JP2004133926A - Device, method and program for generating cooperative information and document processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily prepare workflow even when services constituting the workflow are changed, added or the like. <P>SOLUTION: A registration information storing part 21 of a service retrieval server 20 sequentially updates and stores I/F information transmitted from not only a newly provided composite machine 10 but also other service processors. A registration information retrieving part 22 is currently usable and detects a service processor corresponding to a retrieval request. A retrieval result responding part 23 transmits a service list showing retrieval results to an instruction editor 30. An instruction preparing part 32 displays a service list transmitted from the service retrieval server 20 on a GUI 31. The instruction preparing part 32 refers to and uses the I/F information transmitted from the composite machine 10 and combines services offered by a single or a plurality of composite machines 10 to prepare an instruction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

The present invention relates to a coordination information generation device, a coordination information generation method and program, and a document processing system, and more particularly to a coordination information generation device and a coordination information generation method suitable for use in a workflow system that constructs a workflow by digitizing a paper document. And a program, and a document processing system.

(4) A workflow system has been proposed in which a paper document and electronic information are shared by connecting a scanner, a facsimile machine, a copier, or a multifunction machine, a personal computer, and a mail server, which are a combination thereof, via a network. Particularly, in an office environment, it is desired that paper documents be digitized and made more efficient by introducing a workflow system.

On the other hand, workflow systems are often developed by computerizing existing paper-based business systems as they are, assuming workflows commonly used in offices such as approval and circulation. Therefore, it is difficult to change the workflow after the development of the workflow system, and it is also difficult to customize the workflow according to individual conditions.

Therefore, such a fixed workflow system requires almost the same cost and development time as developing a new system when business procedures are changed or new services are required. I will.

一部 Further, if a part of the service processing device on the workflow system goes down, the entire system becomes unusable, and it is often difficult to find an alternative service processing device.

In recent years, technologies have been proposed that provide web applications that are web-based services that exist on a network in cooperation with each other. These web applications can be used as part of a workflow service as needed, and can be used on demand. It is desired to reduce development costs by providing appropriate services.

In a conventional workflow system, each workflow system provides a specific service, and techniques for adding and changing persons involved in a workflow have already been proposed (for example, Patent Literature 1, Patent Literature 2, See Patent Document 3.).
JP-A-2002-99686 JP 2001-325389 A JP 2001-195295 A

However, the services provided by the workflow are fixed, and there is a problem that services cannot be added or changed.

The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-described problems, and a cooperative information generating apparatus and a cooperative information generating method for easily creating a workflow even when there is a change or addition of a service configuring a workflow. And a program, and a document processing system using the same.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a service list obtaining unit that obtains a service list representing each service of a plurality of service processing apparatuses that provide a service for performing predetermined processing on document data, and a service list obtaining unit that obtains the service list. Interface information obtaining means for obtaining the interface information of the service processing device included in the service list obtained, and using the respective interface information obtained by the interface information obtaining means, to link the service of each service processing device. And cooperation information generating means for generating cooperation information.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a service list obtaining step of obtaining a service list representing each service of a plurality of service processing apparatuses for providing a service for performing predetermined processing on document data, and obtaining the service list by the service list obtaining step. An interface information obtaining step of obtaining interface information of a service processing device included in the service list obtained, and using the respective interface information obtained in the interface information obtaining step to link services of the respective service processing devices. And a cooperation information generating step of generating cooperation information.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a service list obtaining step of obtaining a service list representing each service of a plurality of service processing apparatuses for providing a service for performing predetermined processing on document data to a computer; An interface information obtaining step of obtaining interface information of a service processing device included in the service list obtained in the process, and a service of each service processing device is linked using each interface information obtained in the interface information obtaining step. And a coordination information generation step of generating coordination information to cause the coordination information to be generated.

According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the service processing apparatus performs services such as copy, mail transmission, facsimile, and image processing for document data. The content, number, and the like of the services provided by the service processing device are not limited. The document data may be any information related to the document, and is not particularly limited to character information such as text data or image information obtained by reading a paper document.

The service list obtaining means obtains a service list representing each service of the plurality of service processing devices. The interface information obtaining means obtains interface information of the service processing device included in the service list. Here, the interface information is information held in advance by all the service processing apparatuses, and is used when generating cooperation information for cooperating each service. Then, the coordination information generating means generates coordination information for cooperating the services of the respective service processing devices using the acquired interface information in order to create a new workflow.

Therefore, according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the service list is acquired and the link information is generated using the interface information of the service processing apparatus included in the service list, so that the user can use each service processing apparatus. It is possible to easily generate link information for linking various services without knowing the service.

The invention according to claim 4 provides a service for performing predetermined processing on document data, a plurality of service processing apparatuses for transmitting service information as needed, and service information transmitted as needed from currently available service processing apparatuses. A service information storage unit for storing a service corresponding to a service requested to be searched using the service information stored in the service information storage unit; and a service list based on a search result of the search unit. A search device comprising: a transmission unit for transmitting; and a coordination information generation device according to claim 1 for acquiring a service list transmitted from the search device.

(4) The service processing device transmits service information to the search device as needed. As a result, the search device does not transmit any information from the service processing device that has gone down due to a failure or the like, and service information is transmitted from the currently available service processing device at any time. I can figure it out.

In the search device, the service information storage unit stores the service information transmitted from the service processing device as needed and updates the service information to the latest information. The search means uses the service information stored in the service information storage means to search for a service corresponding to the service requested by the cooperative information generation device. The transmitting unit transmits the search result as a service list to the cooperation information generation device.

{Then, the cooperation information generation device acquires the service list transmitted from the search device, and generates the cooperation information as claimed in claim 1.

Therefore, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the search device creates a service list according to the search request, and the cooperation information generation device generates the service information using the interface information of the service processing device included in the service list. By generating the service information, even if the user does not know the service of each service processing device, it is possible to search for a currently available service processing device and easily generate cooperation information for linking various services.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the transmission means of the search device is a service of a service processing device currently available, and indicates a service corresponding to the service requested to be searched. And transmitting the service list to the cooperation information generation device.

Therefore, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the user is made to recognize a service which is a service of the service processing apparatus which is currently available and which corresponds to the service requested to be searched, and associate information using the service is provided. Can be created.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth or fifth aspect of the present invention, the service processing device transmits, as the service information, service input information, output information, service name, and service location. .

Here, the reason why the service information includes the input information and the output information of the service is that when the service is searched, if the input information and the output information are the same, the contents of the service can be grasped. The service location is an address used when the search device accesses the service processing device.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects, the interface information acquiring means of the cooperation information generating device acquires the service information location from the search device and acquires the service information location. The interface information is obtained from the service processing device based on the service information location.

Therefore, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the service processing device is identified by acquiring the service information location from the search device, and the interface information is acquired from the identified service processing device. As a result, cooperation information can be generated using the acquired interface information.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the fourth to seventh aspects, the service cooperation processing of each service processing apparatus is executed based on the cooperation information generated by the cooperation information generation apparatus. The apparatus further includes a service cooperation processing device.

Therefore, according to the invention described in claim 8, the newly created workflow can be executed by the service cooperation processing device controlling the cooperation of the services of the service processing devices according to the cooperation information.

A cooperation information generation device, a cooperation information generation method, and a program according to the present invention obtain a service list and generate cooperation information by using interface information of a service processing device included in the service list, thereby enabling a user to execute each service. Even if the service of the processing device is not grasped, it is possible to easily generate cooperation information for making various services cooperate.

In the document processing system according to the present invention, the search device creates a service list according to the search request, and the cooperation information generation device generates the cooperation information using the interface information of the service processing device included in the service list. Even if the user does not know the service of each service processing device, it is possible to search for a currently available service processing device and easily generate link information for linking various services.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a document processing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The document processing system 1 has various services and applications connected via a network 5. Here, the service refers to a function that can be used for a document in response to an external request, such as copy, print, scan, facsimile transmission / reception, mail distribution, storage / read in a repository, OCR (Optical Character Recognition). ) Processing, noise removal processing, and the like.

The document processing system 1 is, specifically, a multifunction device 10 that performs copy, print, scan, and facsimile service processing, a service search server 20 that searches for a desired service of a user, and a client terminal and an instruction book. The system includes an instruction editor 30 to be created, an instruction management server 40 that manages the instruction, and a cooperative processing server 50 that executes cooperative processing of each service according to the instruction.

Further, the document processing system 1 includes a document editing server 61 having a document editing function, a document management server 62 managing documents, an approval processing server 63 having an approval processing function, a scan server 64 scanning a paper document, The system includes a first service processing device 70 that performs a first service process, and a second service processing device 80 that performs a second service process.

Note that the document processing system 1 has a configuration in which a plurality of servers performing predetermined service processing are connected via the network 5 in the first and second embodiments, but a plurality of services are connected via the network 5. The connection is not particularly limited as long as the connection is established.

Here, the instruction sheet refers to a file including information indicating a relationship between each function and information (interface information) for calling each function when a series of processes is divided into a plurality of functional processes. . Further, it may include information indicating a graphic user interface (GUI) related to a series of processes. The specific configuration of the instruction sheet will be described later.

連 携 Cooperation refers to having a relationship between services such that a result of a certain service determines a service to be subsequently activated or influences the operation of subsequent services.

The multifunction peripheral 10 is one of the service processing devices, and performs four service processes of copy, print, scan, and facsimile. The service processing device may be a copy machine, a facsimile machine, a server, or a computer that performs predetermined processing on document data, and is not particularly limited. Further, the multifunction peripheral 10 has a cooperative activation function of selecting an instruction, inputting a parameter, reflecting the input parameter in the instruction, and requesting activation of a cooperative process in response to a user operation. I have.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the MFP 10, the service search server 20, the instruction editor 30, the instruction management server 40, and the cooperation processing server 50 of the document processing system 1.

The multifunction peripheral 10 includes a service providing unit 11 that performs copy, print, scan, and facsimile service processing, an I / F information registration unit 12 that stores I / F information and registers the I / F information in the service search server 20, and a service providing unit. A service control unit 13 that controls the control unit 11 and a graphic user interface (GUI) 14 that includes, for example, a touch panel and buttons and displays instructions and the like and performs a predetermined operation.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the I / F information stored in the I / F information registration unit 12. The I / F information includes <service type (Service @ Class)>, <service name (Service @ Name)>, <service icon (Service @ Icon)>, <service information location (Service @ Info @ Location)>, and <input (Input). >, <Output>, <Parameter Restriction Rules>, <Service Location>, <Method Name>, <Invoke Scheme>, <Implicit> Element (Implicit @ Elements)>.

<Service type> declares the type of service provided by the MFP 10 as the service processing device. The <service type> uses a predefined one, and corresponds to, for example, scan, print, repository, and flow.

<Service name> declares the name of the service provided by the MFP 10 as the service processing device. <Service Icon> declares the position of the icon to be displayed on the GUI of the instruction editor 30.

<Service information location> declares a URL used when the service search server 20 acquires the I / F information. <Service location> is information on the location where the service is provided. <Method name> declares a service processing providing method.

<Startup method> declares a method for invoking and starting service processing. As the <startup method>, for example, SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), STMP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) or the like, which are message exchange protocols, can be used.

<Implicit element> declares data that is not explicitly passed as output to subsequent processing but can be referenced in subsequent processing. Note that other service processing devices such as servers also have the same I / F information as in FIG.

The I / F information registration unit 12 registers a part of the I / F information configured as described above in the service search server 20 or, in response to a request from the script editor 30, specifies the I / F information according to the instruction. To the document editor 30.

(4) The service control unit 13 causes the GUI 14 to display a list of instruction documents transmitted from the instruction document management server 40 via the cooperative processing server 50. When an instruction is selected or a parameter is input via the GUI 14, the service control unit 13 reflects the contents of the instruction in the instruction, and executes a process executable in the instruction. To run. When the execution process of the service providing unit 11 is completed, the service control unit 13 transmits the execution result and the instruction to the cooperative processing server 50.

The service search server 20 searches for a desired service from the registered I / F information in response to a request from the instruction editor 30. The service search server 20 is, as shown in FIG. 2, specifically, a registration information storage unit 21 for storing I / F information registered from a service processing device such as the multifunction peripheral 10, and a registration in the registration information storage unit 21. A registration information search unit 22 for searching for a desired service using the obtained information, and a search result response unit 23 for responding to the search result.

In the present embodiment, the service processing apparatus such as the multifunction peripheral 10 registers the I / F information related to the service in the registration information storage unit 21. However, the service processing apparatus distributed on the network searches for the service. It may be configured to collect I / F information related to the service. Further, the I / F information registration unit 12 provided in the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the present embodiment is made searchable from the registration information storage unit 21 of the service search server 20, and the I / F information is output to the registration information storage unit 21. You may comprise so that it can be performed. With this configuration, the service search server 20 can search for various services distributed on the network, collect and register and manage I / F information, and the user can voluntarily receive information from the service processing apparatus. In addition to the information registered in the network, services distributed on the network can be used.

(4) The instruction editor 30 is a client terminal and has an instruction creation function. As shown in FIG. 2, the instruction editor 30 includes a GUI 31 for the user to perform an operation and a service list to be displayed, and an instruction generator 32 for generating an instruction.

The $ GUI 31 is used when a user searches for a desired service or creates a workflow. Further, the GUI 31 displays a service list representing search results of the service search server 20, a method of using the document editing server 61, the approval processing server 63, the document management server 62, and cooperative processing pattern information held by the instruction editor 30. . The GUI 31 is also used when inputting predetermined parameters and the like as a client terminal.

The instruction book creation unit 32 creates an instruction book that defines a display content at the time of use, input parameters, and a method of coordinating a document editing service / approval processing service / document management service (workflow) in accordance with an operation of the GUI 31 by the user. The created instruction is output as an XML format file.

FIG. 4 is a view showing the instruction editor screen 100 displayed on the GUI 31 of the instruction editor 30. As shown in FIG. The instruction editor screen 100 includes a service window 101, a flow window 102, a logic window 103, and a property window 104.

The service window 101 displays various services such as the MFP 10. The logic window 103 displays a workflow indicating a pattern of cooperation between services. The property window 104 displays detailed setting parameters of each icon displayed in the service window 101 and the logic window 103.

The instruction book creation unit 32 obtains a service list indicating an outline of available services from the service search server 20, and uses the service information location of each service processing device described in the service list to store each service processing device. And I / F information indicating a method of using the service. The instruction book creating unit 32 displays the service window 101 and the property window 104 on the GUI 31 based on the acquired information.

When creating a workflow, the user operates the GUI 31 to drag and drop the icon of the service window 101 and the icon of the logic window 103 to the flow window 102. At this time, the instruction sheet creation unit 32 creates an instruction sheet by assembling the cooperation of services according to the operation of the GUI 31.

Furthermore, the user can operate the GUI 31 to select a desired icon and edit the contents displayed in the property window 104 to set the service and logic in detail.

(4) The instruction book editor 30 creates an instruction book filed in the XML format according to the above-described processing, and transmits the created instruction book to the instruction book management server 40.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of the instruction sheet created by the instruction sheet creating unit 32. The instruction sheet has <Flow> in addition to the configuration of the I / F information shown in FIG.

<Flow> is an element that describes cooperation between services, and includes elements such as <Invoke>, a control structure, a logical operation, and <if> for performing a calculation operation.

Here, <start> indicates a specific method of the service processing device, and executes a service call. The <launch> element includes a <map> indicating parameter mapping information and a <method> indicating a method name to be called. <If>, <and>, <eq>, and <gt> indicating a control structure, a logical operation, and the like perform a conditional branch at the time of the cooperative processing and adjust parameters passed between services.

(4) The instruction sheet describes all information related to the control of the cooperative processing of the service in the <flow> element. As a result, the cooperation process itself represented by the instruction is also regarded as one service. Therefore, as described above, the instruction includes the same contents as the I / F information of the other service processing devices.

The instruction book management server 40 includes an instruction book management unit 41 that manages the instruction book. The job order management unit 41 holds the job order sent from the job order editor 30 and sends the job order in response to a request from the MFP 10 or the cooperative processing server 50.

The cooperative processing server 50 includes a cooperative processing unit 51 that interprets and executes the designated instruction. When the coordination processing unit 51 receives the instruction, the coordination processing unit 51 interprets the instruction, and according to the order and the method of use described in the instruction, a predetermined service processing device, a document editing server 61, a document management server 62, It calls the approval processing server 63 and the like to execute cooperation. Further, the cooperative processing server 50 stores information on the status of the cooperative processing being executed and the result of the cooperative processing that has been completed, and notifies the status and the result of the cooperative processing in response to an external request.

(4) The document editing server 61 performs a predetermined editing process on an input document specified in the instruction document in response to a request from the cooperation processing server 50. Further, it is also possible to display a document editing screen on the GUI 31 of the instruction editor 30 which is a client terminal, and to execute a document editing function according to an operation on the document editing screen. When the power is turned on, the document editing server 61 notifies the service search server 20 of a part of the I / F information used in the search service. Further, the document editing server 61 transmits I / F information indicating a method of using the document editing service in response to a request from the instruction editor 30.

(4) The document management server 62 executes a document management function such as storing or reading out a document specified in the instruction sheet in response to a request from the cooperation processing server 50. Further, it is also possible to display a document management screen on the GUI 31 of the instruction editor 30 as a client terminal, and to execute a document management function in accordance with an operation on the document management screen. Further, the document management server 62 notifies the service search server 20 of a part of the I / F information used in the search service when the power is turned on. Further, the document management server 62 transmits I / F information indicating a method of using the document management service in response to a request from the instruction editor 30.

The approval processing server 63 displays an approval screen on the GUI 31 of the instruction editor 30 as a client terminal in response to a request from the cooperation processing server 50, and executes approval processing in accordance with the operation of the approval screen. Further, when the power is turned on, the approval processing server 63 notifies the service search server 20 of a part of the I / F information used in the search service. Further, the approval processing server 63 transmits I / F information indicating a method of using the approval processing service in response to a request from the instruction editor 30.

The scan server 64 has a function of scanning a paper document to generate scan data, transmitting the scan data to an arbitrary destination by e-mail, and storing the scan data in an arbitrary location. Here, in response to a request from the cooperative processing server 50, the scan server 64 displays a scan processing screen on the GUI 31 of the instruction book editor 30, which is a client terminal, and executes the scan processing according to the operation of the scan processing screen. When the power is turned on, the scan server 64 notifies the service search server 20 of a part of the I / F information used in the search service. Further, the scan server 64 transmits I / F information indicating a method of using the scan processing service in response to a request from the script editor 30.

The first service processing device 70 performs a predetermined service process on a document. Here, the first service processing device 70 displays a service processing screen on the GUI 31 of the instruction book editor 30 in response to a request from the cooperative processing server 50, and executes the service processing according to the operation of the service processing screen. When the power is turned on, the first service processing device 70 notifies the service search server 20 of a part of the I / F information used in the search service. Further, the first service processing device 70 transmits I / F information indicating a method of using the service processing in response to a request from the script editor 30.

Note that the second service processing device 80 performs a service process different from that of the first service processing device 70, but operates similarly to the first service processing device 70 except for the content of the service process.

In the document processing system 1 configured as described above, when application programs for executing respective services are installed in the document editing server 61, the document management server 62, the approval processing server 63, and the like, the following is performed. Operate.

After the installation, the document editing server 61, the document management server 62, the approval processing server 63, and the like, provide information indicating the service outline and the address, specifically, a part of the I / F information (for example, <service type>, <Service name>, <Service information location>, <Service location>, <Input>, <Output>) are notified to the service search server 20. Note that all of the I / F information may be notified to the service search server 20.

The registration information storage unit 21 of the service search server 20 stores information transmitted from the document editing server 61, the document management server 62, and the approval processing server 63.

(Instruction book creation processing)
On the other hand, the instruction editor 30 creates an instruction defining service cooperation in accordance with a user operation. Specifically, the instruction creation unit 32 of the instruction editor 30 requests the service search server 20 for a service list indicating available services when a user operation for defining service cooperation starts via the GUI 31. I do. Then, when the service list and the service information location indicating the search result are transmitted from the service search server 20, the instruction form creation unit 32 displays the service list on the GUI 31.

(4) Further, the instruction document creation unit 32 acquires I / F information directly from the service processing device using the service information location transmitted together with the service list. When the service search server 20 holds the I / F information of all the service processing devices, the display unit 32 requests the I / F information stored in the service search server 20 and returns the result. May be retained.

When the user defines the cooperation of the service via the GUI 31, the instruction creation unit 32 converts the instruction indicating the flow of the cooperation, the GUI display information at the time of starting the cooperation and the middle of the cooperation, and the I / F information for each service into XML. File in a format. Then, the script creation unit 32 transmits the created script to the script management server 40.

(4) The job order management unit 41 of the job order management server 40 stores the job order transmitted from the job order editor 30.

(Start of cooperative processing)
On the other hand, the multifunction peripheral 10 can activate the cooperation processing. Specifically, the service control unit 13 of the multifunction peripheral 10 requests the script to the script management server 40 in response to the operation of the GUI 14, and displays a list of the scripts transmitted from the script management server 40. It is displayed on the GUI 14.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an instruction list screen 110 showing a list of instruction sheets displayed on the GUI 14. The instruction list screen 110 has buttons for selecting an instruction to be displayed. For example, the instruction sheet list screen 110 includes a “contact Mgr (manager)” button 111, a “post to HP (homepage)” button 112, a “registration to contact office DB (database)” button 113, and a “personal secret”. A “register document” button 114, an “approval workflow” button 115, and a “to personal desktop” button 116 are provided. The user can select one or more instructions from the instruction list screen 110.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the instruction sheet screen displayed when the “contact Mgr” button 111 is selected. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an instruction screen displayed when the “post to HP” button 112 is selected.

At this time, the user can operate the GUI 14 to select one or more instruction buttons from the instruction list screen 110 and input necessary parameters.

(4) When the service control unit 13 detects that the start button has been pressed via the GUI 14, the service control unit 13 starts the coordination process and controls the service providing unit 11. At this time, the service control unit 13 reflects the parameters input via the GUI 14 in the instruction sheet. The service control unit 13 analyzes the instruction, determines whether the first process indicated by the instruction can be performed by the service providing unit 11, and executes the process if possible. Then, the service control unit 13 transmits the processing result of the service providing unit 11 and the instruction to the cooperative processing server 50.

Here, the service control unit 13 can display, on the GUI 14, the progress of the activated cooperative processing (including not only the own apparatus but also other service processing apparatuses) and the processing result. Specifically, when there is a request for displaying the progress / processing result via the GUI 14, the service control unit 13 requests the state of the service processing to the cooperative processing server 50, and sends the processing progress / result to the GUI 14. indicate.

FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of the processing progress / results screen 120 displayed on the multifunction peripheral 10. As shown in FIG. The process progress / results screen 120 displays “process name” representing an instruction, “start date / time” representing an execution start date / time, and “state” representing an execution status.

The user can also refer to the progress of the cooperative processing and the processing result from the instruction editor 30 which is a client terminal (not shown). In this case, the client terminal may request the cooperative processing server 50 for a processing state, and display the result on the GUI 31.

(4) Upon receiving the instruction sent from the multifunction peripheral 10, the cooperation processing server 50 analyzes the contents of the instruction, sequentially calls the service processing apparatuses according to the contents described, and continues the cooperation processing.

(Search processing)
Here, a detailed process of the service search server 20 will be described by taking a case where the multifunction peripheral 10 is newly provided as an example.

The I / F information registration unit 12 of the MFP 10 newly connected to the network 5 stores a part of the I / F information (for example, <service type>, <service name>, <service information location>, <service location> >, <Input>, <output>) to the service search server 20. Note that the I / F information registration unit 12 may transmit all of the I / F information to the service search server 20. In addition, the I / F information may be transmitted to the service search server 20 not only when a new connection is made to the network 5 but also at regular time intervals or whenever the service status changes.

(4) The registration information storage unit 21 of the service search server 20 sequentially updates and stores I / F information transmitted from not only the newly provided MFP 10 but also other service processing devices. As a result, even if a failure or change of the service processing device occurs, the registration information storage unit 21 stores at least a service overview and an address (URL) for all available service processing devices currently connected to the network 5. ) Is remembered.

When there is a search request for searching for a desired service from the instruction editor 30, the registration information search unit 22 executes a search using the I / F information recorded in the registration information storage unit 21. Search for the right service. Note that the registration information search unit 22 may search, for example, a service whose <service type> or <service name> matches from the information stored in the registration information storage unit 21 as a search method, Also, a service that matches <input> and <output> may be searched.

The search result responding unit 23 creates a service list representing a list of services that match the search request of the instruction book editor 30 based on the search result of the registration information search unit 22, and together with the service list, the service information of each service processing device. The location is also transmitted to the instruction editor 30. The script creation unit 32 of the script editor 30 displays the service list transmitted from the service search server 20 on the GUI 31.

At this time, the user can confirm the service to be used by looking at the service list displayed on the GUI 31, and can further create an instruction as a service cooperation process using the services in the service list. it can.

When creating the script, the script creation unit 32 accesses the MFP 10 using the service information location of the service (for example, the MFP 10) selected by the user and acquires the I / F information. I do. Alternatively, it may be obtained from I / F information registered in the registration information storage unit 21 of the service search server 20.

{Circle around (2)} Then, the instruction sheet creation unit 32 acquires the processing and the input / output information from each I / F information, and creates a workflow while maintaining the consistency of the I / F information. That is, the instruction form creation unit 32 refers to and uses the I / F information transmitted from the MFP 10 and creates a target workflow by combining services provided by one or more MFPs 10. Then, the instruction document creation unit 32 converts the created flow into an instruction document that can be interpreted by the cooperative processing server 50, and registers it in the instruction document management server 40.

As described above, the document processing system 1 according to the first embodiment searches for a service currently available by the service search server 20, and uses the I / F information of the service processing apparatus that performs the searched service processing. Can be generated easily and freely even after the system has been constructed once.

Further, the document processing system 1 can search for a necessary service and create an instruction even if the user does not know all the services, thereby improving the convenience when creating a workflow. Can be.

Further, the document processing system 1 can easily create a new instruction by acquiring I / F information from an available service processing device even when the service processing device has failed or changed. In addition, it is possible to cause the service processing device that can be replaced to execute a predetermined process, thereby preventing the failure of a part of the service processing device and the failure of the entire system.

Note that the registration information storage unit 21 of the service search server 20 may store only a part of the I / F information transmitted from the service processing device, or may store the entire I / F information. Further, the search result responding unit 23 transmits not only a part of the I / F information (service information location) of each service processing apparatus to the instruction book editor 30 but also transmits the entire I / F information. Is also good.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the document processing system 1 according to the second embodiment. The document processing system 1 according to the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the service search server 20 is not provided.

The document processing system 1 includes a multifunction peripheral 10 that performs copy, print, scan, and facsimile service processing, an instruction editor 30 that is a client terminal and creates an instruction, and a coordination that controls execution of each service according to the instruction. A processing server 50, a document editing server 61 having a document editing function, a document management server 62 managing a document, an approval processing server 63 having an approval processing function, and storing scan data. And a first repository server 91 having an instruction book management function, and a second repository server 92 for storing predetermined data. The detailed configurations of the MFP 10, the instruction editor 30, and the cooperation processing server 50 are the same as those in FIG.

The first repository server 91 has the instruction book management unit 41 used in the first embodiment. The second repository server 92 performs OCR processing on the input image data to create text data, and attaches the text data to the original image data and stores the text data.

In the document processing system 1 configured as described above, the instruction editor 30 generates an instruction as follows.

First, the user operates the GUI 31 of the instruction editor 30 to input a service information location (for example, a port URL) in order to acquire I / F information of the scan server 64.

The instruction form creation unit 32 acquires I / F information of the scan server 64 based on the service information location input via the GUI 31, analyzes the I / F information, and displays an instruction form creation screen on the GUI 31. indicate. Here, the user operates the GUI 31 to select “scan to file function”, which is one of the services of the scan server 64, and inputs an instruction to store the scanned image in the second repository server 92.

Further, the instruction form creation unit 32 acquires the I / F information of the second repository server 92 in the same manner as the scan server 64, analyzes the I / F information, and performs the OCR of the second repository server 92. Generate instruction information for adding text to the original image.

(4) The instruction creating unit 32 creates an instruction according to the operation of the GUI 31 as described above, and stores the created instruction in the first repository server 91.

On the other hand, in the service processing apparatus (for example, the multifunction peripheral 10), the service control unit 13 reads the instruction stored in the first repository server 91 in response to the operation of the GUI 14 by the user, and according to the read instruction. The service providing unit 11 is executed.

(1) The first repository server 91 transmits an instruction to the cooperative processing server 50. The cooperation processing server 50 analyzes the instruction book and continues the cooperation processing.

As described above, the document processing system 1 according to the second embodiment obtains I / F information from a predetermined service processing device using a service information location designated by a user, and creates an instruction form. It is possible to freely design an instruction describing a workflow.

The present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments described above, and various design changes can be made within the scope described in the claims.

For example, although the multifunction peripheral 10 has the cooperative activation function, a predetermined server may have the cooperative activation function, or a cooperative activation device may be provided on the network 5. Further, although the instruction editor 30 has a function as a client terminal, a predetermined server may function as a client terminal, or a client terminal may be provided on the network 5.

The MFP 10 of the second embodiment may have a function of the first repository server 91 in addition to the functions described above.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a document processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a multifunction peripheral, a service search server, an instruction editor, an instruction management server, and a cooperative processing server of the document processing system. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of I / F information stored in an I / F information registration unit. It is a figure showing the instruction book editor screen displayed on the display part of the instruction book editor. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an instruction sheet created by an instruction sheet creating unit. It is a figure showing an example of the instruction book list screen showing the list of the instructions displayed on the display part. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of an instruction displayed when a “contact to Mgr” button is selected. It is a figure which shows an example of the instruction displayed when the "post to HP" button is selected. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process progress / result screen displayed on the multifunction peripheral. It is a block diagram showing the composition of the document processing system concerning a 2nd embodiment.

Explanation of reference numerals

Reference Signs List 10 MFP 11 Service providing unit 12 I / F information registration unit 13 Service control unit 14 Display unit 20 Service search server 21 Registration information storage unit 22 Registration information search unit 23 Search result response unit 30 Instruction book editor 31 Operation unit 32 Display unit 33 Instruction Form Creation Unit 40 Instruction Form Management Server 50 Cooperation Processing Server

Claims (8)

Service list obtaining means for obtaining a service list representing each service of a plurality of service processing apparatuses for providing a service for performing predetermined processing on document data;
Interface information acquisition means for acquiring interface information of the service processing device included in the service list acquired by the service list acquisition means,
Using each interface information acquired by the interface information acquisition means, cooperation information generation means for generating cooperation information for linking the services of each service processing device,
A coordination information generation device comprising: A service list obtaining step of obtaining a service list representing each service of a plurality of service processing apparatuses that provide a service for performing predetermined processing on document data;
An interface information obtaining step of obtaining interface information of the service processing device included in the service list obtained by the service list obtaining step,
Using each interface information acquired in the interface information acquisition step, a cooperation information generation step of generating cooperation information for linking the services of each service processing device,
A linkage information generation method provided with. On the computer,
A service list obtaining step of obtaining a service list representing each service of a plurality of service processing apparatuses that provide a service for performing predetermined processing on document data;
An interface information obtaining step of obtaining interface information of the service processing device included in the service list obtained by the service list obtaining step,
Using each interface information acquired in the interface information acquisition step, a cooperation information generation step of generating cooperation information for linking the services of each service processing device,
A linkage information generation program for executing a process including A plurality of service processing devices that provide a service for performing predetermined processing on the document data and transmit service information as needed;
Service information storage means for storing service information transmitted from a currently available service processing apparatus as needed, and a search for searching for a service corresponding to the search request using the service information stored in the service information storage means Means, and a transmission device for transmitting a service list based on a search result of the search means,
The cooperation information generation device according to claim 1, wherein the cooperation information generation device acquires a service list transmitted from the search device.
Document processing system having: The transmitting unit of the search device transmits a service list indicating a service corresponding to a service requested for search, which is a service of a service processing device currently available, to the cooperation information generation device. Document processing system. The document processing system according to claim 4, wherein the service processing device transmits, as the service information, input information of a service, output information, a service name, and information of a location where a service is executed. The interface information acquisition unit of the cooperation information generation device acquires a service information location for acquiring interface information from the search device, and acquires interface information from a service processing device based on the acquired service information location. 7. The document processing system according to any one of 6. The document processing system according to any one of claims 4 to 7, further comprising a service cooperation processing device that executes a service cooperation process of each service processing device based on the cooperation information generated by the cooperation information generation device.

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