Document transmission device, document transmission method, and program

Abstract

To make it possible to prevent unnecessary work such as rework from occurring on a recipient side of a document.SOLUTION: A document transmission device 1 includes: a storage unit 20 that has a storage area 24 for storing a document; a destination determination unit 13 that determines a transmission destination for the document stored in the storage area 24 on the basis of the destination information 22 set in the storage area 24; a destination change unit 14 that analyzes the document stored in the storage area 24 and changes the transmission destination determined by the destination determination unit 13 on the basis of analysis results; and a transmission unit 16 that transmits the document stored in the storage area 24 to the transmission destination determined by the destination determination unit 13 when the transmission destination is not changed by the destination change unit 14, and that transmits the document stored in the storage area 24 to the transmission destination changed by the destination change unit 14 when the transmission destination is changed by the destination change unit 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a document transmitting apparatus, a document transmitting method, and a program. [[Background Art]]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a document transmitting apparatus that automatically transmits a document saved by a user to a pre-specified transmission destination (for example, Patent Document 1). In this conventional technique, a transmission destination is set in advance for each of a plurality of shared folders (storage areas) in a computer, and when a document is saved in any one of the shared folders, the saved document is automatically transmitted to the transmission destination set for that shared folder. [[Prior Art Documents]] [[Patent Documents]]

[0003] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-353121 [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0004] Incidentally, when exchanging documents within or between companies, approval from a third party (e.g., a supervisor) is sometimes indispensable for a document to be transmitted. For example, in the case of expense application documents to be transmitted from a development department to an accounting department within a company, approval by the section manager of the development department may be required. In this case, the applicant must send the document to the accounting department after obtaining the approval of the section manager.

[0005] However, an applicant may forget to obtain the approval of the section manager. If the applicant saves an expense application document without the section manager's approval in a predetermined storage area, the document will be directly transmitted to the accounting department. In this case, the accounting department cannot perform appropriate expense processing, and rework occurs in which the document is returned to the development department, which is the transmission source, to request approval.

[0006] Furthermore, during the end-of-fiscal-year budget tightening period, approval from the section chief may be insufficient, and approval from the department head may be required. In this case, the applicant may obtain approval from the section chief as usual, but forget to obtain approval from the department head, and end up saving the document without department head approval in the designated storage area. In this case, as with the above, the accounting department will be unable to process the expenses properly, resulting in the rework of returning the document.

[0007] Thus, with conventional technology, even if the sender has not properly pre-processed the document, it is automatically sent to the pre-specified recipient. As a result, the recipient is unable to properly process the document upon receipt, leading to rework and making it difficult to efficiently process the received document.

[0008] The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and aims to provide a document transmission device, a document transmission method, and a program that can suppress unnecessary work such as rework on the recipient side of the document. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To achieve the above objective, the invention according to claim 1 is a document transmission device that stores documents multiple Has storage space Furthermore, each of the multiple storage areas can be configured to include destination information and destination change information including destination change conditions. Memory unit and ,before Documents stored in memory Contents Analyze it, A determination unit that determines whether the analyzed content matches the destination change conditions set in the storage area. and, If the determination by the determination unit determines that the destination change conditions are not met, the document is sent to the recipient based on the destination information; if the destination change conditions are met, the document is sent to the recipient based on the destination change information. This configuration is characterized by comprising a transmitting unit.

[0010] The invention according to claim 2 is a document transmission device according to claim 1, The determination unit analyzes the contents of the document when the document is stored in the memory area. This configuration is characterized by the following features.

[0011] The invention according to claim 3 is, 1 In the document transmission device, the destination change information This includes a sending destination corresponding to the aforementioned destination change conditions. This configuration is characterized by the following features.

[0012] The invention according to claim 4 is a document transmission device according to claim 3, Request to change the destination change information. The configuration further includes an information registration unit that acquires a destination change request and registers the information contained in the destination change request as destination change information.

[0013] The invention according to claim 5 is a document transmission device according to claim 4, characterized in that the information registration unit is capable of receiving a destination change request from an external information terminal corresponding to the destination information.

[0014] The invention according to claim 6 is, 1 In the document transmission device, The above-mentioned conditions for changing the destination This configuration is characterized by including the date or time of transmission of the document.

[0015] The invention according to claim 7 is a document transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The unit that determines is a document Contents By analyzing the document, the approval level of the document is determined, and if the document's approval level has reached a predetermined level, If it is determined that the above conditions for changing the recipient are not met, If the document approval level has not reached the required level It is determined that the above conditions for changing the recipient are met. This configuration is characterized by the following features.

[0016] The invention according to claim 8 is a document transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The unit that determines is a document Contents By analyzing the data, the type of document is determined, and if the type of document is a pre-specified type, It is determined that the above conditions for changing the recipient are met. This configuration is characterized by the following features.

[0017] The invention according to claim 9 is a document transmission device according to claim 4, wherein when a document is stored in the storage area, the information registration unit determines whether the same document has been stored in the storage area in the past, and if the same document as the current document has been stored in the past, it extracts the differences between the current document and the past document to identify the modified parts in the current document and puts the document into the destination change information. Conditions for changing recipient This configuration is characterized by its automatic registration feature.

[0018] The invention according to claim 10 is a document transmission method, comprising: Destination information and destination change information including destination change conditions are each set in one of several memory areas. document o a storage step of storing ,before a document stored in said storage area Contents and analyzing the document, A determination to determine whether the analyzed content matches the destination change conditions set in the storage area. a step of If the determination in the above determination step determines that the destination change conditions are not met, the document is sent to the recipient based on the destination information; if the destination change conditions are met, the document is sent to the recipient based on the destination change information. and a transmission step of transmitting the document.

[0019] The invention according to claim 11 is a program that causes a computer to execute: Destination information and destination change information including destination change conditions are each set in one of several memory areas. document o a storage step of storing ,before a document stored in said storage area Contents and analyzing the document, A determination to determine whether the analyzed content matches the destination change conditions set in the storage area. a step of If the determination in the above determination step determines that the destination change conditions are not met, the document is sent to the recipient based on the destination information; if the destination change conditions are met, the document is sent to the recipient based on the destination change information. and a transmission step of transmitting the document. [Advantages of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of unnecessary work such as rework on the document receiver side. Also, for the document sender, there is an advantage that it is possible to prevent a defective document from being transmitted as-is to the receiver. [Brief Description of Drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] It is a diagram illustrating an example document transmission apparatus. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration and functional configuration of the document transmission apparatus. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of destination information. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an example of destination change information. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of document transmission processing by the document transmission apparatus. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing another example of document transmission processing by the document transmission apparatus. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing another example of destination change conditions set in the destination change information. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows the processing steps a document transmission device takes from receiving a document to sending it. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows the processing procedure when a document transmission device receives a destination change request. [Figure 10] This diagram illustrates a document transmission device capable of communicating with a server. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of a document received by a document transmission device from an information terminal. [Figure 12] This is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the document transmission device. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of the same document. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0022] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments described below, elements common to all are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations of these elements will be omitted.

[0023] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 illustrates a document transmission device 1, which is a first embodiment of the present invention. This document transmission device 1 is composed of an image processing device such as an MFP (Multifunction Peripherals). The document transmission device 1 is connected to a network 2, which includes a LAN (Local Area Network), the Internet, a public telephone network, etc. In addition to the document transmission device 1, a plurality of information terminals 3 are connected to the network 2. The document transmission device 1 can acquire digitized documents (document data) from each of these information terminals 3 via the network 2. When the document transmission device 1 acquires a digitized document from an information terminal 3, it transmits the document to a pre-specified destination. The transmission method used by the document transmission device 1 when sending documents is, for example, email, facsimile, etc. The document transmission device 1 can also transmit documents by uploading them to a cloud server.

[0024] Information terminal 3 consists of, for example, a personal computer (PC), a tablet device, or a smartphone. However, information terminal 3 is not limited to these. For example, information terminal 3 may consist of an image processing device such as an MFP, similar to document transmission device 1.

[0025] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware and functional configuration of the document transmission device 1. The document transmission device 1 comprises a processor 10, a storage unit 20, an operation panel 30, and a communication interface 40 as its hardware configuration.

[0026] The processor 10 is a control unit that comprehensively controls the operation of the document transmission device 1. The processor 10 is configured with, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory, and reads and executes the program 21 stored in the storage unit 20.

[0027] The storage unit 20 is a non-volatile storage device composed of a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD). In addition to the program 21, the storage unit 20 stores destination information 22 and destination change information 23. The storage unit 20 is also provided with a storage area 24 for storing digitized documents received via the network 2. For example, in Figure 2, the storage unit 20 is provided with multiple storage areas 24a, 24b, and 24c.

[0028] The operation panel 30 is the user interface for when a user operates the document transmission device 1. The operation panel 30 comprises a display unit 31 and an operation unit 32. The operation panel 30 displays an operation screen that the user can operate on the display unit 31 and detects user operations performed on the operation screen via the operation unit 32.

[0029] The communication interface 40 connects the document transmission device 1 to the network 2 and communicates with an external information terminal 3 via the network 2. The communication interface 40 can communicate with the information terminal 3 in communication modes compliant with various communication protocols. For example, the communication interface 40 can send and receive emails via the network 2, as well as send and receive faxes. Furthermore, the communication interface 40 can also directly send and receive document data with the information terminal 3 or a cloud server.

[0030] The processor 10 functions as an information registration unit 11, a document storage unit 12, a destination determination unit 13, a destination change unit 14, and a transmission unit 16 by executing the program 21 stored in the storage unit 20.

[0031] The information registration unit 11 is a processing unit that registers destination information 22 and destination change information 23 in the storage unit 20 based on information input via the operation panel 30 or information received via the communication interface 40. The destination information 22 is information that defines the destination of a document stored in each of the multiple storage areas 24a, 24b, and 24c of the storage unit 20. The destination change information 23 is information that is referenced in order to change the destination specified in the destination information 22, and is information that associates the conditions for changing the destination with the destination to be changed if those conditions are met.

[0032] Figure 3 shows an example of destination information 22. As shown in Figure 3, destination information 22 is information that associates the transmission method and the destination for each of the multiple storage areas 24a, 24b, and 24c. For example, in the case of destination information 22 in Figure 3, the transmission method for the document stored in storage area 24a is set to "email," and the destination for the document is set to "destinationA@*****.com." Similarly, the transmission method for the document stored in storage area 24b is set to "email," and the destination for the document is set to "destinationB@*****.com." Furthermore, the transmission method for the document stored in storage area 24c is set to "facsimile," and the destination for the document is set to "03-1234-####." In other words, destination information 22 contains the transmission method and destination for sending documents to an external source when a document is stored in each of the multiple storage areas 24a, 24b, and 24c.

[0033] For example, if the administrator of the document transmission device 1 performs an operation on the operation panel 30 to register new information in the destination information 22, the information registration unit 11 registers the new information in the destination information 22 and updates the destination information 22. Also, if the information registration unit 11 receives a command from the information terminal 3 used by the administrator of the document transmission device 1 via the communication interface 40 specifying the registration of new information in the destination information 22, it registers the new information in the destination information 22 and updates the destination information 22.

[0034] Furthermore, the destination information 22 may include the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of a cloud server as the destination for sending the document. In this case, by also setting the ID and password for logging into the cloud server as the destination, the document sending device 1 can automatically log in to the cloud server and send the document.

[0035] Figure 4 shows an example of destination change information 23. As shown in Figure 4, destination change information 23 is information that is set individually for each of the multiple storage areas 24a, 24b, and 24c, and is information that associates destination change conditions that change the sending destination determined based on destination information 22, the application period for which the destination change conditions apply, the changed sending method, and the changed sending destination. For example, as shown in Figure 3, two conditions are set as destination change conditions for a document stored in storage area 24a: not approved by the department head and not approved by the section chief. In other words, if a document stored in storage area 24a is a document that has not received approval from the department head or section chief, it will match the destination change conditions. For example, in destination change information 23, "email" is set as the sending method when a document that has not received approval from the department head is stored in storage area 24a, and "To Department Head@*****.com" is set as the sending destination. Also, "email" is set as the sending method when a document that has not received approval from the section chief is stored in storage area 24a, and "To Section Chief@*****.com" is set as the sending destination. However, the condition of not being approved by the department head has an application period, which is one month, from March 1st to 31st, 2022. If the document is stored in memory area 24a outside of this application period, the condition of not being approved by the department head does not apply. In addition, there is no application period set for not being approved by the section chief, and this condition is always in effect.

[0036] For example, if a user of the document transmission device 1 performs an operation on the operation panel 30 to register new information in the destination change information 23, the information registration unit 11 registers the new information in the destination change information 23 and updates the destination change information 23. Also, if the information registration unit 11 receives a destination change request from an external information terminal 3 via the communication interface 40 that specifies the registration of new information in the destination change information 23, it registers the information included in that destination change request in the destination change information 23 and updates the destination change information 23.

[0037] In other words, the recipient of the document can register information such as recipient change conditions tailored to the recipient's needs in the recipient change information 23 by having the recipient operate their own information terminal 3 and send a recipient change request to the document transmission device 1. For example, if the recipient works in the accounting department and, during the year-end budget tightening period, manager approval is insufficient and department head approval is required, the recipient can send a recipient change request to the document transmission device 1, including recipient change conditions, application period, transmission method, and recipient, based on such circumstances, and the recipient change information 23 tailored to the accounting department's needs will be automatically registered.

[0038] Returning to Figure 2, the document storage unit 12, destination determination unit 13, destination change unit 14, and transmission unit 16 function when the document transmission device 1 acquires an digitized document. For example, the document transmission device 1 acquires a document by receiving a document transmitted from an external information terminal 3 via the communication interface 40. The document transmission device 1 also has a scanner unit that reads images of original documents, and it is possible to generate document data by optically reading an original document set in the scanner unit by the user. In this case, the document transmission device 1 acquires an digitized document through the original document reading operation by the scanner unit.

[0039] The document storage unit 12 stores the document acquired by the document transmission device 1 in one of the multiple storage areas 24a, 24b, and 24c. For example, when the document transmission device 1 receives a document from an external information terminal 3, the document has information attached to it that specifies the storage area. Therefore, the document storage unit 12 identifies the storage area to be stored based on the information attached to the document and stores the document in the identified storage area. Also, when the document transmission device 1 acquires a document generated by the scanner unit, the document storage unit 12 stores the document in the storage area specified by the user through an operation on the operation panel 30.

[0040] The destination determination unit 13 operates periodically in the processor 10 to determine whether a document is stored in any of the multiple storage areas 24a, 24b, and 24c. If it determines that a document is stored in at least one of the multiple storage areas 24a, 24b, and 24c, the destination determination unit 13 reads the destination information 22 and determines the destination of the document based on the destination set in the storage area where the document is stored.

[0041] Furthermore, the destination determination unit 13 is not limited to functioning periodically; for example, it may function when a document is saved by the document storage unit 12.

[0042] The destination change unit 14 functions in conjunction with the destination determination unit 13 determining the destination of the document. The destination change unit 14 determines whether or not to change the destination of the document determined by the destination determination unit 13, and if it determines to change it, it changes the destination determined by the destination determination unit 13 to a different destination. For example, the destination change unit 14 can determine whether or not there is a defect in the document stored in the memory area, and if there is a defect in the document, it can change the destination. In addition, the destination change unit 14 can change the destination not only when there is a defect in the document, but also when other conditions are met.

[0043] The destination change unit 14 reads the destination change information 23 and determines whether a destination change condition is registered in the storage area where the document is stored. If a destination change condition is registered in the destination change information 23, the destination change unit 14 determines whether the document stored by the document storage unit 12 is a document that matches the destination change condition. If the document matches the destination change condition, the destination change unit 14 changes the destination determined by the destination determination unit 13 to the destination registered in the destination change information 23.

[0044] The recipient change unit 14 includes an analysis unit 15 that analyzes the document. The analysis unit 15 analyzes the contents of the document to determine whether it meets the recipient change conditions. For example, if the recipient change condition is set to "Not approved by the section chief," the analysis unit 15 analyzes the document saved by the document storage unit 12 to determine whether the document has been approved by the section chief. For example, the analysis unit 15 determines whether the document has been approved by the section chief by determining whether information indicating approval by the section chief (such as a seal or signature) is attached to the document. If the analysis unit 15 determines that the document has not been approved by the section chief, it determines that the document meets the recipient change conditions. In this case, the recipient change unit 14 changes the recipient determined by the recipient determination unit 13 to the recipient registered in the recipient change information 23.

[0045] For example, if "Not Approved by Department Head" is set as a destination change condition, the analysis unit 15 analyzes the document saved by the document storage unit 12 to determine whether or not the document has been approved by the department head. For example, the analysis unit 15 determines whether or not the document has been approved by the department head by determining whether or not information indicating approval by the department head (such as a seal or signature) is attached to the document. If the analysis unit 15 determines that the document has not been approved by the department head, it determines that the document meets the destination change condition. In this case, the destination change unit 14 changes the destination determined by the destination determination unit 13 to the destination registered in the destination change information 23.

[0046] Furthermore, if the analysis unit 15 determines that the document does not meet the destination change conditions, the destination change unit 14 will not change the destination determined by the destination determination unit 13.

[0047] In this way, the destination change unit 14 analyzes the document to determine the document's approval level and decides whether the document's approval level has reached a predetermined level specified in the destination change conditions. If the document's approval level has reached the predetermined level, the destination change unit 14 does not change the destination determined by the destination determination unit 13. On the other hand, if the document's approval level has not reached the predetermined level, the destination change unit 14 changes the destination determined by the destination determination unit 13 to a different destination.

[0048] Once the processing by the destination change unit 14 is complete, the transmission unit 16 functions. The transmission unit 16 transmits the document to the destination determined by the destination determination unit 13, or to the destination changed by the destination change unit 14. At this time, the transmission unit 16 reads the document stored by the document storage unit 12 and transmits the read document to the destination. For example, if the destination change unit 14 has not changed the destination, the transmission unit 16 decides to communicate using the transmission method specified in the destination information 22 and transmits the document to the destination determined by the destination determination unit 13. If the destination change unit 14 has changed the destination, the transmission unit 16 decides to communicate using the transmission method specified in the destination change information 23 and transmits the document to the destination changed by the destination change unit 14. It is preferable that the transmission unit 16 deletes the document from the storage areas 24a, 24b, and 24c after the document transmission is complete.

[0049] Figure 5 shows an example of the document transmission process by the document transmission device 1. Figure 5 illustrates the document transmission process when the destination change unit 14 does not change the destination. For example, the sender operates their information terminal 3a to specify the storage area 24a where "Not Approved by Section Chief" is set as the destination change condition in the destination change information 23, and sends the document Da, which has been appropriately approved by the section chief, to the document transmission device 1 (process P10).

[0050] When the document transmission device 1 receives document Da transmitted from information terminal 3a, it activates the document storage unit 12. The document storage unit 12 then stores the received document Da in the storage area 24a specified by the sender. After that, the document transmission device 1 activates the destination determination unit 13. Based on the destination information 22, the destination determination unit 13 identifies the transmission destination set in the storage area 24a and determines that identified transmission destination as the destination for document Da.

[0051] Next, the document transmission device 1 activates the destination change unit 14. The destination change unit 14 reads the destination change information 23 and identifies the destination change conditions set for the storage area 24a. The destination change unit 14 then analyzes the document Da stored in the storage area 24a to determine whether or not the document Da matches the destination change conditions. In the example in Figure 5, the sender has sent a document Da that has been properly approved by the section chief to the document transmission device 1. Therefore, the destination change unit 14 determines that the document Da is not a "not approved by the section chief" document and does not match the destination change conditions, and does not change the transmission destination determined by the destination determination unit 13.

[0052] Subsequently, the document transmission device 1 activates the transmission unit 16. The transmission unit 16 reads document Da from the storage area 24a and transmits document Da to the destination determined by the destination determination unit 13 (process P11). The destination determined by the destination determination unit 13 is the intended recipient who is expected to receive document Da. In other words, in the example of Figure 5, the intended recipient can receive the properly pre-processed document Da on their information terminal 3b. Therefore, the recipient does not need to return the document Da received from the document transmission device 1 to the sender, and no rework occurs.

[0053] Next, Figure 6 shows another example of the document transmission process by the document transmission device 1. Figure 6 illustrates the document transmission process when the destination is changed by the destination change unit 14. For example, the sender operates their information terminal 3a to specify the storage area 24a where "Not Approved by Section Chief" is set as the destination change condition in the destination change information 23, and sends the document Db, which has not been approved by the section chief, to the document transmission device 1 (process P20).

[0054] When the document transmission device 1 receives a document Db transmitted from the information terminal 3a, it activates the document storage unit 12. The document storage unit 12 then stores the received document Db in the storage area 24a specified by the sender. Subsequently, the document transmission device 1 activates the destination determination unit 13. Based on the destination information 22, the destination determination unit 13 identifies the transmission destination set in the storage area 24a and determines that identified transmission destination as the destination for document Db. At this time, the determined transmission destination is the destination of the actual recipient who is expected to receive the document stored in the storage area 24a.

[0055] Next, the document transmission device 1 activates the destination change unit 14. The destination change unit 14 reads the destination change information 23 and identifies the destination change conditions set for the storage area 24a. The destination change unit 14 then analyzes the document Db stored in the storage area 24a to determine whether the document Db matches the destination change conditions. In the example in Figure 6, the sender sends a document Db that has not been approved by the section chief to the document transmission device 1. Therefore, the destination change unit 14 determines that the document Db is a "not approved by the section chief" document and matches the destination change conditions, and changes the transmission destination determined by the destination determination unit 13 to the transmission destination registered in the destination change information 23. At this time, the destination change unit 14 changes the transmission destination of the document Db from the original recipient's destination to the approver's destination who should be giving the section chief's approval.

[0056] Next, the document transmission device 1 activates the transmission unit 16. The transmission unit 16 reads document Db from the storage area 24a and sends document Db to the destination changed by the destination change unit 14 (process P21). As a result, document Db is sent not to the information terminal 3b of the original recipient, but to the information terminal 3c of the approver who approves document Db.

[0057] The approver who receives document Db performs an approval operation on document Db. As a result, the unapproved document Db is changed to document Da, which has been properly approved by the section chief. The approver then operates their information terminal 3c to specify storage area 24a and sends the properly approved document Da to document transmission device 1 (process P22).

[0058] When the document transmission device 1 receives document Da transmitted from information terminal 3c, it activates the document storage unit 12. The document storage unit 12 then stores the received document Da in the storage area 24a designated by the approver. Subsequently, the document transmission device 1 activates the destination determination unit 13. Based on the destination information 22, the destination determination unit 13 identifies the transmission destination set in the storage area 24a and determines that identified transmission destination as the destination for document Da. At this time, the determined transmission destination is the destination of the original recipient who is expected to receive the document stored in the storage area 24a.

[0059] Next, the document transmission device 1 activates the destination change unit 14. The destination change unit 14 reads the destination change information 23 and identifies the destination change conditions set for the storage area 24a. The destination change unit 14 then analyzes the document Da stored in the storage area 24a to determine whether or not the document Da matches the destination change conditions. At this time, the document Da stored in the storage area 24a is a document that has already been properly approved by the approver. Therefore, the destination change unit 14 determines that the document Da is not a document "not approved by the section chief" and does not match the destination change conditions, and does not change the transmission destination determined by the destination determination unit 13.

[0060] Subsequently, the document transmission device 1 activates the transmission unit 16. The transmission unit 16 reads document Da from the storage area 24a and transmits document Da to the destination determined by the destination determination unit 13 (process P23). In this way, if the document transmission device 1 receives a document Db that has not been properly pre-processed, it does not send the document Db to the original recipient, but instead automatically transfers the document Db to the user who should perform the pre-processing so that the pre-processing is carried out properly. Therefore, the recipient does not need to return the document Db that has not been properly pre-processed to the sender themselves, and the burden of rework can be reduced.

[0061] By the way, in the above, we explained an example where the condition for changing the recipient in the recipient change information 23 is whether or not the document has been properly approved. However, it is possible to set various other conditions as conditions for changing the recipient.

[0062] Figure 7 shows another example of destination change conditions set in destination change information 23. First, Figure 7(a) shows an example in which the type of document is set as the destination change condition for the storage area 24b. In the example in Figure 7(a), two conditions, a quotation and a purchase order, are set in parallel as destination change conditions. In other words, if the document stored in the storage area 24b is either a quotation or a purchase order, it will match the destination change conditions. Then, in the destination change information 23, the sending destination when the document is a quotation and the sending destination when the document is a purchase order are set separately. Therefore, the destination change unit 14 determines the type of document (for example, the document title) by analyzing the document stored in the storage area 24b, and if the type of document stored in the storage area 24b is either a "quotation" or a "purchase order", it changes the sending destination determined by the destination determination unit 13 to the sending destination set in the destination change information 23. Furthermore, if the document stored in memory area 24b is neither a "quotation" nor a "purchase order," the destination change unit 14 does not change the destination determined by the destination determination unit 13.

[0063] Next, Figure 7(b) shows an example where two conditions, the type of document and the time period, must be met simultaneously as conditions for changing the destination for the storage area 24c. In the example in Figure 7(b), the conditions for changing the destination are set to be that the type of document is an emergency processing request and the time period is 20:00-07:00. In other words, if the document stored in storage area 24b is an emergency processing request and the time of sending that document falls within the 20:00-07:00 time period, the conditions for changing the destination are met. Therefore, if the type of document stored in storage area 24b is an "emergency processing request" and the time of sending the document falls within the 20:00-07:00 time period, the destination change unit 14 changes the destination determined by the destination determination unit 13 to the destination set in the destination change information 23. Furthermore, if the document stored in memory area 24b is not an "urgent processing request," or if the document's transmission time does not fall within the 20:00-07:00 timeframe, the destination change unit 14 will not change the destination determined by the destination determination unit 13.

[0064] Next, the processing procedure by the document transmission device 1 will be described. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure from when the document transmission device 1 receives a document until it is transmitted. This process is performed by the processor 10 executing program 21.

[0065] When the document transmission device 1 starts processing based on the flowchart in Figure 8, it determines whether or not it has acquired a document to be sent externally (step S10). If a document has been acquired (YES in step S10), the document transmission device 1 identifies a storage area specified by the user from among the multiple storage areas 24a, 24b, and 24c (step S11), and stores the document in the identified storage area (step S12). Then, the document transmission device 1 reads the destination information 22 (step S13), and determines the destination of the document based on the transmission destination set in the storage area where the document is stored (step S14).

[0066] Next, the document transmission device 1 reads the destination change information 23 (step S15) and determines whether or not a destination change condition is set in the storage area where the document is stored (step S16). If a destination change condition is set (YES in step S16), the document transmission device 1 analyzes the document to be transmitted (step S17) and determines whether or not it matches the destination change condition set in the destination change information 23 (step S18). If the result matches the destination change condition (YES in step S18), the document transmission device 1 changes the transmission destination determined in step S14 to the transmission destination set in the destination change information 23 (step S19).

[0067] In contrast, if no destination change conditions are set in the storage area where the document is stored (NO in step S16), or if the document is analyzed and determined not to meet the destination change conditions (NO in step S18), the document transmission device 1 does not change the transmission destination determined in step S14.

[0068] Then, the document transmission device 1 sends the document to the destination determined in step S14, or to the destination changed in step S19 (step S20). This completes the processing by the document transmission device 1. The processing procedure based on the flowchart in Figure 8 is repeated in the processor 10. Therefore, the document transmission device 1 repeats the above processing each time it acquires a document to be transmitted.

[0069] Next, Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure when the document transmission device 1 receives a destination change request. This process is also performed by the processor 10 executing program 21.

[0070] When the document transmission device 1 starts processing based on the flowchart in Figure 9, it determines whether or not it has received a destination change request from the external information terminal 3 (step S30). If it has received a destination change request (YES in step S30), the document transmission device 1 identifies the storage area specified in the destination change request (step S31). Then, the document transmission device 1 reads the destination change information 23 (step S32), registers the information contained in the destination change request in the destination change information 23, and updates the destination change information 23 (step S33). As the above processing procedure is executed in the document transmission device 1, the destination change information 23 is updated sequentially. In particular, since the document transmission device 1 can add destination change conditions to the destination change information 23 based on the destination change request received from the external information terminal 3, it can add necessary information to the destination change information 23 as appropriate according to the convenience of the recipient receiving the document. Therefore, if the recipient who has received a document has not had appropriate pre-processing applied to the received document, they can update the destination change information 23 so as not to receive such documents in the future.

[0071] As described above, the document transmission device 1 of this embodiment includes: a destination determination unit 13 that determines the transmission destination of a document stored in a storage area based on destination information 22 set in the storage area when the document is stored in the storage area; a destination change unit 14 that analyzes the document stored in the storage area and changes the transmission destination determined by the destination determination unit 13 based on the analysis results; and a transmission unit 16 that transmits the document stored in the storage area to the transmission destination determined by the destination determination unit 13 if the transmission destination is not changed by the destination change unit 14, and transmits the document stored in the storage area to the transmission destination changed by the destination change unit 14 if the transmission destination is changed by the destination change unit 14. With a document transmission device 1 having such a configuration, if the document sender has not performed appropriate pre-processing on the document, such a document will not be transmitted to the transmission destination set in the destination information 22, and the document can be transmitted to the transmission destination set in the destination information 22 after appropriate pre-processing has been performed.Therefore, the recipient receiving the document can quickly start appropriate processing, and unnecessary work such as rework can be suppressed.

[0072] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating a document transmission device 1 in the second embodiment. This document transmission device 1 is configured to communicate with a server 5 that manages a personnel information database 4. The personnel information database 4 registers the transmission format and recipient when sending documents to each employee, as well as the superior-subordinate relationship of each employee. Furthermore, the document transmission device 1 is connected to a network 2 and is capable of communicating with an external information terminal 3, similar to the first embodiment.

[0073] In this embodiment, the document transmission device 1 can identify the sender's superior (approver) by communicating with the server 5 when it receives a document that has not been approved by the section chief or department head. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to register the recipient in the recipient change information 23; only the recipient change conditions need to be registered.

[0074] Figure 11 shows an example of document D10 received by document transmission device 1 from information terminal 3. Document D10 shown in Figure 11 is an expense request form to be sent to the accounting department and is a document that requires manager approval. This document D10 includes sender identification information 51 such as the sender's name, as well as an approval field 52 for manager approval.

[0075] When the document transmission device 1 receives document D10 as shown in Figure 11, it can analyze document D10 and determine that the approval field 52 is blank, indicating that the section chief has not approved it. If the destination change condition in the destination change information 23 is set to "Not approved by section chief," the document transmission device 1 recognizes that document D10 has not been approved by the section chief and identifies the sender of document D10 based on the sender identification information 51. The document transmission device 1 then queries the server 5 for the recipient address of the approver (section chief) of document D10. Based on the query from the document transmission device 1, the server 5 searches the personnel information database 4 to identify the approver and notifies the document transmission device 1 of the approver's recipient address. As a result, the document transmission device 1 automatically changes the recipient address determined by the destination determination unit 13 to the recipient address notified by the server 5 and can send document D10 to the approver of document D10.

[0076] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the document transmission device 1 in the second embodiment. This process is performed by the processor 10 of the document transmission device 1 executing program 21.

[0077] When the document transmission device 1 starts processing based on the flowchart in Figure 12, it determines whether or not it has acquired a document to be sent externally (step S40). If a document has been acquired (YES in step S40), the document transmission device 1 identifies a storage area specified by the user from among the multiple storage areas 24a, 24b, and 24c (step S41), and stores the document in the identified storage area (step S42). Then, the document transmission device 1 reads the destination information 22 (step S43), and determines the destination of the document based on the transmission destination set in the storage area where the document is stored (step S44).

[0078] Next, the document transmission device 1 reads the destination change information 23 (step S45) and determines whether or not a destination change condition is set in the storage area where the document is stored (step S46). If a destination change condition is set (YES in step S46), the document transmission device 1 analyzes the document to be transmitted (step S47) and determines whether or not it matches the destination change condition set in the destination change information 23 (step S48). If the result matches the destination change condition (YES in step S48), the document transmission device 1 identifies the sender of the document based on the document analysis result (step S49) and queries the server 5 for the approver (step S50). Through this query, the document transmission device 1 obtains the approver's destination from the server 5 (step S51). Then, the document transmission device 1 changes the destination determined in step S44 to the destination obtained from the server 5 (step S52).

[0079] In contrast, if no destination change conditions are set in the storage area where the document is stored (NO in step S46), or if the document is analyzed and determined not to meet the destination change conditions (NO in step S48), the document transmission device 1 does not change the transmission destination determined in step S44.

[0080] Then, the document transmission device 1 transmits the document to the destination determined in step S44, or to the destination changed in step S52 (step S53).

[0081] In this embodiment, the document transmission device 1 communicates with the server 5 that manages the personnel information database 4. If the received document has not undergone appropriate pre-processing, it can obtain the recipient's address from the server 5, indicating the user who should perform such pre-processing. This allows the document to be sent to the recipient obtained from the server 5 before being sent to the original recipient. In particular, this embodiment has the advantage of simplifying the registration process because the recipient does not need to set the recipient address when registering new information in the address change information 23 due to the recipient's convenience.

[0082] In this embodiment, other than the points mentioned above, the details are the same as those described in the first embodiment.

[0083] (Third embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. For example, in the case of the document transmission device 1 described in the first embodiment, if the destination change condition is not set in advance in the destination change information 23, there is a possibility that rework will occur when the recipient receives the document. Therefore, in this embodiment, an example of a document transmission device 1 that can automatically update the destination change information 23 when rework occurs in which the recipient who has received the document returns the received document to the sender will be described. Note that the configuration of the document transmission device 1 in this embodiment is the same as the configuration described in the first or second embodiment.

[0084] In this embodiment, when the document transmission device 1 transmits a document to a destination determined by the destination determination unit 13, it records and manages the transmitted document in the transmission history information. As a result, the document transmission device 1 accumulates documents that have been transmitted in the past.

[0085] When the document transmission device 1 acquires a document from the information terminal 3 and stores it in a storage area specified by the user, it determines whether the same document has been stored in the same storage area in the past. Figure 13 shows an example of identical documents. For example, document D11 shown in Figure 13(a) is the document received this time, and document D12 shown in Figure 13(b) is a document that has been stored in the same storage area in the past. Documents D11 and D12 shown in Figures 13(a) and (b) are assigned document identification information 53 for identifying the documents. Since the document identification information 53 of document D11 and the document identification information 53 of document D12 are the same, the document transmission device 1 can determine that the two documents D11 and D12 are the same document.

[0086] If document transmission device 1 determines that document D12, which is the same as document D11 that was received and stored in its memory, was previously stored in the same memory area, it extracts the difference between document D11 and document D12. If a difference is extracted as a result, it means that document D11 received this time is a modified version of document D12 that was previously stored in the same memory area. Therefore, by extracting the difference between document D11 and document D12, document transmission device 1 can determine that a rework has occurred by a recipient who received the previous version of document D12.

[0087] Furthermore, the document transmission device 1 identifies the nature of the alterations made to document D11 by analyzing the differences extracted from document D11 and document D12. For example, in the example shown in Figure 13, the approval field 52 for manager approval was blank in the previous document D12, while approval has been added to the approval field 52 in the current document D11. Therefore, the document transmission device 1 can determine that the recipient has had to resubmit the document because the previous document D12 was not approved by the manager.

[0088] When the document transmission device 1 determines that a previous document D12 was not approved by the section chief and that a resubmission by the recipient has occurred, it activates the information registration unit 11. The information registration unit 11 then automatically sets the destination change conditions for the storage area where the current document D11 is stored and automatically registers them in the destination change information 23. At this time, the information registration unit 11 can also obtain the sender's destination by communicating with the server 5 described in the second embodiment and register it in the destination change information 23. Therefore, from this point onward, when the document transmission device 1 stores a document not approved by the section chief in the same storage area, it can send the document to the sender's destination based on the automatically registered destination change information 23.

[0089] In this embodiment, other than the points mentioned above, the details are the same as those described in the first or second embodiment.

[0090] (modified version) Although several preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to those described in the above embodiments, and various modifications are applicable.

[0091] For example, the destination information 22 described in the above embodiment may include the recipient address of a business partner. When the destination information 22 includes the recipient address of a business partner, applying the invention described in each of the above embodiments has the advantage of preventing defective documents from being sent to the business partner.

[0092] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was given in which the storage areas 24a, 24b, and 24c for storing documents are set in the storage unit 20 of the document transmission device 1. However, the storage areas 24a, 24b, and 24c for storing documents may be provided in a storage unit different from that of the document transmission device 1.

[0093] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was given in which the document transmission device 1 is composed of an image processing device such as an MFP. However, the document transmission device 1 is not limited to being composed of an image processing device. For example, the document transmission device 1 may be composed of a personal computer (PC) or a server.

[0094] Furthermore, the program 21 described in the above embodiment is exemplified as being pre-stored in the storage unit 20 of the document transmission device 1. However, the program 21 may be provided in a form that can be installed on a computer or the like, and may itself be the subject of a transaction. In this case, the program 21 may be provided in a form that can be downloaded via a network such as the Internet, or it may be provided recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or USB memory. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0095] 1. Document transmission device 10 Processors 11. Information Registration Department 12 Document Storage Department 13. Destination Determination Section 14. Destination Change Section 15 Analysis Department 16 Transmitter 20 Memory section 21 Programs 22 Destination Information 23. Destination Change Information 24(24a,24b,24c) storage area

Claims

1. A storage unit having multiple storage areas for storing documents, each of the multiple storage areas being capable of setting destination information and destination change information including destination change conditions, A determination unit analyzes the contents of the document stored in the storage area and determines whether the analyzed contents match the destination change conditions set in the storage area. A transmission unit that, as a result of the determination by the determination unit, determines that the destination change conditions are not met, and transmits the document to the destination based on the destination information if it is determined that the destination change conditions are met, A document transmission device characterized by comprising the following features.

2. The document transmission device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the determination unit analyzes the contents of the document at the time the document is stored in the memory area.

3. The document transmission device according to claim 1, characterized in that the destination change information includes a transmission destination corresponding to the destination change conditions.

4. An information registration unit that obtains a destination change request requesting a change of destination information and registers the information included in the destination change request in the destination change information. The document transmission device according to claim 3, further comprising the following:

5. The document transmission device according to claim 4, characterized in that the information registration unit can receive a destination change request from an external information terminal corresponding to the destination information.

6. The document transmission device according to claim 1, characterized in that the destination change condition includes the timing or duration of document transmission.

7. The document transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the determination unit determines the approval level of the document by analyzing the contents of the document, determines that the document does not meet the destination change conditions if the approval level of the document has reached a predetermined level, and determines that the document meets the destination change conditions if the approval level of the document has not reached a predetermined level.

8. The document transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the determination unit determines the type of document by analyzing the contents of the document, and determines that the destination change condition is met if the type of document is a type specified in advance.

9. The document transmission device according to claim 4, characterized in that when a document is stored in the storage area, the information registration unit determines whether the same document has been stored in the storage area in the past, and if the same document as the current document has been stored in the past, it extracts the differences between the current document and the past document to identify the modified parts in the current document, and automatically registers the document destination change conditions in the destination change information.

10. A storage step of storing a document in one of a plurality of storage areas in which destination information and destination change information including destination change conditions are each set, A determination step of analyzing the contents of the document stored in the storage area and determining whether the analyzed contents match the destination change conditions set in the storage area, A transmission step in which, if the determination in the above determination step determines that the destination change conditions are not met, the document is sent to the recipient based on the destination information, and if the determination determines that the destination change conditions are met, the document is sent to the recipient based on the destination change information, A document transmission method characterized by having the following features.

11. On the computer, A storage step in which a document is stored in one of several storage areas in which destination information and destination change information including destination change conditions are each set, A determination step of analyzing the contents of the document stored in the storage area and determining whether the analyzed contents match the destination change conditions set in the storage area, A transmission step in which, if the determination in the above determination step determines that the destination change conditions are not met, the document is sent to the recipient based on the destination information, and if the determination determines that the destination change conditions are met, the document is sent to the recipient based on the destination change information, A program characterized by causing the execution of [something].

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