 mm, a depth of 45 mm, a height of 24 mm, and a gray color, among the multiple forms corresponding to building material K1.

[0246] Next, we will explain the process of generating a set of estimation information using Figure 42.

[0247] Figure 42 is a flowchart showing the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3.

[0248] To explain the process shown in Figure 42, the proposer, in order to calculate the estimated unit price and price of form α1 among the multiple forms corresponding to building material K1, used the proposer's terminal 1 to select the text information U1, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, and P1 from the electronic information D1 shown in Figure 41, and then selected the button G43 shown in Figure 39.

[0249] As shown in FIG. 42, the proposer terminal 1 transmits character information selected from the electronic information D1 by the operation of the proposer to the server 3 based on the operation of selecting the button G43 (step S51). When the control unit 30 receives the character information transmitted from the proposer terminal 1 (step S52), it generates a single estimate information group including the character information received in step S52 (step S53), stores the single estimate information group generated in step S53 in the storage unit 20 (step S54), and transmits the single estimate information group generated in step S53 to the proposer terminal 1 (step S55). When the proposer terminal 1 receives the single estimate information group transmitted in step S55 (step S56), it displays the received single estimate information group on the screen G4 (area G41) (step S57). Although detailed description is omitted, the control unit 30 classifies, in step S53, the character information corresponding to the list price and the character information other than the list price among the character information transmitted from the proposer terminal 1, and generates a single estimate information group based on the classification.

[0250] Next, with reference to FIGS. 43 and 44, a single estimate information group generated by the control unit 30 will be described.

[0251] FIG. 43 is a diagram showing an example of a single estimate information group displayed in the area G41.

[0252] FIG. 43 shows an example in which a single estimate information group N1 generated by the proposer selecting the character information U1, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, and P1 from the electronic information D1 shown in FIG. 41 is displayed in the area G41.

[0253] FIG. 44 is an enlarged view of the single estimate information group N1 displayed in the area G41 of FIG. 43.

[0254] As shown in Figure 44, one set of information for estimation, N1, is composed of the following: text information U1 for "building material K1 GY001", text information Q3 for "width × depth (mm)", text information Q4 for "50 × 20", text information Q5 for "height 28", text information Q6 for "white", and text information P1 for "¥22,900".

[0255] Next, we will explain the operation of displaying (inputting) the estimation information group N1 displayed in area G41 into area G11 (hereinafter referred to as the "second input operation").

[0256] Figure 45 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the second input operation.

[0257] First, as shown in Figure 45(a), the proposer uses the proposer terminal 1 to select the indicator N1a displayed in area G41. Next, as shown in Figure 45(b), the proposer performs a second input operation related to the estimation information group N1 while indicator N1a is selected. In this figure, the estimation information group N1 is located across areas G11 and G41, and according to this location, a guide RU is displayed in area G11 indicating the position to display the first column Rn corresponding to the estimation information group N1. Finally, as shown in Figure 45(c), when the proposer deselects indicator N1a while the guide RU is displayed in area G11, the first column R3 corresponding to the estimation information group N1 is displayed at the position of the guide RU.

[0258] Next, Figure 46 will be used to explain the column Rn displayed in region G11 based on the second input operation. Note that in this figure, only one of the four sections that make up column Rn is shown, and the remaining three sections are omitted from the illustration.

[0259] Figure 46 shows a specific example of column R3, which is shown in region G11 in Figure 45(c).

[0260] As shown in Figure 46, column R3 is the column corresponding to the estimation information group N1 shown in Figure 44, that is, the column that displays the estimation information corresponding to building material K1, and is composed of four sections. Note that in the same figure, only section R31 of the four sections is shown, and the other sections are not shown.

[0261] In the grid R31a (item) shown in Figure 46, the text "Building material K1 GY001 Width x Depth 50 x 20 Height 28 White" is displayed, which corresponds to U1, Q3, Q4, Q5, and Q6 of the text information that makes up the estimation information group N1. In the grid R31e (list price of building material), the text "22,900" is displayed, which corresponds to text information P1 of the text information that makes up the estimation information group N1.

[0262] Next, using Figures 47 and 48, we will explain a specific example of manually entering a predetermined value into the empty box in Figure 46. Note that in Figure 47, two of the four sections that make up column R3, section R31 and section R32, are shown, while the remaining two sections are omitted. In Figure 48, all four sections that make up column R3 are shown.

[0263] Figure 47 shows a specific example of when estimation information related to building material K1 is entered into a portion of the empty box in column R3 shown in Figure 46.

[0264] As shown in Figure 47, the proposer manually entered the first multiplier "80" into cell R32a. As a result, the control unit 30 multiplied the list price of building material K1 "22,900" displayed in cell R31e by the first multiplier "80% (0.8)" entered in cell R32a to calculate "18,320", and controlled the unit to display the calculated "18,320" in cell R32b, which corresponds to the estimated unit price of building material K1.

[0265] Furthermore, the proposer manually entered the quantity "50" into cell R31c. As a result, the control unit 30 multiplied the estimated unit price "18,320" displayed in cell R32b by the quantity "50" entered in cell R31c to calculate "916,000," and controlled the system to display the calculated "916,000" in cell R32c, which corresponds to the estimated price of building material K1.

[0266] Figure 48 shows a specific example of when estimation information related to building material K1 is entered into a portion of the empty box in column R3 shown in Figure 47.

[0267] As shown in Figure 48, the proposer manually entered the second multiplier "47" into cell R33a. As a result, the control unit 30 multiplied the list price of building material K1 "22,900" displayed in cell R31e by the second multiplier "47 (0.47)" entered in cell R33a to calculate "10,763", and displayed the calculated "10,763" in cell R33b, which corresponds to the purchase unit price of building material K1.

[0268] The control unit 30 then calculates "538,150" by multiplying the purchase price of building material K1, "10,763", which was calculated based on the input of the second multiplier "47", by the quantity "50" entered in cell R31c, and controls the unit to display the calculated "538,150" in cell R33c, which corresponds to the purchase price of building material K1.

[0269] Furthermore, the control unit 30 calculated "377,850" by dividing the calculated purchase price of building material K1, "538,150", by the calculated estimated price of building material K1, "916,000", and controlled the unit to display the calculated "377,850" in the grid R34b corresponding to the gross profit of building material K1.

[0270] The control unit 30 then calculates the gross profit margin of building material K1, "41.2" {(1-10,763÷18,320)×100}, based on the calculated purchase unit price of building material K1, "10,763", and the calculated estimated unit price of building material K1, "18,320", and controls the unit to display the calculated "41.2" in the grid R34a corresponding to the gross profit margin of building material K1.

[0271] Thus, in the second embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the system is configured to display a column Rn corresponding to a building material in area G11 based on the proposer's operation (second input operation) of displaying (inputting) a set of estimation information (estimation information corresponding to a building material) from area G41 to area G11, and the proposer manually inputs a numerical value into the empty box of the column Rn to calculate the estimated unit price, estimated price, gross profit, etc., corresponding to the building material. In other words, the control unit 30 is configured to display the estimated unit price, etc., of the building material in area G11 based on the second input operation.

[0272] Although not shown in the illustrations and detailed description, in the second embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the control unit 30 creates a building estimate corresponding to area G11 based on the proposer's operation of selecting button G15 (see Figure 38) located on screen G1. In particular, in the second embodiment, when creating a building estimate corresponding to area G11, if estimation information indicating the characteristics of the building material form (for example, text information Q4 shown in Figure 41) is displayed (input) in area G11, a building estimate including this estimation information is created.

[0273] Incidentally, in order to improve the success rate of securing construction orders, it is desirable for the proposer to submit construction estimates to clients ahead of competitors. However, in order to create a construction estimate, it is necessary to at least identify the list prices of building materials. Here, as in the first embodiment, there is a method of identifying the list prices of building materials from an electronic building material estimate (for example, an electronic version of building material estimate Y1 shown in Figure 2). However, since building material estimates are created by building material trading companies, with this method, the proposer cannot identify the list prices of building materials until the building material trading company issues a building material estimate to the proposer, and the submission of the construction estimate to the client is delayed. For this reason, proposers tend to identify the list prices of building materials on their own from building material catalogs or web pages that list the list prices of building materials in order to submit the construction estimate to the client as quickly as possible.

[0274] However, building material manufacturers are constantly developing new building materials in the same series with different shapes, colors, and processing methods to meet the diverse needs of customers (clients). Generally, the list price of such building materials varies depending on the shape (form). Therefore, when a proposer tries to determine the list price of building materials on their own without relying on building material quotations issued by building material trading companies, they cannot determine the list price simply by finding the building material in question from building material catalogs that list a large variety of materials. They must identify one list price from among several list prices pre-assigned to that building material, which presents a challenge in creating building cost estimates, requiring a great deal of effort.

[0275] In the second embodiment, to address the above issues, the electronic information D includes character information (specific information, such as character information P1 and P2 shown in Figure 41) generated by OCR processing. This character information corresponds to the list price, which is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to a single building material. This character information is configured to be selectable by the proposer, and the control unit 30 is configured to display the character information selected by the proposer from the electronic information D in area G41 (first display area). This reduces the effort required of the proposer to identify the list price of the building material to be estimated, and provides a system that can efficiently estimate the costs required for the construction of a building.

[0276] In the second embodiment, the character information P1 selected from the electronic information D1 by the proposer's operation is not directly displayed in area G11 (second display area), but is first displayed in area G41, and then the character information P1 is displayed (input) in area G11 by the subsequent second input operation. This allows the proposer to determine whether the character information P1 selected from the electronic information D1 is the correct selection.

[0277] In the second embodiment, a second input operation is performed to display (input) the text information P1 (specific information; text information corresponding to the list price) displayed in area G41 into area G11. This operation displays the text information P1 in area G11 and calculates the estimated unit price of building material K1 from this text information P1. This reduces the effort required of the proposer to calculate the estimated unit price of building material K1.

[0278] In the second embodiment, based on a second input operation that displays (moves) text information P1 from area G41 to area G11, a first multiplier corresponding to this text information P1 can be input into area G11 (square R32a). Based on the proposer's operation of inputting the first multiplier into area G11, the estimated unit price of building material K1 is calculated by multiplying the list price corresponding to the text information P1 by the first multiplier, and the calculated estimated unit price is displayed in area G11 (square R32b). In this way, the estimated unit price of building material K1 can be calculated with relatively simple operations such as a second input operation and manual input of the first multiplier.

[0279] In the second embodiment, the electronic information D1 includes textual information (for example, textual information Q4 shown in Figure 41) that indicates the morphological characteristics of building materials generated by OCR processing. Based on the proposer's operation of selecting this textual information from the electronic information D1, this textual information is displayed in area G11 (see Figures 45, 46, etc.). Based on the proposer's operation of selecting a button G15 located on screen G1, a building estimate is created that includes textual information (estimate information) indicating the morphological characteristics of building materials displayed in area G11. This eliminates the need to manually input information about the morphology of building materials into area G11, thereby reducing the proposer's workload.

[0280] In the second embodiment, a single operation (second input operation) to display (input) a set of estimation information from area G41 to area G11 allows multiple character information items constituting a set of estimation information to be displayed in area G11. This eliminates the hassle of manually entering multiple character information items individually into area G11, thereby reducing the proposer's workload.

[0281] In the second embodiment, the electronic information D includes multiple types of OCR-processed character information (for example, character information U1 shown in Figure 41 that corresponds to the name of a building material, character information Q2 to Q6 shown in Figure 41 that indicates the characteristics of the form of a building material, and character information P1 and P2 shown in Figure 41 that correspond to the list price which is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to a building material), and these multiple types of character information are configured to be selectable by the proposer's operation. However, the system is not limited to this configuration, and the proposer may configure the system to be able to select only the character information corresponding to the list price from among these multiple types of character information. Even with this configuration, it goes without saying that the effects of the first and second embodiments, namely the effect of being able to easily calculate the estimated unit price for a building material (the effect of being able to provide a system that can efficiently estimate the costs required for the construction of a building), will still be achieved.

[0282] The second embodiment is mainly described as configurations G to J below, but is not limited to configurations G to J. <Configuration G> An information processing system SY including a proposer terminal 1 and a server 3 connected to the proposer terminal 1 via a network NW, Server 3 comprises a storage unit 20 and a control unit 30. The memory unit 20 (electronic information DB) stores (stores) electronic information D corresponding to a building material, Electronic information D includes specific information generated by OCR processing, The specific information is textual information corresponding to the list price that is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to the aforementioned building material (for example, textual information P1 shown in Figure 41), The control unit 30 calculates the estimated unit price of the building material based on a specific piece of information selected by the proposer's operation from the electronic information D stored in the storage unit 20.

[0283] <Configuration H> In configuration G, Based on the proposer's operation to select a specific piece of information from the electronic information D stored in the storage unit 20, the control unit 30 displays the selected specific piece of information in area G41. Based on the proposer's operation (second input operation) to display the specific piece of information displayed in area G41 in area G11, the control unit 30 makes it possible to input a first multiplier (the ratio of the estimated unit price of the building material to the list price of the building material) corresponding to the building material in area G11. Based on the proposer's operation to input the first multiplier in area G11, the control unit 30 calculates the estimated unit price of the building material by multiplying the specific piece of information by the first multiplier, and displays the calculated estimated unit price in area G11.

[0284] <Configuration J> An information processing system SY including a proposer terminal 1 and a server 3 connected to the proposer terminal 1 via a network NW, Server 3 comprises a storage unit 20 and a control unit 30. The memory unit 20 (electronic information DB) stores (stores) electronic information D corresponding to a building material, Electronic information D includes character information P and Q generated by OCR processing. The textual information P is textual information corresponding to the list price that is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to the aforementioned building material. The character information Q is character information that describes multiple forms of characteristics corresponding to the aforementioned building material, Based on the proposer's operation to select character information P and character information Q from the electronic information D stored in the storage unit 20, the control unit 30 displays a set of estimation information consisting of the selected character information P and Q in area G41. Based on the proposer's operation to display the set of estimation information shown in area G41 in area G11 (second input operation), the control unit 30 displays the character information P and Q that constitute the set of estimation information in area G11, and also makes it possible to input a first markup rate corresponding to the building material in area G11. Based on the proposer's operation to input the first markup rate in area G11, the control unit 30 calculates the estimated unit price of the building material by multiplying the list price corresponding to the character information P by the first markup rate, and displays the calculated estimated unit price in area G11.

[0285] Next, a modified example of the second embodiment will be described using Figures 49 and 50. In the following description, the modified example of the second embodiment will be referred to as "Modified Example 4".

[0286] <Modified example according to the second embodiment (Modified example 4)> Modification 4 applies the components of Modification 1 to the components of the second embodiment. Comparing Modification 4 with the second embodiment, the input method for the first multiplier is different. Below, only the differences between Modification 4 and the second embodiment will be described.

[0287] First, we will explain the process of generating the estimation information set using Figure 49. Note that some of the steps shown in Figure 49 are the same as some of the steps shown in Figure 42.

[0288] Figure 49 is a flowchart showing the process executed between the proposer's terminal 1 and the server 3 in the modified example 4.

[0289] As shown in Figure 49, based on the operation of selecting button G43, the proposer terminal 1 transmits the character information selected by the proposer's operation from the electronic information D1 to the server 3 (step S61). When the control unit 30 receives the character information transmitted from the proposer terminal 1 (step S62), it identifies the electronic information containing the character information received in step S62 (step S63), identifies the building material corresponding to the electronic information identified in step S63 from the electronic information DB (see Figure 37) (step S64), identifies the first multiplier corresponding to the building material identified in step S64 from the building material DB (see Figure 32) (step S65), generates a set of estimation information including the character information received in step S62 and the first multiplier identified in step S65 (step S66), stores the set of estimation information generated in step S66 in the storage unit 20 (step S67), and transmits the set of estimation information generated in step S66 to the proposer terminal 1 (step S68). When the proposer terminal 1 receives the set of estimation information transmitted in step S68 (step S69), it displays the received set of estimation information on screen G4 (area G41) (step S70). In step S63, the control unit 30 may be configured to identify the electronic information D displayed in area G41 as electronic information including the character information received in step S62.

[0290] Although a specific example of the process shown in Figure 49 is not illustrated, the proposer, in order to calculate the estimated unit price and price of form α1 among multiple forms corresponding to building material K1, uses the proposer terminal 1 to select the character information U1, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, and P1 from the electronic information D1 (see Figure 37) displayed in area G41, and then selects the button G43 (see Figure 40) located on screen G4. In this case, the control unit 30 identifies the electronic information D1 containing the character information U1, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, and P1 in step S63, identifies the building material K1 corresponding to the electronic information D1 from the electronic information DB in step S64, identifies the first multiplier "80" corresponding to building material K1 from the building material DB (see Figure 32) in step S65, and generates a set of estimation information including the character information received in step S62 and the first multiplier "80" identified in step S65.

[0291] Next, using Figure 50, we will explain the set of estimation information generated by the process related to Modification Example 4.

[0292] Figure 50 is a diagram showing an example of a set of estimation information displayed in area G41 in step S70 of Figure 49.

[0293] As shown in Figure 50, one set of estimation information consists of the following: text information U1 (estimation information) for "building material K1 GY001", text information Q3 (estimation information) for "width × depth", text information Q4 (estimation information) for "50 × 20", text information Q5 (estimation information) for "height 28", text information Q6 (estimation information) for "white", text information P1 (estimation information) for "22,900", and text information "80" (estimation information) indicating the first multiplier for building material K1.

[0294] Although illustrations and detailed explanations are omitted, a second input operation (see Figure 45) that displays a set of estimation information (estimation information corresponding to building material K1) shown in Figure 50 from area G41 to area G11 causes the control unit 30 to display multiple estimation information items constituting the set of estimation information in column Rn, and calculates the estimated unit price of building material K1 "18,320" (22,900 × 0.8) based on the list price (22,900) and the first markup rate (80) from these multiple estimation information items, and controls the control unit 30 to display the calculated estimated unit price of building material K1 "18,320" in the square (square R32b) in column Rn that corresponds to the estimated unit price (see Figure 47(b)).

[0295] Thus, in Modification 4, based on the proposer's operation of selecting text information from electronic information D, the system is configured to extract a first markup rate corresponding to the selected text information from the building materials DB, and to generate a set of estimation information including the extracted first markup rate. Based on a second input operation of displaying the set of estimation information from area G41 to area G11, the system is configured to display the first markup rate in area G11 and to calculate the estimated unit price of the building materials from the first markup rate and list price included in the set of estimation information. This eliminates the cumbersome operation of manually entering the first markup rate and the effort of calculating the estimated unit price of the building materials, thereby reducing the proposer's workload.

[0296] Modification 4 (Modification 1 of the second embodiment) is mainly described as configuration K below, but is not limited to configuration K. <Configuration K> An information processing system SY including a proposer terminal 1 and a server 3 connected to the proposer terminal 1 via a network NW, Server 3 comprises a storage unit 20 and a control unit 30. The memory unit 20 stores electronic information D corresponding to one building material and a first multiplier corresponding to the one building material. Electronic information D includes specific information generated by OCR processing, The specific information is textual information corresponding to the list price that is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to the aforementioned building material (for example, textual information P1 shown in Figure 41), The control unit 30 calculates the estimated unit price of the building material by multiplying a specific piece of information selected by the proposer's operation from the electronic information D by the first multiplier (the first multiplier corresponding to the building material stored in the storage unit 20).

[0297] In the modified example 4, as shown in Figure 49, a set of estimation information including a first multiplier is generated based on the proposer's operation of selecting character information from electronic information D (step S66), and the generated set of estimation information is displayed in area G41. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and first, similar to the second embodiment, a set of estimation information not including the first multiplier is generated, the generated set of estimation information is displayed in area G41 (see Figure 44), and a second input operation is performed to display the set of estimation information displayed in area G41 in area G11. When the proposer moves a set of estimation information from area G41 to area G11, or to put it another way, when generating a column Rn corresponding to the set of estimation information, the control unit 30 may be configured to identify the building material (the building material corresponding to the building material name that constitutes the set of estimation information) corresponding to the set of estimation information moved from area G41 to area G11, extract the first multiplier corresponding to the identified building material from the building material DB (see Figure 32), and display the extracted first multiplier in the column Rn corresponding to the set of estimation information. In short, the control unit 30 may be configured to display the first multiplier corresponding to the building material in area G11 based on a second input operation that displays (inputs) the estimation information corresponding to the building material from area G41 to area G11. Even with this configuration, the effect of Modification 4 can be achieved, namely, the effect of reducing the proposer's workload by eliminating the troublesome operation of manually entering the first multiplier and the effort of calculating the estimated unit price of the building material.

[0298] <Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment will be described using Figures 51 to 55.

[0299] The third embodiment shares the same configuration as the second embodiment in that it is configured to calculate estimated unit prices and gross profits for each building material. However, compared to the second embodiment, the main difference lies in the method of generating the estimation information set. Below, only the differences between the third embodiment and the second embodiment will be explained.

[0300] In the third embodiment, an example of calculating the estimated unit price of building material K4 will be given. Unlike building material K1, etc., building material K4 is a building material that is completed by processing and / or assembling multiple parts (hereinafter referred to as "processing, etc."). More specifically, building material K4 is completed by processing, etc., one main body and multiple columns.

[0301] Figure 51 is a diagram showing an example of electronic information according to the third embodiment.

[0302] The electronic information D4 shown in Figure 51 is the electronic information corresponding to the building material K4. Although not shown in the figure, the electronic information D4 is stored in the electronic information DB shown in Figure 37, which was described in the second embodiment. Similar to the electronic information D1 in the second embodiment, the electronic information D4 includes character information generated by OCR processing.

[0303] The textual information contained in electronic information D4 can be broadly classified into four types. As shown in Figure 51, the four types of textual information are: information indicating the name of building material K4 (textual information U11), information indicating the names of parts of building material K4 (textual information W12, W13), information indicating the form corresponding to the parts of building material K4 (e.g., textual information Q14 to Q17), and information corresponding to the fixed price pre-associated with each form corresponding to the parts of building material K4 (specific information; e.g., textual information P18, textual information P19). In the same figure, for the sake of explanation, only some of the textual information is labeled with a code.

[0304] Text information W12, Q14, Q15, and P18 are text information related to the "main body" among the components that make up building material K4. Text information W12 corresponds to "main body", text information Q14 corresponds to "width × height (mm)", and text information Q15 corresponds to "1000 × 1200". Text information P18 is text information corresponding to the list price "60,000", which is pre-associated with the form that is specified as having a width of 1000 (mm) and a height of 1200 (mm) among the multiple forms that correspond to the main body of building material K4.

[0305] Text information W13, Q16, Q17, and P19 are text information related to the "column" component of building material K4. Note that the text information related to the "column" is the same as the text information related to the "main body," so a detailed explanation will be omitted. However, text information P19 is text information corresponding to the list price "15,000" which is pre-associated with the form of building material K4 column that is specified to have a height of 1200 mm.

[0306] As described above, the system SY according to the third embodiment calculates an estimated unit price for each building material, which is completed by processing multiple parts. The storage unit 20 (electronic information DB) stores (stores) electronic information D4 corresponding to the building material K4. The electronic information D4 includes character information Pn (where n is a natural number of 1 or more) generated by OCR processing. The character information Pn is character information corresponding to the list price that is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to the parts of the building material K4. Similar to the second embodiment, the character information Pn is configured to be selectable by the proposer's operation.

[0307] Next, we will describe the process of generating a set of estimation information corresponding to building material K4 based on the textual information contained in electronic information D4. Comparing the third embodiment with the second embodiment, the process of generating the estimation information set differs.

[0308] Although not shown in the diagrams and detailed descriptions, in the third embodiment, similar to the process according to the second embodiment (see Figure 7), the proposer terminal 1 transmits character information selected from the electronic information D4 shown in Figure 51 to the server 3 by the proposer's operation (see step S51 in Figure 42), and the control unit 30 executes a generation process to generate a set of estimation information including the character information transmitted from the proposer terminal 1, and controls the display of the estimation information set generated in the generation process on screen G4 (area G41) (see step S57 in Figure 42).

[0309] Next, the generation process according to the third embodiment will be described.

[0310] The generation process according to the third embodiment includes steps a and b. Although not shown in the figures, step a is the process of classifying the character information (character information selected from electronic information by the proposer) received by the control unit 30. Step b is the process of generating a group of estimation information according to the classification in step a.

[0311] Figure 52 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of steps a and b of the generation process according to the third embodiment.

[0312] Figure 52(a) shows electronic information D4, which contains only the text information selected by the proposer. As shown in the figure, the proposer selected the following text information from among the text information contained in electronic information D4: text information U11 corresponding to "building material K4 S1R20", text information W12, Q14, Q15, P18 related to the main body of building material K4, and text information W13, Q16, Q17, P19 related to the column of building material K4.

[0313] Figures 52(b) to 52(d) are diagrams illustrating step a of the generation process. In step a, the control unit 30 classified the character information transmitted from the proposer terminal 1 to the server 3 into three categories. Specifically, it classified them into three types: those corresponding to the name of building material K4 (Figure 52(b)), those related to the main body of building material K4 (Figure 52(c)), and those related to the columns of building material K4 (Figure 52(d)).

[0314] In the example shown in Figure 52, which relates to building material K4 completed by processing two parts, the control unit 30 classified the character information into three categories in process a, according to the arrangement of the character information in electronic information D4. More specifically, the control unit 30 recognized the character information U11 located at the top of electronic information D4 as character information corresponding to the name of building material K4, the character information W12, Q14, Q15, and P18 located in the left region from the left edge to the center of electronic information D4 as character information related to one of the parts of building material K4, and the character information W13, Q16, Q17, and P19 located in the right region from the center to the right edge of electronic information D4 as character information related to the other part of building material K4, thereby classifying the character information selected by the proposer into three categories.

[0315] Figure 52(e) is a diagram illustrating step b of the generation process. In step b, the control unit 30 generates estimation information groups that show the character information classified into three categories in step a, separated by category. As shown in the figure, in step b, the control unit 30 generates estimation information group N1, which includes groups N1b, N1c, and N1d, corresponding to the three categories.

[0316] As shown in Figure 52(e), group N1b consists of text information "Building Material K4 S1R20" which was classified as text information corresponding to the name of building material K4 in process a. Group N1c consists of text information "Main body Width × Height (mm) 1000 × 1200 60,000" which was classified as text information related to one of the parts of building material K4 in process a. Group N1d consists of text information "Column Height (mm) 1200 15,000" which was classified as text information related to the other part of building material K4 in process a. As mentioned above, the estimation information group Nn generated in the generation process is displayed on screen G4 (area G41).

[0317] Next, we will explain the operation to display the estimation information group Nn according to the third embodiment from area G41 to area G11 (hereinafter referred to as the "third input operation").

[0318] Figure 53 is a diagram illustrating the third input operation related to the estimation information group N1 shown in Figure 52(e).

[0319] First, as shown in Figure 53(a), the proposer uses the proposer terminal 1 to select the indicator N1a displayed in area G41. Next, as shown in Figure 53(b), the proposer performs a third input operation to move the estimation information group N1 from area G41 to area G11 while the indicator N1a is selected. In this figure, the estimation information group N1 is positioned across areas G11 and G41, and according to this position, a guide RU is displayed in area G11 indicating the position to display the field Rn corresponding to the estimation information group N1. Finally, as shown in Figure 53(c), when the proposer deselects the indicator N1a while the guide RU is displayed in area G11, the three fields R1, R2, and R3 corresponding to the estimation information group N1 shown in Figure 52(e) are displayed at the position of the guide RU.

[0320] Figure 54 shows an example of columns R1 to R3 displayed in region G11 shown in Figure 53(c).

[0321] As shown in Figure 54, the three columns R1 to R3 display estimation information corresponding to building material K4 (estimate information group N1 shown in Figure 52(e)). Note that in this figure, only one of the four sections that make up column Rn is shown, and the remaining three sections are omitted from the illustration.

[0322] As shown in Figure 54, column R1 corresponds to group N1b, one of the three groups that make up the estimation information group N1, and column R1 displays "Building Material K4 S1R20", which makes up group N1b. Similarly, column R2 corresponds to group N1c, and column R2 displays "Main Body Width × Height (mm) 1000 × 1200 60,000", which makes up group N1c. Column R3 corresponds to group N1d, and column R3 displays "Column Height (mm) 1200 15,000", which makes up group N1c.

[0323] Although not shown in the diagrams and detailed explanations, in the third embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the building material K4 is classified as the "second layer," and the main body and columns located below the building material K4 are classified as the "third layer," and the information for these layers is displayed in the corresponding column Rn.

[0324] Next, using Figure 55, we will explain an example of manually entering estimation information into the empty box of column R3 shown in Figure 54, which is displayed in area G11, during the third input operation. For convenience, only column R3 is shown in Figure 55, and columns R1 and R2 are omitted. Also, in the same figure, two of the four sections that make up column R3 (sections R31 and R32) are shown, and the remaining two sections are omitted.

[0325] Figure 55 shows an example of manually entering the first multiplier and quantity of building material K4 columns into the blank box.

[0326] Column R3 shown in Figure 55 is composed of multiple grids, similar to the first and second embodiments. Grid R31c corresponds to the quantity of columns of building material K4. Grid R32a corresponds to the first multiplier of columns of building material K4. Grid R32b corresponds to the estimated unit price of columns of building material K4. Grid R32c corresponds to the estimated price of columns of building material K4.

[0327] As shown in Figure 55, the proposer first entered "80(0.8)" into cell R32a. As a result, the control unit 30 multiplied the "15,000" displayed (entered) in cell R31e by "80(0.8)" to calculate "12,000", and displayed the calculated "12,000" in cell R32b. In other words, the control unit 30 calculated the estimated unit price for the pillars of building material K4.

[0328] Next, the proposer entered "4" into cell R31c. As a result, the control unit 30 multiplied "12,000" displayed in cell R32b by "4" to calculate "48,000," and displayed the calculated "48,000" in cell R32c. In other words, the control unit 30 calculated the estimated price of the pillar of building material K4.

[0329] Thus, in the third embodiment, based on the third input operation, a column Rn is formed in the region G11 according to the number of groups constituting the estimation information group Nn, and the control unit 30 is configured to calculate the estimated unit price or estimated price for each component constituting a building material by manually inputting estimation information into the empty boxes of column Rn.

[0330] As described above, in the system SY according to the third embodiment, in the generation process for generating estimation information, the control unit 30 classifies the character information selected by the proposer from the electronic information D4 into character information corresponding to the names of building materials, character information related to the main body, and character information related to columns, and generates estimation information group N1 which includes group N1b containing character information corresponding to the names of building materials, group N1c containing character information related to the main body, and group N1d containing Based on the proposer's operation (third input operation) to display the information group N1 in area G41 and the estimation information group N1 displayed in area G41 in area G11, fields R1 corresponding to group N1b, R2 corresponding to group N1c, and R3 corresponding to group N1d are displayed in area G11. Field R2 displays a grid where the first multiplier for calculating the estimated unit price of the main body can be entered, and field R3 displays a grid where the first multiplier for calculating the estimated unit price of the columns can be entered. This makes it easy to calculate the estimated unit price for each component and provides a system that can efficiently estimate the costs required for the construction of a building.

[0331] The third embodiment is primarily described as configuration L below, but is not limited to configuration L. <Configuration L> An information processing system SY including a proposer terminal 1 and a server 3 connected to the proposer terminal 1 via a network NW, Server 3 comprises a storage unit 20 and a control unit 30. The memory unit 20 stores electronic information D corresponding to a building material that is completed by processing and / or assembling multiple parts. Electronic information D includes specific information generated by OCR processing, The specific information is textual information corresponding to the list price, which is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to the aforementioned part. The aforementioned specific information is configured to be selectable by the proposer's operation. The control unit 30 calculates an estimated unit price for a component corresponding to the selected specific information (for example, the main body of building material K4 corresponding to the character information P18 shown in Figure 51) based on the specific information selected from the electronic information D (for example, the character information P18 shown in Figure 51).

[0332] <Modified example of the third embodiment (Modified example 5)> Next, a modified example according to the third embodiment will be described using Figures 56 to 65. In the following description, the modified example according to the third embodiment will be referred to as "Modified Example 5".

[0333] Modification 5 shares the same configuration as the third embodiment in that it is capable of calculating estimated unit prices and gross profits for each building material, but it differs primarily in the method of generating the estimation information group from the third embodiment. More specifically, in the third embodiment, the control unit 30 is configured to classify the text information selected by the proposer from the electronic information D and generate the estimation information group based on this classification. On the other hand, in Modification 5, when the proposer selects text information from the electronic information D, the proposer classifies the text information through their own operation, and the control unit 30 generates the estimation information group based on this classification. Below, only the differences between Modification 5 and the third embodiment will be explained.

[0334] Modification 5 explains the calculation of the estimated unit price for building material K5. Like building material K4, building material K5 is a building material that is completed by processing multiple parts. Details of building material K5 will be described later.

[0335] Figure 56 is a schematic diagram showing an example of screen G4 related to Modification Example 5.

[0336] The screen G4 in the modified example 5 is a screen for displaying electronic information D stored in the electronic information DB, similar to the third embodiment. As shown in Figure 56, area G41 is divided into area G41a and area G41b. Area G41a is an area for displaying the generation frame Wn (where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) for generating the estimation information group Nn. Area G41b is an area for displaying the electronic information D stored in the electronic information DB.

[0337] Next, we will explain the generation frame Wn using Figure 57.

[0338] Figure 57 is an enlarged view of region G41a in Figure 56.

[0339] As shown in Figure 57, region G41a contains a generation frame W1 and a button G44 for displaying a new generation frame Wn in region G41a. Generation frame W1 includes input frames W1a, W1b, and W1c. The proposer can input desired character information into input frames W1a to W1c by selecting character information from the electronic information D displayed in region G41b and moving the selected character information to input frames W1a to W1c. The proposer can also display a new generation frame W2 below generation frame W1 displayed in region G41a by selecting button G44.

[0340] Next, we will explain the electronic information D5 related to modified example 5 using Figure 58.

[0341] Figure 58 is an enlarged view of region G41b in Figure 56.

[0342] Electronic information D5 is electronic information corresponding to building material K5. Although not shown in the figure, electronic information D5 is stored in the electronic information DB shown in Figure 37, which was described in the second embodiment.

[0343] To explain the electronic information D5, we will first explain the building material K5. Building material K5 is, for example, a fence, and is a building material that is completed by processing multiple main bodies (fence bodies) and multiple types of posts. Building material K5 is a building material whose form changes by changing the combination of main bodies and posts (see Figure 59). The proposer needs to determine the number of main bodies, the number of posts, and the type of posts according to the location and size of the building material K5 to be installed.

[0344] Figure 59 shows an example of the form of building material K5.

[0345] As shown in Figures 59(a) and (b), the columns related to building material K5 include three types of columns: end columns, intermediate columns, and corner columns. End columns are columns installed at the ends of building material K5, and two end columns are required to complete building material K5. Intermediate columns are columns installed between two main bodies, and their number varies depending on the form of building material K5. Corner columns are columns installed at the corners of building material K5, and their number varies depending on the form of building material K5. The examples of building material K5 forms shown in Figure 59 can also be described as examples of processing of parts related to building material K5.

[0346] Figure 59(a) shows one form of building material K5 (an example of processing of parts related to building material K5), and the building material K5 shown in Figure 59(a) consists of three main bodies, two end posts, one intermediate post, and one corner post. Figure 59(b) shows another form of building material K5 (an example of processing of parts related to building material K5), and the building material K5 shown in Figure 59(b) consists of six main bodies, two end posts, three intermediate posts, and two corner posts.

[0347] Let's return to the explanation in Figure 58. As shown in the figure, the electronic information D5 includes character information (such as character information U31 and character information W32) generated by OCR processing, and form information V35 that shows an example of the form of building material K5 (an example of processing of parts related to building material K5).

[0348] The textual information contained in electronic information D5 can be broadly classified into four types. As shown in Figure 58, the four types of textual information are: information indicating the name of building material K5 (textual information U31), information indicating the names of parts of building material K5 (e.g., textual information W32), information indicating the form corresponding to the parts of building material K5 (e.g., textual information Q33), and information corresponding to the list price pre-assigned to each form corresponding to the parts of building material K5 (e.g., textual information (specific information) P34). In the same figure, for the sake of explanation, only some of the textual information is labeled with a code.

[0349] Text information W32, Q33, and P34 are text information related to the "main body" among the components that make up building material K5. Text information W32 corresponds to "main body," and text information Q33 corresponds to "1000 x 1200." Text information P34 is text information corresponding to the list price "60,000," which is pre-associated with one of the multiple forms of building material K5's main body that is specified to have a width of 1000 mm and a height of 1200 mm.

[0350] As shown in Figure 58, the morphological information V35 includes a simplified diagram (a so-called sketch) showing an example of the morphology of building material K5, and information on the parts and quantities of the parts that constitute the morphology corresponding to this simplified diagram. In the example shown in the same figure, one form of building material K5, consisting of three main bodies, two end columns, one intermediate column, and one corner column, is illustrated in the simplified diagram (see Figure 59(a)).

[0351] Next, the method for generating the estimation information group according to Modification 5 will be explained using Figures 60 to 62. Note that some of the electronic information D5 is not shown in Figures 60 and 61.

[0352] Figure 60 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of inputting character information into the generation frame W1.

[0353] First, the proposer selected the text information U31 from the electronic information D5 shown in Figure 60(b), moved the text information U31 to the input frame W1a while it was selected, and then deselected it. As a result, the text information U31 "Building Material K5" was entered (displayed) in the input frame W1a, as shown in Figure 60(a). After that, the proposer selected button G44, which displayed a new generation frame W2 below generation frame W1 (see Figure 61).

[0354] Figure 61 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of inputting character information into the generation frame W2.

[0355] Next, the proposer performed the operation of moving the character information W32 and character information Q33 from the electronic information D5 shown in Figure 61(b) to input frame W2a, similar to the operation shown in Figure 60, and also moved the character information P34 from the electronic information D5 shown in Figure 61(b) to input frame W2c. As a result, as shown in Figure 61(a), the character information W32 "body" and the character information Q33 "1000×1200" were input (displayed) in input frame W2a, and the character information P34 "60,000" was input (displayed) in input frame W2c.

[0356] Next, the proposer, referring to the morphological information V35 shown in Figure 61(b), considered the form of building material K5 that would be suitable for the location where it would be installed, and then manually entered the number of main body pieces (quantity) required to complete building material K5 into input box W2b. In the example shown in Figure 61, as shown in Figure 61(a), the proposer manually entered "3" into input box W2b.

[0357] Although not shown in the diagram, the proposer performed the operation of inputting text information related to the main body into the generation frame W2, then selected button G44 to display a new generation frame W3 below generation frame W2, and then performed the operation of inputting text information related to the end column into this new generation frame W3. Subsequently, similarly, the proposer selected button G44 to display generation frames W4 and W5 in area G41a, and then performed the operation of inputting text information related to the intermediate column into generation frame W4 and text information related to the corner column into generation frame W5.

[0358] Figure 62 shows an example of multiple generation frames W1 to W5 into which character information has been entered.

[0359] Figure 62 shows an example of generation frames W1 to W5 for generating estimation information group Nn corresponding to building material K5. Assume that while generation frames W1 to W5 shown in the figure are displayed in area G41a, the operation to select button G43 located on screen G4 shown in Figure 56 is performed. In that case, the control unit 30 generates estimation information group Nn corresponding to generation frames W1 to W5 and controls the display of the generated estimation information group Nn in area G41 (not shown).

[0360] Figure 63 shows the estimation information group N1 corresponding to building material K5 (corresponding to generation frames W1 to W5 shown in Figure 62).

[0361] As shown in Figure 63, the estimation information group N1 includes groups N1b, N1c, N1d, N1e, and N1f. Group N1b corresponds to the generation frame W1 shown in Figure 62 and is composed of text information "building material K5". Group N1c corresponds to the generation frame W2 shown in Figure 62 and is composed of text information "main body 1000×1200 3 60,000". Group N1d corresponds to the generation frame W3 shown in Figure 62 and is composed of text information "end column 2 12,000". Group N1e corresponds to the generation frame W4 shown in Figure 62 and is composed of text information "intermediate column 1 9,000". Group N1f corresponds to the generation frame W5 shown in Figure 62 and is composed of text information "corner column 1 33,000".

[0362] Next, the operation to display the estimation information group Nn according to Modification Example 5 from area G41 to area G11 will be described. Although this operation is not illustrated, similar to the third input operation in the third embodiment (see Figure 53), the proposer selects the indicator N1a shown in Figure 63, and while indicator N1a is selected, moves the estimation information group N1 shown in Figure 63 from area G41 to area G11, and then performs an operation to deselect indicator N1a. In this case, the control unit 30 controls the display of five fields R1 to R5 corresponding to the estimation information group N1 shown in Figure 63 in area G11. More specifically, the control unit 30 controls the display of field R1 corresponding to group N1b shown in Figure 63, field R2 corresponding to group N1c shown in Figure 63, field R3 corresponding to group N1d shown in Figure 63, field R4 corresponding to group N1e shown in Figure 63, and field R5 corresponding to group N1f shown in Figure 63 in area G11.

[0363] Next, Figure 64 will be used to explain column Rn in modified example 5. Note that in this figure, only one of the four sections constituting column Rn is shown, and the remaining three sections are omitted from the illustration.

[0364] Figure 64 shows the fields R1 to R5 displayed in area G11 as a result of the operation of displaying (inputting) the estimation information group N1 shown in Figure 63 from area G41 to area G11.

[0365] The columns R1 to R5 shown in Figure 64 are estimation information corresponding to building material K5. Column R1 is the column corresponding to group N1b shown in Figure 63. The box R11a (item) of column R1 displays "building material K5", and the box R11c (quantity) of column R1 displays "1". In other words, based on the proposer's operation to display the estimation information group N1 from area G41 to area G11, the control unit 30 generates column R1 corresponding to group N1b which constitutes the estimation information group N1, and controls the generated column R1 to display the text information contained in group N1b. Note that columns R2 to R5 are the same as column R1, so a detailed explanation of them is omitted, but the control unit 30 generates one column Rn corresponding to one group for each group N1c to N1f which constitutes the estimation information group N1, and controls the generated column Rn to display the text information contained in the group.

[0366] Next, we will explain column R2, which corresponds to group N1c shown in Figure 63, using Figures 65 and 66. Note that in Figures 65 and 66, only two of the four sections that make up column R2 are shown, and the remaining two sections are omitted.

[0367] Figure 65 shows the column R2 displayed in area G11 after the operation of displaying (inputting) the estimation information group N1 shown in Figure 63 from area G41 to area G11.

[0368] As shown in Figure 65, column R2 displays the text information "Main body 1000×1200 3 60,000" included in group N1c shown in Figure 63. More specifically, the box R21a (item) of column R2 displays "Main body 1000×1200", the box R21c (quantity) of column R2 displays "3", and the box R21e (list price) of column R2 displays "60,000". In other words, based on the proposer's operation to display the estimation information group N1 from area G41 to area G11, the control unit 30 generates column R2 corresponding to group N1c which constitutes the estimation information group N1, and controls the generated column R2 to display the text information included in group N1c.

[0369] Figure 66 shows column R2 after some of the empty boxes in column R2 shown in Figure 65 have been manually filled with information for estimation.

[0370] As shown in Figure 66, the proposer first manually entered the first multiplier "80(0.8)" into cell R22a. The control unit 30 then multiplied the "60,000" (list price) displayed (entered) in cell R21e by "80(0.8)" to calculate "48,000," and then controlled the control unit 30 to display the calculated "48,000" in cell R22b. In other words, the control unit 30 calculated the estimated unit price of the main body of building material K5.

[0371] Furthermore, the control unit 30 multiplied the calculated estimated unit price of the main body of building material K5, "48,000", by the "3" (quantity) displayed (input) in grid R21c to calculate "144,000", and controlled the system to display the calculated "144,000" in grid R22c. In other words, the control unit 30 calculated the estimated price of the main body of building material K5.

[0372] Although not shown in the diagrams and detailed explanation, similar to the third embodiment, the control unit 30 calculates the purchase unit price of the main body related to building material K5 based on the proposer's operation of manually entering the second markup rate in column R2, calculates the gross profit margin of the main body related to building material K5 based on the calculated purchase unit price of building material K5 and the calculated estimated unit price of building material K5, and controls the system to display the calculated gross profit margin in column R2.

[0373] As described above, in Modification 5, similar to the third embodiment, the system is configured to calculate the estimated unit price and gross profit margin for each component of a building material that is completed by processing multiple components, making it easy to calculate the estimated unit price and gross profit margin for each component.

[0374] In Modification 5, the electronic information D (e.g., electronic information D5) consists not only of text information generated by OCR processing, but also of a simplified diagram showing examples of building material forms (examples of processing, etc.). In the market, building materials whose forms change depending on the number and combination of parts are distributed, and in order to calculate the estimated unit price, it is necessary to correctly understand the structure of the building material and the types of parts, and to correctly identify the quantity of the necessary parts. However, in Modification 5, the quantity and type of necessary parts can be identified by referring to the simplified diagram (e.g., form information V35 shown in Figure 58) included in the electronic information D (e.g., electronic information D5), so that an error-free construction estimate can be created.

[0375] In particular, in Modification 5, when the proposer selects text information from electronic information D, the proposer classifies the text information according to the type of part through their own operation, and the control unit 30 generates a group of estimation information based on that classification. By displaying (inputting) the estimation information group from area G41 to area G11, the proposer can input a first markup rate for each part into area G11. For example, the proposer can manually input different first markup rates according to the type of part into area G11 (the field Rn corresponding to the part), such as "60" for the main body and "40" for the end column, and thus easily change the estimated unit price or estimated price of building materials presented to the client while considering the profit ratio to sales.

[0376] In Modification 5, the first multiplier for each component of building material K5 is stored in the building material DB shown in Figure 32. Similar to Modification 1 and Modification 4 described above, the first multiplier corresponding to a specific piece of information selected from electronic information D5 (for example, the text information P34 shown in Figure 58) is extracted from the building material DB, and the extracted first multiplier is multiplied by the specific piece of information to calculate the estimated unit price of the component corresponding to the specific piece of information. For example, to illustrate the calculation of the estimated unit price for the main body of building material K5, the building material DB stores a first multiplier of "60 (0.6)" for calculating the estimated unit price for the main body of building material K5. Based on the operation of displaying (inputting) the estimation information group N1 shown in Figure 63 from area G41 to area G11, the control unit 30 first extracts the first multiplier corresponding to the main body of building material K5 from the building material DB. Next, it multiplies the list price of the main body of building material K5, "60,000," which is one of the multiple estimation information items constituting the estimation information group N1, by the extracted first multiplier to calculate the unit price of the main body of building material K5, "36,000." Finally, it controls the system to display the calculated "36,000" in the column R2 corresponding to the main body of building material K5 (the column R2 corresponding to group N1c shown in Figure 63). This configuration makes it easy to calculate the estimated unit price for each component.

[0377] Modification 5 is primarily described as follows (structure M), but is not limited to structure M. <Configuration M> An information processing system SY including a proposer terminal 1 and a server 3 connected to the proposer terminal 1 via a network NW, Server 3 comprises a storage unit 20 and a control unit 30. The memory unit 20 stores electronic information D corresponding to a building material that is completed by processing and / or assembling multiple parts. Electronic information D includes specific information generated by OCR processing and information showing an example (morphological example) of processing and / or assembly of the one building material, The specific information is textual information corresponding to the list price, which is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to the components that make up the aforementioned building material. The aforementioned specific information is configured to be selectable by the proposer's operation. The control unit 30 calculates an estimated unit price for the component corresponding to the selected specific information based on the specific information selected from the electronic information D.

[0378] In Modification 5, as shown in Figure 64, the square R11e in column R1 is empty. In other words, the control unit 30 controls the display of a numerical value in the square R11e corresponding to the list price of building material K5, based on the proposer's operation of displaying the estimation information group N1 shown in Figure 63 from area G41 to area G11. This is because building material K5 is a building material that is completed by processing multiple parts, and the estimated unit price and first markup rate for building material K5 fluctuate depending on the number of these parts, the types of parts, and the first markup rate for the parts, so there is little point in displaying a numerical value in the square R11e. Furthermore, if a numerical value is displayed in the square R11e, a contradiction (discrepancy) may arise between the estimated unit price for building material K5 and the estimated unit prices of each part that constitutes building material K5, when the proposer manually inputs the first markup rate for calculating the estimated unit price of building material K5 into column R1 after this display.

[0379] To explain in more detail, for example in the case shown in Figure 64, the list price of the main body "60,000" is multiplied by the quantity of the main body "3" to get "180,000", the list price of the end column "12,000" is multiplied by the quantity of end columns "2" to get "24,000", the list price of the intermediate column "9,000" is multiplied by the quantity of intermediate columns "1" to get "9,000", and the list price of the corner column "33,000" is multiplied by the quantity of corner columns Even if the number of columns, "1", is multiplied to obtain "33,000", and the sum of all of these, "246,000", is displayed in cell R11e, the estimated price (estimated unit price) of building material K5 does not depend on the "246,000" displayed in cell R11e, but rather on the sum of the estimated prices of each component that make up building material K5, calculated using the quantity and estimated unit price (first multiplier). For this reason, there is little point in displaying the total list price of each component that makes up building material K5, "246,000", in cell R11e. Furthermore, if the proposer manually enters the first multiplier for calculating the estimated unit price of building material K5 into column R1, the estimated price (estimated unit price) of building material K5 will fluctuate due to this input, resulting in a value that does not match the estimated price of building material K5 and the sum of the estimated prices of each component that makes up building material K5. Therefore, when controlling the display of the sum of the list prices of each component in grid R11e, it is advisable to configure the system so that the first multiplier used to calculate the estimated unit price (estimated price) of building material K5 cannot be manually entered.

[0380] The systems, programs, etc., in the first embodiment, second embodiment, third embodiment, and modified examples 1 to 5 can be modified in various ways without altering the essence of the present invention. The control sequence, etc., can also be modified as appropriate, provided that it achieves the desired effect. Furthermore, the components described in the first embodiment, second embodiment, third embodiment, and modified examples 1 to 5 may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0381] SY System (Information Processing System) 3. Server (Information Processing Device) 20 Memory section 30 Control Unit

Claims

1. An information processing system, It comprises a memory unit and a control unit, The aforementioned storage unit stores electronic information corresponding to a building material, The aforementioned electronic information includes character information generated by OCR processing, The aforementioned textual information includes feature textual information that shows in characters the characteristics of multiple forms corresponding to the one building material, and specific information corresponding to a fixed price that is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to the one building material. The aforementioned characteristic character information and the aforementioned specific information are configured to be selectable by user operation. The control unit calculates the estimated unit price of the building material based on the specific information selected by the user from the electronic information stored in the storage unit. An information processing system characterized by the following:

2. The control unit displays the set of estimation information, including the characteristic character information and the specific information selected by the user, in a first display area, and displays the set of estimation information in the second display area based on the user's operation to display the set of estimation information displayed in the first display area in a second display area, and enables input of a first multiplier corresponding to the first building material in the second display area, and calculates the estimated unit price of the first building material by multiplying the first multiplier input in the second display area by the list price corresponding to the specific information. The information processing system according to feature 1.

3. The control unit displays a column in the second display area corresponding to the estimation information group, based on a user operation to display the estimation information group displayed in the first display area in the second display area. The aforementioned column 1 includes a first cell for displaying the list price corresponding to the specified information, a second cell for inputting the first markup rate, and a third cell for displaying the estimated unit price. The information processing system according to feature 2.

4. The control unit creates a quotation that includes the characteristic character information included in the quotation information group and the estimated unit price corresponding to the characteristic character information. The information processing system according to feature 2.

5. An information processing device, It comprises a memory unit and a control unit, The aforementioned storage unit stores electronic information corresponding to a building material, The aforementioned electronic information includes character information generated by OCR processing, The aforementioned textual information includes feature textual information that shows in characters the characteristics of multiple forms corresponding to the one building material, and specific information corresponding to a fixed price that is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to the one building material. The aforementioned characteristic character information and the aforementioned specific information are configured to be selectable by user operation. The control unit calculates the estimated unit price of the building material based on the specific information selected by the user from the electronic information stored in the storage unit. An information processing device characterized by the following:

6. The control unit displays the set of estimation information, including the characteristic character information and the specific information selected by the user, in a first display area, and displays the set of estimation information in a second display area based on the user's operation to display the set of estimation information displayed in the first display area in a second display area, and enables input of a first multiplier corresponding to one building material in the second display area, and calculates the estimated unit price of one building material by multiplying the first multiplier input in the second display area by the list price corresponding to the specific information. The information processing apparatus according to feature 5.

7. The control unit displays a column in the second display area corresponding to the estimation information group, based on a user operation to display the estimation information group displayed in the first display area in the second display area. The aforementioned column 1 includes a first cell for displaying the list price corresponding to the specified information, a second cell for inputting the first markup rate, and a third cell for displaying the estimated unit price. The information processing apparatus according to feature 6.

8. The control unit creates a quotation that includes the feature character information included in the quotation information group and the estimated unit price corresponding to the feature character information. The information processing apparatus according to feature 6.

9. An information processing method performed by an information processing device, The aforementioned information processing device includes a storage unit that stores electronic information corresponding to a building material, The aforementioned electronic information includes character information generated by OCR processing, The aforementioned textual information includes feature textual information that shows in characters the characteristics of multiple forms corresponding to the one building material, and specific information corresponding to a fixed price that is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to the one building material. The aforementioned characteristic character information and the aforementioned specific information are configured to be selectable by user operation. The process is executed to calculate the estimated unit price of the building material based on the specific information selected by the user from the electronic information stored in the memory unit. An information processing method characterized by the following:

10. A process for displaying a group of estimation information, including the characteristic character information and the specific information selected by the user, in a first display area, Based on a user operation to display the estimation information group shown in the first display area in the second display area, the estimation information group is displayed in the second display area, and a process is made available in the second display area to input the first multiplier corresponding to the first building material. The process of calculating the estimated unit price of the building material by multiplying the first multiplier entered in the second display area by the list price corresponding to the specific information is executed. The information processing method according to feature 9.

11. Based on a user operation to display the group of estimation information displayed in the first display area in the second display area, a process is executed to display a column in the second display area corresponding to the group of estimation information, The aforementioned column 1 includes a first cell for displaying the list price corresponding to the specified information, a second cell for inputting the first markup rate, and a third cell for displaying the estimated unit price. The information processing method according to feature 10.

12. A process to create a quotation that includes the characteristic character information included in the quotation information group and the estimated unit price corresponding to the characteristic character information. The information processing method according to feature 10.

13. A program to be executed by an information processing device, The aforementioned information processing device includes a storage unit that stores electronic information corresponding to a building material, The aforementioned electronic information includes character information generated by OCR processing, The aforementioned textual information includes feature textual information that shows in characters the characteristics of multiple forms corresponding to the one building material, and specific information corresponding to a fixed price that is pre-associated with each of the multiple forms corresponding to the one building material. The aforementioned characteristic character information and the aforementioned specific information are configured to be selectable by user operation. The system executes a process to calculate the estimated unit price of one building material based on the specific information selected by the user from the electronic information stored in the memory unit. A program characterized by the following features.

14. A process for displaying a group of estimation information, including the characteristic character information and the specific information selected by the user, in a first display area, Based on a user operation to display the estimation information group shown in the first display area in the second display area, the estimation information group is displayed in the second display area, and a process is made available in the second display area to input the first multiplier corresponding to the first building material. The system performs the following process: multiply the first multiplier entered in the second display area by the list price corresponding to the specific information to calculate the estimated unit price of the building material. The program according to feature 13.

15. Based on a user operation to display the group of estimation information displayed in the first display area in the second display area, the system executes a process to display a column in the second display area corresponding to the group of estimation information, The aforementioned column 1 includes a first cell for displaying the list price corresponding to the specified information, a second cell for inputting the first markup rate, and a third cell for displaying the estimated unit price. The program according to feature 14.

16. To perform a process to create an estimate that includes the characteristic character information included in the estimate information group and the estimated unit price corresponding to the characteristic character information. The program according to feature 14.

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