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

Abstract

An information processing device according to the present embodiment has a display control unit and a storage unit. The display control unit causes mutual communication between a recipient of a request for an estimate of at least one target object and a sender of the request for the estimate of the target object to be displayed on a terminal of the recipient and a terminal of the sender. The storage unit stores estimate information related to the estimate of the target object, data of the target object, and the communication in association with each other.

Description

Information Processing Apparatus, Information Processing Method, and Information Processing Program

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program.

[0002] Conventionally, in the manufacturing industry, in the estimating work at the stage prior to placing an order for an article, there are few systems that effectively support the entire estimating work, and the business process by substantial manual work while going back and forth between drawing, spreadsheet software, purchasing software, accounting software, etc. is the mainstream.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-000702

[0004] Conventionally, since most of the estimating work is closed manually, a great deal of time and labor are required. That is, conventionally, there is room for efficiency improvement in the estimating work. The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to improve the efficiency of the estimating work.

[0005] The information processing apparatus according to the embodiment includes a display control unit and a storage unit. The display control unit causes mutual communication between at least one estimating destination of a target object and an estimating source of the target object to be displayed on a terminal of the estimating destination and a terminal of the estimating source. The storage unit stores in association with each other estimating information regarding the estimate of the target object, data of the target object, and the communication.

[0006] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the situation in which the information processing device is used according to the first embodiment. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the supplier recommendation process performed in Figure 2 according to the first embodiment. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the display shown on the screen before the supplier recommendation process is performed according to the first embodiment. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the input screen for conditions (filters) related to narrowing down recommended suppliers according to the first embodiment. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the display showing the communication content with the recommended supplier along with the case information on the user terminal according to the first embodiment. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the display showing the communication content with the recommended supplier along with the case information on the terminal of the supplier requesting the quote according to the first embodiment. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the display of multiple recommended suppliers according to the first embodiment. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device according to the second embodiment. Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block in the processor according to the second embodiment. Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the related storage process according to the second embodiment. Figure 12 shows an example of the details screen for a selected project according to the second embodiment. Figure 13 shows an example of the details screen for a project estimate according to the second embodiment. Figure 14 shows an example of the display after clicking the "Create" button shown in Figure 13 according to the second embodiment. Figure 15 shows an example of the transition screen after clicking the "Project Estimate Request" button in Figure 14 according to the second embodiment. Figure 16 shows an example of the same project estimate request screen as in Figure 15 according to the second embodiment. Figure 17 shows an example of an email sent from the estimate requester to the estimate requester and the screen displayed when the estimate response URL in the email is clicked, according to the second embodiment. Figure 18 shows an example of an estimate response screen related to the estimate response displayed on the terminal of the estimate requester according to the second embodiment. Figure 19 shows an example of a screen displayed on the terminal of the estimate requester by the display control unit according to the second embodiment. Figure 20 shows an example of the display on the recipient's terminal when a quotation request is sent from the source requesting the quotation to the recipient, according to the second embodiment.Figure 21 shows an example of the display when the area indicating "Message" is clicked on the display screen of the terminal of the quotation requester, according to the second embodiment. Figure 22 shows an example of the message content entered on the terminal of the quotation requester, according to the second embodiment. Figure 23 shows an example of the display on the terminal of the quotation requester when a message is sent from the quotation requester to the quotation requester, according to the second embodiment. Figure 24 shows an example of the display on the terminal of the quotation requester after a message has been sent from the quotation requester to the quotation requester, according to the second embodiment. Figure 25 shows an example of the display on the terminal of the quotation requester after an operation on the drawing data attached to the message from the quotation requester, according to the second embodiment. Figure 26 shows an example of a message in response to an inquiry from the quotation requester, according to the second embodiment, on the terminal of the quotation requester. Figure 27 shows an example of a message in response from the quotation requester, according to the second embodiment, on the terminal of the quotation requester. Figure 28 shows another display example on the terminal of the quotation requester, according to the second embodiment. Figure 29 is an example of a display screen including a search window displayed on the terminal of the person requesting the quote, relating to an application example of the second embodiment. Figure 30 is an example of keyword search results, relating to an application example of the second embodiment.

[0007] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0008] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment. The information processing device 1A is a device that narrows down a plurality of quotation request destinations associated with a plurality of similar drawings similar to the target drawing to a plurality of recommended quotation request destinations that are recommended as suppliers for manufacturing the target part shown in the target drawing. The information processing device 1A may be implemented as a server device connected to the network 191A. In this embodiment, the part shown in the drawing corresponds to part information such as a part drawing which refers to a drawing limited to a single perspective of, for example, a metal processed product, an assembly drawing which combines such part drawings, or a circuit diagram. For the sake of simplicity, the above part will be described below as a part drawing.

[0009] As shown in Figure 1, the information processing device 1A includes a processing circuit 11, a memory 13, an input interface 15, and a communication interface 17A. As shown in Figure 1, the processing circuit 11, the memory 13, the input interface 15, terminals 193 to 195, and the communication interface 17A are electrically connected via a bus. Therefore, data is transmitted and received between the processing circuit 11, the memory 13, the input interface 15, terminals 193 to 195, and the communication interface 17A as appropriate under the control of the system control unit 111A.

[0010] The memory 13 may be implemented as a storage device. The memory 13 corresponds to the storage unit. The input interface 15 corresponds to the input unit. The terminals 193 to 195 correspond to the display unit. The communication interface 17 corresponds to the communication unit.

[0011] The processing circuit 11 includes, for example, a processor and internal memory as hardware resources. The processing circuit 11 may be implemented by a computer or the like. The processor can be implemented by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processing Unit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), SPLD (Simple Programmable Logic Device), etc. Furthermore, internal memory is implemented using, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory) and / or RAM (Random Access Memory). The hardware that implements the processor and internal memory is not limited to the above, and any known hardware can be used as appropriate.

[0012] The processing circuit 11 includes a system control unit 111A, a similar drawing search unit 113A, a quotation request destination narrowing unit 115, a communication unit 117, and an output unit 119, depending on the function to be implemented. Note that the division of units by function is not limited to the above and can be set as appropriate. The system control unit 111A, the similar drawing search unit 113A, the quotation request destination narrowing unit 115, and the communication unit 117, which are implemented by the processing circuit 11, will be described later.

[0013] Memory 13 is a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or integrated circuit storage device that stores various types of information. Memory 13 stores various programs according to this embodiment. For example, memory 13 stores programs related to the execution of processing in the system control unit 111A, the similar drawing search unit 113A, the quotation request destination narrowing unit 115, and the communication unit 117, which are executed by the processing circuit 11.

[0014] Memory 13 stores, for example, each of the multiple drawings as drawing data. Memory 13 also stores characteristic information regarding the shape of each of the multiple parts shown in each of the multiple drawings, order information regarding the ordering of each of the multiple parts, manufacturing information regarding the production of each of the multiple parts, and each of the multiple drawings in association with each of the multiple drawings. For example, Memory 13 stores the characteristic information, order information, manufacturing information, and each of the multiple drawings (drawing data) in association with each of the multiple drawings as a drawing database. This association is achieved, for example, by an identifier that identifies each of the multiple drawings (hereinafter referred to as drawing ID (identification)). The drawing ID can be set arbitrarily. For example, the file name, title, drawing number, and / or part number of each of the multiple drawings can be used as the drawing ID.

[0015] Feature information is obtained, for example, by inputting it into a trained model that takes multiple drawings as input and determines (outputs) the shapes of those drawings. Specifically, the feature information corresponds to the data output from at least one intermediate layer of the trained model. In other words, the feature information corresponds to the intermediate output of the target drawing output from at least one intermediate layer of the trained model.

[0016] At least one intermediate layer is, for example, the intermediate layer immediately preceding the output layer in the trained model, i.e., the final intermediate layer. The trained model is a model capable of outputting feature information between input and output, and is, for example, a model composed of a multi-layer neural network. The intermediate output is represented, for example, by a vector (feature vector) that indicates the shape features of the input target drawing. Hereinafter, the feature information stored in the drawing database will be referred to as base feature information.

[0017] A trained model is implemented using a trained CNN (Convolutional Neural Network). Examples of trained CNNs include EfficientNet, as described in [1905.11946] EfficientNet: Rethinking Model Scaling for Convolutional Neural Networks.

[0018] The image format input to the trained model can be any drawing format, such as PNG (Portable Network Graphics) or TIFF (Tagged Image File Format). Furthermore, the target drawing input to the trained model may be a hand-drawn drawing by the user.

[0019] Furthermore, if the target drawing is a three-dimensional CAD drawing (CAD data), the drawing input to the trained model may be an image rendered from the three-dimensional CAD drawing (hereinafter referred to as a rendered image). The rendering process may be performed by the similar drawing search unit 113A, or by another unit or an external device via the communication interface 17A and network 191A. For example, a three-view drawing may be a plan view, a front view, and a side view (right side view). The image format is not limited to the above and may also be three-dimensional CAD data. In this case, different trained models corresponding to the dimensions of the input image are stored in the memory 13 in advance.

[0020] A trained model is generated by inputting each of multiple drawings into a pre-trained model, and then training the pre-trained model using each of the multiple shapes corresponding to those drawings as training data. For example, a trained model can be generated by training a multi-layer neural network capable of outputting from an intermediate layer, using drawings and shapes related to those drawings from a drawing database as training data.

[0021] For example, if the product category of a shape is the training data, a trained model is generated by inputting the drawing as an image into a CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) and training the CNN to classify the shape into multiple classes. Since known methods can be applied to the generation of the trained model, the explanation will be omitted.

[0022] The order information includes at least the recipient of the quotation request for each of the multiple drawings. Specifically, the order information includes the recipient of the quotation request for the manufacture of each of the multiple parts, the performance of the recipient (such as order frequency and order quantity), the order price for each of the multiple parts, the on-time delivery rate for the manufacture of each of the multiple parts, and the defect rate for each of the multiple parts. However, the order information is not limited to the above and may also include the order date and time, and the name of the person in charge of ordering.

[0023] Order information is stored in the drawing database by uploading it to the information processing device 1 in the format of a spreadsheet program or CSV (comma separated values), for example, order history information owned by the customer, accounting system, or various ledgers. Note that input of order information to the information processing device 1 is not limited to the above upload method; it may also be performed by optical character recognition (OCR) on paper documents or by direct input by the user.

[0024] Manufacturing information includes the material of each of the multiple parts and the processing method for each of the multiple parts. Processing methods include, for example, surface treatment, sheet metal processing, and machining. However, manufacturing information is not limited to the material and processing method mentioned above, and may also include textual and numerical information attached to the drawing. Textual and numerical information includes, for example, the drawing number, drawing number, part name, dimensions, number of holes, and other information that the user has assigned to each drawing, as indicated in the title block of the drawing.

[0025] The memory 13 may be a drive device that reads and writes various information to portable storage media such as CDs (Compact Discs), DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), and flash memory, as well as semiconductor memory elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory), in addition to HDDs and SSDs. The storage area of ​​the memory 13 may be located within the information processing device 1A, or it may be located in an external storage device connected by the network 191A.

[0026] The input interface 15 receives input operations related to various instructions from the user, converts the received input operations into electrical signals, and outputs them to the processing circuit 11. The input interface 15 can, for example, be a mouse, keyboard, trackball, switch, button, joystick, touchpad, or touch panel terminal, as appropriate. In this embodiment, the input interface 15 is not limited to those equipped with physical operating components such as a mouse, keyboard, trackball, switch, button, joystick, touchpad, or touch panel terminal. For example, an electrical signal processing circuit that receives electrical signals corresponding to input operations from an external input device separate from the information processing device 1A and outputs these electrical signals to the processing circuit 11 is also included in the input interface 15.

[0027] Terminals 193 to 195 display various information. For example, terminals 193 to 195 output search results for similar drawings from the processing circuit 11, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for receiving various operations from the user, etc. As terminals 193 to 195, for example, liquid crystal display (LCD), CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), organic electroluminescent display (OLED), plasma display, or any other terminal can be used as appropriate. Furthermore, terminals 193 to 195 may be desktop type, or they may consist of a tablet terminal or the like that can communicate wirelessly with the information processing device 1.

[0028] The communication interface 17A performs data communication with other input / output devices, for example, via the network 191A. The communication standard used by the communication interface 17A may be any standard. The communication interface 17A outputs the drawing data acquired through data communication with other input / output devices to the memory 13. The communication interface 17A receives electrical signals of input operations input to other input interfaces in other input / output devices. The communication interface 17A outputs the received electrical signals to the processing circuit 11.

[0029] The system control unit 111A controls the processing of each part of the processing circuit 11 based on electrical signals corresponding to input operations received from the user via the input interface 15. Specifically, the system control unit 111A reads the control program stored in the memory 13, loads it onto the internal memory of the processing circuit 11, and controls each part of the information processing device 1A according to the loaded control program.

[0030] The similar drawing search unit 113A searches the drawing database for multiple similar drawings that are similar to the target drawing, based on base feature information and feature information relating to the shape of the target part shown in the target drawing (hereinafter referred to as target feature information). Specifically, the similar drawing search unit 113A first obtains target feature information relating to the shape of the target part shown in the target drawing from the target drawing input by the user via the input interface 15 or the communication interface 17A. For example, the similar drawing search unit 113A inputs the target drawing into a trained model and obtains the intermediate output output from at least one intermediate layer of the trained model as target feature information relating to the shape of the target part.

[0031] The similar drawing search unit 113A searches the drawing database for base feature information similar to the target feature information. In other words, the similar drawing search unit 113A searches the drawing database for base feature information that is close to the target feature information.

[0032] Specifically, the similar drawing search unit 113A calculates the distance between a feature vector representing the target feature information (hereinafter referred to as the target feature vector) and each of the multiple feature vectors representing multiple base feature information stored in the drawing database (hereinafter referred to as base feature vectors). This distance is, for example, the Mahalanobis distance and corresponds to an index (hereinafter referred to as the similarity score) that indicates the similarity between the target drawing and the drawings in the drawing database. The similar drawing search unit 113A identifies drawings as multiple similar drawings that correspond to the base feature vectors for distances smaller than a predetermined value among the calculated multiple distances. The predetermined value is a value that can distinguish similarity with the shape of the target drawing and is set in advance and stored in the memory 13.

[0033] In other words, the similar drawing search unit 113A identifies base feature vectors less than or equal to a predetermined value in a distance space defined by the target feature vector and each of the multiple base feature vectors. Next, the similar drawing search unit 113A identifies drawings corresponding to the identified base feature vectors as similar drawings.

[0034] The quotation request selection unit 115 narrows down the multiple quotation request destinations associated with multiple similar drawings to multiple recommended quotation request destinations that are recommended as suppliers for the manufacturing of the target part, based on the order information for each of the multiple similar drawings identified in the drawing database and the manufacturing information for each of the multiple similar drawings.

[0035] Specifically, the quotation request filtering unit 115 identifies the material and processing method of each component (hereinafter referred to as "similar component") in multiple similar drawings in the manufacturing information of the drawing database. The quotation request filtering unit 115 also extracts the material and processing method of the target component from the supplementary information attached to the target drawing. This supplementary information is extracted, for example, by performing OCR on the target drawing or the user manual for the target component entered together with the target drawing. The extraction of the material and processing method of the target component may also be performed by other methods, such as known character recognition processing.

[0036] Next, the quotation request destination selection unit 115 identifies similar parts from multiple similar drawings that have the same material as the target part and the same processing method as the target part. Subsequently, the quotation request destination selection unit 115 narrows down the multiple quotation request destinations corresponding to the multiple similar drawings to select the quotation request destinations for similar drawings (hereinafter referred to as recommended drawings) that correspond to the identified similar parts as recommended quotation request destinations. As a result of this selection, the material of each of the multiple similar parts related to the multiple recommended quotation request destinations will be the same as the material of the target part. In addition, the processing method of each of the multiple similar parts related to the multiple recommended quotation request destinations will be the same as the processing method of the target part.

[0037] Furthermore, the quotation request filtering unit 115 may determine the display order of multiple recommended quotation requests based on the similarity between each of the multiple similar drawings corresponding to the multiple recommended quotation requests and the target drawing, the frequency of the quotation requests' track record (order volume and order frequency), the low order price, the high compliance rate, and the low defect rate. For example, the quotation request filtering unit 115 calculates an overall recommended index (hereinafter referred to as the overall recommended index) by weighting and adding similarity, order volume, order frequency, order price, compliance rate, and defect rate. This weighting can be appropriately set according to the user using the information processing device 1A. The quotation request filtering unit 115 stores the overall recommended index in the memory 13.

[0038] Furthermore, the communication unit 117 notifies the user-selected quotation request terminal from among the customer terminals 195 that a quotation request has arrived and displays its contents. In addition, the user and the quotation request recipient communicate about the contents of the quotation request, and the communication contents are stored in memory 13, linked to at least one of the following: drawing data, customer data, quotation request data, or quotation response data, and displayed according to at least one of the set conditions or requests from the user or the quotation request recipient. The contents of the request include, for example, confirmation of the specifications of individual drawings, explanation and confirmation of the project background, and confirmation and reminder of the status, but are not limited to these and include all contents related to the quotation request.

[0039] The configuration of the information processing device 1A has been described above. Below, we will describe the process of recommending a supplier for a target drawing using the information processing device 1A (hereinafter referred to as the supplier recommendation process). The supplier recommendation process searches the drawing database for drawings similar to the target drawing, and from the similar drawings found, recommends to the user a supplier for requesting a quote from a supplier for a similar part with the same material and manufacturing method as the target part. Below, we will explain the supplier recommendation process using Figures 2 to 8.

[0040] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a situation where the information processing apparatus 1A is used. As shown in FIG. 2, at the orderer, data of a target drawing indicating a target part is transmitted from a requesting department such as design / production / sales to a purchasing department. As shown in FIG. 2, in the sales department, a quotation request regarding the manufacture of the target part is created by selecting a quotation request destination automatically recommended by the information processing apparatus 1, and the quotation request is transmitted to the quotation request destination.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 2, in the sales department of the quotation request destination, confirmation of the content of the quotation request, download (DL) of the target drawing, and execution of a quotation response or a quotation rejection are performed. Thereby, a quotation response is transmitted from the sales department of the quotation request destination to the purchasing department of the orderer. At this time, in the purchasing department of the orderer, a comparison of quotations is performed using a plurality of quotation responses, and a quotation request destination for manufacturing the target part is determined.

[0042] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the quotation destination recommendation process performed in FIG. 2.

[0043] (Quotation Destination Recommendation Process) (Step S301A) The input interface 15 inputs a target drawing according to a user's instruction. The input of the target drawing is not limited to an operation via the input interface 15. For example, according to a user's instruction via a terminal device of a user who can use the quotation destination recommendation process, data of the target drawing may be transmitted from the terminal device to the information processing apparatus 1. At this time, the communication interface 17 inputs the data of the target drawing to the information processing apparatus 1A via the network 191.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display displayed on the terminals 193 to 195 before the quotation destination recommendation process is performed. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of target drawings 171A are displayed on the terminals 193 to 195. At this time, one target drawing is selected according to a user's instruction via the input interface 15. When one target drawing is selected and the button 173A of "Automatic Selection of Quotation Destination" is pressed, the subsequent processing is executed.

[0045] (Step S302A) The similar drawing search unit 113A inputs the target drawing input by the user into the learned model. Next, the similar drawing search unit 113A acquires, as target feature information, an intermediate output output from at least one intermediate layer in the learned model. The similar drawing search unit 113A associates the acquired target feature information with the ID of the target drawing and stores it in the memory 13.

[0046] (Step S303A) The similar drawing search unit 113A searches the drawing database for a plurality of similar drawings similar to the target drawing based on the feature information of the target drawing. For example, the similar drawing search unit 113A searches the drawing database for drawings having feature information similar to the target feature information.

[0047] Note that, according to an instruction from the input interface 15 or the user's terminal device (setting of search conditions), the similar drawing search unit 113A may perform a narrowing-down search using the search conditions in the search for similar drawings. At this time, the similar drawing search unit 113A further uses the search conditions specified by the user to search for a plurality of similar drawings. The search conditions are, for example, drawing information (text, symbols) in the drawing database. Thus, the similar drawing search unit 113A searches for a plurality of similar drawings related to parts similar in shape to the target part shown in the target drawing.

[0048] (Step S304A) The quotation request destination narrowing-down unit 115 acquires the ordering information and manufacturing information of each of the plurality of similar drawings from the drawing database. For example, the quotation request destination narrowing-down unit 115 acquires the ordering information and manufacturing information using the drawing ID of each of the plurality of similar drawings.

[0049] (Step S305A) The quotation request filtering unit 115 narrows down the multiple quotation request destinations corresponding to the multiple similar drawings based on the order information and manufacturing information of each of the multiple similar drawings to multiple recommended quotation request destinations that show parts with the same material and processing method as the target part. Specifically, the quotation request filtering unit 115 identifies the material and processing method of the similar part in the acquired manufacturing information. The quotation request filtering unit 115 also extracts the material and processing method of the target part from the supplementary information of the target drawing.

[0050] The quotation request filtering unit 115 identifies similar parts that have the same material as the target part and the same processing method as the target part. From a plurality of quotation request destinations corresponding to a plurality of similar drawings, the quotation request destinations corresponding to the identified similar parts (recommended drawings) are narrowed down as recommended quotation request destinations. Note that the filtering of recommended quotation request destinations is not limited to the above, and for example, the filtering of recommended quotation request destinations may be performed by setting search conditions by the user.

[0051] Figure 5 shows an example of the input screen 177 for filtering conditions (filters) related to selecting recommended quote request providers. When one target drawing 175 is selected and a predetermined operation (for example, a right-click with the mouse) is performed, the input screen 177 for filtering conditions (filters) related to selecting recommended quote request providers is displayed on terminals 193 to 195, as shown in Figure 5. This allows the user to narrow down the list of recommended quote request providers from multiple quote request providers corresponding to multiple similar drawings, according to their wishes.

[0052] (Step S306A) The quotation request filtering unit 115 determines the display order of multiple recommended quotation requests based on the degree of similarity between each of the multiple similar drawings corresponding to the multiple recommended quotation requests and the target drawing, the number of successful transactions of the recommended quotation requests, the low order prices of the multiple similar parts, the high compliance rate, and the low defect rate. For example, the quotation request filtering unit 115 multiplies the degree of similarity by a weight related to similarity (hereinafter referred to as the similarity weight), multiplies the order quantity or order frequency to the recommended quotation requests by a weight related to successful transactions (hereinafter referred to as the successful transactions weight), multiplies the order prices of the multiple similar parts by a weight related to order price (hereinafter referred to as the order price weight), multiplies the compliance rate by a weight related to compliance rate (hereinafter referred to as the compliance weight), and multiplies the defect rate by a weight related to the defect rate (hereinafter referred to as the defect rate weight).

[0053] Next, the quotation request narrowing unit 115 calculates an overall recommendation index for each of the multiple recommended suppliers by summing the results of multiple multiplications based on similarity weight, actual performance weight, order price weight, compliance weight, and defective product weight for each of the multiple recommended suppliers. Note that the calculation of the overall recommendation index is not limited to the above, and normalization calculations may be performed on the sum of the multiple multiplication results. Furthermore, the calculation of the overall recommendation index is not limited to weighted addition, and various methods such as geometric mean and harmonic mean may be used.

[0054] The quotation request filtering unit 115 determines the display order of multiple recommended suppliers using multiple overall recommendation indicators corresponding to the multiple recommended suppliers. For example, the quotation request filtering unit 115 determines the display order of multiple recommended suppliers in descending order of overall recommendation indicators. This step is optional. In this case, the display order of the multiple recommended suppliers is set, for example, by default in descending order of similarity. The default display order is not limited to the above-mentioned similarity and can be set and changed as appropriate by user instructions via the input interface 15. For example, the default display order may be set by user instructions via the input interface 15 to include factors such as the number of successful transactions of the recommended quotation request supplier, the low order price, the high compliance rate, and the low defect rate.

[0055] (Step S307A) The system control unit 111A displays multiple recommended quote request destinations on the user terminal 193 in a set or determined display order. As a result, the user terminal 193 displays multiple recommended quote request destinations. At this time, the user terminal 193 may further display the target drawings and / or search conditions.

[0056] Furthermore, the user terminal 193 may display at least one of the following: actual results, order price, compliance rate, and defect rate, along with the material of the target part, the processing method of the target part, similar drawings corresponding to recommended quotation request providers, and the target drawing, along with multiple recommended quotation request providers. In this case, the user terminal 193 may display, among the multiple recommended quotation request providers, companies that do not have a business relationship with the company that ordered the target drawing, in a different display manner than the display manner of companies that do have a business relationship with the company that ordered the target drawing. Different display manners can be arbitrarily set, for example, hue, font, underline, italics, etc.

[0057] Furthermore, if the recommended quotation source is in a foreign country, the user terminal 193 displays the language of the information regarding similar drawings in the native language of the country to which the client of the target drawing belongs, and displays the units of measurement in the similar drawings in the units used in the country to which the client of the target drawing belongs. For example, if the recommended quotation source is in the United States and the country to which the client belongs is Japan, the system control unit 111A translates the English information regarding similar drawings into Japanese and converts the units of measurement in the similar drawings, such as inches, to centimeters. As a result, when the recommended quotation source is in a foreign country, the user terminal 193 displays the information regarding similar drawings in the language of the client.

[0058] Figure 8 shows an example of displaying multiple recommended quote request providers. Frame 181A displays multiple recommended quote request providers for the first target drawing. Frame 182A displays multiple recommended quote request providers for the second target drawing. Frame 183A displays multiple recommended quote request providers for the third target drawing. Similarity 1 in frames 181A to 183A indicates the drawing that is most similar to the first to third target drawings, respectively.

[0059] (Step S308A) If the user instructs via the input interface 15 to change an item related to the display order (Yes in Step S308A), the process in Step S309A is executed. If there is no instruction to change an item related to the display order (No in Step S308A), the quotation recommendation process ends. At this time, the quotation provider is determined by the user instructing via the input interface 15.

[0060] (Step S309A) When an item for the display order is selected by the user via the input interface 15, the system control unit 111A displays the multiple recommended quote request destinations on terminals 193 to 195 in the selected display order. As a result, user terminal 193 displays the multiple recommended quote request destinations in the selected display order. The display order items include, for example, actual performance (order quantity and order frequency), order price, on-time delivery rate, and defect rate of similar parts. Based on these, user terminal 193 can switch between displaying the multiple recommended quote request destinations in order of highest actual performance, lowest order price, highest order on-time delivery rate, and lowest order of defect rate.

[0061] Based on the above, the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment searches for multiple similar drawings similar to the target drawing from a drawing database that associates feature information relating to the shape of each of the multiple parts shown in each of the multiple drawings, order information relating to the ordering of each of the multiple parts, manufacturing information relating to the manufacturing of each of the multiple parts, and each of the multiple drawings, based on the feature information and the feature information relating to the shape of the target part shown in the target drawing, and based on the order information relating to each of the multiple similar drawings and the manufacturing information relating to each of the multiple similar drawings, narrows down the multiple quotation request destinations associated with the multiple similar drawings to a multiple recommended quotation request destination that is recommended as a quotation request destination for the manufacturing of the target part, and displays the multiple recommended quotation request destinations on the user terminal 193.

[0062] As a result, according to the information processing device 1A of the first embodiment, when selecting a supplier for requesting a quote for a target part shown in the target drawing, it is possible to automatically select (recommend) a supplier for requesting a quote for the manufacturing of the target part by analyzing the suppliers for similar drawings that are similar to the target drawing. In other words, according to the information processing device 1A of the first embodiment, by referring to the suppliers for requesting quotes included in the order history linked to similar drawings of the target drawing and presenting the user with recommended suppliers for requesting quotes, the burden (effort and time) on the user to select a supplier for requesting a quote is reduced and the selection process can be made more efficient. That is, according to the information processing device 1A of the first embodiment, it is possible to quickly and easily narrow down and present to the user the suppliers for requesting quotes that are recommended as suppliers for requesting quotes for the manufacturing of the target part. This makes the quoting process more efficient. Furthermore, according to the information processing device 1A of the first embodiment, in addition to similar drawings of the target drawing, it is possible to use the order information and manufacturing information of similar drawings to select and present to the user suppliers for requesting quotes for similar parts. Therefore, according to the information processing device 1A of the first embodiment, the accuracy of selecting a suitable supplier for requesting quotes for similar parts can also be improved.

[0063] Furthermore, in the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment, the manufacturing information includes the material of each of the multiple parts and the processing method for each of the multiple parts, the material of each of the multiple parts related to the multiple recommended quotation request destinations is the same as the material of the target part, and the processing method for each of the multiple parts related to the multiple recommended quotation request destinations is the same as the processing method for the target part. As a result, the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment can improve the accuracy of selecting quotation destinations (recommended quotation request destinations) desired by the user, and can further streamline the quotation process.

[0064] Furthermore, in the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment, the order information includes the supplier to which the quotation request was made for each of the multiple parts, the performance of the supplier, the order price for each of the multiple parts, the on-time delivery rate for each of the multiple parts, and the defect rate for each of the multiple parts. The information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment further displays at least one of the performance, order price, on-time delivery rate, and defect rate, along with the material of the target part, the processing method for the target part, similar drawings corresponding to the recommended supplier, and the target drawing, along with multiple recommended suppliers. As a result, according to the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment, the user can efficiently select a supplier from multiple recommended suppliers.

[0065] Furthermore, the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment determines the display order of multiple recommended quotation request providers based on the similarity between each of the multiple similar drawings corresponding to the multiple recommended quotation request providers and the target drawing, the number of recommended quotation request providers' track records, the low order price, the high compliance rate, and the low defect rate, and displays the multiple recommended quotation request providers according to the display order. As a result, the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment can display multiple recommended quotation request providers in an order that comprehensively recommends them based on similarity, order quantity, order frequency, order price, compliance rate, and defect rate. Therefore, the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment allows the user to efficiently select a quotation request provider from multiple recommended quotation request providers.

[0066] Furthermore, the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment displays multiple recommended quote request providers in a switchable order, such as in order of most successful transactions, lowest order price, highest compliance rate, and lowest defect rate. As a result, the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment allows users to view multiple recommended quote request providers in an order that suits their needs, and to efficiently select a quote provider from among the multiple recommended providers.

[0067] Furthermore, the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment displays, among the multiple recommended quotation request providers, companies that do not have a business relationship with the company that ordered the target drawing, in a different display manner than companies that do have a business relationship with the company that ordered the target drawing. As a result, with the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment, the user can easily determine whether or not a company has a business relationship with any of the multiple recommended quotation request providers. Therefore, with the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment, it is possible to efficiently select a quotation provider from among the multiple recommended quotation request providers, including whether or not a company has a business relationship with them.

[0068] Furthermore, in the case where the recommended quotation request destination is a foreign country, the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment displays the language of the information regarding similar drawings in the native language of the country to which the client of the target drawing belongs, and displays the units of dimensions in the similar drawings in the units used in the country to which the client of the target drawing belongs. As a result, according to the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment, even if the recommended quotation request destination is a foreign country, the user can easily check the information regarding similar drawings related to the recommended quotation request destination.

[0069] (Communication between user and quotation request provider) Figure 6 shows an example of how the content of communication with the quotation request provider is displayed on the user terminal, along with information related to the requested project. The communication unit 117 displays on the user terminal that a quotation has been requested and a message from the quotation request provider, along with information about the requested project, and stores this information in memory 13, linked to at least one of the following: drawing data, customer data, quotation request data, or quotation response data.

[0070] Figure 7 shows an example where the content of communication with the user who requested the quote is displayed on the terminal of the business partner to whom the quote request was received, along with information related to the project for which the quote request was received. The communication unit 117 displays a system message indicating that the quote request has been received, and accepts input of questions and other communications related to the quote request from the user who made the request. The input content is displayed on the user's terminal and stored in memory 13, linked to at least one of the following: drawing data, business partner data, quote request data, or quote response data. As a result, the stored communication content is displayed to both the user and the business partner who requested the quote, along with information about the project related to the quote request and other linked information.

[0071] Based on the above, the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment can perform estimation work with high reproducibility by facilitating the elimination of the difficulty of estimation evaluation and the reliance on individual expertise. In other words, the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment can eliminate the complexity of managing competitive bid information, standardize estimation formats, and achieve paperless operations. Therefore, the information processing device 1A according to the first embodiment can improve the efficiency of estimation work for the manufacturing of target parts and achieve optimal purchase prices.

[0072] (Modification) This modification further displays the results of comparative bids for multiple similar drawings related to the recommended quote request provider. The drawing database in this modification further contains the results of comparative bids (multiple quote results) for each of the multiple drawings. As a result, the system control unit 111A further displays the results of comparative bids for each of the multiple recommended quote request providers on the user terminal 193. That is, terminals 193 to 195 display the results of comparative bids for each of the multiple recommended quote request providers together with the multiple recommended quote request providers.

[0073] As a result, the information processing device 1A according to the modified version of the first embodiment can display not only the results of comparative quotations for each of the multiple recommended quotation request destinations, but also the results of comparative quotations for each of the multiple recommended quotation request destinations. Therefore, the information processing device 1A according to the modified version of the first embodiment allows the user to check the results of comparative quotations for each of the multiple recommended quotation request destinations, in addition to the multiple recommended quotation request destinations. Therefore, the information processing device 1A according to the modified version of the first embodiment allows for efficient selection of quotation destinations.

[0074] When the technical concept of the first embodiment is realized by the supplier recommendation method, the supplier recommendation method searches for multiple similar drawings similar to the target drawing from a drawing database that associates feature information about the shape of each of the multiple parts shown in each of the multiple drawings, order information about the ordering of each of the multiple parts, manufacturing information about the manufacturing of each of the multiple parts, and the drawings, based on the feature information and the feature information about the shape of the target part shown in the target drawing. Based on the order information and manufacturing information for each of the multiple similar drawings, the supplier associated with the multiple similar drawings is narrowed down to multiple recommended suppliers that are recommended as suppliers for requesting quotes for the manufacturing of the target part, and the multiple recommended suppliers are displayed on the user terminal 193. The processing content and effects of each step of the supplier recommendation process realized by the supplier recommendation method are the same as in the first embodiment, so the explanation is omitted.

[0075] When the technical concept of the first embodiment is realized by a quotation recommendation program, the quotation recommendation program enables the computer to search for multiple similar drawings similar to the target drawing from a drawing database which associates feature information about the shape of each of the multiple parts shown in each of the multiple drawings, order information about the ordering of each of the multiple parts, manufacturing information about the manufacturing of each of the multiple parts, and the multiple drawings, based on the feature information and the feature information about the shape of the target part shown in the target drawing, and then, based on the order information and manufacturing information for each of the multiple similar drawings, narrow down the multiple quotation request destinations associated with the multiple similar drawings to multiple recommended quotation request destinations that are recommended as quotation request destinations for the manufacturing of the target part, and display the multiple recommended quotation request destinations on the user terminal 193.

[0076] In this case, the program that can cause a computer to execute this method can also be stored and distributed on storage media such as magnetic disks (hard disks, etc.), optical disks (CD-ROMs, DVDs, etc.), and semiconductor memory. The processing content and effects of each step of the recommended process implemented by the recommended program are the same as in the first embodiment, so a description will be omitted.

[0077] According to at least one of the first embodiments described above, the estimation process can be made more efficient.

[0078] Although several embodiments have been described in detail above, the disclosure in the first embodiment is not limited to the individual first embodiments described above. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various partial omissions, additions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, these embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. In addition, the order of each process in the embodiments is shown as an example and is not limited thereto.

[0079] (Second Embodiment) (Overview) The information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following second embodiment, parts with the same reference numerals perform the same operation, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate. The following second embodiment does not limit the disclosed technology. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined as appropriate to the extent that the processing content does not contradict each other.

[0080] The information processing device according to the second embodiment is typically configured as a server on a cloud network that implements SaaS (Software as a Service). However, it is not limited to this example, and can also be implemented, for example, by installing an application that implements the functions described in the second embodiment on a server connected to a limited network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a standalone computer.

[0081] The information processing device according to the second embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0082] Figure 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, the information processing device 1 may be connected to an external device 9A via a communication network 5. The information processing device 1 may also include an external device 9B connected via a device interface 39.

[0083] The information processing device 1 may include a computer 30 and an external device 9B connected to the computer 30 via a device interface 39. The computer 30 may, for example, include a processor 31, a main memory 33, an auxiliary memory 35, a network interface 37, and a device interface 39. The information processing device 1 may be implemented as a computer 30 in which the processor 31, the main memory 33, the auxiliary memory 35, the network interface 37, and the device interface 39 are connected via a bus 41.

[0084] The computer 30 shown in Figure 9 has one of each component, but it may have multiple identical components. Also, although Figure 9 shows one computer 30, the software may be installed on multiple computers, and each of these multiple computers may execute the same or different parts of the software's processing. In this case, it may be a distributed computing configuration in which each computer communicates via a network interface 37 or the like to execute processing.

[0085] In other words, the information processing device 1 in this embodiment may be configured as a system that realizes various functions described later by having one or more computers execute instructions stored in one or more storage devices. Alternatively, information transmitted from a terminal may be processed by one or more computers located on the cloud, and the processing results may be transmitted to a terminal such as a display device (display unit) corresponding to the external device 9B.

[0086] The various calculations performed by the information processing device 1 in this embodiment may be executed in parallel using one or more processors, or using multiple computers connected via a network. Alternatively, the various calculations may be distributed to multiple processing cores within a processor and executed in parallel. Furthermore, some or all of the processing and means of this disclosure may be executed by at least one of a processor and a storage device located on a cloud that can communicate with the computer 30 via a network. Thus, the various methods described later in this embodiment may take the form of parallel computing using one or more computers.

[0087] The processor 31 may be an electronic circuit (processing circuit, processing circuit, processing circuitry, CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc.) including the control device and arithmetic unit of the computer 30. Alternatively, the processor 31 may be a semiconductor device including a dedicated processing circuit. The processor 31 is not limited to an electronic circuit using electronic logic elements, but may also be realized by an optical circuit using optical logic elements. Furthermore, the processor 31 may include arithmetic functions based on quantum computing.

[0088] The processor 31 performs calculations based on data and software (programs) input from various devices within the computer 30, and can output calculation results and control signals to these devices. The processor 31 may also control the various components of the computer 30 by executing the computer 30's OS (Operating System) or applications.

[0089] The information processing device 1 in this embodiment may be implemented by one or more processors 31. Here, the processor 31 may refer to one or more electronic circuits arranged on one chip, or to one or more electronic circuits arranged on two or more chips or two or more devices. When multiple electronic circuits are used, each electronic circuit may communicate by wire or wireless.

[0090] The main memory 33 is a storage device that stores instructions executed by the processor 31 and various data, and the information stored in the main memory 33 is read by the processor 31. The auxiliary storage device 35 is a storage device other than the main memory 33. 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 non-volatile memory. The storage device for storing various data used in the information processing device 3 according to this embodiment may be implemented by the main memory 33 or the auxiliary storage device 35, or by the built-in memory of the processor 31. For example, the storage unit (which may be called a memory unit) in this embodiment may be implemented by the main memory 33 or the auxiliary storage device 35.

[0091] Multiple processors may be connected to (combined with) one memory device, or a single processor 31 may be connected to it. Multiple memory devices may be connected to (combined with) one processor. If the information processing device 1 in this embodiment consists of at least one memory device and multiple processors connected to (combined with) this at least one memory device, it may include a configuration in which at least one of the multiple processors is connected to (combined with) at least one memory device. Furthermore, this configuration may be realized by memory devices and processors 31 included in multiple computers. In addition, it may include a configuration in which the memory device is integrated with the processor 31 (for example, a cache memory including an L1 cache and an L2 cache).

[0092] The network interface 37 is an interface for connecting to the communication network 5 wirelessly or via a wired connection. The network interface 37 can be any appropriate interface, such as one conforming to existing communication standards. Information may be exchanged between the network interface 37 and an external device 9A connected via the communication network 5.

[0093] The communication network 5 may be a WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), PAN (Personal Area Network), or a combination thereof, as long as information is exchanged between the computer 30 and the external device 9A. 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).

[0094] The device interface 39 is an interface such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) that directly connects to output devices such as display devices, input devices, and external devices 9B. The output device may include a speaker or the like that outputs sound.

[0095] External device 9A is a device connected to computer 30 via a network. External device 9B is a device directly connected to computer 30.

[0096] External device 9A or external device 9B may, for example, be an input device (input unit). The input device may be, for example, a camera, microphone, motion capture device, various sensors, keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, and will provide the acquired information to the computer 30. Alternatively, external device 9A or external device 9B may be a personal computer, tablet terminal, or smartphone, or other device equipped with an input unit, memory, and processor.

[0097] Furthermore, the external device 9A or external device 9B may, for example, be an output device (output unit). The output device may be a display device (display unit) such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), PDP (Plasma Display Panel), or organic EL (Electroluminescence) panel, or it may be a speaker that outputs sound, etc. Also, the external device 9A or external device 9B may be a device such as a personal computer, tablet terminal, or smartphone that has an output device, memory, and processor.

[0098] Furthermore, external device 9A or external device 9B may be a storage device (memory). For example, external device 9A may be network storage, and external device 9B may be storage such as an HDD.

[0099] Furthermore, the external device 9A or external device 9B may be a device that has some of the functions of the components of the information processing device 1 in this embodiment. In other words, the computer 30 may transmit or receive some or all of the processing results of the external device 9A or external device 9B.

[0100] To provide a more concrete explanation, the external device 9A will be described as including, for example, a terminal that requests a quote for at least one target object and a terminal that recommends a quote request for that object. Note that if the information processing device 1 is installed at the source of the quote request, the source terminal will correspond to the external device 9B.

[0101] Figure 10 shows an example of a functional block in the processor 31. The processor 31 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 310, a identification unit 312, a determination unit 313, a transmission unit 316, a storage unit 314, and a display control unit 315 as functions realized by the processor 31.

[0102] The acquisition unit 310 acquires data of the target object. The target object corresponds to, for example, a part or finished product that is the subject of an estimate or manufacture. The data of the target object includes, as an example, drawing data of the target object, CAD data of the target object, or design specification data of the target object. More specifically, the data of the target object is typically design data that may include information related to the design, procurement, manufacture, inspection, etc. of the target object, and may include PDF data, other image data, 2D CAD data, 3D CAD data, etc., and may include information such as dimensions and material as OCR-readable information (handwritten information, etc.) or structured information. The design specification data is, for example, data that defines the required specifications of the target object, and includes data related to the set of required specifications for the target object (e.g., a specification sheet). However, the data of the target object is not limited to the above, and even if there is no design data of the target object, any data that can identify the target object involved in the transaction may be included, for example, data such as the "part number" and "name" of a catalog item (e.g., a catalog item) related to the target object.

[0103] The data format of the design data can be anything, including numerical data, text, and images, and it can be either structured or unstructured data; it does not need to be in a specific file format. The design data may be, for example, PDF data, text data, or other image data generated by reading a drawing (paper) of the object in question, 2D CAD data (DXF format, etc.), 3D CAD data, etc., and may include information such as dimensions and materials as OCR-readable information (handwritten information, etc.) or structured information.

[0104] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 310 acquires first feature information relating to at least one target object. The first feature information includes, for example, feature quantities relating to the design data of the target object. These feature quantities are, for example, numerical representations of the features of the design data. The first feature information is acquired, for example, by inputting it into a trained model that takes the design data as input and determines (outputs) the shape of the target object. Specifically, the first feature information corresponds to the data output from at least one intermediate layer of the trained model after inputting the design data of the target object into the trained model. In other words, the first feature information corresponds to the intermediate output output from at least one intermediate layer of the trained model.

[0105] At least one intermediate layer is, for example, the intermediate layer immediately preceding the output layer in the trained model, i.e., the final intermediate layer. The trained model is a model capable of outputting feature information between input and output, and is, for example, a model composed of a multi-layer neural network. The intermediate output is represented, for example, by a vector (feature vector) that indicates the shape features of the target object.

[0106] A trained model is implemented, for example, by a trained CNN (Convolutional Neural Network). Examples of trained CNNs include EfficientNet, as described in [1905.11946] EfficientNet: Rethinking Model Scale for Convolutional Neural Networks.

[0107] The image format input to the trained model can be any drawing format, such as PNG (Portable Network Graphics) or TIFF (Tagged Image File Format). The design data input to the trained model may also be handwritten information (drawings, dimensions, materials, etc.) provided by the user, such as the person requesting the quote.

[0108] Furthermore, if the target drawing is a three-dimensional CAD drawing (CAD data), the drawing input to the trained model may be an image rendered from the three-dimensional CAD drawing (hereinafter referred to as a rendered image). The rendering process may be performed by the processor 31, or by another unit or an external device via the communication interface and communication network 5. The rendered image may be, for example, a three-view drawing (plan view, front view, side view (right side view)). The image format is not limited to the above and may also be three-dimensional CAD data. In this case, different trained models depending on the dimensions of the input image are stored in advance in the storage unit 314, main memory 33, or auxiliary memory 35, respectively.

[0109] A pre-trained model is generated by inputting each of multiple design data sets into a pre-trained model, and then training the pre-trained model using the shapes of each of the multiple parts corresponding to those design data sets as training data. For example, a pre-trained model can be generated by training a multi-layer neural network capable of outputting from an intermediate layer, using design data from a database and the shapes of the parts corresponding to that design data as training data. Specifically, a pre-trained model is generated by inputting the design data as images into a CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) and training the CNN to classify the shape classes into multiple classes. Since known methods can be applied to the generation of pre-trained models, the explanation will be omitted.

[0110] The acquisition unit 310 acquires mutual communication between the terminal requesting the estimate and the terminal recommending the estimate. The communication is the content of the communication regarding the estimate process between the terminal requesting the estimate and the terminal recommending the estimate, and is, for example, text data. The communication content includes, for example, the content of the estimate request sent (e.g., email, free-text chat in a conversational format), the content of the estimate request received (e.g., email, chat), confirmation of the estimate request content by the recipient of the estimate request for the target object, creation of the estimate response, estimate response (completion of estimate input), and confirmation of the estimate status and estimate response by the requesting party. Note that the act of requesting an estimate (action, work) and the act of responding (action, work) are excluded from the communication. The estimate in question is, for example, related to the manufacturing of the target object.

[0111] The acquisition unit 311 acquires quotation information related to the quotation of the target object. The quotation information includes a request for quotation of the target object and / or a response to said quotation request. Here, the quotation request is the content of the request for quotation of the target object and includes quotation conditions. The quotation conditions include, for example, at least one of the following: the quantity of the target object, the delivery date of the target object, the price of the target object, a refusal to respond, and a deadline for the quotation response. Note that the deadline for the quotation response may be excluded from the quotation conditions. The response to the quotation request is the content of the response from the requesting party to the quotation request and includes at least one of the following: the quantity of the target object, the delivery date of the target object, and the price of the target object. A refusal to respond corresponds to, for example, the responding party simply refusing to respond to the quotation request by not inputting any quantity, delivery date, or price. The acquisition unit 310 stores the acquired various data in the storage unit 314, the main memory 33, and / or the auxiliary memory 35.

[0112] The identification unit 312 identifies at least one object similar to the target object (hereinafter referred to as a similar object) using the first and second feature information in a design database (which may also be called a drawing database) that stores design information including second feature information for each of a plurality of objects and transaction information for business partners. The design database is a group of information generated by accumulating and organizing the design information for each of a plurality of objects. The second feature information is generated by inputting the design data corresponding to each of the plurality of objects into a trained model. The design information includes, for example, manufacturing information related to manufacturing, specification information related to the specifications of the finished product, and evaluation information.

[0113] Transaction information is information about companies that have business relationships with companies that request the manufacture of multiple objects (the company requesting a quote for the objects) (the trading partner). Transaction information may include, for example, the trading partner's name, trading partner ID, product name, product number, quote date, delivery date, lead time, (actual) price, quantity, quoted price or quoted price, frequency of transactions, and transaction date. In addition, transaction information may also include transaction prices for multiple objects, delivery date information for multiple objects, and transaction history between the trading partner and the company requesting the quote.

[0114] Transaction information may include estimated prices. In this case, the value of the estimated price will be stored in a field called "Estimated Price" or "Estimated Unit Price" in the design database. This means that, in practice, transaction information for manufacturers who have submitted estimates in the past but did not actually conduct transactions, or manufacturers with no actual transaction history, may also be stored in the design database.

[0115] Manufacturing information refers to information about the manufacturing of each of several objects. For example, manufacturing information includes specifications for processing methods and inspection methods for each of several objects.

[0116] Specification information refers to information about the specifications of each of several objects. This includes, for example, material, dimensions, and dimensional tolerances.

[0117] The evaluation information includes, for example, information about the capabilities or risks of the supplier requesting the quote. For example, the evaluation information includes at least one of the following: QCD (Quality, Cost, Delivery), or information about the supplier's financial condition. The evaluation information may also include the supplier's areas of expertise, on-time delivery rate, defect rate, etc. Furthermore, the evaluation information may contain information indicating suppliers who repeatedly delay deliveries.

[0118] In the design database, each of multiple objects is associated with its design information. In other words, in the design database, the second feature information and transaction information are associated with each of the multiple objects. This association is achieved by an identifier (ID) that identifies each of the multiple objects. Examples of such identifiers include the file name, title, drawing number, and / or part number of each of the multiple drawings used for the multiple objects. In response to the input of design data to the information processing device 1 and the input of design data to the trained model, the design information of the object related to that input is registered in the design database. The design database is stored, for example, in the storage unit 314, the main memory 33, or the auxiliary memory 35.

[0119] To make the explanation more concrete, the first feature information of the target object is assumed to be a first feature vector, and the second feature information of each of the multiple objects is assumed to be a second feature vector. The identification unit 312 calculates the distance between the first feature vector and each of the multiple second feature vectors stored in the design database. This distance is, for example, the Mahalanobis distance and corresponds to an index (hereinafter referred to as similarity) that indicates the similarity between the target object and each of the multiple objects. The smaller the distance, the greater the similarity. The identification unit 312 identifies at least one similar object that corresponds to the second feature vector for a distance smaller than a predetermined value among the calculated multiple distances. The predetermined value is a value that can distinguish the similarity between the shape of the target object and the shapes of the multiple objects, and is set in advance and stored in the storage unit 314.

[0120] In other words, the identification unit 312 identifies second feature vectors that are less than or equal to a predetermined value in the metric space defined by the first feature vector and each of the plurality of second feature vectors. Next, the identification unit 312 identifies at least one similar object (one or more similar objects) corresponding to the identified second feature vector. For example, the identification unit 312 identifies a predetermined number of similar objects from among the second feature vectors less than or equal to the predetermined value, in order of decreasing similarity. The predetermined number is any natural number, for example, 3.

[0121] The determination unit 313 determines, for each target object, at least one recommended supplier (which may also be called a recommended supplier) from among the trading partners included in the trading information associated with at least one similar object, as a candidate supplier (which may also be called a candidate supplier) for requesting a quote for the target object. Specifically, the determination unit 313 identifies trading information relating to the second characteristic information of the identified similar object in the design database. Then, the determination unit 313 determines the trading partner included in the identified trading information as the recommended supplier for requesting a quote for the target object.

[0122] When at least one quotation request destination is specified by the user via the input interface on the decision form displayed on the terminal of the quotation requester, the decision unit 313 determines at least one quotation request destination from the recommended quotation destinations displayed on the terminal of the quotation requester. The decision form corresponds to a display format for determining the quotation request destination for the target object from the recommended quotation destinations. At this time, the decision unit 313 determines the notification data for the quotation request. The content of the notification data (notification content) is, for example, the URL of a dedicated web page for quotation responses corresponding to the quotation request, and the quotation response ID and password. For example, from the standpoint of confidentiality, the notification content does not, in principle, contain specific details of the quotation request (information about the contents).

[0123] The storage unit 314 corresponds to the internal memory of the processor 31. The storage unit 314 may also be implemented by the main memory 33 and / or the auxiliary memory 35. The storage unit 314 stores a dedicated program for executing related storage processes (described later), a design database, and predetermined thresholds. Furthermore, the storage unit 314 stores the design data of the target object and first feature information output from the trained model.

[0124] Furthermore, the storage unit 314 stores the estimation information related to the estimate of the target object, the data of the target object, and the mutual communication between the estimate requesting party and the estimate requesting party, in association with each other. Specifically, the storage unit 314 stores the estimation information, design data, and communication in association with each other, based on instructions from the user (estimate requesting party, estimate recommendation party, and / or estimate requesting party) via the input interface. In this case, various numbers are used for the association, such as a number to distinguish the target object, a number to distinguish the estimate requesting party, a number to distinguish the estimate recommendation party, and a number to distinguish the estimate requesting party.

[0125] The display control unit 315 displays at least one recommended supplier for the quote on the terminal of the customer requesting the quote for the target object. The display control unit 315 may also display a setting form for setting the quote conditions and a decision form for determining the supplier for the quote request for the target object from the recommended suppliers on the customer's terminal. The delivery time for the target object included in the quote conditions may or may not include, for example, manufacturing LT (Lead Time) and delivery LT (Inventory LT + Shipping LT). The price of the target object included in the quote conditions does not necessarily consist only of the manufacturing price.

[0126] Furthermore, the display control unit 315 displays the quotation response for each target object from the quotation requesting party on the requesting party's terminal. The display control unit 315 also displays the status of receipt of quotation responses for each quotation requesting party and for each target object in a list on the requesting party's terminal. Alternatively, instead of the status of receipt of quotation responses, the status of the quotation and the content of the quotation response may be displayed in a list on the requesting party's terminal. The status of the quotation includes all statuses, such as the quotation request details being undecided or the quotation request details being finalized but the quotation response not yet being sent.

[0127] In other words, the status of the estimate includes not only the status of the estimate response, but also other statuses related to the estimate, such as whether the request has been submitted. The display control unit 315 also displays the contents of the estimate response for each target object in a list on the requesting terminal. For example, the display control unit 315 displays the estimate status and the contents of the estimate response for each target object in a list on the terminal of the estimate requesting party. The display control unit 315 also displays the design data of the target object on the terminal of the estimate requesting party and the terminal of the estimate recommendation party, using the language and / or units selected by the user who requested the estimate.

[0128] When at least one recipient of a quotation request is selected on the terminal of the quotation requester, and an instruction to create a message for the selected recipient is entered, the display control unit 315 displays a message input field for the selected recipient on the terminal of the quotation requester. This enables the sending of a message from the quotation requester to the recipient via the transmission unit 316. Furthermore, when the transmission unit 316 sends a message from the quotation requester to the recipient, the display control unit 315 displays the message on the terminal of the quotation requester.

[0129] Furthermore, when a message creation instruction for the requesting party is entered on the terminal of the party requesting the quote, the display control unit 315 displays a message input field for the selected requesting party on the requesting party's terminal. This enables the sending of a message from the requesting party to the requesting party. When a message is sent from the requesting party to the requesting party by the transmission unit 316, the display control unit 315 displays the message on the requesting party's terminal. Through these actions, the display control unit 315 displays the mutual communication between the requesting party and the party requesting the quote for at least one target object on both the requesting party's terminal and the requesting party's terminal. As a result, message-based communication is realized between the requesting party and the requesting party.

[0130] Furthermore, the above-mentioned message-based communication may be repeated multiple times between the requesting party for a quote and the party recommending the quote. Various types of data, such as drawings, specifications, photos, audio, and video, can be attached to the communication. The communication may also be conducted on a per-drawing basis (the smallest unit), or on a per-unit basis such as "the 10 drawings requested this time."

[0131] The communication via the above message is not limited to the source requesting the quote and the provider requesting the quote; it can also occur between the source requesting the quote and the provider requesting the quote. In this case, by replacing the term "provider of quote" in the above explanation with "recommended provider," the communication between the source requesting the quote and the recommended provider can be explained, and therefore the explanation of communication between the source requesting the quote and the recommended provider will be omitted. Furthermore, the above communication can be carried out before or after the recommended provider and / or the source requesting the quote has provided a quote response. In addition, when the source requesting the quote inputs a command to display the communication history with the recommended provider and / or the source requesting the quote, the display control unit 315 displays the communication history with the recommended provider and / or the source requesting the quote on the source requesting the quote's terminal.

[0132] The transmission unit 316 sends the notification content to the quotation request recipient determined in the decision form. The notification content includes, for example, the URL of the dedicated web page for quotation responses corresponding to the quotation request, as well as the quotation response ID and password. For example, the transmission unit 316 sends the notification content to the quotation request recipient in response to the user's instruction via the input interface, specifically when the submit button on the decision form is pressed.

[0133] When a message transmission command is entered on the terminal of the quote requester, the transmission unit 316 sends the message to the pre-selected quote recommendation destination and / or quote request destination. Furthermore, when a message transmission command is entered on the terminal of the quote recommendation destination and / or quote request destination, the transmission unit 316 sends the message to the quote requester. If various data such as drawings and specifications are attached to the message, the transmission unit 316 also sends the attached data along with the message to the destination.

[0134] The configuration of the information processing device 1 has been described above. Below, we will describe the process by which the information processing device 1 stores communication with the provider of the estimate recommendation for the target object, associating the estimate information with the design data (hereinafter referred to as the association storage process). The association storage process will be described below using Figures 11 to 27.

[0135] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the procedure for related storage processing. Prior to the execution of related storage processing, various inputs related to the registration of the target object are performed. For example, the processor 31 registers design information (specifically, drawing files, etc.) and transaction information for multiple objects in the design database, according to the instructions of the user who requested the estimate. In addition, the processor 31 generates the following three pieces of information to be registered in the design database by analyzing the design data for multiple objects.

[0136] (1) The feature information processor 31 inputs the entire design data into a trained model (for example, a trained convolutional neural network (CNN)). The processor 31 obtains feature vectors from the intermediate layer just before the output layer of the trained model. As a result, the processor 31 stores the feature vectors of the object corresponding to the drawing file as feature information (second feature information), associating them with the ID of the design data (for example, a drawing ID) in the design database.

[0137] (2) Structured information on the drawing For example, the processor 31 stores the contents of the title block in the design data as structured data in the design database, for example, using the technology described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7377565. For example, if the cell next to the cell containing the word "product name" in the title block contains the word "bracket", the processor 31 reads the word in the title block using a technology such as Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and registers the data "bracket" in the product name field in the design database. Note that even if the word "product name" is read by OCR, the system may be configured not to register the read data in the design database.

[0138] (3) Information on drawings that could not be structured, other than the title block, that the processor 31 was able to read using OCR or the like is registered as free text in the remarks field of the design database. Examples of information registered here include the values ​​of dimensions in various parts of the drawing, notes, and handwritten memos. For example, the processor 31 stores data separated by commas for each block of data it has read (for example, CSV: comma separated values) in the design database, such as "220, 10, 35, no scratches, scratches that cannot be felt with a fingernail are OK (confirmed by Mr. Suzuki), 8 / 15".

[0139] First, the processor 31 creates a new project at the beginning of the quotation process, based on instructions from the user who requested the quotation. The project will be explained below. In the manufacturing industry, a user who requests a quotation may request quotations for components necessary for the manufacture of some of their own products from external manufacturers, for example, for a group of parts numbering in the thousands. In practice, quotation-related work is sometimes treated as a single procurement block (group) for each of the above-mentioned "manufacturing of some of their own products". Therefore, it is useful for the user's work if the procurement system can handle procurement in blocks of the same granularity. For these reasons, in this embodiment, a mechanism will be described that can handle a group of parts related to procurement as a single unit. Handling a group of parts related to procurement as a single unit will be referred to as a "project". Furthermore, the drawings of individual parts within the group of parts will be referred to as "details".

[0140] Here, "procurement" typically refers to outsourcing manufacturing. The items subject to quotation are not limited to these, and may also include parts, materials, tools, etc., which are standardized and priced, often referred to as purchased goods in the industry. Assuming the complexity of having multiple potential quotations for each of multiple component groups, related data storage processing contributes to the efficiency and accuracy of the entire quotation-related process. It should be noted that related data storage processing is not limited to outsourcing manufacturing of the target object, but may also be performed when requesting quotations at a stage before the design of the target object begins.

[0141] Next, the processor 31 registers individual drawing IDs related to the estimate within the selected project. The user requesting the estimate selects the project for which they wish to receive an estimate via the input interface on their terminal. Project selection corresponds, for example, to the selection of a project ID on the initial screen. At this time, the display control unit 315 displays a details screen for the selected project on the terminal of the user requesting the estimate. At this time, the user requesting the estimate selects the drawings for which they wish to receive an estimate on the details screen of the selected project via the input interface on their terminal.

[0142] Figure 12 shows an example of the details screen 61 of a selected project. As shown in Figure 12, on the project details screen 61, the user selects the drawing of the object to be estimated (the target object) (hereinafter referred to as the target drawing). The selection of the target drawing is achieved, for example, by checking the checkbox 63 on the far left of the details screen 61, as shown in Figure 12, and clicking the "Automatically Select Estimate Provider" button 65 in the upper left corner of the screen. This performs the related saving process for selecting the recommended estimate provider.

[0143] (Related saving process) (Step S301) The acquisition unit 310 acquires first characteristic information relating to at least one target object. Specifically, the acquisition unit 310 acquires first characteristic information linked to the target drawing selected by the user who requested the estimate from the design database.

[0144] (Step S302) The identification unit 312 identifies at least one similar object that is similar to the target object in the design database using the first feature information and the second feature information. Specifically, the identification unit 312 calculates the distance between the first feature vector corresponding to the first feature information and each of the multiple feature vectors stored in the design database. For example, if the predetermined number is 3, the identification unit 312 identifies three second feature vectors corresponding to the distance, for example, the three smallest distances that are less than the predetermined value. Next, the identification unit 312 identifies the objects corresponding to the three identified second feature vectors in the design database as similar objects (one or more similar objects). At this time, the identification unit 312 selects up to three drawings (similar drawings) that have the closest mathematical distance to the feature information of the target object.

[0145] (Step S303) The decision unit 313 determines, for each of the similar objects, to be at least one recommended supplier from the trading information associated with the similar object. For example, if three similar objects are identified, the decision unit 313 reads from the design database the trading partners included in the trading information associated with each of the three similar objects. As a result, the decision unit 313 determines the three trading partners corresponding to the three similar objects as recommended suppliers for the target object. At this time, the decision unit 313 may also obtain trading information linked to drawings corresponding to the similar objects from the design database. The obtained trading information may include, for example, the trading partner name, order date, order price, and order quantity.

[0146] (Step S304) The display control unit 315 displays at least one recommended quote provider on the terminal of the quote requester for the target object. For example, for each target object, the display control unit 315 displays three recommended quote providers, along with transaction information, on the terminal of the quote requester for similar objects, for each drawing of the target object. For example, the display control unit 315 displays a decision form on the terminal of the quote requester for determining a quote provider from the recommended quote providers.

[0147] The user requesting the quote will see the "Recommended Quote Providers" column in the decision form, which displays at least one recommended quote provider. The company names displayed in the Recommended Quote Providers column correspond to the recommended quote providers. Based on this viewing, the user will determine whether the supplier displayed as a recommended quote provider is suitable to request a quote for the item in question.

[0148] If the user requesting the quote determines that a recommended supplier is unsuitable, the user will click an "x" mark next to the unsuitable supplier in the "Supplier Candidates" column. At this time, the supplier with the "x" mark will be removed from the "Supplier Candidates" column. Thus, the supplier with the "x" mark will be excluded from the supplier candidate column. Furthermore, if the user requesting the quote wishes to add a different supplier to the list of suppliers displayed in the "Supplier Candidates" column, the supplier may be added to the "Supplier Candidates" column through the user's manual input interface.

[0149] Furthermore, the display control unit 315 displays a setting form for setting quotation conditions, which includes at least one of the following: the quantity of the target object, the delivery date for the manufacture of the target object, the price for the manufacture of the target object, and the deadline for responding to the quotation for the target object, on the terminal of the person requesting the quotation. By entering information into the setting form, the user requesting the quotation can create the data for the quotation request by directly entering quotation conditions such as quantity, delivery date, price, and response deadline on the screen.

[0150] Furthermore, the display control unit 315 displays a setting form for setting quotation conditions, which includes at least one of the following: the quantity of the target object, the delivery date of the target object, the price of the target object, and the deadline for responding to the quotation for the target object, on the terminal of the person requesting the quotation. By inputting into the setting form, the user requesting the quotation can create the data for the quotation request by directly entering quotation conditions such as quantity, delivery date, price, and response deadline on the screen.

[0151] Through the above operations, the display control unit 315 generates quotation request data with quotation conditions. Note that the generation of the quotation request data may also be performed by the quotation request data generation unit in the processor 31. The display control unit 315 creates aggregated pages from the quotation request data, categorized by the trading partner to whom the quotation is requested. Specifically, the display control unit 315 performs controls such as displaying quotation requests for products such as jjj, kkk, lll on the screen of the terminal that made the quotation request (project details screen) for trading partner A, and displaying quotation requests for products such as jjj, lll, mmm, nnn on the screen for trading partner B.

[0152] (Step S305) Based on user instructions via the input interface, the recipient of the quotation request is determined on the decision form displayed on the requesting terminal. That is, the decision unit 313 determines the recipient of the quotation request based on the user instructions on the requesting terminal. At this time, the notification data for the quotation request is finalized. The contents of the notification data (notification content) include, for example, the URL of the dedicated web page for quotation responses corresponding to the quotation request, and the quotation response ID and password. For example, from the standpoint of confidentiality, the notification content does not, in principle, contain specific details of the quotation request (information about the contents).

[0153] Figure 13 shows an example of the details screen for a quotation project. When the user requesting the quotation clicks the "Create Quotation Request" button 101, the display control unit 315 displays a small screen 103 titled "Create Quotation Request" on the requesting user's terminal. This allows the requesting user to input the "Quotation Title" and "Request Remarks" via the input interface. After entering the "Quotation Title," when the "Create" button 105 shown in Figure 13 is clicked, notification data for the quotation request (notification data) is created.

[0154] Figure 14 shows an example of the display after clicking the "Create" button 105 shown in Figure 13. As shown in Figure 14, after clicking the "Create" button 105 shown in Figure 10, the display control unit 315 displays a notification 111 on the project details screen indicating that the user will proceed to the project estimate request page, such as "A project estimate request has been created. Proceed to the project estimate request page." At this time, the display control unit 315 transitions the screen in response to the user who requested the estimate clicking the "Project Estimate Request" button 113.

[0155] Figure 15 shows an example of the transition screen (project estimate request screen) 121 after clicking the "Project Estimate Request" button 113 in Figure 14. In the project estimate request screen 121 shown in Figure 15, the display control unit 315 displays a list of the number of drawings to be estimated for each client and the status of the estimate in the frame 123. This allows the user requesting the estimate to check the number of drawings to be estimated for each client and the status of the estimate in a list format.

[0156] In the related data saving process, steps S301 to S305 may be omitted. That is, instead of steps S301 to S305, the determination of the target object and the quotation request destination may be performed separately, in accordance with the processes of steps S301 to S305. For example, instead of steps S301 to S305, the target object and the quotation request destination may be determined according to user input. In this case, the related data saving process is implemented in the process from step S306 onwards, where a quotation request is made to the quotation request destination. In this case, steps S301 to S305 become unnecessary.

[0157] (Step S306) The transmission unit 316 sends a notification containing, for example, quotation conditions and design data for the target object to the determined quotation request recipient. Figure 16 is a diagram showing an example of the same project quotation request screen 121 as in Figure 15. When the "Send" button 131 on the project quotation request screen 121 is clicked, the display control unit 315 displays a small screen 133 for sending emails, as shown in Figure 16. When the "Send" button 135 on the small screen 133 is clicked, the transmission unit 316 sends a quotation request email (notification content) according to the business partner. The email corresponding to the notification content can include data other than drawings of the target object, such as 3D model data and specifications of the target object.

[0158] The user requesting the quote receives the quote notification (quote request email) sent by the requesting user on their device. For example, the email contains a URL for a dedicated web page for responding to the quote request for the company in question, as well as a quote response ID and password automatically assigned by the processor. The URL for the dedicated web page, the quote response ID, and the password are displayed on the requesting user's device.

[0159] Figure 17 shows an example of an email 141 sent from the source requesting a quote to the recipient of the quote request, and a screen 145 displayed when the quote response URL in email 141 is clicked. As shown in Figure 17, the email received by the user requesting the quote contains only minimal information. The user requesting the quote enters their password on screen 145, which is displayed when the quote response URL in email 141 is clicked. This allows the user requesting the quote to log in to the information processing device 1. The specific details of the quote request can be confirmed on a screen displayed by the display control unit 315 after logging in. As shown in Figure 17, the only information the user requesting the quote can access is the quote request data related to this quote request, thus enabling operation that meets the requirements of business efficiency, accuracy, and confidentiality.

[0160] Figure 18 shows an example of a quotation response screen 151 related to a quotation request displayed on the terminal of the recipient of the quotation request. As shown in Figure 18, the recipient user checks the quotation conditions, etc. The recipient user can also enlarge and check the drawing of the object to be quoted by clicking on the thumbnail image on the quotation response screen 151.

[0161] (Step S307) Mutual communication takes place between the company requesting the quote and the company receiving the quote. The following describes the communication between the company requesting the quote and the company receiving the quote, with reference to Figures 19 to 28. To make the explanation more concrete, the company requesting the quote will be named T Corporation, and the company receiving the quote will be named C Corporation.

[0162] Figure 19 shows an example of a screen displayed on the terminal of the quote requester by the display control unit 315. As shown in Figure 19, when an employee of "T Corporation," the quote requester, logs in, the name of the company requester, "T Corporation," is displayed in the area 91 indicating the company name. At this time, a bust icon portion at the right end of the area 91 indicating the company name may display a photo of the user or the like. Figure 19 shows the state in step S306 when a quote request has been sent to the quote requester by the user's operation on the quote requester's terminal. At this time, as shown in Figure 19, the display control unit 315 displays the message "Quote sent." in the message field on the quote requester's terminal.

[0163] Figure 20 shows an example of how a request for a quote is displayed on the recipient's terminal when the request is sent from the source requesting the quote. As shown in Figure 20, when an employee of "C Corporation," the recipient of the quote, logs in, the name of the company "C Corporation" is displayed in the area 201 indicating the company name. At this time, the bust icon area at the right end of the area 201 indicating the company name may display a photo of the user from the source requesting the quote.

[0164] As shown in Figure 20, the display control unit 315, upon receiving a quotation request from the source requesting the quotation, displays a mark indicating that a message has been received from the source requesting the quotation, along with the number of messages received, on the terminal of the terminal requesting the quotation. Thus, according to this embodiment, the user of the terminal requesting the quotation can visually confirm whether or not a message has been sent from the source requesting the quotation, as shown in Figure 20. The string "message" shown in Figure 20 and other documents is an example of chat and communication.

[0165] Figure 21 shows an example of the display when the area 211 indicating "Message" is clicked on the display screen of the terminal of the person requesting the quote. As shown in Figure 21, the display control unit 315 displays a message from the person requesting the quote on the terminal of the person requesting the quote in response to the click of area 211. As a result, according to this embodiment, the user of the person requesting the quote can view the content of the message sent from the person requesting the quote.

[0166] Figure 22 shows an example of message content entered on the terminal of the person requesting the quote. As shown in Figure 22, the display control unit 315 displays the message entered in the message field on the terminal of the person requesting the quote. As a result, according to this embodiment, the user of the person requesting the quote can understand the content of the mutual communication with the person requesting the quote.

[0167] Figure 23 shows an example of how a message sent from the recipient of a quote request to the person requesting the quote is displayed on the recipient's terminal. As shown in Figure 23, the display control unit 315 displays on the recipient's terminal a message entered in the message field, along with attached design data (drawing data). In other words, in Figure 23, design data (drawing data) is attached in addition to the message. Thus, according to this embodiment, as shown in Figure 23, various types of data can be sent and received in addition to messages during mutual communication between the recipient of a quote request and the person requesting the quote.

[0168] Figure 24 shows an example of how a message is displayed on the requesting party's terminal after the requesting party has sent a message to the requesting party. Figure 24 corresponds to Figure 6 in the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 24, when an employee of "T Corporation," the requesting party, logs in, the name of the requesting company, "T Corporation," is displayed in the area 241 indicating the company name. At this time, a bust icon portion at the right end of the area 241 indicating the company name may display a photo of each user of the requesting party.

[0169] In Figure 24, the leftmost frame (column) 243 shows a list of chat threads. In the example shown in Figure 24, the chat threads are shown by project. Note that the list of chat threads can be set arbitrarily and may be hidden, for example. Also, as shown in Figure 24, when a project (the name of the company requesting the quote (C Corporation in Figure 24)) is selected from the list of threads shown in the leftmost column 243, the display control unit 315 displays the communications related to the selected project in the central frame 245 shown in Figure 24 on the terminal of the quote requester.

[0170] Furthermore, the rightmost frame (column) 247 in Figure 24 displays a list of drawings for which a quotation request has been submitted to "C Corporation" (hereinafter referred to as "quote drawings"). Note that the list of quotation drawings 247 related to the quotation request destination selected in the thread list can be set arbitrarily, and may, for example, be hidden. Thus, according to this embodiment, as shown in Figure 24, the user who submitted the quotation request can understand the content of the mutual communication with the quotation request destination.

[0171] Figure 25 shows an example of what happens after an operation is performed on the terminal of the person requesting the quote, on drawing data attached to a message from the recipient of the quote request. When an operation such as clicking is performed on the display screen of the terminal of the person requesting the quote, as shown in Figure 24, the drawing data attached to the message is enlarged and displayed, as shown in Figure 25. This allows the user requesting the quote to easily and quickly check the drawing data attached to the message.

[0172] Figure 26 shows an example of a message displayed on the terminal of the person requesting the quote, in response to an inquiry from the person requesting the quote. As shown in Figure 26, the display control unit 315 displays the response to the inquiry from the person requesting the quote on the terminal of the person requesting the quote, immediately following the inquiry. This allows the user requesting the quote to communicate smoothly and easily with the person requesting the quote.

[0173] Figure 27 shows an example of a message from the source of the quotation request on the terminal of the recipient of the quotation request. Figure 27 corresponds to Figure 7 in the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 27, it shows an example of the display when the area 271 indicating "Message" is clicked on the display screen of the terminal of the recipient of the quotation request.

[0174] As shown in Figure 27, the display control unit 315 displays messages from the requesting party (answers to inquiries) on the requesting party's terminal in response to a click in area 271. That is, the display control unit 315 displays the message communication in chronological order on the requesting party's terminal in the rightmost frame 273 in Figure 27. The replies to the questions the requesting party asked the requesting party are displayed in the rightmost frame 273 in Figure 27.

[0175] As shown in the rightmost frame 273 in Figure 27, the terminal of the person who requested the quote will display that responses have been received from the person who requested the quote regarding 1. plating, 2. tolerances, and 3. special heat treatment, etc., respectively. Thus, according to this embodiment, the user of the person who requested the quote can easily view the contents of the messages sent from the person who requested the quote in chronological order.

[0176] Figure 28 shows another display example on the terminal of the person requesting the quote. Figure 28 shows a different display mode from Figure 6 in the first embodiment. As shown in frame 281 in Figure 28, unlike Figure 24, the display control unit 315 displays the latest post in the left column (frame) 281 instead of just the username / subject. The display mode by the display control unit 315 can be set as appropriate by instructions from the user requesting the quote via the terminal of the person requesting the quote.

[0177] (Step S308) The save button is pressed (clicked) on the display screen shown on the terminal of the quote requestor or the terminal of the quote requestor. This save input instruction is performed on the terminal of the quote requestor or the terminal of the quote requestor by the user via the input interface.

[0178] (Step S309) The storage unit 314 stores the estimation information, design data, and communication in association. Specifically, the storage unit 314 stores the estimation information (such as estimation conditions) and design data (such as drawing data of the target object) related to the object for which mutual communication (communication) has taken place between the source requesting the estimation and the recipient of the estimation, along with the communication (for example, chat history), in memory, main memory 33, or auxiliary memory 35.

[0179] In other words, the storage unit 314 stores the chat history (individual text-based communication exchanges) linked to the corresponding individual quotation requests, etc. At this time, the storage unit 314 may also store the content of the stored communication (communication content, information sharing) together with the quotation information and design data in a way that prevents rewriting.

[0180] The information processing device 1 according to the second embodiment described above displays the mutual communication between the party requesting a quote for at least one target object and the party requesting the quote on the terminals of the party requesting the quote and the terminals of the party requesting the quote, and stores the quote information related to the quote for the target object, the data of the target object, and the communication in association. The quote information in the information processing device 1 according to the second embodiment includes the quote request for the manufacture of the target object and / or the response to the quote request. The communication in the information processing device 1 according to the second embodiment is text data. The data of the target object in the information processing device 1 according to the second embodiment includes drawing data of the target object, CAD data of the target object, or design specification data of the target object.

[0181] Furthermore, in the information processing device 1 according to the second embodiment, the estimate for the target object relates to the manufacturing of the target object. In this case, in the information processing device 1 according to the second embodiment, when responding to a request for an estimate regarding the manufacturing of the target object, the estimate information includes at least one of the following: the quantity of the target object, the delivery date of the target object, the price of the target object, and a refusal to respond. When the request for an estimate is made, the estimate information includes at least one of the following: the quantity of the target object, the delivery date of the target object, the price of the target object, and the deadline for responding to the estimate.

[0182] Based on these considerations, the information processing device 1 according to the second embodiment allows for unified management of drawings (design data), quotation data, and communication without dispersion or fragmentation. This is achieved by associating and saving, along with the design data, the background circumstances of the project related to the quotation request (tight deadlines, strict specifications, etc.), confirmation and adjustment of specifications not described in the drawings related to the quotation, communication such as delivery date adjustments due to specification changes or adjustments, and the final quotation response based on these communications, in a series of elements of the quotation process, including quotation requests, information exchange (communication) between the requesting party and the quotation provider, quotation responses, and quotation review and assessment.

[0183] In addition, according to the information processing device 1 of the second embodiment, along with individual quotation requests (accompanied by one or more drawings), the source requesting the quotation and the recipient of the quotation can chat with each other (text-based communication on the screen). In other words, the source requesting the quotation and the recipient can create and evaluate quotations while viewing the drawings, and can also communicate (chat) about the quotations while viewing the drawings, thereby improving the efficiency of mutual communication between the source requesting the quotation and the recipient of the quotation in the quotation process.

[0184] Furthermore, according to the information processing device 1 of the second embodiment, since the communication record is saved together with the drawings and estimate, the user who requested the estimate can easily determine why the estimate is what it is (amount, manufacturing time, etc.) when they later re-examine the drawings. For example, according to the information processing device 1 of the second embodiment, the certainty of compliance with laws such as collusion and the Act on the Proper Operation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises can be improved. Specifically, according to the information processing device 1 of the second embodiment, users in a position to supervise and audit estimate fraud and compliance (e.g., superiors, compliance departments, etc.) can use the saved communications as evidence when confirming whether appropriate communication has taken place between the person in charge at the source of the estimate and the supplier to whom the estimate was requested, or what the basis for the estimate is.

[0185] (Application Example) An application example of the second embodiment is to perform a keyword search on a user terminal. The target of the keyword search is quotation information, data on the target object, and strings in communication. By entering a string in the search box on the display screen of the user terminal, a keyword search is performed on the quotation information, data on the target object, and in communication. The user terminal is, for example, the terminal of the person requesting the quotation and / or the terminal of the person receiving the quotation request.

[0186] The display control unit 315 displays a search area (search window) on the user terminal where keywords for communication can be entered as search targets. The keywords are text. The display control unit 315 may also display the keyword search window on the design data or quotation information display screen on the user terminal.

[0187] When a keyword is entered into the search box by user instruction via the input interface, the identification unit 312 performs a search using that keyword in the stored communications, and through this keyword search, identifies communications containing that keyword, as well as estimate information and target object data associated with those communications. For example, the identification unit 312 searches for words that match the keyword entered into the search box from communications included in the project (written in chats).

[0188] As a result, the identification unit 312 identifies communications containing words that match the keyword. Next, the identification unit 312 identifies quotation information and design data associated with the identified communications. The identification unit 312 may further use information such as design data, quotation information, and communications to narrow down the search range in the keyword search. The data used for this narrowing down may include, for example, strings of characters described in drawings in the data of the target object, the names of business partners and quoted amounts included in the quotation information, and dates and times included in communications (sending date and time, receiving date and time).

[0189] The display control unit 315 causes at least one of the identified communication, design data, and quotation information to be displayed on the user terminal.

[0190] Furthermore, when a specific search result is selected from the list of search results via the input interface, the display control unit 315 displays other data associated with the selected search result on the user terminal. For example, if a communication related to the search result is selected, the display control unit 315 displays estimate information and data on the target object associated with the communication on the user terminal.

[0191] Figure 29 shows an example of a display screen including a search window 291 displayed on a user terminal. Keywords are entered in the search window 291 shown in Figure 29. The search window 291 in Figure 29 is a keyword input field for communication, but it may also be used for keyword searches of quotation information and / or target object data.

[0192] Figure 30 shows an example of keyword search results. As shown in Figure 30, the textual examples of keywords in communication are highlighted. The display method of the search results shown in Figure 30 is just one example and can be configured as appropriate by the user. For example, all search results may be displayed as a list, or they may be organized and displayed by drawing, quotation information, or communication. In other words, Figure 30 is an example where no keywords were found outside of communication. The display control unit 315 may also display quotation information and / or data of the target object associated with the communication on the user terminal.

[0193] The information processing device 1 according to the application example of the second embodiment described above displays a region 291 on the user terminal in which keywords for communication can be entered as search targets, performs a search using the keywords in the stored communications, identifies communications containing the keywords, and estimate information and target object data associated with communications containing the keywords, and displays at least one of the identified communications, target object data, and estimate information on the user terminal.

[0194] As a result, according to the information processing device 1 of the second embodiment, data and quotation information for target objects can be searched from communications such as chats. For example, according to the information processing device 1 of the second embodiment, even if the user only remembers that they had a chat about the name of the company to which the quotation was requested or recommended, the name of the device, the name of the target object, and the manufacturing information, they can search for data and quotation information for the target object from the chat history. Therefore, according to the information processing device 1 of the second embodiment, by performing a keyword search on uniformly managed data, quotation information, and communications for target objects, the information desired by the user can be obtained uniformly, thereby improving the efficiency of the quotation process.

[0195] When the technical concept of the embodiment is realized by an information processing method, the information processing method displays the mutual communication between the party requesting an estimate for at least one target object and the party requesting the estimate for the target object on the terminal of the party requesting the estimate and the terminal of the party requesting the estimate, and stores the estimate information related to the estimate for the target object, the data of the target object, and the communication in association. The processing content and effects of each step of the associated storage process realized by the information processing method are the same as in the second embodiment, so a description is omitted.

[0196] When the technical concept of the embodiment is realized by an information processing program, the information processing program enables the computer to display the mutual communication between the party requesting an estimate for at least one target object and the party requesting the estimate for the target object on the terminal of the party requesting the estimate and the terminal of the party requesting the estimate, and to store the estimate information related to the estimate for the target object, the data of the target object, and the communication in association.

[0197] In this case, the information processing program that can cause a computer to execute this method can also be stored and distributed on storage media such as magnetic disks (hard disks, etc.), optical disks (CD-ROMs, DVDs, etc.), and semiconductor memory. The processing content and effects of each step of the related storage process realized by the information processing program are the same as in the second embodiment, so a description will be omitted.

[0198] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, the estimation process can be made more efficient.

[0199] Although embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the user to individual embodiments. Each embodiment can be modified in various ways, including additions, changes, substitutions, partial deletions, and combinations, without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. These embodiments and their variations are included within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0200] With regard to the above embodiments, the following notes are disclosed as the problem addressed by the invention, one aspect of the invention, and selective features. (Note 1) Conventionally, this process requires a great deal of time and effort. Therefore, automation and efficiency improvements have been sought. In procurement, multiple exchanges often occur between the user and the supplier from the time of quotation request to the collection of the quotation. For example, these include confirmation of the specifications of individual drawings, explanation and confirmation of the project background, and confirmation and reminders of the status. Managing these using separate tools such as email is time-consuming, and it is also difficult to accumulate the exchanges as data. In addition, there is a need to accurately manage the content of communications, such as for project governance and compliance with the Subcontracting Act. (Note 2) The information processing device according to the embodiment includes: a similar drawing search unit that searches for a plurality of similar drawings similar to the target drawing based on the characteristic information and the characteristic information regarding the shape of the target part shown in the target drawing from a drawing database which associates characteristic information regarding the shape of each of the plurality of parts shown in each of the plurality of drawings with order information regarding the ordering of each of the plurality of parts and manufacturing information regarding the manufacturing of each of the plurality of parts and each of the plurality of drawings; a quotation request narrowing unit that narrows down a plurality of quotation request destinations associated with the plurality of similar drawings to a plurality of recommended quotation request destinations that are recommended as quotation request destinations for the manufacturing of the target part, based on the order information and the manufacturing information for each of the plurality of similar drawings; a display control unit that displays the plurality of recommended quotation request destinations on a user terminal; and a communication unit that displays the contents of the quotation request on a quotation request destination terminal selected by the user, communicates the contents of the quotation request with the quotation request destination and stores the communication contents linked to at least one of drawing data, customer data, quotation request data or quotation response data, and displays according to at least one of the set conditions or requests from the user or the quotation request destination. (Note 3) In the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment, the manufacturing information includes the material of each of the plurality of parts and the processing method for each of the plurality of parts, wherein the material of each of the plurality of parts relating to the plurality of recommended quotation request destinations is the same as the material of the target part, and the processing method for each of the plurality of parts relating to the plurality of recommended quotation request destinations is the same as the processing method for the target part.(Note 4) In the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment, the order information includes the supplier to which the order was requested for the manufacture of each of the plurality of parts, the track record of the supplier, the order price for each of the plurality of parts, the on-time delivery rate for the manufacture of each of the plurality of parts, and the defect rate for each of the plurality of parts, and the display unit may further display at least one of the track record, the order price, the on-time delivery rate, and the defect rate, the material of the target part, the processing method for the target part, the similar drawing corresponding to the recommended supplier, and the target drawing, together with the plurality of recommended suppliers. (Note 5) In the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment, the display unit may display the plurality of recommended suppliers in a switchable order of the number of suppliers with the most track record, the lowest order of the order price, the highest order of the on-time delivery rate, and the lowest order of the defect rate. (Note 6) In the information processing device according to the embodiment, the display unit may display, among the plurality of recommended quotation request providers, companies that do not have business dealings with the company that ordered the target drawing, in a different display manner from that of companies that do have business dealings with the company that ordered the target drawing. (Note 7) In the information processing device according to the embodiment, the drawing database further has the results of comparative quotations for each of the plurality of drawings, and the display unit may further display the results of comparative quotations for each of the plurality of recommended quotation request providers. (Note 8) In the information processing device according to the embodiment, the quotation request provider narrowing unit may determine the display order of the plurality of recommended quotation request providers based on the degree of similarity between each of the plurality of similar drawings corresponding to the plurality of recommended quotation request providers and the target drawing, the number of successful transactions of the recommended quotation request providers, the low order price, the high compliance rate, and the low defect rate, and the display unit may display the plurality of recommended quotation request providers according to the display order. (Note 9) In the information processing device according to the embodiment, if the recommended quotation request destination is a foreign country, the display unit may display the language of the information regarding the similar drawings in the native language of the country to which the client of the target drawing belongs, and display the units of dimensions in the similar drawings in units used in the country to which the client of the target drawing belongs.(Note 9) The method for recommending a quotation request provider according to the embodiment searches for a plurality of similar drawings similar to the target drawing from a drawing database that associates characteristic information relating to the shape of each of the plurality of parts shown in each of the plurality of drawings, order information relating to the ordering of each of the plurality of parts, manufacturing information relating to the manufacturing of each of the plurality of parts, and the plurality of drawings, based on the characteristic information and characteristic information relating to the shape of the target part shown in the target drawing, narrows down the plurality of quotation request providers associated with the plurality of similar drawings to a plurality of recommended quotation request providers that are recommended as quotation request providers for the manufacturing of the target part, displays the plurality of recommended quotation request providers on the user terminal, displays the contents of the quotation request on the quotation request provider terminal selected by the user, the quotation request provider and the user communicate about the contents of the quotation request, stores the communication contents linked to at least one of the drawing data, customer data, quotation request data, or quotation response data, and displays according to at least one of the set conditions or the request of the user or the quotation request provider. (Note 10) The quotation provider recommendation program according to the embodiment enables the computer to search for a plurality of similar drawings similar to the target drawing from a drawing database which associates characteristic information relating to the shape of each of the plurality of parts shown in each of the plurality of drawings, order information relating to the ordering of each of the plurality of parts, manufacturing information relating to the manufacturing of each of the plurality of parts, and the plurality of drawings, based on the characteristic information and characteristic information relating to the shape of the target part shown in the target drawing, and to narrow down the plurality of quotation providers associated with the plurality of similar drawings to a plurality of recommended quotation providers that are recommended as quotation providers for the manufacturing of the target part, based on the order information relating to each of the plurality of similar drawings and the manufacturing information relating to each of the plurality of similar drawings, and to display the plurality of recommended quotation providers on the user terminal, display the contents of the quotation request on the quotation provider terminal selected by the user, communicate the contents of the quotation request between the quotation provider and the user, store the communication contents linked to at least one of the drawing data, customer data, quotation request data or quotation response data, and display according to at least one of the set conditions or the request of the user or the quotation provider.(Note 11) An information processing device comprising: a display control unit that displays mutual communication between a party requesting an estimate for at least one target object and the party requesting the estimate for the target object on the terminal of the party requesting the estimate and the terminal of the party requesting the estimate; and a storage unit that stores estimate information relating to the estimate for the target object, data of the target object, and the communication in association. (Note 12) The estimate may relate to the manufacturing of the target object. (Note 13) The estimate information may include an estimate request for manufacturing and / or a response to the estimate request. (Note 14) The communication may be text data. (Note 15) The data of the target object may include drawing data of the target object, CAD data of the target object, or design specification data of the target object. (Note 16) At the time of the response, the estimate information may include at least one of the quantity of the object, the delivery date of the object, the price of the object, and a refusal to respond. At the time of the request for estimate, the estimate information may include at least one of the quantity of the object, the delivery date of the object, the price of the object, and the deadline for the estimate response. (Note 17) The display control unit further includes a specification unit that displays an area on the user terminal in which keywords for the communication can be entered as a search target, performs a search using the keywords in the stored communications, and identifies communications containing the keywords, and estimate information and data of the object associated with communications containing the keywords. The display control unit may display at least one of the identified communications, data of the object, and estimate information on the user terminal.(Note 18) The information processing method further comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires first characteristic information relating to at least one target object; an identification unit that identifies at least one similar object similar to the target object using the first characteristic information and the second characteristic information in a design database that stores design information including second characteristic information relating to each of a plurality of objects and transaction information relating to business partners; and a determination unit that determines, for each of the target objects, a business partner included in the transaction information associated with the at least one similar object as the at least one recommended source for quotation requests. (Note 19) An information processing method comprising displaying mutual communication between the source for quotation requests for at least one target object and the source for quotation requests for the target object on the terminal of the source for quotation requests and storing quotation information relating to the quotation for the target object, data of the target object, and the communication in association. (Note 20) An information processing program that enables a computer to display the mutual communication between the party requesting an estimate for at least one target object and the party requesting the estimate for the target object on the terminal of the party requesting the estimate and the terminal of the party requesting the estimate, and to store the estimate information related to the estimate for the target object, the data of the target object, and the communication in association.

[0201] 1A Information Processing Device 11 Processing Circuit 13 Memory 15 Input Interface 17A Communication Interface 111A System Control Unit 113A Similar Drawing Search Unit 115 Quotation Request Destination Narrowing Unit 117 Communication Unit 119 Display Control Unit 191A Network 193 User Terminal 195 Business Partner Terminal (Quotation Request Destination Terminal) 1 Information Processing Device 5 Communication Network 9A External Device 9B External Device 30 Computer 31 Processor 33 Main Memory 35 Auxiliary Memory 37 Network Interface 39 Device Interface 310 Acquisition Unit 312 Identification Unit 313 Decision Unit 314 Storage Unit 315 Display Control Unit 316 Transmission Unit

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: a display control unit that displays mutual communication between a party requesting an estimate for at least one target object and the party requesting the estimate for the target object on the terminal of the party requesting the estimate and the terminal of the party requesting the estimate; and a storage unit that stores estimate information related to the estimate for the target object, data of the target object, and the communication in association.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the estimate relates to the manufacture of the target object.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the quotation information includes a request for quotation relating to the manufacturing and / or a response relating to the request for quotation.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication is text data.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data of the target object includes drawing data of the target object, CAD data of the target object, or design specification data of the target object.

6. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein, at the time of the response, the quotation information includes at least one of the quantity of the object, the delivery date of the object, the price of the object, and a refusal to respond, and at the time of the request for quotation, the quotation information includes at least one of the quantity of the object, the delivery date of the object, the price of the object, and the deadline for responding to the quotation.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display control unit displays an area on the user terminal in which keywords for the communication can be entered as a search target, performs a search using the keywords in the stored communications, and identifies communications containing the keywords, and estimate information and data of the target object associated with communications containing the keywords, and the display control unit displays at least one of the identified communications, data of the target object, and estimate information on the user terminal.

8. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: an acquisition unit for acquiring first characteristic information relating to at least one target object; an identification unit for identifying at least one similar object similar to the target object using the first characteristic information and the second characteristic information in a design database that stores design information including second characteristic information relating to each of a plurality of objects and transaction information relating to business partners; and a determination unit for determining, for each of the target objects, a business partner included in the transaction information associated with the at least one similar object as the at least one recommended source for quotation requests.

9. An information processing method comprising: displaying mutual communication between a party requesting an estimate for at least one target object and the party requesting the estimate for the target object on the terminal of the party requesting the estimate and the terminal of the party requesting the estimate; and storing the estimate information related to the estimate for the target object, the data of the target object, and the communication in association.

10. An information processing program that enables a computer to display the mutual communication between the party requesting an estimate for at least one target object and the party requesting the estimate for the target object on the terminal of the party requesting the estimate and the terminal of the party requesting the estimate, and to store the estimate information related to the estimate for the target object, the data of the target object, and the communication in association.

Images