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

Abstract

This information processing device comprises a display device that displays a GUI, an input device that receives an operation on the GUI, and a control device that controls the GUI. The control device displays, on the GUI, an event element, which is a GUI element representing an event, and a state element, which is a GUI element representing a state, and makes it possible to create an event flow in which event elements are arranged by an operation, on the event elements, using the input device and makes it possible to associate a state element with the event flow by an operation, on the state element, using the input device.

Description

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

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program.

[0002] To improve business processes, proposals have been made to use RPA (Robotic Process Automation) to automate business processes on a computer screen. RPA can be executed manually by the user, or automatically by registering the user's desired timing.

[0003] When implementing automated RPA execution, it is necessary to define the business status to indicate the desired timing for automatic execution. The condition elements used to define the business status can be broadly divided into two types: "state" and "event," and the business status is defined by combining both elements. Because states and events are conditions of different natures, it is difficult to intuitively combine states and events to create complex conditions.

[0004] One known method for creating a condition definition for a business situation that combines states and events is to use a description method that extends regular expressions.

[0005] Hideki Koya, Akira Kataoka, and Haruo Oishi, "Proposal and Evaluation of Query Expression and Search Method for Operation Logs," IEICE Technical Report, vol. 121, no. 399, ICM2021-47, pp. 29-34, March 2022.

[0006] The method of creating business situation condition definitions using an extended regular expression description method requires the creator of the business situation condition definition to have special skills, namely knowledge of regular expressions, so it is difficult for people without knowledge of regular expressions to create business situation condition definitions using this method.

[0007] The present invention has been made in light of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program that make it possible to easily create condition definitions for business situations that combine events and states.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing device that enables easy creation of a condition definition for a business situation that combines events and states. The information processing device includes a display device that displays a GUI, an input device that accepts operations on the GUI, and a control device that controls the GUI. The control device displays event elements, which are GUI elements that represent events, and state elements, which are GUI elements that represent states, on the GUI, enables creation of an event flow in which the event elements are arranged by operating the event elements using the input device, and enables association of the state elements with the event flow by operating the state elements using the input device.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing method that enables easy creation of a condition definition for a business situation that combines an event and a state. The information processing method includes the steps of: displaying a GUI that includes event elements that are GUI elements representing events and state elements that are GUI elements representing states; enabling creation of an event flow in which the event elements are arranged by operating the event elements; and enabling association of the state elements with the event flow by operating the state elements.

[0010] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing program that causes a computer having a processor and a storage device to execute at least some of the functions of the control device of the information processing device.

[0011] According to the present invention, an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program are provided that enable a condition definition that combines a state and an event to be easily expressed.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a GUI and control on the GUI according to the first embodiment, showing the GUI in an initial state. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a GUI and control on the GUI according to the first embodiment, showing the GUI in a state after FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a GUI and control on the GUI according to the first embodiment, showing the GUI in a state after FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a GUI and control on the GUI according to a second embodiment, showing the GUI in an initial state. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a GUI and control on the GUI according to the second embodiment, showing the GUI in a state after FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a GUI and control on the GUI according to the second embodiment, showing the GUI in a state after FIG. 6. Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a GUI and control on the GUI according to a modified example of the second embodiment, and is a diagram illustrating the GUI in a state after Fig. 5. Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining a GUI and control on the GUI according to a third embodiment. Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an event flow according to the first modified example. Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a combination of state elements according to the second modified example. Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a combination of state elements according to the second modified example.

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] (Configuration) First, the configuration of an information processing device 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device 10 according to the embodiment.

[0015] The information processing device 10 according to the embodiment is a device that enables easy creation of business situation condition definitions required for automating business processes on a computer screen using RPA (Robotic Process Automation).

[0016] Primitive conditions on a computer screen can be broadly divided into two types: "states" and "events." Business status condition definitions are created by combining these events and states.

[0017] A state represents a state or condition that exists at a certain point in time, such as a specific web page being open, a specific string being entered in a text box, etc. Since multiple states can exist simultaneously, they can be logically combined (superimposed) using AND, OR, NOT, and XOR operations.

[0018] An event represents an occurrence or action that occurs at a certain point in time, such as clicking a button, updating a file, etc. A change in state can also be an event. Events have meaning in terms of the time flow and order, such as the time of occurrence and the interval between occurrences. Furthermore, events are generally considered not to occur simultaneously, and cannot be overlapped.

[0019] The information processing device 10 is configured by, for example, a computer, and includes a control device 20, a display device 40, and an input device 50.

[0020] The control device 20 controls the entire information processing device 10. The control device 20 includes a processor 21, a read only memory (ROM) 22, a random access memory (RAM) 23, and an auxiliary storage device 24.

[0021] The processor 21, ROM 22, RAM 23, auxiliary storage device 24, display device 40, and input device 50 are electrically connected to one another via a bus 30, and can transmit and receive data.

[0022] The processor 21 is configured by a general-purpose hardware processor including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit), etc. The processor 21 executes various functions of the information processing device 10 by executing programs deployed in the RAM 23.

[0023] The ROM 22 is a non-volatile memory that constitutes part of the main storage device. The ROM 22 non-temporarily stores a startup program required to start up the information processing device 10. The processor 21 loads the startup program in the ROM 22 into the RAM 23 and executes it to start up the information processing device 10. The ROM 22 is, for example, configured from an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and can store various startup settings in addition to the startup program.

[0024] The RAM 23 is a volatile memory that constitutes part of the main storage device. The RAM 23 temporarily stores programs required for processing by the processor 21 and data required for executing the programs. In other words, the RAM 23 functions as a work area for the processor 21.

[0025] The auxiliary storage device 24 is configured with non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). The auxiliary storage device 24 can non-temporarily store various programs executed by the processor 21 and data required for executing the programs. The processor 21 executes various functions of the information processing device 10 by expanding the programs in the auxiliary storage device 24 into the RAM 23 and executing them.

[0026] The display device 40 is a device that visually outputs information and displays characters, images, etc. on a screen to provide information to a user. For example, the display device 40 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, a plasma display, etc.

[0027] The input device 50 is a device for a user to input information and instructions, and accepts input of information and instructions. The input device 50 includes a keyboard, a pointing device, etc. The pointing device includes a mouse, a trackpad, a touch screen, etc.

[0028] The display device 40 and the input device 50 may be configured as a device having the functions of both. Such a device may be configured as, for example, a touch panel.

[0029] The input device 50 may also include a device that reads data from a computer-readable recording medium 60 that non-temporarily records data such as a program. For example, the recording medium 60 includes disks such as flexible disks, optical disks (CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, etc.), magneto-optical disks (MO, etc.), and semiconductor memories. The input device 50 includes drives and readers for these.

[0030] The program stored in the auxiliary storage device 24 is provided to the information processing device 10, for example, via the recording medium 60. Alternatively, the program may be stored on a server on a network and provided to the information processing device 10 by downloading it.

[0031] For example, when the information processing device 10 is started, the processor 21 executes a startup program in the ROM 22 to start up the operating system (OS). Under the control of the OS, the processor 21 monitors input instructions, connections to external devices, etc. Also, under the control of the OS, the processor 21 sets a program area and a data area in the RAM 23.

[0032] In response to an instruction to start a program, the processor 21 reads the program from the auxiliary storage device 24 into the program area of ​​the RAM 23, and also reads data necessary for executing the program from the auxiliary storage device 24 into the data area of ​​the RAM 23. The processor 21 calculates the data in the data area in accordance with the program and writes the calculation results into the data area.

[0033] Through these operations, the processor 21, RAM 23, and auxiliary storage device 24 work together to execute at least some of the functions of the control device 20. Also, the processor 21, RAM 23, auxiliary storage device 24, display device 40, and input device 50 work together to execute at least some of the functions of the information processing device 10.

[0034] The control device 20 has a function of controlling the GUI. The display device 40 has a function of displaying the GUI. The input device 50 has a function of accepting operations on the GUI.

[0035] That is, the control device 20 creates a GUI and displays the created GUI on the display device 40. The display device 40 displays the GUI under the control of the control device 20. The input device 50 accepts user operations on the GUI under the control of the control device 20. The control device 20 reflects the operations on the GUI input via the input device 50 in the GUI. That is, the control device 20 updates the GUI in response to the user operations and displays the updated GUI on the display device 40.

[0036] More specifically, the control device 20 displays an event element, which is a GUI element representing an event, and a state element, which is a GUI element representing a state, on the GUI displayed on the display device 40. In other words, the control device 20 creates a GUI including the event element and the state element and displays it on the display device 40.

[0037] The control device 20 also enables the creation of an event flow in which event elements are arranged in chronological order by operating the event elements using the input device 50. In other words, the control device 20 controls the GUI in this manner. That is, under the control of the GUI by the control device 20, the user can create an event flow by operating the event elements using the input device 50.

[0038] The control device 20 also enables the association of a state element with an event flow by operating the state element with the input device 50. In other words, the control device 20 controls the GUI in this manner. That is, under the control of the GUI by the control device 20, the user can associate a state element with an event flow by operating the state element with the input device 50.

[0039] The programs non-temporarily stored in the auxiliary storage device 24 include an information processing program that causes the processor 21 to execute at least part of the functions of the control device 20 that controls the GUI in this manner. In other words, the processor 21 executes this information processing program to execute at least part of the functions of the control device 20 that controls the GUI.

[0040] By controlling the GUI in this manner using the control device 20, the information processing device 10 is able to create and edit condition definitions for business situations that combine event elements and state elements by creating an event flow and associating state elements with the event flow.

[0041] The contents of the condition definition of the business situation are visually expressed on the GUI controlled by the control device 20, so the information processing device 10 makes it easy to understand the contents of the condition definition of the business situation.

[0042] This allows even users without special skills to easily create and edit business situation condition definitions and understand their contents, facilitating the process of automating business processes using RPA.

[0043] Hereinafter, specific examples of GUIs created by the control device 20 and GUI control by the control device 20 will be described as embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0044] First Embodiment Hereinafter, a GUI 100 and control on the GUI 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIGS. 2 to 4 are diagrams for explaining the GUI 100 and control on the GUI 100 according to the first embodiment. Also, FIGS. 2 to 4 are diagrams illustrating a series of user operations on the GUI 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the GUI in an initial state, FIG. 3 shows the GUI 100 in a state after FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 shows the GUI 100 in a state after FIG. 3.

[0045] In this embodiment, the control device 20 first creates the GUI 100 shown in Fig. 2 and displays the GUI 100 on the display device 40. The GUI 100 has an event element area 110 and a condition definition matrix 120.

[0046] The event element area 110 is an area that displays event elements 111, 112, 113, etc. In the initial state, the control device 20 displays the event elements 111, 112, 113, etc. in the event element area 110.

[0047] Each of the event elements 111, 112, 113, ... represents one event. As described above, an event represents an occurrence or action that occurs at a certain point in time. Examples of events include a button click or a file update. An event may also include a change in state.

[0048] Event element 112 ("Event A") and event element 113 ("Event B") represent such events. Event elements 111, 112, 113, ... may contain wildcard elements. Wildcard elements are event elements that match any event. Widecard elements are used when you want to specify only a state at a certain point in time as a condition. Event element 111 ("*") represents a wildcard element.

[0049] The condition definition matrix 120 has an event row 121 in the first row, and a plurality of state rows 122 to 126 in the second row. The event row 121 represents an event flow. Each of the state rows 122 to 126 represents a state element.

[0050] A state element represents a state. As mentioned above, a state represents a state or condition that exists at a certain point in time. Examples of states include a specific web page being open, a specific string being entered in a text box, and so on. Multiple states can be combined (superimposed).

[0051] The event row 121 has a header field in the first column and data fields in the second column and onward. The header field of the event row 121 displays a notation ("Event Flow") indicating that it is an event flow. The data field of the event row 121 is an element placement field in which event elements 111, 112, 113, ... are placed.

[0052] State rows 122-126 have a header field in the first column and data fields in the second column and onward. The header fields of state rows 122-126 display notations indicating the contents of each state ("State α," "State β," "State γ," "State Θ," "State η"). The data fields of state rows 122-126 also serve as association display fields showing the association between each state and the event flow.

[0053] That is, the control device 20 creates a GUI having such a condition definition matrix 120 .

[0054] In such a GUI 100, the control device 20 controls the event elements 111, 112, 113, etc. to be movable between the event element area 110 and the data column, i.e., element placement column, from the second column onwards of the event row 121 of the condition definition matrix 120.

[0055] Furthermore, the control device 20 controls the event elements 111, 112, 113, . . . so that they can be arranged in either the event element area 110 or the element arrangement column of the event row 121.

[0056] This allows the user to place event elements 111, 112, 113, etc. in the element placement column of event row 121 by operating the input device 50 on the event elements 111, 112, 113, etc., for example, by dragging and dropping using a pointing device, as shown in Figure 3.

[0057] Furthermore, the user can create an event flow by arranging the event elements 111, 112, 113, . . . in the element arrangement column of the event row 121.

[0058] The user can move and arrange the event elements 111, 112, 113, . . . by dragging and dropping with a pointing device, so that an event flow can be easily created.

[0059] At this time, for example, the control device 20 controls the event elements 111, 112, 113, . . . to be arranged in the element arrangement column of the event row 121 in order from the left.

[0060] In FIG. 3, in the element placement column of the event row 121, an event element 116 ("event E"), an event element 112 ("event A"), and an event element 113 ("event B") are placed in order from left to right.

[0061] Also, for example, the control device 20 controls so that only one of the event elements 111, 112, 113, . . . can be placed in one element placement field of the event row 121.

[0062] This is based on the idea that events are generally not considered to occur simultaneously and cannot be superimposed.

[0063] In the following, for the sake of simplicity, "one of the event elements 111, 112, 113, . . . " will be referred to as "event element X."

[0064] When an event element X is placed in the element placement field of the event row 121, the control device 20 displays a selection element 141, which is a GUI element that allows selection of either a selected state or a non-selected state (on or off), in the data field of the state rows 122 to 126 in the same column as the element placement field. For example, the selection element 141 is a check box. The selected state of the check box can be changed by clicking with a pointing device.

[0065] In other words, in response to a user operation on the GUI, for example, drag and drop using a pointing device, the control device 20 updates the condition definition matrix 120 of the GUI being displayed on the display device 40 so that the data column of the same column of state rows 122 to 126 as the column of the data column of event row 121 in which event element X is placed has a selection element 141. A GUI having an example of the updated condition definition matrix 120 is shown in FIG.

[0066] In the condition definition matrix 120 shown in FIG. 4, the user can associate state elements (i.e., state rows 122 to 126) with event elements ("Event E," "Event A," and "Event B") in the event flow (i.e., event row 121) by operating selection elements 141 in the data columns of state rows 122 to 126.

[0067] Specifically, if each state row 122 to 126 (i.e., state element) is associated with each event element X arranged in the element arrangement column of the event row 121, the selection element 141 (e.g., a check box) is selected (on); conversely, if there is no association, the selection element 141 (e.g., a check box) is unselected (off).

[0068] As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, in the condition definition matrix 120, the presence or absence of relevance of state elements (i.e., state rows 122 to 126) to each event element X in the event flow (i.e., event row 121) is set, and is expressed by the selection or non-selection (on or off) of selection elements 141 (e.g., check boxes).

[0069] That is, the control device 20 allows the user to associate state elements (i.e., state rows 122 to 126) with each event element X of the event flow (i.e., event row 121) through the selection element 141 in the condition definition matrix 120. In other words, the control device 20 controls the GUI in this way.

[0070] In the condition definition matrix 120 of the GUI 100, the user can create a condition definition of a business situation that combines states and events as the condition definition matrix 120 by operating the selection elements 141 (for example, clicking check boxes). The condition definition matrix 120 visually represents the contents of the condition definition of the business situation by the selection state of the selection elements 141 (for example, check boxes). The user can also edit the condition definition of the business situation by operating the selection elements 141.

[0071] In this way, the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment enables the creation of a condition definition matrix 120 of a business situation that combines states and events by operating the GUI 100 on the screen of the display device 40.

[0072] The operations required to create a condition definition for a business situation (i.e., the condition definition matrix 120) are simple operations using the input device 50 (e.g., drag-and-drop or click using a pointing device), so the information processing device 10 enables even users without special skills to easily create and edit condition definitions for business situations.

[0073] Furthermore, since the contents of the condition definition of the business situation are visually represented as the selection state of the selection element 141 (e.g., a check box), the information processing device 10 enables even users without special skills to easily understand the contents of the condition definition of the business situation.

[0074] This allows even users without special skills to easily create and edit business situation condition definitions and understand their contents, facilitating the process of automating business processes using RPA.

[0075] Second Embodiment Hereinafter, a GUI 200 and control on the GUI 200 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams for explaining the GUI 200 and control on the GUI 200 according to the second embodiment. Also, FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams illustrating a series of user operations on the GUI 200 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 shows the GUI 200 in an initial state, FIG. 6 shows the GUI 200 in a state after FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 shows the GUI 200 in a state after FIG. 6.

[0076] In this embodiment, the control device 20 first creates a GUI 200 shown in Fig. 5 and displays the GUI 200 on the display device 40. The GUI 200 has an event element area 210, a state element area 220, and a condition definition area 230.

[0077] The event element area 210 is an area that displays event elements 211, 212, 213, etc. In the initial state, the control device 20 displays the event elements 211, 212, 213, etc. in the event element area 210.

[0078] Each of the event elements 211, 212, 213, ... represents one event. The meanings of the event elements 211, 212, 213, ... are the same as those of the event elements 111, 112, 113, ... in the first embodiment. That is, the meanings of the event element 211 ("*"), event element 212 ("event A"), and event element 213 ("event B") are the same as those of the event element 211 ("*"), event element 212 ("event A"), and event element 213 ("event B") in the first embodiment, respectively.

[0079] The state element area 220 is an area that displays state elements 221, 222, 223, .... In the initial state, the control device 20 displays the state elements 221, 222, 223, ... in the state element area 220.

[0080] The state elements 221, 222, 223, ... represent states. A state represents a state or condition that exists at a certain point in time. Examples and characteristics of states are as described above. The state element 221 ("state α"), state element 222 ("state β"), state element 223 ("state γ"), ... represent such states or conditions, respectively.

[0081] The condition definition area 230 is an element placement area where event elements 211, 212, 213, . . . and state elements 221, 222, 223, .

[0082] In the following, for the sake of simplicity, any event element will be written as "event element 211, ...", and any one event element will be written as "event element X". "Event element 211, ..." collectively represents one event element and multiple event elements. Similarly, any state element will be written as "state element 221, ...", and any one state element will be written as "state element X". "State element 221, ..." collectively represents one state element and multiple state elements.

[0083] In such a GUI 200 , the control device 20 controls the event elements 211 , . . . to be movable between the event element area 210 and the condition definition area 230 in response to an operation by the input device 50 .

[0084] Furthermore, the control device 20 controls the event elements 211, . . . so that they can be arranged in either the event element area 210 or the condition definition area 230.

[0085] This allows the user to place event elements 211, ... in the condition definition area 230 by operating the input device 50 on the event elements 211, ..., for example, by dragging and dropping using a pointing device, as shown in Figure 5.

[0086] When a plurality of event elements 211 are arranged in the condition definition area 230, the control device 20 controls the GUI 200 to display the event elements 211 side by side. For example, the event elements 211 in the condition definition area 230 are displayed lined up in a row, with two adjacent elements connected by an arrow. In the GUI 200, the event elements 211 displayed side by side in the condition definition area 230 represent an event flow.

[0087] The control of displaying the event elements 211, . . . in a line is based on the idea that events are generally considered not to occur simultaneously and cannot be overlapped.

[0088] Furthermore, when another event element X is placed between two adjacent event elements 211, ... in the condition definition area 230, the control device 20 controls the GUI 200 so that the event element X is placed between the two adjacent event elements 211, ... and the event elements 211, ... and the event element X are displayed side by side, connected by an arrow, for example.

[0089] This allows the user to create an event flow by placing multiple event elements 211, ... in the condition definition area 230. The event elements 211, ... are placed by operating the input device 50 (e.g., drag and drop using a pointing device), so the event flow 240 can be created easily.

[0090] In other words, the control device 20 updates the GUI 200 being displayed on the display device 40 as described above in response to a user's operation (e.g., drag and drop using a pointing device) on the event elements 211, ... of the GUI 200 using the input device 50. The GUI 200 after the update (after the event flow 240 is created) is shown in FIG.

[0091] The control device 20 controls the GUI 200 shown in FIG. 6 , in which an event flow 240 has been created in a condition definition area 230, so that a state designation frame 250 can be created in response to an operation using the input device 50. The state designation frame 250 is a frame for arranging state elements 221, etc. that the user associates with event elements 211, etc. of the event flow 240. The state designation frame 250 may be created by setting multiple state designation frames 250 so that they partially overlap each other, or by setting multiple state designation frames 250 in a nested manner. The operation using the input device 50 is, for example, dragging a pointing device within the condition definition area 230.

[0092] For example, the control device 20 controls the creation of the state designation frame 250 as follows, using the condition for whether the creation of the state designation frame 250 is successful or not as a result of dragging the pointing device, that is, whether the event elements 211, ... of the event flow 240 are included within the state designation frame 250.

[0093] The control device 20 creates a GUI element in a temporary frame having the start and end points of the drag on its contour. If the event elements 211, ... of the event flow 240 are not included in this temporary frame, it is determined that creation of the state designation frame 250 has failed, and the creation of the state designation frame 250 is terminated. Conversely, if the event elements 211, ... of the event flow 240 are included in the temporary frame, it is determined that creation of the state designation frame 250 has been successful, and the temporary frame is displayed as the state designation frame 250.

[0094] In other words, the control device 20 updates the GUI 200 being displayed on the display device 40 as described above in response to a user's operation with the input device 50 (e.g., dragging with a pointing device) within the condition definition area 230 of the GUI 200. The GUI 200 after the update (after the state designation frame 250 is created) is shown in FIG.

[0095] In the GUI 200 shown in Figure 7 in which the state designation frame 250 is created, the control device 20 controls the state elements 221, ... to be movable between the state element area 220 and the state designation frame 250 in accordance with operations using the input device 50.

[0096] Furthermore, the control device 20 controls the state elements 221, . . . so that they can be arranged in either the state element area 220 or the state designation frame 250.

[0097] 7 , the user can place the state elements 221, ... in the state specification frame 250 by operating the input device 50 on the state elements 221, ..., for example, by dragging and dropping with a pointing device. This allows the user to associate the state elements 221, ... with the event elements 211, ... of the event flow 240.

[0098] More specifically, the user places the state elements 221, ... that are intended to be associated with the event elements 211, ... of the event flow 240, for example by dragging and dropping with a pointing device, into the state designation frame 250 that contains the event elements 211, ... that are the targets of association. As a result, the state elements 221, ... that are intended to be associated and the event elements 211, ... that are the targets of association are placed in the same state designation frame 250.

[0099] On the GUI 200, the event elements 211, ... and the state elements 221, ... located within the same state designation frame 250 indicate that the event elements 211, ... and the state elements 221, ... are associated with each other.

[0100] In this way, the control device 20 makes it possible to associate the state elements 221, ... with the event elements 211, ... of the event flow 240. Furthermore, on the GUI 200, the association between the event elements 211, ... and the state elements 221, ... of the event flow 240 by the state specification frame 250 represents a condition definition of a business situation that combines states and events.

[0101] The state elements 221, ... are placed in the state specification frame 250 by operating the input device 50 (for example, by dragging and dropping using a pointing device), so the user can easily associate the state elements 221, ... with the event elements 211, ... of the event flow 240. In other words, the user can easily create condition definitions for business situations.

[0102] In addition, the user can edit the condition definition of the business situation by, for example, dragging and dropping with a pointing device to place event elements 211, ... in the condition definition area 230, creating a state designation frame 250, and placing state elements 221, ... in the state designation frame 250.

[0103] In this way, the information processing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment makes it possible to create a condition definition of a business situation that combines states and events by operating the GUI 200 on the screen of the display device 40 .

[0104] The operations required to create a condition definition for a business situation are simple operations using the input device 50 (e.g., drag and drop or drag using a pointing device), so the information processing device 10 enables even users without special skills to easily create and edit condition definitions for a business situation.

[0105] Furthermore, the contents of the condition definition of the business situation are visually represented by the event flow 240 and the event elements 211, ... and state elements 221, ... included in the state designation frame 250, so the information processing device 10 enables even users without special skills to easily understand the contents of the condition definition of the business situation.

[0106] This allows even users without special skills to easily create and edit business situation condition definitions and understand their contents, facilitating the process of automating business processes using RPA.

[0107] (Modification of Second Embodiment) Next, a modification of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In this modification, the creation of the state designation frame 250 is omitted from the series of operations on the GUI according to the second embodiment.

[0108] This modification is based on the idea that there are few complicated situations in which it is necessary to associate specific event elements 211, . . . of an event flow 240 with state elements 221, . . . when creating a condition definition for a business situation.

[0109] This modified example is the same as the present embodiment up to the creation of the event flow 240, but differs from the present embodiment in the control of the GUI 200 after the creation of the event flow 240. The GUI 200 after the creation of the event flow 240 is shown in FIG.

[0110] The control device 20 according to this modified example controls the state elements 221, ... to be movable between the state element area 220 and the condition definition area 230 in accordance with operations performed by the input device 50 in the GUI 200 shown in FIG. 8 in which an event flow 240 is created in the condition definition area 230.

[0111] Furthermore, the control device 20 controls the state elements 221, . . . so that they can be arranged in either the state element area 220 or the condition definition area 230.

[0112] 8 , the user can place the state elements 221, ... in the condition definition area 230 by operating the input device 50 on the state elements 221, ..., for example, by dragging and dropping with a pointing device. This allows the user to associate the state elements 221, ... with the entire event flow 240.

[0113] On the GUI 200 , the state elements 221 , . . . located in the condition definition area 230 indicate that they are associated with the event flow 240 .

[0114] In this way, the control device 20 enables the association of state elements 221, ... with the event flow 240. Furthermore, on the GUI 200, the association of the event elements 211, ... with the state elements 221, ... of the event flow 240 located in the condition definition area 230 represents a condition definition of a business situation that combines states and events.

[0115] The event elements 211, ... and state elements 221, ... are placed within the condition definition area 230 by operating the input device 50 (e.g., drag and drop using a pointing device), so the user can easily associate the state elements 221, ... with the event flow 240, that is, create a condition definition for the business situation.

[0116] In addition, the user can edit the condition definition of the business situation by moving the event elements 211, ... and state elements 221 between the event element area 210, the state element area 220 and the condition definition area 230, for example by dragging and dropping or dragging with a pointing device.

[0117] In this way, the information processing device 10 according to this modified example makes it possible to create a condition definition for a business situation more easily than the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment by operating the GUI 200 on the screen of the display device 40.

[0118] Third Embodiment Hereinafter, a GUI 300 according to a third embodiment and control on the GUI 300 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining the GUI 300 according to the third embodiment and control on the GUI 300.

[0119] In this embodiment, the control device 20 creates the GUI 300 shown in FIG. 8 and displays the GUI 300 on the display device 40. The control device 20 controls the GUI 300 in response to operations on the GUI 300 being displayed on the display device 40. The configuration of the GUI 300, user operations on various controllers of the GUI 300, and the operation of the GUI 300 in response to those operations will be described below. The operation of the GUI 300 is controlled by the control device 20. That is, the control device 20 controls the GUI 300 so that the GUI 300 performs the operations described below. Furthermore, user operations on various controllers of the GUI 300 in the following description are performed by operations using the input device 50 (e.g., clicking with a pointing device).

[0120] The GUI 300 includes a state condition area 310 and an event flow condition area 340 .

[0121] The state condition area 310 is an area for setting the state conditions, and includes an “add” button 311, an “and” button 313, and an “or” button 314.

[0122] Clicking the "Add" button 311 adds condition specification fields 320A and 320B. When adding a second or subsequent condition specification field 320B, an operator display field 330B is also added, which indicates how the condition specification fields 320B are combined.

[0123] When the "and" button 313 is clicked, for example, "and" is displayed in the operator display field 330B, and the logical operation that specifies how to combine the conditions in the condition specification field 320B immediately below the operator display field 330B is set to "and (AND)."

[0124] When the "or" button 314 is clicked, for example, "or" is displayed in the operator display field 330B, and the logical operation that specifies how to combine the conditions in the condition specification field 320B immediately below the operator display field 330B is set to "or (OR)."

[0125] The condition specification fields 320A and 320B are used to specify the conditions for the states. Each of the condition specification fields 320A and 320B has a drop-down list 322 and a trash can icon 324.

[0126] When the expand icon 323 on the right side is clicked, the drop-down list 322 displays a list of options for selectable conditions. When one of the options displayed in the list is clicked, the drop-down list 322 collapses the list of options, displays the clicked option, and sets the state condition specified in the condition specification field 320A, 320B to the condition corresponding to the clicked option. Note that "the condition specification field 320A, 320B" refers to the condition specification field 320A, 320B that includes the drop-down list 322. The meaning of "the condition specification field" is the same below and in other elements.

[0127] Clicking on the trash can icon 324 deletes the corresponding condition specification field 320A, 320B. When deleting the second or subsequent condition specification field 320B, the operator display field 330B immediately above is also deleted.

[0128] The event flow condition area 340 is an area for setting the conditions for the event flow. The event flow condition area 340 has an “Add” button 341.

[0129] Clicking the "Add" button 341 adds condition specification fields 350A and 350B. When adding the second or subsequent condition specification fields 350B, an arrow icon indicating the flow is also displayed.

[0130] The condition specification fields 350A and 350B are used to specify the conditions for the event flow. Each of the condition specification fields 350A and 350B has a drop-down list 352 and a trash can icon 354.

[0131] Drop-down list 352 displays a list of selectable condition options when expand icon 353 on the right side is clicked. When one of the options displayed in the list is clicked, drop-down list 352 collapses the list of options, displays the clicked option, and sets the event flow conditions specified in condition specification fields 350A and 350B to the condition corresponding to the clicked option.

[0132] Clicking on the trash can icon 354 deletes the corresponding condition specification field 350A, 350B. When deleting the second or subsequent condition specification field 350B, the arrow icon 360 immediately above is also deleted.

[0133] The information processing device 10 according to this embodiment has the same effects as the information processing device 10 according to the first embodiment and the information processing device 10 according to the second embodiment.

[0134] In other words, the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment makes it possible to easily set combinations of state conditions, set event flow conditions (create event flows), and create combinations of state conditions and event flow conditions (define business status conditions) by operating the input device 50 on various controllers on the GUI 300 displayed on the display device 40 (e.g., clicking with a pointing device).

[0135] Furthermore, since the various controllers on the GUI 300 according to this embodiment are buttons, drop-down lists, etc., the degree of freedom of operation by the user is limited. Therefore, the information processing device 10 can allow the user to operate the GUI 300 with less hesitation.

[0136] (First Modification) In the above-described embodiment, the event flow is described as, for example, arranging event elements in a line, based on the idea that events are generally not considered to occur simultaneously and cannot be overlapped.

[0137] However, there may be exceptional cases where events may occur simultaneously. This modification is based on the assumption of such a situation. An example of an event flow according to this modification is shown in FIG.

[0138] The event flow according to this modification includes two events, "Event A" and "Event H," which branch off from "Event B" and then merge with "Event G," as shown in FIG.

[0139] It is also conceivable that such an event flow can be created to create a condition definition for a business situation.

[0140] The event flow shown in Figure 10 includes two events branching off from one event, but the event flow in this modified example is not limited to this and may include three or more events branching off from one event.

[0141] Furthermore, in the event flow shown in FIG. 10, two events branching off from one event merge into the event immediately following it, but the event flow in this modified example is not limited to this, and multiple events branching off from one event may merge after passing through several events.

[0142] (Second Modification) In the above-described embodiment, the combination of state elements is explained as a combination based on an AND operation.

[0143] As described above, a plurality of state elements can be logically combined not only by AND operations but also by OR operations, NOT operations, or XOR operations.

[0144] The second modified example shows an example of a combination of a plurality of state elements by a logical operation other than an AND operation, which can be substituted for the combination of a plurality of state elements by an AND operation.

[0145] An example of a combination of state elements according to the second modification is shown in Figures 11 and 12. The combination of state elements shown in Figures 11 and 12 is expressed as {"state α" AND "state β"} OR {"state α" AND "state γ"}, where AND represents the AND operator and OR represents the OR operator.

[0146] Figure 11 illustrates the combination of state elements as a tree structure, and Figure 12 illustrates the combination of state elements as a Venn diagram and check boxes.

[0147] The control device 20 may display on the GUI the combinations of state elements illustrated in Figures 11 and 12. The combinations of state elements are illustrated to aid in the user's understanding.

[0148] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments may be implemented in appropriate combinations, in which case the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by combining selected elements from the disclosed elements. For example, if the problem can be solved and the desired effect can be obtained even if some elements are deleted from all elements shown in the embodiments, the configuration from which these elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention.

[0149] 10... Information processing device 20... Control device 21... Processor 22... ROM 23... RAM 24... Auxiliary storage device 30... Bus 40... Display device 50... Input device 60... Recording medium 100... GUI 110... Event element area 111, 112, 113, 116... Event elements 120... Condition definition matrix 121... Event row 122 to 126... State row 141... Selection element 200... GUI 210... Event element area 211, 212, 213... Event elements 220... State element area 221, 222, 223... State elements 230... Condition definition area 240... Event flow 250... State specification frame 300... GUI 310... State condition area 311... "Add" button 313... "And" button 314... "Or" button 320A, 320B... Condition specification field 322... Drop-down list 323... Expand icon 324... Trash can icon 330B... Operator display field 340... Event flow condition area 341... "Add" button 350A, 350B... Condition specification field 352... Drop-down list 353... Expand icon 354... Trash can icon 360... Arrow icon

Claims

1. An information processing device that makes it easy to create condition definitions for business situations that combine events and states, comprising: a display device that displays a GUI; an input device that accepts operations on the GUI; and a control device that controls the GUI, wherein the control device displays event elements, which are GUI elements that represent the events, and state elements, which are GUI elements that represent the states, on the GUI; enables the creation of an event flow in which the event elements are arranged by operating the event elements using the input device; and enables the association of the state elements with the event flow by operating the state elements using the input device.

2. The information processing device of claim 1, wherein the input device includes a pointing device, and the control device displays on the GUI a matrix having event rows representing the event flow and state rows representing the state elements, and an event element area displaying the event elements, displays the event elements so that they can be moved between the event element area and each column of the event rows by drag and drop using the pointing device, displays selection elements in each column of the state rows, which are GUI elements that enable selection of the state element for the event element of the event flow, and enables association of the state element with the event element of the event flow depending on the selection state of the selection elements.

3. The information processing device of claim 1, wherein the input device includes a pointing device, and the control device displays on the GUI an event element area for displaying the event elements, a state element area for displaying the state elements, and a condition definition area for displaying the condition definitions, displays the event elements so that they can be moved between the event element area and the condition definition area by drag-and-drop using the pointing device, and enables the event flow to be created by arranging the event elements in the condition definition area, enables a state designation frame that specifies the association of the state element with the event element of the event flow to be added to the event element of the event flow by dragging using the pointing device, displays the state elements so that they can be moved between the state element area and the state designation frame by drag-and-drag using the pointing device, and enables the association of the state element with the event element of the event flow by arranging the state element in the state designation frame added to the event element of the event flow.

4. The information processing device of claim 1, wherein the input device includes a pointing device, and the control device displays on the GUI an event element area for displaying the event elements, a state element area for displaying the state elements, and a condition definition area for displaying the condition definitions, displays the event elements so that they can be moved between the event element area and the condition definition area by drag-and-drop using the pointing device, and enables the event flow to be created by placing the event elements in the condition definition area, and displays the state elements so that they can be moved between the state element area and the condition definition area by drag-and-drop using the pointing device, and enables the state elements to be associated with the event flow by placing the state elements in the condition definition area where the event flow has been created.

5. The information processing device of claim 1, wherein the control device: enables the addition and deletion of selectable display of the event elements to the GUI, enables the creation of the event flow based on the selection state of the event elements; enables the addition and deletion of selectable display of the state elements to the GUI, and enables the association of the state elements with the event flow based on the selection state of the state elements.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control device displays on the GUI a combination of logical operations of AND, OR, NOT, and XOR operations for the state elements.

7. An information processing method that makes it possible to easily create condition definitions for business situations that combine events and states, comprising the steps of: displaying a GUI that includes event elements, which are GUI elements that represent the events, and state elements, which are GUI elements that represent the states; enabling the creation of an event flow in which the event elements are arranged by operating the event elements; and enabling the association of the state elements with the event flow by operating the state elements.

8. An information processing program that causes a computer having a processor and a storage device to execute at least a part of the functions of the control device of the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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