Information processing method

Abstract

The present invention appropriately manages or references case information pertaining to legal cases. In an information processing method according to an embodiment, at least a first email and a second email that is an email thread different from the first email are stored as information pertaining to a first legal case, and one or a plurality of pieces of email information included in the first email and the second email are displayed on the same screen as information pertaining to the first legal case. The one or plurality of pieces of email information each include information regarding the time and details to be displayed. Furthermore, pieces of email information regarding the first legal case are displayed side by side on the basis of the time indicated in the time information.

Description

Information Processing Method

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD An embodiment of the present disclosure relates to an information processing method.

[0002] In legal work, case information for a single case may include various types of information such as messages between staff members, e-mails, document files such as contracts, etc. Therefore, when checking case information for a certain case, legal staff may have to go through the trouble of searching for case information stored in different locations and checking the contents.

[0003] JP 2019-114264 A

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide an information processing method for appropriately managing or referencing case information related to legal cases.

[0005] The information processing method according to the embodiment displays at least a first email and a second email, which is an email thread different from the first email, on the same screen as information relating to a first legal case, which is one of legal cases.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an overview of a case management system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a terminal device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an information processing device. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a timeline area in which message information and update operation information are displayed. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a send box. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a mail thread area in which mail information is displayed.

[0007] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions and configurations are designated by the same reference numerals and will be described only when necessary. In addition, the embodiments can be combined with other embodiments, modifications, and conventional techniques.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an overview of a case management system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0009] As used herein, a legal case refers to a unit of work, such as a request for a company's legal staff to draft or review a contract or legal document. The legal case unit can be defined as appropriate, for example, per request or per contract. It can also be a conversation or a collection of arbitrary data, such as a chat tool, a social networking service (SNS) channel or thread, an email thread, or a case registered in a system. The legal case unit may also be determined by rules, such as regulations and policies, of the company to which the user belongs, the individual user, or the settings of the system vendor. It is preferable that each legal case be identifiable by, for example, a case number, case name, date of acceptance, the counterparty, requester, or client name.

[0010] In this specification, information related to a legal case is referred to as “case information.” The case information includes, for example, emails or messages requesting the case, files such as contracts, document files such as contracts related to related or similar agreements, other related files, messages sent by case managers, legal staff, and legal managers, information sent and received via email or messaging applications to and from external users who do not have user accounts on the case management system 10 or do not have authority over the legal case, and a variety of other information, such as a staff change history for assigning or changing legal staff.

[0011] In this specification, legal documents include contracts, terms and conditions, regulations, and other legal documents in general. Furthermore, the text data contained in messages and files handled by the case management system 10 may be written in any language.

[0012] The project management system 10 of this embodiment includes an information processing device 20 and a plurality of terminal devices 30 (e.g., terminal device 30-1, terminal device 30-2, and terminal device 30-3). For example, the information processing device 20 is provided on a cloud and is connected to each of the plurality of terminal devices 30 via a network 40 and a router 42.

[0013] Each of the plurality of terminal devices 30 of the present embodiment is used by a user. As a result, the information processing device 20 of the present embodiment can provide a case management service for managing case information related to legal cases for each of the users of the plurality of terminal devices 30.

[0014] In this embodiment, the users are case workers, legal affairs personnel, or legal affairs administrators, and each of the multiple terminal devices 30 is used by one of the case workers, legal affairs personnel, or legal affairs administrators.

[0015] In this embodiment, the case manager is a user who enters into a contract or handles a legal case. For example, the case manager may be an employee of a sales department other than the legal department. For example, when a contract or other matter is concluded or when legal action or consideration becomes necessary, the case manager uses the terminal device 30 to register the legal case in the information processing device 20. Note that there may be multiple case managers for one legal case.

[0016] In this embodiment, the legal officer is, for example, a user who handles and reviews legal matters registered by the case manager. A legal officer is assigned to each legal matter, for example. Multiple legal officers may be assigned to one legal matter. The legal officer uses, for example, the terminal device 30 to review document files such as contracts for the assigned legal matter. The legal officer may also send a message to the case manager to provide advice to the case manager.

[0017] The legal affairs manager in this embodiment is a user who is an administrator of the legal affairs department and manages the legal affairs personnel. When a legal case arises, the legal affairs manager in this embodiment can use the terminal device 30 to assign any person in the legal affairs department as the legal affairs personnel for the legal case.

[0018] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 20 according to the embodiment. The information processing device 20 performs various processes in response to requests from each of the multiple terminal devices 30 via the network 40, and can display images on the multiple terminal devices 30 via the network 40.

[0019] The information processing device 20 of this embodiment is a computer, and includes, for example, a processor 21, a main storage device 22 (memory), an auxiliary storage device 23 (storage), a network interface 24, a device interface 25, and a bus 26 that connects the respective components.

[0020] The information processing device 20 shown in the figure includes one of each component, but may include multiple of the same component. Also, while FIG. 2 shows one information processing device 20, the software may be installed on multiple computers, and each of the multiple computers may execute the same or different parts of the software's processing. In this case, a form of distributed computing may be used in which each computer communicates with the other computers via a network interface 24 or the like to execute processing. In other words, the information processing device 20 may be configured as a system in which one or more computers execute instructions stored in one or more storage devices to realize various functions described below.

[0021] Various calculations of the information processing device 20 may be executed in parallel using one or more processors 21, or using multiple computers via the network 40. Furthermore, various calculations may be distributed to multiple arithmetic cores within the processor 21 and executed in parallel. In this way, the processing of the information processing device 20 may take the form of parallel computing using one or multiple computers. Furthermore, some or all of the processes, means, etc. disclosed herein may be executed by at least one of another arithmetic processing device and storage device that can communicate with the information processing device 20 via the network 40.

[0022] The processor 21 may be an electronic circuit (such as a processing circuit, processing circuitry, CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)) including a control device and an arithmetic device of the information processing device 20. The processor 21 may also be a semiconductor device or the like including a dedicated processing circuit. The processor 21 is not limited to an electronic circuit using electronic logic elements, and may be realized by an optical circuit using optical logic elements. The processor 21 may also include an arithmetic function based on quantum computing.

[0023] The processor 21 performs arithmetic processing based on data and software (programs) input from each device, etc., configured internally of the information processing device 20, and can output arithmetic results and control signals to each device, etc. The processor 21 may control each component constituting the information processing device 20 by executing an OS (Operating System) of the information processing device 20, application programs, etc.

[0024] The information processing device 20 may be realized by one or more processors 21. Here, the processor 21 may refer to one or more electronic circuits arranged on one chip, or may refer to one or more electronic circuits arranged on two or more chips or two or more devices. When multiple electronic circuits are used, the respective electronic circuits may communicate with each other via wire or wirelessly.

[0025] The main memory device 22 is a storage device that stores instructions executed by the processor 21 and various data, and information stored in the main memory device 22 is read by the processor 21. The auxiliary memory device 23 is a storage device other than the main memory device 22 and may be composed of a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory. Note that these storage devices refer to any electronic component capable of storing electronic information and may be semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory may be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory. The storage device for saving various data used in the information processing device 20 may be realized by the main memory device 22 or the auxiliary memory device 23, or may be realized by an internal memory built into the processor 21. For example, the main memory device 22 and the auxiliary memory device 23 may be collectively referred to as a storage unit or a storage device.

[0026] When the information processing device 20 has functions such as storing and managing message information, storing and managing update operation information, storing and managing files, or storing and managing the sending and receiving of e-mails, the auxiliary storage device 23 stores, for example, message information obtained from each of the multiple terminal devices 30 via the network 40, update operation information regarding update operations performed on the information processing device 20, document files of legal documents sent and received via the network 40, e-mails sent and received via the network 40, etc.

[0027] Multiple processors 21 may be connected (coupled) to one storage device (main storage device 22 and / or auxiliary storage device 23), or a single processor 21 may be connected. Multiple storage devices may be connected (coupled) to one processor 21. When the information processing device 20 is configured with at least one storage device and multiple processors connected (coupled) to this at least one storage device, it may include a configuration in which at least one of the multiple processors is connected (coupled) to at least one storage device. This configuration may also be realized by storage devices and processors 21 included in multiple computers. Furthermore, it may include a configuration in which a storage device is integrated with the processor 21 (for example, a cache memory including an L1 cache and an L2 cache).

[0028] The network interface 24 is an interface for connecting to the network 40 wirelessly or via a wire. The network interface 24 may be an appropriate interface, such as one that conforms to an existing communication standard. The network interface 24 may exchange information with an external device connected via the network 40. The network 40 may be any one of a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a personal area network (PAN), etc., or a combination thereof, as long as information is exchanged between the information processing device 20 and an external device. An example of a WAN is the Internet, an example of a LAN is IEEE 802.11 or Ethernet (registered trademark), and an example of a PAN is Bluetooth (registered trademark) or NFC (Near Field Communication), etc.

[0029] The device interface 25 is an interface such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) that directly connects to an output device such as a display device, an input device, or an external device. The external device may be a storage device (memory), network storage, or HDD. The external device may also have some of the functions of the components of the information processing device 20. In other words, the information processing device 20 may transmit or receive some or all of the processing results of the external device. The display device connected to the device interface 25 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma display panel (PDP), or an organic electroluminescence (EL) panel. Various input interfaces, such as a keyboard, mouse, or touchpad, can be used as an input device connected to the device interface 25. Furthermore, the information processing device 20 may be configured to include an output device such as a display device and an input device.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the terminal device 30 according to the embodiment.

[0031] The terminal device 30 of this embodiment is a computer, and includes, as an example, a processor 31, a main storage device 32 (memory), an auxiliary storage device 33 (storage), a network interface 34, a device interface 35, a bus 36 connecting the respective components, a display device 37 connected to the device interface 35, and an input device 38 connected to the device interface 35. Note that the specific hardware configurations of the processor 31, the main storage device 32, the auxiliary storage device 33, the network interface 34, the device interface 35, and the bus 36 are similar to the processor 31, the main storage device 22, the auxiliary storage device 23, the network interface 24, the device interface 25, and the bus 26 of the information processing device 20 described above, respectively, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. Specifically, the terminal device 30 is a PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal, or the like, but is not limited thereto.

[0032] The display device 37 is a display device such as an LCD, a CRT, a PDP, an organic EL panel, etc. The display device 37 displays a display image, etc. based on an instruction from the processor 31.

[0033] The input device 38 is a device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc. A user can input instructions for various operations using the input device 38. The instructions input from the input device 38 are sent to the processor 31.

[0034] The terminal device 30 may also include other external devices (for example, a camera, a microphone, a motion capture device, various sensors, etc.) connected via the device interface 25 in order to manipulate and edit document data.

[0035] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment. Note that the processes related to the case management system 10 performed by the information processing device 20 and the terminal device 30 in the following description may be performed by the information processing device 20, the terminal device 30, or two or more of the information processing device, the terminal device, and the information processing device external to the case management system 10 system.

[0036] The information processing device 20 of this embodiment has a storage unit including a management information storage unit 62, a file storage unit 64, a message storage unit 66, an operation storage unit 68, a mail storage unit 70, a deleted data storage unit 72, and an information processing unit 80.

[0037] The management information storage unit 62 of this embodiment stores management information for each legal case, including, for example, case identification information for identifying the corresponding legal case, information for identifying a user authorized to write and read case information related to the corresponding legal case, the title of the corresponding legal case, and a case summary of the corresponding legal case.

[0038] The case summary may include two sentences: a "summary" and a "topic." The "summary," for example, is text summarizing the history of the legal case, particularly the past history. The "topic" is, for example, a matter related to review, including changes to legal documents related to the legal case. In this specification, a "sentence" may be a sentence consisting of multiple sentences, or may be very short information such as a single word, a single sentence, or a bulleted list.

[0039] The file storage unit 64 of this embodiment stores files in association with legal cases. Hereinafter, a document file will be described as an example of a file. A document file is a file containing character data, such as a file containing data on a legal document, such as a contract created for the corresponding legal case. In addition to a contract, the document file may also be a file containing other information related to the legal case, such as a contract term sheet, minutes of negotiations, or business documents related to the legal case.

[0040] After an initial version of a document file such as a contract is created, the version may be updated based on corrections, reviews, and receipt of counterproposals from the other party. In this case, the file storage unit 64 can store one or more versions of a document file for each document file. The file storage unit 64 of this embodiment can read a specified version of a document file by specifying the file name and version. Furthermore, the file storage unit 64 can store document files for each version not only of contracts but also of other legal documents or related documents.

[0041] The message storage unit 66 of this embodiment stores one or more pieces of message information for each legal case, including a message to be displayed to the user and time information related to the time.

[0042] The time information may be expressed in a data format that represents the date and time, or may be any information or format that can represent time, for example, information that is the same time as other message information.

[0043] The message information is, for example, chat message information including, for each legal case, a chat message generated by a user authorized for the corresponding legal case and generation time information indicating the time of generation as time information. The chat message is an example of a message. The chat message is, for example, text generated on the case management system 10 by a user authorized for the corresponding legal case via a send box or the like (described below). The chat message may also include mention information identifying, as the destination of the message, a user or the like to send a notification that the message has been sent to the user.

[0044] Furthermore, the message information may include file information that identifies a file stored in the file storage unit 64. The file information may include, for example, the file name, the version number, and the storage location of the file.

[0045] The email storage unit 70 of this embodiment stores, for each legal case, at least a first email and a second email, which is an email thread different from the first email. The first email and the second email each include one or more pieces of email information. The email information is an example of message information in this specification. Each of the one or more pieces of email information includes, for example, information about emails that have been sent or received, and sending / receiving time information indicating the time when the information was sent or received. The email body is an example of a message, and the sending / receiving time information is an example of time information included in the message information.

[0046] The email information is, for example, email conforming to the Internet protocol. For example, the information processing device 20 is configured with an email address capable of sending and receiving emails. Then, for example, information identifying a legal case is included in a predetermined character position of a message ID included in the header of the email. This allows the email storage unit 70 to identify and store one or more pieces of email information for each legal case. Specifically, a form or screen for creating an email is displayed from a screen related to the system's case, and the email is sent via the system. At this time, the message ID of the email is associated with the legal case and recorded. This makes it easy to generate emails and email threads with message IDs associated with legal cases. Note that a reply to an email thread associated with a legal case may lead to a topic related to another legal case. In such a case, it is preferable to associate the email thread with the other legal case. Note that the information processing device 20 may receive a copy of the email content without sending or receiving emails.

[0047] The information for identifying the legal case is not limited to a message ID, but may be, for example, an email address, or may be located anywhere within the data. In this way, an appropriate method can be selected to distinguish between the first email and the second email.

[0048] In legal-related work, from the perspective of information management, it may not be possible to complete all exchanges for a case in a single email thread. For example, it is expected that exchanges with internal parties, negotiating parties, external experts such as lawyers, related public institutions, etc. will each be conducted in a separate email thread. In this embodiment, email information belonging to multiple email threads is stored in association with a legal case, and email information belonging to multiple email threads can be viewed on the same screen, making it possible to appropriately store exchanges between multiple parties associated with a case and utilize the information.

[0049] Furthermore, by receiving email, message information sent from or to an external user can be stored in the case management system 10. In this specification, an external user is a user who is not authorized in the system for the legal case. In this embodiment, information from a destination for which it is difficult to grant system authorization or an account can also be appropriately stored. For example, the external user may be a person in charge of negotiations (e.g., a contract counterparty) who sends and receives email information, or a lawyer who is engaged in a legal case.

[0050] This embodiment is applicable to any method that can send and receive information to and from external users, not limited to email. For example, if there are multiple conversations, such as threads or channels, containing message information sent and received by other communication programs, such as SNS or chat programs, related to a single legal case, these multiple conversations (e.g., a first conversation and a second conversation) may be treated in the same way as the first email and the second email of this embodiment.

[0051] It should be noted that three or more email threads may be treated in the same way as the first email and the second email.

[0052] The message information may include display authority information. The display authority information is information that defines a user's display authority for message information. In this embodiment, for each legal case, a first authorized user who is granted a first level of display authority and a second authorized user who is granted a second level of display authority higher than the first level are set as users. In this embodiment, the case manager who is requested to handle the legal case is the first authorized user who is granted the first level of display authority. The legal officer and legal administrator are second authorized users who are granted the second level of display authority, which allows them to display not only first level messages but also second level messages. Therefore, the information processing device 20 of this embodiment can allow the legal officer and legal administrator to display more information than the case manager. By assigning display authority information to messages in this manner, it is possible to select messages to be displayed and messages not to be displayed for users who have been granted display authority. Note that the display authority or display authority information may be of multiple types as long as message information can be displayed appropriately, and the range of message information to be displayed is not limited to the above-mentioned levels. Furthermore, the level of authority is not limited to two levels, the first level and the second level, but may be, for example, N levels (N is an integer of 2 or more).

[0053] In this embodiment, the display authority information is included in message information generated by the legal officer and legal administrator, who are second authorized users. The display authority information, for example, indicates whether the message information is to be shared with the first authorized user, who is a case manager. In this embodiment, if the display authority information included in the message information indicates that the message information is to be shared with the first authorized user, the message information is displayed to the first authorized user. On the other hand, if the display authority information included in the message information indicates that the message information is not to be shared with the first authorized user, the message information is not displayed to the first authorized user and is displayed only to the second authorized user. This makes it relatively easy to associate and record information related to legal cases that does not need to be viewed by users other than case managers or legal officers, such as specialized information related to legal matters such as interpretations of provisions and guidelines, consultations between legal officers, and internal opinions within the legal organization.

[0054] The display authority information may be set for each message information, or may be set on an administration screen or the like based on any conditions such as legal case unit, user unit registering message information, type of message information, etc. Also, it is not limited to being set by a user with a certain authority.

[0055] The operation storage unit 68 of this embodiment stores one or more pieces of update operation information for each legal case. Each of the one or more pieces of update operation information includes, for example, the content or summary of the update operation performed by the user on the case information related to the corresponding legal case, and operation time information indicating the time when the update operation was performed. The content or summary of the update operation is an example of a message, and the operation time information is an example of time information included in the message information. Furthermore, each of the one or more pieces of update operation information includes, for example, user identification information that identifies the user who performed the update operation.

[0056] In this embodiment, update operations for case information related to legal cases include, for example, creating a case, setting or changing a case response deadline, changing the case status, deleting a case summary, deleting a message, changing the content of a message, changing a title, registering a new case summary, changing a case summary, adding a case manager or legal officer, registering, deleting, and changing a file, etc. Update operations for case information related to legal cases are not limited to these operations and may include other operations.

[0057] The deletion data storage unit 72 of this embodiment stores deletion information for message information. The deletion information includes information in case information related to legal cases immediately before it is updated by an update operation by a user. As an example, if message information is deleted, the deletion information is the message information before the deletion, and if message information is updated, the deletion information is the message information before the update. The deletion information may include user identification information that identifies the user who performed the update operation and operation time information that indicates the time when the update operation was performed.

[0058] In this embodiment, the message information may include user identification information that identifies the user who created or updated the message information.

[0059] The message information may include other related information, such as review result information and research information. The review result information is, for example, a result generated or acquired in a review process described below. The review information as message information may include a result text, a summary, a link to a related file, etc. The research information is information on an investigation related to the legal case. For example, the research information may be obtained by querying a large-scale language model (hereinafter sometimes referred to as LLM) or by keyword input searching a database or web search of laws, precedent cases, guidelines, books, etc. The research information as message information may include a result text, a summary, a link to related literature, files, etc. It is preferable that the acquisition of such related information from review processes, research processes, inquiries, etc. be performed in the case management system 10. This allows the relevant information to be appropriately acquired and displayed as message information.

[0060] A single message may be associated with multiple legal cases. In this case, the message may be displayed on each screen of the associated legal cases. Examples of such message include chat messages and actions that affect multiple legal cases. In other words, in this specification, "per legal case" does not necessarily mean that a single message is associated with only one legal case.

[0061] The information processing unit 80 of this embodiment executes processing related to the message information as described above. The information processing unit is realized, for example, as a function implemented by the processor 21. More specifically, the information processing unit 80 is realized by the processor 21 reading and executing a program stored in the main storage device 22, the auxiliary storage device 23, or the like. The program executed by the processor 21 is provided, for example, in a computer-installable or executable format, recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, flexible disk, CD-R, or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). This program may also be configured to be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. This program may also be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0062] The information processing unit 80 of this embodiment receives access from the terminal device 30 used by each user via the network 40. For example, the information processing unit 80 receives access via a user interface displayed by a browser program executed by the terminal device 30. In response to access from the terminal device 30 used by each user, the information processing unit 80 updates and reads information stored in the management information storage unit 62, file storage unit 64, message storage unit 66, operation storage unit 68, mail storage unit 70, and deleted data storage unit 72. In response to access from the terminal device 30 used by each user, the information processing unit 80 also generates a display image and displays the generated display image on the terminal device 30 that accessed the terminal device 30. The terminal device 30, for example, executes a browser program and displays the display image generated by the information processing unit 80 via the browser program.

[0063] Furthermore, the information processing unit 80 of this embodiment sends emails and SNS messages to external users in response to access from the terminal device 30 used by the user. The information processing unit 80 also receives emails sent from external users, identifies the legal case corresponding to the received email, and stores the email in the email storage unit 70 in association with the identified legal case.

[0064] The information processing unit 80 includes a processing unit 82 , a display control unit 84 , and a mail sending / receiving unit 86 .

[0065] The processing of the information processing unit 80, which includes the processing unit 82, the display control unit 84, and the mail sending / receiving unit 86, will be described in further detail below with reference to the drawings showing examples of display images.

[0066] In this embodiment, a user uses a terminal device 30 to access case information related to a first legal case, which is one of the legal cases managed by the information processing device 20. For example, the user may access the information processing device 20 from a menu screen, or may access the information processing device 20 from link information for accessing information about the first legal case contained in an email or the like. The processing unit 82 then determines whether the accessing user is authorized for the first legal case based on the management information about the first legal case stored in the management information storage unit 62. If the processing unit 82 determines that the accessing user is authorized for the first legal case, the display control unit 84 causes the terminal device 30 used by the user to display a screen such as that shown in FIG. 5 . This allows the user to refer to the case information about the first legal case.

[0067] A legal case is created based on information about the case, such as the request details, received from a user who will be the case manager via a user interface, such as an email or a reception form displayed on a browser program. Management information or message information may be generated based on the information received when the legal case is created.

[0068] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the timeline area 124 in which message information and update operation information are displayed.

[0069] The timeline display screen of this embodiment includes, for example, a title display section, a message information display section 114, and a mail thread display section 116. In this embodiment, the display control section 84 displays one of the message information display section 114 and the mail thread display section 116 in the foreground on the timeline display screen in response to a user operation such as clicking a button. Note that in this specification, a button is an example of a user interface that enables a predetermined operation.

[0070] The title display portion may include administrative information about the first legal matter stored in the administrative information storage portion 62 .

[0071] In the present embodiment, the timeline area 124 displays message information about the first legal case from one or more pieces of message information stored in the message storage unit 66. In addition to this message information, the email information contained in the first email and the second email are displayed on the same screen.

[0072] Furthermore, the timeline area 124 displays update operation information for the first legal case from among one or more pieces of update operation information stored in the operation memory unit 68. Furthermore, the timeline area 124 displays email information for the first legal case from among one or more pieces of email information stored in the email memory unit 70. The display control unit 84 displays the message information including the chat message information, the update operation information, and the email information in the timeline area 124 in order of time information associated with each piece of message information, for example, with the oldest or newest message information at the top of the screen.

[0073] In this embodiment, both the message and the time information are displayed as part of the message information, but the time information does not necessarily have to be displayed.

[0074] The message or time information is not limited to being displayed as is. For example, the message may be processed or edited, such as machine-translated or summarized. Furthermore, the entire message information may not be displayed on the timeline display screen, but may be omitted from the beginning by an appropriate number of lines, or only a portion determined to be important by a machine learning model or the like may be displayed. When a user wants to view all or other portions of the message information, the user may be able to view the entire message information or other portions by pressing a "Show All" button, for example. In particular, email information may become long or contain duplicate information due to quoted replies or forwarding, but displaying it in this manner can improve readability. Note that portions of the message information that are deemed less important, such as those that overlap with already saved message information or are merely greetings and therefore less important, may be deleted or hidden, so as not to be displayed on the timeline.

[0075] The time information may be displayed as a number rounded up to the second or minute from the stored time, or may be displayed as a time such as a number of hours, days, or months ago.

[0076] 7, the email thread display unit 116 of the present embodiment displays email information associated with the first legal case stored in the email storage unit 70. The display control unit 84 causes the email thread display unit 116 to display the email information in order of time information, similar to the message information.

[0077] 5 , the display control unit 84 causes a user who has been granted authority over the first legal case to display chat message information about the first legal case and update operation information about the first legal case in the order of the times indicated in the creation time information and the operation time information in the timeline area 124. This allows the user to understand what messages have been posted and what update operations have been performed on the first legal case in chronological order by checking the timeline area 124.

[0078] For example, in the timeline area 124 of Fig. 5 , first message information 132, second message information 134, third message information 136, and fourth message information 138 are displayed as chat message information. As shown in Fig. 5 , the display control unit 84 causes the timeline area 124 to display, for each of these pieces of message information, at least user identification information that identifies the user who generated the message information, generation time information that indicates the time when the message information was generated or registered, which is an example of information related to time, and message information that includes a text message generated by the user.

[0079] In this embodiment, the first message information 132 includes, as file information, a file name that is information for identifying a document file stored in the file storage unit 64. When the message information includes file information, the display control unit 84 may further display the file name in the timeline area 124. In this way, the chat message information or the email information may include file information.

[0080] The display control unit 84 of the present embodiment may also display a prompt to perform operations related to the file along with the file information. For example, in the example of Fig. 5, a preview button 142, a compare button 144, and a review button 146 are displayed.

[0081] In this embodiment, when the user presses the preview button 142 (an example of an operation), the processing unit 82 reads the document file specified by the file name from the file storage unit 64, and then calls an application program capable of reading the document file, or displays the file on the terminal device 30 in the same application (a browser in this embodiment) that is displaying the timeline display screen, preferably in a file viewing area set in a position different from that of the timeline display screen. This allows the user to easily check the document file with the file name included in the message information.

[0082] Furthermore, if the document file is a specific type of document, for example, the display control unit 84 may display, along with the file name, a display corresponding to an operation performed on the specific type of document. In this embodiment, a compare button 144 and a review button 146 are displayed. The buttons corresponding to these operations may also be displayed in accordance with, for example, display authority. For example, the review button 146 is displayed for the second-authorized user described above, but not for the first-authorized user. In other words, the display authority may determine whether or not functions of the case management system 10 can be used, in addition to display authority.

[0083] In this embodiment, when the user presses the compare button 144, the processing unit 82 reads from the file storage unit 64 the previous version of the document file, a document file created in a legal case related to or similar to the first legal case, such as a document file such as a contract related to a related or similar contract, and then invokes an application program capable of reading the document file, or displays a screen on the terminal device 30 in a file viewing area set on the browser, highlighting the contents of the two document files and the differences between them. This allows the user to check the document files related to the document file with the file name included in the message information and easily understand the necessary differences.

[0084] In this embodiment, when the user presses the review button 146, the processing unit 82 reads a specific type of document file specified by the file name, such as a contract, from the file storage unit 64 and invokes a dedicated application program for reviewing the specific type of document file, as described below, or displays the file on the terminal device 30 in a review display area set up on the browser. For example, the dedicated application program is a program that allows a user in the legal department to refer to, confirm, and modify specific type document files, such as contracts. This allows the user to review the specific type of document file with the file name included in the message information. The case management system 10 may also perform processing to determine whether the received document file is a specific type of document file, for example, whether it is a contract or not.

[0085] In addition to the above, other such operations include downloading a file and editing a document file.

[0086] 5 displays first update operation information 152, second update operation information 154, and third update operation information 156 as update operation information. As shown in these pieces of update operation information, the display control unit 84 of this embodiment displays, in the timeline area 124, operation information including at least user identification information that identifies the user who performed the update operation, operation time information indicating the time when the update operation was performed, and the content of the update operation. This allows the user to check the update history of the case information related to the first legal case in chronological order.

[0087] When email information about the first legal case is stored in the email storage unit 70, the display control unit 84 displays the email information about the first legal case in the timeline area 124 for users authorized to access the first legal case. In this case, the display control unit 84 displays chat message information, update operation information, and email information in order of a predetermined time included in the information (e.g., the time indicated in the creation time information, the time indicated in the operation time information, and the time indicated in the sending / receiving time information). In this embodiment, older message information is displayed at the top of the screen. This allows the user to chronologically understand what messages have been written, what update operations have been performed, and what email information has been sent and received for the first legal case by checking the timeline area 124. Note that newer message information may also be displayed at the top of the screen. This allows the user to easily understand the outcome of the legal case and information about legal cases under review, which often involve additional message information and have not yet been decided.

[0088] In the timeline area 124 of FIG. 5, first mail information 194 and second mail information 294 are displayed as mail information in chronological order.

[0089] As shown in the first email information 194 and the second email information 204, the display control unit 84 displays email information in the timeline area 124, including information such as the name of the external user who is the sender or receiver, the sending time or receiving time, and the text and image data contained therein.

[0090] Furthermore, if the email information is received from an external user, the display control unit 84 may display a reply button 202 corresponding to the email information. When the reply button 202 is pressed, the email sending / receiving unit 86 may, for example, display an email editing screen for creating an email and prompt the user to create the email. In this case, the email sending / receiving unit 86 preferably automatically enters the address of the external user included in the email information associated with the reply button 202 pressed by the user as the email destination email address of the email, and includes a message ID identifying the first legal case in the header. This allows the email sending / receiving unit 86 to store the sent email in the email storage unit 70 as email information about the first legal case. The email sending / receiving unit 86 may also store emails replied to by external users who received the email in the email storage unit 70 as email information about the first legal case.

[0091] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the transmission box 122. As shown in FIG.

[0092] The user can input a message using the terminal device 30 into a send box 122 displayed on the browser, as shown in Figure 6, and then input email information by pressing the send button 162 after inputting the text. When the processing unit 82 receives a message input from a user authorized for the first legal case, it generates email information including the input message and time information, and sends an email to the specified destination with a message ID associated with the first legal case. It also writes the email information to the message storage unit 66.

[0093] The transmission box 122 of this embodiment includes a destination input field and a destination designation button, a title input field, and an attachment file input button 164 .

[0094] In this embodiment, when the user presses the attachment input button 164, the display control unit 84 displays a user interface for inputting information for identifying a file to be included in the email information, thereby enabling the user to upload the file to the case management system 10 and generate file information.

[0095] The display control unit 84 may display two or more file input boxes 172 in the send box 122. This allows the processing unit 82 to generate mail information that includes information that identifies two or more files.

[0096] In this embodiment, the message sent from the outbox may be chat message information. For example, the message may be sent as an email from the case management system 10 to a specific destination (e.g., a destination included in the email information to which the user wishes to reply), or may be sent as a message in a communication program such as a chat program in conjunction with the program. This allows users to easily associate the message with a legal case and communicate using the tools of the case management system 10.

[0097] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the email thread area 210 in which information about the first email and the second email is displayed.

[0098] The email thread display unit 116 includes an email thread area 210. The email thread area 210 displays email information about the first legal case from among one or more pieces of email information stored in the email storage unit 70.

[0099] In this embodiment, the display control unit 84 displays email information about the first legal case in the order of the times indicated by the sending and receiving time information for a user who has been granted authority over the first legal case in the email thread area 210. This allows the user to check the email thread area 210 and understand what email information has been sent and received about the first legal case in chronological order.

[0100] In this embodiment, the email thread area 210 is a separate area from the timeline area 124, and is displayed by switching between the timeline area 124 and the timeline area 124 in response to a user operation. This allows the display control unit 84 to allow the user to view only the email information separately, distinguishing it from message information and update operation information regarding the first legal case. Email information often includes formal information about the counterparty in communications with external users, particularly negotiations regarding decision-making, and may also include important information related to the legal case. Therefore, the display control unit 84 allows the user to view the often-important email information separately from other information.

[0101] 7, the mail thread area 210 displays mail information 194 belonging to the first mail and mail information 204 belonging to the second mail in chronological order, with the oldest mail reception or transmission time (an example of time information associated with the mail information) at the top of the screen. In this way, the display control unit 84 can display mail information in the mail thread area 210 that includes the same information as in the timeline area 124.

[0102] Furthermore, the display control unit 84 may further display a reply button 202 in association with the email information, similar to the timeline area 124 .

[0103] The display control unit 84 may also display a new email creation button 206 in the email thread area 210. When the new email creation button 206 is pressed, the email sending and receiving unit 86 may, for example, launch an editing screen for creating a new email and prompt the user to create the email. In this case, for example, the email sending and receiving unit 86 may include, in the header of the email, identification information that can associate the email thread with the first legal case, such as a case-specific message ID or a message ID that uniquely identifies the email. This allows the email sending and receiving unit 86 to store the sent email in the email storage unit 70 as email information about the first legal case. The email sending and receiving unit 86 may also store emails replied to by external users who received the email in the email storage unit 70 as email information about the first legal case. The reply button 202 or the new email creation button 206 may be displayed or hidden depending on the display authority information.

[0104] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to be limiting. Each embodiment can be modified by various additions, changes, substitutions, partial deletions, combinations, etc., without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0105] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Case management system 20 Information processing device 30 Terminal device 62 Management information storage unit 64 File storage unit 66 Message storage unit 68 Operation storage unit 70 Mail storage unit 72 Deleted data storage unit 80 Information processing unit 82 Processing unit 84 Display control unit 86 Mail sending / receiving unit 114 Message information display unit 116 Mail thread display unit 122 Outbox 124 Timeline area 210 Mail thread area

Claims

1. An information processing method that stores at least a first email and a second email that is a different email thread from the first email as information relating to a first legal case, and displays one or more pieces of email information contained in the first email and the second email on the same screen as information relating to the first legal case.

2. The information processing method of claim 1, wherein the one or more pieces of email information each include information on the content and time to be displayed, and the email information regarding the first legal case is displayed in a row based on the time indicated in the time information.

3. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the email information is received from a user in relation to the first legal case, email information including the input information is generated, and the email information is stored in association with the first legal case.

4. The information processing method according to claim 1, further comprising: storing message IDs of the first email and the second email; and associating the message IDs with the first legal case.

5. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the sender and receiver of the mail information contained in the first mail and the mail information contained in the second mail are different external users.

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