JP2002024505A - Information control system, information control method, server and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To support and control the development and fulfillment of the contents of various information generated in a developing process. SOLUTION: Information related with requirements for new development is accepted and made open to the public as information in a first step, and information related with an idea for solving the requirements is accepted as information in a second step, and controlled so as to be made to correspond to the information in the first step, and made open to the public, and information related with a concrete example for realizing the idea is accepted as information in a third step, and controlled so as to be made correspond to at least either the information in the first step or the information in the second step. Thus, the information can be efficiently controlled from needs for development to realization.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to management of information, and more particularly, to management of various types of information generated during a development process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the spread of computers and networks, it has become possible to create documents, communicate by e-mail, and collect information in a database or the like when performing various projects. For example, as a method for electronically managing patent application documents, Japanese Patent No. 0297267 is known.
Many proposals have been made as described in No. 5, etc.

[0003] Such a network system is also used for managing various kinds of information generated during a product development process in a company.

[0004]

However, these systems are merely management tools for the purpose of only checking and approving documents, and do not support development and enrichment of ideas and the like generated in the development process. In general, development of products and the like is currently being carried out in individual developers within a company or within a certain department. Therefore, there is a poor environment in which opinions of various developers and the like are reflected for one idea or the like, and it is difficult to say that the development and enrichment of the contents are efficiently and sufficiently performed.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an information management system, an information management method, a server, and the like which can manage various information generated in a development process while supporting the development and enhancement of the content.
And a recording medium.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided an information management system comprising: a server for managing information; and a plurality of computers communicably connected to the server. Means for receiving and storing information relating to a new development request from the computer as first-stage information, means for providing the first-stage information to the computer,
Means for receiving information relating to the idea to solve the request as second-stage information and storing the information in association with the first-stage information; means for providing the second-stage information to the computer; The information on the specific example of realizing the idea is received as the information of the third step, and the information of the first step or the information of the second step is received.
Means for storing the information in association with at least one of the pieces of stage information.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a server which is communicably connected to a plurality of computers and manages information, wherein the server receives and stores information relating to a new development request from the computer. Means for providing the computer with information on the received request for new development, and information on an idea or a specific example thereof for solving the request from the computer, and information on the request for new development received from the computer. Means for associating and storing.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a server which is communicably connected to a plurality of computers and manages information, means for receiving and storing information relating to ideas from the computers, A server for providing information to the computer; and a means for receiving information from the computer regarding a specific example of realizing the idea and storing the information in association with the information on the idea. Is done.

Further, according to the present invention, a step of receiving information on a new development request as first-stage information, a step of publishing the first-stage information, and information on an idea to solve the request Receiving information as a second-stage information and managing the information in association with the first-stage information; a process of publishing the second-stage information; And managing the information in association with at least one of the first-stage information and the second-stage information.

Further, according to the present invention, a step of receiving information on a new development request, a step of publishing the received information on the new development request, and an idea or a specific example thereof for solving the request And receiving and managing the information related to the new development request.

Further, according to the present invention, a step of receiving information on an idea, a step of publishing information on the idea, and a step of receiving information on a concrete example for realizing the idea and managing the information in association with the information on the idea And an information management method.

Further, according to the present invention, in order to manage information, a computer communicably connected to a plurality of client computers is transmitted to the first computer in accordance with information on a new development request from the client computers. Means for receiving and storing the information of the first stage, means for providing the information of the first stage to the client computer,
Means for receiving, as second-stage information, information relating to the idea for solving the request from the client computer, storing the information in association with the first-stage information, and providing the second-stage information to the client computer Means, means for receiving information on a specific example for realizing the idea from the client computer as third-stage information, and storing the information in association with at least one of the first-stage information and the second-stage information. And a recording medium on which a program for functioning as a program is recorded.

According to the present invention, in order to manage information, a computer communicably connected to a plurality of client computers accepts and stores information relating to a new development request from the client computer. Means for providing information on the received request for new development to the client computer, information from the client computer on an idea for solving the request or information on a specific example thereof,
There is provided a recording medium on which a program for functioning as a means for receiving and storing in association with information on the new development request is recorded.

According to the present invention, in order to manage information, a computer communicably connected to a plurality of client computers receives and stores information relating to ideas from the client computers, A recording medium recording a program functioning as means for providing information on an idea to the client computer, means for receiving information on a specific example for realizing the idea from the client computer and storing the information in association with the information on the idea; Is provided.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an information management system A according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information management system A is a computer network system constructed in a company or the like, and includes a server computer (hereinafter, referred to as a server PC) 1 and a plurality of client computers (hereinafter, referred to as client PCs).
That. ) 2, a database (hereinafter referred to as DB) 3 connected to the server PC1, and a network 4 for communicably connecting the server PC1 and each client PC2.
And.

The server PC 1 stores various information provided from each client PC 2 in the DB 3,
3 is always open to the public on the network 4 to provide it to each client PC 2, etc.
A computer for managing information having a communication function, an information search function, and the like is sufficient.

The client PC 2 only needs to be a computer having various functions of a general-purpose computer such as a document creation function and a communication function, and each employee in the company, for example,
It is allocated to each person such as a designer, a developer, a patent engineer, a sales person, or a group, or the like.

The DB 3 is a recording device for recording electronic data, and examples thereof include a hard disk device and a magneto-optical disk device.

The network 4 is a communication line or the like for communicably connecting the server PC 1 and the client PC 2, and is, for example, a LAN or the Internet (in this case, information disclosed on the network can be restricted). is there.

The information managed by the information management system A and the management procedure will be described.

<< Management of Information Related to Patent Application >> In the information management system A, the contents of the invention are developed by collecting and managing various kinds of information generated from the invention to the application in stages. It is also possible to enrich and ultimately assist in the preparation of patent application documents. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing stages of information that the information management system A mainly manages.

Here, the new invention usually arises due to the needs of the market and consumers, new problems arising in the development process, and the like. Such demands for new development can be a hotbed for new ideas to emerge. Therefore, the information management system A collects and manages information on such a request for new development as information of the first stage.

Next, if there is a request for new development,
An abstract idea that solves this, that is, one or more ideas are born. Therefore, the information management system A collects and manages such information on the idea as information of the second stage.

Next, when a new idea is born, it becomes a problem how to realize the idea and how to commercialize it. In this case, there are a plurality of concrete examples for realizing the new idea, and it can be said that the invention itself is a new invention. Therefore, the information management system A collects and manages information on such specific examples as information of the third stage.

Finally, in order to obtain industrial property rights for the invention that has been obtained through the above steps, preparation of application documents is required. In this case, specialized knowledge of patent technology is also required. Therefore, the information management system collects and manages information on proposals based on the invention generated through the above-described steps while positioning the information as fourth-stage information.

FIG. 3 shows that the client PC 2 sends the server P
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a document form for providing information and the like at each stage described above to C1. This document form 1
“0” is displayed on the display of the client PC 2 by being read from the memory of the client PC 2 or read from the server PC 1. The information provider inputs the information to the document form 10 from the client PC 2, and the information is transmitted to the server P.
It is stored in DB3 via C1. It is also used when the client PC 2 acquires information stored in the DB 3.

In FIG. 3, a “register” button is a button for registering the input information in the server PC 1 and storing it in the DB 3. The "reply" button is a button for providing new information related to the information input to the document form 10, and when this button is pressed, a new document form 10 is opened.

The "close" button is used to return to the previous screen, and the input information is not registered. The “enter judgment” button is a button used to check the eligibility when entering a rank in the “rank” column. “Select creator” button is used for the document form 10
Is a button for selecting a person who prepares a proposal of an application document with respect to the information input in (1). The “mail transmission” button is a button for creating and transmitting an electronic mail to a person who has input information in the document form 10.

The "type of information" field is a field for specifying the type of information input to the document form 10, and is specified by checking any of the radio buttons from request (first stage) to comment. It is possible. The "field" field is a field for inputting the technical field of the information input to the document form 10, and is usually input when inputting the information of the first stage. In addition, the classification of the technical field is predetermined,
You can select from them.

The "rank" column is a column for inputting an evaluation (rank) for the information entered in the document form 10, and can be entered only by a person who has been given a certain authority, for example, a person in charge of each section. is there. In order to enter a rank in the "rank" column, a "check entry" button requires a check of authority. In the "Judge" column, authority is checked by a "Judge" button, and when a rank is entered in the "Rank" column, the name of the evaluator is automatically entered.

The "proposal preparation" column is a column in which the name of the person who has prepared the proposal is input. The “title” column is a column in which a search for information input to the document form 10 is input. In the "creator" and "creation date" fields, the creator and the creation date are automatically entered. In the “body” column, the content of the information is input, and not only characters but also drawings can be input. The “attach file” button is a button for attaching a created document file to the document form 10.

Hereinafter, the processing in the information management system A will be specifically described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a basic process in the server PC1. When there is access from the client PC 2, the following processing is executed.

In step S1, information stored in DB3 is provided to client PC2. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example when information provided to the client PC 2 is displayed on the display.

In the display example of FIG. 5, the items in the technical field are displayed in a list format (51). This item corresponds to the “field” field of the document form 10 described above, and information is sorted for each field input in the “field” field. In the display example of FIG. 5, when any item is selected, a list of information belonging to the field is displayed.

FIG. 6 is a display example when "7. Camera" is selected in the display example of FIG. In the display example of FIG. 6, each item is displayed in a list format (61), and a list of information belonging to “1. Request (information of the first stage)” is displayed. The items in the display example of FIG.
“1. Request (information of the first stage)” to “4. Proposal (information of the fourth stage)” are included, and each information is sorted for each stage. Needless to say, the classification of these stages corresponds to the stage specified in the “type of information” column of the document form 10. In FIG. 6,
▼ means that there is other information related to the information, and by selecting the information, a list of the other information can be further displayed.

By providing each information in such a list format, a user of the system can quickly search for desired information. In the display example of FIG. 5, when the "by field" button is pressed, the information is sorted by technical field as shown in FIG. 5, and when the "by stage" button is pressed, the display examples of FIG. The information may be sorted by four stages. Similarly, when the “by creator” or “by rank” button is pressed in the display example of FIG. 5, the creator of the information (“the creator” of the document form 10) is displayed.
Column. ) Or information is sorted and displayed for each rank of information (corresponding to the “rank” column of the document form). In addition, in the display example of FIG. 5, when a “search” button is pressed, a keyword search of information can be performed.

Returning to FIG. 4, after providing information to the client PC 2, the server PC 1
It waits for the provision of information from the server 2 and, if provided, accepts the information (step S2).

In step S3, registration processing of the received information is performed. In the registration process, the information received in the DB 3 is stored, related information is updated, and the process is terminated. The server PC1 manages information by sequentially performing these processes.

Next, the provision of information from the client PC 2 to the server PC 1 will be described. The provision of information from the client PC 2 is roughly classified into a case of new creation and a response to information already stored in the DB 3.

The new creation is possible, for example, by pressing the “new creation” button in the display example of FIG.
When the “New” button is pressed, the client PC 2
Displays the above-described document form 10 on its display, and waits for input of information. FIG. 7 shows an example (document 71) in which information relating to a request (first-stage information) is input to the document form 10. In the document 71 of FIG. 7, “Request (first stage)” is selected in the “Type of information” column, and “7. Camera” is selected in the “Field” column. In the "Title" column, the content of the request is "Improve the number of recorded digital cameras".

When the "register" button is pressed in the document 71 of FIG. 7, the server PC 1 receives the information input to the document 71 and executes the above-described processing of step S3.

Next, in the case of a response, the document 7 in FIG.
A description will be given by taking a response to 1 as an example. The response includes the provision of information at each stage and the provision of comments on the information already stored in DB3. Here, a case will be described in which the second-stage information is provided for the first-stage information indicated by the document 71.

First, the responder receives the information provided by the server PC 1 in his / her client PC 2 and picks up the above-described document 71 by the above-described procedure. FIG. 8 is a display example of a list of information including the document 71.

The list of FIG. 8 includes, in the list of items shown in FIG. 6, the item “1. Request (first stage information)” in the list corresponding to the title of the document 71 and the creator. It can be seen that the information of “improvement in the number of recorded images of the digital camera” is added.
In the display example of, when this information is selected and the “Reply” button is pressed, or when this information is selected and the document 71 is opened and the “Reply” button in FIG. 7 is pressed, a new document form 10 is opened. Thus, the information of the second stage can be input and provided for the information.

FIG. 9 shows an example in which information relating to an idea (information of the second stage) is input to the document form 10 (document 7).
1) is shown. In the document 91 of FIG. 9, "idea (second stage)" is selected in the "type of information" column, and "7. Camera" which is the field of the document 71 is automatically transcribed in the "field" column. I have. In the "Title" column, "Suggesting by changing the compression ratio" is listed as the content of the idea.

When the "register" button is pressed in the document 91 of FIG. 9, the server PC 1 receives the information input to the document 91 and executes the above-described processing of step S3. At this time, since the information of the document 91 is a response to the document 71, the server PC1 stores the document 91 in the DB 3 by linking (associating) the document 91 with the document 71. The document 91 is stored as information of the second stage because “idea (second stage)” is selected as the type of information.

Next, a reply when a comment is provided will be described. Provision of comments can be made at any time for information at each stage. Here, an example in which a comment is provided for the document 91 in FIG. 9 will be described.

First, a person who provides a comment receives information from the server PC 1 in his or her client PC 2 and picks up the above-described document 91 by the above-described procedure. FIG. 10 is a display example of a list of information including the document 91.

In the list of FIG. 10, among the list shown in FIG. 8, the item list of “1. Request (information of the first stage)” has a lower order of information of “Improve the number of recorded digital Taro digital cameras”. Information corresponding to the title and the creator of the document 91, “By changing the compression ratio of Jiro Patent / Second stage” is added. Therefore, it is also possible to pick up from the list of items “2. Idea (information of the second stage)”, and the person who provides the comment selects this information in the display example of FIG. Or press the "Reply" button, or select this information to open the document 91 and press the "Reply" button in FIG. 9 to open a new document form 10 and enter a comment for that information・ Offer Rukoto can.

FIG. 11 shows an example (document 111) in which a comment is input to the document form 10. In the document 111 of FIG. 11, “comment” is displayed in the “information type” column.
Has been selected, and "Please proceed with the development!" Is listed in the "Title" column as the content of the comment.

When the “register” button is pressed in the document 111 of FIG. 11, the server PC 1 receives the information input to the document 111 and executes the processing of step S3 described above. At this time, since the information of the document 111 is a response to the document 111, the server PC 1 links the document 111 to the document 91 (associates the document 111 with the document 91).
3 will be stored. However, the document 111 is replaced with the document 9
The link 71 may be linked to only the document 71 or both the document 71 and the document 91. Document 11
No. 1 is stored as a comment for the information of the second stage because “comment” is selected as the type of information.

By collecting and managing the comments on the information at each stage as described above, a developer or the like can promote the development or prevent the development from being duplicated.

Next, a reply in the case of providing the information of the third stage will be described. Here, an example in which the third-stage information is provided to the document 91 in FIG. 9 will be described. The provision of the third-stage information is basically the same as the above-described second-stage information provision procedure.

First, the person who provides the information of the third stage receives the provision of the information from the server PC 1 in the client PC 2 of the user according to the above-described procedure, and receives the document 91 described above.
To pick up. FIG. 12 is a display example of a list of information including the document 91 and the document 111 which is the comment described above.

In the display example of FIG. 12, "patent Jiro" indicating the document 91 is obtained by changing the compression ratio.
When the user selects the information "second stage" and presses the "Reply" button, or selects this information and opens the document 91 and presses the "Reply" button in FIG.
Will open and you can enter and provide comments on that information.

FIG. 13 shows an example (document 131) in which the information of the third stage is input to the document form 10. Figure 1
In the document 131 of No. 3, "Specific example (third stage)" is selected in the "Type of information" column, and "Propose a specific example" as the content of the information in the "Title" column. Has been raised. Also, a file “block diagram.bmp” selected by the “attach file” button is attached.

When the "register" button is pressed in the document 131 of FIG. 13, the server PC 1 receives the information input to the document 131 and executes the above-described processing of step S3. At this time, since the information of the document 131 is a response to the document 91, the server PC 1 links the document 131 to the document 91 (associates it) with the DB3.
Will be stored. However, the document 131 is converted to the document 91
The document 71 may be linked to only the document 71 or both the document 71 and the document 91. Also, the document 131
Is stored as the information of the third stage because “specific example (third stage)” is selected as the type of information.

Next, a reply in the case of providing the information of the fourth stage will be described. Here, an example will be described in which information of the fourth stage is provided to the document 131 in FIG. The provision of the information at the fourth stage is basically the same as the procedure of providing the information at the second and third stages described above.

First, the person who provides the information in the fourth stage receives the provision of the information from the server PC 1 in the client PC 2 in accordance with the procedure described above, and receives the document 13 described above.
Pick up one. FIG. 14 is a display example of a list of information including the document 91 and the documents 111 and 131 which are the above-mentioned comments.

In the display example of FIG. 14, "Ichiro Image proposes a specific example / third stage" indicating document 131.
Or press the "Reply" button, or select this information to open the document 131 and press the "Reply" button in FIG. 13 to open a new document form 10 Comments can be entered and provided.

FIG. 15 shows an example (document 151) in which the information of the fourth stage is input to the document form 10. Figure 1
In the document 151 of No. 5, "Proposal (fourth stage)" is selected in the "Type of information" column, and "Invention proposal was created" as the content of information in the "Title" column. It is listed. Also, a file “Invention Proposal.doc” selected by the “Attach File” button is attached.

When the “register” button is pressed in the document 151 of FIG. 15, the server PC 1 receives the information input to the document 151 and executes the processing of step S3 described above. At this time, since the information of the document 151 is a response to the document 131, the server PC 1 links the document 151 to the document 131 (associates the document 151 with D).
It will be stored in B3. However, the document 151 may include the document 91 that is the link destination of the document 131, only the document 71 that is the link destination of the document 91, or the document 71 and the document 91.
And the entire document 131. In addition, the document 151 has “Proposal (fourth stage)” as the type of information.
Is selected and stored as information of the fourth stage.

As described above, in this embodiment, by collecting, disclosing, and managing various kinds of information generated from the invention to the application in a stepwise manner, one request can be satisfied.
Or, multiple ideas can be obtained, and one or more specific examples can be obtained for each idea. Therefore, comprehensive technical development is realized for one request and idea, and the contents of the invention are developed.・ Besides being able to enhance, the opinions of persons in charge of various departments within the company will be reflected.

Information corresponding to the subject, the gist, and specific examples (embodiments and examples) of the invention required for the description of the specification, which is the application document for the patent, is stored in the first to third stages, respectively. Since the information is obtained at each stage of the information, it can assist in the preparation of application documents or proposals.

Further, by managing the information step by step, the contribution of each information provider to the finally completed invention becomes clear, and it becomes easy to specify the inventor and the price for the invention.

<Other Processes> Mail Sending Function The document form 10 is provided with a “mail sending” button. This button is a button for individually contacting the person who provided the information.

For example, when a person who browses the document 131 shown in FIG. 13 desires to create a proposal (information at the fourth stage) based on the contents of the document 131, the fact is described in the creation of the document 131. Can be notified by e-mail.

When the "mail transmission" button is pressed in the document 131, a document form of an electronic mail appears on the display of the client PC 2 of the viewer. The document form can be stored in the memory of the server PC1 or the client PC2. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of this. In the “sender” column and the “date” column, the name of the viewer and the mail creation date are automatically input. In addition, "Destination"
In the column, the e-mail address of the provider of the document 131 is automatically input. Further, the information of the document 131 is attached as an attached file 161. When the “Send” button is pressed in the document form of FIG.
The created e-mail is transmitted to the client PC 2 of the 31 provider.

Creator Selection Function The document form 10 is provided with a “creator selection” button. This button is a button for designating the fourth-stage information, that is, the person who creates the proposal, and can be used by the person who provided the third-stage information in the present embodiment.

For example, the person who created the document 131 shown in FIG. 13 can designate a person who creates a proposal based on the contents shown in the document 131. By making such designation, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a plurality of persons individually create proposals.

When the "creator selection" button is pressed in the document 131, a creator selection screen appears on the display of the client PC 2 used by the user. The data of this screen can be stored in the memory of the server PC1 or the client PC2. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of this case, in which each option is provided with a radio button.

As an option, the creator is not specified, and
"Open", which allows anyone to create proposals, "Myself", who declares that he / she is the author, and the names of those who have been registered in advance (Fig. 17, Tokyoto, Osaka Kazuo , Nara Yamao). The person registered in advance is a person selected from engineers, patents, and the like who have been able to prepare the proposal, and a plurality of persons can be selected.

After selecting the creator by checking the radio button, if the “OK” button is pressed, the creator is selected, and the creator selected in the “proposal creator” column of the document 131 is automatically displayed. Is entered. It can be seen that “open” is specified in the document 131 of FIG. A person who wants to create a proposal for the document 131 can see whether or not he or she can be a creator by looking at the display of the "proposer creator" column of the document 131. The person who provided the information of the document 131 can be contacted using the above-described mail transmission function. In FIG. 17, when a pre-registered person is selected, the server PC 1 sends a notification to the selected person by e-mail or the like that a creation request has been made.

Judgment Function The document form 10 is provided with a “Judge” button. This button is the "Rank"
In the column, is a button for inputting the rank of the information, so that only a person with a certain authority, for example, the section manager of each section can enter the rank,
The authority is determined.

This rank means, for example, A.D. Advance development, B. Proceed with the application procedure. Pending, D. E. Use as internal information. It is an evaluation that development is stopped, etc., and each stage of information can be assigned separately, but in particular, by assigning this rank to the fourth stage information, the final disposal of a series of information is decided be able to.

Specifically, for example, in the document 151, a person who intends to enter a rank in the "rank" column first presses a "judgment entry" button. Then, a judgment entry screen appears on the display of the client PC 2 used by the person. The data of this screen can be stored in the memory of the server PC1 or the client PC2. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of this, and has a “Name” column and a “Password” column.

When the user inputs the name and password in the respective fields and presses the “OK” button, it is determined whether or not the server PC 1 is qualified to input a rank in the “rank” field. If so, the document 151 is displayed again, and the input of the rank in the “rank” column is permitted, and the rank can be input with reference to the information and comments of each stage. If you do not qualify, you will not be allowed. By performing such a ranking, it is possible to eliminate duplicate development, promote the development of excellent inventions, and the like. In a system in which a name (or an ID or the like) and a password are confirmed when accessing the DB, it is possible to omit the eligibility determination here.

<Other Examples of Collection and Management of Information> In the above-described embodiment, the collection, disclosure, and management of information at each stage are performed by creating individual documents. However, it is sometimes convenient to manage a series of information in each stage in one document because the information can be centrally handled. Therefore, a case where the information of the first to fourth stages is managed by one document will be described.

FIG. 19 shows a document form 10 'in such a case.
FIG. The document form 10 'basically has the same configuration and function as the document form 10. Therefore, only different points will be described.

The document form 10 is provided with a “register / update” button instead of the “register” button. Document form 10 '
Is to update one document one by one and manage the information at each stage in one document. When this button is pressed, the server PC1 registers information in the DB3, updates existing information, and creates an update history thereof. It should be noted that the stage of the information follows the stage selected in the “type of information” column.

[0101] A "comment" button is provided. This corresponds to the "reply" button on the document form 10. In the present embodiment, the comment is handled in a document different from the information of each stage, so that a button for that is prepared. When the "comment" button is pressed, the above-described process of providing the "response" comment is executed. In this regard, there is no comment option in the "type of information" column.

It has an "editing authority" column. In the information management using the document form 10 ', the document can be updated. However, if an unspecified person can completely update the information, the information may be confused. It is for doing. This "editor"
If the name of a specific person is entered in the column, only that person can update the document. If another person wants to update the document (for example, to input information at the next stage), it can be updated only after obtaining the consent of the editing authority and changing the name in the "editing authority" column by the editing authority. You can do so. However, the entry in the “rank” column is excluded.

The “body” column is the “request” column, and the “idea”
Column, a “specific example” column, and a “proposal” column. This is in order to clearly handle the information at each stage. However, information may be freely input without partitioning in this way, and even in this case, the stage of information can be identified by designating the "type of information" column.

A "display update history" button is provided. When this button is pressed, the server PC 1 provides the update history information of the document to the client PC 2 and the client PC 2
The update history is displayed on the display 2. The update history clarifies the contribution of each information provider.

The collection, disclosure, and management of information using the document form 10 ′ can be performed by the same procedure as in the case of the above-described document form 10. Since a series of information at each stage is managed by one document, the contents are developed and enhanced by being repeatedly updated. In this case, if the document is updated in consideration of the final filing of a patent application, after the completion of the third stage, the template that is to be the specification of the application document for the patent is completed, and the proposal Preparation of documents and specifications proceeds smoothly.

[0086] Further, since a series of information relating to one idea can be handled in a unified manner, information retrieval and organization can be facilitated. When each document is displayed as a list as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to sort only the items at that stage according to the stage of the document.

<Others> As described above, the information management system A
Although an example used for managing information related to a patent application has been described, it is needless to say that the present invention can be used for managing other information, and an example thereof will be described later.

In the above embodiment, all the information from the first stage to the fourth stage is managed by the information management system A. However, the information from the first stage to the third stage is managed by the information management system A. It may be managed by the management system A. This is because the purpose of developing and enriching the invention is achieved when the information of the third stage is provided.

Further, depending on the invention, the information of the third stage may be immediately derived from the information of the first stage, or the information of the second stage may be provided from the beginning. In such a case, it is not necessary to manage information in all steps.

In the above embodiment, the information of the fourth stage is the proposal of the invention, but may be the specification itself of the patent application, for example.

In the above embodiment, it is assumed that a patent application is finally filed. However, the present invention can be applied to other applications for industrial property rights, for example, utility models and designs.

In the above embodiment, all the information stored in the DB 3 is made public on the network 4. However, each client PC 2 is provided with access restriction to the server PC 1 so as to restrict the range of disclosure. You may. For example, an access restriction may be provided for each technical field so that only developers belonging to the technical field can receive information.

<< Management of Information Related to Product Planning >> A case in which information management from the concept of a project to the creation of a plan document in the information management system A will be described. In the present embodiment, the information at the fourth stage is a plan document.

FIG. 20 is a conceptual diagram in the case where the information from the concept of a project to the creation of a plan is managed by the information management system A. Starting from the request (stage 1)
From the idea (second stage) and the concrete example (third stage) to the planning document creation (fourth stage). In the present embodiment, after the idea is provided, a certain research request can be made to the research department. After a specific example is provided, a support request can be made to the planning document preparation support section. These requests are made by sending an e-mail from a document form described later.

FIG. 21 shows a document form used consistently in such information management. Document form 1
00 is substantially the same as the above-described document forms 10 and 10 ′, and includes a “title” column that briefly indicates the concept, a “information type” column that indicates the stage of the concept, and an application field (for example, "Electricity, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Marketing, Quality Assurance, Management, etc.)", "Planned Plan Creation Date", "Text", "Rank" Editing Authority "column.
It also has a “registration / update” button for registering and updating information in server PC1, a “comment” button for providing a comment, a “close” button, and a “determination entry” button.

This document form 100 is provided with a "request for investigation" button for requesting an investigation department to conduct an investigation. A function based on this button will be described with reference to FIG.

When the “survey request” button is pressed, the server PC 1 extracts one or more members in charge of the survey department corresponding to the field entered in the “field” field in the document (S
11). Then, an e-mail format in which the e-mail addresses of the extracted members are input is created (step S12). The created e-mail format is displayed on the display of the client PC 2,
It is possible to input the contents of the survey request. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an e-mail in which the contents of a survey request have been input. The attached file 231 is a document related to the survey request. When the "send" button is pressed, the server PC1 sends an e-mail to the survey member.

[0098] The document form 100 is provided with a "plan book support" button for requesting a plan book preparation department to support the preparation of a plan book. The function based on this button will be described with reference to FIG.

When the "plan support" button is pressed,
The server PC1 extracts one or a plurality of members in charge of the planning document creation support section registered in advance (S21). Then, an e-mail format in which the e-mail addresses of the extracted members are input is created (step S).
22). The created e-mail format is displayed on the display of the client PC 2, and the content of the support request can be input. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of an e-mail in which the content of the support request has been input. The attached file 251 is a document related to the support request. When the "send" button is pressed, the server PC1 sends an e-mail to the support member.

Next, a mode of use of the system will be described. << Management of Information Related to Patent Applications >>
As in the case of (1), by using the document form 100 from the client PC2, information of each stage and comments are provided to the server PC1, and the information in the document is stored in the DB3.
Is stored in In addition, all or a part of the information stored in the DB 3 is made public on the network 4 and can be acquired by the client PC 2.

As a result, the document based on the document form 100 is sequentially updated by the person using each client PC 2, and the information is developed and enriched from the first stage information to the fourth stage information. In addition, a rich plan document (information on the fourth stage) can be obtained.

In this series of processing, as described at the beginning, in the present embodiment, after providing the information in the second stage, it is possible to request a survey to the survey department. Further, in the present embodiment, after the provision of the information at the third stage, it is possible to request the planning document creation support department for the support of the planning document creation. The processing of the server PC1 in these cases will be described.
FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing a process of the server PC 1 when a survey request or a plan creation support request is made.

In step S31, the provider of the second-stage information or the third-stage information provides a “survey request” button or a “plan document support” in the document based on the document form 100 in which the information is input. Button "is pressed.

When these buttons are pressed, the server P
C1 extracts a member in charge of the survey department or a member in charge of the proposal creation support section, creates an e-mail format in which the e-mail addresses of the extracted members are input, and displays this on the display of the client PC 2 ( Step S32).

The user of the client PC 2 edits the e-mail format displayed on the display,
An e-mail as shown in FIG. 23 or FIG. 25 is created (step S33).

In step S34, it is determined whether or not the "send" button has been pressed for the edited electronic mail.
If it is pressed, the process proceeds to step S35, and an e-mail is transmitted. As a result, various kinds of information can be obtained from the person in charge of the research section or the plan document preparation support section, and it is possible to prepare a more complete plan document.

[0107] When confidentiality of a project is to be secured, usually, the information stored in the DB 3 is prohibited from being viewed by anyone other than the information provider, and a request for a survey or a request for a plan document creation support is made. At the time of sending an e-mail, it is also possible to perform a setting for permitting only a destination member to view a document in which the information is input. This setting may be performed by the administrator of the information providing system A, or may be automatically performed by the server PC1. It is also possible to register multiple departments without requesting a single department.
As for the destination of the request mail, the document creator may leave the necessary destination of the plural automatically picked-up destinations, and delete the rest to operate.

Anyone using such a system can
Because you can easily receive strong support from various specialized fields, you can expect a wider product plan than a product plan that was previously performed by a small number of members.

In the above, an example in which the information management system A is used for managing information related to product planning has been described. Information up to the third stage may be managed by the information management system A. This is because the purpose of the development and enrichment of the plan is achieved when the information of the third stage is provided. Further, depending on the content of the plan, the information of the third stage may be immediately derived from the information of the first stage, or the information of the second stage may be provided from the beginning. In such a case, it is not necessary to manage information in all steps.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a storage medium (or a recording medium) in which a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiment is recorded by a system or a recording medium. It is needless to say that the present invention is also achieved by supplying the program to the device and causing the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or the device to read and execute the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the operating system (O / O) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code.
It goes without saying that S) and the like perform part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into the memory provided in the function expansion card inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program code is read based on the instruction of the program code. , The CPU provided in the function expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing,
It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by the processing is also included.

[0112]

As described above, according to the present invention, various information generated in the development process can be managed while supporting the development and enhancement of the content.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an information management system A according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing stages of information that the information management system A mainly manages.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a document form for providing information from a client PC 2 to a server PC 1.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing basic processing in the server PC1.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example when information provided to a client PC 2 is displayed on a display thereof.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example when “7. Camera” is selected in the display example of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example (document 71) in which a request (information of the first stage) is input to the document form 10.

8 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a list of information including a document 71. FIG.

FIG. 9 shows an idea (second stage information) in a document form 1
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example (document 91) input to 0.

10 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a list of information including a document 91. FIG.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example (document 111) in which a comment has been input to the document form 10.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a list of information including a document 91 and a document 111.

FIG. 13 is a specific example (third stage information) of document form 1
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example (document 131) input to “0”.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a list of information including documents 91, 111, and 131.

FIG. 15: Proposal (4th stage information) is document form 1
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example (document 151) input to “0”.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of an electronic mail document form.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a creator selection screen.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a display example of a judgment entry screen.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a document form 10 '.

FIG. 20 is a conceptual diagram in the case where information from a project concept to the creation of a plan is managed by the information management system A.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a document form 100.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a function based on a “survey request” button.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of an e-mail to which the content of a survey request has been input.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a function based on a “plan document support” button.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of an e-mail in which the content of a support request has been input.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the server PC1 at the time of a survey request or a plan document creation support request.

Claims (22)

[Claims] 1. An information management system comprising: a server for managing information; and a plurality of computers communicably connected to the server, wherein the server has a request for new development from the computer. Means for receiving and storing information relating to the first stage as information of the first stage; means for providing the information of the first stage to the computer; and information relating to an idea for solving the request from the computer, the second stage. Means for receiving and storing the information of the first step in association with the information of the first step; means for providing the information of the second step to the computer; and information on a specific example for realizing the idea from the computer. The information is received as third-stage information and stored in association with at least one of the first-stage information and the second-stage information. An information management system comprising: 2. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein the server includes means for providing the information of the third stage to the computer. 3. The server receives, from the computer, information of a proposal document for an industrial property application based on the information of the first step to the information of the third step as information of a fourth step. The first
3. The information management system according to claim 2, further comprising a unit configured to store the information in association with at least one of the information of the stage to the information of the third stage. 4. The server, according to claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, from a computer, information on a plan of a new product based on the information of the first stage to the information of the third stage.
The information management system according to claim 2, further comprising a unit that receives as the stage information and stores the information in association with at least one of the first stage information to the third stage information. 5. The server according to claim 1, further comprising: means for receiving a comment on each of the information in the first to third steps from the computer and storing the comment in association with the information in the step. The information management system according to claim 1. 6. The server according to claim 3, further comprising: means for receiving a comment on the information of the fourth stage from the computer, and storing the comment in association with the information of the fourth stage. 4. The information management system according to 4. 7. The server, further comprising: means for receiving rank information indicating importance of the fourth stage information from the computer and storing the rank information in association with the fourth stage information. The information management system according to claim 6, wherein 8. The server according to claim 1, wherein any or all of the first-stage information to the third-stage information is provided only to the computer used by a predetermined member. Item 2. The information management system according to Item 1. 9. The server according to claim 1, wherein said server has a notification unit for notifying a predetermined member of a request to provide said second-stage information or said third-stage information. Item 2. The information management system according to Item 1. 10. The information management system according to claim 9, wherein said notifying means sends an electronic mail addressed to each of said computers used by said members. 11. The information according to claim 3, wherein the server has means for performing a notification for requesting a predetermined member to provide the information of the fourth stage. Management system. 12. The server according to claim 1, further comprising means for sorting the list of the information of the first stage to the information of the third stage based on the stage and providing the list to the computer. Information management system described in. 13. The server, upon receiving information from the computer indicating a technical field related to the content of at least one of the first-stage information to the third-stage information, Means for storing in association with information; means for sorting the list of the first-stage information to the third-stage information based on the information indicating the technical field and providing the list to the computer. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein: 14. The server, further comprising: means for receiving information relating to a person who has provided the first-stage information to the third-stage information and storing the information in association with the corresponding information at each stage. The information management system according to claim 1, wherein: 15. A server that is communicably connected to a plurality of computers and manages information, a means for receiving and storing information relating to a new development request from the computer; Means for providing information on the development request to the computer; and means for receiving information from the computer on an idea or a specific example of the solution to the request and storing the information in association with the information on the new development request. A server comprising: 16. A server that is communicably connected to a plurality of computers and manages information, means for receiving and storing information on ideas from the computer, and providing information on the ideas to the computer. And a means for receiving, from the computer, information relating to a specific example of realizing the idea, and storing the information in association with information relating to the idea. 17. A step of receiving information on a new development request as first-stage information; a step of publishing the first-stage information; and a second-stage information of an idea to solve the request. Accepting the information as information and managing it in association with the information of the first stage, publishing the information of the second stage, and accepting information on a specific example of realizing the idea as information of the third stage, And managing the information in association with at least one of the first stage information and the second stage information. 18. A step of receiving information on a new development request, a step of publishing the received information on the new development request, and receiving information on an idea for solving the request or a specific example thereof. And managing the information in association with the information relating to the new development request. 19. A step of receiving information on an idea, a step of publishing information on the idea, and a step of receiving information on a specific example for realizing the idea and managing the information in association with the information on the idea. An information management method, characterized in that: 20. A computer communicably connected to a plurality of client computers in order to manage the information, receiving and storing information on a new development request from the client computers as first-stage information. Means for providing the first-stage information to the client computer; information on the idea to solve the request from the client computer is received as second-stage information and associated with the first-stage information. Means for providing the information of the second step to the client computer; information about a specific example for realizing the idea from the client computer as information of the third step; At least one of the information or the information of the second stage Recording medium for recording a program to function as a unit, for storing in association with or. 21. A means for receiving and storing information relating to a new development request from the client computer, the computer being communicably connected to a plurality of client computers in order to manage the information. Means for providing information relating to a new development request to the client computer; receiving information from the client computer relating to an idea for solving the request or a specific example thereof and storing the information in association with the information relating to the new development request. A recording medium on which a program to function as means for recording is recorded. 22. A computer communicably connected to a plurality of client computers for managing information, means for receiving and storing information on ideas from the client computers, and transmitting the information on ideas to the client. A recording medium recording a program for functioning as means for providing to a computer, means for receiving information on a specific example for realizing the idea from the client computer, and storing the information in association with information on the idea.