Unified Process Flow Template for External Service Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Developers face increased burden when creating process flows for services like 'Scan to Storage & E-mail' due to the need to create separate flows for each external storage service, leading to duplicated efforts and maintenance challenges.
Innovation Solution
An information processing system that allows developers to combine multiple processes with similar contents into a single process flow, reducing the workload by visually associating and executing these processes within a unified flow, thereby simplifying the setup and maintenance process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate process flows are created for each external storage service, then service functionality is ensured, but developer burden and maintenance complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal process flow template that can be applied to multiple external storage services. Instead of creating separate process flows for each service, a single template defines the common processing steps (scan, PDF conversion, email delivery) that can be reused across different storage services like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, reducing maintenance complexity while ensuring service functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the process flow into distinct functional components: scanning process, PDF conversion process, and email delivery process. Each component can be independently configured and reused. The segmentation allows the system to combine these standardized components with different external storage services without creating entirely new process flows, thus reducing overall complexity.
2Reliability
If multiple separate process flows are created, then each service is properly implemented, but the workload and time for creation and maintenance increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by creating a standardized process flow template in advance that contains all necessary processing steps. This template can be quickly instantiated and configured for different external storage services without needing to recreate the entire process flow each time, significantly reducing the time required for service implementation and maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by replicating the standardized process flow template for different external storage services. Instead of manually creating and maintaining separate process flows, the system copies the proven template structure and simply configures it with service-specific parameters, dramatically reducing developer time and effort.
3Productivity
If a unified process flow is used for multiple services, then developer workload is reduced, but service-specific functionality may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing service-specific configuration within the unified process flow template. Each external storage service can have its own configuration parameters (authentication credentials, storage folder paths, service-specific options) while sharing the common processing logic. This ensures that service-specific functionality is preserved while maintaining the efficiency benefits of a unified approach.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing system including an information processing apparatus and a service providing system mutually communicating through a network, wherein the information processing apparatus includes a display process unit to cause a screen of a display device to display a process flow that defines an execution order of processes executed by the service providing system, and a setup reception unit to receive a setup, in which predetermined processes related to first and second external services are associated, and the display process unit displays the processes to be executed in the execution order, and an issue that the setup reception unit has received the predetermined processes related to the first and second external services in association with each other, the service providing system includes a process flow execution unit to execute the processes included in the process flow transmitted from the information processing apparatus in the defined execution order.